Time passed like a gentle breeze, carrying every single player inside the Hell's Spire along its currents.
The atmosphere vibrated with chatter as many individuals were engrossed in heated discussions while moving through the rows of towering bookshelves brimming with thousands of books surrounding them.
Amidst it all, a pair of dilated eyes stared at an old, dust-filled book in her hand. Lara, the player who started a big clamor among the players for the past few years due to her rapid advancement and wild fighting style, had her hair tied up in a high ponytail.
The jeans she wore were a dark shade of purple, fitting her figure perfectly. The long, flowing shirt she wore was white and it complemented her complexion.
She took a staggering step back.
Lara never thought she would experience so many emotions just by reading a few lines of plain text written inside a book that seemed on the verge of crumbling.
She clamped her mouth shut, but she couldn't contain the wild laughter that burst from her lips and reverberated throughout the chamber known as the 'Glimpse of the Vast Universe'—a magical space located on the 85th floor of Hell's Spire. A sanctuary where the secrets and wonders of the universe were held.
The people around her were startled and started whispering among themselves that she had gone crazy, or maybe she found her past in one of the books.
However, nobody would ever be able to understand the extent of self-mockery she was directing towards herself.
Lara crouched down and hid her face in her arm. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and slapped her face a few times to relax, but she couldn't. Another laugh slipped out from her dry throat.
"So, you're telling me that all I... No, all Bella ever wanted was love, but all she received in return was bone-chilling coldness... and her death was destined from the start?"
Lara stood up and bought the book by offering coins to the black-robed man sitting in front of one of the bookshelves. Then she left the place, only to aimlessly wander in the vast darkness outside the bright chamber. Her eyes traveled towards the tall mountains surrounding her.
They were dark, just like the sky.
She couldn't help but question, Why? Was it because she wasn't the heroine of that so-called 'fairy tale'?
"Haha... So, Bella's fate was even crueler than I imagined, described in just a few lines written in an old book... A book that was written by some higher beings for their own entertainment, but they tossed it aside after just one cycle, not caring about the crumbling world within."
She just kept walking aimlessly but paused when she saw a familiar figure, Sia, one of her companions. The same companions she thought she would leave after enjoying their company for a few days, but she got attached and just couldn't. Lara quietly followed the silver-haired woman until Sia entered a secluded place hidden between countless large boulders.
Sia was startled when she felt a hushed presence behind her, but when she saw it was Lara, she let out a sigh and clicked her tongue in annoyance. She never really liked Lara, but for some reason, Lara had a hold on her one and only brother.
Lara ignored her stare and glanced at the large pool of water settled between the boulders and sat down upon one of the boulders. She opened the book and read the lines that depicted her death... no, not hers, but Bella Morningstar's death.
After reading those lines over and over again, the harsh reality finally sank deep into the pit of her stomach.
Perhaps, even if in the future she returned to her home planet, death would be the only ending... But instead of feeling sorrow, a wild gleam sparked in her emotionless eyes. After all, she had already experienced death countless times in this hellish place she entered a long, long time ago.
"It's not a big deal to die once more, right?"
Her cold, emotionless voice echoed in all directions. But amidst the pitch-black darkness seeping through the cracks in the sky, a beautiful silhouette with black hair flowing in the water looked at her with furrowed brows, clearly dissatisfied with her comment. Nian quickly swam through the water and approached her. He reached out his hand and pinched her nose with a silent sigh.
"Lara, why do you always think of the worst?"
His deep, slightly annoyed voice reached Lara's ears like a sweet melody. But a rosy blush appeared on his cheeks when Lara's previously emotionless eyes turned into crescents, peering at him playfully.
"You-!"
Alas, before he could finish his words, her warm hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of the water into a tight embrace. A deep exhale brushed against his exposed skin as Lara nuzzled her nose against the crook of his neck with a satisfied expression.
"If you give me a kiss, I won't say it anymore."