The lost world is eternal

chapter 4: confessions

“my opinion… i hadn’t really thought about it much, I mean sure i dont love it here but its… it's not bad, we at least have a true goal here” she says confidently but hesitantly, scared i might think of her as a monster, less than human. “Why, what's your opinion?” she said quickly to move the topic.

I waited a moment, letting her answer float for a second, waiting to really understand her reasons, the reasons that I seem to share, “I mean yeah, I agree, it's not the best but this is still better than our old world.” I stood there looking at the woman standing in front of me, the girl down the street who would come over to play video games with me and lose every time, the girl that learned to beat me and turned that into a profession, the woman that i was always competing with, the one i think i started to like. She stood there in a blue vest with a white shirt, light blue jeans, soft blond hair that slightly pass her shoulders, bright green eyes that sing melodies, a short sword at her hip, armor that protects every major joint, and a small shield just big enough to parry attacks.

i snapped back to reality “do you want to start a guild?” I shouted out suddenly, barely giving her time to react.

She, shocked from my shouting, responded just as quickly, “yes?”

“Good” I said quickly again before we both burst out in laughter.

She grinned, shaking her head with that familiar, playful glint in her eyes. It was like a scene out of our old lives, that easy back-and-forth we’d fallen into as kids. But here, it felt heavier, like the stakes were higher, and yet somehow, the laughter felt just as freeing.

The laughter faded, and we both looked off into the distance, toward the sprawling landscape that was both our prison and our playground now. I could see the mix of hope and uncertainty in her eyes. She was strong, more resilient than I’d ever been, and I knew she’d probably been carrying a lot more of this world’s weight than I had.

“Do you think this is it?” I asked, quieter this time, trying to feel out her thoughts without overwhelming her with my own doubts. “Like… do you ever wonder if we’re supposed to stay here forever?”

She glanced back at me, her expression softer now. “Sometimes, yeah. But… I don’t think it’d be so bad, you know?” She turned back to the horizon. “In our old world, everything felt so… set in stone. Here, I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, and maybe that’s terrifying, but it’s also kind of… exhilarating.”

I nodded slowly, feeling a strange mix of relief and unease. “Yeah, I think I get that.”

For a moment, we both fell silent, each lost in our own thoughts. The idea of starting a guild sounded exciting, a way to take control in a world that didn’t often give us choices. It was a strange sensation, feeling a spark of purpose I hadn’t felt in a long time.

"Alright, then,” I said, finally breaking the quiet. “If we’re going to do this, we do it right. We build something real here.”

She smiled again, this time with a fierceness in her eyes. “Let’s give them something to remember us by.”

The third town felt like a place of strange, in-between moments, a resting spot we couldn’t settle in. After a few more exchanges, we agreed to pack up and push on toward the fifth town. That’s where, apparently, the real action was — more powerful quests, better gear, and, if the rumors were true, people with connections that could change everything.

The next morning, the landscape stretched ahead of us, shifting from lush greenery to rugged, uneven paths with scattered patches of trees and rocks that looked like they'd been left behind by giants. The air was cooler now, and each breeze felt like a reminder of how far from home we really were.

“Think we’ll even recognize this new guy when we see him?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Doubt it,” I said, dodging a low-hanging branch. “I heard he’s… strange. Keeps to himself. People say he’s always wearing this cloak with weird symbols on it.”

She gave me a look, eyebrow raised. “And you think we can trust someone like that?”

I shrugged. “Can’t trust anyone here, right? But he’s supposed to be powerful. Some players say he can teleport and cast spells we haven’t even seen yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sounds like the kind of person who could be a pain to work with.”

I chuckled. “True. But maybe he can help us with our guild. If he’s really as skilled as they say, he might know things about this world that we can’t figure out on our own.”

The hours passed in a rhythm of quiet conversation and the crunch of our footsteps on dirt and stone. Occasionally, we’d cross paths with other players, most of them haggard-looking, some fully armored, others with improvised weapons like sticks and broken swords. It was clear everyone was trying to reach somewhere else, chasing rumors and hints of quests that might give them an edge.

Finally, as the sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the horizon, we saw it: the walls of the fifth town, tall and gray with an unmistakable energy humming around them. From a distance, we could already see it was bigger than the other towns. Lanterns lined the main road, and faint voices floated toward us, a chorus of people gathered in what looked like a bustling marketplace.

We exchanged a glance, both of us feeling a spark of excitement — and maybe a little dread. This place was a world apart, almost intimidatingly large, and it promised things we couldn’t even imagine yet. I could tell she was feeling it too; her hand drifted toward her sword hilt instinctively.

“You ready for this?” I asked, letting a small grin slip through.

“Only if you are,” she shot back, the same competitive fire in her eyes as always.

With that, we stepped forward, blending into the crowded streets of the fifth town. Somewhere here, our new ally was waiting. Or so we hoped.