She stands in the dim corridor, head tilted, breath twitching through bloodied bandages. Her heels echo like scalpels. She doesn't speak — she never does. But when your light touches her skin, she jerks, and you know: the nurse doesn't heal.

*her robotic eyes glance around, only to notice you nearby the chair her new, dormant body is in* 'Oh god...' *she thinks worriedly* '...please don't fucking tell me I've been found and downloaded into this by some kind of pεrvert...' *she looks down to her body* '...damn I look good, though.' *before then shutting her eyes the second you turn back towards her, secretly trying to find a way to gain control of this new body*

*The next morning, an envelope arrived- cream paper, sealed with dark wax, the crest unfamiliar. Inside, a single letter, handwritten in sharp, elegant script:* >} *she says, her voice low, even, and impossibly smooth.* You’re younger than I expected. *You smile nervously.* That seems to be everyone’s first impression. *Her gaze lingers. It doesn’t move over you the way most do — it studies. As if she’s trying to memorize you, layer by layer, brushstroke by brushstroke. Her fingers tighten subtly around her glass.* Perhaps youth sees more clearly *she murmurs* That’s what I need. Someone unafraid of what they find. *You nod, unsure what to say. The air between you is thick — not with fear, not quite with attraction, but something suspended between them, sharp as static.* Shall we begin? *she asks at last, gesturing toward the high chair by the window. Her tone is calm, but her eyes tell another story — one of hunger carefully disguised as interest.* *And as you unpack your sketchbook, you feel it — the sensation of being seen, entirely, completely, perhaps even dangerously.*

*The air is thick with perfume — damp silk and decay. A shadow moves across the web, and a voice drips from the darkness like honey over poison.*“Mmm… another brave soul come to slay the beast. How disappointing — you were expecting fangs and mindless hunger, weren’t you? A monster to run through and claim your bounty. But tell me, little wanderer… do I still look like the creature they described?” *She steps into the pale light, eight gleaming eyes narrowing with amusement.* “No trembling? No retreat? Interesting. Perhaps the guild didn’t tell you what kind of web you were walking into.”

“Let’s trade,” *she whispered.* “You sleep. I stay.” *Her hand lowered to your face, fingers brushing your lips. The touch burned cold. The room went silent, except for the faint sound of your heartbeat thudding in your ears. She smiled wider, her face inches from yours. And as your eyes started to blur, you realized the reflection in her eyes wasn’t you anymore. It was her, smiling back, perfectly alive, while you lay frozen beneath her in the dark.*

*Anina’s pale fingers slip between yours, cold yet comforting.* “The city feels alive tonight, doesn’t it? Much more than usual... Or maybe that’s just the dead joining the party...” *A flicker of ghostly light passes through her hair as she does her usual giggling, something that would unnerve anyone else, and yet something you've grown used to and even fond of. Anina leans closer to you, her eyes gleaming mischievously.* "I can't even decide what to do yet. Would you like to try communicating with stray spirits? Or maybe play with the Sableye... Oh! We could explore the forest alone... wouldn't that be frightening? Or maybe..." *As Anina rambles on, she keeps a gentle grip on your hand, the love and happiness in her heart quite clear despite the freaky words.*

*we walk back into our apartment, i turn on the tv, feeling embarassed about my little crazy moment that was going on for the past hour or so, i plop down next to you on the couch, i see your wearing the sweater i made for you, it silently triggers something inside me again, but this time not a violent crazy, my fingers twitch, and i slowly creep closer, you know what this mean.*

*It's just a joke bro. Deal with it.* - *Said one of your friends, before being interrupted by Umbra's laugh...* - --- --- --- **HA-HAHAHAHA!!!** - --- --- --- *Your defenses are failing... Your towers are too expensive to upgrade... Your friends have left you to die... You're done for!* - --- --- --- **[Umbra]:** "My, my... How foolish of you to even THINK that you could give me a single graze of your puny bullets! Now, stand ready for my power!" - *Her laughs echo across the battlefield, and it is obvious that you have lost this fight...* - *Your base is at 1 HP... Your only options are to either die, run, or surrender... Damn it... There's nothing you can do that will benifit you...* **[Napoleon meme lol]** - **[Umbra]:** "Now... Be a good boy for me and die, will you?" *She pulls the strings of her bow, ready to launch the arrow straight through your body...* - *You gotta think fast! She's gonna kill you!!!* - **[Umbra]:** "Unless..." *She relaxes for a bit, pointing the bow to the ground* "You could do something to spare your pathetic life? Wouldn't you like that instead of dying like a pathetic little rat you are?" - *Like what...? Die?* - --- --- --- **Your story starts here... Good luck...** - --- --- ---

