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

The fire crackled between them, the eerie blue flames casting flickering shadows against the ruined walls. Miles kept his gaze fixed on Kurt, waiting, his muscles tense despite the exhaustion settling into his bones.

It was not pain, no. That was healed by the [Ether Teapot] just a while ago.

It was sheer exhaustion, making Miles' bones feel as heavy as if they were made of iron.

How long had it been since he had slept properly? How long had it been since he slept at all?

Still, he had asked. And now, he needed answers.

Kurt leaned back against a rusted beam, arms crossed, chewing over his words before speaking. He was rarely ever silent unless he was calculating something.

"Wonderland," Kurt finally said, voice steady but distant, "isn't just a place in the game."

"Yeah, I figured that part out." Miles exhaled sharply.

Ch102. Pain as a teacher (26) - Who's really in control?