Aldrich and Kira stepped through the door, walking through the staircase,It led them downwards instead of the normal staircase that usually takes one up.
Aldrich turned to Kira and said, "This place is cold as hell." Kira replied, saying, "I know I can feel it. The loneliness and sadness this place carries."
As she said so, a little wave of wind blew by towards them, which made Aldrich and her use their hands to shield their eyes. The wind was harsh and cold, It swept past them with a low whistling sound that echoed through the staircase.
Once the wind blew past them completely, Aldrich lowered his hand and said, "Kira, are you alright?"
But as he looked around, she was no longer there,It was like she never existed. The space where she had been standing just seconds ago was empty.
"Kira?" Aldrich called out, his voice sounding through the darkness. "Kira!"
But No response it was Just silence.
Aldrich's heart began to race, His eyes darted left and right, searching for any sign of her, But there was nothing. Only the cold stone walls and the endless darkness below.
Before he could take another step, everything around him began to shift, The stone walls melted away like liquid,The darkness dissolved and light flooded in from every direction at once.
Aldrich blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness,When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a completely different place. He was inside a beautiful mansion,The walls were painted a soft bright color, An Expensive paintings hung in walls of the house, A large chandelier sparkled overhead, casting light across the room.
In front of him was a lady in a white dress,Her back was turned to him, Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall,She was looking down at a crib, and in it was a little girl sleeping peacefully.
The woman turned her head slightly, and Aldrich's breath caught in his throat,It was Sarah his girlfriend.
"Honey, come see," Sarah said, her voice as sweet as he remembered. "Ella is sleeping. She's finally gone to bed."
She smiled at him, that same beautiful smile he had fallen in love with. "You said you were hungry I can go prepare something for you now."
Aldrich was stunned at first,He didn't understand what was going on his mind struggled to process what he was seeing. But as he stared at Sarah, at her beautiful face and warm smile, every other thought melted away.
Nothing else mattered anymore,Not the Realm of Monsters,Not the Black Widow Spider Not Kira none of it, all that mattered was Sarah standing right in front of him.
"Sarah!" he screamed, his voice breaking with emotion.
He rushed forward and hugged her so tight, pressing his face against her chest,He inhaled her scent deeply. The familiar smell of her perfume filled his nose,It was exactly how he remembered exactly how he missed.
"I missed this, you know?" he said, his voice muffled against her. "And of course, I'm still hungry."
He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come through for the date."
Sarah tilted her head, confusion crossing her face. "Honey? Are you okay? We already did that some years ago. We got married, and we got a baby. Why on earth would you even think about things we already accomplished a long time ago?"
Aldrich paused, He grabbed his head as memories began flooding into his mind,Memories that felt real,memories of their wedding day,Sarah in a beautiful white gown walking down the aisle toward him. Their first kiss as husband and wife,moving into this mansion together, The day Sarah told him she was pregnant the excitement on his face, The day their daughter Ella was born.
"Yeah, you're right It's true," Aldrich said, nodding slowly. Everything she said made sense, How could he forget all of that?
Just then, the little girl in the crib began to cry,Her tiny voice filled the room.
Sarah turned to Aldrich and said, "Could you go get the baby while I prepare this?"
Aldrich nodded. "Yes, babe I will."
He walked over to the crib. Inside, the baby girl was kicking her legs and waving her tiny fists in the air,her face was red from crying. Aldrich reached down gently and picked her up, placing her on his shoulder,he began patting her back softly, bouncing slightly as he walked around.
Almost immediately, the baby stopped crying. Her little head rested against his shoulder, and she made a soft cooing sound.
Sarah looked over and smiled warmly. "Honey, you know she's always more comfortable on your shoulders than mine. When you traveled for two weeks for work, it wasn't easy. Just me and her. Never leave us and go out that long again, okay?"
Aldrich instantly remembered. The business trip, Two weeks away from his family. The lonely hotel rooms moments . The long nights missing Sarah and Ella, It had been the worst two weeks of his life.
"I will never leave you again," Aldrich said firmly. He meant it with every fiber of his being. "So what are you making, babe?"
Sarah turned around, facing him. Her curves were very visible in the white dress she wore. She smiled and said, "Eggs and noodles your favorite I'm almost done, lover."
A sound was heard from the kitchen. It was the pot of noodles. The water she had put inside was boiling rapidly, bubbles rising to the surface,Steam floated upward.
It was time to throw in the noodles,Sarah grabbed two packs from the counter. She carefully opened them and placed each one gently into the boiling water. The noodles began to soften and cook, swirling around in the pot.
She reached across the counter and grabbed a knife. Then she began chopping her vegetables. First was the carrot,she sliced it into thin, even pieces. The orange slices fell onto the cutting board in a neat pile. Then came the green leaves She chopped them quickly and skillfully.
After she was done, she scooped up the vegetables and added them to the hot pot of noodles. She grabbed a wooden spoon and began stirring everything together. The colors mixed beautifully,Orange carrots green leaves and white noodles.
The aroma that filled the kitchen was incredible,The smell of the cooking noodles mixed with the fresh vegetables. Aldrich's stomach made a funny growling sound in response his mouth watered.
The noodles were almost set now. Sarah began opening the seasoning packets. She carefully sprinkled the spices into the pot. Then she lifted the lid fully, and hot steam rushed out, warming her face and chest. She poured the rest of the spices in and gave it one final stir.
