"Are you coming?" the young lady asked.
Her deep blue eyes gleamed as she stared into his brown ones.
She pouted her lips, leaning in closer, blocking his view of the device in his hands.
Her long brown hair spilled over, brushing against his face and cutting off his vision completely.
Akhil let out a tired sigh. "Can't you just get it for both of us? I don't have to come."
A sharp sting followed as her small hand landed a clean knock on his head.
"Ouch," he grimaced.
"Why the fuck do you have to act so nonchalant every goddamn time? You were part of the beta testing team! The results are coming out today, and you have to come!" Maria said firmly, her eyes blazing with determination.
Akhil rubbed his head, staring back into her deep blue eyes.
Arguing with Maria was pointless. Growing up together, he'd learned she was always stubborn.
'Sometimes she even nags like an old lady,' Akhil thought tiredly.
Maria caught his gaze and raised her hand for another knock.
Akhil quickly raised his arm to shield his head.
"What? I didn't do anything!"
"You definitely called me an old lady in your mind again!" Maria snapped.
Akhil chuckled lightly.
"Since when did you become a mind reader? You don't have any proof of that," he said with a lazy shrug.
"You—" she raised a finger, pointing at him, but no words came out.
"I know what kind of man you are. You smart idiot, I'll just wait patiently till you say it out loud," she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"But you're still coming with me regardless."
"—but still…"
"No, we can't use instant order with the drones. They said they won't release the results on their forum, so we have to go there personally and see for ourselves."
Even before he could speak, she had already won.
Defeated, Akhil could only follow her.
Even in 2071, when AI handled everything from food to politics, gaming had somehow fallen behind.
With real-time news now delivered by modified AI reporters that only existed on screens.
A lot had changed in the world.
Yet, for so many years, the gaming sector had remained stagnant.
The games themselves varied in style and still offered entertainment, but in terms of technological advancement, there had been no real breakthrough.
That was, until today.
The Pro Tech company was set to launch its revolutionary AI gaming chip—a system designed to deliver the most immersive gaming experience mankind had ever known.
Everyone had been waiting in anticipation, wondering what this new piece of technology could do.
And now that it was finally being released, the market was flooded with orders.
Everyone wanted to get their hands on this so-called revolutionary chip.
Akhil was among them—or rather, dragged into it.
Maria had pulled him into the entire mess.
It wasn't easy finding girls who were into gaming as much as she was.
Thankfully, because of his wealthy adoptive father, they had both been accepted into the beta testing team.
And true to their claims, Titans Online outshone every other game she had made them play.
It was truly an incredible experience.
The visuals blurred the line between fantasy and reality.
The AI-integrated voice that announced completed quests, the detailed reward system, and the NPCs so lifelike they could be mistaken for real people—all of it was astounding.
But to Akhil, the chip itself still felt overhyped.
What truly captured him was the game's story.
It was gripping—full of twists and suspense that kept him hooked from start to finish.
The game featured the Titans, the main villains.
To advance to higher levels, players had to defeat each of them—no easy task.
It wasn't just about fighting either; these Titans could blend in with the characters themselves, forcing players to use wit, strategy, and survival instincts.
Akhil found it one of the most enjoyable games he had ever played.
"Are you ready?" Maria asked, standing by his door.
Just as they were about to leave, Akhil's phone pinged.
{Email!}
{Pro Tech. Beta Results Test}
He glanced at the screen.
Akhil froze as he read the message.
Maria seemed to have received the same one.
"I came fourth in the test!" Maria squealed, jumping up in excitement.
"What did you get?" she asked eagerly, rushing to his side and leaning over his shoulder to peek at his phone.
She froze, her eyes widening.
"What the hell! You were player Nexus all along!" she shouted, staring at him in disbelief.
Akhil gave a wry smile.
"You told me the game was difficult, you liar! You cleared most of the scenarios before we even could!"
"It was really difficult! But that doesn't mean I didn't clear any of them," Akhil protested.
"Yeah, sure. Difficult enough for you to get first place?" Maria rolled her eyes.
"Tch. No wonder you hid your username from me all this time," she huffed.
Akhil smiled awkwardly, then smirked.
"Well, you were fangirling Nexus so much, I wanted to see how you'd react when you found out it was me. I didn't want my sister catching feelings."
Maria's face turned red with embarrassment. Goosebumps crawled up her arms.
"You—!" she sputtered, unable to find the right words.
"Well, at least now we don't have to go to the store anymore. The company's sending us special customized chips. Bully!" she said quickly, storming out of his room and slamming the door behind her.
Akhil chuckled softly.
"Yeah, waiting to see her reaction was definitely worth it."
He walked back to his bed but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Akhil, you have a package waiting for you."
He opened the door, and the maid handed him a small box.
"It came really fast!" Akhil said in surprise. The chips had arrived far sooner than he expected.
He took the package inside and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a small sleek chip.
He didn't have anything else to do, so he thought, Why not?
"I'm sure they must've changed some stuff from the beta version. Otherwise, we'd have a few cheats lying around. Or maybe they left it the same. I can't wait to find out."
He quickly attached the chip to the side of his head.
He tapped it, and it activated with a faint buzz.
The moment the chip clicked into place, his room seemed to blur. His thoughts drifted—then vanished.
But instead of waking in the game's waiting room, Akhil was met with the sight of blood.
A figure hovered in the air above a battlefield, massive wings spread wide.
His eyes glowed crimson, his skin pale as snow, and horns jutted from his head.
The mere sight of him sent a chill down Akhil's spine.
Below him stood several warriors clad in heavy armor, breathing heavily, weapons in hand.
The vision flickered and changed.
The sun raced across the sky from west to east. Night fell and vanished again in an instant.
It looked like the flow of time on reverse.
Time flew at an impossible speed—days, then weeks—until finally, after what felt like an eternity, a voice echoed in his ears.
«↑System has experienced a malfunction.
Character syncing will now begin. (Error 101) Using alternative method.
Reading host genetic codes. Genetic decoding will now begin.↓»
{Global Notification: This is the Integrated Artificial Intelligence for game management. Characters will now be fused with hosts as the system is malfunctioning.}
"What the—"
Before Akhil could react, darkness swallowed his vision.
~Thanks for reading.
If you like it, add to library and feed your powerstones!