Into the Game.
The title is clearly displayed on the front of the disc. The end of the disc bears a label stating the game's genre.
Story, Fantasy, Adventure, Survival, Tragedy.
Sayda's eyes expanded, seemingly astonished.
"Damn, all my favourite genres in one game? Very lucky."
He then thought for a moment, looking at the disc in further detail. The front design is really basic and uninspiring. Two trees stand to the left and right, with a damaged log in the centre and a knife stuck in it. The sun glows in the background, and in the centre, it is clearly written...INTO THE GAME.
"Hmm, what a dull front page, no wonder it was discarded."
He spoke with a slightly dissatisfied tone.
"Yah, as long as I get to play it while I wait for Zayyan tomorrow, it doesn't matter."
Suddenly, a fierce gale came from the east.
Whoooshhh !
Sayda then turned his face and looked towards the direction the wind was coming from.
"Rain?"
His hair was raised, whipping furiously in the opposite direction of the wind. His garments flew wildly, blasted by the fierce winds. Suddenly, the sound of thunder and lightning roared in the sky with a single quick cut, creating a deafening noise.
DURRMMM!
Sayda bowed his head slightly, as if astonished to hear the outburst.
"Shit... I must back now before its rains."
He then put the disc in his bag and continued pedaling his bike back home. He pedaled as fast as he could.
Srrkkk !
He reached home, quickly he left his bicycle and ran in front of the door, which had a roof over it. And then, the rain poured down heavily.
"Phew, luckily I made it in time"
He saw the rain falling in front of him before finally slowly opening the door.
"I'm home"
"Oh, Sayda, you are back. How was your day at school?"
His mother's kind voice greeted him.
"Nothing interesting, mum. Just like yesterday nothing has changed."
"That's good to hear. Oh,and guess what? your dad's coming home tonight"
Sayda stopped for a moment.
"Really? Dad's coming home tonight?"
"Yes, Mom's making your dad's favorite meal, it's your favorite too, right."
Sayda then smiled widely.
"Yea , thanks mom"
His mother laughed a little. He then ran up the stairs, then his mother spoke to him.
"Don't forget to come down for dinner with dad "
"Yes mom"
"And one thing, don't play games too much"
"I know mom"
He smiled widely while whispering to himself in his heart.
"I didn't expect Dad to come back tonight after a month of outstation work. Surely there will be many stories he will tell"
He stepped into his room. Suddenly, a deafening thunder echoed outside the house, lightning struck through the sky as torrential rain fell relentlessly. He then perched on the edge of the window, watching the heavy rain with lightning flashing outside his house.
"The rain is falling so heavily, it seems this rain won't stop anytime soon"
After that, he set his bag on the chair and changed his clothes. Then he returned to his bag and took out a piece of paper. He held the piece of that paper while walking and sat on his bed. It is revealed to be an examination paper. As he stared at the paper, his face appeared somewhat wilted, with a trace of melancholy visible.
Written very clearly in red is on the top right...'12/100'. He couldn't say anything, but then his teacher's words reverberated back.
"Sayda, here see your result...are you satisfied with your own result? See here, Sayda! ...I don't know what going on with you lately. Your big exam is just around the corner; you know that, right? You're not only the lowest in the class but the lowest in the whole batch."
His teacher let out a sigh before continuing, his voice tinged with frustration."
"Sayda, What do you want to be when you grown up? Don't you have a dream? Don't pass up this opportunity. You will come to regret it after all has passed. I hate to talk too much because it's not my style, you know. I wish you would awaken from your dream state. I know you loved games so much and hated school, right? I'm not gonna stop you, that's your right. But one last thing, think about the future and...have a dream...SAYDA!"
He gripped his paper, sighed a little, and finally lay back on the bed. Staring at the ceiling.
"Well, what can I really do right? Not everyone is born to be a genius, maybe there's something i could do"
He released the paper from his grip, letting it float away. Suddenly, a word from his teacher repeating in his head.
"Have a dream huh.."
He held up his hand as though he wanted to grasp something higher above.
"What is my dream?"
DURMMMM
The sound of thunder outside his dwelling broke the stillness of his seclusion. Suddenly, the bag resting on the chair tipped over, spilling its contents over the floor. Then, he saw the disc he collected was on the floor. Written very clearly in the middle of it. 'Into The Game'. Then, he reached for it and continued to look at the disc for a little while longer. For no reason, a faint grin appeared on his face.
"Into The Game huh?...heh, doesn't make sense, maybe this is deliberately placed to attract the attention of customers to buy it"
He spoke dismissively.
And as he opened the disc, what he saw was a circular CD featuring the same image as the cover, flanked by two tree trunks on either side, a knife blade encased in broken wood, and the words "Into The Game" across the top. Given how simple and uninteresting the game appears, his face appears quite sceptical.
"Well, don't judge a book by its cover, right... I hope so."
He then walked over to his player and attempted to insert the CD, but before doing so, he spoke in an optimistic tone.
"I hope this game will be interesting despite its dull appearance."
Sayda pushed his CD in, grabbed the controller, and walked to sit resting on the edge of the bed. A few seconds later, the screen began to glow, casting a blue across his otherwise dimly lit room.
A text began to appear on the screen.
[WELCOME]
Without saying a word, Sayda immediately started the game.
"Klik"
The word "loading" appeared in the centre of the screen...while waiting, Sayda turned to stare out the window. Gazing at the endless rain. His eyes appeared to suddenly get heavy while he still waited. Without him realizing it, a text suddenly appeared on the screen, that said...
[ Dear Player, this game will have a consequences and Player must bear the weight of every choice made within ]
The lettering vanished in less than five seconds, replaced by a number counting down to begin the game.
[ 5 ]
Sayda moved his face back towards the screen.
"Ohh, there it is"
His spoke with the tone of someone on the verge of falling asleep.
[ 4 ]
Sleepiness overcome him, and he began to let out a deep, long yawn.
[ 3 ]
His eyes grew heavy, as though yearning to close entirely.
[ 2 ]
"Why i..."
He spoke in a very feeble tone. And..
DUMM...
His body collapsed onto the floor, as though he were falling into a vast, dark emptiness. His eyes had closed completely.
[ 1 ]
[ 0 ]
Suddenly, a line of text appeared on the screen.
[ Players who fail to complete the game will be PUNISHED ]
Tuppp !
Complete blackness.
It was dark, as if someone had turned off the room's light, leaving him in utter darkness. Suddenly, a foreign voice resounded from all directions, raspy, deep, and reverberating.
[ WELCOME TO INTO THE GAME, PLAYER NAMED....]
[ SAYDA ]