It was an ordinary day for a young student. He had finished his classes and, instead of staying to chat or hanging out with his classmates, he decided to head straight home. He didn't even consider his friends' invitations—he had something far more important to do.

As soon as he arrived, he quickly went up the stairs and entered his room. Without bothering with his backpack, he tossed it onto the bed and muttered to himself:

—Alright, let's get started.

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he approached his desk and turned on the computer. While the screen flickered with the startup logo, he stepped out of the room and returned minutes later carrying several bottles of soda and bags of junk food.

—Tonight's going to be a marathon —he announced with satisfaction before placing his haul on the desk and settling into his chair.

The computer finished booting up, and with swift hands, he logged in. As soon as the screen unlocked, he navigated through his programs until he opened his favorite: a strategy video game.

Civilixation 3.

It was his all-time favorite—a perfect blend of everything he was passionate about: history, challenge, strategy, resource management, and, most importantly, the thrill of commanding troops like a true conqueror.

Since childhood, strategy games had been a part of his life. He enjoyed mental challenges, from simple puzzles to intense matches of Dragons and Cells. However, his world changed when his family had to move. He lost most of his friends, and without them, DaC just wasn't the same. Searching for an alternative, he eventually discovered Civilixation 3.

At first, he didn't pay it much attention, but over time, the game completely hooked him. Its complexity and challenges were simply irresistible. Now, every week, he eagerly looked forward to Friday—the day he could play without limits.

And today was no exception.

His goal was to beat his personal record: six straight hours of gameplay without losing. This time, he wanted to take it to the next level, selecting the hardest difficulty and the most challenging civilization. If he managed to win, it would be an epic achievement. If not… he just hoped he wouldn't lose too quickly.

He adjusted himself in his chair, grabbed one of the soda bottles, and with a determined smile, clicked Start Game.

The battle was about to begin.

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As the game loaded, the young man opened one of the soda bottles and took a long sip. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips as the cold liquid ran down his throat. Without much thought, he left the open bottle on his desk and grabbed a bag of chips with his other hand.

When he opened it, he used more force than necessary, and to his misfortune, several chips flew out of the bag, falling to the floor.

—Damn it! —he muttered in frustration.

He set the rest of the chips on the desk and crouched down to pick up the ones that had fallen. He knew he had to keep his room as clean as possible if he didn't want his parents barging in to scold him in the middle of his gaming marathon.

However, some chips had rolled deep under the desk. He clicked his tongue and, with a resigned sigh, leaned in further to reach them.

But he wasn't alone.

Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the only living creature in his room.

Dozens of ants marched along the cables of his computer, crawling up and down as if they owned the place. They moved with precision, following an invisible trail that led them to the main power outlet, where an entire colony thrived inside the wall.

What his family didn't know was that the previous owners of the house had abandoned it due to a severe ant infestation. No one had ever bothered to fully exterminate them, and the creatures had remained, hidden in the least expected corners.

Still unaware of the invasion, the young man finally noticed something moving among the cables. His confusion quickly turned into pure anger.

—You've got to be kidding me! Damn bugs! —he growled.

He moved closer, intending to crush them, and as he did, he realized they were all coming from the outlet. Determined to get rid of them at the source, he unplugged his computer's power cable without thinking about the fact that the game was still running.

The hum of the fans cut off instantly.

His brain took a couple of seconds to process what had just happened.

—No… No, no, no… —His heart sank.

With trembling hands, he hurried to plug the cable back in, completely unaware that something else had crawled out of the outlet.

A single ant, larger than the rest, with abnormally developed mandibles, emerged just as he reached for the cable. Before he could react, the insect scurried up his skin and bit down hard.

—Aaagh! Shit! —he shouted, frantically shaking his hand.

The pain was a sharp, burning sting—far worse than he expected from a simple ant. Instinctively, he yanked his hand back… and with it, once again, the computer cable. It fell to the floor as he clutched his hand, cursing under his breath.

But his misfortune wasn't over yet.

In his haste to pull away, he forgot he was still crouched under the desk. As he tried to stand up too quickly, his head slammed directly into the wooden surface.

—Oh, for f—!

The impact not only made him yelp in pain, but it also triggered an unexpected disaster. The soda bottle, which he had left open on the desk, wobbled from the vibration and tipped over.

The dark liquid poured out like a waterfall, spilling across the desk and dripping straight down the back of the furniture.

The damage was done.

And his gaming marathon had just turned into a nightmare.

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As all of this unfolded, the young man rubbed his head, grimacing in pain. The impact against the desk had been stronger than he expected.

But then, something caught his eye, pushing his discomfort to the background—the computer cable was unplugged again. He let out a deep sigh and, without wasting time, leaned forward to plug it back in.

However, just as his fingers were about to complete the connection, he felt something cold and sticky slide over his skin.

—Huh?

The spilled soda had reached his hand… and the cable.

Before he could react, the droplets trickled down the surface, making contact with the power outlet.

A sharp electrical crackle echoed through the room.

Suddenly, a burst of sparks exploded right before his eyes, and a strange sensation surged through his body. At first, it was just a tingling in his hand, like hundreds of invisible needles piercing his skin. Then, his vision began to distort, darkening little by little.

A shiver ran down his spine as a thought crossed his mind, laced with disbelief.

—No way… Am I…?

He never finished the sentence.

In an instant, everything went black.

Death.

He couldn't feel his body.

There was no ground beneath his feet, no air filling his lungs. No cold or heat, no pain or relief. Only an immense void surrounded him—an absolute nothingness stretching endlessly in all directions.

—So… this is what dying feels like? —he thought, unable to even hear his own voice.

The darkness enveloped him like an infinite shroud. He had no idea how long he had been there. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? There was no way to tell.

But then, something changed.

Tiny blue particles began to flicker in the void. At first, they were just faint sparks, like fireflies floating in the darkness. Then, they swirled before him, spinning faster and faster, forming a vortex of pure energy.

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted in his vision.

There was no time to react. The intensity was unbearable, as if his very existence was being pulled into that unknown radiance.

Then, slowly, the light began to dim.

His eyes—or whatever was left of them in this state—gradually adjusted until, at last, he could see clearly.

Suspended in the void before him was a translucent screen, glowing with a vibrant blue hue.

It didn't evoke any particular feeling… It wasn't welcoming, nor was it terrifying. It simply existed—something beyond his understanding, an entity impossible to decipher. Trying to grasp what it was or where it came from would be pointless, because there were no answers his mind could comprehend.

And yet… its design felt oddly familiar.

It looked like… a video game interface.

Suddenly, words began to take shape on the screen, appearing one after another as if being typed in real time by some unseen force.

The letters were beautiful, written in an elegant script, but the strangest thing about them was their color—pure black, an absolute darkness so deep it seemed to absorb the very light of the screen. And yet, the words remained perfectly visible against the blue glow, coexisting in an impossible harmony.

When the text finally stopped appearing, his trembling gaze swept across the screen. With a heart pounding inside a chest he was no longer sure he even had, he read the words displayed before him:

"Welcome to the Ant King System."

"Initializing system, please wait..."

His mind froze.

Only one question surfaced in his head as he faced this impossible scene.

—What…?