NPC/Player [2]

Once Amara had gone, Faye settled into the bed, allowing her body to relax, and noticed the changes it had gone through.

Without the bodiless voice shouting warnings repeatedly, her head was filled with nothing but her own thoughts, and it was refreshing. And although Faye only had memories of her time as an NPC, she still felt she was more like herself than ever before: it was just like she had woken up from a long dream and was now in reality.

It would take a while to get used to and there was still a lingering fear from the Main Computer's voice, but mixed in was a happiness that she hadn't felt in a long time.

In this game world, Faye was known for being quiet and only speaking when needed. That was all to do with her character setting and what was implanted into her data. Now things were different, and she had a feeling that things would only get better from here.

Only she didn't know what was happening back at the shop with the Hero and his party. However, she knew there wasn't much she could do, and would only hold them all back if she returned there.

Subduing her thoughts, Faye thought it would be best to get up and leave the room. She figured that focusing on her doubts and worries wouldn't do her any good, so she decided to find something to distract herself with.

Exiting the room, she paused at the door when she saw an unfamiliar man sitting ramrod straight on the sofa. As if sensing her presence, the man turned his head and their eyes met in mid-air.

The man stared at Faye without saying anything, and then he turned away again with no intention of greeting her. In that instant, an awkward atmosphere engulfed the room, and without looking in the man's direction, Faye went over to one of the lone armchairs and sat down.

Faye was usually the most mild-mannered person in any room, so when she encountered someone who was even quieter than herself, it was an unusual experience. Although she had grown accustomed to not speaking and never felt the need to, she still attempted to break the silence.

But before she could even open her mouth, the door was thrown open and a petite figure rushed into the room.

"Kei, I'm here!" A man who looked similar to the reticent one sat on the sofa, skidded to a halt and panting asked, "has Amara already left? What about the woman? Has she woken up?"

Then he noticed Faye sitting on the armchair and with reddened cheeks, he said, "oh, hello. It's good you're awake. Amara sounded worried on the communication device when she asked us to come over."

The man with short, dark hair cut up to above the ears and large blue eyes waited for his breathing to slow down, then continued to shoot out more questions: "Did my brother introduce himself? Are you feeling ok? Did Amara say anything before she left?"

Before the man could say anything else, a hand reached out and pulled him onto the sofa, and was silenced by a glare sent his way from his brother. Making a zipping motion, then smiling playfully at the other male, he contained his excitement and sat quietly by his brother's side.

The other person then began to talk. His voice had a stiff quality to it, as if he rarely used it. "Stop making a fuss." He berated the shorter male, then said to Faye, "as my brother, Amos, said we're here on the request of Amara. She's helped us a lot since we lost the status of NPCs and became players once more. My name is Kei, and he's Amos. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"If we're not mistaken, you're just like us and are no longer an NPC. And there's no need to worry about anyone overhearing us. Before she left, Amara used the magical item that blocks out sound from the inside. So you're able to talk without worries."

It was like the man known as Kei had used his whole life's worth of words when speaking just now, and after he was finished, he sat back in silence again and appeared like he wouldn't say anything else. Even his brother was a little shocked at seeing his brother speak so much, but thought it wise to not mention it, and instead waited for Faye to say something.

Faye shifted in her seat and still felt a little uncomfortable. Yet there were so many questions she had and so many things to think about that her head started spinning, and she had to close her eyes for a moment to calm it down.

When everything was still again, she opened them and asked, "what is it with NPCs and players? I still don't understand how and why this happened. One moment I was in the bookshop, then I woke up and I could think for myself and do things that I wasn't able to do before. And you said that you're both players again. What does that mean, exactly?"

She had been going over these things in her mind ever since she had woken up from being a mindless NPC, to when she became something different from that. Like she mentioned just now: at one point she was a person who could only do what she was told and nothing else, then she became aware of her surroundings and after a while changed into who she was now.

Why did this all happen? What is the main cause of the NPCs becoming players? And what did it have to do with the Main Computer?