[POV: Blaze_King]
One second I was sitting in front of my dusty laptop.
The next, I wasn't.
The screen had glitched—pixels bleeding into the dark, a soft humming in my ears like static turning into music. And then… a hard thud under my boots.
I wasn't in my room anymore.
I wasn't even on Earth.
The air smelled like digital flowers. Literally. Like someone coded the scent of cotton candy and fake roses.
The sky? Pink clouds. Floating islands. Glitchy butterflies. A freaking rainbow bridge overhead.
And in the middle of this romantic mess?
Her.
Codie.
Her arms were crossed, a very familiar annoyed expression on her face.
Codie:
"Okay... What the hell just happened?"
Blaze:
"Did we… just get Isekai'd into your game?"
Codie:
"This isn't funny. We were just testing level files. This—this wasn't supposed to happen!"
Blaze:
"Well, great job, dev genius. You made a love simulator so immersive it kidnapped us."
She turned to glare at me.
Codie:
"This was never supposed to activate. The couple mode was locked for player beta only!"
I raised an eyebrow.
Blaze:
"Guess the game shipped us harder than your fanbase does."
She didn't laugh.
Instead, she spun in a full circle, taking in the glittery trees and the digital lake nearby.
Codie:
"You've got to be kidding me. Why does everything here look like a wedding invitation threw up on it?"
Before I could answer, a loud chime echoed.
A floating message box dropped from the sky, right between us.
---
> COUPLE MODE ACTIVATED.
Welcome, Partners.
You've entered the "Soul-Link Campaign".
To return to the real world, you must complete all romantic survival tasks together.
First challenge unlocking in 5... 4... 3...
---
Codie:
"No. Nope. Absolutely not."
Blaze:
"I think it's too late for denial, Red."
Codie:
"Don't call me that."
Blaze:
"Too bad. You look like a tomato with rage issues."
The challenge appeared in glowing pink letters.
---
> TASK 01: HOLD HANDS FOR 30 SECONDS.
Penalty for failure: Reset to spawn point. Re-do required.
---
We both stared at the screen.
Then at each other.
Then at the screen again.
Codie:
"Who the hell made this task?!"
Blaze:
"You. You literally did."
She groaned and covered her face.
Codie:
"I coded this as a joke! Players were supposed to get heart points. It wasn't supposed to... trap us in it!"
The countdown beneath the task had already started.
00:29… 00:28…
I held out my hand.
She stared at it like it was a dead spider.
Blaze:
"Look, you don't have to like it. Just… hold it. For thirty seconds. Let's get it over with."
Codie:
"If you say one word about how soft my hands are, I will break your spine."
Blaze:
"Noted. Emotionally syncing in silence."
She grabbed my hand.
And—wow. I didn't expect that.
It was… soft.
Not in a cheesy romantic way. More like—real. Warm. Human.
I looked at her.
Her eyes flickered down to our joined hands, then quickly away.
Codie:
"This means nothing. It's literally code."
Blaze:
"Sure. Code that's tracking our emotional compatibility in real-time and glowing like a cursed love lamp."
The heart between us turned red.
Bright red.
SYSTEM: Task 01 Complete. Emotional Sync Established.
New Location Unlocked: Whispering Garden.
The path behind us opened into a misty rose garden with floating lanterns and golden vines wrapping around ancient stone archways.
Codie pulled her hand away instantly, rubbing it on her jeans like it was infected.
Codie:
"Never speak of this again."
Blaze:
"Right. Just hand-holding. Not a big deal. Totally didn't feel like a static shock through my entire system."
She didn't respond.
Just started walking toward the glowing path like this was all just… game logic.
But I couldn't stop staring at where our hands had touched.
Something about it lingered longer than it should've.
And for the first time…
I wasn't sure this was just code anymore.