Sitting at the bus stop, James stretched and yawned.

  "Jamie, you live just 15 minutes from here, right?" Samantha asked, sitting beside him and leaning in his direction.

  'Jamie' was the nickname she had given him, and even though he didn't like it much, unfortunately for James, she had no intention of changing it.

  "Around 10 minutes if I walk fast. Why?" he asked, confused.

  "Then why are you waiting for the bus with me?" she said with a smile.

  James also smiled and leaned in slightly.

  "Because I like your company, isn't it obvious?" he replied with a flirtatious tone.

  "That's great because I love being with you too," she flirted back. "But you seemed to be in a big hurry during class. What changed?"

  Just over three hours ago, Alex had sent a message about the launch of the new Maravilhador game. James had wanted to leave class immediately, but the teacher had simply decreed that no one would leave before class was over.

  Seeing the high chances of missing the Top 3 this time, James decided there was no point in rushing. After all, what’s another drop of water when you’re already soaked?

  He chose to spend some quality time with Samantha. Later, he’d ask Alex and Liam for some tips.

  "Nothing changed. I just wanted to enjoy my time with you," he answered.

  "That's sweet."

  Her beautiful smile made James’ mind go blank.

  "Want to go out tonight?" Samantha asked. "We could go bowling."

  Recovering, James nodded.

  "Sure, we can meet at the French restaurant."

  Even though they weren’t dating—yet—they often went out together. James didn’t know it, but Samantha was waiting for him to take the first step.

  "Jamie, did you see that the government is forcing everyone to take their rewards to the police station?" Samantha suddenly asked.

  "I saw it. It was on TV this morning," James replied.

  "It's technically illegal to play now. But no one really cares. You just have to be careful."

  Soon, they were talking about how ridiculous the government was being lately, and how they wanted to invade civilians' homes to confiscate (steal) the rewards they had won, claiming they were evidence of Maravilhador's crimes.

  Most players didn’t believe it, but James was especially worried—because in the last few days, he had been acting as an anonymous hero.

  He had helped with some traffic accidents and stopped two convenience store robberies, one of which was armed.

  Since there was no full moon that night, James didn’t know if his defense was strong enough to withstand a bullet.

  So, he simply threw a small stone at the robber’s armed hand. Some of the guy’s bones might have been broken from the impact, but considering he was pointing a gun at the young cashier, James thought it was fair.

  After a week as a vigilante, he had even earned a hero name.

  Since he always appeared wearing a Dracula-style cape and disappeared as soon as he helped, people had started calling him "Dark Knight."

  It wasn’t a big deal, but James was really proud of it. After all, it was a pretty cool name.

  That was also why he was so worried—his cape was currently in his closet, hanging with his jackets. Authorities wouldn’t have to try too hard to find it.

  "Good thing our rewards were just potions, right? We don’t have to worry about hiding them," Samantha said.

  "Hahaha… yeah, good thing," he replied with a bitter smile.

  A red bus approached. Samantha stood up.

  "That’s my bus."

  "The bus is yours? Congrats on the achievement," James joked, standing up as well.

  "Idiot. You know what I mean."

  He just laughed.

  The bus stopped, and the doors opened.

  "See you later. Wear that blue jacket—it looks good on you. And don’t be late," Samantha said, hugging him and kissing his cheek.

  "I hate that jacket…" he grumbled.

  "I like it. So. Wear. It," she said, stepping onto the bus.

  "Alright. See you later."

  James watched until the bus disappeared from sight.

  'I really hate that jacket. It makes my arms itch,' he complained mentally. 'I’m gonna throw it out and say it got lost.'

  With plans to "make the innocent piece of clothing disappear," James walked back to his apartment.

  Once inside, he went straight to his computer to check out Maravilhador’s new game.

  "Outer Wilds? A virtual reality game?"

  Even James, who had an almost unshakable trust in Maravilhador’s games, hesitated for a moment.

  After all, how was a regular, slightly outdated computer supposed to run a VR game? Or better yet, how was the VR going to work?

  "Maybe he’s sending the VR equipment?"

  When James checked his friends list, he saw that Sant.H and NovaStar had been online, playing Outer Wilds for about 4 hours and 12 minutes.

