"Whoa, it started already…" Trizha murmured, startled by the immediate activation of the game.
The trio was instantly engrossed in "Trio-Adventures." On the screen, their pixelated characters navigated a perilous dungeon, tasked with fighting against the oppressive "Evil God-like Influence of Hell"
"What kind of name is that…" Wyne said confusingly.
"Influence of hell. I think it brings hell-stuff if the villain is around, probably like causing people to commit suicide."
"Yeah something like that– WAIT NO, MARGARET THATS SO CREEPY!" Wyne shouted, terrified.
"Creepy or not, it actually sounds fun if we're dealing with the apostle of hell!" Trizha cheerfully said. "Let's goo!!"
They worked together, moving through elaborate obstacle courses (or obbies as the game's style suggested) and narrowly avoiding hidden traps.
The action was fast and chaotic.
There were puzzles, countless of them. Sometimes they have to think outside the box to complete the game.
It took them an hour before eventually reaching a certain level where something will happen.
And that is a zombie level. Within that level, a group of jagged, pixelated zombie knights materialized, their swords raised and poised to pierce Trizha's character.
But before the blow could land, Margaret's character rushed forward.
"Trizha, watch out!" Margaret shouted, gripping her controller tightly.
Her character executed a clumsy, powerful push, shoving Trizha's avatar out of the way, resulting in Margaret getting pierced instead.
"Noooo!!" Trizha wailed, leaning closer to the screen.
"Ah. I died," Margaret said, immediately relaxing her grip on the controller. "Oh well… at least I get to see how I die."
She leaned in curiously to watch her character's death animation, fascinated.
"That's just creepy!" Wyne exclaimed, briefly glancing at Margaret's morbid interest before refocusing on the screen.
Wyne and Trizha continued their perilous adventure.
Only a few minutes had passed in the real world, but for their characters, it felt like hours of relentless gameplay.
Soon enough, both remaining avatars were ambushed by an even larger wave of zombie knights.
Wyne, knowing there were no good choices left for escape, let out a dramatic shout.
"Trizha, go!!! Finish the game, I'll hold them off!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing in the arcade.
"Why the heck are you suddenly shouting at me like this is real?!" Trizha shot back, bewildered by Wyne's sudden, melodramatic intensity.
"Duh, to make this moment more engaging and fun!" Wyne retorted, shaking her head. "Don't bring reality into these kinds of moments, it's stupid."
Wyne immediately turned her character to face the incoming zombie knights, her pixelated sword prepared for a glorious sacrifice, while Trizha's character wisely bolted, running off to finish the quest.
"I'll avenge Margaret!!!" Wyne screamed, thoroughly committed to the bit.
"Again, why are you shouting?!" Trizha groaned, already focused on navigating the final stretch.
Wyne's character then rushed toward the zombie knights, aiming to draw their attention and buy Trizha time.
Eventually, after a brief, heroic struggle, Wyne's character dissolved into a burst of pixels and a puff of smoke.
"Alright, I'm just gonna go buy some water with Margaret. Might bring us some snacks too," Wyne announced, dropping her controller.
"Hey! Don't leave me here!" Trizha called out, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Yeah, yeah. We'll be just right there," Wyne assured her, already grabbing Margaret's shoulder.
Wyne then ushered Margaret away, leading her to find the nearest refreshment stand, leaving Trizha completely alone to finish the game.
Trizha pressed the final buttons. Her character, having outrun the final traps and foes, leaped from a towering spire.
And as she watched, she saw her pixelated character fall out of the sky upside down, slowly spinning in the air with a strangely elegant motion, as if confirming that all conflict and struggle… had finally ended.
All the sacrifices along the way, both real and virtual, all the trauma and hardship her character had supposedly endured, were all made worth it by this serene, final descent.
Afterwards, the screen filled with a bright, triumphant display.
The game showed three big stars, glowing brilliantly against a dark background, with a message appearing below it in triumphant script:
「Congratulations for finishing the game!」
「Your noble sacrifice to save the world from the constant oppression and interruption of the Evil Influence has deeply inspired a new ambition for future generations to continue your legendary legacy until YOU return.」
「And don't forget, when interruption aligns once more, fight through the bottom of your heart!」
Trizha stared at the screen for a few extended moments, her expression blank.
The intensity of the message, the mention of sacrifice and legacy, resonated with her on a profound, unsettling level, as if it were a memory dredged up from a deep, hidden well.
She swore she had experienced something similar, something that carried the same dramatic weight and finality.
But she couldn't bring the exact details to her mind.
Although, it wasn't all of it. She reviewed the last sentence,
「Fight through the bottom of your hearts!」
And swore she had seen that sentence from somewhere.
But then again, it was just… a feeling.
Wyne and Margaret soon returned, each holding a bottle of water.
"We're back, Trizha… uh, you okay?" Wyne asked, tilting her head at Trizha's unmoving silence.
Trizha kept her eyes on the static game screen for a few more seconds before turning back to the two of them.
A look of vague uncertainty shadowed her face.
"Yeah… I'm fine," she said, her voice quiet. "Let's go back, I'm tired."
"Uh, yeah… sure," Wyne replied, sharing a quick, confused look with Margaret. "But let's just take a short break, and then we go back. We haven't had much fun yet, and we need to check out the shopping area."
And so, the trio gathered their things and left the arcade, heading back to the dormitory suite to rest for a few minutes before continuing their chaotic hangout.
The question lingered in the colorful, noisy air of the arcade: was the game Trizha played, with its themes of noble sacrifice and forgotten legacy, truly just a game? Perhaps not.
But hopefully, it was.