Souls Online: Mythic Ascension

While Morgan was looking at his screen he noticed something else near the bottom. It was only two words but he had no idea what that could possibly mean.

"Element… Illusion? What is that supposed to mean?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

Penny puffed up her chest and lifted her nose in a haughty manner. "What a newbie~! What it means is your innate element is Illusion. Each one of us has an innate element. Like Lily's for example is Wood."

Lily shot a weird look in Penny's direction. Why did she use her as the example? However, Morgan nodded his head in a serious manner as if he understood what she was talking about.

"Then this nickname thing should reflect the element that belongs to you? Is there some sort of innate connection between names and ability?"

His serious and contemplative questioning took the wind out of Penny's sails as she visibly deflated.

"No… It's just a nickname…" she sighed.

Vivian, who had been quietly checking her own screen, suddenly tilted her head. "Oh. My element is Earth."

Ethan leaned over her shoulder before grinning at his own display. "Fire. Figures. I was born to burn bright."

"That sounds like a bad dating profile tagline," Morgan muttered.

Ethan ignored him. "Okay, so if this nickname is just for flair, I want mine to be something cool. Something that makes people think twice before picking a fight with me. How about… Hellion?"

Before anyone could respond, Vivian's elbow shot into his ribs with a sharp jab. "Absolutely not. I am not going to call you something stupid like that."

Ethan wheezed, clutching his side. "It's a strong name!"

Morgan crossed his arms and tilted his head. "It's… not that bad."

Vivian slowly turned her gaze toward him. "Alright then, Morgan. Imagine this. You are in trouble, you need his help, and you have to shout across the battlefield, 'Hellion!' Would you honestly feel good about that?"

Morgan froze. He thought about it for a few seconds. Then his shoulders slumped, and his head drooped forward. "…You're right."

Ethan's mouth fell open. "Betrayal. Actual betrayal. I thought we had something, man."

"Yeah, it was called a difference in standards," Morgan replied.

Ethan saml to his knees, looking utterly defeated. He slouched like someone had stolen his lunch and his dignity in one swift move. "This is cruel and unusual punishment."

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Picking a name shouldn't be that hard."

"Easy for you to say," Ethan grumbled without lifting his head.

Vivian tapped her screen decisively. "Done. I am going with Tera."

Ethan perked up slightly. "Like… terror?"

Vivian gave him a flat look. "No. As in the Earth itself. Tera. Short, simple, and it actually matches my element."

Morgan glanced down at his own screen. "The only one I can think of is Morgana."

"That sounds mysterious," Penny said. "I like it."

Morgan shrugged. "It's either that or… no, actually, that's all I've got."

Ethan sat up a little straighter, clearly rallying for one last attempt. "Alright, fine. If Hellion is off the table, I'll go with Dante."

Then he immediately flinched and hunched his shoulders, bracing for another elbow from Vivian.

Nothing happened.

He cracked one eye open, glancing her way. Vivian was studying him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she gave a single nod. "That is… acceptable."

Ethan blinked like he couldn't believe it. "Really?"

"Really," she confirmed.

Morgan leaned over. "You do realize you just gave him a permanent ego boost, right?"

Vivian smirked faintly. "Better Dante than Hellion."

Ethan, now visibly pleased with himself, tapped his screen with a flourish. "Locked in."

Luna crossed her arms. "So, we have Morgana, Dante, and Tera. That covers us. Everyone ready?"

One by one, the others confirmed their names until the group was set. The energy in the gym shifted as the weight of the moment finally sank in. This was it.

"Alright," Leo said. "Time to log in."

Everyone placed their fingers over the Yes option on their screen.

"Game Start," they all said in unison.

The instant the words left their lips, each pressed the button.

There was no warning before the light erupted. It blazed up from their screens, spilling out in a blinding flash that seemed to swallow the entire gym. It was pure white at first, then streaks of shimmering color rippled through it like threads being woven into something greater. The air hummed with an electric vibration that made the hairs on their arms stand on end.

Shadows vanished. The polished floor beneath their feet seemed to dissolve into the brilliance. For a heartbeat, there was no sound except the rushing of their own breath in their ears.

Then the light faded.

The gym was empty. Not a single person remained.

The doors stood closed, the equipment untouched, the silence absolute.

It was as if they had never been there at all.

The first thing that Vivian felt after pressing yes was the feeling of falling. She tumbled through the air in a pitch black space with no sound. She couldn't even hear the rush of air blasting past her as she fell. Instead it was like she was falling in a void.

Then it stopped.

Or rather her feet touched something solid and the momentum was completely canceled out by some unknown force.

Vivian stood still for a long moment, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. The ground beneath her feet was there, yet she could not see it. She looked down and saw nothing but more darkness, stretching endlessly below. Slowly, she crouched, reaching out a hand to touch the surface. It felt smooth and cool, almost like glass, but when she pressed harder, it gave off no echo or vibration. It was as if the void itself had decided to let her stand on it.

She straightened and took a tentative step forward. The air, if it could even be called air, was still and heavy, pressing against her like a thick blanket. Her own breathing was loud in her ears now, the only sound she could hear.

Her eyes strained against the dark, searching for any point of reference, any hint of shape or movement. There was nothing. The emptiness here was not just a lack of light. It felt intentional, like she was inside something that had swallowed the concept of space.

She turned slowly in place. That was when it happened.

From directly ahead, a faint shimmer appeared, so faint she thought it might be a trick of her eyes. But it grew, not in size, but in definition, until she realized it was not a shimmer at all.

A massive golden eye opened before her.

Its iris glimmered like polished amber, veined with swirling patterns that seemed almost mineral in nature. The texture reminded her of cracked earth after a long drought, layered and ancient. A deep, steady warmth radiated from it, like standing barefoot on sunbaked soil or feeling the heartbeat of a mountain. There was a sense of strength in it, enduring and patient, as if it had watched centuries pass without moving.

Her lips twitched into a small, almost cramped smile. "I might be totally fucked."