Albany, New York, 2025.
"Mason, what the fuck are you doing, man? We can't lose to these asshats... Jimmy! Where the hell are you?! Are you guys taking this seriously at all?!"
"Calm down, Adam. It's just a game. Even if they win... Huh? Motherfucker! He muted me! Fuck you, Adam!"
Adam stared at the words 'You lose' plastered across his screen, the only source of illumination in the room.
"Those fuckers. They did this intentionally. Our perfect streak is gone," Adam said, his voice slightly hoarse, a wry smile tugging at the side of his lips.
Covered by a thick duvet as he reclined on his trust-old chair, his brown eyes lingered on Doom poster just above his set up. Parting his dishevel black hair to the side, revealing thick black bags under his eyes.
"Adam, you there? Hey? You there, man?"
Mason's voice carried into Adam's ears as he reclined on his chair, however, he had no intention of donning his headset once more. Instead, he continued to stare at the system message proclaiming his loss.
"Our four years unbeaten streak, gone just like that..." Adam muttered. Stretching his left hand, he grabbed a half-eaten protein bar while his right hand reached for Thunder, the only energy drink he would ever drink.
"Hey, dumbass. You know we can hear you eating, right? Are you ignoring us because of your stupid record? You..."
"Stupid record? Can you hear yourself? We spent four years unbeaten?" Adam blurted out, spilling his drink on his scream.
"Dude, we are the only ones who still play this dead game. It's 2025, nobody plays Co-op Battle Royale anymore," Jimmy retorted.
"Are you guys kidding me? We used to be..."
"Give it a rest, Adam. The only reason we were still playing is because of you. You know we lost interest since last year," Mason added.
'Assholes. How can they forget we used to be world champions? What the hell happened to these guys? When did it get so cold here?' Adam thought as his grip on his duvet tightened.
"Yo, Adam? Are you there? Don't be mad at us, we really tried. How is your prep for the SAT coming along?" Mason asked.
"Mas, you're kidding, right? Adam could probably crush it in his dreams. Why are--"
"I don't think I'm going to college," Adam interjected.
"My mom put you guys up to this, right?" Adam added.
Silence greeted his words.
"You fuckers. I knew it. How much did she give you guys? No wonder. Damn it! I knew it."
With each word, Adam's voice grew louder. Although a chilling air filled his room, his anger warmed him like the noon sun.
"Dude, your mummy reported us to our parents. Apparently, we are the bad influences in your life. Our dad wants us to study abroad. Dude, because of you we might not go to MIT. What the hell happened to you, man? You're like the smartest guy I know, what happened to our goal of being billionaires before we turn thirty? Are you going to bail on your best friends?" Jimmy said.
However, silence greeted his words. An awkward silence soon developed.
"Adam? Still there? Jimmy, I think he choked on thunder. Hope you kept your suit from prom? We might have to attend a funeral," Mason asked. Jimmy's laughter echoed through the Adam's headset. However, he was not in the mood to banter.
'What the hell is wrong with mum? It's my life, and I can do whatever I want with it. What am I going to learn from some miserable bastards who couldn't make it in life? I don't need a college degree to make it life. Why won't she understand that?' Adam thought, as his fingers drummed on the armrest of his chair.
While Adam mused, the brothers continued to throw banter between themselves. However, a fourth voice soon drifted into Adam's ears, waking him from his pensive state.
"Dude, that guy is back. Adam? You don't want to miss this. You're the one who said you wanted to listen to him," Mason said, trying his best not to laugh. However, Adam could hear Jimmy's laughter through his headset. It sounded as if he was being choked.
For the first time, a smile donned Adam's lips, "Are you guys sure it's the same weirdo? Unmute him guys. Jimmy, what kind of laugh is that?"
Just as Adam finished his statement, a deep baritone voice filled his ears, "Behold, I bring thee a chance, one sought after, but not seen, one for the ages, but never taken. Mason Alexander, I bring fulfillment of thy soul. What does your soul seek? Tell me, and I, Korgrath, shall make it a reality. But at a price, which is your soul. What do you say? Forsake your soul and I will give you the desires of thy heart."
A temporary silence followed the declaration. Seconds later, Adam, Jimmy and Mason unleashed a thunderous laughter.
