For safety reasons, holding a fake wedding in a small town like Acton, where there aren't many people, was definitely the smarter move.
Of course, Roy didn't have to handle the wedding venue setup himself—that job was handed off to the FEA.
Conveniently, Acton had a senior FEA agent stationed there, so they put him in charge of the arrangements.
The next day, Roy got a call from Lilith. Dorothy had made her decision: she was willing to use the Soul Chain spell to deal with the Dark Mage.
Roy was a bit surprised that the Death Witch had come to a decision so quickly.
But it was good news, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he spent the day at UCLA with Jennifer, Niddy, and Ashley.
Jennifer had officially joined a sorority at UCLA called Iris, mostly made up of members from mid-tier political families in Los Angeles County.
UCLA, being a public school, wasn't the top choice for the ultra-wealthy or elite political families—they usually went for private schools.
So, the Iris sorority consisted mainly of mid-level players in L.A. Jennifer had put in some effort and finally fit in with them.
Ashley, meanwhile, was starting to get into acting. She hadn't joined a sorority but had signed up for a drama club.
L.A. was crawling with drama clubs, and they were a bit different from sororities or fraternities. It gave her something to focus on.
As for Niddy, she was still holding Roy to his promise to play a game with her.
So, when she saw Roy had some free time, she immediately demanded he follow through.
Roy didn't mind. Setting up the fake wedding and laying traps for the Dark Mage would take time.
Lilith was overseeing those details, so Roy wasn't needed. He had a window to hang out with Niddy and play her game.
Niddy was thrilled at the news.
"Roy, I just got my hands on a leaked game disc," she said excitedly. "It's supposed to be super scary. Come play it with me!"
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"Cool, so tonight—your dorm or mine?" Roy asked.
Niddy bit her lip, catching the hint in his tone.
"Why a dorm? Let's go to the Beverly Hills villa! We can bring Jennifer and Ashley!"
"Sounds good. It's a plan."
Niddy practically bounced with excitement.
"I'm gonna tell Jennifer and Ashley right now! The game has split-screen co-op, so we can compete!"
When it came to gaming, Niddy always got hyped, her competitive streak kicking into overdrive.
That evening, at the Beverly Hills villa, Jennifer whipped up a fancy dinner, and the four of them ate together.
After they were stuffed, Niddy pulled out the supposedly terrifying game.
"Let's play! It's a two-player co-op split-screen game. We can split into teams and compete!"
Jennifer grinned and made a suggestion. "Niddy, if it's a competition, we need some stakes, right?"
Niddy's eyes lit up, her excitement cranking up a notch. "Stakes? You mean like a penalty for losing?"
"Exactly," Jennifer said with a sly smile. "The losing team has to do whatever the winners want tonight."
Niddy didn't hesitate. "Deal! How do we split the teams?"
"Gotta keep it fair," Jennifer said. "Niddy, you're the best gamer here, so you're pairing with Ashley, the weakest."
She shot Roy a quick wink.
Niddy was undeniably the top gamer. Roy was a close second.
Jennifer, despite her enhanced physical abilities, was only so-so at games, mostly playing casually with Niddy.
Ashley, though? She grew up in a remote town and had zero experience with video games—a total gaming black hole.
Even with Niddy's skills, teaming with Ashley was a recipe for defeat.
Roy caught on immediately: Jennifer was setting Niddy and Ashley up.
Probably payback for the last time they ganged up on her during a group gaming session.
Roy didn't care either way. A little scheming among the girls made things more fun, and he was curious to see what Jennifer would do if she won.
Niddy saw through Jennifer's plan, biting her thumb as she glared at her.
Jennifer met her gaze, her eyes teasing. "What's wrong? Is our gaming pro scared?"
That was the one thing Niddy couldn't stand—someone questioning her skills. She shot to her feet.
"Scared? No way! Let's do it!"
"But is this fair?" Ashley piped up, sensing Jennifer's ulterior motive.
Niddy, already fired up, patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ashley. I'll carry us to victory!"
The teams were set: Niddy and Ashley versus Roy and Jennifer.
The game Ashley brought was a 3D horror game with no save points—you had to beat it in one go.
The competition was simple: whichever team survived the longest in the game won.
"You can't stay in one area too long—that's cheating. And no interfering with the other players, verbally or physically!" Niddy added, laying down the rules.
She was confident in her skills but wary of Jennifer pulling some dirty trick. In past games, when Jennifer got desperate, she'd resort to off-screen tactics.
Jennifer was physically stronger than Niddy, who was super ticklish and would end up in tears whenever Jennifer went for her.
Jennifer pouted. "I wasn't planning anything shady. You'd never admit defeat if I did."
Her real bet was on Ashley's abysmal gaming skills dragging Niddy down.
Ashley had no idea Jennifer had such faith in her "talent," or she'd have some choice words.
"Let's start!" Niddy declared.
The game was made for Microsoft's Xbox, which happened to be in Madison's villa. Niddy had used it before.
They hooked the Xbox up to the giant living room screen, and Niddy popped in the disc.
Niddy and Ashley went first, sitting on the couch facing the screen, controllers in hand.
