"Want a coffee?"

I looked up from the pile of charts in front of me, a pounding migraine building steadily in my head. Chloe Williams grinned, holding two cups of steaming black coffee fresh from the vending machine in both her hands.

"You are a lifesaver," I said, grinning as she set the cup beside my pile of charts. I could feel the scent of the caffeine wafting through my nose. I closed the chart I held, shoved it aside, and reached for another one.

Chloe was quiet as she stared at my admittedly intimidating pile of patient's charts. "Diana, aren't you pushing twelve hours at the moment?" she said, raising a perfectly penciled eyebrow at me. "And you were on call last night, too."

"She's pushing thirteen, actually," a handsome dark skinned man from behind the nurse's station said. He grinned as he snatched the chart Diana set aside, flipping it open to check her latest order.

I rolled my eyes good naturedly at him. "Don't be a traitor, Carter," I said, pretending to whack him with a chart. "That doesn't really mean much when you're in surgery." I scanned my order, checking for errors, before signing it. I sighed as I picked up the coffee and took a heavenly sip. "Thanks Chloe," I said with a sigh of bliss as the caffeine hit. "You know, I really may re-think my whole surgical life and shift to dermatology."

Carter pretended to drop the chart in shock.

"Come join us, we have rainbows in the lounge, facials on Fridays, and martinis during patient interviews," Chloe said, winking at me. She took a leisurely sip of her coffee. "Not my fault you went all Meredith Gray on me."

"I have a really dramatic quote about matching, but I think I'll save it for another day," I said, gulping down another scalding sip of coffee. Goddamit, there went my tastebuds.

Chloe stared pensively at me. "I am serious though," she said, "you need to go home and get some rest."

"Can't," I said, pulling another chart, "I have three patients to schedule for the O.R., one that needs stitching in the E.R., and don't get me started on the guy who thinks his catheter needs reinserting."

"Dr. Parker, what a pleasant surprise."

Chloe and I glanced up. Dr. Alicia Strong, my training officer, stood beside the nurse's station, a hand on her hip, and an eyebrow raised. At the sight of her, Carter pretended to busy himself with scanning my latest chart, a furrow appearing between his bushy brows.

I grinned sheepishly. "Didn't I tell you to leave already?" Dr. Strong said, sighing. "You're overworked, you have a morbidity to present next week, and several patients lined up for charity the week after that. Go. Home."

"Wait," Chloe said, "your training officer told you to leave, and you're still…here?" She glared at me and gestured to all the charts in front of me. "Are these even your patients?"

"I was helping Monica with—"

"Go home!" Dr. Strong snapped. "Go home, rest, or play that mobile game you love so much."

"Okay, okay!" I said, raising my hands in surrender. "No need to get your sutures in a twist."

I slammed the door to my condo shut. Flicking on the light switch, I shrugged my jacket off and hooked it on the coat stand. To be perfectly honest, I loved the hustle and bustle of the hospital, but nothing compared to kicking off my shoes after a long, long day.

I took a quick shower and grabbed my chicken salad meal prep from the fridge just as my phone pinged with a message from Chloe.

"Headed to the Phantom! Wanna come?" she sent.

"Can't, need to study." A little white lie never hurt anyone, did it?

"Boo. You're twenty-three, you need a social life, a drink, and a boyfriend," was the reply.

I rolled my eyes.

Another notification from my phone showed a message from Carter. "Hey," it said, "getting off at six tonight, wanna rank up? Julius wants to join us."

I grinned. Julius was in peds. We'd started together. He was a great resident, and an even greater Mobile Legends player. I glanced at the clock. Half past five. "Sure, see you online," I replied.

I finished off my salad, grabbed the phone I kept for gaming purposes, and plopped amid the pillows of my bed. Dr. Strong was right about one thing. I had a mobile game to play. A little guilty pleasure if you will. I mostly preferred PC gaming, but occasionally, I indulged in a mobile game or two. Or three.

And today, I wanted to get my rank up in Mobile Legends. Sure, I occasionally get judged for playing the League of Legends knockoff but bite me. Several people at Paxton General Hospital, where I worked, played the game as well, and we played together at times.

