Chapter 21 – Invite

Madelyn wandered through the village a while longer, her bare feet moving automatically as her mind whirled with thoughts. Her fox ears flicked intermittently, picking up snippets of conversations that blurred into the background. The cobblestone streets and lively market stalls passed by in a haze as she tried to process everything all at once.

The dreams. The mysterious woman in the tank. Her transformation. The glitched class and skills she still didn’t fully understand. The little fox from her dream. Her friends, who she still hadn’t faced. And now, the name Aeloria—a new mystery to add to the tangled mess in her head. And she was sure she was forgetting something already.

Each piece of the puzzle seemed connected, but no matter how hard she tried to fit them together, the picture remained unclear. What did the woman from her dreams want from her? What was the true nature of her transformation? And why had the boy's mom reacted the way she did earlier when her son mentioned that she resembled Aeloria?

Her tail swayed behind her in agitation, mirroring her unsettled thoughts. Maybe what she really needed was to spend some time with her mom. The game had only given her more questions, and the weight of it all was starting to feel too overwhelming. The mysteries, the glitches, the strange connection to Aeloria—it was too much to sort through on her own, at least right now. She could use a break.

With that thought, Madelyn made the decision to log out. The familiar process of disconnecting from the game felt almost like a relief, and as soon as the full-dive session ended, she opened her eyes and carefully climbed out of the pod. Her legs felt slightly wobbly as she stretched, getting used to being back in the real world.

She made her way downstairs, her feet padding softly across the floor. The comforting smells of home drifted toward her, and as she entered the kitchen, she saw her mom sitting at the dinner table, a laptop open in front of her. Her mom’s face was focused, deep in thought as she typed, but she looked up when she heard Madelyn approaching.

"Hey, Madelyn," her mom greeted warmly as she walked over. Madelyn's ears perked up at the sound of her mom's voice, and she felt a quiet sense of contentment just being near her. She sat down beside her, her tail curling around her waist as she settled in. Her mom was still working, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard, but the familiar sound was soothing. For a while, they sat in companionable silence.

After a while, her mom paused and looked over at her, a gentle smile on her lips. "Something on your mind, dear?"

Madelyn hesitated for a moment, her ears flattening slightly. "I don’t know… everything is just kind of overwhelming," she admitted softly.

Her mom’s gaze softened even more, and she closed the laptop, giving Madelyn her full attention. "Why don’t you tell me about it?"

Madelyn took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. Slowly, she began to recount her day in Astralyth Online. She told her mom about the slime quest, how she tested the weapon ring, and the strange feeling of being watched and cheered for by the other adventurers. She described the boy at the fountain and how he had mistaken her for his mom, then the way he compared her to Aeloria. As she spoke, her words tumbled out faster, each detail pulling at the tangled mess of confusion in her mind.

"And then… he said I looked like Aeloria. I don’t know why, but it just felt… strange. Like maybe it wasn’t just a coincidence, you know?" Madelyn’s voice grew quieter as she finished, her eyes downcast. Her tail wrapped around her leg, a subconscious gesture of uncertainty.

Her mom listened intently, nodding along with each part of the story, her expression thoughtful. "It sounds like a lot to take in, sweetie," she said after a moment. "But you don’t have to figure it all out at once. You’ve been through so many changes already, and I know it must be confusing."

Madelyn nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. It felt good to get it all out. Her ears lifted a bit, reflecting her slight relief.

After emptying her heart, her mom had made some tea, and they now sat together on the couch, the warmth from the cups seeping into their hands. Madelyn snuggled close to her mom, resting her head on her shoulder. The comfort of being in her mom's presence, wrapped in the familiar scents of home, gave her a sense of peace she hadn’t felt all day. Her tail lay softly across her lap, swaying gently.

“So,” her mom began gently, breaking the quiet. “When will you tell your other friends?”

Madelyn’s heart clenched, and her ears drooped as the familiar ache of guilt settled deep inside her. She hadn’t told them yet. Not about the transformation, not about anything. And it wasn’t just guilt—it was the sharp sting of missing them. She loved her friends more than she could put into words, but fear weighed her down. She was terrified of losing them.

“I don’t know,” Madelyn whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. “I want to, I really do. But… I’m scared. What if they don’t understand? What if… I lose them?”

Her mom’s hand gently stroked her hair, fingers brushing lightly against Madelyn's ears, a soothing gesture that made the knot of anxiety in her chest loosen just a little. “Sarah said they’d understand,” Madelyn continued, “but how can I be sure? What if things aren’t the same after they know?”

