"Courtney, come downstairs and eat dinner with us! You spent enough time cooped up in your room, tinkering with that damn thing!" a voice shouted down the staircase. "Coming Mom! Just gotta tighten up this last screw!" I hollered back. The screw was set in place, and with the flick of my wrist, the screwdriver tightened it into the empty socket of the metallic frames. "There we go…" A sense of joy flowed to my face, and a proud smile spread across. "Okay, now to go eat." My dirty blonde hair picked itself off of the floor, and covered the entirety of my back, stretching down to my waist, and bounced as I scurried to the dining room on the lower floor.
"Sorry about being late, Mom!" I apologized as I sat myself down. My mom frowned, not even batting an eye. "Geez, it better not be like this anymore. You've kept on pulling this crap for the past fourteen months, and I'm getting sick of it." "Hey, Lottie, honey, calm down. She's doing what she wants, and as long as it's well-paying, it's worth it in the end." My father intervened, calmly placing his hand on her shoulder. She jerked her shoulder away. "Harold, I'm not in the mood. I just want to eat, and that's that." My annoying little brother Eric chimed in. "Hey, I bet it's almost done! Isn't it Courtney?" "Mhm! I actually just finished it just a few seconds ago!" I proclaimed as my sense of accomplishment ushered onto my cheeks, spreading them out wide. "That's wonderful, sweetie! Are you going to submit it to a company?" My father congratulated. I pondered for a second. "Hmm… I guess so. But I'd like to do a test run tomorrow afternoon, because then I'll have the whole summer." I remarked. My mother got up, and walked away. "…Lottie…" My father mewed. Eric grabbed a fork and held it up in the air. "Hey, I'm starving! Let's eat!" "Yeah, let's eat!" I hurrahed triumphantly. We shoveled food onto our plates and gobbled it down, as our father watched in amusement, with a hint of sorrow in his dilated eyes.
As soon as that last bell rang, I grabbed my bag and dashed off to my home to test out the project I've been working on for the past three years; a fan-made game, based off of Bravely Second, a game I adored. I planned all of the events to take place three years after the game's events, so that way, it's not too confusing, and it keeps up in real time too. Time there was faster though; an hour there was only fifteen minutes here. My key for the front door jangled on my belt, and I whipped it out like it was a gun for a quick draw. I raced upstairs, pressed the main red button, and put on the glass visors. "Now, to start this thing…" I looked over to the clock. It was 3:15. I had time to play around with it for about forty-five minutes. "Launch the game." I muttered. The anesthesia knocked me out quickly, and my mind woke up in a densely forested area shortly after. "I… I did it." I sighed. "I actually did it." My hand placed itself onto my chest, and I looked down to my apparel. I was gowned in a worn-out cream blouse, with a magenta sash on my waist. A soft blue skirt covered most of my thighs, stretching down to a few centimeters away from my knees. "Nice outfit…" I remarked.
A rustle in the bush a few meters away gave way to fear across my body. Though I wasn't scared, my mind didn't dare get closer. My arm shuffled backwards slightly, and a snort came from it. "U-U-Uh…" I nervously stuttered. A pair of red eyes pierced at me, and from the bush, a gigantic green humanoid leaped out to me, with a massive battle axe in one hand. My eyes dilated, and my mouth quivered. Finally, it erupted. "NOOOOOOOO!" I yelped. My eyes sealed shut, but as they were closed, my ears perked up and heard the sound of a blade drawn out of its belt. The sound of the metal zipping out and the roar of the beast immediately told me that whoever has the blade saved me and slayed the monster. One eye of mine creaked slightly open, and the black puff of smoke, with the few slivers of orange mixed in, signified that the beast was indeed, gone.
"Oh, that's a relief…" I sighed. My eyes opened in a state of relaxation. I turn to face the one who saved me. "So uh, thank you for sav-" I started to thank, but when I noticed who it was, my digital face must have turned red. He was a tanned warrior, cladded with a long navy blue jacket, the symbol of a white lion centered on his chest like decor, tinted with golden frames all around. His long, stylish black hair was that of a wolf's, and his eyes were green, similar to rich emeralds. I immediately knew who it was that saved me; Jean Balestra, the Blazing Wolf of the Three Cavaliers; my ultimate crush from video games. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. "U-Um… yeah, I'm fine." I responded, still in a state of shock. I didn't recall programming him to be taller than my avatar, and he was a tad more muscular than in my envisioning. But most of all, he looked… real. Even though he was digital, he looked like he could've been a real human being. I took a moment to take in the setting. Everything looked real; the trees, the bushes, even the clothing on my back looked hand-stitched.