I loaded the app. The clock on my dresser showed me that it was a quarter to six.

"Three games," I told to myself. Then sleep. Study. Be productive.

"Savage!"

I squealed as my hero, Aamon, killed off the last member of the enemy team. "Wiped out," the Mobile Legends announcer said. Carter, playing the hero Lesley, stopped beside my Aamon and immediately spammed her recall at the enemy hero lying near us.

"TP, eh?" a member from the enemy team said through the chat.

Smirking, I spammed my recall as well, feeling like a triumphant kid.

"Nice one!" Julius said through the team chat.

"Lucky shot," a random team member commented.

"Bro, shut it, she's good," Carter typed back.

"Whoooa, Aamon's a GIRL," the annoying team member said.

I was actually a twenty-three year old woman, but hey. "Who cares," I typed. I made Aamon push the midlane, taking out the middle inhibitor turret with a flourish. At that moment, the enemy Guinevere rushed towards Aamon. I easily dodged and poked her repeatedly.

"You have slain an enemy!" the Announcer said, and I smirked as I made my Aamon spam his recall.

"Boo," Guinevere typed.

At that moment, a vengeful enemy Chou, Lancelot and Chang'e rushed towards Aamon. Julius's Atlas charged past Aamon, fully concealed. He grabbed all three with his ultimate and plonked them in front of my Aamon. My ultimate flew.

"Triple Kill!" the Announcer said. "Wiped out."

"Wanna give me another savage?" I typed into the chat, smirking at my phone.

At that moment, Lesley appeared, firing at the enemy base. Aamon continuously spammed his recall as the enemy base exploded, marking our fifth win streak.

"Nice," Carter said as we entered the lobby again. He'd switched his mic on.

"Next," came Julius's voice.

"I dunno," I said through my mic. "I need to study and prep for M and M."

"That's next week, right?" Carter said.

"Yeah," I said, plugging in my phone to charge. "I'm mostly done with it, but Dr. Strong mentioned that Dr. Paxton's son might be attending."

Carter let out a small whistle. "Didn't he just finish his surgical fellowship in Europe? He's an attending already, isn't he?"

"Yeah," I said. "You know, Dr. Strong. Wants to make a good impression."

"One more game never hurt anyone," Julius quipped into his mic. I rolled my eyes, smiled and tapped 'Start Game'.

The clock told me it was tomorrow.

I cursed as I glanced at the time. Twelve midnight. One more round had turned into another round, and another, and another, matches all peppered with wins and losses. I yawned, said my goodbyes to Carter and Julius, exited the app and rolled over. I had a day off tomorrow, and I wanted to spend that day studying for my upcoming morbidity presentation the following week. And maybe play some more.

I got up, stretched, and plopped back down on the bed, my eyes growing heavier. My phone pinged with a notification, letting me know that my favorite Mobile Legends streamer had come out with another wild build for Aamon users to try.

I opened the notification. As the video's opening music started to play, my eyes grew heavier and heavier. "…cloaked, I'm blader Aamon," the video said.

I closed my eyes.

In a universe, far, far away…

"You lost the Heart of Anima?"

A young man with short, messy brown hair stared sheepishly at the taller man before him. The latter's silver hair blew around his face but did nothing to hide the displeasure in his stern, blue gray eyes.

Gusion Paxley huffed, running a hand through his brown hair. He wondered how exactly he was supposed to explain to his elder brother. Though, in all honesty, he doubted whatever explanation he came up with would appease his elder brother, Aamon. The Duke of House Paxley, Gusion knew, was not an easy one to please.

"After all that trouble we went through to take it from the Celestial Palace, from Lunox, from Valentina, you lost the Heart of Anima?" Aamon's blue gray eyes narrowed at Gusion. The look in his eyes was as cold as the snow on the Northern Vale mountains.

"Look, I didn't lose it," Gusion said, a hand on his forehead.

Aamon frowned. "After we got separated at the Celestial Palace, I woke up here," Gusion explained, waving a hand around him. Aamon glanced around them. After their fall from the Celestial Palace, he had tracked the traces of Gusion's magic. Admittedly, he had followed the trail, paying little heed to his surroundings, his worry for Gusion making him hurry.

