For the first time in what felt like forever, Roi was back in his apartment, sitting in his familiar gaming chair, the glow of multiple monitors reflecting in his glasses.
No trials. No faceless monsters. No cyberspace horrors.
Just… normal life.
Or at least, what was left of it.
The apartment felt smaller now. The walls, once comforting, now seemed like a thin barrier between him and something bigger, something waiting beyond.
But Roi ignored it.
He needed normal.
With a deep breath, he booted up his streaming software, adjusting the familiar dog filter over his face. His chat instantly exploded.
[User: DoomFury]: YO YOU''RE BACK??!!
[User: C4S1N0]: Thought you died lmao
[User: GlitchHunterX]: Bro vanished after that creepy stream... WTF happened?
Roi smirked, leaning into his mic.
"Alright, chat. Before you start writing my obituary, I''m still alive."
The comments scrolled faster.
[User: Z3r0P1ng]: WHERE TF WERE YOU?!
[User: BloodReaper69]: MORE DARK WEB STUFF???
Roi hesitated for just a second.
The dark web. The Black Gate. The deal.
His fingers twitched slightly over his keyboard.
I can''t talk about it.
Instead, he forced a grin.
"Nah, just needed a break. But I''m back, and we''re grinding today."
He queued into a match, throwing himself into the game.
For the first time in days, his mind wasn''t on the horrors he had faced.
It was on the screen. The chat. The game.
And it felt… good.
But as the hours passed, as he racked up wins, as donations flooded in—something was off.
No matter how much he tried to lose himself in the game, he couldn''t shake the feeling that it was all fake.
That the person laughing with his chat, bantering with viewers, trash-talking opponents—wasn''t him anymore.
Because every time he looked at his reflection in the darkened screen, he saw something else staring back.
Not the faceless man.
Not Kyler.
Himself.
But… different.
Like the moment he had swung Black Ruin, something had changed.
Something that couldn''t be undone.
And no amount of gaming, streaming, or pretending was going to fix it.
Roi stared at the victory screen on his monitor, his teammates celebrating in voice chat. His stream chat was exploding with donations and hype messages.
[User: K1LLSh0t]: EZ DUBS LET''S GOOOOO!!!
[User: PhantomVoid]: THAT LAST SHOT WAS INSANE WTF
[User: DoomFury]: BRO''S BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER
But Roi barely heard them.
His fingers rested loosely on his mouse, not clicking, not moving. The sound of the game faded into the background—a distant, empty noise.
He should have been excited. The old him would have been thrilled at the numbers rising in chat, at the donations stacking up.
But now?
Now it all felt… hollow.
His reflection flickered on the black edges of his monitor. He wasn''t even wearing his dog filter anymore, and yet, no one noticed.
Maybe because the real mask wasn''t on his face.
It was in how he spoke. How he acted.
Like he was still the same person.
Like he hadn''t killed someone.
His hand twitched involuntarily, his mind flashing back to the way Black Ruin had carved through the faceless man''s body, how his form had glitched apart pixel by pixel, his voice calling his name—
Roi sucked in a sharp breath.
"Alright, chat, that''s enough for today." His voice came out too smooth, too normal.
The chat flooded with protests.
[User: CyberReaper]: WHAT?? STREAM JUST STARTED BROOO
[User: Z3r0P1ng]: TF U MEAN??
[User: NeonGhost]: DO ANOTHER MATCH PLS
Roi forced a chuckle, his fingers already moving to shut down the stream.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I''ll be back tomorrow."
He clicked "End Stream."
The chat vanished.
The moment the screen went dark, the silence hit him like a fist.
For the first time in days, he wasn''t pretending.
He sat there, staring at his blank monitor, his own hollow reflection staring back.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
A glitch.
A tiny flicker at the edge of his screen.
Roi''s breath caught.
It was gone in an instant.
Had he imagined it?
He leaned forward, his heart pounding, staring hard at the screen.
A minute passed. Then another.
Nothing.
His shoulders slumped.
He was seeing things.
He rubbed his face, exhaustion settling in. He needed to sleep, to shake this off—
But then.
A sound.
A faint whisper.
From inside the monitor.
Not loud. Not clear. But there.
And it said his name.
"Roi."
Roi''s breath hitched.
That voice.
It was soft, barely a whisper, but unmistakable.
It had come from inside the monitor.
