Part 6

Alicia White | Erwin’s body.

Yggdrasil time [22:12]

Outer Regions | Arena testing 01 of Major Intersection Promus Base | LP 05 Anchor | 

 

As she slowly rose from the ground, Alicia began to stretch her new body, trying to acclimate to its unfamiliar form. As she straightened up, Alicia's attention was immediately drawn to the girl she had been leaning on. She opened her mouth to speak, pointing at the stranger, and asked, "Who is this?"

The girl responded with a hurried bow, even though she was already kneeling on the ground. Vanessa quickly introduced her, "This is Remy. She’s a fellow Holostreamer and like me, she is part of HoloHoloVV."

“My salutations to the Divine,” Remy followed.

“The one who got hit by a massive boulder?” Alicia recollected.

“Uh, yes.”

Alicia's lack of interest in the conversation led her gaze to wander the area. She realized she was standing just outside Arena 1, with weapon racks only a few meters away. Alicia moved towards it, and noticed the heavy discomfort weighting from her back, prompting her to quickly glance over her shoulder.

As she looked back, Alicia saw a pair of towering wings attached to her back. Then her eyes landed on Vanessa following behind, carrying her seemingly lifeless avatar. Meanwhile, the Crimson Code and Remy stayed behind, except Lesny and Liu who followed quietly further back.

“Liu, carry my body,” Alicia commanded.

With a graceful bow, Liu replied, “It would be my honor.” 

“Eh?” Vanessa lets out a confused sound, before swiftly moving away with Alicia’s body in her arms. She added, “I don’t mind carrying the body?” 

“I do mind.”

“And I don’t?” Vanessa quickly replied with a worried expression on her face.

A long pause came in between as they exchanged a silent glance before Alicia let out a soft sigh, saying, "Do as you please."

As Alicia turned to face forward, a sudden thought struck her, causing her to shift her attention back to Vanessa.

Alicia's face twisted with worry as she spoke. "The game has restricted Mind Networking. Now that I am possessing Erwin's body, how would anyone recognize that I am Alice?"

Vanessa grinned, noticing a look on Alicia's face that she had never seen before. With a boastful tone, she said, "I don't have any problems with my abilities. When I possess a dead body, it burns and recreates in my form, maintaining their race and compatibility without any issues."

Alicia turned to Lesny, silently urging her to give her the answer she wanted to hear. Lesny responded, (We're currently using an in-game feature called the ‘proximity identifier’ to identify a seeker's name.)

"What does 'proximity identifier' do?" Alicia asked, showing her unfamiliarity with it.

Lesny quickly explained, (The proximity identifier is a new feature included in Goddess Alzepta's contract. It allows you to see the names of nearby seekers, even if you are in different bodies. To activate it, simply say 'Proximity identifier'. However, it will only work on seekers who have also signed the contract and have given permission.)

"Think of it as a scan check ID feature from Mind Networking," Vanessa suggested an analogy.

Alicia nodded in understanding, but one thing caught her interest. "Goddess Alzepta? I've heard that name many times before. Is she a deity worshiped by the natives?"

“Yep,” Vanessa answered, “At least the natives of the Ornella Kingdom revere her.”

Alicia nonchalantly nodded, showing little interest in the new topic, then shifted her focus with a thoughtful expression, commenting, "The contract appears to offer a wide range of features, doesn't it?"

"Yep, you really need to sign one eventually. Oh, right, before I forget, what's your avatar's name?" Vanessa asked, before adding "I'll register you with the Control team for the Expedition."

“Alicia White.”

"Oh, what a fitting name. You're in all white - standard uniform, bell, veil, hat. If your hair and eyes were white too, you'd disappear into the whiteness."

“Yours?”

Vanessa let out a giggle, saying, “Vanessa. Just Vanessa.”

"I see," Alicia nodded. "Anyway, I'm rather curious about something."

“Something?” Vanessa tilted her head on Alicia’s words.

"What happens if my avatar is destroyed while I'm inhabiting someone else's body?"

Alicia continued to speak as she approached the weapon racks, with Vanessa and Lesny following closely behind.

“You die?” Vanessa answered, tilting her head.

Alicia arched an eyebrow, her voice filled with uncertainty as she repeated her question. "Are you absolutely sure? If my avatar is destroyed while my consciousness is in another body, will I still die?"

"Ohh, if you are in a different body, I’m not so sure,” Vanessa said, casting a glance toward Lesny, silently gesturing for her to offer an explanation.

Sensing Vanessa's gaze, Lesny elaborated, (I'm not completely sure either. The verification team indicated that it varies depending on the avatar's race. However, from my squad’s findings, as remnants, we continue to exist even after our original bodies die.)

