(Astrid's P.O.V.)

His words echoed in my head, a constant eerie voice telling me that no matter what, I will lose those I care for. Nothing can change that future, that incredibly cruel fate. I can just imagine myself muttering "That's cruelty." I of all people know this place is hell. The thought that even anyone thought of this fantasyland as paradise never dwelled in my mind. This place is unrealistic, fake, a mere game that simply anyone can control, but then, this game lost it. It's gone ballistic, and we have little to no data on any lead that will allow us to pave the way to truth.

I felt dead. I didn't know whether my heartbeat quickened pace and rapidly pounded in my chest or if it slowed to a fatal point nearing death. I couldn't tell. That was precisely how much my very spirit seemed to drift off into another world. My physical body remained wherever I was, yet my thoughts were elsewhere, out of reach, overwhelmed by the complex situation we were in.

All my memories escaped my grasp, making my mind think that a far more superior being than enlightenment lay out there, laughing at our inferiority. For a second, despite my wandering mind, I caught a glimpse of reality, a whisper of someone I knew- no, someone I know. The captivating sound was gladly welcomed into my ears as my mind was suddenly dragged back into our conversation.

"—you mean?" the guy named Magnus asked, panic and shock evident on his features.
"I mean what I meant kid. There's not a single bluff in what I just said." Ashton responded with a serious look.
"That's why..." I murmured softly. Kid- this place is programmed for you to lose everyone you love. Those words...
They struck me, captured me in utter shock as I was suddenly reminded of one thing, a missing piece we never knew.
"There's something," I started quietly, "something we didn't even know we didn't know."
"What? What are you talking about Agent Agent?" Kathrine shushed our current subject, Magnus.
I swear I saw Ashton smugly smile a bit. "You finally figured out, huh? Talk away, Agent Agent."
"We never knew...but what exactly was the game you were making, Agent Poop? Why did you make it? We get you got some brilliant discovery of an A.I. that makes some breakthrough in technology and whatnot, but what exactly was your purpose when you created this game? What did you plan to attain? Fame? Success? Did you want to contribute something to society? Answer up, Agent Poop."

"Well, what if I told you that I was attempting to create some impossible dating sim where all the guys would swoon and squeal, but they'd never succeed, but then...they don't know it's impossible either?" He raised his eyebrows at me playfully, but I maintained my composure and gave him a stern stare that was close enough to the oh so typical death glare.

"I might just believe that based on what you earlier said; however, I find that way too weird and much too like a lie to be truth. Also, the fact you asked me makes me undoubtedly wanna doubt you. Am I even making sense anymore?" I replied as Kathrine snickered.
"Why do you suddenly sound so professional?" Ashton teased.
"What, and you're not busy goofing off and talking about impossible dating sims?"
"Welp, touché."
"So, that's proof enough that it wasn't intended to be some impossible dating sim."
"What makes you think that? If it's not, then what? It has to be something I would program to kill people you love and whatnot. The people who remain unloved are just so damn lucky...and sad at the same time."

~

Nothing. He didn't tell us anything no matter how much we tried to pry him open. The guy called Magnus just stared at us with a what-the-heck-I-thought-these-people-were-chosen-ones-like-people-who-supposedly-were-gonna-save-the-world look on his face (yes, that was a very long adjective, I know). What harm would there be in telling us? It's pointless to be scared if nothing wrong was done.

"If you're project was a breakthrough in technology, what part of it would make you guilty? That is," Kathrine paused.
"If you actually are guilty." I finished off for her. "It's possible that you somehow vowed to shut your mouth..."
"And if that happened, there was nothing said about you digging in to discover what I was creating." Ashton smirked.
"But then, was that really the case and was shutting up the only thing you vowed to do?" Clair wondered aloud.
"Precisely." Kathrine and I said in unison.
"Ahem. Someone tell me again why we're talking about this nonsense?" Magnus interrupted.
"First off, It is most definitely NOT nonsense, and secondly, you started this by the way." Kathrine retorted.
"Just shut it, back to topic." I ordered.
"So...did he swear to keep it secret, is he flooded with guilt and just doesn't wanna tell or is it something else?"
"Detective meeting time! Including you too Agent...uhh...Chunsu!" Kathrine announced.
"Aye-aye Agent K! Agent Agent onto business!" I saluted, and a sudden realization came to me.  "Chunsu huh...kawaii!"

We gathered at my tentative house and sat around the dining table, the Grimoire of a Hundred Souls gleaming a gloomy purple atop the bland desk. It felt as though we were to gallantly discuss a forbidden topic, locked within the cautiously guarded bounds of Agent Poop's privacy (I honestly love how serious that sounded and then I just had to say 'Agent Poop' to make it sound hilariously made to simply tease Ashton and basically barge into his personal territory; uncharted waters to us all (long comment, I know))

"Let the Interview Ashton and Discover Everything We Need To Know and Piss Him Off While We're At It mission commence." Perseus scowled after Kathrine yelled this in his ear.
"If you refuse to execute our will, we will relinquish all your rights as our uhh...third in command?" Chunsu stammered.
"Shoot. These people are seriously brutal, experts in physical and mental torture." Ashton sighed.
"Yeperoo, so you've got nowhere to go. Insults, physical torture, you name it, we've got it all ready." I smugly grinned.
"There you go again, that extremely goofy grin."
"Huh? What about it?"
"It's just a sign that things are really cooking up, that that crazy attitude of yours is going all out."
"Sure...whatever." I don't understand. Ehh.
"First up Ashton," Kathrine went on all-out serious mode. "Did you ever swear any vows?"
"We ain't  sure if you swore never to be honest with this or if you totally ignore vows, but answer." Clair deadpanned.
"Damn you all! I swear, since you keep pestering me, we'll put it like this." Ashton yelled to no one.
"Listen up, if you hear these secrets of mine, there's a high probability you'll be suffering excruciating pain. You'll be targets, witnesses of who knows what. You'll be used, toyed with, tortured beyond repair, scarred for life. Why? Simply because they'll be digging out the answers I refuse to tell the, from those who know the answers. So to put it simply, if you know my secrets, you have to swear on the Styx that you will keep them secret. To the grave."

