2 t w o

Everything is black.

That's her first thought when she finally regains her consciousness. She can't open her eyes even if she forces them to open. It must be all because of that pill he gave her. Speaking of him, why did Marcus kidnap her? It never happened. Not even once. The program wasn't written like that. The hero was supposed to be there, not the villain.

Is it possible that the program was rewritten? But why? If so, then the world should be reset first. Besides, there were no notices about the game being updated. All of this is giving her a headache. Either way, the game will never be the same and it will have a different outcome.

"Wake up, sweetheart"

As if on command, her eyes immediately opened, revealing her striking golden orbs. Due to the sudden reflex, her eyes didn't adjust properly to the light and so she blinks her eyes furiously. After several blinkings, she finally noticed the crimson orbs staring at her. Out of fright, she quickly sits up and tries her best to back up as far away from the person.

She looks around the room she's in. To put it simply, everything is black. Every inch of the room is covered in black. Even the chandelier is black!

"Sweetheart? Are you okay?"

She returns her focus on the person whom she was running away from. She didn't notice his features before but now that she looks carefully, she noticed how handsome he was. Everything about him screams handsome. Her heart almost gave in to the temptation until she realizes who this handsome man is.

"M-Marcus?"

"It's me, sweetheart. It's been so long since I last met you." Marcus gently caresses her left cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes trained on her breath-taking eyes. He will never be able to not be mesmerized by those unique eyes.

"But.. how could this happen? Explain to me, Marcus!"

Marcus smiles and looks at her with softness in his eyes. "I'll explain it to you when I think you're ready. For now, rest," he said before turning on his heels and walk away.

"I won't rest until you tell me where this is," Sheila said sternly.

After contemplating for a long time he finally reveals the place. "The Underworld"

Hearing this, she couldn't help but gasp at the new information. The Underworld was Marcus's base. His lair. The final boss. She can't be here. She should be down there, helping the hero fight the boss, not be with the boss. Sure, she had some interactions with Marcus in the past. But it was later updated by the creator and the scene was deleted.

All this thinking made Sheila sleepy, and so she decided to rest. As she was almost in the brink of sleeping, she heard Marcus whisper, "I've been waiting for so long to see you again. I've tried everything. I won't let anyone get in the way of my love for you. Not even the creator."

Sheila wakes up once again feeling rather... weird? She didn't have anything to do besides waiting for Marcus to come with her food. She tried searching for ways to get out but none of them were possible. The windows were barricaded, the door was locked with magic. She didn't have any special abilities since she only knows how to sell stuff.

She used to have magic powers. When the world was first established, she was more powerful than she is today. But after much consideration, the creator decided that a shopkeeper didn't need any powers. And here she is, no powers, no anything. Sometimes, she missed her powers. She used to have a unique power called "Re-equip magic". This magic can let the owner change her uniform and weapon multiple times. That's why she used to be feared by the villagers.

The feeling of fighting villains and monsters made her feel so alive and free. But it was taken away from her and instead, she had to stay in one place selling stuff. Maybe her powers were way more powerful than the hero that the creator decided to delete her powers.

But thinking about the past won't get her anywhere. She needs to think about how to get out of this cursed place. Pleading for help won't do her any good either since Marcus has probably already ordered his servants to not help her. Sheila stands up and observes the door. She can't open the door using force even if she wants to because it's sealed with magic.

Suddenly, an idea forms in her head.