Lavaring Story Chapter 6
As the Lavaring Team continued their trek through the vast world known as ImagiNation, the contrast between each land they visited became more and more astonishing. ImagiNation was meant to be a place where creative ideas could live and flourish without any limitations containing them, however, a form of “organization” system was sometimes necessary simply to make things simpler for those who did not understand ImagiNation or its culture. The Lands system was not meant to restrain the Creators’ imaginations in any way, but rather existed to make sure that those who weren’t sure of what they wanted to create could participate just as much as those sure of themselves. Each Land of ImagiNation represented a genre - Fantasyland for Fantasy and Mideval ideas, Horrorland for the scary or supernatural, Beastland for Adventure-Oriented Creations such as Explorers, Pirates and, yes, Animals, Fightingland for Creations that were more “human-like” (although with a disposition for Legends and Legacies, such as Martial Artists and perhaps even Superheroes, along with a large plethora of mythical creatures such as the Hippogriff), Cyberland for ideas with science fictional premises and stories, and lastly, Machineland - for those with more rigid or gritty stories that may not fit anywhere else (such as Steampunk Creations). It was not known by the Lavaring Team when or where these conventions were established, but it was known that they did not exist to be a leash, and that the Creators were meant to come up with their own ideas first and allow them to flourish however they wanted them to in ImagiNation - the Lands system only existed to provide a sense of organization afterwards. It was even said that a seventh land - one known as “Realistic Fiction” - existed as well, although other Creations could never access it as it was reserved only for ideas that were entirely dependant on concepts that could only feasibly occur in “Real Life”. The purpose for this was very mysterious, as plenty of “humans” existed in lands other than “Realistic Fiction” - but regardless, it only served to show just how open ImagiNation was meant to be for all.
All of this information, however, was the last thing on the minds of the six Lavaring Team members - they had just made their way into Cyberland from Fightingland, and the two places could not have been more different from each other. While Fightingland was meant to serve as a monument to legends, legacies and the distant past, Cyberland was clearly meant to be a place celebrating the future. Tall skyscrapers could be seen almost anywhere, an entire network of transport chutes hung above the skyline, moving sidewalks could be found outside nearly every doorstep and a large, planetoid object appeared to be floating high above the sky.
The most remarkable thing about Cyberland to the Lavaring Team members, though, was the large computer system which appeared to be located at its center. One look at it, and it became very evident that this was where they were supposed to be. The goal they had at first set out to achieve was now almost in their grasp.
“It appears we are here!” Fanwizard exclaimed. The Dragon Warrior of the group was the first to speak, as the others were all in the process of sorting through their own conflicted emotions. Whatever the case, it was now a fact that X would soon be recovering his memory. What that would entail was a mystery to everyone.
“That robot in Fightingland suggested that the fastest way to recover X’s memory would be to find a USB stick with his save data backup on it.” said Foxichick. “Any idea where we should start looking?”
“Well, considering that we DON’T EVEN KNOW IF THAT THING EXISTS, it might be a good idea to ASK SOMEONE FOR DIRECTIONS.” MCgamer exclaimed loudly. Then he recomposed himself, and added a quiet “sorry”.
Fanwizard decided to speak in his usual formal manner. “It exists. I am sure of it! The wielder of the mighty frozen weapon knew what he was speaking of. The loss of our friend and ally LavaringX clearly left an impact upon many. It would be a well known fact if X lost his memory, and somebody may be able to provide us for answers. In fact, I would even say that it should not take long for somebody to recognize him, and-”
“Is that… NO WAY…”
Almost as soon as the dragon warrior had uttered these words, a voice cried out. It sounded feminine in nature, and for a split second Fanwizard thought it might be another one of his Fangirls, looking for an autograph. However, a glance in the direction of the speaker told Fanwizard that he was most definitely not going to be handed a piece of paper and a writing utensil from this lady. She was young-looking, and didn’t appear to belong in Cyberland (as she had a somewhat floral motif). However, it was common knowledge that looks didn’t account for much in ImagiNation, as almost anything could happen here, so Fanwizard did not judge in the slightest.
“Oh… oh my goodness… forgive me, I’m sorry. My name is Garden Goddess. I…”
Candaru had unsheathed her claws, but an outstretched arm from Foxichick told her that violence probably would not be necessary in this situation. Fanwizard, MCgamer, and the leader of the Lavaring Team herself all looked at the newcomer with an expression of surprise and curiosity, Candaru and Indigo glared at her with suspicion, and X wore an expression of pure excitement on his face.
Garden Goddess took a moment to find her voice, and then started to speak.
“I… I know something… a-about this boy…”
“Speak, fair maiden!” Fanwizard requested. “What is it you know?”
There was a long pause. Then, Garden Goddess started to talk again.
“I… I programmed him. I was part of the team that coded the Master Program.”
…
“I… I’M the Master Program?” Asked X, who was completely taken aback by this new information.
Garden Goddess took the Lavaring Team members to a long alleyway behind a few of the smaller buildings. She spoke in a calm voice, but it was clear to many of the Lavaring Team members that she was choking up with emotion.
“I… I am so sorry… I cannot say any more.” said Garden Goddess. “But… I can tell you where you may find some of the answers you seek.” She said. “There was a boy… his name is Vladimir. If you can search for him - he should not be too hard to find, he is likely fighting the Destroyer that has been plaguing Cyberland for the past few months… but forgive me. I am being rude…”
“You’re not being rude at all!” X said. “Everything is a-ok!”
“Everything is beginning to fall into place now, I see…” said Fanwizard.
“How so?” asked Candaru.
“Back when we were facing EDO and his despicable minions in Beastland, he mentioned that he had been genetically engineered to counteract the Master Program. Perhaps that was why he tried to crush us in his roots… and why he sent those EDOs - or, SODs, as we now know they are called - after us multiple times. He wanted to lure the Master Program into a trap, and us with him.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that this is pretty pertinent information. But was does this all mean? Did X’s memory loss have anything to do with his status as the Master Program? Is it a title? A description? A characteristic?” Foxichick asked.
“...I am afraid I am forbidden to say any more, and believe me, I wish that I could. But I hope you understand…” Garden Goddess answered.
“Well, thank you for your time anyway, Garden Goddess. I’m sure what you said will prove useful anyways!” Said X cheerfully.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound that sounded like a computer had just been shut down in the distance. Garden Goddess jumped up in frantic surprise, and said out loud -
“For the past few weeks, there has been a Destroyer plaguing Cyberland, using the power of a stolen artifact known as the Spinning Flower. It has had many names in the past - such as the Spinning Pinwheel, the Color Wheel Of Doom, and the Spinning Beach Ball of Death - but it is said to have the power to crash any computer. This is very dangerous in Cyberland, as half of our land is digital… normally, us physical Creations would be able to use ‘digitalization’ pods to go to into the Computer Network ourselves, and would be able to fight the Destroyer on equal footing. But this Destroyer was clever, and the first thing he did after stealing the Spinning Flower was use it to force all of the Digitalization Portals to stop working. Vladimir, the Creation I wanted you to find, should be able to help put an end to this menace. Your memories, X… they are stored on a Flash Drive, somewhere here in Cyberland. If you can find it and insert it into your right ear, everything you had lost should be able to return to you. But you must act quickly - there is no time to waste!” Explained Garden Goddess frantically.
