A refreshed breath left my lips as I carefully pulled myself out of the tub. It was hell of a lot more inconvenient than a modern bathtub, but it had its own charm. Had lily already taken a bath?

I blew a hum and walked into the house’s back-room, garbing the towel Lily had prepared for me. It took a special kind of person to help a complete stranger, set them up in their house and then treat them as if they’d always lived there. Lily was nice, but I couldn’t help but feel there was more to her. People that nice usually had their reasons and I’d made sure to not prod her for any of them. If I made her too angry, then she might kick me out and all that.

It took me a minute or so to get dressed. I brought my H.U.D up and took one more look at the level up screen. My finger hovered over the button for a second before I eventual clicked on something else. A devious idea had suddenly come to mind.

Back in the game, skills were something one could raise through continuous use. I took a quick look at my own skills, finding the single one I had. There wasn’t a progress bar on it like before, but could it still level up on its own? I wanted to know that before leveling up and putting any points into my skills. I didn’t know how slow things worked now, but a few days of intense testing would hopefully give me an answer, I hoped. I still needed to practice, but I was getting the hang of actually using the skill.

I stepped out of the hose, shutting the door behind me and casually glancing at the tub. I’d have to heat it up one of these days for Lily. It was only fair.

A yawn left my lips. It joined the singing crickets and chirping birds in the distance. The orange horizon was like one of those painting that could be found in a museum. Beautiful. This was the sort of scenery one couldn’t find in the city.

Some people played games like these to find this sort of scenery. Now that I was standing in front of it with no rush pushing me to be efficient with my time, I couldn’t help but smile.

I really couldn’t tell the difference between this and real life.

————

“Hey Lance! Good job!”

“Did you really kill it with a single punch, boy?”

“You’re such a big, strong man…”

“How’d you do it? Was it some kind of secret technique? Or were you lucky?”

“You’re amazing!”

Just about everyone greeted me with smiles and praise as I made my way towards the village square. Most people I saw looked at me with sparkling eyes. It was a strange having so much positive attention sent my way.

“T-Thanks,” I told each and every one of them with a small blush.

I was never one for being in the limelight. And introvert as it was. Still, that didn’t mean I hated being appreciate. It felt… nice.

“Oh! Hey Lance!” Lily waved at me with a large smile as I finally made it to the square. She was kneeling down by the massive bear, helping everyone out as they were skinning it.

“Looks like the man of the hour is here,” Riki said with a cheer as he waved at me too.

He and just about everyone else working on the bear had their hands covered in blood. I wilted at the sight. It was gross, but also probably something everyone here was used to. I’d never skinned an animal before, but it didn’t look very fun.

“Hey. You all doing alright?” you asked with a smile.

Lily nodded and got back to skinning the beast.

“We’re going to be hosting a feast in a bit. Since you’re the man of the hour, you can have first dibs on any part of the kill.” Michael said as he suddenly walked up to me.

“Oh, thanks,” I said and glanced down at the monster.

Wait, part? Did I get any loot from killing it?! That was the scariest thing ever and If the game changed how loot worked, I’d punch the damned bear in the face!

I took a deep breath and subtly pulled up the H.U.D and looked for my inventory.

A relieved breath left my lips. There wasn’t much there since I hadn’t been filling it, but there was something new.

Ursine Fang x 2

Voracious Ursa Pelt x1

What the hell was I going to do with them, though? Maybe I could sell it to one of the villagers? But how would I explain getting a second pelt? No, wait, how the hell did that work? In a game it made sense, but this whole place acted a hell of a lot more like real life than a game.

…

It was a question for another day. A soft hand shook my shoulder and pulled me back to my new reality.

“Here, I got you a drink.”

I blinked and found myself staring Riki in the face. His hands were thankfully clean.

“What is it?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, just cat piss and lemons mixed together,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “Seriously, it’s ale you doofus.” He joked and slapped my shoulder.

