Chapter 1

•CHAPTER 1

After what seems like an eternity ago, he stands in the center of it all. Surrounded by a class and race of beings heard and found only in movies and novels, all fighting. Battling for one cause, and that's him. Another piercing ring from the clashing of blades and scabbards filled his ears, reminding me of where he stood. He must proceed. He must end it all.

Things were never this way. He was never part of this world.

Everything once used to be normal. On Earth.

*The Beginning*

A step later, Andrew inhaled the embracing fragrance that welcomes him back into his room. It smelt like ... solace. Another day went by with him successfully learning to escape any sort of social interaction. It's not something he cares to say or admit, but for him, communicating with other humans sucks. He dropped his cross bag on the bed which sat adjacent to the only source of happiness in his life; his gaming setup.

His phone beeps,

"We got a room card, Drew. Hop in now."

Now, that is one thing that Andrew doesn't think sucks.

He took a deep breath and got rid of the long-sleeved turquoise shirt he had on, relieving himself of the hotness he felt. A silent but intent purr reminded him of the mistake he made before leaving for class earlier today. He had forgotten to feed his cats. Just as he turned towards his bed, Maggie - the oldest amongst the four cats he had leapt on me, her paws quick to strike his face. Luckily, he didn't get a scratch.

"One second." He texts Drew back in response, turning back to Maggie. "I'm so sorry," he apologizes, and like she could tell what he had said, she purred again. Just then, Axle, Pixie and Cougar - the other cats Andrew owns - slowly crawled out from underneath the bed. He walked into the passageway which had his kitchen on the left and a closet at the end. His cats accompanied him into the kitchen as they could tell he was going to fetch their food.

* * *

If staring at the beauty of nature doesn't seem to fascinate anyone, that's going to be Andrew. Though, it's something he enjoys doing. He makes the buildings and structures he stares at from feet away feel like a void, like a haven where he can conceitedly step into to release the heavy emotions bottled up in his mind. Anger, despair, and so on.

He picked up the sound of Allen - surprisingly the only friend he has - throwing tantrums at another gamer who had been the reason they lost their last match. Being the guy who's not a fan of long talks, Andrew had excused himself from his custom-made Arcane-themed gamer chair and walked into his void zone. Again, those voices were coming, reminding him of the many things he was yet to do. The many things that he was yet to become. The -

"... Drew! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Get your ass back online," one of the gamers says; since Andrew left PUBg running. He snapped out of his thoughts and returned to seat, ignoring the mess of a room that was just right behind him.

I'd sort it out before I go to bed, he reassures himself.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Another DeathMatch or a Classic?"

"Probably Erangel, if it's gonna be a Classic. I'm so in."

"Oh please," Allen interjected, "what's your take, Drew?"

He smiles wryly, "Classic it is then."

He flexed his muscles and stared at the orange tint of the room as the sun set, preparing his hands for another 4 hours of gaming. Or more.

* * *

It was a beautiful evening as Andrew and his team ended the night with six winning streaks on Classic Mode. This is something the real lovers of video games truly celebrate. Maybe even more than how they will when they bag the certificate they're striving so hard to get from college. This makes Andrew sometimes wonder what all the fuss is for. He exits PUBg and clicks on Discord to check the game streamers group he was in; a daily ritual. Quite funny that he had this setup in his room and he plays the game just as well as any streamer will, but never for once did he summon the courage to upload a video of him playing any video game. There were times Allen would tease him saying he would sell all the equipment Andrew had incorporated into his setup should he not begin to upload live streams of his gameplay.

I can never be them, Andrew always thought.

He scrolls through the messages in the group. It was more than usual. Thousand-plus messages are yet to be read. But the chats carried the same style as always — screenshots of wins and losses. And too many bragging rights are being utilized here and there.

And then, he sees it. A group announcement.

Good evening, game streamers! I am Cole, and again, I bring to you yet another massive gaming opportunity. This is unlike the usual we get to announce here. It is no tournament. There is no competition. It is a quest.

What sort of opportunity is that? He ponders in irritation.

Bryan Cole is the creator of the Gaming & Streamers group, and he often speaks when he's got gaming tournaments for games like PUBg, COD and Fortnite most times. Andrew had taken advantage of such opportunities, and with the help of his squad, he had won so many awards in previous years. So, if this is no PUBg or any other action video game he was accustomed to, then it's a sucker for him.

Something inside Andrew wishes silently it was going to be a real version of PUBg — humans with guns, in a secluded geographical location, trying to …

Another message pops in.

It's believed that as of 1974, there was a developer named Adam Schells. He was a European who had focused on developing games. At that time, models of games played came in discs and custom game consoles …

"What in the world is this history?!" he asks aloud. He kept scrolling down, already out of patience.

He died in 2002, and it was unsure what had happened to his biggest project at that time. Recent news reveals that his grandson, Abel J. Schells, confirms that the game was completely developed before Adam's demise, but it was securely kept in a location known only to the deceased. A quest for the video game is on, and whoever gets it to the Schells family will be rewarded with a sum of $500,000.

Okay. Maybe it wasn't all nonsense history. $500,000? His mind immediately wanders to how much such an amount of money in his bank account could change his life. He snaps out of it and scrolls to the end of the text. In bold, Bryan had written the important details of the game box meant to be found.

It is a dating simulator game called Sexcapade, and it's a disc video game. It comes in a pink-themed package, and it's believed to be somewhere in North America.

North America is where Andrew was. How lucky could he be to find this?!

He got up out of excitement to fetch his laptop, almost tripping on Cougar who meows softly.

"Sorry, Cougar."

He turned on my laptop and immediately buried himself deep in the history of the Schells; unknown to him another message popped into his phone.

WARNING!

If found, DO NOT play the game!