7 The Herb Called Elysium's Spark

When Iris Sterling hastily logged out of the game, her heart raced with apprehension about Blakely's well-being. The digital world of Dew Lake had vanished in an instant, replaced by the more pressing reality of her friend's distress. The moment the VR helmet was lifted from her head, the first sound that hit her was Blakely's moans of pain, echoing through the room with a haunting intensity.

Turning her head, Iris saw Blakely beside her on the bed; her face contorted in discomfort, her body occasionally twitching as if reacting to the virtual sensations. The room was thick with tension, filled with the worried faces of Blakely's family. Claire stood by the edge of the bed, always composed but now visibly shaken, holding Blakely's hand to provide comfort. Cleo, usually not showing much emotion, clutched a thick hardcover book to her chest, her wide eyes fixed on her sister.

At the other end of the room, Pamela was pacing, phone in hand. Her voice strained as she urgently spoke with her sister Berenice, who worked as a developer for the VR game. Her conversation was a mix of frantic queries and terse updates, her tone laced with a mother's fear. Meanwhile, Blakely's father, Bjorn, was pacing back and forth like a caged lion, his usual calm demeanor shattered by the sight of his daughter in distress.

The atmosphere was charged with anxiety when Pamela, hanging up the phone, rushed over with a determined look to remove Blakely's VR helmet. Instantly, Iris, Claire, and Cleo yelled in unison, "Don't touch the helmet!"

Iris quickly explained to Pamela, who halted with her hand mid-air, confusion and fear etched across her face: "The VR helmet is locked. Only the one who is using it can take it off. The company that created the helmets made it that way for the player's safety. The VR helmet is run on the player's conscience. If taken off when it's still being used, it can cause sufficient brain damage."

Pamela's hands dropped to her sides as she stepped back, her expression a mix of frustration and desperation. She ran her fingers through her hair, a gesture of distress, and then focused intently on Iris. "Iris, explain what happened."

Iris took a deep breath, her nerves barely contained. "We were on our first quest to collect herbs in the Peridot Woods. I admit, before entering the woods, I had this sense that something was going to happen. You guys know sometimes I get these feelings, especially about Blakely. When I mentioned my feelings, Maven automatically suggested we turn around, but Blakely didn't want to, saying it would waste her energy. So, we continued on the quest. A little over twenty minutes in, Mavon noticed Blakely wasn't with us, and neither was her Summon. After searching for a little while, we found her with a glowing herb in her hand. We ran to her, and when we saw her put the weird herb on her lips, we yelled not to eat it, but it was like she was in a trance. Like the herb hypnotized her." Iris stopped to groan in frustration. Her hands were in her long blonde hair.

"By the time we reached her, she had already swallowed the hit. She and her summon started glowing the same golden glow as the herb. Then she started screaming, saying she felt like she was on fire. Suddenly, she dropped to the ground, and her Summon dissolved into her. The glow fades, and we see her Summons sleeping instead of Blakely's character. That's when messages started going off on our status screens. Mrs. Message was the first message that popped out to me." 

Pamela processed the information with growing dismay. "A golden herb?" she echoed, her mind racing. "I need to call Berenice again. She might know what that herb is supposed to do."

As Pamela turned away to make the call, Iris, Claire, and Cleo gathered closer around Blakely, watching her with intense worry. Bjorn stopped pacing and joined them, his face a mask of concern.

On the phone, Pamela's voice was tense but precise. "Berenice, it was a golden herb. What does it do? Why is Blakely reacting this way? Iris said her game character was in pain, too. Screaming, she was on fire. Iris told us it was glowing a golden glow, and when Blakely ate it, she and her Summon started glowing. When the glow faded, the summons was in Blakely's place." Her questions flowed swiftly, seeking clues to help them understand the situation.

The room fell silent, waiting for Pamela to relay any new information. After what seemed like an eternity, Pamela's face changed from worried to slightly relieved as she listened to her sister explain. She hung up and turned to the anxious group.

"Berenice said the herb is called 'Elysium's Spark.' It's a rare in-game item that can transform the player's character, but it shouldn't affect her like this in real life. They think there might be a bug or something more serious at play. They're looking into it now."

"This is why we should have never let them play this game!" Bjorn exploded, unable to contain his frustration any longer. "It's one thing to have fun, but when it starts affecting her like this…"

Pamela placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Bjorn. Let's focus on making sure Blakely is safe for now."

Iris, feeling helpless but determined, turned back to Blakely. "We need to monitor her closely. If she shows any sign of waking up, we must reassure her and help her understand what's happened."

