From Alessio Leone's Perspective
Less than forty minutes remained before the servers shut down when Alessio and Freya finally crossed the gates of Durnholde.The city was wrapped in that quiet stillness unique to the last few moments before the Black Tower powered down for the night.The magical lamps were dimming, the streets emptying, and the cold wind carried with it the faint sound of the forges going silent.
Alessio had already planned to find an inn, check his equipment, and log off before the system disconnected him automatically.But fate — or perhaps the Tower's own sense of irony — had other plans.
That was when Freya's sister appeared.
The woman arrived like a whirlwind — hurrying toward them, hair hastily tied up, her smile somewhere between guilty and mischievous.Freya looked relieved to see her… until Alessio noticed the two small shapes right behind her.Two bright pairs of eyes — curious, energetic, and locked on him with the intensity of children who had just spotted an alien.
"Mom!" they shouted in unison, sprinting forward.
Before Freya could react, the twins were already clinging to her legs — and seconds later, circling him.Alessio blinked, caught off guard, as Freya's sister — clearly the true culprit — offered a nervous smile, muttered something like "good luck with that", and vanished into the crowd with the stealth of a professional thief.
Coward, Alessio thought, suppressing a laugh.
The attack came fast.The two little forces of nature began firing questions before he even had time to open his mouth.It was like being surrounded by two journalists with no filter, each armed with their own brand of curiosity.
"Are you Mom's boyfriend?""Why hasn't she ever mentioned you?""Are you dangerous?"
The questions came rapid-fire, with no order or logic.Freya tried to intervene, but Alessio simply lifted a hand and smiled.
"It's alright," he said calmly. "I can answer."
And he did.
With the same patience he'd use to teach battle tactics to beginners, Alessio matched the rhythm of those sharp little minds.The twins took turns — one spoke while the other observed, analyzed, and waited for an opening.And absurd as the situation was, there was something oddly refreshing about it.
It was comical — and strangely comforting.After days of fighting beasts, undead, and an ancient lich, being interrogated by two children felt almost therapeutic.Besides, there was something genuinely endearing in the way they spoke — a glimpse of a future he knew all too well.
These kids belonged to a different generation.A generation that would grow up inside the Tower itself, with access to technologies and systems that he had only seen perfected many years later.In the future, the line between reality and the Tower would blur completely.Children of that era would live in both worlds in perfect harmony.
Choosing a class inside the Tower would become as natural as choosing a major in the real world.Some would study magic like engineering, forgecraft like architecture, and fight for merit as others did for degrees.Two lives — two interwoven realities — one physical, one virtual.And for them, the distinction between the two would cease to matter.
And those two — Steve and Anna — would be among that new age's prodigies.Alessio knew it.In his past life, he'd seen their names in forums and broadcasts, listed among the Golden Generation.They'd started early… and both had become legends.
But now… they weren't geniuses.They weren't heroes.They weren't icons of the future.They were just two eight-year-olds, cheeks flushed pink, harboring a transparent jealousy toward the mysterious man standing beside their mother.
Jealousy, Alessio thought, amused.That was exactly it.And there was no strategy or skill in existence to counter that kind of battle.
"So… are you Mom's friend?" Anna asked, eyes half-narrowed, her tone skeptical.
"Something like that," he replied, crossing his arms. "We work together."
"In the game?" Steve pressed.
"In the game."
Freya sighed quietly."They don't need to know everything," she muttered through her teeth, but Alessio only shrugged, smiling.
"And how did you meet her?" Anna asked, resting her chin in her hands.
Freya turned away, already blushing."Anna! That's not polite!"
But Alessio raised a hand again, enjoying the innocent persistence."It was during a rather… explosive mission," he said. "But I'd say we were lucky to survive."
Steve's eyes widened in admiration."You fought beside Mom?"
"Yes," Alessio replied, nodding. "And I can guarantee she's far more dangerous than she looks."
Freya rolled her eyes."Thanks for the compliment," she said dryly.
Anna giggled, pointing at his helmet."Are you always this serious?"
"Serious?" he repeated, pretending to think. "Only when I'm being interrogated by two junior Tower agents."
The children burst into laughter, and even Freya had to hide her smile.That sudden lightness contrasted so sharply with the chaos of the past few days that Alessio almost felt displaced — as though, for a brief instant, he were somewhere else entirely.
And maybe, in a way, he was.
With less than half an hour left before shutdown, there was no time for quests, battles, or plans.All that was left was to wait.And he didn't mind spending those final minutes talking with the children of the most unpredictable woman in the Tower.
After all, it was just a game.And yet, somehow… the moment felt more real than any victory he'd ever earned inside it.
But like every moment of peace within the Black Tower, this one couldn't last.
Alessio glanced toward the corner of his vision — the system clock showing the remaining time before automatic shutdown.The countdown glowed faintly in soft white text:
[00:02:17]
Two minutes.
He drew in a deep breath, letting his gaze wander for a moment.The twins were still arguing over who had asked more questions, while Freya was unsuccessfully trying to convince them it was time to stop.
That simple scene almost made him forget where he was — forget that he was still inside a world that would soon dissolve into data and white light.
But then he remembered something.A detail.Something he would normally have kept to himself.Yet after everything they'd gone through — the Lich, Gloomshade, the Fighting Dogs, and that strange, growing trust between them — it no longer felt like a secret worth keeping.
He stood up slowly, the metal of his armor creaking softly.The golden light behind his visor found hers."Freya," he said, his tone calm but firm enough to draw her full attention.
She turned toward him, one of the lion cubs still nestled in her arms, her expression curious."Yes?"
Alessio hesitated for a heartbeat.Then decided to go straight to the point.
"Don't spend your coins too quickly in the game."
Freya blinked, confused."What do you mean?"
"There's an update coming soon," he continued, voice steady, almost casual. "Some players already know… Currency exchange will be enabled — both ways. Same value. One to one."
For a second, she just stared at him in stunned silence.The meaning of his words seemed to take a moment to sink in.But when it did, her green eyes widened in genuine shock.
"You're saying—"
She didn't get to finish.
The familiar system sound filled the air — a sharp click, followed by the echo of metallic chimes.Alessio's vision trembled, the world's outlines melting like ink in water.The table, the children, the walls of the inn — all dissolved into a flood of blinding white.
The cold breath of the shutdown swept through him.Data unraveled.The Tower faded.
And before he could see Freya's full reaction, he only heard the final echo of the system's countdown:
[00:00:00]
Then, everything went white.