Mountains and Seas Left Blank, You Boarded Another Platform

The night before the wedding, at my bachelorette party, my best friend Nadia Cobb suggested we play Truth or Dare.

Last round.

Everyone had to reveal a secret about themselves.

My fianc, Aaron Chandler, spoke first.

I'm not from this world.

Nadia stared at him.

We're going back to our original world together.

Neither of them looked like they were joking, and the whole room froze.

"You two have been watching way too many web dramas. What is this nonsense?"

"Aaron, if you're not from this world, then how are you marrying Ginny?"

"Right, quit messing around."

The next second, a panel appeared in front of my eyes.

Conquest progress: ninety-nine percent. Countdown to return to original world about to begin.

Final task: Aaron marries the female lead, Nadia serves as her bridesmaid.

That was how I found out.

They were players from another world, and both of them had been targeting me.

When it came to my turn.

I opened my mouth slowly.

"I can stop the two of you from going back to your original world."

Aaron's hand froze around his glass, and he turned his head toward me.

Fear flickered in his eyes.

"Ginny?"

Nadia shot to her feet.

"Virginia Donaldson, what do you know?"

The bitterness churning inside me was overwhelming, but the smile stayed on my face.

"I was just playing along with your joke, wasn't I?"

"What am I supposed to know?"

Only then did Nadia notice everyone's puzzled looks.

"I was just trying to get a rise out of Ginny, and she didn't fall for it. So boring."

"It's getting late. Everyone head home."

With that, she signaled Aaron with her eyes to go get the car.

The car pulled up at the door.

Nadia's face was cold as she stepped past me and opened the front passenger door.

Only after catching the hint in Aaron's eyes did she turn back to me.

"Ginny, I drank a little too much tonight and I'm not feeling great. Can I sit up front?"

I glanced at her hand gripping the door and nodded.

She pouted at me.

"My Ginny is the best. I really can't stand the thought of you marrying that jerk Aaron."

Aaron rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't even think about it. In three days it's my wedding with Ginny, so you'll just behave and be the bridesmaid."

Then the two of them exchanged a smile.

I climbed into the back seat.

Before tonight, I would still have been wrapped up in the happiness of having my love and my best friend beside me.

But now I understood that this world was nothing more than a string of code.

The two of them were living, breathing people.

And in their eyes, I was just an NPC there to help them finish a task.

I rolled the window down and looked out at the bright lights and neon.

Everything in front of me no longer felt real.

Back home, Aaron went to the kitchen and poured a cup of warm water for Nadia.

He explained to me.

"Nadia's had a bit too much. I'm worried something might happen to her in the night, so I'll stay in her room and keep an eye on her tonight. You go ahead and rest."

He helped Nadia into her room.

I stood there, frozen.

Not long after Aaron and I moved in together.

Nadia got scammed on a rental and came to stay with us for a while.

She hugged me, looking so pitiful.

"Ginny, they cheated me out of all my money. You're the only one who can take me in."

She said she'd move out once she got her paycheck and found a new place.

But that wait stretched into three whole years.

Aaron even comforted me, saying,

"I'm busy with work most of the time. With Nadia home to keep you company, you won't be so bored."

Back then I really believed he was thinking of me.

Now I could see it was all part of their plan.

They were conquering me together.

Going home together.

After my shower I lay down in bed, and Aaron came in carrying a cup of warm milk.

"Ginny, remember to drink your milk before you sleep."

He set the milk down and went back to Nadia's room.

I stared at the milk in my hands.

I'm a light sleeper, and to help me rest, Aaron warmed a cup of milk for me every day.

Three years, and he never once missed it.

But tonight I didn't want to drink it.

I poured it straight into the toilet.

I lay awake late into the night.

I pulled a coat over my shoulders and stepped out of the room.

Nadia's door was open a crack, warm yellow light spilling through.

She was leaning against Aaron's chest.

Both of them looked relaxed.

