The pepperoni glisten on Ren's third slice of pizza, a tiny pool of grease threatening to drip onto his favorite hoodie.
He didn't care.
Life was good.
The couch was soft, the crust was stuffed, and his twin brother, Rin, was currently having a mental breakdown over a collection of pixels.
"Ren, you aren't listening! The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is likely the Shade of Phanes, and if the 'Nod Krai' theories are correct, everything we know about the timeline is a lie!"
Ren took a slow, deliberate bite, the cheese stretching between his teeth.
He looked at his brother—his identical twin in every way except for the fact that Rin's eyes were currently bloodshot from staring at a monitor for twelve hours straight.
They both had the same messy black hair and striking blue eyes, but while Ren's eyes usually sparkled with some impending prank, Rin's were filled with the frantic energy of a man who hadn't touched grass in a week.
"Cool story, Rin. Is that the one with the floating Raddish girl or the guy who talks about wine for twenty minutes?"
Rin groaned, his hands flying to his hair.
"No! That's Nahida and Zhongli! I'm talking about the deep lore.
The primordial sea, the fate of the twins—our names are literally Ren and Rin, dude! It's like we're meant to analyze this together!"
"Yeah, and we both have 'R' names, but I chose the path of pizza and you chose the path of digital debt," Ren retorted, grinning.
He pointed a greasy finger at the screen where a tall, elegant woman in purple robes stood regally.
"Anyway, who's the babe? Is she a samurai or something? And more importantly... why did she just pull a glowing sword out of her chest? That's gotta be a safety hazard."
Rin stopped his pacing, his eyes lighting up.
"That is the Raiden Shogun! The Electro Archon! She's the embodiment of Eternity. That sword is the Musou no Isshin, a manifestation of her—"
"Too much lore. Stop." Ren held up a hand. "You've been yapping for forty minutes. My brain is literally leaking out of my ears. And what's with the 'Vision' thing you keep talking about? Are the people in this game blind? Is it a charity for the visually impaired? Because if they need a magic glowing marble just to see, I feel bad for them."
Rin stared at him, deadpan.
"A Vision is a gift from the gods that allows people to use elemental powers. It has nothing to do with eyesight."
"Whatever you say, nerd. I'm going out for a bit. If I stay in this room any longer, I'm going to start dreaming about spending my actual rent money on a digital pink fox lady."
"That's Yae Miko! And she's worth every cent!" Rin shouted as Ren stood up, stretching his limbs until his joints popped.
"Tell it to our cat, Sparkles," Ren chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair as he walked toward the door.
"He's a better listener. He might actually care about the 'Nod Krai' or whatever."
Ren stepped out into the cool evening air, the sunset painting the sky in hues of orange and gold.
He took a deep breath, happy to be away from the hum of the computer fans.
He started down the street, thinking about maybe getting a milkshake to wash down the pizza.
Then, the world hummed.
It wasn't a sound, but a vibration that rattled his teeth.
The sky didn't just go dark; it vanished. The pavement beneath his sneakers turned into nothingness.
Ren didn't even have time to scream before the blackness swallowed him whole,