Spirit Game

"H-how did you know?! Wait . . . don't tell me . .

. Alice, you're a player too?!"

Alice gasped. "I-idiot!" She quickly glanced around before pulling Rain up to the rooftop, where they could speak in private.

Meanwhile, Rain struggled to process that Alice was also a player like him. To think, all this time, a fellow player had been so close, even a classmate!

And now . . . they were holding hands!

'If Nathan and the others knew about this, they would be green with envy!'

"Now spill it. When did you become a player and entered that place?" Alice demanded.

It was only then that Rain snapped back to reality, staring at Alice as if seeing her for the first time.

"Uhm . . . went where?" Rain tilted his head with a flower popping over it, still a bit dazed.

Alice rolled her eyes. It was meant to be a gesture of mockery, yet Rain found her irritation strangely endearing.

"In the Spirit Realm. Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Ah, that. It's been less than a month since I started. So, I'm still new," Rain replied, his face lighting up. "But I had no idea you were a player too, Alice. This is great!"

Alice raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Great?"

"I mean, both of us being players and classmates, we could help each other out," Rain said, voice hyper as he lightly tapped Alice's shoulder. "Having a fellow classmate who understands what I've been through makes me feel less alone in this hard times. How great it is."

Alice's eyes narrowed and she swatted away Rain's hand. "I think you've misunderstood something here."

Rain blinked rapidly, didn't get what Alice meant. "Misunderstood?"

Alice placed a hand on her tilted hip. "You and I aren't friends and definitely not acquaintances. Just because we're both players doesn't mean we should become friends and work together. That's where you're wrong. The truth is, we're enemies vying for territory. That's the real dynamic of players nowadays, unless .

. ."

"Unless?" Rain prompted, a little confused.

Alice met Rain's gaze squarely. "Unless you pledge allegiance to one group."

Rain wasn't surprised at the information. He recalled that many players formed alliances or unions in the Spirit Realm. It was a way to protect smaller territories from larger threats, and a way for players to survive longer in the realm.

"If you're new, I recommend forming an alliance with us," Alice continued, her face a stone, giving nothing away.

At that Rain was surprised. He hadn't realized that Alice belonged to an alliance. "Which alliance are you part of, Alice?"

Alice hesitated briefly before answering, "It's not exactly a secret, so I suppose I can tell you. I belong to the Aegis Union led by Cedric Ashford. You probably know him. He's the guy who's been fetching me from school."

Her voice contained pride. Rain noted, so the guy must be amazing?

"That guy is also a player?" Rain muttered under his breath.

"That guy?" Alice scoffed. "Cedric is already an Expert Lord on his way to receiving his Master Lord title. He commands a great army and even has a fantastic troop among his arsenal of command," Alice explained. "Together, we control twenty territories, including mine, and we've managed to repel many player attacks as well as fend off beasts and other inhabitants of the Spirit Realm.

"Aegis Union is the largest alliance of players in the Spirit Realm, and all of that is managed by that guy. You're new, so I don't blame you for not knowing anything, but our alliance is so powerful that even the top empires and top players acknowledge our might."

Rain couldn't help but notice how defensive Alice seemed about Cedric.

'She likes him,' Rain thought, feeling a twinge of disappointment at that fact.

It was a given that he had a crush on Alice, just like every other guy at their school. However, he had long accepted the fact that she would never reciprocate his feelings, nor even pay him a little attention. This conversation was the first they ever had, and he was already content with it.

But now, it was time to put aside his fantasies and accept reality. Not that he was really heartbroken or anything. At the moment, matters of the heart were the least of his worries.

Rain grinned. "Congratulations. That's good to hear. I'm glad that one of us is at least doing fine."

"Wha . . . ?" Alice gaped, unsure if Rain was mocking or praising her. But considering the silly grin on his face and his simpleton expression, she decided that he was genuinely praising her.

Alice cleared her throat. "By the way. Where is your territory located, and have you received your Novice Lord title yet?"

Here it comes, Rain thought nervously, biting his lower lip. "Um . . . I'm still yet to receive my Novice Lord title. The challenge is in a few days I think," Rain admitted.

"That's not a problem. We can even send help to you if you join us. So, where is your territory located?" Alice pressed.

Rain scratched his cheek nervously and muttered, "In the . . . Barren Wasteland . . ."

"What?" Alice furrowed her brow in annoyance. "Speak up."

Taking a deep breath, Rain blurted out, "The Barren Wasteland!"

Alice's stern expression momentarily cracked before she regained her composure. "I see . . ."

"Um . . . am I still welcome to jo--" Rain tried to continue, but Alice was already heading towards the door of the rooftop.

She sighed, flipping her hair. "Sadly, your territory is far from ours. We have a requirement that territories should be within a maximum of 1000 miles and not across a sea."

Rain sighed internally. "There's always a catch," he thought.

"But . . ." Alice paused at the doorway. "Maybe you could join another alliance."

And just like that, she was gone within seconds after Rain revealed his territory's location.

Rain sighed heavily when he was left alone. "They're all the same . . ."

Maybe I could find a way to cross the sea into the mainland or use a transportation circle, he mused. However, there wasn't a teleportation circle in the port town, and he hadn't found any in the Barren Wasteland either. His only option for now seemed to be by boat.

It was all futile, though. Rain knew he couldn't escape the Barren Wasteland, and it was the only place where he could establish his territory. It was the rule.

Rain released a big breathe like a deflating balloon.

Would reinforcements arrive in time before his Novice Title Challenge began?