Alina Carter's heart pounded as the countdown on her screen hit zero.
[ Welcome to the Global Event: War of the Infinite Realm. ]
The virtual world flickered to life around her. A castle loomed in the distance, its black stone walls stretching toward a sky of swirling crimson clouds. She stood at the highest balcony of Eldoria, the capital city of the game—her city.
Clad in obsidian armor lined with glowing silver runes, she adjusted her grip on Eclipse, her legendary twin-bladed sword. Her platinum hair cascaded over her shoulder as she surveyed the battlefield below.
Thousands of players had spawned outside the city gates, their banners waving—guilds, lone wolves, mercenaries, all ready to fight for dominance in the event.
A message flashed in front of her.
> System Alert: Logout function disabled.
Alina blinked. A mistake? She tried again. No response.
A slow dread crept over her. Then, a voice—deep, smooth, and hauntingly familiar—echoed through the sky.
"Welcome, warriors of the Infinite Realm. You are no longer mere players. You are prisoners in my world."
Her stomach twisted. That voice. Ethan.
She barely had time to process the revelation before the sky darkened. A massive obsidian fortress materialized above the battlefield, hovering like a specter of death. From its highest tower, a figure stood clad in midnight-black robes, a silver crown gleaming under the blood-red sky.
Her husband. The game's creator. The new King of the Infinite Realm.
"My Queen," Ethan's voice caressed her ears, laced with something between amusement and malice. "This world belongs to me now. If you wish to escape, you must defeat me. But tell me… do you truly want to leave?"
Alina's grip tightened around Eclipse. "What the hell are you doing, Ethan?" she hissed under her breath.
Then—chaos.
The sky rained fire. Screams erupted from the battlefield as massive shadow beasts descended upon the players, tearing through them like paper. Guilds scrambled for cover, magic users hurled spells, and warriors clashed against the nightmarish creatures.
A figure landed beside Alina with a crash—Dante, her right-hand knight, dark-eyed and deadly. "Your orders, Queen?"
She barely hesitated. "We push forward. We take the fight to Ethan."
A booming laugh echoed through the air.
"Oh, my love… You still don't understand."
The ground beneath them shattered.
A massive black chain shot from the sky, wrapping around Alina's body. A surge of dark energy coursed through her, forcing her to her knees. She screamed, struggling, but the system's power locked her in place.
Ethan's voice whispered in her ear.
"This is my world now, Alina. And you… you are my Queen. Whether you fight me or not… you will never escape me."
Darkness swallowed her whole.