They pushed. Kai grunted with the effort, his enhanced Strength meeting the heavy resistance of the bookcase. On the other side, he could hear Elara straining. The door groaned, scraping against the floor as it moved, inch by agonizing inch.
Finally, a gap opened, just wide enough for him to squeeze through. He slipped into the apartment and was immediately wrapped in a desperate hug.
"Kai! I was so scared!" Elara sobbed into his shoulder, her small frame trembling.
He held her tight, relief so potent it made him dizzy. "I know. I know. It's okay. I'm here now. You're safe."
He looked around the apartment. It was dark, the only light coming from the window, which offered a terrifying panorama of the burning city. Her heavy oak bookcase, usually filled with textbooks and fantasy novels, was shoved against the door. Otherwise, the small living space was just as he remembered it.
He gently pulled away from the hug, his eyes scanning her for any injuries. She was pale and her eyes were red from crying, but she seemed unharmed. She was wearing a simple t-shirt and pajama bottoms, clearly having been caught as off-guard as everyone else.
Her eyes, wide and fearful, finally took in his appearance. The grime, the bloodstains, the rusted saber hanging from his belt, and the faint shimmer of the shield on his arm.
"Kai... what happened to you? And that... that thing at the door..." Her voice trailed off as she pointed a trembling finger at the deep gouges in the wood.
"I killed it," he said simply.
She stared at him, confusion warring with fear in her eyes. "Killed it? With... with that sword? How? What are those things?"
This was it. The moment he had to explain the inexplicable. He took a deep breath. "I don't know what they are. Monsters. But the world... it's changed, Elara. In the last hour. It's like a video game."
"A video game?" She looked at him like he was crazy. "Kai, this isn't a game! People are dying!"
"I know it sounds insane," he said, holding up his hands. "But it's the only way I can describe it. Look."
He focused his intent, calling up his status screen. The translucent blue box appeared in the air between them, its soft light illuminating her shocked face.
"What... is that?" she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. She reached out a hesitant finger, but it passed right through the screen.
"It's me," Kai said. "My stats. My level. When I kill those things, I get experience points. I level up, I get stronger, I learn skills."
He pointed to the lines of text. [Name: Kaelen Vance], [Level: 4], [Strength: 11]. He then showed her his skills, [Basic Swordsmanship] and the new [Vital Strike].
Elara sank onto the couch, her mind struggling to process the impossible reality being presented to her. She looked from the floating blue screen to her brother, who stood before her armed and bloodied, and then back again.
"So when you got that old sword from the shop..." she began slowly, connecting the dots.
"It gave me a skill. It's how I survived," he finished. "I've been fighting my way here ever since you called."
The full weight of what he'd done, what he'd faced to get to her, settled in her eyes. The fear was still there, but it was now mingled with a dawning sense of awe, and a fierce, protective love.
"Okay," she said, her voice shaking but firm. "Okay. I believe you."
The validation sent another wave of relief through Kai. He wasn't alone in this madness. He let the status screen fade.
"We can't stay here," he said, his voice low and serious. "This building isn't safe. That Imp got to the fourth floor. It's only a matter of time before something bigger gets in."
Elara nodded, wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "So what do we do? Where do we go?"
Before Kai could answer, a deep, earth-shaking roar echoed from outside. It was the death cry of the Broodguard, a sound of pure agony that vibrated through the very walls of the apartment.
Elara jumped, her eyes wide with fresh terror. "What was that?"
"That," Kai said, a grim satisfaction in his voice, "was me clearing the way." He looked out the window. "But it's not going to be quiet for long. We need a plan. We need somewhere safe. Somewhere defensible."
His mind immediately went back to the one place he knew like the back of his hand. A fortress of forgotten things, filled with potential weapons and countless hiding places.
"We're going back to the shop," he said. "Thorne's Curios & Relics."