The year was 2020. A sleek, brand new car pulled up to the glittering entrance of the city mall. Suzanne, along with her two friends, piled out, their faces alight with the promise of retail therapy. "Suzanne!" one friend exclaimed, bubbling with excitement. "Today, we're going to buy everything in this mall!"
Inside, they launched into a joyous shopping spree, bags multiplying until they could barely carry them. Exhausted but happy, they finally collapsed into plush chairs at a trendy café, sipping coffee. "You're so lucky, Suzanne," her friend sighed, stirring her drink. "Your father is the director of the biggest company in New York. You can do whatever you want." Suzanne, however, offered only a faint, almost melancholic, smile in response.
"Suzanne," her friend continued, oblivious to the shift in her mood, "tomorrow's your birthday! What's the plan?"
"Huh!" the second friend scoffed. "Don't be stupid! It'll be a grand party, of course!"
After their shopping marathon, Suzanne headed home. Her maid, Suzi, met her at the door with a warm smile. "Suzi, did you eat anything, or should I cook you some delicious food?"
"Don't worry, I had lunch," Suzanne replied, already making her way towards her room. "I'm just going to rest." She flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling, then made a call. "Mom!" she began, her voice a little hesitant. "Will you come tomorrow for my birthday? And please, bring Jane with you."
Her mother's voice was soft, but laced with concern. "I'll come, dear, but why are you calling me so late? I remember your birthday. Is something wrong?"
"No, no, it's not like that," Suzanne quickly reassured her. "Okay, Mom, we'll see each other tomorrow."
Just then, her father's voice boomed from the doorway. "Suzi, what are you doing? Come downstairs for dinner."
"I'm going to sleep, Dad," Suzanne called back.
"Okay," he said, before she added, "Dad, will you come tomorrow?"
"No, I have important work," he replied, a hint of regret in his tone. "But I'll try."
The next day, everyone gathered for Suzanne's birthday party, but her mom, dad, and sister were nowhere to be seen. Suzanne's heart sank. She called her mother. "Mom! Where are you?"
"I'm on my way," her mother replied, her voice strained. "But the flight's delayed because of the weather."
The entire day passed, and eventually, everyone left for home. The sky darkened, heavy clouds gathered, and rain began to fall. Suzanne sat alone at the dining table, the grand feast untouched, her spirit dampened.
Her maid approached gently. "Don't be sad, Suzi. It's just the weather. You sit here, I'll call your father."
"No, no need," Suzanne said, a hollow ache in her voice. "Today, I've learned no one is truly mine."
"No, Suzi, that's not true," the maid tried to console her.
"Please," Suzanne whispered, "leave me alone for a while." The maid, sensing her profound sadness, quietly left the room.
Suzanne sat there, the silence pressing in around her, until she drifted off to sleep. At midnight, she stirred awake. On the dining table, where the untouched food had been, now sat a strange game machine. Words glowed on its screen: "Wish what you want."
A faint shimmer, then Suzanne simply vanished.
Chapter Two: The Devil's Cards
The next morning, the maid discovered Suzanne's absence and immediately called everyone. "Suzi's gone somewhere!"
Her father rushed home. "What's the matter? Where is Suzi?" His eyes fell upon the mysterious game machine. "What is this?" he demanded, already calling for security. "Go check the footage!"
The security footage was chilling. It showed Suzanne, alone in the dining room, approaching the game machine. She typed something, a letter appearing on the screen, then she connected a device to the machine. A flash of light, and she was drawn into the device, disappearing into the game itself.
"What is this?" her father muttered, bewildered. He tried to interact with the machine, to enter the game, but it wouldn't respond. Desperate, he gathered all the intelligent men and shamans he knew, pleading for help to get his daughter back. But they all recoiled, a profound fear in their eyes. They knew of the game, and they were terrified.
An hour later, four cards materialized from the game machine. Three were gold, the fourth silver.
The first gold card displayed a picture and the name David. Beneath it, the words: Champion 1 Down99%98%20%
The second and third gold cards were identical in layout, featuring Sharleen and Jane respectively. On the back of each of these three cards was the number "1".
The fourth card, however, was silver. It bore a picture and the name A.D., with different statistics: 50%70%100% On the back of this silver card was the number "2".
Suzanne's father immediately dispatched his men. "Go find David and Sharleen," he commanded. "Through whatever means necessary. I'll give you a large amount of money."
Chapter Three: The Guide
Within two hours, David and Sharleen were brought before Suzanne's father. They sat opposite him, their expressions wary.
"Please, help me," he pleaded.
David immediately shook his head. "No, no, I will not go back into this game. Why did you ask for help from A.D.?"
"Who is A.D.?" Suzanne's father questioned.
"Your daughter's boyfriend," David stated bluntly.
Sharleen quickly interjected, "Stop, David! You know he's the one who brought us back to life. Because of him, we are living."
Suzanne's father's eyes widened. "You mean the boy on the silver card brought you back from the game? And he's Suzanne's boyfriend?"
"No," David corrected. "Not Suzanne's. Jane's boyfriend."
At that precise moment, Suzanne's mother and Jane burst into the room. "What happened?" Jane cried, her gaze falling upon the game machine. "Why is it here?"
"Mom, where is Suzi?" Suzanne's mother demanded of her husband.
David, seeing Jane, spoke grimly. "Jane, Suzanne is in the game."
"What?" Jane gasped. "But how?"
"No, it's impossible!" Suzanne's mother whispered, her face paling. "He was correct! No, no!"
