"The hell? Quest was accomplished but no rewards?" Louise angrily spoke.
[Rewards will be sent out once open-beta begins.]
"What?" Before he could fully comprehend the words that appeared in front of his eyes, he was already back in his seat on the bus.
Bewildered, he immediately shot up from his seat and almost lost his balance. Fortunately, he was able to hold on to the seat in front of him before almost falling down.
Looking around, he saw that he was back on the same bus he had ignited in flames just a few moments ago. He even saw the three passengers feasting on the driver just a few rows in front of him. Turning around, the couple who was probably doing perverted stuff a while ago was now leaning on each other, sleeping soundly.
Louise slumped back in his seat, tired. The flames from just now were still vivid in his eyes… Just what the hell was happening?
Then he thought of something as he immediately opened his phone. The time… It hadn't changed at all since he last saw it. He must have stayed in that place for around 10 minutes or so, but time in reality didn't change at all. Then, he saw a few notifications. The first was his group chat with Francis and Fred, while the other one was Discord.
He immediately tapped on Discord and messaged Anna.
—Moxie: Are you okay?
In just a few seconds, Anna replied.
—Kyporith: I'm scared. I really thought I was going to die...
—Moxie: A quest and open-beta?
—Kyporith: Y-Yes? I-I…
Thinking of getting monitored, Louise wanted to prevent her from saying more. However, he hesitated, thinking that she was really on the edge.
—Moxie: Wait, wait. Take deep breaths. You'll be okay. I'm here.
On the other side, Anna, who was extremely terrified and hiding under her blanket, was shaking. She was originally looking for a good selfie to send Louise on her phone when her room suddenly changed. Everything went black, and then she found herself on the roof deck of her condominium.
A prompt appeared before her eyes.
[Jump]
This single word made her look toward the edge of the roof deck. A tingling sensation overwhelmed her legs as she saw how far she was from the ground. If she really had to jump there…
Unfortunately, thinking more was not an option. A sudden force pushed her down, and she found herself falling. She couldn't even scream. Everything happened in just a few moments, and she could only close her eyes as she awaited the end. Fortunately, the end she was expecting didn't come as the falling sensation stopped.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was floating just a few meters from the ground. The next thing she knew, a new prompt appeared in her eyes.
[Quest Accomplished]
[Rewards will be sent out once open-beta begins.]
And then she was back in her room, trembling and crying. The first thing she did was open her phone and message Louise with trembling hands. The feeling of almost dying was ingrained in her mind, so her first action was to seek solace from the last person she had talked to.
Fortunately, that person had already messaged her. Her fear overwhelmed her as her tears clouded her eyes. At the moment, she wanted nothing else but to tell him everything that had just happened to her.
—Kyporith: I was on the roof deck, and then something pushed me. And I really thought I was going to die. I was really falling. I don't know. I'm scared. Moxie, I'm scared…
Seeing her message, Louise was at a loss. Firstly, it seemed what they had experienced was a little too different. Secondly, he didn't know how to reassure her. While lost in thought, he tapped on the call button, which was immediately answered by Anna.
"Hello?" Louise spoke softly.
From the other end, he could hear the sobbing and sniffing sounds of Anna. She didn't answer, but he knew she could hear him, so he spoke, "I'm here with you, okay? I'm here. Everything will be fine, Anna. Believe me."
He knew he was speaking bullcrap. She must have suffered immensely, but what else could he do but tell her he was there to accompany her? He was worried but also helpless, so he simply repeated the words that everything would be fine.
The sobbing slowly died down from the other side after a few minutes. Louise didn't really speak much other than saying that he was there to keep watch over her. He thought that he should just remind her of his existence every few seconds so that she could share her burden.
And then from the other side, he heard, "You look dumb."
"What?" He looked at his phone and realized he had clicked on the "video call" option instead of just call. Because he was too immersed in his worries, he didn't realize that she must have been looking at him since the beginning.
"Damn it…" he muttered as he hesitated whether to turn off his camera. However, before he could decide, another person showed on the screen of his phone.
It was Anna. Half of her face was covered by a pillow she was hugging, but he could see her watery brown eyes, as well as the streaks of tears on her cheeks.
"I wanted to send a nice selfie, but now you can just look at the crying me... Moxie, thank you."
Heartfelt words came from the other side, rendering Louise speechless. Did he really do so much? He sighed as he spoke, "I don't know if it helps, but I'll just say I'm just here, okay?"
On the other side, Anna had a faint smile. Unfortunately, Louise couldn't see it as she had deliberately covered half of her face. She said, "I know. That's enough for me. I was really scared, but I'm a bit okay now. Really, thank you."
Louise really didn't have anything to say, so he just stared at her as a few streaks of tears fell from her eyes. He could hear a few sobbing sounds every few moments, but it wasn't as much as when the call began.
For a while, they just looked at each other. It was Anna who finally broke the silence. "Hey, sing for me."
Louise closed his eyes and thought. He had mentioned to her that he really liked to sing in the past. Thinking back, it had been so long since he had last sung a song properly…
Then he remembered one of the songs she told him was her favorite.