"Aaron, it's been three years. Once the wedding's over, the task is complete."

"The system said we can stay in this world too. You'll leave with me, right? You will, won't you?"

So there was more than just going back to the original world.

There was a second choice.

Through the crack in the door, I watched Aaron's face.

Waiting for his answer.

"Virginia's great, but at the end of it, she and I aren't from the same world."

"Three days from now, all of this ends."

Nadia smiled, satisfied.

"Aaron, I've always been scared you'd start playing it for real and actually fall for Virginia."

Aaron didn't answer.

He kept his head down, thinking about something I couldn't read.

A long moment passed.

Then Nadia spoke up again.

"You didn't forget to slip something into tonight's milk, did you?"

"No."

"Good. Wouldn't want her waking up suddenly and ruining our time alone."

Drugged milk.

A wave of dizziness hit me so hard I nearly went down.

I wanted to burst in and demand whether these three years had held even a shred of real feeling for me.

But I turned and went back to my room.

That night I tossed and turned, and I don't know when I finally fell asleep.

When I woke, the pillow was soaked through with tears.

Two unread texts sat on my phone.

[Nadia was dying to see the sunrise, so I took her out early.]

[Once you're up, just meet us at the dress shop.]

I splashed water on my face and left.

When I got to the bridal shop,

I called Aaron more than a dozen times, and not one went through.

Right up until I'd finished trying on the dress,

Aaron never showed.

The clerk looked at how lost I seemed, and something flickered in her eyes, close to pity.

"Miss Donaldson, do you still want to keep waiting for your family?"

I shook my head.

"Just go with the last one I tried on."

Then I pointed to the rack on the other side.

"And put down the groom's suit and the bridesmaid dress I picked out too."

I stepped out of the bridal shop.

The clear sky had suddenly filled with dark clouds.

The next second, the rain came down in sheets.

I opened the app to hail a car. Estimated wait: three hours.

In the end I called Aaron after all.

He picked up.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. We were so worn out after the sunrise that we accidentally fell asleep in the car."

I paused, then said,

"It's raining and I can't get a car. Can you come to the bridal shop and pick me up?"

The line was noisy, and I could faintly make out Nadia laughing.

Aaron agreed without a second's hesitation.

"Just wait for me at the shop. I'll be there right away."

I sat in the front hall of the bridal shop and waited for him.

An hour went by.

Aaron didn't show.

I called him again.

"Aaron, where are you?"

It was Nadia's voice that came through.

"Ginny, you'll have to get yourself home. My period just came out of nowhere and stained my pants, so Aaron's washing them for me."

"Oh, and on your way back, remember to grab me a bag of brown sugar."

I said nothing.

I hung up.

I opened the ride app. The estimated wait had climbed to four hours.

I walked out of the bridal shop.

The glass along the roadside threw back the sorry state of me.

Soaked hair, a face gone bloodless.

My face was wet all over, and I could no longer tell the tears from the rain.

The walk home took me an hour.

I pushed the door open. Nadia lay on the couch wrapped in a blanket, and Aaron was rubbing her lower belly with his hand.

"I told you not to drink before your period, and you still put away that much last night."

Hearing the sound at the door, they both looked up at me.

The rain had left me shivering all over from the cold.

Aaron froze for a beat, then got up at once and came toward me.

"What did you do to get yourself into a state like this?"

He draped a towel over my head, then made me a cup of hot ginger tea.

"Drink it and go take a hot shower. Don't get sick."

Nadia sat up, propping her chin in both hands.

"Ginny, you're not jealous that Aaron's home taking care of me, are you? You didn't stand out in the rain on purpose just to play the victim?"

The worry in Aaron's eyes thinned a little.

"Don't go getting jealous over nothing. Nadia's your best friend, and I'm looking after her for you."

Nadia picked it right up.

"That's right, Ginny. Aaron's only good to me because of you."

"Come to think of it, I'm the one who should be jealous. Once the two of you are married, I'll be the outsider."

