Ghost hunt.
After appearing more than twenty years ago, this space became a safe haven for many nostalgic players. His last moments were as abrupt as his first.
[Urgent notice: the server will close shortly.]
An error could occur if you forcibly disconnect, so if any user is still logged in, please log out as soon as possible.
The notification appeared about five minutes after he opened Hyeonbyeol's message.
When I updated the page, my profile was already full of people preparing for the end of times. From messages asking why the server was shutting down early when there was still time left, to people looking for peace of mind in others, to messages from trolls like the ones I normally didn't see thanks to the good moderation system.
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
I clicked on the message, curious to know what this urgent question could be, but it wasn't interesting at all.
[Very urgent. Please answer.]
What happens if you don't log out and stay here?
i sighed. I assumed that would be it. Still, that intrigued me a little, so I scrolled to the comments section.
these99: What do you think will happen? They'll probably disconnect you.
└OP: Really? Then I'm going to wait here until I'm automatically logged out.
└fliccolo: Haven't you seen the part where administrators say there may be an error? Simply press the log out button yourself. If something goes wrong, you could live the rest of your life as a vegetable.
It was a terrifying prospect: not logging out at the right time and ending up brain dead. Of course, one might wonder whether that could happen or not, but given the strange nature of this space, I would say there was no chance of that being the case.
Also, writing the GM's message about a «mistake» that «could happen» also makes me nervous.
However, even without all that, there was no point in staying here until the end, so after reading a few more messages, I hit the logout button.
[Do you want to log out?]
A selection window with the words «yes» and «no» greeted me, just like the one that appeared the day I first entered this world.
Clic, click.
When I clicked «yes», the room around me turned black and I felt like I was being transported somewhere else.
It was time to go back. Not to be the mysterious and powerful Lion, or the ordinary office worker Hansu Lee...
«You arrived six seconds earlier than usual. Did something happen in there?»
But to be Bjorn Yandel.
Come to think of it, when did this start, again? At some point, Amelia started standing by my bed every time I went to Ghostbusters to spend the night. I had told her several times that I didn't have to, but I soon stopped arguing with her when I realized she would always be there when I opened my eyes, no matter what I said.
And to be honest, I couldn't say I wasn't grateful.
«Didn't you say you were going to bed? Are you lying to me now?» I investigated.
«Yes I wanted to».
«But?»
«I couldn't sleep.»
I couldn't sleep, shit. While smiling at him, Amelia kept making excuses. «...And you never know what can happen inside the maze».
Well, I couldn't argue with that.
Amelia handed me a glass of water as I sat up. «Has something happened?», he asked.
«The community has closed as of today».
«¿Cerrada…?»
After swallowing the cold water, I told him my night in more detail. I told him about the notice I saw as soon as I connected to the server and even the information I received from the Round Table related to the closure.
«Hmm, so Auril Gavis is involved...».
«His official reason is that he wants to prevent us evil spirits from becoming complacent, but it is impossible for that to be the whole truth. What do you think? Do you have any theories?»
«Not really... Although I'll tell you if I can think of anything».
Hmm, so she had no idea either.
I mean, I assumed it was to be expected considering I hadn't actually had a proper conversation with Auril Gavis before.
«Yandel», Amelia said, interrupting my thoughts. His voice had acquired a tone that I couldn't distinguish. «What else happened in there?»
«…¿Eh?»
«You wouldn't have that face if it were just that».
I tilted my head. «A look on my face...?».
Carefully, Amelia said: «I may be imagining things, but...».
«You don't need to beat around the bush with me. Tell me bluntly».
«It seems like you've been through something. As if you were destroyed inside.»
Ah...
«Did something else happen in there?», he asked.
I let out a sigh. I couldn't really hide anything from him.
What should I do? Am I telling you or not?
I took a moment to think about it, but in the end I told him everything. It wasn't something I felt the need to hide anyway... and I found it hard to lie to him when he looked at me with those serious eyes.
«Oh... so that was it».
It didn't take me long to tell the whole story. I did everything I could to eliminate my personal biases and give her only an objective summary of the events as they happened, but despite my brief description, Amelia was able to immediately realize what was bothering me. No, I'd even bet he knew me better than I knew myself.
«Right now, you are conflicted about whether or not you have the right to be angry with Missha Karlstein».
Amelia had summed up my entire emotional state in one sentence, something that not even I could fully understand. I felt like I had been turned around, with my heart exposed. Maybe that's why I responded without thinking.
«It's not as simple as that. It's not even about Missha in the first place. It's a complicated situation when you take everyone else into account...»
«But Missha Karlstein is the core of the problem». I stayed silent. «I'm wrong?»
I had nothing to say to that, so I remained silent and Amelia continued calmly.
«Could you hear what happened that day?».
I didn't need to ask what day he was talking about. He was referring to the day I told him nothing had happened. The day Missha stopped talking to everyone and started sitting alone in a corner.
...Where do I start?
After thinking about it, I decided to start at the beginning.
«Do you know anything about the Renaissance Stone?»
To explain my problem with Missha, I needed to explain that first. I had not yet told any of my classmates about his presence in our group.
«I know a little», she replied.
«Well, before Missha Karlstein returned to our clan, she apparently received a Rebirth Stone from Baekho Lee. When I found out, I went to ask him about it».
«¿Y?»