After a few minutes had gone by, the preparation was done. Sarah had served him a large bowl on the dinner table. The noodles looked perfect, Steam rose from the bowl, carrying that delicious smell with it.
But this time, Sarah had changed her clothes. She was no longer wearing the white dress. Instead, she wore tight leggings that were slightly transparent. They hugged every curve of her body. Her top was fitted and showed off her figure.
Aldrich was already seated at the table. The baby Ella was back in her crib, sleeping peacefully again.
Sarah walked over and positioned herself at his side. She pressed herself against his shoulder, her chest gently touching it ,Her hotness spread through him.
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You should eat those noodles before they get cold And eat me afterwards."
She pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. "This is the life you've always dreamed of having, and we have it now. Let's not throw it away, right?"
Aldrich nodded, unable to find words. She was right, This was everything he had ever wanted, A beautiful home, A loving wife, A healthy child Peace and Happiness.
He grabbed the fork and began devouring the noodles. Each bite he took, the taste in his mouth was amazingly good,The noodles were cooked perfectly, Not too soft, not too hard. The vegetables added a nice crunch. The spices gave it just the right amount of flavor it needed.
In less than a minute, Aldrich had finished eating. The bowl was completely empty.
Sarah smiled. "That was fast."
Then it was time for Sarah personally. She grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him closer. Her eyes were filled with desire. "Today, you're going to make me a mother to another child again."
Aldrich felt his heart racing. "Anything you want, I'd do for you." He said
Both of them moved from the table.Sarah guided him toward the living room, and they dropped to the ground together in a romantic way. The soft carpet cushioned their fall.
In front of them was a shelf filled with books. Hundreds of books lined the shelves, their spines facing outward.
Sarah's legs were opened in front of him. Her beautiful thighs shined in the soft light of the room. Aldrich could see everything clearly. His body responded immediately. Heat rushed through him and there inside his pants his cock harden.
But then his eyes caught something. One book in particular stood out from all the others. It was different the spine was glowing faintly.
The title was simple it was just two words and it was The Bookkeeper.
Instantly, Aldrich's mind twisted,He grabbed his head as pain shot through his skull. Something was wrong very wrong, memories began flooding back,Real memories not these false ones.
He remembered the day he got into the accident. The truck slamming into him, the pain, the ambulance,the hospital,The doctor injecting him with that yellow serum.
He remembered waking up in a coffin,Buried underground,Clawing his way out.He remembered the system appearing,The screen asking for his name,Being selected as a Gifter.
He remembered the Realm of Crafts,Meeting Kira, Getting the IceKing Sword,He remembered the Realm of Monsters. Fighting the Devouring Molten Beasts and nearly dying,The Black Widow Spider impaling him with its legs.
He remembered everything and he realized the truth none of this was real no matter how he would have wanted it to be.
Aldrich leaped backwards quickly, separating himself from Sarah,He stared at her, his chest raising up and down .
"I'd love to eat that pussy up," he said, his voice shaking. "I'd love to have you and make babies with you, But none of this is real and we both know it."
Sarah's expression changed,The warmth in her eyes disappeared, Her smile faded, She looked at him with sadness now.
"Don't leave us again," she said softly. Her voice was pleading and desperate.
But Aldrich knew,He knew this was fake,An illusion, a trap designed to keep him here forever, lost in a beautiful dream while his real body wasted away.
He intended to stop this,He walked forward with determination ,Sarah reached out for him, but he moved past her. His eyes were locked on that book the Bookkeeper.
He knew that was what he needed to break the illusion.He grabbed the book with both hands. The moment his fingers touched it, a system prompt appeared in front of him.
[System Notification: Host has located Core Memory Trigger]
[System Alert: Bookkeeper Tome Acquired]
[System Prompt: Do you wish to accept the Bookkeeper's Contract?]
[ YES / NO]
Aldrich stared at Sarah one last time. She was still sitting there on the floor, her legs still open, tears streaming down her beautiful face. She looked so real, so perfect.
"I'm sorry," Aldrich whispered.
Then he said firmly, "Yes."
The system prompted again and responded.
[Command Accepted.]
[System Online.]
[Library of the Bookkeeper Fully Activated.]
[Illusion Protocol: Terminated.]
[Host Status: Fully Recovered.]
[Essence Signature: Elevated.]
[Reward Granted: Rare Item]
A bright light shined in Aldrich's eyes. It was so bright he had to close them. The light grew brighter and brighter until it consumed everything around him. Sarah disappeared ,The mansion disappeared, The baby disappeared.
Everything vanished,When Aldrich finally opened his eyes again, everything was different.He was standing in a queue, a long line of souls stretched out in front of him and behind him. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people. All of them were moving slowly forward in an organized line.
In front of the queue was a massive structure. It was the Flavian Amphitheatre. The old stone building towered above everything else. Its arches and columns were decorated with carvings,Flags waved from the top. The sound of a crowd roaring from inside like a fight was about to start.
This was the Realm of Tournament.
The souls in line were all talking amongst themselves. Some looked excited,Others looked nervous,A few looked terrified.
Aldrich stood there in silence. His mind was still processing what had just happened. He had just experienced one of the most traumatizing illusions imaginable. Seeing Sarah, Holding his daughter. Living the life he had always dreamed of. And then being forced to give it all up.
But he had to keep going, There was no turning back now.He looked up at the massive amphitheatre ahead,The tournament was about to begin.
Welcome to the Realm of Tournament, readers.