The Witch of the Castle of Glass

Milly stood anxiously by the elevator, impatient for it to arrive. She kept her head down, backpack clutched to her chest, trying to look small and unassuming. The only other person waiting for the Tower One elevator was Calista, who was scrolling on her phone and currently oblivious to Milly’s presence. Milly kept her head down, shoulders slouched, focusing on the rhythmic sweeping of the barista in the tiny coffee spot in the corner.

Milly scuffed her foot on the dark grey tile, and winced as Calista looked up from her phone.

“Gods, Mil-dead. The hoodie again?” Calista uttered, glancing up from her phone. “Do you even wash that thing? It is starting to smell, and you have potato stains on the bottom”.

Milly’s knees shook as Calista approached her and grasped her hoodie between two fingers, rubbing the fabric. “Yuck. Mil-dead, this is gross. Do yourself a favor. Splurge on clothes that would not be at home in a fat man’s wardrobe. You might look half-way presentable. Perhaps even cute, in a goth sort of way.”

The elevator ding echoed across the lobby as it arrived, and Calista released Milly’s hoodie. “Well, put your game face on, Mid-dead,” she said sarcastically, stepping into the elevator, “Another wonderful day at Acicentre.” She lifted her fingers to the edges of her mouth, stretching them upwards in an exaggerated smile.

Milly just stood there, frozen in place like a deer in the headlights. Outside, fog had started to gather, and the first droplets of rain fell against the glass, filling the lobby with an ominous tension that raised the hair on Milly’s skin.

Calita held the elevator door for Milly. “Are you coming?”

Milly stepped tentatively into the elevator beside Calista, head down and clutching her backpack as tightly as she could. Calista rolled her eyes, pressing the button for the tenth floor, and the doors shut just as the first flash of lightning illuminated the lobby and thunder rattled its glass.

* * *

The storm outside built exponentially over the next hour, rain cascading down glass and leaking in through its cracks. The rumble of thunder shook the tower and lightning flashed through the windows of the tenth floor, causing the lights to flicker with each strike. It felt like the storm was right on top of them.

“Everyone stay calm,” Mr. Fredrickson announced when the storm sounded like they were in the middle of the hurricane, the glass windows visibly shaking in place. Their phones had gone dead, and cell phones had lost their signal. The fog was so dense that the city beyond the windows no longer visible. “I’m sure this storm will pass us by. You are safe here.”

His words of comfort were challenged by the storm as a largest lightning strike yet flashed, the accompanying boom knocking pictures off the walls and books off shelves. The entire building shook, and Milly felt as if the floor were swaying below her. Calista screamed in fear, which triggered panic amongst the employees, despite Mr. Fredrickson’s attempts to maintain order.

Another lightning bolt crackled outside, tracing along the fog like electricity through a circuit. Milly squeaked and ducked behind the false protection of her cubicle walls. The only thing that stopped her from joining the growing chorus of screams was the fear clenching at her throat.

“What the hell is going on?” shouted Xavier, crouched beside her, “The skies were clear less than an hour ago.” Milly could see his mind spinning, searching for answers and coming up empty.

Another flash. It felt like the tower could collapse at any moment from the pressure of the storm. Milly put her head between her knees, rocking back and forth. “Please, I don’t want to die. Please.”

“Knock it off, Milly,” Xavier demanded harshly, his own fear making his short temper even shorter. “That’s not helping.” He scoffed and ducked from the cubicle, headed for the window. Milly wanted to beg him to stay, but she couldn’t find her voice.

Another crackle of lightning and boom of thunder, this time shaking the building strong enough to knock Milly’s monitor onto the floor, shattering the corner of her screen. The floors shook, the glass strained, and the lights flickered and died, leaving only blackness illuminated by rolling waves of lightning.

Her coworkers had now abandoned any sense of bravery, and shrieks echoed across the office. Milly rocked in fear, lifting her head and focusing on her shattered computer monitor laying on the floor to try to think about anything else. The colored shards of fractured glass lay on the ground around it, the screen black and broken.

At least, it should have been broken, except there were small green words being typed against the black background.

Is anyone there?

Milly blinked. All she could see were those three little words, illuminated in the darkness, as if they were calling to her. Three little words on a broken screen, in a building without power.

Milly crawled over to the monitor, grabbing her keyboard from her desk and dragging it down to the floor.

Her hands shook as she positioned them on the keyboard. She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. She remembered doing so as a child, hiding in her closet to avoid the drunken attention of her foster father, her heart beating so fast she was sure he would hear.

Milly breathed deep and her fingers steadied. She typed “I am here.”

