The storm outside raged with a vengeance, clawing at the mansion as if demanding entry. Rain lashed against the windows, and the wind shrieked through unseen cracks, an eerie symphony to the chaos unfolding within.

  The mansion was dimly lit, the intermittent blinking of advanced instruments casting ghostly shadows across the walls. The air felt heavy, thick with unspoken words and growing unease.

  At the center of the room, a massive metal cot stood like an altar. Upon it, two figures lay motionless, their forms eerily still, as if trapped in a dream. But it was the screen before them that gripped everyone's attention.

  A girl stood alone on the vast digital landscape, her white cotton half-saree billowing in an unseen breeze. A single knot held her sleeveless blouse together at her back, a stark contrast to her fragile form. The sorrow in her eyes was unbearable, a silent call for stay towards the retreating figure frozen in time.

  The weight of the scene pressed down on the room, mirroring the emotions of those watching.

  Even Mithun had stopped eating.

  Vicky rubbed his eyes and sighed.

  Meera's jaw clenched.

  Nila silently wiped away a tear.

  Then, Priya's voice shattered the silence.

  "I can't tolerate this anymore!" she yelled, springing to her feet. "How dare you play with her mind and emotions like this? Who gave you permission? We're going to sue you!"

  Vicky, momentarily stunned, raised his hands in defense. "Hello, hello-madam, keep your voice down! This was an accident. No one here abducted your friend or experimented on her. Got it?"

  "OMG, of course, I got it right!" Priya snapped. "This was clearly a trap set by your so-called friend for our Azhini!"

  Kumar, equally furious, stepped in. "Well said, Priya. You've been doing secret research in isolation, and now our friend is suffering because of it. This isn't any different from an abduction! Yet you refuse to give us a proper explanation. What makes you any better than criminals?"

  Mithun, unfazed by the chaos, leaned back and popped another chip into his mouth. "Wow. This is getting interesting."

  Vicky's patience snapped. "How is this Kavin's fault? Your friend's own words drove him to this! Do you even realize how much training he went through? How many experiments he conducted on himself? He's just as comatose as Azhini! At least you have a way to track what's happening on her side. We don't even know where he is, what he's going through, or if he'll ever come back. We're just as terrified as you! Got it?"

  "If you want to sue, then sue," Meera cut in coldly. She pulled out a document and held it up. "But Azhini is part of this project. This is her signature. I assume you recognize it?"

  Priya sucked in a breath.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "She agreed to provide her knowledge for the development of this project," Meera continued. "In exchange, she was promised a share of the future profits. We're not just some random researchers messing with her life. She's our partner."

  Priya gritted her teeth. "That girl is seriously..." she muttered under her breath.

  Karthikeyan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. "We understand the situation. But I hope you all realize the severity of this. She's going through something unimaginable. Even if she wakes up, we have no guarantee her mental state will remain stable." He exhaled deeply. "The only fortunate thing is that six months in the game world have only been half a day here. But we still don't know how long this will last. A body can't survive indefinitely in a comatose state. Without proper nourishment, how can she remain healthy?"

  "That's exactly what I asked Kavin when he first brought up the idea," Meera admitted. "But he told me Azhini had a solution-suspended animation. It's like hibernation. Yogis who master advanced pranayama techniques can enter that state. Kavin trained relentlessly for it." She gestured toward his still body. "Look at him. He's been in this state for five days, but his vitals are stable. His body hasn't deteriorated."

  "He may have trained, but what about Azhini?" Karthikeyan challenged. "Could she withstand this?"

  Silence fell over the room. No one had an answer.

  Mithun, finishing his chips, leaned forward and grinned. "Believe me. She's already doing great. They will find those gems."

  Priya scoffed.

  Mithun's eyes narrowed. "Hey, what's with that attitude? Just because I eat a lot, don't underestimate me! I'm the concept artist of this game. The world you're seeing, the NPCs' powers, the game's rules? All designed by me. And I'm telling you-she's doing way better than any of us expected."

  He grabbed the mouse from Vicky and rewound the footage. "Watch carefully." The screen flickered, shifting to Azhini's arrival in The Nexus.

  In the eternal stillness of the Nexus, a fiery comet crashed, bringing Azhini into a world untouched by change. Sam, the golden-crowned guardian, watched with intrigue as unfamiliar emotions stirred within him. With a tap of his staff, he eased her pain.

  Mithun's voice was calm but firm. "Do you understand what it means to successfully transfer a person's awareness into a game world? Their mind-thoughts, perception, memories, reasoning-detaches from their physical body and re-anchors into a digital or alternate reality."

  "Unlike traditional VR, where the body remains active in the real world, this method involves a full neural link. The machine we designed breaks down consciousness into neural data and reassembles it inside the game environment. Of course, it's Azhini's traditional magic-like knowledge that made it actually work."

  "But do you know how it feels when your consciousness is transmitted into the game?"

  Mithun smirked. "It's ten times worse than jet lag. The brain is used to processing real-world signals from the five senses, but now it's being flooded with artificial sensory data. The pain is immense. Sometimes, it even causes synesthesia-mixing of senses."

  The footage fast-forwarded to Azhini waking up in the Solar Dynasty, reborn as Sanjana.

  Mithun leaned back. "She encountered it again there-the same pain, but worse. Sam's power was weak, and the memories of Sanjana were overwhelming. Even then, she managed to push through. But here's the problem-" He pointed at the screen. "The longer she stays, the more she's forgetting who she really is. Her mind is choosing to erase Azhini in favor of Sanjana."

  Priya paled. "That's... horrifying."

  Mithun nodded. "That's the real trick of the game. Players must never lose themselves completely, or it's over." He turned to Azhini's friends. "Even if you don't trust us, can't you trust her? She's fought through worse."

  Before he could finish, Priya slammed her hand on the desk.

  "Rubbish! What kind of horrible thing have you created, endangering people's minds and bodies while calling it a game?! This isn't a game-it's cyber terrorism!"

  ---

  Kumar's voice joined hers. "And what kind of logic is that?! Just because she can handle it, does that mean she should?!"

  Meera's gaze sharpened. "Correction. It's not just because of her capabilities. She is part of our project. We were supposed to plan and decide who to send in first, but Kavin jumped in recklessly. Everything spiraled out of our hands." Her voice lowered. "We didn't choose her. She was pulled in accidentally. But since she's there... trust her. Everything will go smoothly."

  Priya's laugh was bitter. "What a coincidence."

  Meera ignored her and turned to Mithun. "What about Kavin? What's your evaluation?"

  Mithun sighed, stuffing another chip into his mouth. "I couldn't figure that bastard out at first. When I saw Sam's kindness toward Azhini and his rebellion after realizing it was a game world, I thought he was Kavin. But then..."

  He fast-forwarded the footage.

  The screen now showed Adhitya, the radiant prince of the Solar Dynasty, his piercing gaze locked onto Sanjana as she explained political strategies.

  Vicky let out a slow exhale. "Damn. That's the same expression Kavin had when he listened to Azhini's conference paper."

  "Exactly," Mithun said.

  A heavy realization settled over the room.

  A sudden tremor rattled the mansion. Thunder roared, and a streak of lightning split the sky. The massive double doors creaked open with a ghostly groan.

  A figure stepped in.

  Tall. Unwavering.

  On his shoulder sat a black cat, its sharp golden eyes glinting in the dim light, its tail swaying with an air of knowing arrogance.

  Silence fell.

  The storm outside howled, but inside, all eyes were on the man who had just entered.

  ---