The blinding light of my VR headset faded as I pulled it off, and the real world snapped back into focus. My head throbbed faintly, and my messy room—strewn with empty energy drink cans, half-eaten snacks, and discarded sketchbooks—felt oddly… dull after hours in the glowing forests of Eidolon Nexus.

I groaned, flopping backward into my beanbag chair. The faint hum of my computer fans filled the silence.

Selene…

Her piercing amber eyes flashed in my mind, and my cheeks heated up. No, stop. Don’t do that, brain. She was just another player. An extremely confident, intimidating, and unfairly attractive player.

A muffled sound came from the kitchen.

I froze, sitting upright. “Devon?”

Devon’s voice echoed back. “You’re out? Took you long enough.”

Dragging myself out of the beanbag chair, I shuffled out of my room and into our tiny shared apartment’s kitchen. Devon was—unsurprisingly—raiding my fridge. Shirtless, with plaid pajama pants hanging low on his hips, he stood barefoot on the cold tile floor, one hand holding a carton of milk and the other rummaging for snacks.

“You’re actually drinking straight from the carton?” I deadpanned.

He froze mid-sip, eyes wide like a raccoon caught in headlights, before shrugging and chugging more. “Why waste a cup?”

I grabbed the milk from his hand and shoved it back into the fridge. “Why are you always in my kitchen when I log out?”

I paused, looking in the crook of his arm. “You’re eating my chips.”

He glanced down, completely unapologetic, a red chip halfway to his mouth. “Correction: I’m finishing your chips.”

“Those were my emotional support chips, Devon!”

He popped the chip in his mouth, chewing obnoxiously slow, his dark eyes locked on mine. “Consider me your only emotional support, then.”

I groaned, stomping over and grabbing a glass from the cabinet. “You’re impossible.”

“And you still love me,” he said casually, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his toned chest. “So? How’d it go?”

I hesitated, grabbing a leftover slice of pizza from the counter. “It… went.”

Devon arched a brow. “That’s it? ‘It went’?”

“It’s a lot to unpack, okay? There was this boss fight, some rogue players, and then… uh…” My brain stalled as Selene’s sharp amber gaze resurfaced. I shoved pizza in my mouth to distract myself.

Devon tilted his head, studying me. “And then?”

I mumbled around the pizza. “Nothing.”

“Oh, no. Don’t ‘nothing’ me, Kiera.” He pushed off the counter and stalked toward me with an easy stride, his eyes narrowing. “You’re doing that thing where you look like you stole a cookie from the jar, but the cookie is a mysterious female rogue player who you’re definitely thinking about right now.”

I nearly choked on my pizza. “I am not—Devon!”

Devon grinned, leaning against the counter next to me. “Okay, okay, relax. Start from the top. You found her, right? Selene?”

I sighed, brushing stray crumbs off my hoodie. “Yeah, I found her. Or… she found me. Honestly, I’m still not sure how she tracked me down so fast.”

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“Well, I did ask her for a favor,” Devon said nonchalantly, inspecting his nails like he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

“You what?” I stared at him.

Devon gave me an easy smile. “Yeah, we run in similar circles. Her guild and mine cross paths a lot in raids and dungeon clears. I figured she’d be able to handle someone with your… unique situation.”

“Devon!” I smacked his arm. “You could’ve warned me! I—she—ugh.”

His smirk widened. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you blushing?”

I turned away sharply, crossing my arms. “No.”

“Oh, you are. You’re red, Kiera. Tomato red.”

“Devon, I swear—”

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, raising his hands. “Did you—what, get all flustered? Did she flirt with you?”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “She’s just… intense, okay? And confident. And her voice—nope, nope, stopping now.”

Devon stared at me curiously when I peeked through my fingers. Not playful, not teasing—curious.

“Kiera…” he said slowly. “Do you… like her?”

I froze. My cheeks burned hotter than before, and I couldn’t form words. My mouth opened, then closed again.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his usually easy smirk fading. “You’re not usually like this.”

“I—I don’t know, okay?” I said quickly, turning to grab another slice of pizza and holding it up like a shield. “maybe it’s just a crush. I’m not thinking about it. At all.”

Devon studied me for a long moment, his dark eyes sharp but unreadable. Then he sighed, raking a hand through his messy hair.

“Well… whatever happens, just be careful, alright?”

I blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” he said casually, pushing off the counter. “I just mean—she’s good at what she does, and players like her? They’ve got walls. just… don’t let yourself get hurt.”

I frowned. Something about how he said it and how he avoided looking directly at me felt off.

“Did you… know she’d join my party?” I asked, my voice softer now.

He paused and looked over at me. “No. I mean, yeah, I told her about you. I gave her a heads-up in case you crossed paths. But I didn’t know she’d actually join you.”

I walked over and perched myself on the kitchen counter, letting my legs dangle off the edge.

“She seems… intense,” I said, biting the cold pizza.

He snorted. “Selene’s always been intense. But she’s sharp, Kiera. She’s one of the best. If anyone can keep you alive out there, it’s her.”

I looked down at my lap, my voice quieter now. “Do you think I’m in over my head, Dev?”

For once, Devon didn’t immediately quip back with a sarcastic remark. Instead, he walked over to me, stopping right in front of where I sat perched on the counter.

He placed his hands lightly on my knees, his thumbs tracing soft circles over the fabric of my sweatpants.

“You’re scared,” he said softly. “And you should be. This isn’t just some random side quest anymore—it’s dangerous. But… you’re also one of the most stubborn people I know. And if anyone can handle this, it’s you.”

My chest tightened at his words, and I blinked back the sudden prickle of tears.

“Devon…”

He smirked faintly, squeezing my knees. “Don’t get all sappy on me now, sis. I’ll revoke your spicy chips privileges.”

I laughed wetly, swatting at his arm.

The moment hung between us—soft, warm, and oddly fragile.

“Get some sleep,” Devon said finally, stepping back. “Tomorrow, we’ll figure out our next move.”

“Yeah…” I said softly, sliding off the counter and padding toward my room.

Before disappearing through the doorway, I turned back to look at him. Devon was sprawled across the couch, phone in hand, the glow reflecting faintly in his eyes.

“Goodnight, Dev.”

He looked up, his smirk softening into something more genuine. “Goodnight, Ki.”

As I curled back up in bed, the glow of my VR headset casting faint light across my nightstand, I let out a shaky breath.

Devon was right—it wasn’t just a side quest anymore.

But as I closed my eyes, the piercing amber glow of Selene’s eyes flashed behind my lids.

I wasn’t sure if the weight in my chest was fear… or something else entirely.