“What was that about?” Kayla asked as they left the station.
The train stopped at Moon’s Cargo Port, a port a kilometer away from the space station. Most of the people here were players, particularly the rich ones who dealt with transporting valuable cargo between P4ngea and the moon. The ground beyond the glass opened up, allowing one such cargo ship to make its way beside Anton, its size almost twice the size of their starship. It turned its head toward P4ngea and leaped away.
“I’ll tell you when we’re on our way,” Anton said, opening the menu. He knew that searching for the player from before would be impossible, considering the sheer size of the moon’s city. Just looking at it from the distance told Anton all he needed to know.
“Can you fly a starship?”
“We’re heading back?”
“Wasn’t supposed to spend that much time here anyway.”
Anton no longer had the mood for sightseeing. Kayla watched him from the sides, her eyes looking into his face. Anton glanced her way, noticing the sadness on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Anton asked.
“You said you wanted me to tell you all about the new updates.”
“I… ugh… fine,” Anton changed screens. He opened up the vehicle rental menu, the normal, four-wheeled ones.
“Would one hour be enough? I need to eat, after all,” Anton said after looking at his real-world clock.
“Are you sure you don’t want to at least spend a day here?” she asked with puppy dog’s eyes on her face. Unable to resist, Anton finally relented.
“Fine, fine. Let’s spend the night here.”
Kayla’s eyes lit up the moment she heard it.
“Okay, I’ll make sure you have fun.”
“I’ll be in your care,” Anton then paid for the car. He decided that it would be better to reorder it later. It took a while, but the car eventually arrived. Kayla hopped into the driver’s seat. She turned the wheel, heading out of the port.
* ••
As they made their way down the highways of the moon, Anton looked up at the countless stars that twinkle in the sky beyond the glass that covered the city. The structure looked like several glass bubbles with different sizes merged into one large unit.
“I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?”
“You don’t need to force yourself.”
“Will you accept my excuses?” Anton asked, turning his head to the right.
“As an AI companion, I have no right to judge you whatsoever.”
“... You sure?”
“Well, I mean I can comment, but it’s not like I can do anything other than that. You can turn that part off if you want.”
“Nah, it doesn’t feel right,” Anton let out a sigh and slumped into the car’s seats.
“I recognized that voice,” Anton started speaking, Kayla nodded her head. She said nothing, allowing Anton to continue.
“It’s a voice that used to haunt me… I’m way too dramatic, aren’t I?”
“I’m not sure… But I think it’s fine. If you really think that voice is that haunting, then it’s fine. It’s your experience, after all.”
“Well, basically, that voice used to bully me,” Anton noticed Kayla’s expression changing the moment she heard that.
The AI companions could only act based on what information the players fed to them, either by the players or by the game. It couldn’t access private data, especially not the private lives of the players themselves. Like humans, AI too can feel shock when they are fed data that they did not expect.
“It’s far behind me now… but… yeah…”
Anton glanced at Kayla.
“...”
Kayla remained silent, making the air feel uncomfortable.
“Kayla?”
“I’m considering what to say, sorry.”
“Just say what is on your mind.”
Kayla glanced back at him.
“But… it doesn’t feel right. Something stopping me from saying it all.”
“... I guess some of your personality might interfere with your choices.”
“Maybe.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“But if I force you to spout it out?”
“I’ll probably be forced to say it,” Kayla replied.
“But that wouldn’t feel good, would it?” she added.
“You holding back like that only makes me more curious.”
“Well, here I go, then,” Kayla looked forward and took a deep breath.
“I really want to say that you may be mistaken, believing Rito and that player are truly nice people, but… he recognized you.”
“Yeah.”
“And that’s because you didn’t change your avatar.”
“Should I change it?”
“I think you’re perfect the way you are,” Kayla complimented. Anton felt his face getting slightly hot. Kayla let him cool down before taking another breather and continuing.
“Since it’s the same person, he probably changed. Everyone changes after a while, right?”
“Yeah. It had been years at this point. I don’t even remember the details. Sorry, it’s just… I lost control.”
“Everyone loses control once in a while. Don’t worry about it. Instead, I would like you to rely on me more,” Kayla said calmly.
“Well, if you say so.”
“Look, the city’s coming into view,” Kayla pointed ahead. Tall, futuristic buildings with various shapes rose into the sky. A wide stretch of solar panels covered the landscape on both sides of the highway, with two smaller towers on the sides. They all faced the sun, the bright star that refused to move.
“I assume there are no weather changes here?”
“It’s a controlled environment, so no,” Kayla answered. She then stepped on the pedal, the car increasing in speed.
“Let’s have some fun.”
