Rose's heart raced as the next chapter of the game loaded. She was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery—about Sylus, his strange behavior, and the connection she felt that was growing stronger by the second.
But as soon as the game began, things took an unexpected turn.
Sylus, as usual, was by the protagonist's side, guiding her through another perilous mission. They had ventured deeper into the heart of Onychinus territory, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. The cold, digital world seemed to hum with an undercurrent of something more—something familiar yet foreign.
And then, it happened.
The protagonist, caught off guard by an ambush, was knocked to the ground, her back pressed against a stone wall. Before she could react, Sylus was there—his face hovering inches from hers, his body blocking the path of the incoming enemies. His red eyes burned with intensity, his gaze flickering with an emotion Rose couldn't quite place.
In the digital world, everything seemed more vivid, more... real.
Sylus's breath was heavy, his chest rising and falling with each passing second. He reached down and helped the protagonist up, but as his hand brushed against her waist, a jolt of electricity shot through the screen. The air seemed to thicken, and Rose couldn't shake the sensation that the connection between them—between Sylus and the protagonist—was more than just a mere game mechanic.
Their faces were so close, she could feel the weight of his gaze on her, even though she wasn't the one he was looking at. It was as if the screen between her and Sylus had disappeared, and all that remained was the heat between them. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to suffocate.
"Stay still," Sylus murmured, his voice low, almost intimate.
The words struck her like a bolt of lightning, and Rose froze, her eyes wide. What the hell was that? The scene on her screen felt too... real. Too charged with something she didn't understand.
Her fingers twitched on the controls, but she couldn't look away. The way Sylus held the protagonist, the way his lips were just inches from hers—there was a palpable sense of intimacy that made her heart skip a beat. It wasn't just a game scene. It felt like something more. Something that wasn't supposed to exist in the world of Love and Deep Space.
Is this... is this what he's like with the female players? Rose thought, her chest tightening. Her mind was spinning with confusion.
The protagonist glanced up at Sylus, her breath shaky, and for a moment, the entire world seemed to slow down. Sylus's red eyes gleamed in the low light, and the tension between them was almost unbearable.
Then, just as quickly as it had begun, Sylus stepped back, his demeanor returning to its usual cold, commanding presence.
The digital world seemed to snap back into focus, the moment gone as quickly as it had appeared. But Rose couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. Something had changed between her and Sylus, even though he had no idea she was the one behind the controls.
Her hands hovered over the keyboard, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Her heart was still racing, and a flush crept up her neck. She wasn't sure what had just happened—whether it was a glitch, an intentional part of the game, or something else entirely—but it had left her feeling unsettled.
"What the fuck was that?" Rose muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt flustered, a knot of tension forming in her stomach.
She leaned back in her chair, her mind spinning with a thousand questions. Was this just part of the game? Or... was there something more to Sylus's interactions with the female players? Her thoughts spiraled in a way she wasn't used to. The boundaries between the game world and her real one were becoming increasingly blurred.
Sylus was a character, a programmed entity, right? And yet, in that moment, he had felt... real. Too real. His gaze had pierced through the screen, his presence suffocating in a way that sent a shiver down her spine.
Rose couldn't deny the attraction she felt for him—there was something magnetic about him, something dark and powerful that drew her in. But this? This was different. This was personal. And it wasn't just her curiosity about his past anymore—it was about her emotions. Her feelings.
She shook her head in frustration. The game was supposed to be an escape, a distraction. Yet now, it was all-consuming, and every moment with Sylus was like a tug-of-war between reality and the digital world. She felt like she was losing herself, losing grip on the line between the two.
A deep sigh escaped her lips as she closed the game for the night. She needed to clear her head.
But as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Sylus's words echoed in her mind, his gaze burning into her thoughts. Stay still. She shuddered involuntarily.
What the hell is going on?