"Think of me, think of me fondly, when we said goodbye—"
Louise sang his heart out, but he minimized his voice so that he wouldn't disturb anyone on the bus. He was out of tune for the most part, though. It was indeed a nice song, one that harmonized with his own feelings, but it was incredibly difficult to sing it.
Louise considered himself a frustrated singer. He once had a nice voice when he was younger, even dreaming of becoming a recording artist. But all good things usually wouldn't last. For him, it was simply because puberty happened.
The songs he used to sing, he couldn't sing anymore. The frustration from this was one he had to swallow without being able to do anything. Of course, he had also lost most of his passion for singing along with the passage of time.
Anna, on the other side, just listened. Her tears had stopped midway into the song, and the fear she had was slowly replaced by sadness. She watched all of Louise's facial expressions as he sang the song. The passion he showed really made her feel the pain and longing hinted at in the lyrics.
This song became one of her favorites after watching a popular play a few years back. Ever since, it had become a song she listened to from time to time, as a means to think about her longing to return to the nice world when she was younger.
After all, the dread from all the pointless relationships she had entered due to her curiosity didn't really mark themselves on her. Instead, she just regretted wasting her time on following her desire to know more about others and letting herself get taken advantage of rather than focusing on herself.
Two people thinking different thoughts, one singing, the other listening. If only the calmness could last…
"Haha. I finally heard the voice you're so proud of. But…"
Louise simply interrupted her with a frown, "I know. It's a hard song just not meant for me, what do you expect?"
Anna let out a small giggle. If only she could just forget and leave behind all the sad and terrible things she had experienced, wouldn't it be nice? What she didn't know was that on her right middle finger, a black ring let out a sanguineous light. This light engulfed her body, and before she knew it, a soothing sensation welled up inside her heart.
This, she didn't notice at all as she thought of what to say. "Then sing me another song you can sing really well."
"Now?" Louise asked, his frowned brows relaxing as he thought of the many songs he could sing. Unfortunately, he realized that all of them were songs filled with sadness, desperation, and bitterness. He already knew before, but he still felt a little perturbed that most of the music he enjoyed was of the "emo" genre.
After thinking for a few seconds, he was already about to start singing. But all of a sudden, Anna asked, "Why did you sing that song, though?"
Louise's thoughts were paused momentarily as he answered, "It's the first song that entered my mind, I guess."
"True. But you shouldn't have sung a song dedicated to another girl to me. Makes me feel a little sad."
Louise smiled wryly. That was indeed his mistake. He originally wanted to sing it for her because it was her favorite, but as he sang the song, a clear, vivid image had already replaced everything inside his mind.
"Then I'll make up to you with another one… Ehrm, another kind of sad song, but unrelated to love."
"Mhm. Listening."
"Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey—"
"Vincent"—a song dedicated to one of the most amazing artists in history. For Louise, this song was something so incredibly beautiful and melancholic. It gave off a feeling of regret, of things being too late. It represented many of the things he had wanted to change in his life, the people he had wanted to keep, and the things he should have done or avoided. It made him reminisce about the people who had tried to help him, but he ignored them until it was too late.
It was yet another painful song, one that pierced deep into his heart. But it was a song he could sing quite well, and he had the confidence that the listener would also enjoy it. As such, Louise simply closed his eyes as he continued to sing.
Anna watched him with all her attention as tears slowly welled up once again in her eyes. His voice had become a little too enchanting, and the emotions that were being let out from it resounded in her heart.
Soon, the song ended. Anna had no words for a few moments before saying, "Moxie, you've suffered quite a lot too. Thank you. Really, thank you."
Louise didn't speak and just stared as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. For now, he simply observed the girl who had brought so much worry for him right after that scenario. Although he could barely discern her face due to the dim light and the annoying pillow, he knew she must be quite a charming woman.
After she had wiped her face, Anna finally spoke, "Want to see me?"
Louise was at a loss. He wanted to find a witty reply, like "am I not looking at you now" or "is that even supposed to be a question," but simply decided against it. He spoke softly, "Can I?"
And then Anna pulled the pillow blocking her face down. Finally, she had revealed her face to her long-time online friend, one she had met almost a year ago and admired for being a good guild leader respected and loved by his guild members.
Looking back, it had been so long since they met. Facing off in a guild war, and then becoming friends as they plotted against a common, stronger guild… Those times just seemed like distant memories. Never had she thought they would continue talking and playing for so long without even knowing how each other looked like. After all, most of the men she met only pursued what they desired in women rather than the women themselves.
So for her, it was quite nice to have someone who just genuinely enjoyed talking and playing games with her.
Louise didn't know that a smile had shown on his face. He was a little excited as he stared at the woman on the screen of his phone. As expected, she was indeed charming. He had been staring at her brown eyes ever since she turned on her camera, and only now did he notice all the other small details.
Tall nose, small, pinkish lips, and thin cheeks. Her eyes seemed so small from all the crying, but now that she had somehow composed herself, they became two beautiful moons. What piqued his interest, however, were all the imperfections Anna had. There were a few pimples around her cheeks, and two of her front teeth were showing out. And then he remembered she told him about her misaligned jaw and her desire to get braces. 'So that's why.'