“So Chillax was telling the truth!” whispered Foxichick to herself.
Suddenly, Garden Goddess leaped towards X and hugged him. Then, embarrassed, she pulled away and apologized.
“I’m… sorry. This is very emotional for me. Please… recover your Flash Drive and your memories as soon as possible. I’m counting on you!”
The Lavaring Team took a beat to compose itself, but then realized that if Garden Goddess had programmed X, then she probably had some kind of emotional connection to him. Everyone was silent, out of respect. Finally, X broke the silence with an enthusiastic rallying cry -
“Well, then, we have no time to lose!” he cheered. “Let’s go find Vladimir!”
…
Finding Vladimir was a task that was much easier said than done. Although the Lavaring Team members figured that it shouldn’t be too hard to find an epic battle taking place somewhere in Cyberland (especially if this new Destroyer operated with the same level of subtly as the last two they had encountered), the six Hero Creations could not find a smudge of evidence suggesting that a Destroyer had been present, much less stolen a legendary weapon.
“Are you sure that that lady was telling the truth? She could be lying, or maybe just plain nuts.” MCgamer asked.
“I’m positive.” X said, with much more focus than the other Lavaring Team members had come to expect of him. “I… can just feel it. And I know that I would have some level of intuition about this issue, considering it was my memory that was stolen…” X said, somewhat solemnly.
No further words needed to be said, because at that moment, someone screamed.
“W-what’s happening?” Fanwizard exclaimed.
“404 ERROR. PAGE NOT FOUND. TOO BAD. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.” yelled a loud voice. The Lavaring Team members turned around in all directions but could not find the person whom the voice belonged to. All of a sudden, a mysterious figure appeared from what appeared to be gigantic computer system and laughed maniacally. A small Creation resembling a puzzle piece whimpered in fear, as the figure raised a rainbow-colored, disc-shaped object and threw it at the puzzle piece. The Creation cried out in pain, and then fell to the ground with its eyes turned into small “x”’s and its tongue sticking out.
“What in ImagiNation?!!!” Foxichick exclaimed loudly.
“Well, that explains why we couldn’t find them…” MCgamer thought out loud. “The Destroyer must’ve been hiding in the computer network!”
Suddenly, another figure popped out of the network as well, this one apparently trying to help. The second figure touched the puzzle piece on top of its head, and the Puzzle Piece sprang back to life.
“There, I’ve refreshed your page.” Said the second figure. “Don’t go looking for trouble like that again though, OK?”
“Y-Yes Sir!” Cried out the puzzle piece, before fleeing the Destroyer.
“Alright, 404ERROR, hand over the Spinning Flower or I’m going to have to make you. You know what my power can do to viruses.” said the heroic figure.
“404 ERROR CANNOT PROCESS YOUR REQUEST BECAUSE THE SERVER STOPPED RESPONDING.” cried the Destroyer. “ABORT? RETRY? FAIL?” he added, with a malevolent grin.
The Creation attempting to stop the Destroyer was understandably upset, but he didn’t waste any time. Seeing that he needed help, Foxichick rushed into action, directing her fellow Lavaring Team members to do the same. But the Destroyer simply threw his mighty shield, forcing the Lavaring Team members to temporarily yield.
“Get the Shield!” cried out the Creation fighting 404 ERROR, whom X assumed to be Vladimir. He was young, about the same age as X, and looked like [insert whatever Chris wants him to look like here]. “If we can get the Spinning Flower away from him, I can Refresh him, and trigger a Blue Screen of Death!” Vladimir explained. Then he realised he had not given his allies his name. “My name is -”
“Vladimir…” X whispered. Despite the fact that X probably should not have known what he meant by any of this, everything he was saying made perfect sense. Unfortunately, X did not have time to carry out Vladimir’s plan - 404ERROR had ducked back into the computer network.
“NO!!!” Vladimir exclaimed. “GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE -”
Vladmir lunged at 404ERROR, and before the eyes of everyone present he, too, sank into the Computer Network with ease. X followed suit, jumping after Vladimir and then seemingly vanishing into thin air. Everyone else was stunned. Candaru tried to follow after X, but could not - when she attempted to jump into the large computer, she merely smashed it with her fists.
“What… just happened?!!!” Candaru screamed in frustration, as she clenched her fists together and accidentally broke a shard of the computer in her hands.
“It appears that warrior fighting that Destroyer has gone to a place where we cannot follow.” Fanwizard spoke solemnly. “We can only hope for the best…”
...
LavaringX and Vladimir stumbled and landed inside a large, dark chamber. The walls were covered with electronic blue lines similar to the ones on X’s body, and the environment appeared to be floating in a sea of ones and zeroes. Suddenly, the wall through which they had entered collapsed behind them, and X instantly knew that they were trapped.
“Oh, no…” Vladimir whispered. “One of your friends must have tried to follow us into the Network… they must’ve smashed the physical computer by accident! That was our only ticket out of here…”
X was confused, and Vladimir understood why. The decision that was made to wipe X’s memory was a rough one on all of his loved ones, and Vladmir was no exception. Vladimir could barely contain all of the emotions he felt when he saw X again for the first time in months. Trying to stay calm, Vladimir explained the situation to X, hoping he would at least retain enough instinct to act on the information. X’s friend did not mince his words, for there was no time. X’s return could be celebrated later, when Cyberland was no longer in danger. For now, Vladimir decided, it was better to just cut to the chase.
“The Spinning Flower… the weapon that Destroyer was using… was stolen from the same vault where your Flash Drive is contained. You know about all of that, right?” asked Vladimir.
“Y-yeah… Garden Goddess told me some of it. She said that my memories were taken from me and stored on a Flash Drive somewhere in Cyberland, but didn’t give me any details…”
“Well, in any case… the Flash Drive containing your memory was hidden in a data vault in this very computer network. Like you and me - yes, I’m a computer program too, although I wasn’t programmed to be a hero like you were - , the Flash Drive is half-code, half-frame. The Frame is what allows it to exist in the physical part of Imagination, like you and I can, but it also gives it a shape similar to the one it takes outside the computer network when it’s in here, as well. It’s the same reason why you and I look like our frames inside this computer network as well as outside of it.” Vladimir explained. X looked down at his body and suddenly realised that he did look like himself inside of the computer network, instead of a mass of 1s and 0s - his frame could apparantly take its shape in both physical and digital space. Vladimir made sure X was following along, as he didn’t know how much Garden Goddess had told him, but luckily, X seemed to understand almost perfectly.
“Your body is actually composed of two parts, your Code and your Frame. Your Code is, essentially, your mind and your spirit - it’s what makes you you! But your Frame is effectively your body. I’m forbidden to say any more, for the time being… but once you get your Flash Drive back, everything should make more sense.” Vladimir said, finally.
