C000 — PROLOGUE
*TA-RA-TA-RA*
*CHEERS*
Ceremonial trumpets resound all over Velmora as the herald of the new reign steps forward before the assembled crowd.
"People of Latveria…
Examine your surroundings. These Heavens, these Stones, these Holy Winds—they never forget. They recall the time of the kings, when the name Latveria inspired dread and wonder around the land, and our banners flew with pride.
However, merciless and unrelenting time pushed us into the shadows. Our crown vanished into the mists of recollection, and our dominion dissolved into whispers.
However, no shadow lasts forever.
For the time being, he is back at the wheel of fate. Destiny, not ambition, is the source. A son of the blood, not a usurper.
From the remnants of prophecy, a flame flared again. The one who was predicted rises from the House of Umbra, who uphold the twilight oath and silently wait.
A sovereign shaped by pain, vision, and an unwavering will, in addition to lineage.
Bezaliel
The name hits the mountain like a thunderclap. What we dared not see, his eyes have seen. His heart carries the burden that we are unable to. He comes to bring a kingdom back to life, not retake ruins. To bring Latveria to unimaginable heights, to rouse the forgotten, to bind the shattered.
By the will of the ancestors…
By the rite of the Veiled Throne…
And by the uninterrupted Umbra bloodline…
I proclaim before the stars and the stone, before gods and men:
BEHOLD — KING BEZALIEL OF LATVERIA!
He holds the Crown of Twilight.
He holds the Sword of Silence.
The destiny of this land now walks again — not as a myth, but as a monarch.
Rise, people of Latveria. Raise your voices to the stars.
Hail the return of the King!
Bezaliel of House Umbra, praise be!
Cheers to the King!
Long live Latveria!"
—
—
—
< Congratulations, player ATØMIC·ZERØ >
< You have obtained the title — King >
< As the first player to have ever received this milestone achievement, your title King has been upgraded to the title — Eternal King >
"Hah! Finally, some peace." The player ATØMIC·ZERØ, whose real name was Zayne, muttered to himself after finishing the coronation ceremony. It would be a lie if he said he didn't take pride in himself for this achievement.
As the only king in the VR game, Dominion Eternal, who was a player, Zayne knew many would flock towards him with various deals and business proposals. After all, this game, unlike others, was so unprecedented that it became a global sensation.
More than 3 billion players were currently active on the server. And it has only been three years since the launch of the game. Due to the largest player base ever recorded, as well as its unreal AI engines, the in-game currency of Dominion Eternal, Glooms, was declared an official currency by the World Finance Council.
Thus, the game saw an unprecedented increase in player base by 2 billion in its third year after the launch. It started after the statement from the World Finance Council about the Gloom.
The sudden influx of players did not cause a lack of resources, as the map of Dominion Eternal was massive, and it was said that this was just a single continent. But it still caused a rise in competition among guilds and players for some already established resource points, simply because players would rather take from others than explore the continent and find new ones.
Fortunately, Zayne was among the first players and had a well-established faction. But unlike others, who focused on levelling up, completing quests or grinding rare equipment, Zayne focused on increasing his nobility title. After all, the only reason he joined the game was to become a king.
But doing so was quite difficult. It took Zayne more than three years to become the King of Latveria. Even then, it was only possible because Latveria didn't have any royal family, instead, it was ruled by three duchies.
"I guess I can finally log out and take some well-deserved rest," Zayne muttered to himself as he prepared to log out after staying for four consecutive days. It wasn't advisable to stay for such a long time, but Zayne didn't have a choice. It was the final phase, and Zayne didn't want anything to go wrong.
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< ABNORMAL CONDITION DETECTED IN THE GAMING POD!!! >
< PLEASE LOG OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
"What the fuck!?" The sudden red alerts took him by surprise, but Zayne quickly calmed down and opened the game menu to log out.
"Wait a minute. Where's the logout button!?" But his calmness got washed away by the fact that there was no logout button.
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< POD TEMPERATURES ARE CLIMBING RAPIDLY!!! >
< IT IS ADVISABLE TO KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN HAND!!! >
< SENSORS DETECTED A FIRE!!! >
< ACTIVATING SAFETY MECHANISMS!!! >
< ERROR!!! >
< ERROR!!! >
< ERROR!!! >
< SAFETY MECHANISMS FAILED TO ACTIVATE!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
< WARNING!!! >
As the warnings flooded his HUD, Zayne felt the surroundings collapse into darkness. Only the red light from the alerts remained. But even they, one by one, were disappearing. A few moments later, the last alert disappeared, and the darkness consumed Zayne.
'I just hope reincarnation is real.'
—
—
—
In a bar somewhere on Earth, a lone television played the latest news report. The female new anchor expertly delivered the news according to the script.
"Good evening, dear viewers. We begin tonight with a piece of tragic news from the world of immersive virtual reality gaming.
In a shocking and unprecedented incident, a 24-year-old youth, Zayne Williamson, was found dead earlier today while logged into a fully immersive VR gaming pod. The pod was running the highly popular VRMMORPG Dominion Eternal — a game that has captivated millions worldwide since its launch over three years ago.
Authorities have confirmed that this is the first known fatal malfunction involving a VR gaming pod connected to Dominion Eternal."
The news station showed footage of emergency personnel outside an apartment complex; a covered stretcher was being wheeled out. A passport-size photo of the victim was displayed at the bottom of the screen. The news station then switched back to the news anchor.
"According to early reports, Zayne had been logged into the game for several continuous days, possibly more than four, from his residence. Concerned neighbours reported loud mechanical alerts coming from his room, followed by prolonged silence.
When emergency responders arrived, they found the systems active, but many of the key circuits had burned completely, including, unfortunately, Zayne himself. He was pronounced dead on the spot.
On further investigations, due to Zayne's carelessness, the cooling and nutritional fluids had not been refilled. Additionally, the lack of maintenance of the gaming pod for more than two years may have been another reason for its fatal malfunction."
The news stations displayed the picture of a brand-new NEXUS Dive 6 gaming pod along with the charred gaming pod from the site.
"The model in question, the NEXUS Dive 6, is a high-end full-dive pod known for its deep neural immersion and biometric feedback integration. Experts believe a rare but catastrophic hardware failure may have caused a neuroelectric feedback loop, overloading Zayne's nervous system while he was still immersed, followed by burns due to the electrical fire.
An hour after the incident, the representatives from ArcCatalyst Industries, the company behind NEXUS Dive 6, released a brief statement:
「 'We are devastated to learn of the tragic loss of Zayne Williamson. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. We are working closely with hardware manufacturers and investigators to determine the exact cause of this incident. The safety of our players has always been — and will always remain — our top priority.'」
Now, let us see Dr. Mira Solen's view on this incident. If you are not aware, then let me inform you that she is a reputed VR technology analyst."
The news station displayed a segment of an interview with Dr. Mira Solen shortly after the incident.
Dr. Molen: "What makes this so concerning is that Dominion Eternal has had an impeccable safety record for over three years. This incident may not stem from the game software but rather an electronic fault or firmware glitch in the pod's neural interface system."
The news station switched back to the news anchor for the final conclusive report.
"At this time, all NEXUS DIVE 6 pods have been placed under temporary review pending further investigation. Gamers are being advised to monitor for any abnormal behaviour in their pods and to avoid long, uninterrupted sessions.
As the community mourns the loss of a fellow player, questions continue to rise about the limits of immersion — and the risks that may come with it.
We'll continue to follow this story as it develops. For now, this marks a sombre milestone in the evolution of virtual reality.
This is Aria Lorne, reporting for TNN — stay safe, stay connected, and stay informed."