“You were just sitting there, watching everyone work on the bear. It was honestly a bit creepy.”

I coughed.

“Just had a lot on my mind.”

“I bet you do,” Riki said with a nod and shoved the mug into my hands. “It’s a good thing we’re having a party then!” he said with a laugh.

“Drink a bit and unwind!”

I blinked and stared down at my mug. Confused, nervous eyes stared back at me. Alcohol wasn’t really ever my thing, but I drank it on special occasions.

Did I want to drink it now? I didn’t even know how strong this stuff was!

“So, though about what you’ll be taking from the bear?”

I turned to Riki.

“Not really…”

“Eh, that’s fine,” Riki said with a nod. “I think I’ll take one of its balls.”

If I were drinking, I was sure I’d have just spat out my drink.

“What? W-Why?”

Riki raised a brow.

“Cause it’s good for keeping my balls healthy,” he said with a laugh. “Come on, man, everyone knows that stuff!”

…

Was he messing with me? I didn’t think I had what it took to ask someone else.

I took another look at the mug full of ale.

Should I just drink?

No. Drinking was never really something I liked to do. I usually hated the taste and the few times I ever tried were just for special occasions. This technically counted, but it was also far and away from being normal.

I politely declined Riki’s offer and watched as the young man’s lips remained locked in a grin. If anything, they seemed to rise just a tad.

“I can’t believe you can punch out a bear that big and still not like to drink!” he let loose a laugh and brought the drink he’d prepared for me to his lips. “Eh, that’s fine too,” he said and downed the drink, burping a moment later.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

“You’re partly the star of this party,” Riki continued, wiping his lips. “If you don’t want to drink, then that’s fine!”

He moved closer and threw an arm around my shoulder.

“Instead, how about you come and join us to play some games?”

My eyes narrowed.

“Games? What sort of games?”

What kind of things did people in this world do for fun? It wasn’t something the game ever really went into- it didn’t have to.

“Just some dice,” Riki said with a smile. “One of the guys managed to find a used pair during their last trip out to sell goods.”

“Dice?” Was that really something so rare?

“I know, I know, no need to be amazed,” he said and laughed. “I can guarantee you these are professionally made. Come on, you’ll love the game!”

I took a breath and glanced at the bear. It would be here later, but I still wanted that pelt. I was just curious if I could get two.

“Alright. Also, I think I want the bear’s pelt.”

Riki looked at me with amusement dancing on his face.

“Going for the best part? Can’t blame you.” He nodded and started pulling me away. “You can go and tell Michael once he gets his butt over to our little game corner.”

The sounds of joyful banter and crackling fire echoed through the square. Before I knew it, night had fallen and I’d joined the very men I left town with for a round of dice.

—————

“You’ve got the devil’s luck on your side!” the man to my left cursed as he stared down at my roll.

“Double sixes. It’s crazy,” Riki said with a nod.

“I’m, not surprised,” Michael noted. “It took no small amount of luck to kill that bear without any of us getting hurt.”

I reached out and picked up the dusty dice, passing them on to the next person.

“Hope you’re having fun,” Riki said.

“You know, to be honest, I didn’t think it’d be all that great,” I said with a chuckle. “But all things considered, It has been fun.”

There were no real stakes in this game. No one could afford to lose any money so we settled for something a bit more fun.

“Shit. Double ones!”

The person next to me cursed and turned his gaze my way.

“So, what are you going to make me do? I hope it’s not as fucking embarrassing as Riki’s dumb idea!”

“Hey! It’s not my fault you got slapped!” Riki protested with crossed arms.

“Yeah, but it was your dare that made me get up and ask her for a kiss!”

I couldn’t help but snicker at that. This world was completely different from my own, but these NPC’s acted just like a group of old friends. No, they were old friends. It was honestly a shame something like this would never be seen in an actual game.

“Well, how about doing a handstand?” I said with a shrug. These kinds of things weren’t my forte.

