Chapter 1: Possession
A gasp escaped Eleri's lips, a strangled sound that tore through the sudden silence. Her eyes snapped open, as if jolted awake from a nightmare, her skin slick with a cold sweat.
"What...was that?" she whispered, a tremor in her voice. The air pressed down upon her, heavy and suffocating. A vise-like grip constricted her chest, leaving her gasping for breath, her mouth opening and closing like a beached fish.
Hiss!
'It hurts! My chest...it burns!'
The burning sensation, intense and agonizing, lasted for a full minute, draining the color from her face and leaving her head throbbing. When the pain finally subsided, she struggled to breathe, each inhale a labored effort. She forced herself to slow her breathing, employing a calming belly-breathing technique. Slowly, the panic receded.
Her eyes, which had fluttered shut during the agony, opened to a blurry world. She sat up cautiously, her gaze sweeping across her surroundings. The bed beneath her was affixed to the wall, seemingly suspended in mid-air. She wore ragged clothing - a dark grey turtleneck, black pants, and boots. Beside her sat a small wooden cabinet, topped with a black jacket.
Her examination of the room was thorough, meticulous. Desert-sand colored concrete walls, an oak wood ceiling and floor. The room was starkly empty.
A rhythmic choo-choo - the sound of steam and a train engine - startled her. She located the source: a window, draped with a beige curtain. Her brows furrowed. She reached for the curtain, her grip unconsciously tight, her breath hitching.
An inexplicable feeling washed over her. A premonition, perhaps. A sense that opening the curtain would irrevocably alter her life.
She licked her dry lips, took a deep breath, and pulled the curtain aside.
Her eyes widened, her pupils constricting in shock. It wasn't the train that froze her, but the reflection staring back from the window.
A woman in her mid-twenties, with long, slightly curled brown hair tied in a ponytail, and...purple eyes.
"This...is this me?" she breathed, her gaze transfixed.
Then, the scene outside the window shifted. The desert-sand mountains vanished, replaced by an impenetrable blackness.
"What in God's name...?" The events were cascading, each more bizarre than the last. She was in an unfamiliar place, her appearance had changed - her black hair and eyes replaced by brown hair and unsettling purple irises - and the train, the engine's rhythmic chugging, had vanished.
A shiver ran down her spine. Her skin prickled with the rising of her hairs.
Before she could fully process the disorienting changes, a commotion erupted outside her room. She instinctively clutched the bedsheets, her breath catching in her throat. She slipped on the black jacket and moved towards the door.
Sliding it open, she found herself facing another door, leading to another room. As she stepped out, she saw a group of people gathered in the train carriage's hallway.
A man, his face scarred, his head topped with a tall hat, turned to look at her. "Looks like the last one is here," he said.
His words hung in the air, unanswered. Before Eleri could respond, a blue holographic screen flickered into existence before her eyes, making her recoil. She glanced up, relieved to see the man had already turned away.
Her attention snapped back to the screen. A chilling familiarity washed over her.
"This...is this the system from 'Faith and Fate'?"
Pixelated text began to appear, each word sending a fresh wave of horror through her.
[Welcome to the game [Faith and Fate]!]
[The system has recognized your unwavering dedication to the game and has decided to grant you the chance to become a God of this world!]
"What...nonsense is this?" she began, but the screen interrupted her.
[But to become a God, you must first complete the novice-level "Door" before officially acquiring your divine rights and creating your own organization!]
At these words, a terrifying realization dawned upon Eleri.
"No...no, it can't be..."
"I...I've...possessed the game? The very one I've been addicted to for sixteen years?"