The rain blurred the neon lights of the city into streaks of pink and green. Fynn hugged the tiny fire elemental close, its sparks flickering nervously against the gloom. His chest thumped, and every instinct screamed at him to log out, close the window, and pretend none of this was happening.
But he couldn't. Not now.
There was movement outside. Just a shadow crouched beside a hovering drone, too still to be a pedestrian, too deliberate to be coincidence. Fynn's fingers itched over the keyboard, but he froze, unsure what to do. The elemental floated closer, tilting its head at him like it could sense his fear.
A soft ping from his VRMMO headset made him jump. A private message blinked onto his HUD. The sender was unknown.
"We know what you did. Don't waste our time."
Fynn swallowed hard. We know what I did?
Before he could process it, the drone darted through the open window, narrowly missing the elemental. A small screen on its body flashed a single line:
"Level 8? Really? Amateur."
Sparks flew from the elemental as it zipped sideways to avoid the drone. Fynn stumbled back, knocking over his chair. His heart was racing. This wasn't the game anymore. This wasn't a tutorial. Someone was here, watching him.
He didn't know if they were corporate agents, elite players, or something else entirely. All he knew was that they were real—and that he was completely unprepared.
He gritted his teeth. He had to try. Carefully, he typed the only command he thought might work: /hide_spell/.
Nothing happened. The elemental squeaked, anxious, its sparks dancing along the edges of the desk.
Then, on a shaky impulse, he tried /fireball/.
A small, controlled flame shot from his desk, grazing the drone just enough to make it wobble midair. Sparks sizzled against the paint, and the drone retreated, spinning back into the rain. Fynn slumped into his chair, chest heaving.
"Okay… okay," he whispered, voice trembling. "Maybe… maybe I can do this."
The elemental floated in his lap, chirping softly, and Fynn realized it wasn't just a glitch. It was real. Every flicker of flame, every command, every tiny spark had consequences in the world outside the game.
His hands were shaking. He glanced out the window at the neon-lit streets, the rain running in rivulets down the glass. Somewhere below, city life carried on oblivious to the tiny war unfolding in his apartment.
I'm level 8. I'm still a nobody.
But somehow… I just stepped into something far bigger than me.