Roi jolted awake.
He was in his gaming chair.
His breath came in short, ragged gasps. The deafening sound, the mirror, the blood—it all rushed back. His hands shot up to his face, expecting to feel the sticky warmth of blood.
Nothing.
His fingers trembled as they traced over his skin. No cuts. No pain. No proof that anything had happened.
His eyes darted toward the mirror across the room. His reflection stared back. Normal. No eerie smile. No pitch-black eyes. Just him.
Had it all been a dream? A hallucination?
Then something caught his attention—the glow of his monitor. His livestream was still on.
The chat was going insane.
[CyberNeko]: YO HE JUST PASSED OUT LOOOL
[GlitchPhantom]: BRO WE THOUGHT U DIED LMAOOO
[VXDarkMode]: what kinda horror game is this???
[404NotFound]: nah fr why he sleeping mid-stream ??
[LunaByte]: HE GOT JUMPSCARED BY HIS OWN SCREEN ??
[SpectreSync]: OMG THE FILTER ???? LOOK AT HIM
[VoidVortex]: possessed dog moment ??????
[PixelGhost]: WAKE UP MAN U GOOD??
Roi''s eyes widened. He leaned forward. His webcam feed was still on. And a dog filter was stuck on his face.
Perked ears. Wide, terrified eyes. Mouth slightly open like a shocked puppy.
His fingers hovered over his mouse before finally unmuting his mic. His voice came out hoarse.
"What the hell happened?"
The chat exploded again.
[BitCrusher]: OMG HE''S ALIVE
[NeonReaper]: DUDE YOU JUST BLANKED OUT FOR 10 MINUTES
[DebugDemon]: we thought u were trolling lol
[DataGremlin]: UR CAMERA GLITCHED N THE FILTER GOT STUCK ??
[PhantomHavoc]: nah man that wasn''t normal ????
[HexadecimalX]: bro what if he''s actually possessed ??
Roi''s stomach churned. Ten minutes?
To him, it felt like an eternity.
His fingers curled into fists.
Something had happened. The blood. The mirror. The sound. The thing inside him.
His chat was laughing it off. But he knew the truth.
Then suddenly, a notification popped up.
A donation.
$500.
The chat exploded.
[ByteFreak]: YO BIG DONO DROP
[GlitchPhantom]: $500????? BRO WHO''S RICH LIKE THAT??
[CyberNeko]: ain''t no way, again ??
[404NotFound]: MYSTERIO69 BACK AT IT AGAIN
[SpectreSync]: dude''s a legend fr
Roi''s heart skipped a beat.
A familiar username.
Mysterio69.
He swallowed, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk.
"Hey, you…" he muttered, his voice shaky. "Mysterio69!"
The chat flooded with reactions.
[PixelGhost]: AYOO HE ACKNOWLEDGED HIM
[NeonReaper]: mysterio69 lore drop incoming??
[PhantomHavoc]: why he sound nervous ??
Roi''s gaze locked onto the username.
Mysterio69 was the one who gave him $2000 moments ago. The one who commanded him about the black gate thing in the dark web.
Roi felt something. He feels like what he experienced seconds ago has something to do with Mysterio69.
Tonight wasn''t normal. Everything is connected
A new message popped up in the chat.
[Mysterio69]: Yo man, rest now lol. Even with the dog filter, you look tired af.
The chat exploded again.
[GlitchPhantom]: LMAOO HE RIGHT THO
[CyberNeko]: dude look like he''s about to pass out ??
[404NotFound]: this filter lowkey suits him ngl
[SpectreSync]: bro mysterio69 might be his gf fr ??
[NeonReaper]: Mysterio x Roi confirmed?? ??
Roi sighed, still baffled by everything that had happened.
Maybe Mysterio69 was right. Maybe he was just tired. He''d been streaming for hours. The exhaustion was catching up to him.
Yeah. That had to be it.
He forced a small laugh, shook his head, and decided to end the stream.
One by one, his screens went dark. His setup powered down. Everything turned off normally.
Nothing unusual.
No eerie glow. No strange sounds. No messages from an unseen entity.
Just… normal.
Roi dragged himself to the bathroom, peeling off his hoodie. The cold water of the shower helped clear his mind, washing away the lingering unease.
By the time he stood at the sink, brushing his teeth, he almost felt okay.
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Almost.
Then, his eyes flicked up to the mirror.
For a second, he saw it again.
His own reflection. The blood. The pitch-black eyes. The sinister smile that wasn''t his.
Roi froze.
His grip on the toothbrush tightened.
But when he blinked—it was gone.
