"Gusion. Gusion Paxley would be the best." He's really staring at me and doesn't seem to have any intention of letting me go.
"Good choice. He's one of my favorite assassins. But may I ask, why did you choose him?"
"Well, I've read his story. He's interesting." Isn't he? "A rebellious mage who broke the rules and abandoned his family just to live life on his own terms."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow?"
"See you." I slipped my phone into the pocket of my bathrobe.
I looked at his hand gripping my arm. He loosened his hold, but he still wouldn't let go.
"Do you not intend to release me?"
"Not unless you answer my questions," he said seriously.
Questions. I rolled my eyes.
"Look, I don't know if I'm dreaming right now or if the world's just messing with me. But I seriously don't know you, and I have no idea how you even got here. And for the record, I wasn't even interested in video games!"
"Video games?"
"Why are you asking me that? You're obviously from a video game! Don't you know Mobile Legends?" This is so annoying.
"I know not of what you speak." He said as he let go of me.
"Video game," I muttered, opening my phone and launching Mobile Legends. "This is a video game. You're in here as a hero. You're an assassin/mage, and everyone uses you when they play." Why am I even explaining this to him?
"That is preposterous."
"Indeed." I slipped my phone back into my pocket. "You do not belong here. You should return to where you came from."
"The concept of a video game is absurd. I cannot fathom how I ended up there. I hail from a distant landーthe Land of Dawn. My world is real, as real as the air you breathe."
"You're not sick, you're fine," I said, touching his forehead. "But you're telling me there's another dimension."
"The Land of Dawn exists, and it is there that I reside."
"Really? Then, you're supposed to be in a video game right now instead of talking to me, because the Land of Dawn exists in Mobile Legends."
"Do you take me for a fool?" He grabbed my wrist and gave me deadly stares again. "You have read it... my story. You know who I am and what I am."
My throat dried up. He's an assassin. I was a taekwondo player for twelve years, but when it comes to things like thisーwhen a blade is pointed at my throat-my knees would tremble in fear.
"You can't kill me."
"Without question, I can," he said, letting me go. "But not yet. I have need of you."
"I don't think you need help," I mumbled, touching my wrist. It hurt.
"This is not my world, and I require your help to return to my own."
"You ran away," I said. "You broke the rules and abandoned your family. I don't think you can just go back after what you've done."
"You understand nothing."
"Yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him.
"You will assist me."
I looked at him. "Is that a threat or something?"
"Consider it whatever you wish."
I rolled my eyes again. He's annoying. I kept walking. It was very, very late, and I needed to sleep. I didn't want to go to school tomorrow with a tired face-Lawrence would laugh at me.
"Noevia," he called just as I was about to open the door to my room.
"What is it now?"
"It isn't right for a woman to appear like that before a man." His calm tone made my blood boil, as if what he said was some undeniable truth.
"I'm wearing a bathrobe, you see." I blushed when I realized I wasn't wearing anything underneath as I argued with him. How stupid can I be?
"A bathrobe is nothing but a thin veil," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "To my eyes, you're still bare."
"Pervert!" I opened the door immediately and slammed it shut. Pervert. He's weird, annoying, and a total pervert. I can't believe him! I changed into my pajamas and jumped into bed.
Ah, this is crazy!
I woke up at exactly seven o'clock in the morning, took a bath, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. I was about to open the fridge when I saw that weird guy standing by the window, looking like he was deep in thought. He was already dressedーand thankfully, he didn't look like a fashion terrorist anymore.
"You'll leave today," I said as I poured fresh milk into a glass.
He turned to look at me. He looked so serious. He always looked that way, like he was silently saying, I know you remember what I said last night.
"Tell meーhow do I return to my world?" he asked.
"I told you, I have no idea!"
"I should go back as soon as possible," he said, stepping in front of me. "Do you always take your breakfast like that? Standing, with a glass of milk in one hand and a slice of bread in the other?"
"What are you talking about?" I shot him a glare.
"You look no better than a vagrant child eating scraps on a street corner." He said without a hint of hesitation before walking over to the dining table and taking a seat.
