"…"
"Chat…?"
[CAsssI: Why did the stream end?]
A throbbing pain, the kind that emerges without warning, thundered through Rowan's skull — a pain so sharp, so violently sudden, it was as though a heavyweight boxer with malicious intent had thrown a haymaker square into the side of his head. The pain rippled through the inner lining of his mind, a fogged thunderstorm trapped inside his brain, and for a moment he saw only darkness, the type of pitch-black silence that exists between seconds, between thoughts, between moments in time when a person questions whether they're dead or merely dreaming.
And then, just as quickly as it had begun, the pain dulled into a lingering echo and vanished altogether, leaving behind nothing more than a phantom sting and a trail of confusion. He blinked once. Then twice. And then, slowly, almost unwillingly, he opened his eyes to a sight both familiar and impossibly surreal.
Towering trees of an unnatural shade of green — the kind of green that looked edited, digitally enhanced — stretched above him, their leaves swaying gently in a breeze that smelled faintly of pine and static. Birds chirped, but with a rhythm that felt too precise, too orchestrated, like a looping sound effect buried in the ambiance of a video game. And then, almost absurdly, a rabbit — small, fluffy, with fur like cotton and ears that flopped slightly as it sniffed the air — hopped into view.
Above the rabbit's head, a small, semi-transparent red icon hovered, pulsating faintly: [25❤️]
Rowan blinked again, his face twisting in bewilderment.
[Frayie: Woah?! Why can we see Rowan in a random forest in 3rd person view??]
[Granfort: where's the camera????]
"What the—!" Rowan's voice cracked with shock, trailing off in disbelief as his eyes caught something he could never have anticipated. Suspended in mid-air before him, almost like a hologram stitched into reality itself, hovered a chat box — a semi-transparent blue interface, clean and rounded, its text bold and white, eerily familiar in its appearance.
It was his stream chat.
He scrambled to his feet, though his legs were weak and unsteady beneath him, as if he hadn't stood in hours or days, and his hands instinctively reached for the nearest tree to support his balance. His fingers gripped the bark — rough, real, impossibly tangible — and as he leaned against it, he allowed his gaze to sweep across the expanse of the forest once more. Despite the serene appearance of the woods, the vividness of the environment, and the strangely crisp breeze brushing against his cheeks, one certainty struck him with terrifying clarity:
This place wasn't a dream.
It looked too much like something out of a digital fantasy, too reminiscent of a particular location he had seen countless times across his screen. The trees. The textures. The color grading. It was uncanny.
'Where the hell am I?!' his thoughts screamed, bouncing in a mental echo chamber as panic began to settle in his gut like a stone dropped into still water.
And then, realization struck like lightning on a dry plain.
This place… This place looks exactly like the starter area in Eon…
Wait… No way… No freaking way… Am I inside of Eon?!?!
[Reopy: Rowan explain what the hell is happening]
"I—I've been transported into the game?!" he stammered, speaking aloud with a tone laced in disbelief and adrenaline, his body wobbling forward in a half-step before he tripped over a root and fell with a grunt.
[Terhio: what kind of bullshit is that?]
[Goed: the 21 hours of gaming finally getting to bro 💔]
[Jokal: Why is it so realistic tho?]
"I'm not crazy, chat… I'm actually inside of Eon!" he insisted, rising to his feet with the stubbornness of someone who has no proof but only their voice.
And then, without warning, a new message appeared in front of him — a green text box this time, identical in style to the chat box, as though it were part of the very world itself.
[YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE 61ST ENDING. NOW TO TEST YOUR TRUE SELF, YOU MUST UNLOCK THE 62ND ENDING.]
"Sixty… second ending?" Rowan echoed, the number lingering in his mouth like a secret being spoken aloud for the first time. Among all the speculation, data mines, and theories floating around the Eon forums, the 62nd ending was the one that had never been found, never been verified, the Holy Grail of narrative closure in a game with too many endings to count.
[IN ORDER TO UNLOCK IT, ONE MUST BE PART OF THE GAME.]
He narrowed his eyes. 'One must be part of the game? Is that why I'm here?'
