Chapter 10: Unexpected Reunion

The early morning light filtered softly through the fabric of the tent, casting a pale glow across everything inside. I was still wrapped in the fog of sleep when I felt a gentle nudge against my arm. Blinking groggily, I turned to see Ana kneeling beside me, her wide eyes filled with concern.

She signed urgently, “I hear something outside.”

Immediately, the remnants of sleep vanished. I sat up, my heart quickening as I focused on the noises beyond the tent. It was faint—a low murmur, followed by the unmistakable crunch of footsteps on the forest floor. For a moment, panic flared in my chest. After everything that had happened, the strangeness of the past few days, my mind raced with the possibilities. What now?

I slowly moved toward the front of the tent, trying to stay as quiet as possible. With deliberate care, I unzipped the flap just enough to peek outside. As the light from outside spilled into the tent, I held my breath, bracing myself for whatever was out there.

What I saw made my breath catch—not in fear, but in elation. Standing just a few feet from our tent, looking equally as disoriented, were Alex and Sam. Relief washed over me so suddenly that it left me lightheaded.

For a brief moment, I felt like everything from the past couple of days—the strange forest, the changing tent, our inexplicably long hair—had been nothing more than a dream. Maybe we had gotten lost and Alex and Sam had finally found us. Maybe everything would go back to normal now.

But as I looked past them, the truth came crashing back. We were still in the clearing near the fist-shaped tree, and our tent was still the unfamiliar camo brown and green. This was no dream. We were still in this strange place, and Alex and Sam were here, too.

I turned back to Ana, who had been anxiously watching my every move. “It’s okay,” I signed quickly, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. “It’s Alex and Sam.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t hesitate. We quickly got dressed, exchanging glances as the reality of the situation sank in. Our hair was still longer—definitely not a dream—and the forest outside was the same as it had been for the last couple of days. But the fear that had been gnawing at me was lessened by the fact that we weren’t alone anymore.

We stepped out of the tent, the cool morning air brushing against our faces as we approached Alex and Sam. At first, they spoke normally, their faces a mix of relief and confusion.

“Ani! Ana!” Alex said, the rush of words carrying their worry. “We are so glad we found you!”

But as soon as Alex’s voice carried across the clearing, Ana winced, stepping slightly behind me, her body tense. Alex noticed right away, their expression softening. “Sorry, I forgot,” they said, dropping their voice. “Didn’t mean to scare you, Ana.”

Sam, standing beside Alex, looked more than just concerned. Their eyes darted nervously around the clearing, lingering on the fist-shaped rock and tree, a flicker of both fear and awe crossing their face. They didn’t speak right away, their mouth opening slightly as if searching for the right words. “We’ve been through… something strange,” Sam finally said, their voice quiet but with an edge of unease. Their gaze moved to our hair, the tent, and the entire unfamiliar setting, as if piecing together that whatever had happened to them was happening to us too.

The relief I had felt moments earlier began to twist into a familiar sense of unease. “You too?” I asked, my voice low. “What happened to you?”

Alex and Sam exchanged glances before Alex stepped closer, keeping their voice soft and even. “We… we don’t really know,” Alex began. “When we woke up the morning before last we were in a different forest, nothing was the same.”

Sam nodded, their voice barely above a whisper. “And our hair…” They gestured toward their own longer hair, which, like ours, had grown impossibly fast. “It wasn’t like this when we started the trip.” Alex’s black hair had grown out to jaw length, contrasting with their light brown skin, and their brown eyes were wide with confusion. Sam’s athletic build was familiar, but their unnatural red hair, now showing brown roots growing in, immediately caught my attention, their hazel eyes flickering between concern and relief.

My mind raced. “That’s exactly what happened to us,” I said. “Our tent changed colors overnight. And our hair—it grew out in just a day. We thought we were losing our minds out here.”

Ana, watching the exchange, moved closer to me, signing, “Is it happening to them too?” I nodded, trying to keep my expression calm for her sake. It wasn’t just us. Whatever strange force was at play here, it had affected Alex and Sam as well.

Sam knelt down slightly to get on Ana’s level, keeping their voice soft as they spoke. “We don’t know what’s going on either, Ana. But we’re going to figure it out together, okay?”

Ana gave a small, cautious nod, her eyes flicking between all of us as if trying to process everything.

