Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

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Sebastian’s wheelchair stopped by the island desk, and he poured himself a glass of red wine. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves shoved to his elbows. With the light behind him, his striking features were cast in shadow, making his expression unreadable.

“Mr. Gray, you’re not leaving?” Stella spun her gaming chair to face him, a playful smirk on her lips. Her legs stretched out, long and slender.

Sebastian took a sip, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed. “Just play your game. Don’t worry about me.” His voice was deep and icy as always, his tone was impossible to read, and he radiated a powerful, intimidating presence.

Stella just shrugged and turned back, launching Nova Legends on her desktop.

[System: Hello, player. The server is currently at maximum capacity. Please wait patiently. Your queue number is 892, and your estimated wait time is 40 minutes.]

Stella stared and was totally speechless.

‘A server crash? It’s only 7:30, she thought.

She had no clue that, after all the hype on short video platforms and her own provocative forum reply earlier, a tidal wave of new accounts and streamers had flooded the login queues since 4 PM.

Everyone was waiting for 8 PM to see how the fangirl drama, which had blown up the Internet, would end.

Stella drummed her fingers on the desk, impatience and chill written all over her face.

“Mr. Gray,” she said without looking back, the screen’s glow making her eyes look wild, “don’t tell anyone.” As she spoke, her fingers were a blur on the keys, moving so fast that it was almost unreal.

The instant she hit the spacebar, the huge monitor went pitch black. Then, lines of code zipped by in a flash. Two seconds later, Starfall was in the game–no waiting, no queue.

Sebastian watched her quietly, his pale face giving nothing away. Only after she was in did he silently power up another rig. With her back to him, Stella didn’t notice a thing.

Starfall appeared in her basic starter gear, right where she’d logged off last time. The server instantly exploded.

Someone shouted: [Starfall just logged in! Everyone, she’s here.]

Every streaming channel went berserk, messages scrolling too fast to read.

Firework, a Lunar Guild member, spoke: [Starfall, you really had the guts to show up? 500 gold coins as a bounty for anyone who drops her coordinates. Our guild is gonna hunt you down every time you show your face, Starfall.]

Stella stood perfectly still, checking her inventory. As expected, it was totally empty. A slow, dangerous smile curved her lips.

Starfall used to be ranked tenth across the server, but after the account got hacked, it was wiped clean and back to square one. In anyone else’s hands, it was basically trash now, but Stella wasn’t anyone else.

She fired the bounty right back: [5,000 gold bounty for Firework’s coordinates,]

Meanwhile, Arrogant Wind and Hazelight’s lavish wedding was still being prepared. Server–wide fireworks cost 200 dollars each, and from 7:30 until the ceremony ended, almost 30 thousand would be spent.

That wasn’t all. Anyone who sent their blessings would receive 666 gold coins from Arrogant Wind.

12:12 Tue, Jan 13 G GR

Chapter 22

82

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[Arrogant Wind: Today, anyone who dares disrupt my wedding with Hazelight will be hunted server–wide, 20,000 gold bounty, kill on sight.]

The exclusive text flash effect for the server’s second–ranked player lit up the screen, the warning clearly aimed at Stella.

[Hazelight: My dear sister, I really don’t want you to make a fool of yourself anymore.]

[Hazelight: Just go home. Mom and Dad are looking for you. Stop hanging out with those unsavory people.]

Her words reeked of fake sweetness. Then the world chat buzzed with speculation.

[Wait, what? Starfall is Hazelight’s sister in real life?]

[Yep. She ran away from home after the failed love confession. And she just got expelled from school for mixing with her deadbeat crew and skipping class all the time.]

The whole server went nuts. Nobody expected things to go down like this.

Stella smirked lazily at her screen, but her eyes were deep and unreadable. It was obvious she was in deep trouble.

Just as the world chat was going wild, a system announcement silenced everyone.

[System: The winds and moons keep their promises, and the dawn frost bites. Nova Legends, unite. The number one player, Moondust, has returned.]

A special effect even flashier than Arrogant Wind’s lit up every server in Nova Legends, announcing Moondust’s return.

Moondust, the number one player, ID 00001, who was gone for seven years, was back.

The world chat went dead silent for a full five seconds. Meanwhile, streamers were already screaming their heads off in their channels, totally losing it.

Moondust was the timeless legend of Nova Legends. No matter how flashy Arrogant Wind tried to be, he was nothing but a wannabe compared to the real deal.

Moondust was also the only player in the entire game with a mythical cross–server mount. It was a white phoenix that everyone had dreamed of and hadn’t been seen in seven years.

Now, that phoenix was soaring high above Nova Legends with its master. Its cry echoed across the map.

[I finally got to see the legend Moondust live in–game. He’s insanely cool.]

[Man, it’s been five years. Five whole years! Finally, the number one player is back online.]

[I wish Moondust could marry me. Oh my! It’s really him. Why is he even here? Did he come for Arrogant Wind and Hazelight’s wedding?]

The moment that last comment hit the chat, Hazel couldn’t sit still. Her eyes were locked on the screen where Moondust was riding his white phoenix.

The “No. 1 Player” badge floated above his head, and his gear was pure endgame, glowing with that icy, untouchable aura.

With the top player back, number two didn’t even matter anymore.

Hazel’s heart was racing, and her mind started spinning. Today, all eyes in Nova Legends are on my wedding with Arrogant Wind. I’ve already asked him, and he swore he didn’t know Moondust at all.

‘So now, Moondust’s focus is only on me. Is he really here for me?‘

12:12 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 22

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The number one legend showed up after seven years just to snatch her right out of number two’s hands. Just thinking about it made Hazel’s blood run wild with excitement.

Hazel wasn’t the only one thinking that. The Lunar Guild members were sending Hazelight messages, all asking if she actually knew Moondust, and whether or not he’d come back just for her.

The more people asked, the more sure Hazel was that Moondust, the number one legend on the server, had returned for her.

Through her screen, Stella stared at the huge white phoenix circling overhead. She had no idea who Moondust was, and honestly, she didn’t get why everyone else was losing their minds. None of this drama mattered to her at all, though.

But suddenly, Moondust, perched atop his legendary white phoenix, reached out his hand.