His hand moved to his chin as he stroked it slowly in a deep, theatrical motion, trying to organize his spiraling thoughts while ignoring the surreal context of it all.
"Chat… is this why I'm inside the game?" he asked aloud, his voice steadying despite the insanity of the moment.
[Frostie: We don't fully trust you but maybe you are.]
[Vonly: This is too real to be a troll. Please Rowan you're not joking right?]
"I'm not joking! I swear! I'm actually in the game!" His tone became more desperate now, pleading for belief.
[Doka: Should you find Lovion since you're inside Gritkila Forest?]
"Oh, right! The first thing I should do is find him!" Rowan exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Lovion was the very first non-playable character (NPC) encountered in the game's opening forest — a crucial interaction that kickstarted the journey to Zedi Village and unlocked a series of tutorial quests.
'He's here, right?' Rowan thought, more determined now, as he pushed himself off the tree and began to walk, still supporting himself on trunks and rocks as his body adjusted to the demands of a world that now obeyed different rules than the one he came from.
The minutes passed — slow, winding, and filled with frustrated sighs. Despite his best efforts to retrace the steps he remembered from playing the game, the random nature of Lovion's spawn location was proving to be a nightmare in real life. What once was a minor inconvenience in a game had now become a tangible obstacle.
"Chat, this is irritating!" he growled, shoving a branch out of his way. 'It wasn't this hard to find him when I was playing it!' his mind protested.
[Ghost: Oh! On your right!]
[Salva: He's there! He's there!]
He whipped around in excitement, only to find… nothing.
"What..? Where?" he said, puzzled.
[Fidilia: LOL! He really fell for it.]
He groaned. "You guys are not helping!" he barked at the chat box, shaking his head.
But just as he was about to scold them more, something caught his eye — a flicker of movement behind a tree. He sprinted forward, heart racing with a mix of frustration and anticipation, and at last, after weaving past twisted roots and mossy rocks, he saw him.
Lovion.
[Hai: Finally he found him!]
The NPC turned, startled by Rowan's noisy approach. Petite, with wide eyes and a nervous posture, Lovion immediately stepped back, covering his face as if Rowan had leapt out to mug him.
[Doh: Yo u scared him!]
Rowan stopped in his tracks, feeling his guilt flare up. "Ah, sorry…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Lovion peeked between his fingers, hesitant.
"M—may I help y—you?" he asked, stuttering adorably.
Rowan turned instinctively to his chat. "Chat… what should I say?" he whispered, making it look — from Lovion's perspective — like he was talking to thin air.
"A—are you okay, sir?" Lovion asked, visibly concerned.
"Uhh—" Rowan paused.
[Goldi: Isn't it 'Ask where to find Zedi Village' and he'll give you the map?]
"Oh yeah!" Rowan said a bit too loudly.
Lovion winced.
"May you direct me to Zedi Village?" he asked.
[Toxinitic: That wasn't how you say it in Eon tho…]
'Shut up! I forgot what the dialogue said!' he thought.
Lovion smiled gently. "I was a bit frightened by your actions," he admitted. "I can't go with you to Zedi, but I will give you a map!"
Perfect.
"Great! May I please take a look at it?" Rowan asked, trying to sound normal.
Lovion fished through his pockets and unfurled a parchment scroll. "You can have it. It will be essential for your journey."
Rowan took it with thanks, watching as Lovion slowly walked away.
[Dawgied: Was he bipolar…?]
[Manepare: Mood swings is not bro's enemy]
Rowan chuckled. "Talking to an NPC from the game you played for years is... weirdly satisfying."
But just as he was about to ask chat for directions, a rustling came from nearby.
He froze. "Yo, chat! If it's a monster, how do I equip my sword?!"
[Holland: Click the inventory logo duh!]
"There is no button!" he snapped.
The rustling stopped. Rowan relaxed slightly. "It stopped...?"
Then — something leapt from the bush. A small, goblin-like creature with a single eye.
"A Blinker?!"
[FlameFrags: Try saying 'inventory'!]
"What—? Inventory!" he shouted.
A box popped up — an inventory screen. Inside, a rusted sword and a branch.
He clicked the sword. It materialized in his hand.
"Wah!" he gasped. It looked heavy… but felt light.