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In the real world.
Lin Qi closed the game and gazed at the bright moon outside his window. Stretching lazily, he rubbed his wrists and sighed:
"I’m getting old. Just a few hours of gaming and I’m already tired. Back in the day, I could play for over ten hours straight."
When hobbies turn into work, they lose their charm.
He grabbed a bag of chips from the nearby shelf, pinched a chip with a napkin, and ate while opening a search engine. With one hand, he typed:
"A Western-style magical game with a protagonist named Viya..."
No results.
"The protagonist lives in a city called Rothesia..."
Still no results.
"A game where the protagonist has blonde hair..."
99+ related results loaded.
I’m certain none of these are what I’m looking for… Lin Qi sighed and closed the browser.
Is this company really hiding that well?
Normally, games with such high polish would already be in the midst of large-scale promotions. Many games even start marketing as soon as they’re greenlit.
After playing for a few hours, if you asked Lin Qi for his sole impression, it would be this:
The combat feedback felt good—especially the fear in enemies’ eyes before they died. It felt real.
You could tell the developers had put serious effort into refining that aspect.
The flaws were also obvious: there was no core driving force. Players didn’t know what to do.
Even survival games have the goal of staying alive as their main storyline. Zelda has saving the princess, and Bloodborne tells you upfront to find the Paleblood.
This game started with just the protagonist’s name and nothing else. Sure, the content seemed rich later on, but you had to get players to experience it first.
Lin Qi opened a document and began listing out these pros and cons.
He took a sip of ice-cold cola.
As the refreshing sensation hit his soul, he exhaled, then placed his hands on the keyboard.
"Strong character development, captivating fictional world..." He continued typing out the positives that only the developers would care about.
Once done, Lin Qi unlocked his phone to check the time, then got up to head to the bathroom to wash up and sleep.
... ...
Back in her small, tidy rented room, Viya collapsed onto her bed.
She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
On the desk to her right lay the shattered remnants of a crystal blade—a relic from Ascender Voran. Sharp and durable, it was the weapon "she" had used to massacre the entire Old Fire Gang. Beside it were a few silver coins, the leftover change from buying balloons.
Viya couldn’t comprehend how the Old Fire Gang, once just a fringe group skirting the edges of legality, had somehow procured subpar firearms and turned an abandoned factory into a site for cult rituals!
"No!"
She abruptly sat up, slapping her cheeks to snap out of it.
She had to run! The farther, the better!
Viya didn’t believe she could evade the authorities for long. It was only a matter of time before they came knocking—and she doubted they’d listen to her explanations.
Spending life in prison might actually be the best-case scenario.
The Judicature wouldn’t care who she killed; they’d only care that she killed.
And even if, by some miracle, the Judicature didn’t come after her, the unknown entity controlling her would surely deal with her.
From the massacre of the Old Fire Gang, it was clear there was some kind of adversarial relationship between them. As the “weapon” in the entire affair, it made no sense for the entity to leave her—a witness—as a loose end.
In short,
Run!
The farther, the better!
Taking a deep breath, Viya rushed to her bedroom, pulling out an old suitcase from the corner. Dust flew everywhere as she opened it.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Viya waved her hand in front of her nose, quickly scanning the clothes on the rack before stuffing them all inside.
She then packed her cup, toothbrush, and other daily necessities.
Pressing down on the suitcase, she struggled to zip it shut. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she steadied her breathing, then lifted the heavy suitcase with both hands and headed out.
"Miss Viya, good afternoon!" Her neighbor, watering flowers, greeted her as usual.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Loka," Viya nodded back politely.
Catching sight of Viya’s suitcase, Ms. Loka paused mid-pour, puzzled: "Are you moving...?"
Suddenly understanding, she raised an excited finger: "I see! You must’ve gotten into Rothesia Academy, right?"
"Ma’am, the academy exams haven’t even started yet." Viya forced a smile. "I just have some personal matters to attend to."
Though she had worked her whole life toward this goal, she knew which mattered more when it came to life itself.
"Mm, I hope you return soon," Miss Loka said.
"Thank you."
A nice blessing, but I doubt I’ll ever come back… Viya flagged down a passing carriage, stepped onto the footrest, and instructed the driver: "Queen’s Station."
... ...
The station was bustling with people, crowded and noisy. Viya held her suitcase in one hand and pressed her pocket with the other, slowly making her way to the ticket counter.
Due to timing issues, the earliest train wasn’t until six in the morning, meaning she’d have to spend the night at the station.
Viya’s plan was simple: first, take a train to her hometown of Nanya Ridge, a mountainous region perfect for laying low. Then, apply for an overseas visa, which would take some time. She could stop by Boen City along the way and finally return via the third line.
"Hopefully everything goes smoothly."
Viya found an empty seat in a quiet corner, placed her suitcase flat on her lap, rested her chin on it, and muttered to herself.
She tried to stay awake, but as her tense nerves finally relaxed, exhaustion quickly overtook her.
... ...
"Where am I?"
Lin Qi looked at the train station on the screen, confused.
He exited the game and double-checked several times to confirm he hadn’t opened the wrong one.
Didn’t I log off on the street yesterday? Lin Qi remembered clearly.
He checked his inventory.
There was an extra train ticket, less money, and a bunch of miscellaneous items.
Could it be... Could this be what they call...
Characters living their own lives?
But they shouldn’t confuse players to this extent… Lin Qi sighed.
He opened the menu and checked the save files. Over a dozen autosaves lay quietly in the list, most labeled "Day 1," except for the latest one, which read "Day 2."
Lin Qi selected the latest "Day 1" save and loaded it.
... ...
The next day.
The emotionless announcement echoed through the station. Viya yawned, rubbing her forehead groggily.
After confirming she had all her belongings, she stood up and headed to the lower level to board the train.
Suddenly, that muffled voice returned.
"Where am I?"
In an instant, she lost control of her body again.
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