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

Kurt's scream echoed through the chamber.

The sound tore through Miles' mind like a razor, jagged and raw. He wanted to look away, but his body refused to move. His fingers gripped the scythe's handle, blood still dripping from its blade. Kurt's blood.

Kurt clutched his severed arm, staggering backward, his silver eye blazing with pain and disbelief. His mouth moved, forming words Miles could not hear. The world around them twisted, the edges blurring like ink bleeding into water.

This was not real. It could not be real.

But the scythe in his hands was so solid, so cold and real, and the warmth of Kurt's blood clinging to his skin.

And then, the voice. The laughter – his laughter – stretched, distorted, as if a thousand voices whispered alongside it.

Ch104. Pain as a teacher (28) - Prison