INTERFACE

Can you hear a sound in this silence? No, I cannot, except for the whistling of the wind above me and the sweeping of the sand below me. Dust is everywhere; it stings my eyes as I look up towards him. We were talking just a minute ago, our voice illuminating the surrounding emptiness. And now? What? Yes, we agreed to fight. I would be glad, happy even, to let my first death be his. Our eyes meet, and I smile. We both smile. It’s a happy occasion, no one but us here. 

“Are you ready?” I ask, anticipation in my voice. I’m not quite ready myself, but that’s my mind speaking. My body is fully ready, it is itching to fight. How long has it been? He looks uncertain for a second, something in his eyes deciding, I can tell clearly, but less than a moment later, he replies.

“Yes. Shall we begin?” That started the spar for me. I started to circle, noting down potential weaknesses as my weapon, my sword, materializes in my hand. He summons his own, a gun of some sort. Water starts to form around it, and we continue to circle each other, watching the other person. A peaceful moment before we start the dance together.

“Let’s begin.” I quickly dart forward, sword in hand, as I attempt to target the chest. Not the core this time, no, that would be most disrespectful of me. A friendly spar does not warrant core damage. It doesn’t make contact, as it’s sharply interrupted by the speargun, jamming my sword in place. Meanwhile, his very much functional tether appears behind him, and I watch as it attacks my side. A most predictable move, as I quickly retrieve my sword to retreat backwards. What would be the best course of action here? With both his weapon and his tether, it’ll be hard to land a hit. And it’s too early to use skills yet. My thoughts are broken when I barely manage to avoid what looks like a hook; laced with a bit of water, it skims the skin on my cheeks. Instinctively, a hand goes to feel it, making sure it’s alright. It was. I continue trying to watch him, noting his movements. Strong and confident, something I’ve noticed many times. My own are the same. Apart from that first clash, we continued to eye each other again, circling. His tether is in a defensive position, whilst that gun is offensive. A balance, as opposed to my singular offensive. My eyes focus on their hands, watching to see if there’s any reaction. None. For a few moments, we contemplated each other, playing the game like a staring contest. The sky grew brighter, as the sun rose higher and higher. It was near it’s peak. 

Somehow, we both lunge forward at the same time, his gun pointed towards my hand holding the weapon, his tether ready to strike my legs. Mines were targeting straight for the neck. I quickly changed the weapon’s form, and it turned into the scythe, just as I wished it to be. I don’t know if it caught him off guard, though he seemed a bit surprised as the extra blade appeared. Hopefully it did, that was what I needed.

“Did you know, Reed?” From the depths of my body, I can already feel like cold coming. It washed over me like a wave, refreshing myself before a large cascade of ice started to flood the surrounding area. He seemed just as ready for it, as a large whale and worm of water burst from the air. The ice and the water seemed to be fighting for control as his tether and my scythe came into contact with each other. So close, yet so far away, as I look straight into his eyes. “The sky will burn this bright, for only the two of us.” The sun came down even harsher on the field, as it had reached the peak of its daily cycle. For a second or two, everything froze, as we both watched the daybreak of the sun through the clouds. It’s like a novel, almost. The ice and the water continued fighting each other, but it was clear that the water was starting to evaporate, and the ice to melt from the intense light. The sunlight hurt my eyes so much. 

The two weapons clash each other yet again, as the impact creates a loud echoing sound reverberating across the entire arena. What remained of the ice and water fought harder than before, as I continued to swing the scythe faster and faster in response to the defensive position he was taking. Above, the ice started to come together to form a large dragon, attacking the worm as a thin layer of frost started to appear over it. Of course, seeing the worm in distress, the whale tackled the dragon, biting hard into what was supposedly the stomach. Suddenly, everything stopped connecting, as he pulled away from the fight. Behind him, more and more water generated to compensate for the damage caused. In response, I summoned more ice, before dashing forward once more. He must’ve been surprised, as my scythe cut through his clothes, leaving a bloody gash where the liver would’ve been. He looked in disgust at the damage.

“I’ve always wanted to know what happens on the other side, the other force,” he asked. “While we’re fighting, would you indulge me in such pleasantries?” It was a simple question, and it’s not a waste of breath, either. Why not? It will make this fight less boring, not that it was already.

“It’s not a problem. You surely must know the different divisions we have for different Viruses?” I replied in a quaint manner, as I brought my scythe down for another attack. Whether my attacks were strong or he was simply off guard, it once again hit, this time in the shoulder. I retreat, and watch as the dragon continues its fight with the whale and the worm. It seemed to be going well; a sideshow to our dance. 

