Lisa's last memory was of the glow from her monitor, the flashing chat box spamming "GG!" after she finally sank that galleon in Sea of Thieves. She had been live on Twitch for nearly twelve hours straight, energy drink cans scattered around her desk like fallen crewmates. Her head felt heavy, her eyes burning. She barely managed to mutter, "Alright, chat, I'll see you tomorrow…" before the world went black.
When Lisa opened her eyes again, the air smelled of smoke, salt, and rum. She wasn't in her room. She wasn't even in her apartment. The sound of creaking wood, drunken laughter, and a lute being played terribly filled her ears.
She sat up with a groan, her head pounding. The surface beneath her wasn't her gaming chair—it was a rough wooden table sticky with spilled ale. Lantern light swayed overhead. The air was thick and warm, carrying the sharp tang of grog.
Lisa blinked, looking around in disbelief. She was in a tavern. Not just any tavern—the exact tavern she had spawned in countless times while playing Sea of Thieves.
"No way…" she whispered, running her fingers along the grain of the wood. It felt real. Too real. Her heart skipped. "This… this can't be happening."
A burly man with a scruffy beard and a tankard stumbled past her. "Ahoy, lass! Ye look like ye've seen a ghost." He gave her a toothless grin before staggering toward the bar.
Lisa's jaw dropped. These weren't NPCs—they moved with life, with energy. She could hear the barmaid's footsteps on the floorboards, the scrape of mugs, the sea breeze whistling through a cracked window.
She staggered to her feet and caught sight of herself in a grimy mirror nailed to the wall. Gone was her oversized hoodie and messy bun. Instead, she wore a weathered pirate's coat, a sash around her waist, and boots that looked like they had seen too many storms. Her hair—normally dyed neon blue for her stream persona—was now a sun-kissed blonde tied back with a strip of cloth.
Lisa's throat went dry. I've been… reincarnated?
She touched her face, still herself, but sharper, like a version fit for this world. Her streamer brain kicked in—she wished desperately for her chat box to appear, for her viewers to spam emotes and theories. But there was nothing. Just the tavern, just her.
A mysterious woman approached from the shadows. She was cloaked in sea-green robes, her eyes glowing faintly like the ocean under moonlight. Lisa recognized her immediately—the Mysterious Stranger, a character she had seen a hundred times.
"Welcome, pirate," the woman said, her voice smooth but carrying weight. "The Sea of Thieves has chosen you. Not to play… but to live."
Lisa's pulse raced. She wanted to laugh, to scream, to log off—but she couldn't. There was no logout button
The stranger leaned close, her sea-glass eyes locking onto Lisa's. "You have been given a second life. Sail well, or the sea will claim you. Choose your path wisely."
And just like that, the stranger vanished into mist, leaving Lisa trembling in the tavern.
Her hands clenched into fists. She was a gamer, a streamer, a girl who had always played the hero behind a screen. Now she had no screen, no chat, no controller. Just herself.
Lisa took a deep breath, her voice trembling but fierce.
"…Alright. If this is real, then I'll play it better than anyone ever has."
The tavern doors creaked open, the salty wind calling her name.
Her pirate's life had just begun.
(To be continued)