Riley, my childhood friend. One of my closest friends since elementary school. The girl who used to steal my snacks and beat me at Mario Kart.
The girl who was in our Divine Law Online party last night with me, Charlie, Nate, and Lucas. The girl who absolutely, unquestionably knew I was a guy.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw me.
"Kris...?" she said slowly.
My stomach dropped to the floor.
"Heeeyy...Rileeey?" I croaked.
Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)
She stepped closer, squinting at my face like she was trying to reconcile two different versions of me. Forcing me to lean back as steam came off of me in waves.
"What happened to you?" she whispered.
I flinched. "W-What do you mean what happened?"
"You look... different," she said, voice low. "Like, really different. Softer. Smaller. Your face."She stopped, shook her head. "You don't look like you did before?"
Charlie told me to talk to Riley she had to discuss some things with Alexa. And walked a bit away their voices hushed.
"Kris," she said quietly, "what is going on with you?"
I turned back to Riley. My heart hammering against my ribs.
"I don't know," I whispered.
Riley stepped aside, motioning me in. "Come inside. You look like you're about to pass out."
I stepped into the room thankful to get out of the corridor.
It was bright and cozy, decorated with plants and string lights. Riley's side was already set up, and neat, organized, very her. My side was empty, waiting
Waiting for me. I stepped inside standing in the center of the room not knowing where to sit. I jilted slightly as the door clicked shut.
Silence.
Riley sat on her bed, staring at me like I was a glitch in the matrix.
"Kris," she said, "you need to tell me what's happening."
I swallowed hard. I couldn't tell her about the voice, or about Hestia, and I couldn't tell her because I didn't understand it myself. But looking at her persistence. I knew she'd pester me until I spilled everything.
"Ahhhhh...!"
"I'm fine," I said weakly.
Riley raised an eyebrow. "You look like you're about to cry.
"I'M NOT CRYING," I snapped, louder than intended. Σ（ﾟдﾟlll）
Her expression wasn't teasing anymore.
It was gentle understanding even.
"Kris," she whispered, "you can tell me I'll listen."My breath caught.
My knees went weak.
I grabbed the edge of the desk to steady myself.
Because if they she see it too...
If it wasn't just me...
If it wasn't just the system...
If it wasn't just a glitch...
Then Hestia's voice wasn't a hallucination. She was real. And i was changing. Riley was staring at me, hard like she was about to interrogate me.
Riley's eyes were sharp, she was pushing. Like she was trying to solve a crime scene.
She stood up from her bed, walked over, and stared at me again Riley, who had known me since we were eight. Riley, who had seen me fall out of trees, break my arm, cry over a lost Dokémon save file.
Riley, who had been in our DOL party last night, laughing and yelling and calling me "dude" every five minutes.
Riley, who absolutely knew I was hiding something.
She crossed her arms, studying me like I was a glitching character model.
"Okay," she said quietly. "What the hell is going on with you?"
My throat tightened. "Nothing.... I'm fine."
She raised an eyebrow. "Kris. I've known you for ten years. You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm not..."
"And you don't look like yourself," she added, stepping closer. "Not even a little, and your voice is different too.
I swallowed hard. She wasn't wrong. She reached out and gently tilted my chin up with two fingers, examining my face like she was checking for injuries.
Her touch was light, careful, but it still made my breath hitch. My face flushing with embarrassment.
"Your jawline is softer," she murmured. "Your eyes look bigger. Your skin looks... different. And your voice..." She shook her head. "Kris, your voice sounds like you're recovering from a cold."
I pulled back, heart pounding. "I don't know what's happening, okay?"
Riley's expression softened with genuine worry.
"Kris," she said, ". I know you. So if something is happening to you, I need you to tell me."
I opened my mouth, Nothing came out.
Because how was I supposed to explain it?
How was I supposed to tell her that a goddess from a video game whispered in my head? That my reflection didn't look like me anymore? That the system, the ID, the RA, the girls in the hall...everyone...saw something I didn't?
Riley stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Did something happen last night?" she asked. "During the game? After we got wiped out..?"
My breath caught. Because yes. Something had happened. Something I didn't understand, But the words wouldn't come.
"I..." I swallowed. "I don't know."
Riley's eyes softened even more. "Kris. Look at me."
I did.
"You're scared," she said. Her eyes showing a hint of wariness.
I didn't deny it, I couldn't.