  Sant.H was Liam’s username, and NovaStar was Alex’s.

  Seeing that they were already playing, James didn’t want to bother them and decided to play by himself until it was time for his date with Samantha.

  However, before he could start the game, his phone rang.

  "...Maravilhador launched another game!" an excited voice came through as soon as James answered.

  "I know. I just saw it," he said.

  "Uh…" Samantha hesitated.

  "Everything okay?" James asked.

  "..." After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. "Can we reschedule our date?"

  James went quiet.

  Honestly, that caught him off guard. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one canceling a date for a video game? Why were their roles reversed?

  But he understood. After all, it was Maravilhador’s magic game.

  "Sure, but on one condition."

  "Condition? What is it?" Samantha asked, confused.

  James smirked.

  "Never mention the blue jacket again. Actually, forget it even exists—it’s going to disappear anyway."

  "What!?" she exclaimed, surprised. "But it looks so good on you!"

  James nodded.

  "I see. So what time should we meet at the restaurant? Seven sound good to you?"

  "..." Silence. "Okay. No blue jacket, then."

  "Perfect. Have fun gaming."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "You’re not mad that I canceled the date?" Samantha asked, sounding unsure.

  "No. I wanted to play too."

  "Wait… If you also wanted to play, then the condition we agreed on doesn’t make sense be—"

  "Bye, Samantha. See you tomorrow," James said, hanging up before she could finish.

  Sitting in front of the computer, he launched the game Outer Wilds.

  James looked around, expecting some kind of VR equipment to be sent, but he was disappointed when nothing happened.

  Looking at the game menu:

  ? [New Expedition]

  ? [Options]

  ? [Exit]

  "How is this supposed to be virtual reality?" he sighed, disappointed.

  ‘Maybe Maravilhador accidentally tagged it as "VR,"’ he thought. ‘Everyone makes mistakes.’

  Sighing once more, James selected [New Expedition].

  Immediately, his vision blurred, and he felt his consciousness being pulled away. In the next moment, he found himself beneath a breathtaking starry sky, sitting next to a cozy campfire, with the sweet smell of roasted marshmallows in the air.

  Looking at the adorable little blue creature sitting across from the fire, he smiled and sat down as well.

  "Here’s our pilot! Back from your pre-launch camp under the stars. So, today’s the big launch day, huh? Feels like just yesterday you joined the space program, and now here you are, heading off on your first solo flight!"

  Slate greeted him enthusiastically.

  James looked at the possible dialogue choices but decided to ignore them and speak directly to Slate.

  "Yeah. I’m gonna miss this campfire under the stars when I leave. And you, Slate."

  James analyzed the previous dialogue options and tried to mimic the personality of the character he was controlling.

  "Haha... It’s natural to miss home. When you're far away, even the little things start to matter—a pile of old bones like me included. But I’m surprised you’re so relaxed. I guess marshmallows really help with the nerves, huh?"

  Slate responded, looking genuinely happy.

  James didn’t think he would be one of the first players to finish the game. After all, the others had a four-hour head start. So, he simply followed his heart and talked casually with Slate. He was particularly interested in the character’s artificial intelligence.

  Picking up a stick with a marshmallow on the tip, he held it over the fire and continued the conversation.

  "Have you ever been to space, Slate?"

  Slate smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.

  "If you count Lia’s rock as part of ‘space,’ then yeah. But that was a long time ago. Ah, and I built the ship myself—it was even worse than yours. I’ve improved a lot since then.

  Everything was going fine... well, until landing. But that part’s not important..."

  While listening to Slate’s story, James decided to try the marshmallow, and to his surprise, it actually tasted like one.

  ‘Amazing. Even taste was recreated... Truly incredible,’ he thought, fascinated.

  "...I’m taking up too much of your time. You should head to the observatory and get the launch codes."

  James tried to keep the conversation going, but Slate insisted he go get the codes.

  With no other choice, he headed toward the observatory. But what should have been a 7–8 minute tutorial ended up taking nearly 20 minutes because James spoke with every NPC he encountered. Even after obtaining the launch codes, he continued exploring the village, moving carefully.

