[ Invitation ]

"So dark. Where is this plac—Huh,?" I stared at the reflection of myself in the crimson paddle below my feat. A face I wasn't familiar with.

"What—My face!?," Abruptly, I touched my face. Fear and confusion crept inside me. As my vision gradually expanded, my knee slowly weakened and bent, crashing my whole lower body into the paddle.

I stuttered as I was left speechless, my jaws wide open unable to shut it, I was baffled at beholding the sight that was beyond comprehension.

"Hak—,"

A slight scream almost came out of me but was interrupted, with my hands. I didn't know where I was, the place was dark and my vicinity was surrounded with crimson pools and dead bodies.

"Ra..ul..le…ave. Hur…ry."

A single voice came from my left side. A person whose entire face had no skin as if it was peeled off with sharp claws, reaching out to me, as if trying to warn me.

"HURRY AND LEAVE!!"

I fell off from my bed. My whole body was drenched with sweat. I reached the alarm above me, on top of my desk.

[ 1:36 P.M. ]

"Shit! I need to stop staying up all night," Turning my head towards my computer. I found out that I had forgotten to shut it down last night.

"Huh? Strange, yet again, I couldn't recall my dream at all," I stood up, flicked my bangs and pulled my hair back, soon I grabbed my towel and headed towards the bathroom.

…

…

…

Swiftly disengaged from the embrace of my comfortable gaming chair as the intensity of the game heightened.

My eyes remained steadfastly fixed on the luminous computer screen, while my fingers darted with lightning speed over the mouse and keyboard, orchestrating my gameplay in the virtual realm of my favorite game, Olden Rings.

The passage of time had become an ephemeral notion to me, as I had been engrossed in the gaming world for an extended period.

I consistently showcased my exceptional gaming prowess, leading other players to suspect that I was a professional gamer or perhaps a seasoned streamer.

Despite possessing the potential to go on such a path, I dismissed the idea.

"Streaming involves, too much hustle." was the response I always gave to my uncle when the latter proposed the idea to me.

Residing under the same roof with my uncle, he had departed for his office duties, a ritual that typically saw him returning home in the evening.

Once my uncle had left, I procured a bag of crisps and a bottle of soda, settling myself into the seat. With my headphones donned and the game occupying the entire screen, I immersed myself fully into the virtual world.

Suddenly, the melodic noise rang out from my phone, but I paid it no heed, choosing to disregard the call without even glancing at the caller's identity.

Yet, to my dismay, the persistent ringing grew louder the longer I ignored it.

Frustration teetered on the brink of exploding within me but I recollected that I had previously silenced my phone, activating the "DND" to prevent such disruptions.

However, this realization was interrupted as a sudden, unexpected defeat befell on my virtual avatar, prompting me to halt my immersive gameplay and remove my headphones.

Unexpectedly, the jarring noise that interrupted me turned out not to be a phone call at all, but rather a mere email notification.

This revelation confused me, as I had undoubtedly silenced my phone, leaving me to wonder how it could still ring so resoundingly.

Though briefly ruminating over these thoughts, I soon decided to disregard them as possible technical problem with my phone.

Subsequently, upon opening my email, I was confronted with a message from an anonymous sender, offering me something akin to a game invitation.

The term "game invitation" piqued my curiosity, and I found myself contemplating whether to accept the mysterious offer.

Coming from an unidentified sender, the email carried an air of intrigue, yet despite the ambiguity surrounding it, I felt drawn to explore its contents further.

Some kind of an uncanny charm seemed to envelop the invitation, as if it were orchestrating my decision-making process.

As I delved into the contents of the invitation, I was met with scant information about the game I had been invited to participate in.

...

...

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ASTRAL GAME AS A PLAYER!!

REYNOLD DIXON, YOU ARE OUR SPECIAL GUEST!!

CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE GAME

^_^

...

...

"The heck!?" A seed of doubt sprouted in my mind, questioning the legitimacy of the invitation. Yet, despite harboring suspicions that this might be an elaborate scam, my insatiable curiosity and an irresistible urge compelled me to consider accepting the offer.

As a gaming enthusiast, the allure of exploring further details about the game proved too enticing to resist. It crossed my mind that this could be an opportunity to become a beta tester for a fledgling gaming company, seeking valuable feedback on their creation. However, I couldn't dismiss the possibility of it being a deceptive scheme.

