The shrill ring of her phone made her jump. Elyra blinked, staring at the screen with a mixture of panic and disbelief. It wasn't an ordinary message: a blinking, enigmatic notification from an app she had never installed.
"Welcome, player. Prepare to change the world."
She laughed nervously. A hacker's prank? Perhaps… until the ground beneath her seemed to vanish. A vertigo, a flash of light, and she felt herself being sucked into her phone, as if reality itself was dissolving into a glowing screen.
When she regained consciousness, Elyra was… somewhere else. The sky was no longer blue but a strange shade of purple, streaked with shimmering clouds as if the entire galaxy had spilled into her horizon. The buildings around her seemed suspended, defying gravity, hovering between modern architecture and magical symbols that pulsed softly.
She blinked, trying to rationalize. "This… is a dream. Yes. I'm dreaming." But the feel of the stones beneath her fingers, the warmth of an unfamiliar light on her skin… it was all too real to be just a dream.
A mocking laugh echoed behind her. Elyra turned, and her heart skipped a beat. A young man, hair black as onyx, a dark coat floating around him, regarded her with a smile both exasperating and terrifyingly confident.
"Well, it looks like you've finally found the real world," he said. "Or at least… your new playground."
"W-who… who are you?" she stammered, trying to mask her fear with a facade of defiance.
"Let's just say I'm… your worst nightmare and your greatest enemy," he replied, his eyes sparkling with an almost supernatural gleam. "And believe me, you're going to need me to survive here."
Elyra clenched her fists. She was a seasoned gamer, used to virtual worlds, but this… this was nothing like a game. Every step felt like it weighed tons, every breath reminded her that real stakes hung over her choices. And this boy… this arrogant rival wasn't here to play.
A metallic voice suddenly resonated in the air.
"Initial trial: choose your path. Survival and heart will be intertwined."
"What?" Elyra whispered, panic rising.
"Welcome to the Viral Book Game," the boy murmured, a predatory smile on his lips. "And believe me, losing is not an option."
A tense shiver ran through Elyra. Every instinct screamed to run, yet a deeper, curious part of her knew she had to move forward. Every decision would matter. Every move would count.
And the first trial had just begun.