His pulse pounded in his ears, his body frozen as he stared at the dark screen.
Did I imagine that?
He sat perfectly still, waiting, listening. The air in his apartment felt thicker, as if something was pressing against his skin, weighing down on him.
A full minute passed. Then two.
Nothing.
His shoulders sagged.
It had to be his mind messing with him. Too many sleepless nights. Too many things he hadn''t processed.
With a shaky breath, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.
Just go to sleep. Forget it.
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But then—the screen flickered.
A split-second flash of white static.
Roi''s hands gripped his armrests.
The screen was off. Completely powered down. And yet—something was moving.
A faint, distorted image.
Not a reflection.
Not his room.
Something else.
He leaned in slowly, cautiously.
The image was unclear, shifting, like a corrupted video struggling to play. A room? A shadow? A—
Then, without warning—
A face appeared.
Not a normal face.
Not a human face.
It was warped, featureless, like a distorted version of a person that had been stretched and corrupted. The instant it appeared, a sharp burst of static shrieked through the speakers.
Roi jerked back violently, his chair slamming into the desk.
The screen went black again.
Silence.
His ragged breathing was the only sound in the room.
He sat there, paralyzed, pulse hammering, every nerve on edge.
What the hell was that?
Seconds passed. His fingers twitched. He had to do something, to check, to prove he wasn''t losing his mind.
With shaking hands, he reached for his tablet.
The one that now stored Black Ruin.
The moment he touched it—
The lights in his apartment flickered.
A new system prompt flashed across the dark monitor.
"NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED."
"WELCOME BACK, ROI."
His stomach dropped.
No, no, no… I was out. I was done.
But deep down, he knew.
He had never really left.
And whatever was watching him?
It was just getting started.
Roi''s hands trembled as he gripped the edges of his desk, eyes locked on the screen.
"NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED."
"WELCOME BACK, ROI."
The words lingered, glowing faintly in the dark. The monitor was off. He was sure of it. But the message was still there, hovering like a ghost.
A shiver crawled down his spine.
Slowly, he reached toward the power button—his fingers hesitated just inches away.
The moment his fingertip brushed it—
Static exploded from the speakers.
A sudden, ear-piercing screech that sent him stumbling back, knocking over his chair. The noise drilled into his skull, like nails scraping across metal, like a voice trying to speak but failing, choking on itself.
And beneath the static—
He swore he heard his name.
Roi.
The lights in his apartment flickered violently.
His breath hitched. His back pressed against the floor as he stared at the screen, heart hammering.
Then, the sound stopped.
Silence.
The air was thick, suffocating.
Then—
A new message slowly typed itself out.
Letter by letter.
"I SEE YOU."
Roi''s stomach dropped.
His limbs refused to move. He wanted to run, to bolt out of the apartment, to be anywhere but here.
Then—
The screen flickered.
For a split second, a reflection flashed across it.
Not his.
Something standing behind him.
A shadow. Tall. Unmoving.
Roi whirled around.
Nothing.
Just his dark, empty apartment.
But he knew something had been there.
He could still feel it.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then, the message on the screen changed.
"DON''T MAKE ME COME GET YOU."
The apartment lights cut out completely.
And this time—
A whisper, right behind his ear.
"Let''s begin."
The whisper sent a cold, suffocating dread down Roi''s spine.
Before he could react—
The floor vanished beneath him.
His stomach dropped.
The apartment blinked out of existence, like a switch had been flipped. One moment, he was in his room, heart pounding, gripping his desk for dear life—
The next, he was falling.
Falling.
Falling.
The air around him whipped violently, pulling at his clothes, his limbs flailing in the void. There was no sky. No ground. Just an endless abyss swallowing him whole.
Then—
A glitch.
Reality snapped.
And suddenly—he wasn''t falling anymore.
His body hit something solid.
Hard.
Pain jolted through his bones as he gasped for air, his vision swimming.
Where—?
The world around him came into focus.
He was no longer in his apartment.
No longer anywhere he recognized.
A massive, dimly lit hall stretched before him.
The walls were high, smooth, and metallic, pulsing faintly with dim blue light. Strange symbols etched into the walls glowed in sequences, as if the place itself was alive.
A long, narrow path led forward, disappearing into the darkness.
And behind him?
Nothing.
A wall.
Seamless. Solid. No doors. No way back.
