Should Have Let Me Die

[1 year 2 months before the release of Reborn]

I was standing in the office with Dave and we were going over the models for one of the worlds. He had already secured the link from Second Life and he was working on the transfer points. This project had become all-consuming, but I had brought my group of friends to help us out and break the monotony of Dave's keyboard abuse.

The guy was a machine, only sleeping in Dive, and that wasn't really sleeping, but there was no talking him down. That would just start a fight, and I knew why he was stressed. The court date was coming up and it would be the first time Dave had stepped out of the building since the girls were killed. 

"Dave, don't worry I can watch the girls! They will love me! Plus I'll have the Gate, nothing could stop me!"

"I'm more worried about the game itself! You can't break that world Hyde!" Dave said, glaring at me.

"Calm down Romeo, I will take good care of the world while you're burying those fucking cunts Reggy and Datum!"

"You don't actually think we are going to get them to put into jail, do you? Come on, you're smarter than that, uses your head. The only thing I want is Second Life, and that I will get, but you sat with me when I went over the waivers. And we have no real way to prove that they did it on purpose, the rig we go was illegally obtained so anything pertaining to it is useless. I just need the game, it has some of the things that I'm missing to get everything online and figure out the best way to slow down the experience. This way we can spend more time in the game and less worry about our bodies in the real world."

"I know, but I can't help but want to rip their arms off and beat them to death with them! Dave, I will keep girls safe, just show me how to operate the thing!"

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[Two Days Before Court Day, 1 year, 1 month until the release of Reborn]

The feeling was like nothing I had ever felt. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, maybe a screen to light up, or some weird sensory flashes. Dave hadn't talked about this part, and it was like putting a hockey helmet with no front, just back all the way around.

"Okay Hyde, I will count back from three and then you will be standing on a street, but Alexandria said she would be waiting to help you get used to things. Just relax, and I will start the countdown, remember this is just a test so your time in will be three hours, but for me, I will be counting to ten and then bringing you out, okay?" Dave asked from outside the padded bucket on my head.

"Three hours in ten seconds, bro, that is beyond wild."

"Remember, this is only a test, so you might go in and come right back out. The end goal is to have a ratio of one to seventy-one. That means that every second that passes here is just over seventy-one days."

I didn't have words for that, I couldn't wrap my head around that, but the real question was just how old was Dave? How long had he been jacking like this?

3...2...1…

I was standing on a street, and the bucket was off my head. Where was I? This looked like a city...but it was like a mix of ideas. I was trying to remember what I was doing, then I heard a voice call my name.

"Hyde?"contemporary romance

I turned to find a beautiful woman standing in a long black dress and generous curves. Oh, this must be my guide! 

"Hey, yeah that's me, sorry, just getting used to the game...right? This is a game? It's just…"

"Your brother is an amazing person and a master at his craft. Yes, this is all a game world he created, and we were all trapped inside," Alexandria said with a bitter look.

That snapped me back into place and my thoughts came rushing back to me. I was here to watch over the girls. I also had access to Tequila, another one of the girls but forced to watch as her friends and others would be abused, but Dave has spent every waking moment that he was protecting these girls, trying to prevent others from coming into the game.

As long as the game was unoccupied, it was paused so the girls were safe, but people had tried to get in and at one point Dave let normal players come in. Then, after an incident where one of those players attacked one of the girls while drinking, and tried to rape her. You could only imagine the unholy hammer Dave brought down on that person, and every other player until there were none left. 

Now someone had to be on guard almost all the time, so I was going to start helping out, this was just to get me used to the time dilation. Bhan and Kiada were going to be helping out, but I was the first one doing a trial run. After we would be spending time in the game that was on one-hour shifts, but in-game, that was well over a year each time, but we were all prepared.

"Yup, frigging genius! Okay, Alex, show me around town!"

The two of us and all the rest of my girls spent many years together before even coming to Reborn. Those were some of the best times I had ever had in my life, but something went wrong when it was time for the five of us to dive in. I was still missing that part, but now I understood and remembered the real reason I was in this game.

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[Present day, Tri-Island Resort, Zodiac World Leo]

I woke up feeling refreshed, and I could smell women all around me like I was in a room filled with fruit and flowers. I opened my eyes to many tear-filled eyes, and then I was mobbed and dogpiled by women. I was trying to remember what had happened, then I remembered.

"Is Tigger's pup okay?" I asked while getting the woman to get off me and sitting up. 

"My boy is doing good! All thanks to you Great Master Hyde!" Tigger said stepping forward. "What you did was pretty crazy, and you survived an encounter with a huntress, which is something hardly anyone ever does."

"That wasn't a god? How was that thing so strong?"

"The huntresses are demigod children of Grania, Panther Goddess. She is the third strongest on the island, and now you are on her bad list."

"Her shit list, eh? Well, I am going to need armor for the next time I go out there, that was way too close!"

"Next time? What are you talking about? We are on a vacation!" Alex tried to tear into me, but I stood from the bed and towered over her.

"Alex, you and the rest made choices with our asking my opinion, and it doesn't seem like you heard me before I left. I am trying to make the world a better place for you, Lydia, Kenos, and all the rest of our family, right? But only for us, right?"

"What? You're trying to do it for the entire world aren't you?" Alex asked in confusion.

"Exactly, and now I know that there is bullshit happening here, and I haven't even got to the humanoid population of this island yet, who I might add, all seem to hate each other. So, yeah, for the next two weeks I'm going to lay in the sand and watch the shit storm fly around me because that's something I could do?! You know me better than most and now I know just how much better. You all are beyond important to me, and I love every one of you, so don't make me force my hand in this. I will spend time with everyone, and do things, but there is a lot that needs to be done here."

Alex was stunned silent.

"Everyone, I would like you all to leave the room, except for Alex, Kyra, Kadence, and Kalita. I need to talk to these three about something important and I would like some privacy."

There was grumbling, but I wasn't ready to tell everyone yet, but I had spent the most time with these four. Not only here, but in Second Life, so I wanted to explain things to them, because I don't think they knew, but my heart was already starting to feel heavy. Soon it was just the five of us, and I patted on the bed for everyone to sit down.

"Listen, there is something important that I need to talk to you about. In time we will tell the rest, but now is not the time during a vacation."

"What are you talking about Hyde?" Kalita asked, taking one of my hands, and looking into my eyes.

This was hard, I thought I could just tell them, but It wasn't that easy. Still, I took a deep breath and started talking. I told them the tragic tales of how we ended up here, and why I was doing what I was. 

None of them reacted through the story, but I could see that they were all bothered, and who could blame them. I had just told them they were actually dead in the real world and there was no going back.

done.co