Exiting the room, Faye raised the device once again, only to be met with nothing but static. Frowning at the device, she tapped the screen a few times, but it remained the same. She promptly gave up and leaned against the wall. The coolness on her back calmed her nerves slightly. Although, it still felt like something was weighing down heavily on her heart, with no signs of it easing up.

In the quiet stillness, Faye found herself transfixed by the stars above, when a loud voice broke the silence beside her, its words unintelligible from a distance. It irritated her slightly, as she had hoped to find some respite from the chaos of the world, only to have that respite interrupted by this person.

Glancing to the side, Faye found the source of the noise and saw a young man who was in his early twenties. He had dark hair styled to above his shoulders, with a patch of red at the front, and a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he smiled cheekily at the communication device and joked with the person on the other end.

Faye watched on as the guy continued to speak before she paused for a second and jolted upright as she realized the guy could get through to someone on his device. Everyone else’s had stopped working, so what made this guy different from the rest? Faye hesitated about stepping forward and asking him outright, but she still wasn’t used to talking to people she didn’t know.

However, she didn’t have time to work up the courage to speak to the guy, because he had already noticed her and had hung up his device. He stood with his hands in his pockets and studied the NPC turned player before him. Then a grin appeared on his lips as he walked towards Faye until he was in front of her and asked, “are you the NPC that Ilaria wanted me to meet? Oh right, you’re a player like us now, right? Were you having trouble with the device on your wrist?”

He fired question after question at Faye, causing her mind to spin, and it took a moment for her to catch up with what he was saying. Looking at him, Faye moved backward slightly and opened her mouth to say the one thing that was troubling her at the moment. “How are you able to use your device?”

It was a question that needed to be addressed urgently. If this guy had a way to get through to someone else, there could be a chance for her to contact Jarreth or one of the others at the bookshop. Or she could call Ashlyn and Nox to see where they had gotten to. She had been anxiously waiting all day, unsure of what was going on. At least now, there was a glimmer of hope in this gloomy situation.

“Ah, ah NPC, we can’t be talking out in the open like this. The Main Computer probably has eyes and ears all over this game world.” The guy’s smile widened, and he gestured for Faye to enter the building. “Let’s talk inside.”

Faye swallowed the words that she wanted to say and swiftly moved past the guy as he held the door open. Thanking him, she turned to the front and led the way to the inner room.

Once inside, Faye calmed a little when the familiar smell of books, tea and the fire burning brightly in the fireplace entered her senses and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. It was comforting and eased her troubled mind. She returned to the chair she had occupied previously and sank into its plush cushion. 

 The guy chuckled at her soft appearance and perched on the sofa off to the side. He waited patiently for Faye to get relaxed before he took off the device on his wrist and waved it in her direction. “If you were wondering why I’m able to use this to communicate to others, it’s simply because I tampered with it so it’s not affected by the Main Computers blocking system.” 

“Then is it like the device that can block out the Main Computer and make the place undetectable?” Faye spoke inquisitively. Her gaze stayed focused on the communication device, and the curiosity on her face intrigued the guy who held the device. 

“Exactly.” The guy replied and shook the device. “It wasn’t easy to accomplish, but I succeeded in the end, which means I can communicate with anyone, and remain undetected by the Main Computer and keep conversations off the grid. Perfect when we need to discuss… sensitive matters.”

Faye couldn’t help but feel some admiration for the guy, and looked back up at him and asked, “may I have a look at it?”

“Sure.” The guy handed it over and spoke while Faye looked it over: “It seems I still haven’t introduced myself. You can call me Alyx, and if I remember right, you’re Faye. Ilaria sent someone to invite me over.

It sounded urgent, so I came right away. It won’t be like tampering with the device and will take a lot of work, but I think I can work something out. After all, we can’t let the Main Computer carry on with its rampage.” 

Faye stopped fiddling with the device and raised her head until she met the eyes of Alyx. The mischievous glint had returned to his eyes: it was like he had found something fun after a long time, and couldn’t wait to get started. However, for Faye, it was a different story, as now she could see a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel, and in her heart, she thanked Alyx repeatedly. 

Things were beginning to change and, if all goes well, for the better.