And with that, they exchanged a look and lowered their heads, laughing.

They were laughing, at how thoroughly they'd played me.

Once, I thought meeting them was the happiest thing that would ever happen to me.

It wasn't until now that I understood their kindness to me was a trap, carefully laid.

My nails dug into my palms, and my heart had already gone numb.

"Then I won't be marrying Aaron."

"That way you won't have to be jealous, and you won't be an outsider either."

I looked at Nadia.

"From now on the three of us can keep living together, just like this."

"Are you two happy now?"

I ignored the stunned looks on their faces and went back into the bathroom in my room.

I sank myself into the tub, filled with hot water.

My phone buzzed on the counter. A message from my mom.

"Ginny, your dad and I bought our tickets. We'll land at your place tomorrow afternoon."

I stared at the text, and the tears came all at once, thick with hurt.

To save money for me and Aaron, my parents were only coming a day early, saying that way we'd save on hotel costs.

I'd talked to Aaron about having them come a few days sooner.

Aaron had said only:

"As long as they make it on the wedding day, that's fine."

Back then I'd thought he just didn't know how to be around my parents.

Now I knew it was because he didn't care.

This wedding was nothing to him but a ticket back to his own world.

I dried off, took my cold medicine, and had just lain down on the bed.

A voice came from the door.

"Ginny, are you asleep?"

Nadia pushed the door open and came in.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said today. I was just scared that once you and Aaron got married, you wouldn't have time for me anymore."

"These three years, I've seen everything Aaron's done for you. I really do want you two to get married."

Aaron came in behind her.

A bowl of chowder in his hands.

"Nadia already knows she was wrong. She pushed through her cramps to make you your favorite seafood chowder."

I closed my eyes.

"I'm tired. I want to sleep for a while."

Aaron set the bowl on the nightstand and reached out to feel my forehead.

"No fever."

He tucked the blanket around me and pulled Nadia away with him.

"Eat a little before you rest. I'll be right out in the living room. Call me if you need anything."

I closed my eyes.

Every little moment with Aaron rose up in my mind.

The day we met, I was walking home from a night shift when a drunk came at me with bad intentions, and Aaron appeared out of nowhere and saved me.

To thank him, he suggested I buy him dinner.

And after that, all the chance run-ins, the same tastes in everything.

Before I even realized it, I'd fallen in love with him.

So many coincidences, and I never once doubted them. I even thought it was fate, the real thing, written for us.

Now the details I'd made myself overlook came into focus.

No wonder the drunk turned and ran the second Aaron showed up.

When I wanted to call the police, he stopped me, saying it would hurt my reputation if people found out.

That drunk was a scene he'd staged.

No wonder he knew every single thing I liked.

Knew all of it down to the last detail.

Because in front of their system, I had no secrets at all.

Early the next morning.

I got a screenshot from my mom of a delayed flight.

Ginny, the airport says nothing can take off because of the weather. We might not be able to fly out at all today.

We'll keep looking for another way to get to you.

Don't worry. Your dad and I will make it to your wedding with Aaron no matter what.

I wrote back.

Getting there safe is what matters most. The wedding can be postponed.

Aaron caught sight of the conversation on my screen and frowned.

"The wedding's set for tomorrow. How can we postpone it?"

"Ginny, this is our wedding. As long as we're there, that's enough. It doesn't matter whether your parents come."

I looked at him, not believing what I'd heard.

"Doesn't matter?"

"Worst case, we have Nadia set up a livestream on her phone so they can watch. You can't make everyone's work go to waste over the two of them, can you?"

"The person I'm marrying is you, not your parents. You know how long we've been planning this wedding. Don't blow this out of proportion."

His careless tone landed like a slap across my face.

In that moment, my chest went tight, choked with it.

Suddenly I wanted to laugh. I'd thought that after three years together, he'd have at least a shred of feeling for me. But all he'd ever had was use.

Maybe my face had gone too pale.

