Adrian blinked against the soft snowfall drifting from the digital sky. The icy wind nipped at his skin—too real for code, but somehow comforting. Snow-laced trees towered above him, their ancient limbs creaking under winter's weight. A narrow path cut through the dense woods, leading down toward the village nestled in a hollow. Frost clung to every surface, including the wooden signs that leaned at odd angles, their faded letters naming the place he already knew.
Yurei Hollow.
It felt just like he remembered—crisp, quiet, eerie in a nostalgic way. A place meant to be haunted. A place meant to be remembered.
Then came two loud pops behind him, sharp cracks of displaced code.
Sarah appeared first, her gear a random mishmash: light leather boots, a fur-lined cloak a few sizes too big, and a confused expression. Next to her, materialized Alice, arms crossed, rubbing her sleeves as if already annoyed by the cold.
"Uhhh... did I skip something?" Sarah muttered, tugging at her lopsided belt. "Why do I look like I just robbed a bandit in a rush?"
Adrian stared at her for a moment before realization struck. There had been no character creation screen. No face randomizer. No menus.
His fingers rose to his cheek. Smooth skin, sharp jawline, the familiar ridge of an old scar above his brow—it was his face. Exactly his. The game had scanned and rendered their real appearances.
"Wait," Alice said slowly, squinting around. "We didn't make avatars? That's... weird, right?"
"Nope," Sarah replied, glancing at her sister with a smirk. "Guess you're stuck being hot."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Tragic."
Adrian swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Maybe... biometric rendering?" he offered quickly, masking the unease in his voice. "It's a feature they talked about for future updates. Maybe they pushed it early."
But that wasn't right.
He knew the development roadmap. Biometric rendering wasn't slated, ever, cause in the last game he played as a white haired character, cause the viewer demanded that and he played as that character the whole game and he didn't change it at all. This wasn't a beta test feature.
This was something else. Something new, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad, since everyone looks like their real self, which means you can't get away with a lot of things.
Sarah nudged him with her elbow. "So? Where to, oh wise Phantom Reviewer?"
He forced a smile, trying to silence the rising thrum of anxiety. "Let's explore. Then find the Elder. I think this place still starts with a class trial."
The path through Yurei Hollow was as narrow and crooked as he remembered from the forums, but walking it felt... wrong. Not because of bugs or textures, but because it felt too real. The wind whistled through frozen branches above. Footsteps crunched in the snow behind him in perfect synchronicity with his own. The sound didn't loop like game code should—it shifted, varied, and adapted to weight, pressure, and stride.
The immersion was flawless.
Too flawless.
Sarah, usually chatty, was quiet. Her wide-eyed gaze took in every detail with something close to reverence.
"Pretty dead here," she said eventually, voice low. "I figured the starting town would be louder. Like... more NPCs yelling at us to buy bread or whatever."
"Maybe the people here prefer silence," Adrian murmured. But even as he said it, he felt the stillness pressing in. The hush wasn't peaceful—it was expectant. As if the trees were holding their breath.
Alice rubbed her arms. "No birds. No animals. That's not creepy at all."
They reached the Elder's house perched near the edge of the cliffside, overlooking a valley choked in fog. The building stood taller than the rest, its roof heavy with snow. Strange symbols carved into the wooden frame shimmered faintly when Adrian looked at them too long, twisting, rearranging.
They weren't textures. They were alive. Or worse—aware.
He knocked once. Then twice. The door creaked open on its own, revealing a tall figure in shimmering blue and gold robes. The Elder's face was mostly obscured by a hood, but silver eyes gleamed beneath it, studying them with unnerving clarity.
"Ah," the Elder said in a voice warm and impossibly human. "You've arrived sooner than expected."
Adrian's breath caught. It wasn't just the depth of the voice—it was the presence in it. The cadence. The pauses. The subtle shift in tone is like a real person searching for words. No pre-recorded lines. No dialogue wheel.
"Uh... hi," Sarah said awkwardly, glancing at Adrian.