“Okay.”
* ••
The clock showed that it was already six in the evening in the real world. Anton and Kayla got off their taxi in front of the hotel they would be staying at. The three-star hotel, looking fairly luxurious for its class, stood on the city’s outskirts. It explained why the hotel cost less while being luxurious at the same time.
The two made their way through the hotel’s lobby. A large painting covered the area behind the receptionist. As Anton checked into the hotel, Kayla made her way from one end of the floor to the other, paying great attention to the stars that occupied the hotel’s black floor tilings. The walls sported a deep shade of brown, exuding comforting energy. Gentle melodies of a single grand piano filled the air inside the hotel’s walls. The pianist's hands ran through the entire piano’s keyboard, her fingers dancing in the air.
“Kayla,” Anton called, waiting in front of the elevator. Kayla turned her head toward him, and with rushed steps, came closer. Anton then pressed the elevator’s button and waited for her to arrive before going in.
“This is one fancy hotel,” Kayla said as she watched the numbers go up.
“Yeah. We struck a good deal.”
The elevator let out a ting, its metal doors making way for the people inside. Anton and Kayla stepped onto the carpet floor. The dark gray floor, despite the color difference, still sported the countless glittering stars that formed the pattern and general theme of this hotel. They went toward their room. Anton used the key card, once again decorated in the shimmer of stars, and opened the door.
Anton searched for the key slot and inserted the key card into it, turning all the lights on.
“I’ll pull the curtains,” Kayla said as she headed for the other side of the room. She took the thick piece of brown cloth into her hands and pulled them in different directions, splitting them down the middle.
“Woah…”
The two exclaimed after they saw the sights. The room faced away from the city, so instead of the tall towers, futuristic buildings, and beautiful light shows of the moon city, the empty surface of the moon greeted them, the side beyond the glass bubble. Pale white rocks covered the landscape. Beyond them lay the countless stars that filled the skies, the sun shining among them.
Anton didn’t get bored of the sight even if he had been seeing it for hours at this point. Anton decided to let the window remain open, as the sun wasn’t bright enough to the point it blinded him. The glass walls seemed to filter the sun’s light, in a way, making it look like a bright, clear night, even with the sun floating right there.
Anton sat down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. The entire room had been themed around stars, with the walls, floor, and ceiling a combination of the colors black, dark blue, and dark gray. He then rested his body on the bed’s smooth surface.
“I’m going to go and eat dinner.”
“Will you be returning after that?”
“Yeah. Got nothing to do for the night.”
“Gotcha. I’ll look for some more info on the city for now.”
“Do you even need to search?”
“It’s more natural that way, right?” Kayla asked with a smile.
“Good night, she whispered.”
“I’m not even sleeping yet,” Anton replied with a chuckle. Using his mind to navigate the menu, he logged out of the game.
* ••
The moment Anton opened his eyes, he found himself back in the real world, alone. He rose from his bed, the entire room looked much more boring when compared to the virtual world. He got up and walked toward the toilet, before heading for the kitchen.
He had lost count of time. Cooking would take too long, so he decided to eat out. He changed into more proper clothing and headed out of his apartment. There was a small food stall near his apartment, one he frequented when he didn’t cook. He entered the stall, finding the owner behind a display of delicious-looking dishes.
“Ah, Anton. It’s been a while,” the stall owner greeted.
“Yeah. You good?” Anton asked while pointing toward food items kept behind the display cabinet. The stall owner took a brown paper wrapping from a plastic that consisted of clean wrapping specifically made for food. He then inserted the food items that Anton chose into it.
“Yeah. You’re going for the usual?”
“It had been a while.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You don't want to eat here?”
“Sorry, got something else to do.”
“Right’o,” the stall owner started wrapping the food up for Anton. He then gave Anton the packaging and Anton paid in cash.
“See ya around.”
“Yeah, see you,” Anton then left the stall and headed for his apartment.
* ••
Kayla scrolled down the in-game website detailing experiences that could be found inside the city. Being an AI companion, she could only access the data available for players. She slumped her body to the back of her chair, closing the window in front of her. She then glanced toward the bed, seeing Anton’s body lying on top of it.
She stood up from the chair and slowly approached the bed. She sat down on its side, looking at Anton’s sleeping face. She pulled herself down beside him, facing upward. She then turned around so that she faced him. She pulled herself closer. She touched Anton’s left arm, doubt filling her mind. She touched Anton’s virtual skin again, before hugging his arm and pulling herself closer. She felt the virtual heat traveling between them, Anton calm’s breathing signaling that he was still asleep, far away from this world.
Kayla opened her mouth and muttered his name.
“Anton…”