Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 605: Obsidian Bastion [2]

Zoey perched on her bed, eyelids drooping while she reflected on her talk with Seth. Memories surfaced of his cheerful expression when she first walked in, from his light chuckles right up to his full smiles.

Initially, she figured it was merely his coping mechanism.

Just him pushing hard to pretend he was happy.

But no...

Zoey grasped it fast that things weren't like that.

’What about Kyle? He—oh.’

He'd totally blanked on the issue. She caught the instant change in his look, like he was thinking, ’Ah, yeah. That happened.’

That's when a shift happened deep inside her.

Suddenly, he seemed utterly different.

He came across as a total stranger, someone she didn't recognize one bit.

Perhaps she'd never truly known him.

They'd hardly ever talked before, and she'd pegged him as a shy type who despised chatting with folks.

That's the image she'd held of him previously.

Now everything had changed, particularly after remembering what went down in the Congress.

As memories of his deeds and demeanor replayed, Zoey's features hardened.

"...Was that his true self?"

Zoey buried her face in her palms, rubbing gently.

’Or has that ordeal twisted him so deeply that he's become someone else entirely?’

Zoey replayed the video in her head.

Though it skipped over exact timelines, she knew he'd endured endless self-torment. By then, madness would claim anyone, and dwelling on it made pity swell in her once more.

"Maybe I jumped to conclusions too soon."

...Perhaps she'd twisted all this into a reason to lash out at him.

"I don’t know."

Zoey hid her face once more, yanking her bed sheets over herself and burrowing in. She rolled over, phone glow bouncing off her cheeks as she vanished under the covers.

Her logical side insisted this was probably the case, yet another voice claimed Seth had always been like this. Even without that nightmare, he'd still act the same.

Unreasonable as it was, the idea stubbornly clung to her thoughts.

Lips caught between her teeth, she pressed her phone screen.

A voice echoed through the room.

—If you see your sister, do tell her my location. I believe that she would be of great help to us.

—She is a Paragon, after all. Not only that, but she’s extremely capable. I actually admire her skills quite a bit. For her to have developed this far while also maintaining her modeling career... I’m honestly impressed.

***

Thanks to the sudden spotlight, Guild members eyed me differently now. Once seen as a fortunate fool, I was now pegged as a full-blown psycho to steer clear of.

Zoey's situation lingered too.

Post her latest flare-up, she acted like she wanted zero involvement with me. Over the following days, spotting her was rare, and if paths crossed, she'd veer away sharply or dodge my gaze entirely.

A couple instances, I'd sense her stare from afar, only for it to vanish as soon as I glanced over.

Ultimately, I chose to focus on my own stuff.

Clank—

Stepping into a well-known room, several folks welcomed me with unchanged vibes.

"...."

Wait, perhaps not entirely.

"Why are you all wearing sunglasses indoors?"

Arms folded in their cubicles, they swiveled toward me. Mia finally slid off her shades and let out a sigh.

"Dear Squad Leader."

Disappointment shook her head.

"We’re bigshots now."

Come again?

"But what does that have to do with the sunglasses?"

"Everything!"

Mia slammed her palm on the desk, rising with chest thrust out.

"We’re no longer small timers. We’re bigshots. I repeat. We. are. big. shots!"

I glanced at Joanna.

Off came her sunglasses as she shrugged, ’She’s not that wrong.’

"Anyways!"

Mia pressed on.

"...After what happened in the Congress, the media and everyone think that we look cool with our sunglasses. In a way, it seems fitting considering your past with them. That’s why we decided to wear them at all times."

"Nope."

Ariel cut in abruptly, removing hers.

Her focus shifted to me right then.

"Well, there’s that, but the main reason is that it actually helps us hide our appearances a bit from the public. I have to say, squad leader, you’re not right in the head, right?"

Huh?

What the hell was this nutcase rambling?

"I mean, I am kind of crazy, but you...?"

Hand over mouth, she stifled a giggle.

"You’re like totally fucked up in the head."

What nonsense was this?

Truth be told, I stood as the sole sane one there.

I was nowhere near—

"Yeah, he’s pretty messed up there."

"Mhm."

"They think we’re crazy because we wear sunglasses, but he’s the one who started this trend."

"Yeah. I even heard some people have started to enter Gates with sunglasses."

"....."

Eyes shut, I tuned them out completely. Clearly, they were messing around.

’I’ll allow it.’

Heading to my desk, I plopped down, readying my laptop. Several tasks demanded completion today, but priority went to plotting my upcoming major endeavor.

Gate.

Yes, time to craft a Gate.

Post-Congress chaos, clarity hit on my desired path, so I aimed to blueprint it thoroughly now. The pending update needed fixing too, though a solution already brewed in my mind.

With fame hitting new heights, possibilities ballooned wide open.

Laptop flipped open, I nearly launched my app but paused.

"Hm?"

A letter on my desk snagged my notice.

"Oh, right. You received this letter this morning. It seemed important, so I left it on your desk."

Joanna clarified, materializing by my workspace.

My eyes flicked from letter to her.

"I see."

Snatching the envelope, curiosity spiked. Who still mails letters these days? Puzzled yet intrigued, I tore it open and peered within.

Instantly, my expression stiffened.

This...?

A personal invitation?