Streets were bustling in crowds of hundreds, bustling and tireless with eager eyes watching as the clock ticked down. Homes, pubs, city centres, if you could think of a place - it most likely has people joyously and anxiously waiting for that same time of the year.

Somewhere in a small town, south of England... In a fairly large home was packed to the brim with friends, families, friends of friends, strangers, cases of 'do I remember/know you'(s) and 'Ohhhh! I remember/know you!' (one things for sure is that they most likely don't) and even reunions of old acquaintances. However, spirits were high, and dopamine stimulated throughout every body, some even indulged in even more daring spirits you could say, but it doesn't stray away from the fact that the people in this humble gathering all had gleeful eyes bent on anticipation.

Except for one, and this one had remained outside alone on the patio of the garden. Gleeful eyes, yes, but no on the celebration that was taking place.

The lone figure stared deeply into the colourfully painted firework night sky, hazel eyes that showed their green in the fizzling light of the fireworks. Unkempt brown hair that covered up to the figure's brow, which you would believe to be a tattletale that signifies lack of effort being put into self-care. However, the lightly tanned clear skin flourished on the figure's face would be a pointer to argue otherwise. The figure remained still as the people inside kept counting down... 

"Is everyone in the house?"

- "Nah, Konrad there's still people outside I think. Want me to call them in?"

"No point Dan, you're already helping me carry the boxes from the garage, I'll ask someone who's free to do it."

The two of them carried the boxes filled with champagne from the garage to the kitchen and the final destination being the living room. Passing through the kitchen Konrad had isolated and chose one person (in his mind) who was idly standing by, unbothered and self-kept, to call people from that garden back into the house.

"Yo, Amy please can you do us a favour real quick? Cuz me a Dan have to setup the bottles." (...) "And since the countdown is about to start in like 1 minute so can you quickly nip into the garden and call the people out there to come back in please?"

- ?

- "Are there people still out there in the garden?"

"Dunno, think so?" (...) "Could you check please?"

- "Alright, I'll check if there are still people out there."

"Thank you."

...

The footsteps of the people indoors grew loud for a moment in time, and the fizzled down as they crowd round a singular clock in the living room, no one could break through such a large group of people. People around the world synchronised in their respective time zones, watching, waiting and staring at the clock as it ticked down from the minutes, and ultimately into the seconds...

...

"5!"

Is it really that time of the year again?

I swear... These crowds keep getting bigger each year. Aiming champagne at each other in the house (for real?). Hm... What was I supposed to make again? Oh yeah... Making wishes or promises or resolves (?), but I don't really get it.

"4!"

I tried understanding the meaning of it: this day, this noise, the dead set expressions everyone has beforehand, but...

"3!"

No matter what, I can't just not think of this as any other day of the week.

"2!"

Month or, even year.

"1!"

I really turn 19 next year huh? Even then it's just another regular passing day. And even then, I'll continue to reflect on each passing day - I'll look looking back - not just last year, but the month before and even the day before.

"0..." I checked my phone which showed 00:00 once again.

Resolutions i think is what they're called, people make wishes on this day too, right? Makes me think... What wish did I make during my 18th birthday... I don't even think I cared to make a wish, since I was working to what I wanted back then.

"Happy-"

Either way it's a-

"New year!" today and looking back inside the house and hearing the cheers from the other houses, I guess everyone is pretty excited about this. I came here for the free drinks and food, so I guess I'll stick for a little while longer.

Oh?

"Finally! I managed to break free!" (...) "First of all... Happy new year Will!"

It's Amy? I haven't seen her in a little while. Should I take this opportunity to make a cheesy joke and plug stop this sadness from leaking? Since I haven't seen her in a hot minute, I probably should try to make it a little bearable.

"Hahhh..." A massive sigh was released.

"I had to call you back inside earlier, but I couldn't pass through all those people." (...) "Will, I had a funny feeling it was you who was probably gonna be out here, you do realise that everyone went back inside to start counting down?"

She's angry? This is bad, I really wanna make a s#@t joke, but she's chewing me out!

"Honestly! Why was I chosen to do this in the first place anyway-"

Sorry Amy.

"Haven't seen you since last year Amy!" Anddd mood breaker?

...

Did that work...?

- "..." SAY SOMETHING!

Please respond! Don't just sit there in silence for like a minute!

- "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, to save you from embarrassment…" (...) "That's my venting finished." (...) "Anyway, how've you been, Will?" Thank God she said something - otherwise I would've forced the ground to swallow me whole.

