The Ethereal night : Feather's Curse

Reality and the Game

Arin woke with a start, his heart pounding as if he had just run a marathon. His bedroom looked the same—dim light filtering through the curtains, his desk cluttered with books and notes. But something was wrong. The scar on his arm, the one from the game, was still there, a jagged mark that hadn't been there the night before.

"What the hell...?" Arin whispered, rubbing the scar with his fingers. It burned slightly, but it was real. He was back in his room, but it felt different.

He shot out of bed, looking around. Everything felt too quiet, too still. He tried to shake the disorienting feeling that lingered in his mind. The dream—no, the game—had felt too real. The growling creature, the notification, the sensation of falling. But the scar on his arm proved it wasn't just a dream.

The moment he stood, his phone buzzed. A message from his best friend, Kian:

Kian: "Dude, are you okay? You went offline last night. I couldn't reach you."

Arin froze, his thumb hovering over the screen. The realization hit him like a wave. Kian had been his roommate during their first year of college. They had shared everything, from classes to late-night gaming sessions. If Kian knew something about what had happened, he would be the first person Arin turned to.

But how could he explain the game? The creature? The scar?

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A Call for Help

After a long pause, Arin typed back a quick response:

Arin: "I need to talk to you. Something weird happened last night."

Kian's reply was instant:

Kian: "Come over now. You're freaking me out."

Arin didn't waste any time. He grabbed his jacket, trying to calm his racing heart as he made his way to Kian's apartment. The weight of the scar on his arm felt heavier with every step, but he had to figure out what was going on.

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The Revelation

When Arin arrived, Kian greeted him at the door with a raised eyebrow. "You look like hell. What happened?"

Arin rubbed his face, still feeling the aftereffects of his nightmarish experience. "I don't know, man. Something happened while I was sleeping. I was... in this game. It wasn't a dream. I—I got hurt in there. This scar," he said, rolling up his sleeve to show Kian the jagged mark.

Kian's eyes widened as he examined the scar. "This isn't from any video game, dude. Are you sure you didn't, like, scratch yourself while sleeping?"

Arin shook his head. "No, it's not like that. I... I died in the game. And when I woke up, I was still here. But this scar—this thing wasn't there before. It's like... the game is real, Kian."

Kian stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Wait, what kind of game are we talking about here? A VR game? Some kind of simulation?"

Arin felt his stomach twist. He had no answers, no way to explain it, but he had to make Kian understand. "It's... not like any game I've ever played. It felt like I was actually there. And when I died... I almost didn't wake up."

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The Mystery Deepens

Kian sat down, his face serious. "Okay, I'll admit, that's... that's wild. But, if this is real, then we need to figure out how it works. And why you're stuck in it. You said you got this feather thing from a box, right?"

Arin nodded. "Yeah. I found it in a box at the well behind my house. It was... glowing, and when I touched it, I got pulled into the game."

Kian's mind raced as he processed the information. "Wait, wait. You said you got it from a well? What kind of box was it? Is there more to this story?"

Arin explained the details of the box, the feather, and how he had plucked it, sending him into the game world. He also mentioned the notification that had appeared in front of him, the eerie message:

Welcome to Ethereal Night. Survive or perish.

Kian leaned forward. "Okay, so there's definitely something supernatural going on here. But if you can go into the game and back to the real world, then we need to figure out what happens if you die in there again."

Arin's heart skipped a beat at the thought. He hadn't fully processed the consequences of his actions. The game world was dangerous—real consequences awaited him. "I... I don't want to risk it again. I barely made it out alive."

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A Plan Begins

Kian stood up and paced around the room, deep in thought. "Alright, we need to gather more information. You said the feather came from the well, right? We should go back there. Maybe there's more to this. And if we can figure out where the feather came from, we might be able to understand how to stop it."

Arin nodded. He didn't feel entirely comfortable returning to the well, but Kian was right. They had to understand what was going on.

Kian pulled out his phone. "Let me call a couple of people. I know a few guys who can help with this kind of weird stuff. We'll figure it out together."

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A New Quest

As Arin left Kian's apartment, he felt a sense of unease settle over him. The scar on his arm, the strange world, the sense that something was lurking just beyond his understanding—it was all too much.

But he had no choice now. He had to find a way to escape the game. He had to uncover the mystery behind the feather, the well, and the forces pulling him into Ethereal Night.

That night, when Arin fell asleep again, he didn't know what to expect. Would he be pulled back into the game? Would he survive another nightmarish challenge?

All he knew was that he couldn't do it alone.

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To Be Continued...

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