“The Flash Drive has your memories stored within its code, among other things.” Vladimir said. “When you finally got here, the truth was to be revealed, and you were meant to be welcomed back as a Creation who had finally proven themself. But… there was a problem. When you were gone, a Destroyer attacked the data vault where we were storing your Flash Drive. He wasn’t after your Flash Drive… he was after the Spinning Flower, a legendary rainbow disk said to be able to crash any computer, which just so happened to be stored in the same vault as your Flash Drive. This Destroyer was named 404ERROR, and was already notorious for jamming communications between networks, but with the Spinning Flower we fear he may be becoming unstoppable. Luckily, you showed up just in time, X. If we can stop this Destroyer together, you’ll be able to get your memories back and all will be OK again!”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard.” said X. “My friends and I have stopped lots of Destroyers before -”
Vladimir shook his head. “You don’t get it, X. Your friends can’t help. 404ERROR has been smart enough to smash all of the digitizing portals - the things that allow non-digital Creations access into the Network. And even if they could… well, it would kind of defeat the purpose of you helping, y’know? They would get all the credit… nobody could prove that you were the one who was the hero, that you were the one who helped save ImagiNation. I mean, I could help, but… you have to be the one who really defeats this Destroyer. Can you do that?”
X was suddenly confused. Vladimir had been offering him helpful advice and had been his friend until now, but suddenly he was starting to act as though proving X to be a hero was the most important thing in the world. This made X somewhat more suspicious than he had been before, but he didn’t have time to worry about that.
“I… I think that I can.” said X.
“Perfect!” Said Vladimir, excitedly. “Alright, here’s what you need to do. 404ERROR is hiding somewhere in this computer network. You’ve got your GPS thingamabob installed, right?”
X stood upright in shock. He hadn’t thought about that since the group had been back in FantasyLand, around the same time they had first encountered the EDOS.
“Y-yea, I do. I used it a while back to help find my group and I find our way in one of Fantasyland’s woods.” He explained.
“Sweet.” Vladimir said, cheerfully. “Alright, I’m going to add a few lines of code to help you use it to locate 404ERROR in this computer system. If you can find him, and defeat him, then maybeeee we’ve got a shot at this.”
X was still a little suspicious of Vladmir, after he previously implied that X needed to prove himself as a hero so badly. However, X trusted Vladimir, and he knew that it was of the utmost importance to stop 404ERROR and make sure that he recovered his memory.
“Aright, it’s done. Your GPS should now be able to track down the Spinning Flower in this computer network, and by extention, 404ERROR. When you find him, you should be able to find your Flash Drive, as 404ERROR will probably be able to help show you the way to the vault where he found the Spinning Flower. As I said before, the Flash Drive was being held in the same vault as the Spinning Beach Ball of Death, so if 404Error takes you back where he found it, then you’ll also be able to get your Flash Drive back. Do you get how this works?” Vladmir asked.
X nodded his head in response.
“Great!” said Vladimir. “In addition to your memories, the Flash Drive also happens to have a nifty set of powers on it as well. That should help with your self-defense, if you need it.”
Vladimir laughed. He could see X was starting to get mildly uncomfortable. “All right, I’ve talked for long enough. The more time we spend here, the farther away 404ERROR gets, so let’s make this -”
Vladimir was cut off by an obnoxious, loud, and monotonous laugh that seemed to be coming from all around them.
“SYSTEM FAILURE. PRESS LEFT MOUSE BUTTON TO CONTINUE. IF YOU CAN. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. GURU MEDITATION. H00000008 0000AACB.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” X asked confidently. “Let’s get going.”
…
404ERROR didn’t give two cahoots about X’s memory loss. All he cared about was making sure that X and Vladimir did not retrieve the Spinning Beach Ball of Death. Such a powerful weapon was stored away in a vault for a reason, and the fact that 404ERROR had managed to retrieve it with such little difficulty was a miracle. 404{ERRO||||||||||||||||||asdbkvlaiosurdghv0aw8ergfASDGVASJDVasuidlgvya;sdouvgalsidufga;dfoy”PZ[OSFqwfiq’=w3r- 23w-=-=-}
{Retrieving Data… }
abl;dfksagsEGVAWEIT)FQ{#_%OTQ#+W ^(T#+}o vi
s0poudjerw[ = H-000000000000001111RIMIDALVXGNIRAVAL6TERPAHCYROTSGNIRAVAL00000000000CCBA {DATA RETRIEVED}
404ERROR’s newfound weapon could crash even the most powerful computer system, and in Cyberland, that could create catastrophes of cataclysmic proportions. 404ERROR was a virus, and a virus that now had the capacity to decimate the entire way of life for an entire people. As a Destroyer, 404ERROR was a Creation that had been corrupted by Evil, but in his case, it did not take much to do so. 404ERROR wanted only to create chaos and frustration, and he now had the chance.
It was time to make some serious destruction.
…
“Can you find him yet, LavaringX?” Vladimir asked.
“Not yet. But if there’s anyone who wants him found, it’s me. I may not remember it, but I can sense that Cyberland is my home. 404ERROR doesn’t have the right to do this. It’s sick.” X said solemnly.
“Well, that would make sense. 404ERROR is a virus, so being ‘sick’ is part of his job description, especially since he is also a Destroyer.” Vladimir said.
X gave him a funny look.
“S-Sorry.” said Vladimir. “You probably don’t remember, but you were always the type to consider each and every Creation to be their own individual. Don’t worry, I’m not saying all computer viruses are bad-”
Before Vladimir could finish his sentence, however, the Spinning Flower appeared out of nowhere, flew past X and Vladimir, and hit the digital wall behind them. At that moment, 404ERROR appeared, and stole his weapon back, right as the surface the Spinning Beach Ball of Death had touched began to disintigrate into a puddle of “1s” and “0s”.
“DOES NOT COMPUTE.” 404ERROR remarked. “I AM ERROR. PRESS ANY KEY TO RESTART.”
“404ERROR?” Vladimir yelled, as he wedged the Spinning Flower out of the wall it was stuck in and threw it back at its weilder. 404ERROR simply dodged it, and, in a mocking (though still monotonous) tone, replied, “DISK NOT FOUND. READ ERROR. PLEASE ENSURE THAT THE DIS K COVER IS CLOSED.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Growled Vladimir, as X looked on in awe. “Give us the Spinning Flower and tell us where to find X’s Flash Drive, or we will be forced to delete you!”
“APPLICATION ERROR. SAVE YOUR WORK AND QUIT.”
At this, Vladimir lost his cool. He lunged at 404ERROR and attempted to steal the Spinning Pinwheel back by force, but 404ERROR simply cut open a hole in the computer network with his weapon and dissapeared into the shadows.
“FILE NOT FOUND!!!!!” He laughed, as he dissapeared into the darkness.
“DARNIT!!!” Vladimir yelled. Then he regained his composure. “*ahem...*” he coughed. “404ERROR must still be inside the computer network. If we catch him, then maybe we’ve got a sh-”
Suddenly, the voice began speaking to Vladimir and X again.
“THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PORK CHOPS. YOU MAY HANG UP, OR PRESS 1 FOR MORE OPTIONS.” 404ERROR said malevolently.
“I hate telemarketers.” Vladimir growled, this time not wasting a second as he pried the Spinning Flower from 404ERROR’s hands. This proved to be a poor move, because 404ERROR, this time, had another trick up his sleeves.
