burned in gold letters at the edge of his vision, then faded.

“No menus, little ghost. No second chances. Glory Road downloads you . You walk it. You earn it. Or you break.”

He tried to open his inventory. Nothing. Tried to check his stats. Silence. A raven landed on a nearby signpost. It tilted its head and spoke with the voice of an old game master.

Leo looked down at his hands. They were his hands, but scarred. Calloused. A thin line of pale skin ran across his right palm—a wound he’d never had in real life. He touched it, and a jolt of memory hit him: a sword. A fall. A promise he’d made to someone with Mira’s eyes.

No one had ever beaten it.

The raven cawed. “Turn around now, and you keep your dreams. Walk the Road, and you might find the end. But no one returns the same.”