One Year After the Crack Disappearance Incident
14 January 2025 – 11:00 PM (Indian Standard Time)
Abhay sat on his bed with dark circles under his eyes, the glow of the TV flickering on his face as he simultaneously scrolled through his phone. His mind felt foggy from lack of sleep. While swiping through his gallery, he paused on a photo of Daksh with his brothers on their village farm. For a moment, a nostalgic warmth passed through him. He put his phone aside and opened the game he had been playing for the past few weeks.
As the clock struck midnight, a strange screen suddenly appeared in front of him. Still half-asleep and ready to collapse onto his bed, Abhay squinted at the glowing text floating in the air.
[SYSTEM: DO YOU ACCEPT THE SYSTEM? YES / LATER]
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, thinking, What the hell? Maybe that soft drink I had earlier was expired…
In his drowsy state, he muttered, "Fu@k off," and let himself fall backwards onto the bed. But as he dropped, his nose accidentally tapped the "YES" option on the screen.
Morning
Abhay woke up late. He glanced at the clock and sprang into action. Skipping a bath, he quickly changed into his school uniform, sprayed on some perfume, and grabbed his backpack. Exiting his apartment, he took the lift from the 15th floor to the ground floor. On the way down, he recalled how he used to take the stairs back when he had more energy. Outside, he hopped into an e-rickshaw and headed to school.
During the ride, the memory of the strange screen from the night before briefly flashed in his mind. Was that real? he wondered, but before he could dwell on it, the rickshaw pulled up to his school.
He went through the first three classes without issue. Then he checked his timetable—next were two back-to-back science periods. The science teacher had assigned homework last week and was known for checking it thoroughly. Abhay, however, had other plans. He didn't feel like attending, so he decided to sneak away.
He made his way to the school basement, which had several rooms dedicated to different sports and activities. He entered the yoga room. He wasn't a member, nor was he supposed to be there, but with a yoga competition coming up at a nearby school, the room was open all day for practice. It was the perfect hideout to bunk the next 80 minutes.
40 Minutes Later
The yoga room had become a mix of quiet and chaos. A few juniors were actually practicing; others lay sprawled out, dozing on their yoga mats. In one corner, Abhay and a group of seniors were engaged in a heated gunfight—in a mobile game, of course. Laughter and focused silence alternated as the game grew intense.
After School
Abhay returned home and went straight to the bathroom. He changed out of his uniform and was about to take a bath when his younger brother called out from the other room.
"Bhai! The game's showing a system error—server disconnected!"
Abhay replied, "Just reload it, na."
Still drying his hands, he muttered to himself, "He doesn't even know what to do when there's a system error…"
As he said the word "system," the strange screen suddenly reappeared in front of him—exactly as it had the night before.
His eyes widened in disbelief.