In the real world, I was just another boy — ordinary, unnoticed, and invisible in the crowd. I wasn't the popular one, not the top student, not the athletic hero. I was simply there. Some people have a glow, a light in their eyes that demands attention. I didn't. I was more like a shadow. Even in a room full of people, I felt alone.
But I had a secret. A place where I wasn't invisible. Where I could speak without stuttering. Laugh without worrying. Be myself without fear. That place wasn't a classroom, a park, or a hangout spot. It was a virtual home — a Discord server I created out of boredom but built out of loneliness.
It started small — a private space where I could chill, listen to music, maybe play games. I gave it a random name. I never expected it to become what it did. Slowly, people joined. Some were invited by me. Others just stumbled in. And suddenly, I wasn't so alone anymore.
I met people who felt like family. We had names that didn't exist in our real worlds. We were Light, Sae, Innocent, and Yaku. Strange names. Codenames. Identities we shaped for ourselves. Behind those names were people who made me laugh, cry, think, feel alive. We weren't bound by school uniforms, family problems, or social judgment. We were just voices in the dark — and somehow, that made us honest.
We talked about anime, gaming, life, even pain. Especially pain. Because pain connects people deeper than anything. Light made dumb jokes and rapped in broken Hindi. Innocent always quoted villains from anime, saying things like "Only the strong survive." Sae raged every time he lost in Valorant. And Yaku…
Yaku was quiet. Thoughtful. Kind. He was always there. Even when the others went offline. He'd stay up late listening to me vent about school or depression. He never said too much. But his silence wasn't empty. It was comforting.
For once in my life, I felt like I belonged. I wasn't Rudro the ordinary boy. I was Rudro the admin. The creator. The heart of a community. Every ping, every emoji, every late-night VC felt like I was finally alive.
Then one day… she joined.
Her name was Pakhi.
She was different. Her profile picture wasn't flashy. Her bio was just a simple quote: "Trying to find peace." She didn't talk much in the main channels. But in my DMs, she bloomed. She told me she liked how kind I was. She asked me about my day. She said I made her feel safe. No one had ever told me that before.
It started slow. We shared playlists. Talked about dreams. Late-night chats turned into morning texts. She called me cute. I called her beautiful. We weren't official, but we knew. We knew what this was.
I started smiling randomly during the day. I would rush home just to see if she messaged me. She became my world. My comfort. My reason to wake up.
And in the background, my server kept growing. The group — Light, Innocent, Sae, Yaku — they were still there. But I was drifting. Pakhi was now my focus.
I didn't know then that this was part of their plan.
A plan they called Mission Rudro.
A mission… to destroy me.
(TO BE CONTINUED...)