The train clattered along the tracks, its screeching wheels slicing through the dense evening air.
Lucas Drayton leaned against the grimy subway pole, the hum of the city around him a distant, meaningless buzz, not like he cared about it.
He stared down at his worn sneakers, the fabric on the sides peeling, as the overhead lights flickered. The train's motion did little to settle his nerves.
As the train rumbled along, snippets of conversation drifted to him from the passengers seated nearby, the words seeping through the haze of his tired thoughts.
"... Ethereal Nexus Online is launching tonight. The game's going to change everything, man. It's next-level. Full-body immersion, real money rewards... I can't wait to log in," one of them said.
His voice was high-pitched with excitement, and Lucas could hear the glint of anticipation in his words.
"Yeah, I heard you can buy anything with the currency in there. Houses, cars, even healthcare. People are going to make a killing," another voice added.
The third voice chimed in, skeptical but curious. "It sounds too good to be true. I mean, a VR game that turns your mind into an avatar? You don't think that could be dangerous?"
The first voice scoffed. "Bro, everyone's doing it. You'd be a fool not to get in early. People are going to be rich, living out their wildest dreams. It's not just about playing a game anymore; it's real-world money."
Lucas shifted uneasily, pushing his hands deeper into his jacket pockets. He glanced at the group of young men huddled together, their faces aglow with the blue light from their phones.
They were all wearing the same shiny new Ethereal Nexus online pre-order shirts — merch that Lucas couldn't even dream of affording.
He swallowed, feeling a pang of frustration twist in his chest. How could they talk about the game like it was a new toy when for him, it felt like a distant fantasy, an unattainable dream?
He could barely afford rent, let alone the steep price tag for a VR headset and the game's launch bundle.
Even if he scraped together the money somehow, he'd probably never be able to make enough to compete. The whole thing seemed like a joke.
He was just Lucas Drayton — another nobody… another bum.
The voices continued, bouncing off the walls of the train car.
"I heard some guy already got to the top of the leaderboard in the beta test," the second voice said. "Claimed some secret class — Monarch. I don't know, man. That sounds too OP to be true."
The others laughed, but Lucas didn't miss the thread of disbelief in the first voice's response. "Yeah, right. There's no way they'd just let someone be that powerful. They'd ruin the game's balance."
A Monarch.
Lucas let the words linger in his mind for a moment, an empty curiosity about something that could never be his.
He wasn't some lucky chosen one. He was just a guy who had failed at every opportunity life had given him.
No amount of gaming skill or luck could change the fact that he was a loser in the real world. There was no magic class waiting for him.
The train jerked to a halt, and the sound of the doors sliding open brought him back to reality. He stepped off the train, his mind still dwelling on the talk of Ethereal Nexus online.
His life, once so small and confined, seemed even more insignificant compared to the larger-than-life world these strangers spoke of.
He weaved through the crowded subway station, making his way up the stairs to the street level. The city's chill hit him like a slap, and he tugged his jacket tighter as he pulled out his phone.
Checking the time, his stomach churned. Mia was waiting for him at home. She didn't know about the latest hospital bill he couldn't pay. She didn't know how badly he was failing.
Lucas took a deep breath as he made his way down the litter-strewn street. The glow of neon signs flickered above him, a harsh contrast to the cold emptiness that gnawed at him.
The apartment he called home was small, dark, and cramped, but it was all he could afford. The reality of his life had been shrinking with every passing day, while the world outside seemed to grow brighter, bigger, and more distant.
His sister Mia was sitting at the small kitchen table when he walked in, her fragile frame slumped forward, a textbook open in front of her, though she wasn't reading it. She didn't look up when he entered.
"Mia?" Lucas said softly, his voice carrying the weight of his exhaustion.
She looked up, her eyes tired but always warm. "You're late," she said, her lips curling into a faint, forced smile. "Is everything okay?"
He didn't answer at first. He put his phone down on the counter, the screen dimming to a silent black. It had only been a few days since the last hospital visit — another round of tests, another series of bills they couldn't afford.
Every time he thought things couldn't get worse, they did. He hated how much he depended on her, hated how she always tried to put on a brave face, as if she wasn't just as trapped as he was.
"I'm fine," he said, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "How was your day?"
Mia shrugged, her gaze falling back to the textbook she wasn't really reading. "Same as always."
Lucas didn't press further. Instead, he grabbed the microwaveable dinner from the fridge and popped it in, his movements mechanical.
There was a time when he'd tried to keep her spirits up, to pretend everything would be fine. But after so many months of just scraping by, pretending had gotten harder.
"Do you think..." Mia began hesitantly, "that we could... maybe get a VR system soon? You know, Ethereal Nexus online? It's supposed to be really good, and people say you can make money in the game."
Lucas stiffened, his hand frozen halfway between the microwave and the plate. He forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Don't worry about that right now, Mia. We're doing fine. Focus on your schoolwork, okay?"
She didn't argue, but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. The same look he saw every time he had to tell her no. Every time he couldn't give her the life she deserved.
The microwave beeped, and Lucas set the plate on the table. He sat across from her, silently watching as she picked at her food.
He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to leave all of this behind. To disappear into the world of Ethereal Nexus online, where the rules were different, where maybe, just maybe, he could escape this suffocating existence.
Later that night, after Mia had gone to bed, Lucas sat alone in the darkened living room, scrolling through the Ethereal Nexus online pre-release forum on his phone.
The countdown was almost over. He saw people posting about how they couldn't wait to log in, how excited they were to earn real-world money.
He set his phone down, the screen dimming in the dark. For a moment, the weight of his reality pressed in on him. He glanced at the pile of unopened bills on the counter, then back at his phone.
Maybe it was crazy, but what did he have to lose?
Maybe, just maybe, Ethereal Nexus online could be his chance to turn things around. Maybe it could give him something he could finally control.
'I'm fucked,' He placed his phone down on the counter and rest his head on it… there was nothing more he could do.