The Invitation to Adventure

A middle-aged woman climbed the stairs, holding a breakfast tray. When she reached the top, she noticed the untouched tray of food she had made the previous night placed beside a closed door.

With a sigh, she approached the door and gently knocked three times. "L-Lana? Good morning. I made your breakfast," she said, her voice calm and comforting.

There was no response from the other side, but she wasn't surprised. No matter how many times she called or tried to convince her daughter to come out, she knew Lana wouldn't reply.

Worry crept onto her face as she carefully set the breakfast tray on the floor. Then, she picked up the dinner tray she had left there the previous night. The tray was wrapped in plastic, but it was clear that the food inside had started to spoil.

"You haven't eaten anything... I'm worried about you," she whispered, her voice trembling. She didn't want her daughter to sense her weakness. Wiping away a tear that had escaped her eye, she made the decision to leave.

As her mother knocked on the door and called out to her, she woke up from her sleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked towards the left side of her bed. A thick white curtain covered the large window, allowing a little sunlight to filter in. It was the only light in the dark room where she had been hiding. She looked tired, with dark circles under her brown eyes, a clear sign of her restless night. Glancing at the wall clock in front of her, she saw that it was 6:30 in the morning.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything the day before. Despite feeling dizzy, she gathered her strength and got out of bed, heading towards the door. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob, slowly turning it. Looking down, she noticed the breakfast tray her mother had prepared for her. Guilt washed over her, knowing that her parents were worried, especially her mother, who had endured her silence. She picked up the tray, closed the door behind her, and placed it on the table next to her bed. She ate her breakfast in silence, surprising herself with how thirsty she was as she finished an entire glass of water in one gulp. Feeling unexpectedly full, she wondered about her next move, but then a sudden discomfort in her stomach and an unfamiliar sensation in her throat overcame her.

She hurried to the bathroom sink and bent over, vomiting. The mixture of water and food forcefully came out of her mouth, some even trickling from her nose. This happened three times before she finally leaned against the bathroom wall, trying to catch her breath. She closed her eyes before gathering all her strength to stand up and return to bed.

She had lost count of the days that turned into months during her time in her dark room. Going outside wasn't something she wanted to do, she dreaded the disapproving stares from people who judged her for isolating herself. Last year, she had made a tough decision to quit college due to personal reasons that she couldn't share with anyone, not even her mother. She simply stopped attending classes, reaching a breaking point where she couldn't handle facing anyone anymore.

As time passed, her anxieties grew, and she started losing touch with herself. Despite her classmates' efforts to persuade her or her friends visiting to talk, she stubbornly refused. Since that significant day, she grew tired of the world and wanted to avoid all contact with others.

A sudden vibration from her phone shook her out of her thoughts, making her reach for it to check the notification. She received an email from an unknown sender, which initially made her suspicious of a possible scam. She thought about ignoring it, but her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to open the message.

"Hello, Adventurer!

Feeling bored? Craving excitement? How about going on a magical adventure? Got your attention, right? Well, I'm glad!

We're excited to announce the launch of Kingdoms of Magic today. We want to thank those who patiently waited for this moment, as we share in your excitement. We've carefully prepared numerous thrilling, fascinating, and fun quests and adventures for you. You won't regret it! Don't keep us waiting! let's start a journey that will help you forget your dull lives! If you're ready, go to the bottom of this email.

[CONFIRM]"

She read the message on her screen, her eyes locked onto it. The words seemed like a joke, so she brushed it off and decided to ignore it. She couldn't remember ever eagerly anticipating a game release. Playing games wasn't really her thing. Instead, she enjoyed reading novels on her phone or watching relaxing videos like ASMR, where fruits were sliced or food was prepared. Occasionally, she watched gory movies, and she also followed a live stream of her favorite streamer. He was the only gamer who truly interested her.

Watching him play games satisfied her, even though she didn't fully understand them at first. But because she found him fascinating, she gradually grew more familiar with the games he played. One game, Bravest Heroes, where he excelled as a mage, caught her attention. He demonstrated his unique strategies to defeat enemies and outperform other top players. He became incredibly popular in the game, holding the undefeated first rank. None of his fans, who eagerly tried to learn and replicate his techniques, could surpass or defeat him.

Just as she was about to put her cellphone aside, another notification appeared on her screen. Her eyes widened as she realized it was a notification from her favorite gamer, known as TU or TroubleUser, whom she followed on social media. Without hesitation, she clicked on the notification, taking her to his post.

{TroubleUser}

Has anyone else received this kind of email?

[screenshot of the email message]

Has anyone started playing the game yet?

She was surprised when she realized that the email she had just received was the same one he had posted. She remembered him enticing her to click the link for the Kingdoms of Magic game and distinctly recalling signing up for notifications about its launch. About three months ago, she had come across his page, where he had almost a million followers. He was a popular streamer who played exciting and trendy games, displaying his enthusiasm and skill. Although she wasn't certain if he was the most skilled gamer, she passionately supported him, regularly visiting his page and social media accounts, watching his videos and live streams. In her darkest moments, he was the only source of happiness that brought her some comfort.

Driven by curiosity, she checked the comment section, which had almost 10k comments. However, she became perplexed when she noticed that most people claimed they hadn't received the email he had shown. It seemed odd to her that she received it while some of his fans didn't. As she scrolled through the comments, her confusion grew even more. Not a single person mentioned receiving the same email.

{IllegalwifeofTU} That's unfair! I even subscribed to all their social media pages and channels! Kingdoms of Magic, you're showing favoritism! We want to play too!

{L**kMy@xx} Is this some kind of privilege? This doesn't seem right! I've been waiting for months! This is so disappointing!

{HugefanofTroubleUser} LMAO! This might just be a bug, no doubt! y'all, stay calm!

Despite receiving the same email, she chose not to comment. She worried that fans would flood her with different opinions and responses, bombarding her. Instead, she tried looking for other posts about the game from unfamiliar streamers. Surprisingly, those comment sections echoed the same complaints. People expressed frustration that famous streamers got the email while they didn't, leading some to leave hateful comments for those popular streamers and vent their frustrations on the official Kingdoms of Magic page. She knew TU already had plenty of haters and felt guilty for not speaking up about receiving the email herself. She wondered if the game's creator had accidentally sent the email to her and considered if other non-gamers had received it too.

She decided to check the email again, reading its contents carefully and analyzing every word. To make sure she wasn't dreaming, she pinched and slapped her cheeks harshly. She kept her eyes fixed on the "Confirm" button for a whole ten seconds, growing even more curious. Eventually, she gathered the courage to click it. Anxiety gripped her as she realized this would be her first time playing a game. Her cellphone's screen started to load, surprising her even more. Nervously, she pressed the home button. Unfortunately, the screen froze, and panic set in. She frantically tapped every available button on her phone, trying to cancel the process, but the email remained stuck, endlessly loading.

"Why is it freezing? Could this be a virus?" she grumbled, annoyed and frustrated. She kept pressing the screen, hoping for a response. Suddenly, the screen went black, causing her to stop her frantic clicking. She tried to restart her phone, but it refused to turn on. Losing patience, annoyance overwhelmed her, and she impulsively threw her phone onto the soft carpet. She decided to take a moment to calm her racing thoughts. Feeling her dizziness return, she slowly closed her eyes.