Julian double-checked for any possible sign of the masked individual, but it seemed his distraction had worked as intended.
He sighed in relief and annoyance, as it truly seemed that the contents of the video were truthful.
The person who hated him for no reason did indeed show up to challenge him, despite there being no precedent for it.
Constantly looking over his shoulder was not something Julian wanted to deal with, but he wasn't arrogant enough to walk without caution.
Despite the game having been live for at most eight minutes, that player not only gained an item that blocked his username but also found his exact location.
It was astounding, to say the least.
However, seeing that he had found himself a safe area for the moment, he pulled out the diary of his future self.
The entries were sparse and sporadic, lacking consistency or rhythm.
The entirety of the journal stretched on for ten years.
The first entry was approximately a month from today and mainly consisted of himself ranting about being spawn-killed by one guy.
It didn't state the player's username, but it was clear that it was the player 'Oblivion' who was doing the job.
He was most likely using the same artifact from today to hide his username, or else his other self would have certainly written it down.
He continued reading through the entries, but each one seemed to follow the same pattern.
He was killed by 'Oblivion' and couldn't log in for a few days, causing him great distress.
Eventually, after passing the first-year mark, the killings became less frequent, which allowed the other Julian to play the game for a relatively short time.
It was also during that time that shocking news trickled down to the public.
Instead of the Olympics taking place in reality, as they had for centuries, there were rumors of them instead occurring in Alpha.
To the current Julian, he believed such a move would result in incredible backlash, but to the people a year from now, it was almost expected.
Though unexplainable, it was a well-known fact that playing Alpha boosted a person's vitality and strength in reality.
It was minuscule, but for the athletes who discovered it, even the tiniest improvement made a difference.
Since the other Julian wasn't an athlete or pro gamer, he simply watched from the comfort of his home, as did many others.
During the broadcast, his other self finally identified his secret killer and his organization.
Representing Australia, he swept through his competition, earning himself and his country five gold medals.
It was a sham and an upset that left the whole world speechless.
To the other Julian, it was even more surprising since this person seemingly held an intense grudge against him.
From there on, there were countless entries where his other self was determined to find out the reason why he had been relentlessly killed by such a person.
Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it happened during his drunken spree on the first day of Alpha.
But even then, the other Julian had doubts since he held no recollection of having killed or even interacted with others that day.
Julian paused after reading that specific entry because, unlike his other self, he wasn't drunk.
He had a glass of wine, but even then, he wasn't the least bit tipsy.
It seemed either the book had been lying or there were some discrepancies between their realities.
Theories of the butterfly effect and multiple worlds ran through Julian's head, but without anything to go on, he put it to the back of his mind.
The rest of the entries were quick and short, as his other self seemed determined to find out everything he could about 'Oblivion'.
The next important entry was eight years after the game's release, as so-called 'rankers' awakened their game skills in the real world.
There was a time of chaos and uncertainty before an eventual calm restored itself, mostly due to the efforts of the player 'Oblivion' and his guild.
Once the dust settled, it became clear that the 'rankers' of Alpha were replacing the elected leaders of old.
Luckily, due to his other self constantly playing the game, he had grown enough to stand his ground both in-game and in reality.
But even as a new order came into the world, the other Julian still didn't stop his relentless pursuit of information on 'Oblivion'.
By the time the ninth year rolled around, the other Julian practically knew everything there was to know about 'Oblivion'.
Surprisingly, just like in the video from the future, there stood blurred-out content, most likely 'Oblivion's personal information.
Three months before the last entry was when his other self found something big.
While laying out all the sightings of 'Oblivion' from the second to the eighth year, he noticed a suspicious pattern.
On the first of every month, 'Oblivion' was spotted near the crusading mountain range.
It was something so insignificant, but the other Julian pressed on.
It took another six months before he found the entrance to a cave being protected by two summoned creatures.
They were powerful and without a doubt 'Oblivion's summons, as they wore the sigil of 'Oblivion's guild on their chests.
The next entry talked about his other self's preparation to raid and uncover the contents of the cave.
It would signal him as an enemy of 'Oblivion', but he was prepared to take the risk.
He just had to find the perfect opportunity, which came not long after.
Alpha was closing down its servers in a month's time.
Not only that, but the silent Extra company declared that Earth would soon be introduced to the Universe.
It was a chaotic time as everyone and their mothers began to prepare for what "being introduced to the universe" meant.
For the other Julian, it served as the perfect time to strike.
The last entry was written in haste, possibly before his other self recorded the video.
It was practically gibberish; all he could make out were the words "You can do it!"
Julian sighed.
There was little mention of opportunities, but the information he gathered was substantial if true.
His other self also spoke little of the opportunity that allowed him to send the message, but seeing as how little he knew, he pushed it to the back of his mind.
Though the journal provided great information, it was best he took it with a grain of salt.
From the video and journal, it was clear that although they shared the identity of Julian Caesar, they were drastically different people.
Julian put the journal back into his inventory, having finished his 20-minute read.
Though Julian wouldn't admit it, he liked the sense of direction the video and journal brought him.
He pinched his arm to check if he was dreaming but remembered he was still inside the game.
The pain was dull and almost nonexistent.
Nearly all VR games had such mechanics to prevent players from becoming traumatized by the simulated pain the game could produce.
Seeing as how the world would turn upside down in the span of a decade, shouldn't he prepare himself for the pain?
By signing a waiver, he allowed the gaming pod to recreate 100% of the pain he felt in-game.
Julian pinched his arm again, and this time he could feel the sharp sting it brought.
It was perfect, he thought.