Beneath the Surface

The room was suffocating. Not because of the military presence, the rifles slung over broad shoulders, or the tactical gear weighing down the men standing stiff against the walls. It was something else—something heavy, unspoken, yet felt by everyone.

My gaze wandered from the stoic faces of the soldiers to the man in the white lab coat standing near the window. He was tall, slender, with dark, disheveled hair and glasses that glinted coldly under the dim light of the living room. His coat, though spotless, seemed out of place amid the tension in the room.

I swallowed the dryness in my throat and shot a glance at my father. "What is this all about? Why are there soldiers here? Who... is that man?" I gestured toward the scientist, my voice hushed but firm.

My father, sitting with his arms crossed, only nodded toward the man. "Listen carefully, Rei. We've already talked about this. Now, it's your turn to know the truth."

My heart sank as confusion bubbled within me. What truth? My father's words felt like a heavy stone being dropped into a deep well, vanishing into an abyss I had no idea even existed.

The man in the lab coat adjusted his glasses, his movements precise, almost mechanical, as if he were weighing each gesture for maximum effect. He turned slightly toward the window, glancing outside. "Time: 10:19 AM," he mused aloud, his voice soft but eerily calm. "Beautiful day, isn't it? The sun... bringing life to everything."

What was he talking about? I frowned, the pit in my stomach growing deeper.

Then, he turned to face me, his gaze sharp behind those glasses. "Tell me, young man," he asked, his voice now cold and calculating. "If the world were in your hands... would you control it? Shape it to your will?"

I blinked, caught off guard. What kind of question was that? "I... don't know what you mean," I muttered, confused by his cryptic words.

The man took a deliberate step forward, his eyes narrowing as if weighing the gravity of what he was about to say. His presence alone seemed to pull the air tighter around the room, the atmosphere thick with unspoken tension. He adjusted his glasses once more, the faint click of the frame settling into place reverberating in the silence. His gaze locked onto mine, piercing through the confusion swirling in my mind.

"My name," he began, his voice low but cutting through the stillness like a blade, "is Dr. Kazuki Asano."

He paused, letting the weight of his name hang in the air, each word measured, calculated. I could feel my heart beat faster, my thoughts racing as the name echoed in my head. There was something about the way he said it, like the world itself should bow to the significance of that introduction.

"I am... a scientist." His voice took on a darker, almost haunted tone as he continued. "But more than that... I was a colleague of Kaito Nakamura."

The mention of Nakamura sent a shiver down my spine. The very name felt cursed, tainted with the blood of thousands. I could feel my chest tighten as the implications began to unfold, but I didn't dare interrupt. Not yet.

Dr. Asano let the silence stretch, his gaze never leaving mine, as if daring me to understand the full weight of his next words.

"Together," he said, each syllable carefully chosen, "we created Eternal Nexus."

The impact of those words hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him, my mind struggling to process what he had just confessed.

Eternal Nexus—the game that had stolen my siblings, trapped them in a waking nightmare.

This man... was one of its creators? The weight of his revelation felt suffocating, as if the room itself had closed in, shrinking around us. I blinked, trying to ground myself, but everything seemed distant, hazy.

Dr. Asano stood there, unflinching, watching my reaction with an almost clinical detachment, as though he'd dropped an atom bomb of truth and was waiting to see how it would ripple through me. The silence between us became unbearable, each second a crushing force against my chest, but still, I couldn't look away.

I looked at my parents, half expecting them to be as shocked as I was, but there was no surprise in their eyes. They already knew.

"What... what do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "You helped create the game? But Nakamura—he—"

Dr. Asano waved a hand, cutting me off. "Yes, Nakamura... was always a visionary. But not in the way the world thinks." He adjusted his glasses again, almost as if it were a habit. "When we set out to create Eternal Nexus, the goal was to revolutionize gaming—give players a world where they could be anything, anyone. A limitless reality where they could escape the cruelties of life."

He sighed, his eyes momentarily drifting toward the window again. "But Nakamura... he always had something else in mind. From the very beginning, he planned for the game to become more than just an escape. It was never about the players' enjoyment. It was about... evolution."

"Evolution?" I repeated, feeling the word stick in my throat like poison.

Dr. Asano nodded slowly, the movement deliberate, as if he was carefully considering how much to reveal.

His eyes drifted to the window again, where sunlight filtered in, casting a sharp contrast between the world outside and the darkness of the conversation we were having. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer, almost reflective, as though he were recalling something distant, yet deeply personal.

"To Nakamura," he began, his tone carrying a strange mix of admiration and regret, "Eternal Nexus wasn't just a game. It was something far more profound. In his eyes, it was the next step for humanity—an evolutionary leap, if you will."

He paused, his gaze hardening as he turned back to face me, a shadow passing over his expression.

"He believed that the human race had stagnated. That we had grown too complacent, too dependent on technology without truly understanding its power. To him, Eternal Nexus was more than a virtual world—it was a crucible, a trial designed to strip away the weaknesses of our species. A test to push the boundaries of human potential to their absolute limits."

His voice lowered, filled with a grim weight. "In Nakamura's mind, only the strongest—those who could adapt, who could fight and survive—would have the right to exist in the new world he envisioned. And the weak? They would perish. To him, that wasn't cruelty; it was necessary. It was his way of forcing mankind to confront its own mortality and... surpass it."

