Ascension: Online

When the white light faded away at last, I was back in the wooden hallway lit up by torches, within the Vault of Deception.

"My parents… this damned vault…"

I gritted my teeth and smashed the wall to relieve my anger. Sharp wooden shards stabbed into my hand, but I didn't care. Pain was good. Pain helped me feel better - helped me forget. Scientific research has proved that self-inflicted injuries help generate positive emotions. Now was the time to put that theory to the test.

I slid down to the ground, my back against the wall I had just smashed.

I glanced down at my bloodstained hands. Judging from appearances alone, the blood was my own, caused by the wooden shrapnels that had lodged themselves into my fragile skin. But that wasn't all. Beneath the surface, unbeknownst to anyone else, were the invisible blood and tears of my biological parents - the same parents I had just murdered with my own two hands.

Even if they were mere illusions, they still looked, talked, and felt just like my real parents. Even if they weren't real, they still had the same blood as me coursing through their veins. Even if all of this was a mere dream… how I wish I could live inside this dream forever.

But I couldn't. I had a duty - I made a promise. One I must fulfill. As much as I yearned for my mother and father, I could not just abandon Hina-nee, who had been the closest thing to their replacement for the past 14 years.

Should fate will it, we shall meet again, mother, father.

Slowly, I dragged myself back up from the ground, my heart calm and my determination renewed.

I couldn't tell the time from within this place, but I wonder if what happened in the illusion passed time here on the outside as well. If so… then were Hina-nee and Aisa still waiting for me, even after so many hours? Not to mention the tournament too... I tried my best not to think about it, and instead set my focus on completing this Vault and getting the hell out of here as soon as possible.

The corridor I was in seemed a lot longer than the others. It seemed it would be a while before I could reach the next Trial.

Since there were three Trials in total… did that mean this next one would be the last? No, but… the Vault of Corruption had a little introductory test to showcase the Vault's mechanics and theme… in that case, the corresponding part in the Vault of Deception should be the short obstacle course I skipped through using Transversive Steps in the beginning. However, when I passed that part, the weird distorted AI had told me I completed the first Trial.

Ah… whatever. The past is the past.

The hallway ahead was pretty much completely dark, since the torches only lit up when I actually passed by them. It made me feel a bit creeped out, since I couldn't tell if something was about to jump at me from in front.

I did, however, spot various signs on the walls to either side of me, and even the ceiling. They held weird phrases of text written in an ominous, squiggly font, all of which seemed to carry some sort of philosophical meaning that I couldn't quite grasp just yet. After all, so far, I've only seen three.

"Do not trust your senses."

"Common sense is a fool's master."

"Sticks and bones may break my bones, but blades will never hurt me."

I kept walking, thinking deeply, as more and more signs appeared.

"The counterpart to deception is not truth - it is more deception."

All of these… they seemed to be the opposite of what one would expect under normal circumstances. Usually, one would be told to trust their senses, and use common sense. The saying went like 'sticks and bones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'; not blades. And lastly… the counterpart of deception should be truth, no? I mean, that's what most people would think.

"…" I felt like I was nearing the end of this puzzle, both philosophically and literally.

Arriving at a door, I read the fifth and final quote, written on a sign directly above the entrance.

"Do not let the shackles of reality chain you down."

"… Reality, huh?"

Muttering these words, I smiled and walked through the door. I still didn't know what exactly these quotes came together to mean, but I had a general idea.

Basically, I was going to need to think outside the box for this upcoming Trial - beyond the scopes of common sense and - better yet - reality.

However, what I saw when I crossed over to the other side of the door was nothing even remotely close to what I would've expected. Not even in my wildest imagination would I ever dream about something like this.

Before me was an enormous maze - a colossal labyrinth, with walls far too high to climb and a floor composed of sand that made it difficult to run properly. There was only one way in, and no way to avoid this puzzle.

That said, if I could fly, it would be a different story. After all, the sky above was completely open, showcasing a beautiful pink twilight accompanied by the occasional shooting star streaking through the night. The gentle whistle of the breezes added to the ambient, relaxing atmosphere…

… If only it weren't for this massive maze in the way.

I gulped in fear. I had no way of telling just how deep this labyrinth ran. How long it would take to get me to find the right path, and what unknown dangers lay within. I wasn't so naive as to assume there wouldn't be any additional obstacles placed for me within the maze. Death traps, Monsters, hell - even machines made for the sole purpose of killing, I wouldn't exclude from the list of possible encounters.

But as the saying goes, worrying will only cause you to suffer twice.

With no other way to go, I took a deep breath and stepped into the only entrance to the maze.

[WeLcOmE tO tHe TrIaL oF lIeS.]

The distorted AI spoke, his voice reverberating across the tall walls of the labyrinth.

[ThE gAmE bEgInS: nOw.]