“Easy!” the man exclaimed and stood up from his stool, performing my dare easily enough.

And so the cycle continued. The next person rolled and managed to win, meaning he didn’t have to be punished. Time just flew by, and eventually, an older woman came by with plates full of meat.

The instant my eyes met the red, salted roast, I gently bit my lip. My mouth watered and the sweet aroma slithering into my nostrils had me shuddering. God, that smelled so good!

“For our heroes, I bring the best parts of your kill.”

She wasted no time dropping the plates in our laps. When it was finally my turn, she sent me a wink. I was far too famished to care, honestly.

“Cheers!” Michal shouted.

“Cheers!!” Everyone else roared.

“Cheers!” I found myself saying.

And then I sunk my teeth into the meat. I was unlike anything I’d ever tasted. It felt so fresh and free.

Why was it so different, I wondered? Because it was a monster? Or because I’d killed it myself?

A meal one works for often tastes better. That was a saying I heard once. I guess it was true.

—————————

The festivities continued on for a few more hours, but like any party, the end soon arrived. I went around, helping the ladies who’d worked so hard to feed everyone. There was surprisingly very little litter around and no sign of the giant bear.

They worked incredibly quickly.

“Oh! Lance!” Lilly’s familiar voice called out to me. I turned and found her carrying a large, wrapped bundle. It was a comical scene.

“I was looking for you,” she said with a small smile that I could barely make out from behind the bundle. “Here’s the pelt you wanted.”

I nodded and quickly relieved her of the burden.

[Reward: +1 Voracious Ursa Pelt]

“T-Thanks for packing it for me,” I said with a blush. Man, having a girl do everything for me was kinda weird. She reminded me of my mom.

…

How was she doing? Did she even know about what was going on? What even was going on?

…

“Are you ok?” Lily suddenly asked. “I saw you enjoying yourselves with the hunters, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Oh, um, no it was fun,” I said with a nod. “I guess I’m just feeling a bit melancholy.”

Lilly furrowed her brow and brought a hand to her chin.

“Let’s get that prize of yours home first. If you’re still up for it, I can show you a place that always cheers me up.”

I looked into her eyes.

“I think I’m up for a little walk,” I said with a small yawn. Those words seemed to be enough to lift the woman’s spirits.

“It’s not too far from here,” she replied and started walking towards her house. “Now let’s go drop that pelt of. Maybe you could have someone sell it for you when the caravan returns.”

Oh, right.

“When would that be again?”

She let out a hum and brought a finger to her chin.

“Probably by the end of the week, though they might take a bit longer.”

The end of the week, huh? That was still a ways off, but It wasn’t like I was in much of a hurry. There would be a lot for me to do, namely practice my skill and try to get the hang of it all.

With that said, we moved to our house without further delay. The village was quiet with only the singing of crickets and other bugs serving as background noise. It was a truly tranquil screen and the cool breeze passing through was something I welcomed.

The houses we walked by were old, but well maintained. They didn’t look like they’d fall at any moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was about time to start swapping out some of the weaker planks. From inside the houses, I could hear the muffled voices of their residents.

Everyone was just about ready to call it a night but I could still see the glow of lanterns off in the distance. The watchtowers, I realized. I was more than happy that I wasn’t being forced to stay up.

It was a beautiful and calm night. A perfect night for a walk.

————

We left Lily’s house with not much more than the clothes on our backs and a small oil lamp.

“It’s not too far from here, but we’ll have to travel a bit out and over a few hills,” she said with a soft smile as she started leading me towards the village’s entrance.

“There might be a few critters here and there, but I think the combination of my knife and your fist should keep us safe.”

I held back a laugh as she pulled her “knife” out. It was more of a small machete than anything else. The blade was scratched and there were a few tiny chips near the handle. It was definitely a weapon that had seen a lot of action, though probably more on the chopping board than any battle.

