"You do realize this is just a conspiracy, right?" Kayav crossed his arms, irritation clear in his voice. "Either you're in some kind of cult, or you're part of this in-game mafia."
Alex let out a deep sigh but responded calmly:
"Kayav, have you ever actually read the agreement that pops up every time you log in?"
"Oh, sure. Just like every normal person, I click 'Accept' and start playing."
"That's exactly why you don't understand anything," Alex pulled up the menu, displaying the text in front of them. "Read."
Kayav skimmed through the long block of text, already feeling annoyed. Who even wastes time on this?
"This is nonsense. Just standard terms and conditions no one actually reads."
"Exactly. No one reads them," Alex looked at him calmly. "And yet, there's something important in there."
Kayav scoffed and waved a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, sure. You cultists."
Alex just smirked but didn't argue. Unlike Kayav, he knew how deep this really went.
Felix waved his hands in frustration towards his computer. The argument between his friends, coming through the speakers, only heightened his irritation. Every word, every accusation, felt like a weapon that someone was deliberately driving into his mind. He muted the microphone, stood up, and, taking off his headphones, left the chat.
"How much longer is this going to go on?" he muttered under his breath, losing his patience.
The remnants of his irritation still hung in the air, and Felix could feel it clouding his thoughts. He instinctively stepped towards the window but, glancing into the dark night, he realized he just needed to get outside and breathe. Fresh air might help clear his mind, or at least shake off the fog.
He threw on his jacket, gave a quick glance at the empty kitchen where a cold cup of coffee sat, and stepped out into the night. The cool air hit his face, washing over him and helping to push away the inner unease. He walked, feeling the tension slowly drain away. The quiet city at night seemed frozen, just like his thoughts.
"They're all so strange…" — thoughts jumbled, and he couldn't quite grasp how it happened, that this game they once thought was just a game had become such an integral part of life. And why, now that his friends were arguing, did he feel as though this wasn't just another conversation, but a real conflict between worlds?
He turned down a narrow alleyway, a place that was usually devoid of people. He walked for a few minutes and ended up at a small café, where warm light spilled onto the sidewalk, inviting him inside. He opened the door, and the soft chime that always accompanied someone's arrival slightly distracted him. Felix approached the ordering terminal. He quickly found the desired item on the menu - a cup of coffee. The terminal announced the price:
- 0.13 kanteeegan.
He looked up at the screen and opened the app on his phone. The exchange rate was familiar, and the payment was easy. Felix selected the required amount in kante and confirmed the payment.
In a moment, the terminal responded:
- 0 kanteeegan and 13 kante successfully received.
Felix took the drink, walked to the nearest window, and sat down. Inside, it was cozy. The warm light from the lamps and the scent of freshly brewed coffee soothed him, but this time, he couldn't shake off the unease.
He placed the cup on the table and stared out the window, into the darkness, not noticing anything around him. His thoughts kept spinning, like a wheel, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. "We're all like animals in a cage. Players who thought they controlled the world, but now, they're trapped in it."
He mentally replayed the recent conversation, when Kayav once again declared that this was all just a game, and that Alex and the others didn't understand what they'd signed up for. He remembered how Alex tried to convince them all by showing the agreement that no one had ever bothered to read. The agreement that contained something more than just consent to participate in the game.
"A game…" — a word that no longer made any sense.
Felix took a sip of his coffee, but it had already cooled. He couldn't taste it. The thought that kept repeating in his mind hit him hard: "The outliers are people too." He had never seen those outside the Dome as "real." Just… other. But now, it wasn't like that.
He looked out the window at the sky — black and starless, like his thoughts. "The game has become reality, and reality has become the game." There was no longer any point of reference where it still remained just entertainment. The world had changed. And what was he supposed to do with this knowledge now?
He had never really paid much attention to the fact that the kanteeegan in their world inside the Domes existed only virtually. It didn't exist physically, and in fact, no one had ever seen it. In the game, it existed - digitally, as something that could be easily exchanged or spent. But outside the Dome? No one from the outside could touch it, They could have touched it, of course, but it melted like ice. And some crazy people even ate it. It's creepy that kanteegan leaves a mark in the form of blue eyes. Only this is a signal that if a person Eat it more, then the head...
There was a deafening explosion.
The players, those who were inside, could interact with the kanteeegans as they saw fit. This was because the Gor provided them with robots with which they could control games and even virtual money. It was all kind of real, but only in the context of the game.
Felix shook his head. He had always considered this normal. But now that he began to think about such things, it all seemed strange. The inner world of the Dome was so isolated that no one even suspected the reality outside it.
Kayav continued to scream furiously, his face red with anger and helplessness. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"Are you crazy?! Are you going to send me to a mental hospital?!" Kayav screamed, barely noticing that his voice was shaking with rage. "You're telling me that this is all, that this... that this is all part of reality, but that can't be true! Do you really think the Gor is behind all of this?!"
Alex tried to calm his friend down, but instead of stopping Kayav, he just kept teasing him to ease the tension.
"Hey, Kayav, don't you recognize yourself? It's just a game, relax! You know that the Gor can't control all of reality. The dome does. This is all just... well, part of their plan!" Alex laughed, trying to make the conversation easier.
But at that moment there was a sharp knock on the door, and before anyone could say anything, the door opened and a man in uniform walked in. His face was stern, and his eyes expressed nothing but severity.
"Alex," he said in a cold, unyielding tone, "please follow me. This is an order from the Gor."
Alex froze. Kayav, stunned and still confused, looked at the screen, not knowing what was going on with Alex, but understanding that they had come for him.
"What's going on?" Kayav stammered, trying to understand what kind of situation was developing with his friend.
Alex, not taking his eyes off the soldier, answered quietly:
"It looks like I'm left with no choice.
Kayav, still sitting at the computer, looked at Alex's avatar, who did not even close the call and went to follow the soldier. In a panic, Kayav grabbed his phone. His fingers trembled as he searched for Jayar's number. Once the call was answered, Kayav did not waste time on greetings.
"Jayar, Alex just... was taken by the Gor! What the hell is going on here?!" His voice was hoarse with rage.
On the other end of the line, Jayar was silent for a few seconds before answering in a calm tone. Kayav noticed that Jayar had clearly said something.
"Look, I know this is difficult, but you need to get back into the game. This is not the place to solve such issues. We need to meet with Dugan, discuss this. He knows everything."
Kayav was ready to explode with anger, but after hearing Dugan's name, he finally held back. He knew that his emotions would not help in this situation.