It was any normal day for Class 1-A. The Jacob twins were as rambunctious as usual; the class president just as bossy, and Elizabeth was getting the normal squint-eyed stares. She had just regained “consciousness” from one of her common attacks. This time she had teleported into the middle of a swarm of wyvern. To her classmates, she was stabbing the air with her pencil and jumping from desktop to desktop. To Liz, Elizabeth, though, she was a warrior: the greatest in all the land. She was clad in dragon scales and leather. Her boots were made from the finest of wolf fur and her helmet solid steel. Her sword was pure diamond and her shield a protective layer of petrified wood. Her classmates saw none of this though. They only saw a school uniform and regarded Liz with the lowest esteem. They wondered how they got stuck with her. They never tried to restrain her stabbing or dancing though, unless they wanted to get hurt.
Liz drops her head on her on her desk, apparently worn out from her dueling. It was only second period and she was already needed in the Kingdom. The assignments seemed to be getting harder and harder. She wondered when she’d see her commanding officer face-to-face. Then she would hopefully get a promotion. Pretty soon she’d surpass him. “Alright class!” Mrs. Downey says, “Back to translating.” Everyone’s, but the new girl’s, attention leaves Liz and turns to their less-than-cheery, middle-aged teacher. The new girl’s eyes stay widened and curious. Her name is Cho. (Her parents named her after their favorite Harry Potter character which is oddly Cho Chang.) Their last name is Chang so it fits well enough. During lunch Cho sits beside Liz, trying to become friends. Despite Cho’s doubts of never making any friends in her new school, Liz smiles: sealing their friendship.
For Liz, the next few weeks were a breeze compared to other more embarrassing and rejected weeks. Liz and Cho were alike in many ways. Some of them they did not know about yet. One sunny day during Translations, the Class of 1-A found their selves with another situation exactly like Liz’s. It was Cho. She started dancing around the room with invisible characters, laughing. Everyone had begun to think Liz was cursed. They whispered more than usual, tainting their words with venom. Cho was fine though. She was dancing with her fiancé, having the best time of her life. Cho had lived a cushioned life. She had grown up a princess, whom was very spoiled, and was marrying a prince but she was warmhearted. Her classmates didn’t bow though. In their minds, she was so poor her parents kicked her out and she had to make a living on her own. She had a brother, but he was good for nothing. Cho’s “Fake Reality” was a way of getting back at her family for all the wrong that they had done to her. Her “Fake Reality” was the second chance for a happy life to be bestowed upon her. That’s all she ever wanted: a happy life.
It was about fourth period before Liz visited her “Fake Reality.” Her classmates watched as she jumped from desktop to desktop again, stabbing the air with her pencil. “Die beast!” Liz yells, jumping onto the teacher’s desk. Mrs. Downey slinks away from her desk, cowering in the corner of her classroom. She hated it when Liz went on one of her rampages. Mrs. Downey rubs her temples, trying to stay calm. “Why doesn’t somebody do something?” A perturbed student asks. “They are being incompetent fools! We shouldn’t allow this!” The young man stands up, only to be blocked by another student. “Sit down, Kayaba. We shouldn’t interfere. We should just wait it out.” Kayaba makes a move to shove his friend out of the way, but his friend knocks him into his seat. “Koki, we have to do something about Liz! She doesn’t belong with us!” Kayaba yells. “That’s enough!” Mrs. Downey snaps, splitting the tension. “Come on class. Let’s go wait outside.” Mrs. Downey motions the class outside, out of harm’s way.
Liz met her commanding officer today. She’d been promoted to his equal. Now she had troops of her own to order around. The troops were reluctant to serve under a woman until she gave them a speech about how many monsters needed to be slain. That caught their attention. Cho on the other hand was having problems of her own. She had just found out that her fiancé wasn’t real. Meaning he was a figment of the “fake” reality. He was just an NPC. She was determined to stay with him though. She would rather give up “real” life and remain in this perfect “fake” one forever. It is Utopia. You can create your life to be whatever you want it to be. The only thing she would regret would be leaving Liz, though. She would never be able to see her again. Ever. “Take heed: If someone would choose to stay in this world forever, it will close up and no longer be available to anyone else,” Cho remembers the all too clear warning from the beginning of her stay. Anyone seeking refuge wouldn’t be able to come here either, Cho realizes. But maybe it’s for the best?
