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Chapter 2: Chapter 2 - Into the Shroud

Eons passed since that cosmic clash scarred the very fabric of the universe. On a distant blue planet known as Earth, now in the year 2023, civilization had evolved.

Nestled within a bustling city, amidst concrete and steel structures, lay an old, abandoned building. Time had not been kind; its walls crumbled, windows shattered, and nature began to reclaim her dominion.

Liam, a young man with short black hair and piercing blue eyes, found himself in an oddly peculiar situation, wrists bound with coarse ropes.

The darkness enveloping him felt tangible, a thick veil unyielding to sight. His eyes strained, seeking any hint of light or form, yet finding nothing.

A nearly deafening silence prevailed, punctuated only by a solitary, irregular sound.

Drip... Drip...

A hint of sarcasm tinged Liam\'s voice as he mumbled to himself, "Well, this is just fantastic. What a brilliant way to celebrate my birthday."

Inhaling deeply, Liam attempted to calm himself, then tried to recall the events that had led him to this situation. He had been walking back to his dormitory, looking forward to a quiet evening and some relaxation.

The city lights had glowed softly, casting a warm hue over the streets, while the distant hum of cars and the chatter of people lingered in his memory.

Thud..

Out of nowhere, a sudden, sharp pain had struck the back of his head.

"Right, someone ambushed me. But why?"

Lost in thought, Liam tried to trace back through any potential grudges or misunderstandings that might have landed him in this predicament.

His mind raced through a list: acquaintances from university, classmates he might have inadvertently offended, and even professors with whom he had disagreed. However, none of them seemed like plausible culprits.

He further pondered personal motivations. He had never been involved in any monetary disputes and had no longstanding feuds.

There was one distant, haunting memory from years ago, but he had taken precautions, staying under the radar and ensuring his profile remained as low as possible. Those responsible for that incident were miles away and were unlikely to have caught up with him now.

Scratching his head mentally, he wondered, "Could it really be a case of mistaken identity?"

He lived the life of a typical college student, juggling lectures, assignments, and exams with the occasional night out with friends. On weekends, he would often dive into his father\'s collection of old books.

Other than that, he had received a mysterious package from his father. It contained a stunning quartz crystal, etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer and change when viewed from different angles.

Liam remembered being mesmerized by its beauty and the mysterious aura it exuded. \'Could the crystal be the reason?\'

Liam shook his head, muttering, "It couldn\'t be the necklace."

He had been thorough, after all. The piece had intrigued him enough to seek a jeweler\'s expertise. The old man at the antique jewelry store had scrutinized it with experienced eyes, examining it from various angles and even using a loupe to inspect its details.

After a lengthy examination, he had declared it to be nothing more than a regular piece of quartz, albeit beautifully crafted. "A mere decorative item," he had concluded.

Lost in thought, Liam was abruptly jolted back to reality by the creaking sound of an old door being pushed open. A sliver of light, blindingly bright against the absolute darkness he\'d been immersed in, pierced the room.

He instinctively shut his eyes, feeling momentarily disoriented.

The stillness of the room was disrupted by the echo of deliberate footsteps on the cold, hard floor. With each step, the sound grew louder.

Along with it, the unmistakable and pungent odor of stale tobacco assaulted Liam\'s senses, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust.

As his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, a figure came into view.

"Well, well, look who\'s awake," a deep, gravelly voice remarked with a hint of amusement.

The kidnapper was tall and burly, standing well over six feet. His robust build and wide shoulders strained against the confines of a weathered black shirt that had seen better days.

His skin, tanned from countless hours under the sun, bore the ruggedness of a man who\'d spent a lifetime outdoors, displaying the marks and wrinkles of years gone by.

However, it was his eyes that captured Liam\'s attention the most. They were a cold, icy blue—piercing and devoid of warmth, contrasting starkly with the bushy, unkempt beard that grew wildly around his chin and cheeks.

Strands of gray hair poked out from beneath a faded baseball cap, suggesting that he was likely in his late fifties, if not older.

With an uneasy feeling, Liam asked, "Who are you?"

Instead of responding, the kidnapper took a step closer, taking a drag from his cigarette, and then, with a smirk, exhaled the smoke directly into Liam\'s face.

Coughing and spluttering, Liam\'s eyes watered from the assault. The kidnapper chuckled. "You don\'t need to know,"

Liam inquired, "Why am I here?"

The man, with a steely gaze, leaned uncomfortably close to Liam. "You see, young man, we\'re quite curious about an heirloom your father might have passed onto you."

Instinctively, Liam glanced down at the quartz necklace that hung around his neck. \'This necklace, is that what this is all about? But why? I was sure it was just a piece of quartz, nothing more.\'

The kidnapper, with a glint of interest in his eyes, extended his rugged hand, his coarse fingers enclosing the pendant.

He examined it closely, holding it against the dim glow from the hallway. As the light refracted through the stone, myriad hues danced around, yet his face remained unimpressed.

Breaking into a sarcastic smile, he scoffed, "Really now? You thought you could deceive me with this fake?"

The kidnapper\'s face twisted into a cruel smirk. "Alright then, you want to do this the hard way?"

With sudden and brutal force, the kidnapper unleashed a series of punches on Liam, each blow landing with a sickening thud.

Liam became disoriented from the impact, stars flashing before his eyes. His face took on a bluish hue from the lack of oxygen and the harsh blows.

As the taste of iron permeated Liam\'s mouth, a trickle of warm blood seeped from the corner of his lips, slowly dripping onto the quartz pendant he wore.

Upon contact with the blood, the once ordinary-looking quartz underwent a transformation. It began pulsating with life, illuminating complex patterns within its structure and emitting a beautiful, purplish glow.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos and pain, Liam heard a voice. Unlike anything he had ever encountered before, it was ethereal and enigmatic, emanating from everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, a voice devoid of discernible gender or emotion.

"Contact Established,"

"Detected more than ten years last activated,"

"Resetting data,"

"Scanning…."

The pendant pulsed, mirroring the rhythm of Liam\'s quickened heartbeat, before a sudden surge of energy burst forth. "Scan complete, synchronizing with the host."

Abruptly, the solid form of the quartz liquefied, transforming into a shimmering, silver-hued fluid. It advanced, moving towards Liam\'s skin and flowing seamlessly into it.

The sensation that followed was unbearably excruciating. Liam\'s anguished scream resonated within the confines of the dimly lit room. "Aaaaaaarggghhhhhh!!...."

His body squirmed and convulsed as if an army of fire ants were burrowing through his very flesh and bones. Every nerve ending seemed to ignite, an intense burning that threatened to consume him whole.

Amidst this torment, a ghostly screen materialized before his eyes. Cryptic symbols, numbers, and fragmented words flickered and moved on this translucent interface, overwhelming his senses as they weaved in and out of his vision.

Just when it seemed like the pain would drown him, the ethereal voice from earlier returned.

"Sync complete. You are the 189,089 players from Earth."

"Welcome to the Shroud"

"As a new player, you need to complete the trial. Teleporting host to the trial floor..."

?A whirlwind of luminous purple energy enveloped Liam. Moments later, he dissolved into a million light particles.

"What in the..." The kidnapper\'s voice echoed in the now-empty room, his words bouncing off the walls unanswered.

His eyes, wide with shock and confusion, stared at the space where I once was, the vacant chair a stark reminder of the spectacle he just witnessed.