novelnext Bonus: A Player’s Story (Light)
Bonus: A Player’s Story (Light)
The hum of the metropolis filtered through the academy windows with a monotonous, almost mechanical persistence.(Bzzzzzzzzzt... Bzzzzzzzt...)
Inside Saint-Valerie Academy, long ago in Central City, the air was heavy with the perfume of the gardens and the scent of old paper—a constant reminder of how that place had been an exclusively female sanctuary for decades.
(Tap... tap... tap...)
But back then, under the banner of "experimental co-education," the hallways saw young men walking through who didn't quite fit into that porcelain picture.
"...."
Among them, sitting at that time in the furthest corner of the library, shrouded in the shadows of the history shelves, was Kaelen Thorne.
"Damn it... the 'World Boss' event again in the middle of lunch hour..."
Kaelen wasn't looking at the books; instead, his fingers moved with almost surgical dexterity across his portable console's screen, his eyes reflecting the frantic glow of pixels as his mind disconnected from the real world.
(Piiiii-pi-pi-pibi!)
To him, life in Central City was nothing more than background noise, and the academy, a static stage where his existence went as unnoticed as a shadow at noon.
"... Good... I can do this..."
He was a withdrawn boy, a loner by choice who found more logic in lines of code and leveling systems than in the complex social network of the new, co-ed Saint-Valerie.
(Fwosh... Clang!)
However, as Kaelen sank into his digital comfort zone, the "harmony" of the place was disrupted by a presence that was the polar opposite of his voluntary darkness.
"... And that’s how you do a perfect parry. Humans are too unpredictable... video games, on the other hand, always follow rules."
Was the one who entered destiny... or perhaps...?
(Clack... clack... clack!)
Whatever the case, the rhythmic sound of low heels echoed incessantly.
"Good morning, Kaelen..."
Finally, entering the scene, the firstborn of the prestigious Vance Family presented herself beside Kaelen, greeting him with the grace of an authentic lady despite her humility.
("Too bright...")
Her beauty was such that it silenced conversations in her wake, showing delicate alabaster skin and a gaze that exuded an almost dangerous sincerity.
"Good morning, Elara..."
Seeing her like that, Kaelen cringed in his seat.
"Oh, excuse me... I didn't mean to interrupt your reading."
Elara was the star student, the young woman with perfect grades who, despite her status, carried an inherited naivety from her mother that bordered on the absurd.
(Zas! — Game Over!)
That was why, when she stopped in front of Kaelen's table, tilting her head with genuine curiosity, completely oblivious to the fate that awaited them both after that encounter...
"Good day..."
... She greeted him calmly, remembering how her mother had advised her to speak with simple and polite language so that she would appear more accessible, which was a consequence of her upbringing.
"Yes... Good morning..."
In this way, the meeting in the library was submerged in a dense silence, charged with an awkwardness that only someone like Kaelen could experience with such intensity.
(Ba-dum... ba-dum...)
Kaelen Thorne, despite his attempts to appear like an inert piece of furniture, couldn't prevent his pulse from betraying his facade of indifference.
(What should I say...?)
He was, in theory, an average boy: raven-black hair that fell with a certain carelessness down to his neck and dark eyes that usually sought refuge in the light of LEDs.
"...."
However, in the ecosystem of Saint-Valerie Academy, his simple presence was an anomaly, a constant reminder of the social experiment in which he was trapped.
"... Ahm."
Therefore, having no idea how to behave, he acted with a stiff, almost mechanical movement; Kaelen performed a brief bow, a silent surrender to the social hierarchy that Elara represented without even trying.
(Shhhhhhh!)
But upon hearing the sound of silk softly brushing against the chair, announcing that she had settled in diagonally across from him, Kaelen—trapped between his game screen and reality—couldn't help his gaze from drifting toward the young woman's shoulders.
(Even so... she is an existence in a completely different league.)
As he looked, he noticed how her shoulders were slender, fragile in appearance, rising and falling with a rhythmic breath that spoke of an inner peace he had never known.
(A final boss that I don't even have the minimum level to interact with...)
Having finished his observation, even someone as disconnected as Kaelen understood the boundaries of the map.
However, he wasn't the only one, as the other boys in the academy kept an almost religious safety distance, aware of her nearly crystalline aura of purity.
(... I want to leave.)
Because of that, attempting a romantic approach with her felt, to the rest of the males, like trying to attack a story-essential NPC that doesn't have a health bar.
(Clack!)
That was why he immediately snapped his console shut with a sharp thud, a sound that echoed in the stillness of the library like a small explosion...
"How pathetic..."
And feeling a sting of self-loathing for allowing himself to observe a "lady" in that way, Kaelen began to take out his textbooks, feeling the weight of the volumes on the real wood table as a signal that the video game fantasy had to give way to the monotony of the first class.
(Fwip... fwip...)
