The delivery guy looked at Maya like she'd crawled out of a sewer. She caught a glimpse of herself in the hallway mirror as she handed him crumpled twenty-dollar bills—greasy hair sticking up in twelve different directions, an old college t-shirt with mysterious stains, and pajama pants that had seen better decades. When was the last time she'd worn real clothes?
"Keep the change," she muttered, grabbing the Chinese takeout and slamming the door before he could give her any more judgmental looks.
Back at her computer, Maya opened the containers with one hand while navigating through Lucien's dialogue tree with the other. Sweet and sour pork, fried rice, spring rolls—enough food for three people, but she'd eat whatever was left cold for breakfast tomorrow. Or later today. Time had stopped meaning much.
Her laptop sat open beside her main monitor, displaying forums, wikis, and fan sites dedicated to Infernal Realms. She'd bookmarked every single discussion thread about Lucien, read every theory about his backstory, studied every screenshot other players had posted. There was something about him that went deeper than good character design.
"The way his expression changes when you complete the Betrayal of Shadows quest," user DarkMage447 had posted. "It's like he actually feels hurt. Like he's not just running pre-programmed responses."
Maya had completed that quest line sixteen times, watching Lucien's face carefully each time. DarkMage447 was right. There was something there, some flicker of genuine emotion that didn't match the game's usual NPC behavior patterns.
She scrolled through more posts, shoving rice into her mouth without really tasting it. Most players treated Lucien like any other quest giver, but there were others like her. Players who'd noticed the way he seemed to remember conversations from previous interactions, even though the game wasn't supposed to work that way. Players who swore he responded differently to them than to other characters.
"I think there's hidden code," someone called ShadowWalker99 had written. "My friend and I have the exact same character build, same reputation levels, same equipment. But Lucien talks to us completely differently. It's like he has preferences."
Maya had tested this theory herself, creating alt characters with identical stats. ShadowWalker99 was right. Lucien's responses varied in ways that didn't make sense according to the game's documented mechanics. He was warmer with some characters, more distant with others, as if he was actually choosing who he liked.
Her phone rang. The screen showed her mom's contact photo—a picture from last Christmas where they both looked happy and normal. Maya let it go to voicemail. She couldn't handle her mom's worried voice right now, couldn't pretend everything was fine when it obviously wasn't.
The voicemail notification popped up immediately. Maya ignored it and went back to the forums.
"I've been tracking his behavior patterns," posted someone called ResearchGirl23. "There's definitely something unusual going on. Yesterday he made a reference to a conversation I had with him three weeks ago. The game isn't supposed to retain that kind of long-term memory for individual players."
Maya's heart started beating faster. She'd noticed the same thing but hadn't been brave enough to post about it. Lucien remembered things. Personal things. The time she'd told him about her character's tragic backstory, he'd referenced it days later in a completely different quest. When she'd mentioned her character's fear of heights during a dungeon raid, he'd made a comment about it the next time they interacted.
She created a new forum account. No way was she posting this under her real username.
*Username: SeekingAnswers101*
*"Has anyone else noticed that Lucien seems to learn? Like, actually learn about your character beyond what's programmed? I swear he's been building a relationship with my character that goes way past the normal NPC interactions. Sometimes when he looks at me, it feels like he's seeing ME, not just my avatar."*
Maya stared at the post for ten minutes before hitting submit. Her hands were actually shaking. Admitting this felt like confessing to something shameful, like being attracted to a cartoon character or falling in love with someone who didn't exist.
Except Lucien felt more real than most people she'd met in actual life.
The responses came quickly.
*"THANK GOD someone else said it! I thought I was losing my mind!"*
*"YES. This exactly. He remembers everything."*
*"My guild thinks I'm crazy but I swear he flirts with my character differently than with others."*
*"There's got to be some kind of advanced AI system they're not telling us about."*
Maya read through dozens of responses, her excitement building. She wasn't alone in this. Other players had noticed the same things, felt the same connection. Whatever was happening with Lucien, it wasn't just her imagination.
Her phone buzzed with another text from Jenna.
*Your mom called me. She's worried. Said you haven't returned her calls in two weeks.*
Two weeks? Had it really been that long? Maya looked around her apartment. The trash was overflowing, dirty dishes covered every surface, and she honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd opened the blinds. Her reflection in her monitor showed someone she barely recognized—hollow cheeks, dark circles, skin so pale she looked like a vampire.
When had taking care of herself stopped mattering?
*I'm fine. Just busy.*
She turned the phone off completely this time and looked back at Lucien's perfect face on her screen.
He was worth it, wasn't he?