Chapter 1: Nadia x Vivian
In the grim darkness of modern life, I was once a thief—a Medjay, no less—in the mystical, sun-scorched backwater of Egypt. We made headlines in ways the world couldn’t ignore, our heists so audacious they left governments sweating bullets and chewing their fingers in boardrooms.
That’s where I met him. A coworker. A fellow thief. And, tragically, a man more into 2D waifus than actual women. Yes, the legendary criminal mastermind who had half the world’s security agencies on edge... spent his nights playing Dating Sims and arguing over best girl online. If people knew the truth, there’d be a planet-wide facepalm heard from orbit.
Naturally, I tried to get his attention. Took some well-meaning advice, started playing those Visual Novel RPGs myself. Surprisingly addictive, actually. But even with my best efforts, I couldn’t compete with the pixel-perfect charm of his virtual crushes.
Still, those were good times—until that heist that changed everything.
We’d received intel: an ancient Egyptian artifact was set to be auctioned off, under the watchful eyes of the so-called World Government. Not a real government, mind you—more like a shadowy cabal of obscenely rich villains who pull global strings between brunches. Rumor had it the artifact held a strange energy, one that could redefine nuclear science... or break it entirely. Its discoverer? Forced to sell it on the world stage.
And we pulled it off. We actually pulled it off.
But we were betrayed.
An old comrade, long off the grid, came back—with enemies in tow. Our hideout was surrounded, the mission compromised. Someone had to hold them off while the rest escaped. Shady volunteered.
He was my superior. I followed orders, got the team out safely. But something didn’t sit right. I turned back.
I found him, guns pointed from every direction. Agents from half the world’s intelligence networks besieging a single man.
I tried to save him. It all escalated in an instant. Bullets flew.