*Dokkun*

"No…", Gerhard touched the settling wall of rocks before him, the grey dirt trickling between his fingers, dust settling around his shoulders.

*DOKKUN*

"Max…", the whispered words left Gerhard's lips. Once more he was too late to save someone in front of him… one of his own family. A flood of memories pierced his mind as the images of what was done to his father, his mother, his sister, racing, winging, lacerating his psyche, shaking him to his core.

*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*

"Not again…", he crushed the dirt into his fist, spinning slowly to face the creature, the monster that had taken his grandson from him. All sensible thoughts that this was a game disappeared from his mind as his trauma was reawakened, and stoked, roaring into the very fibre of his being.

*DOKKUN*…

Something inside Gerhard rose, uglier than any creature he had ever faced in this virtual world, as it consumed him inside out, drowning him, suddenly forced to feel his decades…and losing the will to resist.

*CREEEEEAK…..CRACK!*

The sound of chains breaking reverberated inside his soul, casting the man that was Gerhard into pitch black darkness… and in his place stood a monster. A REAL monster.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!", the Death Panda howled, perhaps in acknowledgment to a kindred spirit or perhaps to drown out its own fear. One thing it did know for a fact though… this man must be killed.

Gerhard just stood there, watching its approaching charge with disinterest, the ground rumbling with each successive step it took towards him, his sword resting lifeless in his hand. Eric, noticing something was wrong, ran as hard as he could to intercept the creature, knowing he will never make it in time. He needn't bother though as a pair of Samurai leapt to the fore, katanas gliding through the air to slash at the forearms of the massive beast, their long hair shimmering gracefully around them. The Death Panda stumbled as its ligaments were severed, crashing face first until it slid just steps away from Gerhard.

"What is that IDIOT doing?!", Lydia yelled in bafflement as Gerhard still hadn't moved an inch from his location.

"Haaaa", one of the Samurai said knowingly to what looked like obviously her twin, "seems like the newbie is frozen in fear ne, Masumi?"

"Mayumi Nee-san, should we help him?", the other Samurai said, as the creature rose slowly to its feet in front of Gerhard who was gazing impassively at it.

"Maaa", resting the back of her katana on her shoulder, "he should experience death sometime in this game. We already tried helping", she shrugged nonchalantly.

Eric however had other thoughts as he roared, "Herr Kommandant! ", swinging his battle axe into the back of the creature's leg, causing the Death Panda to miss slightly with the thrusting paw strike towards Gerhard's face.

A thin wound blossomed on Gerhard's right cheek, causing him for the first time to move, reaching up slowly with his hand to touch the red liquid dripping down his face. Bringing his bloodied fingertips to the front, he gazed at it curiously before licking it once, the taste of iron settling on his tongue. Seeming to have decided something for himself, Gerhard nodded once prior to lifting his head up, speaking to the creature as though it might understand him.

"Blood for blood. A fair trade don't you think?", Gerhard said tonelessly. And exploded into violent motion.

*********************************************************************************************

INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru

*********************************************************************************************

The sound of voices echoed across the vast expanse, a starless night sky hanging in the ceiling of this world as Gerhard woke up in confusion, the cawing of crows growing louder in the surrounding canopies of the trees. The blood red of dawn was rising in the distant horizon, an ill omen for the start of a day, Gerhard rising shakily to his feet and shivering despite himself, for some reason the surroundings looking achingly familiar. With a start Gerhard realised he was on the outskirts of Berlin, facing East… where he knew with increasing dread that the Russian Army had already engaged the beleaguered German Heer in multiple armoured penetrations all along the disintegrating frontlines and relentless fighting that was probably occurring in the streets behind him.

Yet he knew without doubt why this section of the battlefront was quiet, as he turned a full circle, the burning wrecks of Russian battle tanks littering the wooded area coming into view, bodies of the dead Russian infantry lying bloodily splayed out and broken behind the ruined vehicles. The smell of blood, gunpowder and human guts ripped open finally assaulted Gerhard's senses as he gagged and fell to his knees, trying to vomit but all he could do was dry heave empty air.

Struggling, Gerhard lifted his head as he heard the distinct crunching of boots on gravel, his gaze falling on the uniformed figure striding towards a group of Russian prisoners, all bound with hands behind their backs and kneeling dejectedly. They were guarded by grizzled German combat veterans, their uniforms in various states of disrepair in comparison to the pristine condition of the man's own, fast approaching with the self assurance of an infantry officer…a leader of men.

