Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

‘Shit. I hope I was at least able to take advantage of the fact that I was recognized…’ Kaizen thought as he left the main waiting room of the Valkyria Arena.

The Psyker had already anticipated the possibility that people would recognize his mask, after all, a video of him smiling as he soloed the Centaur Druid was seen by millions of people weeks ago. However, he never imagined that someone would try to intimidate or threaten him for being who he is.

Anyway, Kaizen wanted to stay as far away from the commotion as possible while he waited for the tournament to be announced, so he made his way to one of the training rooms. He wanted to warm up and practice some techniques before the fights began, because as his eyes scanned the room full of players, it wasn’t hard to see how difficult it would be to win this tournament. Kaizen would definitely have to face many strong and skilled opponents, perhaps more than ever before in his life, and Draken would probably not be the only one trying to hunt him down, as many competitors would try to eliminate him out of envy, fear, or to gain notoriety.

As he walked, Kaizen was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t notice a mysterious man following him. The man was tall and thin, with short blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a gray suit that seemed to be made of some sort of sturdy, high-quality material, but it was not armor. He had an air of seriousness and intelligence about him.

The man followed Kaizen into one of the training rooms, and after making sure no one was around, he entered the same room. He expected to see Kaizen stretched out in a corner of the room, but Kaizen surprised him by grabbing him by his collar and throwing him against a wall.

With his fist clenched and ready to punch the man in the face, Kaizen inquired:

“Who are you and why are you following me?”

The man smiled with a closed mouth and looked at Kaizen with interest. At the same time, he raised his hands.

“Hello, Kaizen…”

“Who are you?” Kaizen asked the man again.

“My name is Evan.” The man replied with an indecipherable smile. “I’m a tournament fighter, just like you.”

“And what do you want from me?” Kaizen asked the man.

“I just want to talk to you.” Evan replied, “And it seems you didn’t even recognize me. I’ll give you a hint: we’ve known each other a long time.

Kaizen was confused and puzzled. “We’ve known each other? What are you talking about?” He asked.

“Do you really not remember me, Kaizen?” Evan asked, raising only one eyebrow. “We met a long, long time ago, almost in another life.”

The man’s mysterious and confusing answer only made Kaizen more confused.

“Another life? Are you crazy?” Kaizen asked the man.

“No, I am not crazy. I am telling the truth.” Evan said. “I think you and I were even friends for a while. Don’t you remember? Come on, make an effort.”

Kaizen was speechless as he tried to figure out who this man was. Maybe he was a madman or a liar, but he also felt something strange in his heart from the first moment he saw him, a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia, as if he had seen Evan before.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Kaizen asked. “I’ve never seen you before in my life. You must have me confused with someone else.”

Evan sighed and shook his head. “I see you really don’t remember anything. Well, I can’t blame you. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other. And a lot has changed since then.”

“What are you talking about?” Kaizen asked, feeling a pang of curiosity and frowning.

“Everything’s changed, but apparently you haven’t changed much.” Evan said, looking into Kaizen’s eyes with a mixture of admiration and pity. “Look at you now and look at the past, you have become a famous player of Rise Online and yet you don’t seem to care, as if the vanity of fame can’t even affect you. You have amazing skills, a rare and powerful class, a great arsenal, and you are respected by many. You are the hero of a kingdom. Yet you still want more. What do you want so much, Kaizen?”

The man’s words seemed to be loaded with meaning, so Kaizen let go of Evan’s collar and took a step back in fear.

“Seriously, who the hell are you?”

𝗈𝐯𝑳xt.𝑐𝐎𝚖

“I’ve already told you my first name, so this time I’ll tell you my second. I’m Evan Elliott, Klaus Park.”

With the revelation of Evan’s last name, Kaizen finally remembered who he was, and upon hearing that name, his eyes widened in surprise like never before in his life, and the mental image he had of Evan Elliott appeared next to this man’s avatar, emphasizing how different Evan looked, and at the same time how similar he looked to the last time he had seen him.

Evan Elliott. The name echoed through Kaizen’s mind like thunder. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe what he saw. He couldn’t believe what he felt. Evan Elliott was an old teammate in Myth2, and they had once won the World Championship together. However, Kaizen had left the team in the finals of the second World Championship, leading to their defeat, and they had never spoken again after that, as the team had forbidden both parties to keep in touch after their contract had been terminated.

“Are you really Evan Elliott?” Kaizen asked incredulously. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Yes, it is me.” Evan confirmed with a sad smile. “I didn’t think you’d remember me. A lot has happened since then. But I never forgot what we did together in Myth2, Kaizen. I never forgot what you did.”

Kaizen felt a wave of conflicting emotions wash over him. He felt joy at being reunited with his old friend and teammate, but also shame for what he had done in the past. He remembered the emptiness he felt then and the lack of determination to go it alone, but now, in front of Evan, he realized how selfish and foolish he had been.

And beyond anyone’s expectations, even Elliott’s own, Kaizen hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry, Evan.” Kaizen said with genuine sadness in his voice. “I shouldn’t have left you in that final. It was a terrible mistake.”

…

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa treon.com/NandoFalske

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