She waited a few moments, the sounds around her fading into the background as she focused. Her heart leapt as the response appeared on the screen.

Where is here?

“The Acicentre call centre. I’m Milly. Can I help you?” Milly winced, realizing she had typed the same greeting she had given customers a thousand times before.

Is that on Earth?

“What?” whispered Milly, confused. It must be one of the IT guys playing a practical joke on her in the middle of this chaos. Teasing the weird girl, as Calista teased her. Normally, she would be meek, simply ignore it, but the storm scared her down to her core and she had reached her breaking point.

“I don’t know who you are, but this is not funny,” she typed, underlining the final two words to emphasize her disdain.

There was a long pause as Milly watched the screen. She was about to set the keyboard down, certain that the culprit had been put in his place, when the response came.

My name is Oracle. Find me. Find my memories. They will help you survive.

Milly did not respond. Definitely a joke, and a cruel one at that. She threw down her keyboard in disgust, her anger keeping her fear at bay.

Please forgive me.

The lightning evolved into a non-stop cascade. The building shook without pause and Milly felt herself thrown to the side hard. Her head struck the side of her cubicle and she felt nauseous. She felt herself lose consciousness as the storm reached its climax. In her final moments before she blacked out she saw the monitor blink, its message in green removed and a new one in bring gold lettering appear.

The 13th God Contest has begun!

* * *

“Get up, Mildred. Get up!”

Milly opened her eyes, her head aching. The storm was gone and light once again poured in through the tower windows. The power was back on and, except for scattered belongings knocked to the floor, the office was intact.

Xavier grasped her arm, urging her to stand. “We need to get going. Hurry.” Milly thought he sounded excited. Why did that worry her so much?

Milly glanced around the office as others started to rise. Had everyone fallen unconscious? A group was gathering at the window, confused murmurs growing louder with each moment that passed. There was palpable tension in the air, as if waiting for that single moment to reignite the chaos of the storm.

“Milly, I will leave you behind if you do not get your ass up. Now!” Xavier was growing increasingly impatient.

Milly blinked, her eyes falling on her monitor shattered on the ground. The gold letter remained but more had appeared.

The 13th God Contest has begun!

Players, attend the lobby for orientation.

Fight hard and die well.

Her heart started pounding in her chest. The message was on Xavier’s monitor as well, and every other screen within her sight. Monitors, cell phones, televisions. Each displaying the ominous three lines.

“Xavier, what is going on?” she asked, her voice feeling weak and tentative. Her head was still fuzzy. This must all be a joke. It must be.

Xavier hauled her to her feet and unceremoniously led her to the bay window, where confused murmurs were quickly becoming cries of disbelief and terror. Milly released herself gently from Xavier’s grasp and walked forward, until her nose squished against the glass. She did not believe what was before her eyes.

The city was gone. Every tower, every road, every home, every person. Just gone. The Castle of Glass stood alone, every trace of civilization around them erased from existence. The view from the window was now a majestic mountain range stretching far into the distance, mountains rising high above the tower. Enormous and beautiful waterfalls flowed down the sides of their slopes, cascading rainbows into the air where they struck. Deep, broad valleys with rapidly flowing rivers spilled between the peaks, with great glaciers forming where the dense pine forest stopped. It was as if the Rocky Mountains had been delivered to their doorstep, only with exaggerated beauty woven into their rocky tapestry.

It was too much for Milly to process, and Milly simply stared out the windows with the others in disbelief, mouth open but words failing to form. She unconsciously scratched at the glass, as if trying to peel away a sticker. A war of emotions was erupting inside her, and she did not know which would emerge victorious.

Xavier grasped her hand firmly and led her away from the window, leaving a greasy smudge where her nose had been. The act broke the trance of the others at the window, and scared shouts began to spread throughout the office one by one.

“It’s not just the mountains to the north,” Xavier said, surprisingly composed, “Every cardinal direction has a different terrain. Look!”

He led Milly quickly around the perimeter of the office, and Milly gasped as they passed quickly by each window. To the east stretched an immense ocean, its crystal blue waters dotted with an archipelago of islands. A white sand beach reached from the water to the edge of the Castle of Glass and palm trees dotted the landscape. Milly touched the glass, feeling the heat that was emanating from outside.

“It’s warm,” she whispered in disbelief.

“Yes, it is. You’ll need to find something other than your hoodie to wear,” responded Xavier, continuing to pull her along.

“Was that a joke?” thought Milly, looking at Xavier’s face. “No, he’s completely serious. Just what is going on here?”

