Lady was currently on his computer scrolling through his library of games. He had spent most of the day yesterday with Emma and was looking to catch up on a bit of grinding in Citadel Heartscape. While he had played a fair bit while streaming this past week, he wasn’t able to grind like he normally would due to his obligation to interact with viewers and entertain them. As he logged in, he remembered that he had promised to play something with MagicalGirlLover earlier this week. He sent her a quick message and received an immediate reply.

MagicalGirlLover: Getting on 

As the two joined up and began slashing their way through the forest of eons, Lady couldn’t help but feel that something was off. The two of them had been slashing through great wolves for a while now but they had barely spoken a word to each other. All of MagicalGirlLover’s messages had been very abrupt and direct. There was none of the casual banter, emote spamming, or crude humor that usually filled their chat logs. After clearing the forest, Lady decided to send a message while they waited for the enemies to respawn.

LadyKiller: Want to do something else.

MagicalGirlLover: Like what?

LadyKiller: I dunno, whatever you want

MagicalGirlLover: I want to go shopping and cook something together

LadyKiller:???

MagicalGirlLover: Like in the market, In game.

Lady let out a breath of relief after reading her last message. He didn’t know why but his heat had nearly stopped when she said she wanted to go shopping and cook together. It was eerily similar to how he and Emma had spent the day yesterday. The two decided to travel to the frontier town of Bathriel and used the endgame menu to teleport. 

After arriving, they both decide to visit the apple merchant, and NPC who was named such due to the game breaking state he had been released in several months prior. At the time, players could buy apples from him for zero gold though the glitch was swiftly patched. To this day though, many players still referred to him as the apple merchant and some still had treasuries filled to capacity with apples. 

LadyKiller and MagicalGirlLover bought several Items from the merchants that they could use to cook. The game had several systems in place from farming to fishing that allowed players to generate and cook food that healed them or provided buffs. Due to the existence of potions which were far more efficient and less time consuming, the game's food related systems were heavily overlooked. Regardless, some players like MagicalGirlLover found pleasure in the relaxing minigames and easy achievements that cooking provided.

After the two had bought sufficient supplies, they agreed to meet up at MagicalGirlLover’s in-game house. As they began playing through the simple cooking minigames, MagicalGirlLover messaged Lady.

MagicalGirlLover: So you started streaming huh

LadyKiller: How’d you know

MagicalGirlLover: I saw your channel on Project. Is that why you haven't played with me much this week? 

LadyKiller: Yea, sorry.

MagicalGirlLover: It’s fine. Maybe I can join you sometimes while you’re streaming,

LadyKiller: Yea, that would be fun.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them noticed that the pie they were cooking had burned. Lady and Anna both laughed as they blamed each other in game for ruining the pie. Their other attempts at cooking were far more successful and they added the completed dishes to their inventory to use later while out adventuring. After depleting their ingredients Lady asked MagicalGirlLover what she wanted to do next. 

MagicalGirlLover: Maybe play something else

LadyKiller: Like what?

MagicalGirlLover: Empires Online

For the second time since the two had started playing, Lady felt his heart stop for a second. Clutching his chest, he remembered what he had done in middle school. Sweat started to drip from his brow and his breath quickened. Empires Online was a game that Lady had promised himself time and time again, he would never return to. It was the game where he had simultaneously befriended and broken Anna Hirsh. The place where MagicalGirlLover was born.

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Middle School: Freshman Year

Lady had just started junior high and was already the victim of bullying. He looked at the obscenities scribbled on his and sighed in resignation. After scrubbing them off every day since the first week, such an act had become more of a chore than a form of humiliation. As the other students flooded the classroom, they began talking in groups amongst each other. The social ladder had long been established and Lady had earned a spot at the bottom through no fault of his own. The class slowly quieted when the teacher entered and the students who were loitering made their way back to their seats.

After roll call, the lesson began and like most days, Lady zoned out. He became lost in his thoughts as he looked out the window. “Why are you staring at me creep?” A voice asked. He was pulled from his daydreaming and his eyes focused on the cute girl in front of him. Though he had never directly spoken to her, she had been bullying Lady for the past couple weeks. She was incredibly attractive and stood at the top of the school's social ladder. Her name was Anna Hirsh.

