Komi ran.
Her feet echoed loudly against the gleaming palace floors, her heart pounding louder than any battle drum. The golden halls behind her shimmered with elegance, yet each step away from the throne room felt like liberation. Her breaths were sharp, her limbs shaky, and her head was swimming with questions.
"Why am I here?!" she cried out between gasps, as the towering palace gates loomed before her.
No guards stopped her. No alarms blared. The gates swung open with a hiss, like the world itself wanted her to escape.
She bolted out—
—and was met by sunlight. Warm, too warm.
The outside world was alive. The towering gates had led her to a massive stone stairway that descended into a lively city. Bustling, vibrant, and glowing under the unnaturally golden rays of the sun, the capital city below looked like a page torn out of an epic fantasy manga.
She stumbled down the stairs and into the market street.
People. So many people.
Yet they didn't seem bothered by her sudden intrusion or her dazed expression. Instead, they smiled, chatted, and laughed.
Stalls lined the streets—piled high with fruits that shimmered like gems, meats that steamed with magic-infused heat, and colorful candies that spun themselves in the air. The market women looked unnaturally young, their faces clear of age and worry. Children ran around laughing, some juggling floating orbs or riding mini-creatures that purred like kittens.
Komi blinked at it all. It was... stunning. Too stunning.
"Where are the flies?" she muttered aloud. "Markets always have flies."
She looked up. The sky was too blue. The sun too bright. Almost like it was watching her.
She reached out to touch a floating candy. Her fingers passed through it. No stickiness. No resistance.
Something felt off.
Then—the world shattered.
Like glass breaking, the vibrant cityscape fractured into pieces, then vanished entirely. Komi stood, stunned, as colors faded and heat drained from her skin.
Suddenly she was surrounded by a void.
A deep, endless expanse of black clouds and cracking thunder. Lightning ripped through the sky in twisted arcs, and the only thing that felt real beneath her was the ground—charcoal grey and smooth like polished stone.
A chilling growl echoed.
From the dark mist, it emerged.
A monstrous bear, at least three meters tall. Its fur glitched—pixelated and corrupt. Patches of static danced across its body like an unstable program. Glowing red code snaked around its limbs, and jagged fangs bared as it let out another roar.
Komi's knees nearly gave out.
She screamed.
The bear lunged.
"NO—!"
In that moment—something ancient, buried deep inside her, snapped awake.
A command echoed in her mind—monotone, emotionless.
(> "Royal Code: Phase Ghost.")
Her body shifted. She gasped as she became translucent—ghost-like. The bear charged and passed straight through her. It roared in confusion, stumbling and turning as if trying to locate her again.
"What... the hell?" Komi whispered, floating slightly off the ground.
And just like that—it stopped.
Her body flickered back to normal.
"No, no, no!" she screamed again.
The virus bear charged again.
She threw up her hands in instinct, eyes closed, ready for death.
But instead—
(> "Royal Code: Beta Protocol. Sword Manifest.")
A hot wind exploded from her chest. A flash of light bloomed, and in her hands formed a blade.
It was beautiful.
Long. Pink. Bladed with a mirrored edge. The hilt was wrapped in glowing threads of code. At the base of the blade was a glowing Beta symbol, pulsing like a heartbeat.
She didn't think—her body moved on its own.
One strike.
Clean.
The bear split in two.
It didn't bleed—it shattered. Like broken glass. Data particles rose and dissolved.
The void cracked.
And reality rebuilt itself.
Komi was back in the market.
No one noticed. The world returned as if nothing had happened. The candy was still floating. The children were still laughing. Yet she was crouched in the middle of the street, panting.
The sword in her hands glowed faintly, then turned into light and phased back into her body—straight into her chest, like a downloaded file.
She dropped to her knees.
She was shaking.
"What... what the hell is going on?" she murmured.
Her vision blurred with tears.
Then—a gust of wind.
A bright light above.
She looked up.
Descending from the sky, wings spread wide, was a majestic white horse. Its wings shimmered with pixelated feathers. Its hooves touched the stone with a clink, leaving glowing marks behind.
Riding atop it was a knight clad in silver and black armor. A long royal-blue cape billowed behind him, and his face was partially hidden by a sleek mask.
He dismounted with ease.
Komi backed away instinctively.
He knelt before her.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice deep and composed. "I've finally found you."
She blinked. "Who... are you?"
"I am Zero13. Your Royal Knight."
"I-I'm not anyone's queen," she whispered. "I didn't ask to be here!"
He paused. His eyes glowed faintly beneath the mask. Something in his posture twitched. A faint glitch in the air shimmered near his shoulder.
He reached out slowly—not to harm, but to steady her.
"You may not remember," he said softly, "but the world remembers you."
She couldn't argue. She was too drained.
He helped her to her feet. She stumbled against him.
The crowd still didn't notice. As if they weren't real.
"Come," he said, lifting her onto the winged horse with surprising ease. "We must return to the Kingdom."
She didn't protest.
As they took off into the sky, Komi looked down at the world below—beautiful, broken, unreal.
"What kind of game is this...?" she whispered.
The wind answered with silence.