Alex didn't stop. His legs felt like lead, his body screamed for rest, but his mind was laser-focused. He had to get a clear view of the situation—only from higher ground could he understand the true scale of the chaos unfolding around him. His eyes darted through the dark, desolate city, scanning for a building tall enough to give him the vantage point he needed. Most were in ruins, but his gaze finally settled on an old, abandoned watchtower, standing ominously over the empty streets. The city had been evacuated, its virtual residents herded into shelters the moment the threat appeared.
"This'll do," Alex muttered under his breath, already moving toward it.
The streets of Cenaris, once teeming with digital life, now resembled a decaying husk of the lively metropolis it had been. Dim lights flickered along the roads, casting eerie shadows over the abandoned pathways. Every step Alex took echoed loudly in the oppressive silence. Trees swayed as though moved by ghostly winds—though he knew the breeze was nothing more than lines of code simulating weather in this virtual world. The entire city felt lifeless, like a haunting echo of what it used to be.
"A ghost town... literally," Alex thought, forcing down the unsettling reality that not long ago, this city had been a hub of NPCs and quests. Now it was just a deserted stage, waiting for disaster.
He reached the base of the watchtower, eyes trailing up the winding metal staircase that spiraled around it. "It looks easy in theory, but in practice…" he muttered, shaking his head. Even though this was all virtual, his brain couldn't help but treat the dangers as real. The psychological toll was wearing on him.
With a determined breath, he grabbed the railing and began his ascent. Each step seemed to siphon more of his strength. His muscles quivered—not from the cold, but from the tension gnawing at his mind. His breath, heavy and strained, mingled with the artificial wind whistling past him. Stopping now wasn't an option. He couldn't afford it.
"No turning back now," he murmured to himself, gripping the cold railing tighter as he forced himself upward. The staircase felt impossibly real, each creak and groan beneath his weight pulling him further into the illusion that his life hung by a thread. The game's software seemed almost intent on amplifying his fear.
When he finally reached the top, Alex took a moment to catch his breath. His heart was racing, every pulse a reminder that time was slipping away. From this height, the entire city lay before him, an expanse of darkness dotted with faint, flickering lights. But what he saw at the city's edge made his blood run cold.
There, marching slowly toward the heart of Cenaris, were hordes of ghouls—horrific monsters from the dungeons, their grotesque figures moving in unison. Alongside them were malfunctioning NPC hunters, their bodies jerking awkwardly, as if their programming had gone haywire. It was clear: something had gone terribly wrong. A glitch in the system had turned what should have been a routine skills test into a nightmare.
"What the hell is going on?" Alex's thoughts raced. This wasn't just a simple test anymore. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
His mind raced as he processed what he was seeing. The city had been evacuated, its digital citizens sent to shelters at the first sign of danger. Now, the streets stood empty, an abandoned battlefield slowly being overrun by this strange, twisted invasion. "Even if this is part of the test… how am I supposed to deal with this?" His pulse quickened as he scanned the horizon, desperate for any clue as to what he should do next.
In the distance, red warning lights flashed intermittently, signaling an impending system failure. "How much time do I have before everything crashes? An hour? Maybe less?" His mind filled with questions as doubt and fear crept into his thoughts. How could he possibly fend off so many ghouls and malfunctioning hunters? Would failure here destroy his chances in the larger assessment?
As he stood, eyes sweeping over the chaos below, something caught his attention. There, moving frantically through the empty streets, was a small figure. Alex squinted, disbelief washing over him. It was a child. "What the fu... how is there a kid here?"
The boy seemed oddly familiar, though from this distance, Alex couldn't make out his features clearly. An unsettling feeling stirred within him—something was wrong. The boy stumbled through the deserted streets, pursued by one of the glitch-ridden NPC hunters. The hunter moved like a broken machine, its body twitching unnaturally, its glowing red eyes locked onto the boy as if programmed to eliminate him.
"Damn it!" Alex cursed, adrenaline surging through his veins. There was no time to think.