He turned away and tried to focus on the lesson but the teacher’s words seemed to flow in one ear and out of the other. After several minutes, he became bored and turned back towards the window. Anna who sat between him and the window was currently looking straight forward at the back of a boy's head. If she was the school's queen, then the boy in front of her was the King. He was also someone who liked to pick on Lady and he was also Anna’s childhood friend, Michael. It was obvious to most people except maybe Michael that Anna had a massive crush on him. The only reason he didn’t know is that both Anna and his admirers tried to keep the two apart for obvious reasons.

The two of them had not only cemented their status as king and queen through their stunning looks, athletic prowess, and good grades but also by bullying the less fortunate like Lady. He grew sick of looking at the two and decided whatever tangent their history teacher had gotten lost on would be far more interesting than Anna firing love beams at the back of Michael's head. While still sidetracked, the bell for lunch rang and their teacher promised to finish the lesson next class.

As he walked to the cafeteria, Lady wondered what they were serving. He actually enjoyed the cafeteria food as it was the only meal in which he was allowed any freedom in choosing what he ate. His current foster parents ate out every night and the only food in the house was whatever was residing in the leftover containers they brought home. After finding a seat, he began enjoying the peace and quiet as he ate.

After finishing his meal, Lady stayed at the table and began eavesdropping on the conversation taking place behind him. Michael and his friends were talking about the popular online game Empires Online. “Yea, I just made an account, my username is HadesKnight673. You guys should start playing.” Michael suggested to the boys sitting at the table. Lady made a mental note of the boy's username as he took his leftovers to the trash and headed back to the classroom. By the time he returned to his seat and sat down, a plan had been formed in his head.

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A few days later, Michael while playing Empires Online was invited to a strong empire by a user under the name of Ladykiller. Ladykiller had apparently been playing the game since launch and was not only high ranking but also had powerful gear and weapons that he gave to Michael for free. The two hit it off and shortly later, Michael was promoted to Co-Leader of the Empire that LadyKiller managed. One day after the two had successfully invaded another group's empire and plundered their resources, LadyKiller brought up the topic of recruitment. 

LadyKiller: Can you think of anyone else to invite, even if they’re new to the game

HadesKnight673: Nah, I’ve already asked all the guys I know.

LadyKiller: What about girls, If you even know any lol

HadesKnight673: Of course I do, I have a girlfriend 

LadyKiller: Then tell her to join

HadesKnight673: Dude, girls are total noobs though

LadyKiller: That's sexist, besides we need more hands for the upcoming ranked wars and I hate recruiting randoms, You Can Never Trust Them!

HadesKnight673: Fine I’ll ask my GF

Of course, Lady knew that Michael didn’t have a girlfriend, but there was a girl he could ask to pretend to be his girlfriend. One with a crush on him that would jump on the opportunity to get closer to him. Anna Hirsh. A few days later, Michael introduced the player MagicalGirlLover as his girlfriend. She was rather bad at first but under the guidance of Lady and Michael, she quickly grew better. The three soon would play nearly every night. Despite not knowing Ladykiller, both Michael and Anna quickly viewed him as a close friend thanks to his support in the game. As the in game ranked wars drew near, Lady sent a message to the two.

LadyKiller: I’m placing a bunch of money in the vault so don’t touch it until the ranked war.

MagicalGirlLover: What's the vault?

HadesKnight673: It’s were empires store their money and loot, only the Empire’s Leader, Co-Leader, and Treasurer can access it.

MagicalGirlLover: Oh, those are like the roles in the empire right?

LadyKiller: Yea, I’m the leader, Hades is Co-Leader, and we don’t have a Treasurer right now.

MagicalGirlLover: Oh. Can I be the Treasurer?

LadyKiller: Sure, If you want

Lady smiled to himself as he tapped the mouse and promoted MagicalGirlLover to the rank of Treasurer. Finally the pieces were almost in place. Despite the ongoing torment at school, Lady had had the best time of his life the past couple weeks. Michael and Anna had undoubtedly grown closer, both to each other and to him. 

He hated them. He knew that maybe what he was doing was wrong but he hated them both so much. They way they could treat him like a friend online and like shit at school. He wanted to hurt them. Tears welled up in his eyes, illuminated by the bright computer monitor in front of him. Tomorrow, he would make them pay for everything they did. Tomorrow, he would get revenge.