In the end, Jennifer was the one to use the rose first.
She had no choice—new to the game, she was thrust into a boss fight without even getting the hang of the controls. Nidi, on the other hand, had been playing for a while.
After using the rose from her inventory, Jennifer's character tossed it at the enemy. The Headless Horseman shifted from a phantom to a solid form, making it vulnerable to bullets.
Jennifer and Nidi controlled their characters to unleash a barrage of gunfire, dealing massive damage. But as a boss, the Headless Horseman wasn't going down that easily.
After about ten seconds, it turned ethereal again, immune to attacks. One rose wasn't enough to finish it off.
Nidi threw a second rose, turning the Horseman solid again. This time, the two managed to take it down.
Nidi carried the damage output, while Jennifer missed several shots. Nidi, however, didn't waste a single bullet.
As the Headless Horseman fell, a cutscene triggered.
Jack: Phew! Nicole, we did it!
Nicole: What was that thing? And these roses…
Jack: No clue. I think we've stumbled into something big.
The Horseman's body dissolved into dust, and a bell tolled from the nearby tower.
Nicole: That bell… is someone in the tower? Could it be Dr. Stoke?
Jack: Let's go check it out!
The cutscene ended, and Jennifer and Nidi quickly controlled their characters to scavenge supplies from the area. They gathered roughly equal amounts.
Their characters regrouped and headed toward the towering structure looming ahead.
The tower's entrance was a massive metal door. Where a keyhole or handle should've been, there was a hexagonal indentation.
Jack: The door won't budge, and there's no keyhole. Is there some kind of mechanism?
Nicole: That hexagonal slot might be the key to opening it. I think I saw something that size back in the study!
Jack: You're saying we have to backtrack? I'm so done with that plant maze!
Nicole: Maybe not. I spotted a path over there. Could be worth a try.
The cutscene ended, and Jennifer and Nidi found the path Nicole mentioned, right beside the plant maze.
That was a relief—the maze was long, smelly, and complex, with monsters spawning inside.
Still, game-designed paths always had their own challenges, and this one might not be any easier.
As their characters approached the straight path, another cutscene triggered.
Jack: There's a sign here… looks like this path leads to a greenhouse.
Nicole: A greenhouse? I've got a bad feeling about this.
Jack: Nicole, please, don't jinx it!
Nicole: Jack, even if I don't say it, things are gonna happen.
The characters stepped onto the path, and a flock of crows suddenly took flight, obscuring the screen.
Nicole: See?
Jack: Nicole, has anyone ever told you you've got a crow's mouth?
Nicole: You're the first.
The cutscene ended, and the perspective shifted to behind Jack and Nicole, allowing the players to control them again.
At that moment, Roy, with his True Sight active, sensed a strange magical fluctuation from the game.
"Jennifer, Nidi, do you feel any magical energy?" he asked. "Jennifer? Nidi?"
Neither girl responded, sitting motionless, which struck Roy as odd.
He set Ashley aside and checked on them. Their eyes were blank, their bodies still as statues.
On the TV, their characters were moving erratically, like headless flies, despite Jennifer and Nidi's hands being idle.
Roy instantly realized what was happening.
"Roy, what's wrong with them?" Ashley asked, staring at the game screen.
"I think their souls have been pulled into the game," Roy said, frowning.
The situation was tricky. This involved spatial magic, an area Roy wasn't well-versed in. His teleportation ability, Psychic Transport, was more of an instinctual power than a studied spell, lacking any theoretical foundation.
Only a skilled caster could sort this out. The only ones Roy knew who fit the bill were Lilith, Dorothy, and Elizabeth.
"Roy, are they going to be okay?" Ashley asked, worried, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"They should be fine. Being in the game world might affect them, but Nidi's an angel—she can transform her soul. Jennifer can't shift into a demon, but as a witch, she should be able to cast spells in her soul state."
Still, Roy pulled out his phone to call Lilith, hoping to consult an expert for a solution.
Inside the game world, Jennifer and Nidi had overcome their initial panic, realizing they were now in Survival.
"This is wild! I've always dreamed of diving into a game world!" Nidi said, her fear giving way to excitement.
Jennifer wasn't as thrilled. "Nidi, don't get too excited. If we die in here, will we die in the real world?"
That thought stopped Nidi cold. "Maybe… So, what, we just stand here and wait for Roy to save us?"
Jennifer nodded. "That's the safest option."
Nidi sighed. She wanted to keep playing, but Jennifer usually called the shots, so she relented.
However, the game wasn't about to let them idle.
After standing at the path's entrance for about five minutes, a blood-red figure appeared behind them.
Nidi, with her sharper senses, noticed it first. "What's that?"
Jennifer turned and saw the red silhouette. "Be careful! It's coming closer!"
Nidi tossed a rose at it, suspecting it was like the Headless Horseman. The rose passed through, and the figure vanished.
But moments later, it reappeared, advancing again.