From his vantage point, he watched in horror as the child tripped and fell, backing himself into a corner. Debris blocked his escape, and the hunter was closing in fast, its robotic movements increasingly threatening. Its face was blank, devoid of emotion, a mechanical predator locked on its prey.
"I can't wait any longer!"
Without a second thought, Alex sprang into action. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves for what he was about to do. This wasn't the first time he'd attempted something reckless in the virtual world, but even so, one wrong move here could cost him everything.
"Shift your weight, focus on the landing, don't lose sight of the boy." The plan formed rapidly in his mind as he launched himself off the tower.
For a brief moment, he was weightless, the wind howling around him as he fell. He twisted in mid-air, eyes locked on the ground below, calculating his landing with precision. The ground rushed up to meet him, and with the agility of a seasoned player, Alex landed gracefully on his feet just behind the boy.
"That was way too close," he thought, his heart pounding from the adrenaline rush. There was no time to recover.
The boy hadn't noticed him yet, his terrified gaze still fixed on the approaching hunter. Alex quickly knelt beside him, his voice urgent but steady.
"Hey!" he called, grabbing the boy's attention. "Come with me!"
The child didn't need to be told twice. Without a word, he bolted alongside Alex, gripping his hand tightly. Alex's movements were fluid, almost instinctive, as he led the boy through narrow alleyways and around piles of debris. They weaved through the deserted streets, staying low, their footsteps barely audible against the hollow silence of the city.
Behind them, the hunter, having temporarily lost sight of its target, jerked back into motion. Its glitchy programming caused it to stagger, its movements mechanical, but relentless. It was slow, for now, but Alex knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"Who is this kid? Why does he seem so familiar?" Alex's thoughts raced as they dodged through the maze of the city. He couldn't shake the strange feeling gnawing at him—this child wasn't just some random NPC. But there was no time to dwell on that. They had to keep moving.
As they put more distance between themselves and the hunter, Alex felt a slight easing of the pressure, though the danger still clung to them like a second skin. The city was swarming with malfunctioning hunters and ghouls, and every turn could lead them straight into another trap. "We need to find shelter, somewhere defensible, somewhere we can catch our breath."
That unsettling thought returned—"If this is just a virty test, why does it feel this way?"—but he shoved it aside. There were more immediate concerns.
Alex's eyes darted around, scanning the streets. His heart skipped when he spotted an old storefront just ahead. It looked abandoned, the glass door hanging slightly ajar, a perfect place to lie low.
"This way," Alex whispered, tugging the boy's hand as they darted across the street. They slipped into the store, and Alex carefully eased the door shut behind them. The shop was dimly lit, its shelves bare, dust thick on the floor. It felt more like a relic of some forgotten past than a part of the virtual world they were trapped in.
Alex led the boy to the back of the store, behind some tall shelves where they could hide for a moment. He crouched down beside him, putting a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Stay quiet, alright? Don't move," he said softly. The boy nodded, his wide eyes filled with fear, his body trembling.
Alex leaned his back against the shelf, trying to catch his breath. His muscles screamed in protest, and his mind buzzed with the stress of the chase. But they couldn't afford to stop for long. "We need a plan... we can't just sit here."
His ears tuned to the world outside, trying to pick up any sound. And then he heard it. Heavy footsteps. His body tensed, every nerve on edge. The hunter. It was close, much closer than he'd expected.
Alex's pulse quickened as he peeked through the crack between the shelves. A large shadow passed in front of the store, blocking the faint light from outside. The hunter was moving slowly, its head swiveling as if scanning for something.
"Stay still," Alex whispered, barely moving his lips. His entire body was coiled, ready to spring into action if needed. The hunter's heavy, erratic footsteps echoed through the quiet street, sending chills down his spine.
The seconds dragged on. Alex's heart pounded in his ears as the hunter lingered outside, its jerky movements betraying its malfunction. He held his breath, willing himself to be invisible, willing the boy to stay as silent as possible. "If it finds us…"
the thought trailed off, too grim to finish.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the hunter began to move away. Its footsteps grew softer, retreating into the distance like the ebbing tide. Alex didn't move, didn't dare breathe until the sound was completely gone.