His reflection was normal again.
He exhaled shakily. "Did I pass out and dream all that?" he muttered, staring at himself.
His own tired eyes stared back.
Damn, my imagination''s wild.
He shook the thought away and headed to bed.
Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, the memories wouldn''t fade.
The deafening sound.The blood.The mirror.The surge of power inside him.
It all still felt too real.
His body was exhausted, but his mind refused to rest.
Roi woke up feeling like hell.
His body was heavy. His eyes stung. It wasn''t a good night''s sleep—not that he ever really had one. Insomnia had been a constant in his life. But today, the exhaustion felt different.
What really happened last night?
The thought weighed on him as he dragged himself out of bed.
It was already 10 AM by the time he reached the kitchen. His stomach growled. He opened the fridge, grabbed a box of cereal, and pulled out the milk.
Without thinking, he poured the milk into a glass and took a sip.
"BWAAAH!"
He gagged, nearly spitting it out. His face twisted in disgust.
Checking the carton, his eyes widened. The milk had expired three days ago.
"Great. Just great."
Annoyed, he grabbed a glass of water instead and ate the cereal dry.
Each crunchy bite only reminded him of how much he needed to go grocery shopping.
He sighed. "Guess I have no choice."
Roi stepped out of his apartment complex, stretching as the morning sun hit his face.
The grocery store was just a few blocks away—a short walk, nothing special. But today felt different.
As he neared the entrance, a thought popped into his head.
The huge donations last night.
His lips curled into a small smirk. "Maybe I''ll be getting a hefty amount of groceries today."
He chuckled to himself. "I deserve it."
For the first time ever, Roi grabbed a pushcart.
Usually, he only bought the bare minimum, carrying everything in his hands. But today? Not today.
Rolling the cart into the aisles, he made his first stop—the refrigerated section.
He grabbed three gallons of milk. No more expired surprises.
Then, he kept going.
For once, he wasn''t just buying what he needed.
He picked up things he liked. Things he wanted.
Snacks, frozen meals, expensive drinks he usually ignored. Why not?
It felt good. Like a small victory.
But as he pushed the cart further into the store, a strange feeling crept into the back of his mind.
A lingering unease.
Like someone was watching him.
Roi wheeled his cart to the self-checkout section and began ringing up his items.
Beep.Beep.Beep.
The machine chimed as he scanned each item, but the uneasy feeling from earlier hadn''t left.
His instincts screamed that something was off.
As he reached for another item, his gaze drifted—almost involuntarily—toward the far side of the grocery store.
And that''s when he saw him.
A man.
Dressed in a black suit. Sleek. Professional.
But that wasn''t what unsettled Roi.
The man was wearing a mask.
Not a surgical mask. Not a ski mask.
A completely featureless, white mask. No mouth. No eyes. No markings. Just a blank, circular face staring in his direction.
Or at least—it felt like it was staring.
Roi''s stomach twisted. Who the hell wears something like that in public?
His fingers trembled slightly as he swiped his items faster.
But there were too many.
The cart was full. And the machine, with its sluggish responses, wasn''t moving fast enough.
He glanced back.
The masked man hadn''t moved.
Hadn''t looked away.
Hadn''t blinked.
Roi swallowed hard.
And kept scanning. Faster.
Roi kept scanning, his hands moving faster.
Beep.Beep.Beep.
He stole another glance.
The masked man was walking away.
Roi exhaled, relieved. "Maybe just some crazy weirdo," he muttered under his breath.
But then—the man stopped.
Roi''s body tensed. His eyes locked onto the figure, watching for any movement.
The man just stood there.
Waiting.
Roi swallowed, forcing himself to focus. He was almost done. Just pay and leave.
He swiped his card.
The masked man turned.
Then—he started running.
Straight toward him.
Fast.
Roi''s heart dropped. His breath hitched. His fingers shook as he typed his PIN as fast as humanly possible.
The screen loaded.
Hurry. Hurry. HURRY.
The man was getting closer.
The machine dinged.
"PAYMENT SUCCESSFUL."
Roi didn''t hesitate.
He grabbed the pushcart—didn''t even bag his groceries—and sprinted.
Out the doors. Into the streets.
And he didn''t look back.
Yes—with the pushcart.
Roi wheeled his stolen grocery cart through the entrance of his apartment complex, its squeaky wheels echoing in the dimly lit hallway.
"Damn, some crazy dude almost made my heart skipped a beat," he muttered under his breath, still slightly out of breath. "Didn''t even get a chance to bag my groceries… and now I''ve technically stolen this cart."
