Chapter 6: The Grind
Sam's alarm blared in his ear, dragging him from sleep with a groan. He fumbled blindly for his phone, shutting off the noise before it woke anyone else in the house. The sun hadn't even risen yet, and the dim morning light seeped through the cracks in his makeshift curtains. It was way too early, but this was his reality. No powers, no miracles—just a job he couldn't afford to lose.
After pulling on his wrinkled uniform for the electronics store, Sam grabbed his backpack, double-checking that his beat-up headset wasn't in there. The last thing he needed was getting distracted by Aetherius at work, especially after the disaster with Tauran. He needed to be focused.
Downstairs, the house was still quiet. His parents had left for work hours ago, and Max and Jenna were still asleep. He grabbed a piece of stale bread and shoved it into the toaster. Breakfast of champions.
Sam's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he checked it as he leaned against the counter, waiting for the toast.
Max: Can you pick me up from school later? Mom said the car's acting up again.
Sam sighed, rubbing his eyes. More responsibilities. It wasn't that he minded helping out, but between work, the game, and everything else, he felt like he was being pulled in too many directions.
Sam: Yeah, I'll be there. 3 PM, right?
Max's reply was quick. Max: Yeah, thanks, man.
The toast popped up with a weak spring, slightly burnt on one side. Sam grabbed it and took a bite as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, heading out the door. It was only a short walk to the bus stop, but every step reminded him of just how tired he was. He hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, not with the game pulling him in every night and work dragging him out every morning.
As he waited for the bus, his mind wandered back to the game. The death timer. It had been 24 hours since Tauran had killed him. Sam frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets. The battle replayed in his mind, the frustration still fresh. Tauran's smirk, the sudden spike of pain as he'd been struck down—he couldn't shake it. Even though he was "just" Sam out here, in the real world, he couldn't help but think about Aetherius and everything he was building there.
The bus rolled up with a screech, and Sam climbed aboard, his eyes heavy as he took a seat near the back. The usual crowd was there—commuters with tired faces and students scrolling through their phones. He pulled his own phone out, mindlessly checking his notifications. No updates on the game, at least not yet.
The ride was uneventful, as it always was. Just another mundane part of his day-to-day grind. When he finally arrived at the electronics store, his boss, Keith, was waiting by the door, a cup of coffee in hand.
"You're late," Keith grunted, though his voice lacked any real bite.
"Yeah, sorry," Sam muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Bus was slow."
"Sure, sure," Keith said, clearly not interested in an explanation. "Stock room's a mess. Go sort it out."
Sam nodded, heading toward the back of the store without another word. The stock room was always a disaster—shelves of mismatched electronics, boxes stacked haphazardly, and wires tangled in impossible knots. He threw on his name tag and got to work, but his mind kept drifting back to the game, to the timer ticking down.
The day dragged on, just like every other. Customers came and went, most of them annoyed or confused about some new gadget they didn't know how to work. Sam did his best to help, but his thoughts were elsewhere. How long until he could log back into Aetherius? How many more hours until he could start rebuilding what he'd lost?
By the time his lunch break rolled around, Sam was exhausted. He sat in the tiny break room with a sandwich he couldn't even afford to enjoy. Keith walked by, throwing him a glance.
"Taking that game of yours too seriously?" Keith asked with a raised eyebrow. "You look like a zombie, man."
"Just haven't been sleeping well," Sam lied, taking a bite of his sandwich.
Keith shrugged, grabbing his own coffee from the counter. "Well, get it together. This place isn't exactly a stress-free zone, but at least you're not fighting monsters out here."
Sam chuckled weakly, but the joke hit too close to home. As soon as Keith left, Sam pulled out his phone again. Still no notifications from Aetherius. The death timer had to be close by now, right? He tapped through a few menus, trying to distract himself.
Finally, 3 PM rolled around, and Sam clocked out, grateful to be done for the day. He still had to pick up Max, but at least work was behind him. The thought of slipping back into Aetherius kept him going.
The bus ride to Max's school was slow and uneventful. Sam leaned against the window, watching the city roll by in a blur of concrete and cars. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Out here, nothing changed. There was no leveling up, no quick fixes, no gaining power with every decision you made. Just the grind—every day the same.
When he finally got to the school, Max was already waiting by the curb, his headphones on and his backpack slung over one shoulder. He climbed into the car without a word, pulling out his phone as soon as he sat down.
"Mom said the car's making noises again," Max said, not looking up.
"Yeah, I'll check it out later," Sam replied, though he knew he probably wouldn't. It wasn't like he knew anything about cars, and they couldn't afford to take it to a mechanic.
The ride home was quiet, Max absorbed in whatever game he was playing on his phone. Sam, meanwhile, was counting down the minutes until he could finally escape back into the game.
As soon as they got home, Sam went straight to his room, tossing his backpack on the floor as he collapsed onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, his mind buzzing with the promise of what was waiting for him. He reached for his headset—but before he could put it on, a soft chime echoed in his ear.
System notification: The 24-hour death timer has expired. You may now re-enter the world of Aetherius.
Sam sat up, the fatigue melting away as a small smile crept across his face. It was time.
In the game, he was Ego. And Ego wasn't done yet.