Vikram was a gaming addict by nature. One reason was the fact that he could escape reality, and the other was because of the 'opponents' that he faced in the games. In contrast to reality, Vikram's opponent was unfeeling in their nature. There was no unwanted pity nor was there any underestimation because of something that was out of his control.
'Opponents' inside the games would confront the Vikram just like any other. With complete indifference, which made Vikram satisfied. Vikram was an object of pity wherever he went, which made him uncomfortable.
Even though he knew the other person was concerned for him, it just fueled his rage. He had built up his image and attained a level of fame that most of his peers would envy, and all you saw was my unfortunate fate?
That was something hard to swallow for Vikram.
"This is quite interesting," Vikram's frantic tapping on his PlayStation and the degree of focus he showed while playing a game would make anyone uneasy.
Vikram was now engaged in a 2D pixelated game that had lately piqued his interest. He was a big gamer in the industry, therefore he naturally backed excellent game creators and attempted to fund them as much as possible.
The game he was playing was dubbed "Slumbering Sloth," which confused Vikram. It wasn't that the name was horrible; it was just that it had nothing to do with the game he was now playing.
The game was of the casual cliché variety. To save the princess, the hero sets out on a trip to vanquish the demon king. But it was the game's mechanics, not its plot, that drew Vikram in.
The degree of detail in the game's mechanics raised Vikram's eyebrows, which was quite an accomplishment given the number of games he had played.
For example, for each level, there was a different platform, and for each platform, there was a red color coating that area, if the area's secret was uncovered, the red color would fade, but if the secrets were not uncovered, the red color would stay.
This simple mechanic compelled Vikram to compel each and every area with a 100% completion rate. When Vikram saw the areas that were still red-colored, It was almost like taunting Vikram to come if he dared.
The game's level design, boss design, and platform design had thoroughly absorbed Vikram to an almost unthinkable degree. The fact that the game was only in two dimensions was long forgotten. Even if visuals were not an issue for Vikram, it was difficult to get used to a 2D pixelated game after playing high-end games with mind-blowing graphics.
There was nothing that could distract Vikram once he became engrossed in a game. He entered his so-called lofty 'Zone' that he had built and arrogantly remarked towards his interview.
Even while 'Zones' were a proven principle in the field of athletics, entering that condition in a video game... some were skeptical.
Even Vikram was aware of this. There had been occasions when he was focused on gaming and had caught a peek of what the true 'Zone' looked like, but he had never fully entered the Zone.
Vikram has seen actual legends who have been in the Zone. Although no one on Earth had really mastered the so-called Zone, Vikram was certain that many athletes had a far better knowledge of what 'being in the Zone' meant than he did.
But knowing one thing and confessing the same thing were two very different things. Vikram was regretfully too proud to acknowledge that there was another human being who was more skilled than him. However, because of his unusual circumstances, people either ignored or cheered him.
"Hiss!"
"Shut up, Duck!"
The one that hissed right now was Duck... A King Cobra that Vikram had kept as a pet. The snake seemed a little stupid, unlike the usual ones. Although Vikram believed the snake was stupid, it knew what it wanted and when it wanted too much.
It was probably saying, 'Feed me, you mongoose!' right now. But Vikram didn't seem to mind. He'd fed it at the appropriate time, and Vikram was currently on a roll. There was no way he was getting up without finishing this level.
Duck was well aware of this, so all it could do was hiss fiercely and coil itself up again. Time passed, and the sunset and the darkness fell, but that didn't bother Vikram in the least.
He kept playing all day, and the sun rose again, signaling the start of a new day. Vikram was still completely focused on the game. Except for gaming, all he did was feed Duck, drink water, eat some snacks, and go to the bathroom when nature called.
He was completely committed to this game and was eager to see how it ended.
And the recoding kept going.
Until, at last, the fated time of day arrived in the afternoon. He had played nonstop from 10 a.m. yesterday till today at 12:35 p.m. Approximately 26 hours in total. He'd taken a few pauses in the midst, but they were insignificant. (By the way, the time is according to Indian time.)
As he instinctively clicked his tongue, Vikram's face revealed a slight smile of contentment. He was about to put a stop to the game. The last boss was a tough nut to crack, but what could stand in the path of the great Vikram? He chuckled to himself as he shook his head.
The hero carried the princess in a princess carry toward the Macedonia Empire, and the ancient emperor granted the hero his throne to save the princess. In any case, Vikram remembered that at the start of the game, the reward for returning the princess to the castle was the throne itself, because there was no successor in line for the empire's inheritance.
Right now, the player's character was standing in front of the coronation ceremony, surrounded by millions of people cheering him on. A commoner overcoming all barriers and shackles to attain greatness inspired the commoners, and therefore he became a legend...
Vikram grinned as he glanced at the main character came into view, a pixelated figure of the player raising a sword aloft, as though trying to pierce the sky. The 2D figurine of the princess staring at her savior with an infactu-
Vikram frowned.
The princess who was supposed to look at her savior was not looking at the character, instead, she was looking at Vikram. Her gaze was boring down on him through the screen, and a chill ran through his spine.
'I-It must have been a gli-'
That was the point when utter terror ran through his body, because the Hero, the commoners, the old emperor, and everyone in the whole game slowly turned their necks and looked at Vikram.
The sky in the game which was bright blue with a sunny atmosphere turned blood red and the sun which was bright orange turned crimson. Vikram, for the first time, knew what utter dread was. Every character in the whole game was looking at him, and he was looking at them, forgetting to even breathe.
The tension was palpable as the room was stifled with deathly silence. Even the dumb snake's body stiffened as it felt something was wrong.
And that was when the final movement from the game happened, the sword that was in the hands of the Hero slowly moved as it pointed toward the screen, Even though it was a 2D game, Vikram had no problem guessing where the sword had pointed.
It was pointed towards him.
To be specific, it was pointed towards his heart.
Then, all hell broke loose.