Moreover, with an nothing-to-do day ahead, having recently completed my college education, I found myself grappling with boredom, exacerbating my inclination to entertain the invitation's proposition.

"I'll take a peek, and if anything seems weird, I'll close the tabs immediately. Who knows, this could potentially present a lucrative opportunity to earn money merely by playing a game."

Click.

With a brief moment of loading, my screen revealed the following:

...

THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING OUR INVITATION!! ^_^

WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU RIGHT AWAY

...

I emitted a puzzled sound, contemplating the need to await further communication. I disengaged the phone's screen and casually tossed it onto my bed, which was adorned with heaps of clothes. Lounging back into the embrace of my gaming chair, I couldn't stifle a yawn.

As I pondered whether to engage in another round of gaming while waiting, the gnawing hunger in my stomach urged me to seek sustenance instead. Rising from my seat, I stretched my back and rotated my neck before glancing at the mirror in my room.

The day before, my appearance resembled that of a caveman, with my long, unruly dark hair cascading past my shoulders.

However, today was a different story, as my hair had undergone a transformation into a neatly trimmed, stylish thin curtains hairstyle, complementing my features handsomely.

The change was at the behest of my uncle, who advised me to visit a barber. I couldn't help but acknowledge the stark contrast between my unkempt appearance from yesterday and my current polished look.

Whenever I gazed into the mirror, I couldn't help but question its size, as it seemed disproportionately larger than me, evoking a sense of injustice.

I perceived myself as not only small in stature but also slender compared to my college peers. Estimating my height to be around 166 cm, I realized that the mirror stood at a towering 180 cm. I attributed my physique to my lack of attention to diet and infrequent exercise.

The creaking sound of the loosely shut door echoed in the room as the automatic lights dimmed. This feature was one of the installations in my room, designed for added convenience.

In the dimly lit room, a solitary blue light illuminated the ceiling, emanating from the phone that had carelessly tossed onto the disheveled bed.

With a growing sense of hunger, I made my way to the fridge in search of a snack. Why is there never anything good to eat here?

To my dismay, I found a lack of enticing options. I rummaged through the shelves, pushing aside bottles and containers, only to come across yogurt, cheese, and cold meats, none of which managed to capture my appetite.

"Sucks," I sighed, disappointed.

My hunger had reached a limit, and the desperate need for sustenance gnawed at me. I contemplated reaching for the cookie jar perched on the kitchen counter, eventually grabbing it along with a milk carton to accompany me to my room.

My ruminations veered towards the possibility of ordering pizza, but before I could solidify a decision, a sudden upheaval shook the ground beneath me as I ascended the staircase.

Simultaneously, an inexplicable blue screen window materialized in front of me, bearing a message that startled me.

[Thank you for accepting our invitation!]

Huh?

My surroundings morphed into a kaleidoscope of bright cracks, as if the very fabric of the walls and ground were fragmenting. Amidst the chaotic disarray, an eerie voice called out to me, urging me to find calm.

[Be at ease, Reynold Dixon]

In the midst of such a bewildering and precarious situation, who in their right mind would offer reassurance? More pressing was the enigma of the voice's origin and how it permeated my consciousness.

Am I hallucinating?

I entertained the possibility that my prolonged gaming sessions might have unhinged my mind. However, I quickly dismissed this notion as I hadn't played for more than nine hours that day.

Despite attempting to ignore the unfamiliar voice, its persistence prevailed.

"Shit, my head… argh, it's hurting! Whose ugly voice was that? Get out of my head!" Vehemently, I rebuffed the voice, seemingly offending it enough to silence its relentless intrusion.

As the cracks before me expanded, threatening to consume me, I felt an unseen force yank me backward, causing me to stagger and lose balance, eventually succumbing to the force and plunging into the gaping rift.

In a sudden turn of events, all noise and turmoil ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. Reality itself seemed to be disintegrating before my eyes, shattering my sense of time and place. The world around me was engulfed in chaos, leaving me struggling to maintain composure amid the overwhelming dizziness and pain.

The realization dawned on me - it was not the world, but reality itself that was crumbling into pieces. I kept fallen into the endless void.

"What's going on—" Was the last words came out from me before I lost my conciousness.