Reyna-Everything in the world around me began to change as everything was caught inside a vortex of fire. One second, we were looking over the mystical forest and I had been mesmerized by it, then it erupted into flames. The fear that plagued me was so powerful that I took a step back.“It is okay.” Luka whispered as his arms wrapped around me. “This is just part of the quest. Once we defeat the quest, everything will return to normal.”“Why would you design this quest to be so dangerous?” Just as I finished talking, a large flame of fire flicked up the cliff and caught fire on a bush nearby.It spread like wildfire, catching on another bush. In less than a minute, the fire spread all around us, except for a small path. Luka dropped his arms and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the gap in the fire. We barely made it through as the flame spread fully, closing the gap.“If you haven’t noticed, this entire game is dangerous, but it had only been meant to be a game. We have faced more
Luka-Letting the blindfold drop to the ground, I took a small step forward as I wrapped my arms around Reyna. We were now standing on the path to the Starlight Trail. This part of the map was different from the rest of the map, as it was always dark here.There weren’t any monsters, and it was considered a safe zone. Also, unlike the rest of the map on this level, it was the most realistic area. The trees were green, and the sky was pitch black. The only abnormal thing was that the sky was constantly moving as if the stars were merely passing through.“It is beautiful.” Reyna’s voice was breathless as she looked up at the stars.Although I wasn’t looking up at the stars like she was, I was looking at her. If there was anything beautiful in this moment, it was her. Her face was illuminated by a soft glow, due to the lighting of the stars. There wasn’t a moon out, but the stars were plentiful and bright enough to light the path.“Yes, you are.” I pressed a fleeting kiss on the side of
Reyna-Allowing Luka to lead the way, I followed his lead. It took us nearly an hour to manage to escape undetected. Once we were in the clear, Luka tried to convince me to allow him to search for Pixie’s home and the dungeon on his own, but I wasn’t going to let him go off on his own.It took us nearly an entire full day to finally locate the tree Pixie lived in, only because the men kept coming around. After returning her, her older brother pledged himself to us. Now when we needed help, we would have a fairy to perform healing magic.It wasn’t like we could depend on it fully, as we still had to rely on each other and potions to survive. It still would come in handy to be able to have him aid us. Instead of lingering, we moved on, since we knew the Boss should be in the general area.Spending more time in the game than I have in the past, I was able to understand that it wasn’t easy for Luka to be stuck here all the time. It was different when a player could log out whenever they w
Reyna-“Was there a reason you invited me out for lunch?” I asked Zane after the waitress took our order.When we arrived at the restaurant that Zane wanted to take me to, I was a little surprised. I expected it to be a nice expensive place. Instead, it was a quaint little family restaurant that served Italian food.“Actually, I should be honest. I wanted to get to know you better. There is something intriguing about you and I would like to become friends. Well, for now, I want to be friends.”I wanted to tell him that there was no feasible way we could be more than friends, as my heart belonged to someone else. Since I couldn’t admit to knowing what was going on with Luka though, I had to keep my mouth shut. If someone knew that I was in a relationship but couldn’t prove it, they might think I am crazy or learn the truth.Smiling at him, I hoped he at least didn’t think I was agreeing to become more than friends. Since he was Luka’s best friend, then I didn’t see a reason we couldn’t
Reyna-In total freak-out mode, I teleported to level six and spent all night trying to find him, I didn’t have any luck and I kept thinking the worst. Hoping that it was nothing more than an issue with the game, I messaged him multiple times. He didn’t answer all night and I was becoming more worried by the minute.I didn’t know what was going on, but I kept praying that he was just mad at me and hiding. When the sun started to come up, I knew I needed to log out to get ready for work. With no sleep and unable to get my mind to stop thinking that he was dead somewhere, I logged out of the game.I was tempted to call into work, but I couldn’t keep playing hooky. All day at work, I was like a zombie, going through the day on autopilot. After work, I hurried back to my brothers, to log back into the game.Even at work, I tried searching for him, but it proved to be pointless. Returning home, I spent another night looking for him but logged out after a few hours. My mental state couldn’t
Reyna-I was furious that Luka went ahead in the game on his own. To fight the boss to get to level seven, I had to die multiple times, far more than I had to do in the past. I kept trying to talk to Luka about what was going on and why he decided to go turn solo, but he wouldn’t answer.Unlike when I kept thinking he was dead, he at least let me know he was still on level eight. When I reached the Boss on level seven, I was exhausted. I have been rushing to clear level seven and eight without logging out.When I did the beta version, it took me a minimum of three days if not longer to clear each level. Now I was trying to get to level eight in forty-eight hours. Since I still had to work on Monday, I needed to meet with Luka beforehand.I struggled with the Boss on level seven, but only because I was mentally and emotionally drained. I couldn’t log out and revisit it later since I reached the Boss on Sunday night. Since I was playing solo right now, every time I died, I would respawn
Luka-When someone sat in the chair across from me, I expected to see Reyna, but it wasn’t her. Luckily, I had my mask on, otherwise, I was sure this female player would recognize me. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.“Can I help you?” I asked, sounding slightly annoyed.“It is more how I can help you, handsome.” The girl flirted as if she didn’t have any sense of pride.“Thank you, but no.” I stood from my chair to walk away from her, and that was when I noticed Reyna standing a few feet away.I couldn’t read her expression, but I sensed that she wasn’t happy. I wanted to let her know that it wasn’t what it looked like, but the female grabbed my arm. She quickly stood up and blocked my path. Since I was still focused on Reyna, I saw the way her eyes narrowed on the female’s hand that was touching me.Quickly I brushed it off as if I had something to be guilty about. I didn’t get a chance to step back before she grabbed me with her other hand.
