Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

Alice said, pacing back and forth. “The ember will stop your mind from splintering across each of the possible universes until there is nothing left. But it is an arduous process and the energy expenditure is phenomenal.

“Even should you somehow manage to endure, we can only maintain a connection for a few hours at a time before the machine must rest.”

“And what happens to me when the connection ends?” Jacob wanted to back away from the pod but he forced himself to look at the distorted reflection of himself in the curved glass.

“You’ll be fine,” Alec said. “Alice, Ian, and Clive all agree that there’s likely to be some mild time dilation as a result of moving against the typical flow of time. For each jaunt into the past, you should have more than a day’s worth of time there, right?”

Doctor Jasieux nodded. “Sometimes more. Sometimes less. It is imprecise. You will need to be examined each time we pull you back. Mental fragmentation is the most likely side effect, where you experience more than one reality at a time. It is only a theory, do not look so worried. It may never happen.”

“So I’ll have time to see if anything I did made an impact on this future then,” Jacob reasoned. “And if so.” He motioned to Alec. “You’ll have different memories than the ones you told me.”

“Exactly. If everything works like Alice thinks, the memories of your past – this future as you remember it – will stay but the world will change. You’ll remember the horrors but none of us will. I know it’s a heavy burden we’re asking you to bear. I’m sorry about that, Jacob. Truly.

“But you’ll have downtime when you’re back here, and we’ll do everything we can to help you get acclimatized. You’ll also be able to research anything we might have been able to piece together from survivor stories and secondhand accounts. Assuming you change the game that much. Just try not to kill me in-game, huh?”

With a snort, Jacob shook his head. I’m really going to do this, aren’t I? “What about my skills? Will I retain those? They’re mostly knowledge, aren’t they?”

“We do not think so,” Alice said. “You will know of them but you will not possess any of the strength or specific skills you do now.”

“There’s nothing that would stop you from acquiring it again in the game,” Alec put in. “You already know the various Sword Forms from years of training. It should be quick to relearn them. Like riding a bike.”

Jacob placed a hand on the cold glass of the FIVR pod. “All right. I’ll do it.” He turned to Alec. “But before we do, I need to know everything you can tell me about the path you took. The abilities you gained, the stats you picked, and the equipment you found. After all, I’m going to have to beat you.”

Alice squeezed Jacob’s arm. “Thank you, Jacob. I will find Ian and Clive, they should have the sedatives mixed already. Take as long as you need.”

As she walked out of the room, Jacob turned to Alec. “Tell me how you got through the Asylum of Silent Sorrows.”

3

As Jacob laid in the FIVR pod, a potent sedative coursing in his veins, he knew he should be doing as Ian – their resident doctor – asked, namely counting backward from 100 out loud but he kept getting sidetracked.

Some of the things Alec said he did, the tricks he discovered either at the time or after were truly illuminating. And horrifying. “Ninety-five…” The Asylum of Silent Sorrows was the only area he never dared to go. It truly terrified him and it made sense that Alec had charged headlong into the frightening place.

In the past, Jacob took the much longer roundabout path into the Fogdrift Gardens. A veritable maze of darkness and fog, strewn with snakes and animated plants that were indistinguishable from the environment.

It took him a long time to get through it and even looking back through his memories, he wasn’t sure if he could navigate it at any speed. Not if he was going to beat Alec’s past-self to the Burgon Beast.

“Keep counting,” Ian reminded him.

“Ninety-four… ninety-three-”

In between one heavy blink and the next Jacob felt a stab of electric pain arc from the crown of his head to the bottom of his soles. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a sea of darkness.

August 30th, 2035 – 14 days remain before the Collapse.

A beautiful half-naked woman stood in front of him. Her hair was like spun gold and there was a cloth tied around her eyes like a blindfold. She held a scroll protectively in both hands up to her chest. “I welcome you, Jacob Windsor.” She did a little curtsy. “I am here to remind you of the rules of the competition and to attain your signature on the contract. Be aware, that should you disagree with any of the rules, or refuse to sign you will be forcibly ejected and escorted from the premises.”

Jacob reeled from the sudden shift but he recovered quickly. He remembered this speech. Only last time, he was so excited to get into the game and get started he hardly noticed the scantily clad woman.

“I understand,” he said.

“Excellent,” she said cheerily. “The rules are simple. Firstly, all players must commit to full immersion. Any logouts are considered an automatic forfeit. By agreeing to this first stipulation, you will be provided with quality medical care to ensure that your physical self remains in top condition while immersed.

“Secondly, all players are to start at the same time. No new players are allowed once the competition is underway. From this point forward you have ninety minutes to agree to this contract and to complete your character creation.

“You may take more than the allotted time for character creation if you so choose but beware that other players will be released into the game world if they wish it. And