I woke up in my small bed, feeling the familiar comfort of slipping into it. The room was dimly lit, with moonlight seeping through the window on the 20th floor. I love the view from here, finding satisfaction in watching the city below. Outside, the beautiful moon and twinkling stars reminded me of my childhood, when my mom would make me, Mia, and Kee stargaze with her telescope. She's a space lover, and those memories fill me with nostalgia.
"Light up the room," I instruct my personal AI manager. As the darkness fades, the room brightens, revealing my familiar surroundings. To my right is the exit door, while my computer setup and mini lab sit on the right. On the left, there's a collection of books, including novels and neurology-related texts. Among them are the six volumes of my favorite novel, "Fairytale of Silver Star." In the corner, my game setup catches my eye—it's on, though I can't recall leaving it running. The game is based on my favorite novel, but with different characters and storylines.
Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see my android friend, Celes, standing there. "Ren, what happened? Are you okay?" she asks, genuine concern evident in her voice. I'm puzzled by how human-like Celes seems. She resembles a character from the game version of Silver Star, resembling the deceased sister of one of the main heroines. Her blue hair and silver eyes add to her charm.
Confused, I realize I can't remember anything i was in the school and after mia told me about incident .How did I end up back here ?
I looked at Celes and asked, "Do you know how I got here?" She froze, as if her mind went blank. Had I said something wrong? It was as if a typhoon of confusion swirled around her.
Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out and touched my forehead. "Are you alright? You don't remember what happened. Did you get a fever?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of concern and bewilderment.
Celes hesitated, her hands fluttering to her sides before she clasped them together tightly. "Yesterday, you came back at 9 pm," she started, her voice a soft murmur. "You told Mia that you had taken care of the job, then you went to your room and…"
She looked really embarrassed. In a calm voice, I asked, "What happened then?" Celes turned around, her back facing me. She started talking, her words stumbling out in a rush, "You hugged me and said I am your best friend. You read me the 7th novel of 'Silver Star' you took from the library and showed me a mysterious book with a language that doesn't exist on Earth. Then we played games all night, and today in the morning, we went to the amusement park. We played, went on the Ferris wheel, and when we came home, you came to your room and collapsed on the bed. Now it's been 7 hours, and you've just woken up."
Celes looked visibly flustered, her voice a rapid staccato as she recounted the events. "You hugged me and said I am your best friend. You read to me the 7th novel of 'Silver Star' that you borrowed from the library. Then you showed me a mysterious book with a language that doesn't exist on Earth. We played games all night, and in the morning, we went to the amusement park. We laughed and rode the Ferris wheel. When we came home, you just collapsed on the bed. And now you've finally woken up," she explained without pausing, her back still turned to me.
I couldn't remember anything about what had happened. I needed to find a cure for my illness, and then there was this mysterious book. I looked around the room, but the book was right near my pillow. I picked it up; it was really ragged, an old book with a language not from Earth, something completely different. I tried to open it, but the cover wouldn't flip. I struggled, trying to pry it open to read what was inside, but the book remained stubbornly closed. In frustration, I threw the book without looking in which direction it went. It hit my gaming console with a loud noise, and Celes turned around, her voice tinged with anger, "What are you doing? Did you hit your head?"
"What is this, an android?" I muttered to myself. Then suddenly, a voice rang in my ears, "Ouch! You bastard, why did you throw me away?" It was like a child's voice, and it came from the book
The book started shining in a blue light around it and suddenly started floating. I suddenly jumped out of bed and hugged Celes in fear. It was like a ghost possessed the book. Celes, embarrassed said "Let go of me!" Celes hissed, , wanted to run away, but her foot slipped, and we fell to the ground.
The book gives a yawn. "Huae, it's been a really long time, you bastard. I was sleeping, and you woke me up," the book said in an angry tone.
My face was frozen, and my voice came out trembling as I said, "Who… who… are you?" While hugging Celes, we trembled in fear together, even the android seemed afraid.
The book just floated for a while, and then, with a tone of amusement, it started speaking. "Do you know you just disturbed my sleep? Now I can't sleep again because of you. I will make sure you will entertain me."
With a breaking sentence, I managed to say, "What… do… you mean? What are you… going to do with me?"
It didn't reply; it just floated. Then it moved near my favorite novel, glided over to my computer, and finally came back to me. The book said, "You are going to that fantasy world, and don't think you will have the advantage of knowing about it. I will merge the game and the novel and send you there, and for her, you have to save her it is one of your mission ".
I heard what the floating book said: it would send me to the world of my favorite novel. I was brimming with excitement. If I couldn't find cute for my illness in this world, then surely, I would in that one. I sprang up, and so did Celeste. Our hand in hand squeezing them tightly we walked towards the novels. She grabbed three; I grabbed three. We were both giddy with excitement. What we thought would be a punishment from the book felt like a reward
The book observed our excitement in silence, then began to speak
"You think you know the story? You think you're the hero?" the book's voice was almost mocking. "Well, let's see how you fare when I blend reality with fiction. The game, the novel, your so-called knowledge none of it will prepare you for what's to come."
The room was bathed in a bright silver light that seemed to envelop everything within its reach, casting a surreal glow that consumed us both, as if we were nothing more than characters in a dream, waiting to be awakened.