"Who the hell is this guy? Bro, you're fucking good. Mason, you weren't kidding, this guy is a riot," Adam said, unable to control himself.
"Dude, I told you I wasn't kidding. Jimmy's laughing like he has a seizure. Korgrath? What the fuck is that man? Hahaha..."
"The guy is probably a YouTuber. I thought nobody did this kinda prank anymore. Mas, change your ID man. Who uses their real name as their ID?" Adam said.
"Hahaha... Do you know how many Mason Alexander there are in Albany alone? What's the point? Not like this guy can track my IP address," Mason said.
listening to Mason's words, Adam's lips curved into a smirk.
"Unmute him, Mas. Let me have some fun with him?" Adam said.
Seconds after he finished his statement, Korgrath's voice echoed through his headset again, "Mason Alexander, will you forsake your..."
"Dude, I'll take you up on the offer," Adam interjected.
"You will part with your soul to fulfill your desires? Is this right, Bootysmasher?" Korgrath asked.
Adam, Mason and Jimmy could not control themselves as they heard the declaration.
'What a dumbass. But I give him points for staying in character. Let's see the person behind this voice,'
With this thought running through his mind, Adam opened a new window on his browser, and got to work, trying to figure out the identity of the mysterious Korgrath.
"Dude, he s-said it. This guy is immense. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Jimmy, don't die on me, man."
As Adam searched for Korgrath's identity, Mason's words filled his ears. He, too, could not stop laughing.
A few minutes later, the laughter of the brothers still reached him, however, Adam furrowed his brow at the message displayed on his screen.
'What sort of nonsense is this? I can't pinpoint this guy's location. How can he be present in seventy countries at the same time?'
Just as this thought filled Adam's mind, Jimmy's voice reached him, "Adam, how was it? Any luck?"
"I don't know why, but I can't find him. What about you guys?" Adam said.
"Same. Mason, couldn't find anything, too. Does this guy work for the CIA or something," Jimmy said.
'CIA? Don't be stupid, Jimmy. They're not that good, that we wouldn't be able to track them. This guy is too good. At least, he hasn't try to hack us, that means he is only doing this for fun. Well, we might as well have fun, too.' Adam thought.
"Unmute him, Mas. Let's have some fun, too," Adam said, his lips curving into a wide smile.
"Bootysmasher, You will part with your soul to fulfill your desires? Is this right?"
"Yes," Adam said.
"Wonderful. What is your desire?" Korgrath asked.
"I don't have one."
"Huh? What do you mean? Every being as a desire. No matter how grandiose, I will..."
"I don't have one man. Is that a problem? You can still have my soul," Adam interjected.
"Really? Bootysmasher, you want nothing, but you will also give me your soul?" Korgrath asked.
"Yes. So how does this work? How will you take my soul? Do I get hit by a bus or something?" Adam asked, unable to suppress his giggles.
"Let it be known that on this day that, Bootysmasher, surrendered his soul, to I, Korgrath. Two days from now, at noon, lightning shall tear the skies, and I will take your soul."
"Hahaha... Dude, are you some kind of actor or what? Dude, at least, tell me your YouTube channel?" Adam asked, unable to stop himself from laughing.
"Adam, the guy left. Why didn't you wish for a billion dollars or something?" Mason said.
'Oh. Why did he leave? I was just starting to enjoy myself,' Adam thought.
"Asking for money, women and power is the standard formula for these guys. I wanted to know how he'd react if I didn't ask for anything, but gave him my soul. His reaction was gold. He almost broke character," Adam explained.
"Hahaha... I noticed that, too… Dude, our mom just came home. Got to go. Tell me if lightning strikes you in two days. Hahaha..."
'Dumbass. Wouldn't I be dead if I got struck by lightning?'
Adam could not stop himself from giggling. With Mason and Jimmy logging out, he rose to his feet, stretching his legs and arms.
"How long has it been? We started playing fifteen hours ago, right? Man, I need to sleep. Yeah, I'd better sleep before mom comes home. Can't have I nagging on me," Adam muttered.
Wasting no time, Adam trudged to his bed, collapsing into its embrace. Within seconds, he had wondered into the realm of dreams.