Chapter Four

Seonghwa and Flora were both walking towards the bright opened door, with their hand wrapped around each other's. Flora finally started to realise that apparantly everything was easy in this game, and it's soon to be over, which didn't make her too excited about.

She knew that once this game will be over, Seonghwa will be gone too, and so the rest of the guys, until she'd join back into the game...with a possibility that everything will be restarted and the guys will act like strangers again, including Seonghwa. It will be like she'd go back in time, and start from the introduction again. She didn't want that, but, she didn't know what to do about it.

Suddenly, as they were 6 feet away from the door, the door shut right on front of them. "What the..." Flora mumbled in disbelief.

Seonghwa let Flora's hand go and ran up to the door to open it again...however it didn't budge. The door was locked and wasn't opening, as if someone locked it from the other side. "This is not good.." he mumbled as he stepped a few steps back away from the door and swiped his pinkish hair with his left hand, in a little frustration.

"Are we trapped?" Flora asked him.

He turned to face her and replied, "I don't know, there must be another way out"

Seonghwa ran back to the other door to exit the room, hoped that maybe there'd be a key somewhere waiting for him to grab it, yet as he thought to leave the room, the door suddenly banged shut as well. He tried to open it but it was no use, this door was locked as well, and these two were trapped in this lonely room, with just one ceiling in present that barely held the brightness of the room.

Seonghwa ran his hand through his hair once again and sighed loudly. "I think we're stuck" he shouted out to Flora.

Flora was lost and didn't know what to do. As she stopped expecting for any consequences, it out of blue decided to appear for her. She started to search around the room, but then stopped once she spotted something weird on the dark corner of this room. The corner had a figure, a dark figure, that stood there and watched her with glowing neon white eyes. Flora panicked a little, and quietly pronounced the pink haired guy's name, "Seonghwa..."

Seonghwa then spotted the creature too, and realised that this thing was probably the "inhuman". He stayed still, not knowing what to do as well. "Flora, don't worry, I'll get us out of here" he spoke quietly and steady, and then the silence carried the room for a few more moments.

Suddenly, the figure started to move. It thumbed its metallic legs, covered in black armour. The figure looked like the soldier from 15th century, more like a warrior actually, but instead was fully covered in black metals, with a metallic facemask on. No matter how much the helmet covered its full face, its glowing eyes were still visible through it. The figure looked really tall, taller than both Seonghwa and Flora were. Its height nearly reached the roof of the room, which made the figure to look even more terrifying.

The figure appeared to have something on its hand, that looked like a long sword. It dragged the sword with it, as the sword touched the ground and scratched it through the figure's slow motions. The inhuman creature seemed to target Flora as it walked towards her. Flora panicked more, and started to back away, however, as she started to walk backwards, the figure sped up its walks. Flora ran faster, and the thing followed her. Flora ran across the room, but stopped right at the corner where the closed brighter door was. She had nowhere else to go, and felt like it was the end for her...but she was wrong.

The figure raised up its sword and was ready to cut the girl, but Seonghwa ran on front of her on time, and the sword hit him on his chest instead.

After the hit, the figure suddenly vanished into the thin air and the bright door swing opened again. Flora didn't understand how this figure managed to disappear as if it wasn't even here, but Seonghwa's condition worried her much more.

Seonghwa tried to stay in place, but was too weak and started to lose his balance. Flora caught him on time, and there he was, with a giant scar on his chest as his slightly sparkly dark eyes were slowly closing. Flora shivered from the view, and wanted to believe it was all just a nightmare. "Seonghwa don't die right on me!" She shouted as sudden tears started to drop from her eyes. No matter how much she knew it was all just a game and Seonghwa was just a computer, she couldn't help but to feel upset about him. She didn't want to lose him, no matter what, but his condition was too much damaged.

His blood wasn't like any other blood, however. It was sparkles, sparkles dropping one by one to the ground. Seonghwa weakly chuckled, "Flora, why are you crying, I'm not even real" he managed to say those words out. "It doesn't hurt...but just makes me feel weaker..." he murmured quietly, but Flora managed to hear him clearly.

