"Hey bro check out this new game I found!"
A cheery girl with waist-length silvery hair gleamed while staring intently at her phone. She looked just a tad taller than 1.7 meters and had a face that made anyone who saw her feel like they were in Heaven. She had the widest grin while waving a teal blue cell phone at her favorite sibling.
"Is this another one of your stupid mobile games Fria? I've already told you before that you're going to get scammed by some random people on the internet." replied a black-haired youth with arched eyebrows and bright green eyes.
He raised his hand from the armrest of the Shimmer City park bench to his forehead in response to his older sister's enthusiasm.
Every few days, Fria would freak out about some type of mobile game that he had no interest in. One day it would be a boring game where all you could do was move your character around until it got hit by a small car or truck when crossing the road. On the next, it would be tapping the screen to move a yellow bird between two pipes. He tried playing once and quit after realizing the game was definitely rigged.
"This one's different though! And it's not a mobile game. It's called Otherworld Prime for the new L-Box that just came out!
You can do all kinds of things, like tame monsters and fly with magic! I even heard that if you get really strong in your cultivation, you can go to another world where powerful people live! It's expected to be the most popular game this year, but only a few people have it.
I want to buy the game, but I don't have enough money...can you get it for me?"
"No, why would I do that? And since when are you into Cultivation games? That's my thing."
"Because you owe me for the last time, remember? I even fed Snuggles for a week. That cat is the worst! I don't know why you keep him around. He does nothing but tear up the house when he doesn't get what he wants." Fria was not going to let her younger brother get away with making her deal with that animal's daily antics.
"And what do you mean YOUR thing? I can play whatever I want, hmph!" She sneered at her intolerable brother.
"Yeah, but I'm not buying you a game. How much is it anyway?" Fria's brother leaned over on the park bench and glanced at her cell phone.
"300 dollars?!? What kind of a rip-off is that?!? Also, screw you he's a good cat...when he wants to be. It's your fault for holding him and singing musicals, he's just getting revenge."
Fria and her brother were adopted around the same time by a warm-hearted couple when he was 3, and Fria had just turned 4 years old.
They treat each other like siblings, even though they aren't blood related. A few years ago, her brother took home a small grey and white cat that Fria named Snuggles. Although Snuggles was initially raised as an outdoor cat, he has quickly become spoiled from living indoors and eating nothing but canned food over the years.
"But all my friends are getting the game! I don't want to be the only one alone while they're all having fun." She looked down with a frown on her face, pausing for a moment, before lifting her bright blue eyes toward her sibling.
"Please please please buy it for me, Will. I won't ask for anything else and I'll even feed Snuggles again for a whole month this time!" Fria grabbed William's shoulders with both hands and started shaking him back and forth.
"Ok, ok, I'll buy it for you but stop shaking me or I'm gonna be sick before we get on the bus home. Hand me the phone so I can put it on my card." William sighed as he reached his hand with his palm facing up to Fria.
Will entered his card information on the payment screen and then quickly scrolled past the "terms and agreements" section of the app and clicked next.
Hmph, as if I would ever read something that long for a stupid game. Let's just get this over with.
He continued tapping different prompts until the phone showed a positive response. William lifted his head to the sky in mourning for the lost savings.
He didn't sulk for too long though, as a floating text box had appeared in his view, despite still looking away from Fria's phone.
**PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL**
---------------INITIALIZING---------------
...
...
--LOADING DATA--
...
--DETECTING WORTHINESS--
...
--PLEASE WAIT--
Will jumped up from the park bench in fright, "What the hell was that?" he stared at the floating text in front of him in shock while the robotic voice sounded inside his head at a loud volume.
"Are you okay bro? Did something happen?" Fria looked over at her brother with a hint of worry.
"No, I'm fine. I just thought I saw something for a second" he lied. Will shook his head and quickly forgot about the text that had moved to an obscure spot in the left corner of his view.
Fria stared at William for a moment, "Well ok then, thanks for buying me the game! I promise you won't regret it!" she got up hurriedly and wrapped her arms around Will, hugging him tightly.
William's face turned bright red as he felt something soft pressing against him. He hurriedly stepped away from Fria in embarrassment, before switching to annoyance.
"You really need to get a job Fria, you're already 21. I'm the younger one, so shouldn't YOU be buying ME games? I'm not buying you anything else, so you better be prepared to fend for yourself."
"Hey, I'm trying okay! I already sent out 5 applications last week. It's their fault for not seeing how valuable I am." Fria turned her head to the left while her hair whipped toward William, brushing against his shoulder.
They talked for a while longer until Fria spotted a blue charter bus rolling up the hill, signaling their time to leave. "Oh look the bus is here!" she turned to the side and wrapped her fingers around a pink backpack before motioning to William, "Let's get our bags."
"Mm"
***
After taking his seat, William put his earbuds in and switched on his favorite band, "Two Republic". He closed his eyes and leaned back to the sound of...buzzing?
--ERROR--
--ERROR--
--WORTH NOT FOUND--
--HOST DETECTED NOT WORTHY--
...
--FINDING SOLUTIONS--
...
...
...
--SOLUTION FOUND--
--ELIMINATING HOST...PLEASE WAIT--
The text from before began flashing, a sight William couldn't avoid even with his eyes closed.
...Eliminating Host?
William was bewildered for a moment, before his eyes opened wide in shock and understanding, "Wait no! Don't eliminate me!" he yelled out loud, much to the confusion of Fria and the other passengers. An elderly couple from two rows forward even got up and turned around to look at the insane young man behind them.
--REQUEST NOTED--
...
...
--HOST WILL PROVE THEIR WORTH--
...
...
--TRANSPORTING HOST NOW--
Will barely had the time to open his mouth before his vision went dark. Fria's eyes went wide in shock as he disappeared into thin air without a sound. She frantically searched around her seat in the hopes that she was just imagining things.
The couple had stood up and were on their way to William's previous location when a gentle wind swept by. Their pupils dilated briefly before returning to normal. They paused for a moment, somewhat confused, then returned to their seats and sat down.
Fria, who was previously terrified for her lost brother, seemed to have forgotten all about the last few seconds. She sat down in the seat, continuing with the ride as if nothing had happened...