The sound of soft wind echoed faintly behind the silk-curtained windows of the royal chamber. Komi Kisaragi lay curled on the massive bed, the kind of bed you'd expect a princess—or at least an empress of code—to sleep in. Her eyes fluttered open slowly.
"...Still here," she muttered. Her voice cracked slightly as she stared at the golden canopy above. "Ugh. I was really hoping I'd wake up in my room."
She sat up, groaning. Her school uniform was gone, replaced by a silky white and light-blue dress, layered like clouds stitched by an overenthusiastic fantasy game designer. It was light, warm, and strangely comfy.
"System error," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "This has to be some freaky immersive beta glitch. Maybe if I log out manually…"
A soft ping echoed as the chamber door slid open—not swung, slid. A girl stepped in. Maid uniform, light pink hair, and a wide smile that twitched now and then.
"Your Glitchiness!" the maid sang cheerfully. "I mean—Your Radiance! Morning protocols complete! Do you wish for pastries?"
"…Did you just call me 'Your Glitchiness'?" Komi blinked.
"I never said that," the maid replied, her head tilting with a mechanical twitch.
Komi sighed. "Okay, sure. Bring me… toast? Do you even have toast in a fantasy world?"
"Understood! Toast: One," the maid nodded, then skipped out of the room like someone whose brain was barely attached.
Once alone, Komi stood and stretched. Her legs still felt a little shaky from… well, fighting a literal virus bear and summoning some glowing pink sword she didn't know she owned. She wandered around the massive room, opening drawers, poking curtains, looking for something—anything—that would feel normal.
"Okay, Komi. Calm down," she whispered, pacing. "It's just a VR game. A beta test. You played it for extra cash. They probably said it was experimental. You just didn't read the small print."
Her eyes darted to a door near the corner of the chamber. Unlike the elegant doors she'd seen, this one was plain gray with one bold word on it: EXIT.
"…No way."
She tiptoed toward it. The air around the door felt colder, static-y. She placed her hand on the handle and slowly twisted.
With a soft shhhh, the door opened.
Nothing was behind it—just an endless black void, swirling with faint purple code. Wind howled. The floor just ended.
Komi stumbled back. "What the—?!" Her foot slipped on the polished floor, and she nearly fell forward into the abyss. At the last second, she gripped the edge of the doorway and yanked herself back.
Breathing hard, she slammed the door shut. The air went still. She blinked. The door was gone.
"Did it just disap—"
"Are you well, my queen?"
She jumped. Standing behind her—calm, silent, blade strapped to his back—was Zero13.
His silver eyes glowed faintly, as if scanning her soul. He tilted his head slightly.
"I sensed… despair."
"Right. Forgot you were a royal stalker," she muttered.
He blinked, unmoved.
"Your emotional wavelengths spiked."
"What, do you have, like… built-in depression radar?"
He placed a hand to his chest. "Beta:Emo Senses. I am designed to detect and counteract your sadness."
"Okay that's… mildly creepy. But also kind of nice."
She took a deep breath, then brushed her dress off.
"I was trying to find a way out. Clearly, that was a mistake."
He said nothing.
She walked past him. "C'mon. Give me the tour. Maybe if I explore this place long enough, I'll find someone who actually knows what's going on."
They wandered the palace halls. Komi eyed tapestries that shimmered like holograms and stained glass windows that told stories in animated loops. She asked questions as they walked:
"So. What is this place really?"
"Your kingdom."
"Why am I here?"
"You were chosen."
"By who?"
"Classified."
"…Is this even a real game?"
"…Uncertain."
"Are you glitched or just unhelpful?"
"…Yes."
She groaned. "You're worse than my school counselor."
They reached a balcony overlooking the inner gardens. Komi leaned on the railing, eyes scanning the horizon.
"I just wanted some extra cash," she said quietly. "One week. A quick beta run. That's all."
Zero13 stood behind her, silent.
"I didn't ask for some creepy fantasy princess life. I didn't ask to fight bears or wield magical glitch swords. I just wanted to… not worry about tuition for a bit."
Zero13 bowed his head slightly.
"You may not have chosen this," he said. "But the system chose you. That cannot be undone."
The sky shifted. What had been daylight quickly faded. The palace lights flickered on automatically, casting warm glows over the halls.
"…That was fast," Komi whispered.
"Night has fallen," Zero13 said. "Time sync varies."
He walked her back to her room. At the door, he paused.
"Rest well, my queen."
"…Don't call me that."
"I am bound to."
She sighed. "Fine. Goodnight, glitch knight."
He bowed and closed the door.
Komi walked to the bed slowly, pulled the covers up around her, and stared at the glowing ceiling.
What is this place?
Why me?
Can I even go home?
A million questions. No answers.
Eventually, wrapped in her own thoughts, Komi Kisaragi drifted into sleep.
Outside her window, the palace stars glitched faintly—twinkling like corrupted data points waiting to rewrite fate.