The Discord server was called "The Den."
A forgotten relic of the past—like a dusty room in the attic you hadn't opened in years. Its banner was still the same crude doodle someone had uploaded ages ago, a fox wearing sunglasses with the words "We Play. We Flame. We Love." scrawled beneath it.
When Kai checked it the morning after his stream, he half-expected silence.
But someone had replied.
Eclipse:No way. Kaijo?
His heart skipped once. Maybe twice.
Eclipse. That was Rafi. Bengali guy, UK-based. Used to main support characters in every game, and never shut up about tea. They'd once pulled an all-nighter trying to reach Platinum rank in a dead MOBA, screaming over mic when they finally made it at 6 AM.
Kai smirked as he typed back.
Kaijo:Still remember the name, huh?
Eclipse:Bro. I thought you vanished. You didn't even say goodbye.
Kai stared at that last sentence for a long time. He wanted to say something witty, something smooth. But instead, his fingers typed out a quieter truth.
Kaijo:Yeah. I kind of did.
That morning, the chat didn't blow up. It didn't turn into a reunion party. It was just the two of them, messaging back and forth like cautious hikers rediscovering an old trail.
Kaijo:You still play anything these days?
Eclipse:Just casually. Uni's hell. But I still log into StarRush once in a while.You?
Kaijo:I started streaming.
Eclipse:No shot. YOU? The guy who wouldn't even use a mic in voice chat?
Kaijo:New life. New rules.
Eclipse:Damn right.
The warmth that conversation left behind stayed with Kai for hours.
He brewed a second cup of coffee, this time not out of tiredness, but just to savor the rhythm of the morning. The kind of slow, simple day that didn't need excitement to feel right.
He opened his streaming software but didn't start yet. Instead, he looked over at his handwritten notepad. Scribbled ideas filled the page—things like "cozy horror game series," "budget cooking with gamer commentary," and "reacting to cursed gaming TikToks."
Most of them were jokes. But they were his jokes. His world, beginning to form.
That afternoon, he walked down to the local electronics shop.
He didn't plan to buy anything. But walking among aisles of glowing peripherals, mics, and RGB madness sparked something in him. Not greed—just momentum.
He asked a store clerk about microphone filters. Compared webcam specs. Joked about how wild gaming chairs had become.
In the end, he only bought a better ring light and a cheap black backdrop. Nothing fancy.
But it was a step.
On the way home, he walked past a bakery. The smell of fresh bread reminded him of his mom's Sunday mornings. For a moment, he almost stepped inside. Instead, he smiled, took a picture of the place, and sent it to an empty chat on his phone labeled "Mom."
Then he saved that moment.
✅ Slot 2: "New Light, New Warmth"
His second active save. The first was still the night of his first stream. The third—the final slot—he kept clean for now. You always needed one spare.
That evening, he set up the new lighting and tested it with the webcam.
The difference was shocking.
Where before his face had been cast in shadows, now it looked… human. Warm. Real.
He adjusted the light's brightness, fiddled with angles, then finally hit "Go Live" again.
🔴 Kaijo – Live
He titled the stream:
"Trying to Beat a Cozy Game Without Losing My Sanity"
He got four viewers this time.
One of them was Eclipse, who said nothing in chat but whispered "yo" on Discord after the stream.
"You were actually chill," Rafi said."Thanks," Kai replied. "That's kind of the goal."
As night crept in, Kai looked around his small apartment.
It still wasn't glamorous. One-bedroom, thin walls, cluttered desk. But now it had light. A little purpose. And most importantly—people trickling back into his orbit, like fragments of a lost constellation.
He knew it would take time.
Money would come slowly, unless he abused the system. And he didn't want to—not yet.
Streaming wasn't just a shortcut to wealth.
It was a window.
A soft, quiet door into the world he used to dream about at 2 AM, talking to people he never met but still trusted more than anyone in real life.
He stretched his arms over his head and opened the Save & Load panel.
✅ Slot 1: "The Beginning (Day of Return)"✅ Slot 2: "New Light, New Warmth"❎ Slot 3: Empty
He smiled.
"Let's make tomorrow worth saving too."
SUPPORT (Early Chapters): patreon.com/KyJo_
YT GAMING: https://www.youtube.com/@KyJoGaming
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/v2uSTygMgb