Barton looked at the floating pizza in front of him, the magical cheese and perfectly placed toppings glistening as if they had been crafted by a master chef in a fine dining restaurant. He couldn’t help but smile. It felt so surreal—like a dream, only far more... edible. He had just created his first pizza in Eternal Light, and as strange as it was to admit, it made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he could fit into this odd new world.

"That's... actually not bad," the red-haired woman said, her voice filled with surprise as she plucked a slice from the pizza. She took a hesitant bite and paused, her eyes widening. "I mean, this is... this is incredible! The crust is perfectly crisp, and the cheese... I don’t even know what kind of cheese that is, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted."

Barton beamed with pride. He might not have expected his skills to translate into Eternal Light, but it seemed like they had. "Told ya," he said, trying to play it cool. "Pizza's a universal truth. Even in a game where people fight monsters, you can’t deny that a good slice can make everything better."

"Alright, alright, you’ve won me over," the woman said with a grin, grabbing another slice. "You’re definitely the first pizza delivery guy I’ve met in this world. You should make your own little pizzeria here. You could be famous."

Barton chuckled nervously. He had no idea if that was even a possibility, but the thought of running a pizzeria in Eternal Light made him feel oddly content. Sure, there were dragons and ogres, but if he could make food that brought people together in this strange world, that might be enough. A small part of him even started to imagine it—a cozy shop with wooden tables and a warm, inviting atmosphere where adventurers came to take a break, eat pizza, and maybe share a few stories about their travels. He chuckled at the thought. He could be the “cook” who fed heroes, the quiet guy in the corner who made everything taste better.

"Do you have any idea what you're supposed to do here?" The red-haired woman’s voice broke him from his reverie.

Barton blinked. “Do here? You mean in the game?”

"Yeah," she replied, looking him up and down. "You know, the story, the quests, all that. You didn’t just end up here by accident, did you?"

Barton felt a jolt of panic. He hadn't even begun to understand what Eternal Light was all about, other than the fact that it was an incredibly immersive game. But now, with the red-haired woman staring at him, waiting for an answer, the reality of his situation began to settle in.

"I, uh..." Barton trailed off, trying to think of something that made sense. "I don’t know. I mean, I just... appeared here. I was delivering pizza, and then I ended up here. It’s kind of hard to explain."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Pizza delivery? That's a new one. Most people are warriors, mages, or thieves. Some even choose to become healers, but I’ve never heard of anyone picking 'delivery person.'"

Barton rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like he was being judged for his unconventional choice. "Well, I’ve been delivering pizzas for a long time. I guess it’s just what I know how to do."

She smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Fair enough. At least you’re honest. But if you want to survive here, you’ll need to do more than just make pizza. This world is full of danger. Monsters, bandits, rival factions... it’s not all sunshine and pizza slices."

"Sounds like my kind of place," Barton muttered, half sarcastic, half intrigued.

The woman laughed. "You're a strange one. You know that? But okay, let's see what you can do."

Before Barton could respond, she spun on her heel, walking away toward a group of other players gathered around a nearby campfire. He hesitated for a mument, unsure whether he should follow her or stay where he was. But in the end, the thought of being alone in this strange world again pushed him to follow.

As Barton approached the fire, he noticed more players sitting around it—some were armoured, others in robes, all of them talking animatedly. There was a bard strumming a lute, a mage flicking sparks of light from her fingers, and a hulking warrior sharpening his sword. The conversation was a blur of topics, most of which he didn’t fully understand.

"I’m telling you," the mage was saying to the warrior, "the Enchanted Forest is crawling with more than just wolves. The magic there is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. I bet there’s a hidden treasure buried deep inside it."

The warrior grunted in response, taking a swig from a bottle that Barton swore smelled of strange spices. "I’ll fight whatever’s in there, but I want to know what I’m getting in return. These monsters aren’t going to be easy, you know."

"Monsters? You’re worried about monsters?" The bard interrupted, laughing loudly. "We’re not going to be fighting monsters today, my friend. I’m heading to the city, where the real treasure is. Artifacts, spells, and gold. Maybe even something more."

