Cherry's livestream had always been a sanctuary, a cosy corner where she shared her passion for games, stories, and the thrill of discovery. Today, however, a strange undercurrent of unease tinged the air, subtle yet persistent. She had just wrapped up a lively discussion about upcoming titles, her smile warm and inviting, when she turned her gaze to the chat, seeking suggestions for her next adventure.
"Hey guys, what should I play next? Any recommendations?" she asked, her voice light, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses.
A flood of messages poured in, but one phrase kept recurring, more than once, more than twice: "Play some of the Official Challenge games." Cherry chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, it's not the first time I've seen those," she said. "Let's hope there's some variety this time."
Scrolling through the Competition site, she navigated the endless stream of titles, most of them featuring the same dull cover art, the same generic logos, all of them indistinguishable from one another. Her brow furrowed. Could it be some inside jokes? She clicked further down, her curiosity growing. And then she saw it, the game title that caught her eye: Respite.
The description was simple: "A game that looks like it's for relaxation." A tiny, almost mischievous smile tugged at her lips. "Perfect," she thought. "A chill stream, a little escape." She clicked download without hesitation, eager to set aside the chaos of the chat and lose herself in something calmer.
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In the game's opening menu, passing through the serene, softly animated landscape to the Inn and then to her Room to the area marked "Sleep." After she approached the door to the inn's eatery, which inexplicably was locked, just like in the stream's narrative. A new prompt appeared.
"Ask the Innkeeper for the key," it suggested.
Cherry rolled her eyes, joking, "Chat, if this is just prompt-to-prompt, this is gonna be a boring ride." She laughed, trying to keep the mood light as she clicked the door. But as she stepped through the threshold, her smile faded. The corridor she entered was the same as the one she'd just left, impossibly familiar, yet eerily wrong. The walls, the lighting, the faint creak of the floorboards, all identical.
Confusion deepened. "Wait," she muttered, "I thought I was done with this part." She turned back to the main hall, but the corridor stretched on, looping back on itself. It was clear now, she was stuck.
"Looks like we're in a bit of a pickle," she said, voice tinged with unease. "Chat, I think we're trapped here. I don't know why."
As she moved forward, a shadowy figure materialized at the end of the hall. She froze mid-sentence, her breath catching in her throat. The figure turned slowly, featureless, dark as a smear of ink. Its face was grotesquely melted, with sunken, vacant eyes staring blankly. It didn't approach her; instead, it pointed, to a picture.
Walking cautiously, Cherry approached and carefully took down the picture. Instantly, she felt a chilling presence, a bloodshot eye staring back at her from behind the frame. Startled, she screamed and threw the picture at the eye, then stumbled over her feet and collapsed onto the floor. Breathing heavily, she slowly pushed herself upright and steadied her trembling hands. She looked back at where the eye had been, but to her relief, it had vanished.
"Okay," she whispered, trying to steady her voice. "This is getting really weird."
A donation sound suddenly broke the tense silence: "Hey Cherry, you okay?" a familiar voice in the chat.
"Thanks for the donation," she replied, forcing a nervous smile. "I'll be fine."
She examined the painting she had just taken down. One corner was broken, jagged. Curious, she looked behind it and discovered a second, smaller picture concealed within the frame. Carefully removing the backing, she saw an aged, faded photograph of the innkeeper and his family, smiling happily. The picture was cracked and yellowed with age. On the back, inscribed: "To my beloved family, 1767."
Her brow furrowed. That date didn't match the game's setting.
"Hey chat," she asked hesitantly, "does anyone know the backstory of this game?" She paused, expecting a reply. When none came, she guessed she was probably among the first to discover this hidden detail, likely one of the earliest players to stumble upon this mysterious picture.
Continuing forward with even more questions swirling in her mind, Cherry approached the entry door and instinctively started a new loop. She walked down the now familiar corridor, her footsteps echoing softly. As she turned the corner, suddenly, all the candles along the wall burst into blackened flames and flickered out, plunging the hallway into complete darkness. Her heart pounded in her chest, panic rising, she sprinted to restart the loop, throwing open the door, only to find herself once again in the same dark corridor.
Her breath quickened, fear tightening around her like a vice. Desperation drove her to the small desk nearby, where a tiny candle flickered weakly. She hurried over, spotting the matchbox lying next to a few spare candles. She struck a match, and the flame sputtered to life, casting a faint glow around her.
Just then, a donation alert chimed: "Hey Cherry, What game are you playing?" the familiar voice in her chat.
She responded cheerfully, "Thanks for the donation! I'm playing a game called Respite, so far, we haven't really made much progress." Her voice wavered slightly, masking the growing unease.
With the candle in hand, she crept around the corner, her footsteps cautious. Ahead, she saw an open door. Inside was mostly empty, save for a massive, ornate mirror standing in the centre of the room. As she stepped closer, she noticed her reflection
Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind her. She spun around to face it, locked. Scratches echoed from all around the room, followed by the sharp sound of glass cracking. Her pulse raced as she turned back toward the mirror. In front of her, the innkeeper was still smiling, but then he reached out, his hand closing around her wrist.
Before she could react, he lifted her from the ground, and in a flash, she was pulled into the mirror, her body disappearing into the reflective surface.
An animation then played in third person: the Player waking up, lying back in the room. Cherry watched, her confusion deepening as she saw the Player's face, eyes blackened, a plastered, unsettling smile. It was then she realized, the Player had been possessed by something sinister. The animation continued, showing the Player getting into a carriage, the scene fading into a new context. Slowly, the pieces clicked into place: the newspaper in the animation revealed the Player had started a new inn, confirming what she had suspected, he had become the new Innkeeper.
The screen faded to black, and a stark message appeared: "You have been consumed."
Cherry slowly removed her headset, sighing heavily. She sat back, voice trembling slightly. "Well," she said softly, "it looks like we've become the Innkeeper. Not sure what that means exactly, but… I think we're stuck in this endless loop, continuing whatever's happening in the old inn, now in the new one. Chat, did you see that? I… I don't even know what to say."
There was a pause, a silence thick with tension. She ran a hand through her hair, eyes wide with a mix of awe and unease. "This… this was more than a game. It feels like we've crossed into something real, something dangerous. And I think… I think we're part of it now."
She took a breath, trying to steady herself. "Honestly, I'm not sure if I should feel terrified or just… numb. Maybe both. But one thing's for sure, if this is just the start, I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon."
A beat of silence, then she chuckled nervously. "Thanks for sticking with me through all this, chat. You guys are the real MVPs. Let's see where this nightmare takes us next… if we even have a choice."
End of Ch 10: The Loop of Respite