"I thought this place would have cooking utensils, so I can only give you unsalted fish, Luna," Mia Everglow chattered while Luna was busy eating the fish. Luna's body was still weak today, even though she had rested the entire day yesterday.
"Today, they're going to make bows to sell to Mierre-Park, Luna. Don't you think we should help them? Just think of it as repaying them for saving us and offering protection."
"We're still going back to our home, Mia."
"I can't guarantee Uncle John will let us live peacefully," Mia replied as she stayed seated beside Luna. She wanted to negotiate with Luna, who wasn't easily convinced. "If he finds out we returned home, wouldn't he kill you and sell me, Thalia, and Rhea?"
"I can guarantee we'll be fine," Luna said confidently. "You don't need to worry so much. If it gets dangerous, I still have enough money to buy a new house."
"But wouldn't it be safer for all of us to stay here?" Mia asked as she looked into Luna's eyes. She paused, trying to understand why her sister was so stubborn. "It's natural for you to doubt them, Luna. I had my doubts too, at first. I understand how you feel. But my perspective changed when I saw them talking with Rhea. They're not the kind of men we thought they were."
"Mia, no one can guarantee they'll always be good to us. That might just be a front to hide their deep-rooted bad nature." Mia lowered her head. She knew Luna would stand by her opinion.
From a distance, Thalia came back carrying several potatoes she had gathered from the forest. Behind her, Rhea followed with a large cassava in her arms.
"Phew! We found so many foods we can cook from the forest," Thalia Everglow said as she put down everything she'd brought back, and Rhea excitedly did the same. "We should've brought our bags from home to carry all these potatoes and cassava."
"I saw carrots earlier!" Rhea reported to Mia, who smiled warmly at her youngest sister.
Seeing Rhea's behavior and how Mia and Thalia had opened up to everyone here made Luna frustrated. From the beginning, she knew she could protect her sisters. Staying here was just as risky.
It was true that they planned to build a safe house to start a new life. But at the same time, Luna doubted whether they could truly provide a decent space for women—an area that only women could enter.
Especially knowing their financial problems made Luna even more skeptical that they could last here for more than a month. Winter was coming soon, and it would be a nightmare if they froze to death when the cold came.
"What are the men doing, Rhea?" Mia asked.
"Chopping trees to make bows. They're so busy that I just went to get these potatoes with Thalia," Rhea chirped, just like she always did at home.
Luna knew her youngest sister was probably already comfortable living here, even if there was no roof over their heads.
Luna had entered this game world as a girl with the same name and age. She was a 22-year-old who, in her real world, worked for an intelligence agency. A stark contrast to the girl's job in this game world, where she helped her parents in their vineyard.
Mia and Thalia were 20-year-old twins, while Rhea, the youngest, was ten years old.
Mia, Thalia, and Rhea all believed Luna had been seriously ill and bedridden. Then one morning, she suddenly woke up feeling healthy again. She had no health issues—except for one: memory loss.
All her sisters knew she had had amnesia for several months now. But the truth was, she wasn't the same Luna who used to live here. She was a different woman, accidentally trapped in this world with several missions to complete the game.
Since Uncle John arrived, Luna had sensed something was wrong with him. He was friends with a few bandits, allowing him to travel freely without being robbed.
It was strange, but Luna didn't suspect much—until she found out he planned to take her sisters away under the pretense of education. Luna knew Rhea should be in school, but she doubted the reason for sending her to Narima Beach.
She could easily afford to send Rhea to school in Mierre-Park—even until graduation.
Luna also knew there was no truly safe place from Uncle John's reach. One day, she was sure they would come and wreak havoc here. They hadn't shown up yet—probably because her three sisters were surrounded by strong men who would gladly fight off any bandits.
A loud noise from the forest shifted everyone's attention to six men carrying a long pine tree. It had a diameter of about thirty centimeters and was ten meters tall.
They were serious about making bows and turning this land into something prosperous. Their ambition both impressed and terrified Luna. Especially if they succeeded in living here.
"Luna, can I go play with the horses?" Rhea asked, pointing to three horses eating in a patch of grass at some distance. The grass was waist-high to Luna.
"No, Rhea. We don't know if there are snakes over there," Luna refused, which disappointed Rhea. Her small lips pouted, and she looked downhearted as Luna finished eating.
"Are we supposed to just sit here?" Thalia asked Mia, who sat beside her. Luna understood her point—they probably felt guilty watching everyone else work while they did nothing.
"Shouldn't we help out, Thalia?" Mia stood up, intending to approach the six men who were busy chopping wood to make bows.
"We don't need to help them," Luna interrupted, stopping her sister from going over to the men.
"Do you think we'll be comfortable just sitting here all day, Luna?" That wasn't something Thalia usually said. But this time, Luna could tell that Mia was more vocal about her opinions. "I don't care what you think—I'm going to help them, whether you like it or not."
Rhea sat beside Luna, watching her two sisters walk away. Luna realized her youngest sibling had been looking at her for a while. It made Luna wonder—was there something wrong with her? Or was Rhea thinking about something she couldn't voice yet?
"What is it, Rhea?" Luna asked softly, trying to break the spiral of thoughts clouding her mind. She smiled when she saw her sister smile first.
"Are you still sick, Luna?" Rhea asked, gently holding and stroking Luna's arm.
"Yeah, just a little. I'm just feeling weak—my wound is much better now," Luna replied as she stroked Rhea's braided hair.
Maybe Luna was foolish for returning to this world so easily, just because her sisters needed saving. She admitted it. But her relationship with her sisters wasn't like an ordinary sibling bond.
Even if this world were just a game, Luna genuinely wanted them to live good lives. Even if they were merely characters, unlike Luna, who was real.
"If you're feeling better, let's go for a walk. It turns out staying here is fun," Rhea said, making Luna realize she was the only one uncomfortable living in this place.