The first rays of dawn had not yet reached the sky when Auren summoned his butler Han. He had slept restlessly through the night and decided to use his power as prince to get the information he needs.
He couldn't get those golden eyes from his head.
"Find me everything you can about a man named Zevaros. He should be around my age if not slightly older and he has piercing gold eyes."
Han looked at his young master unable to form an appropriate answer so he tried to divert the investigation. [I can't let him find out.]
"Young master Auren, this person is a player how are you sure he has those eyes?"
Auren paused for a second and realized that he was doing things instinctively. [I don't even know if he looks anything like his game avatar... Maybe his name is real?]
"Then find me everything you can about Therions named Zevaros."
"Yes young master." Han said politely while leaving. His heart was heavy because he would be keeping information from his beloved young master.
Auren also searched by himself in the terminal. He looked for everyone named Zevaros. They were thousands upon thousands but none of them the same feel as the person he met in the game. After hours of searching he felt like he reached a dead end.
"Maybe I can try finding him in the game. Everything is useless even Han hasn't found anything about him." Auren muttered, hand covering his eyes.
He looked at the terminal resting on his bedside table and decided to hunt the guy in the game.
[I only have about 4 days till school resumes. I don't even know if I can carry the game to school. Better find him now and sate my curiosity before it consumes me.]
Auren picked the game headset and logged in once more to Mortal's Heaven. He found himself outside of the studio where the interview was. Because he saved, the mortal NPCs accepted his presence naturally.
Auren called his NPC coach and team and told them to put him on a Hiatus for about 1 year so he could find Zevaros. The NPC acted as any mortal would but Auren ignored and switched everything off.
He then went ahead to travel to an association to earn experience points. He could only unlock the true wanderer feature at level 10 and so Auren grinded like crazy.
He spent hours gaining experience points and travelling to distant lands tracing faint battle scars. This is because according to Zevaros' background he is a one man army that controls the nation's military.
This made it easier for Auren to track him down. In a land where dark forests reigned and danger lurked in every corner, Auren found clues to Zevaros' presence. This forest of the Mortal Heaven is known as the VR world's most lawless hunting grounds.
At this point Auren has spent the entire night stalking Zevaros. He hadn't once logged off the game and his relentless efforts showed his resilience and his stubborn will.
Auren wasn't sure why he was doing this anymore. Maybe because Zevaros had haunted his mind since the day their eyes met or maybe because something had sparked in Auren's mind.
As he walked through the dense jungle, Auren saw him in his full glory. He had just finished killing a boss monster, his weapon of choice is a long Katana.
His tall frame was wrapped in a sleeveless black coat lined with molten sigils. His presence seemed to crack the illusion of the game as it pierced straight into Auren's mind.
"You've been following me,Omega." Zevaros said his voice low, rich and too calm.
Auren froze, his heartbeat loud and only one word filled his thoughts. Omega. [Why did he call me an Omega? Is it the type of Omega I remember?]
"I noticed you long before." Zevaros replied, a faint smirk tugging his lips. "I wanted to see how long you'd last before I got bored."
Something about the way Zevaros spoke, that lazy teasing but laced with danger, sent a pulse down Auren's spine. Auren straightened and took his twin blades from his storage backpack.
"You need to tell me why you called me Omega."
Zevaros' eyes were puzzled but he didn't say more. Just stood still, his katana raised. That was his response.
The ground cracked as Auren launched himself. He vanished in a burst of light, his movement so fast it left afterimages. Auren's blades collided with Zevaros' Katana in a storm of sparks and fire.
The shockwave split the air, the trees in the jungle were uprooted and the forest floor cratered beneath their feet. Zevaros could feel Auren's desire for an answer and this made him smirk.
Zevaros moved with terrifying grace, his sword swings were precise and deadly each strike was so heavy the wind screamed. Yet, his shoulders stayed relaxed, muscles fluid under his skin as if the blade weighed nothing.
All this fell on Auren's eyes and it caused a sense of Awe to bloom but he still thirsted for an answer and that handsome face with those molten gold eyes did not offer any.
Auren ducked the next swing, flipping backward and landing lightly on a shattered boulder. He wiped the trickle of blood from his lip, "You're holding back."
"And your stalling," Zevaros answered. "You fight without the aim to kill. Why?"
Auren hesitated then scoffed. "Maybe I want to see if you will answer my question or if that face of yours ever changes when fighting seriously."
A flash of amusement passed through Zevaros' gaze, he looked at Auren then dashed forward.
Auren's twin blades danced in fluid arcs, weaving between Zevaros' heavy, deliberate strikes. The Katana moved like a comet's tail, carving flames into the air, Auren's blades shimmered with frost cracking against the flames until the entire field glowed in warring hues of gold and blue.
"I called you so. Because you are. You fight beautifully A.F" Zevaros said mid fight.
The words threw Auren off balance just long enough for Zevaros to kick his gut and catch him by the throat.
"You move like you have never been cornered before."
Auren didn't answer, he couldn't. His pulse thundered in his ears and the air between them thickened charged with tension. Auren was angry but a lose is a lose.
"Finish it."
Zevaros' laugh was dark, soft and genuine. It broke the tension and made Auren's heart beat for a different reason.
"No. I want to see you again."
Zevaros released Auren and stepped back. The ground was still glowing from the fight. Auren pushed himself upright glaring at him,
"You're playing with me."
"Maybe," Zevaros said. "But, you seem to like this game."
That made Auren flush. "You!"
Zevaros turned his back to him, walking away with unhurried confidence. The flames around him flickered once more then he vanished, his avatar dissolving in a flash of light a sign that he had logged off.
Auren stood there, flush and heart still beating when he received an in-game message. It was from Zevaros.
[My real name is Zevaros Mantil. Continue searching wolf.]
Auren logged off and discovered that is was dawn. The first rays of dawn had not yet touched the sky.
"Zevaros... Zevaros Mantil."
Auren whispered the name in his room then walked out to the balcony. The crisp morning air brushed his face, cooling him down.
"You cannot hide for long. I will find out about you."