Clap… Clap… Clap…
The hall echoed with joyous sound.
"—And now, the best horror game of the year… The Whispering Nightmare!"
"Ohh… nice…"
Clap… clap… clap…
A boy went up to receive the award.
"Nice… your game is great…"
"Yeah…" Complimenting sounds rose from the people.
Itsuki Kageyama was a rising star in the gaming world—a young but brilliant developer. From his school life to his job career, everywhere he was the best. No one could surpass him. And his dream to make horror games was always in his mind. And at last, he made it.
The horror game he created with his small team had shocked the entire industry. It won Best Indie Horror Game of the Year, a title they never imagined achieving so early in their careers. Its name—The Whispering Nightmare.
On the night of the award, the whole company arranged a huge celebration. Music, lights, congratulations—everyone was proud.
But Itsuki preferred quiet moments. So later that night, he and his manager sneaked up to the rooftop, carrying two bottles.
"Ahh… that feels like heaven!" Itsuki took a sip.
"I think my dream is complete… I can die with no regrets now… haha… What do you think, Shun? What will you do?"
[Shun Aizawa, manager of the game project The Whispering Nightmare, was a disciplined and organized man who helped Itsuki Kageyama the most in developing the game. He was one of the people Itsuki trusted the most, and also his best friend.]
Aizawa took a sip too. He peeked at Itsuki with his half-drunken eyes.
"Do you think I'm free like you? Bastard."
Aizawa looked away and took another sip while looking at the city buildings below.
"Haha… don't be mad, busy guy. Now the game is finished. You have to manage it… after all, you are the manager… haha."
The city below glittered like a sea of stars.
"Itsuki? Have you decided to retire?" Aizawa asked seriously, with a calm tone.
"Listen, Shun!" Itsuki got up, staggering, and stood there.
"I want a simple life with no fame, no work… just a peaceful life."
Aizawa looked at him seriously, listening carefully.
"And also… I want to marry and have children… hahaha!" Itsuki laughed loudly, smiling happily.
Aizawa looked away calmly and took another sip.
"Are you still mad, buddy?" Itsuki came closer and grabbed his shoulder.
"Well… yeah…" Aizawa replied while looking at the city. "But it's your decision. I have no choice."
"That's my buddy… hahaha…" Itsuki slapped Aizawa's shoulder twice and smiled.
"I really can rely on you."
They drank, laughed, and talked about the future, dreams, and how far they had come.
"Itsuki… thank you for letting me in. If you weren't there, I might be staying somewhere like a stray," Aizawa said sincerely and finally smiled.
"I hope you will be happy in your future."
Itsuki listened while looking at him seriously.
"Err… you kinda sounded like a virgin boy proposing to a girl way out of your league…" he teased Aizawa, making a funny face.
"No, I didn't—ah… damn it… Why am I with such a freak?" Aizawa said in an arrogant tone.
"Haha… virgin boy… ha…" Itsuki kept teasing him.
Suddenly—
With silent steps, someone appeared behind Aizawa and tried to push him over the edge.
"Shun!" Itsuki shouted. Aizawa tried to look but it was too late.
Itsuki reacted instantly, grabbing Aizawa's hand with all his strength and trying to pull him up.
"Grab my hand tightly!" he said, but it was hard for him to pull Aizawa.
"Let me go… You can't pull me… You'll fall too," Aizawa said with a fearful but serious tone.
"Shut up! Stupid!" Itsuki yelled, exhausted.
"I won't let you die this easily. You have a job to manage—TWN ."
Aizawa stopped talking and looked at him with tearful eyes.
"Huh… huh… don't look at me like that." Itsuki smiled with full satisfaction, though he was tired.
"After all… you are my best friend."
A drop of emotion fell from Aizawa's eyes.
"I'm… pulling… you up now," Itsuki said. But before he could catch his breath—
A second shadow came behind him.
"Itsuki! Behind you!" Aizawa shouted.
Itsuki tried to look behind, but—
BANG!
A gun shot.
"Itsuki!!" Aizawa screamed as Itsuki's grip loosened.
Itsuki's world spun, and he felt the rooftop lights fading.
The cold wind roared past his ears.
He saw Aizawa falling with regretful eyes, the distance between them growing.
Sorry, my best friend… I couldn't save you.
He realized someone had planned this.
Someone wanted him dead.
And in those last seconds, he closed his eyes—
not out of fear,
but acceptance.
He gave up.
Everything turned silent.
He gasped awake.
He woke up suddenly, breathing fast.
Itsuki was lying on a cold, cracked floor inside an old broken room. The walls were damaged, the paint was falling, and mold was everywhere. The air smelled old, like no one had entered for many years. His head hurt, and his right hand was bleeding. When he looked at the body he was in… he realized it wasn't his own.
