TO MIA MY GREATEST TEAMMATE IN THE GAME AND IN LIFE

 TO MIA MY GREATEST TEAMMATE IN THE GAME AND IN LIFE

ALEX HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN INTROVERT, MORE COMFORTABLE BEHIND A SCREEN THAN IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE. GAMING WASN’T JUST A PASTIME IT WAS HIS ESCAPE, HIS SANCTUARY. REALM OF ETERNIA WAS HIS FAVORITE REFUGE, A WORLD WHERE HE COULD TRADE HIS MUNDANE OFFICE LIFE FOR HEROIC QUESTS AND EPIC BATTLES.

IN THE GAME, ALEX WAS KNOWN AS KAEL, A BATTLE-HARDENED WARRIOR WITH A REPUTATION FOR TAKING ON CHALLENGES OTHERS AVOIDED. HE WAS CONFIDENT IN HIS VIRTUAL WORLD, BUT EVEN THERE, SOMETHING ALWAYS FELT MISSING.

ONE EVENING, ALEX FOUND HIMSELF WANDERING THE LOST RUINS, A SPRAWLING DUNGEON NOTORIOUS FOR ITS COMPLEXITY AND BRUTAL ENEMIES. HE WAS CLEARING OUT MOBS OF SKELETON KNIGHTS WHEN HE NOTICED ANOTHER PLAYER NEARBY—A MAGE NAMED LYRIA. HER CHARACTER WORE FLOWING ROBES ADORNED WITH GOLD EMBROIDERY, AND SHE WIELDED A GLOWING STAFF THAT PULSED WITH ARCANE ENERGY.

ALEX WATCHED AS SHE STRUGGLED TO FEND OFF A PACK OF SPECTRAL WOLVES. SHE WAS HOLDING HER GROUND, BUT IT WAS CLEAR SHE WAS OVERWHELMED.

"NEED A HAND?" HE TYPED, STEPPING INTO THE FRAY BEFORE SHE COULD RESPOND.

TOGETHER, THEY DISPATCHED THE WOLVES IN A WHIRLWIND OF SPELLS AND SWORD STRIKES.

"THANKS," LYRIA TYPED. "I WASN’T EXPECTING THIS PLACE TO BE SO TOUGH."

"NO PROBLEM," ALEX REPLIED. "THIS DUNGEON’S NO JOKE. YOU RUNNING SOLO?"

"YEAH," SHE ADMITTED. "MY USUAL GROUP BAILED ON ME."

"HOW ABOUT WE TEAM UP?" ALEX OFFERED.

THERE WAS A PAUSE, THEN: "SURE. LET’S DO IT."

FROM THAT MOMENT, THEY BECAME A TEAM. THEY NAVIGATED THE DUNGEON TOGETHER, SOLVING PUZZLES, EVADING TRAPS, AND BATTLING WAVES OF ENEMIES. THEIR PLAYSTYLES COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER PERFECTLY, AND ALEX FOUND HIMSELF GENUINELY ENJOYING THE COMPANY.

WHEN THEY FINALLY DEFEATED THE DUNGEON BOSS A MASSIVE SKELETAL DRAGON ALEX FELT A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT HE HADN’T EXPERIENCED IN A LONG TIME.

"GG," HE TYPED.

"GG!" LYRIA REPLIED. "THAT WAS FUN. YOU’RE PRETTY GOOD AT THIS."

"LIKWISE," ALEX SAID.

AS THEY DIVIDED THE LOOT, ALEX HESITATED BEFORE TYPING, "YOU WANT TO PARTY UP FOR MORE QUESTS? I DON’T USUALLY TEAM UP, BUT YOU’RE EASY TO WORK WITH."

"SAME HERE," LYRIA REPLIED. "LET’S DO IT."

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, ALEX AND LYRIA BECAME INSEPARABLE IN ETERNIA. THEY TACKLED EVERY DUNGEON, RAID, AND EVENT THE GAME HAD TO OFFER. BUT IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT THE GAMEPLAY. BETWEEN BATTLES, THEY’D CHAT ABOUT THEIR LIVES.

ALEX LEARNED THAT LYRIA’S REAL NAME WAS MIA. SHE WAS A FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER WHO PLAYED ETERNIA TO UNWIND AFTER WORK. SHE WAS QUICK-WITTED, FUNNY, AND FIERCELY INDEPENDENT.

MIA, IN TURN, LEARNED THAT ALEX WORKED A DESK JOB HE FOUND UNINSPIRING BUT DREAMED OF BECOMING A WRITER. HE TOLD HER ABOUT THE FANTASY STORIES HE’D STARTED BUT NEVER FINISHED, HOW HE DOUBTED HIS ABILITY TO CREATE SOMETHING WORTH READING.

