Shake, shake.
"Ren."
Shake.
"Ren."
Shake.
"Ren, wake up."
Shake.
"Leave me alone, Aki." Ren mumbled, face buried deep into pillow purgatory.
Shake.
"Wake up. Breakfast is downstairs. You'll throw another melodramatic fit if you miss it again."
"Go. Away."
A sharp, annoyed exhale left Aki's lips. The fed-up, sibling kind. She turned for the door.
"Fine, suit yourself. I'll just–"
"REN. RISE WITH PURPOSE OR FALL WITH SHAME."
"AGHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?"
Aki spun on her heel – a full 180. "Dude. What happened? Are you good?"
"How the hell is King Arthur still in my head?"
"How gracious. Not even bothering to hide it behind thoughts anymore. And for your information – King Arthur required Excalibur for his feats. I achieved mine with a simple steel sword."
"And pray, tell me, why wouldn't I still be in your head?"
"Ren, what are you talking about? Seriously. You look like you've seen a ghost. And why are your bedsheets so sweaty? What did you get up to last night?"
She wasn't wrong.
Ren was a mess – bed soaked, hair frazzled from the visor, and a strange, bloodshot look in his eyes.
And that was just physically.
Mentally?
He was doing psychological backflips. Brain firing on all cylinders. Questioning absolutely everything.
Okay, okay, okay. How the hell are you still here? I thought you were just some weird in-game NPC-AI thing?
"In-game? What are you talking about, Ren? You thought that fight was a game? How hubristic. And to think I believed I had instilled a sense of discipline into you."
YES. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THAT WAS. A GAME.
"Please stop shouting. It's hurting my ears."
YOU DON'T HAVE EARS. YOU'RE A PROGRAMME!
"Ren. I'm completely baffled. You must elaborate on what you are talking about."
Aki stood in the doorway, watching her brother writhe around on his bed. Eyes rabid. Making silent gestures to himself.
"...Uhh, okay?" she said, slowly backing out. "I'll leave you to it, then. Breakfast is downstairs. You're actually up early for once, so… take the win, I guess?"
Click.
The door closed behind her.
Of course, this all went unnoticed by Ren, who was still arguing with Soren.
– YES. A VIDEO GAME. THAT'S WHAT YOUR WORLD IS!
"...and you enter this fiddle–"
Video.
"Sorry. Video game. Through that?"
Soren glanced at the jet-black visor.
Yes.
"So, it's some sort of… teleportation magic?"
No – well, yes. Kind of. But I'm not actually going anywhere, because your world is…
Ren flipped over the visor and ejected the WORLD LIBERATOR disc from the slot at the back.
This thing. See? A game. Fake.
"That doesn't look very fun to play with. It's simply a small, rectangular block."
No. Look. You put this in here.
Ren slotted the disc into the slot.
Then you put it on.
He put the visor on.
Then you get sent to your world. Through this.
"So a teleportation device?"
No–
Ren rubbed the bridge of his nose.
I don't think you'll ever get it.
"Then, how about a compromise?"
How so?
"You continue believing this 'fiddly' game fallacy. And I continue believing the truth – my world is real."
Ren paused. And thought. Where was the harm in letting Soren believe his world was real?
Alright. We have a deal.
"Brilliant! Now. I'm starving."
I wonder who's fault that is…
"Let us find something to eat!"
***
"What… Is this?"
Ren sat cross-legged across from an armada of seemingly floating, golden vessels that bobbed up and down in a sea of milky goodness.
Cereal. It's more of a western thing. But I like it.
"How fascinating…"
He took a spoonful of cereal, brought it to his mouth, then chewed.
"..."
"How extraordinary! The flavours! So bold! The textures – the satisfying crunch of the solid precedes an even more satisfying tidal wave of sugary goodness! Where is the chef? I must pay my respects!"
Uhhh… Aki? I guess? But she just got it from there.
Ren pointed towards a cardboard box with a smiling tiger.
"So he is the chef. Please, give him my respects."
…Sure. Will do.
He took a bite of his cereal.
"Alright Ren, I'm heading out!"
"Cool. See ya! Take care!"
A slam could be heard from the front of the house.
"Where has she gone off to?"
School.
"You two do not attend the same institution?"
Nah. She goes to a super smart school – I'd never in a million years be able to pass the entrance exams.
"So your sister holds intellectual superiority over you? Is that because she is wiser?"
You mean older?
"Yes."
I mean… yeah, kinda? She's older, but by like 6 minutes. And yeah, she's way smarter than me.
"Oh, so you are twins."
Yep.
Ren slurped down the rest of his cereal, then let out a content sigh.
Well. That does that. I should probably get ready.
He stood up, bowl in hand. Soren, still awestruck, took one final glance at the floating cereal remains.
"This truly is a land of marvels. Milk, preserved in cold boxes. Inanimate magic beasts as decor. And food – crafted by sorcery, yet without a single chef in sight."
It's called mass production, buddy.
"A miracle. Or perhaps… a curse. Tell me, what else does this realm hide?"
Ren rinsed out his bowl in the sink.
You haven't even seen a vacuum yet. Or TikTok. Or Lebron. You're going to love that guy.
"A vacuum of what? A… Tick-Tock? Is that a grandfather's clock of sorts? And this… Lebron? I do not know of him, but I believe that I would swiftly best–"
Yeah, yeah. Swiftly best him in combat. I get it.
Soren gave out a triumphant 'hmph'. He was finally getting the respect he deserved.
Anyways, I need to shower. So, uh… zone out or something.
"A what?"
A shower. You know – water. From the wall. For cleaning.
"Ah. Like a waterfall. But domestic."
Something like that.
Ren opened the bathroom door, paused, frowned.
Wait. Are you… still gonna be, like… here? While I'm showering?
"Of course. Where else would I be?"
Ren grimaced.
I hate this.
"Think of it as a knightly bond, formed in steam and trust–"
Nope. Nope, nope nope. Not another word.
This is going to be the worst shower of my life.