Valenius woke up suddenly, finding himself in his familiar bedroom.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting light across the room.

The TV was off.

Valenius throat felt dry, and he gasped for air, quickly glancing down to see that he was wearing the tunic Salintus had given him.

Panic surged as he slowly lifted the tunic, revealing wounds from his recent fall.

Frantically scanning the room, his heart pounded as he realised, he was indeed back in his bedroom.

Relief washed over him momentarily when he spotted The Swords of the Unforgotten Memories fantasy novel on the ground where he'd thrown it before, amidst the clutter of his desk strewn with games.

His room looked unchanged; he knew this because his mother would always slightly tidy the room when he wasn’t in it—a habit that usually drove him nuts.

Valenius briefly considered if it had all been a dream, but the reality of his wounds contradicted that thought.

He heard shuffling footsteps outside his room, causing his eyes to widen and his stomach to knot.

Reacting swiftly, he grabbed a black hoodie and grey jogger pants, listening intently at the door for any sign of movement.

The footsteps faded, and he cautiously peeked into the hallway, confirming it was clear before darting into the bathroom.

Once there, he hurriedly looked in the mirror, his mind racing.

His face was heavily soiled, mud mildly scattered across it, while his tunic felt rough, and his hair appeared extremely greasy, as though he had slathered melted butter all over it.

Scratches marked his face, but inspecting his gums to check his teeth reassured him that they were intact, providing some relief as they were the only parts of his body unaffected by the accident.

It dawned on him that everything that transpired in the gaming world carried over to his real life, just as Eleantra had warned.

Valenius thoughts then shifted to Eleantra, pondering her true motives. Why did she supposedly save him, almost leading to his demise if not for the intervention of the mist dragon? And why had she appeared in the forest?

A knock on the door abruptly interrupted Valenius's thoughts, and Avelin shouted, “Valenius, can I please use the toilet?”

Valenius responded with a shaky voice, hastily heading for the shower and turning it on, “Mom, I am in the shower. I will only be a minute.”

Valenius quickly shed his clothes and stepped under the cascading hot water.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As the warmth enveloped him, his body relaxed, shedding the stress and worries of the moment.

Valenius's mind fell into a serene silence, focused solely on the comforting sensation of the water as his body unwound.

Exiting the shower, he noticed no towels, and he sighed, using his hoodie to dry his hair before dressing.

Making his way to the sitting area, he spotted his mom standing there.

Losing control, he rushed over, hugged her tightly, and whispered, “I love you, Mom.”

Feeling her faint breath, he let go, stepped back, and gazed at her with a broad smile.

Avelin's expression changed, her head tilting slightly as she brushed her faded black hair aside, asked Valenius in a puzzled tone, “Is everything okay?”

Forcing his smile to fade, Valenius attempted to act normal, concealing the fact that he had just returned from another world and nearly faced death within a few days.

Speaking regularly, he asked, “Can we visit Father today?”

Avelin paused, replied softly, “Are you sure? Do you want to go now?”

Valenius nodded, and they both left the house to visit his father at the hospital.

Entering the hospital room, Valenius and Avelin approached the far-right bed, where his father lay.

Even though he appeared peaceful in the hospital gown, with faded black hair and slight stubble, he remained asleep.

So much happened in the gaming world where he was trying to survive.

He forgot what it was like to be in the real world and felt guilty for forgetting it; that desire for a game that would distract him did exactly that.

Valenius and Avelin took their seats, Valenius turned to his mother, asked, “Can I have a few minutes alone with Father?”

Avelin nodded, stood up, and placed her hand on Valenius's shoulder. “Of course, I'll be outside if you need me,” she said before leaving the room.

Alone with his sleeping father, Valenius spoke softly, “Father, it’s Valenius.”

Valenius paused, waiting for a response, but the only sounds were the coughs of other patients, the hum of machines, and the whirring of fans.

Valenius then spoke, his voice trembling slightly, “Dad, I want to tell you that I love you. I am very sorry about our last conversation; I shouldn’t have rushed out of the house like that. I wish we didn't have the argument. I wish I hadn’t shouted back at you and told you that I hated you because you didn’t want me to see my friends. Now I know you just wanted to spend time with me, and I am sorry I didn’t realise sooner. I wish we could have this conversation with you awake. But this is the best we can do now. I am sorry and I love you.”

Valenius reached into his pocket for a parchment and pen, his hand shaking as he wrote a note, said, "Hi Dad, I'm sorry about our argument. I shouldn't have raised my voice. You're an amazing father, and I love you. From Valenius."

Valenius folded the paper into a card shape and placed it on the table alongside other cards from his mother, his father's friends, and colourful flowers, making sure the written text faced his father.

With that, Valenius let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he heard the console noise and the humming sound, feeling as though he was being pulled away.

***

Eleantra stood facing Olenius, her gaze stern through the flames of the fire.

Olenius asked, “Can you tell me anything about the boy?”

Eleantra shook her head as she spoke, “No, he doesn’t trust me, and he is with Salintus.”

Olenius shouted back, “What?”

Then Olenius paused and muttered, “Not him, why?”

Eleantra let out a small laugh, causing Olenius to rush towards her, standing in front of her and staring down at her.

Eleantra's gaze returned to Olenius, her expression stern.

Her fingers behind her back were moving slightly, emitting small sparks.

Olenius stepped away from Eleantra as he spoke, “Salintus will only be an obstacle for Xansitus, our master.”

Eleantra responded, her tone cold, “Salintus won’t be a problem. I overheard him asking Valenius to leave in the morning, so he will be on his own.”

Olenius replied, “Great, now you can gather more information.”

Eleantra shouted back, “I told you he doesn’t trust me!”

Olenius laughed and then responded, “Trust must be earned. Isn’t that what you like to say, Eleantra?”

Eleantra glared at Olenius, her mouth clenched, without saying a word.