"What?" Suzanne's father asked, baffled.
"I'll get my sister," Jane declared, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. "Stop crying, Mom!" She rushed towards the game, then paused. "But it's different from that one."
"How?" her father asked.
"Now it's modernized," Jane explained.
"Can we enter the game?"
"No," David cut in. "It's not the same as before. We need A.D."
Jane turned on David, frustration in her voice. "Why didn't you come with A.D.?"
"He's not with me now," she admitted, her shoulders slumping.
"But how?" Sharleen questioned. "Last we saw, you were on your way to see your mother."
Suzanne's mother cut them off. "Stop. That was the past."
"But we need A.D.!" David insisted.
"But why?" Suzanne's father pressed.
"Because he was our guide," David explained. "And he was the first one to enter the game."
"Go find A.D.!" Suzanne's father ordered his men.
"You can't," Suzanne's mother interjected, her voice unexpectedly strong. "Because I know where he is."
"What?" Jane cried, turning on her mother. "You know, but you didn't tell me? A year has gone, and now you tell me?"
"It's not time," her mother replied curtly. She gave her husband an address. "Go to this address. I'll be there."
"I'll come too!" Jane declared.
"No," her mother said firmly. "You can't." She then added, "Dad, go to this address with your men." As she spoke, she swayed and fell.
"Mom!" Jane cried, rushing to her side.
"No, I have to go to get him," her mother insisted, struggling to rise. "If you go, he won't come." Her mother reconsidered. "Okay, go to this address, then call me. I'll talk to A.D. But Jane, you absolutely cannot go."
Suzanne's father sent his men to the address. Soon, a call came through to his phone. "Dad, what is it?" Jane asked, eager to talk to A.D. "I want to talk."
Her mother took the mobile. "A.D.," she said into the phone, her voice urgent. "I need you. It's time. You have to help us."
A.D.'s voice was calm. "Okay. Do preparations."
"What preparations?" Suzanne's father asked. His wife whispered something into his ear.
"Everyone go to that room!" he announced. "I have to talk to A.D."
Chapter Four: The Devil's Game Explained
A.D. arrived and joined them at the table. After an hour of hushed discussion in a separate room, they all re-emerged, gathering around the game machine on the dining table. Jane watched A.D. with a strange, intense gaze.
"You came," David greeted A.D.
Jane, still staring at A.D., picked up a glass of water and slowly, deliberately, poured it over him. A.D. didn't flinch, remaining still as everyone watched in stunned silence.
"Now go and change!" Jane ordered him.
"Why, Mom?" Suzanne's mother asked, bewildered.
"It's okay," A.D. said calmly, ignoring the water dripping from his clothes.
"We'll start after you change," Sharleen suggested.
"No, it's okay," A.D. insisted.
Suzanne's mother was openly weeping. "Why are you crying, Mom?" Jane asked, confused, as her mother simply stared at A.D.
"What is this?" Suzanne's father demanded of A.D.
"It's a dangerous game," A.D. replied, his voice grave. "It's called The Wish from the Devil's Game."
"But it's modernized," David pointed out.
"Help me get my daughter," Suzanne's father pleaded, his voice cracking.
"Stop crying. I'll help you," A.D. assured him.
"You know how to enter?" David asked, incredulous.
"Yes," A.D. confirmed. He then turned to Suzanne's father. "Form a team. Those who come with me into the game, you must take responsibility for their families if they die."
"What? Died?" Suzanne's father recoiled.
"Yes," David confirmed, "that's why I will not go there."
"Okay," Suzanne's father conceded, turning to his men. "I'll take responsibility. Whoever goes there, I'll take care of your family."
A.D. began setting up the machine, attaching several devices that could monitor and collaborate with the players inside the game. "Who will come with me?" he asked. He placed his finger on the game's fingerprint scanner.
Jane and Sharleen immediately volunteered. "We will come!"
"Okay," A.D. said. "Form a line and come one by one. You must write 'I wish' for your entry. And if you win the game and are alive, the game will grant you another wish."
One by one, the chosen team members entered the game. When it was Sharleen and Jane's turn, Jane tried to enter, but she couldn't. She found herself connected to A.D., who was already inside the game with seven other members.
"I'm sorry," A.D.'s voice echoed from within the game. "My wish was that you can't get into the game."
"Then I'll wish to enter!" Jane declared, trying again, but still she couldn't. "What's the problem?" she cried out. She turned to Sharleen. "Help me," Jane said. "Wish for me!"
Sharleen tried, but the computer screen simply flashed, "Not possible."
Then Jane said, "Sharleen, you go into the game and care for A.D."
"No," Sharleen responded, "what do I get from this?"
"You also like him," Jane said, her voice dropping. "You know at night he will be unconscious."
Sharleen paused. "The deal is this: I'll help, but A.D. will marry me."
"What?" Jane exclaimed, taken aback.
"No, it's not like that," Sharleen clarified. "I know A.D. likes you. I want that we both can marry A.D. I'm okay with this. We are friends, and we can manage this. We three will be happy together."
Jane considered this for a moment, then agreed. "Okay, then go."
Sharleen stepped forward and entered the game.
Chapter Five: Shark Way
Inside the game, the eight members – A.D., Sharleen, David, and four others – found themselves in a college setting. "What is this?" Sharleen asked, looking around.
"It's game level," A.D. announced, his voice tight. "Run into Shark Way."
A tone of worry sounded, echoing through the virtual space.
.