As the family settled into a vigilant watch over Blakely, the room was filled with a tense but unified determination. Each member was ready to support her through whatever came next. The virtual adventure had taken a stark turn into reality, binding them all in a collective effort to protect one of their own.

The evening, they progressed slowly, with Blakely occasionally murmuring or shifting but remaining unconscious. The family and Iris stayed by her side, each lost in their thoughts, pondering the blurred lines between virtual experiences and their tangible impacts, holding on to hope that the situation would resolve without lasting harm.

As Iris sat vigil by Blakely's bedside, her VR headset buzzed with an incoming message. Glancing down, she saw it was from Maven, who was still logged into the game and investigating the bizarre events surrounding Aergia's transformation. The message was brief but alarming: "Somehow Blakely turned into her summon. I used Analyze on the giant panda, and instead of showing it as Matcha, it was listed as Aergia. But it's even weirder—she's classified not as a Player but as a Monster."

Iris's heart skipped a beat. She reread the message, hoping she had misunderstood. The implications were serious and entirely unprecedented in their virtual experiences. With a growing sense of urgency, she relayed the information to the Arcas family, who were gathered around, each wearing expressions of concern and fear.

"Blakely's character, Aergia, has somehow merged with her panda summon, turning into what the game now identifies as a monster, not a player," Iris explained carefully, trying to keep her voice steady despite the shaking she felt inside.

The room fell into a stunned silence. Pamela's face drained of color, and Bjorn's brows furrowed deeply as he processed the news. Claire and Cleo clutched each other's hands tighter, their eyes wide with fear for their sister.

Pamela, taking a deep breath to steady herself, grabbed her phone to call her sister Berenice once again. "Berenice, the situation has developed. The game is recognizing Blakely's character as a monster, not a player. Something is seriously wrong. We need to understand how this happened and how to reverse it," she said as soon as the call connected.

On the other end of the phone, Berenice's voice was filled with both shock and professional concern. "Okay, let me pull in the development team right away. We've never seen anything like this. It might be a glitch, or perhaps something triggered a hidden game mechanic that wasn't intended for player interaction. Give me some time; I'll get back to you as soon as I have more information."

Meanwhile, back in the game, Maven, joined by Brody and Theo—who had logged in to help unravel the mystery surrounding their sister—began a series of experiments. They tested different game functions and commands on the transformed Aergia, noting any responses and anomalies. Maven's character, Sionna, kept using her Analyze skill, trying to gather as much data as possible about Aergia's new form.

Back in the real world, Iris updated the Arcas family on every piece of information relayed by Maven. Each update added to the tension but also fueled their determination to find a solution. Bjorn paced relentlessly, while Pamela took notes, ready to relay everything to Berenice. Claire and Cleo hovered close to Iris, hanging on every word, their faces a mirror of hope and worry.

Hours seemed to stretch into eternity as they awaited Berenice's call back.

Pamela's phone rang after what felt like an agonizing eternity, and she quickly answered, her voice laden with urgency. On the other end, Berenice's tone was brisk, her words sharp with the precision of someone who was deeply entrenched in the technical complexities of her field.

"We've conducted a thorough review of the incident logs and cross-referenced them with the game's codebase. It appears that a rare and highly undocumented interaction between the summoning and transformation features triggered this anomaly. This is not a standard feature but rather an emergent behavior that wasn't anticipated by the original game design," Berenice explained methodically.

She continued, her voice steady and informative, "Essentially, when Aergia consumed the 'Elysium's Spark' herb, it initiated a transformation sequence that was supposed to be confined to NPC fauna within the game. However, due to her unique summoner status and the concurrent proximity to her summon, the game's algorithms misinterpreted her actions as input for a transformation command targeted at herself."

Berenice paused, ensuring her explanation was clear before she proceeded, "We're now working to isolate this specific interaction within the game's engine to prevent a recurrence. Simultaneously, we're developing a corrective patch that should revert her character to the original player state without risking data corruption or further integration issues. Keeping her character logged in but inactive will prevent the system from executing further transformations or state changes that could complicate her situation."

"This is a highly atypical situation that has exposed a flaw in our system's handling of transformation logic under unique conditions. We'll need to implement additional safeguards to handle these exceptions. I'll keep you updated on our progress, and we expect to have a working solution shortly," Berenice concluded, her tone a mix of professionalism and reassurance.

