Life had been suspiciously peaceful for a while after the last incident.
So peaceful, in fact, that I actually let myself believe things were normal. I let my guard down. Started going with the flow.
And then reality slapped me awake.
Hard.
> [9 hours until the Special Quest begins.]
[This quest is mandatory.]
[Failure will result in consequences.]
That was the first thing I saw blinking in front of my eyes when I woke up this morning. No good morning, no sunshine, no gentle system chime.
Just pure, unfiltered dread.
I sat up so fast I nearly fell out of bed.
"F—Fuck?!" I shouted, heart racing.
And that's when I remembered—unfortunately—that I wasn't alone.
"…What happened? Why are you cursing?" came Leona's voice, calm and sharp like a blade.
Right. Leona was still in the room.
Sitting cross-legged in the corner chair, already dressed, and sipping tea like it was a perfectly normal morning. Because of course she was.
I laughed awkwardly, trying to play it off.