Nevertheless, Anna was truly pretty. At the very least, he had finally put a face to this long-term friend of his whom he had always considered a best friend. At the moment, she was showing an expression full of complicated emotions—sadness, nervousness, excitement, relief, and happiness. It was so obvious that Louise couldn't help but smile as he spoke, "You really live up to your words, so pretty."
"Ew, now you sound like those flirty guys! Please don't be one." Anna was a bit nervous at first, but hearing him compliment her made her laugh instead. How could she be pretty when her face was such a mess? Perhaps it was also the reason why she had decided to turn on her camera instead of otherwise a while ago. She just wanted this friend of hers to see her in her most unattractive state, hoping things wouldn't change.
Louise smiled even wider as he said, "Makes me want to go to Singapore just to look at you more."
"Come la! I'll give you a kiss if you do," Anna immediately replied. What she didn't know, however…
Louise secretly laughed inside his mind. He wanted to tell her that he was coming to her country to unwind, but he decided against it. Maybe surprising her would be more fun?
Thinking of that, he changed the topic, "Do you feel better now?"
"Much, much better. It feels nice to have someone to talk to and stay with me. I was so afraid, but not being alone now helps. So really, thank you, Moxie."
Hearing her rather out-of-character heartfelt words made him feel jittery and happy at the same time. Firstly, it was indeed weird for him to hear such words, and lastly, he was glad that he was able to take some of the emotional burden off of her.
Of course, he was still curious about what she had experienced, but he knew that it was better to just not talk about it first. For now… "Anna, you should rest."
"I do feel a little tired, but I'm scared. What if things happen again? What if I don't wake up? What if I see or experience bad things again?"
"Then, do you want me to watch over you as you sleep?" Louise had already blurted out these words when he realized how wrong it sounded.
But to his surprise, Anna agreed, "Please do."
Louise was stunned for a moment as he watched Anna set up her phone on a table beside her bed. From there, Louise could see her face and the blanket that covered her body.
Anna, at this time, really felt tired. She wasn't feeling as bad as a while ago, but all the different emotions she felt had brought her great exhaustion. She didn't think too much about letting Louise watch over her sleep. In truth, it felt more like another blanket, one that was more secure. Just that, for Louise, it felt a little wrong, and he even felt guilty about it to the point that he was hesitating whether to end the call.
At this time, though, he heard Anna's voice from the other side. "Thank you."
Those two words entangled his heart. He already knew what happened to her, but of course, he had no way to know what she actually felt. The words she spoke, as well as the tears she shed, made it evident how much she had suffered, though. All the other unnecessary feelings vanished inside Louise's heart. He just stared as the woman on the other side of the screen slept soundly.
Time passed in this manner as Louise stared at his phone screen. Anna had changed positions a few times since she began sleeping, and by now, she had already settled and entered deep sleep. Unfortunately, she had her back against him. In truth, Louise also thought a lot during this time. He had formulated lots of theories, but he still had no way to confirm them. He was afraid, however, of the implications behind each of the theories he had. Deep inside, he just wanted every weird thing to be just dreams rather than a possible reality.
Soon, the bus finally arrived at its final stop. Louise typed that he would be getting off the bus in the chat with Anna, and that he would still watch over her once everything was done. After getting off the bus, he took his luggage and went to the nearest 24-hour convenience store to wait for Francis.
After buying this and that, as well as a pack of mints, he sat down on the bench outside the convenience store and enjoyed a chocolate drink. Looking at his phone, he saw Francis had just left his house and was about to arrive soon enough. The distance wasn't much, and he would arrive in 5-10 minutes.
Louise once again went back to watching over the sleeping Anna. He bemused how her usually energetic state was so different from how she really was in real life.
Beep! Beep!
A black SUV arrived nearby and honked at him twice. Louise looked up and brought his luggage to the back of the car. He then went next to the driver's seat and said, "Yo, damn slow."
On the driver's seat was Francis, who was apparently annoyed. This guy was a bit taller than him and had an average appearance. He had brown skin, black hair that reached his shoulders, and he looked just like one of those rockstars, but he didn't actually know how to play any instruments. The most conspicuous thing about him was his glasses with a golden frame. "Slow my ass. You've only messaged me when you're about to arrive. What a bish."
"I've been sleeping, what can I do?"
"And I haven't been able to sleep at all! Damned instance-dungeons."
Louise was confused before asking, "Instance-dungeons? What are you talking about?"
"Bish, haven't you read the group chat?" Francis looked at him in disbelief.
"No? Obviously, I just woke up," Louise said as he checked the group chat. Now, he finally understood what "instance-dungeon" meant. They were times when he would be suddenly pulled into a quest scenario all of a sudden, just like when he found himself outside the bus and had to eliminate zombies.
Louise was about to comment something when Francis said, "Let's talk about it once Fred arrives later. For now, let's get something to eat. Damn hungry."
Louise nodded, and soon they arrived at one of the 24-hour fast food chains. Finally, it was time for some fried chicken.