“That is the information I wanted to hear, you have my thanks,” Alicia said.

As they arrived at the weapon racks, several people strolled down the aisle, checking the weapons as they passed by. Vanessa held the Divine in her arm, while Erwin took the lead with a presence he didn't normally exude. The onlookers exchanged silent glances with Vanessa, who nodded in agreement during each exchange.

Alicia paid no mind to their exchange and headed towards a nearby heavy broadsword. With seemingly little effort, she lifted it, showing a noticeable increase in strength from before.

Alicia mused, "So, the status rating is tied to the avatar, but not to the individual player."

Upon hearing this, Vanessa countered her cryptic words, "What do you mean by that"

"Previously, I was unable to lift the sword so easily, but in Erwin’s body, I could," Alicia said, looking at Vanessa as she lowered the sword. "Vanessa, you mentioned that status rating is the limiter of our avatars, to restrict our potential from the real world. However, experiencing it in a different body, I find it rather inconsistent."

“Inconsistent, you say?” Vanessa furrowed her brow, trying to understand Alicia’s point.

“Indeed, consider the scenario where in the actual world, we transformed into something of immense strength. Upon entering Yggdrasil, our capabilities would be restricted based on the avatar's race, though the limitation would be merely a percentage. For instance, if an Athari, who possesses physical strength in reality, entered Yggdrasil as a normal elf, that elf would exhibit exceptional strength compared to the average inhabitant of Yggdrasil?”

"Uh, yes?" Vanessa said with a perplexed expression on her face. "That's how it works, so technically, yes."

"Then we should focus on getting stronger in the real world first if we want to be powerful in the game," Alicia suggested.

"Ah, I see what you mean. It makes sense when you look at it that way," Vanessa explained. "But status ratings aren't really that important. They just give you an overview of changes, like a heads-up about what changes and whatnot when you pick a certain race. It's more like informational. Kind of like that?"

Alicia raised a questioning eyebrow, repeating, "Kind of like that?"

“Yeah? Status rating is not that important, you’ll understand why later in the game. Rather, the most important aspect of simulation games for avatars is their abilities. Just like in Last Ark, your style of play is important. Choose a set of abilities, aka find the race you like, and play through it.”

“If it's not important, why even include it in the first place?”

Vanessa shrugged and replied, “I don’t know, it is what it is. Ask the developers?”

“Okay. I will. ”

Vanessa came to a sudden halt, the shock evident in her eyes as she looked at Alicia's form. Erwin's stern expression made her let out a sigh.

Suddenly, footsteps approached them, catching the attention of Alicia and Vanessa. They turned to see Bella approaching with followers in tow behind her. Curious about what she was after, they looked at Bella with an inquisitive gaze.

As she walked past Erwin and turned to face Vanessa, her gaze fell upon Alicia's vulnerable form, nestled in Vanessa's arms.

"Well, well. Look at this. Since when did Alicia become so meek as to leave her sleeping body out in the wild?" Bella remarked with a sly grin, as she peered at Alicia’s face.

Bella's words left them baffled, and Vanessa's eyes quickly shifted to the figure of Erwin, who was currently being inhabited by Alicia. Her wings behind her back fluttered in excitement while a mischievous grin spread across Vanessa's face, as she attempted to convey silent messages to Alicia, who simply replied with a nonchalant shrug. Vanessa pouted in response.

"You speak as if you have not done that, Bella," Alicia said, her voice tinged with sarcasm.

Bella turned to Erwin, her expression filled with irritation. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "It's incredibly rude of you to mock me like that, Erwin."

A muffled chuckle escaped from Vanessa's lips as she struggled to suppress her laughter, her hands full with carrying Alicia. It was impossible to stifle the amusement bubbling inside her. 

Bella returned her confused gaze to Vanessa, “What are you laughing at?”  

Alicia calmly stated, "Before you begin discussing me behind my back, I suggest being more mindful of your surroundings. Have you not learned anything from your schooling? Perhaps two lessons were not sufficient for you."

“Huh?” 

Bella was stunned. Familiar words resurfaced in her mind, triggering flashbacks of when Alicia had said the exact same phrasing. Paranoia set in as she turned Erwin, noticing his arms folded and exuding an uncharacteristic air. Her gaze shifted to Alicia’s body, and the realization dawned on her.

Bella stammered, her eyes twitching with awkward anticipation as she nervously whispered, “A-Alice?”

“What is it, Bella? You seem to be in shock.”

“Of course, I would! I never knew you could possess bodies!” Bella said, quickly approaching Alicia in Erwin’s body.

“Well, now you know.”

