Chapter 5: " The day everything changed "

The game ends with a flash of light. One by one, they remove their headsets.

Kai: stretching out with a grin “Ohh man, that was insane!”

Yuki: smiling “It really was… felt so real too.”

Mina: “Told you VR was fun, didn’t I?”

Kai: “Definitely! Hey—summer vacation starts next week, right?”

Mina: “Yup, finally some freedom! Got any plans?”

Kai: “Yeah, I’m planning to visit my hometown. And Yuki—you're coming too!”

Yuki: eyes sparkling “Yesss! A trip with Kai? Count me in!”

Kai: “Hey Mina, you wanna come with us?”

Mina: smiling apologetically “Ahh, I’d love to… but I’ve got some stuff to take care of. But hey, why don’t you invite Toie too?”

Kai: “Great idea! So it’s gonna be me, Yuki, Kaoe, and Toie… this is gonna be awesome.”

Yuki: “A summer vacation with everyone… I can’t wait!”

The group laughs as the sunset outside the window paints their world golden, unaware of what fate has in store in the coming days.

The trip day. 

Yuki: "Woahhh! So this is your hometown, Kai?"

Kai (grinning): "Yup. It’s not much, but the ramen shop here beats any five-star restaurant!"

Toie (stretching): "it's been a while"

Kaoe (ears twitching): "Do they have strawberry milk?"

Kai (laughing): "Relax, you all sound like tourists. Don’t worry I’ll be your guide!"

The group walked down the quiet countryside path, sun shining, cicadas buzzing, and laughter echoing. It felt like the start of a perfect summer adventure.

Yuki: "This feels too good hope something bad doesn't happen."

Toie: "Let’s just hope there's no surprise test or haunted house—"

Kai suddenly stopped walking.

Mina (calling from the distance, having arrived a day earlier): "Kai!"

Kai: "Mina? I thought you couldn’t make it?"

Mina (panting): "Something… something happened. I thought you should know."

The group's cheerful mood slowly quieted as Mina pulled Kai aside. The tension in her eyes said it all.

Mina (seriously): "Kai… do you remember Zoya?"

Kai’s smile faded. "Zoya? My childhood friend?"

Mina nodded. "She’s… missing. For the past 2 weeks."

Kai: "W-What?"

Mina: "No one knows what happened. But after she vanished, people started whispering. Some said they saw… something. A dark figure. Around the edge of the forest. Watching. Not moving."

Kai’s expression turned cold. Yuki stepped closer, concerned.

Yuki: "Wait… a dark figure?"

Kai: "Yeah... Black cloak… glowing eyes?"

Yuki gasped. "That’s exactly like the thing we saw by the window... a few days ago."

Kai shook his head, heart pounding.

Toie: " You mean it wasn't only me seeing it"

Kaoe: "Something's not right here."

The sun was still shining, but for the first time, the air felt heavy. As if something unseen was watching.

And just like that, their peaceful trip had turned into the beginning of something much darker.

The warm sun had long faded behind a curtain of gray clouds. What began as a hopeful mission quickly turned into something far more chilling.

Kai: “We’ll find her. No matter what.”

With that, the group made their way to Zoya’s house—Kai’s childhood friend, now missing for over a week.

Inside, her mother sat hunched on the floor, trembling. The moment she saw Kai, she broke down.

Zoya's Mom (sobbing): “Kai… son… Zoya hasn’t come home. It’s been days... I’m scared...”

Kai gently knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Kai: “I promise you... I won’t stop until I find her.”

His words, though simple, held a fierce determination. For the first time in days, her mother looked up—with a glimmer of hope in her tired eyes.

Zoya’s Mom (softly): “Just… don’t push yourself too hard, son.”

Kai: “Can you tell us anything? Where she went before she disappeared?”

Zoya’s Mom (thinking): “She said she was heading to the old bridge… said she needed some air.”

Kai (nodding): “That’s more than enough. Thank you.”

Without wasting a moment, the group rushed through the fading daylight, their footsteps echoing with urgency as they approached the old wooden bridge—long abandoned, creaking under the wind.

Then—

Yuki: “...Wait. Do you see that?”

There, standing silently at the center of the bridge, was the same dark figure. Cloaked. Still. Watching.

Kai felt the blood drain from his face, but he stepped forward anyway, fists clenched.

Kai: “Who are you?! What did you do to Zoya?!”

The figure didn’t move. But then, it spoke—with a voice that felt eerily... familiar.

Dark Figure: “Kai... I’ve been looking for you. Please—listen carefully. I’m—”

BOOM.

A sudden blast of wind cut him off. The world spun for a moment. The figure disappeared into smoke.

Kai: “W-Wait!!”

Silence.

The bridge groaned. The shadows deepened.