SHAWN… SHAWN… SHAWN…
The sound repeated over and over, echoing inside my skull like some cruel, persistent drum. I groaned, burying my face in my pillow, hoping it would stop. What had happened? Was I asleep? Did I pass out drunk again? The dreams they had returned, the same unsettling voice calling me, calling me like it wanted something from me, like it had a message I wasn't ready to hear.
"Shawn… Shawn!"
The voice got louder. Louder than before. My eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred kilos each, and no matter how hard I tried, they refused to open. I forced them open a crack, just enough to glimpse the world around me.
The first thing I noticed was the music a deep, throbbing beat that seemed to vibrate through the floor, walls, and even my bones. The room was dim, yet elegant. Heavy leather couches lined the space, and flickering red and blue LED strips traced the edges of the walls like tiny rivers of neon. The scent of citrus from small candles blended with a faint aroma of expensive whiskey. The polished marble reflected everything, scattering colored lights across the room.
And there she was.
A girl standing over me. One hand rested on my shoulder, the other held a bottle of wine by the neck. Her lips curved into a lazy, teasing smile. I blinked harder.
"…Mia?" My voice cracked, almost foreign in the quiet, luxurious room.
"Little Mia?" She laughed softly, the sound filling the space like a gentle bell.
"Took you long enough," she said, leaning down and hooking an arm under my shoulder, helping me sit upright. The moment I moved, my head spun, and I had to clutch the couch to stop myself from toppling over.
"Easy," she said. "You're really weak, David." Her tone was playful, almost mocking, but her eyes betrayed concern.
"You just took a little sip of Yamazaki 18," she continued, tilting the bottle slightly. "And you completely dozed off. Lightweight."
I rubbed my temples as memories started crawling back, slow and disjointed at first, then all at once, like a floodgate opening.
The private lounge of Nexus Tower. The leather couches. The soft glow of citrus-scented candles. The perfectly polished marble floors reflecting the red and blue LED strips running along the walls. Every detail, every element of the room, was sharp in my memory now.
I, Shawn David, twenty-six, nobody from nowhere… had just won the impossible.
A golden ticket. Not just any ticket, but a really expensive, exclusive golden ticket that had come out of two million entrants in the global Aetherion closed-beta contest. Against all odds, the system had picked me. Not just early access. Not just a chance to test the game with the developers. No, I had been granted a full week at the Nexus Interactive headquarters, all expenses paid.
They were turning me into a special guest creator, and, in the most insane twist of all, an NPC in the final game itself.
This was the kind of breakthrough people fantasized about at three in the morning, the kind people dreamed about while lying awake, imagining their lives finally changing. Some people would kill for this. And somehow, I had it. Me.
"To Shawn!" Liam repeated, clinking his glass against mine with a sharp, deliberate tap, ensuring that everyone's attention remained on the moment.
"To Shawn," Mia echoed, her wide smile lighting up her face.
I laughed, shaking my head. "You guys are acting like I cured cancer or something."
"Please," Jess scoffed from the couch, lounging lazily. "Curing cancer is normal-people impressive. This? This is gamer mythology."
Cole leaned back in his chair, boots propped casually on the glass table, exuding the kind of confidence that made it seem like he owned the building. "Do you understand how many people would sell organs for this? Aetherion isn't just a game. It's a cultural reset for teens."
I blinked, suddenly aware of how deeply they all cared about the game. "You've been reading the leaks again."
"They weren't leaks," Ethan said calmly, still scrolling through his phone. "They were oversights."
Liam laughed, leaning back. "See? This is why it had to be one of us. At least you'll appreciate it."
I raised my glass slightly, still feeling out of place. "You all entered too, though. Anyone here could've won."
A silence fell over the room. The kind that made the laughter and music fade into the background. It was almost reverent, like something bigger than all of us had taken notice.
Then Mia waved it off, brushing the moment like it didn't matter. "Yeah, but luck likes you. Always has."
Jess nodded quickly, adding her own voice. "Seriously. You remember freshman year? That scholarship draw? You didn't even know you were eligible."
Cole smirked, leaning forward slightly. "Meanwhile, I filled out twelve forms and got nothing."