Bullets didn't work on it, and unlike the Horseman, the rose didn't make it solid—it only made it disappear temporarily.
Their rose supply was limited. Once they ran out, they'd be defenseless.
Jennifer frowned and turned to Nidi, the gaming expert. "Something's off. Nidi, any ideas?"
Nidi thought for a moment. "In some games, to stop players from camping in one spot too long, they spawn invincible enemies to push you forward. I'm not sure if that's what's happening, though."
"Whether it is or not, we'll find out if we move forward," Jennifer said decisively, grabbing Nidi and pulling her down the path.
Halfway down, they looked back—the red figure was gone.
"Nidi, looks like you were right. That thing's just there to keep us moving," Jennifer said.
Nidi perked up. "So, does that mean we can keep playing?"
Jennifer gave her a deadpan look. "Still thinking about playing? Safety first, got it?"
Nidi clung to Jennifer's arm, unleashing a triple-pout combo. "Please! Come on! Pretty please!"
That move might've worked on Roy, but Jennifer was immune. "Cut it out, Nidi. We don't know what's going on. Let's play it safe."
Jennifer's plan was to stall, moving forward only when the red figure reappeared.
"Alright, how about this?" Nidi offered. "I'll say you won our little bet if you keep playing with me!"
Jennifer raised an eyebrow, unable to resist. "You sure about that, Nidi?"
Nidi knew Jennifer might be setting her up, but her gaming obsession trumped everything. Roy was her number one, Jennifer number two, and gaming a close third.
Arthur and Rebecca (Nidi's parents): ???
"Sure!" Nidi said.
"No regrets?"
"None!"
Jennifer smirked. "Alright, I'll play with you this once."
Truthfully, Jennifer wasn't that scared of the game world. She'd just realized she could cast spells here. But being cautious by nature, she preferred to avoid risks. Since Nidi was willing to concede, Jennifer wasn't going to say no.
Seeing Jennifer's smile, Nidi felt a twinge of regret but pushed it aside. "Let's keep going!"
They checked their inventory and ammo, got a feel for the game's controls, and moved forward.
The first half of the path was monster-free, but the second half spawned feathered bird-like creatures—tougher than the dried corpses in the plant maze but still no match for Jennifer and Nidi.
Both had been trained by Roy, and their aim was solid. Jennifer's real-world shooting skills were even better than using a controller, giving her an edge.
The catch was the dwindling ammo supply, making conservation critical. The game lacked a melee system—Jennifer tried fighting a monster hand-to-hand, but it dealt no damage, only briefly staggering it.
So, while they were in the game, they were still bound by its rules.
After passing through Crow's Path, they reached the greenhouse's perimeter, finding supplies—mostly ammo and health kits, but few roses.
"Nidi, should we check out the greenhouse?" Jennifer asked.
"I think we have to. If we head straight to the mansion, there's probably a locked door, and the game will send us to the greenhouse for a key," Nidi said.
She was spot-on. When they approached the mansion, they found a locked iron gate with a note from a gardener named Hank, warning someone named Annie not to pick roses in the greenhouse and saying the key was hidden there.
So, back to the greenhouse they went. But Nidi had another idea, eyeing the gate. "Jennifer, think we could climb over this?"
"Probably not. I tried fighting those monsters earlier, and it didn't work, remember?"
"Let's try! Maybe I'll find a shortcut!" As a hardcore gamer, Nidi loved hunting for bugs and unconventional strategies.
She jumped and climbed at the gate, but even as the red figure reappeared, she couldn't get through.
"Ugh, I hate these invisible walls that block player creativity!" Nidi groaned, giving up.
They moved to the greenhouse door, and the red figure vanished. The door was unlocked. Jennifer pushed it open, triggering another cutscene.
They lost control of their characters, their perspective shifting to first-person, like wearing VR goggles for a movie.
Inside the greenhouse, Dr. Stoke was watering a massive flower bud, bigger than a person. The liquid from his watering can was red.
Jack: Dr. Stoke?
Dr. Stoke: You two? How'd you get in? That door was locked!
Nicole: We came through the plant maze. Dr. Stoke, can you explain those monsters in the maze and Crow's Path?
Jack: I'm more curious about why your watering can is spraying red liquid.
Dr. Stoke: So, you've seen too much. Guess you'll have to stay here forever.
Nicole: Dr. Stoke, are you behind all this?
Dr. Stoke: Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Knowing too much isn't good for you.
He reached into his coat. Jack, thinking he was going for a gun, drew his revolver and aimed.
Jack: Don't move, or I'll shoot!
But Dr. Stoke ignored him, pulling out a red-covered book, similar to one from the study.
Jack fired, but the bullet hit Dr. Stoke with no effect—not even a drop of blood.
Then, Dr. Stoke began chanting a spell.
To Jack and Nicole's shock, the giant flower bud started to bloom!
No idea what image to use, so let's go with Jennifer.