Chapter 39 : Meet me on the moon

For the first time, the background music in the game was different. It had lyrics and there was an actual singing voice. 

"Everything's Alright."

That voice and those words, it felt as though it was sung from the bottom of River's heart.   

While accompanied by the sad melody, Dr Neil and the players could do nothing, only helplessly watching as River was gradually removed from Johnny's life. 

At the steps of the school, where Johnny thought their first meeting to be. 

The platypus and River were both gone, all that remained was the book she had been reading, the book about lighthouses.

From the door beyond the steps, Joey appeared, alive and well. 

He merrily hopped down the steps to join Johnny and Nicholas as they chatted about transforming robots and adventures in space.

The copy of River's favorite book, The Emperor's New Clothes, was shown covered in dust. 

At the cinema where Johnny and River had their first movie date, it was instead he and his brother walking in happily. 

Scene after painful scene was shown, while the beats remained the same, the presence of River was replaced with the existence of Joey. 

And at the same time, Johnny's ambition of becoming an astronaut is constantly hinted at, by losing River and gaining Joey, the trajectory of Johnny's life has changed dramatically. 

The racecourse where Johnny and River rode horses together is empty. The surroundings of the lighthouse named Anya is overgrown with weeds. There is no trace of the wedding, or the rabbit killed nearby. 

Johnny became a studious young man, working hard while continuously sending applications to NASA. 

And eventually, he received a reply and an offer letter. 

His goal was within reach, going to the moon is only a matter of time now. 

What Eva did was technically working. The contract would be fulfilled. 

But the players and audiences were silent. 

Yes, Johnny would soon be able to go to the moon, just as he stated. Eva and Neil were about to complete their mission. 

But why is there such a sour feeling in the air? Why does the heart feel hollow?

Is this what Johnny would really want? To reach the moon, but without River? Does it even make sense anymore?

In the reconstructed memories of Johnny, they have arrived at the space agency. 

Dong Zhen and all the other players who reached that point were now just mechanically on autopilot. The earlier experience still left them reeling and filled with emotions that were difficult to express. 

Uncomfortable, might be the right word here. They were very uncomfortable. They just witnessed an entire life get rearranged. 

But since they were all so invested, they would only continue the wild ride. 

As Eva and Neil explored the space agency, Eva began looking for something. 

[ It's not here… ]

[ Uh, what? ]

[ Let's just go ]

The two doctors continued to communicate as they explored the levels, and Dong Zhen seemed to pick up what the game was hinting at. 

"Hang on lads!!! The lady seems to know something we don't! She's looking for something… Or someone!" 

While the characters made a stop in a waiting room, Dong Zhen made a bold guess, one that he hoped was true after thinking about Eva's actions and words. 

But he didn't have the time to voice his opinions in the stream, as the atmosphere of the game made an abrupt shift. 

The sad background music fell silent, letting the sound of Johnny's heartbeat dominate the scene.

Then uplifting music began to play. 

A girl with red hair tied in a ponytail strolled into the room. 

[ Ah, and here's our other new recruit. River, right? ] said the unnamed NASA director. 

He left the two to socialize and get to know each other. 

[ Hello, I'm John ] 

Johnny introduced himself first, just like before. 

At the same time, the final memory fragment was collected by Eva and Neil. 

[ Whew… ] Eva let out a sigh of relief as soon as the scene concluded. 

[ I almost thought she wasn– ]

[ What the fuck, Eva?! But you… deleted her! ]

[ No, I told you, I just moved her. What she does with her life here is still up to… 'her' ]

[ But this new world… It's based on public data and Johnny's own beliefs. And since River's data as an individual is not recorded in the public domain… ]

[ …It all comes from Johnny… ] Neil finished, after coming to understand her meaning. 

Despite having his entire life changed, despite having never crossed paths with River in this generated world. The memory of River and his promise to her still remained deep within. 

[ What if you forget… Or get lost? ]

[ Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! ]

Yes. They will meet on the moon one day.

The tears Dong Zhen had been holding back for a while started flowing again. 

The music Johnny wrote for River made an appearance again, but the name was no longer "For River". 

It has a new, more meaningful name, "To the Moon".

In the hall, River was among the audience, murmuring her liking of the name while watching Johnny play the song. 

…

Years sped by in the simulated memories. 

Johnny and River went through the rigorous astronaut training program together. 

Finally, the rocket is up and running according to schedule. 

To watch the final events unfold, Neil and Eva invited the nanny and the medical doctor inside the simulation. 

As the sun set, crowds of people gathered on the bridge overlooking the river and the location of the rocket. They were here to witness the launch. 

With a mighty rumble that echoed far and wide, the rocket took off. 

And at the same time, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard. 

A very dull, tired heartbeat. 

The heartbeat of Johnny, who grew weaker and weaker as the seconds drew by. 

He is about to leave this world. 

"To the Moon" plays again in the background as the rocket continues its journey upwards. 

The simulation begins to falter as Johnny's vital signs begin to fade. 

Inside the rocket, Johnny and River look into each other's eyes. 

They held hands, one last time. 

[ Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! ]

As the rocket grew closer and closer to the beautiful moon, the screen plunged into darkness. 

Then, memories of Johnny's past flash by like brilliant lanterns in the night sky. 

Seeing these memories of Johnny and River brought waves of heavy emotions crashing into the players and viewers. 

Finally, Dong Zhen could no longer compose himself. He covered his face in one hand and ugly cried into the napkin he grabbed from the side. 

Chat did not let this go, even if they were ugly crying too. 

[ Hurry up! The macho man is shedding tears for the second time! ]

[ This damn game making me cry! ]

[ I can't see the screen, who installed the waterfall in my room? ]

[ What if you get lost? Then we'll just meet up on the moon, silly! ]

Along with the game's final credits, the final scenes of the game roll by. 

In Dong Zhen's stream chat, people started to cool down and regain their bearings. 

At that moment, the people who were submerged in the overwhelming atmosphere and immersion of the story suddenly remembered something…

That this game was a submission for the sci-fi game design contest! 

But everyone was so focused on the story of Johnny and River, that they forgot about this aspect.