404ERROR no longer spoke with a loud, obnoxious monotone, but instead spoke more like a villain from a horror movie. His dialogue, however, was just as sinister as before.
“Setup is unable to find_setup.dll.” 404ERROR whispered. “Ctrl. ALT. DEELLLLLEEEETTTEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!”
404ERROR grabbed a nearby pike, and began to absorb data directly from it. As a mass of “0s” and “1s” began to flood into the virus, he began to change. His body became more pixelated and scaly, and his head grew to enormous proportions. His arms shrunk, but the rest of his body became titanic, as he grew a tail and let out a mighty roar.
“YOU ARE OFFFLLIIIINNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!” 404ERROR roared, as the entirety of cyberspace shook and crumbled around him. 404ERROR had become an unspeakable monstrosity. His physical, three-dimensional form had been reduced to a collection of pixels, but he still managed to be absolutely terrifying, despite the absurdity of his transformation.
“Since when was he a Dinosaur?” X shrieked.
“Greaaatttt… he’s absorbed some of the data from this computer system that he corrupted with the spinning flower. It’s been taken offline, so there’s no regulation - our friend Error here just transformed into an ancient monster I hoped I’d never see again.” Vladimir explained.
The 404ERROR Dinosaur suddenly began an all-out assault upon Vladimir and X, completely tearing apart entire portions of Cyberspace in his rampage. At least once, a titanic Whale that was being held up by several birds appeared and almost crushed the two heroes, but luckily, the birds carried it away like a blimp just in time. Along with its nightmarish roars, the Error Dinosaur also let out several sequences of beeps, seemingly at random but with a clear, sinister intent behind them.
“WHAT IN IMAGINATION IS GOING ON?????” X screamed in a panic.
“The Network we’re in has been transformed into some kind of madhouse!” Vladimir responded. “404ERROR’s taken down the firewalls, the user restrictions, everything. He’s downloaded some kind of malware into the system so that it is completely under his insane control!!! And if there are any other computer programs still inside here…” Vladimir shuddered.
“Then we have to act fast…” X muttered. “ERROR 404 can’t be allowed to cause any more destruction.”
“Not to mention, if WE are still inside when he’s doing this glitchy nightmare thing, we’ll be deleted to smithereens too!” Vladimir yelled.
The Dinosaur of Doom let out one more roar, before Vladimir picked up the Spinning Flower and spun it around in his hand.
“If we can hit the Dinosaur of Doom… as I believe it is called… at just the right spot at just the right time, we may be able to cause 404EROR to glitch up and restore things to normal.” Vladimir said. “But we have only one shot… do you think you can do this?”
“I think I can!” said X gleefully.
“Awesome!” shouted Vladimir. He admitted that X was acting somewhat strange, even now… perhaps it was because of his memory loss. X’s behavior kept rapidly changing and Vladimir wasn’t sure why.
“Together now!” Vladimir yelled, picking up the Color Wheel of Doom and throwing it at the Error Message Dinosaur. Letting out one final roar, 404 ERROR’s Dinosaur Form opened its mouth for one final bellow… where the Spinning Flower wedged itself between its teeth, causing the “0s” and “1s” 404ERROR was built out of to scatter. As all of the coding 404ERROR had corrupted returned to its proper place, the Spinning Flower began to turn, allowing all of the data it had destroyed to flow back into Cyberland. When all of this was done, 404ERROR’s glitchy and battered body lay on the ground, as the Spinning Flower disappeared and transformed into a harmless cursor.
“AWESOME!!!” Vladimir cried out. “WE DID IT!!!”
But 404ERROR, although defeated, had one last surprise in store. The Virus Destroyer’s broken and battered body dissipated and reformed itself into a solid, blue screen, and X and Vladimir’s bodies slowly began to freeze up.
“It’s a Blue Screen of Death!” Vladimir cried. “Get out of the way!”
As it turns out, getting out of the way was not only impossible, but unnecessary. X’s core began to light up, and X and Vladimir were instantly teleported out of harm’s way, back into the physical part of Cyberland which represented the non-digital portion of the Science Fiction genre.
“What’s happening…?” Asked Vladimir. “Is an angel watching over us?”
“No… not an angel…” said X. “A…”
…
“GARDEN GODDESS!!!” yelled Candaru. It had been a couple of hours since X and Candaru were separated from the others, and Candaru was beginning to get fearful.
“I’m rerouting the data in the Central Computer Network as we speak!” Garden Goddess replied. “With any luck, LavaringX and Vladimir should be…”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and LavaringX and Vladimir were teleported back to reunite with the others.
“Wha...What happened?” X asked.
Garden Goddess smiled. “I managed to teleport you and your friend out of the broken computer network just in time.”
“Well, we defeated 404ERROR without a hitch!” X said cheerfully.
“Was the foul youkai of the etherealm destroyed?” asked Fanwizard.
“I...I think so.” said X. “But… the Spinning Flower disapeared, and -”
Garden Goddess raised a hand to keep X from speaking any further. “The Spinning Flower was returned to its proper place, and 404ERROR has been defeated. Although I do not know if he will return… he is no longer a threat to Cyberland, or anyone else. Cyberland will be restored to its proper state, and all will be well.” Garden Goddess smiled. “And speaking of restored…”
Garden Goddess dug around in her pocket, and pulled out a small object with a small “X” symbol engraved into it. It was X’s USB stick.
“X… I know it may not be as ceremonious as was originally intended, but I think it’s finally time you’ve earned this. Vladimir… I think I’ve proved my point?”
Suddenly, Vladimir pouted and frowned. “Yea, yea… you got me.”
Suddenly, X was confused. “What in Imagination????” he yelled out loud.
“Well… I’m afraid that Vladimir may not have been entirely honest with you. See, the reason Vladimir was so eager for you to prove yourself was…”
“I was a skeptic.” Vladimir muttered. “I thought giving you the ability to think and feel for yourself was stupid, and I wanted to do everything in my power to see how giving the Master Program the ability to think and feel for himself was useful in the slightest. I’m sorry, X.” He said. But not that much. He thought.
“I’m sorry… none of this makes sense to me! What are you talking about, ‘giving me the ability to think and feel for myself?’” X asked.
“X… I think the time has come. If you install the Flash Drive into your right ear, your memory shall be restored, and you will once again be the Program you once were. The memories you have gained upon this quest will be added to the ones you already possessed, and you have finally proven yourself to be a hero.” Garden Goddess smiled. “ For without your sentience, you would not have able to have made friends, like so, in such a short time. These friends have fought for you to bring you here... without knowing that you are helping others… how can you truly be a hero? LavaringX… you are truly... The Master Program. When you recover your memories, it might be helpful to do some explaining.” She said, in good humor.
Candaru, at first, winced at the word “friends”. She had been hurt many times in the past, and knew that friendship could lead to problems. But still… X, and the other Lavaring Team members (especially Foxichick) had shown her kindness she hadn’t really known before, except with a select few. Perhaps, then… X was right, all that time ago, back when the Lavaring Team first began their journey in Fantasyland.
Perhaps the six of them were going to become the best of friends.