Ashley was visibly nervous, knowing her gaming skills were awful and worried about holding Niddy back.
But Niddy was all confidence, giving her a reassuring pat. "Relax, Ashley. Remember how you did fine in that escape room game? You've got this. We'll crush Roy and Jennifer."
Despite her words, Ashley's nerves didn't ease. She was terrible at games and often hit the wrong buttons under pressure.
Jennifer, of course, chimed in with some trash talk. "Tch, Niddy, if you forfeit now, you might save some face!"
"Jennifer, one more word, and you're disqualified!" Niddy snapped.
Jennifer laughed, miming zipping her lips.
The game loaded, starting with an unskippable, rough 3D animation of the East Sea, followed by a cryptic prayer. Then the title screen appeared.
The game was called Survive.
"Start the timer!" Niddy said.
Roy hit the timer button, and Niddy pressed start, launching into the game.
Two characters—a male and female agent—appeared next to a wrecked car. Niddy controlled the male, Jack, while Ashley controlled the female, Nicole.
Honestly, for its time, the game's graphics were top-notch—not blocky like some older titles. Roy was impressed.
Through the characters' dialogue, they learned Jack and Nicole were police partners sent to investigate a case at a mansion.
Classic haunted mansion setup, like Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark. Mansion-based horror games were all the rage back then.
The split-screen format gave each player a narrow field of view, ramping up the spooky atmosphere.
Niddy was already in the zone. Her angelic bloodline made her less fazed by horror games, and having others around helped.
"Niddy, what do I do?" Ashley asked.
"Check the surroundings first, then we'll decide what's next."
Niddy's gaming experience shone through. She had Jack inspect the car, triggering a text popup.
Jack: The engine's shot. No fixing it, Nicole. Looks like we're walking to the mansion.
Nicole was Ashley's character, and Jack was Niddy's—pretty generic names.
"Ashley, don't rush. Let's explore around here first. We might find something useful."
"Okay!"
The two maneuvered their characters, soon picking up some herbs and ammo.
Opening the inventory revealed both characters had police revolvers and 16-slot backpacks.
"There's guns, so we'll probably have to fight later. Ashley, grab all the ammo. You focus on carrying herbs."
"Got it!"
Being the starting area, there was only one path. Soon, the characters reached a massive mansion.
The front gate was closed, but through its ornate design, they could see lights on inside, suggesting someone was home.
Jack: This must be the place. Nicole, hit the doorbell.
Nicole pressed the button, and a woman's voice came through the intercom.
Intercom: This is the Stoke Mansion. How can I help you?
Nicole: We're police from town. Someone reported hearing a woman screaming near your mansion, so we're here to investigate.
Intercom: Do you have an appointment?
Nicole: Yes, we contacted Dr. Stoke earlier today.
Intercom: One moment, I'll check with the master.
After a few minutes, the gate automatically opened.
Intercom: Come in.
The setting seemed close to the 2000s, with automatic gates and an intercom system.
Niddy and Ashley guided their characters into the mansion. The story hadn't fully kicked off, so many areas were still locked.
In the entrance hall, a woman in a maid outfit waited for the detectives.
The developers had used cutting-edge tech to create a sultry blonde maid with an exaggerated figure, catching Roy and Jennifer off guard.
Niddy, though, frowned. "A maid that hot? Is the lady of the house really okay with this?"
Ashley shrugged, relaxed since the game hadn't thrown anything challenging yet. "Who knows? Maybe the mansion's owner is divorced."
The story continued. The blonde maid led Jack and Nicole to the study to meet the mansion's owner, Dr. Stoke.
Through dialogue, they learned Dr. Stoke was a wealthy man obsessed with studying folklore and history.
Yeah, that hobby screamed trouble.
The detectives were there because someone had reported hearing a woman's screams near the mansion.
Dr. Stoke: A woman's screams? There's only me, Lisa, and Annie living here. How could there be screams?
Lisa was Dr. Stoke's wife, and Annie was the blonde maid.
Three people in a massive mansion, two of them women? If that didn't spell trouble, what did?
Roy had a hunch about where this plot was going—later games had similar setups.
But for its time, this story was fresh, and Niddy, Ashley, and Jennifer were hooked.
Niddy even forgot about the competition, chatting with Jennifer about the plot.
Jack: Dr. Stoke, where's your wife?
Dr. Stoke: She's ill. Very ill.
Nicole: Could we see Mrs. Stoke?
Dr. Stoke: Are you sure? Lisa has an infectious disease. You might catch it.
Jack: We'll just take a quick look from a distance to confirm she's okay. That shouldn't be a problem.
Dr. Stoke: If you insist. Annie, take them to Lisa's room.
Annie: Follow me.
In-game, the blonde maid led Jack and Nicole to the other side of the mansion, where the lighting was dim.
At a bedroom door, Annie spoke up.
Annie: Officers, brace yourselves. What you're about to see might be disturbing.
She opened the door, and through the crack, Jack and Nicole saw a desiccated corpse lying on the bed!
(Survive game poster)
(Among Ashes)
Adapted from the 2006 horror film Survive and the horror game Among Ashes.