I saw the figure before me. It was a man. He turned his head slowly, just enough for me to notice the weapons strapped to his body. Instinctively, I put my hand on my own weapon, fingers twitching as I prepared to unlock it at any moment. Yet, something about him stopped me—he wasn't threatening. In fact, there was a strange calmness about him. An unnatural serenity in this chaotic world.
Without realizing it, I loosened my grip.
We stood there, facing each other, the sun's rays casting long shadows across the ground. His face was still obscured by the glare, but then the light shifted, and I could see him clearly. My breath caught in my throat.
It was him.
The man from my dream.
How could this be? My mind raced with questions. What was he doing here? Was he an NPC like the others, or was he trapped in this twisted game like me? But if he's an NPC, why isn't he attacking? The NPCs never hesitated; they always went for the kill.
The weight of my thoughts was overwhelming, my head pounding with confusion and doubt. That's when he moved.
Slowly, deliberately, he stepped toward me. My feet stayed rooted to the ground, my eyes locked on him as he closed the distance. Something about him held me captive. His face, now fully visible, was… breathtaking. His dark eyes, almost black with a subtle hint of brown in the iris, drew me in. The perfectly arched eyebrows, the sharp, defined jawline—it all seemed too flawless.
My heart betrayed me, skipping a beat. Focus, I reminded myself, but my thoughts wandered. I'd never seen someone this striking before, not in real life, and certainly not in this cursed game. His beauty was disarming, and though I knew this wasn't the time to be thinking about it, I couldn't help myself. His presence was overwhelming.
As he came closer, I could see every detail—the deep black of his eyes that felt like endless oceans, pulling me deeper whenever I tried to look away. And then, just as in my dream, he cupped my cheek.
His touch was warm, fingers tracing the outline of my face, his palms almost brushing my lips. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, my breath catching. This isn't real, I told myself, but my body betrayed me. My mind short-circuited, and I felt myself on the verge of losing control. Get it together! I screamed internally. My 24-year-old brain, innocent as it was, was reacting to his every touch.
I didn't have time for this.
"Finally, you're here," he said softly.
His voice was… beautiful. I flushed red, my face heating up like a tomato. Damn it. Why did his voice have to sound so smooth? But wait, that's not important. What does he mean by 'finally here'? I've been stuck in this game for two days, barely surviving, and now this man acts like he's been waiting for me?
Something felt off, and as I scrambled for an answer, he stepped even closer. Too close. Our breaths mingled, though I was the only one who seemed to be breathing—that's when it struck me, he wasn't human, after all.
"No!" I snapped, pushing him away as I fumbled with my gun. I unlocked the safety and aimed it directly at his chest. "Who the hell are you?"
He smiled, an infuriatingly calm smile. "Me?"
The silence between us stretched thin. I was ready to pull the trigger if I had to.
"It seems you don't remember. Then perhaps you wouldn't understand even if I told you what I am to you. But for me… you are my solitude."