THE MOMENT
Claire was barely keeping herself together. She'd found the nearest town unfamiliar and mostly unhelpful. She was the lone-surviving healer of an adventuring party, and she wasn't entirely sure what she'd survived.
They were exploring a dungeon when a stranger in a white blazer and red tie crossed their path. He attacked without warning, and her friends barely had time to mount a defense. It was quickly apparent that he wasn't a normal human, even by adventurer standards.
The knight leader tried communicating, but the stranger remained eerily quiet, his eyes glowing with sinister red magic as he effortlessly eliminated them.
Claire couldn't keep up with the healing, but her friends pleaded with her to flee even as they breathed their last. She ran, and somehow survived. But he must have been a creature of pure darkness, because she was left befuddled.
She wandered through an unknown forest, trying to remember anything. Her entire life before the dungeon was blank. She knew her name and her friends' names. Without a clue of what their relationship was like before, she vowed to live fully for their memories. They died for her, that had to mean something.
Claire carried forward, hoping her mind would clear, until she found civilization. She didn't have all her memories, but she was an adventurer and explored cautiously while gathering information.
But then, she saw him. He looked fatter in the light, but it was him. The man with frizzy hair wearing a white blazer and red tie. He was talking to a high-ranking guild official and sporting a sly smile.
Claire shrank back to avoid being seen and looked around. The adventurer's guild was bustling with heroes of all ranks, but what could she do?
As she surveyed the lobby, she spotted someone else looking at him nervously and full of worry. She was a teen girl with rainbow hair and pink eyes, probably a unicorn, but she was also wearing the same white blazer and red tie. What was their relationship? Claire decided she had to find out why the girl was uneasy.
“Excuse me…,” Claire called the girl's attention. She looked at Claire for less than a second, then shook her head.
“Not interested,” the teen replied before focusing on the man again.
Claire had been through too much to give up at a teenage girl's rejection. She had to at least state the obvious.
“He's not human; he can't be. That creature killed my friends,” she said it as plainly as she could. That actually got a surprising reaction from the girl. Her pink eyes opened wide, and she looked at Claire again, as if seeing her for the first time.
“What's your favorite number?” she asked.
“1!” Claire answered instantly, then shook her head. “I have a favorite number?”
“You do,” The girl smiled. “And he let you live?”
“I escaped…” Claire replied. It was an odd conversation, but at least they were on the right topic. The girl laughed.
“You couldn't have. Aury doesn't normally let NPCs go,” she sounded happy, which was a shift that left Claire feeling uneasy all over again. She took an uneasy step back out of habit, but the girl's smile grew broader.
“You've probably been really confused, huh? Not sure about your past?” The teen opened a black portal next to them and encouraged Claire inside. “There's a reason for that. I'll get you set up with someone to explain it all to you and help you get settled in your new life.”
“He's evil!” Claire wasn't sure where she was being taken, but she felt like the villain in question wasn't getting any sort of punishment.
“Haha, probably a bit,” the girl laughed and shook her head. “But, really, you being here is a sign that he's not all bad. And thank you,” she added. “I actually needed that reminder.
“What? What are you talking about? He murdered my friends!” Claire's confusion grew, but she at least had the sense to keep her voice down.
“So… This is gonna be tough. I'm sorry. You didn't have any friends; you were an NPC before.”
“I remember them!”
“They were all NPCs too,” she said. “Can you name one?”
“Of course I can!” She thought of the brave knight. She was sure she connected with him, and yet, no name came to her lips. She tried to force it by assigning him random names, but none of them fit. The girl watched fresh confusion take root on her face again as Claire shook her head.
“It’s okay…,” she placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder. “It’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s a good thing. They never existed, but now you do. You’re scared and worried right now, but in just a few days, you’ll be seeing things in a whole new light. And, most importantly of all, I promise you’re safe,” she added while gesturing at the portal again. “You’ll be able to work through everything at your own pace.”
“My name’s Claire…,” she said as she took a step toward the black portal. She wasn’t fully convinced, but the girl was the only one offering any answers.
“I’m Monday Sharp, from Sharp Development.” The girl smiled, and then Claire walked into the portal.