"I think we're in the Azrya Woodlands," Gusion admitted. "Somewhere near the boarder to the Stormeye Wasteland, more likely."

Aamon ignored this observation. "The Heart," he repeated.

"When I woke up here," Gusion went on, ignoring his elder brother's impatience. "I…tried to use it."

That gave Aamon pause. "And?" he asked.

"It…Kalon…" Gusion frowned, remembering the way Kalon had trapped him in his mind, taking control over his body. He gave his brother a hard look. "He said it enabled him to take control more effectively."

"You talked to Kalon?" Aamon asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yes," Gusion said. "He used the Heart of Anima to take control of my body. I…I managed to fight him off. That was when I lost the Heart. I blacked out, so I'm not sure where it went. The next thing I know, a sharpshooter from House Vance had tied me upside down to a tree."

Aamon frowned. "A sharpshooter from Vance?" he murmured, his eyes narrowing. "Eyepatch? Red hair?"

"Gorgeous?" Gusion continued, then coughed, completely taken off guard at his own description of the mysterious sharpshooter. He fingered his torn purple scarf, idly remembering how he had bandaged the sharpshooter's leg after she'd been injured.

"Lesley Vance," Aaamon said thoughtfully, his brows furrowing as he recalled the adopted daughter of House Vance. "What does a Vance want with the Heart of Anima?"

So, that's her name, Gusion thought, filing it away for future reference. "I don't know why she was looking for it," he told his brother. "We were both chased by demons. We just barely managed to escape, and Lesley had just left before you found me."

Aamon remained quiet. "Listen," Gusion said. "I beat Kalon, so don't you need to worry too much about the Heart of Anima just yet."

"The Heart is vital to breaking the curse on House Paxley," Aamon said, turning his back to his brother. "Come on, we have an hour of daylight left. We may as well try to find it if you've lost it around here."

"How the hell are we gonna find it?" Gusion said, following his brother.

"I've marked its magical aura," Aamon said, holding out a hand. There was a flash, and one of his shards appeared. "It's faint, but I can feel it. Track it."

"Is there anything the Duke Paxley can't do?" Gusion said, rolling his eyes.

Aamon ignored him.

The droning of cicadas was loud.

I slowly opened my eyes, annoyed. Damned cicadas. I needed to sleep.

Wait. Cicadas? I lived in a high-rise condominium in New York. Cicadas?

My eyes flew open.

High above me, was a vast blue sky streaked with the reds, purple and gold of sunset. Wait, sunset? Shocked, I immediately sat up.

I was sitting in a grassy field in the middle of a clearing surrounded by willow trees. The tall grass almost reached my chin, their fresh and earthy scent tikling my nose. My fingers clenched, scraping the soil beneath the grass.

What…on earth…?

I slapped my cheek. "Wake up Diana," I told myself, "Time to wake up."

Where the hell was I? I fell asleep in my bed, and now I was in a grassy clearing in the middle of nowhere. What on earth?!

I slapped myself again. Pinched my shoulder. No, I was still here. What on earth was I doing here?

The cold breeze blew against my back, the tall grass tickling my bare chest. Wait…

I glanced down and immediately panicked. I was naked. Totally and completely naked. My pale skin appeared flushed under the light of the setting sun. I glanced at my hands, still refusing to believe that I was no longer in my room, on my bed.

What…the hell…

Had I been kidnapped? Had someone broken into my room, drugged me, kidnapped me, and…

And…

Had I been raped?

My breathing sped up as panic kicked in. Years of medical training taught me to steel myself, to breathe slowly, deeply. To keep calm. To assess myself.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at my body. No scratches, no bruises, no cuts. No signs of trauma. I'd never slept with anyone yet, and I didn't feel any pain between my legs. No blood, either. Was it possible that I had been the victim of a kidnapping?

I was asleep in my bed, in my condominium. And now I was…here.

Wherever here was.

"Are you sure you're going in the right direction?" a vaguely familiar voice drawled from behind me.