"I guess I've been doing pretty fine as of late. You know, my clothing brand has been doing well recently too! Highlight of my life I suppose."

- "Hmmm... Really?" Amy why are you doubting me...

"Don't try to sniff me out, I tell you, I have had a lot of units sold this year!" Actually... I would say it was more or less around 40, maybe 30 or maybe 20, - cough - BUT! I'll sprinkle in a little bit of exaggeration and dodge the actual figures to save myself from unnecessary hurt.

"So you know, I'd say that's pretty successful for someone of my calibre"

- "You know what, at least you're positive about your year no matter how... Anti-climactic it was?" Hey now, what do you mean by this?

- "My luck's not been great this year, all I can say right now I suppose."

Woah, the mood shifted a little, and her tone. Did something really bad happen to her?

"Hey, if you need to talk I'm here-"

- "Well aside from that, how's your luck been with finding a girlfriend?"

A complete 180 - wow.

"L-Let's not go there Amy" (...) "Since, of course, luck doesn't exist in my world - so I don't believe in it." With this much confidence, I can dodge this awful question.

- pfft

"What? I'm being serious, don't giggle."

- "I forgot you don't believe in superstition..." (...) "Say."

- "What would it take for you to believe in something like luck."

What would it take?

"I don't know really. Maybe if... A Y@@lt fell from the sky and it isn't expired and I could drink it."

- "For you to believe in luck?"

"Uhhh... I guess?"

- "You really do hate stuff like superstition... It's not bad to put faith in something unknown every now and again." 

"Why should I, it doesn't exist in the first place, I don't want to rely on something that I know doesn't exist."

- "Having something to lean on is different than relying on." 

"How so?"

- "Small moments like these. You know, going into the new year, a whole unknown can be scary. So I guess, making a wish or hoping for something isn't a bad thing to lean onto, to give you peace of mind."

"The unknown huh."

"When you put it that way - I guess I can see where you're coming from" (...) "But it's still ridiculous in my eyes, I'll put faith in something that I know which has an outcome that I can see - I choose to believe in my own abilities."

- "Well I guess someone like you doesn't need to rely on superstition- "

.

The minute hand of a clock struck 12 once again.

"What?"

"Hey! I swear it was just 7 minutes past midnight? Why'd the clock only just go off now?" Somebody shouted.

Individual conversations in the party turned into similar murmurs.

"Huh?" (...) "Why does it say 00:00 on my phone again?"

- "Let me check mine too."

Whats going on? Did I set off a flag or something?

"Yeah it's also 00:00 again on my phone as well!" Somebody else shouted.

Is this some sort of joke that the government pulled off? It can't be, then again, it can't be some sort of bad omen, right?

- Aghh! 

That sound came from Amy!

I quickly turned and found Amy crouched down with her hands on her face, clutching tightly around her eyes.

- "Will! What's going on!?"

She tightened her squeeze.

"I-I don't know?" (...) "Amy, what happened?"

- "I- can see something in front of!"

"What?" (...) "What is it-"

Arghh!

I heard screams coming from inside the house and in the houses of the neighbouring houses too.

"HELP! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!" Repeated shouts echoed across the house and into the garden as well.

"Amy! Tell me what you see!"

- "I- I see."

[ I greet you, Players from the chosen Planet. ]

What is this. I can sense... No I can see it. I feel a weird sensation, but not one of pain.

[ Planet #ao333948j | "Earth" 

Has Been Selected By:

Developer Alias - |█|█|█|L

Developer ID - |█|█|█|4

For the Immediate game renovation process! ]

- "A message."

Immediate. Game Renovation?

Everyone around me is still lying or on their knees, if the pain came from this. How am I still standing? And I can see a letter and number? Develope-

[ Unfortunately Players! The developer has made it so that you cannot access their information at all. Therefore, queries and suggestions cannot be sent to and from player and the developer! ]

[ All Players chosen are thus required to tick the Terms & Condition box in order to participate in the "Game". After completing the Ts & Cs, you will be notified of when the game begins. ]

[ Well Players! I bid you the best of Luck in the trials and tribulations that will unfold in your path! Remember, rewards and punishments will be set as how the developer pleases! ]

...

[ Terms & Conditions

By clicking "Click to accept" you are accepting the T&Cs

/ Time Remaining Before Auto-Decline: 10 Minutes \ ]

This has to be some sort of joke.

- ughh

"Amy!"

- "My head and eyes hurt."

"Hey, you saw that too right?"

- "Will?" she sounds out of it and looks awfully pale.