"Uh, you alright miss? You look like you just got by a troll." He questioned. My thoughts snapped back to the situation at hand. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine, thanks." "Well, that's good. But you look a bit beat up, miss. You should probably go back to your home. I'll help you get back, if you want." Jean offered. My eyes darted in embarrassment. "Oh, well um… I… I actually… I actually don't HAVE a place, per se…" He looked at me in slight disgust. "You're kidding me, right?" I shook my head. "I wish I was, but I'm not…" I sighed. He turned away, grunted, and uttered "Fine, fine, follow me back to Gathelatio. I'm sure the pope will make room for you somewhere." My face lit up. "Um, okay!" I replied. The both of us left for Gathelatio, in an awkward silence, to go talk to the pope.
A good twenty minutes must have passed by in real time, because we finally arrived at Gathelatio. I trailed shortly behind Jean as he paced himself to the entrance gate. Finally, we both arrived. "Ah, Jean, glad to see you back. And I see you have a guest." The gatekeeper greeted. Jean replied with a slight underlying tone of annoyance "Yeah, yeah, just let us through." The gatekeeper nodded, and the metallic fences lifted to allow the two of us in. "Come on, miss. Let's get going." Jean commanded. I followed quickly. "You know, you could just call me Courtney…" I responded. He stopped in his footsteps. "O-Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend you." I quickly apologized. He chuckled a bit. "No, no, you just made me realize that we never introduced ourselves." He turned to face me, and cocked his head downwards slightly. "Just call me Jean, okay?" I nodded. "Alright, Jean it is." He turned back and continued walking, and I followed quickly.
Eventually, the both of us arrived at the headquarters of the Crystal Orthodoxy. The building was gowned in stained glass and marble all around; a true sight of beauty. We walked up the polished granite stairs, me taking in every ounce of it. The guards in front of the massive oak doors acknowledged Jean, and though I didn't hear the conversation, I presume he talked to them to let me in. "Alright Courtney, follow me. We're going to see Her Holiness." Jean commanded. "U-Uh, yes, of course! Thank you!" I quickly thanked Jean. The both of us walked into the beige room, a massive amount of decor everywhere. An elegant tapestry laid out stretched to the stand, where the pope herself was. Jean got on his knees, and I followed his lead. The pope turned around to face us.
"Your Holiness, I have arrived." Jean announced. A smile spread on the pope's face. "Ah, Jean, how wonderful to see you once again. I see you have a guest with you." "Yes, Your Holiness. Her name is Courtney, and apparently, she doesn't have a place to live." The pope's face changed from kindness to an absentminded state. "No… home?" She slammed her fist onto her open palm. "A person without a home is unacceptable, even if one is the lowest of forms. Not that you are low, of course… are you low?" "I don't consider myself to be low, Your Holiness." I responded. "I see," she started. "Then I presume we'll have to give you housing here in Gathelatio. Unfortunately, I don't recall any open housing here…" Jean stood up slowly. "Your Holiness, the Three Asterisks' complex does have a vacant room. If Miss Courtney doesn't mind it, we could let her stay there."
"Unacceptable."
Jean's eyes went into a state of puzzlement. I quick stood up, clasped my hands, and bent over. "Y-Your Holiness, it's truly okay for me to accept Sir Jean's request. He's the only one I know of, and I'd be more than happy to allow him to welcome me into his residence. Please…" I couldn't see if, but I felt the warmth of Jean close to me, so I knew he felt different towards me after I said that. "…Courtney, was it? Please raise your head." I slowly lifted my upper body to face the pope. "I shall grant you permission to live with the Three Asterisks. And please… call me Agnes, okay?" I nodded. "Thank you, Agnes." Jean turned to me. "Well, I guess that's it then. Just follow me, okay?" I nodded, and quickly paced after him.
And thus, I began my new life with Jean Balestra, the Blazing Wolf of the Three Cavaliers, anticipating the events to come, and not expecting the others. I quickly settled into the new room, and fell asleep, to wake up back in the real world.