He stepped forward cautiously. "You're not an NPC, are you?"
The Elder chuckled, low and kind. "What is an NPC? Is that a title?"
Alice frowned. "Well, that didn't sound scripted."
"Because it wasn't," Adrian whispered.
The Elder stepped aside, gesturing into the warmly lit home. "Come in. You're not just here to play, you're here for a specific goal, I presume."
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of burning herbs and dried flowers. Shadows danced on the wooden walls as the hearth fire crackled softly. Every object in the room—the maps, the trinkets, the books—had depth. Texture. History.
They sat at a long wooden table while the Elder moved with practiced grace to pour tea into clay cups.
"So," the Elder began, hands folded. "Why have you come to Yurei Hollow?"
Adrian hesitated. "To start the warrior path. I thought... it would be a good place to begin."
"Ah," the Elder said, nodding. "Strength. A common pursuit. But rarely understood. Tell me, what strength do you seek?"
Adrian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It wasn't like answering a quiz. There was no multiple-choice box popping up. He had to speak with intention.
"I want... to protect the people I care about," he said quietly.
The Elder's gaze lingered on him. "A noble answer. But protection often requires sacrifice."
Sarah leaned forward. "You said something about choosing. Choosing what?"
"The path ahead," the Elder replied. "This village offers a trial. Not one of the combat. But of spirit. To walk the path of a warrior, you must first know what you are willing to lose."
Adrian tensed. This part wasn't in the patch notes. In the original version, you just chose a class and went into training zones. This was different. More... ritualistic.
"Sacrifice what exactly?" Alice asked warily.
The Elder rose and walked to a narrow cabinet, removing a black wooden box. They placed it before the group with reverence. When opened, inside were three small stones—each glowing faintly with a unique color that seemed to be white.
"Each stone represents a part of your spirit," the Elder said. "Choose one to give up, and I will reshape you accordingly."
Sarah's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait. What do they do?"
The Elder smiled sadly. "One is for courage, the other is for clarity. The last one is for compassion."
Adrian's hands trembled. "What happens if we pick one up?"
"You will see it," the Elder said. "That is your goal. This world offers those who have strength in the mind—it links with you. This choice will mark you."
"That's insane," Alice said.
Adrian stared at the stones. They pulsed gently, like heartbeats. He didn't want to believe it. It was too far-fetched, too dark.
But the fear in his chest was real.
Sarah reached forward slowly, hand hovering over one of the stones.
"Don't—" Adrian began.
"I think you are overthinking everything," she muttered. "This is a game! Maybe I don't need clarity. Maybe I need instinct."
Her fingers closed around the stone.
And she held it in her palm.
She gasped—and for a heartbeat, Adrian saw nothing, not even a flicker in her eyes.
Sarah blinked and smiled weakly. "Huh. I feel nothing."
The Elder turned to Alice and Adrian.
"I'll try then," Alice said, voice tense. "I need a second."
Adrian reached out. He didn't know why, but this felt dumb for some reason now.
It's still, not even a chill was felt. Not physical—but soul-deep. His breathing grew shallow. His thoughts wavered. He didn't feel panic. He felt... nothing. The fearless certainty that had carried him through countless situations was gone.
He was confused and didn't know what to think anymore.
Alice hesitated for a long while. Then, with trembling fingers, she touched the white stone.
The Elder bowed his head. " Forgive me."
The room still felt the same. Not in temperature, but in tone. The lights dimmed slightly, the fire flickered unnaturally, casting shadows that didn't move quite right.
"It seems nothing has happened, this might need us to try something else," the Elder said as he looked at the stone-looking orbs in their hands. "Now, go to the Shrine of Echoes. There, your new selves will be tested."
Adrian rose, he thought that this game had changed, along with the sisters and that feeling... he thought it was different.
This was probably a way for them to do this quest in the game, and it is trying to make it mysterious. It was not like this, so he will just go along with it.
As they stepped out into the snow again, the village no longer felt silent for some reason.
It felt alive.
And it was Iincredible.