I turned back to Alex, my curiosity growing as I processed everything they had just told me. If they had experienced the same strange changes that Ana and I had, there had to be more connections between us. My eyes drifted down to my wrist, where the spiral tattoo with its pulsing blue and green dots was still visible.

“Do you both have these wrist tattoos?” I asked, holding up my wrist to show them the spiral design.

Alex and Sam exchanged glances before revealing their wrists. They had the same spiral tattoos, faintly glowing in the early morning light, each marked with a green dot—though theirs lacked the additional blue mark which Ana and I had on ours.

"What does it mean?" Sam asked.

"I'm still figuring it out," I admitted. "I think the green dot is linked to a quest. Have you heard of the game Aetheris?"

Alex and Sam both shook their heads, clearly unfamiliar.

“Okay,” I continued, “so Aetheris is an online role-playing game. It’s set in a world that’s similar to Earth, with different continents, cities, and a complex system of quests and tasks. You create a character, explore the world, and complete missions—quests—to advance in the game. You earn rewards, like experience points or gear, by doing certain tasks or reaching locations.”

Sam tilted their head, clearly intrigued but still uncertain. “So… how does this tie in to what’s happening now?” they asked.

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“Well,” I said, “it feels like we’re inside a version of the game. Last night, I found that if I focus in a certain way, I can pull up a screen—just like in Aetheris. You know how in video games, you have menus that show quests, inventory, or maps? It’s like that, but it’s here, in front of me, like an augmented reality interface.”

They exchanged skeptical glances. "You're saying we're in a game?" Sam asked.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "How did you pull up that interface?"

I showed them how to relax their focus and concentrate just enough to bring up the screen without trying too hard. “It’s like focusing on something without actually looking at it directly,” I explained. “Once you get the hang of it, the screen should pop up.”

Alex was the first to try. After a few moments of concentration, I saw their eyes widen slightly as the screen materialized before them. “Whoa....,” they whispered, their voice soft but filled with awe. “There’s a quest here.”

I watched as Sam mimicked the technique, their own screen flickering into view. I could see the moment their quest log appeared from the way their expression shifted from surprise to focused determination.

“What does your quest say?” I asked, feeling a flutter of anticipation. If their quest aligned with ours, it might provide more clues.

Alex read from the screen, their eyes narrowing slightly. “It says, ‘Find Gyrica.’”

"In the game, Gyrica is a town. I remember it from one of the earlier quests in Aetheris," I explained. "My quest is to 'Meet Mundi in Tyra.' Gyrica is on the same continent as Tyra, but Tyra is one of the major cities in Aetheris and is farther north."

"Who's Mundi?" Sam asked.

I sighed, realizing how strange this was going to sound. "Mundi—short for Mundifico—is one of the original developers of Aetheris. He helped build a lot of the game world, and he used to pop into the game sometimes as a player to test things. I’ve known him for years—met him when I was first learning to play. He’s always been... a bit cryptic, but his messages usually hint at something important."

Alex’s expression grew thoughtful. "So, you think this Mundi brought us here?"

I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts before continuing. "I hadn’t heard from him in a while until the night you messaged me about this trip. He sent me a message saying, ‘Life is about to get weird, see you in Tyra.’ At first, I thought it was just another game event or quest line, but now it feels like more than that."

I continued, "There’s something else. When I logged in right before this trip, I received a second message from Mundi—‘Don’t forget to meet in Tyra,’ and right after that, I noticed my credit balance went up from 22 to 200 credits. It was... strange."

Sam’s face remained calm, but they gave a small nod, clearly understanding the gravity of the situation. "That’s a pretty big jump," they said. "Credits can take a while to rack up, and 200 isn’t exactly pocket change. Were you expecting it?"

I shook my head. "No, I didn’t earn them through any tasks, and Mundi didn’t say why. I’ve never gotten a sudden increase like that before—especially without doing something to deserve it."

Alex glanced at Sam, the two of them clearly processing the information quickly. "Not that uncommon in some circles," Alex said, tilting their head slightly. "We’ve seen people get sudden credit boosts like that, but it’s usually a reward or donation from someone. Maybe this Mundi guy sent it to help you get ready for whatever's coming."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we’ve earned credits through other means too. Community work, volunteering, even just helping people out in small ways—it all adds up. But 200 credits in one go, especially without any notice, is definitely weird."

I furrowed my brow, thinking about the times when Ana and I had relied on credits to get by. "It’s just… unsettling. I’ve worked hard for every credit I’ve earned, and to have them appear without an explanation—it makes me wonder what else is tied to this."

