<🎧 Song Recommendation: Destiny by NEFFEX>

...

"This is superb, you two are really great actors," Marcus said, feeling genuinely happy once again as he walked out from the video village.

The rest of the crew had already gotten used to him praising Aiden and Camila, and none of them could say it wasn’t deserved.

They were so young, and yet they were acting with so much believable experience.

It didn’t even feel like they were acting; that was how good most of the scenes had been going lately.

They had nailed a couple of one-takes already, and most of the scenes that involved multiple takes were strictly a result of other factors, like lighting issues or background noise or other actors sometimes.

"But we’re still behind time, so we’ll start the indoor hotel shooting tomorrow," Marcus instructed, clapping his hands together. "So you can pack up and head to the bus."

Marcus looked over at the operational crew while saying that, signaling them to start breaking down the heavy light stands and camera tracks.

Meanwhile, leaning against the rusty car, Von finally blinked.

[Deactivating Immersion]

A sudden, sharp pain flared behind his eyes. Von winced, his head hurting a little as the heavy weight of Aiden’s mind forcefully detached from his own.

It was a physical ache, an evident sign of just how much he had been pushing himself these past days without proper rest.

He rubbed his temples, trying to shake the dizzy feeling. His brain felt foggy, struggling to process the sudden shift from the quiet, emotional overlook to the loud, bustling movie set.

He looked over at Chloe, who was taking a sip from a water bottle and talking to one of the makeup staff.

"So are you coming with me to catch Xander in the act?" Von turned and asked her casually, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.

Chloe stopped drinking. She turned to see Von, and a deeply worried frown immediately appeared on her face.

This wasn’t the first time something similar had happened, and it was making her genuinely concerned because it had been occurring even more frequently in the past few days.

"No, Von..." Chloe said softly, her voice laced with caution. "We’ve shot that already. What’s happening to you?"

Von froze.

He held his aching head and cursed inwardly as he looked around, seeing all the camera equipment and the crew members packing up.

Chloe was right. Because movies were shot out of chronological order to save money on locations, they had already shot the hotel stakeout scene three days ago.

But because Von was using the System to plunge himself so deeply into Aiden’s timeline, his brain had completely forgotten reality.

He actually believed he was Aiden, about to get into his car to drive to a hotel to catch Xander.

"It’s nothing, I’m fine," Von lied quickly, forcing a strained smile to hide his panic. "Let’s head to the bus. I can’t wait to get some sleep after all this."

He reassured her with a wave and began walking away toward the production vans right away, eager to escape her scrutinizing gaze.

But inwardly, Von felt more worry than anything. His heart was beating uncomfortably fast against his ribs. He knew he was playing a dangerous game with his own mind, and if he wasn’t careful, he was very close to his breaking point.

***

The morning call sheet clearly stated 5:00 AM.

Down in the lobby of the Grand Beverly Hotel, the production crew was already moving like a well-oiled machine.

Coffee was brewing, heavy camera cases were being unlatched, and Marcus was pacing around the makeshift set, checking the lighting angles for the first indoor apartment scene.

Everything was ready to go. There was only one problem.

The lead actor was missing.

"Marcus?" the head makeup artist called out, walking over to the director with a concerned frown. "Von isn’t in his chair. He hasn’t come down for his makeup prep yet."

Marcus stopped pacing and checked his watch. It was 5:45 AM. Von had never been late before.

"Did someone call his room?" Marcus asked.

"I sent an assistant up there ten minutes ago," she replied. "They knocked, but he didn’t answer. I tried calling his cell, but it went straight to voicemail."

A sudden wave of unease washed over Marcus. Due to the strict H-19 protocols, anyone missing a morning call immediately raised red flags.

Marcus quickly flagged down Leviathan and a few core crew members. They got a master key from the hotel management and hurried up to Von’s floor.

When Marcus pushed the heavy door open, the room was completely dark and silent.

"Von?" Marcus called out, stepping inside.

They found him still in bed. He was lying perfectly still, the blankets pulled up to his chest. His breathing was slow and steady, but his face looked incredibly pale.

"Hey, kid. Time to get up," Leviathan said, walking over and shaking Von’s shoulder.

Von didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch.

Panic immediately erupted in the room. The crew members backed away toward the door, assuming the absolute worst. He was down with The H.

"Everyone out of the room! Now!" Marcus ordered, his heart hammering in his chest. "Get the set medic up here immediately!"

Within five minutes, the production medic rushed into the room wearing full PPE gear. He cleared everyone out into the hallway and immediately administered a rapid H-19 swab test right there on the bed.

Marcus and Leviathan paced the hallway for fifteen agonizing minutes before the medic finally stepped out, pulling his mask down.

"Negative," the medic said. "He doesn’t have it."

Marcus let out a massive sigh of relief, leaning against the wall. The movie wasn’t completely dead. But his relief only lasted a second before the confusion set in.

"So what’s wrong with him? Is he sick?" Marcus asked, looking back into the room.

The doctor rubbed the back of his neck, looking completely baffled.

"Honestly, we don’t know what is wrong with him. His vitals are stable, his heart rate is fine, but we couldn’t identify any illness from him. He looks to be sleeping, but he just won’t wake up."