"You are still hung up on that game, aren't you?" Claire teased, tossing a popcorn kernel at Emma as they lounged on the couch, a cheesy rom-com playing on the TV.
Emma glanced up from her phone, startled. "What? No! I am just… checking my emails," she lied, trying to sound nonchalant. She shoved her phone into her pocket, but not before catching a glimpse of the message that had occupied her mind all day: "Your journey in 'Eternal Realms' begins again tonight at midnight."
Claire snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Because you always look like you are about to faint when checking emails." She nudged Emma with her foot. "Seriously, Em, it's been a year. Maybe it is about time to let it go? A certain concern was very much visible in her voice.
Emma forced a smile "I know, I know. It is just… it felt so real, you know?" Her voice softened, and her gaze drifted towards the window, lost in thought. "I know it sounds absurd but i feeI i was actually there. Like it was more than just a game."
Claire's expression softened, a flicker of concern crossing her face. She took a minute to prepare herself before saying anything. "I get it, Em. But it is not healthy to be stuck in the past. You have a life here. Friends, family… Trust me it was an escape" Clearly, Claire was short of words.
"I know," Emma interrupted, her voice barely a whisper. She did not want to admit in front of her that she misses that game world, or how often she thought about the man she'd left behind—the one she'd saved from becoming a villain. She did not want to admit how often she dreamed of him, of his intense gaze and the way his smile had made her heart race. She knows Claire will freak out and will start to question her sanity, if she does not already.
"Anyway, let's not talk about it," Emma said while trying to change the subject. "How's work?"
Claire sighed dramatically, launching into a rant about her overbearing boss and the latest office drama. Emma nodded along, and acted to pay attention in her conversation but her mind kept drifting back to the message.
Why now, after all this time? And what did it mean that her journey was beginning again? Her mind asked again some time.
Hours passed by, the sun sunk in the sky, and the light of the sun created a pink and orange sky. Claire at last made her way out, and it was Emma who stayed back and dwelled in her mind alone. She was walking back and forth in her room, and every few minutes, she was staring at the clock. The waiting was simply a torture.
Finally, it was midnight. The moment finally arrived.
Emma sat at her desk, her heart pounding as she powered on her computer and opened the game. The familiar logo of *Eternal Realms* flashed on the screen. She took a deep breath, composed her pounding heart for a second but still her hands were trembling as she clicked "Start."
To her surprise, the screen went dark, and for a moment, Emma thought nothing was going to happen. But then suddenly, a blinding light filled the room, and she felt a strange sensation, like being pulled through a tunnel. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was no longer in her room.
Yes, she was back in the game.
She was in the world of *Eternal Realms*, vivid and alive, just as she remembered. It was all real. The air was crisp, the sky was shining a brilliant shade of blue, and the rolling hills and dense forests looked like something out of a painting. Emma's heart swelled with emotion—nostalgia, excitement, and a touch of fear.
But something was different. She could feel it. She recalled that once-vibrant fields were now overgrown and wild, the skies darker, filled with ominous clouds. And in the distance, there was a smoke rising from a village that was burning.
"What happened here?" Emma whispered to herself in a shaking voice. She took her first step ahead, her boots crunching on the dry grass, and tried to orient herself. It was the same place, but it felt changed, somehow darker.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. Emma froze, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, she turned around, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw who was standing there.
It was him. The man she had once saved, the man who had promised to never forget her. But he was different now— there was a sadness in his once-bright eyes. It was dark and hollow now, his face was pale, and he wore dark armor that seemed to swallow the light around him.
"You," he said his first word.
His voice was low and filled with a mixture of anger or maybe something else, Emma could not tell but it was enough to send a shiver down Emma's spine.
"You came back?"
Emma cleared her throat, her mind was racing. It was not something she expected. "I… I didn't mean to leave. I didn't know how to come back until now." "What happened? Why is everything so… different?" While saying this she gathered courage to take a hesitant step towards him.
The man's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer, his this much lil closeness was almost overwhelming for Emma. "Ten years, Emma. Ten years I have searched for you, wondering if you were alive or dead, wondering why you left me." His voice cracked, and for a moment, Emma saw a glimpse of the man she had known, the man she had cared for.
Emma was shocked for a second. She did not know what to say. "I am so sorry," she whispered, while trying to swallow her tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I never meant to hurt you. I thought… I thought it was the only way to save you."
"Save me?" he repeated, bitterness dripping from his voice. "Do you have any idea what your absence did to me? To this world? I became everything you feared because I had nothing left to lose." He reached out and grabbed her wrist, his grip was tight and unyielding. "And now you are back. But I do not know if I should thank you or hate you for it."
Emma's heart ached at his words, and she could see the pain and anger in his eyes. "I'm here now," she said softly, placing her other hand on his arm. "And I'm not leaving again. I promise. Let me help you, please."
For a moment, he seemed to soften, his grip loosening. But then, his expression changed once more, and he pulled her closer, his face was only inches away from hers. "You will help me, Emma. Whether you want to or not."
He scared her but before she could respond, a sharp pain shot through her, and the world went dark. The last thing she heard was his voice, cold and unyielding, whispering in her ear:
"Welcome back to *Eternal Realms,* my lost bride. This time, you are not leaving."