There was a moment, when the world stopped making sense.
It wasn't darkness, and it wasn't light. It was simply nothing.
There was no sound, no air, and no ground beneath his feet. He felt as though he were drifting through an endless void where even time had forgotten how to move.
His thoughts were scattered, slipping away before he could hold on to them.
He tried to understand where he was, but the question formed weakly in his mind and found no answer. Only silence stretched endlessly around him.
Fragments of memory flickered through his mind like shards of broken glass. He remembered a room, a voice calling his name, and a sudden sharp pain.
Then everything disappeared.
His chest tightened as a frightening thought surfaced in his mind.
He wondered if he was dying.
Before he could understand what was happening, something suddenly pulled at him with terrifying force, like invisible hands dragging his soul through a narrow crack in reality.
Pain exploded through his mind.
His body or whatever strange sensation felt like a body twisted violently as the world shattered into fragments of color and sound.
Then air suddenly rushed into his lungs.
His eyes snapped open.
But his vision did not return right away.
Everything in front of him was still blurry. The world looked like pale colors and moving shadows. Shapes appeared and disappeared, slowly coming into focus.
He tried to speak.
"…Where… am I…?"
The words came out weak and dry, as if his throat had not been used in a long time. Even his breathing sounded rough and unfamiliar in his ears.
When he slowly looked upward, the ceiling began to appear above him.
It was plain and simple, made of square panels in different shades of white. He did not recognize.
His brow furrowed faintly.
The light above him blurred at first, then slowly became clearer as his eyes adjusted. Little by little, the world began to settle into place.
The edges of the room grew sharper. Shapes became solid. Colors slowly returned. Even sound began to follow.
The room came into focus piece by piece, as if reality itself was rebuilding around him.
Then his hearing fully returned.
A faint sound reached him from nearby.
Beep…
It was soft and steady, repeating in the silence of the room.
His eyes slowly moved toward the source of the sound.
The movement felt heavy, as though even turning his gaze required effort.
Through his blurry vision, he saw a dark machine beside the bed. A small screen glowed on it, showing thin green lines moving across the display.
He didn't know what it was.
But it looked advanced… unfamiliar in this quiet room.
He stared at it while the sound continued.
Beep…
The tone echoed gently.
Beep…
It repeated at a steady rhythm, calm and consistent.
As his hearing cleared, the sound became more distinct.
Beep…
"…That sound…?"
His voice came out weak and barely audible in the silence.
He didn't know why, but the sound of the beeping felt strangely familiar to him.
Then he tried to move. For a moment, he thought it would be easy, so he attempted to sit up.
The moment he did, pain suddenly exploded throughout his entire body.
"Ugh!!!"
His muscles screamed in protest.
His arms felt stiff and weak, as if they had not moved in a long time. His chest hurt with every breath he took, felt tight and sore. Even his neck felt stiff and difficult to move.
"Shit…"
He cursed under his breath.
"…That hurts…"
He slowly slumped back onto the bed.
He lay there for a moment, trying to understand what had happened to him.
After some time, he carefully lifted his head again.
The simple movement caused another wave of dizziness to hit him. The room tilted for a moment before it slowly returned to its normal position.
"Easy…"
He muttered to himself while breathing slowly to calm the discomfort.
With careful effort, he pushed himself up again.
His arms trembled as he moved against the mattress. He slowly forced his body upright until his back rested against the pillow.
The movement felt clumsy and heavy, as if his body had forgotten how to work properly.
His breathing was uneven as he sat there, allowing the dizziness to fade.
Finally, his vision became clear enough for him to look around properly.
He saw white walls, soft lighting, and medical machines beside the bed.
A faint smell of disinfectant was in the air.
Something lightly tugged at his arm.
He looked down and saw a thin plastic tube connected to a needle taped into his skin. The tube was attached to a clear bag of fluid hanging from a metal stand.
His eyes moved toward the machine beside him.
Green lines were moving steadily across its screen.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Each sound followed the slow rhythm of his heartbeat.
The realization slowly entered his mind.
"…This is a hospital."
The words felt strange as he said them.
He looked around the room again while his mind processed everything he was seeing.
The white walls, the medical equipment, the IV drip, and the heart monitor all confirmed it.
There was no mistake.
It was definitely a hospital room.
However, something about it still felt unusual to him.
He stayed silent for a moment, staring at everything as if waiting for the room to suddenly change.
But nothing changed.
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
And the hospital room remained exactly the same.
He looked down at his body and noticed that his hands were resting on the blanket covering him.
They felt strange and unfamiliar to him.
He slowly flexed his fingers to test them.
The movement worked normally, but the sensation felt wrong, as if he was controlling someone else's hands.
"…Why does this feel so weird…?"