I gasped, my hair whipping around me, as I glanced over my shoulder. Two people emerged from the opposite clearing behind me, branches snapping as they walked. The one behind was a young man with purple and white clothes, half his face still hidden in the shadow of the trees.

But the one in front of him…

Silver hair. Blue gray eyes. A small scar on his left jaw from where his little brother had accidentally nicked him with a dagger.

"Aamon Paxley?" I said.

Aamon stopped in his tracks, and Gusion bumped into his brother's back. "Ow, what the heck, Aamon?" Gusion said, rubbing his nose. His brother felt like a brick wall.

"Aamon Paxley?" a bewildered voice said.

Gusion stepped out from behind his brother, his eyes widening in surprise. There in the clearing, in the light of the setting sun, was a girl. She was glancing at them from over her bare shoulder, a mass of wavy brown hair cascading down her back. Her hazel eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. And something else that Gusion couldn't quite place.

Though he couldn't see Aamon's face, Gusion was certain his brother was just as surprised as he was. They had been tracking the Heart of Anima, and Aamon had led them to this…woman.

"Wait, are you naked?" Gusion asked the bewildered woman.

Her hazel eyes grew even wider in realization, and she quickly turned her back completely to them with a small scream. She curled up into a ball, attempting to cover herself from view.

"Great," she muttered. "Now I'm hallucinating MLBB characters. I must have been drugged."

Aamon seemed to have snapped out of it because he unfastened the cloak he wore. Gusion watched as his brother wordlessly approached the muttering girl. He knelt on one knee behind her. She started in surprise as he draped his long cloak around her shoulders.

Glancing up at him, she said, "I am definitely dreaming. I'm admittedly an Aamon simp, but this is…weird."

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Aamon asked, blue gray eyes narrowing in suspicion.

The girl slowly turned to him, her eyes fixed intently at his face. She slowly reached a hand towards him, her fingertips brushing the scar on his jaw. Aamon didn't flinch. In truth, not much fazed him.

"You're either real, or a very good cosplayer," the girl said, her eyes roaming Aamon's face, as if trying to find a feature out of place.

"You know, that staring is getting pretty intense," Gusion pointed out.

The girl's eyes snapped at him. "Gusion," she murmured, tilting her head. "A very good Gusion cosplay."

Gusion made his way to them. His brother was frowning at the strange girl. "I'm not fond of repeating myself," Aamon said, impatient. "Who are you?"

"All right, all right, the jig is up." The girl stood, clutching Aamon's cloak tighter about her. She looked aggravated. "Who are you guys? Did you kidnap me from my apartment just for this elaborate joke? Because if you did, it isn't funny, and I might call the police if you don't drop it."

"You said our names, you know who we are," Gusion said, surprised. This girl…no, this woman was strange. He glanced towards Aamon, who stood so he towered over the slender girl.

"This is the third, and the last time, I ask," Aamon said, a hint of menace in his voice. He glared at the woman. "Who are you?"

The woman must have heard the menace in Aamon's voice. And even though she stood a bit straighter to appear more authoritative, she was still a foot shorter than the Duke Paxley. "I'm Dr. Diana Parker," she said, her voice firm. "And you can drop the act, or so help me, I am calling the authorities. Astoundingly accurate cosplay or no."

Aamon glared. "You—"

"Don't 'you' me, mister!" Diana snapped. She took a step towards Aamon and prodded his chest with a finger. "You have some nerve to break into my home, kidnap me, drag me to the middle of nowhere, and strike me dumbfounded with that cosplay of yours. And did you take my clothes off?!" Each word she spoke was punctuated with a finger against Aamon's chest, and an increase in the pitch of her voice. She sounded panicked.

Aamon grasped her fist in his larger hand, eyes narrowed so dangerously even Gusion shivered. The woman, Diana, glared. "Touch me again, and it might be the last thing you do," the Duke seethed.

Diana tried to pull her hand back, but Aamon's grip was like iron. She glared. "Let me go! You have some nerve to—"

"Uuuuh, guys?" Gusion interrupted.

"What?" Aamon snapped, glaring at his brother. Diana struggled to wrench her hand free from his grip.

