MrBoness

-- WSA 2025 Entry --

“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”
As the countdown towards the new year went on to the last second, Miles looked up to the sky, just as everybody else did.

In the middle of the crowded street, Miles for once felt like he belonged. Being a teenage gamer, living with his parents, and trying to build a life as a streamer, he did not feel like leaving his room every day.

But there, in the middle of that crowded street, with everyone around him paying attention to the sky, the countdown on the digital billboard, and mostly anything else but him., Miles felt like a ghost.

A welcomed ghost, but a ghost, after all.

With a smile on his unseen face, he looked up as the countdown reached one, and everybody sang in unison.
‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

But Miles’ eyes widened as he watched in utter horror, and curiosity, even, hovering above him, a holographic screen with a few lines of text written in it.

All around him, although he did not pay much attention to it, a few other people seemed to experience the same situation.

[Updating home-world 39515’s version]

[Version 20.25 update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved survival mode]

[Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515’s latest version?]

[Yes] [No]

“Survival… Mode?” Miles’ lips quivered.

Before he could think of anything else, though, the people around him began to scream…

Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game

Sarissa's fingers remained tight around the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white, even as the cat-like figure before her stretched lazily, absolutely unbothered by how close he had come to losing his head.

But what Cheshire just said… Just the fact that he knew not to trust Shinji, it was enough to shake her foundations. However, she did not waver.

"You still haven't answered me," she said, her voice steady despite the strange coil of unease twisting in her gut. "Why are you here?"

"Ah, straight to business. I do appreciate people who don't waste time." Cheshire's ears twitched, his grin unwavering, his tail flicking idly behind him. "As I said, first of all, I come in peace, so you can dismiss your sword. If you want to, that is… I just had to come meet you."

Ch61. Cheshire