And so, they met as they turned the pages of their books while the sun began to set.
In this way, time passed and the classroom—once a hive of whispers and hurried footsteps—had been transformed into a mausoleum of wood and chalk under the glow of the sunset.
(Fuuuuuuuuu...)
The summer sunlight, thick and orange like honey, poured through the large windows of Saint-Valerie Academy, bathing the empty desks and casting long shadows against the walls.
(Click-clack! Tap-tap-tap!)
In theory, the silence should have been absolute, a sign of respect for a space dedicated to the intellect, but a rhythmic, mechanical sound shattered the peace.
"...."
The source of that sound, hidden in the furthest corner, hunched over his desk as if trying to merge with the twilight shadows, was Kaelen Thorne.
"Damn it... do what you're told... move to the left..."
His fingers moved with a frenzy that defied the calm of the surroundings. Before him, the artificial glow of a portable console defied the rules of the institution—a forbidden object that, in anyone else's hands, would have been instantly confiscated by the disciplinary committee.
(Rat-tat-tat-tat!)
However, thanks to his experience, he managed to hide the actions necessary to maintain his mental stability.
(Zas! — Boom!)
Getting into that elite school had cost him sleepless nights and an academic effort that had torn his mental health apart. Now, trapped among students who seemed to have been born with success in their veins, video games were the only artificial respirator keeping him from sinking into a sea of stress and guilt.
"No... not like that... they're useless!"
Because of this, an intense first-person shootout unfolded on the screen with terrifying fluidity thanks to the academy's high-speed connection. However, luck was not on his side, and his teammates, randomly selected by the system, were being massacred, ignoring his strategies and falling one by one to enemy fire.
"... Is that you, Thorne?"
But while Kaelen clicked his tongue, his face twisted in a grimace of existential frustration, a voice from behind—clear and melodious like a crystal bell—cut through the air with a softness that was more violent than an explosion to Kaelen's nervous system.
(Clatter! — Thump!)
Because of that, in a fit of pure panic, his fingers lost their grip and the console, his only link to sanity, traced a parabola in the air before hitting the floor with a dull thud that echoed in every corner of the empty classroom.
"Ah—!"
Seeing this, Kaelen froze, his breath catching as his gaze slowly dropped from the figure that had just appeared to the device lying at his feet, its screen still flickering with the signs of imminent defeat.
(Clink!)
He had been caught in his moment of greatest weakness, and to his misfortune, the person observing him was none other than the embodiment of the perfection he feared so much.
"Gulp!!..."
Kaelen felt the world come to a stop.
"Are you... are you okay? I'm so sorry... I left something in the classroom and I didn't want to startle you..."
The impact of the console hitting the floor was nothing compared to the impact of seeing the owner of that voice.
"Ahhh..."
Kaelen stood petrified, his mind turned into a blank screen following a critical system error.
(It’s over... definitive Game Over...)
Before him, wrapped in the golden aura of the sunset, stood Elara Vance. Of all the people at Saint-Valerie, it had to be her: the crown jewel, the unattainable beauty.
(Fwip...)
In his mind, Kaelen was already visualizing the "Bad Ending": teachers being notified, rumors spreading through the halls like wildfire, and that social vacuum where people wouldn't physically harass him, but would distance themselves as if he were a bug in reality's code.
"Please, here you go."
However...
"Uh... yes..."
With a naturalness that defied all social logic, Elara leaned down, picked the console up from the floor, and held it out to him delicately, as if she were returning a lost treasure instead of a forbidden object.
"Thorne... you really like video games, don't you?"
And immediately after, she gave him a smile so radiant and genuine that Kaelen felt like his retinas were going to burn.
"If you don't mind... would you let me watch for a bit? It's not that I'm forbidden from playing at home, but I don't get many chances to try these things... Oh, by 'watch,' I mean I'd love to observe the screen while you play."
She was too dazzling.
"Uhhhh..."
And unable to meet her gaze, he simply nodded with a spasmodic jerk of his head.
(What...? Is this a maximum rarity random event or a dream?)
And so, Elara drew closer...
"I-It’s okay... but... I'm not that good, you know?"
Her eyes, deep and filled with a childlike curiosity, watched him intently, closing the distance between the "untouchable" and the "withdrawn."
"Forgive me for intruding so much, is it alright?"
Trying to brace himself for a potential humiliating failure, Kaelen started the matchmaking process with trembling hands.
"Uh..."
But without waiting for an answer, Elara dragged over a chair and placed it right next to Kaelen.
(Clack!)
They were so close that he could feel the heat radiating from her and that floral scent that seemed to cloud his judgment.
(Calm down... Damn it, Thorne, get a grip!)
Desperate to hide the crimson rising to his cheeks, Kaelen focused on the screen.
(Click... clack... click!)
The matchmaking ended and the match began.
"..."
