"I can feel it… the thing… yes, I'm clearing it. Come on, dude, there it is! I'm beating it!"
A teenager with jet-black hair and striking purple eyes sat alone in a plain, empty room. His body was slim and slender, almost fragile-looking, yet his posture was sharp and focused.
In front of him, a monitor glowed softly, displaying whatever challenge he was immersed in. Next to the screen sat a sleek, powerful PC equipped with a GeForce 5090 graphics card, quietly humming as it ran at full speed.
The room was simple and empty, but the intensity of the teenager's concentration made it feel alive.
He was wearing a plain school uniform, and one side of his headphones was slightly tugged on his ear. Still completely immersed in the game, he was fighting a boss in some kind of video game.
"Son!"
A sharp, loud voice echoed from behind him, carrying a mix of frustration and urgency.
"You're still playing games? Come downstairs and eat breakfast already, or you'll be late for school!"
But he didn't hear her, completely absorbed in the game, unaware of anything else.
A few minutes later, the voice returned, this time much louder than before.
"Zhao Yu!!"
Startled, Zhao Yu jumped slightly, finally snapping out of his focus.
"Y-Yes, Mom! I'll come down, don't worry!" he replied, still clutching the controller.
He quickly shut everything down, the PC, the monitor, and yanked the headphones off his ears. Without wasting a second, he dashed toward the door and headed straight for the kitchen.
As he walked toward the dining table, he asked,
"What's for breakfast today, Mom?"
Even though Zhao Yu could already see the breakfast, bread with some jam he asked anyway. His mother, glancing at him, replied without much thought, unsure if he already knew.
"It's jam bread. Come eat quickly."
"Right, right," Zhao Yu replied as he sat down and began eating his breakfast.
After finishing his meal, he grabbed his things and headed out for school.
It was the same dull high-school routine every day, no friends to chat with, no girlfriend, no one at all. Zhao Yu was a loner.
The only thing that kept him grounded, the one spark in his life, was a game called,
Shivering Skies.
The game he'd been playing earlier was Shivering Skies, the world's most popular open-world gacha RPG.
It was famous for its deep lore, rich storyline, and over-the-top fan service.
Yet Zhao Yu had no one to share his excitement with, no friend to talk about quests or new updates.
After school, Zhao Yu rushed straight home without wasting a second. He booted up Shivering Skies and dove right back in, completing quest after quest, collecting new waifus like rare Pokémon, and pushing ahead in the main storyline.
'I think today's the day the live main storyline ends,'
He thought while battling a powerful boss, eyes locked on the screen.
A notification popped up on the monitor screen.
Just then, a notification suddenly popped up on the monitor's screen, flashing over the battle.
「 Act 9 : III [ Zhuxin's Mercy ] : Completed 」
"Oh… I guess it's completed?"
He muttered.
But just as he thought the game was finished, an unfamiliar entity suddenly appeared on the screen.
"What the… what is this now? Wasn't it supposed to be over?"
He blurted out, confusion tightening his voice.
"Arbiter?"
He read aloud.
The name glowed above the mysterious figure's head like a tag, stark against the dark background of the screen.
Xie Yue Zhao Yue
Zhao Yu froze when he heard the voice call his name, sharp and unmistakable. His heart skipped a beat, and he spun around, eyes scanning the empty room.
"Y-Yes? Who's there? Show yourself!"
He demanded, a mixture of caution and irritation in his voice.
Silence. Only the soft hum of his PC filled the space. Zhao Yu's brows knitted together.
Xie Yue… Zhao Yue !
The voice rang out again, louder, more insistent. Zhao Yu's annoyance flared.
"Seriously? Who the hell is screwing around in my room right now? Stop hiding and tell me where you are!"
Look down.
Zhao Yu's eyes darted around, searching behind the chair, under the desk, every shadowed corner of the room.
"What… what the hell? Who's there? I-I don't see anyone!"
He stammered, a cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Look down at the screen, motherf*er !
This time the voice cracked like thunder, full of intensity and authority, vibrating through the room and making the hairs on his neck stand on end.
Zhao Yu froze mid-step, his gaze snapping to the monitor. The game screen, the same one he had been playing for hours, flickered as if alive, the mysterious entity hovering there now radiating an unearthly glow.
"What… what the hell are you?!"
Zhao Yu shouted, voice cracking with a mix of fear and frustration.
"You think you can just appear out of nowhere, screaming at me, and I'm supposed to… what, listen? Explain yourself!"
The entity didn't move, but its presence was suffocating.
The name Arbiter shimmered above its head like a warning.
The air in the room seemed to thrum with tension, as if the game itself had somehow reached out to him.
"I'm not joking, dude!"
Zhao Yu hissed, leaning closer to the screen, eyes wide, fingers gripping the edge of his desk.
"If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny. Tell me, what do you want from me?"
The voice, low and almost amused now, seemed to seep from the very monitor, wrapping around him.
"Do not be afraid, Zhao Yu… but know this. What you've completed… is only the beginning."
"Bruh, I'm not scared of you,"
Zhao Yu scoffed, trying to sound braver than he felt. He leaned closer to the screen and squinted at the figure.
"Seriously, you're tiny. You look like some knock-off Cocomelon character. Why would I be scared of that? And what's with all this completion and beginning nonsense? I don't care about that. Just leave me alone."
With an exaggerated sigh, he pushed his chair back and stood, deliberately turning his back to the monitor as if to prove a point.
Crossing the room, he flopped onto his bed, the mattress squeaking under his weight.
"Game's over,"
He muttered, grabbing a pillow and dragging it under his head.
"I'm done with this weird crap tonight."
Behind him, the faint glow of the monitor pulsed once, as if the entity was still watching.
But the voice refused to fade.
A world is in great danger, and—
"Find someone else, dude. I don't care about any other world. I just want to live freely,"
Zhao Yu interrupted, yawning as he rolled onto his side. Within seconds, his breathing slowed; he had fallen asleep mid-sentence.
For a moment the room went completely silent, the hum of the PC the only sound.
Then the voice returned, colder and sharper, echoing as though it came from everywhere at once.
I wasn't asking you,
It said, each word deliberate and unyielding.
I was ordering you.
A sudden brilliance flooded the room. White light flared so intensely it drowned out every shadow, turning the walls and furniture into ghostly silhouettes.
The glow lingered for a few seconds, then vanished as abruptly as it came.
The bedroom was quiet again.
But Zhao Yu was gone. The spot on the bed where he had been sleeping only a minute ago lay empty, the sheets faintly warm and undisturbed.
*****