Lily held her lamp in one hand and machete in the other.

“Chop chop!” she said with a giggle and cut at the air. “I’m not the best fighter, but a knife is a knife!”

My lips twitched upward at her antics. Most of the time she looked like a friendly mom that was there to help anyone that asked. At times like these, however, she was very childish and looked far younger than she really was.

“So, where are we going?”

I asked as we finally reached the edge of the village. Rather than head down the main, dirt road, Lily started walking down a much smaller, almost invisible forest path. It might have been a bit more visible during the day, but it sure as heck wasn’t something I’d find on my own now.

“It’s a place with a nice view,” she said cryptically.

If she wasn’t going to tell me straight up, then I wasn’t going to push the subject. I nodded and quietly followed close behind her, eyes peeled for any animals that might be stupid enough to try and attack us. Thankfully, we reached our destination without incident.

The sound of rustling leaves and small animals skittering about was an ever-present companion to us, though.

“So, what do you think?”

I blinked, trying to keep my mouth from falling open at the sight. A field of golden flowers stretched out as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of tiny lights danced within the field. Fireflies.

“It almost looks like a sea of stars, doesn’t it?”

Stars? I could see that, yeah. But, to me, it was more like an ocean of twinkling gems. It was the sort of view I’d have immediately taken a screenshot of normally. Even in the real world, things like this were rare.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” I said with a whisper. When Lilly sat down, I joined her and turned my gaze up at the night sky. Just like the glowing fireflies, it took my breath away. There were just so many stars. Even if given half a day, I wouldn’t be able to count them all.

“So how did you find this place?” I asked.

She hesitated for a second and took a breath.

“I’m sure your curious why there aren’t very many young people in our little town, right?”

Huh?

“I am. It’s a bit weird, to be honest, but I didn’t want to stick my nose into your business.”

A soft, bitter laugh rolled off her tongue.

“I don’t think anyone was really trying to hide it. It’s just not something we like to talk about.”

Her back hit the prickly grass and she locked eyes with the raven curtain above.

“The lord of these lands is a very influential and ambitious man,” she said quietly. “There was a war not too long ago and most of our men were drafted in his army. The children were taken away and given much smaller jobs helping out in other villages.”

She paused.

“I- my husband was one of those drafted.”

Oh..

“He never came back.”

“I-I’m sorry,” I said, not sure what else to do. What could I say to that?

She shook her head.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, silly,” she said with a smile that made my heart hurt. “It’s not your fault.”

She shook her head and blew a sigh.

“This spot was one he showed to me when we were just children. I still remember how he dragged me through the field, laughing all the while. The fireflies scattered, enveloping us in a golden gown of light.”

I could see the start of tears pricking at her eyes.

“It was one of the best moments of my life and I miss him terribly.”

What is love? Sacrifice, change, and compromise? It’s a question many people ask themselves. Without a doubt, Lily loved her husband. Her words were laced with pain, grief, and longing.

There was always loss in life. A life without loss was a rare thing indeed- it was a life full of loneliness and sorrow. For how can one gain anything if they never lose anything? To lose nothing means to have nothing.

“I… I had someone like that too,” I said with a shaky smile. “He was my world- our world. The sun in our life that made each day brighter with just his presence.”

My voice came out weaker than I expected.

“Those days felt like forever ago, but sometimes it feels like they’re still right in front of me.” I reached out, grabbing at the empty air. Lily and I sat next to one another, watching the dancing fireflies in the distance.

It was almost as if I was trying to grab the very stars in the heavens.

“I still treasure those days, and sometimes feel disappointed that I didn’t enjoy them more.”

Like the sand within an hourglass, the grains just slipped through my fingers. It all just went by so fast.

“You’ve been fighting all this time by yourself, haven’t you?” I said.

A soft, meek whimper escaped from her lips. She looked up at me, eyes stained with tears.