...
As the Lavaring Team continued their trek through the vast world known as ImagiNation, the contrast between each land they visited became more and more astonishing. ImagiNation was meant to be a place where creative ideas could live and flourish without any limitations containing them, however, a form of “organization” system was sometimes necessary simply to make things simpler for those who did not understand ImagiNation or its culture. The Lands system was not meant to restrain the Creators’ imaginations in any way, but rather existed to make sure that those who weren’t sure of what they wanted to create could participate just as much as those sure of themselves. Each Land of ImagiNation represented a genre - Fantasyland for Fantasy and Mideval ideas, Horrorland for the scary or supernatural, Beastland for Adventure-Oriented Creations such as Explorers, Pirates and, yes, Animals, Fightingland for Creations that were more “human-like” (although with a disposition for Legends and Legacies, such as Martial Artists and perhaps even Superheroes, along with a large plethora of mythical creatures such as the Hippogriff), Cyberland for ideas with science fictional premises and stories, and lastly, Machineland - for those with more rigid or gritty stories that may not fit anywhere else (such as Steampunk Creations). It was not known by the Lavaring Team when or where these conventions were established, but it was known that they did not exist to be a leash, and that the Creators were meant to come up with their own ideas first and allow them to flourish however they wanted them to in ImagiNation - the Lands system only existed to provide a sense of organization afterwards. It was even said that a seventh land - one known as “Realistic Fiction” - existed as well, although other Creations could never access it as it was reserved only for ideas that were entirely dependant on concepts that could only feasibly occur in “Real Life”. The purpose for this was very mysterious, as plenty of “humans” existed in lands other than “Realistic Fiction” - but regardless, it only served to show just how open ImagiNation was meant to be for all.
All of this information, however, was the last thing on the minds of the six Lavaring Team members - they had just made their way into Cyberland from Fightingland, and the two places could not have been more different from each other. While Fightingland was meant to serve as a monument to legends, legacies and the distant past, Cyberland was clearly meant to be a place celebrating the future. Tall skyscrapers could be seen almost anywhere, an entire network of transport chutes hung above the skyline, moving sidewalks could be found outside nearly every doorstep and a large, planetoid object appeared to be floating high above the sky.
The most remarkable thing about Cyberland to the Lavaring Team members, though, was the large computer system which appeared to be located at its center. One look at it, and it became very evident that this was where they were supposed to be. The goal they had at first set out to achieve was now almost in their grasp.
“It appears we are here!” Fanwizard exclaimed. The Dragon Warrior of the group was the first to speak, as the others were all in the process of sorting through their own conflicted emotions. Whatever the case, it was now a fact that X would soon be recovering his memory. What that would entail was a mystery to everyone.
“That robot in Fightingland suggested that the fastest way to recover X’s memory would be to find a USB stick with his save data backup on it.” said Foxichick. “Any idea where we should start looking?”
“Well, considering that we DON’T EVEN KNOW IF THAT THING EXISTS, it might be a good idea to ASK SOMEONE FOR DIRECTIONS.” MCgamer exclaimed loudly. Then he recomposed himself, and added a quiet “sorry”.
Fanwizard decided to speak in his usual formal manner. “It exists. I am sure of it! The wielder of the mighty frozen weapon knew what he was speaking of. The loss of our friend and ally LavaringX clearly left an impact upon many. It would be a well known fact if X lost his memory, and somebody may be able to provide us for answers. In fact, I would even say that it should not take long for somebody to recognize him, and-”
“Is that… NO WAY…”
Almost as soon as the dragon warrior had uttered these words, a voice cried out. It sounded feminine in nature, and for a split second Fanwizard thought it might be another one of his Fangirls, looking for an autograph. However, a glance in the direction of the speaker told Fanwizard that he was most definitely not going to be handed a piece of paper and a writing utensil from this lady. She was young-looking, and didn’t appear to belong in Cyberland (as she had a somewhat floral motif). However, it was common knowledge that looks didn’t account for much in ImagiNation, as almost anything could happen here, so Fanwizard did not judge in the slightest.
“Oh… oh my goodness… forgive me, I’m sorry. My name is Garden Goddess. I…”
Candaru had unsheathed her claws, but an outstretched arm from Foxichick told her that violence probably would not be necessary in this situation. Fanwizard, MCgamer, and the leader of the Lavaring Team herself all looked at the newcomer with an expression of surprise and curiosity, Candaru and Indigo glared at her with suspicion, and X wore an expression of pure excitement on his face.
Garden Goddess took a moment to find her voice, and then started to speak.
“I… I know something… a-about this boy…”
“Speak, fair maiden!” Fanwizard requested. “What is it you know?”
There was a long pause. Then, Garden Goddess started to talk again.
“I… I programmed him. I was part of the team that coded the Master Program.”
…
“I… I’M the Master Program?” Asked X, who was completely taken aback by this new information.
Garden Goddess took the Lavaring Team members to a long alleyway behind a few of the smaller buildings. She spoke in a calm voice, but it was clear to many of the Lavaring Team members that she was choking up with emotion.
“I… I am so sorry… I cannot say any more.” said Garden Goddess. “But… I can tell you where you may find some of the answers you seek.” She said. “There was a boy… his name is Vladimir. If you can search for him - he should not be too hard to find, he is likely fighting the Destroyer that has been plaguing Cyberland for the past few months… but forgive me. I am being rude…”
“You’re not being rude at all!” X said. “Everything is a-ok!”
“Everything is beginning to fall into place now, I see…” said Fanwizard.
“How so?” asked Candaru.
“Back when we were facing EDO and his despicable minions in Beastland, he mentioned that he had been genetically engineered to counteract the Master Program. Perhaps that was why he tried to crush us in his roots… and why he sent those EDOs - or, SODs, as we now know they are called - after us multiple times. He wanted to lure the Master Program into a trap, and us with him.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that this is pretty pertinent information. But was does this all mean? Did X’s memory loss have anything to do with his status as the Master Program? Is it a title? A description? A characteristic?” Foxichick asked.
“...I am afraid I am forbidden to say any more, and believe me, I wish that I could. But I hope you understand…” Garden Goddess answered.
“Well, thank you for your time anyway, Garden Goddess. I’m sure what you said will prove useful anyways!” Said X cheerfully.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound that sounded like a computer had just been shut down in the distance. Garden Goddess jumped up in frantic surprise, and said out loud -
“For the past few weeks, there has been a Destroyer plaguing Cyberland, using the power of a stolen artifact known as the Spinning Flower. It has had many names in the past - such as the Spinning Pinwheel, the Color Wheel Of Doom, and the Spinning Beach Ball of Death - but it is said to have the power to crash any computer. This is very dangerous in Cyberland, as half of our land is digital… normally, us physical Creations would be able to use ‘digitalization’ pods to go to into the Computer Network ourselves, and would be able to fight the Destroyer on equal footing. But this Destroyer was clever, and the first thing he did after stealing the Spinning Flower was use it to force all of the Digitalization Portals to stop working. Vladimir, the Creation I wanted you to find, should be able to help put an end to this menace. Your memories, X… they are stored on a Flash Drive, somewhere here in Cyberland. If you can find it and insert it into your right ear, everything you had lost should be able to return to you. But you must act quickly - there is no time to waste!” Explained Garden Goddess frantically.
