NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Alice's Perspective (An epilogue for volume 2)

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"Princess Alice, your adventurer has arrived!"

Upon hearing the news that the soldier mentioned, I rushed down the stairs without a care for the world. All my mind thought about was the man I met a few weeks ago. He vows to protect me, and I promised him my presence.

"Alice!"

My voice became a shrieking sound like a rat finding something deep in the corner. My lips never ceased to shiver in delight as I met the gaze of the striking man.

"Clement! You're here!"

His voice was enough to boil my heart and soften everything inside of me. Upon looking in front, the bloke cladded with steel plate armour greeted me with a smile. I returned his expression and acted gracefully, like a princess.

As the two of us clasped our hands, the player and I went to the garden. That place became our little hideout from all the duties that we each had in our life.

"Running away with your princess problems, Alice?" Clement teased me, while offering the bench for me to sit on.

I perched on the wooden chair and waited for him to sit by my side. "You're no fun at all!"

Despite my awful remark, I couldn't help myself but giggle at my comment. What Clement said to me was the truth, and I did not deny it.

Being a princess in Wonderland was tough for me. Every time I thought about leading the kingdom and the people surrounding it, my hands uncontrollably shake.

It was as if I fleckless to become a princess. With those expectations, reaching for the roof, my entire body soon faltered on the ground.

But thanks to Clement, I relieved myself and kept my posture. Although I was a worthless princess, Clement was here as my motivation. He even told me that my being a princess was a fascinating phenomenon.

I did not want to let him down.

"Are you sure that you don't need any help? Not that I could give you my advice or anything-."

"Oh, no. Don't worry. I got everything under control! My father always brings new inventions and ideas to the dwarven village. It's the only thing that we could do right now…"

The two of us went to the top of the tower, which was still inside the garden. It was a building that meant to oversee the roses I nurtured from the years I remembered. And I was thankful enough that Clement and I shared something in this place.

"The scenery here is really awesome… unlike my hometown. I wonder what the city would look like if I got out of the hospital. Maybe the world surrounding me would be brighter than what I think?"

I couldn't give Clement my response. I knew everything about his life, including the disease that he has.

"All my life I could only wish to walk… run… or even hang out with my dad. That's why I'm thankful for this game, especially now that I've met you," he said, and held my hands tighter.

I returned Clement's grasp and looked him in the eye. "We will always be together forever, Clement."

"No…"

With that single word, my world crumbled apart. "What do you mean no? Don't you love me too?"

"I do… I love you… but you're…"

"I'm what?" I asked.

"You're someone that people have created… that my father created. All of this is just stimulation. What we have is real, but the world would deny it."

I knew Clement was not an ordinary man. He usually told me about his physical conditions limiting him from moving, despite walking freely in front of me. But I doubted no word he told me, since it was Clement.

I would believe every word that would come out of his mouth.

"Tell me more, Clement… What do you mean about this reality?"

Clement refused to tell me everything he knew at first. But as the time passed by, he finally gave in after heaving out a long sigh.

"This is a game… and we named it Code. It is a world created by game developers, which includes my dad and his colleagues. This place is a gift for me from my father, since I couldn't move my body."

"Every character you see, every terrain you go to, every problem that the world has, it's carefully thought of by these game developers. It's still in the beta test right now… so I'm one of the few people playing this game. Once this game gets released to the public, people with distinct personalities could flock around, including this castle. And I'm afraid that I will see that scene anymore, Alice," Clement continued.

"What do you mean?" I asked, while holding back my tears. "Are you going to leave me because this world is not the same as yours?"

"No…" Clement answered. "But I know that my body is going to tear itself up… around this week, I might not go online again."

Although the terms Clement used became foreign, I understood what he wanted to say. He told me that his body was getting worse at every passing minute, and… he would die, eventually.

"Is there any way to save you?... Is there anything that I could do?"

Clement shook his head and replied. "If there is one… I would've told it to you the first time we met."

That night, I cried an ocean of tears while hugging his chest. It was like what Clement had mentioned. He never returned to my castle or the garden.

I waited for many moons, but no figure of a man welcomed me. I ordered all the guards to find Clement, but my efforts were to no avail. No matter how hard we stretched the map, he was not living in our world.

I continued weeping every day, wishing for him to return. I did not know that event was the last one I'd get to meet him. If I knew, I could've…

"Alice… my daughter, I've brought you something. Can I come in?"

"Yes, father."

The door creaked open, revealing the figure of my father entering my bedroom. He held a tray filled with various cuisines that anyone could wish for. But those meals were nothing compared to my beloved man.

"Have you found him?"

"No…. but I have news for you. Terrible news…"

Despite my heart beating slowly like a slug, my eyes glimpsed my father's stern face looking at the ground. "Tell me what it is?"

"Millions of people entered our world. The heavens above told us that these were the gods that would live us from now on. But I'm afraid that we would engage in a war against these players…"

"No…" I gasped upon hearing my father's statement.

When Clement mentioned beta and players, I did not expect to become like this. I thought these players would become soldiers or villagers that we could communicate with. But like every other person, these players would wreak havoc against anything they see, including this village.

"How much time do we have?"

"They are attacking as we speak, my daughter. We must hurry and bring you to safety."

With my father's words, two elite soldiers entered the room. It was as if on cue. Those two guards forcibly carried my petite body to a hidden chamber. We designed that passageway as our escape route in case something terrible would happen.

But…

"Father! What about you?" I asked.

My father, the king, only shook his head. "It is far too late for me… I want you to use your puppeteer skills to survive in this world. These soldiers would protect you… they, too, are puppets I have created. Now, go and escape this place."

I knew that I still had my responsibilities as the princess of this kingdom. If I were to abandon this place, my people would be the ones affected the most. However, I couldn't do anything about it right now.

The world around me shattered into a billion pieces. All the family that I cared about turned into ashes. As the three of us exited the passageway, the castle and the garden got burned down to smithereens.

All the memories that Clement and I had have become dust… because of these players that ruined the place! I never learned about their goals or what they wanted from our family. It was what my father had mentioned. They only wished to destroy things in plain sight.

And we were the unfortunate ones that received their blow…

I clenched my hands and gritted my teeth in front of me. These players and game developers took everything from me, including the person who I love.

I was a princess that escaped my doom… But as I controlled my powers to the fullest; I returned to the kingdom and brought back the justice my father deserves.

I trampled everything in my way. The dark glittering around my heart changed even my form. It took my humanity away from me in exchange for overwhelming power.

But a man stood in front of me. Fenrir was his name.