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we're alone," Gusion said, scanning the trees around them. Night was falling steadily, and the cicadas had grown eerily quiet.

Aamon released Diana's hand, and she huffed, rubbing her fist. The Duke's eyes narrowed at the trees surrounding them. Gusion was right, a menacing aura was drawing closer to their location.

Gusion drew out his dagger. "I don't know about you, but I think we should lea—"

BOOM!

Diana screamed as the trees across the clearing erupted into flames. A moment later, Aamon and Gusion were standing in front of her. Gusion held a silver dagger in each of his hands, and Aamon's shards of light hovered protectively around them.

"What the heck is that?" Diana said.

A moment later, shapes emerged from the blazing trees. Grotesque and misshapen, some had horns, and fangs. Winged monstrosities swarmed from the smoking treetops, eyes blazing with fire and death. And yet others were orcish, dark and hulking, carrying clubs, and maces.

Diana turned pale. "Those…those don't look like cosplayers," she said, her voice faint.

What on earth was happening? What was going on? Where was I?

I couldn't stop my mind from screaming incoherently as many more grotesque and fiery shapes emerged from the trees, their blazing eyes all fixed on Gusion, Aamon and me. The air shimmered from the heat of the flames, but I couldn't feel it. Aamon's cloak, if I recall, also served as armor that shielded him. I wrapped it tighter around me.

In front of me, Aamon and Gusion were still, assessing the demonic hoard that appeared before us. There was no way in hell those…things were cosplayers or even animatronics.

What the heck was going on? Was this real? I didn't understand. I was so confused. Was I really in the Land of Dawn? Were these two men really the Gusion and Aamon Paxley? My mind tried to find a logical explanation for any of this, but it was slowly drawing a blank.

Somehow…Somehow…

I had been isekai'd into the Land of Dawn.

How, how, how, how.

But most importantly, why?

From amidst the nightmarish hoard, a hulking shape emerged. Tall with heavily muscled arms and legs, and three deep scars marring one side of his chest.

"Balmond?!" I gasped.

Aamon glanced at me from over his shoulder, frowning. "Can you fight?" he asked, all enmity momentarily forgotten.

"No!" I squealed. My knees were shaking, my fight and flight response pumping me full of adrenaline.

"If it isn't Balmond," Gusion drawled, twirling a dagger between his fingers. It glowed with a faint blue light. "Long time no see, but hey, you're looking as ugly as ever."

"Paxleys," Balmond snarled, his weapon drawn before him. "Give us the Heart of Anima, and maybe we'll let you live unscathed."

"We don't have the Heart," Aamon said coolly, blue gray eyes roaming each demon that emerged from the trees, assessing, calculating, planning.

Balmond's fiery orange eyes slipped to me, and he smirked wickedly, his fangs gleaming in the light of the flames. "I beg to differ, Paxley."

I gaped as Aamon and Gusion turned to me. "I…I don't have it," I stammered. "I was just isekai'd here for god's sake! Naked! I literally have nothing on me!"

Aamon's eyes slipped from mine, and slid down my body. And even though I had his cloak wrapped tightly around me, my cheeks burned hot. I glared at him, daring him to contradict me. Ignoring my gaze, his eyes lingered on my chest, a frown on his face.

His eyes snapped back to mine. "Run," he said.

Several things seemed to happen in quick succession. Gusion threw a handful of gleaming daggers at the hoard, and Balmond immediately deflected them with his weapon, his roar of fury echoing through the forest. In the blink of an eye, Aamon scooped me into his arms and ran into the trees behind us, Gusion following close on his brother's heels. Even though he carried me, he still managed to run faster than an ordinary human, the trees nothing more than a blur as he sped through the dark forest.

"Nowhere to hide, Paxley!" Balmond roared, a loud cry ringing through the forest behind us. "The Heart will belong to the Abyss!"

I shivered. I wrapped my arms around Aamon's neck, holding on as he and Gusion leapt into the tall branches above us. I felt dizzy. Faint. I closed my eyes, and asked myself the question I'd asked a hundred times.

What was I doing here?