The smell of damp paper hit Alex's nose the moment he stepped through the heavy oak doors of the abandoned library.
He hadn't known this part of campus even existed until this yesterday, when a cryptic text had led him here:
[Meet me at the old library. I have questions about your app.]
The message didn't come from the Quest App itself but a standard text number.
It had shaken him a little, but curiosity got the better of him.
If someone else knew about the app, they might hold answers to its many mysteries—or worse, they might be a rival with far more experience than he had.
As he pushed the creaking door wider, the sound of his footsteps echoed faintly.
Dusty beams of light filtered through shattered stained-glass windows, illuminating cobweb-laden shelves.
Rows of forgotten books sat neglected, their spines curled like dead leaves. The air was dense, not just with the mustiness of neglect but also with a strange sense of foreboding.
Alex's heartbeat quickened as he scanned the room.
"What is this place?" he muttered to himself, brushing aside a cobweb that clung stubbornly to his hoodie sleeve.
"You're late," a voice called softly from deeper within the library.
Alex froze.
Emerging from behind a towering bookshelf was a girl.
She couldn't have been more than 18 or 19, with wide brown eyes framed by long, silky hair that fell neatly over her shoulders.
Her petite frame was wrapped in a light cardigan, and the oversized bag slung across her shoulder suggested she was a diligent student.
Despite her youth, there was something mature in the way she studied him, cautious yet determined.
"You sent that text?" Alex asked, keeping his voice even.
She nodded. "You're the one using the app, aren't you?"
Alex's heart skipped. "And you are?"
"I'm Tina," she said.
"First-year. Psychology major. But that's not why I'm here."
Alex took a cautious step closer, scanning her expression.
"So you have the app too?"
Her brows furrowed, and she shook her head.
"No. But I know about it. I've seen it before."
"Wait, you're not a user?" Alex's shoulders eased slightly.
"I'm not. But my brother was." Her voice trembled slightly on the last word, and Alex's attention sharpened.
Tina gestured to a dusty table and chairs near the window, where muted sunlight made the dust in the air sparkle.
"Can we sit? It's... a long story."
As they settled, Tina began recounting her tale.
"My brother, Ethan, was brilliant," she started, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"He could figure out anything—computers, puzzles, even people. Everyone thought he was going to do something amazing with his life. But then... the app happened."
Alex leaned forward, hanging onto her words.
"It started about a year ago," Tina continued.
"He downloaded this app out of nowhere. At first, it seemed harmless. He told me it was like a game—completing tasks, earning rewards. But it quickly turned into an obsession. He wouldn't eat. He wouldn't sleep. And he'd do these weird things—standing perfectly still for hours, running in circles in the backyard, lifting random objects over his head..."
Alex winced internally. It sounded uncomfortably familiar.
Tina's hands tightened into fists on the table.
"I didn't understand it then. None of us did. And then one day... he was just gone."
"Gone?" Alex repeated, his voice barely a whisper.
Tina nodded, her gaze distant.
"He left a note saying he had to 'level up' and that he'd explain everything when he got back. But he never did. The police looked for him for months, but they found nothing. It's like he vanished into thin air."
Alex felt a chill creep down his spine.
"For a long time, I thought it was some kind of cult or a breakdown," Tina continued.
"But then I came here, started college... and I saw you."
"Me?" Alex's stomach twisted.
Tina's gaze was piercing.
"You were in the quad, flailing your arms like a maniac, muttering to yourself. And you kept checking your phone after every ridiculous pose."
Heat rushed to Alex's cheeks.
"I was... trying something, okay? It wasn't that weird."
"It was exactly like Ethan," Tina countered.
"The same distracted focus, the same obsessive behavior. That's when I knew you had the same app."
Alex rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away.
"So... what do you want from me?"
Tina's expression softened.
"I need to know what it is. What it does. Why it consumed my brother. And most importantly... how dangerous it is."
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Alex weighed his options.
He barely understood the app himself.
He could tell her what little he knew—but would that help her or just drag her into its chaos?
Finally, he met her gaze.
"It's... complicated. It gives you quests—tasks to complete. When you finish them, you get stronger. Faster. Smarter. It's like..."
He struggled for the right analogy. "Like a cheat code for life."
Tina frowned. "And you think that's safe?"
Alex hesitated. "Honestly? I don't know. It's helped me so far, but I haven't been using it long."
"Did it make you download it?" Tina asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Did the app find you, or did you find it?"
Alex blinked, thrown by the question. "I... I think it just appeared on my phone one day. An ad popped while I was scrolling on my phone."
Alex remembered the scammy ad that he carelessly clicked.
Tina's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's how it started with Ethan, too."
Alex's unease deepened.
The conversation was interrupted by a loud creak from the ceiling above.
Both of them glanced up instinctively, and Alex realized just how unstable the building was.
"We shouldn't stay here too long," he said, rising to his feet.
"This place looks like it's one bad gust of wind away from collapsing."
Tina stood as well, clutching the strap of her bag.
"So... you'll help me figure this out? About Ethan?"
Alex hesitated again.
She was asking a lot—far more than he was prepared to promise.
But something in her eyes, a mix of desperation and determination, tugged at him.
"I'll do what I can," he said finally.
"But I can't promise answers. This thing is... beyond weird."
Tina nodded, a glimmer of hope in her expression.
"That's enough."