With less than thirty minutes to go until midnight, the hall was gradually emptying. Tired laughter mingled with the last toasts, while guests said goodbye with simple words. The atmosphere, which had once buzzed with excitement, now gave way to a satisfied calm, the natural end to a long evening.
Among those preparing to leave were Hajin and Suho. As they wouldn't be able to return to Cube at that time, since the teleportation portals would be inoperative, they decided it would be more prudent to spend the night in a nearby hotel and return in the morning.
"Ah, of course... See you on Monday, then."
Theo said, offering each of them a handshake.
"And thanks for the congratulations too. It was good to see you here."
They had congratulated him on his and Nayun's courtship.
"It was a good event. Enjoy the rest of the evening."
Suho replied, looking tired, the event had apparently been difficult for him too.
Hajin added, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder, before walking away with Suho towards the exit.
The two of them quickly disappeared among the other guests, blending in with the constant stream of people leaving the hall. Theo watched them for a moment, their footsteps becoming more and more distant until they disappeared into the elegant dimness of the illuminated garden.
Theo let out a soft sigh, then turned back to the hall, where a few familiar faces still remained.
Nayun was talking to two people, Yeonha's mother and Yeonha herself.
Noticing Theo approaching, Yeonha looked away from the conversation and turned towards him, as if she had been expecting him. With an elegant gesture, she pulled out a silver card from the small clutch she was carrying.
"It's all set for tomorrow, you can come any time you like, I'll be at the Guild all day. Just show it to reception and they'll let me know straight away when you arrive."
"Right. I promise I won't be too late."
Theo replied, accepting the card with a brief smile. He examined it for a moment before carefully tucking it into his inside jacket pocket
Before anything else could be said, Yeonha's mother approached from behind, with her usual presence and impeccable posture even for someone of her age.
"Since you've done what you wanted to do, it's time to go."
She said, speaking to her daughter.
"Ah, yes. See you tomorrow, Theo. Good night to you, Nayun."
"Miss Jin, it was very nice to meet you, I hope to see you again in the future."
"Oh! Feel free to visit us whenever you like."
Miss Jin smiled elegantly as she left with Yeonha.
"Come on, I'll say goodbye to your father and brother."
A short while later, after saying goodbye to Nayun's father and also saying goodbye to Jinyoon, Theo found himself on the side balcony of the main hall, away from the little buzz that still persisted inside.
"See you tomorrow, Theo."
As Nayun had decided to spend the night at her family's house and return to Cube tomorrow, Theo would have to go back to the dorm alone.
Theo replied, leaning forward and capturing Nayun's lips in a farewell kiss.
Theo's arms pulled her close, and then one of his hands went down and began to climb inside her dress.
"Uhm! Hey, don't touch that..."
Nayun pulled away quickly, and looked all around, afraid that her father or brother had seen.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no one.
Theo, behind her, laughed softly, not humming, but amused by the situation, his eyes shining with that teasing and tender gleam at the same time
"Sorry... I couldn't resist."
"Bye my tigress. See you tomorrow."
With one last exchange of words, Theo used his teleportation magic, disappearing from Nayun's sight.
Just as Nayun was about to go back inside, Yun Seung-Ah suddenly appeared and opened the door.
"Hey Nayun. Where's your boyfriend?"
She asked as she looked around for Theo
There was a barely concealed twinge of impatience in her voice, and it wasn't for nothing. Seung-Ah had spent practically the entire event trying to find a way to talk to Theo.
But every time she took a step towards her, some force of fate, usually in the form of her own older sister, or worse, Yoo Yeonha, appeared to block the way.
Her sister wouldn't let her anywhere near Theo and even when it wasn't her, it was Yeonha, appearing out of nowhere to monopolize Theo's attention, or simply to get in the way.
But now... Now was different. Her sister was busy dealing with some conversations about the Heroes' Association, and more importantly, Yeonha had already left. It was the best chance Seung-Ah had that night, and she didn't intend to waste it.
So when she bumped into Nayun alone outside, her heart raced with happiness, because she knew that where Theo was, Nayun was too.
"Uh? Theo's gone, Seung-ssi."
Only the answer she received was the equivalent of a bucket of cold water.
Cube Bedroom: 00:03 a.m.
Theo arrived at his dormitory, but as soon as he took a step, something caught his eye...
His senses picked up a presence in the living room of his apartment.
Theo frowned, it didn't make sense to him.
After all, it wasn't just Cube's security that was active. He himself had erected some magical barriers: acoustic barriers, anti-magic barriers, protection barriers and impenetrability barriers.
Even beings of "Master" level in this world would find it difficult to cross them without suffering consequences.
And thanks to these countermeasures, he was sure that no one would be able to breach these barriers.
"How!? No, who is this person?"
If the barriers weren't activated, then there was only one plausible explanation.
This being was not normal.
Without hesitation, he left the room and began to walk with silent steps towards the unknown presence. His eyes were alert, his senses on high alert.
He carefully approached the sofa from behind, tilted his head and looked.
Theo froze, not knowing what to make of the scene he was witnessing.
Sitting lotus-like on the sofa was a girl playing her video game.
Her fingers tirelessly hit the buttons on the controller, her fight against Bills was very close, any slip-up could mean her defeat.
"Damn, that's cheating...!"
The girl grunted, concentrating on the screen, her eyes flashing as her character, Goku, transformed into Super Sayajin Blue.
Theo stood, watching her in silence.
He approached carefully, and looked at her from a better position.
'I've seen that hat somewhere.
Looking at that cat-eared cap and the blue gloves clutched tightly in the girl's hands, Theo found himself wandering. Something about that striking appearance nudged at a forgotten part of his memory, awakening an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu.
'Where was it again...?'
He frowned, trying to pull the loose thread of that memory.
As if an old mental door had been unlocked, images began to resurface, not lived memories, but flashes from social networks, from simpler times. Facebook posts, exaggerated shares, enthusiastic comments and recurring memes came to the surface.
They all revolved around an indie game that seemed to have taken over the internet for a while.
Even though he had never played it, Theo remembered the name. It was impossible not to remember. The game had been practically ubiquitous for a few weeks. Wherever he looked, be it Instagram, Twitter, forums or even random groups, there it was "MiSide".
And among all the character faces that circulated online in this game, there was one that appeared with tremendous frequency: it was that of a girl with an cap with ear and a drop below her left eye.
Theo narrowed his eyes, staring at the figure in front of him.
'She's Mita wearing a cap...'
The realization hit him suddenly, like a puzzle piece that fit together.
He remembered the name "Cappie", even though he had never played the game. Just seeing it printed in so many places imprinted the image in his mind.
But that only raised more questions.
'What is the character from a game in my old world doing here...?'