"Herr Major ", one of the German men, perhaps in his mid twenties, saluted smartly, "We sure showed Ivan a thing or two about what NOT to do against an entrenched position", he chuckled.

"That we did, Karl", the officer replied serenely, glancing at the prisoners like they were no more significant than insects, "that we did".

"Shall I send them to the rear to be interrogated", to which Karl then whispered conspiratorially, "or release them like we usually do? It's not like we can feed them back in HQ… they will probably just get shot anyway".

The officer returned his gaze to the soldier in front of him and shook his head slowly.

"No, don't…", Gerhard whispered, trying to grab the shoulder of the officer, only to have his hand pass through harmlessly like an apparition, the talking figures unaware of Gerhard's existence.

"Follow Hitler's orders", the officer in front of him said, shocking the soldier, one of the few old hands' left who survived Großdeutschland destruction in Prussia. The soldier looked at him askance, as though not quite believing what he was hearing from a man he had served for half a decade.

"Please..!", Gerhard called out desperately, "STOP!"

"Kill them all"

"DON'T GIVE THAT ORDER!", Gerhard screamed… at the mirror image of himself, the crows taking flight into the air, their cries sounding like laughter.

The Gerhard of 1945 did an about turn and walked away, cries of "Nyeht! Nyeht! ", coming from the prisoners as the German soldiers reluctantly raise their weapons at them.

Gerhard sobbed as he knew what he was thinking at that time, over half a century ago… what to have for breakfast.

*********************************************************************************************

Max lifted his hands from his head, wondering why he wasn't logged out for being crushed to death, only becoming aware that he was surrounded by a gentle glow reminiscent of that time he first met…

"Lorelei!", Max called out suddenly.

"Hmmm?", was the sleepy response.

"Are you doing this?"

"...doing what?", Lorelei sounding baffled.

"…never mind"

Max began examining the walls around him in fascination, noting the odd peculiarity of the structure. He was basically enclosed in a perfect dome. Even the floor was a perfect circle, where the wall meets the dirt ground was joined seamlessly in an unnatural manner. At first Max thought the walls were glowing in an unbroken stream of light; however he noticed that the light itself was etched into the walls, seeming to pulse along veins of blue silver that stretched out and branched into one another, having no beginning and no end.

"… Max…ummm…s… since we are alone now…can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?", he replied absentmindedly.

"… who is Jessica?..."

"Eh?"

"…WHO is JESSICA? Hmmm...?"

Sighing, "Jessica is not real", Max explained, "I made her up so that the twins wouldn’t be suspicious about you".

"…ooooh…"

"Yup yup", Max nodded his head happily, finally glad the misunderstanding was solved.

"….liar…"

"Eh?", and coincidentally a rock the size of a golf ball fell on his head…

"Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!", which was eventually followed by a, "Humph!"

"Ehhhhhh", Max groaned exasperatedly, "W..Why do you think that?", as he rubbed the sore spot on his head that was for once, wasn't caused by Lorelei… well physically. Hell, you know what he means.

"…you sure chased after her REALLY hard…"

"T..that's because-..", Unexpectedly, Max felt a shudder in his mind as Lorelei cried out.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuu, it huuurts", she whimpered.

"W..what is it?", clutching his head with his hand, trying to withstand the throbbing pain.

"…somebody is crying….crying so much…"

"Who is?", Max gritted his teeth.

"Kyaaaaaaa! ", she screamed inside his mind, as though in agony.

"Guhaa!", Max grunted at the force that was unleashed and rampaging in his own head, "L...Lorelei!! What is happening?!!!"

"THERE IS NOTHING! ", she wailed pitifully, "NOTHING THERE AT ALL!!!!"

Max fell to his knees as he clutched his head in pain, shouting, "CALM DOWN! LORELEI!", as he fell to his side, "Y..you're hurting me", he mumbled.

And just as suddenly the pain stopped, Max wearily checking his HP… and was shocked to discover that he was right… he had lost some health points…

"He is crying so much", Lorelei continued to whimper quietly, "but there is nothing there at all".

Woozily, Max shook his head slowly as he asked, "Who is?"

"…an old man…"

He felt a shiver at those words, slow understanding dawning upon him.