He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Eh, whatever. Consider this another donation to the apartment complex."
Shoving the cart into the corner of the hallway like a forgotten relic, he made his way inside his tiny unit. The air was stuffy, the kind of warmth that settled in after hours of being closed off from the world.
His stomach grumbled.
"Eggs it is," he mumbled to himself.
A few minutes later, the pan sizzled as he fried up his meal. The apartment was quiet except for the soft popping of oil and the occasional clatter of utensils. Just another ordinary day.
By the time the clock hit 12:30 PM, his food was ready. He grabbed his plate, balancing it in one hand as he made his way toward the couch in the living room.
And then—
He walked past the mirror.
The one hanging on the wall near his kitchen. The one he with his eerie reflection last night.
And yet, today…
Something felt off.
Roi kept walking, but his peripheral vision caught something—something wrong.
His reflection.
It was smiling.
A slow, eerie grin stretching across its face.
Its eyes were pitch black.
His breath hitched.
He froze.
His grip on the plate tightened as his body tensed. A cold chill spread down his spine, his skin crawling with an instinctive fear he couldn''t explain.
"What… the hell?" he whispered.
He took a slow step backward.
Then another.
Slowly. Carefully.
The floor creaked beneath his weight. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
He reached the mirror''s edge—just enough to see his reflection clearly.
It was normal.
Just him.
No eerie smile. No black eyes.
Nothing unusual.
His throat was dry. His skin felt clammy.
Had he imagined it?
With a deep breath, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Damn, maybe I didn''t get enough sleep."
Shaking off the unease, he turned away. But even as he sat down to eat, the image lingered in the back of his mind.
The reflection that smiled back at him…
Roi finished his meal, setting his empty plate on the counter. He was full—though, considering all he had was a plain omelet, it wasn''t exactly satisfying.
Still, food was food.
He stretched, rolling his shoulders. Maybe I should stream again. He had made a decent amount last night—who knew what today would bring?
With that thought, he made his way to his workstation.
His bedroom was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the small lamp near his desk. His gaming chair sat in its usual spot, and his dual monitors loomed over the desk like twin watchful eyes. He plugged in the necessary cables, fingers moving out of habit. The soft hum of electricity filled the room as his PC booted up, the monitors flashing to life.
Then—
A feeling.
That unnerving, skin-prickling sensation of being watched.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His body went rigid, instincts screaming at him that he wasn''t alone.
Slowly—so painfully slowly—he turned his head.
His gaze drifted toward his bed.
And his breath caught in his throat.
There was a kid.
A small boy—couldn''t have been older than ten.
Standing at the foot of his bed. Motionless. Silent. Watching.
Roi''s stomach twisted. His heart pounded so hard it hurt.
He stumbled back, nearly knocking over his chair, his voice cracking—
"What the hell?! Who are you?!"
The child didn''t move. Didn''t blink.
It just stared.
Roi''s pulse was a drum in his ears. His breath came out shaky as he grabbed his keyboard, holding it up like a weapon.
"What are you doing here?!" His voice was uneven, teetering between anger and fear. "Who the hell are you?! Where are your parents?!"
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
The boy''s lips curled into a faint smile.
And in a voice too soft, too wrong, he spoke.
"Have you felt it now?"
The room felt colder.
Roi''s grip on the keyboard tightened.
His gut twisted with something dark, something he didn''t want to name.
Something was very, very wrong.
And deep down—he knew this was no ordinary child.
The child stood up.
Then, it started walking toward him.
Slow. Deliberate. Each step was soundless, yet each one made the air in the room feel heavier.
Roi''s body tensed, his breath shallow.
"Don''t come any closer." His voice wavered.
The child didn''t stop.
Then—on the tenth step—
The floor glitched.
A sharp distortion rippled beneath their feet, as if reality itself had corrupted.
Then, the entire room flickered.
The walls darkened, pixelating, breaking apart like a shattered screen. Colors bled. The ceiling cracked into endless blackness. His bed, his desk, his monitors—all melting, shifting, glitching.
It was surreal.
One second, he was in his tiny apartment—
The next, he was in a glitching void.
"AHHH!" Roi stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing. His surroundings were warping, twisting into something unnatural.
His chest tightened. Panic clawed at his throat.
"What the hell is this?! Are you a ghost?! What the f*** is happening?!"
The child tilted its head, watching him with an eerie calm.
Then, in that same soft, unnatural tone, it spoke.
"This is my place. My prison."
The boy''s gaze darkened.
"You freed me. Kind of."
Roi''s stomach churned. A deep, primal fear twisted inside him.
