Chapter 1 - Strange game

The silent sound of waves echoed through the small transparent glass room. The crashing waves created a serene and calming sound, but the occupant inside the huge glass room was not the least bit calm.

He was in pain. His handsome face scrunched up as he held his stomach.

"Chu Siyan, you have to eat your meals," a calming voice was heard outside.

Chu Mian looked at him with a subtle frown. He was still in his suit. The dark circles under his eyes were becoming much more prominent as days went on. He likely came back directly from his work without taking a rest.

He took the meal prepared for him from the nanny and placed it in the disinfecting chamber. "Eat on time, Siyan."

Chu Siyan immediately removed his hand from his stomach and pretended to read the book that was splayed on the bedside table. Fine sweat covered his forehead. He subtly let his long bang fall over his forehead, hiding it from sight.

"I don't feel hungry…you don't have to come here every day. I'm okay. I'm all healthy and well," he mustered the calmest and most soothing voice he could muster.

The pain plagued his whole body. His legs under the blanket were trembling.

Chu Mian's expression distorted. He hurriedly moved close to the glass wall and placed a hand on the transparent surface. "Does your tummy hurt? Is it your lungs? Can you breathe properly…" he worriedly peered at him.

"No... I'm just bored…" he gave him the kindest smile. Another bout of excruciating pain spread through his body. He felt sick to his stomach. Bile rose up his throat. He calmly swallowed it down.

His lungs were giving out. He hurriedly glanced away from his brother at the TV that was now playing videos of the ocean. The beautiful blue waves crashed into the shore and disappeared into beautiful white foam.

That was just like his life.

He was diagnosed with the rarest disease called Severe Combined Immune Deficiency. It left his body open to any kind of infection. Even the most common cold was deadly to his body.

He was just two years old when he was diagnosed with this disease. It was the hardest thing for his father to face. They had tried everything to heal him. The doctors came up with a spinal fluid transplant treatment. His father and his brother stepped up to donate it to him. But they were not a match.

Only his mother was.

After so many days of convincing, his dad finally got her to agree to the transplant. She was so young back then, but he could still feel the disgust his mother's eyes held after she had donated her spinal fluids to him.

Chu Siyan closed his eyes. His donation really gave him a healthy life. He lived well until he was fifteen when all hell broke loose. His parents passed away in a car crash, leaving the pair of brothers all alone in the world.

Like a nasty gnarly beast that came out of the dark, the autoimmune disease flared up again.

His lungs would give out occasionally, and his liver had failed him twice. He had a transplant just a year ago.

Before he got sick, he had a very cheerful life.

Like a retreating wave, his life retreated back to the small glass enclosure.

Soon it would just turn into foam and disappear.

His eyes fell on his own reflection on the glass surface of the room. His face looked vain and pale. His fingertips that held the books were so skinny, like sticks. His forearm looked so thin there was barely any flesh on them.

Even though he was so thin, he had very handsome features. His eyes were soft and kind looking. His nose was straight, and his lips were a slight shade of red.

'Soon this face will disappear from this world.'

"I want to visit the ocean one last time…," he thought out loud.

Through the reflection, he saw his brother's trepidation. He looked saddened and powerless as he peered into the bubble. "W-we found a match! I have asked the doctors… after the surgery, you might be able to leave this place,"

Chu Siyan just peered at his face. His brother was obviously lying. There was no match for him. It has been four years, and there had been no match found all around the globe. Even his doctors had been stunned and saddened when they were informing him this.

"Okay, brother." He took the food and pretended to eat it.

It tasted like sand. His body was deteriorating, and he knew it. But he did not want his brother to worry about it.

The food felt like sand as it slid down his throat to his aching stomach. His lungs were burning as well.

He hurriedly swallowed the food and placed the tray close to the small opening. "I'm tired." He mumbled, covering himself up completely in his weighted blanket.

"Sleep well little Siyan. Just wait a little bit. Brother will take you to Hawaii,"

"Hmm," he smiled up at him. "I love you,"

His brother froze. He weirdly glanced at him. "You will tell me if you are in pain, right?"

"Hmm," he nodded meekly.

"Good… you have to tell me Siyan. You have to. Brother only has you," he mustered up a soft smile.

Chu Siyan smiled back. "I will…..,"

"Oh.. kay.. I'll get going then. I'll come back and accompany you for dinner. You have to listen to the nanny, got it? No skipping meals or snack times. You have to be good."

Chu Siyan smirked. "I will be good,"

With a backward glance, his brother left the room.

