Days passed, yet the system remained silent…
A silence heavier than any scream, as if it was hiding something,
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But that night…
while everyone was lost in an exhausted sleep,
Mary heard faint whispers slipping into her ear,
a distant voice calling her name… then closer… closer.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, heart pounding like a drum.
Mary (whispering): Am I imagining this?… Who's there?
She rose cautiously from her bed,
each trembling step echoing against the cold floor,
and slipped out of the apartment following the voice,
every footstep syncing with the racing beat of her heart… louder… louder.
And there, beneath an ancient tree,
a tree that looked as if it had witnessed thousands of years pass…
she saw him.
Ramie.
Standing with a mysterious presence, a faint, sad yet warm smile on his face.
Mary (startled): Ramie… you're here? What's going on?
He stepped closer, voice calm but layered with something unspoken:
"I have a special adventure for you… just for you.
Because you were the only one who came back to me
the day I was lonely and broken."
Mary stared at him, confusion and curiosity battling in her chest,
her heartbeat refusing to slow down.
"I'll give you a rare card.
It holds two powers:
you can either summon a character from the game to aid you…
or skip an entire stage.
But… it only works once,
and you must save it for a moment of true necessity."
Mary went silent for a few seconds,
her gaze drifting back to the apartment where Majd and the others slept,
before she whispered:
"Can I take Majd with me?"
Ramie shook his head, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips:
"This adventure is yours alone… and your choice in it
might change everyone's fate."
She hesitated, fear clawing at her chest,
but finally closed her eyes,
placing a trembling hand over her heart as she murmured:
"Okay… I just hope I don't fail you."
Ramie smiled, this time with rare certainty:
"I know you won't… maybe you're stronger than anyone else."
With a slow, graceful motion,
he moved his fingers and a door of light split open in the darkness.
Mary drew a deep breath… and stepped through.
.....
The world shifted.
An endless green field stretched before her,
a shimmering river flowed beneath an uncanny sky painted with strange colors,
distant laughter echoed faintly,
like fragments of a dream she couldn't fully reach.
Mary took one step… then another…
everything seemed calm,
yet her gut screamed that this calm was nothing but a trap.
Suddenly, loud laughter and upbeat music filled the air.
She followed the sounds until she found a crowd of girls rehearsing on a stage.
She asked one of them nervously:
"What's going on here?"
The girl smiled brightly:
"In a week, there's a big singing and dancing competition!
The winner gets a cash prize… or a trip to the city to produce her own album!"
Mary stood among them, feeling like an outsider in a world she didn't belong to…
while one heavy question pounded inside her mind:
Is this really just a party?…
Or another trial from the system…
a test harder than death itself?
Night had fallen.
Mary walked alone through the narrow village streets,
her steps cold… her heart asking questions while the sky stayed silent.
Then she lifted her eyes and saw a girl dancing on a high rooftop,
as if she were swimming in the moonlight.
Her movements were beautiful… yet missing something.
Mary stopped beneath the rooftop, watching in quiet awe.
Their eyes met suddenly....the dancer froze, staring sharply:
Who are you? And why are you spying on me?
Damn… planning to steal my moves and join the contest?
Mary smiled gently and raised her voice softly:
No, never… I just think it's beautiful to see a girl dancing with such passion under the moon.
But… if you fixed a few steps, you'd be absolutely stunning.
The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously:
And why would you help me? Don't you want the prize for yourself?
Mary tilted her head toward the moon and said:
Maybe I didn't come here to win… maybe I came here to find a refuge.
The girl went quiet for a moment, then sighed:
Wait… I'll open the door for you.
She opened it with a faint smile:
Come on in, I'm listening.
Mary stepped inside, feeling that the night in the village had grown a little less lonely.
Reem: Call me Reem.
Mary: Wow… Reem and Mary? Looks like we're gonna be an unbreakable duo.
Reem giggled softly, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Reem: Alright, tell me… why were you watching me?
Mary: I've always imagined myself dancing and singing, the crowd cheering for me…
but when I saw you, I felt like you were me… just in another version.
Reem: Then why didn't you join the contest? There are still a few days left!
Mary (winking): If you want… I can teach you a few moves from my experience.
Reem: Your experience? What mistakes did you see?
Mary stood gracefully, adjusted her hand's position, and corrected the curve of her waist:
Look, like this… the dance will truly dazzle everyone.
Then she smiled confidently:
Trust me… you're the next winner, our future star.
But Reem lowered her gaze and spoke in a defeated voice:
I don't have much hope… I'm just trying. My mom's sick… and my dad left us long ago.
It's just me and her now… this contest is our only chance.
Mary didn't know how to comfort her, so she simply said:
That's tough… I feel you.
Mary: Then why don't you train with the other girls?
Reem {whispering}: I don't have friends… whenever I try to get close, they just think I'm weird.
Mary looked at her for a long moment,
as if she were staring at a reflection of her old self,
then reached out with a warm smile:
If that's the case… I'll be your friend.
Reem smiled through tears of joy:
It's an honor… come on, let's go see my mom, she'll definitely love you.