Roi''s breath hitched.
Then—
A voice echoed from the darkness ahead.
"Welcome, Player."
A system prompt flashed before his eyes.
"NEW TRIAL: INITIATED."
"OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE."
His hands curled into fists.
No way out.
No time to think.
The game had already begun.
Roi stood at the edge of the metallic corridor, his breath uneven. The walls pulsed faintly, casting eerie shadows along the floor.
Something about this place felt wrong.
It wasn''t like the last trials. This wasn''t some game arena or a glitching cyberspace battlefield.
This place was ancient.
Like it had been here long before he arrived. Waiting.
His fingers twitched. Black Ruin wasn''t in his hands—but he knew it was stored in his tablet. That meant he still had a weapon.
If he needed it.
Who am I kidding? Of course, I''ll need it.
He took a slow step forward.
The sound echoed.
The metal beneath his feet was cold, unnaturally smooth. There were no doors. No windows. Just an endless hallway stretching into the dark.
Then—
A sound.
Faint. Distant.
A slow, dragging noise.
Like something was waiting ahead.
Roi swallowed hard but kept moving. The only way out was forward.
As he walked, the symbols along the walls shifted.
Glowing letters rearranged themselves, forming words.
Words meant for him.
"THE FORGOTTEN WALK THESE HALLS."
"THEY SEE YOU NOW."
Roi''s pulse quickened.
Then—he reached the end of the hallway.
A massive circular door loomed before him, smooth and metallic, with no handles, no seams—just a single glowing inscription.
"ENTER AND BLEED."
His stomach twisted.
Before he could think—
The door split open on its own.
Darkness yawned before him, cold air rushing out like a breath.
Then, the system prompt appeared.
"TRIAL INITIATED: THE FORGOTTEN''S FEAST."
"RULES: YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES."
"SURVIVE."
Roi''s blood ran cold.
Before he could react—the lights flickered violently.
And from the darkness beyond the door—
Something moved.
Roi barely had time to process the message before the cold air turned violent.
The metallic walls trembled, their smooth surfaces warping as if something inside them was alive. A sharp, ear-piercing sound followed—like metal scraping against bone.
And then, he saw them.
Shadows crawled out of the darkness, limbs disjointed, heads twisted at impossible angles. Their skin was stretched too tight, like something had forcefully pulled it over their bones. Their eyes—hollow pits. Their mouths—stitched shut.
Yet they moved.
Fast.
"20 MINUTES REMAINING."
Roi staggered back. His body screamed at him to run, but his mind locked up. What the hell were these things?
The Forgotten.
He could feel it—this wasn''t just a trial. This was a graveyard of the discarded, the ones who never made it out.
And now, they wanted him.
The first creature lunged.
Roi barely dodged as it swiped for his face. Its fingernails—long, jagged, rusted metal— sliced through the air, missing him by inches.
Focus, damn it!
He activated Phantom Dash, his body blurring as he sped to the side—
Only to slam into something solid.
Another Forgotten.
It grabbed his arm.
A flash of agony ripped through him as its fingers sank into his skin. The pain was real. Too real.
They weren''t just cyber entities.
They could tear him apart.
BANG!
A massive shockwave tore through the room, sending bodies flying.
Roi hit the ground hard, gasping.
And standing at the doorway—completely unfazed—was Kyler.
Watching.
Like this was just another game.
"You''re struggling, Roi."
Roi coughed, his vision swimming. No shit.
Another system message popped up.
"BLACK RUIN AVAILABLE."
"ACCESS THROUGH DEVICE."
Roi didn''t hesitate.
He reached into his pocket, tapping his tablet. The screen glowed, the familiar dark mist swirling out.
And then, in his hands—
A massive, blackened sword.
The blade was as tall as him, its jagged edges pulsing with a strange, ominous energy. It felt alive.
For the first time since the trial started—Roi had a fighting chance.
He tightened his grip.
"Come on, then."
And the Forgotten screeched.
And charged.
The Forgotten screeched, their bodies twitching violently as they rushed toward him.
But this time—
Roi wasn''t running.
His grip tightened around Black Ruin, the weight of the massive sword feeling perfect in his hands.
A sharp breath. Focus.
The first Forgotten lunged—its jagged, rusted fingers reaching for his throat.
Too slow.
Roi moved.
Phantom Dash—Activate.
