Komi blinked her eyes open, squinting against the soft, golden light pouring through massive windows. Her head spun. Her body felt… different. Not the sluggish, after-school tiredness she was used to—but a heavy sense of unfamiliarity. She pushed herself up, only to freeze when she realized that she wasn't in her room.
Instead of the cramped space with her computer desk and messy pile of code sheets, Komi found herself on a giant crystal bed, draped in a shimmering, holographic gown that looked like something out of a medieval fantasy game. The sheets were made of soft, pulsating fabric, a strange glow seeping out from them. There were no walls here, just floating platforms and towering digital structures that blurred and flickered like a video game rendering glitch.
> "What… what the hell? This isn't the game…"
(Or is it?)
Komi sat up quickly, her heart racing as she looked around. It was too real—the scent of polished marble, the quiet rustle of NPC robes, the soft hum of something electric in the air.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed. A maid NPC in a pristine white dress appeared at the side of the bed. She smiled warmly, too warmly.
"Good morning, Your Highness," the maid said, her voice oddly mechanical, like it was too rehearsed. "We've been waiting for you."
> "Wait—what? Who... who are you?"
(And who the he where you waiting for? I'm sure it's not me.)
Komi's words didn't seem to register. The maid continued adjusting the hem of her gown with smooth, practiced motions. Komi glanced at the bed she had just woken up on—no sign of the VR set. Nothing. She couldn't shake the eerie feeling crawling up her spine. She pushed the maid's hands away, standing up quickly, a flurry of confused thoughts swimming in her head.
"Your Highness?" the maid asked, voice soft and gentle, but there was something off about it.
> "Highness? What is going on? This isn't the game. Where am I?"
Komi spun around, trying to make sense of the world around her. The room shimmered like a mirage—translucent columns floated in mid-air, digital lanterns hanging from nowhere. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the sense of vertigo settling in her stomach.
She stepped forward cautiously, brushing past the maid. She had to get out of here.
"Where do you think you're going, Your Highness?" the maid asked in a tone that didn't sound like a question at all.
The doors leading out slammed shut with a sudden crash, and Komi jumped back. Her heart thudded in her chest. She grabbed the handle, tugging on it, but it wouldn't budge.
> "Okay, okay... this is messed up. Just need to calm down."
(Relax komi.....relax)
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe it's just part of the immersion? Maybe there's a malfunction in the game?
She turned back to the maid, frustration building. "Open the door."
The maid's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. She stepped aside without saying a word. The door creaked open slowly, and Komi hurriedly pushed her way through.
The hallways were worse.
As soon as she stepped into the corridor, she saw it—a distortion in the air, flickering walls, colors too bright, then too dark. The entire space seemed to stretch and contract as if the very fabric of reality was being stretched thin.
> "Okay, this is definitely not part of the game," Komi thought, her pulse quickening.
As she walked, the world seemed to glitch more and more. Digital distortions appeared at the edges of her vision. For a second, she saw the walls bend into shapes they shouldn't—dirt, cracks, broken statues—before it all flickered back into place. She stopped, trying to make sense of it.
A few steps later, she heard another voice behind her. It was familiar—one she didn't expect to hear.
"Your Highness, we've been waiting."
A knight NPC—his armor shimmering with intricate designs—appeared at the end of the hall. His voice was deep, rich, almost too authoritative. His posture was too perfect, too stiff, like a prop in a play.
> "Your Highness? Why is everyone calling me that? I'm not some princess!" Komi thought, exasperated.
The knight's presence seemed wrong, like an uncanny valley of digital perfection. His eyes flickered for a moment, like static on a television screen. Komi took a step back, her instincts telling her to run.
Before she could react, the world around her glitched again.
The knight's form shook, his body distorting briefly into a mess of pixels, as if reality couldn't keep him intact. Then, just as quickly, it stabilized, and he stared at her, as if nothing had happened.
("What the hell?")
Komi backed away, but her body bumped into something hard—the door to the throne room. She turned, eyes wide with panic. The distortion in the hallway had grown worse. The ceiling flickered, walls swirling in and out of focus. One of the maid NPCs looked at her and froze—her form warped, pixels breaking apart as if the game was about to implode.
A cold shiver ran down Komi's spine.
> "This isn't just a glitch. Something's wrong here."
(And true, something was really wrong.)
Before she could make sense of it, the door to the throne room opened wide with an ominous creak. A deep voice echoed from within( There was no one there):
> "Welcome back home, Princess Beta."
Komi's blood ran cold.
(Just Cold)
To be continued...