In this way, as soon as the game started, instinct took control and Kaelen began to pick up gear at a breakneck speed, moving across the map with the precision of a digital predator.
Normally, after a perfect headshot, he would have let out a cry of victory, but with Elara pressed against his shoulder, the silence was absolute.
(I must show my best side!)
However, his mind was instead wrapped in all sorts of questions and illusions that began to torment him, hearing words like: "He’s not as good as I thought," "How boring," "He can’t even beat a normal person in a game." Insults that the sweet Elara would never utter, but that Kaelen used to punish himself.
(Vrrroooom! — Victory!)
In that way, time passed and the match ended.
"Thorne... you're truly incredible. You have amazing skill."
Kaelen had dominated, securing the highest kill count and first place.
"Ahhh... thank you..."
However, when his mind settled, he froze—like a small frog before the gaze of a king cobra—fearing the final judgment.
(I knew it... she's too kind...)
Even if they were just polite compliments, hearing them from her mouth caused a small, awkward smile to appear on Kaelen's face.
"Ehm... if you don't mind... would you like to come to my house sometime to play? My sister has a huge television; I think we could watch your matches much better there... Of course, if you don't want to, you can decline the invitation, I don't want to be a bother..."
For a second, the barrier cracked.
"Uhhhh..."
Doubt, his old friend, returned with a vengeance.
"Ehm... Miss Vance... if someone is forcing you to say this... or if it's a prank from some club... it's okay... I don't mind..."
It was the most logical conclusion. A girl like her inviting a guy like him had to be a lie, a cruel trap.
"What do you mean by 'forcing'? I just wanted to invite you because I was impressed by what I saw... My younger sister usually plays, but she says her friends don't know anything about this. When I saw you, I thought it would be fun. But... am I bothering you?"
However, Elara tilted her head, genuinely bewildered, and replied with a smile that seemed capable of purifying the contaminated air around her.
(Pum!)
And that last question, loaded with real vulnerability, hit Kaelen harder than any final boss.
(──────)
Finally, the silence that followed Elara's invitation was so dense that Kaelen felt the air itself turning solid.
"I'm an idiot... a complete idiot."
He knew she was the embodiment of kindness, but his own insecurity—a defense mechanism built over years of solitude in Central City—forced him to look for a hidden motive where there was only transparency.
"Okay... then... see you next time..."
And because of that, as a form of self-punishment, Kaelen clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms, a physical pain necessary to anchor himself to reality, using a Herculean effort to raise his gaze as he responded to those pure eyes.
"Yes, I'll be waiting for you!"
But unfortunately, fate, once set in motion, admits no brakes.
(Vruuuuuuum!)
The weekend arrived with the inevitabilidad of a timer reaching zero...
"Is this the place...?"
Following the coordinates Elara had sent him, Kaelen found himself in front of what, logically, could only be described as a fortress of elegance: the Vance Mansion, where the front garden was an ocean of colors, populated by exotic flower species that seemed brought from another world, exhalando un perfume que hacía que el aire de la ciudad pareciera ceniza.
"I shouldn't be here."
At such a sight, Kaelen felt like a rendering error in the middle of a high-resolution scene.
"Definitely, this isn't my map."
Turning back was a tempting option, but honor—and perhaps a bit of that curiosity that drove him to explore every corner of his games—forced him to move forward.
(Ding-dong...!)
His trembling fingers pressed the doorbell of the imposing iron shutter.
"Who might you be?"
But the voice that answered was not Elara's; instead, it was icy, precise, and devoid of any unnecessary emotion.
(Fshhhhh!)
And when the door opened, the figure of a young woman was revealed—she appeared to be the same age as Elara, but her aura was the polar opposite.
"Eh... I... I..."
She wore an impeccable maid's uniform, but what truly took Kaelen's breath away was her appearance: hair as white as snow and eyes of a blue so artificial that it was hypnotic.
"...."
Behind that gaze lay a past of stress and scars known only to her, hiding her original black eyes behind contact lenses to bury the person she once was.
(W-what... what do I do...?)
Kaelen was struck dumb. It wasn't Elara. Had he logged into the wrong server? Was he at the wrong house? His nerves got the better of him, and he began opening and closing his mouth rhythmically, unable to articulate a single coherent word. Panic began to escalate; at any moment, this blue-eyed girl would call the Central City police to report a suspicious intruder.
"Hey... Lyra... I told you a friend was coming today, didn't I...?"
But just when a social "Game Over" seemed imminent, a familiar voice broke the tension.
"I am very sorry, Miss Elara... I did not ask about the gender of your guest, so I assumed it would be another young lady from your circle..."
Elara's figure appeared behind the maid, wearing an expression that mixed apology with resignation.
"I know I was partly to blame for not specifying, but... anyway, please, let my classmate Kaelen Thorne in."
