New Player
Mikey always thought he was the type of person that would survive in a horror film.
He was, apparently, misguided on that notion; not only would he not survive. He was also the type of person who would die from sheer stupidity in the first five minutes.
The moment his fingers touched the old mirror, he knew he had made a mistake but it was already too late. Cold hands wrapped around his right wrist and pulled him forwards. The consistency of the mirror had changed into something very similar to gel and Mikey's hand went right through it.
Mikey screamed.
He was not embarrassed about it. The situation deserved it. Plus, the scream made Luna turn towards him and her arms hugging his middle, pulling him away from the mirror, were the best thing that had happened to Mikey in his life.
"You idiot! What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't thinking!" The admission comes out without Mikey's permission. And Mikey took a moment in his panic to curse his traitorous mouth. "Don't yell at me! You can always do it— Ah! Pull me out, pull me out!"
"I'm trying!"
"There's no trying, just doing!"
"Stop quoting Star Wars!" Luna yelled in his ear. "Especially if you do it wrong."
"It's only a bit of paraphrasing." Mikey defended, or tried to at least. He wasn't sure if he succeeded as the demon pulled harder and his mouth was filled with a disturbingly metallic-tasting gelatinous substance and he choked on it.
It felt no different from being underwater; all noises were muted out. Mikey held his breath instinctively the moment his feet stopped having something under them. He was floating and the demon dragged him forward much more easily now that Mikey had nothing to grab.
The demon resembled a child. Well, if human children had red pupils and the white of their eyes was black, and if said black was oozing out, running down their cheeks like a macabre imitation of tears.
"You will do." Its voice echoed weirdly, sounding almost mechanical.
Mikey stopped struggling.
All the alarms on his head screamed that if he moved, he would die. Thus, it was in his best interests to stop moving.
Curse his flight or fight response. He would prefer if it was more like Luna's, beating the danger down to a pulp sounded way better than freezing like a loser.
After all, Mikey was pretty sure he was going to die anyway.
"Yes, you will become a fine player." It continued, grabbing his shoulders and closing the distance between their faces.
"Uh, what?" Mikey said unintelligently.
"Do remember to have fun." The demon laughs as it's mouth grows into something inhuman and the stench of rotten flesh fills Mikey's nostrils. "And teach that self-righteous ass a lesson, alright?"
Mikey didn't even have time to even blink.
Five things happened simultaneously: 1) There was a crack. 2) A pang in his heart so painful Mikey's vision blurred 3) The demon's face distorted. 4) A blue screen appeared in front of his face.
The blood screen read: Tag, you're it.
And finally, 5) Mikey started falling.
…
It was a very long fall.
…
[You wake up in a bed of fallen leaves.]
Have you ever dreamt you're a different person? Have you dreamt you died just to wake up the next instant?
What if it wasn't a dream?
Mikey blinked awake, slightly confused and exhausted. There was a headache right behind his eyes and there were ants under the tip of his fingers.
"Io?" Nike's voice was hoarse by the disuse. Their expression held so much hope it was physically hurting Mikey.
[We could lie.]
Yeah, they could lie. It would be easy. Too easy, even. But then what about Mikey? What about the part of him that wasn't Io?
"No. I'm— My name is...Hao."
[So original.]
'Shut the fuck up, please.' Mikey glared at the hovering ghost over Nike. 'I'm talking.ʼ
"Hao?" Nike frowned, their face falling a little.
"It's complicated." Mikey grimaced. "I'm not sure how to explain it."
Nike bit their lips. "Do you…?"
Mikey immediately went soft for Nike. They deserved the world and Nike didn't need to ask the questions out loud for Mikey to hear them; Do you *know* what I am? Do you remember our promise? Do you still love me?
"I do, Nike." Mikey stares into Nike's brown eyes without hesitance. "Of course I do."
And he does. He loved them fiercely and irrevocably, and not just because Io is in his head. But because he had spent so much time and effort while a young child trying to be in their shoes.
You see, the «Saviour King» was just one of many possible endings from a popular video game.
Nike was one of the two main pv the game had; the one that allowed you to get the 'Happy' and 'Neutral' ending.
Io, on the other hand, allowed you to play the bad guy and get the Bad Ending. Yeah, with capital letters. The one everybody died. Not only in the Dungeon but in the Outside as well.
Mikey may not declare his love for the game anymore but he continued to love it all the same. And Nike had probably saved his life at one point. They were the comfort character that Mikey held close to his heart.
Maybe that's what made him an adequate vessel; he and Io were on the same page.
Nike sniffed, tears in their eyes.
«Can I hug you?»
"Come here, little monarch." Mikey opened his arms and huffed as Nike slammed into him. Mikey hugged them back just as desperately, making his next words lack any real concern. "Uff. Careful there. I'm squishy."
«Sorry» Nike being Nike still apologised when they let go.
"Nothing to worry about." Mikey reassured them, flickering their nose. Laughing as Nike took their hands to the affected area and sent him a betrayed look.
They were older now; their features were still soft and rounded but didn't look like a carbon copy of Io (with different coloured eyes but no one really seemed to remember that detail) anymore.
Guess he had taken that role now, seeming that Nike had mistaken him for Io…
'Wait. Am I still a guy?' Mikey wondered with a wince.
[You are.]
'Ah, thank God. Well— No. If this is real then… Thank the Stars.'
"It's getting late." Mikey noticed as they looked up. It was a beautiful sunset. "We should go home."
«Yes!» Nike nodded, helping him up. They were smiling so big it had to hurt. «Mom is going to love seeing you again!»
"No! Don't tell her the truth. She can't—" Mikey said, faltering into a plea. "She can't know what we did, Nike."
Nike's smile faltered. «I know but…»
"She's our mom. She will love us no matter what." Mikey was quick to reassure them."I just thought— Aa. Mom deserves better than to know her daughter never left. That Io… That *I* was trapped in the Dungeon. That will hurt her."
«She misses you.»
"She misses Io. I'm not her. I cannot be her. Not if we want this to work. Not if you want me to stay."
Nike's conflicted look was replaced by one of determination.
«New name it is.»
Mikey snorts. "Do you know how Io's sign-name is 'stabby'? You can do a punch motion for me."
«You're ridiculous.»
"Only a little." Mikey laughed. "Now, come on. I don't want to miss dinner."
[Ready for the new adventure?]
[YES] [NO]
Using the gesture of joining HANDS to hide his true intentions, Mikey pressed [YES]