Because for the first time all day, someone was seeing through all the crap. Someone wasn't brushing me off, or assuming I was overwhelmed, and confused.
Riley saw me, like really saw me, And that made the uncertainty hit even harder. She sat down on the edge of the bed patted the spot beside her.
"Come here," she said exasperated. "Just sit. Talk to me. I'm not going anywhere."
My legs moved before my brain did. I sat beside her, and for a moment, I let myself breathe. She was going to think I was crazy, but so bet it. I began to tell her everything.
Riley sat beside me on the bed pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them, close enough that I could feel her warmth, which was unfair because I was sweating like a rotisserie chicken. She had that look. The "I'm not leaving until you spill everything" look she used whenever I tried to pretend I didn't eat the last slice of pizza.
"Kris," she said gently, "something happened last night. Didn't it."
It wasn't a question it was a statement. I stared at my hands. They looked... wrong.
Slimmer.
Softer.
Like someone had put them through a beauty filter.
"Okay," I said, exhaling. "Fine....Something happened."
Riley nodded like she'd known all along. "Tell me."
I rubbed my face. "After we died to
the orc-"
"Which was your fault," Riley added.
"Not helping."
She smirked. "Continue."
"When you guys respawned in town... I didn't."
Riley blinked. "Right, because we found you in the cave. You froze every enemy in the room. It was like Elsa had a mental breakdown."
I groaned. "Please don't call me Elsa."
"You literally had an ice tiara."
"That was NOT my choice!"( +ﾟдﾟ)
She snorted. "Okay, okay. So what happened before we found you?"
I swallowed. "I didn't wake up in the cave. I woke up in a white void."
Riley stared. "Like... a loading screen?"
"No. Like the universe forgot to render."
She wheezed. "Okay, that's actually funny."
"It wasn't funny when I was in it!"
She motioned for me to go on.
"And then she appeared," I said. "Hestia."
Riley's eyebrows shot up. "The goddess NPC?"
"No not an npc...She was just... there. In the void. Staring at me like I'd interrupted her spa day."
Riley's mouth fell open. "What did she say?"
I swallowed. "She said something about the Link of In‑Between being damaged."
Riley blinked. "The what now?"
"I don't know! Some cosmic Wi‑Fi connection between worlds or something."
Riley slapped her knee. "You're telling me the universe lagged."
"Yes! Exactly! I got isekai'd by bad internet!"(-_-)
She covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
"And then," I continued, "she said I was stuck between forms. Or states. Or selves. Something like that. I don't really understand it myself.
Riley's laughter died instantly. "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
"But you don't actually know what she meant," Riley said. "You're guessing."
"Panicking," I corrected. "I'm panicking."
"Fair."
"And then she said the only way to fix it was for me to become her champion, to accept the self.
Riley stared at me. "Her what... accept what?
"Champion."
"Like... magical girl chosen one?"
I groaned. "Riley—"
She leaned in. "Kris. Did she give you a magical girl class?"
I buried my face in my hands. "Ice Princess."
Riley slapped both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing. "Oh my god. That's when we got that world notification!?!?"
"And the legendary gear," I added miserably. "The dress. The frost abilities. All of it."
Riley was shaking with suppressed laughter. "Kris. Buddy. You got Sailor Moon'd."
"I KNOW."
"And now you're—" She gestured at me. "You're... softer."
I looked down at my hands again.
"I woke up this morning and my face looked different," I said. "My hair looked longer. My voice sounded weird. And everyone today, the clerk, the RA, the girls in the hall, they all thought I was a girl."
Riley's expression twisted, confusion, fear, and the tiniest bit of "this is hilarious but I can't laugh because he's suffering."
"But I know you're a guy," she said. "I've known you forever."
I looked up at her.
"I know."I whispered.
She froze.
I didn't mean it dramatically.
I meant it like someone asking if they left the stove on.
"I don't know what's happening to me," I said. "I don't know if I'm imagining things or if she's real or if something's wrong with me. I don't know why I look different. I don't know why everyone sees something I don't. I don't know why my ID changed. I don't know why my reflection—"
My voice cracked.
Riley grabbed my hands. "Kris. Hey. Look at me."
I did.
"You're not crazy," she said. "Something is happening. And we're going to figure it out. Together."
I wanted to believe her.
I really did.
But before I could say anything—
A soft sound came from the doorway.
A breath.
A tiny gasp.
Riley and I both turned.
The door wasn't fully closed. It was cracked open an inch, and through that inch, I saw a familiar eyes staring back at me.
