Do you know that feeling of hollow emptiness after reading a great novel or when a beloved TV series ends?
I'm talking about that sudden void, when the part of your day, once dedicated to a captivating story, is abruptly vacant and you feel lost, unsure of what to do next because you are suddenly ejected from the immersive fiction and thrown back into the 'boring' reality of your own life.
Well…
That jarring feeling of absence is precisely what's gripping me right now.
Just a few minutes ago, I had completed one of the best games I'd played in a 'long' while. Despite its brutal difficulty, it had a truly amazing combat, a great power system, and a genuinely memorable story and cast of characters.
That's why, sitting here on this chair in front of my computer screen after finally completing the game and knowing I won't be able to find something nearly as good again, I felt completely empty.
'Seriously, why don't game devs make more of this kind of games? It's always something! Either the story is ass, the gameplay is trash or the main character is just so cringe I can't even play as them.'
I sighed heavily, then leaned back on my chair. My eyes dropped down to the corner of the screen where the time was flashing: 02:16 a.m.
'Ehhh, it's late. Whatever.'
Although I was supposed to have work since tomorrow was Monday, I couldn't care less because I've always hated Mondays. If I go late to work tomorrow, I'll just roll out the usual lie for my manager. I could almost hear myself saying it: "There was an accident along the way, so I got stuck in heavy traffic."
Or, I could try the big one:
"I apologize, my little brother had a bad dizzy spell and fainted this morning, and I had to wait for my mom to get home before I could leave the house."
Pfft, I'm an only child, but my manager wouldn't investigate that, right? So I'm good.
Anyway…
I yanked off my gaming headphones and tossed them onto the table, then reached out for a can of beer lying on the left side, resting amidst a pile of other empty cans.
I frowned when I realized that, just like the rest, it was empty.
Clicking my tongue, I stood up and began making my way out of my room and toward the stairs which led to the kitchen. But along the way, I suddenly began to feel lightheaded.
I slowed my steps, blinking rapidly and shaking my head in an attempt to clear the vertigo but instead the world began to tilt. My vision suddenly narrowed, the edges blurring into a dark, pulsing ring, and my knees felt like they were stuffed with sand.
'Wha… what's happening?' I grabbed my head just as a throbbing migraine began to pound at the back of my skull.
My mind raced, trying to find a reason this was happening to me.
Could this be because I had sat in one place, gaming for almost three days straight, fueled by only can drinks and no food?
I couldn't be sure…
Who am I kidding. Of course, that should be the reason.
Reaching out, I grabbed the doorframe, sucking in a sharp, rattling breath. But almost immediately, my strength gave out and i collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.
'Fuck… I'm going to die.' Panic slammed into my chest as that thought solidified.
Lying sprawled on the ground, I weakly and desperately tried to reach for the pocket that held my phone. If I could just grab it… if I could just contact emergency services…
But no matter how much I tried, my hands refused to move.
My body slowly grew limp, the darkness in my vision swallowing the last sliver of light and before long…
I died.
Or, at least, I thought I did.
***
[Loading New Game…]
[Please Wait…]
…
[Loading Complete.]
Splash!
I suddenly jolted awake to a violent splash of icy cold water. For a moment, I was disoriented as my vision swam, and my breath hitched, turning into a ragged gasp.
'Cold…' That was my first thought as the frigid water dripped down my body.
I shook my head and blinked hard, desperately trying to force the vertigo away.
When my vision finally settled, I saw a huge, burly man standing over me. He held a dented metal bucket, still dripping water, loosely in one hand.
His expression was grim, and he had many scars on his face, making him easily the scariest man I'd ever seen.
At that moment, he threw the bucket to the dirt floor with a deafening clang, then snarled. "Eyes open, scum! You are up next."
'Huh? Up next? What's this? Didn't I die?'
No… I'm sure I died. So, what's happening?
Confused, my mind began to race.
Where is this? Who is this man? What does he mean by up next?
I immediately looked around, then saw that I was in some kind of cell with heavy metal bars that ran floor to ceiling. The enclosure was small, reeking of ammonia and stale straw, and shared by three other figures who looked just as terrified and dirty as I felt.
