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

Shinji was not kidding when he said that Diego was not going to be able to use any of his healing skills, having to rely solely on his captor for keeping him just an inch away from dying.

The first few times Shinji had hurt him, Diego had tried to push through it, biting down on his screams, forcing himself to focus his thoughts on Miles, on how his big brother had always stood strong, on how he never broke. But now, he felt like he had passed the point of no return.

"What is Wonderland?" Shinji would ask, and Diego would answer with a simple "Fuck you" or with nothing but silence.

But then, Shinji would heal him, Diego would feel the sudden relief of his most grievous wounds being soothed by the healing magic – his healing magic – only for the pain to start all over again.

Ch77. Pain as a teacher