Elias woke up at around 2 a.m. for no real reason.
It wasn't nightmares. He hadn't dreamed in years.
The sour smell of leftover cup noodles immediately assaulted his nose.
Groaning, he forced himself to sit up, shoving aside a pile of dirty clothes.
It was still pitch black. There was electricity, but he paid for it out of pocket.
He hadn't paid the bill this month.
He never did.
Same with rent.
He lit a convenience store candle he bought before bed and grabbed his phone from beside his pillow.
[5 new notifications from MiTube]
His eyes widened.
That was the most he'd gotten in a month.
Did his latest video randomly go viral overnight?
Click.
The screen jumped to his most recent upload.
View count: 25. Same as before.
But something had changed.
[5 comments]
Elias blinked in surprise.
That was the most comments he'd ever received.
He was suspicious.
Probably scams. Or bots?
But what he saw was worse.
[You filthy bastard.]
[Just delete this trash channel already.]
[Even my grandma plays better than this.]
[This is the worst Corrosion Sword gameplay I've seen.]
[Aren't you embarrassed?]
All from one account: AustrianNapoleon.
Maybe the order was reversed—MiTube showed newer comments on top.
Didn't matter anyway.
Was this guy unemployed or something?
Of course Elias expected trolls like this. Cowards who only talked big from behind a screen.
Maybe some bullied teen. Maybe a miserable adult.
The comments had all been posted within the last 30 minutes.
What kind of functioning person was awake at this hour?
The smart thing would be to ignore it.
But Elias was already pissed.
[You're the bastard one, asshole.]
To cool down, Elias headed to the convenience store.
The air was freezing, like his whole body had been wrapped in ice.
The store was only three blocks away. Open 24 hours. The night clerk was someone he vaguely knew.
A can of beer might help me sleep.
But just as he reached the door, someone stepped out.
Someone he knew. Someone he never wanted to see.
"Brother?"
It was Lyra Moreau. His sister.
*#*
"You live around here?"
Elias barely heard her. He was focused on her hands. "Are you… drinking?"
She gave him the same smile he remembered. Her signature look. "Someone taught us well, didn't they?" She took a long sip of the beer—probably half the can gone.
But…
Lyra was supposed to be 17 this year.
Elias swallowed the protest stuck in his throat. He didn't have the right to say anything. Not after what had happened.
"Brother, you didn't answer my question."
He still didn't meet her eyes. "Yeah. I live nearby."
"Can I come over?"
His eyes widened. He stared at her, stunned. His silence said enough.
Lyra understood. "Of course not."
Her phone lit up on the table beside her hip pouch.
A man's name. A heart emoji.
[Are you making me wait on purpose? Naughty girls get punished. You've got ten minutes—]
"Crap," she muttered, grabbing the phone with a smile. "Forgot I had something. Nice seeing you again, Brother."
But just as she turned to leave—
"What are you doing?"
She froze mid-step.
He still couldn't look at her. "What… are you doing with that guy?"
She didn't turn around. "Do you really want to know?"
Elias clenched his teeth. He forced out his voice, barely louder than a whisper. "You shouldn't be here, Lyra."
"Messing up your comfortable life? Sorry. Let's call this our last meeting."
Elias looked up, panicking. "That's not what I me—"
"THEN WHAT?"
He flinched.
She looked taller than he remembered. But her back was still slim. Fragile.
And now it trembled. "I thought maybe I'd get an apology." She turned, eyes shimmering. "But I guess even that's too much."
"I… I—"
"It's okay, Brother." She turned again, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "You won't have to see me again. I promise. And I'm not someone who breaks a promise."
*#*
Unlike someone else.
Elias knew that sentence had a second half. But Lyra never said it.
Even if she'd come just to punish him. Even if she'd come to just mock him.
Lyra was still Lyra.
She never had the heart to make people feel bad—even if she didn't realize it.
In the darkness of his room, Elias opened the beer.
Drank.
His cheeks were damp now.
And the beer tasted a little salty.
*#*
When he woke up, his eyes were swollen, and his nose dry.
At least the stink from last night's dinner didn't bother him anymore.
He picked up his phone from the table.
A pop-up appeared.
[1 new notification from MiTube]
Elias frowned. That bastard again?
Sure, his reply was immature—but he didn't start the fight.
If this guy wanted to argue, fine. Elias had all day.
He tapped the notification. It jumped to his latest video.
[6 comments]
Persistent, aren't you…
But it wasn't from AustrianNapoleon.
The newest comment was from a different user with a weird name: Developer 1.
[Greetings.
You are one of the players with a particularly interesting profile. Your choice of Corrosion Sword as your main weapon, over the more popular alternatives, reveals a rare and promising playstyle.
Would you be willing to become a beta-tester for our upcoming release?]