The World of ONA

Level 3

I watched Ona run deeper into the forest to the highest peak and paused when she reached a steps of the mountain above the tree line.

Loaf said, “Are we level 1 or 2 in the game?”

I said, “The adventure games have one common theme, a story goal. I think the Ona needed a hero to rescue the world.”

Loaf said, “From what?”

I laughed. “The game will give us hints of her true nature.”

Loaf mumbled about the game controls being too confusing as he climbed the steep hill. “The game is so frustrating!”

I watched my best friend stumble and roll down the hill, get back to his feet and repeat the same comedy routine. “Stand still and let me take control.”

The path led to a stone tower perched on an outcropping of rock and the mysterious woman laughed when she entered the small door at the base.

The tower was a blend of white and red stones, about ten stories with a spiraling group of windows along the side. The well worn path lead to the entrance.

“Stop where you are!” said a little old man standing at the entrance.

I studied the tower. “The name is Bromme.”

I watched Loaf approach the door. “Mind if we go inside the tower old man?”

“Respect your elders, “ said the man. “The tower is a prop on a stage and you are the audience watching our play!”

I watched Loaf repeat the same mistake. “Do you mind if we take a look inside?”

The little old man was furious and stepped back into the tower. “Do you have a ticket? No? Goodbye.” The tower door was slammed shut with the sharp crack of wood on stone.

I ran to the entrance and convinced Loaf to help me open the tower door.

The rotting wood pulled free of the hinges and dropped to the ground. The tower crumbled into dust and he jumped free of the crumbling stones.

“I’m free!” yelled a voice in the clouds of dust. “I was trapped when I entered the tower without permission.”

The share screen link flashed a message. “Rescue successful, hero status granted.”

The long blue hair the middle-aged woman danced like ribbons in the strong winds blowing across the mountain-side. The woman stood in the rubble of the tower. The white armor plating of her armor and the long white cape hinted at the paladin character class.

“I’m a player called the Source Aura.”

Loaf reached down to help the young woman stand. “How long were you here?”

“Five days according to the game world time. I heard the game was discontinued and figured it was a software error.”

I scanned the crumbled ruins for signs of other adventurers.

The Source Aura said, “The rescue was a fun surprise, but we need to get moving, fast.”

“Why” I said feeling no sense of urgency. “I doubt there are other real players in the game.”

Loaf said, “The tutorial castle was filled with people.”

The Source Aura said, “Non-player characters. I was the last real player to complete the castle tutorial before the announcement. The game started locking new players inside a loop of failure on the tutorial level.”

“I’m Bromme and this is Loaf and we completed the tutorial. He bought the game on sale,” I said pointing to my friend, “He asked me to be his guide.”

Loaf said, “Hey, I can’t afford to buy new gear so I bought a discontinued game. I want to learn how to play a VR game and what better place than a game with no other players?”

Ona appeared in a window near the top of the tower. She yelled, “Run!”

The sound of armor clanking and racing up the hill reached the players.

Loaf was the first to spot her, a tall brunette with deep red armor plating ran out of the forest and climbed the tundra slope with unnatural speed.

“Return to the castle at once,” said the Red Fox Knight.

The Source Aura Fell grabbed hold of the adventures and pulled them down a short flight of steps in the space once occupied by the tower. “The collapse opened a path to level 3. Goodbye friends.”

Loaf refused to enter the darkness and broke free of the young woman’s strong grip. He pounded a gloved fist into the stone wall of the cave and the entrance collapsed, rubble and dust fell onto the narrow staircase.

The Source Aura pulled a torch from the wall and whispered a spell. The torch sparked to life and she looked at her companions. “Emotion is the end and the beginning!”

I recalled hearing the mysterious guide repeated the same phrase at the start of the game. “Are you Ona?”

“No, I’m an online player with a legacy premium subscription. The refund terms stated the final level must be completed so I practice the game in my free time.”

The howls and cries of the Red Fox Knight were heard at the entrance until the adventurers reached the base of the stairs and entered a large cavern studded with blue crystal shards.

The pack of transparent ghostly wolves, looking more like clouds of gray smoke than a recognizable form, drifted through the cracks in the stones around the crumbled entrance and raced toward the adventurers.

The Source Aura could hear the approaching danger. “The Red Fox Knight called the ancient forest wolves!” She dropped the torch and sat down, legs crossed and hummed a deep melody.

The crystal shards vibrated and shook until a sudden rain of crystals dropped like daggers around the lava tube entrance to the cavern and blocked the path.

The ghostly wolves howled, but could not pursue the adventurers.

I shouted for the young woman to stop.

The floor opened up and the adventurers slipped down a long winding lava tube into a deeper cavern, all three landing on their feet. The cavern had smooth white walls and green slime on every surface.

Loaf shouted, “Bromme, did you do that?”

I looked around and noticed my hands glowing a neon green and slime dripping from my fingers. “New skill?”

The Source Aura laughed. “The slippery slime escape! I used the same plan once and died from the poisonous goo. It looks like you’re immune to the danger.”

I reached out and pointed to a large door at the back of the cavern with a number carved ornately into the wood timbers.

Loaf brushed the slime off his armor.

Ona stood alone in the shadows of the cavern. “Level four.”

Concentrikey © 2025