Evening.
Ethan pushed open the door to the villa.
The familiar scent hit him, bringing an immediate sense of calm. But the thought that Lyla was no longer here filled him with a sudden, heavy sadness.
He climbed the stairs to the second floor, where the door to Lyla's bedroom stood ajar. Ethan paused at the threshold, memories flooding back.
Before his rebirth, Lyla had hidden her identity, accompanying him in the game as Moonbeam for four years. On the first day of his new life, he had knocked on her door in the apartment building, asking for the time. Later, when he was stuck without a VR headset to log into the game, Lyla had shown up like a miracle, gifting him the very thing he needed.
When he discovered her true identity, it all clicked—the childhood memories, the near-death experience, and their eventual separation. Moving into this villa together, the days they'd spent side by side, it all came rushing back.
