Sanemi was eighteen years old, and already living like a man twice his age — tired, numb, and chained to his vices.
His college life was a blur of skipped lectures, half-hearted assignments, and nights wasted
under the pale glow of his computer. Where other students chased careers, girlfriends, or
hobbies, Sanemi chased nothing.
Instead, he drowned himself in endless scrolling, shallow videos, and the darker sides of the
internet. Porn had become his nightly ritual, so routine that even masturbation had lost its thrill.
It wasn't desire anymore, it was habit, like brushing his teeth or switching on a light.
And yet, he couldn't stop.
"Welcome home," his mother called as he shuffled through the front door one evening.
"Mm," he grunted, heading straight to his room. She sighed, as always. He never asked how
she was, never sat at the table with her anymore. Sanemi didn't notice, or maybe he chose not to.
Inside his room, the world shrank to four walls and a glowing screen. His desk was cluttered
with junk food wrappers and crumpled tissues, but he didn't care. He slumped into his chair,
opened his browser, and let his hands move without thought.
One site led to another, one click to another. The hours blurred. The routine was mechanical:
watch, scroll, release, repeat. He told himself it was harmless. He told himself it was normal.
But tonight, something broke the cycle.
A strange ad flickered on his screen, black background, blood-red text pulsing like a
heartbeat.
"Enter the VAbyss Net."
Sanemi frowned. "Huh? Another scam?"
He leaned over to grab a tissue from the side of the desk, his hand brushing the keyboard. A key pressed down. The screen shifted.
The ad didn't close. It expanded.
Lines of glowing code rippled across the monitor, until words appeared in bold:
"Welcome, Guest. You must be 18 years or older. Please answer truthfully to proceed."
Sanemi snorted. "What is this, some edgy creepypasta quiz?"
Still, curiosity tugged at him. The questions blinked one by one.
What do you fear most?
He smirked and typed: "Nothing."
What would you sacrifice for strength?
He shrugged: "Don't care."
What do you desire most?
Sanemi tilted his webcam down and snapped a stupid, half-serious selfie. "Me, looking like a clown. There. Done."
But the site didn't laugh, didn't crash but Instead, it accepted his answers. The glow of the screen sharpened into something too real, too
alive.
A final prompt appeared:
"Biometric Verification Required. Place your finger to complete registration."
"Ha. Sure. Why not." Sanemi pressed his laptop's fingerprint sensor, expecting nothing.
But everything changed.
The computer hissed. Black veins of light crawled from the sensor into his hand. His body jolted
as glowing symbols burned beneath his skin. His breath caught — every nerve lit with fire.
On the screen, a message appeared:
"Account Registered. Username: Sanemi.
Power Level: 0.1%."
His eyes widened. "What the…?"
He stumbled back, clutching his glowing hand.
Elsewhere, in shadowy rooms across the world, figures noticed. Some grinned. Others marked
his name on secret lists. Government monitors lit up with warnings:
"New signature detected.Mark him."
Sanemi, still gasping, looked at his hand. The faint glow pulsed with the same virus-like patterns.
And for the first time in years, his voice trembled with something that wasn't boredom.
"…What the hell did I just sign into?"