Chapter 143: My Brother?

The three of us approached the cave entrance, walking up to the black curtain. We all stopped again, just before the veil of darkness. Each of us turned and grinned at each other, then we pushed through.

Inside was a large cave, but I was surprised to find that only four human-sized figures stood in the center of the vast cavern. Was MainFrame trying something new this time? No big load of bullshit screamed at us? Where was the big fucker from last time?

"Drania? Where is MainFrame?" Kiada asked, moving forward on a cloud of red mist faster than we walked.

"Seam your big stupid hairy friend left quite an impact the last time he was here. Now MainFrame refused to have its stuffing knocked out of it again," Drania explained.

Bhan and I had caught up with Kiada; now I could clearly see Grip, and Centia, they were all waiting for us. 

"I missed you too, Drania! Hard to believe that it's only been five games since you last insulted my intelligence!"

"Your latest javelin throw nearly cost us more time, so it isn't like you are trying to prove me wrong," Drania grumbled in her scratching voice, sounding like a cat trying to purr and hiss at the same time.

"Children, we didn't come here to bicker, and Drania cut the boy some slack. Can't you tell? He isn't the same hyde we are about to send, he's already there," Gripton said with a warm smile.

Always looking like some old senile wizard, Gripton was in just as good of shape as me under his guise. Of course, the pervert always ripped it all off if his wives were around, running around in a pair of short shorts that left no detail spared for future nightmares. Centia, stood beside him, preferring the form of Aphrodite, wearing a white bed sheet expertly wrapped, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a bun.

"I really worked? You were able to activate Limitless Reach alone?" Centia asked, rushing forward and taking my hand in hers.

I heard Bhan make a growl, and I was half tempted to snap three bands, and punch him into the wall.

"Yeah, I am there now, the fight has only just started though, but I have a good hold. Plus, I have already found sixteen, and I might have more members around me."

"Sixteen?! What did you do to unlock Limitless Reach? Gra, how many women does he have?!" Drania asked while giving me a dirty look.

"I have enough. Don't you dare judge me for doing the damn job I was told to do! This started over twenty-five games ago, where, just like we all will do after we are done bull shitting, we woke up with no memories in the first game world. Who knows what happened before that, all three of us had dealt with your subterfuge of all of these lifetimes. That ends today, for me at least, they won't remember this, but I will."

"How did you activate it, Hyde? I'm just curious, I don't know what has happened yet, but I will answer what I can in private after," Gripton said while rolling his hand for me to continue.

I gave everyone a brief rundown of my magic, and the interactions I had with the Game Master Talon. Then I explained about the city, and everyone's eyes almost fell out of their heads.

"You, Mr. I Hit Things, did that?" Kiada asked incredulously.

"Hey! I can be creative! But, your right, the magic did most of the work, I just explained what I wanted to be done."

"Still you have adapted well and saved some of the girls so far. I am sorry about the ones that have been there the longest and the ones that we have had to collect from other worlds. I have been watching Leo for the entire time since your wives started appearing, and sending the scattered girls in with my wives. We all have things to talk about, but this is goodbye to you four until this is all over, good luck, let the Path lead you back."

Both sets of people disappeared and I was left standing in a new chamber that was all white with two half egg chairs. They were both filled with Acura-Gel from UW and Trans, two game worlds in the climb back up here, and I plunked into one. The gel splashed up and wrapped around me, settling like a clear blue layer of water over me. I didn't think we were going anywhere, but they were the most comfortable chairs in the game, so it made sense.

"So, how was it?" Gripton asked.

"That's pretty vague."

"The life you first went to."

That made me stiffen, and the blonde-haired boy jumped back into my mind.

"You know how it was, you sent me there on purpose, didn't you? Was it the shittiest life you could find?"

"No, I was your life the first time I found you, twenty-seven games ago," said in a drawn-out voice.

"Why can I only remember twenty-five of them then? What happened on the twenty-sixth game?"

"You were transported to the Aihalla for your very first game, and you challenged Aegis, and lost. Then I found you, but you should have never been in that world, time runs backward there, and when I found you, you had moved back on your world line. Regardless, that's part of the reason why we are fighting to get to Aihalla. You and your brother are important for some reason and Aegis can't delete you or him."

"My brother?"

"No matter how many lives you live, some things like single-mindedness never change. Yes, you have a brother, who is actually having one hell of a time. Dave is working through the first builder sequence right now, and Dansei is helping him, but well, you remember your first run?"

"No, explain fucker, I put up with enough of your side stepping on Leo. I want real answers, how do I have a brother? And why don't I remember him? I only have one single memory of him."

"The life you will live is different from the actual original life, but you needed to know that he was okay. The reason I put him in briefly was to jog your memory before you got back here, or I couldn't have told you. MainFrame is still able to impose some restrictions on me even after all of this time. The point is that he is fighting and collecting a huge group for his fight, and I think he might become better with the builder system than any of you everywhere."

"Okay, fine, I have a brother. Whoopty shit, he's in the game worlds and I am on Leo, a Zodiac world. Why do I need to know?"

"MainFrame is taking its frustration with you on him."

"That pisses me off, but what am I supposed to do about it?"

"I am going to give MainFrame your location, and that will force him to switch to a Game Master to come to chase you. Dave needs a break, and this is the only way I can see for you to help him. Plus, I am sure you would love to give some valuable lessons to him, but this isn't why you were brought here."

"Yes, oh Great Master Gra, tell me why I was summoned! Seriously, why can I remember any of this?"

"It never happened, you defeated MainFrame and then was sent directly to the world I created as a guise to get you in. There was no point in talking then, but now I can tell you what we are fighting for."

"Wow, twenty-eight games later and I finally get some answers, lucky me."

"Don't be a smartass, you know how the rules can prevent us from revealing things. We have to destroy Aihalla before the world winds back to reset, or everything is gone. All memories and worlds are reset and then we start this all over again," Gripton explained, taking on a tired expression.

"Again? You mean…"

"Don't know what happened the first time, just the same as you don't. I told you, everything resets."

"Why would the Aegis want that? What is the point of it all?" I asked, starting to get frustrated.

"That's what we have all been trying to figure out, Destroying Aihalla is the first step, but that only stops the reset. That still leaves us with the question of, what does it all mean? Why was this built and where did we come from? Each of us has a different origin, but they are only fabrications, I want to know the truth."

So we either capture all the worlds or we are forced to do the same thing? Doesn't that mean we have already failed in the past? What makes you think this time will be different?"

"Somehow, you were transported directly to Aihalla, and you almost won. This changed things because I was watching you and was about to guide you to the first world like I do, but you never showed up. Instead, someone else showed up, Tequila, The All-Mother."

"Tequila showed up? Isn't she stuck in the Hall of Wish?" I asked.

"No more than I or the rest are stuck in the Hall of Gods. No, she came to me and told me about the reset, and for some reason, she retained part of her memory from before. Tequila said that you never went to Aihalla in the last reset, so I have faith that this time will work."

"Great a God running on faith," I grumbled.