Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 108: Pawns

Night had fallen heavy over the jungle, the trees around them casting long, shifting shadows in the firelight. The air was thick with the scent of ash and damp earth, and though the crackling fire gave them light, it didn’t chase away the weight of what lay ahead. Tension clung to the group like sweat. They sat in small clusters, weapons resting nearby, voices low as they talked through possible paths, dangers, and the unknown tests that waited in the heart of the ruins.

Liam sat apart for a moment, eyes watching the flame dance and twist in the pit, but his mind was elsewhere. After a breath, he stood and walked toward Mariel, who sat with her legs folded under her, idly sharpening the edge of her blade with a whetstone. She didn’t look up when he approached, but she knew he was there.

He lowered himself to sit behind her, close but not too close, hesitant.

"I’m sorry for everything that’s happened," he began, his voice quieter than usual, stripped of its usual edge. "I truly like you, Mariel... and I didn’t... I didn’t sleep with you because I thought you were an NPC. Just some coded storyline."

She paused in her sharpening, but still didn’t look back at him.

"Hmmm... if you say so," she said flatly, though her voice had a trace of something else beneath it—curiosity, maybe, or amusement.

"I was just confused," Liam added quickly, leaning forward a bit. "But I believe it now. All of it. This place... you... it’s all real. I see that."

"It’s okay," she said after a moment. "But you’ll have to earn my forgiveness." She turned just slightly, enough for him to catch the faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Liam let out a breath, half-laughing. "I’ll do my best."

She didn’t reply, just resumed working on her blade, but the tension between them had eased. A little, at least.

Not long after, Borik stood from his seat and cleared his throat loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. The firelight threw harsh angles across his face, making his features look carved from stone.

"Everyone, gather up," he said, motioning with one hand. "We need to talk. All of us."

One by one, they came closer. Marcus leaned on his axe, Jason folded his arms, Sophia crouched near the flames. Sera stood beside Borik, silent but visibly uneasy. Von lingered near the back, arms crossed, ever the observer.

Borik waited till the murmurs died down, then spoke with a steady voice.

"Many people have stood where we are now. Humans before you. Dwarves before me. Elves before Sera. All of them came for the same reason—to reach the heart of the ruins, to save Elysium... and every last one of them failed."

No one interrupted.

Borik’s gaze swept across their faces, pausing on each one. "I’m not here to promise victory. I’m not here to give false hope. But I’ll say this—I’m going to give everything I have. Even my life, if that’s what it takes to complete this mission. Because if we don’t... there may not be another chance."

Sera shifted beside him, eyes dark with fear but firm with resolve. "I’m with him," she said softly. "I... I want to live. I want Elysium to live too."

Borik turned to Von, raising an eyebrow. "You’ve done your part, guide. You were paid to lead us here. No shame in staying behind."

Von looked at him, then at the others. He shrugged, but his expression was firm. "I’ve come this far. And maybe I didn’t sign up for this, but I won’t sit back and let the world die. I’m with you."

There was a silence, deep and thoughtful, broken only by the hiss of a burning log collapsing inward.

Then Liam stood, stepping forward into the circle of firelight. Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

He looked around at the faces that had become more than just teammates. Friends, in their own strange way. People who had bled and fought beside him. People who deserved the truth.

"Where we’re from..." he began, voice low and sure, "it’s called Earth."

And that was the first time he’d said it aloud.

"So you’re really not from around here..." Borik asked, his voice low, rough with disbelief. His thick brows furrowed as he studied Liam like he was some strange beast from a forgotten tale.

Liam nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Borik’s. No smugness, no flair—just a grim, quiet truth.

Marcus, arms folded, took a step forward and added, "We’re from a more advanced world. A place with technology... machines, knowledge, systems that you lot couldn’t even begin to imagine."

The fire crackled between them, throwing dancing shadows across the faces of those gathered. Gorr’s eyes narrowed. Sera looked like she’d just swallowed something bitter. Von tilted his head slightly. Mariel’s lips parted, but she didn’t speak—just stared at Liam.

Confusion was heavy in the air. Tangible. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Listen," Liam said, breaking the silence. He looked around the fire, his eyes lingering on each face. "I don’t expect you all to grasp what we’re saying right now. I get it. This is too big. But we’ve been tricked. Lied to."

He paused, his jaw tightening, hands clenched at his sides. "Elysium... it was supposed to be a game. A virtual reality simulation—nothing more. A mission, some fun, a test maybe. But now? We bleed here. We get cut, we feel pain. We nearly died. This world is real. And someone made sure we got here thinking it wasn’t."

Borik blinked, slowly. "You mean... all that talk about a game... it was true?"

Liam nodded. "We were told it was a simulation. A game for testing. But every time one of us nearly died, or actually did bleed... it started making sense. And now, with what Borik told us—that others came before, people like us... it means we weren’t the first to be used. We’re pawns. Sent in to reach something that no one else could."

Borik’s gaze fell to the fire, lips drawn tight. Sera looked like her heart was thudding through her chest.

Liam continued, voice firm. "Whatever’s in those ruins... whatever power lies beneath the palace, Nexus Corp didn’t just want to save Elysium. They wanted control. Domination. That kind of power could rule an entire world. And they used us to try and get it."

A heavy silence settled on the camp. The kind that presses on your shoulders and claws at your chest. No one moved. No one spoke.

Liam looked down, then back up.

"I think the dwarf elders... and the elf elders... they might be part of it too. Maybe not all of them. But some. The ones working behind the scenes. Feeding Nexus Corp what they needed. Sending us to die."

He let the words hang in the night, the truth laid bare and heavy.

No one answered. The fire cracked again, a log giving way and collapsing with a puff of sparks.

And for a long while, the jungle was quiet—save for the slow rustle of trees in the breeze, and the unspoken weight in every heart gathered round that fire.