Nash gestured to himself and Eliath. “I’m Nash, and this is Eliath.”
Kyle motioned to each person in turn. “Seraphine, Luna, and Jasper.”
Nash gave a nod. “Alright… so what’s our next move?”
Seraphine spoke up, her expression tense. “The Rift… it’s stirring. I don’t know why it’s happening now, but something is coming.”
Luna frowned. “What’s the difference between the Rift and Eidolon?”
A heavy silence settled over the group as they exchanged uncertain glances. No one had a clear answer.
Then—the door creaked open.
Four figures stepped inside, their presence shifting the very air in the room.
Kyle, Seraphine, Jasper, and Eliath froze, their shock evident. Recognition flashed in their eyes, and one by one, they spoke.
Kyle’s breath hitched. “Kaelith.”
Seraphine’s voice was hushed, almost reverent. “Lazryn.”
Jasper tensed. “Thalyon.”
Eliath’s expression hardened. “Aren.”
The weight of their names hung in the air like an unspoken truth. Nash and Luna exchanged wary glances—whoever these people were, their arrival had just changed everything.
Kaelith smirked, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Why do you look so unhappy to see me, Kyle?”
Kyle opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Lazryn stepped forward, his gaze settling on Seraphine. “I left you briefly, and you’ve already gathered all the Chosen. That’s impressive.”
Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly. “As glad as I am to see you… why are you here?”
Kaelith was the one to answer, his smirk widening. “We’re your guides.”
Nash’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
Kaelith’s smirk didn’t fade as he answered cryptically, “Eidolon has released its hold on us. We’re one of you now—Chosen.” His gaze flickered with something unreadable. “Though we can’t enter your world just yet… not until the Merge happens.”
Nash tensed at his words. The Merge. The weight of it settled in his chest like a storm on the horizon—looming, inevitable.
Aren, clearly impatient with the conversation, exhaled sharply. “Kyle, you’re with me.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out of the room.
Kyle glanced around at the others before pushing himself up with a sigh. “Guess I’ll see you all later.” He followed after Aren without another word.
Thalyon folded his arms and nodded toward Eliath. “You’re with me.”
Lazryn flashed a grin at Seraphine but then turned to Jasper. “Let’s roll.”
Kaelith, for once, had lost his smirk. His expression was unusually serious as he regarded the remaining three. “Even though we’re your guides, there are only four of us.” He met Seraphine’s gaze. “You’re with me.”
He then turned to Nash and Luna. “As for you two—stick together.”
Nash sat there, brow furrowed, puzzling over the exchange. Across from him, Luna wore a similar expression of confusion. With a shake of his head, he exhaled sharply. “Well, that was a waste of my time.”
Turning to Luna, he said, “I need to reach level 20. I have a quest to continue. So, I’m leaving.”
Without waiting for a response, he got up and strode toward the door.
Luna blinked, then scowled. “Seriously?” With an irritated sigh, she hurried after him, calling out, “Kaelith just said we should stick together!”
Nash didn’t slow down, didn’t even acknowledge her words.
Annoyed, Luna reached out and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop. She had more levels on him—more strength. He felt it in the firm grip that kept him rooted.
Nash turned his head slightly, his tone clipped. “Those so-called guides didn’t tell us anything concrete. They just took a few of us and left us behind. What are we supposed to do with that?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. But I do know I need to level up to continue my quest. That’s where I’m going.”
Luna crossed her arms, unimpressed. “And you think running off alone is the answer?”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Nash sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t have an answer, okay?” His voice held a mix of frustration and exhaustion.
Luna studied him for a moment before exhaling. “Fine. Then we figure it out together.”
He hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Alright. But I’m still leveling up.”
Luna smirked. “Then I hope you can keep up.”
---
The others who had left with an NPC questioned why they had been chosen as their guides and what it truly meant for them. Uncertainty lingered—was it mere coincidence, or was there a deeper purpose behind it?
Meanwhile, the four NPCs had undergone a transformation. They had been granted the same privileges as the players—the ability to take quests, gain experience, and level up. Their roles had shifted drastically. No longer just static figures in the game, they were now Hidden NPC Chosen—a fact the players had yet to realize.
---
Meanwhile, unaware of the changes unfolding elsewhere, Nash and Luna pressed forward.
After leaving the city, Nash and Luna traveled east, following a winding path that led into the dense, mist-laden forests beyond Iridiel. The further they ventured, the quieter the world became—no bustling streets, no distant chatter of merchants, just the rustling of leaves and the faint hum of unseen magic in the air.
“We should be close,” Luna murmured, scanning the shadows between the trees. “Illusion Foxes are tricky. They don’t attack outright—they play with their prey first.”
Nash rolled his shoulders, gripping his weapon. “Then let’s make sure they realize we’re not here to play.”
As if in response, the mist thickened around them, shifting unnaturally. The air grew heavy, charged with something unseen.
