Not Alone

Nate's thoughts were still tangled in the situation's absurdity when the woman beside him stirred. A soft rustling of fabric caught his attention, and he turned his head just in time to see her shift. Her brow furrowed as if fighting off a dull headache.

Slowly, Aria's eyes fluttered open, their emerald green depths filled with confusion and wariness. Her hand moved instinctively to her temple, rubbing it slightly as she took in her surroundings.

"You awake?" Nate muttered with a slight, joking smirk, still half-convinced that this was some elaborate dream. "You sure look as pretty as before you left the company, haha."

The words left his mouth before he could think them through, an awkward attempt at lightening the mood, but they only made him more aware of how out of place he felt. Talking to women in standard settings was already complicated enough—waking up beside one, barely dressed, in an unknown world? That was an entirely different battlefield.

Aria, blinking away the remnants of sleep, tensed. Her expression shifted from confusion to something more cautious as her gaze darted around the unfamiliar room. Her body stiffened as realization struck, and when her eyes landed on Nate, suspicion flared in them like a knife glinting under harsh light.

"Where the hell are we?" she demanded, voice sharp, gaze cutting through him.

Only then did she appear to fully process their situation—both of them half-dressed and sharing the same bed. She wore a light sleeping robe, its fabric slightly sheer but modest enough to cover everything essential. Still, the sheer absurdity of the scenario was impossible to ignore.

"…Have you kidnapped me?"

The accusation hit like a hammer. Nate's eyes widened, hands instinctively flying up in a defensive gesture as he shook his head rapidly. "What? No! Absolutely not!"

Unfortunately, sitting there shirtless, in nothing but his trousers, did not make him look more credible.

"I mean… kinda?" he admitted weakly, scratching the back of his neck. "You're in my dream, so in some weird way, I guess I kidnapped you from my memory?"

Aria's face darkened instantly.

"Stop that crap," she snapped, voice cold with frustration. "I see you. I hear you. That means this isn't a dream. So stop messing around and tell me what is going on!"

A heavy silence stretched between them as Nate met her gaze, considering his words carefully.

"I really don't know, Aria," he finally said, voice calm but firm. "The last thing I remember is coming home from work, reading an article about the game you once showed me—From Ash to Empire. It hit a billion downloads, so I was thinking about playing again. But I was too tired, so I went to sleep instead." He exhaled slowly, his mind replaying the events of the previous night. "And then I woke up here. In this bed. With you. Right before you woke up, I saw some system notification, like something straight out of a game."

He studied her reaction carefully. "So yeah… that's all I've got."

Aria remained still, her mind racing through possibilities. Her fingers clenched the edge of the blanket, her controlled breathing betraying the underlying tension in her frame.

"Alright, we have to understand what's going on," Aria said, her voice steady despite the confusion lingering in her eyes. Without hesitation, she pushed herself off the bed and started examining the room.

The space itself was nothing remarkable—simple yet spacious, with a rustic charm. A small wooden table stood near the corner, accompanied by a few drawers. The white walls contrasted with the wooden flooring, giving the place a clean but old-fashioned feel.

Aria made her way toward one of the dressers and pulled it open, rifling through its contents. The faint rustling of fabric filled the room before she glanced back at Nate. "I found some clothes in here. Looks like they're just my size. You should check the one on your side—might be the same for you."

Nate followed her suggestion and opened the dresser cabinet next to him. Inside, neatly folded garments greeted him—medieval-styled clothing, simple but well-made. The design immediately sparked recognition, reminding him of the outfits worn by the main characters in From Ashes to Empire.

"Turn around. I want to change," Aria's sudden command snapped him out of his thoughts.

Caught off guard, Nate instinctively opened his mouth to protest but quickly closed it. There was no arguing with that tone. With a small sigh, he did as told, turning his back to her while shoving his hands into his pockets.

The sound of shifting fabric filled the space behind him, making it impossible to ignore what was happening. His muscles stiffened slightly, but he forced himself to focus elsewhere, eyes scanning the rest of the room instead. Even so, the small noises of her movements, the occasional shuffle, made his mind wander involuntarily.

"Alright, all done. Change too, and let's go figure out where we are," she said, sounding much more in control of the situation than before.

Nate exhaled, relieved to finally move past this part of the ordeal. Without delay, he pulled on the medieval attire. The fabric was surprisingly comfortable, a mix of linen and wool, fitting him perfectly as if tailored just for him. The moment he was done, the two of them made their way out of the room.

The sight that greeted them was eerily familiar yet undeniably foreign.

They stepped into a living space that resembled a home from Earth—only a few centuries in the past. A large wooden table sat at the center, surrounded by handcrafted chairs. Shelves lined the walls, stocked with various books, pottery, and household items. A fireplace rested on one side, though the embers within had long since gone cold. The structure of the room, the layout, the little details—it all screamed historical realism.

Exchanging glances, both Nate and Aria's expressions mirrored each other's confusion. This wasn't a simple fantasy setting with over-the-top decorations; this place looked lived-in and functional.

Before they could step outside, a sudden noise from another room made them freeze.

A muffled sound—movement.

They instinctively tensed, eyes darting toward the source.

They weren't alone.