Lauren is an avid player of the famous MMORPG Red Ocean Online and has been playing since its launch 7 years ago. When she receives the news that her beloved virtual world will be shut down, her biggest fear is losing her favorite NPC, Amara, who sh...
The first thing Amara noticed when he saw Darka was that he looked terrible. In addition to being soaked and covered in bruises, he had a deep purple mark on his neck where Katarina had grabbed him. It had been a few weeks since he visited his workshop, and all this time Amara thought he wouldn't come back.
— You look terrible.
For some reason, the young mechanic wanted to feel angry, but even if he gathered all his determination to fight with Darka, any trace of irritation disappeared as soon as the Unpronounceable's surprised expression turned into a crying grimace.
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— Amara, is that you?! — Darka started to cry, shrugging his shoulders and trying to wipe his face. — Oh god, you really exist! You're here and you're fine and... I wanted to see you so much...
Alternating their gaze between the two, Miko gave Amara a disapproving face.
— Mr. Amara, you made Darka cry!
— Me?! But I just arrived!
As if remembering something, Miko stood in front of his friend in a defensive position.
— Darka is a very nice and kind person, and he is neither evil nor ugly! He's my friend and he's always helped me, he said he really likes you and doesn't want you to fight with him!
Giving Darka a thumbs up, Miko only received a surprised look in response.
— And he's also funny and likes to complain and swears a lot, but he's just noisy and doesn't do anything, right, Daena?
— Don't get me involved in that matter, please! — The girl, who was still watching the scene confused, just shook her head.
— And if you think he's a bad person, I feel obliged to... bite you!
A silence hovered for a few seconds after the luziwurm's small revolt. Darka, still with some tears streaming down his face, looked at Amara trying to see what his reaction would be. It was very kind of Miko to stand up for him, meaning that all the worry he had during the trip didn't go unnoticed by the little kid.
— Okay... — Amara laughed, softening the situation. — You don't need to bite me, I must taste like grease.
— I-I was going to see you, but some things happened... — Darka wiped his face with his hands, trying to regain his composure. — It was a difficult week.
— I noticed. — Amara approached, looking at the young man who now looked embarrassed. — You're different.
A chill crept up his spine. It had been a while since Lauren no longer thought of herself as a transmigrated consciousness, and Amara's words made some worries, which had been ignored since she woke up as Darka, come back to the surface. She didn't plan on explaining to anyone there that "Darka" was just an avatar, that everyone there was a character and that the existence of that world itself was in the form of a game in another parallel reality. Deep down, Lauren was afraid that being self-conscious of this might cause her to wake up, as if this was all a fragile dream.