Pamela relayed this to everyone, her voice echoing the newfound hope provided by Berenice's detailed and assertive response. The family, fortified by Berenice's clear grasp of the issue and commitment to resolving it, felt a weight lift slightly off their shoulders. They settled into a vigilant, watchful wait, comforted by the knowledge that one of the game's top developers was personally overseeing the resolution of Blakely's predicament.

Pamela relayed this to everyone, her voice trembling with relief but laden with exhaustion from the emotional toll of the night's events. "They're working on it. They say keeping her in the game, for now, is the safest option."

Iris nodded, her gaze returning to Blakely, who lay quietly, her breaths even but still unconscious. She squeezed Blakely's hand, whispering, "Hang in there, we're going to fix this."

As the Arcas family processed Berenice's detailed analysis and the ongoing efforts to resolve Blakely's unprecedented situation, Claire and Cleo huddled together in the corner of the room, their worried whispers blending into the tense atmosphere of the living room.

Claire, the elder and more analytical of the two, leaned closer to her younger sister, her voice low but steady, "Cleo, did you catch all of that? They're saying it was some kind of bug triggered by Blakely's actions in the game."

Cleo, clutching her favorite book a little tighter, nodded solemnly. Her voice was tinged with concern as she replied, "Yeah, but it sounds so complicated. Big sis just wanted to play and have fun. It's scary to think something in the game could do this."

Claire squeezed Cleo's shoulder reassuringly, her brow furrowed in thought. "It is scary, but it sounds like Aunt Berny really understands what happened. They're working on fixing it, which means they can probably prevent it from happening to anyone else. It's just... we have to be patient."

Cleo looked up at her sister, her expression mixed with admiration and worry. "But what if the fix doesn't work? What if big sis stays like this?"

Trying to muster confidence for both of them, Claire responded with more assurance than she felt, "Aunt Berny is one of the best developers on that game. She wouldn't sound so sure if she weren't confident in their solution. We've got to trust them, Cleo. Plus, we're all here for Blakely, no matter what."

Cleo managed a small smile, leaning into her sister's side. "I just miss her, even though she's right here. It's like she's far away."

Claire wrapped an arm around Cleo, pulling her close. "I know, I miss her too. But think about it this way — Blakely's adventure just got a whole lot more epic. And when she wakes up, she's going to have the best story to tell us all."

Both sisters sat together, drawing comfort from each other's presence. Their conversation, a blend of fears and hopeful reassurances reflected the emotional rollercoaster the entire family was riding. 

An hour after their initial conversation, Pamela's phone rang with a call from her sister, Berenice, who was deeply involved in resolving the complex issue affecting Blakely's character in the game. Pamela answered with a mix of hope and trepidation, eager yet anxious to hear any updates.

"Pamela, I've been coordinating with our system architects and senior developers to diagnose the full extent of the anomaly caused by Elysium's Spark," Berenice began, her voice composed and articulate. "We've traced the issue to a series of deeply embedded legacy code that interacts unpredictably with new gameplay elements like the herb. This has revealed a multifaceted problem that is rooted in both the game's transformation logic and its character state management system."

She continued, explaining the technical details in a way that balanced clarity with depth. "Essentially, the transformation feature interfaced in an unanticipated way with player-character data, triggering a recursive loop where Blakely's character data began rewriting itself to match NPC parameters. To correct this without risking data integrity or player experience, we need to develop a patch that can safely decouple the player data from this loop and restore it to its pre-event state."

Berenice paused, ensuring her explanation was understood before delivering the news Pamela dreaded. "Given the complexity of these interactions and our need to ensure the safety and stability of the game environment, we estimate this will require several days of focused work. Our team is already developing a series of potential solutions, which we will be testing in a secure environment to prevent any further issues."

Pamela's frustration was palpable, but Berenice's calm, methodical explanation helped to anchor her emotions. "I promise we're doing everything possible to expedite this process, Pamela. I understand how distressing this is for you, she is my niece, after all. I'm just as worried about Blakely as you are. I'm overseeing the team to ensure we resolve this as quickly and safely as possible."

Berenice, experienced in handling her sister's fiery temper, quickly intervened. "I understand your frustration, Pamela, and I'm incredibly sorry for this situation. We are doing everything we can, and we are moving as fast as possible while ensuring we don't make things worse for Blakely. We have our top people working around the clock on this."

Taking a deep breath and pacing slightly, Pamela listened as her sister continued to provide assurances and technical explanations about the steps being taken. Gradually, her voice softened, and her stance relaxed as she absorbed the information, her mind grappling with the reality of the wait they faced.