I made up my mind and repeated his words. "To the grave." I crossed my heart.
Kathrine nudged Clair and totally ignored Magnus. In unison, they (Chunsu and Komaru) vowed, "To the grave."
"Ahem," Magnus cleared his throat. "I exist too for your information."
"And so, and so," Kathrine rolled her eyes.
"You do realize that you gotta get this guy outta here before I spout out any nonsense right?" Ashton asked.
"Or," I started. "He could hear you out too. After making an unbreakable vow too, of course."
"I'm here for my wife. Whatever helps me guarantee 'twill never happen twice." Magnus went on all-out serious mode.
"And if it happens thrice instead of twice?" Kathrine asked with a smile.
"Gah! What never happened twice cannot happen thrice. Do you understand?"
"Aye-aye," Komaru saluted.
"To the grave. I swear on the Styx. To the grave."

Thunder rumbled through the sky, as though we truly swore on the River Styx. We knew it wasn't true, but it did add up to the suspenseful...dramatic effects after that eerie "to the grave".

"Welp, here I go. Once upon a time...in a faraway land..." Agent Poop snickered.
"Continue, please, old man grandpa Ashton." I glared.
"Okay, chill Grumpy Cat. You're officially my grandchildren. Well, you know the basics. I had this idea of a breakthrough in tech, made a game, it lost control, we're where we are now. But then, what exactly was the game I was making is your question. Time to answer that. I usually don't go out spouting secrets to people I just met, but here I go. Keep it secret, 'kay (that was totally a dramatic, suspenseful pause)? To the grave."
"What's with the beating around the bush?" I sighed and gestured for him to continue.
"So...I was some 'weirdo' person who well of course, despised those dating sim otakus. Whenever I arrived in class, it never mattered what time I got there or what year I was in, there was always that one group of perverts who were playing dating sims right before homeroom."
I snickered, and Kathrine laughed, helplessly sprawled on the floor.
"Okay...so it is related to dating sims?" Clair gave Ashton a puzzled look.
He sighed, and went on storytelling mode. No interruptions allowed.

"Well, I resented them so much that everyday I'd glare at them in utter disdain despite all the scarred looks my other classmates would give me.
"They feared me, and that was that.
"I didn't give a damn about those moronic crushes, such childish behavior. It never mattered to me. Since I specialized and absolutely loved technology, I decided I'd create a game. A game everybody would play but utterly fail at; an RPG.
"It ain't like any kind of RPG. It was designed to perfection, programmed to perfection. It's- I mean it was flawless. Until it was eaten alive by its own very soul. It probably makes little to no sense at all; a game's existence gnawing away at the same game itself. The difference here was what kind of RPG it was. As I said, it was to be a breakthrough in technology, my best creation.
"Of course, I despised dating sims, so it wasn't even close to being one. I made it quite the opposite in fact, it was medieval, nearly impossible to conquer, and it completely opposed love. The code I used was brilliant. It most definitely guaranteed a certain level of success. Everyone was to ask me how I did it, I'd have become famous. But I didn't care about that. I was in my own little world, having fun doing the two things I loved. Crushing what I hate, and of course, programming.
"If I'm correct, Agent Agent, you program too, but that aside, I'll continue. The game itself was alive, and I was proud of that. It would identify any unusual emotion, namely, love. It would kill off any character in an instant, ban them fro the game. What I didn't realize though, was that I've given the game a mind of its own, power beyond my reach. It now lies yonder from my grasp.
"It was special simply because, it could identify emotions."

I stared at him in amusement, and his head was surprisingly lowered down in shame.

"That," I chuckled. "Was one idiotic excuse of a man."
Kathrine nodded in agreement.
"Hey!" Ashton objected.
"Okay people, let's be kind here. Why exactly did you hate dating sims anyways?" Clair asked.
"I-I can't. I c-can't tell-l y-you."
"What embarrassing, shameful secret do you have this time? We swore, remember? To the grave." I reminded him.
"Something you most definitely need not know." His flustered demeanor changed.
"I...well I...I had a crush. She taught me everything I loved. Tech, games, et cetera. But then...I confessed to her, and I was dumped real bad. I isolated myself. Quit socialization. I decided I wanted to make others feel my pain. Yeah...pretty much. I'm gonna go hide now."

I died just laughing. I'm pretty sure he changed over the years, but surely, nothing's changed in the game. It's inevitable, something is bound to change now that he's spilled his secrets. It's very laughable as well.

"Still an idiotic excuse of a man." Clair concluded.
"See! Told ya so!" Kathrine defended.
"Mhm," I nodded.
"Next question though, who exactly was this person? Her name? What was she like?" Clair wondered aloud.

A stale silence came upon us. Ashton heaved a pained sigh.

"Since I was absorbed in tech, we communicated online a lot to the point we forgot each other's names and stuck with our usernames online." he replied.

"There's something I know though," he faced me. "She reminds me of someone I know."