I frowned, about to protest, but Liam cut me off smoothly, his voice calm and certain. "We know. We're just saying. Fate's been flirting with you for a while."
Something about the way he said fate made my shoulders tighten. I shook it off and took another sip from my drink, the warm liquid burning gently as it went down.
"Still," I muttered, "I'm not even sure I deserve this. There are content creators way bigger than me."
"That's exactly why you deserve it," Mia said, leaning closer, her eyes sparkling with sincerity. "You're not fake. You actually love games."
Jess laughed softly, a sound that made the room feel lighter. "Remember when Shawn refused to monetize his speedrun channel because he 'didn't want ads breaking immersion'?"
"That was a principle," I protested weakly.
"That was stupid," Cole corrected, and everyone laughed.
Liam studied me over the rim of his glass. "So you are heading to Abuja airport to head to Tokyo tomorrow."
"Yeah," I said, excitement creeping into my voice. "They booked everything. Flight, hotel, even a translator if I want one."
I leaned back on the couch, letting the reality sink in, my heart pounding. For the first time in a long time, everything felt like it was finally in motion.
Then Mia came forward close to me and pour me more yamakazi
"Trying to get me drunk?" I slurred slightly, my head still spinning from the wine, the room, and the dizzying combination of excitement and disbelief.
Mia tilted her head, a small smirk on her face that was more teasing than sinister. "Maybe… just relaxed," she said softly, as if the words were more a question than an answer. Her eyes flicked over me, sharp yet amused, and for a moment I could see that under the playful tone, she was assessing me, weighing how much of my usual bravado remained.
Before I could process that, Liam stood suddenly, the chair scraping lightly against the polished floor. "Hey," he said, raising his voice just enough to cut through the lingering hum of music from the lounge below, "this lounge is still packed downstairs. Uncomfortable vibe. Let's go to the roof. Surprise for Shawn up there anyway. Fresh air, better view."
The group reacted immediately. Small nods, quiet murmurs, some smiles, though a few looked forced, almost like their faces didn't quite catch up with their thoughts. Cole leaned back with his usual smirk. "Yeah, let's move." Jess, arms crossed, simply said, "Roof sounds good," her tone calm, measured.
I blinked a few times, still woozy, trying to shake off the lingering fog of alcohol and excitement. "Surprise? Alright," I said, letting a shaky grin slip past. Somehow, despite the dizziness and the spinning room, a rush of anticipation hit me.
The group moved, to the elevator behind us as we stepped into the sleek, dimly lit hallway. . I felt Mia's hand lightly support me, guiding me as I stumbled slightly beside her. She was careful, almost clinical in her touch, but her eyes held that faint, playful glimmer.
I walked next to Jess, my hand resting casually on her shoulder as we made our way. It was natural, instinctive I hadn't thought about it but the reaction was immediate. Jess's eyes stayed forward, neutral, cold. Without a word, she reached up and firmly removed my hand from her shoulder. No glance back. No acknowledgment beyond the simple, quiet assertion that this was her space.
I froze mid-step, hand hovering awkwardly in the air. I forced a small, uncertain smile, trying to lighten the moment. "You haven't been replying to my chats… Did I do something wrong, babe?" I asked, voice low, almost pleading.
She didn't answer. She kept walking, jaw slightly clenched, arms crossed. Silence stretched between us like a heavy blanket, broken only by the faint echo of our footsteps and the whisper of wind from the open windows.
I watched her back from over my shoulder. My smile faded slowly, replaced by a mild, gnawing unease, but I shook it off. "Weird… but tomorrow's Tokyo. Everything's fine," I told myself internally, as if repeating it enough would make it true.
The elevator arrived with a soft ding, the doors sliding open to reveal the vertical shaft of light and metal. We stepped inside, the group moving like shadows through the narrow space. When the doors opened again, we emerged onto the rooftop. The city sprawled below us, glittering and endless.
Liam spread his arms wide, gesturing to the scene around us. "Surprise best view in the building. To celebrate properly." The group scattered slightly, settling loosely into the open space. A few lounge chairs sat near the edge, a railing offering the illusion of safety in the vertiginous openness.
I leaned on the railing, dizziness threatening to pull me down even as my heart leapt. "Flight to Abuja airport tomorrow, then Tokyo," I said, trying to sound nonchalant despite the excitement. "All booked. Solo."
