THEME: RISE PHOENIX RISE

About 3 years ago, the Game took the internet by storm, a tournament, a test to see who the fiercest and best of our gaming fighters were, who would be worthy opponents, they were collecting our game stats. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. At first, the stakes were low, the casualties weren’t noticeable and the deaths were never connected to the Game, always some external source.
The tournament gained popularity as adults and kids alike created their avatars, logged in and began defeating one another for title and trophy. Last year there were over 300 deaths, but no one suspected for a second that they were connected to the Game. Heart attacks and strokes, nerve failure and other issues. They were figuring out how to connect to our neural network. The kids started figuring it out. We knew better, we were beginning to understand what was happening.
This year, everything changed.
I logged into my profile as usual and noticed a strange icon at the bottom right hand of the screen that hadn’t been there before. I was used to seeing the updates so it didn’t send a red flag. I clicked on it. Instead of taking me to the usual tournament grounds with the central trophy towering over the plaza,I went somewhere else and I could FEEL it in a way that told me this time was different. My body was connected to the server somehow. The hair on my neck lifted and my arms broke out in goosebumps. I looked down at my character’s avatar and those goosebumps were clearly visible.
That was my first clue.
Other players began materializing around me. Their figures appeared through puffs of colored smoke to stand on the marble tiles at our feet. I could see their confusion, sense their fear and suspicion. My friend spawned into the game 30 feet from me. I ran to him. I asked him the questions burning in my mind, asked him if he suspected anything of what we had spent an entire year discussing. He looked shaken and aware, like myself. We could tell we weren’t the only ones.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” A deep male voice could be heard from all around us, with no pinpoint origin. We listened in horror as our suspicions were confirmed.
“You may have noticed that the icon you clicked has taken you to a different tournament map than you are used to seeing. There is a valid reason for this. I will explain. 700 users from around the world have logged in this way. Each and every one of you has been replaced in your realm with a copy, a digital duplicate of yourselves that are now my eyes and ears on Earth. I have taken you into my world, into my domain to battle one another as well as creatures of my choice, for the trophy that you so desire.”
We knew what this meant. We could feel the copies superimposed over us, somehow integrated yet separate. One kid yelled into the sky at the voice.
“What’s the point in a trophy if everyone has to die?”
Murmurs of agreement rose up around us. We waited for the answer. We waited a long time, so long that we worried an answer wouldn’t come.
“You battle for the realm of Earth.” An eerie pause followed the answer. Everyone considered this. Then the voice finished his reply. “You battle for the right to continue living in a realm you don’t appreciate or understand. You battle for Earth and all that live there, for if you lose, Earth becomes ours and you will never see it again, as well as everyone you love. Those that perish within this tournament will not die, they will be suspended in limbo, until the final victor has been determined. Until then, we walk among you, learning from you and gaining the power we need to defeat you. Play well and keep your precious planet and your lives. Play foolishly and you stand to lose everything.

I’m writing this in my notes. We each have this little journal we can add to. I’ve been in the game for about five and half months now. Every now and then I get glimpses of the real world, we all do. Sometimes when our copy on Earth is logged into the game, we get impressions of Earth and our families. I wonder if it’s intentional sometimes, to torture us, or to motivate us. Hard to tell. We all realized within the first month that the tournament consists of nothing but children. No adults got an icon on their screens to join. They know nothing. Earth is unprepared, and unprotected and our families are in danger. We’re the last line of defense against this growing threat and no one but us know it.
So I write in this journal. Who knows, it might get deleted with my avatar if I die, but I’d like to think it won’t. I want to believe it will be a testament to what took place here. We just call it “The Battleground”, since the sky voice didn’t actually tell us where “here” is. And since that first day, it hasn’t made a peep to tell us anything else. It’s laid out like any online game, we have safe zones, battle arenas and quest mode. At least in quest mode we can get XP and find weapons, but it’s dangerous. I don’t know how many kids are left. Some refused to fight, others went on a massacre and eliminated as many opponents as possible early on. There’s all types here. Not all kids are friendly. I’ve learned to watch my back. My friend and I stick together, we look out for each other and we’re careful. But I wonder how long this can go on. The longer it takes, the more information they get to use against us. We see how the Game has been changing to keep up with us, it’s learning us. That scares me more than anything.
I’m going to stop for now. I just wanted to lay it all down. Maybe someday someone will read this from outside the Game. Maybe we will see our families again. I miss my girlfriend the most. She isn’t a gamer, I don’t know if I’d be more worried about having her here with me, or out in the world, running around with my copy. That actually pisses me off, when I think about it. It fuels me to kick some ass and kill them all. There’s no way we are giving them Earth. There’s no option to lose. We have to win this, for ourselves and everyone we have ever loved.

Inspired by League of Legends 2019