—When the Perfect Persona Meets a System Error

"Welcome to Lüminara"

The voice was soft, feminine—like someone whispering inside her skull, yet echoing from everywhere at once.

A pale-blue mist curled and gathered, shaping itself into a floating holographic console. Its interface pulsed with glowing, shifting patterns.

【Connecting to Lüminara Core Matrix...】

【Scanning Consciousness Spectrum...】

【Verifying Identity...】

A heartbeat later.

A sharp whoosh.

【Verification Successful. Identity: Ellie Wren】

【Consciousness Encoding Complete. Designation: LM-7017】

"System Prompt: Please shape your avatar."

In the center of the console, a human figure slowly rotated—Ellie.

Or rather, the most unfiltered version of her:

Dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes.

The corners of her mouth sagged with exhaustion.

Her shoulders curled inward, as if weighed down by the world.

Ellie's heart clenched.

"No—"

She reached forward, sliding glowing bars one after another.

She lifted the corners of her mouth. Once. Twice.

Until the reflection wore a flawless, cover-model smile.

"Look," she whispered, a cold laugh hidden in her throat.

"Smiling Ellie is back."

This wasn't creating a hero.

It was a mask.

She remembered those nights in the bathroom—

forcing her lips into a smile,

drilling her posture,

convincing herself that standing tall was the only way to keep from being swallowed whole.

“Image Confirmed.”

“Please name your avatar and provide a brief self-introduction to optimize quest and equipment matching.”

The mechanical voice dragged her back to the present.

Ellie stared at her flawless, smiling reflection.

"Smiley," she said.

It was the callsign she'd used for years. Too fitting to change now.

A recording icon blinked to life.

【Self-Introduction: Must truthfully reflect core traits. This will affect your initial attributes and progression path.】

The white void amplified every sound—even her breathing.

"I..." Her voice trembled, metallic in the emptiness.

"I am Smiley."

Silence.

"What I'm best at..." She hesitated, then smiled bitterly.

"...is smiling."

Flash—

Late-night office.

Ellie stood before the manager's desk, nails biting into her palms.

"This proposal is worthless," he said.

Her cheeks burned.

But when she raised her head—she was smiling.

"Thank you for the feedback. I'll work harder."

A noisy café.

Friends venting about life.

"Ellie, you always look so carefree. How do you stay so happy?"

Her pause lasted a beat.

Then she grinned brilliantly.

"Me? I'm great!"

Her bedroom, night.

The call with her mother had just ended.

Her smiling face still flickered on the screen.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm completely fine."

---

“Insufficient Data. Please Continue.”

The prompt cut deep.

Tears slid down her cheeks.

"I came here..." Her throat locked.

"Not because I want to win..."

Her voice cracked.

"But because—out there, in that 'game'..."

Her breath hitched.

"I'm about to Game Over."

The recording symbol blinked out.

Then:

【Information Entry Complete. Welcome, Smiley.】

【Guide Program Initializing.】

---

"You did well, Ellie."

The new voice was calm, warm—almost familiar.

The console released a stream of blue data, coalescing in the air. A shape landed softly with a ripple of light.

When the glow faded, a black cat stood there—its body woven from flowing code, its tail scattering glittering fragments of data.

"Hello, Ellie," the cat said, its voice smooth.

"I am the one who guided you here. Your initiation guide. Call me... Beau."

"Beau. An Electronic cat. A black cat." Ellie gave a short, disbelieving laugh.

Beau's bright eyes glanced between her tear-streaked face and the smiling avatar on the screen. Its data tail swayed once.

"It seems your setup is... quite unique."

【Proceeding to Next Phase: Equipment Selection】

Beau raised a paw in a polite gesture.

"Any requests for your starting gear?"

Ellie hesitated, then drew in a breath.

"If I must choose..." Her voice was soft, almost steady now.

"Give me a shield—one that filters every negative emotion. And..."

She swallowed hard.

"A blade. One sharp enough to cut away every real thought.

An invisible blade."

【Analyzing Request...】

【Generating initial equipment based on core traits: 'Pretense,' 'Resilience,' 'Self-Repression'】

Three glowing orbs appeared, unfolding one by one before her:

—A half-face mask inlaid with faux gems, casting a faint shimmer.

Equipment: Smiling Mask

Effect: Boosts others' favorability | Defense: Minimal

—A set of well-fitted, soft-textured attire.

Equipment: Appropriate Attire

Effect: Unhindered movement | Adapts to social scenarios

—A nearly transparent dagger with warped edges.

Equipment: Muted Blade

Effect: Low attack | On hit, briefly silences the target

Each description struck Ellie like a precise blade.

These "equipment" pieces were less gear than cold, digital epitaphs for her real-world self.

【Newbie Guide: Quest Matching in Progress...】

Beau, seemingly oblivious to her emotions, tapped the quest panel with a paw.

"Good luck, Ellie—no, Player Smiley," Beau said, a slight, almost cruel smile.

"Confirm to begin your journey."

Ellie stared at the three painfully fitting pieces of equipment.

Her chest rose and fell. Maybe this really was just a game. Maybe she could start over here.

Her hand trembled as she reached for the glowing button—

【Start】

---

BZZZZZT!!!

A piercing alarm shattered the silence.

The pure white space was instantly drowned in blood-red.

The data grid beneath her feet writhed violently, like a stormy sea.

"Warning! Unknown high-dimensional energy signal detected!

Signal source bound to Player: Smiley — Analyzing..."

【Signal Identified: Meta-Fold Artifact | Energy Signature Unrecognized | Major Security Protocol Risk】

Blood-red exclamation marks flared across the screen, each one stinging her vision.

The alarms howled — BWOOP—BWOOP—BWOOP!

Ellie looked down — the purple jade pendant at her chest seared like fire.

The "V" symbol throbbed with a pulse of its own, faster and brighter, as if it might burst.

【Core Protocol Article 7 Initiated: Login Terminated | Isolate Anomalous Signal】

Beau flickered, its voice fractured into static:

"An...om...al...ous... da...ta... play...er..."

Then it froze, the blue light in its eyes fading to black — a statue of dead code.

【Login Process Interrupted】

【System Error! Environment Collapse!】

Ellie clutched the pendant, fingertips burning, thoughts spiraling.

Everything she thought she knew about this “game” cracked apart like glass.

Then—

A golden beam cleaved the chaos like a sword through silk.

The light converged, shaping itself into a blazing portal.

A figure stepped through.

Robes swirled in the glow, shadows rippling across a sleek metal mask.

Faint runes glimmered on its surface, pulsing like quiet stars.

He stopped before Ellie and bowed slightly.

"Ms. Ellie Wren."

His voice was calm, deliberate, the storm itself seeming to still around him.

"Your arrival has been... more conspicuous than anticipated."

His gaze dropped to the pendant blazing in her palm, as if weighing its meaning.

"The Lord of Lüminara—Mr. Alastor—is aware of your presence."

"He wishes to see you personally."

He stepped aside with precise grace, gesturing to the portal.

"Please, come with me. Regarding your... 'legacy,' the Lord may hold the answers you seek."

Ellie froze.

Lord? Legacy?

The words echoed inside her like a struck bell.

She had thought she was entering a healing game.

But now reality—or something far beyond it—had slammed into her.

Her gaze flicked between the pendant’s violet glow and Beau’s lifeless form.

Fear and confusion tangled inside her, yet something deeper stirred — a sharp, undeniable pull.

The air buzzed against her skin, heavy with promise, with danger.

Her breath hitched once — then steadied.

And she stepped forward.

Not just into the light —

but into whatever fate had just chosen her for.