The words hung in the air like a cloud of smoke, suffocating and inescapable. I felt a cold knot of unease tightening in my stomach as I tried to process the twisted logic behind Nakamura's vision. It was madness—an inhumane philosophy wrapped in the guise of progress.

Dr. Asano continued, his voice barely above a whisper now, as if the memories were too heavy to speak any louder. "He believed that death was just another challenge. That by facing it head-on in a controlled environment like Eternal Nexus, humans would unlock a new kind of resilience—a transcendence of the mind and body that would allow us to evolve beyond our current limitations. In his view, those who could survive the game weren't just stronger—they were the future of humanity."

He clenched his hands together as though grappling with the enormity of what he had been a part of. "But Nakamura's vision wasn't about saving humanity. It was about redefining it. He wanted to create a world where only the exceptional could thrive, a world where suffering and death were just stepping stones to something greater."

Dr. Asano's expression darkened as he continued, his voice now laced with a deeper sense of urgency. "But Nakamura's obsession went far beyond just survival of the fittest. You see, his true motive for creating Eternal Nexus and turning it into a death game wasn't about the game itself. It was about something much larger—his obsession with the concept of the 'Singularity.'"

I blinked, the word unfamiliar to me in this context. Dr. Asano saw the confusion on my face and explained.

"The Singularity—the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, when the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds collapse. Nakamura was fascinated—no, consumed—by this idea. He believed humanity was on the cusp of a new evolution, where our very consciousness could transcend the limitations of the physical body and exist eternally within a digital construct. Eternal Nexus was never just a game to him. It was the gateway."

A chill ran down my spine as his words settled in. This was far worse than I had imagined. Nakamura wasn't just some maniac who wanted to create chaos—he truly believed he was ushering in the next stage of human evolution.

"He saw the world of Eternal Nexus as a blueprint for this new existence," Dr. Asano continued. "A place where the human mind could be freed from the constraints of flesh and blood. Where death in the real world was merely the beginning of an eternal life inside the digital realm. To him, this wasn't murder—it was transformation. A necessary step for humanity to survive the future."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Nakamura hadn't just created a death game for his own amusement—he had done it because he believed that trapping and killing thousands of people was the only way to force the world into the future he envisioned. A future where life and death meant nothing, and only those who could adapt to a new digital reality would thrive.

"Nakamura saw Eternal Nexus as the ultimate test," Dr. Asano said quietly. "The first step towards merging human consciousness with artificial intelligence—towards creating a world where the mind could live on forever, even if the body perished. He believed that only by confronting death head-on could humanity be forced to evolve."

The weight of Nakamura's twisted vision crushed me. It wasn't just about saving my siblings anymore—it was about stopping a madman who had taken the future of the human race into his own hands. A man who believed that playing God was his right.

The room felt even smaller now, the weight of Nakamura's twisted ideology pressing in on me from all sides.

Dr. Asano's words were like a window into the mind of a man who had not only embraced chaos but had sought to force it upon the world. I couldn't comprehend how anyone could believe in such a thing, much less act on it.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This man—this Nakamura—had created a death game as some sick experiment? To test humanity's limits? "But why? Why didn't you stop him?" My fists clenched, my voice rising with each word.

"I didn't know," Dr. Asano said softly, his expression unreadable. "Not until it was too late. When I finally understood what he had done... the game had already launched. Nakamura told me himself, just after the game's release." His voice wavered for the first time. "Then he ended his life. Sent his consciousness into the game, leaving his body behind."

I felt a cold wave wash over me as I processed his words. Nakamura had killed himself, embedding his mind into Eternal Nexus, becoming part of that twisted world forever.

My mother's hand rested gently on my leg, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts. I turned to her, and she offered a sad smile. "They told us everything after you left for the hospital, Rei. But... not everything. The most important part, they saved for you."

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with everything I had just learned. "What... do you mean? What's the point of telling me all of this?"

Dr. Asano's voice broke the silence once more. "The project. GRIM REAPER. It's already underway. Governments worldwide have selected the best of the best—ten elites—to enter the game. To find Nakamura... and end this nightmare."

There was a pause, heavy and suffocating. Then he spoke again, his words slow, deliberate. "Rei... you've been chosen. You are one of the ten."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. "Chosen? But... I'm not a gamer. I'm—"

"You come from one of the most prestigious families in Japan," Dr. Asano cut in. "A family known for its mastery of Kenjutsu. Whether you want to or not, it's already been decided. You will participate."

I couldn't breathe. My mind was racing, heart pounding in my chest. I had been selected... to enter Eternal Nexus. To fight Nakamura... to face a world where death was all too real. And yet, deep inside me, something else stirred—a dark, buried desire.

A chance to finally avenge my brother and sister. To end their suffering... with my own hands.

I couldn't stop the grin that crept across my face, despite the terror thrumming in my veins. Dr. Asano looked at me with a raised brow but then smiled. A cold, knowing smile.

Before I could even turn to my parents, my father stood abruptly. "You have my permission. Do what you must." Without another word, he walked out, leaving a hollow feeling behind.

I watched him go, a familiar emptiness gnawing at me. For five years, he had pushed me harder than anyone. And now... this was it.

A quiet sob broke the silence. My mother clutched my hand, her tears falling freely. "Can you do this?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

I wiped her tears gently. "I have to, Mom. I will."

She nodded, trying to smile through the pain. She was proud... but terrified.

I turned back to Dr. Asano, my resolve hardening as I tightened my grip on my mother's hand. "I'm in. It's time to put an end to this."