After ending the call, Pamela turned to the anxious faces around her. As she relayed Berenice's message, a wave of worry washed over the room. Everyone's heart sank at the prospect of days filled with uncertainty. Iris, Claire, and Cleo exchanged uneasy glances, while Bjorn stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Pamela for support.

It took a few moments for the group to process the news and regain their composure. Once the initial shock had passed, practicality took over. Pamela, her voice steadier now, turned to Iris. "Iris, please send a message to Maven. Tell her and my sons to log out. There's nothing more they can do in the game right now, and it's best they don't risk any additional complications by staying logged in."

Iris nodded understandingly, quickly retrieving her device to compose the message. Her fingers moved swiftly over the screen, conveying Pamela's instructions with clarity and urgency. Within moments, the message was sent, ensuring that Maven, Brody, and Theo would be informed of the situation and the need for them to disconnect from the virtual world of Dew Lake.

As the family settled back into a somber wait, they found a bit of comfort in being together, sharing the burden of the unknown. The living room, usually a place of warmth and laughter, had become a quiet haven of solidarity as they faced the challenges ahead, united in their hope and determination to see Blakely safely through this ordeal.

Once Maven logged out and removed her VR helmet, the gravity of the situation hit her immediately. She was lying next to Blakely on the bed, and the sight of her friend in distress was far more jarring in person than any description could convey. Blakely appeared restless and uncomfortable, her body was stiff in pain, even in her unconscious state. Maven's heart sank as she observed Blakely's troubled motions; it underscored the urgency and seriousness of their virtual misadventure spilling into reality.

Brody and Theo, alerted by the seriousness of Iris's updates while still in the game, were quick to react. The moment they logged out, they didn't waste a second. Brody dashed from his room, taking long, hurried strides towards Blakely's room. Theo, though younger and smaller, kept pace with an equal sense of urgency, his worry for his sister propelling him forward. Their footsteps echoed through the hallway, a stark sound against the backdrop of tense silence that had settled over the house.

As they burst into Blakely's room, they were met with a scene of controlled chaos. Pamela was on the phone, presumably talking to Berenice again, seeking any new insights or updates that might help. Bjorn was pacing near the window, trying to mask his distress with movement, while Claire and Cleo clung to each other, watching the scene with wide, fearful eyes.

When everyone settled, Maven shared more concerning details about Aergia's behavior post-transformation. Everyone in the room listened intently, hoping to understand better the extent of the changes Blakely was experiencing.

"It's almost as if she's no longer herself but really has become the bear," Maven began, her voice tinged with worry. "Ever since she transformed, all Aergia has been doing is foraging and consuming large amounts of in-game herbs. It's like watching a creature driven purely by instinct."

Maven paused, recalling the unnerving moment she tried to interact with Aergia in her altered state. "I approached her cautiously while she was eating, hoping maybe to get through to her, to see if there was any of Blakely left in there. But she reacted so aggressively—she growled and swiped at me. It was frightening. It's almost as if the bear's instincts have completely taken over the human aspect of her character."

The room fell silent for a moment as the implications of Maven's observations sank in. Pamela clasped her hands tightly together, her face a mask of maternal concern. "So, you're saying Blakely might not even be aware of who she is or what she's doing in there? That she's acting purely as the animal her character transformed into?"

"Yes, that's exactly it," Maven confirmed. "The transformation seems to have altered her behavior to match that of a bear's natural instincts. It's unprecedented, and I honestly don't know how much of Blakely's personality or memories are influencing her actions right now, if at all."

Brody, who had been listening intently, clenched his fists in frustration. "So, what can we do? There has to be something. We can't just let her... let her be stuck like that."

Iris, ever thoughtful, added, "We need to keep pushing for that fix from the game developers. And in the meantime, we need to monitor her actions in the game closely. Maybe there are moments when Blakely's human side surfaces, moments we can reach out to her."

The family nodded, rallying around the strategy. Pamela, taking a deep breath, steadied her resolve. "I'll stay in constant touch with Berenice. She promised to update us the moment they make any progress on the patch. We just need to hold on a little longer."

Bjorn, trying to offer a semblance of optimism, put an arm around Pamela. "And we will," he said firmly. "We'll get her back, and we'll make sure she's safe. Both in the game and here at home."

As they concluded their plan, the collective resolve in the room strengthened. They agreed that Maven would log back into the game to keep an eye on Aergia, accompanied by Brody and Theo, ensuring they were ready to act should an opportunity to reach Blakely arise. Meanwhile, Pamela would maintain communication with the development team, pushing for a swift resolution.