The blue glow of the monitor cast eerie shadows across Kai's face as his fingers danced across the keyboard with practiced precision. On screen, his character Lyralei—a crimson-haired sorceress in elegant robes—cast another devastating spell, reducing the dragon boss to ash.
"Critical hit! 47,892 damage!" The damage numbers floated across the screen in brilliant gold text.
"Nice one, Lyra!" came a voice through his headset. "That's gotta be a new server record."
Kai leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile crossing his lips. Ten years. Ten years he'd been playing Eternum Online, and Lyralei had become more than just a character—she was his escape, his sanctuary from a world that never quite felt right. Behind her delicate features and flowing crimson hair, he could be anyone he wanted to be.
"Alright guys, I'm logging off," he said into his microphone. "It's already 2 AM."
"See you tomorrow, Lyra! Don't forget about the guild raid on Sunday!"
Kai removed his headset and stretched, his joints popping after hours of gaming. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him he'd forgotten to eat dinner again. The convenience store would still be open—maybe he could grab some instant ramen and a drink.
He threw on a hoodie and stepped out into the cool night air. The streets were mostly empty except for the occasional car passing by. Kai walked with his hands in his pockets, his mind still half in the fantasy world he'd just left behind.
That's when he saw it—a small white dog, no bigger than his hand, wandering confused in the middle of the road. Its tiny paws stumbled on the asphalt as it looked around frantically.
Kai's heart lurched. In the distance, headlights were approaching fast. The truck driver probably couldn't even see something so small.
"Hey! Get out of there!" Kai shouted, but the puppy just sat down and whimpered.
Without thinking, Kai sprinted into the street. Time seemed to slow as he scooped up the trembling ball of fur, the truck's horn blaring in his ears. He could see the driver's shocked face, could feel the heat of the headlights—
Then everything went white.
Kai's eyes fluttered open to the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling overhead. Sunlight filtered through a canopy of green, and the scent of earth and wildflowers filled his nostrils. He sat up slowly, his head spinning.
Where am I?
He was lying on soft moss in what appeared to be a dense forest. Ancient trees towered around him, their trunks wider than cars. This definitely wasn't the city street where he'd been just moments before.
"What the hell..." he muttered, his voice sounding strange to his own ears—lighter, more melodic somehow.
Kai stumbled to his feet, panic rising in his chest. Had he hit his head? Was this some kind of coma dream? Everything felt too real—the rough bark beneath his palm when he steadied himself against a tree, the cool morning air on his skin, the distant sound of flowing water.
Water. His throat felt parched, as if he'd been unconscious for hours. Following the sound, he pushed through the underbrush, branches catching on his clothes. That was odd—he didn't remember wearing such loose, simple garments. The fabric felt coarse against his skin, like something out of a medieval fantasy.
After what felt like an eternity of stumbling through the forest, Kai finally emerged at the bank of a crystal-clear river. He dropped to his knees gratefully, cupping his hands to drink. The water was cold and sweet, soothing his parched throat.
It was only when he finished drinking that he noticed his reflection in the still water near the bank.
Kai froze.
Staring back at him was not his own face, but that of a young woman with delicate, almost ethereal features. Long crimson hair cascaded over slender shoulders, and large emerald eyes looked back at him in shock. The face was beautiful in an otherworldly way, with high cheekbones and pale, flawless skin.
"This... this can't be real," he whispered, and even his voice confirmed his worst fears—it was soft, feminine, nothing like his own.
With trembling hands, he reached down to check the one thing that would tell him for certain what had happened. His fingers found familiar anatomy beneath the rough cloth, and he nearly cried with relief.
Still male, thank god. But then why do I look like...
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. That face in the reflection—he knew it intimately. He'd spent thousands of hours looking at it, customizing it, perfecting every detail.
"Lyralei," he breathed.
Somehow, impossibly, he was in the body of his game character. The same crimson hair he'd chosen in the character creator, the same delicate features he'd spent hours adjusting, even the same basic starter clothes that new players began with.
Kai—now apparently Lyralei in body if not in mind—stared at his reflection in growing disbelief. This was insane. This was impossible. This was...
This is actually happening.
He touched his face with slender fingers, watching his reflection mirror the movement. The face that had been his avatar, his escape, his secret self for ten years, was now his reality.
But if he was in Lyralei's body, and wearing starter equipment, did that mean...?
"I'm in Eternum Online," he whispered to the forest around him. "I'm actually inside the game."