“So Chillax was telling the truth!” whispered Foxichick to herself.
Suddenly, Garden Goddess leaped towards X and hugged him. Then, embarrassed, she pulled away and apologized.
“I’m… sorry. This is very emotional for me. Please… recover your Flash Drive and your memories as soon as possible. I’m counting on you!”
The Lavaring Team took a beat to compose itself, but then realized that if Garden Goddess had programmed X, then she probably had some kind of emotional connection to him. Everyone was silent, out of respect. Finally, X broke the silence with an enthusiastic rallying cry -
“Well, then, we have no time to lose!” he cheered. “Let’s go find Vladimir!”
…
Finding Vladimir was a task that was much easier said than done. Although the Lavaring Team members figured that it shouldn’t be too hard to find an epic battle taking place somewhere in Cyberland (especially if this new Destroyer operated with the same level of subtly as the last two they had encountered), the six Hero Creations could not find a smudge of evidence suggesting that a Destroyer had been present, much less stolen a legendary weapon.
“Are you sure that that lady was telling the truth? She could be lying, or maybe just plain nuts.” MCgamer asked.
“I’m positive.” X said, with much more focus than the other Lavaring Team members had come to expect of him. “I… can just feel it. And I know that I would have some level of intuition about this issue, considering it was my memory that was stolen…” X said, somewhat solemnly.
No further words needed to be said, because at that moment, someone screamed.
“W-what’s happening?” Fanwizard exclaimed.
“404 ERROR. PAGE NOT FOUND. TOO BAD. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.” yelled a loud voice. The Lavaring Team members turned around in all directions but could not find the person whom the voice belonged to. All of a sudden, a mysterious figure appeared from what appeared to be gigantic computer system and laughed maniacally. A small Creation resembling a puzzle piece whimpered in fear, as the figure raised a rainbow-colored, disc-shaped object and threw it at the puzzle piece. The Creation cried out in pain, and then fell to the ground with its eyes turned into small “x”’s and its tongue sticking out.
“What in ImagiNation?!!!” Foxichick exclaimed loudly.
“Well, that explains why we couldn’t find them…” MCgamer thought out loud. “The Destroyer must’ve been hiding in the computer network!”
Suddenly, another figure popped out of the network as well, this one apparently trying to help. The second figure touched the puzzle piece on top of its head, and the Puzzle Piece sprang back to life.
“There, I’ve refreshed your page.” Said the second figure. “Don’t go looking for trouble like that again though, OK?”
“Y-Yes Sir!” Cried out the puzzle piece, before fleeing the Destroyer.
“Alright, 404ERROR, hand over the Spinning Flower or I’m going to have to make you. You know what my power can do to viruses.” said the heroic figure.
“404 ERROR CANNOT PROCESS YOUR REQUEST BECAUSE THE SERVER STOPPED RESPONDING.” cried the Destroyer. “ABORT? RETRY? FAIL?” he added, with a malevolent grin.
The Creation attempting to stop the Destroyer was understandably upset, but he didn’t waste any time. Seeing that he needed help, Foxichick rushed into action, directing her fellow Lavaring Team members to do the same. But the Destroyer simply threw his mighty shield, forcing the Lavaring Team members to temporarily yield.
“Get the Shield!” cried out the Creation fighting 404 ERROR, whom X assumed to be Vladimir. He was young, about the same age as X, and looked like [insert whatever Chris wants him to look like here]. “If we can get the Spinning Flower away from him, I can Refresh him, and trigger a Blue Screen of Death!” Vladimir explained. Then he realised he had not given his allies his name. “My name is -”
“Vladimir…” X whispered. Despite the fact that X probably should not have known what he meant by any of this, everything he was saying made perfect sense. Unfortunately, X did not have time to carry out Vladimir’s plan - 404ERROR had ducked back into the computer network.
“NO!!!” Vladimir exclaimed. “GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE -”
Vladmir lunged at 404ERROR, and before the eyes of everyone present he, too, sank into the Computer Network with ease. X followed suit, jumping after Vladimir and then seemingly vanishing into thin air. Everyone else was stunned. Candaru tried to follow after X, but could not - when she attempted to jump into the large computer, she merely smashed it with her fists.
“What… just happened?!!!” Candaru screamed in frustration, as she clenched her fists together and accidentally broke a shard of the computer in her hands.
“It appears that warrior fighting that Destroyer has gone to a place where we cannot follow.” Fanwizard spoke solemnly. “We can only hope for the best…”
...
LavaringX and Vladimir stumbled and landed inside a large, dark chamber. The walls were covered with electronic blue lines similar to the ones on X’s body, and the environment appeared to be floating in a sea of ones and zeroes. Suddenly, the wall through which they had entered collapsed behind them, and X instantly knew that they were trapped.
“Oh, no…” Vladimir whispered. “One of your friends must have tried to follow us into the Network… they must’ve smashed the physical computer by accident! That was our only ticket out of here…”
X was confused, and Vladimir understood why. The decision that was made to wipe X’s memory was a rough one on all of his loved ones, and Vladmir was no exception. Vladimir could barely contain all of the emotions he felt when he saw X again for the first time in months. Trying to stay calm, Vladimir explained the situation to X, hoping he would at least retain enough instinct to act on the information. X’s friend did not mince his words, for there was no time. X’s return could be celebrated later, when Cyberland was no longer in danger. For now, Vladimir decided, it was better to just cut to the chase.
“The Spinning Flower… the weapon that Destroyer was using… was stolen from the same vault where your Flash Drive is contained. You know about all of that, right?” asked Vladimir.
“Y-yeah… Garden Goddess told me some of it. She said that my memories were taken from me and stored on a Flash Drive somewhere in Cyberland, but didn’t give me any details…”
“Well, in any case… the Flash Drive containing your memory was hidden in a data vault in this very computer network. Like you and me - yes, I’m a computer program too, although I wasn’t programmed to be a hero like you were - , the Flash Drive is half-code, half-frame. The Frame is what allows it to exist in the physical part of Imagination, like you and I can, but it also gives it a shape similar to the one it takes outside the computer network when it’s in here, as well. It’s the same reason why you and I look like our frames inside this computer network as well as outside of it.” Vladimir explained. X looked down at his body and suddenly realised that he did look like himself inside of the computer network, instead of a mass of 1s and 0s - his frame could apparantly take its shape in both physical and digital space. Vladimir made sure X was following along, as he didn’t know how much Garden Goddess had told him, but luckily, X seemed to understand almost perfectly.
“Your body is actually composed of two parts, your Code and your Frame. Your Code is, essentially, your mind and your spirit - it’s what makes you you! But your Frame is effectively your body. I’m forbidden to say any more, for the time being… but once you get your Flash Drive back, everything should make more sense.” Vladimir said, finally.