I was sent here to check up on the data point. Some higher up just told me to come here. Come on! It was during my break time as well. The data point’s ahead anyway; Alyin should’ve captured it by now. That’s when the sound of fighting came in. It echoes through the walls too much, and now it feels like it’s forever ringing in there. Trouble? Maybe Alyin’ll finally learn something today! A whole team of Anti-Viruses must be able to defeat them. As I proceed further through the tunnel, unfortunately, it was just one. What a pain, I thought I’ll see Alyin die for the first time.

They seem perfectly engaged in the fight, and strange beings from ice and water were also fighting. It’s like a performance, almost. … Wait, is Alyin…? They surely wouldn’t. Not that they’ve ever cared for the rules for as long as I lived, anyway. The data point was corrupted, which was a good sign, at least. It just looked like the two were fighting. I decided to walk over to a somewhat comfortable looking seat and just watch the fight, I guess. Hey, it looked pretty interesting. From the air came a large bag of popcorn, to which I just started to eat.

A sound came from behind me. I quickly turned to see who it was. Thank popcorn – wait. That’s not a Virus. Are they? He’s wearing too much purple, too much, I say! I’ve never seen them around HQ before, so, an Anti-Virus? Oh, popcorn, I think he saw me. I’m too young to die, not that dying has any effect on me… He’s walking closer and closer, and I try to conceal myself from the Anti-Virus. 

“… Is that all you can do, Virus?” No! He sees me! I really want to get away, but it’s a bit difficult right now. This seat seems to be making a mockery of me! I continue to struggle against a stupid chair, when he just came down and watched. “Don’t worry, you’re fine. I won’t attack you.” What??? Did he??? Just say??? Still stuck in the seat, now it’s my turn to watch as he helps me get unstuck. 

“Thanks…” I think I’m supposed to feel cautious, but really all I am right now is grateful. How could that seat do that to me…? “What’s your name? You’re an Anti-Virus, right?” I look around before finally spotting the large bag of popcorn I had. At least the popcorn’s not gone…

“I’m an Anti-Virus. Yeah, just don’t worry right now. I’m supposed to be checking up on a special mission for one of my teammates, but it seems like something is happening?” He turns to look at the ensuing fight. “Come to think of it, maybe I’ve seen that Virus somewhere… Oh crap, I forgot. My name’s Kenneth! It’s nice to meet you!” Smiling, his hand reaches out for a handshake. Completely disoriented from all the words he just spewed out, I just shook it with probably the most dumb expression I’ve ever made in my entire life. Or if someone thinks I’ve been reborn or something, my entire life including all my reincarnations from the past and all those in the future.

“Yeah… nice to meet you,” I say, as I quietly get myself back onto another seat to continue watching the show. 

As I step back from an attack, suddenly I’m suspended in air as the whale created from water engulfs my legs. The dragon of ice was still busy tangling with the worm, so it wasn’t possible to recall it. Thus, a sudden burst of cold emerged around me, freezing (or at least dropping it to below zero) the water to allow for an escape. Too busy I was with the escape, as I failed to notice the hook laced with lightning aiming straight for my chest. It pierced straight through; I didn’t even see it, and even if I did, it’ll be too late to block. 

Sanguine droplets flew everywhere as the hook came back the way it came. It was like an explosion occurred. A gaping hole lay where a heart would’ve sat, still bleeding profusely. Yet a moment later, ice started to enclose the gap, creating a beautiful display of cool colours.

“That’s rather impressive. I’ve never been damaged like this before.” I pant, my empty hand going to feel the hole the ice now sat. Solid enough, but the pain is ridiculous. If I weren’t living off of adrenaline and the thrill to fight, I’d probably be laying down somewhere and yelling for aid. At least I’m not dead yet. This fight is amongst one of the most thrilling I’ve experienced. I took a deep breath, inhale, exhale. I focus once more, maybe for the final time in this entire fight.

“You’re rather good as well, Alyin. But to continue our conversation from earlier. How do your teams get picked? I wonder how it’s possible, to have Viruses that may have never interacted together cooperate?” His stance remains strong, but I can clearly tell, he suffers from pain as well. No time to waste. The whale soon replenishes itself, and the fight in the skies continue. This time, I grip my scythe so hard it starts to hurt. I don’t have the benefit of range, so I attempt getting closer again. Watching the movement of his eyes and hand, I can tell he was ready for an attack from the top; thus, I just avoided doing that, and swept the scythe under their prepared tether and hit the thigh. Red blood fanned out as a deep cut appeared, nearly almost cutting it entirely through. It always surprises me that Anti-Viruses have red blood instead of blue. Like they’re also secretly corrupt inside.