Charlie.
Her face was pale. Her expression was horrified. Her hand was still on the doorknob like she'd frozen mid‑motion.
She pushed the door open slowly.
"Sorry I didn't try to eavesdrop, but I did." She closed the door as she walked into the room.
"Kris..." she mused. "So... you met Hestia. In a void, and she made you a magical ice princess champion?"
I groaned. "Please don't say it like that."
"Dude. That's literally what you just described."
Riley nodded. "He's basically Elsa but with trauma."
"HEY!!!"∑(ﾟДﾟ)
Charlie looked at me, voice trembling. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Riley put a hand on my shoulder. "He's overwhelmed. Let him breathe."
Charlie nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay. Okay. I'm not mad. I'm just... Kris, you're turning into a magical ice princess and I'm trying to process that." Trying and failing to hide her glee."
I buried my face in my hands again. This was my life now. A sister
Charlie was pacing like she was trying to wear a hole in the floor. Riley was gripping my arm like I was a flight risk. I was trying not to hyperventilate.
"Okay," Charlie said, "so you met Hestia in a void, she gave you the Ice Princess class, and now you're... uh... softer."
"Please stop calling it that," I muttered.
Riley patted my back. "He's doing great."
"I'm dying," I whispered.
And then—
Everything went quiet Inside my head.
"Oh no," I whispered. "Not again."
Riley blinked. "What do you mean 'again'?"
Charlie leaned in. "Kris? Why are you staring at the ceiling like it owes you rent?"
I didn't answer.
Because the air warmed.
The space shimmered.
And then—
Her voice.
Soft.
Warm.
Unreasonably calm.
"Kris?"
I froze.
Charlie's eyes widened. "He's doing the statue thing again!"
Riley waved a hand in front of my face. "Kris! Blink twice if you're being spiritually mugged!"
I couldn't blink. I couldn't move.
Because Hestia's voice filled the room.
Out loud...!
"THE HUSH BEFORE THE DAWN GROWS THIN."
Charlie screamed.
Riley screamed.
I screamed louder.
Charlie stumbled backward. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
Riley grabbed a pillow like it was a weapon. "SHOW YOURSELF, YOU CRYPTIC MENACE!"
Hestia ignored both of them.
"The seam frays. The breath between worlds trembles."
I blinked rapidly. "WHAT SEAM?! WHY IS IT TREMBLING?!"
Charlie pointed wildly. "WHY IS SHE TALKING LIKE A CRYPTIC!"
Riley threw the pillow at the air. It passed through nothing and hit me in the face.
"OW!"
"Sorry! Panic!"
Hestia continued, her voice echoing like she was speaking from inside a dream.
"The old silence stirs. Power wakes where it once slept."
Riley froze. "Power... What power?"
Charlie gasped. "What is happening?!"
I slapped my hands over my face. "PLEASE STOP TALKING."
Hestia continued, completely unfazed.
"When the veil sighs open, the two shall breathe as one."
Charlie shrieked. "WHAT VEIL?! WHY IS IT SIGHING?!"
Riley yelled, "CAN YOU BE LESS VAGUE?!"
Hestia paused.
For one terrifying second, I thought she was going to explain. Instead, she said:
"DO NOT RESIST THE BECOMING , YOU MUST PREPARE MY CHAMPION."
I made a noise like a dying microwave.
Charlie clutched her chest. "PREPARE FOR WHAT NOW?!"
Riley grabbed my shoulders. "Kris, are you BECOMING something?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" I yelled.
And then—
She vanished.
The warmth faded.
The shimmer disappeared.
The room went silent.
I sucked in a breath like I'd been underwater. Charlie collapsed onto the floor. "I need... like... a nap. And a priest. And maybe a therapist."
Riley sat beside me, eyes wide. "Kris... she was real. She was actually real. And she said the veil is sighing."
I buried my face in my hands.
"This is my life now," I muttered. "I'm being spiritually bullied by a goddess who speaks exclusively in cryptic patch notes."
Riley patted my back. "At least she didn't smite us?"
Charlie looked at me. " WAIT... DOES THAT MEAN IM GETTING A SISTER!! Her eyes went all starry.(*≧∀≦*)
"Literally out of all of that, that's what you're thinking
"UUGH"
Charlie Riley said. " we gotta take advantage of this right!!!"
(='∀｀)人('∀｀=)
"THATS NOT HELPING!?!?" Yelled