Pitch darkness.
But then a stone exploded.
A massive boulder crashed down from the temple ceiling—only to be split cleanly in two by a single slash of violet light. The fragments slammed into the floor on either side of the hall, shaking the ruined sanctuary to its core.
Smoke rolled through the broken pillars.
Demons screeched, holy knights shouted orders, and flames crawled across shattered marble.
At the center of it all, Duke Aether Von Varvien moved forward without hesitation.
His blade hummed softly as he advanced through the destruction, steps measured, expression calm to the point of indifference. Debris fell around him. A demon lunged from the smoke—its head hit the floor a heartbeat later.
Nothing slowed him.
Across the hall, another path of devastation carved its way toward the same destination.
Golden light flared as the Emperor fought his way forward, cloak snapping behind him. His movements were precise, efficient—every strike purposeful as he cut down demons blocking his advance. Where Aether was cold and relentless, the Emperor was resolute and commanding.
Both were moving toward her.
Rihanna Gisan stood frozen at the center of the temple, holy light flickering weakly around her trembling hands. Her breath came in short gasps as she watched the two men approach from opposite sides, the chaos of battle bending around them.
Aether reached her first.
He sheathed his sword with a smooth motion and extended his hand, a faint, almost playful smile touching his lips—so out of place in the ruined temple that it felt unreal.
"Shall we go?" he asked lightly. "This place is getting noisy."
Before she could answer, the Emperor stepped up beside them, blood streaking his armor but his posture steady. He extended his hand as well, gaze gentle yet unwavering.
"You don't have to follow him," he said. "Come with me. I'll keep you safe."
The screams, the fire, the collapsing temple—
All of it faded.
The world dimmed.
Two glowing choices appeared before Rihanna.
[Take the Duke's Hand]
[Follow the Emperor]
A soft, melodic voice echoed.
Who will the Saintess choose?
Rihanna lifted her hand.
"I choose—"
SMACK!
A phone flew across a desk, skidding across the floor with a sharp clatter.
"ELI!"
A voice snapped through the moment.
"Are you planning to finish your work today, or should I assume you've moved into this office permanently?"
Eli Varis groaned and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "I was literally at the best part."
Twenty-five years old, long brown hair tied loosely behind his neck, glasses slightly crooked, Eli sat surrounded by monitors filled with code, concept art, and unfinished models.
His manager stood over him, arms crossed.
"You're behind schedule. Again. And instead of fixing the AI behavior tree, you're playing that?"
Eli bent down and picked up his phone, staring at the screen in disbelief.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The Saintess stood beside the Emperor.
Not the Duke.
"That wasn't my choice," he muttered darkly. "The phone slipped."
"You've been playing one of our rival's games for weeks," his manager said. "Why?"
Eli scoffed. "I'm a developer. It's called research. What better way to understand your competition than to play their best game?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You could've picked any game."
He raised the phone.
The home screen glowed brightly.
LOVE IN TRIALS
The Saintess at the center.
The Duke on one side.
The Emperor on the other.
"Exactly," Eli replied. "Best branching narrative on the market."
She stared at him, sighed, then turned away. "Finish your work before I regret hiring you."
Eli smirked. "Always do."
Night fell unnoticed.
The office lights hummed softly as Eli leaned back, arms raised in quiet triumph.
"Yes," he whispered. "Finally."
The final route completed.
The Duke lived.
The Saintess lived.
They ended together—alive, free, happy.
Eli exhaled and slumped into his chair. "Worth it."
Idly, he opened the character menu.
Saintess.
Duke.
Emperor.
Supporting cast.
Villains.
He scrolled.
At the bottom of the villain list, a sharp crack echoed through the office.
Eli froze and looked up, heart skipping. "Hello?"
Nothing.
Silence.
Behind him, unseen by Eli, the phone screen flickered violently.
A new section appeared.
[UNASSIGNED DATA]
Static rippled.
Eli looked back down.
The screen was normal.
"…Huh."
He shrugged and tapped forward.
The next page loaded.
An empty character slot.
No portrait.
No name.
No description.
Just a blinking prompt.
Create Character
Eli frowned. "New feature… or glitch?"
He hesitated, then glanced around the empty office. "It's not like anyone's here."
He tapped it.
The customization screen opened.
Name field.
Eli typed:
Lucien
He paused, then laughed quietly. "Why not."
Description field.
Younger brother of the Duke. Presumed dead before being found.
Eli's fingers slowed.
"There was a prequel," he murmured. "Backstory mentioned… but never shown."
He remembered the lore—how the Duke had once searched for a brother who died before they met. A reference so brief most players forgot it.
What would he have looked like?
Eli continued.
Hair: Purple
Eyes: Green
"Like the Duke," he said softly.
He moved to the stats page.
And froze.
Everything was unlocked.
"…That's not possible."
Every skill.
Every affinity.
Every stat—maxed.
Eli laughed nervously. "Guess you're never supposed to exist anyway."
He maxed everything further, half amused, half uneasy.
"Just for fun."
He pressed Save.
The screen entered loading.
Eli leaned back. "It probably won't even—"
ERROR
"…Yeah. Thought so."
The error vanished.
New text appeared.
Character Created
Restriction Applied
Excessive Data Detected
Lines of text scrolled rapidly.
Power Limitation Enabled
Physical Feedback Implemented
Status: Sickly
Visual Adjustment Applied
The character model shifted.
The green eyes faded—
And turned gold.
Eli's smile slowly disappeared.
"…That's new."
The phone buzzed violently.
The character screen glitched—colors distorting, text scrambling, the model fragmenting as if something was fighting to exist.
Eli's brows furrowed. "Okay. That's not normal."
He reached to close the app.
The screen flared white.
Pain slammed into his skull.
"What the—"
Light swallowed the office.
The desk.
The screens.
The game.
Eli's scream never reached the walls.
The light dimmed.
Silence.
The chair spun slowly to a stop.
The phone lay cracked on the floor.
The office was empty.
Eli was gone.