"I've been expecting you, Nathan Nightshade."
The stunning girl sitting about a meter (3.3 ft) away from Nathan spoke gently, her voice smooth and melodic, echoing faintly across the endless starlit space.
"My name is Lunarinas," she continued, tilting her head gracefully. "It's good to finally meet you in person."
Nathan blinked.
Unfortunately, his brain had chosen this exact moment to uninstall language processing.
"…Nathan," he replied after a heroic internal struggle.
Great introduction, me. Truly charismatic — eleven out of ten social skills.
Lunarinas raised a delicate hand, curling a finger lightly beneath her lips as she giggled. The sound rang softly through the air like a tiny bell stirred by a summer breeze — warm, soothing, and dangerously disarming.
"I already knew your name."
Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Several responses formed in his head, but none reached his vocal cords. It felt like his brain and mouth had signed a non-cooperation agreement.
Silence settled between them.
Then Lunarinas smiled gently. "You can relax. I won't eat you, you know."
"O-okay," Nathan managed.
Silence immediately returned.
Nathan shifted awkwardly in his chair.
Why is this harder than fighting zombies?
He had been a loner long before illness confined him to a bed. Social interaction had never been his strength. During the final five years of his previous life, the only people he regularly spoke to were his parents.
Now he sat face-to-face with an ethereal beauty in what could only be described as a cosmic dream realm, his Anxiety stat felt critically high at the moment.
Lunarinas watched him quietly before speaking again.
"Take your time," she said reassuringly. "We have some time before you wake up. I'm sure you have many questions."
Nathan swallowed. Gathering courage required more effort than facing a charging Jumper.
"Y-you said… 'when I wake up.'" He hesitated. "A-am I dreaming right now?"
Lunarinas nodded lightly.
"Yes and no," she said. "Yes, your body is deeply asleep. But no — I summoned your consciousness here. So this is not merely a dream."
"I-I see…"
She giggled again.
"Come now. No need to be so tense."
Nathan scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I-it can't be helped. It's been a long time since I talked to a stranger, let alone a girl… and I was never good at it to begin with."
Lunarinas glanced upward thoughtfully, placing a finger against her cheek in an exaggerated thinking pose.
Then her eyes brightened.
"How about this?" she said cheerfully. "Think of me as your childhood friend and crush, Katty. You spoke normally to her, didn't you? Half of my hair even looks similar to hers."
Nathan's brain detonated and his face turned red instantly.
He shot to his feet.
"H-HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" He exclaimed. "I never told anyone! Even Katty herself didn't know!"
Lunarinas waved both hands calmly.
"Calm down. She isn't even here — and I'm pretty sure she knew anyway, you're the only one who's oblivious. So there's no need to be embarrassed."
Realization hit him.
He had just shouted his deepest feeling he'd sworn to keep it only for himself out into the cosmic void.
Nathan slowly sat back down, cheeks burning hotter than a flamethrower.
"…How did you even know about Katty?" he asked more quietly. "And about… that?"
Lunarinas simply shrugged.
"Who knows?"
She smiled meaningfully — the universal expression for 'I absolutely know but refuse to tell you.'
Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly. Irritation crept into his nerves despite himself.
Ironically, it helped.
The anxiety loosened its grip.
Okay… yeah. I'm being toyed with.
He sighed.
"Why did you summon me here? And let me guess…" Nathan hesitated, then continued anyway. "You're the one who sent me the system message at my dying breath, didn't you?"
Lunarinas answered immediately.
"Yes."
"Umm… so you're the suspicious, 'not-suspicious-at-all goddess…'" Nathan muttered. "Thanks for that, I guess."
"You're welcome."
Silence followed.
"But… let me make things clear first," Nathan finally said. "If you're asking me to kill some impossible-to-defeat demon lord, I'll have to refuse."
"Don't worry," she replied calmly. "I won't ask that much of you."
Nathan frowned.
The implication alone meant she was going to ask something.
"I just wanted to talk to you—" Lunarinas paused.
Then her smile changed — a more deliberate smile. One attempting honesty.
"…is what I wanted to say. But I'll be direct."
Nathan swallowed involuntarily.
"I want you to free me."
"…Free you?" he repeated. "From what?"
"From the bonds that hold me," she replied softly.
Nathan frowned.
Bonds?
That sounded suspiciously vague.
And not gonna lie… kinda shady, too.
For the first time, Lunarinas's calm expression cracked — only briefly.
Her smile deepened, slightly too controlled.
"Who did you call shady?" she asked sweetly.
There was unmistakable irritation beneath the tone.
Nathan froze in an instant as he realized. "…You can read my mind?!"
"Well," she said casually, "I am a goddess. I have that ability."
"A goddess?!"
She tilted her head.
"Why do you look surprised? Hadn't you already concluded that from the beginning?"
That called sarcasm, Nathan rebutted internally.
Lunarinas shrugged lightly.
"Joking aside, are you ready to accept my request?"
Her eyes glowed faintly brighter.
And suddenly—
A notification appeared.
[Charm Magic Attempt Detected!]
[Prerequisite condition met: Be a target of manipulation-type magic.]
[New Skill Acquired: Hunter's Parallax]
—————————————
Hunter's Parallax
Ability to perceive reality from an external perspective.
• Gain adjustable third-person perspective.
• Reveals illusions and hidden distortions.
• Grants immunity to manipulation-type magic (automatic activation).
Mana Cost: 1 / 5 second duration
—————————————
Nathan's vision lurched as the world shifted.
Suddenly, he could see himself.
Not metaphorically — literally.
Alongside his normal vision, another viewpoint floated slightly behind and above his body — like a perfectly controlled game camera.
He saw Lunarinas sitting across from him.
Saw the faint shimmering aura radiating from her eyes. Saw thin, nearly invisible threads of pale light extending from her eyes toward his face—
Threads that snapped instantly upon touching him.
The glow around her eyes flickered.
Nathan blinked repeatedly.
…Oh.
Did she just try to mind-control me?
His anxiety vanished instantly.
Replaced by clarity — and mild offense.
"No," Nathan said firmly. "I refuse to accept."
This time, Lunarinas was the one who frozen in place.
Her composure finally shattered.
"H-how did you—?!" She gasped in surprise, then cleared her throat quickly. "I-I mean — why did you say no?"
Nathan leaned back slightly, oddly calm now — like a player who had already know that the tutorial NPC was secretly a late-game boss.
"Like I said," he replied simply.
"Because you're shady."