The moment Zeus took her hand, the world around them dissolved into light. A golden shimmer enveloped them, and Dani felt herself being lifted—not like a normal teleport, but something else. Something grander. She wasn't just moving locations.

  She was being summoned. Then—She landed softly, her avatar’s feet touching down on solid marble. Her breath caught in her throat. This… this wasn’t just a room. She stood inside a vast chamber, a place so meticulously designed that it felt more real than anything she had ever seen in Another Life.

  The walls were carved from marble and obsidian, glimmering with soft gold veins that pulsed gently, almost as if the very stone was alive. Massive pillars stretched toward the ceiling, their tops disappearing into a mist-like glow, an illusion of infinity. The floor was polished glass, reflecting the starscape of Another Life below.

  At the far end, double doors—ornate and adorned with celestial engravings—led deeper into whatever Olympus truly was. But what stole her breath away was the balcony. A massive, sweeping terrace, lined with gold-trimmed railings, jutted out over the entire world below.

  Dani stepped forward, gripping the railing with both hands. Her stomach flipped. She could see everything. The entire expanse of Another Life, stretching endlessly beneath her—cities, oceans, islands, towering castles, and neon-lit metropolises.

  Every place she had ever been in this world… now just tiny specks beneath her feet. A kingdom. A domain. And Zeus ruled it all. The columns around them hummed, faint energy coursing through them like silent sentries.

  Hexa’s words echoed in her head:

  "These columns are everywhere. But Olympus itself? It’s invisible to everyone unless you're invited."

  Dani’s skin prickled. It was as if this place existed outside the rules of the game—a world within a world. Zeus, still holding her hand, spoke for the first time.

  “There is much you need to know, Daughter of Fire.”

  His voice wasn’t typed in chat. It wasn’t some standard text-to-speech module like most players used. No. He was speaking.

  A voice—deep, commanding, timeless—rolled through the chamber, resonating like thunder through the very bones of Olympus.

  Dani’s breath hitched.

  A voice module…?

  No—something more.

  She turned, staring at him. Zeus—this god-like figure draped in celestial robes—watched her with unreadable golden eyes. She should have spoken. Asked something. Anything. But her mind was spinning too fast.

  So she did the only thing she could. She nodded. A small, barely-there gesture. But Zeus saw. And he smiled. Zeus released her hand and stepped away from the balcony, walking toward the center of the chamber.

  “An element,” he continued, “is one of our greatest strengths… but it can also be our greatest weakness if we do not learn to wield it properly.”

  Dani swallowed. Her mind was still catching up. This was insane. Zeus was talking as if they were in some ancient rite of passage, not a competition inside a video game. Yet every word felt monumental.

  He gestured to her.

  “You have not chosen an element yet.”

  It wasn’t a question. She shook her head.

  “Then it is time.”

  Zeus’ robes shifted as he reached inside, pulling out a small, ornate box. Dani’s heart jumped into her throat. The box was ancient, its surface inscribed with celestial symbols, golden flames etched into its lid. It looked like something ripped out of myth—a relic, not code. Zeus studied her for a moment.

  Then he spoke.

  “Vesta, the Goddess of the hearth, home, family, virginity, and sacred fire, has asked that I grant you a blessing fitting for your role in this great war.”

  A chill ran down Dani’s spine.

  What the hell is he talking about?

  What war?

  Zeus stepped closer, holding out the box.

  “When you open this, you will receive the element of Fire.”

  Dani’s hands trembled. Her brain screamed that this was just another in-game mechanic. Some elaborate lore drop for the competition. But… it felt real.

  Zeus’ voice dipped lower, softer.

  “Fire is destruction.”

  He paused, tilting his head.

  “But it is also rebirth.”

  Dani’s pulse hammered.

  “Few receive their element in this way.”

  He walked toward the balcony again, gazing over the world beneath them.

  “Most must code it themselves—craft it through arcane methods. But this?”

  He looked back at her.

  “This is the base code.”

  Dani inhaled sharply.

  “It will bond to your character permanently.”

  Dani’s hands clenched at her sides. This is too much. Her mind whirled with questions, but before she could find the words, Zeus spoke again. And this time? He shattered her world.

  “Sarah.”

  Dani’s blood ran cold.

  No. Not Dani. Sarah. Her real name. She took a sharp step backward. Zeus—or whoever he was—did not move.

  “You blame yourself for what happened.”

  She froze. The world stopped spinning. Zeus’ voice was gentle now—like he was speaking directly to her soul.

  “But it wasn’t your fault.”

  Dani’s breath hitched.

  No. No.

  He can’t know that.

  He can’t know about her mother. About what she did.

  Zeus turned fully toward her, golden eyes unreadable.

