"There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery." — Dante Alighieri
The words had been written centuries ago by Dante, the Italian poet whose Divine Comedy charted the human soul's journey through suffering and redemption.
Philosophically, the quote reflects a truth that spans eras in the making, the bitter pang of remembering joy when one's own present is filled with despair.
Happiness, once pure and untainted, becomes a cruel contrast when life turns dark. It is the mind's own torture you could say, replaying warmth in a world that offers only deepest of cold's.
For Damion this was not just an abstract idea.
To him, it was more like a mirror of his own existence.
Going back to his most earliest memories as child.
He could remember being happy, time then where simpler, no one had expectations for a kid, and no one would force it upon them.
He could remember all the fun time he spent by himself playing games of all sorts.
In one world he was a powerful dragon slayer.
In another world, he was devoted king that would give up everything for the sake of his empire.
The fact of the matter is however, when it comes to the likes of game's he was free to be whoever he wanted, and whatever he wanted.
He was free to explore the endless possibilities each world had to offer, without needing to fear real life consequence's.
It was also the only time he could remember his parent in a positive light, compare to how they are now.
But compare to the real world that always felt dull and small, in the world of games his only limits was his own imagination.
Those were the times of pure freedom, when joy was something he could touch, hold, and lose himself in.
But all good things sadly must come to an end.
A child is not a child forever.
One day a man must take it place, weather he likes it or not, growing up in an inevitable process in life after all.
But the boy or the girl, regardless of what gender you are will always be ones most neutral state, it determine one future in happiness or in sadness.
"Ahhh... I am so screwed!" Damion said as he hold his head, looking at his computer screen.
It showed case his email, as he had it open, the email showed him a letter. This was the second time he has gotten one of them in the past five years. "I really am a failure." He said to himself.
As he looked at it, holding his head in shame.
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From: Arcadia Interactive Publishing
Subject: Notice of Title Removal from Arcadia Showcase
Dear Mr. Damion Holt,
We regret to inform you that your game, Glass Hearts Reverie, has been reviewed for its performance metrics during the 12-month evaluation period (September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2025).
Unfortunately, the total revenue generated by your title was $340.17, which does not meet the minimum retention threshold of $10,000.00 annual revenue required for continued placement in the Arcadia Showcase and competition pools.
As a result, your game will be removed from our featured catalog effective October 1, 2025. While it will remain technically available in the backend archive for existing customers, it will no longer be promoted, discoverable, or eligible for ranking competitions.
We appreciate the effort and creativity you put into Glass Hearts Reverie. However, to ensure a fair and competitive platform, Arcadia Interactive must prioritize titles that meet or exceed industry performance benchmarks.
Thank you for your understanding,
Arcadia Interactive Publishing – Compliance Division
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Damion cursor hovered over the words long after he finished reading. $340.17. That was it.
Two years of late nights, skipped meals, endless revisions, and that was all his dream amounted to, barely enough to cover his electric bill for this month.
His throat tightened.
He had known the numbers weren't good, but seeing them laid out in black and white felt like being shoved underwater.
The number, $10,000 mocked him. An impossible wall he had never even come close to scaling.
"First - 31 Days Till The Fall, now Glass Heart's, hehehe... All that hard work for literally nothing at all."
"Never give up they said, always keep pushing the advice...hehehe, how naive of me to think otherwise."
"Mother was right, I will always, and will never be anything else but a failure, I perused a dream that is dependent on luck more than anything else instead of a field where education is a guaranteed." Damion said out aloud, as his emotions where a mess, and he felt like his entire world was starting collapse on himself. "What do I do now, I am basically bankrupt."
"My rent is due tommarow." He lived in a small apartment complex, the price was decent, and the landlord was nice, but he already miss last month rent, if he misses one more then he will surely be evicted. "Ahhhh... FUCKKKK!! Do I really have to call them!?"
"No I don't need them - They will only mocked me. You know, Tom did tell me, he knew a place that would give a decent penny for healthy organs."
"..."
"..."
"...Sigh, who am I kidding? I am a coward. God, if there really is one, would it be too much to asked for a small blessing... I am not asking for anything much, I just want a happy life, doing what I love, is that really too much to ask for, even when you work your ass off for it." Damion sighed as tears began to flow from his eye's, he had no way to cope with his current life situation other than this. "In the end, no one would care what would become of me."
Ding!!
"Ha!?" He groaned as a sudden notification ping, caught his attention.
It was another email, however when he looked at the sender, his eyes open slightly in confusion. "Is this some kind of Malware or something!?" He asked a little skeptical to even open it.
Still he didn't need to do anything because right after his computer started to glitch, and the email open it up itself.
And before a weird message make itself clear.
"You who despair! Would you like a second chance at life? If so click and offer up your life worth's negativity to me, if