His body blurred, the world stretching for a split second as he vanished from their reach.
He reappeared behind them.
And swung.
SLASH!
Black Ruin tore through the first creature, slicing it in half.
A guttural, glitching scream echoed as its body crumbled into data, dissolving into the air like smoke.
The others hesitated.
For the first time—they saw him as a threat.
Roi smirked.
Now you''re scared?
The hesitation didn''t last long.
Four more came at him at once, their twisted bodies moving with inhuman speed.
Roi didn''t wait.
He charged forward.
His foot planted against the metal floor—and then he was gone.
Phantom Dash.
He reappeared in the middle of them.
And he unleashed hell.
Black Ruin spun through the air, cutting down one, two, three Forgotten in a single movement. Their bodies ripped apart, their glitching forms vanishing into the void.
The last one tried to retreat.
Roi grabbed its skull.
"Not so fast."
Then—he crushed it.
The creature screamed as its head shattered, its body following suit, disintegrating into nothing.
Silence.
The pulsing walls dimmed.
Roi stood there, breath steady, controlled. The sword still hummed in his hands. His muscles burned, but he felt alive.
He had won.
Then—
A slow, mocking clap.
Roi turned.
Kyler sat lazily on a floating panel, grinning.
"Well, damn." He tilted his head, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Guess you''re not completely useless."
Roi exhaled, rolling his shoulders.
"Took you this long to figure that out?"
Kyler laughed. "Fair enough."
Then—
"10 MINUTES REMAINING."
Roi''s smirk faded.
This trial wasn''t over yet.
The air shifted.
Roi barely had time to catch his breath before the entire trial space warped. The dim glow of the metallic walls faded, and in its place, the environment twisted into something familiar.
His apartment.
No—not just his apartment. His childhood home.
The tiny, cramped living room. The dusty old couch with ripped fabric. The flickering overhead bulb that always buzzed at night.
His chest tightened.
He knew this place.
He hated this place.
Then, from the hallway, two figures stepped forward.
Roi''s stomach dropped.
"No."
His parents.
But not as he remembered them.
His father''s body was too tall, too rigid, his neck moving in jerky, unnatural motions, as if something inside him was broken. His eyes were hollow, glowing with eerie red light, and his hands—wrapped in iron chains, dripping with an unnatural black energy.
His mother stood beside him, her head tilted at an unnatural angle, her fingers twitching violently. Shadows coiled around her arms, warping, twisting—like living smoke.
Their faces were blank. Emotionless. Uncaring.
But he knew.
Knew what this trial was.
Knew why they were here.
"You have got to be kidding me," Roi muttered, his voice shaking.
Kyler''s laugh echoed behind him.
"Oh, this is perfect."
Roi turned sharply.
Kyler was leaning casually against one of the cracked walls, watching with a grin, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.
"You hesitated to kill a faceless man, Roi," he mused. "Someone you barely knew. Someone who wasn''t even supposed to exist."
He gestured toward the two figures standing before them.
"But what about them?" His smirk widened. "What if it''s your own parents trying to kill you?"
Roi''s breath came out shaky, uneven.
"This isn''t real," he whispered. It couldn''t be.
Kyler snorted. "You''re in the wrong place to be telling yourself that."
Roi''s fingers twitched at his side, but he didn''t reach for Black Ruin.
This is a trick. A mind game. It has to be.
Then—
His father moved.
Not fast. Deliberate. Measured.
He raised a hand, chains rattling, and suddenly—
The air cracked.
A massive iron weight came flying toward Roi at inhuman speed.
His instincts screamed.
He Phantom Dashed out of the way just as the weight crashed into the floor, splintering it apart.
His chest heaved.
His mother was next.
She raised her arms, the black smoke twisting, pulsing—then suddenly—
Roi''s vision darkened.
A cold, suffocating force wrapped around his throat, his body freezing in place.
His mother wasn''t touching him—but she didn''t need to.
She was controlling the shadows.
And they were strangling him.
He gasped, clawing at nothing, the air turning thin, suffocating.
They''re strong.
Too strong.
His mother stepped closer.
His father raised the chains again.
Kyler''s voice was soft, almost teasing.
"Let''s see if you hesitate this time."
Roi''s heart pounded.
Because he knew.
He knew he was going to have to kill them.
Even if they weren''t real.
Even if it was a trick.
Even if it shattered something inside him forever.