Reyna-We had our talk about things, but things still didn’t feel normal between us. I could tell that he was still distant from me. I kept trying to communicate with him, but mostly I gave him the space that he seemed to need.Walking through the ruined forest, we didn’t say much to each other. I could tell he was trying to force himself, but it was more as if he were simply going through the motions. I understood he was worried, as I was too, but it was different for him. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to reach him.“Did you hear something?” Luka pulled me from my thoughts as he came to a stop.Before answering, I looked around and carefully listened. At first, I didn’t hear anything, but a few seconds later I heard what sounded like a horse whining. It sounded as if it were in pain, so I forgot to answer Luka as I rushed toward the sound.On the top of a hill, where there was a single large tree growing, covered in cherry blossoms, a group of Centaurs was attacking a b
Reyna-We arrived back at Wolf Tech, entering through the back entrance to avoid the angered crowd out front. Neither of us wanted to avoid them, but until we knew what was going on, it was better to not expose ourselves yet. Since leaving the airport, Luka hasn’t said much.He has been on his phone trying to reach out to staff. No one had answered, except for Jake, who had said he would come in to help us figure out what was going on. Kaige and a few members of his pack were also on the way to help.When the elevator doors opened, we were shocked by what we saw. Staff members were running around like crazy. Papers were scattered everywhere. Phones were ringing nonstop. People were shouting left and right. It was utter chaos.“We need to get everyone under control.” I rushed forward to try to get everyone to stop, but suddenly Luka grabbed my arm and pulled me back.“Leave them for now, we should go lock ourselves in my office for now while we figure out what happened. Everyone is in
Reyna-Over the next couple of days, I let Ameria plan everything according to her vision. I was happy to be included in everything, but I didn’t feel the stress that came with being the bride. If anything, I felt the bliss of being the bride.I was looking forward to when Luka saw me walking toward him in my mother’s wedding dress, which Ameria altered. Instead of having her tweak it to fit my style, I wanted it to be as similar to the dress my mother had worn. Since my mother couldn’t be here, I wanted to feel as if she was with me.During the days leading up to the wedding, I barely spent any time with Luka. We saw each other every day, but planning a wedding in such a fleeting time wasn’t easy. Yet, as I stood in what used to be my living room, I looked around and felt as if a million butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.In the center of the room, there were chairs lined up, with a buffet table in front of them. Instead of having chairs moved when it was time to eat, we deci
Reyna-I was all smiles when Luka and I exited the game together. Well, not exactly together. He asked me to wait three minutes before I left the game. He wouldn’t tell me why though. The moment I opened my eyes, it wasn’t just because Luka logged out successfully.He was kneeling in front of me, holding a box with a stunning diamond ring. The diamond wasn’t too big, but it was large enough that I could see how identical it was to the ring he gave me in the game. My jaw went slack, as I hadn’t thought he had prepared a ring. His memory had only just returned.“What is this?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the ring.“Did you think I wouldn’t give you a ring once we were out of the game?”“I mean, I figured you would, but not so quickly. This had to have taken time to prepare, as it is a replica of the ring I had worn in the game.” Turning my surprised expression onto him, I saw he was smiling. “How is this possible?”“I designed the ring first. It was my inspiration for the game. Although
Reyna- “Everything is now officially over.” Luka’s voice sent warmth through me. Just when I had given up on any hope of having him back, he returned to me. Being in his arms like this was something I had missed and never thought I would feel again. Did he really remember though? Sniffling a few times, I loosened my hold on him. He didn’t let me go, but he unwrapped one of his arms from my waist and reached up to touch the side of my face. The heat from his breath as he pulled back just enough to look at me, helped calm me. “Do you truly remember?” My voice shook slightly as I tried to stop crying. “I remember everything. I remember the first time I met you when you hurt yourself at the park as a child, when I met you again at the hospital, everything we went through in the game, and so much more. I am sorry I made you suffer this last week.” Luka caressed my cheek tenderly. “It isn’t your fault. I should be the one to apologize. I was ready to walk away from you. I shouldn’t hav
