The day was beautiful despite some darker clouds looming in the west. I hoped it would stay clear for most of the day.

After breakfast, I left Hew's cabin. My three friends decided to spend the day there, working on a new song. They wanted me to stay, but I was eager to check on the Lynx and his group.

We wanted to visit Matt in the hospital in the evening, and we arranged to meet there around seven. Unfortunately, I was again without a mobile phone, as my latest one had vanished in the Death Node, but I assured them I'd be there in time for our meeting.

Surprisingly, even though I had only slept a few hours the previous night, I felt well-rested and in high spirits.

I cruised down the scenic road on my bike, the fresh air tousling my hair and the tune of the new song we were working on humming in my head. Oh, this will be such a success! Music has something magical in itself; there's something truly enchanting about music, something I can't quite put into words, but I know how to tap into it, courtesy of White Flower.

In contrast to the disappointments and heavy blows I'd endured before, the past day had felt like a ray of hope. Even the incident with the shooting had its silver lining, as the boys had embraced me for who I am. I hadn't realized the immense mental strain I'd been under, concealing my true self from them. I should have done it sooner! Next time, I'll confide in Lola, too; she deserves to know, being my oldest friend! I should also invite her to join me in my meetings with the boys – that could make for an intriguing dynamic!

When I reached the main road, I took the right fork, following the main road up the river as it led away from the town.

The new song featured a catchy refrain that I couldn't get out of my head, and I kept humming it on a loop as I maintained a steady speed, savoring the picturesque landscape. There was no need to rush.

The road wound gently through green hills, with forests on the right and a flatter terrain on the left where a few struggling farms dotted the landscape. Much farther to the left, where the ground was level, a large agri-business owned the land, and drones were busy spraying chemicals for a so-called 'healthy' yield.

After covering several kilometers, I stumbled upon a small mall with a convenient parking lot where I could safely leave my bike for the day. Once I had the bike secured, I ventured into a secluded nook nestled among some shipping containers. Here, I transformed into my horned self, expertly concealed my appearance, and took to the skies.

I landed in a serene clearing and attempted the spell to summon the ring. I had to exert just the right amount of control to prevent the spell from fully activating. With some effort, I managed to halt it, gaining a sense of the ring's direction, much like I did back in the cavern. Admittedly, it was simpler there because the ring's surroundings disrupted my spell.

Once I sensed the ring's presence, I took flight again.

As I journeyed further north, the villages became less frequent, and the vast forest dominated the landscape. They seemed to have relocated a bit farther than I had anticipated, causing my flight to take longer than expected.

At one point, I felt a peculiar radiance enveloping me, and a subtle force seemed to tug at me.

This bizarre occurrence sent my mind racing. A multitude of foolish ideas flooded my thoughts. What in the world could this be? Was it some kind of backlash from my spell? It felt a bit like the reverse of the spell, but that would be far too delayed for it to be the cause.

Could it be an earthly event, perhaps resembling an airplane's radar? But this is not what radar illumination means... Maybe a drone projecting this light onto me? No, the illumination would be too intense in broad daylight, and I saw no drones in the sky. What about a satellite-based laser? Nonsense.

I even attempted some erratic zigzag flying, but the light remained locked onto me as if it were magnetically attracted to me. I halted and surveyed the surroundings. It was an incessant force pulling me toward something, and I had to either accept or resist it.

With a sigh, I admitted to myself, "Why are you deceiving yourself, Lores?"

I knew what this was: a summon spell, just like in the game. I had been searching for any other plausible explanation, reluctant to accept that the game had turned into reality.

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So, what should be my course of action here? Should I allow them, whoever they were, to summon me or not?

In the game, it wasn't as if anyone could suddenly summon you. You needed to be in a group, and then, if they had a player who knew the spell, they could summon you. But in this moment, here and now, was I part of a group? No. Erm, how could I even check that without the interface?

Fundamentally, for summons to work, you have to agree to be summoned, to willingly allow yourself to be drawn in. You can simply ignore them, and the summons will eventually fade away. While I was curious about who was attempting to summon me and why, I was also apprehensive. You never knew where you might end up, and you could find yourself trapped in some remote cave. Should I accept it or not?

