The hallway outside the apartment was dim, washed in the orange glow of old lights that buzzed more than they shone.
Rebekah pulled an oversized gray hoodie over her head and tightened the strings, for she didn't feel like wearing anything underneath it.
The hoodie slipped low enough to cover most of her black shorts. Her bare legs caught the light in soft glints as she stepped out, the chill in the air brushing against her skin.
She pressed the button for the lift and waited, listening to the hum of pipes behind the walls. The building smelled of metal and new paint. When the doors opened, she stepped inside and leaned her back against the wall.
Her reflection stared at her in the mirror panel, long black hair that fell over her shoulders, neat bangs, and a fair skin still too bright for a place like Zone 3.
Rebekah sighed.
"Priestess of the Life Clan," she muttered under her breath, the words tasting strange now.
Once, that title had meant everything to her. It had meant respect, protection, and command. People had bowed when she walked past, afraid even to raise their eyes.
She remembered the temple halls, white marble floors, the endless scent of lilies, and the calm weight of authority flowing through her veins.
When she spoke, her words carried power, and her very presence had been enough to quiet a crowd.
Now, the only eyes that followed her were the wrong kind.
The lift doors slid open to the ground floor. She stepped out, tucking her hands into her hoodie pocket as she crossed the cracked tiles and pushed open the glass doors.
Night had already taken over the sky, but the streets were alive with the harsh white light of streetlamps.
Signs flickered in blues and reds, advertising food, drinks, and games.
The city looked tired, half modern, half broken. Some stores were clean and glowing, their glass doors showing rows of neat products and cheerful attendants.
Others were dim, their glass fronts blurred with film to hide the inside.
Rebekah walked past a row of food stalls, the air full of grease and spice. A group of men laughed near the corner, their voices loud and sharp.
She could feel their gaze slide over her as she passed by. Once, people used to look at her with praise and reverence; now, it was with desire or mockery.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her hoodie. She didn't look back, but she could still feel it, the crawling heat of attention.
Now that she had been replaced by her younger twin sister, the only looks she was getting were lusty ones as she felt eyes trying to crawl their way up her body.
Rebekah did not want to admit but her belly tingled everytime someone looked at her in a dirty way.
The girl cursed her weakness, knowing that it was exactly the corruption of the body which was slowly trying to take over her.
'Ughhh, it's been a while since I'd satisfied myself–'
When she was a prospect priestess, the Life Clan would give her special tonics and potions to curb off the sexual desires that came with her weakness but after she had chosen to go with Omen, she'd realised her weakness had only been heightened in the sense of physical pleasure.
The scene of the boy's sword standing up played inside her mind again as she blushed hard, berating herself.
The Life Clan had taught her to ignore worldly feelings, to suppress all impulses that distracted from faith.
They had given her special tonics to quiet her body, to keep her "pure."
She had believed that purity was power.
Until she gave it all up for him.
Omen's face appeared in her mind, the white bandage over his eyes, his quiet voice, the way he pretended he didn't care.
She had chosen him over the title of priestess not because of being the greater one, neither because she had taken pity over the young boy.
It was simply because she believed that the true way to serve the goddess wasn't becoming her representative but helping the ones in need.
And the one who needed her help the most then was Omen.
The boy had grown with her as she was a prospect priestess and would visit him a lot of times, but no matter what anyone stated, Rebekah knew the blunt truth.
Omen wasn't born with these illnesses and ailments.
No.
He was given them by the very ones he'd come to love.
Remember her fucked up coronation, the girl realised that if she went back in the past…she would make that choice again.
Still, a small, human ache twisted in her chest when she thought of how far she had fallen.
Her footsteps echoed softly as she turned onto the main street.
Zone 3 was not the safest part of the country; most of the buildings here leaned too close together, and the air smelled faintly of smoke and impurities.
The Life Clan rarely bothered to send guards here.
A few shopkeepers stood behind glass counters, waving holographic payment screens for customers.
Their stores glowed like bubbles of light in the gray night. One had blurred glass windows, showing only vague silhouettes inside.
Another was clear and bright, displaying stacked boxes and glowing consoles.
Rebekah slowed as she approached the store she was looking for.
A bright blue sign blinked overhead: SOUL LINK, OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR OF THE ECLIPSE.
The entrance door was full glass, the interior visible from outside.
Screens covered the walls, each showing different clips of the new game. On one, a human walked through a golden desert where massive creatures moved beneath the sand. On another, a burning city lit up the night sky as players in glowing armor fought monsters made of real flesh.
Rebekah stopped just outside, her lips parting slightly. The graphics looked…unreal. The movement, the detail, the sound, everything felt too real to be just a game.
For a long second, she forgot to breathe.
Then she noticed her reflection faintly in the glass, hoodie, shorts, a pair of black slippers and tired eyes.
She almost laughed at the sight. A former priestess, who had once commanded armies of believers, now standing outside a game shop in one of the poorest zones.
'All this for Omen?' The mature girl sighed, she did not know if him getting this game would be worth it if she was being honest.
The thought made her question if she was doing the right thing.
Whatever strange miracle this Eclipse was, it could mean something for him.
Maybe.
'A blind boy who had never seen light might finally glimpse it in this digital world.' Rebekah took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
A chime rang above her head.
The air inside was cool and smelled faintly of new plastic.
Rows of glass cases held the sleek, silver consoles marked with the SoulLink logo. Screens looped previews, vast landscapes, monsters of shadow and fire, glowing towers reaching into black skies.
"Welcome," a clerk said from behind the counter, his tone polite but curious as his eyes flicked over her. "Here for The Eclipse, I assume?"
Rebekah nodded slowly, still caught in the lights of the nearest display.
The game showed a character standing under a blood-red sky, facing what looked like an eclipse swallowing the sun.
The music rose in her ears, a strange mix of beauty and dread.
For a moment, she felt small again, like a child staring at something divine.
She stepped closer to the screen.
"So this…is what they're calling a game?" she whispered, unable to believe how real it looked.
The scene shifted, thousands of glowing symbols circling a figure in darkness, whispering voices barely audible under the melody.
The colors bled together, forming a shape that looked almost human, almost alive.
Her pulse quickened as she realised that she couldn't tell if it was awe or fear.
The clerk smiled faintly. "Looks real, doesn't it? They say it links straight to your mind. No screens, no controls but nerve impulses instead."
Rebekah's throat felt dry as she swallowed hard. The room seemed to hum with a quiet energy, and for the first time in a long while, she felt the faintest echo of what the Life Clan once called divinity, something vast, unknown, and dangerous.
Outside, the streetlights flickered again. Somewhere in the city, sirens wailed.
But inside the store, time seemed to stop.
Rebekah stood there, the glow of the game reflecting in her eyes as she whispered to herself, "Omen…you might be able to see the world for real this time."
***