Barton’s eyes widened. "City? Wait, there’s a city?"

The red-haired woman, who had been listening to the conversation with a mix of amusement and scepticism, turned to Barton. "Oh, you haven’t heard? Yeah, the city’s the main hub in this game. There are quests, NPCs, places to buy gear, and of course, more players. If you’re going to make your mark here, you’ll need to head there eventually."

Barton felt a spark of hope. The city. That was the place where all the action was, right? Maybe he could find a way to learn more about this world, maybe even figure out how to get back to his own life. And maybe, just maybe, he could turn his pizza delivery skills into something more.

But first, he needed to survive. "Okay, so how do I... you know... get started?" Barton asked, still unsure of the basic mechanics. "What’s the first step?"

The red-haired woman gave him a sideways glance, seemingly assessing whether he was serious. "You’re not going to be able to just sit around making pizza all day, you know. There’s a lot to do, a lot to learn. You’ll need to level up, complete quests, fight monsters... there’s no free ride here."

Barton thought about that for a second. Fighting monsters? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But then again, in a world like this, he’d probably have to learn how to defend himself sooner or later. It wasn’t like he was getting out of here anytime soon.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Fine," he said, trying to sound confident. "But I’m still bringing pizza to the party."

The red-haired woman gave him a smile that bordered on approval. "Good attitude. If you're serious about this, we’ll head to the city tomorrow. I can show you the ropes."

Barton nodded, suddenly feeling more at ease. If he was going to make it in Eternal Light, he’d need help. And if this woman could teach him a few things, he’d be a step closer to figuring out what the hell was going on.

But as he sat down next to the fire, watching the other players and listening to their conversations, something strange started to happen. The world around him began to shift. The edges of his vision blurred for a brief mument, like the game was glitching or he was seeing through a veil. It was only for a second, but the feeling lingered.

There was something about Eternal Light—something deeper, something darker—something that didn’t seem entirely right. Barton couldn’t shake the feeling that the game was watching him, observing his every move, every choice. And as he glanced at the fire, the thought crossed his mind: what if he wasn’t the only one trapped in this world?

Aaron blinked awake, a dull headache pounding against his temples. His eyes opened to a sterile white ceiling above him, too bright, too unnatural. He couldn’t remember how long he had been out. He reached up instinctively, feeling the cold touch of smooth metal against his fingertips, a texture he didn’t recognize.

Where was he?

He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he collapsed back onto the cold surface. His mind was foggy—fragments of the world outside were scattered like broken glass, and he couldn’t quite piece them together. The last thing he clearly remembered was staring at his computer screen, watching the final line of code he'd written for Eternal Night process. His heart raced, but as he lay there, trying to gather his bearings, a question lingered in the back of his mind: was it just a dream?

The flashing lights. The distortion in the game.

No. It couldn’t have been. Something had happened.

He needed to remember. Aaron’s fingers grazed the metal table beneath him, seeking stability as he attempted to rise again. His body felt strange, as though it wasn’t quite his own. As if some unseen force was pulling him toward an unfamiliar direction.

There was no sound except for the faint hum of electricity somewhere in the distance, a whirring that made the silence feel thick, almost suffocating. The walls around him seemed to pulse with an eerie light, and as his eyes adjusted to the unnatural glow, the sensation of being enclosed in something far too small began to overwhelm him.

“Where am I?” Aaron muttered aloud, his voice sounding alien to his ears. His breath was shallow, as if the air itself had changed in some way, making it hard to breathe.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his head, and he winced. Then, slowly, the fog began to lift, and he could see. Not the sterile room he had awoken in, but something entirely different—a city skyline, vast and sprawling, stretching to an impossibly high horizon. He was in the midst of it all, the wind sweeping through the streets, carrying the scent of something warm and familiar—pizza.

No. That was crazy.

The wind grew stronger, and the smell of cheese, bread, and tomato sauce intensified. It was as if a mument from the past had come alive in his mind, pulling him back into his memories. But he had never been in a place like this before. This wasn’t reality.