"I don't care, you're real to me" she said, and felt unexpected from what she told him. This moment she finally realised that she liked him, but hated herself for having those feelings for a computer. But even though he was just a game character, for her he was like a real person, a temporary person that she wished was her permanent.

Seonghwa weakly sighed as his eyes were barely holding open. "Stop crying...as I sacrificed myself for you, I will now forever be beside you as a spirit" he stated, "see you later..." his last words came out before his whole body started to turn into sparkles, then vanished into a thin air. Seonghwa was gone. But, not for too long.

Flora felt frustrated, she hated this all, and the game itself. She wiped off her tears and took a deep breath before proceeded to approach the opened door. She looked at the bright tunnel that the door was leading to, then finally made her way inside it.

Within split of seconds, she appeared back in the lobby. Chloe was already sitting on the purple sofa, believed to be waiting for her friend to come back.

As Flora approached with her gaze lowered, Chloe spotted the girl and jumped off the sofa. She immediately made a run to her and then gave her a tight hug. "Oh gosh, where have you been!" She exclaimed with a little bit of dissatisfied tone, but with a smile of joy to see her friend back.

Flora remained silent, without returning her friend the hug. Chloe looked at her emotionless friend, and realised that Flora acted really off. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"Chloe...let's leave this game" Flora said quietly but Chloe managed to hear her.

"Why?" Chloe asked, confused.

Flora gave out a frustrated sigh and then gave a reply, "You left me back in the game..." she started but didn't seem to finish off her talk.

"I'm sorry, is this the only reason you dislike this game?" Chloe asked, slowly and steady, to make sure to not say anything that could upset her friend even more.

But, as Flora was about to say something more, the little floating buddy, KQ, has came back with the statement:

"Congratulations, heroes, on completing your very first game. You have managed to escape the maze and to help the characters with the escape too. Unfortunately, one of the characters was not being saved, but it will be prepared for the person they sacrificed their life to. Loading..."

"Wait, someone sacrificed their life? Who?" Surprised Chloe spoke with a loud tone, and for a moment she was confused but then remembered that Seonghwa was the only character who stayed with Flora before she left. "Flora..." Chloe said with a sympathetic and gentle tone, "Did...something happen to Seonghwa?" She asked, then regretted asking so.

Flora stayed quiet, barely held her tears back as a memory of him on her arms replayed in her mind. "Chloe, let's leave this godam place" Flora repeated herself, but as Chloe prepared to do anything further, a familiar voice danced through Flora's ears, "Hey"

Flora turned to the direction of the voice, and there she saw him, in white outfit, white trousers and white oversized shirt with white shoes on. His pink hair had reminded Flora who this guy was, it was Seonghwa, who was standing 10 feet away as he locked his eyes with Flora's.

Flora immediately forgot what she told Chloe nor what Chloe asked or told her a few minutes ago. All she was focused on was Seonghwa, stood all healthy and safe. Seonghwa gave a warm smile as he began to slowly walk closer, but before he managed to approach, Flora ran into his arms and gave him the tightest hug she ever given to him. Tears of joy sprayed out of her eyes as she snugged herself in Seonghwa's chest. Seonghwa hugged her back, gently, as he slightly shut his eyes and gave out a satisfied silent sigh.

Chloe was confused. She stood there, and watched her friend was hugging...an air?

KQ appeared to add more things to say:

"As the character, Seonghwa, chose his life to sacrifice to the hero Flora, he now will be the spirit that will always support Flora in whichever game she choose to play. As further being explained, only the person who's life the character sacrificed to, will be able to see and feel their supporter. Thank you for playing the game"

And with that, the robot flew away, and Chloe finally understood the strange act of her friend. Seonghwa must be there, and only Flora was able to see him.

"Seonghwa, now you can't dare to leave me" Flora said as she looked up at his dark eyes. She felt so stupid at that moment, for having those emotions towards a computer, but her heart wasn't a brain, and it took over her as she only felt her rapid heartbeat towards him.

To be continued...