"YOU’RE ALREADY WRITING STORIES IN THIS GAME," MIA POINTED OUT ONE EVENING. "JUST PUT THEM ON PAPER."

"IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE," ALEX REPLIED.

"MAYBE NOT," MIA SAID. "BUT NOTHING WORTH DOING EVER IS."

THEIR CONNECTION GREW STRONGER WITH EVERY QUEST AND CONVERSATION. ALEX FOUND HIMSELF LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR GAMING SESSIONS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN HIS DAY. ONE NIGHT, AFTER DEFEATING A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT RAID BOSS, HE HESITATED BEFORE TYPING:

"WHAT IF WE MET IN REAL LIFE?"

HE STARED AT THE SCREEN, NERVOUS ABOUT HER RESPONSE. FINALLY, HER REPLY CAME:

"WHY NOT? HOW ABOUT THIS WEEKEND?"

THE DAY OF THEIR MEETING, ALEX ARRIVED AT THE CAFÉ THEY’D CHOSEN, HIS HEART RACING. HE’D SEEN PICTURES OF MIA, BUT HE STILL FELT A MIX OF EXCITEMENT AND ANXIETY.

WHEN SHE WALKED IN, HE RECOGNIZED HER IMMEDIATELY. HER CONFIDENCE, HER SMILE—IT WAS ALL EXACTLY AS HE’D IMAGINED.

“MIA?” HE ASKED, STANDING AS SHE APPROACHED.

“ALEX,” SHE SAID, GRINNING. “IT’S NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU.”

THEY SPENT HOURS TALKING, AND IT WAS AS IF NO TIME HAD PASSED SINCE THEIR LAST CONVERSATION IN THE GAME. THEY LAUGHED ABOUT THEIR ETERNIA ADVENTURES, SHARED STORIES ABOUT THEIR LIVES, AND DISCOVERED THEY HAD EVEN MORE IN COMMON THAN THEY’D REALIZED.

AS THE AFTERNOON TURNED INTO EVENING, ALEX FOUND HIMSELF THINKING THAT MIA WASN’T JUST HIS TEAMMATE IN ETERNIA. SHE WAS SOMEONE HE WANTED BY HIS SIDE IN THE REAL WORLD, TOO.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP BLOSSOMED FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. THEY CONTINUED TO PLAY ETERNIA TOGETHER BUT ALSO BEGAN EXPLORING REAL-WORLD ADVENTURES. THEY WENT HIKING, TRIED NEW RESTAURANTS, AND EVEN STARTED BRAINSTORMING STORY IDEAS FOR ALEX’S WRITING.

MIA’S UNWAVERING SUPPORT GAVE ALEX THE COURAGE TO FINALLY PURSUE HIS DREAM. HE BEGAN WRITING EVERY DAY, POURING HIS EXPERIENCES IN ETERNIA INTO THE PAGES OF A FANTASY NOVEL.

MIA WAS HIS FIRST READER, OFFERING FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

“THIS IS AMAZING,” SHE SAID ONE NIGHT, SETTING DOWN THE MANUSCRIPT. “YOU HAVE TO PUBLISH THIS.”

“YOU REALLY THINK IT’S GOOD ENOUGH?” ALEX ASKED.

“I KNOW IT IS,” SHE REPLIED.

YEARS LATER, ALEX’S DEBUT NOVEL HIT THE SHELVES. IT WAS A SWEEPING FANTASY EPIC INSPIRED BY HIS ADVENTURES IN ETERNIA AND THE BOND HE’D FORMED WITH MIA.

AT THE BOOK LAUNCH, MIA STOOD BY HIS SIDE, BEAMING WITH PRIDE.

WHEN ALEX TOOK THE STAGE TO GIVE HIS SPEECH, HE HELD UP A COPY OF THE BOOK AND SAID, “THIS STORY WOULDN’T EXIST WITHOUT THE PERSON WHO INSPIRED IT. TO MIA, MY GREATEST TEAMMATE IN THE GAME AND IN LIFE.”

THE AUDIENCE ERUPTED INTO APPLAUSE, BUT ALL ALEX COULD SEE WAS MIA’S SMILE, BRIGHTER THAN ANYTHING IN THE ROOM.

FROM THAT FIRST DUNGEON IN ETERNIA TO BUILDING A LIFE TOGETHER, ALEX AND MIA HAD PROVEN THAT THE BEST ADVENTURES ARE THE ONES YOU SHARE WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE.