Mission 2: Start the f#cking game!

Lucas awoke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest like a frantic drumbeat. The dim light of early morning seeped through the curtains, casting eerie shadows across his bedroom. He lay frozen for a moment, trying to tether his swirling thoughts to reality. The horrific images of last night—the men, the blood, their chilling deaths—played in his mind like a grotesque slideshow.

(Shit, was that all real? Did that actually happen?) His thoughts were a chaotic mess, a whirlwind of doubt and fear.

Pushing himself out of bed with effort, Lucas stumbled into the living room, his limbs heavy, his mind a fog. There, in the kitchen, was Chloe, her back to him as she busied herself with something on the counter. She turned around, and instead of her usual scowl, she surprised him with a warm smile.

(Now that is cute, but weird as fuck...) Lucas squinted, unsure how to take this sudden change.

"Morning, Lucas! You were quite the hit at the party last night," she chirped, her voice tinged with what sounded suspiciously like pride.

(What the hell? Party? Did I blackout and miss an entire night?) Confusion clawed at him.

He didn't recall going to any party—his last clear memory was the violent altercation in the park.

"Uh, thanks, Chloe. I... I don't really remember much, though. Guess I must've been more wasted than I thought," he replied, grappling to piece together his fragmented memories.

Chloe's laughter, genuine and unexpected, filled the room.

"You were incredible! Totally transformed. All extroverted and charming—everyone thought you were some college guy. You even kissed one of the cute girls from your high school... Oh, what was her name? Anyway, it was epic. I was actually proud of you for once."

(Was it Emily or Amanda, wait no, even more important... I kissed someone!!) Lucas forced a smile, his mind reeling from the overload of information.

As he nodded along to Chloe's recounting of the night, he felt a mix of excitement and utter confusion.

Just as he started to relax into the conversation, Chloe's demeanor shifted dramatically. She moved closer, her eyes intense, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "You know, seeing you like that at the party... it was kind of a turn-on."

"Say what now?"

Before Lucas could fully process her words, she was on him, her hands roaming aggressively. The sudden advance caught him completely off guard, and a surge of panic mixed with unwanted arousal washed over him.

"Chloe, wait—what are you doing?" he stammered, his voice cracking as he tried to gently push her away.

But Chloe was undeterred. Her actions grew more provocative, and Lucas's discomfort mounted. (Holy shit, this is not happening. Chloe, stop!)

As Lucas's panic increased, Chloe pulled back slightly, revealing a knife she'd somehow concealed in her bra. Lucas's eyes widened in horror. "Chloe, what the—"

In one swift, horrifying motion, she plunged the blade into his neck. Lucas screamed, the sound gurgling through the blood that now spurted from his wound. Chloe's face twisted into a cruel sneer as she hissed venomous insults at him.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the scene dissolved, and Lucas was jolted awake by Lilith's laughter ringing in his ears. He found himself lying in the park, the scene of last night's horror, the cold morning breeze chilling him to the bone.

(What the fuck was that—a dream, a nightmare?) Panic gripped him as he struggled to sit up, his hand instinctively going to his neck where he felt... nothing. No wound, no blood, just the frantic pounding of his heart.

"Oh, Lucas, you should have seen your stupid face!" Lilith cackled. "It was just a prank, silly. I thought I'd spice up your dreams a bit."

Lucas glared at her, anger and relief clashing within him. "That's messed up, Lilith. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

She shrugged, an amused smile playing on her lips. "What can I say, I'm a witch with a pretty fucked up sense of humor"

Lucas noticed then that there were no bodies, no blood, no sign of last night's carnage. "Where are the bodies?" he asked, his voice unsteady.

Lilith's expression darkened slightly. "Do you want to know?" Lucas tried to remember but it was changed to faceless gangsters, their identities already blurring in his memory. It was as if he was forgetting about them. A shiver ran down his spine, and he shook his head.

(Is she able to disappear someone out of their existence? This girl is too powerful…)

"No. Maybe it's better if I don't."

Lilith's expression softened slightly. "You see, Lucas, this game of ours—I want it to be entertaining, but it's also an opportunity for you. Remember your little makeover a few months ago?" She laughed coldly. "You think some mere months of workout, creams, and books are going to change you? Don't fucking make me laugh. But I can change that. I can make the impossible happen."

(Fuck... I didn't want to think about it, but I knew I was lying to myself. Erasing years of regrets and being careless was not going to be easy. Turn me into someone new? Someone better? She is a witch who can bend reality, I have experienced it myself. I'm already in this shithole, might as well get something from it)

Lucas listened, the weight of her words sinking in. Despite the horror of all that is happening, her promises held a certain allure.

"Okay, how does this game start then?" he asked, his resolve hardening.

Lilith smiled wickedly and bit her inner lip hard enough to draw blood. Lucas watched in horror as the droplet fell to the ground, sizzling slightly as it hit the soil. Before he could react, she grabbed his face and kissed him deeply, the kiss searing with intensity, forcing him to swallow her blood. Pain seared through his body, and his vision went dark.

When he regained his senses, he found himself staring at a status screen like something out of his favorite RPG games. His attributes were all at zero. The screen detailed his pitiful stats:

Strength: 0

Dexterity: 0

Charisma: 0

Intelligence: 0

Appearance: 0

Speed: 0

Luck: 0

Title: none 

Skills: none 

Items: none

Lilith explained that he was now part of a real-life game, complete with quests and interactions based on RPG mechanics, concocted due to his favorite hobby.

"Quick explanation time! When you focus your eyes on a person, people will appear with a color, the ones in white are just background characters, useless pieces of shit. Look for the ones in yellow—they matter. They're part of your main and side quests," she instructed, Lucas felt a little bit of relief as he was familiar with these terms.

With a mischievous grin on her face she dropped a warning "Now, beware of anyone in red. Those are dangerous quests, meaning you can die in them," she added ominously. Lucas's heart sank.

"Die three times on those, and it's game over—for good."

(Game over... knowing this witch, she'll erase me for good if that happens.)

As he processed what "game over" truly meant, a notification popped up: a bonus quest requiring him to fight a certain someone by the end of the week.

"Fight!? Lilith no way i-"

As he tried to find an explanation from Lilith, she had already disappeared, leaving him alone to absorb everything. As he opened the quest details, he braced himself:

[ Want to arrive at your senior year in high school as a total badass?

Well, this is your chance!

Find an asshole named Derek Brooks and kick his ass lol.]

(Derek Brooks... One of those dangerous hooligans from my school!? This is bullshit! i won't be doing this no matter the penalty-)

 Then his eyes widened in horror. The penalty for failure?

Losing a testicle.

"The fuck is this shit!?"

-Mission complete!-