“Oh, they just make the entire thing work out somehow. We always have at least one higher-up, someone at least Veteran, on the mission. To keep everyone in check, you know? Or else we’d have failed this war already.” I reply stoically, looking at the damage once more. Is he doing better, or am I? Within a moment, the edge of my scythe hits his tether, and it suddenly feels very heavy, as he drives the tether down whilst preparing to shoot once more. Another moment where I’m stuck. I despawn the weapon, causing the weight from the tether to simply thrash into the ground. It respawns in my hand in a blink of the eye, deflecting the shot away from me. Of course, his tether recovers quickly, and hits me in the back hard. Now my clothes are wet as well.

“Quite different from how we do our teams.” He follows up with another shot, the tether wrapping around my arm to limit my movement. This time, the arrow is shot with water, probably highly pressurized. Some ice came in to attempt to stop it, but maybe I’m just bad at math, as it only served to slow it down, not enough to completely nullify the damage. And of course, it hit, more fabric, this time from the shoulder, coming off as a new hole appears. “I’d imagine it’s very effective for missions if executed properly. What are those chances, however? Does one get to choose a teammate that they cooperate well with?” His tether lets go as I stumble backwards. A very impressive feat. And in the distance, the sun continues to drop, lower and lower. I almost can’t see it above the arena anymore.

Wow. That got exciting! Even though it’s a one versus one, Alyin’s losing! And it’s probably just a lowly regular rank, just like me~ My bag of popcorn’s almost halfway done. But I mean, both Kenneth and I, we were just watching it whilst eating popcorn. I introduced myself, talking about different things as the battle continued.

“Kenneth, aren’t you worried that Reed might lose?” I ask, still focused on the battle, while the sound of having food in my mouth rang across the entire question.

“They… probably figured it out. I mean, they’re both kind of friends, from what I see anyway. I don’t think they’d play this game without talking it out first.” Yeah, he doesn’t look much concerned as of right now. “Of course, if something does happen, I’m ready to step in. Let’s just keep watching.” 

“True, but, from what I know about Alyin, they seem to just really hate Anti-Viruses. I don’t even know why. You sure that Alyin’s not going to delete him or do something equally bad?” 

“Probably. Look at their faces. It’s like the two are having the best time of their life.” I didn’t really notice that detail, but when Kenneth pointed it out, I did start to see it. The two were both smiling. Then my eyes unfocused as I put my hand into the bag for another kernel of popcorn.

“Sometimes we get to choose, sometimes not. The majority of the time, everything goes fine, especially with a Proxy or higher.” Quickly noticing the questioning expression he gave me, I added, “Well, uh, I mean, any Proxy or higher that isn’t me. I’m absolutely terrible at leading.” I gave a nervous smile. “I wanted to ask you something in return. Have you seen the sun? It’s dropping into darkness. When would you like to wrap the dance up?” Indeed, the sun is barely visible, but it still shone pretty brightly. I continued to counter his tether’s attacks, and he continued to counter mine’s, like a game of pass.

“Soon, hopefully. Would you be down for now?” 

“No worries, of course~” With that, it was time to end the dance. The dragon, the worm, and the whale still gave no sign of stopping, but they all returned to their respective creators. “Here, let’s make this our final round.” 

All the ice and water started to fly, as they struck the opposing creator relentlessly. As the sun is down, the temperatures started to drop, allowing the dragon an edge over the whale and the worm. Meanwhile, we were harnessing our best attacks on each other. A strike on my stomach. His left arm functionally disabled. My right leg cut. His neck, a slit. On my end, the ice dissolved from its Draconian form, and returned to me, sharp swords of ice fighting against the force of the water as his whale and worm deformed back into their natural shape. Everything was going against each other, and in one second.

Our eyes met for one final time. His head gets chopped off, clean off my scythe coated with sharp ice, as my central body degrades from an impact from his water-laced tether. I hear distant noises, but I can’t make them out anymore.

Everything becomes black. I can no longer see, and I can only hope that the same happened to him. So we’d have to settle for a tie, then. How unfortunate, and we were here to prove who would win.