“The Flash Drive has your memories stored within its code, among other things.” Vladimir said. “When you finally got here, the truth was to be revealed, and you were meant to be welcomed back as a Creation who had finally proven themself. But… there was a problem. When you were gone, a Destroyer attacked the data vault where we were storing your Flash Drive. He wasn’t after your Flash Drive… he was after the Spinning Flower, a legendary rainbow disk said to be able to crash any computer, which just so happened to be stored in the same vault as your Flash Drive. This Destroyer was named 404ERROR, and was already notorious for jamming communications between networks, but with the Spinning Flower we fear he may be becoming unstoppable. Luckily, you showed up just in time, X. If we can stop this Destroyer together, you’ll be able to get your memories back and all will be OK again!”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard.” said X. “My friends and I have stopped lots of Destroyers before -”
Vladimir shook his head. “You don’t get it, X. Your friends can’t help. 404ERROR has been smart enough to smash all of the digitizing portals - the things that allow non-digital Creations access into the Network. And even if they could… well, it would kind of defeat the purpose of you helping, y’know? They would get all the credit… nobody could prove that you were the one who was the hero, that you were the one who helped save ImagiNation. I mean, I could help, but… you have to be the one who really defeats this Destroyer. Can you do that?”
X was suddenly confused. Vladimir had been offering him helpful advice and had been his friend until now, but suddenly he was starting to act as though proving X to be a hero was the most important thing in the world. This made X somewhat more suspicious than he had been before, but he didn’t have time to worry about that.
“I… I think that I can.” said X.
“Perfect!” Said Vladimir, excitedly. “Alright, here’s what you need to do. 404ERROR is hiding somewhere in this computer network. You’ve got your GPS thingamabob installed, right?”
X stood upright in shock. He hadn’t thought about that since the group had been back in FantasyLand, around the same time they had first encountered the EDOS.
“Y-yea, I do. I used it a while back to help find my group and I find our way in one of Fantasyland’s woods.” He explained.
“Sweet.” Vladimir said, cheerfully. “Alright, I’m going to add a few lines of code to help you use it to locate 404ERROR in this computer system. If you can find him, and defeat him, then maybeeee we’ve got a shot at this.”
X was still a little suspicious of Vladmir, after he previously implied that X needed to prove himself as a hero so badly. However, X trusted Vladimir, and he knew that it was of the utmost importance to stop 404ERROR and make sure that he recovered his memory.
“Aright, it’s done. Your GPS should now be able to track down the Spinning Flower in this computer network, and by extention, 404ERROR. When you find him, you should be able to find your Flash Drive, as 404ERROR will probably be able to help show you the way to the vault where he found the Spinning Flower. As I said before, the Flash Drive was being held in the same vault as the Spinning Beach Ball of Death, so if 404Error takes you back where he found it, then you’ll also be able to get your Flash Drive back. Do you get how this works?” Vladmir asked.
X nodded his head in response.
“Great!” said Vladimir. “In addition to your memories, the Flash Drive also happens to have a nifty set of powers on it as well. That should help with your self-defense, if you need it.”
Vladimir laughed. He could see X was starting to get mildly uncomfortable. “All right, I’ve talked for long enough. The more time we spend here, the farther away 404ERROR gets, so let’s make this -”
Vladimir was cut off by an obnoxious, loud, and monotonous laugh that seemed to be coming from all around them.
“SYSTEM FAILURE. PRESS LEFT MOUSE BUTTON TO CONTINUE. IF YOU CAN. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. GURU MEDITATION. H00000008 0000AACB.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” X asked confidently. “Let’s get going.”
…
404ERROR didn’t give two cahoots about X’s memory loss. All he cared about was making sure that X and Vladimir did not retrieve the Spinning Beach Ball of Death. Such a powerful weapon was stored away in a vault for a reason, and the fact that 404ERROR had managed to retrieve it with such little difficulty was a miracle. 404{ERRO||||||||||||||||||asdbkvlaiosurdghv0aw8ergfASDGVASJDVasuidlgvya;sdouvgalsidufga;dfoy”PZ[OSFqwfiq’=w3r- 23w-=-=-}
{Retrieving Data… }
abl;dfksagsEGVAWEIT)FQ{#_%OTQ#+W ^(T#+}o vi
s0poudjerw[ = H-000000000000001111RIMIDALVXGNIRAVAL6TERPAHCYROTSGNIRAVAL00000000000CCBA {DATA RETRIEVED}
404ERROR’s newfound weapon could crash even the most powerful computer system, and in Cyberland, that could create catastrophes of cataclysmic proportions. 404ERROR was a virus, and a virus that now had the capacity to decimate the entire way of life for an entire people. As a Destroyer, 404ERROR was a Creation that had been corrupted by Evil, but in his case, it did not take much to do so. 404ERROR wanted only to create chaos and frustration, and he now had the chance.
It was time to make some serious destruction.
…
“Can you find him yet, LavaringX?” Vladimir asked.
“Not yet. But if there’s anyone who wants him found, it’s me. I may not remember it, but I can sense that Cyberland is my home. 404ERROR doesn’t have the right to do this. It’s sick.” X said solemnly.
“Well, that would make sense. 404ERROR is a virus, so being ‘sick’ is part of his job description, especially since he is also a Destroyer.” Vladimir said.
X gave him a funny look.
“S-Sorry.” said Vladimir. “You probably don’t remember, but you were always the type to consider each and every Creation to be their own individual. Don’t worry, I’m not saying all computer viruses are bad-”
Before Vladimir could finish his sentence, however, the Spinning Flower appeared out of nowhere, flew past X and Vladimir, and hit the digital wall behind them. At that moment, 404ERROR appeared, and stole his weapon back, right as the surface the Spinning Beach Ball of Death had touched began to disintigrate into a puddle of “1s” and “0s”.
“DOES NOT COMPUTE.” 404ERROR remarked. “I AM ERROR. PRESS ANY KEY TO RESTART.”
“404ERROR?” Vladimir yelled, as he wedged the Spinning Flower out of the wall it was stuck in and threw it back at its weilder. 404ERROR simply dodged it, and, in a mocking (though still monotonous) tone, replied, “DISK NOT FOUND. READ ERROR. PLEASE ENSURE THAT THE DIS K COVER IS CLOSED.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Growled Vladimir, as X looked on in awe. “Give us the Spinning Flower and tell us where to find X’s Flash Drive, or we will be forced to delete you!”
“APPLICATION ERROR. SAVE YOUR WORK AND QUIT.”
At this, Vladimir lost his cool. He lunged at 404ERROR and attempted to steal the Spinning Pinwheel back by force, but 404ERROR simply cut open a hole in the computer network with his weapon and dissapeared into the shadows.
“FILE NOT FOUND!!!!!” He laughed, as he dissapeared into the darkness.
“DARNIT!!!” Vladimir yelled. Then he regained his composure. “*ahem...*” he coughed. “404ERROR must still be inside the computer network. If we catch him, then maybe we’ve got a sh-”
Suddenly, the voice began speaking to Vladimir and X again.
“THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PORK CHOPS. YOU MAY HANG UP, OR PRESS 1 FOR MORE OPTIONS.” 404ERROR said malevolently.
“I hate telemarketers.” Vladimir growled, this time not wasting a second as he pried the Spinning Flower from 404ERROR’s hands. This proved to be a poor move, because 404ERROR, this time, had another trick up his sleeves.
