Above The Patch [Tank LitRPG-Evolution]

When their lovemaking ended, their sweaty bodies lay side by side. Boran took a deep breath. Noemi was lying next to him; her hair spread across the pillow, her soft breathing breaking the silence of the room. For a moment he tried to remember what had happened, then the events from just moments ago appeared in his mind. He smiled slightly.

Noemi opened her eyes as if she had sensed his thoughts. They both looked at each other for a while without saying anything. There was a strange peace in the room; the earlier passion had now given way to a calm intimacy.

"Hello..." said Boran softly.

Noemi smiled. "Hello."

They lay silently for a while longer, both seemingly reluctant to break this moment. Finally, Noemi sat up, pulling the sheet to her chest.

"How do you feel?" asked Noemi, her voice soft and a little shy.

Boran took a deep breath. "Good... I think. And you?"

"I'm good too." Noemi looked at the newly lit candle light for a while, then turned back to Boran. "Tonight... was something important for me."

Boran sat up in bed, leaning his back against the wall. "It was for me too," he said sincerely.

There was another silence, but this time it was the kind that contained a question.

"Why did you enter the gate? Why do you face death constantly every day?" Noemi asked suddenly, her eyes searching Boran's with curiosity.

Boran immediately understood what the question meant. He didn't answer for a long time, as if searching for the right words.

"My family's situation isn't very good," he finally began, his eyes fixed on his hands. "My father fought as a volunteer soldier in the attack on Turkey. But one of the creatures left him permanently disabled. He has serious spinal damage and unfortunately is bedridden. My mother takes care of him constantly, struggling both physically and emotionally. Not much money comes into the house, because my mother can't work and my father's pension barely covers the basic needs. I came here to provide a better life for my family, to cover medical expenses, and maybe one day to find better treatment options for my father — I want to earn as much money as possible. And..." He paused, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes drifting away for a moment. "To fulfill the promise I made to my sister. I promised her and I have to keep that promise no matter what."

Curiosity appeared on Noemi's face. "You have a sister?"

Boran's eyes welled up, but he tried to hold back his tears. "I had," he said in a low voice. "She died in the same attack. There was nothing I could do to help her."

Noemi reached out and held Boran's hand, squeezing it. "I'm so sorry."

Boran nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Her name was Elif. She was three years younger than me. She was always so smart, so cheerful. She loved games, and I always played with her." He smiled, seeming lost in his memories. "After finishing high school, she wanted to enter the Gate. I had told her we could enter together. I couldn't keep that promise."

Noemi listened silently, her hand still on Boran's.

"That's why I told myself I would fulfill her second wish," Boran continued. "Elif always aimed for the leaderboard in the games she played. She would try to at least get into the top hundred. Here too, she wanted to reach the top the same way. I had told her we could do it together, but she's... gone now." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "So I'll do it alone."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Noemi didn't say anything for a while, just intertwined her fingers with Boran's.

"Your story... is very different from mine," she finally said.

Boran looked at her. "What is your story?"

Noemi sighed, her gaze drifting to a distant corner of the room. "I came here to escape. From the real world, from myself, from my life... from everything."

"Why did you want to escape?"

"Because my life there was a disappointment," said Noemi, her voice taking on a bitter tone. "A failed career, a finished relationship, and a family where I felt worthless... I wanted to make a new start in a place where no one knew me, where no one judged me."

Boran nodded thoughtfully. "I see..."

"But until tonight, this place was just another escape," Noemi continued. "Until... I met you."

Their eyes met and for a moment neither of them spoke. Unspoken words hung in the air.

"Your sister Elif's death... how did it happen?" asked Noemi, her voice almost a whisper.

Boran took a deep breath. Remembering this memory was always difficult. "Everything happened so quickly." He took another deep breath, gathering strength to continue. "I'm sorry, the words won't come out of my mouth."

Noemi rested her head on Boran's shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to remember."

They stayed like that for a while, embracing each other, silently.

"What happened to your father afterward?" asked Noemi, after a long silence.

"He was taken to the hospital, had surgery. But his spinal cord was damaged, they said he would never walk again. My mother started taking care of him. I wanted to drop out of school to work, but they wouldn't let me. 'You have a future,' they said. 'We'll manage.' But I knew they were struggling. Every month bills, medications, care expenses... I left university in my 2nd year. When my grandfather died, my mother received a substantial inheritance. While they lived on that inheritance, I did my 2-year military service and now—"

"And now you're here," said Noemi.

"Yes, now I'm here," Boran confirmed. "And you are too."

Noemi smiled. "Yes, I'm here too."

Boran looked at her face, noticing that familiar sparkle in her eyes. "You know, this night... wasn't just something for me. You're... special."

Noemi reached out and took Boran's face in her hands. "You are for me too."

And they kissed again, this time slower, deeper, as if wanting to savor every moment.

"Tomorrow is my birthday. Technically today actually, it's past midnight," said Boran.

Noemi blinked in surprise. "Your birthday? Why didn't you say earlier?"

A feeling of heaviness began to spread through Boran's body. The numbness he first felt in his arms and legs was slowly spreading throughout his entire body. His eyes had grown heavy, his eyelids almost closing by themselves.

"I don't... really care about it..." said Boran, his voice trembling slightly. "Suddenly I feel very tired."

Noemi looked at him, something glinting in her eyes — whether it was concern or something else, Boran's mind was too foggy to understand.

"Maybe you should rest," said Noemi, her voice sounding distant to Boran.

Boran wanted to answer but no words came out of his mouth. His thoughts had slowed down, everything in his mind was beginning to blur. He remembered the wine he drank — the taste was a bit different, but he hadn't paid attention to it at the time. Now he understood: Noemi had put something in the wine.

"You... put... something in the wine," he managed to say with difficulty, his tongue heavy, struggling to articulate words properly.

Noemi's expression changed, but Boran could no longer see clearly. Everything in the room was blurring, he could hear sounds as if from a distance.

"Just sleep, Boran," said Noemi, her voice now completely different, in an almost cold tone.

Boran wanted to resist, tried to sit up but his body wouldn't obey him. His arms and legs were as heavy as lead. With one last effort he tried to keep his eyes open, but it was in vain. Darkness seemed to be seeping in from the edges.

The last thing he saw was Noemi getting up and leaving the room.