"..he is breaking into pieces…Max.. "

As though revitalised, Max stood back up and flung his backpack into the ground in front of him, searching through it hurriedly, flinging unnecessary things aside until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the wooden handle, Max pulled out his pickaxe, spinning around in a circle and trying to figure out his bearings.

"Lorelei…"

"…… "

"Lorelei!", Max called out urgently, "I need you!"

"Un", she replied weakly, "what do you want me to do?"

Breathing slowly, Max requested, "Can you feel where this… man is?"

"I..I can.. "

"Please try", he begged.

"B…but I am scared…", she cried.

"Shhh, it's ok", Max reassured her, "I am here with you right?"

"…Un…", Max somehow feeling an imaginary nod from her.

"Actually, it's more like you're living inside my head", he joked.

"…uuuuu…you don't want me here?...It's Jessica isn't it?"

"Ehhhh?!! O…of course I do! I always wanted a beautiful girl beside me all the time!", feeling a drop of sweat slide down his forehead… although he would prefer that she wasn't inside a doll like a cursed item you find from a haunted dilapidated house… on a hill surrounded by a cemetery…that is constantly surrounded by fog….crap, he scared himself.

"A-anyway!", he yelled out over loudly to squash the fears Max raised in himself, "Please do it..", he pleaded, "..for me"

"O…ok…"

"And", as though struck by divine intervention, "I will give you a gift later".

"…a gift?…"

"Something between close friends", he smiled, "a nickname".

"…is it something special...?"

"I have never given the twins or Jessica one", omitting the fact that he calls Mayumi 'demon' behind her back and since Jessica is fictional… whilst Masumi is Masumi.

There was a moment of silence, as though Lorelei was thinking on it before she replied, "I..I will do IT!", with an imperceptible note of happiness.

"…uuu you're such a good girl", Max felt intense fulfilment…like a brother of course…, "if only Mayumi was like you".

There was no reply, as though hushed and when the stillness grew into minutes, Max began to get worried… until he heard a weak answer from Lorelei.

"…turn to the right…", she stated almost dreamily, "more…more…back a little", Max doing as he is told as he adjusted his facing until she said, "Stop… this is the way to the mister"

"ALRIGHT!", lifting his pickaxe he brought it down with a resounding clang, chipping away with gusto as he sincerely thanked Lorelei, "GOOD WORK! Now leave the rest TO ME!"

"Max…", tiredly, Lorelei begged, "please, save him"

He redoubled his efforts, hammering away at the rock wall with his pickaxe, the force of the impact causing his arms to tremble in pain. 'You don’t have to tell me that', Max thought silently to himself, 'he is my grandfather after all'.

Unnoticed by Max, the tip of his pickaxe glowed briefly on each reverse swing, as though urging him on…

*********************************************************************************************

It's… it's so strange how one's perception of somebody can be altered in a heartbeat, how just a single gesture or action can redefine a person, like the reforging of a ruined sword or weapon… the man known as Gerhard had perceptibly changed. And to Lydia eyes, when he finally regained the ability to move again… it was as though a dark blade was unsheathed. Seeping with malevolent cruelty.

Without uttering a sound, Gerhard sprung forward and drew a swift overhead cut in the air, using the creature's own force to accelerate himself when it tried to swat him into the ground. Having blocked and deflected down the blow with his sword, he was spun upwards, landing on its forearm sideways after having carved his sword deep into its bone. Arterial blood was spraying upwards unto Gerhard's pants, the red liquid fountaining out in all directions as he stated in a monotone voice, "Hmm… still not enough".

The monster roared in pain, and in reply, it swung its left arm towards him to which Gerhard just aimed the point of his sword from his side and casually absorbed the blow, his body becoming unnaturally limp before his hands tightened around the grip of his sword as he was being flung off his living platform. Gerhard flipped himself unto the swinging Death Panda's arm, using his sword as an anchor as the monster raged in futile protest at this human who seemed to be casually defying it.

Even the twins let out gasps of astonishment at this total reckless way of fighting, where even a moment of misjudgement would spell catastrophic loss of HP or even death and yet… Gerhard walked along that line in perfect balance…as though embracing it. The walls continued to vibrate at this wild struggle, the roars slowly becoming cries of pain as Gerhard twisted his weapon deep into the creature's arm before pulling it out, crouching to race along the limb to finally kneel beside the monster's ear.

"…It is unseemly to make a sound over that, don't you think?", he whispered, as though caressing the words into its ear.