He pressed his fingers gently against his own arm.
It felt warm and alive, just like skin should feel.
And yet.
"…Why does it feel like this isn't my body…?"
A quiet unease began to spread through his chest.
He felt as if something was missing, or as if something did not fit properly.
Then he remembered clearly that he was in a hospital.
The machines around him, the IV drip, and the heart monitor made it obvious.
The machine beside him continued to produce a steady sound.
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
His heart began to beat slightly faster.
"Where am I…?"
His voice sounded small and weak in the silence of the room.
He tried to think carefully.
He tried to remember what had happened before he woke up here.
However, his mind felt like it was trapped inside thick fog.
Nothing was clear.
Nothing felt complete.
Only scattered fragments drifted inside his thoughts.
Then suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through his skull.
"Ugh!"
He immediately grabbed his head.
"Damn it…!"
It felt as if something inside his mind had just opened forcefully.
Memories began to return rapidly.
He remembered voices and laughter.
He remembered the glow of a computer screen in a dark room.
He remembered playing a game.
He also remembered his friends shouting through voice chat.
A clear thought formed inside his mind.
His breathing began to quicken.
"…Right…"
His fingers tightened around the bedsheet.
"I was playing a game."
More memories slowly came back to him.
He remembered that he and his friends were gaming together.
His brows slowly furrowed as he tried to continue the memory.
"…And after that… what happened?"
He tried to reach the next memory, but it remained out of reach.
The answer was still hidden inside the fog of his mind.
The past began unfolding again inside his mind.
He remembered sitting in front of his computer with a headset resting slightly crooked over one ear.
The glow of the monitor filled his room with cold blue light.
On the screen was the game that they had been playing for months without getting tired of it.
The name of the game was Eclipse of the Transcendent.
It was a massive online role-playing game.
It combined many different worlds into one large and chaotic universe.
There were fantasy kingdoms.
There was ancient magic.
There were futuristic weapons.
There were medieval armies.
There were immortal cultivator.
In this game, dragons could fight giant machines.
Knights could duel soldiers who carried advanced guns.
The concept sounded ridiculous, but players loved it.
The game was extremely popular.
It even had tournaments where winners could earn real money.
Guild wars were streamed online for everyone to watch.
Even regular players could earn by selling rare items inside the game.
However, at that moment, none of those things mattered to him.
Something had gone wrong during the game.
Someone on their team had made a serious mistake.
It was something so unexpected and reckless that it changed everything.
"Are you actually fucking serious?" Aiden said, staring at the screen with a deep frown.
Enemies were swarming their party on the battlefield.
The boss had already started its second phase.
One teammate was still missing.
"Sorry!" Alger shouted through voice chat. "I needed a buff for extra damage. I was optimizing our build."
Ortis immediately started laughing.
"Yes, because abandoning your team during a boss fight is clearly an advanced strategy."
Josh added, "You were gone for five minutes. That is not a buff. That is a vacation."
Alger defended himself. "I was setting up damage stacks."
Ortis wheezed. "We are getting destroyed, and you are out there stacking damage like this is a farming simulator."
"Hey," Alger argued.
Josh snorted. "You literally left the party to collect flowers."
"They are not flowers," Alger snapped. "They are Crimson Thorn Buffs."
Aiden muttered, "That sounds exactly like flowers."
The boss suddenly roared.
A massive creature covered in black armor and glowing purple veins raised its weapon.
The ground cracked violently.
Their health bars dropped.
"Uh… why is it targeting me?" Ortis asked.
"Because you are the tank," Josh replied. "That is your job."
"Yes," Ortis said, "but I am at ten percent health."
Aiden groaned loudly.
"Can all of you shut the fuck up and focus? We are in a boss fight, not a comedy show."
"Well fuck you too," Dave replied calmly.
Aiden smirked. "Oh, relax, Green. Didn't you just get humiliated by your own brother?"
The room went completely silent.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Ortis nearly choked from laughing.
"Bro actually said it!" Alger yelled.
Josh was wheezing. "He went straight for the throat!"
Aiden leaned back in his chair. "It was part of a bet. I lost. So I said it."
Dave responded in a low voice. "So this is revenge."
"At least I kept my word," Aiden replied casually.
Dave looked at him. "You talk like you knew everything that was going to happen."
Aiden shrugged. "I knew enough to stay out of stupid drama."
Dave scoffed. "Or you just run when things get serious."
Aiden smirked. "Call it survival instinct."
Ortis had been quiet for a moment.
Then he chuckled.
"You two argue like you are already divorced."
Dave glanced at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Ortis leaned back. "It means watching you fight is more entertaining than the actual game."
He looked at Aiden and added dryly, "Especially since one of you still cannot find someone who wants him."
There was a short pause.
