Ethan didn't get it. One minute he was lounging in his chair with his gaming VR on and his eyes riveted to Blizzard Online. The next minute, he blinked his eyes open to see himself standing in a stone courtyard filled with figures in robes, with glowing rings underfoot.
It wasn't just your regular folks - it was NPCs. From Blizzard.
But not now. Because they weren't pixelated anymore. Because they breathed. Because they blinked. Because their eyes moved.
As Ethan listened to the unfamiliar words, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
The language was unlike any he had ever heard - a melodic flow of sounds that seemed to dance on the edge of comprehension. It wasn't English, French or Spanish. Yet, somehow, he understood every word. It was as if his mind had been attuned to a frequency that allowed him to decipher the strange tongue.
Ethan's mind translated the words without hesitation, and he felt a growing sense of unease. If he understood everything they were saying, it meant one thing: he had been summoned by mistake.
Someone have used a Mana Disruption Dust to tamper with Rivera's summoning ritual. Ethan's mind reeled as he thought about the implications. In the game, Rivera had successfully summoned an Epic-tier magical beast. But instead, she had gotten him.
Why did this happen? And why did it summon him? The questions swirled in his mind like a vortex, pulling him deeper into the unknown. He looked around at the strange figures, searching for answers that seemed to be hiding in plain sight.
At the forefront stood Rivera Dalmenton. It was the same Rivera he'd been playing his in-game model with. The same Rivera he'd bought a maid's outfit to, because it seemed he had no shame not even in game.
And now here she was, in the flesh and live and breathing. Her golden locks shone like they were in a movie.
And by her side, her father.
Alvin Dalmenton
Number One Beast Tamer in the kingdom.
A man whose name alone in the game meant boss fight incoming.
And he had a sword in his hand.
Not just any sword. A huge curved blade with a deep purple finish that seemed to move like liquid. A sword that proclaims to the world, "I don't talk things out."
Ethan tried to stir his body, but there was no force to move him. His small body would not listen to his commands. He could sense the hum of the summoning circle beneath his paws. It felt like a force that did not belong to him. It ran through him like static.
But then he heard the voice of Alvin.
"Don't worry, Rivera. I'll take care of it."
Take care of it? Take care of what? Ohh no.
Ethan's small rabbit heart thrummed loudly.
Rivera's face showed that she was close to tears.
"Please, Father, it's not.."
Ethan's growing terror, the air around him ignited.
A ring of fire broke out around the circle. It wasn't a game – no pixel glow or fancy effect. This is real. Warmth flooded his body. His fur stood on end.
"WHAT THE HELL, THIS ISN'T A GAME, THIS IS A REAL!"
Ethan screamed in his head, leaping backward to find a gap. "I am not dying as a roasted rabbit kebab!"
Flames shot up, entrapping him. But Alvin moved forward, his blade radiating a bright red glow in the flickering firelight.
"Holy crap, he's serious. He's actually serious!" Ethan thought. "Okay, okay, think, Ethan, think! You're a gamer! You've done tougher boss battles! You've…" Wait a minute. "Oh right, you had thumbs back then!"
"Try to work magic," he attempted to chal- lenge. "Try to conjure something. Fireball. Slash of wind. A simple hop boost. Nothing. Not a spark. Not a tickle."
"OK, no magic. Maybe if I kick him?"
He stood up and thrashed his little rabbit legs in a pitiful simulated kick. But Alvin didn't blink.
"This is humiliating," Ethan thought. "From top-ranked player to actual bunny in a death match, that's my life now."
It seemed to say something to himself. It was an incantation shrouded in magic. The sword of nullification glowed. The light warped at its blade.
The air thickened - thick enough that Ethan felt it pressing against him.
But that thing wasn't just going to cut him. It was going to erase him.
His mind flashed images of his apartment, his console, his takeout noodles sitting on his desk, his empty cans of energy drinks. He had died countless times playing this game, but this just felt different. This felt like the end.
"This can't be how I die. I can't die as a rabbit. I didn't even get to be reborn as something cool like a dragon or a demon lord. Noooo. A cute little chew toy instead."
The boots of Alvin landed on the circle. Every step forward shook the ground.
Rivera struggled against her mother's embrace. "No! Please, Father, stop!"
"It's for your own benefits." Rose whispered, holding her tightly.
But Rivera didn't care. Tears glinted on Rivera's cheeks, reflecting the crimson flames.
Ethan stood there frozen in shock. He could sense the mana flowing from the blade – it wasn't just a sword, it was a form of judgment.
"Okay, well, that's it then," Ethan thought. "My life is over because Daddy Dearest dislikes rabbits. How poetic. Ten out of ten for fantasy ending."
Alvin held his sword aloft, with the flames dancing serpent-like around it.
For a second, the clock stood still.
Ethan's mind slowed.
"Alright, maybe I'll spawn in my bed. Maybe it's still VR. Maybe I'll..."
The sword started to fall.
"- Holy crap, it's not VR."
In the reflection of his blade, he could see his terrified face - fur bristling, eyes wide open, and little button nose twitching with fear.
"No! No!" he cried desperately.
"Okay, okay, this is it! So long, cruel..."
"STOP."
This shout split the air like lightning. Alvin paused mid-swing, the tip of his sword hovering just inches from Ethan's soft white belly.