Chapter 42:
Brought into my Unfinished Game World
Kuria's arms finally loosened, though she seemed reluctant to let go.
Dave gently pulled himself free from her grip. He stepped back and looked at each of them in turn.
— I need to go now, he said quietly.
He did not specify where. He did not need to.
His friends understood.
Kuria's eyes glistened, but she forced a smile onto her face.
— You must promise to come back and visit us. Once in a while. Please.
Dave nodded.
— I promise.
Suzaku crossed her arms, her usual stoic expression firmly back in place. But there was warmth in her sunset-colored eyes.
— If you could add some new and more challenging dungeons while you are at it, that would be great.
Dave laughed despite the heaviness in his chest.
— I'll think about it.
Bolg stepped forward. He raised his fist and tapped it firmly against Dave's chest, right over his heart. His smile carried genuine warmth as his red eyes looked not just at Dave, but through him, toward something deeper.
— Alpha is still in there, I am sure of it. Both of you, go and make this world a better place.
Dave's throat tightened. He placed his hand over the spot where Bolg had touched him.
— We will.
Dave's body began to lift off the ground. His feet left the sand as he rose higher into the air, floating toward the white glow of the Horizon Canvas that stretched endlessly before him.
Kuria waved. Suzaku stood with her arms crossed but watched intently. Bolg raised his hand in farewell.
Dave floated further and further away, his silhouette growing smaller against the infinite white light. The desert wind carried no sound except the gentle whisper of sand shifting across the dunes.
After a while, his form disappeared completely from view. Absorbed into the horizon itself, becoming one with the edge of the world.
The three companions stood in silence for a long moment.
Then Bolg turned and walked over to where Aristi lay sleeping peacefully in the sand. He knelt down, carefully lifted her onto his back, and secured her position so she would not fall.
— We should return to the castle, he said, adjusting his grip on the unconscious Demon Lord.
Kuria looked worried.
— Do you think they will let us leave peacefully? We did just fight their queen.
Bolg started walking back toward where they had come from, his steps steady despite the extra weight.
— If we return her ourselves and show our good faith, perhaps they will understand. We did not come to conquer or kill. We came to help Dave reach his goal. And now we are returning their leader safely.
He adjusted his grip on Aristi.
— Besides, I am still an influential figure among our people. I am certain I can convince some of the other noble demons to show leniency. They will listen to reason.
Suzaku fell into step beside him.
— And if they do not understand?
Bolg's grip on Aristi tightened slightly.
— Then we run very fast.
Despite the tension, Kuria let out a small laugh. The group began their long walk back across the desert, leaving the Horizon Canvas behind them.
Dave's consciousness drifted as he floated through the white void. The sensation of moving forward faded. The light around him grew brighter, then dimmer, then shifted into something else entirely.
His eyes opened.
White.
Everything was white again. Not the infinite glow of the Horizon Canvas, but the still, empty whiteness he remembered from before. When he had died. When he had first met that mysterious figure.
Dave pushed himself upright and looked around. The glass-like stairway descended from above, just as it had before. The emptiness stretched in every direction.
But this time, he was not alone.
Alpha lay beside him, unconscious. His form was no longer pixelated. He had a proper face now. Features that looked remarkably similar to Dave's own, but distinct enough to be his own person.
Dave reached out and touched Alpha's shoulder, but his companion did not stir.
Movement above caught Dave's attention.
The white figure descended the glass stairway, fully covered in that same white cloak. The bland white mask covered their face completely, revealing nothing.
Dave stood as the figure approached, stopping a few paces away.
The presence felt just as it had before. Primordial. Inevitable. Undeniable.
— Welcome back, said the figure, their voice echoing slightly in the empty space.
The figure tilted their masked face slightly, studying Dave in silence for a moment.
— Have you found your answer? they asked. More importantly, have you found your question?
They gestured vaguely at the white emptiness around them.
— Questions are what push people forward. They are what drive the search for truth. The search for who you truly are. Without the right question, even the correct answer becomes meaningless.
— Yeah, he said simply. I understand now.
He did not elaborate. He did not explain what he had learned or what questions he had finally asked himself. There was no point.
The entity before him already knew. Dave could feel it in the way they stood, in the way their presence filled this empty space. They were not asking because they needed information.
They were asking for the sake of conversation. For the ritual of acknowledgment. For the formality of speaking truths aloud even when both parties already understood them.
So Dave kept his answer simple.
The white figure nodded slowly, as if satisfied.
Dave glanced down at Alpha's unconscious body. Relief washed through him. His friend was here. Whole. Real.
He looked back up at the masked figure.
— I'm sure you can guess what I want to do from now on.
The white figure stood silent for a moment. Then they nodded once more.
No words of opposition. No warnings. No conditions.
Just acceptance.
The figure raised one hand slightly, then spoke a single word.
— Go.
Blinding light erupted around them. Pure white consumed everything. The glass stairway vanished. The figure disappeared. Dave felt himself dissolving into the brightness.
Alpha's eyes snapped open.
He gasped and sat up abruptly, his heart pounding. The sudden movement made his head spin.
Voices surrounded him. Familiar voices shouting his name.
— Alpha! Alpha, wake up! Please!
— He is breathing! I think he is waking up!
— Give him some space, let him breathe!
Alpha blinked rapidly, trying to focus. The world slowly came into view.
Cobblestone streets. Elegant buildings. Market stalls displaying goods from across the realm. The familiar architecture of the Twilight Kingdom's capital.
Kuria's face appeared directly in front of him, her hands gripping his shoulders.