«I asked him if he knew that the person on whom the Renaissance Stone is used loses his memory, and he replied that no, he didn't know. Then I told him I understood and asked him to leave».
«And what happened next?».
I let out a sigh. «Missha didn't leave. I wanted me to tell her something, even getting angry with her would be fine. So I told him the simple truth». I paused and, when Amelia didn't interrupt me, I finally admitted: «That I couldn't trust her anymore...». The first question that came to mind when he finished explaining to me was if he was hiding something else from me».
There was a brief silence.
«...And then?», he asked.
«That's it».
Missha Karlstein had left the room without saying another word, and we had not spoken since. That was the end of the story.
«I see. Now that she knew all the facts, Amelia remained silent, digesting my story. But when he finally spoke, the question that came out of his mouth was one he would never have expected. «Why did you hide everything that happened with Missha Karlstein from us?».
Well... Now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure. Why had he done it? Why hadn't he told Amelia about the Renaissance Stone before?
Part of me wanted to claim ignorance and dodge the question, but in reality, I did know the answer.
«...Because I knew I would be rejected».
Missha's position in our clan was already unstable. Erwen's interactions with her were tinged with obvious displeasure, and Versyl had pointed her out as a potential traitor, so he distrusted her. After two years of absence, her once close friendship with Ainar had faded and, in the end, the rest of the clan treated her practically like a stranger. It was obvious what would happen to him if Baekho Lee's orders were also revealed.
She would be even more marginalized.
That sequence of events could end with her leaving the clan of her own free will, and...
I couldn't help but laugh at my thoughts.
What do I want here?
I was increasingly confused about my own mental state.
Amelia, meanwhile, nodded in apparent understanding. «I see. That's why you don't dare use Wrong Trust with Missha... Because you suspect she's hiding something else from you».
He had hit the nail on the head.
Maybe it was paradoxical, but I couldn't find it in me to use Wrong Trust in Missha because I couldn't trust her. He was like Schrodinger's cat. The moment the box was opened, its contents would be set in stone and there would be no turning back. That's why I left the cover alone for now.
Realizing my sorry state, Amelia said: «That's you».
My first instinct was that this sounded a lot like an insult, but Amelia's eyes were warm.
«Bjorn Yandel, when dawn breaks, take Wrong Trust and go see Missha Karlstein to see if she hides anything else from you. And if she says no, treat her like a partner, like you did in the past».
«What if he's hiding something else?»
«Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it».
«Isn't that a bit irresponsible?.»
«But you know as well as I do that we can't keep putting this off forever.»
Well, that was true. I let out a frustrated sigh.
«Even if you don't want to, do what needs to be done», Amelia consoled me. «As you always do, Bjorn Yandel».
As I always do...
When you imagined Bjorn Yandel in your mind, what did you see?
The thought made me contemplate what I saw in her in turn.
«...Why are you looking at me like that?»
«You look more mature than normal».
This was the unfiltered truth, straight from the heart.
«Eh...?» For some reason, Amelia shuddered as if I had hit her on the head with my hammer. Then he let out a sigh. «I'll take that as a compliment».
Was there another way to take it?
***
I went back to bed and when I woke up the next morning, I immediately looked for the village chief to collect Wrong Trust so I could use it on Missha. But once I got my hands on it, I was thoughtful.
Would this be the right thing to do...?
Right now, I was less worried about whether Missha was hiding something or not and more uncomfortable with the idea of using this item on one of my companions. If you used it now, what would happen next time? What if after this I became dependent on Wrong Trust and used it on my peers whenever I suspected them?
Could you call that friendship?
That was the underlying question. However...
This will be the last time.
Although I had no way of knowing what might happen in the future, promising myself that this would be it comforted me a little.
Encouraged, I raised my hand to knock on the door I had been hanging around for a while. The person inside didn't respond verbally, but I doubted he was still sleeping.
I called again. «It's me, Missha. Let's talk».
There was a noise on the other side. «Hey? Hey? B-Bjorn? E-Wait a second...»
Five minutes passed when the door opened.
«What... is...? It's still so early...»
Even though I was worried that she would live like a recluse, she seemed pretty clean. It looked like she had been bathing, as her hair was still slightly damp.
«Can I come in?»
«Uh... it's a little messy...»
«Alright.» I walked through the door, and immediately pulled out Wrong Trust.
«That's right...» A range of emotions fluttered across Missha's face as she recognized the object. She seemed relieved and almost happy to see him. She also seemed disappointed, and perhaps a little scared.
I couldn't say for sure it was because of that, but suddenly I had a hard time finding my voice. Still, I forced myself to take out the words anyway.
«I want to turn this on so we can talk. Can?»
After a brief pause, he answered my question with his own. «And if I answer everything you ask me after turning it on, can we go back to the way we were before? As before?»
A thought arose in my mind.
What did you mean when you said «before»? Was he referring to that brief moment when we felt our hearts were aligned, or just when we were comrades in arms?
Well, he was probably referring to the latter. After all, it was Missha who had rejected me and pushed me away, not the other way around.
«Maybe». I gave a vague, but positive answer.
It was only on the condition that Missha had nothing more to hide from me, but if that ended up being the case, then we might really be able to go back to the way we used to be, before our relationship became such a complicated and painful mess.
«Then... you can do it».
When Missha clenched her fists and nodded, I began my official interrogation.
[You have activated No. 7234: Wrong Trust.]
I thought about it every time, but this item really had an apt name.