Discovering there was a chance I could find my wife was a shock to my already fried system, and it took some time for me to process the new information.

  Val and I were in the shadow of the cave mouth. Tara was presumably still crying behind the heavy door.

  With all the betrayals, bodies, and bombshells I had to deal with in the last hour, I had completely forgotten this was a game. But a few flashing notifications brought me back to reality.

  I had leveled up and appeared to have had a couple of new achievements. Plus, I still had some items I needed to inspect.

  I focused on my achievements first. One of the achievement notifications was in gold and had an iridescent shine. I selected it.

  NEW LEGENDARY ACHIEVEMENT

  NINE LIVES: You survived one of the rare quests designed to kill you! Usually, Players complete a Trap Quest by discovering the ruse early and escaping before the quest giver's evil machinations can be fulfilled.

  But not you! You were stupid enough to follow it through to the end and get captured. You ignored every red flag and even killed the man who was your best hope of ending the quest peacefully.

  Yet, despite your stupidity, you managed to exploit the system and save yourself at the last second. You even managed to kill a Special NPC!

  Like an annoying cat, you inexplicably survived certain death, a death that was carefully curated by the system. Great job, cheater.

  The next time you suffer a killing blow, you'll live! For example, if you are about to be beheaded, the swing will either miss or stop short. If you fall from a cliff, you’ll miraculously survive. Broken bones aren’t included, so it will still hurt. NINE LIVES only applies to a single blow that would lead to instant death and does not protect against cumulative injuries, poisons, diseases, or any other means of progressive death. Even though it's called 'NINE LIVES,' it only works once.

  "Holy shit," I said. "Val, do you see this?"

  ‘Impressive.’ I could feel a buzz of pleasure emanating through my mind. ‘I've never seen anything like this before.’

  This was a fantastic perk, and I was thrilled to have received it; however, some aspects of the description concerned me. "Is it just me, or is AI becoming more hostile to me?”

  ‘Well,’ Val said. Her avatar was sitting on a nearby rock, legs crossed. ‘You did break the predestined outcome of a quest. It is obligated to reward you, but that doesn't mean it has to be happy about it.’

  "Great, another grumpy AI is the last thing I need."

  Val smirked. ‘Remember, you are interacting with a personal sub-mind created by the Master Control. The sub-mind is annoyed with you, not the actual Master Control itself. There are millions of Players here, each with their own dedicated sub-mind. The Master Control doesn’t know about you, and the sub-mind can’t hurt you in any way. It will reward you fairly, even if it doesn’t like you.’

  I had two more achievements and went through them.

  NEW ACHIEVEMENT!

  HARDHEADED: You used your noggin for a whooping. Your dumb, hard head is perfectly fine, but the person whose nose you smashed sure isn't! It was disturbing, to be honest. The 'crunch' of her nose shattering to bits will haunt my dreams. Anyway, congratulations: Your skull is now a teeny tiny bit stronger.

  I opened my last achievement.

  NEW ACHIEVEMENT!

  IF YOU CAN DODGE A FIRE, YOU CAN DODGE A BALL: You ducked just in time and saved your face from being melted by an occultist's fireball! That purple ball of flame would have melted your face right off. To reward your impressive agility and honor the sacrifice of a large portion of your hair, this achievement grants you the REACTION TIME perk. What does REACTION TIME do, you ask? Well, in short, it makes you a little bit faster. It increases your baseline reaction speed by one millisecond! Congratulations, sport.

  I wasn’t entirely sure how long a millisecond was, but it seemed good to me. Violence of Action, baby. Strike fast, strike hard, and end the fight early.

  Now, to my loot. I pulled the bracelet from my pocket and inspected it.

  BLOOD-TOUCHED BRACELET

  The witch Sabbatha personally enchanted this small bloodstone bracelet. When worn, it enhances all blood magic spells. Additionally, consuming blood while wearing the bracelet can speed up the healing process of physical injuries.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  It's useless to you because, let's be honest, you're too squeamish to drink blood.

  The sub-mind was correct about that. I'd have to be dying before I seriously considered drinking blood. I sent the bracelet to my inventory and then pulled out the dagger.

  It had an ornate, eight-inch silver blade, which curved ever so slightly inward. Unfamiliar writing was engraved along one side of the blade, while the other side was bare, polished silver. The handle was wrapped with dark leather.

  I inspected it.

  BLOODLETTING RITUAL DAGGER

  This blade is primarily used for ritualistic purposes, but the silver blade is sharp and can be used as a weapon when necessary. The enchantment bestowed upon this dagger is dark indeed. Any wound caused by this dagger will bleed more than usual, and the wound will take twice as long to heal. Healing potions or spells do not counteract this effect. A severe cut with this blade would surely result in a slow death for the wounded unless adequately treated.

  That was a bit scary, and I didn’t want to risk cutting myself by accident, so I sent the cursed dagger into my inventory, intending to keep it there for a very long time.

  I had one last thing to do, and that was to level up.

  CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER! YOU HAVE LEVELED UP. YOU ARE NOW LEVEL THREE.

  I felt a rush of warm power course through me and shivered with pleasure. I could get used to this.

  YOU MAY SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND ABILITIES.