Soon as he did, Chu Siyan completely covered himself in the sheets and rolled up like a ball. The pain was too much. The plain porridge made the pain even worse. His whole body was contorting violently.

He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for the pain to go away.

His breath came out in pants.

'I will survive this.. I will survive this.. I won't die…'

Even when fate was against him, he….he held on.

After what seemed like hours and hours of suffering, the pain finally reduced to a dull stab. He sat up, panting.

"Mister Siyan. We have your dinner ready. Your brother texted me that her meeting is running a little late," his nanny, a sixty-year-old lady, struggled to push the buggy with his food close to the glass opening. With her trembling hand, she placed it in the special chamber where the food was disinfected right before his eyes.

"Thank you, Mrs. Pen. I will wait for her to get here,"

The lady tiredly walked back out the door to her designated room.

Since his condition was so perilous, his brother had hired a live-in nanny. Mrs. Pen had been his nanny for over four years now. She had done an excellent job at taking care of him. but now she was ripe in age and had a few health issues herself. Her legs started to swell up, and she had trouble walking.

His brother wanted to hire a new nanny for him, but he was against it.

He preferred Mrs. Pen. She did not bother him. she even let him play his Xbox late. She was cool.

"Wait young lad…" the old lady came back with her walking stick. "I got this at the thrift store… It's those games you young children play. Here," she placed it in the disinfection chamber.

Chu Siyan waited ten minutes and picked up the small wrapped package. "you didn't have to."

"Come on, you love this stuff." She smiled cheerfully.

He tore open the gift wrapping to see an old Xbox disk. The name of the game was half rubbed off, but he could still make out the letters with difficulty. "Dead man's wonderland….."

There was also smooth handwriting at the bottom. "JS," the calligraphy was so smooth and free-flowing.

"Enjoy your journey~" he weirdly smirked and walked out. As usual, he sat in his old recliner sofa and started to knit.

Chu Siyan glanced at the disk. It had a few scratches. 'Hope it works…'

He got down and stumbled over to the game section of his cabinet. Everything was cleanly stacked up. he had an old Xbox one lying around in the back. He plucked it out and set it up with his TV.

Chu Siyan sat down on his bed, munching on a few of his leftover orange slices. The pain in his stomach was intermittent. It was the rare break he got. He wanted to enjoy it by playing his game to his heart's content.

"play play play~"

The old lady started to sing in a weird sing-song voice.

To be honest, it was slightly creepy.

'She has always been weird. I've even seen her eat her own booger.' He thought as he took out his console. The game loaded up with no problem.

The screen was black with a conversation bubble popping up.

"Do you have a wish?" he read it out loud. "Yes, I do," he clicked the yes at the bottom that was blinking weird in red color.

The next question popped up. "Will you do anything to fulfill it?"

Chu Siyan sat up. "Anything? I'm not sure about that…" instead of a yes or no answer, there was a text box below with a blinking cursor. he wrote down his thoughts. "I will not go against my values."

The game screen went black for a second.

"A dying wish and a moral soul…" it blinked.

He frowned deeply. This game was weird. "Mrs. Pen where did you get this game.. its asking weird questions,"

"play play play~" she was still singing in that weird sing-song voice as she knitted. Her hands were unusually fast and the whole blanket was knitted in a second.

"Mrs. Pen?"

She glanced up with that same creepy smile. "play little boy. Your wishes will be fulfilled."

It was getting creepy. He subtly took his phone and sent a text to his brother.

A loud banging sound startled him. he glanced at the TV in shock. The black screen had cleared up. a chat box popped up. "Bind your soul and your wishes will be granted." Another yes or no question blinked in front of him,

"what the heck is this game?" he clicked the exit button.

Nothing happened.

The game was still playing.

Frowning, he decided to remove the cord. All of a sudden, the banging sound was heard again. the yes button was blinking red.

"I didn't…. I didn't choose it.. why is it blinking?"

The searing pain originated in his stomach again. this time it was too much.

Black spots clouded his vision.

The realization came to him.

He was dying.

'No... no I can't... I promised to have dinner with her..... Brother will be here…'

"Mrs. Pen.. Pen…" he called out to her with his hands outstretched. "it.. it hurts…" he mumbled.

The old lady stood outside the glass walls with a weird smirk.

"hurts….. help.. me"

His cries disappeared slowly.

His throat closed up. blinding red blood spilled all over his white carpets.

Chu Siyan peered at it and then at the old lady… "h…elp….."

"Play little Siyan. Play and live~ this is the gift I give you, young boy."

The next second his sight darkened and fell into an eternal sleep.