Just as I was contemplating accepting it, the summon ceased, and suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over me. It felt like a spell's backlash but a particularly severe one. It was as if the entire energy of the summon spell was rebounding against me. My legs gave way, and I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by sickness.

This was deeply troubling. Why was this happening? I hadn't cast the spell, so why was I experiencing this backlash?

I felt incredibly weak, and a pervasive sense of nausea had overwhelmed me. It took more than ten minutes of sheer determination just to stand up. Just as I began to think I was on the road to recovery, I witnessed yet another yellow halo of light encircling me. I hesitated, uncertain about my next move, and then it occurred to me to summon one of White Flower's lightfires as a means of escape. When I finally stopped resisting the pull, expecting to arrive at the lightfire, something entirely different happened. I became engulfed in an intense light.

It was as though everything in my surroundings transformed into light, or perhaps I was transfigured into light myself, for all I could see was this brilliant golden radiance. Gradually, the light began to subside, revealing glimpses of my body as it took shape, starting with my hands and arms.

The transformation continued for several seconds, and then I found myself enclosed within a peculiar cage of light, resembling an illuminated aquarium, with me as the central exhibit.

It didn't seem to match the game's mechanics, or perhaps this was the latest version? I glanced around, and the semi-transparent walls of the enclosure allowed me to make out several figures on the other side. One of them stepped closer to the ring I was trapped in and inquired.

"Demon, will you serve and fight for me to..."

I snorted, cutting him off. So, this guy was the source of my troubles? My pounding headache, nausea, and the episode of vomiting had been triggered by this fool who had the audacity to call me a demon? He should consider himself lucky I didn't treat him like the deer in my woods.

"To hell with you! I have zero interest in your fights! Don't you dare try summoning me again, you jerk!" I shot back.

I was utterly bewildered by the whole situation. What was all of this about? What was going on?

They chattered among themselves, and several people made additional attempts to persuade me, which only stoked my anger further. Then, abruptly, the transition occurred once more, and I found myself back in the same place as before, nearly blinded by the intense light.

This time, the nausea hit me even harder than before. I dropped to my knees and began to retch, the color of my vomit taking on a sickly green hue. The headache escalated from intolerable to excruciating. I felt incredibly weak and vulnerable.

The repercussions of this blasted spell were peculiar, unlike the typical consequences of a misfired spell. It wasn't a scorching of my skin as a consequence of an explosion of uncontrollable magic. It felt as if it was directly assaulting my physical form, my body, and my very soul. It was really scary.

Before I could regain my footing, another yellow halo formed around me, and I felt the familiar pull. What on earth was happening?

I was on all fours, my hands trembling, looking stupidly at the light around me. I took a deep breath.

If I end up there again, I'll make that guy regret his stubbornness! Hadn't I clearly told him to leave me be? How was I part of a group with him that he could summon me? I had no idea who these people were.

I just needed to endure this one, and he probably wouldn't have the power or materials to call another summon. Otherwise... I didn't want to contemplate what I might do.

I remained bathed in the light for about a minute, and when it finally dissipated, the backlash was even more severe than before. I collapsed to the ground as my muscles spasmed. Blood began to pour from my mouth, and my skin cracked, causing bleeding from every possible orifice, even my eyes and nose.

That scared the living daylights out of me. This was definitely not normal; something else was going on there.

I writhed in pain on the ground as another burst of light engulfed me.

Oh no, not again!

"Lores, stop being a fool!" I scolded myself.

Ignoring this wouldn't get me anywhere. Whatever was happening, it seemed determined to keep summoning me. I... I'd have to negotiate with these folks.

In desperation, I closed my eyes and accepted the summon, finding myself once more within a ring of light. But this time, there was not a group observing me. An elderly man with a long white beard stood just beyond the circle, studying my contorted form.

"Hmm, you seem somewhat worse for wear. Can you stand? I don't want damaged goods," he inquired.

He spoke a different language from the previous group, yet I understood him. I raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what he wanted from me. I attempted to stand, moving slowly and propping myself up on my hands, then lifting my head. I didn't even have the energy to protest being called "damaged goods."

"Please, give me a couple of minutes to recover. I'll be alright," I mumbled.