โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โ------------------------------
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ Would you like to activate the System?
โโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โ โโโโโโโโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ ACCEPTโโโโ โ โโโโ โโโโ โ โ โDECLINE
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โ------------------
"Fuck no!"
I ignored the notification at the top of my vision for the hundredth time. Probably should have tried it, considering my impending demise, but hey, I was an idiot being chased by some goddamn Lovecraftian creature. I didn't have much time to think about anything else besides running.
My gaze swung to the thing a few meters away. It had no face. No eyes. Not even a mouth. Just a wriggling mass of something in between sewer water and digested jello. To top it off, the damned thing was the same sizeโno, ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ, than a human baby.
And then it was gone.
My legs stopped moving.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ?
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ต?!
I swerved left, right. Nothing. Only endless forest.
Fuck. Fuck!
I cradled my head, hands shaking uncontrollably.
Blinked. I had only ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ, damn it! How long did that even take? A second? Milliseconds? Where could it have gone in that time? Where in the fuck could it have disappeared to?!
I glanced down, catching a glimpse of my trembling feet. Underneath were my sandals. Next to them were shadows. Grass. Dirt. Leavโ
Wait.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด?
My blood froze. I stared at my shadowโperfectly stillโand then at the one next to it, in the shape of an elongated circle. It was about as large as my head. Almost looked as if it wasโ
My eyes widened.
As if it was ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
I looked up.
"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the FUCKโ"
Splat.
That was my first death.
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โ ๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ
"Mom, are you getting out soon?"
"They're just doing a few more tests to be careful, especially with all that's going on. Today or tomorrow, I'll be able to go home, if all goes well."
I let out the breath I'd been holding.
"O-okay! Call me right away when you find out."
"I will."
She gave a slight chuckle, but it didn't hide the fatigue in her voice. The exhaustion. Years of abuse and drugs did that to people.
I bit my lip.
"H-hey mom, I-"
"I miss you son."
My words stopped in their tracks.
"I-I miss you too mom."
A moment of silence passed before either of us spoke again. I wished it never did.
"Alright, I've got to go now, but I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Oh. Okay."
"Oh, and do let . . . ah, what's her name again?"
"A-Axela?"
"Yes, Axela! Let her know that I'm so grateful for her keeping you company. I know it must be tough on you both, especially with all of this happening in your senior year."
"Mmh, I'll tell her."
I said, the sudden taste of metal on my tongue.
"Okay, stay safe. Make sure to eat, alright? Don't be on the computer for too long, and get some fresh air once in a while!"
I murmured another affirmation, and all too soon she was gone. I was alone again. With a sigh, I dropped my phone on the wooden table in front of me, next to my ๐ข๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฟlaptop.
A self-deprecating smile grew on my face.
"Sorry mom. I lied again."
I hadn't talked to Axela in what? Days? Weeks? Months? Who goddamn knew anymore? Hell, what was even the date today?
I cursed under my breath, staring listlessly at the empty walls across the table. The coarse white paint was beginning to peel off, something made obvious by the fact that there was nothing to cover them up. No hanging pictures, no frames, nothing sharp or blunt. Just empty and dull, like the rest of this house. Like me.
๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ.
My fist shook the table, something I soon regretted when my right hand ballooned into a swollen chunk of hot iron. I hissed.
"Fuck."
I dropped my head on the table, wrapping myself in my arms. A small, tiny whisper croaked from my mouth, the words scratching my throat like a razor.
"Where are you?"
"Please. Please, just respond once."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
My voice grew quieter with every word, until the only sound I could hear was that of my own shallow breaths. Unable to handle the deafening noise, I looked back up and glanced at the screen of my laptop. A black-haired man with glasses stared back, his eyes rimmed red and face paler than a sheet. Like a vampire. Cold and unfeeling. Heartless. It laughed.
"๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต? ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ค๐ณ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ญ?"
"I didn't mean to!"
"๐ ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ."
"N-No, I didn't! She's my best friend, Iโ"
"๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด? ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ท๐ช-"
"Shut. Up!" I growled. My fists gripped the table, about to swell again. "She's perfectly fine. She's fine. She's fine!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs, and the voice left in a fit of laughter. Despite that, the reflection remained. A teary-eyed kid of barely eighteen, a kid that looked smaller and smaller by the second.
๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
My phone lit up. I looked at the notification.
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโโโโ๐ ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ. ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ ๐ช๐ต ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ. ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ, ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
I wiped the tears away, unable to prevent a small smile from settling on my lips. That smile disappeared as I noticed the date.
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ May 16, 2020
Fuck.
It had already been two months? How? ๐๐ฐ๐ธ?! Did . . . did something really happen? Was sheโno, no, it couldn't be. It couldn't be. R-Right?
I shook my head, curling my fists up again.