He sighed, stepped closer, and held me gently.

"All right. I'll find a way to bring your parents here for our wedding."

"Just wait and be my bride tomorrow with an easy mind. Leave this to me, okay?"

That night, just as I was about to call my mom, a call came in from a number I didn't know.

"Is this Virginia Donaldson? Your parents took an unlicensed cab and were in a crash on the road. They died on the spot. Please come to the funeral home as soon as possible to identify the bodies."

A soundless roar went off inside my skull.

My hand loosened without my telling it to, and the phone cracked against the floor.

Nadia heard the noise and came out of her room.

"What's wrong?"

At the same moment, Aaron came in from outside.

"That rain is really coming down. Good thing tomorrow's supposed to be clear, so it won't ruin the wedding."

I rushed at him.

"Aaron, didn't you say you'd arrange for my parents to get here? Why did something happen to them?"

"What..."

My voice shook so hard it was barely intelligible.

"My parents are dead! The officer said they took an unlicensed cab and died in the crash!"

Aaron went white in an instant, and for those few silent seconds I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry. Because of the storm, the flights, the trains, and the buses were all shut down. You wanted your mom and dad to come, so I had someone drive them in along the back roads."

"I never thought there'd be an accident. I never thought anything would happen to them."

I shoved him aside and headed for the door.

He caught me by the arm.

"It's pouring like this. Where do you think you're going?"

I wrenched my arm free.

"Home. To the funeral home, to claim my parents' bodies!"

"Everything's shut down right now. You can't get back no matter how frantic you are. Wait until the wedding's over tomorrow and I'll go with you"

"The wedding?"

A laugh broke out of me.

"Aaron, you really are cruel enough."

I ran out of the house with nowhere to go, and ended up standing in the bus shelter to get out of the rain.

The panel appeared in front of me again.

System warning: If the conquest task fails, the player will remain in this world forever.

The next second, calls from Nadia and Aaron popped up on my phone.

I didn't answer.

They sent me a string of texts after that.

Telling me to go ahead with the wedding tomorrow.

I looked at the panel still hanging in front of me and asked it.

"System, if they succeed at the conquest and leave, what happens to me?"

After a burst of static, words surfaced before my eyes.

Once the player returns to the original world, this world will be formatted to receive a new player.

"Then can my parents come back to life?"

After the format, every person's life starts over.

I gritted my teeth and asked the last question.

"So my world has been looping this whole time, hasn't it?"

If the player chooses to stay, the heroine gets to live out her own life.

I wiped the tears away, and my gaze turned firm.

The moment Aaron and Nadia saw me come back, they crowded in.

"Ginny, you still have us. We'll always be here for you."

"What your mom and dad wanted most, at the end, was surely to see you and Aaron married."

I looked at the two of them for a long moment.

"Fine. The wedding goes ahead tomorrow."

You could see the relief wash over them.

The next day, I walked up onto the stage in my wedding dress.

There was no joy in me at all, only the rush of something about to be over.

As the maid of honor, Nadia couldn't contain her excitement.

The instant Aaron and I exchanged rings.

And said "I do" together.

The system's voice rang out from the sky.

Congratulations, host Aaron Chandler. Conquest successful. Returning to the original world.

Congratulations, host Nadia Cobb. Conquest successful. Returning to the original world.

A flash of white light.

The scene before my eyes reeled back through time to three years ago.

Elsewhere.

In the three months after returning to the original world.

Virginia's smiling face kept surfacing in Aaron's mind.

He kept wondering whether that girl who depended on him would cry her eyes out every day now that she'd lost him.

He started to waver.

Whether he should have chosen to stay and be with Virginia after all.

He tried calling out to the system.

"System, I want to know if Virginia is all right now."

Rest assured, host. The heroine's world has already been formatted. The new player's conquest progress reads eighty percent.

The heroine's memories of you have been erased. She doesn't remember you at all now.

Aaron's breath caught.

"What are you saying!"