The rain had not stopped for three days.
Aeria Vale sat by the window of her apartment, staring past the fogged glass. Neon light from the street below bled through the rain, casting streaks of blue and pink across her cluttered desk. Takeout boxes. Half-finished notes. An old console that hadn't been powered on in months.
The hum of her computer filled the silence. The screen still glowed with the login page of Avatar Saga.
Her hand rested on the mouse, but she hadn't clicked yet. Not tonight. Not the night before. Every time she thought about it, something pressed against her chest. The same thought looping in her mind.
What if this really is the last time?
The rumors had spread fast. Leaks on forums, half-official announcements buried in patch notes. Revenue drop. Server maintenance. Downsizing. Some said the devs were shutting it down completely. Others said there would be one last event to decide which Realms stayed alive.
Nobody knew for sure. But everyone knew something was coming.
Aeria drew a long breath and pushed the chair back. Her reflection stared at her from the window. Pale face, dark hair tied loosely, eyes dulled from too many late shifts and too little sleep. She looked older than eighteen, worn down by the quiet grind of reality.
This isn't me. The thought came like a whisper. Not the me that matters.
Her gaze shifted to the VR headset on the desk. Sleek, black, marked by scratches at the edges from years of use. The last gateway that still belonged to her.
She slid it on.
The world faded.
Light swallowed her, pixelated and bright.
A familiar chime rang in her ears.[Welcome back, Seraphine.]
Her eyes opened onto the sky of the login hub. A wide courtyard suspended above endless clouds, arches of marble and silver rising high into a horizon painted by auroras. The hub had always been beautiful, untouched by events or battles, frozen in perfection.
Aeria — no, Seraphine now — looked down at her armored hands. The gauntlets shone faintly, lined with golden trim. Her reflection gleamed in the polished breastplate, the mark of a Sacred Knight engraved at the center. The weight of the sword on her back felt natural, familiar. A part of her.
Here, she wasn't the girl in a cramped apartment. She wasn't the worn-out worker who barely scraped by.
Here, she was Seraphine. And Seraphine still mattered.
"Late as always."
The voice came sharp, teasing, with an edge that never quite softened. Seraphine turned.
Noctis leaned against a pillar nearby, arms crossed. Her cloak draped low, black fading into crimson at the hem. Red eyes caught the aurora light and burned faintly. Two daggers hung at her hips, curved and deadly.
"Thought you might actually miss the end of the world," Noctis said. A half-smile touched her lips, though her eyes told a different story.
Seraphine shook her head. "You know I wouldn't."
Noctis pushed off the pillar and came closer, her steps almost soundless against the marble. She studied Seraphine a moment, like she was trying to read what lay under the armor. Then she shrugged, smirk curling. "Good. Wouldn't be any fun without you."
Another voice cut through, calm and low. "You two never change."
Valeria approached from the opposite side of the courtyard. Silver hair tied neatly, blue eyes steady as steel. Her armor shone with faint runes, the emblem of the Arcane Paladin glowing at her shoulder. She carried herself like a blade sheathed — quiet, sharp, waiting.
"Seraphine." Valeria inclined her head. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't log in."
"I almost didn't," Seraphine admitted.
Noctis let out a laugh, short and sharp. "Almost? Please. This place is the only reason you're still breathing."
Valeria gave her a warning glance, then looked back at Seraphine. "We don't know what's coming. But if the rumors are true… then every Realm is at stake."
The air in the courtyard shifted. The auroras dimmed.
A voice rolled through the sky, heavy and mechanical.
[Attention players. Thank you for joining us tonight.]
The three froze. Around them, the courtyard filled with avatars as other players appeared in bursts of light. Warriors, mages, assassins, mechs, hunters — all gathering, all staring upward.
[We know you've heard the rumors. Avatar Saga has endured for years, spanning countless worlds, countless Realms. But time changes all things. The age of endless expansion is over.]
The clouds stirred.
[A new age begins now. The Infinite Realms.]
The sky split.
Colors bled, worlds colliding. A fragment of steel towers clawed through the clouds — cyberpunk neon dripping into the horizon. Beside it, jagged mountains of black iron rose, banners of crimson whipping in a storm. To the west, a wasteland of rust and sand stretched under burning skies. And beyond that, a forest of obsidian trees where shadows whispered, roots writhing like veins.
Realms, each carved from their own genre, their own identity. Now bleeding into one.
[Realm versus Realm. Only one may survive. The rest will be erased.]
The words crashed over them like thunder.
Noctis grinned, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Well. Guess it's true."
Valeria's gaze stayed on the horizon. Her jaw tightened, but her voice remained steady. "So it begins."
Seraphine felt her chest tighten. All the years, the battles, the friendships carved here — threatened in an instant. If their Realm fell, everything they built would vanish. Their cities, their guild halls, their memories.
Her hands clenched around the hilt of her sword.
The voice continued.
[Your Realms will clash in the Infinite Arena. Alliances may be forged, but only one Realm will remain. Fight well. Survive. For your Realm's fate is in your hands.]
The sky closed, sealing the fragments of worlds together into a sprawling, endless battlefield. The ground beneath the courtyard cracked, marble giving way to jagged stone. The safe hub was gone.
The Infinite Realms had already begun.
They regrouped at the edge of a broken cliff. Below, landscapes clashed together — a city of spires cut in half by a desert canyon, rivers splitting into neon-lit streets, forests twisting into wastelands. The horizon stretched in chaos, every Realm forced into one.
Other guilds gathered nearby, weapons drawn, banners raised. Some shouted plans. Others glared, already treating this as war.
Noctis leaned on her daggers, scanning the chaos below. "Looks like everyone's out for blood already. Place will be crawling with vultures before long."
"Then we'll need to move carefully." Valeria stepped closer to the edge, eyes narrowing as if calculating the map in her head. "Resources, territory, safe zones. Those will be fought over first."
Seraphine listened, but her eyes lingered on the players around them. Faces she had fought beside for years, strangers from Realms she had never entered. Some looked afraid. Some hungry. Some ready to kill.
Her throat felt dry. "So this is it."
Noctis smirked, tilting her head. "Don't tell me you're scared."
Seraphine didn't answer. The truth hung heavy in her chest. It wasn't fear for herself. It was fear of watching everything collapse.
Valeria turned to them both. "We need to decide. Stay defensive, protect our Realm… or strike early while others are still unprepared."
Noctis' grin widened. "You know my answer. Hunt first, ask questions later."
Seraphine stayed quiet. The weight of the moment pressed harder with every passing second. Her eyes drifted again over the fractured horizon. Realms were already moving, armies marching. The first war of Infinite Realms would begin before nightfall.
Her hand settled on her sword. The steel felt steady, warm against her palm.
Finally, she spoke. "Then we fight. Not for glory. Not for conquest."
She looked at Noctis, then Valeria.
"For survival."
The wind tore through the broken cliff, carrying her words into the chaos below.
And so it began.