Chapter 1
“Just one more game and I’ll come to bed. I promise,” Abigail whined.
“That’s what you said an hour ago, and yet... here we are.” Jessie shook his head in defeat. Ever since they’d installed the new virtual reality system, he could barely pry her away from it.
“I give up.” Jessie turned on his heel and headed to the bedroom without a second glance.
Abigail only grunted in response, lost in her digital world.
The game had been a godsend after the monotony of lockdown—a welcome distraction that kept her occupied and, more importantly, excited. The world of Nikerona was vast, full of quests, dungeons, and endless exploration. At the moment, she was deep in the Slumbering Forests, slaying creatures, looting caves, and clearing treasure chests.
Soon, she came across another cave—just one of many. Its gaping entrance called to her, dark and waiting.
Taking a breath, she stepped inside—then paused.
Something felt off.
Before she could equip a torch, the cavern began to glow with an eerie green light. The walls... shifted. Or at least, they seemed to. A strange chill ran up her spine. The temperature dropped. The carpet beneath her feet—gone. It felt like stone. Jagged, cold, damp.
Was she imagining this? Had she been playing so long that it started to feel real?
Turning in a full circle, she froze.
The cave entrance was gone—replaced by solid rock.
The only path left was forward.
Abigail instinctively reached up to remove her headset.
Her hands grasped at nothing.
“No... no way... this isn’t real.” Her voice echoed off the stone.
Nervous laughter slipped out. It didn’t make sense.
Again and again, she tried, but there was nothing to remove. No headset. Just her skin and hair. Her body.
After standing in the strange green glow far too long, she knew she had no other choice: go forward. Maybe this was some glitch—some transfer of consciousness moment—but if there was a way back, it had to be ahead.
The tunnel curved gently to the right. The green glow moved with her—almost as if it came from her rather than the walls. It was enough to light her steps, but not enough to see far ahead. Her skin prickled, and despite the cold, she was covered in sweat.
After what felt like hours of walking, the sound of rushing water reached her ears. Her breath clouded in front of her, and she hugged herself for warmth.
The tunnel opened into a larger cavern. A stone bridge spanned a rushing underground river. Her footsteps echoed.
But it wasn’t the river that made her stop.
It was the goblins.
At least ten of them.
They stood beyond the bridge, watching her, silent and still. Disfigured faces, yellow teeth, torn ears. All focused on her.
Her stomach dropped.
This wasn’t a game. In a game, you could respawn. Here? She wasn’t so sure.
Madness. That’s what this was. A nightmare. It had to be.
And yet...
Her hand reached instinctively for the satchel on her hip. Somehow, it was there. Bigger inside than it looked—like something out of Harry Potter. She rummaged until her fingers closed around something solid. Cold. Heavy.
A sword hilt.
She pulled it free.
It wasn’t as heavy as she expected.
Her hands shook.
She’d never hurt anything bigger than a spider, and now she was preparing to fight goblins?
“Just calm down and breathe. The only way forward is through,” she whispered, trying to steady herself.
Step by step, she approached the bridge. Still, the goblins didn’t move.
Closer.
Still nothing.
Then she stood at the foot of the bridge.
And that’s when one of them struck.
A sneaky bastard had circled behind her and slashed at her leg. Its claws ripped through her pants and burned her skin.
She screamed.
And then they all attacked.
Claws. Teeth. Screeches. Chaos.
She flailed the sword, wild and panicked, barely connecting. She had to focus—had to aim. Slowly, she found rhythm, watching for openings, swinging with intent.
Progress was slow. The bridge slick underfoot. Her arms ached. Her heart thundered. She screamed in frustration, the sound ricocheting off the walls.
Goblin limbs littered the path—some twitching, some not. Only three remained. Faster. Smarter. Harder to hit.
Blood ran down her arms. Her legs trembled.
She couldn’t last much longer.
Then—she saw it.
A door.
Heavy. Wooden. Slightly ajar.
Without hesitation, she ran.
The goblins gave chase.
She threw the door shut behind her, panting as the thuds of tiny bodies slammed into it from the other side.
“Phew…”
The room she’d entered was smaller, but packed with detail. Green flames flickered in sconces. Shelves lined the walls, filled with urns and ancient vases. Leather-bound books lay in torn piles across the stone floor.
But at the center of the room was what caught her attention: a large wooden chest, reinforced with steel.
It looked ordinary—except for its size.
Curiosity won.
Maybe it held a key. A portal. A way home.
She approached, gripped the lid, and opened it.
Empty.
Completely.
Disappointment hit hard.
And then the trap sprung.
Spikes shot out from the walls.
No time to scream. No time to think.
Only cold steel. And shock.
Jessie was terrified. It had been hours with no word, no answers—just silence.
“What is going on?” he yelled. “You can’t keep me in the dark! Please, I need to know!”
“We don’t know, sir,” the doctor replied quietly. “We need to run more tests. For now... all we can do is wait.”
“That’s not good enough! She slipped and fell, that’s all!” Jessie’s voice cracked.
The doctor exchanged a look with the nurse, murmured something, then walked away.
The nurse stepped forward. “I’m sorry. The swelling in her brain isn’t going down. The fall might have caused significant damage. We won’t know until she wakes up. And we can’t say when that will be. All we can do is keep her stable and... hope.”
Jessie didn’t answer.
He just sat beside Abigail’s bed, holding her hand, whispering her name, and silently cursing Nikerona for taking her away.
