Page 14 of 3013: SAVIOR

“A little, but I am fine,” she assured him, patting his leg. Trying to have two conversations at once was more difficult than it seemed. “My sister just informed me that we are not on Earth, but on a game world where some kind of magical power surge is bringing holo images to life.”

He blinked at her. “That’s fucking crazy.”

Not bothering to deny it, she nodded. “Aye, it is…but it also seems true.”

“The magical surge is also causing random quakes, tornados, and floods from the incessant rain, so we have been rescuing people as well as killing things,” Jaya said. “Since most of the people around here were also holo images, they are not actual sentient beings. They simply move around like puppets that have been programmed with designated tasks. The term they use for them is NPCs, which are non-player characters in a game that are not being controlled by a real person.”

“So, what happens to the holo people when they die?”

“They just sort of turn to dust and blink out of existence.”

“But you cannot tell who is holo until they die?”

“Aye, unfortunately. It is taking precious time to sort out who is real and who is not worth saving. I learned that the hard way when dealing with the alien creatures that look like giant bugs earlier. They can spit an acid-like substance that burns a little, but I thought they were melting the holo people.”

What kind of hellscape was this?

“Actually, it is kind of awesome,” Jaya praised in direct contradiction. “I cannot wait to meet the creative minds that thought up this place. They must be quite brilliant.” There was a long pause, then she chuckled. “Xian took exception to that statement. He does not like me complimenting other males.”

“Xian?” That name didn’t sound familiar to her. “Who is he?”

“Xian Renn is a Krytos-D’Aire hybrid I ran into shortly before everything went to shit.” Jaya’s voice filled with wonder as she added, “He also happens to be my mate.”

Her mate.

Jecca glanced back over at Zack, who was staring at her expectantly. “I might have met mine as well.”

“What? Really? Who is he?” Jaya demanded excitedly.

“A human named Zack Keller. His friends called him ZK. I think he is my mate since I have felt a strong connection to him since the moment I first saw him. But I will not be able to confirm that until I get my magic sorted out.”

“Well, you need to get on that. Or better yet, get on him,” Jaya said slyly.

Jecca almost choked on a laugh. “What in all the worlds does that mean?”

“You need to jumpstart your magic somehow, and bonding with your mate seems like the perfect way to reset your powers,” Jaya explained. “We cannot delay much longer. While most of the beings on this island are animated holos, there are also a number of real people stuck here as well. There are also others waiting outside of the protection shield around the island ready to aid us, but they cannot get in, and it is causing some of them to panic.”

“So, we are essentially trapped here for the time being.”

“You will need to be careful since Xian told me the section of the city you are in is home to individuals with superpowers, fanatical government operatives, and killer robots.”

Ah, now the super term made sense.

Jecca sighed. “I saw the robots myself a little while ago.”

“Confirm he is your mate and get your magic back,” Jaya ordered. “And stay safe until we can figure out how to break through the barrier and fix the damaged power cell.”

Her sister was right. Bonding with her mate would be the perfect way to reset her powers, but she would require Zack’s assistance to do it. She just had to make sure he was willing first. It wouldn’t be a hardship on her part, and she was almost certain that he was the one male fate had chosen for her. It already felt like he belonged to her, so she might as well enjoy him.

“I will be in contact again soon.”

“Have fun, sister,” Jaya said saucily before their connection ended.

“Well?” Zack asked when she turned toward him. “Did you figure out what happened to you?”

“Nay, not yet. I know how we can get the answers we seek, though. But I will need your help to do it.”

“Okay. What do you need me to do?”

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