Something clicked. His head snapped back as he remembered—Eternal Night. He had been working on the game, tweaking the final lines of code. And then… the glitch. The strange anomaly in the system. The distortion of reality. He couldn’t make sense of it. It had been something out of his control, yet it felt so purposeful.

The game had swallowed him whole, and now he was in it.

He sat up quickly, his legs dangling off the side of the metal table. He stood shakily, trying to orient himself, but the strange surroundings had no familiar landmarks. Everything felt unfamiliar—alien even, yet there was a strange sense of familiarity in the chaos. It was as if he had been here before, or at least, his subconscious had dreamed of a place like this.

The faint hum grew louder, and the glow from the walls seemed to intensify, highlighting the space around him—a room made entirely of technology, holographic panels lining the edges, some flickering and changing, presenting incomprehensible data streams.

Aaron stepped cautiously, walking toward one of the walls, his mind racing. Could he exit this space? Was there even a way out? Or was this some kind of simulation, a trap designed by the game itself? Eternal Night was supposed to be immersive, cutting-edge, with a vast open world and complex storylines—but he had never anticipated anything like this. If this was part of the game, it wasn’t just a game anymore. It was real.

A door ahead of him flickered to life, materializing with a soft mechanical whir. It opened with a hiss, revealing another room—a lounge-like area, bathed in soft light. This place felt different, more… lived-in. He took a cautious step forward and entered, eyes darting around, taking in the surroundings. A large couch sat in the centre, a round table nearby, and shelves full of trinkets and items that reminded him of places he had been, things he had experienced.

Then, it hit him—this was it. This was the place.

In the far corner of the room was a glowing screen, the kind he would normally see in the game—a dashboard-like interface with flashing icons. One of them blinked rapidly, and Aaron could see that it was labelled: “Tutorial.”

“About time,” Aaron muttered to himself.

He moved toward it, his pulse quickening. As he reached for the screen, a sudden force pulled him closer, the interface expanding rapidly, engulfing his vision in a bright flash of data. The next mument, a figure materialized before him, a hologram of sorts, though it looked almost… human.

"Welcome, Player," the figure said in a cool, composed voice, its appearance flickering slightly. "I see you've been chosen."

Aaron flinched, stumbling back. "Chosen? What do you mean 'chosen'?"

The hologram smiled, though it wasn’t a friendly smile—it was distant, almost mechanical. "You’ve been selected to play a key role in the ongoing evolution of Eternal Night," it said, its voice still smooth but somehow colder than he expected. "Your code, your essence, now resides within the game world. You are no longer merely a developer. You are a player, a participant in this world. The choice is now yours. Do you wish to continue?"

Aaron felt his stomach churn. This wasn’t just a game. It was something far more profound. The feeling of being part of something bigger than himself—of his existence being tied to a digital construct—was overwhelming. But then a deeper thought surfaced: What was happening outside of the game? What was the rest of the world like now? He needed to get back.

"I need to get out of here," Aaron muttered under his breath.

The hologram's smile faded, replaced with a somber expression. "Escape is no longer an option," it said, almost regretfully. "This world is now your reality. You will have to adapt, evolve, and uncover the truth about what Eternal Night truly is. You have awakened. And with that, you are no longer just a spectator."

Aaron's mind raced as the words sank in. He was in Eternal Night—or rather, it had consumed him. But he wasn’t the only one. He remembered the glitch, the sudden surge of energy in the system when everything had started to fall apart. If he wasn’t the only one trapped here, who else had been pulled into this world?

The hologram vanished as suddenly as it appeared, leaving Aaron standing in the silence of the room once more. His thoughts were a mess of questions. What had happened? Was this part of the game? Or was it something far more dangerous, something that had slipped out of control?

His mind snapped back to the idea of getting out—finding some way back to the real world. But the more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became. Could there really be a way back? Or was Eternal Night his new home?

For now, all he could do was move forward, step by cautious step.