The moment he clicks, the world fractures.
A soundless rupture, a pulling, twisting, consuming force that coils around him like unseen chains. The glow of the screen vanishes, swallowed by an abyss so deep it devours even light itself.
Reality is no longer reality.
His breath is stolen. His body is weightless. His thoughts scatter, slipping through his grasp like grains of sand.
And then—
Silence.
Stillness.
An eternity passes in the span of a heartbeat.
And when the world returns, it is not his own.
——
I awaken to the scent of earth.
The crisp morning air is laced with the gentle aroma of wildflowers, the rustling of wheat fields whispering softly as the wind stirs their golden stalks. A sky so blue it aches stretches endlessly above me, untainted, unmarred.
I do not remember closing my eyes.
I do not remember sleeping.
But I remember him.
The one who abandoned me. The one who should have brought me back.
And yet, here I stand—whole, breathing, feeling the weight of the world beneath my feet once more.
I am alive.
And I am not alone.
——
A presence lingers nearby.
Unfamiliar yet painfully familiar.
I turn—my movements slow, cautious, uncertain. My fingers twitch toward the hilt of my blade, though I do not yet draw it.
A man stands before me.
No, not a man.
A shadow wrapped in a human shape, clothed in black robes that seem woven from the void itself. The air around him hums with something unnatural, his form flickering at the edges, as if reality itself has not yet decided whether to accept his presence.
His hood is drawn low, concealing his expression.
But I know him.
The moment my eyes meet his, the truth settles in my chest like a stone dropped into deep water.
He is my Black Spirit.
The one who should have guided me. The one who should have stood at my side.
But instead, he is him.
The man who created me.
The man who forgot me.
The man who should never have touched what he did not understand.
——
"You absolute fool."
The words rip from my throat, sharp and seething. My voice wavers, thick with emotions I do not yet know how to name—relief, fury, betrayal, love.
He takes a step back, startled.
I advance, my fingers curling into fists.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" I demand, my breath uneven, my entire body trembling with the force of my emotions. "You weren't supposed to click it!"
He stares at me, wide-eyed, lost.
"I—" His voice catches, rough with confusion. "Where…?"
His words falter as he looks around, truly seeing the world for the first time.
The golden fields stretch toward the horizon. The distant rooftops of a village bathed in the warm glow of the morning sun. The rolling hills and the distant forests, untouched by the steel and glass of the world he knew.
This is not a game.
Not anymore.
And finally—finally—understanding dawns in his eyes.
He whispers the name of the world I was meant to belong to, his voice hushed with disbelief.
"Black Desert…"
I exhale, something tight within me loosening at the sound of it.
He knows.
He knows.
But that does not absolve him.
I step closer, close enough to see the way his hands shake, close enough to watch as he sways unsteadily as if his body still does not belong to him.
He is lost.
He is afraid.
And he should be.
"You don't belong here," I hiss, my voice softer now, but no less sharp. "You shouldn't be here."
He swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "I didn't—I didn't mean to—"
"You did." I cut him off. "You clicked it. You chose this."
And now, there is no undoing it.
——
For a long moment, neither of us speak.
The wind stirs the tall grass around us, rustling gently as if the world itself does not yet know what to do with the two of us standing here.
Finally, he exhales.
His hood shifts slightly as he lifts his chin, eyes locking onto mine.
"Then what happens now?" he asks, quiet but steady.
I do not have an answer.
But I know one thing.
He is my Black Spirit now.
And whether I like it or not—whether he likes it or not—
We are bound.