404ERROR no longer spoke with a loud, obnoxious monotone, but instead spoke more like a villain from a horror movie. His dialogue, however, was just as sinister as before.
“Setup is unable to find_setup.dll.” 404ERROR whispered. “Ctrl. ALT. DEELLLLLEEEETTTEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!”
404ERROR grabbed a nearby pike, and began to absorb data directly from it. As a mass of “0s” and “1s” began to flood into the virus, he began to change. His body became more pixelated and scaly, and his head grew to enormous proportions. His arms shrunk, but the rest of his body became titanic, as he grew a tail and let out a mighty roar.
“YOU ARE OFFFLLIIIINNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!” 404ERROR roared, as the entirety of cyberspace shook and crumbled around him. 404ERROR had become an unspeakable monstrosity. His physical, three-dimensional form had been reduced to a collection of pixels, but he still managed to be absolutely terrifying, despite the absurdity of his transformation.
“Since when was he a Dinosaur?” X shrieked.
“Greaaatttt… he’s absorbed some of the data from this computer system that he corrupted with the spinning flower. It’s been taken offline, so there’s no regulation - our friend Error here just transformed into an ancient monster I hoped I’d never see again.” Vladimir explained.
The 404ERROR Dinosaur suddenly began an all-out assault upon Vladimir and X, completely tearing apart entire portions of Cyberspace in his rampage. At least once, a titanic Whale that was being held up by several birds appeared and almost crushed the two heroes, but luckily, the birds carried it away like a blimp just in time. Along with its nightmarish roars, the Error Dinosaur also let out several sequences of beeps, seemingly at random but with a clear, sinister intent behind them.
“WHAT IN IMAGINATION IS GOING ON?????” X screamed in a panic.
“The Network we’re in has been transformed into some kind of madhouse!” Vladimir responded. “404ERROR’s taken down the firewalls, the user restrictions, everything. He’s downloaded some kind of malware into the system so that it is completely under his insane control!!! And if there are any other computer programs still inside here…” Vladimir shuddered.
“Then we have to act fast…” X muttered. “ERROR 404 can’t be allowed to cause any more destruction.”
“Not to mention, if WE are still inside when he’s doing this glitchy nightmare thing, we’ll be deleted to smithereens too!” Vladimir yelled.
The Dinosaur of Doom let out one more roar, before Vladimir picked up the Spinning Flower and spun it around in his hand.
“If we can hit the Dinosaur of Doom… as I believe it is called… at just the right spot at just the right time, we may be able to cause 404EROR to glitch up and restore things to normal.” Vladimir said. “But we have only one shot… do you think you can do this?”
“I think I can!” said X gleefully.
“Awesome!” shouted Vladimir. He admitted that X was acting somewhat strange, even now… perhaps it was because of his memory loss. X’s behavior kept rapidly changing and Vladimir wasn’t sure why.
“Together now!” Vladimir yelled, picking up the Color Wheel of Doom and throwing it at the Error Message Dinosaur. Letting out one final roar, 404 ERROR’s Dinosaur Form opened its mouth for one final bellow… where the Spinning Flower wedged itself between its teeth, causing the “0s” and “1s” 404ERROR was built out of to scatter. As all of the coding 404ERROR had corrupted returned to its proper place, the Spinning Flower began to turn, allowing all of the data it had destroyed to flow back into Cyberland. When all of this was done, 404ERROR’s glitchy and battered body lay on the ground, as the Spinning Flower disappeared and transformed into a harmless cursor.
“AWESOME!!!” Vladimir cried out. “WE DID IT!!!”
But 404ERROR, although defeated, had one last surprise in store. The Virus Destroyer’s broken and battered body dissipated and reformed itself into a solid, blue screen, and X and Vladimir’s bodies slowly began to freeze up.
“It’s a Blue Screen of Death!” Vladimir cried. “Get out of the way!”
As it turns out, getting out of the way was not only impossible, but unnecessary. X’s core began to light up, and X and Vladimir were instantly teleported out of harm’s way, back into the physical part of Cyberland which represented the non-digital portion of the Science Fiction genre.
“What’s happening…?” Asked Vladimir. “Is an angel watching over us?”
“No… not an angel…” said X. “A…”
…
“GARDEN GODDESS!!!” yelled Candaru. It had been a couple of hours since X and Candaru were separated from the others, and Candaru was beginning to get fearful.
“I’m rerouting the data in the Central Computer Network as we speak!” Garden Goddess replied. “With any luck, LavaringX and Vladimir should be…”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and LavaringX and Vladimir were teleported back to reunite with the others.
“Wha...What happened?” X asked.
Garden Goddess smiled. “I managed to teleport you and your friend out of the broken computer network just in time.”
“Well, we defeated 404ERROR without a hitch!” X said cheerfully.
“Was the foul youkai of the etherealm destroyed?” asked Fanwizard.
“I...I think so.” said X. “But… the Spinning Flower disapeared, and -”
Garden Goddess raised a hand to keep X from speaking any further. “The Spinning Flower was returned to its proper place, and 404ERROR has been defeated. Although I do not know if he will return… he is no longer a threat to Cyberland, or anyone else. Cyberland will be restored to its proper state, and all will be well.” Garden Goddess smiled. “And speaking of restored…”
Garden Goddess dug around in her pocket, and pulled out a small object with a small “X” symbol engraved into it. It was X’s USB stick.
“X… I know it may not be as ceremonious as was originally intended, but I think it’s finally time you’ve earned this. Vladimir… I think I’ve proved my point?”
Suddenly, Vladimir pouted and frowned. “Yea, yea… you got me.”
Suddenly, X was confused. “What in Imagination????” he yelled out loud.
“Well… I’m afraid that Vladimir may not have been entirely honest with you. See, the reason Vladimir was so eager for you to prove yourself was…”
“I was a skeptic.” Vladimir muttered. “I thought giving you the ability to think and feel for yourself was stupid, and I wanted to do everything in my power to see how giving the Master Program the ability to think and feel for himself was useful in the slightest. I’m sorry, X.” He said. But not that much. He thought.
“I’m sorry… none of this makes sense to me! What are you talking about, ‘giving me the ability to think and feel for myself?’” X asked.
“X… I think the time has come. If you install the Flash Drive into your right ear, your memory shall be restored, and you will once again be the Program you once were. The memories you have gained upon this quest will be added to the ones you already possessed, and you have finally proven yourself to be a hero.” Garden Goddess smiled. “ For without your sentience, you would not have able to have made friends, like so, in such a short time. These friends have fought for you to bring you here... without knowing that you are helping others… how can you truly be a hero? LavaringX… you are truly... The Master Program. When you recover your memories, it might be helpful to do some explaining.” She said, in good humor.
Candaru, at first, winced at the word “friends”. She had been hurt many times in the past, and knew that friendship could lead to problems. But still… X, and the other Lavaring Team members (especially Foxichick) had shown her kindness she hadn’t really known before, except with a select few. Perhaps, then… X was right, all that time ago, back when the Lavaring Team first began their journey in Fantasyland.
Perhaps the six of them were going to become the best of friends.
...