"What the hell?!" he repeated, his voice more desperate.
He squeezed his eyes shut. This isn''t real. This can''t be real.
Maybe he had fallen asleep at his desk again? Maybe this was just a dream?
He pinched his arm. Hard.
The pain shot through him. His skin reddened.
It was real.
His pulse pounded against his skull. He wasn''t dreaming.
A soft, chilling laugh escaped the boy''s lips.
"No need to be scared." The child''s black eyes gleamed. "I''m just here to guide you."
Roi felt his blood run cold.
"Guide me? Guide me where?! The afterlife?! The f***, man, you''re creepy as hell!"
The child didn''t flinch.
Instead, it simply asked:
"Do you remember what happened last night?"
Roi''s breath caught.
"…Huh?"
"The dark web?"
His stomach twisted.
"The Black Gate?"
His fingers clenched.
"The loud sound?"
A flicker of static passed through the air.
"The energy?"
Roi''s body locked up.
His mind raced back—to the video. The gate. The screech. The way the monitor refused to turn off.
His own reflection, staring back at him with pitch-black eyes.
He swallowed hard.
He did remember.
And suddenly—he wished he didn''t.
The child—Kyler—spoke again, his voice eerily calm.
"I am Kyler. And like I said, I own this cyberspace."
Roi''s breathing was uneven, his hands cold. Cyberspace? Prisoned? None of this made sense.
"Huh?" was all he could manage.
Kyler''s expression didn''t change. "Just like you, the dark web was my playground. I had mastery over tech—hacking, coding, breaking through firewalls."
He smiled faintly, but there was something off about it.
"At nine years old, I could do everything."
Roi felt his gut twist. A kid genius? A hacker? What was he even saying?
"But one day, I came across a site… and everything went blurry."
Kyler''s voice softened, his pitch-black eyes seeming distant.
"Now I know. It''s 2025. And I''ve been stuck here ever since."
Roi stiffened. 2025?
His mind struggled to connect the dots. "Wait, what do you mean? Are you… a ghost?"
Kyler let out a quiet chuckle.
"You could say that." His head tilted slightly, his gaze unwavering.
Then he spoke the words that sent a shiver down Roi''s spine—
"I''m a kid from 1989."
Roi''s stomach dropped.
"1989?!" His voice cracked. "You''re messing with me. That was—"
Kyler nodded. "A time when technology was just being born. A time when the world hadn''t drowned in it yet."
His voice held something deeper—nostalgia? Regret?
"I''ve been stuck here for decades, trying to find a way out. And then… last night, I saw it."
Kyler took a slow step forward.
"I saw a light. A crack in the void, like a doorway opening."
Roi''s mouth went dry.
Kyler''s gaze bore into him.
"And through that crack, I saw your world. I saw you… opening the Black Gate."
Silence.
Roi felt like his mind was unraveling.
Kyler clenched his small fists. "I don''t know exactly what the Black Gate is, but it was a doorway—a link between my cyberspace, this prison… and the real world."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"And now… I think I can finally leave."
Roi''s body went rigid.
Kyler''s smile widened.
And for the first time, Roi felt truly afraid.
Kyler took another step forward, his expression unreadable.
"Don''t be afraid." His voice was calm, almost amused. "I feel like I have a mission… to teach you an ability."
Roi''s brow furrowed. His mind was already overloaded, and now this kid was talking about abilities?
"What ability?" Roi asked, his voice sharp.
Kyler simply tilted his head. "Well, it seems like you''re the only one who can even see me."
His smile didn''t falter as he continued, "I''ve wandered the streets, tried talking to other people, but they just… passed through me."
His fingers twitched at his sides.
"So, your guess that I''m a ghost? It might actually be true." He chuckled, as if the realization barely bothered him.
But Roi was done with cryptic answers.
His frustration boiled over.
"Answer me—what ability?!" he demanded.
Kyler blinked. Then, instead of answering, he grinned.
"Oh, no need to be frustrated!" He laughed lightly, taking a step back.
Roi clenched his fists. His heart was racing, his mind screaming that none of this was normal.
But Kyler only pointed at him.
"You already have it."
Roi froze.
"Find a way to push yourself to the limit… and you''ll see your power."
The room around them glitched again.
The walls flickered between his apartment and the endless void. A sharp ringing noise filled the air, and for a split second, Roi felt something stir deep inside him.
Something unfamiliar.
Something powerful.
And then—everything snapped back to normal.
Kyler was gone.
Roi stood there, breathless, his entire body trembling.
He wasn''t sure if he was terrified… or excited.