“I… I wasn’t alone,” I said with a deep breath. “There was someone there with me and we held each other up.”

Without her, I would have been a completely different person. I was standing at the edge of the cliff known as "grief," but we held on to one another and pulled each other away. Lily… she was different. The smile she wore was a brittle one, but at the same time, she was far stronger than me.

“It was hard. Incredibly so. It still hurts when I think back on it.”

Her eyes were red and puffy. They were a far cry from the bubbly, bright smile she always had.

“But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that he wouldn’t want me to agonize over it. He’d want me to keep on living my life and smile again.”

Lily sobbed, covering her face as if trying to stop the tears. They cared little about her opinion and continued to flow like an endless waterfall of emotions.

“I’m sure your husband would feel the same,” I said and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. “You’re so much stronger than me. I’m sure he’d be so proud of you.”

She let out a pained cry and then snapped around, wrapping her arms around me as if I were some kind of lifeline. Like a bursting dam, her emotions rushed out. She cried, wailed, and let everything out.

“Why!”

“Why did it have to be him?!”

“Everyone in the village! Everyone’s loved ones!”

“Why! We were just some out-of-the-way town!”

“Please! Michael! Why! Oh god, why!”

My shirt was stained with her tears, but there was little I could do but return her embrace. The caring and motherly woman who’d put up with me bawled her eyes out like a little girl. The two of us just sat there, hugging each other.

Sometimes, the only thing people needed to stand on their own was a helping hand or a friendly ear to listen to their worries.

——————

“I must look like a fool,” Lily said with a weak laugh as she pulled away from me. “A grown woman dropping all of her worries on the lap of a child.”

“It’s not foolish to admit your feelings,” I said softly. “We’re only human. Everyone one of us has things we fear and worry about. Also, I’m not much of a child, you know.”

She giggled, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

“I guess that’s right. Maybe I’m just too old-fashioned,” she said with a wistful sigh. “He was older than me, you know?”

“Oh?”

Lily nodded.

“He’d always call me little or childish. But he was the one always cracking jokes and pulling pranks on me.”

Her tone began to change from sad to light and friendly.

“One time he snuck a toad in the bathroom. I gave him a good wallop after screaming my lungs out.”

Lily giggled and her eyes turned to me, a silent question on her tongue. I smiled back at her and opened my mouth. There was lots I had to tell. It’d been so long since I spoke about it to anyone.

“Well, he was always someone you could count on. A real handyman as it were.”

And so, we talked. Ten minutes. Half an hour. An hour. Time just flew by, and without any real way to tell how long we’d been out here, it felt like an eternity.

It was a small yawn escaping my lips that had Lily speaking up.

“We should head back,” she said with a tired smile. “It’s honestly really late.”

I gave a weak nod and rose to my feet, holding my hand out for the kind woman. She’d done so much for me- much more than anyone should have expected.

She hesitated for a second before eventually reaching out and grasping my hand.

“Thank you, Lance.”

I pulled her up, lips mirroring her own.

“Yesterday might have been pitch black, but the sun always rises.” I found myself saying. What was it? A quote from some game I played? Or maybe it was something from a story I read? Either way, it felt fitting.

“The sun always rises, huh?” Lily repeated. “I guess that’s true.”

She nodded and started walking back, letting go of my hand.

“If Michael and I had a son, I can say I’d have wanted him to be just like you.”

I felt heat rush up to my cheeks.

“T-Thanks.”

That wasn’t the sort of compliment I'd ever gotten. It was a bit weird, to be honest.

Mom... how was she doing?

Lily nodded and motioned for the forest.

“Come on. We should head back and get some rest.”

I yawned again.

Yeah. That sounded like a good idea.

I started walking to her and took one last look at the field of sunflowers. The dazzling fireflies danced in the darkness. As I stared at them, I couldn’t help but liken them to human lives. They were so tiny, feeble, and fleeting.

Yet, each one was as beautiful as a twinkly star.