Eva waited patiently by the Shadow Virus’s side until he was finally able to move again, despite his lingering pain and exhaustion. She helped him sit up, propping him up in her arms.

“Are you okay?” she asked him. Her eyes seemed to pierce his very soul. The Shadow Virus sighed. Pixels absently darted between his aching fingers.

“I think so,” he rasped. It hurt to speak.

“Can you stand?” she said. He nodded, though he wasn’t certain. Eva gingerly took hold of his arms and slowly eased him to his feet. He stumbled, but she was there to support him.

“You saved me,” he murmured, gazing at her in bewilderment. A powerful warmth filled his chest. He realized, then, that he never wanted to stop looking at Eva. He never wanted her to let go of him.

“I owed you,” Eva shrugged. “You saved me from the Cyber Initiative.”

“You saved my life,” he whispered, smiling. Eva nodded, a wide grin creeping across her face. She felt positively euphoric, and he felt it too. Impulsively, the Shadow Virus wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned closer, as red and blue pixels whirled through the air between them, connecting and fizzing together. Eva felt a thrill of excitement tingle through her bones. He was going to kiss her.

Then, suddenly, he tore himself away and stumbled backward. He turned away, unable to handle the disappointment in her eyes. “No, I can’t,” he shook his head rapidly.

Eva felt a surge of irritation. “Why not?” she demanded.

“Because…” He sighed, staring off into the distance. “If I kiss you, I might infect you, and I…”

Eva frowned. The Shadow Virus thought he could corrupt someone by kissing them?

He began to glitch. “I just... don’t want to take the risk… is all...” he said weakly.

Eva shook her head in disbelief. Then she dissolved into pixels, teleporting herself right through the Shadow Virus. He made a noise of surprise and stumbled, off-balance. Eva appeared on the other side of him and wrapped her arms around him, shutting her eyes tightly and kissing him on the lips. She pulled away quickly, grinning mischievously.

“Why did you do that?” he frowned. His heart began to pound. They were still standing so close together. He could feel her digital energy mingling with his, a soothing pattern.

“It’s a risk worth taking,” Eva shrugged.

She surveyed the small, cell-like room where the Digitized had dragged her two months prior. Ceno and his lackeys were still incapacitated. The sounds of their glitching gently pulsed through Eva’s ears. 

She frowned. “We’ll need to find you a new place to hide.”

“Yeah,” the Shadow Virus smiled wryly.

“Come on, Mr. Virus,” Eva grinned, taking his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

She turned to walk back through the hallway with him – that same hallway the Shadow Virus had tried to lead her down previously – but he wasn’t moving. He stood rigid, staring at Eva with adoration in his eyes and a radiant smile upon his face. When they’d kissed, he’d felt like Nikolai Naren again. For the first time, he’d felt free of the virus.

“Actually, you can call me Nikolai,” the Shadow Virus said softly, as a surge of joy carried him closer to Eva. Eva blinked, momentarily stunned. After all, he had so vehemently refused to be called Nikolai in the past.

Things had changed.

“I like that name,” Eva nodded. “Alright then, come on, Nikolai. Let’s get out of here.”

END OF BOOK ONE