  James had been the first person to play a game made by Maravilhador, so he knew the developer loved hiding secret rooms and Easter eggs in his games. There could be much more to this small planet than met the eye.

  And just as he expected, there were indeed secrets.

  James walked carefully, the wind blowing gently, kicking up small clouds of dust along the path leading to the "Grave of the Forgotten."

  It was a remote place, shrouded in mystery—a small cemetery lost in time, with only eight graves, marked by old headstones, some nearly illegible. A rusted, weather-worn plaque bore faded letters: "Final resting place of the members and allies of the Howling Commandos."

  Approaching the tombstones, James didn’t recognize any of the names on the first few.

  He continued looking out of curiosity—until he came across one that made his heart race.

  Engraved on the cold stone was a name:

  [Howard Stark]

  Howard Stark, creator of Captain America’s shield and one of his closest allies.

  Date of death: December 16, 1991.

  James murmured to himself, incredulous.

  "Howard Stark. A relative of the famous billionaire Tony Stark... or just a coincidence?"

  He stared at the gravestone, trying to understand why that name appeared here, in such an isolated cemetery.

  ‘He was the creator of Captain America’s shield? I don’t remember learning that in history class.’

  James racked his brain but was sure that no history lessons had ever mentioned this.

  But what truly unsettled him were the three dug-up, empty graves.

  He stepped closer to the first and carefully read the inscription:

  [Peggy Carter]

  The first and only love of Steve Rogers.

  Founder of the world’s greatest espionage organization.

  James furrowed his brows, confused.

  "How is this possible? I’ve never heard of her... How could I not, if she was Captain America’s true love?"

  His mind sifted through American history lessons, which always glorified the legacy of Steve Rogers, Captain America, but never once mentioned Peggy.

  He looked at her empty grave, wondering what it could mean.

  Moving on to the next headstone, now even more intrigued, he read:

  [Bucky Barnes]

  Steve Rogers’ best friend. Presumed dead during a mission against Hydra.

  Rumors say his fate was worse than death.

  James closed his eyes for a moment, trying to process the flood of information.

  He knew the story of Colonel Barnes, the man who fell from a train during a battle against Hydra soldiers.

  But something didn’t add up. The headstone suggested he didn’t die fighting Hydra. It implied he suffered a fate worse than death.

  Now, seeing his empty grave, the feeling that something was terribly wrong only grew in James’ heart.

  Finally, he turned to the last empty grave.

  [Steve Rogers]

  The first astronaut, but his reckless courage led him to crash headfirst into a glacier.

  Rumors say he’s still trapped in that glacier to this day.

  James took a deep breath, shaking his head as reality slowly settled in his mind.

  He was taking all of this too seriously.

  These weren’t actual graves but symbolic tributes to the Howling Commandos, the legendary group Captain America had been part of.

  "Right... that makes sense," he muttered to himself, relieved but still unable to shake his persistent curiosity.

  "These graves are just symbolic memorials."

  Even so, James made a mental note to research the Howling Commandos later.

  As he prepared to continue his exploration of the planet, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a notification.

  A message flashed in his field of vision:

  [Video call in the "Emergency" group]

  [Exit VR mode to answer?]

  "Emergency! What could have happened for them to use this group?" James wondered. "Maybe they found some crucial information for the game's progress."

  Quickly, he exited VR mode.

  Still slightly disoriented from the abrupt shift in perspective, James looked at his computer and saw that Alex had started the video call. He accepted it immediately. Liam joined as well.

  "Alex, what happened? I'm trying to get first place, you know?" Liam asked, irritated. "If this is one of your tricks to throw me off, just know—"

  "Give up already, it's impossible for you to beat me!" she interrupted.

  James smiled as he watched the two interact. He found the dynamic between Liam and Alex quite interesting. After all, Liam spoke to him normally, but when it came to Alex, he always seemed visibly annoyed.

  Despite that, James still felt a little out of place interacting with them. At 21 years old, he was much older than Alex, 17, and Liam, 15. The only reason he had agreed to be part of the group was because, after Alex posted online looking to gather the 1st and 3rd place players, some people started impersonating him to try and get personal information from her.