Alex crossed their arms, looking thoughtful. "Credits have become such a big part of life now, it’s hard not to question it when they just show up like that. Maybe Mundi knew you’d need them for something soon. Whatever's happening, it sounds like it’s more than just a game."

I nodded slowly. "Exactly. The credits system has always been a lifeline for Ana and me, helping us cover essentials. I’ve always understood the rules, but this... this feels different. Like there’s something I’m not seeing yet."

Alex frowned, clearly puzzled. "So, he gave you a heads-up, sent you 200 credits, and now we’re all stuck in some real version of the game? That’s beyond weird."

"I know," I said. "At first, I thought it was just a random bonus or maybe a glitch, but now I think it’s a clue—or at least something connected to what’s happening. I’ve never gotten that many credits before, and the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence."

I frowned, the thought of those mysterious 200 credits lingering in my mind. On impulse, I decided to check my inventory again, just to see if they were still there. With a focused effort, I brought up the interface, the familiar transparent screen flickering into view.

I quickly navigated to my inventory, scrolling down until I saw the credits section. Sure enough, the 200 credits were listed, still sitting there, untouched. "They're still here," I said quietly, more to myself than to anyone else. "200 credits, just like before."

Alex’s eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Wait, you can see your inventory like that? Do we have credits too?"

"Try pulling up your inventory," I suggested. "Focus on it, like I showed you."

Alex and Sam exchanged a quick glance before focusing. I watched as Alex’s eyes widened slightly. "Whoa. Okay. I’ve got an inventory screen… and 100 credits."

Sam, still quiet but visibly intrigued, nodded.

I turned to Ana, who had been watching intently. "Ana, can you try to pull up your screen?"

She furrowed her brow and concentrated, her small hands moving as if to mimic the gestures she’d seen me use. After a few moments, she looked up, shaking her head. "I don’t see anything," she signed.

I felt a pang of concern but kept my voice calm. "That’s okay. It might come up later. We’ll figure it out."

Alex let out a low whistle, breaking the brief silence. "This is getting more and more like the game every second. First the quests, now credits... We’re living in this Aetheris game."

Sam’s expression shifted, a mix of worry and curiosity crossing their face. "So, you think Mundi’s involved in whatever’s happening here"

I nodded slowly. "I don’t know for sure, but it feels like it. His message mentioned Tyra. The green dot on my wrist is pointing toward it. It’s almost like we’re in the game, but… this is real. The blue dot," I added, gesturing to the faintly pulsing mark on my wrist, "tracks Ana. That’s why it stays close to the center when I’m near her."

Alex crossed their arms, clearly thinking hard. "So we’re in some kind of game-world-turned-reality, and this Mundi might know why?"

"Exactly," I said, feeling the weight of the situation settle in again. "If Mundi is somehow involved, then finding him in Tyra could be the key to understanding what’s happening to us."

For a moment, we stood in silence, processing the implications. We were in a world that mirrored the game but was real in every tangible way. And now, the quests were pulling us toward specific locations, like we were characters in a story we didn’t fully understand.

Sam looked thoughtful. “So, the quest for you is Tyra. And for us, it’s Gyrica. How do we know these places will help us figure out what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But in Aetheris, quests are how you move forward. They’re designed to guide you toward the next step in the story, and it feels like this world is doing the same. Gyrica and Tyra are important, but I think we’re being pulled toward them for a reason. We just don’t know what that is yet.”

Alex exchanged a glance with Sam, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. “Alright,” Alex said, “so we follow the quests, find these cities, and hope we learn more along the way.”

I nodded, relieved they were on board. “Exactly. But first, we find water.”

I glanced at the horizon, toward where I had seen the glimmer of light the day before. “I saw a possible water source in that direction,” I said, pointing. “We should head there first. We’re running low on water, and we can’t afford to ignore basic needs.”

Alex nodded. “Agreed. And once we’ve resupplied, we can decide our next move. Gyrica is on the way to Tyra, right?”

“More or less,” I replied. “It’s a bit of a detour, but Gyrica’s quest seems closer, we should head there first. We might find more answers.”

Ana tugged at my sleeve, her eyes serious. “Can we eat breakfast first?” she signed.

I smiled softly, my heart swelling with affection for her. “Of course, little star. Let’s eat first.”