The maid, whose real name seemed to be a secret kept under her service alias, nodded with professional rigidity and stepped aside, bowing slightly.
"Understood. Please, come in, young Master Thorne..."
In this way, he entered the mansion with the doors slowly closing behind his back.
(Ba-dum... ba-dum...)
Upon entering, the atmosphere inside the mansion was a stifling mix of opulence and a domestic warmth that Kaelen didn't know how to process.
"We’ve been waiting for you!"
Seeing Elara’s face, stripped of academic rigidity and framed by the soft light of the foyer, acted as a balm for his shattered nerves.
"Ah... Of course..."
However, before he could exhale, a new presence materialized from the shadows of the hallway, moving with feline confidence.
(Frou-frou!)
In this manner, a woman of mature elegance appeared...
"You are... Kaelen Thorne, right? I've heard a lot about you through Elara."
She wore a soft-knit white sweater that accentuated an enviable figure, complemented by dark stockings that disappeared beneath the hem of her skirt.
"This girl... she’s a bit naive."
At the same time, she wore a gold pendant that rested against her chest, glowing with an importance that transcended the ornamental, and her hair—unlike Elara's—had violet hues suggesting a meticulous dye job, coordinated with the color of her eyes.
"So, I was worried she might have been too insistent with her invitation. Are you alright, young man?"
That woman was Elara’s mother, who continued speaking while casting an amused look at her daughter.
"Oh... Not at all! In any case, it was I who gladly accepted."
In response, Kaelen blinked, acting with humility.
"There's no need to be shy. You are our guest. Come in; it’s a bit strange for you to be standing here like a guard."
She looked so young that, in any other context, she would have passed for an older sister.
"Mom, please, step back...! We’ll take it from here!"
Embarrassed, Elara shooed her mother away with a small pout, revealing a vulnerable and purely feminine side she never allowed to be seen at Saint-Valerie Academy.
"Yes, yes... I'm going."
And after a brief farewell, Kaelen left the threshold behind and stepped onto the noble wood floor of the main living room.
(Wh-whoaaa!!...)
Even by Central City standards, the LCD screen dominating the room was a technological anomaly.
"This is... gargantuan..."
It was a wall of liquid crystal capable of absorbing anyone's attention.
"Of course... elegance resides in every possession of the owner. Young Miss Elara is a being who borders on the celestial; it is only fitting that her tools are up to her standards. Please, maintain your respect, young Master Thorne."
At that moment, the voice of the white-haired maid, Lyra, sounded cold and solemn behind him, responding to his exclamation...
"Ahhh... I'm sorry..."
... But an embarrassed voice intervened.
"Lyra... could you give us some space?"
Flushed with embarrassment, Elara frowned slightly and, with her gaze fixed on her, pleaded for her to withdraw.
"Understood."
Immediately, with a mechanical bow, Lyra retreated to a corner, remaining motionless and silent like a high-end porcelain doll.
"I’m sorry for the trouble... So, could you show me the game right now?"
Kaelen received the controller.
"Yes..."
To the touch, it was heavy, ergonomic, and clearly customized. A single scratch would likely cost more than all the equipment in his own room.
"It’s okay... just think of me as a classmate. Just show me the usual Kaelen..."
As a result, his hands began to tremble with renewed intensity; in an attempt to calm him, Elara placed her hand over his.
"Alright. Then... I'll teach you the basics... hold the controller like this..."
Her skin was soft and cool, but the contact sent an electric shock straight to Kaelen's heart.
"Yes..."
His pulse skyrocketed, but strangely, the panic began to give way to a quiet resolve.
"Ehm... if I tilt this stick forward, does the character walk?"
He had come this far; the least he could do was put on a good show.
"Exactly..."
They played together...
(Fwoosh!)
.... They had fun.
"──────It moved! It moved!"
She celebrated every basic step with a joy so pure it was contagious.
"That's very good... haha..."
Kaelen let out a nervous laugh.
"Ehm... how do I use this object with a timer?"
However, the peace would be short-lived...
"Eh?"
Kaelen looked at the screen, noticing a sticky bomb glowing in the hand of Elara's character.
(B-B-BOOOOM!! — SPLAT!)
And before he could warn her about the blast radius or the delay mechanic, she had already pressed the button instinctively.
【 YOU ARE DEAD 】
In the end, both fell silent, looking at the message on the screen awkwardly...
"Pff... Ahahaha!"
"Khu... Kuhahaha...!"
.... Before laughing cheerfully and starting a new game.
For a brief moment, in that Central City mansion, the barriers of class and status vanished under the smoke of digital explosions.
(Fuuuuuuuuu...)
However, outside that room, the shadows of reality were growing longer.
(I wish this moment would last forever...)
The fate of both had already been sealed by forces neither could understand, and without an external factor to alter the outcome, tragedy... the inevitable and dark tragedy, was about to strike.