Damn it, if she was still angry, then fine! She could stay angry at me for the rest of her life! I just . . . I just needed to know. I needed to know if she was okay. Just one text. One sign. God, anythiโ
A sudden flash of sunlight blinded me. I winced for a second before looking back and following its trajectory. My gaze peered past the white-stained hallway, locking onto the bathroom door covered in warm sunlight.
The memories began to replay in my mind.
Two months ago. Two months ago everything had changed. I'd cried on the bathroom floor, wishing that everything was just some long fever dream. The novel coronavirus. The lockdowns. The end of the worldโor at least, what seemed like it. For me, it ๐ธ๐ข๐ด. I'd been looking forward to moving out for years. Took two part-time jobs to save up for the plane ticket. Now? The flight was canceled. Graduation moved online. My college wasn't even sure if they were opening for the fall semester. Maybe they never would. The world had been fucked and my life along with it. Meanwhile, she had just joked around, chuckling about how "amazing" the new break was.
I sighed.
Yeah, she was my best friend. But that didn't stop me from feeling . . . well, shitty. How could she be so carefree? So unworried? Didn't she realize how much of a big deal it was? I knew it wasn't fair for me to think that way, but I was bitter. Angry. And, unfortunately, there was nothing else at the time for my anger to direct itself to except . . . except her. And so, on that afternoon two months ago, I made a terrible mistake. I said something I never should've said. Something I wished I could take back.
โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ โโโโ. . .
"S-So, what are you planning to do?"
"I'll probably try to find some work online or something. Get started on making a portfolio and stuff."
"Oh. T-that sounds good. I'm gonna try to finally finish Kingdom Hearts III. I finally have time now! Oh yeah, I'm also thinking of trying out this other game too. I've heard it's like Minecraft, and it's also m-multiplayer!"
The face on my phone smiled slightly, biting her lip. I hadn't noticed then, too busy trying to hide my disappointment.
"You know, I can't really see the appeal in them."
"I-In what?"
"Games. Why waste time playing some fictitious reality when people already have enough to shit to deal with? I mean look at what's happening now. People are dying. Life's too short to waste."
The look on her face had been as if I'd killed her firstborn child.
"I-I can't believe you just said that." Her voice shook, like a glass on the verge of breaking. "For a lot of people, games are a way for those who need a safe place away from reality. I thought you of all people wou-"
"It's just running away."
God, I had immediately regretted saying it.
". . ."
The glass cracked.
"Y-you're an asshole, Yohan."
๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ.
That was the last time I heard from her. I had simply stared at my phone then, the image of her tear-stricken face burned into my mind. God, how could I have been so stupid?
The memories slowly drifted away.
"I screwed up big time, didn't I?" I murmured, unable to stop myself from sighing again.
Now, look, I may be an idiot, but I wasn't a douchebag. That same day, I had called her back to apologize. She didn't answer. My messages were ignored. Emails unread. What else could I do? After all, I couldn't even go to her house. Her parents? Yeah, ๐ฏ๐ฐ. I didn't even know their numbers, but even if I did, I wouldn't call them. Friends? I was the only one she hung out withโto my knowledge. It was the same for me. She had been my only friend. My best friend.
And so, just like that, two months passed by without a single word from her. God, how I wished I could turn back time. Hell, didn't everybody? But, unfortunately, I couldn't reverse time. No one could.
I sighed again, turning on my laptop and opening a new browser. The familiar UTube page popped up, and I clicked on the first video I saw, something I'd done far too many times to count.
๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ช๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค.
Here I was, stuck doing exactly what I had warned her not to do. Wasting my life away. I was such a damn hypocrite.
"Fuck."
I closed the cat video and opened a different window. A con-rod icon opened up, and I sighed.
. . . ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต๐ค๐ฉ, ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฉ.
Yesterday, I finally downloaded ๐๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ. I remembered the countless times she had tried to convince me to try it out. I had always promised to do so, though never got around to doing it till nowโwhen she was no longer around. A foolish decision, considering I've absolutely no idea where to start. God, how I wished I could delve into another world just as she did so easilyโ
๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
I glanced at my phone again, heart slightly racing. I recognized a familiar sign: an S in a blue circle. The rush in my chest dropped to a dull ache.
"Students, we hope you are all doing well during these tough times. Please make sure to attend all online classes. Attendance is mandatory. If you do not attend your classes, we are afraid that the school will have toโ"
It wasn't her. Or mom.
I tossed the phone on the table. With another sigh, I turned to the laptop and minimized the ๐๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ window. Just as I was about to turn it off, a small notification appeared to the bottom right of the screen.
๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ!
"You have received a game invite from โโโโโโ."
Hmm?
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด?
I clicked the notification. Then . . . then I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember what happened after. Later on, though, I would recall a few things. Someone had whispered into my ear, requesting my presence. My permission. My help.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐โ
And I accepted. Everything disappeared.
[Entering World]
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Flourish Image:
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/865472362941251605/867257499760852992/Final_Flourish_WithLogo.png?width=1440&height=278
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