"W-What… this isn't me…"
Next to him was a dead man wearing a black uniform with a metal badge. It looked like something from an institution. The man's neck was twisted in a scary way. Itsuki stood up slowly and held his bleeding hand.
He pushed the broken door open.
And stopped.
There were more bodies outside. Arms, legs, and pieces of people were scattered everywhere, as if something had attacked them violently. Itsuki felt sick, but he forced himself to walk.
He stepped outside and saw he was in a jungle. Behind him was the abandoned house. The night was very dark, and the cold wind moved the trees.
Then—
A sound.
He turned around. He thought maybe it was people, so he walked closer to a tree. But instead… he saw something eating a person. Itsuki tried not to make any noise, but it noticed him.
A twisted, deformed face slowly lifted and stared at him. Its eyes were empty. Its jaw was bent. Its skin was stretched tight. It was a ghost—an evil, terrifying one.
Itsuki's breath stopped.
The ghost screamed.
He ran.
He ran through the trees as fast as he could, holding his bleeding hand. The ghost chased him, its strange footsteps hitting the ground loudly. Its high scream echoed in the dark jungle.
He ran until—
He reached a cliff.
There was no escape.
Breathing fast, he looked down—and saw something small on his leg. It was a tiny black ghost, shaped like a shadow. It was shaking like a scared child. It didn't look dangerous.
Somehow… Itsuki understood it.
It was afraid too.
But the big scary ghost was coming closer, hunger in its red eyes. The small ghost held onto him tightly, shaking. It was scared too—but when it looked up at Itsuki, it stopped shaking a little.
It was asking him for help.
Itsuki held the small ghost in his arms.
"If I die again… at least I'm with someone this time too," he whispered.
The twisted ghost came closer—
Screeching—
Lifting its sharp claws—
Then it happened.
A blue screen appeared in front of Itsuki like light in the air.
[Fear Detected: +3 Units]
[Spirit Energy Accumulating…]
Itsuki's eyes opened wide.
"A system…? A real system…?"
The big ghost suddenly stopped, as if something was holding it back.
[Fear Level Rising… +7 Units]
[Spirit Core Awakening…]
Itsuki's heart beat very fast.
This was not his game.
This was not a computer screen.
This was real.
And something inside him was waking.
[Prototype Fear Construct Detected]
[Would you like to materialize it?]
The big ghost moved closer, pulling darkness with it. The little ghost stood in front of him, shaking.
"I didn't know the rules of this world.
But I knew one rule from game design"
If a mechanic appears, it has a purpose.
He shouted at the system,
"Materialize!"
The air twisted.
A dark shape came out from the ground in front of him—the little ghost absorbed the black energy, and its body changed.
Its small, bent body now had small arms and hollow eyes.
It looked like a creature he once made for a horror game.
The Little Haunt.
It wasn't stable—its body flickered like a broken game texture.
But it stood between him and the big ghost.
The big ghost roared.
A system message appeared:
[Construct absorbs ambient fear…]
[Combat Strength Increased by 31%]
The Little Haunt moved like a glitch and hit the big ghost with a claw made of darkness.
The ground shook from the impact.
The big ghost fell back, its body breaking apart like smoke in wind.
"Holy—" he whispered. "It actually works."
The big ghost looked scared now.
The little ghost screamed and attacked again.
[Fear Units Absorbed: +12]
[Spirit Core Stabilized]
[Spirit Initiate Realm — C Grade Achieved]
The words floated in front of him like game achievements.
He felt strength enter his body—cold, sharp, and electric.
Then another message appeared:
A timer.
[Warning: Construct will collapse in 00:14]
Fourteen seconds.
The big ghost was not defeated yet.
Its body opened, leaking strange whispers.
Its eyes moved toward him.
He froze.
The system flashed:
[High-level Spirit Detected]
[Phantom Class] [Evolved]
[Street Wailer — Grade D]
"What? Evolved? What about the little ghost?"
[Wisp Class (Lowest)]
[Little Haunt — Grade SS]
[Your Fear Output is insufficient]
[Survival Chance: 12%]
"Twelve percent?! Seriously?!"
His voice shook, but he forced his legs to move.
Not again.
Not in this life.
He raised his hand toward the breaking Little Haunt and shouted:
"Then I'll just make something stronger!"
A blue notification popped up.
[New Construct Type: Phantom Class]
[Requirements: High Fear Output]
[Emergency: Host must sacrifice 50% power]
The spirit rushed toward him.
"No time to think… Sacrifice!"
His heart raced—
[Sacrifice accepted. Power turned into fear… +20 Units]
[Phantom Construct Unlocked]
The ground cracked beneath them.
The Little Haunt began absorbing a huge amount of shadow and whispers.
And then—
[Phantom Class — Evolved]
[Shadow Phantom — Grade A]