Leo lingered in place for a moment, still piecing together the last fragments of that unreal conversation with Aya.
He clenched his jaw.
"Aya," he called out again, eyes sweeping the blackness even though he knew it was pointless. "What if… what if I'd synced with a human?"
The darkness pulsed faintly, a slow ripple of distant energy. Then her voice returned, singsong and casual. "Oh, you'd age. Rapidly, actually. Most humans barely hit a hundred years."
She let out a small, nervous laugh.
"But syncing would speed it up. A lot. A little hiccup in compatibility, let's say." Her tone softened, as though she were just now realizing the weight of what she was explaining. "Eventually, your body wouldn't keep up. You'd… die."
Leo's stomach turned. "So I almost killed myself by not knowing how the skill worked?"
"Yup!" she chirped. Then, quieter: "You were lucky. Very lucky, syncing with an elf first."
The tension in his chest broke through, boiling into rage. His fists clenched at his sides. His head throbbed, heat flooding up his neck. "You're sick!" he snapped. "This isn't a game. I could've,"
"But it is a game," Aya said, not flinching. "A dangerous, beautiful, unforgiving one."
Silence fell. Heavy, suffocating.
He drifted there, surrounded by the ever-shifting hum of data streams, glowing in long veins through the void like distant auroras. The world didn't feel fake. It felt alive. That made it worse.
"What now?" Leo asked. His voice was low. Controlled.
Aya's voice mellowed, just a little. "Now, you wait. We've still got a few minutes. Ask away. I'll answer what I can." She laughed again, though it felt thinner than before.
Leo thought for a moment, thoughts skimming the surface of his mind like stones on water. "Where can I find you?"
"Oho?" Aya sounded amused again. "Feeling clingy already?"
"Aya."
"Fine, fine. World Tower. But it's not that simple." Her voice turned slippery, evasive. "The Engineer's Domain isn't… static. It moves. Changes shape. Think of it like trying to chase a dream inside a maze that shifts every time you blink."
Leo frowned. "Why?"
She sighed, and for the first time, he heard something real, tiredness, maybe. Or something older. "Because engineers aren't meant to be found. Not until it's time."
Before Leo could press further, a low buzzing filled the air, electric, vibrating through the void like a countdown.
Aya's voice tightened. "Update's finishing."
She hesitated, then softened her tone again. "You don't need to find me now. You will, eventually. But for now," She paused, then brightened. "Try finishing the dungeon you're headed to. It's a nightmare. But it'll help. Trust me."
Leo opened his mouth to speak, but the light hit.
A blinding wall of white burst outward, swallowing him whole.
"Aya!"
Gone.
Everything shattered.
He gasped, sitting bolt upright. Cold air bit at his face. The hum of code was replaced by silence. Real, solid, grounded silence.
He blinked. The faint orange glow of oil lamps greeted him.
A small house. Wooden beams overhead. Still air. Then, murmurs. Voices. Laughter.
His mind still reeling, Leo rose to his feet and moved toward the door.
As he opened it, the murmurs became sharper. Mockery. Scattered voices weaved together into something cruel. He stepped outside.
And saw Roxanne.
She stood in the middle of a small crowd. Her face was red, streaked with tears. Her arms trembled. She tried to speak but couldn't.
Then she saw him.
She ran.
Leo barely had time to brace himself as she threw herself into his arms, sobbing against his chest.
"I thought you were gone," she said between breaths, her voice breaking. "You disappeared. I thought… maybe some new plague. Or a curse. Or maybe the gods just took you like they did the others,"
"Roxanne," Leo muttered, stunned by the panic in her voice. "I'm okay."
She didn't respond. Just sobbed harder.
He held her awkwardly, uncertain.
Then he lifted his hand, called Ai into view. A flash of light. The small feline form blinked up at him with the usual smugness, tail flicking behind her.
"Where are the cats?" Leo asked, voice low.
Before Ai could answer, Roxanne grabbed her, hugging her tightly to her chest.
Ai made a muffled sound of protest but lifted a paw and gestured toward the far corner of the village.
Leo followed the direction.
The kittens were there, curled around a bowl of food while a few villagers tossed scraps and gently pet their heads.
He let out a quiet breath. They were safe.
But then, his ears twitched.
The murmuring returned, louder now.
Snide. Directed.
"He's back. That joke of a VIP."
"Still breathing? That's disappointing."
"Maybe he'll finally die in that dungeon. Saves us the trouble."
He glanced over. Faces turned quickly away, some not bothering to hide their sneers.
He ignored it. At first.
But then—
"You can't blame him. It's the hardest quest out there."
"Exactly! That's why he'll fail."
"He doesn't even get how it works. Just another clueless idiot with a fancy title."
That one hit different.
Leo narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd. Their focus was clearly on him. Not subtle. Their smirks, their barely-muted laughter. It was all for his benefit.
He stepped away from Roxanne, gently guiding Ai back into her arms. She didn't protest.
His steps were slow. Measured.
He approached a group of three villagers who were especially animated in their gossip.
As he neared, one of them glanced up and froze.