{ I AM BACK }The air grew thicker with dread as I struggled to compose my thoughts. The cloaked figure's eyes bore into mine, their dark depths mocking my hesitation. My mind raced, calculating possible escapes, distractions, anything to stall for time. I couldn't let my friends die. But how could I choose? I knew the time was ticking and it was ticking fast. I needed to do something to get out of here but I don't know how to get back. My avatars had stopped talking to me and I wondered where they are. The images of my friends flickered before me, each face a haunting reminder of the bonds we'd forged and the battles we'd fought. There was Diana, with her fierce determination and unyielding loyalty. Beside her stood Zack, ever the strategist, his quick mind always two steps ahead. And then there was Rosetta, whose strength and heart had saved us more times than I could count. I clenched my fists, feeling the weight of the impossible decision pressing down on me."You have thirty sec
{ END TO THE NINJA SYSTEM } I looked at them, but somehow I wasn't sacred to them. I immediately tapped into my avatar's powers, and using stealth, I disappeared. Killing the cloak man had given me enough power to disarm the ninjas. I moved fast as I battled with them. They could sense my presence and still know precisely where I was. The fight was tensed; I knew I had to disarm in time before anyone saw what was going on. Besides, we are on the outskirts of the city. I noticed an emblem on his chest. "Could it be?" I asked myself as I tried to fight for my life. I saw the emblem on them when I was in the system world. I quickly reached for the emblem, and I noticed I could disarm one of them. The ninjas stopped moving, and I knew I had it in me. Rushing towards the rest of them, I managed to disarm them all, and I fell back to the floor tired. I wondered what my friends would be doing and where they were going to be. If they missed me, All sorts of thoughts were going on inside of
{ THE RÉUNION}I woke up with a start, my body drenched in sweat. The dream was vivid, a haunting reminder of the battle with the cloaked man and the ninjas. The emblem on their chests, the sensation of the power coursing through me after disarming them—it was all so real. I knew that the system upgrade had only begun to reveal its full potential, and I needed to stay sharp. There was no time to waste. I got up slowly, cleaning up the sweat on my forehead. It felt real, being back in the system world, and the capture felt so real that I began to doubt if I had really killed the cloak man. The first rays of dawn filtered through the newly reconstructed windows, casting long shadows on the floor. My mind raced with thoughts of my friends, my enemies, and the looming threats. I had to get moving. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I grabbed my phone and headed out the door.The streets were unusually quiet as I made my way to the university. The serenity of the morning was a
{ The Unseen Threat}The room fell into a tense silence after my declaration. Everyone was processing the gravity of the situation, the reappearance of Jonas, and the manipulations of Akuma. There was no denying it—we were up against a formidable threat. But for now, we had the element of surprise. I needed to leverage that to our advantage. I knew that with Akuma back in the game, there was a chance of more threats.Rosetta clung to my arm, her face a mix of relief and worry. "Fred, what do we do next?" she asked softly."First, we need to gather as much intel as possible about Jonas and Akuma's plans," I said, looking around at my friends. "Zack, you and Diana should try to get close to Jonas without raising suspicion. We need to know his next move. Also, we need to see if we can try to convince Alex and his crew to still join us. They should know the world they love and knew would be destroyed if Akuma had it."Zack nodded, determination etched on his face. "Got it. We'll keep tabs
{ THE ESCAPE} Akuma successfully fled the prison wall, leaving a lot of the wardens dead. They all tried to stop him, but he was too strong for them. It was a massacre, as blood was visibly seen everywhere. Akuma got outside the correction centre with a scat waiting for him. "Drive fast!" he instructed Alex, who sped into the street. Alex drove towards the safe house, where everyone had been waiting for him. Akuma got down with a smile on his face. He looked around, scanning every building and every place. "Are you sure no one is here?" Akuma looked at Alex, who had nodded his head. They walked in, and everyone stood up to their feet. They didn't know Akuma had jailed himself. Jonas looked at the man before him and knew it wasn't his father. Well, his father was not doing the job well anyway, so why not let a killing avatar do that? "It is good to see your faces again." Akuma said, looking at everyone staring at him. He knew they were surprised to see that he had escaped the pris
{ THE POWER OF THE ECLIPSE} As I got back into the system, I knew I had to first reprogram many of its activities. power and the sharing of wealth. Everything had to be earned, not just given on a plate of gold. With the help of Claw, I managed to change everything about the system. "What about the eclipse?" We can leave it here." I asked, looking at Shadow Blade and the rest of the Avatars."What do you have in mind, Fred?" The Eclipse had always been a guard and shield for the gaming world. Without it, we are lost." One of the Avatars said, looking at me "I didn't say we needed to have it killed or shut down. If the cloak man wants this, then have you thought about Akuma? I am sure he is out of prison now, and it is only a matter of time before he finds his way down into the system. What do you think will happen if he lays his hand on it?" I asked, looking around. The Avatars all kept silent and didn't know what to say. "Exactly my point. He knows the system like the back of his
[THE TRAP] I immediately went back into the world and landed in my mansion. I picked up my phone and called Zack. "Where the hell is Rosetta?" I asked, looking a little scared. "She should be with Flora. Is everything alright?" Zack asked, trying to know why I was scared. "The system just alerted me now and told me she was in danger." I replied " Danger? Are you sure about this?" Zack asked again. Our phone chimed, and a message came into the phone from the system. [SYSTEM ALERT] [SYSTEM TASK: SAVE ROSETTA] [SYSTEM REWARD: $12,000,000]"Do you see that, buddy?" I asked with my heart beating fast. "Of course I do. What do you want me to do?" Zack asked "Judith, she has the power of a tracker." Zack said it again, breaking the silence. "Call her now, and you both should come to meet me in the mansion. Also, call Flora and let her know if she has seen Rosetta." I picked up the call and immediately went into my room to have my bath. I knew I had to get ready for whatever was co
[THE BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL]The figure emerged from the shadow, and we saw it was Akuma. I knew the show was getting interesting, and it was only a matter of time before it escalated. I looked at Zack and Judith. "Get her out of here!" I shouted at the top of my voice. "But what about you?" Zack looked at me. "Are you going to tackle words with me, or are you going to do as I say?" I looked at Zack.Zack lifted Rosetta to her feet and looked at Judith. "You heard the man; let's go." Jonas and Alex stood in their way, but Akuma looked at them and told Alex to let them go. "We have what we came for," he said with a wide grin. I knew I couldn't take on all of them, but I was going to try my best. I had the four avatars that were unknown to Akuma. Akuma walked around me as he stared into my blue eyes. The Shadow Blade was now taking over my body, and I could feel it. "I wonder how you did it. You killed the cloak ninjas," he said with his eyes darting around the room. My eyes scanned