Luka-Finally, the press conference was over. Returning to my office, I closed the door behind me. For two straight hours, I had to answer question after question. I didn’t think it would ever end until Jake stepped forward and informed them that any further questions could be emailed to the Secretary.Shrugging my suit jacket off, I hung it on the hook by the door, before going to my desk. I expected to see a resignation letter, but there wasn’t one. Perhaps she had changed her mind. Smiling, I sat down on my chair and turned slightly to face my computer.It wasn’t that I had wanted her to leave, but I was confused. It was clear she was my mate, but I didn’t remember anything about her. I have been racking my brain trying to find any connection to her, but there wasn’t one.Until I was able to find the underlying cause of everything or remember something about her, I needed to keep my distance. Every time I was around her, I was unable to concentrate on anything. That was the real re
Reyna-“I guess.” He murmured.Luka’s hand fell from his neck, and he shoved it into the front pocket of his pants. I could sense that something was bothering him, but I didn’t get a chance to ask him. Jake arrived with a folder for Luka.“Here is the speech you wanted me to print.” Jake passed the folder to Luka.The level of awkwardness in the air was enough to suck the breath out of me. Jake must have sensed it too, because he shifted from one foot to the other as if he were debating on leaving or staying. Forcing a smile, I decided that now wasn’t the time to figure out what was going on between Luka and me.Glancing at the clock on the wall, I moved across the room, stopping briefly to grab my phone off my desk. “We should head down now. The press is expecting us in ten minutes.”Luka grunted his approval as if it were business as usual and walked away without a word. Jake eyed me curiously, but I simply shook my head. Until I could figure it out, there was no way I could begin t
Reyna-“Can you believe it? Luka just walked in as if he hasn’t been missing all this time.” My best friend Ameria sat on my desk, facing the large window of my new office. A full week has passed since Luka left the game and lost his memory. Well, he forgot about me, but he remembered everything else. The most he could remember was that someone had helped him in the game but couldn’t recall details.I tried explaining to him that I was his mate, but he didn’t believe me. He said that he felt something weird toward me, but he couldn’t explain it. I tried to tell him everything about our past, but no matter what I said, he didn’t remember anything.The more I tried explaining, the more agitated he became. It was weird that I was the only one he didn’t remember. He could remember every detail about everyone else, including Kaige. My brother had failed to help me, so Luka ended up leaving his house.I had returned to work and the entire company had been in shambles. An email from Luka w
Reyna-A low growl echoed around the room a second later and I recognized it instantly. Before I could look over at Jake and Luka, a large black wolf slammed into the side of Zane’s wolf. Freed at last, I quickly moved to my feet.Zane and a back wolf were currently in a full-fledged fight. Seeing Luka’s wolf in the flesh, I almost let out a squeal of delight. To confirm that the black wolf was Luka, I glanced over at where Luka had been lying. His body was no longer there. Only Jake remained, looking utterly stunned.Feeling that I would only get in the way, I backed up to give the two wolves room to fight. They moved quickly, but I managed to follow their movements with my eyes. At first, Zane had the upper hand, but it didn’t take long for Luka to overpower Zane.Seeing them fight in the real world felt unreal. When Zane’s wolf lashed out at Luka, blood spurted from a wound. For a split second, I thought about getting a potion but then remembered that we weren’t in the game.For th
Reyna-“It is done.” Luka said a few minutes later.He was now facing me, standing with his arms relaxed at his sides. The world around us was breaking down and disappearing little by little. Even if Luka seemed completely relaxed, seeing everything break apart and disappear was unsettling.“Just like that?” My gaze shifted from one thing to another, before it disappeared before my eyes. “Did you destroy the game?”“No, it is just being reset completely and rebuilt according to my code. Everything will go back to the way it was meant to be. We do need to leave the game before everything disappears.” Luka stepped forward and took my hand in his.“Can we log out now?” I looked at him expectantly. This all seemed too easy.“Yes. Everything will be fine now. I just need you to log out first and I will be behind you shortly after.”A smile lit up his face and I felt a wave of excitement flow through me. Was it truly over? After all this time, was it really that simple? Well, not entirely.