"What?" I couldn't believe this guy. "This is how pretty girls have their breakfast, okay? Got it?"
"I need something to eat," he said, ignoring what I just said. I rolled my eyes and handed him a glass of milk and a slice of bread. He glanced at the food, then turned his eyes to me.
"What? That's all I have. I don't really eat here. I never have an appetite when I'm alone," I said, almost mumbling the last part. I'm always alone, and it feels like a waste of time to cook when there's no one else around.
He just nodded and started eating the slice of bread. After we finished breakfast, I told him not to go anywhere and not to let anyone into the condo. I had no choice. I had to leave him here—it would be a huge problem if I let him wander around the city. He's an assassin, and this world is completely new to him.
I want him to go back home… but I don't even know how. This is seriously driving me crazy.
"Noe!" Lawrence called when I arrived at school. He had been waiting for me. My heart thumped when he greeted me with a hug.
"Are you nervous?" I asked.
"No," he shook his head. "I'm confident now that you're here."
I blushed when I heard those words. What does that even mean?
He was about to say something else when his classmates called him. The competition was about to start. I followed him to the covered gym and sat in the bleachers. There were enough students inside to cheer for their friends and classmates.
Four tables were set up at the center where the four teams would sit. Four teams would compete in the first round, then two in the second. The winner of the second round would face last year's champions. There was a cash prize and a chance to qualify for the national e-sports competition.
This is what I liked about our school—there was a yearly MOBA competition that gave players a chance to sharpen their skills and entertain themselves. I wasn't into games. I only knew about this because of Lawrence. He's a gamer. He really loves games.
I wonder if he likes me too.
Kidding. I chuckled at the last thought that crossed my mind. He won'tーand it doesn't matter.
"Good day, Stuart University!" the emcee greeted. He made a few announcements before the game started. The students cheered while the players stayed serious, their eyes fixed on their phones.
Lawrence looked so serious and calm at the same time. It's like he's used to this. I wonder what it feels like to play games like Mobile Legends.
I glanced at the big screens on the other side of the gym. They were showing the gameplay.
"Mr. Dixon is live for Team A!" the emcee announced. "Mr. Baguio for Team B… Ms. Gonzales for Team C… and Mr. Ignacio for Team D!" he added, pointing at the four big screens one by one with his finger.
Wow. It looks interesting. Lawrence is the one who's live for team A. The gameplay on the first screen was his.
"Magic lies in the mind, but my blade follows my heart." I heard from Lawrence's live. Huh?
"Lawrence is using Gusion again," I heard some girls talking beside me.
"I bet they'll win."
"Of course, he's using his signature hero. And look at his fingers—ah, Lawrence is really good at it!" the other girl said.
Gusion? I looked at the big screen and watched the hero carefully. It's really him—Gusion Paxley. He moves fast, and his skills are amazing. I wonder if he's actually like that, or if it's just about how Lawrence handles him.
"Take a guess at how many swords I have," even the voice is the same. I played with my fingers and started to wonder why a fictional hero came here. Is the world being mean to me? I wasn't even interested in games!
"Look, there's a clash in the bottom lane, and Lawrence is coming!" the girl sitting beside me said.
"An ally has been slain," the big screen announced.
"Enemy double kill! Enemy triple kill!"
"Ah, Lawrence, hurry up!" they called out.
Gusion came to the bottom lane. He started fighting the enemies, and my schoolmates cheered for Lawrence when he shut one of them down.
"Triple kill! Maniac!" announced the in-game voice. "Savage!" The cheers grew even louder. I couldn't keep up. I didn't understand anything that was happening.
"Excuse me, may I know what just happened?" I asked the girl beside me.
"Ah, Lawrence killed five enemies in a row. Isn't he amazing?" she answered.
The hero he's using is amazing too.
Then, I felt my cellphone vibrate inside my bag. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the caller's nameーMelissa. She was calling me. I quickly left the covered gym and answered it.
"Hello..."
"You are such a bitch, do you know that?"
"Melissa, I'm sorry for not coming—"
"No," she cut me off. "I don't want to hear anything from you. You know how much I hate your excuses, right?"
