AvA: World-Wide War

Ch. I - Pushed To The Limit

All seemed well in the Interspace. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Villagers went about their daily lives. The sun and moon cycled along as usual.

But deep underground, the Void churned. Stick figures who'd previously died in the Interspace opened their eyes for the first time in years. Somewhere in the depths of the Void, a sphere of Void magic formed, glowing and pulsing. Nearby sticks watched as it grew brighter and brighter until it suddenly shrank, becoming a tiny white orb.

Then, the orb exploded, vaporizing surrounding sticks in its wake.

–

"Why can't I go look for him?!" Lorona yelled.

It had been nearly two months since the Dark Lord's revival, since Dark, King Orange, Bitrage, Lorona, Aichor, Neros, Mira, and Bit's villagers had left the hillside village in search of a new base location. The strange mist that had blanketed the Interspace had dissipated over the weeks they'd spent searching. Finally, they'd found a cozy spot deep in the Outernet. Everyone had rejoiced... all except for Bit's sister, Lorona.

Lorona had been bent on setting out to find her missing friend, Metaphor, ever since Dark's return. She'd asked Bit if she could go every single day, from the moment they'd begun their hunt for a new base, but every time, Bit had told her not to, and every time she asked him why, he never gave a proper answer.

Lorona began suspecting that Bit had been using her all this time, and as the weeks passed, she became more and more agitated. Eventually, her impatience overwhelmed her, and thinking she could sneak out of the base and go find Meta on her own, did just that, but Bit, sensing something was off, caught her red-handed and dragged her, screaming, into the nearest room he could find– the navigation room.

An argument broke out between the siblings right then and there, with Lorona asking heatedly why she wasn't allowed to go, and Bit trying to convince her to stay.

Bit sighed in exasperation. "Sis-"

"Don't you dare call me that! Let me go or else."

"Or else what? For heaven's sake, stop this childish behavior, Lorona; you're eighteen!"

"WHO'S being childish here?! Huh? Hiding behind people stronger than you so you can get what you want–?"

"Enough! Why do you want out so much, anyway? I know you miss Meta, but he's gone; it's not worth searching–"

"Shut the hell up!" Lorona's face was white with rage. "Do you even know how important he is to me?"

"How important? More important than your own brother?"

"Under these circumstances, absolutely."

Bit sighed. "I need you, Lorona."

"How so?"

"To... to get back what I lost... to get even with–"

"She's gone, Bit, and you know it. But be grateful; you've already found yourself a new girlfriend, maybe–"

"Grateful for what?!" Bit spat. "For what that so-called 'Guardian of the Void' did to... to her? I need your help, Lorona. I need to get even with him."

"You really want revenge so badly?" Lorona's voice was quiet yet shaking with suppressed anger. "Have it your way, just leave me and Meta out of it!"

"Lor–"

"You don't need my help. You have Dark, King, Mira, Aichor, and Neros who can help you. You don't need me."

Before Bit could say another word, Lorona turned on her heels and charged from the room.

"Lorona, wait!" Bit cried.

But Lorona was already gone. Bit sat down in a nearby chair and put his face in his hands.

At that moment, King entered the room, holding a mug of coffee. Catching sight of Bit, he set his drink down on the center table and walked over.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Bit sighed into his palms. King seemed to get the message. He sat down next to Bit and picked up his mug. As he drank, he heard footsteps out in the hall. A moment later, the Dark Lord walked in. He surveyed King and Bit with a regal expression on his face.

"What is wrong with your sister, Bit?" he asked.

Bit shook his head. "Dark, please... do me a favor."

Dark waited. "I'm listening."

Bit looked up, his face covered in red patches where his palms had pressed into it. "If Lorona leaves the vicinity, make sure she doesn't return. Add her to the list of enemies."

Dark bowed solemnly. "As you wish." Then he left the room, his cloak billowing behind him.