[Third-person POV: Neil]
The flames flickered in the old fireplace, casting shadows across the worn-out walls of the abandoned building.
The air was heavy with the scent of charred wood, and Neil sat by the fire, lost in thought. The night outside echoed with the distant howls of unknown creatures, a constant reminder of the world's decay.
As Neil stared into the dancing flames, the soft rustle of footsteps caught his attention.
Nealah entered the room with a book clutched in her hands. The corners of the book were frayed, and its pages bore the marks of time.
"Hey, Neil, look what I found!" Nealah exclaimed, holding the book up as if it were a prized treasure. "It's so old, but I bet it's filled with stories from before everything went... you know."
Neil glanced at the book, recognizing the tattered cover of an adult novel. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to explain that to her. "Nealah, this isn't a book for someone your age. It's... well, it's not suitable."
Nealah's eyes widened with curiosity. "Why? What's in it? I want to know. Can you read it to me?"
Neil sighed, knowing that the content wasn't appropriate for her age. "It's not the right kind of story for you, kiddo. Let's find something else."
"I am not a kid, and you are only a few years older than me", she grumbled as she heard him calling her a kid again.
"Yeah, 10 years is just a few years for you; anyway, throw that book away; we can find a new one", he rebuked, having already become used to her childlike behavior.
Nealah's expression turned stubborn, and she stamped her foot on the dusty floor. "No! I want to hear this one. I found it, and you always used to read stories for others. Why not to me?"
Neil looked at her with frustration, torn between his sense of responsibility and her insistence. "The others are dead, so stop mentioning them, and that book is not a good one. I can find you another book, maybe a story about adventure or survival."
But Nealah was having none of it. She crossed her arms, pouting, "I don't want another book. I want this one. If you don't read it, I'll not talk to you."
Neil sighed, realizing he was caught in a game of emotional manipulation. "Fine, but you have to promise not to say a word and keep quiet, and if it gets too much, we stop. Deal?"
Nealah's eyes sparkled with victory, and she couldn't help but flash a triumphant smile as she enthusiastically threw herself onto Neil for a hug. "Deal!"
In a reflexive attempt, Neil moved to catch her, only to find that the moment her body touched his, she began to fade away. The ground beneath him crumbled, and the surroundings scattered like autumn leaves in the wind.
The once vibrant light that surrounded them dimmed, eventually succumbing to an eternal darkness that enveloped Neil.
~~~~~~~
[First-person POV: Eden]
"–eil!"
"Neil!"
"Argh",
I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes when I heard someone calling my name.
I removed the book that was covering my face as I sat down on the sofa I was lying on.
"Why are you sleeping in the main hall?",
As I tried to understand where I was, Sylvia's voice brought my attention to her.
"I just dozed off for a bit; it's afternoon anyway",
I replied, rubbing my eyes, but was hindered by the mask still clinging to my face.
"It's evening now; go to your room if you are tired and stop reading novels too much", she advised, pouring a glass of water and handing it over.
"Thanks," I mumbled, accepting the water. Shifting my mask, I took a deep gulp, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat.
'I hope she's fine,' I thought, placing the glass down, my mind lingering on the details of the dream that still clung to my mind.
I don't have the faintest clue about her well-being or whether she's even still alive. All I can do is hope—hope that she didn't meet her end in the jaws of some mutated monster, much like I did. Every time I think about it, the uncertainty always leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I always try my best not to think about her, but sometimes it can't be helped.
"Your eyes are red," she said as she moved closer, observing my eyes while fixing my messy hair with her hand.
"I just thought something unpleasant," I replied vaguely, not willing to delve too deeply into the details. Rising from the sofa with a book in my hand, I moved towards a certain room.
"You know, if you ever need to talk or have something on your mind, I'm all ears," Sylvia offered, concern etched in her voice as I felt my gaze on me.
"I know", I responded without looking back, continuing my way.
"Fuck this shitty world",
As soon as I was a considerable distance away from her, I cursed out loud as I tapped the book in my hand.
The title of this novel is "SONG OF SUN AND OCEAN", some fucking bastard has just plagiarized a whole fucking novel without even changing the names of the characters or the plot and just published the book in his name. Whoever that person is should be living in luxury, as this single series alone cost a gold coin, and there are like multiple books like this that are going famous in this world.
With this much evidence, I could already guess that one of the things that I really didn't want to happen really happened.
There is another one like me—someone who got reincarnated or transmigrated into this world.
I have already read most of the novels that person wrote, thanks to a certain fan of his or her books living in this inn.
And there are a few things that I could guess.
First, whoever that person is, is most probably a female, as most of her books are in female POV that males rarely write.
Second, we both are not from the same world, as she released a complete series of novels that remained unpublished in my world, and the way those series were ended, I can more or less guess they were the real endings. No one person can write a perfect ending for 20+ novels.
The third is that she is one of the characters from the first game, which is pretty obvious given the sudden rise in the economy of Eve's continent.
I refused to believe both were just some fucking coincidence.
Then again, they are just my guesses.
"Knock..knock".
I waited for the door to be open as I knocked twice, and after a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a pink-haired girl.
"Come in",
She said this as she opened the door for me, and I didn't stand the ceremony and quickly entered the room.
Her room was filled with books as I looked around to find a place to sit down.
"Thank you for lending it to me",
I said in a friendly tone as I extended my hand, returning the book as I didn't find a single place to sit in her messy room.
"Do you like it?",
She asked curiously as she took the book from my hand.
"It was great",
I replied with a nod. And she smiled happily at my answer. Because of these novels, both of us have become good friends, as she sees me as a comrade in her weird novel fetish.
'I swear I will sucker punch that woman when ever I meet her',
The thing that I am most scared of isn't that she would take away the heavenly items of the hero's for herself; no, the thing that I am most scared of is the influence she will bring to the plot of the game because of the novels she has published.
I fully understand the consequences of that. It can inspire people, affect their mentality, and, most of all, change their personalities.
"You should read this novel too",
She said this as she started searching for her book.
She is the living example of it; because of the novels, she was able to cope with the loss of her mother, changing her personality from what it was supposed to be.
"Maybe later I have things to do for now",
I replied swiftly, moving outside of her room. I need to make preparations for the next event, and her favorites novels are always weird.
I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes as I stood beside her room. All the frustration from the last 10 days was too much for me.
"Why don't I just bend down, and you fuck me directly", I mumbled, clearly seeing all the shit I have to face later on.
*Break*
I opened my eyes as I heard something breaking, only to find Elysia standing beside me with her mouth wide open, her hand on the doorknob of her room, and a broken glass of water on the ground.
"...."
"...."
*Baam*
We both looked at each other for a while, but before I could explain myself, she closed her door and locked it from the inside.
"Ahhh, Fuck".