Iris slowly opened her eyes.
Her head felt heavy, like she had slept for a very long time.
When she looked around, she was shocked.
Nothing looked real.
The sky was bright purple.The ground had square tiles like a video game.Trees were glowing. Buildings looked like they were drawn by a child — colorful, blocky, and strange.
Above her head, floating words appeared:
"WELCOME, PLAYER."
Her heart started beating fast.
"W-What is this place?" she whispered.
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from everywhere. It did not come from the sky, or ground, or any person. It felt like it came straight into her head.
"I know about your life, Iris.You are so pitiful."
Iris stood up quickly.
"Who are you?" she shouted. "Where am I? What happened to me?"
The voice replied calmly.
"Who I am is not important.The important thing is… I can give you a second chance."
Her eyes widened.
"A second… chance?" she said softly. "Thank you so much! I am so grateful. I am so happy. Now I can save my family and my—"
The voice cut her off sharply.
"Stop.Before that, you must complete a task I give you."
Her smile faded.
"What task?"
The voice spoke slowly, clearly.
"You must save Maathwal Village from two dangers:
A natural disaster
Aliens"
Iris felt weak in her knees.
"How can I do this? I am just a normal girl!"
The voice sounded slightly amused.
"You will not be normal.I will send you with superpowers."
Her eyes grew wide.
"Superpowers?"
"Yes. You can fly.You can control water.You can stop time."
For a moment, Iris felt hope again.
Maybe… she could really do something.
But then the voice continued.
"First, you must stop the natural disaster.That is Phase One.
If you succeed, I will give you more powers for Phase Two."
Iris swallowed hard.
"And if… I fail?"
The voice turned cold.
"Then you will be trapped in this game forever.You will never go back.You will die here."
Fear stabbed her like ice.
"WHY?" she screamed."Why should I do this? Why me? WHY?"
The voice did not shout back. It stayed calm.
"Because nothing in this world is free.You must earn every opportunity."
Her breathing slowed. She closed her eyes.
"…Okay," she whispered. "I will try."
The voice softened — just a little.
"Good. And to help you, I will give you one of my servants.She will stay with you in the form of a cat.Her name is Eena."
A small puff of sparkly smoke appeared.
From it, a little cat jumped out.
She had big eyes, a tiny pink nose, and a fluffy tail.She stretched like a queen waking up from a long nap.
Then she looked at Iris and grinned.
"Hi, Iris! I'm Eena!" she said in a playful voice."Don't worry — I am cute, but I bite sometimes."
Iris blinked.
"A… talking cat?"
Eena rolled her eyes.
"Yes. Talking cat. Magic world. Superpowers. Try to keep up, human."
Then she whispered dramatically,
"And also… I am always hungry. So if we find snacks, remember me first."
Iris almost laughed, even though she was scared.
"Okay, Eena," she said. "Let's do this."
Eena raised her paw like a salute.
"Team Iris and Eena — entering the game!"
A bright door of light opened in front of them.Wind rushed around them like a storm.The world shook.
Iris took a deep breath.
Then she stepped forward with the funny cat beside her…
Straight into the dangerous, unknown gaming world.