He glanced down at the boy, who was clutching his arm like it was the only thing tethering him to reality. The child's wide eyes were locked on the door, his small body rigid with fear.
"I think he's gone,right?" Alex whispered, his voice barely above a breath. The tension still weighed heavily on him, every instinct telling him to stay put for just a little longer, to make sure the danger had truly passed.
The boy didn't turn to face him, his gaze fixed on the spot where the hunter had disappeared into the distance.
"I don't know..." he whispered, his voice carrying a strange mixture of caution and distance. His eyes, though seemingly innocent, remained unblinking, focused.
Even as the hunter vanished completely from view, the tension refused to dissipate. The stillness of the virtual world felt unnatural, as though something unseen was waiting to pounce. Alex's muscles remained tight. He couldn't relax—not here, not now.
"We need to stay put for a while," Alex whispered, his voice barely audible. Patience was key. The last thing they needed was to move too soon and draw the hunter back.
As they crouched in the dusty shadows of the abandoned store, an unexpected sense of loneliness crept into Alex's mind. *Why does this place feel so hostile?* Everything—the deserted streets, the empty shelves—felt more like a trap than a refuge. It was as if the world itself was watching him, waiting for him to slip.
"You're not scared, are you?" the boy's voice suddenly broke through the silence, soft but oddly piercing, like he knew something Alex didn't.
Alex turned toward him, his confusion deepening. The virtual city around them was unraveling into chaos, and yet, the boy stood there, unnervingly calm in the middle of it all. The air was thick with dust, the faint sound of distant screams barely registering against the eerie quiet. Yet the boy remained still, as if none of it concerned him.
"Are you a hunter?" the boy asked casually, as though it were the most normal question in the world.
Alex, still trying to wrap his mind around everything, nodded slowly.
"Yeah... I'm a hunter," he replied, his voice heavier than expected. But why does he care? He's just a kid... right? Or at least, he looks like one. Nothing here feels real anymore.
The boy's eyes sharpened, and the next words that came from his mouth were deeper, more deliberate.
"Then why haven't you gone crazy like the others?"
Alex froze.
Gone crazy? The others? Is he talking about... the glitch?A cold unease settled over him, as though he was on the edge of some revelation but couldn't quite grasp it.
"What do you mean by crazy?" Alex tried to keep his tone steady, but his voice betrayed him, the unease seeping through.
The boy's lips curved into a small, knowing smile, one far too old for his face.
"You're different. You know it too, don't you? This place... it isn't real."
The words hit Alex like a jolt of electricity.
How could he possibly know? No NPC should be aware of the simulation. His pulse quickened, and his mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. But this boy... he knows.
"What are you saying?" Alex asked, his voice quieter now, almost cautious. I can't let him see me panic. I have to stay in control, no matter what.
The boy met his gaze, his eyes heavy with a strange knowledge, far beyond his apparent years.
"This world resets, every single day. When night falls... everything begins again. The people, the buildings... they all return to how they were before, and everyone forgets. All except me."
Alex felt a chill crawl down his spine. Resets? No way. That can't be part of the test. But then, the pieces started to fall into place. That strange, unsettling feeling he'd had since arriving in this city... maybe now it made sense.
"It... repeats?" Alex whispered, the words barely leaving his lips. "And you're the only one who remembers?"
The boy nodded slowly, his eyes dark with sorrow, the kind of weariness that came from reliving the same nightmare over and over.
"Yes. I've tried to tell them, again and again. But every day, they forget. They go back to their lives like nothing ever happened. While I... I'm stuck. I remember everything."
The weight of the boy's words hit Alex hard, like a blow he wasn't ready for. He could almost feel the boy's despair, the crushing isolation of knowing a truth no one else could understand.
'I know that feeling... the loneliness, the helplessness. But this kid... he's living it every single day, trapped in this endless loop.'
Alex looked at the boy, his voice softening, filled with a quiet empathy he hadn't expected.
"I don't know how to fix this... but you're right. I believe you, this all just a simulation"
The boy's expression shifted, his wide eyes reflecting a mix of shock and hope, as though he had never heard those words before.