Yun Qing logged out of the match lobby with Ling Feng's words still echoing in his mind.
Maybe… outside the game too, if you're comfortable.
He pulled off the cheap VR helmet in his tiny apartment, the dim light from a single bulb casting long shadows across peeling wallpaper. His heart was beating faster than any ranked match justified. In his past life, closeness had always been a calculated risk — one that usually ended with a knife in the back.
Yet here he was, staring at the glowing duo invite still pending on his account.
He accepted.
[Frostbite Provisional Duo: Ice Emperor + Yun Qing]
[Beginner Duo Tournament Registration Confirmed]
[First Round: 3 days from now. Map pool includes Shadow Ruins, Crystal Caverns, and Eternal Night Arena.]
A private message from Ling Feng arrived immediately.
[Ice Emperor: Send me your practice schedule. We should run at least 10 matches a day until the tournament. Also… what's your real name? Mine is Ling Feng.]
Yun Qing stared at the screen. Real name. Real life. The line between game and reality was already blurring faster than he liked.
He typed back slowly.
[Yun Qing: Yun Qing. Same in both.]
[Ice Emperor: Good. I'll add you on the official app. Voice chat during practice?]
Yun Qing hesitated, then sent a simple "Yes."
He spent the next hour in solo practice, testing new Shadow Burst variations in the training grounds. Each successful combo reminded him how much his assassin muscle memory gave him an unfair edge. But the real distraction was the occasional glance at the friend list, where "Ice Emperor" now sat at the top.
That night, after a cheap bowl of noodles, Yun Qing logged back in for their first scheduled practice session.
Ling Feng was already waiting in the private training room he had booked — a sleek, minimalist space with adjustable maps. His avatar looked the same: tall, composed, silver-gray eyes calm but alert.
"Ready?" Ling Feng asked through voice chat. His real voice was even lower in tone than the game filter, smooth and steady. It sent an unexpected shiver down Yun Qing's spine.
"Always," Yun Qing replied, keeping his own voice neutral.
They ran match after match. Ling Feng's commands were precise, but he adapted instantly whenever Yun Qing tried something new — a riskier flank, a shadow clone feint, a burst timed exactly with Ling Feng's crowd control. Their synergy improved visibly with every round. The Shadow-Ice Link passive triggered more often, reducing cooldowns and letting them chain devastating combos.
During a short break between matches, Ling Feng's voice softened.
"You're improving fast. Too fast. Most players take weeks to sync like this." A pause. "It feels like you've fought beside someone like me before."
Yun Qing's grip tightened on the controller. "Not exactly like you."
Ling Feng chuckled — a rare, quiet sound that made Yun Qing's chest feel strangely warm. "I'll take that as a compliment."
As they queued for the next practice match, Ling Feng added casually, "After the first tournament round, if we advance… want to meet for coffee? There's a café near the central district that has good VR pods for offline practice. No pressure."
The invitation landed like a live wire.
Yun Qing swallowed. In his old life, meeting someone "offline" had usually meant setting up an ambush or walking into one. But Ling Feng's tone held no hidden agenda — only genuine interest and that quiet protectiveness he was starting to show.
"…Maybe," Yun Qing said finally. "If we win the round."
Ling Feng's avatar turned toward him, silver eyes seeming to pierce straight through the screen.
"Then we'd better win."
The next match loaded. As they spawned together on the Shadow Ruins map, Yun Qing felt it again — that dangerous spark. The Ice Emperor wasn't just a strong teammate.
He was becoming someone Yun Qing actually wanted to fight beside.
And that terrified him more than any betrayal ever had.