Then the voice chat exploded with laughter again.
"Hey," Alger said casually, "we're all single here."
Josh snorted. "Wow. What a shocking discovery. Truly groundbreaking research."
"Speak for yourself," Aiden replied, sounding unimpressed.
There was a short pause in the voice chat.
"…Wait, what does that mean exactly?" Dave asked.
"You have a girlfriend or something?" Josh added.
"…No," Ortis admitted after a beat. "Unfortunately, I am still part of this elite single squad."
"Elite is a strong word," Alger muttered.
Ortis sighed dramatically. "Yes, because clearly we are thriving as a team."
"Absolutely," Aiden said flatly. "Nothing says success like arguing about relationships while getting destroyed by a boss."
"Hey, that's teamwork," Josh replied. "We suffer together."
Before anyone could continue, the boss suddenly slammed its sword into the ground.
A massive shockwave exploded across the arena.
Their health bars dropped instantly.
"Oh great," Alger said sarcastically. "Perfect timing. I was just thinking we weren't stressed enough."
"What the hell is happening?!" Dave shouted. "Did someone forget how to play again?"
The boss lifted its weapon once more.
Purple energy gathered around the blade, glowing brighter with each second.
The mood shifted immediately.
No more jokes.
Only silence.
Keyboard clicks filled the voice chat.
Aiden leaned back slightly and exhaled.
"Alright," he said calmly. "Try not to panic this time. I know that's difficult for some of you."
"Wow," Ortis replied dryly. "Inspiring leadership. Ten out of ten."
The arena trembled again as the boss prepared its next attack.
And this time, the sarcasm didn't stop the danger.
He rubbed his temple.
"I really have the worst teammates in existence."
A few groans came through the headset.
"Wow. That is truly shocking news."
Aiden let out a short breath and leaned forward.
"Alright. Enough talking for now."
His fingers settled over the keyboard.
They began moving immediately.
Fast. Controlled. Relentless.
On the screen, the boss roared.
Spells exploded across the battlefield.
The arena shook violently.
"Aiden," Alger said, "just hold it for ten seconds."
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"Ten seconds is not a realistic request in this situation."
Josh laughed nervously.
"We are barely surviving at the moment."
"Yes," Aiden replied calmly. "I have noticed that fact."
"Then stop complaining," Alger snapped.
"I am not complaining," Aiden said. "I am observing the disaster."
The boss slammed its weapon into the ground.
A shockwave spread everywhere.
Their health bars dropped sharply.
"Focus!" Aiden ordered.
His voice turned serious.
"Interrupt the cast immediately."
"I am trying," Josh responded.
"Then try harder."
"I already used my skill."
"Use another one."
"It is on cooldown."
"That is inconvenient."
The boss turned toward the backline.
"Move it away from the team," Aiden said firmly.
"It keeps changing direction," Ortis shouted.
"Then stop panicking and control your positioning."
"I am not panicking."
"You are absolutely panicking."
The boss roared again.
Purple energy gathered around its blade.
The screen flashed red.
"This is becoming dangerous," Dave said quietly.
"Yes," Aiden replied. "It is."
He pressed several keys rapidly.
The clicking echoed through the room.
Clean.
Precise.
Intentional.
"Finish it now," Ortis yelled.
"We are trying," Alger shouted.
The boss's health dropped to critical.
The screen glowed brightly.
Victory effects exploded across the battlefield.
Silence followed.
Then laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"We actually did it!"
"That was insane!"
Aiden leaned back in his chair.
He allowed himself a small smile.
"That was messy," he said calmly. "But we survived."
---
Then the sound began to fade.
The laughter became distant.
The clicking disappeared.
The screen blurred.
Everything dissolved.
Until there was nothing.
---
Back in the hospital bed.
Aiden inhaled sharply.
Air filled his lungs suddenly.
His chest rose quickly.
Pain throbbed inside his head.
He blinked.
"…What."
His voice was dry.
He looked around slowly.
The ceiling was white.
The room was quiet.
There was no game.
There was no voice chat.
There was no laughter.
His hands trembled slightly.
They felt unfamiliar.
He swallowed.
A memory surfaced.
Game.
Victory.
Then darkness.
His eyes widened.
"No."
His breathing grew faster.
His heart pounded loudly.
"This cannot be real."
He lifted his hands to his head.
He pressed his fingers into his hair.
He thought for a moment.
Dreams do not feel this real.
His jaw tightened.
He struck himself.
Hard.
Pain exploded across his cheek.
He flinched.
"Fuck."
He waited.
Nothing changed.
The room remained.
The pain remained.
The silence remained.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
His hands trembled slightly.
"This is real."
He stared at the ceiling.
The realization settled heavily inside him.
"What is happening to me."