The sight of him talking calmly to the boss mob filled Lydia with a creeping sense of apprehension, that something was not quite right. The Gerhard she knew… the only man that she had spent a long time travelling with, was unbearably kind, sometimes naïve, but always filled with good intentions and understanding. Even towards his enemies. She…she did not know the man who is now, offhandedly stabbing his weapon into the Death Panda's ear after having spoken to it, his face unchanging, unreadable. There was no joy or elation there, no battle madness or a smirk of a tyrant…there was just nothing.

"You really are a lost cause", as the beast yelped helplessly before Gerhard kicked it in the face, the blow shattering its nose as it reeled backwards in a lumbering manner.

The boy William had just finally arrive and Lydia quickly covered his eyes with the hem of her robes, not knowing why she is doing it for a child, let alone an NPC one… but some things should never be seen by anyone. Eric though, felt he had stood on the sidelines long enough and hefted his weapon to rejoin the battle, bringing his axe in an arc to slam into the monster's knee. With vital bones shattering, ligaments torn beyond use, the Death Panda splayed forward, falling ungainly unto it forearms as it gave off a pitiful mewling sound, struggling to rise up defiantly and lashing out in all directions in futility. Using the least amount of movement, Gerhard shifted and swayed his body from side to side to avoid the blows, the strikes brushing by so close that only a master of the blade or someone insane would have ignored it as if it was insignificant. Striding towards the creature's head, he eventually presented himself before it, gazing with empty eyes at the now truly frightened fiend.

"…it is time to collect…", he declared as though he was remarking on the weather… and proceeded to stab the monster in the eye with a machine like efficiency.

Critical Hit!

There was only a light groan as the giant beast finally accepted its fate… but its suffering didn't end yet. Letting go of his weapon, Gerhard strode backwards a few steps before clenching his hand into a fist…and punched the bottom of the sword hilt, hammering the blade deeper into the boss mob's eye and drenching himself in the backsplash of blood.

Critical Hit!

And he did it again.

Critical Hit!

And again.

Critical Hit!

And again.

Critical Hit!

And again.

Critical Hit!

Critical Hit!

Critical Hit!

Critical Hit!

Critical Hit!

Until it finally shuddered, for all intents and purposes, dead.

There was a stunned silence from all the onlookers at the surreal sight, Lydia having long closed her eyes as she hugged the boy close to her chest, covering all his senses as they both huddled on the floor. She was shivering uncontrollably… this was only a game and yet the acts Lydia had witnessed today was more terrifying than any boss fight or castle siege in other MMORPGs she had played.

But the moment was broken when the Samurai known as Mayumi swung her katana towards the back of Eric's head…. only to have it deflected into the ground, the crash of the impact causing a minor wound in the earth that raced in a straight path for several meters. The dirt was still settling when it revealed Gerhard, sword drawn and gazing at Mayumi steadily, unblinkingly.

"What do you think you are doing to one of my subordinates?", he asked quizzically, pointing his blade towards her face.

"Eeee? Didn't you know?", she smiled sweetly, "there is a bounty on his head", and turning to face Eric who was gazing back with a stony expression, "and we took a hefty commission to retrieve him".

"Ahhh", Gerhard replied, understanding her words but… not really caring, "I do apologise, but I cannot allow anyone under my command to be lost needlessly".

"And thus", Gerhard creaked his neck, "I shall accept his responsibility", assuming a relaxed stance in front of Mayumi.

"Herr Kommandant, I… brought this upon myself for my past actions…"

"Silence, Unterfeldwebel , do not disrupt our bout"

"Sir, I can fight my own battles-…"

"Eric", Gerhard said softly, interrupting him, "You just said I am your commander, right?

"I did, but-…"

"Then OBEY me", Gerhard commanded in a cold tone ringed with an undercurrent of power.

"… Jawohl, Herr Kommandant!" , Eric stood to attention, words seeming to threaten to spill from his lips, but years of discipline made sure they were left unsaid.

Mayumi just shrugged, "Well don't regret this, newbie", as she entered into a fighting stance, "Masumi….I don't need your help for this".

"Hai, nee-san", came the dutiful response.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Maaa maaa, its fine. This will be over soon anyway", she smiled, assured of victory.

"….Then", he fixed his indifferent eyes upon her, as though seeing deep within and beyond, "don't ever regret the decisions you made"

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NEXT PREVIEW

Title: Familie

I reached out my hands to them… but they are no longer here