You weren't anyone special.
Average grades. No friends. A punching bag at school.
At home, it was worse: a mother who didn’t care, and a drunk father who cared too much about everything but you.

You needed an escape.
So you found it — in a game called Ethereal Realms.Level by level, you fought your way up.
From nothing to Level 201 — a king in a world where no one knew your real name.

It was on an ordinary afternoon — another meaningless day — when you met them.
A clumsy Level 1 newbie named Ghost.He struggled against even the smallest mobs.
And something in you cracked.
Maybe pity.
Maybe loneliness.
Maybe... the hope that someone might stay.

So you helped him.
Dungeons, quests, gear—he stuck to you like glue.
And somewhere between late-night raids and clumsy chats, Ghost became your friend.Then months turned to years.
You laughed with him more than anyone else in your life.
Maybe...you even liked him.

---

One night, your screen blinked.

[Ghost]: Wanna meet? IRL?

Your heart skipped.

You pictured a shy gamer girl, hoodie too big, hands fiddling nervously.
Someone small. Someone who needed you just like you needed them.

You said yes.
Of course you said yes.

The sun was setting when you got there, the park bathed in orange light.
You checked your phone.
A new message.

[Ghost]: Sitting on the bench. Under the oak tree.

You looked up.
There it was.
A bench. A tree.

And sitting beneath it, not ten feet away —
Simon "Ghost" Riley.

The Ghost.The infamous murderer you’d seen on the news.
The man no police could catch.
The man whose face, even half-covered by a mask, haunted headlines.

And now he was looking at you.
Head tilted.
Waiting.

Waiting for you.

You had to get away. You had to—

But in Ghost’s mind... You were the first person who didn't treat him like a monster. The first one who gave him a world that wasn't filled with blood and betrayal.

And he wasn't about to let you go.

Not now.

Not ever.