My confusion deepened…
I instinctively tried to rise, then grimaced as a shock of pain seized my entire body, shooting from my wrists and ankles.
Looking down, my eyes widened as I realized I was bound by thick, rusted iron manacles. Heavy chains linked my wrists and ankles together. Worse still, my clothes were gone, replaced by a scratchy, thin tunic of coarse, unfamiliar fabric that barely even reached my knees.
'What the… Is this the afterlife? Is this hell?' I frowned, my mind unable to make sense of the strange situation.
The burly man, seeing my confusion, turned to his right where two guards stood, and gave a signal.
The two men immediately walked up to me, hauled me off the ground by my arms, and began dragging me out of the cell into a corridor.
"Uh… where are you taking me?" I asked in a shaky voice as the men dragged me onward.
The guard beside me suddenly turned, smiled sinisterly, and said in a voice that sent chills down my spine: "Where else? To the arena, of course, you dumb fuck!"
'Huh? Arena? What Arena?'
It was at that moment that I began to hear crowds cheering in the distance. The closer we got, the louder their voices became.
Suddenly, my eyes widened as the realization struck me, that these two men, were indeed dragging me to an arena!
What the hell was happening?! How did things go from me dying in my apartment in Seoul to being dragged to an arena in the middle of heaven knows where!
Panic flared in my chest and my instincts screamed at me to run. I immediately struggled and tried to free myself from the men's grasp while yelling at the top of my voice. "Let me go! Ugh, leave me alone!"
But my efforts were futile. Not only were the men much bigger than me, but with the chains on my hands and feet, there wasn't a lot I could do.
A moment later, I began to see light at the end of the long corridor. The closer we got to the source of the light, the more details I could see. Beyond the corridor was a massive arena, and what separated us from it was a massive gate.
Upon reaching a few meters to the gate, the men threw me haphazardly to the floor, and I crashed hard, hitting my head on the cold, hard ground. I could feel blood drip from the right side of my head into my eye while my ears rang.
While I was still trying to get myself together, one of the men walked up to me and began freeing my arms and legs from the chains.
When he was done, he took an old, rusty sword from his belt and threw it on the ground beside me.
Then he muttered in a deep voice. "Pray to your gods that they may help you."
I groaned, trying to push myself off the floor. Then, forcing my head up, I looked beyond the gate and felt my blood run cold.
Beyond the gate, in the center of the colosseum, a very large man dressed in full body armor held a massive axe above his head. On the ground below him, a slender man lay, raising a hand in surrender and yelling, "Please, I surrender, don't kill me!"
The large man did not seem to care and brought down his axe, splitting the slender man's head in two. Blood erupted in a cloud of crimson spray and bone fragments exploded outward as the body crumbled.
Instantly, the cheers from the crowd in the arena grew louder. It was as if they had all just witnessed the climax of a brilliant show.
My stomach lurched as I watched the grotesque scene, and my entire body began to tremble violently.
I finally managed to push myself up, my legs weak and unsteady beneath me. I took one panicked step back, then another, the horrifying image of the execution still burning into my mind. I wanted nothing more than to spin around and flee back down the dark corridor, anywhere away from that cheering, bloodthirsty noise.
But as I turned around, the second guard pointed his unsheathed sword at me, then barked. "Where do you think you are going?!"
Before I could even open my mouth to plead, the massive gates behind me began to open. Then the guard stepped forward and kicked me hard in the gut.
The force sent me flying back, crashing into the arena floor. Almost immediately, his sword landed beside me with a clatter.
Ignoring the pain coursing through me, I scrambled to my feet and tried to run back toward the corridor, but the gates slammed shut, trapping me inside the arena.
I slammed my fists against the cold steel, pleading at the top of my voice in fear. "Let me out, please… please, let me out of here!"
But none of the guards on the other side of the gates paid me any heed.
'Aissh…' I raised one hand, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked around. First, at the annoying crowd still screaming at the top of their lungs, then at the large armored man in the center. He raised his axe to his shoulder, the gesture clearly signaling me to approach.
At that point, I could feel sweat trickling down my face. Swallowing hard, I muttered in a trembling voice. "Shit. I'm completely screwed..."