  “She had early onset Alzheimer’s. And she didn’t tell anyone.”

  A sharp intake of breath. Dani’s fingers curled into fists.

  No. Stop. Please stop.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “She fell into depression. And she chose to leave before it took her completely.”

  Dani felt her knees buckle. A memory slammed into her. The last fight she had with her mom. The one she thought caused everything. Her mother’s frustration, her anger, the way she pushed Dani away—

  She did it on purpose…

  Zeus’ voice was like thunder wrapped in silk.

  “She made sure you weren’t there.”

  Dani shook. Her entire body felt numb, her mind unable to process the weight of what he was saying.

  “You were never to blame.”

  Silence pressed in around them. For a long moment, Dani couldn’t breathe. Then—Zeus walked toward her.

  He placed the ornate box in her hands.

  “This is why you have been given this gift.”

  Dani barely registered his words. Everything was tilting, shifting, unraveling inside her.

  "Compliments of Auracron Prime."

  She jerked her head up.

  Auracron?

  Zeus smiled faintly.

  “Vesta may be the source of your power.”

  He turned back to the balcony, looking over his kingdom.

  “But without Stroma AI… none of this would be possible.”

  Dani stood frozen, gripping the box. She had come here for answers. And now? Now she had too many to handle.

  “Open it.”

  Zeus’ command was soft but undeniable. Dani hesitated, staring down at the ornate box in her hands. It felt warm, pulsing slightly, as if it was alive. Her fingers trembled as she lifted the lid. The moment she did—A rush of fire exploded from inside.

  Heat surged through her visor, and for a brief second, she could feel it. Not just in the game. In real life. A wave of energy engulfed her avatar, and suddenly—she was somewhere else. Not in Olympus. Not in Another Life. Somewhere far away.

  Her vision flickered.

  A vast celestial landscape stretched before her. Stars burned in the distance, their fire forming constellations that pulsed like ancient scripts written across the void. She wasn’t alone. A figure stood in the swirling flames.

  A woman. Regal. Unyielding. Eternal.

  Her golden robes shimmered, reflecting the fire that surrounded her like a crown. Flames danced at her fingertips—alive, breathing, moving as if they obeyed her will. She bowed slightly toward Zeus, then turned her gaze to Dani. And spoke.

  “Daughter of Fire.”

  Dani’s breath hitched.

  Who… who is this?

  “Vesta,” Zeus said. “The Keeper of Sacred Flame.”

  Vesta smiled, tilting her head slightly. “You are overwhelmed. That is understandable.”

  Dani was frozen in place.

  “This… this is a game, right?” she whispered.

  Vesta did not answer immediately. Instead, she stepped forward, raising a hand. A gentle flame curled around her fingers.

  “Your mind is troubled,” Vesta said softly. “The fire inside you fights against itself.”

  Is this really happening?

  Dani’s thoughts spiraled. She was aware that her body was still in Olympus. That this was happening inside Another Life VR. But at the same time—

  Far away from Earth.

  The thought hit her out of nowhere. Far away from Earth.

  What does that even mean?

  Vesta’s eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge.

  “Your fire is untrained. Your path uncertain. When you are ready, call upon me, and I shall guide you.”

  Before Dani could respond, Vesta turned to Zeus. With graceful precision, she bowed.

  “Brother, I shall see you sooner than later.”

  And then—She vanished. The fire around Dani dissipated. The celestial world faded. She was back on Olympus, standing in front of Zeus. The ornate box in her hands was gone. But something new burned inside her. A power she did not understand.

  And before she could even begin to ask the questions swirling in her mind—A violent explosion rocked the heavens. Screams ripped through the air. The marble beneath them shuddered, and below, the entire party erupted into chaos.

  From the concert arena, thousands of avatars scattered as a shockwave of debris burst into the sky. Then—A voice, distorted by static and interference, boomed across Olympus.

  “We’re gonna crash this party… even though we were invited this time.”

  Dani’s blood ran cold.

  That’s Dirk Welsby III.

  The sky darkened as avatars began materializing en mass, teleporting into the arena in waves. Dozens. Hundreds. Weapons drawn. And then—The shooting started.

  Bolts of energy, plasma rounds, arrows, swords, even ancient iron weapons—all of them unleashed in every direction. Some partygoers fought back immediately—contestants and combatants drawing their own weapons, retaliating with spells and scripts. But Welsby wasn’t fighting fair.

  Hundreds of Bots with replication scripts flooded the arena, spewing graffiti in massive neon letters and random prims all over the place.

  "Zeus is a Fraud!"

  "Stroma AI is Watching You!"

  "Auracron is the REAL Virus!"

