chapter 53

Rose sat in her room, the silence of the night wrapping around her like a thick blanket. The glow from her phone illuminated her face, her fingers absently tapping against the screen as she scrolled through the game's forums, searching for any clue that might explain Sylus's strange behavior. She had done everything she could to remain detached, but the closer she got to him in the game, the more the lines between reality and the game world blurred.

The forums were full of speculation about Sylus—his role as the leader of Onychinus, his ruthless reputation, and his loyalty to his female protagonists. But there was always the same unanswered question: What happened to him? What made him this way? And more importantly, why did he feel so familiar?

No one in the game seemed to know. Some players believed he was a created character, molded to fit a role, while others whispered about his connection to the game's dark past. But there was no solid answer. No one knew where he came from, and no one knew why he was so mysteriously attached to his female players.

Rose clenched her jaw. Why can't I just forget him? she thought bitterly. But that was easier said than done. Every time she advanced in the game, every time she encountered Sylus, the pull between them felt stronger. It was as if his presence alone was enough to make her feel like she wasn't playing a game at all.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to block out the rising tension in her chest. Focus, Rose, she told herself. She needed to think clearly. The key to understanding Sylus, to understanding what was happening to him, lay somewhere within the game. She just had to figure out where.

Her eyes flicked back to the screen. She had just unlocked another chapter, another mission, where the protagonist would confront a powerful rival—a rival who was determined to destroy Onychinus and take Sylus down.

Rose's thoughts were consumed with the game as she guided the protagonist through the mission, the tension between her character and Sylus palpable. Their banter, their interactions, were more than just scripted lines. Rose could feel the undercurrent of something deeper. Every time Sylus spoke to the protagonist, there was an intimacy that shouldn't have existed. There was a vulnerability in his voice, in his actions. He was not just a leader; he was a man at war with himself.

And Rose... Rose couldn't deny the pull. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was connected to him.

In the mission's final stages, Sylus stood by the protagonist's side as they faced the enemy together. His red eyes, gleaming with intensity, followed every move she made, his gaze never wavering. There was something almost desperate in his look—a longing that cut through the cold exterior he had built. The tension between them was palpable, and for the first time since playing, Rose found herself drawn into the world, into the moment.

"Don't let me down," Sylus said, his voice low, commanding. But there was an underlying softness in the way he said it, as if he didn't just mean the mission. As if he was speaking to the protagonist on a much deeper level.

Rose's heart skipped a beat as she realized the significance of his words. Don't let me down... It was the same thing he had said to her in the past, when they had fought side by side. The memory hit her like a wave—familiar, yet so distant. Her breath caught in her throat as the realization sank in.

There was no doubt in her mind now. Sylus wasn't just a character in the game. He was something more. His connection to her—their connection—was real.

The moment passed as quickly as it had come, but the seed of doubt had been planted. Rose's fingers froze on the controls. She didn't just want to win the game anymore. She needed to understand Sylus. She needed to know what had happened to him, why he was the way he was, and why, despite everything, he was so loyal to his female protagonist.

But more importantly, she needed to know why he didn't recognize her.

"Why... can't you remember?" Rose whispered under her breath, her voice barely a murmur. The room felt colder, the walls closer. She felt an overwhelming sense of loss—the same loss she had felt after the destruction of their world, the same loss that had left her hollow, empty, and searching for answers.

She had been a part of his world once. But now, it was as if that world had been erased. And in its place, only questions remained.

Rose stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. She couldn't sit here any longer, not with the burning need to find the truth coursing through her veins. She needed to confront Sylus, to find out what had really happened after their bond had shattered the game world.

But the truth... the truth was elusive. It was hidden, locked behind layers of programming and memory, buried deep in the game's code.

For now, Rose could only continue to play, to fight alongside the protagonist in the game, and to try and piece together the fragments of the past that she and Sylus shared.

But as the game continued to unfold before her, one thing was becoming painfully clear: the closer she got to the truth, the more dangerous it became to keep playing.

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