Bella sighed, choosing to ignore Vanessa who was hysterically laughing behind her. 

Pushing aside her embarrassment, Bella gazed intently at Erwin's body, a sense of wonder flowing through her as she let out a long, contemplative hum. "Hmm."

As Alicia felt Bella's intense gaze on her and instinctively covered her torso with her arm and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was thinking we should add a condition to our match, perhaps something to make the stakes more interesting or to add an extra challenge."

“Oh? Is this content I see?” Vanessa smirked, approaching closer.

"Why should I acquiesce to that?" Alicia raised a suspicious eyebrow, contemplating the direction of the conversation.

“It is much more thrilling. I mean, we do that most of the time, why back down now?” Bella exclaimed, her fingers tapped on her folded arms.

“Because you are looking at me strangely, I suggest you should stop.”

“Now hear me out.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Listen.”

Alicia covered her ear with her fingers, “Absolutely not. I’m not listening to your shenanigans.”

“Whoever loses should transform into their male form during Solaris Feva.” Bella proposed

Alicia replied with a disappointed sigh, “This again? You lost most of the time every time we make conditions.” 

“Who knows, I might change the outcome this time,”

“You said that last time too, and you ultimately lost.” Alicia countered, fixing Bella with an unimpressed stare.

“That was last time, and this one is different,” Bella insisted.

“Funny, you said exactly the same words last time.”

“Shush, that is not funny.”

“That is correct, it was not a joke after all.”

Bella's irritation boiled as she swiftly unsheathed the rapier hanging from her belt. In response, Alicia grabbed the broad sword she had impaled on the ground, assuming a defensive stance in anticipation of Bella's impending attack.

"Wow, you two seem really tight-knit," Vanessa remarked, breaking the tension in the air.

“We are, indeed, close. Very, very close.” Bella said, with a suggestive tonality in her voice. 

“Gavela, do not mislead my sister about our relationship,” Alicia commanded sternly.

“What is there to deny, Alice? You were relentless in your attacks.” Bella commented

“That was when I had detached your head from your torso.”

“You went in and out so fast.”

“I stabbed you many times.”

“Oh, you did.”

“With a sword.” Alicia corrected.

Bella nodded, adding. “Quite the strong sword you had. I even screamed, yelling out your name” 

Alicia stabbed the ground with the heavy sword, her voice raised. "Enough! Since when did you become..." She hesitated, searching for the right words before gesturing hastily. "This?"

Sheathing her rapier, Bella nonchalantly claims, “I had been the same, though.” 

“No, you're wrong. If anything, you would have said, 'Oh, Alicia sitting on the floor, how peasant! Ho! Ho! Ho!', 'Someone spying on us? Bargans please come. HO! HO! HO!'"

As Alicia imitated Bella's actions from memory, muffled laughter could be heard in the background. Bella's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she exclaimed, "Shut it! Shut it! Shut your trap! Do not defile my image any further!"

"No matter how you look at it, your image has been tarnished, and by none other than yourself," Vanessa remarked, her snickers betraying her amusement.

Bella pointed at Vanessa with trembling fingers, saying, "Shush! It was just a joke to fluster Alice."

“Fluster me, huh?” Alicia repeated with a smirk, “Really…”

“Ahahaha,” Vanessa hysterically laughs. 

"Enough of this! I don’t have the luxury of chatting away my time. Let’s start our match, it does not matter whose body you're in!" Bella declared, her impatience evident in her tone.

“Will the bet be included in the match?” Alicia inquired.

“Yes.”

Hearing the conviction through Bella’s strong-willed words, prompted Alicia to sigh. “Very well. Don't back down on your words.”

Bella retorted, “Say that only when you have won.”

As Alicia looked at her sleeping body in Vanessa’s arms, a thought crossed her mind. "I will use my body. But how do I return?" 

She glanced at Lesny, silently signaling her to speak answers that Alicia wanted to hear. 

Lesny lowered her head and conveyed a message telepathically, (You can return to your body by targeting your avatar with Remnant Possession.)

Alicia nodded as she thought. ‘Augment, use Remnant Possession on my avatar.’

“Wait! Before you—” Vanessa hurriedly interjected.

Alicia's world went black as Vanessa's words echoed in her mind. When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself in a different body being carried in Vanessa's arms. She saw Erwin's slumped body on the ground, and her senses flooded her thoughts, making the scene apparent to her.

"Poor Brother Erwin," Vanessa said with disbelief as she shook her head, and shifted her gaze to her sister.

Alicia furrowed her brow in confusion. "Brother? Since when have we gotten a brother?" 

Vanessa chuckled and shook her head. "Oh, that's just a nickname we call him, don't worry about it."