The wind stilled. The forest seemed to shrink. The two mages stood with deadly calm, spell circles pulsing beneath their feet like slow-turning clockwork.
Tyler stood frozen, breath shallow.
"If you die in-game, you die in real life…"
His eyes twitched to Kaela—her lips parted, fingers trembling, her mana shield barely flickering into shape. The gravity of it hit him like a punch to the chest.
This isn't a game. This is murder. They're trying to kill us.
And if I don't fight back… she'll die too.
The male mage cast first. A fire lance roared through the air, just inches from Tyler's head.
Tyler moved—barely seen.
A blur.
He wasn't even aware of his body anymore. Just reflex. Instinct. Everything slowed down.
A second spell—a bolt of ice laced with venom—shot toward Kaela.
Tyler turned and grabbed her, lifting her light frame in one smooth motion and spinning, the spell narrowly grazing his back as they dropped into a crouch behind a fallen tree.
Kaela stared at him, breathless. "I—I would've died…"
"Stay down," he said hoarsely, heart pounding in his ears.
He crouched for several seconds, breathing like he was underwater, eyes wide.
I've never killed anyone before.
Can I even do this…?
The mages laughed from a distance.
"Hiding already?"
"Guess that ten-second boss clear was just dumb luck."
Tyler closed his eyes. Something stirred inside him. His fear trembled, twisted… and cracked.
The tattoos across his chest, neck, and arms began to glow, a deep radiant blue, pulsing with ancient energy.
His fingers flexed against the hilt of his sword.
They're trying to kill me.
Trying to kill her.
There's no choice anymore.
He stood, slow and silent.
The male mage raised a hand to cast.
He never got the chance.
Tyler dashed forward—a flash of motion too fast to track.
SHINK.
A clean beheading. The mage's eyes still blinked as his head hit the ground, body crumpling a beat later.
The female mage screamed in shock.
Tyler didn't stop.
With a twist of his wrist, he threw his blade with unthinkable precision.
It sang through the air—whistling death—and struck the mage center-mass, cutting through her body in a violent, perfect bisect.
A long silence followed. Leaves rustled gently. Then—
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT]
Player "Tyler Freedman" has defeated two PvP challengers from the Pyroline Order in under 12 seconds.
Warning: Hostile factions may now mark you.
Kaela slowly emerged from cover. Her lips trembled, but she held her composure as she stepped up beside the glowing Tyler, still standing over the two corpses.
She stared at him, uncertain, the forest echoing with nothing but the sound of their breathing.
"…You okay?"
Tyler didn't respond right away.
His hands were shaking. His face was blank. For a moment, he didn't look like a player at all—he looked like a warrior born from blood.
Finally, he looked at her, voice low.
"No… but I had to."
The light faded from his tattoos, and he took a step back. Then another.
Kaela reached for him, her fingers brushing his arm.
"You saved me."
Tyler nodded slowly.
But in his mind, something had changed. Something inside him had opened—and it wasn't going to close again.
This world is real.
And I'm not running anymore.