"I'm here it's okay." I'll try to comfort her as best as I can.

- "Ughh, my head..." (...) "What was all of that just now. It felt as if my head was about to blow off..." a faint sob came from her.

"Tell me what you saw."

- "I- I saw some kind of screen, it said something about Earth then some encrypted text, then a bunch more messages popped up." (...) "!"

A sudden realisation took over Amy.

- "There's a timer!"

"I see it too so don't worry."

Only question is, do we click agree or no? There are too many unknowns that I refuse to believe that this is nothing more than a dream!

- "How are you unfazed?"

"I don't know either, I didn't experience the headache you had at all."

This is too real to be a dream. I need to think.

[ ...

/ Time Remaining Before Auto-Decline: 8 Minutes, 52 seconds \ ]

The clock moved back specifically to 00:00, I'll check my phone first - and if it still says 00:00 then...

It still says 00:00.

Goosebumps ran rampant across my body.

- "What are you looking at right now?"

"The time." (...) "It hasn't gone forwards or backwards..." My voice quaked, but i tried my best to remain steadfast.

Time hasn't moved in the real world, I can't be too sure about the timer on the floating screen, but I know for sure that it's been more than a second since 00:00 struck.

This surely has to a lie, because what the hell is going on?! I pray that there are cameras around me playing some sort of prank... But I can't bring myself to think of it as such.

"I think... Time froze." These ridiculous words I knew I just couldn't believe but had to, came out of my mouth with conviction.

- "Wha-"

[ ...

/ Time Remaining Before Auto-Decline: 8 Minutes, 14 seconds \ ]

Is it God? Or is it multiple of them. It can't be, why now? Have our sins reached a certain threshold or something?! I need to think more logically.

Think William! Developer... Player... A Game.

It's a Game? The only games I know are like FPS or sport games! Wait...

Thoughts raced and ran laps around my mind, I tried to think this logically as best I could with the information I knew in my head. All of it, any of it, experience and all - just something that could help!

...

In order to play in some games, you have to accept rules...

Ok. These thoughts make sense.

To get access into the server rules have to be followed for example, no TKing (team killing), griefing, exploiting, etc, otherwise they punish you. Mostly in the form of kicking or banning. Even if you do follow the rules, you can still commit the offense later on and be punished or if they don't catch you, you can avoid punishment. Ah, I'm going on a tangent.

Either way if these rules are found here, that means that whatever situation we are in right now is before we get into the game, or more accurately, before joining the server (or what I assume is something similar to a server)?

"I think we won't get access to the server if don't comply..."

- "What are you muttering to yourself?"

If we decline, would we essentially not get server access?

But what would happen if we don't get access? What happens to us? Do we die? Or can we be let off scot-free?

What if we get stuck here? Kind of like a limbo state?

- "I read some of the terms."

"hm?" (...) "What did it say?"

- "Well in short, it's like what you were talking to yourself about earlier, something similar server rules I think...?"

- "There's so many lines, but some of the headings that that I saw talked about multiplayer rules?"

[ ...

/ Time Remaining Before Auto-Decline: 3 Minutes, 37 seconds \ ]

"Amy, I think we should click accept." (...) "We won't know what happens when we click decline, then again we won't know what happens if we click accept."

...

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" "WHAT DO WE DO?" "WHY ISN'T THE CLOCK MOVING ANYMORE?"

It seems like everyone's panicking inside the house.

"I CLICKED ACCEPT!" "I CLICKED DECLINE!" "I CLICKED DECLINE AS WELL!"

[ ...

/ Time Remaining Before Auto-Decline: 1 Minutes, 18 seconds \ ]

"WHY ISN'T ANYTHING HAPPENING?"

The people who had already pressed agree or decline still remained the same. Nothing has happened yet, but I guess we'll get our answer when the timer hits zero.

"Amy - I think we should click accept."

- "But we still don't know if that's the best option to choose." (...) "Maybe we won't have to participate in this if we click decline?"

"Better safe than sorry." (...) "I won't leave this to luck."

[ ... ... ]

"Accept." Both of us accepted the Terms & Conditions.

[ You have accepted the Terms & Conditions! ]

[ Please wait until the timer reaches 0 Minutes and 0 Seconds! ]

[ ...

You Have Accepted!

/ Time Remaining: 0 Minutes, 13 seconds \ ]

I hope we chose correctly.

[ / Time Remaining: 0 Minutes, 7 seconds \ ]

{ Analysing 8.2 Billion Responses... }

{ Outcome Concluded! }