The corridor stretched endlessly before them.
The walls were lined with shattered memories — cracked trophies, torn guild banners, broken hero models, and flickering holograms of chatlogs from a decade ago.
Each step forward felt heavier.
> "FINAL CORE ACCESS: 200m AHEAD."
Raka tightened his grip on his sword. Beside him, Iqiww loaded his gauntlets with fresh energy cores, the gears inside his gloves humming.
No words needed.
They both knew.
This wasn't just another fight.
It was the fight.
---
As they approached the towering door at the end, it split open without a sound.
Inside was a massive coliseum — pure white, endless sky overhead, and in the center... a lone figure sitting cross-legged.
Waiting.
The figure stood as they entered.
He was dressed in an old-school Lost Saga outfit — classic Knight armor, worn but polished. His ID floated above his head:
> [User: Zero_Vanguard]
[First Login: 2009-08-08]
Raka's breath caught.
That name.
It was legendary.
The very first player who logged into the beta server. A ghost of the game's true beginning. A living monument.
Zero_Vanguard lifted his head. His eyes glowed faint blue — calm, ancient, and filled with a sorrow too heavy to measure.
"You came," he said, voice low but clear.
"You're the final guardian?" Iqiww asked, fists clenched.
Zero nodded.
"I stayed behind. When the last real players left... when the devs abandoned updates… when the servers ghosted... I stayed. Because someone had to remember."
He drew his sword — a massive two-handed blade engraved with every patch note ever released.
"You seek the Core Fragment," he said.
"To reach it... you must defeat me."
---
The system chimed:
> [DUEL INITIATED]
[RULES: OLD SERVER CODE]
[NO CASH ITEMS. NO BOOSTS. PURE SKILL.]
The arena shimmered — stripping Raka and Iqiww down to default starter gear.
Raka grinned bitterly. "Back to basics, huh?"
Iqiww chuckled. "Just like the old days."
Zero lifted his sword, resting it on his shoulder.
"Show me," he said quietly. "Show me that players are still worthy."
---
The fight exploded.
Zero moved with impossible grace — a perfect fusion of every class, every tactic. He switched seamlessly from Knight to Assassin, from Gunslinger to Mage. Each strike precise, each dodge immaculate.
Raka fought with raw instinct, parrying blow after blow, trading jabs and footwork honed over years of gaming muscle memory.
Iqiww adapted fast — launching counter-combos, baiting movements, setting traps.
But Zero was relentless.
He wasn't playing to win.
He was playing to teach.
---
Minutes turned to an hour.
Bruised, exhausted, Raka was driven to his knees. His shield cracked. His health bar — a thin sliver.
Zero stood over him, sword ready.
"This," Zero said, "is why players gave up. You lost the spirit."
"No…" Raka gasped, forcing himself up. "We didn't lose it. We grew. We realized games aren't just about winning. They're about the people you meet... the stories you create."
Zero hesitated.
Raka roared and charged with everything he had left — not for glory, but for memory.
Iqiww flanked — hitting Zero with a critical strike to the side.
Zero staggered — just a fraction — and Raka's blade found its mark.
The arena shattered in a burst of white light.
> [DUEL COMPLETE]
[WINNERS: Raka & Iqiww]
---
As the dust settled, Zero smiled sadly.
"You remind me..." he whispered, voice breaking, "of why I logged in the first time."
He knelt — presenting the final fragment: a glowing sphere wrapped in golden code.
> [CORE FRAGMENT ACQUIRED – FRAG_ID_07: "First Memory"]
Zero faded, his figure turning into thousands of tiny data lights, ascending into the sky.
Before disappearing, he spoke one last time:
"Don't forget us."
---
The Core Fragment fused into Raka's chest.
A portal ripped open at the center of the arena — swirling with all the collected memories of Lost Saga's past.
Raka and Iqiww exchanged a glance.
One step left.
One final choice.
Together, they stepped into the light — toward the system's beating heart.
---
To Be Continued…