— Alpha! Can you hear me?
Suzaku stood behind her, arms crossed but eyes filled with concern.
Gruf hovered nearby, wringing his hands nervously.
— Young man, you gave us quite a scare! the old merchant said. We found you unconscious right here in the middle of the street!
Alpha looked around at their worried faces.
— I am fine, Alpha said, his voice hoarse. How... how did we get back here?
Kuria helped him to his feet.
— We returned Aristi to the demon castle without incident. Bolg negotiated safe passage for us. But you... you just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the street. Unconscious. We have been trying to wake you for several minutes.
Alpha steadied himself, looking around the familiar bustling streets.
A breeze touched his face. Something felt different.
Alpha's eyes darted around, searching. There. A fountain nearby, its water reflecting the afternoon light.
He rushed over and looked down at his reflection in the still water.
His breath caught.
Tears rolled down his cheeks before he could stop them.
His friends hurried to his side, concern written across their faces.
— Alpha, what is wrong? Kuria asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
— I finally got it, Alpha mumbled, unable to look away from the water. I finally got a face.
Suzaku and Kuria exchanged confused glances.
— Of course you have a face, Gruf said gently. Everyone does. Are you feeling alright, young man?
But Alpha could not stop staring. The reflection showed features that reminded him of Dave, but not quite. Similar, but distinct. Unique.
His own.
Alpha wiped his eyes and turned to his companions.
— What happened to Dave? By the end of our journey, I was supposed to live through him. But I am here. Separate. How is that possible?
Kuria's expression shifted to worry. She stepped closer.
— Alpha, Dave was having a drink at the tavern when we left to buy supplies. Are you certain you are feeling well?
Alpha's eyes widened. Without another word, he broke into a run.
The tavern door slammed open. Alpha scanned the room frantically until he spotted him.
Dave sat at a corner table, a mug in his hand, wearing the broadest smile Alpha had ever seen. He was solid. Real. Fully present in the world.
Dave looked up and waved him over.
— Hey! Come sit! Have a drink with me!
Alpha walked over slowly and sank into the chair across from him. His mind raced with questions.
Dave took a sip from his mug and leaned back.
— I guess I owe you an explanation about these past few days, huh?
Alpha nodded, unable to form words.
— I became the god of this world, Dave said simply. Most of the time, I'll be working behind the scenes. Building new things. Fixing what needs fixing. Updating what this world has to offer. Making it better.
He set down his mug.
— But I'll also come back. Once in a while. To witness how my work affects people. To see what's working and what's not. So I can adjust things. Make it the most thrilling adventure possible for everyone.
Alpha listened, processing every word.
— Pain and negative emotions are still part of life, Dave continued. I'm not taking those away. People need to be able to feel everything. The good and the bad. That's what makes experiences real. Robbing anyone of free will would just make this world boring.
Dave's expression grew more serious.
— I want people to live. Really live. Their own lives. Their own adventures. Their own stories.
Alpha's throat tightened.
— But why can we not do this together? As one? Like before? I was supposed to live through you. How am I here? Separate?
Dave smiled, but there was sadness in it.
— Because you're not part of me anymore, Alpha. You're part of this world. You belong here. With them. With Kuria and Suzaku and Bolg and everyone else you're going to meet. This is your life now. Not mine.
He reached across the table and placed his hand on Alpha's shoulder.
— You get to live the adventure I always wanted for myself. And I get to watch you do it. I really enjoy creating new ways for people to enjoy themselves. Watching them experience it all... that fills the void in my heart.
Alpha flagged down the tavern maid and ordered a drink. When it arrived, he raised his glass.
Dave lifted his own mug.
They clashed their glasses together, the sound ringing clear through the tavern. Both of them smiled.
The tavern door swung open. Suzaku strode in with her arms crossed, Kuria following close behind as she pulled Bolg by the hand like a little kid. Bolg entered last, looking slightly embarrassed but not resisting.
— You two did not wait for us to start the fun, Suzaku said, though there was no real heat in her voice.
Kuria was already flagging down the tavern maid, rattling off orders for food and drinks with practiced efficiency. The maid nodded and hurried off to the kitchen.
Bolg settled into a chair at their table. The maid returned moments later and placed a glass of milk in front of him without being asked.
He looked down at it, then up at Suzaku, who met his gaze with a challenging expression.
Bolg sighed and picked up the glass without protest.
The group gathered around the table, laughter and conversation filling the space between them as the afternoon light streamed through the tavern windows.
They raised their glasses together.
— To surviving the mission, Kuria said, her smile bright and genuine.
— To completely crushing it, you mean, Suzaku added with a small smirk.
— For Honor, Bolg said, not used to toasting to anything else.
Alpha raised his glass higher.
— To making this world better.
Dave clinked his mug against theirs.
— To all of that.
They drank together, the weight of their journey finally lifting from their shoulders. The tavern noise swirled around them, but at their table, there was only the comfortable presence of friends who had fought side by side.
Kuria set down her glass and looked at each of them in turn.
— So what kind of adventure do you think awaits us next?
Suzaku leaned back in her chair.
— Something challenging, I hope.
Bolg took another sip of his milk.
— Something that does not involve getting hit by dark magic would be nice.
Alpha laughed. He looked at Dave, who met his gaze with that same broad smile.
Neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring. What challenges lay ahead. What new friends they would meet or what dangers they would face.
But for now, in this moment, surrounded by people who cared about them, that uncertainty felt less like a burden and more like a promise.
Their adventure was far from over.
The End
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