Chapter 6
Two years later, I founded a game studio in Frontania and finally brought my independently designed fantasy game, Ashen Mythos, to life.
I submitted it under the name “Celeste” to an international game design competition.
Thanks to its unique blend of Tricacia mythology and fantasy elements, with a style that resonated perfectly with gamers worldwide, it won first place. The win caused a huge stir back home.
It was the first time a Tricacian game designer had taken the top prize in that contest. The auction price skyrocketed, quickly reaching millions of dollars, and my studio was flooded with offers from countless partners every day.
The auction was set to happen three days later.
My father asked me, “Aren’t you worried Marvin might come after you if you make such a big deal out of this?”
I’d heard rumors-Marvin was called a madman in Renowoods, and no one dared mention the name “Serena” around him.
I shrugged it off,with a smile. “It’s been two years. He’s the one who’s stuck in the past, not me. I’m not afraid of anyone
anymore.”
My father looked at my legs, now strong enough to walk, and nodded. “If Marvin dares to come after you, I’ll deal with him myself.”
Ashen Mythos had been sketched out piece by piece right in front of him. He knew almost every design detail. Now that it had won first place, there was no way he hadn’t heard the news or started to suspect.
But he never guessed that the plane crash was just a staged death.
Still, with that clue, digging deeper was easy.
The day after the international contest announced the first-place winner, Marvin showed up at my studio.
He was shockingly thin, his suit hanging loosely on his frame. A phoenix tattoo spread its wings over his collarbone, visible through the open shirt collar. Around his neck hung the 100-prank ring-the one I’d tossed into that crashed plane.
His eyes were dark and heavy, filled with bitterness and cold detachment.
When he saw me, his gaze softened and sharpened at once.
“Selene,” he whispered, voice rough and strained. “Congratulations on winning first place.”
Hearing that old nickname made my skin crawl.
Marvin pulled out a dark green notebook, holding it out like a treasure while forcing a stiff smile. “Congratulations. Your dream
came true.”
He wanted to change my mind with this book full of memories. But I already knew it contained prank instructions from Shirley and wasn’t a journal of love between us.
My face hardened. I said quietly, “Are you here to present me with the trophy personally? Too bad Serene died and couldn’t receive it herself.”
Marvin ignored the sting in my words. Seeing I was alive seemed to break something inside him. Tears fell instantly, and his voice was trembling as he said, “I’m just so happy you’re alive… I thought I’d lost you forever.”
He then pulled out the emerald bracelet my mother had left me, the one he’d discarded and then forced me to give to Shirley as a prank.
“You should have this back. I was wrong. I’ve lived in pain and guilt these past two years. I hate myself for everything I did to
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hurt you. Can you please forgive”
His shirt slipped down, revealing dozens of raw, shocking scars. These were self-inflicted cuts,
A sharp pain stabbed my heart, but I ignored his fake sorrow and reached for the bracelet.
“No!” I cut him off coldly, “The version of me who loved you died two years ago in that crash. After 100 pranks, the leg, injury, and everything else you’ve put me through I’m done. Do you have any idea how many surgeries I’ve had just to stand again? I wish you’d just die.”
I lifted my skirt, showing the cold metal joints of my prosthetic leg. The scars twisted around the muscle, ugly and wasted.
“This is all your fault!”
Marvin froze, stunned, His eyes reddened with pain and sorrow, raw and unmasked.
Once, I had wished he’d show me a little more love and loyalty in the “love prank” we were in.
But he never did.
He grabbed my hand tightly, then collapsed to his knees before me, begging.
“I know I deserve to die. But destiny brought us back together. Please, give me one more chance, Serena… Selene…”
He tried to pull me close to his leg, but I shivered with disgust.
“Let go of me! You’re crazy!”
Right then, a tall man rushed forward and kicked Marvin hard. “Who are you? Get off her!”
His fragile mental state made him collapse instantly, limp on the ground. I took the bracelet without hesitation.
Alex Dunham stood protectively in front of me, asking if I was hurt. I shook my head.
He was one of the game designers at my studio. I had headhunted him with a high salary.
Marvin’s face twisted with bitter despair, like someone abandoned and forgotten. He struggled to crawl toward me.
“Who is he? Are you two together?
“Serena, you can’t do this to me. I really can’t live without you… What do I have to do for you to forgive me?”
Alex kicked him again, firmly. “You’re threatening her safety. I’m calling the police.”
Marvin coughed painfully. His face was smeared with dust and tears, making him look powerless and disheveled.
I said coldly, “It’s none of your business who he is. I’ll only forgive you if you’re dead.”
As Alex helped me walk back into the studio, I caught a last glimpse of Marvin’s eyes, which were filled with pain and the same desperate loneliness I’d felt two years ago.
