CAMPAIGN OF AVOIDANCE

Marcus woke in his Chicago dorm room with his mind immediately racing through the intelligence network they'd formed in Valdris. The betrayal, the coordinated attacks, the careful documentation of enemy patterns. It all felt like the most complex scenario he'd ever encountered.

Which gave him an idea.

Instead of heading to his morning statistics class, Marcus opened his laptop and began furiously typing campaign notes for the D&D group. If he could recreate the political intrigue and challenges of Valdris as a fictional scenario, maybe the collaborative problem-solving would help him think through real solutions.

"Session 3: The Network of Shadows," he typed, creating elaborate background materials that drew heavily from his experiences with Master Thymon's investigation. "The players discover that trusted advisors to the kingdom's leadership are betraying information to enemy forces..."

The campaign notes flowed with an intensity and detail that surprised even Marcus. Three hours later, he had created a comprehensive political thriller involving infiltrators, coded communications, supply chain sabotage, and intelligence gathering. All based directly on what he'd learned in Valdris.

"Marcus?" Tyler's voice interrupted his writing flow. "Didn't you have class like two hours ago?"

Marcus looked up, blinking in the sudden realization that he'd completely lost track of time. "Oh. Yeah. I was... researching for the campaign. Got caught up in developing the political intrigue aspects."

Tyler examined the multiple document windows open on Marcus's screen with impressed surprise. "Dude, this looks incredibly detailed. How do you know so much about medieval intelligence operations and supply chain warfare?"

"Research," Marcus said quickly. "Lots of research."

That evening's D&D session was in a dead end they stuck in a never ending fight for nearly five hours. Derek gives assurance about in the future implementing Marcus's ideas to campaign.

The session continued until nearly midnight, with the group working through complex combat encounter. But it meant no help to Marcus back in Valdris.

Which meant he was spending increasingly more time on D&D-related activities and decreasing amounts of time on actual college coursework.

It reminded Marcus that he still needed to figure out how to explain his course changes to his parents. His father knew about dropping pre-med, but his mother...

His phone buzzed with a text message that made his stomach drop: "Hi honey! How are your classes going? I'm so proud of my future doctor! Love, Mom."

Marcus stared at the message, realizing that he and his father had never told his mother about the major change. In the complexity of managing his double life, this crucial conversation had somehow been forgotten.

His phone rang almost immediately.

"Marcus! How are you, sweetie?" His mother's voice carried the warm enthusiasm that made him feel simultaneously loved and guilty.

"Hi Mom. I'm... doing well."

"I was thinking about how proud I am that you're following your dreams. All those organic chemistry courses must be challenging, but I know you're working hard to become a doctor."

Marcus felt his chest tighten. "Mom, about that..."

"Oh, I know pre-med is difficult. But remember, your father and I believe in you completely. We're so grateful that you're getting opportunities we never had."

"Mom, I need to tell you something," Marcus said, the words coming out in a rush. "I'm not taking organic chemistry anymore. I changed my course focus. Dad and I discussed it over winter break, and I'm pursuing business and applied sciences instead of pre-med."

The silence on the other end of the line stretched for what felt like hours.

"You... what?" His mother's voice had changed completely, carrying a note of confusion and hurt that made Marcus's guilt spike enormously.

"I realized that what I thought I wanted and what I want are different things. I want to help people and solve problems, but maybe not as a doctor."

"Marcus, we sacrificed everything for your education. Everything. Your father works sixty-hour weeks, I work double shifts at the hospital."

Marcus could hear his mother starting to cry, and the sound felt like a knife in his chest. "Mom, I'm still in college. I'm still studying. I'm pursuing a different path."

"A different path? Marcus, do you understand what we gave up for your opportunities? Do you understand how many years we saved every penny so you could become a doctor?"

The conversation continued for another painful twenty minutes, with Marcus trying to explain his decision while his mother voiced her disappointment and confusion. By the time they hung up, Marcus felt emotionally drained and consumed with guilt about disappointing the people who'd sacrificed so much for his opportunities.

