The words MULTIPLAYER MODE ENGAGED pulsed on the screen of the black cube like a warning light.
Leo stood on his roof, shivering. He looked at the photo on the screen again—the ruined room in the "Real World" and the boy who looked just like him standing in the shadows.
"Who are you?" Leo whispered to the wind.
Suddenly, the sky above Oakhaven ripped open.
It didn't break like glass this time. It tore like fabric. A beam of purple light shot down from the tear in the sky, crashing into the school football field with a silent, heavy THUD.
Leo didn't run away. Yesterday, he would have hidden. But today, he was the Admin. He was the Guardian.
He tightened his grip on the black cube. "Not in my town," he said.
He slid down the drainpipe, jumped onto his bike, and pedaled toward the purple light.
The Avatar
The football field was glowing. In the center of the scorch mark stood a boy.
He looked exactly like Leo. But he was wearing a black hoodie with a glowing symbol on the chest: PLAYER 2.
This wasn't a System Cleaner. This was an Avatar—a character controlled by someone in the Real World. The boy from the photo was "driving" this body.
Player 2 looked around the field. He looked at the grass. He looked at the goalposts. He waved his hand, and the goalpost instantly turned into dust and vanished.
"Delete," Player 2 said. His voice sounded digital, echoing like it was coming from a speaker.
Leo dropped his bike and stepped onto the field. "Hey! Stop deleting my school!"
Player 2 turned. He looked at Leo with cold, bored eyes.
"You must be the Glitch," Player 2 said. "The one who stopped the Cleaners. I'm here to finish the job."
"Why?" Leo shouted. "We aren't hurting anyone!"
"You are taking up memory," Player 2 said. "My computer is running slow. I need to wipe this server to install a new game."
Player 2 raised his hand. He pointed a finger at Leo. A ball of purple crackling code formed at his fingertip.
COMMAND: DELETE_OBJECT.
The Duel
Leo's instincts screamed. He didn't just see a ball of light; he saw the math.
Speed: 80 mph. Trajectory: Chest.
Leo didn't dodge. He raised the black cube.
"Shield!" Leo yelled. He didn't type it; he just thought it. The cube synced with his brain.
A wall of golden hexagons appeared in front of Leo. The purple blast hit the shield and bounced off, exploding into fireworks against the night sky.
Player 2 looked surprised. "You have Admin privileges?"
"I live here," Leo said, stepping forward. "And you're trespassing."
Player 2 scowled. "I am the User. I control this world."
Player 2 slammed both hands into the ground. The grass turned into liquid tar. A wave of black sludge rushed toward Leo, trying to trap his feet.
Leo jumped. But he didn't just jump normal height. He tweaked his own gravity code.
GRAVITY: 50%
Leo soared twenty feet into the air, flipping over the wave of tar. He landed perfectly behind Player 2.
"Gravity hack?" Player 2 scoffed. "Amateur."
Player 2 spun around and swiped the air. A menu appeared. He selected SPAWN: MINIONS.
Three red, glitchy wolves (like the ones the Cleaners used, but smaller) appeared from thin air. They snarled, their teeth made of jagged pixels.
"Get him," Player 2 commanded.
The wolves charged.
The Hero Rises
Leo felt fear for a second. But then he looked past the school, toward the houses where Sam and his parents were sleeping. If he lost, they would be deleted.
"No," Leo said.
He focused. He reached out with his mind, grabbing the "code" of the football field.
COMMAND: MODIFY_TERRAIN.
Leo pulled his hands up.
Walls of dirt exploded out of the ground, trapping the wolves in a deep earthen box. They howled, scratching at the dirt, but they couldn't climb out.
Leo turned his attention to Player 2.
"You're good," Player 2 admitted. "But you're just a character. I am real."
Player 2 pulled out a glowing sword made of pure code. He lunged at Leo.
Leo dodged left, then right. He was analyzing Player 2's movements.
Swing. Step. Swing. Pause.
There was a pattern. Because Player 2 was being controlled by a human in the real world, there was a "lag." A tiny delay between the thought and the action.
Leo saw the lag.
Wait for it... Wait for it... NOW.
Leo ducked under the sword. He didn't punch Player 2. He slammed the black cube right onto Player 2's chest.
COMMAND: FREEZE_CONNECTION.
ERROR: CONNECTION INTERRUPTED.
Player 2 froze mid-swing. The glowing sword flickered and vanished. The Avatar stood perfectly still, like a statue.
The Warning Message
Leo stood back, breathing hard. He had won. He had frozen the intruder.
He walked up to the frozen Avatar. "Go back to your own reality."
Suddenly, the Avatar's mouth moved. It wasn't the digital voice anymore. It was a whisper. A scared, human whisper coming through the microphone.
"Help... me..."
Leo froze. "What?"
The static cleared from the Avatar's eyes. The boy controlling it—the boy from the photo—was speaking directly to Leo.
"I didn't want... to delete you," the voice said, breaking up. "They made me... do it."
"Who made you?" Leo asked urgently.
"The Watchers," the voice whispered. "The ones who watch me."
The Avatar started to dissolve. The connection was breaking.
"Leo, listen!" the voice cried out. "Oakhaven isn't just a game. It's a Lifeboat. It's a backup drive. My world... the Real World... it's ending. It's crashing."
Leo's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"
"Why do you think the room in the photo was ruined?" the voice said. "We are losing. I tried to delete you to save power... to keep my own life support running. But you're too strong."
The Avatar's legs vanished into pixels.
"If you are strong enough to stop me..." the voice faded, "maybe you are strong enough to save us both."
CONNECTION LOST.
The Avatar vanished completely.
The Twist
Leo stood alone on the football field. The wolves dissolved into dust. The dirt walls sank back into the ground.
He looked at the black cube. A new file had been downloaded from Player 2 right before he vanished.
Leo opened it.
It wasn't a weapon. It wasn't a virus.
It was a Key.
And under the key was a set of coordinates.
LOCATION: SECTOR 0 (THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE).
OBJECTIVE: UNLOCK THE BRIDGE.
Leo realized the truth. The boy outside wasn't the villain. He was another victim. The "Real World" was falling apart, and Oakhaven was the only safe place left.
Leo wasn't just the Guardian of Oakhaven anymore. He was the only hope for the Real World too.
He looked up at the sky, where the rift was slowly closing.
"Hang on," Leo whispered to his twin in the stars. "I'm coming to get you."
Leo turned and walked off the field. He needed supplies. He needed a plan. And he needed Sam.
The superhero origin was over. The rescue mission had begun.