Her mom let out a soft sigh, thoughtful but gentle. “I can’t promise that everything will stay exactly the same, sweetie. People change, relationships change. But if they’re really your friends—and I know they are—they’ll want to be there for you, no matter what. You just have to give them the chance.”

Madelyn nodded slowly, but the fear lingered. She loved them too much to lose them, but she couldn’t ignore the reality of what had happened to her. Her tail curled tighter around her.

Her mom held her close, her hand softly stroking Madelyn’s hair and ears, the steady rhythm bringing a sense of calm to her stormy thoughts. "It’s okay to be scared," her mom said quietly, her voice filled with understanding. "But you can’t keep hiding from the people you care about. They deserve to know, and you deserve to have their support."

Madelyn bit her lip, anxiety twisting in her stomach. "But what if they don’t…?" Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the thought. Her ears flattened against her head, betraying her worry.

Her mom gave her a gentle squeeze. "What if they do? What if they surprise you?"

Madelyn didn’t answer right away. She knew her mom was right, but the fear still gnawed at her. After a long pause, her mom shifted, looking at her with that same patient smile she always had when encouraging her to do something difficult. "Why don’t you invite them all after school tomorrow? Just talk to them, face-to-face. It might be easier that way."

The idea of confronting them made Madelyn’s heart race, and her tail flicked nervously behind her. But deep down, she knew her mom was right. She had been avoiding them for too long. Sarah had already proven she could be understanding, and now it was time to see if the others could do the same.

Madelyn took a deep breath. "Okay," she whispered, her voice barely steady. "I’ll invite them all after school."

Her mom smiled warmly, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. Madelyn's ears perked up slightly at the affectionate gesture. "That's my brave girl. They’ll be there for you, Maddy. You’ll see."

Even though fear still lingered, Madelyn knew she had to do it. She owed it to her friends. Even if it scared her, they deserved the truth.

Madelyn made her way up to her room, her feet feeling heavier with each step. When she sat down on her bed, she grabbed her phone from the bedside table, the familiar weight of it in her hand grounding her for a moment. She hadn’t looked at it since the last message she sent—back when she had just changed. As the screen lit up, the notifications showed what she had been dreading: hundreds of missed messages.

Her heart skipped a beat as she opened her friends’ group chat, her hands trembling slightly. As she scrolled through, her eyes scanned the flood of conversations she had missed. They had been asking about her—him, as they still called her Benjamin. There were messages about their plans in Astralyth Online, school, and hanging out. Some were lighthearted, but others had a worried edge, wondering why they hadn’t heard from her.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt a pang of guilt with each message she read. Her tail lay still beside her, a sign of her inner turmoil. The longer she scrolled, the heavier the weight in her chest grew. They didn’t know, and she had left them in the dark for too long.

Her finger hovered over the chat box, uncertainty gnawing at her. She had to tell them, had to invite them to meet her. But what if they didn’t understand? What if things changed too much?

Her mom’s words echoed in her mind. Give them a chance.

Madelyn closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breath. Her ears twitched slightly as she summoned the courage. She opened the chat box and began typing, her fingers shaking as she typed each word.

Benjamin: Hey guys. Can we meet up after school tomorrow? There’s something I need to tell you.

Her thumb hovered over the "send" button, her heart racing. With a deep breath, she pressed it, and the message went through.

Now all she could do was wait.

Madelyn sat frozen, staring at her phone as the replies began to flood in. Each message made her heart skip a beat, a mixture of anxiety and relief coursing through her. The first notification was from Sarah, as expected. Madelyn could almost feel her friend’s boundless energy and enthusiasm jumping off the screen.

Sarah: Of course! I'll be there! Can’t wait to see you!

The excitement in Sarah’s response was palpable, and for a brief moment, it made Madelyn smile. Her ears perked up ever so slightly. But beneath that smile was the persistent knot of fear twisting in her stomach.

The others chimed in quickly after that. Lillian’s reply was gentle, as always: Sure, I’m in. We’ve missed you, Ben. David and James followed with casual confirmations, though she could sense the subtle concern in their responses, even if they tried to keep things light.

About time! We’ve got a lot to catch up on, James wrote, trying to keep the mood upbeat. David added: I’ll be there. You okay though?

Madelyn read each message, her emotions swirling. Part of her was relieved they all agreed to come without hesitation, but another part—the scared, uncertain part—kept whispering doubts. They don’t know yet. They still think you’re the same.

She glanced again at Sarah’s response, feeling the comfort of knowing at least one person already understood. Even so, the overwhelming anxiety of facing all of them still lingered. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. Her tail curled around her, offering a small measure of comfort.

Tomorrow, everything would change.