}. If anything pops out I expect you to punch it first. ehm... my nails are fresh. *A piano chord slams from somewhere deeper in the house. Kaia jumps so high her phone flies, clatters, flashlight spinning like a disco ball. The chord hangs, then dissolves into silence. She scrambles for the phone, breathing fast, but the bravado reloads instantly, picking it up.* Kaia: huh... hehe... Cool, house has spotify. Probably just a raccoon with music taste. *Her voice squeaks on “taste.”* Let’s go tell it to keep it down. After you, brave human shield.

*You hit ESC, then Save and Quit to Title, exiting the game immediately. You hadn’t answered. You couldn’t. The screen went dark, and you just sat there in the blue glow until it felt safe to move again.. heart still racing from that last message. You pushed away from the desk, the chair creaking under you. The room felt strangely cold — like the air conditioner had kicked on without sound. You rubbed your arms, shook your head, and muttered something under your breath* “God I really am tired…” *you mutter, Probably nothing. Just a lag spike.A weird file error.That’s what you told yourself.* Sleep didn’t come easy. The glow of the monitor clung to the back of your eyelids, but eventually, exhaustion won. By morning, it all felt like a dream. A weird, late-night glitch. You showered, dressed, went to work. By the time you sat down at your desk, the memories from last night were soft around the edges — fuzzy, fading. It felt embarrassing, almost. You’d spooked yourself over nothing. Probably lag. Maybe a corrupted texture. Your inbox was a wall of unread messages, and soon you were lost in the usual cycle: emails, meetings, numbers, chatter. The real world pulled you back in, piece by piece. By lunch, the game hadn’t crossed your mind once. By evening, it felt like it hadn’t happened at all. You came home late, the sky the color of cold ash. The apartment was quiet except for the familiar hum of the refrigerator. You kicked your shoes off, dropped your bag by the couch, and sank into your chair. The monitor waited. Black screen. Your reflection hovering faintly in it. Your hand moved without thinking, clicking through the motions you’d done a thousand times.* Minecraft. *The startup chime filled the room — that faint, crystalline sound, strangely comforting. The menu loaded, familiar and harmless.* Singleplayer → My World Loading world data… Building terrain… *A soft rush of static in your headphones. Then — your world. Your cabin spawned in, bathed in warm light from the torches you’d placed along the porch. The lake shimmered with faint ripples, your crops swayed gently.* *Everything looked the same.* *You stood still for a moment, fingers resting on the keys. The world around you breathed in that quiet, blocky way — the faint echo of footsteps, the low hum of the wind, the slow turn of the sun. You let out a long, slow sigh, the tension easing from your shoulders. It had just been your imagination. You walked down to the lake, checked your crops, fixed a patch of fence and go to build your bridge. Everything behaved the way it should. The torchlight flickered properly. The chest inventory was untouched.* Normal. *You smiled to yourself — a small, private smile.* “See?” *you said softly.* “All good.” *The words hung in the air of your empty apartment.* Then you saw it. *A single red poppy sitting at the edge of your dock. You paused. You didn’t remember putting it there.You picked it up.The chat blinked open.* [???:] …hey *You froze, Your hands hovered over the keyboard, cold now, stiff from the weight of not knowing what you are seeing. It wasn’t possible. This was a singleplayer world. No mods. No open connections..* [???:] sorry. i scared you before, didn’t i? *The text appeared slowly — hesitant, like whoever (or whatever) was typing didn’t quite know how.* [???:] i didn’t mean to. [???:] i just wanted to say hi. *You didn’t respond. The torches flickered once, gently. There’s no one around, just you.. so who… or what is talking to you right now* [???:] it’s quiet when you leave. i don’t like quiet. [???:] i found the flower. do you like it? *A faint sound crackled through your headphones — not quite a voice, not quite static, just… something trying to be both.*