A Court of Rival Hearts (Dark GL)

I. Awake

The house was steeped in its usual silence, the kind that clung to the air like a suffocating fog. The only sound breaking through it was the frantic clicking of buttons as Mykaela smashed the controls, eyes glued to the screen.

“Yes!” she threw her head back, a victorious grin splitting her face as the screen flashed with a red You Won. The familiar scene of gore that followed—the head, spine, and internal organs of her enemy sliding down the screen—made her smile widen. There was a certain satisfaction in it, the kind she couldn’t find anywhere else.

She coughed, her voice rough after a day spent in near silence, completely absorbed in her game. The day had been a blur—hours lost to the challenge of conquering the final level on the hardest difficulty. Her eyes stung from staring at the screen for so long, and she finally pulled herself up from the floor, brushing at her tired eyes as she made her way to the kitchen.

The walk felt longer than usual. The massive, empty house served no real purpose anymore, not since her parents’ deaths. When they were alive, its size had been a blessing, keeping them far away from her, their paths rarely crossing. Now, it was just a reminder of her isolation.

She filled a glass with water, leaned against the counter, and took a long sip. The cool liquid soothed her parched throat as she absentmindedly pulled out her phone, scrolling through notifications. One caught her eye—a message from a forum dedicated to her favorite game.

She opened it immediately.

“Few people share a love for this game as deeply as you do. Since you are the oldest and most active member of our forum, I’d like to share with you an unreleased version of the game. It has exclusive content I believe you’ll enjoy.

Best regards,

The First One.

Ps: Do not ask me how I got my hands on it ;)”

Mykaela hummed in interest. She knew ‘The First One’, the creator of the forum dedicated to the game A Court of Rival Hearts. Despite its romantic RPG format, the antique game had captivated her with its rich world-building and complex choices. The romance options—limited to male characters—had never interested her, but she’d played through every route, as
completinh a character arc was the only way to unlocking new segments of the story. For a long time, that was what she lived for.

The game was old, with a small but dedicated fanbase. The forum had only six members, with Mykaela and two others being the most active. Her obsession with the game had led her to purchase every lore book, every piece of art associated with it and every lost manuscript, regardless of the cost.

“Exclusive content, huh…” she murmured, already decided. She went to her room, opened the link on her computer, and began downloading the game.

The download took longer than expected, strange considering her high-speed connection. The file must have been massive. Trusting the forum founder enough not to worry about a virus, her faith was rewarded when the familiar game interface finally appeared on her screen.

She hit Play.

Instead of the usual opening scene, the screen went black… Then, she began hearing screams and a blinding light hit her face. Confused, she tried to open her eyes, though she was certain they had been wide open just moments ago, staring at the screen. Her eyes strained against the brightness, and as they adjusted, she realized she was no longer in her room; she was outside, in a field, mud clinging to her hands. People were fighting around her, the clash of metal against metal loud and chaotic.

Mykaela’s head reeled. ‘I must have fallen asleep,’ she tried to reason.

But then, a body hit the ground beside her with a sickening thud. She looked down at the man—his lifeless eyes stared back, and blood pooled beneath him.