Which made him realize that he hadn't seen Jake around the dorm much lately. Usually his roommate would check in about academic struggles, offer study help, or at least make conversation about their respective coursework. But for the past week, Jake had been notably absent from their usual interactions.

Marcus decided to visit Jake's room down the hall to check in and maybe talk through his family situation. But when he knocked, there was no answer. He tried texting: "Hey, what time will you be back? Wanted to talk."

No response.

Marcus found himself checking the hallway constantly throughout the evening, waiting for Jake to return. It wasn't until nearly 10 PM that he finally spotted Jake walking toward his room, carrying his characteristic stack of medical textbooks.

"Jake!" Marcus called, hurrying to catch up with his friend.

Jake turned, and Marcus was immediately struck by how cold his expression had become. Gone was the warm concern and genuine friendship that had characterized their relationship since the beginning of the semester.

"Marcus," Jake said with polite but distant acknowledgment.

"Hey, I was hoping we could talk. I feel like we haven't connected much lately, and I wanted to..."

"There's not much to talk about," Jake interrupted, his voice carrying an edge that Marcus had never heard before. "I thought maybe when you changed tracks, started taking classes you wanted, it would create some kind of spark. Some engagement with your education."

Marcus felt confused by Jake's hostility. "I am engaged. I'm researching things I'm interested in, working on projects that matter to me..."

"You're like every other spoiled kid who's blowing off their parents' money," Jake said bluntly. "Good luck with your life and your D&D club, Marcus. I hope fantasy games are worth disappointing everyone who believed in you."

The words hit Marcus like a physical blow. "Jake, that's not fair. You don't understand the whole situation..."

"I understand enough," Jake replied, his voice carrying a finality that scared Marcus. "I understand that you had opportunities most people would kill for, and you're throwing them away for games and entertainment."

Marcus desperately wanted to explain about Valdris, about the real-world applications of his thinking, about the life-or-death challenges he was facing. But the words stuck in his throat, blocked by the impossibility of making anyone believe the truth.

"It's not like that," Marcus said weakly. "There are things happening, complications you don't know about..."

"There are always complications, Marcus. The difference is that some people work through them, and others use them as excuses to avoid responsibility."

Jake turned toward his room, then paused and looked back with something that might have been sadness mixed with disappointment.

"I'm maybe being dramatic, but I need to think about... about I don't know. Take good care, Marcus. I hope you figure out what you want before you lose everything that matters."

Marcus stood alone in the hallway, watching his closest friend walk away with the finality of someone ending a relationship. The academic pressures, the family disappointment, the loss of friendships. All the real-world consequences of his dual life were converging into a crisis that felt overwhelming.

He returned to his room and opened his laptop, instinctively turning to the D&D campaign materials that had become his primary outlet for processing stress. The fictional political intrigue felt more real and urgent than his college responsibilities, the collaborative problem-solving more meaningful than his deteriorating personal relationships.

Which was exactly the problem, Marcus realized with growing self-awareness. He was using fantasy gaming as an escape from real-world problems instead of addressing them directly. But the alternative. Trying to explain that his "fantasy obsession" was preparation for real interdimensional warfare. Seemed impossible.

Marcus spent the rest of the evening refining his campaign notes, creating elaborate scenarios based on his Valdris experiences. The work was intellectually satisfying and helped him think through challenges, but it also deepened his isolation from the people who cared about his real-world success.

As he finally prepared for bed, Marcus reflected on how completely his priorities had shifted. A few months ago, his biggest concerns had been maintaining good grades and meeting his parents' expectations. Now he was more invested in fictional political intrigue than in academic achievement, more comfortable with his D&D group than with his longtime friends.

The transition felt both liberating and terrifying. Liberating because he was finally pursuing subjects that excited him. Terrifying because the personal costs were mounting rapidly.

Tomorrow he would wake up in Valdris to continue the real investigation that inspired his gaming scenarios. Tonight, he would fall asleep wondering if there was any way to rebuild the bridges he was burning in his modern world.

The answer, increasingly, seemed to be no. And Marcus wasn't sure he cared enough to try.

Which might have been the most frightening realization of all.