Lunar Council’s Concerns

Serana sat in her dimly lit chamber, a single holographic screen floating before her, filled with rapidly updating forum discussions. Threads about the World of Solva buzzed with excitement—players uncovering new mysteries, speculating about game mechanics, and trading in-game resources. She had been monitoring it for hours, carefully selecting individuals who showed the most potential.

Her gaze sharpened as a soft chime echoed through the room. The automatic doors slid open, revealing Nira, her personal attendant and one of the trusted aides assigned by the Lunar Council. However, the expression on Nira's face signaled trouble.

"Madam, the Lorest has arrived today," Nira informed her in a low, careful voice. "He seems to be investigating unusual financial activity. Several transactions have been traced to individual savings accounts—unauthorized, or so he claims."

Serana didn't move immediately. She let the words settle, her mind already calculating. After a few seconds, she slowly turned her head toward Nira, her silver-blue eyes gleaming under the soft glow of the floating screens.

"Tell him those transactions are fully authorized by me," Serana stated in a controlled tone. "All payments should proceed exactly as I have instructed. No interference."

There was a moment of hesitation before Nira shifted uncomfortably. "Madam… you've been spending a lot of money on the game lately."

Serana's gaze remained fixed on her.

"The Lunar Council asked me to remind you to be more… mindful. They fear you might be falling for some Earthian scammer's trap. With all due respect, madam, they—"

"Nira." Serana's voice turned sharp, her authority cutting through the air like a blade. "Know your place."

Nira immediately shut her mouth, lowering her head.

"What I can see," Serana continued, her voice quiet but filled with an unshakable certainty, "the entire universe cannot. And you will follow my instructions without question."

Nira exhaled softly, conceding. "Understood, madam."

Serana leaned back slightly, her fingers tapping on the desk. She needed no approval from the Council. They had placed her on this throne, yes—but they also feared her. The Destiny Child, the Oracle of the Moon. Yet their blindness would be their downfall if they could not see what was coming.

But she could.

And she needed more information.

"Did you get a hold of Jerry?" she asked, shifting the conversation.

Nira exhaled again, crossing her arms. "Apparently not. That mafia scum has gone wild lately. Ever since he took control of a city, he's been expanding aggressively."

Serana's expression didn't change, but her mind was already making connections.

Nira continued, "His people have been trading some weird silver and copper, along with some kind of wood. I think they're shifting business."

Serana's eyes darkened slightly. That… was unexpected.

She looked directly at Nira now, her gaze sharper, colder. "Send someone to bring a few of them to me."

Nira hesitated. "Madam… why, all of a sudden, do you want them?"

Serana's lips curled slightly, a dangerous expression forming. "Don't ask. I want to see them with my own eyes."

Nira let out another sigh. She knew that once Serana made a decision, there was no changing it. "...Fine. I'll arrange for it."

Serana returned her focus to the forum, but now her thoughts were elsewhere.

Serana exhaled softly as Nira left the chamber, the doors sliding shut with a gentle hiss. Alone again, she flexed her fingers ever so slightly, feeling the subtle sensation of movement—a secret she had carefully concealed.

For years, her body had been confined, her limbs barely responding beyond the smallest of twitches. But Solva had changed that. When she first logged out and realized she could move her hands, she had been careful. Cautious. If anyone found out, the Lunar Council would dig too deeply into the game.

That couldn't happen.

She let her fingers drift over the floating screen, scrolling through the latest discussions in the World of Solva forums. Her usual method of control—subtle eye movements—was still in use, but now, with careful precision, she navigated with her fingertips.

A thread caught her attention.

"Solva's Wood Found on Mars? What the Hell Is Going On?"

Serana's eyes narrowed. The post had already gained thousands of replies. She tapped on it.

User: Skybreaker

So I work in logistics, moving materials off-world for private clients. The other day, I got an order for wood—nothing strange, right? Except when I checked the batch, the molecular structure didn't match any known Martian tree.

We don't have trees like this. Mars doesn't have forests.

The real kicker? I compared it to the wood in Solva. It's IDENTICAL.

A wave of responses flooded in.

User: NightFalcon

No way. You telling me some rich bastard is importing Solva materials IRL?

User: Xenomind

This game's starting to freak me out. First, the insane realism, now this? Who the hell even owns this company?

That was a good question.

Serana had already tried tracing the company behind World of Solva. There was nothing. The website appeared less than two months ago. No listed headquarters. No parent company. No record of its founders.

A game like this—one that ran with technology beyond anything humanity currently had—should've been developed by a trillion-dollar corporation, or at least a hidden military division.

And yet, it simply appeared.

She tapped into another thread.

"Who Created World of Solva? This Makes No Sense"

User: PhantomFox

Alright, I did some digging. The domain for the World of Solva website was registered exactly 54 days ago. But the game is too advanced to have been developed in such a short time.

The studio's name? "Solva Interactive."

Never existed before. No dev logs. No employee records. No leaked info.

Even stranger, the VR pods? I've checked with multiple experts, and nobody knows how they work. I heard a corp in Meto City tried dismantling one, but the moment they cracked it open, the whole thing stopped functioning. Like it was never meant to be reverse-engineered.

Serana smirked slightly.

It wasn't that the game was mysterious. It was that the world behind it wasn't just a game.

Another thread was trending.

"When is the Official Release? Beta is taking TOO LONG."

User: ShadowDancer

Look, I love Solva, but when the hell is the full launch? It's been months, and we still don't have a date. At this rate, they'll NEVER open the game to the public.

User: SilverWolf

Yeah, and why can't we even share screenshots system? Only those of us inside actually know what Solva looks like.

User: 404NotFound

This game feels cursed. Seriously. I heard people who die in Solva can't even make new accounts. They just get locked out permanently.

That part was true.

Serana had been watching the numbers closely.

When the beta started, 1,000 players had been invited. Now, only 600 remained.

The missing 400? Gone. Their accounts were permanently disabled. Every single day, those locked-out players flooded the forums with complaints, demanding their access back.

User: OmegaGrind

Can someone explain WHY we can't just respawn? If it's a beta, we should be able to restart. But nope, if you die, you're out FOREVER.

User: Darklight

Devs are being silent about it. No official response. Just radio silence.

Serana's fingers hovered over the screen.

She had her theories