In the United States, far away from Japan, a young man wakes up from his “fake” reality. I have an equal? He scratches his head, sitting up in bed. He only traverses while asleep. He gets up and starts getting ready for the day. Jeans, shirt, hair, and breakfast: same old boring stuff. To him, life was too eventless; too empty. He gets A’s in school and is amazing at sports, but he has no clue what he wants out of life. He’s a senior at Phoenix, Arizona Central. He’s the star of the basketball team at a height of 6’1”. Colin is his name, but everyone calls him “Prince” for their own reasons. Colin gets in his GTO and revs the engine, warming the car up. “Time to get today over with,” he sighs.
Back in Japan, Liz unknowingly meets Colin. He’s her equal now or rather she’s his. Liz still remembers his blonde hair and green eyes. He looked like he was inwardly laughing, like she wouldn’t make it through a day of what he had to do. It was fairly simple though. He was just getting a little too full of himself. That trait is common in leaders, Liz notes. I wonder if he’s real? Liz shakes her head, dismayed by how much of an interest she has in him. I will soon find out. Not knowing this would be her last visit, Liz lets her mind go, letting it take her to the Kingdom. After a lot of calling and searching, Liz finds her equal. He’s surrounded by chimeras and losing quickly. Liz, letting out a battle cry, rushes to aid her equal.
Soon afterwards, they find their selves talking and laughing together. They are sitting up in a tree, eating strawberry filled scones. “So I have a question,” Liz cautiously states. “Hmm?” Colin replies. “Are you real?” Liz looks hopefully at Colin, searching his face for the answer. “You mean like ‘real’ real?” “Yeah, I guess.” “Yup, I’m 100% real. I’m from the United States. What about you?” Liz smiles, “yes. I’m from Japan.” “Really? Your English is amazing!” Colin returns the smile, awing at how beautiful Elizabeth is. Elizabeth looks up at the sky. It’s a beautiful collage of every color imaginable. The sight of it is enough to take the words right out of a poet’s mouth. There’s something different about it though. There isn’t a sun. “Hey Colin…Where’s the Sun?” Colin looks up, just as confused as Liz. “What the heck…” All of a sudden, the whole world begins to shake. The sky darkens and horrible noises erupt from the blackness, driving chills down Liz and Colin’s backs. The tree they are sitting in disappears, and the two just seem to be floating in the sky. Colin grabs Liz’s hand, fearing what would happen if he were to let go. Then Liz hears a scream. It’s Cho. “Cho!” Liz yells, panicking. Cho, having made the decision to stay in the Kingdom forever, is destroying the ties between “real” and “fake” with her decision. Liz instantly understands. “No…NO! Cho!” Liz tries to go to Cho, but Colin keeps a tight grip on her. He pulls her close to him and holds her head against his chest, trying to soothe her. As soon as it had begun, Cho stops screaming and the world returns to a temporary stationary state. Liz can already feel herself being sucked back into the real world, away from Utopia. “Please promise me we will meet again,” Liz whispers to Colin. “No matter how long it takes, we will meet again, I promise.” Colin kisses Liz on the forehead and disappears, returning to the “real” world. Liz opens her eyes. She’s in her fourth period class and as usual, she’s getting the normal stares. This time though, they are shocked more than perturbed. “Where’s Cho?” Liz asks, panicked. Her eyes sweep around the room and come to rest on Cho’s desk. “Who’s Cho?” Koki asks, puzzled. Tears stream down Liz’s face, soaking her cheeks. No one remembers her…
THE END