"Sorry," I bit my lower lip.
"If you're really sorry, why don't you change your major and study abroad? That would be the best apology for me." She chuckled sarcastically and added, "I didn't even want to come back here—especially not to see your face. But Father wanted to see you. What, do you want everyone to think my brother and I are the bad ones?" she ended the call.
Here we go again.
I immediately wiped my tears and cleared my throat. I didn't want anyone to see me crying—they'd only laugh at me.
"Noe?" I turned around and saw Lawrence walking toward me.
"Hey..."
"What are you doing here?"
"My sister called me," I said with a smile. "And you were great, Lawrence." I patted his shoulder.
"Thank you. Do you want to grab a snack with me? We have a fifteen-minute break before the competition continues."
"Ah... Melissa told me to come home. I'm sorry, I can't watch until the end of the competition." Another excuse.
"It's okay. I'll just send you a copy of the game replay later."
"Thank you." He touched my cheek and smiled. "I have to go now..."
"I'll call you later," he said before heading back inside.
I'm sorry, I thought to myself. I couldn't go back inside and pretend nothing happened. I went to the parking lot and drove my car to the beach. When I arrived, I started walking along the seashore. I loved the smell of salt water and the warmth of the sunlight. Even though nature was trying to comfort me, I still couldn't hold back my tears.
She really hates me.
I remembered when I was a kid, I'd always greet her with a hug, but she would push me away and hurt me. She'd do terrible things and blame them on me. Melissa had hated me ever since I was born. I don't know why, but I still tried my best to make her love me. I tried to impress her, obey her, and listen to everything she said. But I stopped when I grew up—when I realized I'd never have a chance to be loved by my sister.
I wasn't close to my brother Lucian either. He's cold to me and never talks unless it's absolutely necessary. Our mother loves me, at least in her own way.
The only person in our family who's ever been kind to me is our father. He's always quiet and calm. He was the only one who defended me against Melissa when I was young. We aren't really close either, but one thing's for sure—he's never hurt me.
Maybe this is why I keep my distance from people and never made many friends. Lawrence is my only friend. I just don't want to enter people's lives only to feel unwanted in the end. I want to be loved, but I got tired of asking for it. I couldn't even do what I really wanted in life.
"This is crazy..." I whispered as my fingers wiped away my tears.
I stayed at the beach for hours, only deciding to go home when it was already dark. I was tired and wanted to sleep. My sadness had drained every bit of my energy.
"Ah!" I screamed when somebody pulled me into a corner the moment I entered my place. The entire place was dark, and this person pinned me against the wall while pointing something at my neck.
"Who are you?" he asked in a serious tone. It was him.
"Are you crazy?!" I exclaimed, trying not to move. This weird man was pointing his blade at me again. "You reallyㅡ" I tried to push him away, but I suddenly felt the blade graze my skin. I moved. I fucking moved.
I touched my neck, and my knees trembled in fear when I felt blood on my skin. It stung.
"You're crazy!" I shouted at him, and I didn't expect my tears to fall. I must be too tired from everything—that's why I couldn't hold them back anymore.
"You're crying," he stated. I couldn't see him because it was too dark. This is a good time, right? Even though he's in front of me, he can't see me. I can cry.
I closed my eyes. Why am I even breathing when nobody wants me around?
"I hate this. I really hate this..." I whispered, as if no one was listening. "I reallyㅡ"
What?
I opened my eyes when I felt something against my neck. It was softㅡand I couldn't move an inch when I realized what it was.
He kissed my neck.
My heart raced when I felt his tongue against my woundㅡthe place where his blade had cut me. What is he doing?
"There," he said. I could feel his breath against my face. "Next time, don't move when you're afraid to bleed."
It was only then that I noticed these things: his voice was deep, cold, and calm at the same time, and his lips... were soft. I blushed at the thoughts suddenly rushing through my mind.
"W-What did you just do to me?"
"I kissed it," he said flatly. "Consider it Paxley's remedy, young lady."
His voice was so manly, my heart almost leapt out of my chest.
And without thinking, I slapped him before running to my room.
Paxley's medicine, really.