  Dani barely had time to process what was happening before Zeus was beside her. One step—And he was there. And before Dani could even react—They teleported.

  Dani staggered as they appeared on the battlefield, the air thick with chaos. Partygoers were scattering, contestants fighting back, and at the center of it all—was Dirk Welsby.

  Standing at the top of the concert stage, wielding an AR-16 in one hand and a futuristic plasma weapon slung over his shoulder. His grin was pure arrogance.

  “You’ve been acting like you rule this world for too long, Zeus.”

  Zeus said nothing. Welsby sneered.

  “We’re taking over. And when I win this competition? I’ll destroy this place.”

  The world stilled. Then—Zeus took one step forward. And when he spoke—His voice was everywhere. Not just in Olympus. Not just in the party. Across the entire game.

  “Enough.”

  The sound shook the heavens, and all the bots and their replicated creations immediately disappeared. Every single avatar froze. Dani felt something heavy press against her chest—a strong aura radiated through her haptics. With a wave of his hand all the derezzed avatars re-rezzed unharmed while all of the destroyed areas were returned to pristine condition.

  Even those watching from home felt something shift. Zeus’ golden gaze bore into Welsby, unreadable. Welsby scoffed, but there was a small flicker of hesitation. Then—he forced a grin and spoke through his hacked voice module—static-laced, robotic, desperate to sound powerful.

  “You’re just a nerd with a god complex.”

  Zeus tilted his head.

  “Perhaps.”

  His fingers flexed. Lightning cracked in the air. A low, vibrating chime echoed through Olympus. And then—A bolt of lightning streaked toward him. Zeus caught it without looking. Dani barely breathed.

  She had seen powerful scripts before—seen players pull off ridiculously coded weapons and abilities—but this was different. As she stood behind Zeus, something caught her eye. His left hand. It was outstretched, reaching as if grasping for something unseen.

  For the briefest moment, nothing was there. Then—a crackle of electricity. And in that same instant, a symbol on his wrist flickered into view. A rune-like marking etched onto his skin—or at least, onto the avatar’s digital equivalent of it. Dani’s stomach tightened.

  I’ve seen that before.

  The thought flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t place it.

  Where?

  When?

  Her thoughts spiraled, but before she could grasp it, the lightning bolt materialized, landing in Zeus’ grip.

  “That’s just a simple recall script. Nothing fancy. And of course, you should be able to derezz our bots but that is all you can really do. Welsby stared at him with a proud challenging look.

  “We already hacked your precious Mt. Olympus, so wait till we…”

  Zeus took a step forward, pointing his finger, his voice a whisper of thunder as he spoke before Welsby was done.

  “But you’ve forgotten your place.”

  Instantly, Zeus cast his bolt downward into the ground of Olympus, and the digital earth split open. An endless, abyssal, terrifying black void ripped through the floor beneath them. And from the darkness—They came.

  Specters.

  Shadowy figures with no discernible faces, their forms shifting like liquid mist, their eyes glowing with something primal. They moved instantly, grabbing Welsby’s goons one by one. No weapons worked. No scripts fired. One by one—They were dragged screaming into the abyss.

  Until only Welsby remained. A specter grabbed his arm, yanking him toward the void. Welsby thrashed, screaming.

  “YOU CAN’T DO THIS—”

  Zeus simply smiled.

  “Don’t worry.”

  Welsby’s body was halfway inside the abyss, clawing desperately.

  “You’ll be able to log in tomorrow.”

  Then—he was gone. The void sealed shut. And the world was silent. For a long moment, Dani stood frozen. Then—Zeus turned to face the crowd, his voice carrying effortlessly across Olympus.

  “This is a party, right?”

  A pause.

  “Then let’s get back to it.”

  The moment shattered. Players stirred, glancing at each other, hesitant at first. Then, as if breaking free of a spell, the atmosphere shifted. Whispers turned to excited chatter.

  Avatars moved again, murmuring about what they had just witnessed, the legends that had just played out before them. Some hurried back toward the concert stage, others still buzzing with disbelief. Zeus, however, had turned to Dani. He regarded her with an undecipherable expression before finally speaking.

  “Well, I guess it’s time we join the others.”

  A pause.

  “We shall speak again.”

  Before she could respond, Hexa, Byte, and Shiro appeared beside her. Zeus nodded at them—then back at Dani—before vanishing. Dani’s mind raced. Her stomach twisted. And one thought burned inside her.

  What the hell is my place in all of this?

  This is part of a series of stories that have lived solely in my head for many years, and I’ve finally started writing them as serialized fiction books. If you think the story sucks, feel free to tell me—it’s all part of the process. That said, I’m also looking for constructive criticism, so any suggestions are welcome and will be considered as I work to improve the series.