The shimmering light hit my eyes before I even finished my breakfast bread.
A giant glowing text floated above me: "WORLD EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: GUILD WAR – PROTECT THE FLAG"
"Oh no," I whispered, mouth full of crumbs.
A second later, the entire Sword God Guild, including me, was swallowed in a vortex of blue light and spat out onto a gleaming marble arena.
Banners hung from the walls. Floating screens displayed every guild's emblem. Rows and rows of players… no, people… filled the hall, buzzing with excitement.
My heart slammed against my ribs. "Oh god, it's happening. It's a real event. With real people. And real consequences."
I tried to stand tall, planting my sword in the ground like a heroic knight, but my foot slipped and I ended up doing a weird half-curtsy. Someone in my guild muttered, "Sir Leon is so composed."
No. Sir Leon was dying inside.
I forced my jaw into what I hoped was a stoic knight expression and scanned the arena.
Guilds stood in neat clusters under their banners.
Flame Heart's fiery red crest burned at the far end.
Shadow Reapers' black-and-purple insignia glimmered like a bruise.
And there, like a bad dream, were the two people I least wanted to see.
Zeref.
Kael.
I froze. My hand twitched on my sword hilt. My lip curled into a reflexive frown, an actual, full-blown girl-frown.
Zeref stood at the head of Flame Heart like a living poster boy for "dangerous elegance."
Long black coat, silver embroidery, staff tipped with a glowing crystal. Cool blue eyes that probably calculated your death in real time.
Even here, he exuded the calm of someone who always knew the next five moves.
Kael, meanwhile, lounged at the front of Shadow Reapers like the kingdom's most punchable rockstar.
Leather armor, twin daggers strapped across his chest, messy dark hair falling into eyes the color of sin.
And of course, he had that smug, lazy smirk, the one he used on every female player in the old game.
He spotted me instantly. His grin widened. He lifted two fingers in a cheeky salute.
I nearly hissed. Actual hissed. My guildmate glanced at me, whispering, "Sir Leon seems… unsettled."
Unsettled? I was feral.
Zeref caught my glare, too. He didn't smirk. He didn't even blink. Just raised one cool eyebrow like, Ah. My favorite loser is here.
My teeth ground. If my frown got any deeper, my jawline would cut diamonds.
A floating hologram appeared above the stage. The event announcer's voice echoed through the hall:
"Welcome to the first Guild War of the New Era! Each guild has one flag. Protect your own, steal others'. The guild with the most flags after one week wins. No safe zones, no respawns. Strategy is everything."
The crowd roared. Banners waved. My stomach flipped.
The announcer continued, "Guild leaders, step forward!"
Zeref strode up smoothly, coat swirling behind him.
Kael sauntered with a wink at some girl in the stands.
My own guild leader, Keiji, walked out with his clipboard like the dad friend he always was, and all the other guild leaders.
I hung back with the other members, trying to blend in. I hated guild administration even back when this was just a game.
Now, with actual stakes? No thanks. I just wanted to punch things, raid bosses, and be left alone.
Keiji turned, eyes meeting mine briefly. His face was exactly the same as his avatar, a calm, handsome tactician type, but his expression was weirdly blank.
I leaned toward Luna, our guild's healer. "Hey," I whispered. "You remember Keiji in real life, right?"
She tilted her head. "Keiji?"
"Yeah, Keiji, the guy who always screamed at me for skipping meetings? My college friend?"
Her brow furrowed. "Sir Keiji has always been our leader."
The hair on my neck stood up. "What do you mean 'always'? He's a dude who plays this game."
She blinked. "This is not a game, Sir Leon."
I swallowed hard, looking around. Keiji, Luna, every familiar avatar from the guild, they weren't just skins. They were people. Real, breathing, autonomous.
"Oh my god," I whispered. "They're real. They're not being played. They're real."
Luna patted my armored arm. "Sir Leon? You look pale."
Pale? I was having an existential meltdown in 4K.
The announcer's voice boomed again: "You have been briefed. Prepare your strategies. You are now returned to your guild halls!"
Blue light swallowed us once more.
I landed in our guild hall, knees weak, head spinning. Keiji immediately began rattling off plans. "Alright. We'll fortify the east tower, assign scouts to the north forest, and, Sir Leon? Are you listening?"
I snapped back to reality. "Yes. Yes, totally listening. Fortify towers. North forest. Flags. Whatever."
He raised an eyebrow. "Good. Because you're our strongest vanguard. You'll be on the front lines."
"Front lines?" I squeaked. "You mean, like… fighting fighting?"
"Yes," Keiji said dryly. "This is a war event."
I groaned and flopped onto a bench, clutching my helmet to my chest. "I just wanted to raid bosses. Not… not babysit a flag for a week."
Luna knelt beside me, tilting her head. "Sir Leon, you're acting strange. Are you unwell?"
Strange? Try "trapped in a male body in a living video game."
I peeked at her nervously. "Luna, uh… can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"In real life…" I trailed off, testing her expression. "Do you, like… remember playing this game? Logging in?"
She blinked slowly. "Real life?"
My stomach sank.
She smiled faintly. "This world is all there has ever been."
I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop a scream. This wasn't just a weird VR bug.
These people weren't my friends behind screens anymore.
They were characters. Alive. And I was the only one who remembered anything else.
Keiji snapped his fingers. "Sir Leon! Snap out of it! We have strategies to finalize."
I forced a grin, even though my insides were ice. "Yeah. Sure. Strategies. Let's strategize."
I leaned back in my chair, eyes drifting to the guild banner, the polished floors, the glowing windows. All real. All permanent.
Somewhere out there, Zeref and Kael were already plotting, already moving pieces.
My two worst rivals, no, my two worst nightmares, walking around as flesh and blood.
And I was stuck as Leonhart, dangling, overpowered, and about to spend the next week defending a flag like my life depended on it.
Which, unfortunately, it probably did.