The hunt had begun.
---
The forest was eerily silent, the air thick with tension. Nash’s instincts screamed that he wasn’t alone, but his eyes saw nothing—only the faint mist curling through the trees.
Then, a flicker. A shimmer in the air.
Move.
Nash Veil Slipped just as violet flames erupted where he had been standing, the spectral fire twisting unnaturally as it seared the ground. His heart pounded.
Foxfire Barrage.
His gaze snapped to the left. The first Illusion Fox stood atop a fallen log, its silver-blue fur shifting like liquid shadow, its nine tails curling as if weaving unseen magic. Its eerie violet eyes locked onto him, glowing like twin stars.
Nash tightened his grip on his blade.
Another flicker—three foxes now. Identical. Phantom Clones.
They moved in unison, circling him. Which one was real?
The first lunged. Nash countered, slicing clean through—only for the fox to explode in a blinding flash. His vision blurred, and his footing wavered.
A shadow moved—too late. Claws raked across his arm, his HP bar dipping as the real fox struck from behind.
Damn it.
Nash Shadow Surged forward, buying himself space. His vision cleared just in time to see the foxes flicker and vanish.
Veil of Shadows.
A chill ran down his spine. He wasn’t fighting a beast—he was fighting a ghost.
Then, whispers. Soft, insidious. Mind Mirage.
He saw movement—a figure in the mist. Eliath? No—Kyle? His friends stood ahead, weapons drawn, calling his name. No, that’s wrong. His mind screamed at him, but the illusion held, his own blade shaking in hesitation.
A glint of violet. A smirk hidden behind foxfire.
Not this time.
Nash forced himself forward—straight through the illusion. His blade slashed into empty air—then met resistance. A real body. The fox screeched as his strike connected, its fur shifting violently between colors.
It snarled, eyes flashing. Dimensional Step.
The fox blinked out of existence—only to reappear with another illusion at its side. It was weakened now, desperate.
Nash felt it—the surge in his veins, the Veil responding. His mind clicked into place, instincts fusing with something deeper. Something faster.
The shadow ignited.
Eclipse Surge
Dark energy coiled around Nash, the Veil pulsing like a second heartbeat. Then—he moved.
The world snapped into motion. The ground cracked beneath his feet, air whipping past his face as he surged forward, a streak of black fire tearing through the mist. His blade sliced through phantom flesh and fur alike, illusions shattering like brittle glass, while the real fox let out a strangled snarl as steel met bone.
Behind him, shadowfire ignited, twisting and writhing like living tendrils. The heat licked at his skin, the scent of scorched mist thick in the air as the battlefield burned with flickering black embers.
The fox staggered, its tails thrashing as the consuming flames devoured it. Its illusions crumbled, its tricks undone.
With one final, weakened growl, the beast dissolved into mist.
Nash exhaled slowly, his blade still humming with lingering Veil energy. He flexed his fingers, the pulse of Eclipse Surge still coursing through him like an unspent charge.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
Now this… this was a skill worth mastering.
---
The last wisps of the Illusion Foxes faded into the mist, leaving only the distant crackle of dying shadowfire in their wake. Nash straightened, rolling the tension from his shoulders as his interface pulsed.
Level 20 Reached.
Finally.
The notification he had been waiting for flashed before him, but as he read it, a strange weight settled in his chest.
Quest Unlocked: Seek the Path Beyond the Shadows.
Unlocked at Lvl 20.
He exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around his weapon. He should have felt satisfied—he had fought for this, pushed himself through every battle to get here. And yet…
A chill traced down his spine.
He had expected the next step to be difficult. But now that it was real, tangible, inevitable, an unsettling truth settled in his gut.
There’s no turning back now.
A few feet away, Luna leaned against a tree, arms crossed. She hadn’t interfered in the battle, only watched, but now her gaze flickered with curiosity. “That’s the quest, isn’t it?”
Nash gave a short nod. “Yeah.” His voice was steady, but something inside him wasn’t.
She pushed off the tree and approached. “So? What happens now?”
Before he could answer, the air shifted. The mist around them thickened unnaturally, curling in slow, deliberate patterns. The trees flickered at the edges of his vision, as if struggling to hold their shape. A strange pressure settled in his chest—not heavy, but present.
Then, the message shifted, the letters twisting as if etched by unseen hands.
Step Into the Rift.
The boundary is no longer closed to you.
Come forward… if you dare.
The words pulsed, the air around Nash growing unnaturally heavy. A distant whisper curled at the edges of his mind—low, beckoning, waiting.
Nash clenched his jaw. He had been preparing for this moment, but now that it was here, the reality of it settled in his bones. This wasn’t just a game anymore.
Luna frowned, glancing around. “Did you feel that?”
He didn’t answer. His gaze was locked on the mist ahead, where something unseen was waiting. Watching.
“The Rift is open,” he murmured. “And it knows I’m here.”