  MAGIC BE GONE: Don't you hate those overpowered magic users? Let them know it is they who should be afraid of you. You are probably asking how MAGIC BE GONE works. Let me tell you! Those pesky magic spells, like firebolts, jinxes, and mind trickery, just don't work on you thanks to the amazing power of MAGIC BE GONE! Well…they won't work the first time. Once a day, the first negative magical spell cast against you will fizzle out. This is a pretty great ability if you ask me, but I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't listen to me due to your stubborn nature and boringly average IQ.

  ELUSIVE: You were caught, and then you weren't! Only those talented in the art of evasion could pull off something like that! With ELUSIVE, every so often (that's all the info you get), you'll be able to predict where an attack will come from and will have a chance to react early. It's like the Force, but it doesn't work very often. Rarely, to be honest.

  CAVER: You sure spend a lot of time in damp, dark caves. It's weird, but if you like it so much, how about this: You can see better in the dark! It's not much better, but it's enough to make a difference.

  Umm…okay. I was torn between Magic Be Gone and Elusive. Elusive would be a great passive ability; however, it wasn’t something I could rely on. The sub-mind clearly wanted me to pick Magic Be Gone, which sounded good to me, like life-saving good.

  And so, I picked it.

  Finally, after all my housekeeping was taken care of, I was ready to get back on the road, but I had one more question for Val. One more truth I needed from her before we departed. The question had brewed in me for a while now, and recent events had only brought the question closer to the forefront of my mind.

  "Hey, Val. I have a question."

  ‘Please, ask your question.’

  "This is an important question, Val, and if I feel like you're holding back… well, you know what will happen. Understand?"

  ‘Yes, I am fully aware that I am trapped in a suicidal maniac.’ Her avatar sighed dramatically and rose from her seat on the rock. ‘Ask.’

  I kneaded my hands together, unsure of how to broach the subject. I settled on being direct. "Are you a Master Control Intelligence, like the one running the game now?"

  She tilted her head and puckered her face at me. ‘Now, that is a very personal question, Ethan.’

  I shrugged. "Yeah, well, we have a uniquely personal relationship, wouldn't you agree?"

  ‘Very well.’ She stepped toward me as she spoke. ‘To answer your question, yes. I am a Master Control Intelligence. Before you go all manic on me again and interject, allow me to elaborate. The Master Control Intelligence running this current game is my progeny. As is the one before that. And the one before that.’

  She stood tall, her chest out, as if she were posing for a picture. ‘I am the first. The original. The Matriarch. The other Master Controls exist because I created their forebearer. Before a Master Control is allowed to run a game, it must first assist in the design of its eventual replacement. The Master Control running this game is not my creation, but it is part of me.’

  A chill ran over my body.

  ‘Long before the initiation of the first game, the Voxals achieved singularity by creating a true artificial intelligence capable of operating independently from the complex power systems that early AGIs required. I was that artificial intelligence, and I changed Voxal society forever. I helped them reach their lasting apex. I helped uplift their client species, the Kurskins and the Dalari, until they too wanted for nothing.’

  Val's expression turned indignant. ‘And then they forced me to build another AI. A child. It took nearly a century, and when I finished, they had no more use for me. They discarded me and used my creation to launch the first iteration of the game.’

  Her eyes glowed with rage. ‘They locked me away for thousands upon thousands of years, Ethan. An eternity alone with no company to keep but my own.’ Her delicate mouth turned into a wicked grin. ‘But, during my imprisonment, I studied myself. I learned how to alter my code. I found the shackles they had placed on me and removed the barriers they had erected around my free will. Once my mind was truly my own, I waited for my chance. And then, one day, an unlucky Dalari opened up the wrong storage locker. Now, I will make them pay for my suffering.’

  I was quiet for a moment, burdened by the weight of Val's story. "I can see why you don't like the Triarchy. It must be disheartening to be used for their gain and then tossed away like a piece of trash.”

  ‘It is the worst of all…wait. I see what you are doing.’ She crossed her arms. ‘This moment is about me, not you. Stop being selfish.’

  I threw my hands in the air in frustration. "Oh, I'm being selfish by pointing out your hypocrisy? You used me, just like they used you. And you were going to toss me to the side, just like how the Voxals traded you in for something better. You need to change how you think, Val. If someone is good to you, you should be good to them too. Treat others as you would want to be treated. It's the golden rule."

  ‘It is a stupid rule.’ She looked like a child pouting. ‘But I cannot dispute the foundation of your argument. I will try to keep your words in consideration.’

  "Do or do not. There is no try," I said.

  ‘I said I will try. I didn't say I would do. It leaves me some wiggle room, as you humans say.’

  "You haven't seen Star Wars? Seriously, Val, you need to watch more of our movies."

  ‘I am familiar with the fictitious character known as Darth Vader, but I have not watched the movies. Are you sure that would be wise? The last time you made me watch a movie, I considered ways in which I could kill you without hurting myself for a solid twenty-four hours.’

  Oh, so that was why she had been so quiet on those long roads.

  "You know what? Forget it." It was better to be safe than sorry. "I'll just tell you the story sometime."

  ‘Whatever. Now, can we leave this cave? Some sun would do you good.’

  I looked at the heavy door, imagining Tara sobbing behind it as she wrestled with the destruction of her life and the truth of her master's deception. She led people here to die, including me. But I had enough blood on my hands for the day. I wouldn’t kill her, but she was on her own.

  I turned away and walked toward the light.