Mia's smile stiffened for a moment. "Oh… intense," she murmured.
Jess's arms remained crossed. "Going alone?" she asked, her voice flat, but her tone carried a weight that made my stomach twist slightly.
I nodded slowly. "Part of the deal."
Cole leaned forward, curiosity piqued, eyes darkening slightly. "Could've negotiated," he said, voice low.
"They were clear. No guests. Just me, alone," I answered, shrugging with a nervous laugh.
Liam swirled his drink, tilting it thoughtfully in his hand. "Didn't think to sneak one of us? Unofficially?"
I chuckled. "And get blacklisted forever? I like you guys… but I have to follow the rules."
Jess giggled, thin and almost bitter. "Wow. Okay."
Cole's voice shifted, serious now. "Shawn… after this? Long-term."
I shrugged. "Stream. Build platform. Maybe full-time."
Jess's eyes flashed colder. "Leave us behind?" she asked, teasing but sharp, and I felt the tension prickling at the edges of the rooftop wind.
Ethan locked his phone, finally attentive, and said quietly, "Fame changes trajectories."
The wind blew through, sharp and relentless. Silence fell. The city below seemed to pause, indifferent. My vision tilted, dizziness pressing against my skull.
"I think…" I muttered, but my words faltered as the room spun.
Jess stood fast, catching me instinctively by the arm. "Shawn, sit. You're pale."
I stumbled, hitting the railing with a dull clunk, and the golden ticket slipped from my pocket, clattering against the floor. My heart thudded violently as all eyes tracked the small, rectangular symbol of luck and fate.
Cole picked it up slowly, turning it over in his hand. "This thing caused arguments," he said, voice low.
"What arguments?" I asked weakly, panic threading through my words.
Liam crouched slightly, his gaze locked on me. "You weren't supposed to win," he said plainly.
the group stood around me, five faces, five sets of eyes, all watching me struggle with a dizzy haze. No hands reached for me No one intervened Just five witnesses to my weakness, my vulnerability.
"You always win without trying," Liam said finally, voice almost admiring in its blunt cruelty.
Cole let out a short, humorless laugh. "You really don't get it."
Mia crouched beside me, pressing gently but firmly against my shoulder. "Nights we stayed up… watching you succeed by accident?" Her tone was soft, almost intimate
Jess's arms remained folded, silent.
"I worked—" I began, but my protest felt fragile, unconvincing.
Ethan held up his phone, showing a code, lines of numbers and letters scrolling endlessly. "Bots. Hundreds. We all tried different ways to be chosen by the game, but… still chose you."
Liam exhaled softly. "Humiliating. Losing to randomness with your face."
Mia sipped from her glass, her eyes calculating. "Wondering what you drank? Yamazaki… easy to hide things."
Cole leaned in slightly. "Sedative. Dissociative. Heart slows… stops. But no suffering. Fast way."
Jess looked away, expression unreadable. "Wouldn't feel much," she murmured.
Cole held the torn ticket in his hand. "This… was supposed to change everything. For all of us."
Ethan turned to Jess. "No undoing. Now… Jess, it's your turn."
I looked at her, weak, trying to reason, plead, beg. "Jess… you don't want this."
Tears welled in her eyes. "We voted. Had to be someone. Not all of us."
Her hoodie pocket pressed visibly against the shape of a pistol. My stomach dropped.
Jess raised the trembling weapon. "I'm sorry, Shawn. Really. I am really sorry, babe."
The others stared with silent hatred. No one moved. No intervention came.
The trigger was pulled. A bullet left the chamber, slicing through the night like a silver scream. My eyes widened.
I fell back. Life flashed within my eyes in that very moment the very win, every friend I'd trusted.
I couldn't feel my legs. My chest burned a lot
"So this is it…" I whispered internally. The wind tugged at the ticket pieces as they fluttered into the city night.
The silhouettes of the group walked away, leaving the glow of the city below.
Lucky enough to die for it… did they hate me? Or love themselves more?
The wind carried nothing but the faint hum of the city, indifferent.
So this is how I'm remembered.
If this is death… it's lonely. Disappointingly quiet.