Lukas Tanner always thought that games were just games. Pixels on a screen, blocks and colors, codes and rules, things you could turn off with a single click. That was before. Before the screen wavered, before the world shifted, before the Great F Mountains became more than just a name on a map.
It began like any other Saturday. Lukas sat in his room, his fingers flying across the keyboard, the mouse clicking as he worked his way through WorldCrafter 3D. The smell of pancakes drifted up from the kitchen, but Lukas barely noticed. He was too focused on building his masterpiece: Skyhold Fortress.
“Another tower?” came a small voice from behind him.
Lukas turned to see Ellie, his seven-year-old sister, standing in the doorway. Her long brown hair was tied into two lopsided ponytails, and she hugged her favorite tablet to her chest like a stuffed animal. Ellie loved watching Lukas play, even if she didn’t understand half of what he was doing.
“It’s not just a tower,” Lukas said dramatically. “It’s a hero’s tower. Part of the greatest fortress ever built!”
“Heroes like flowers too,” Ellie said, stepping closer. “You need a garden.”
“A garden? Really?” Lukas groaned, spinning back to his screen. “This is supposed to be epic.”
“Flowers make it pretty,” Ellie insisted.
Lukas sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine. One garden. But only because you asked.”
He grumbled under his breath, but he didn’t really mind. Ellie watched with wide eyes as he placed giant purple flowers next to the stone towers, their petals shimmering in the afternoon light of the game.
The Glitch
It was late afternoon when Lukas noticed the glitch.
He had just finished adding a bridge to connect two of the fortress towers when the screen shimmered. Just for a second, like a reflection in rippling water.
“Did you see that?” Lukas frowned.
Ellie squinted at the screen. “See what?”
The screen flickered again. This time, the blocks wobbled, as though the game world itself was shifting.
Lukas leaned in closer, his heart beating faster. “What’s wrong with this thing?”
“Maybe you broke it,” Ellie whispered, her voice small.
“I didn’t break anything,” Lukas shot back, but his hands were shaking now.
The screen flickered one last time, then went dark.
“Lukas…” Ellie said softly.
Suddenly, the monitor flared to life with a bright, blinding white light. The room trembled. The desk rattled. Lukas grabbed the edge of his chair as the humming sound filled the air, growing louder and louder.
“Ellie, get back!” Lukas shouted.
“I’m scared!” Ellie cried, reaching for him.
And then, everything went silent.
Inside the Game
Lukas woke to the feeling of soft grass beneath his hands. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the warm sunlight.
“Ellie?” he called out, sitting up.
“I’m here!” Ellie’s voice squeaked. She was sitting beside him, her ponytails now tangled, her face pale with shock.
They were no longer in Lukas’s room. Around them stretched a field of impossibly green grass dotted with giant purple flowers, each one as tall as Ellie. The air smelled sweet, like the fields in springtime, and above them, floating in the sky, was Skyhold Fortress.
Lukas froze, his mouth falling open. The fortress looked exactly as he had built it – stone towers, glowing banners, even the purple garden Ellie had insisted on. But it wasn’t pixels on a screen. It was real.
“Lukas,” Ellie whispered, clutching his arm. “We’re inside the game.”
“No way,” Lukas muttered, shaking his head. “This can’t be happening. It’s… it’s impossible.”
But when he touched the grass, it felt soft and cool under his fingertips. The flowers swayed in a light breeze that he could feel on his skin.
“Look!” Ellie pointed.
Lukas followed her gaze. Beyond the flowers, in the shadow of the fortress, the grass rippled unnaturally, like something was moving beneath it. His stomach twisted.
“Come on,” Lukas said, grabbing Ellie’s hand. “We need to get to the fortress.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Do you think someone’s there?”
“I don’t know,” Lukas admitted. “But if we’re in the game, we need to figure out what’s going on.”
Hand in hand, they started walking toward Skyhold Fortress. Lukas couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them, just out of sight.
To Be Continued…
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Episodes Released So Far:
Episode 2: The Snowfall of Blocky Surprises
Episode 1: When Pixels Waver