  Concerned for Alex’s safety, James reached out to warn her. However, due to her insistence, he ended up joining the group. Now, in a way, he saw himself as the "supervisor" of these two reckless teens.

  "Impossible? You'll see!" Liam said with a mix of indignation and pride. "Not only am I going to finish before you, but I've also figured out how to get the extra reward and unlock a secret achievement!"

  "Hahaha!" Alex laughed. "Impossible? I just beat the game!"

  Silence filled the group for a moment before all three of them exclaimed at the same time:

  "Impossible!" Liam shouted, shocked and outraged.

  "Extra reward and secret achievement?!" Alex yelled, surprised that Liam had discovered something she hadn't.

  "You two are amazing!" James exclaimed, impressed. After all, he hadn’t even reached the end of the first cycle yet.

  Both Liam and James were astonished. The game had only been out for four hours, and Alex had already finished it? Liam, however, was more outraged than surprised.

  "How did you finish so fast… That's impossible!"

  "You used the Intelligence Potion, didn't you?" James guessed.

  Alex had mentioned that she hadn't used the potion, but the only way to finish that quickly would be with it. From what James had noticed, Outer Wilds seemed to be a game full of puzzles and mysteries, and using the Intelligence Potion was like giving wings to a panther.

  Upon hearing that, Liam exploded:

  "That's cheating! You're a cheater!"

  It took a while for him to calm down.

  "I came here to share valuable information with you for free. Other people would be willing to pay millions for it!" Alex said, pretending to be offended. "And I haven't seen any of you showing gratitude yet."

  "Thank you very much for thinking of us, Alex." As the most mature one, James quickly expressed his gratitude.

  Liam, still annoyed, pretended not to hear.

  "I forgot to mention that the rewards are only for the first players to complete the game," Alex continued. "The reward is the Galactic Explorer Set, spaceship included."

  James and Liam's eyes widened. The Explorer Set with a spaceship was something anyone on Earth would covet.

  "So, show some gratitude and say please... Or forget about your dream of exploring the solar system," Alex finished with a smirk.

  After a brief silence, Liam retorted stubbornly.

  "I don't need it! I'm almost done with the game anyway. I already figured out how the time loop works. One or two more cycles, and I'll finish."

  Alex sighed, realizing her attempt to make Liam beg had failed.

  James, noticing their stubbornness, decided to step in.

  "Liam, since you got the extra reward and Alex has the crucial hints to complete the game, why don’t you two trade information? Wasn't that the whole point of creating this group?"

  Reflecting on James’ words, Liam finally relented, revealing that breaking the fabric of space-time was a secret challenge that granted the Scroll of Return as an extra reward.

  James was shocked. It sounded terrifying.

  "Hahaha, now it’s time for the kind person that I am to share my information with you," Alex said playfully.

  And so, Alex explained step by step how to complete Outer Wilds. In the end, it was simpler than they had imagined.

  "Next time, you'll be the one begging!" Liam declared before quickly hanging up the call.

  "He can’t be first, so now he’s rushing to be second," Alex commented, looking at James.

  "I don’t mind being third."

  "You should be a little more competitive, you know?" Alex remarked.

  James just laughed.

  "You're still not selling me the Ring of Varda?" she asked curiously.

  "Unfortunately, no. I still need it."

  "It’s because of your anonymous hero thing, huh?" Alex teased.

  "Yeah," James replied without thinking. When he realized what he had just admitted, he was completely shocked. "Wait! You knew?"

  "It wasn’t that hard to figure out. The three of us were the only ones who got two rewards. I got the Sword Card and the Intelligence Potion, Liam took the Jump Stone and the Luck Potion, and you got the Ring of Varda, but you never wanted to say what your other item was," Alex explained. "So, I kind of guessed it was a cloak. Put those two together and voilà, we have the Dark Knight."

  James was surprised. Alex was smarter than he had thought.

  "Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’m an anonymous hero too… Well, I saved an old lady from a mugging once," Alex said casually.

  "You're still too young for that," James warned.

  "Sure, sure. Now go finish the game. Maybe later the three of us can take a trip to the moon," Alex said before hanging up.

  James smiled.

  "So this is what it feels like to have younger siblings?"