Chapter 1: The Gilded Cage
The sun was barely up, but Riya had already been awake for an hour. Her face was lit by the bright blue screen of her phone. She didn't care about the beautiful morning sky outside the window; she only cared about one thing: numbers.
542 likes. 89 comments. 12 new followers.
A small smile crossed her lips. To her online followers, Riya had the perfect life. Her profile was full of expensive trips, beautiful clothes, and perfect smiles that she practiced for hours in front of the mirror.
Right now, she was sitting in a fancy cafe. In front of her was an expensive avocado-foam coffee. It had been sitting there for twenty minutes and was now completely cold. Riya hadn't even taken a sip. She was too busy moving sugar cubes around and adjusting her phone to get the perfect shot.
"Excuse me, beta?" a weak voice suddenly interrupted her.
Riya didn't look up. Her thumb was hovering over a filter. "Just a second," she said sharply, her voice full of irritation.
An old man was standing near her table. His clothes were torn, and he looked completely exhausted. "I am sorry to bother you," he said softly. "I lost my way and my phone battery died. Can you tell me where the local bus station is?"
Riya frowned. She finally looked at him, but there was no kindness in her eyes. He was ruining her perfect shot. His shadow was falling right on her coffee cup.
"I am busy right now," Riya said coldly, turning back to her phone. She was currently typing a caption about 'finding inner peace.' "Go check the digital map down the street. Everything is listed there."
The old man sighed deeply and walked away, looking incredibly lonely. Riya didn't even notice. She tapped 'Post.'
Instantly, her phone vibrated with notifications. "You are such an inspiration!" "Total life goals!" Riya felt a wave of pride. She was connected to thousands of strangers online, but she didn't care about the real human being who was just three feet away from her. She took a sip of the cold, bitter coffee and made a face. It tasted awful. But it didn't matter. On screen, it looked like a dream. In her world, looking happy was more important than actually being happy.
She picked up her bag and walked out of the cafe, her eyes still glued to her phone. But as she stepped onto the street, her screen suddenly flickered. The numbers stopped moving. The screen turned completely black, and for a second, Riya saw her own reflection—not with her usual perfect smile, but looking trapped inside the glass. Then, a strange glowing text appeared on her screen:
[Welcome to the Virtual Trap. System Initializing]
Riya blinked, rubbing her eyes. Was her phone malfunctioning?