Xavier led her to the south of the building, where a thick rainforest emerged suddenly where the beach stopped, the canopy of massive tress stretching far above their tenth-floor window. It was raining outside, the soft patter of rain on glass filling the south side of Tower One with an eerie gentleness that was in stark contrast to the shouts around them. It was humid over here, and Milly could smell the scent of moisture and plant-life in the air.

As they rounded the final corner, Mr. Fredrickson came into view. He was shuffling people away from the windows towards the boardroom in the centre of the office. “You two! Milby and Zachary. Into the boardroom with everyone else. We need to stay calm and figure things out. Follow my directions and…”

Milly was shocked as Xavier shoved Mr. Fredrickson backwards, causing him to lose his balance and stumble into a cubicle wall. Mr. Fredrickson’s shocked expression stole his bravado, panic flashing in his eyes.

“Fuck off, Fredrickson,” Xavier spat with venom, “and learn our fucking names.” Xavier pulled Milly past him, leaving Mr. Fredrickson behind without a second glance.

“Xavier, what was that?” Milly asked, shocked. Xavier led them to the elevators and pressed the down button. Milly glanced out the window to the west as she waited for Xavier to answer. Great plains, marked by tall grasses and willows, stretched into the distance. Was that a herd of buffalo? The tower was at the center of the four terrains, each stretching out far into the distance and utterly unique. The boundaries between each terrain were stark, as if separated by an invisible wall. It was all too much for Milly to take.

The elevator arrived and Xavier pulled her inside, pressing the button for the lobby. The doors closed with their telltale ring, and something snapped inside Milly.

She ripped her hand away from Xavier, rubbing away the soreness his grip had left. “Just what the hell is going on, Xavier?” she demanded, voice raised.

Xavier looked at her, as if truly seeing her for the first time. He was surprisingly calm, and seemed to be calculating before he answered her.

“I don’t know,” he responded, staring at the panel on the door, counting down until it reached the lobby. “But I can guess. What do you think happened?”

She was shocked. In the six months she had known him, he had never once cared about what she thought.

“Are you…testing me?” she asked, a sharpness in her voice.

“Yes,” was all he said in response.

“You are a real jackass, you know that Xavier,” she spat, truly angry at him for the first time in their friendship. A righteous anger, driven by the stress and fear that had been building within her as she tried not to feel overwhelmed.

Xavier simply shrugged, dismissing her opinion of him. He nodded towards the panel slowing counting down as they descended, as if it were a countdown for her to answer.

“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. When was the last time she had been angry. When was the last time she had felt this…alive?

The thought hit her like a freight train, the realization that this was the first time in years that something had pierced the depression and loneliness that had characterized her entire life. It felt…she did not know what it felt like. Only that it felt different. Felt new. And that was enough for now.

She took a deep breath, letting her anger at Xavier subside. “Ok..well…I doubt the city vanished, so I guess our office was moved?”

Xavier nodded, prompting her to continue.

“The storm…” she reasoned, gaining some confidence, “was not a storm. It did not feel natural. It must have been responsible.”

“Good. And…” Xavier prompted as they moved past the fifth floor.

“We’ve been thrust into some kind of competition. This ‘God Contest’. With fighting and…” she did not want to finish the thought.

“And death,” Xavier finished for her, “Denial will not change that, Milly. It will only get you killed. Now, look at this.” Xavier waved a finger, and suddenly a translucent blue screen the size of his chest appeared, hanging in midair between them.

Milly jumped backwards in surprise, her head striking the elevator wall. She rubbed the growing bump vigorously. “What the hell is that!” she shouted.

“A player screen,” he replied softly, as if she should know at least that much.

“Wait,” Milly said, “I do know what that is. You are always ranting about inventories and profiles and talents, and all manner of these ‘screens’. They are used in video games to organize and control the player.”

Xavier moved beside her and the screen moved with him, so Milly could see what it said. “When I woke up after the storm, I starting thinking about something similar that happened in this game called Band of a Thousand Suns, where you need to search out companions across the world to…”

Milly just stared at him and he stopped. “Sorry, the narrative of the game is not important. What is important is I started thinking of the character I had built in the game, and suddenly this player screen popped up out of nowhere. And it is all about me. Look.”

Milly gazed at the screen, reading the fine while lettering against the blue background.

Xavier Holloway

Player

Specialty: Intensive Gamer

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Toughness: 3

Magic: 3

Talents: None

"What is all this?” Milly asked, confused.

“My stats,” Xavier said, smiling.

“Yes, but what is it for?” Milly asked.

The elevator dinged. They had arrived at the lobby. “I think we are about to find that out” Xavier said, smiling from ear to ear.