Echoes.

It was nighttime in Roid City, near the Avenue of Raos. Skyscrapers loomed over the streets, their mirrored surfaces reflecting the electric haze of neon signs. The roads pulsed with life, drenched in artificial light, yet above it all, the sky remained an empty void.

Inside a dimly lit apartment, Rael Voss sat on the couch, his gaze locked onto the flickering screen of his phone. The summer heat pressed against the windows, but the air conditioner's steady hum filled the room with an artificial chill. His inbox held a single unread message.

[Leon: Yo, Rael. Long time.]

[Leon: Didn't think I'd be the first one to break the silence, but here we are.]

[Leon: You still alive, or did you turn into a hermit for real?]

Rael stared at the messages. It had been… how many years? Three? Longer since they actually talked.

"Still ignoring people, huh?"

Rael glanced up. His roommate, Elias, leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but there was an edge to his voice—something between concern and irritation. He shifted slightly, the dim light catching the tired lines under his eyes.

"I'm just not interested," Rael muttered, setting his phone aside with a dull thud against the couch.

Elias scoffed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Not interested in eating either, apparently." He gestured toward the untouched food on the counter, shaking his head. "You can't keep living like this, man."

Rael didn't reply, his fingers tapping idly against his knee. His gaze drifted back to the phone, the screen still glowing with the message, the sender's name staring back at him like an old ghost.

Rael Voss had once been a name whispered in reverence within the eSports scene, a prodigy whose sharp instincts and cold precision made him a legend. He had led his team to countless victories, pushing the boundaries of strategy and skill. But that was years ago. Now, at twenty-five, he had all but left that world behind. Gaming had been his life, but after an abrupt and quiet retirement, he hadn't touched a single title since.

"Who's texting you this late?"

Rael turned to see Elias now leaning against the kitchen counter, arms still crossed but his brow slightly furrowed. His roommate's dark eyes flicked toward the phone. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

Rael gave him a blank stare before tossing the phone aside with a sigh. "It's nothing."

Elias arched an eyebrow, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nothing, huh? You sure? You're doing that thing again—staring like the world's about to end."

Rael exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, fingers briefly clenching. "Just an old teammate."

Elias whistled under his breath. "And let me guess—something about that new game everyone's hyped about?"

Rael glanced at his phone again, the screen still glowing. "...I don't know."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

Rael leaned back against the couch. "He didn't say. Could be that, could be something else."

Silence lingered between them, the hum of the air conditioner filling the gap. Elias drummed his fingers against the counter, watching Rael carefully before sighing and pushing himself off.

"Man, you really are stubborn." He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long sip before pointing at Rael with it. "You sure you're not even a little bit curious? I mean, it's been years since you touched a game. Maybe—"

Before he could finish, Rael's phone vibrated again. But this time, it wasn't another text.

It was a call.

The name flashed on the screen: [Leon].

Rael's fingers twitched. It had been years since they last spoke—long enough that he almost didn't recognize the name at first.

Elias raised an eyebrow, his smirk fading. "Wow. He's really persistent."

Rael let the phone ring. He wasn't interested. He had walked away from that life. He had no reason to go back.

But the ringing didn't stop.

Again. And again.

A sigh escaped Rael's lips as he finally grabbed the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"…What do you want, Leon?"

A chuckle came from the other end. "That's a hell of a greeting."

Rael leaned back against the couch, fingers tapping idly against his thigh. "You're calling me at midnight just to talk? Spit it out."

Leon let out a short chuckle. "Still impatient." There was a pause before his tone softened. "It's been a while, man."

Rael exhaled through his nose. "Yeah."

"Four years," Leon continued. "You just vanished."

Rael didn't respond immediately. He knew. He had walked away from everything—his team, the game, that entire world. And none of them had chased after him. Not really.

"You could've reached out too," he muttered.

"Yeah," Leon admitted. "Guess I thought you needed space. But then space turned into silence, and… well. Here we are."

Rael ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure what to say to that.

Leon sighed. "Look, I'm not calling to drag up old stuff. I just—" He hesitated. "How are you, Rael? Really."

The words sat between them, heavier than they should've been.

"I'm fine," Rael said automatically.

Leon hummed, unconvinced. "Right."

Rael knew that tone. It was the same one Leon used when a game wasn't going their way, when he could see the cracks forming in a strategy before anyone else did.

He shifted in his seat. "Is this why you called? To check in on me?"

"Partly." Leon hesitated again, then exhaled. "I guess… I just wanted to hear from you. Make sure you're still here."

Rael stared at the ceiling, the dim glow of his phone casting faint shadows along the walls. He didn't know how to respond to that.

So he settled for the easiest answer. "Yeah. I'm still here."

For a moment, Rael wasn't in his dimly lit apartment anymore.

He was back on stage, standing beneath a flood of blinding lights. The roar of the crowd thundered in his ears—a deafening wave of voices chanting his name, his team's name. The metallic weight of the championship trophy pressed into his hands, cold and solid, proof of everything they had fought for.

But when he turned, the faces around him were blurred, indistinct shapes swallowed by the glow of the victory screen overhead. Their voices, once familiar, bled into the chaos—cheers, shouts, something else beneath it all. A tension he hadn't noticed back then.

The moment cracked. The roar faded. The trophy in his hands felt weightless.

Then, just as quickly, the memory shattered.

Rael exhaled sharply, his grip on the phone tightening. "And?"

Leon sighed, the sound barely audible over the faint noise of traffic in the background. "Come on, man. You can't tell me you don't miss it, even a little."

"I don't," Rael replied flatly, adjusting his grip on the phone.

A short silence. Then Leon let out a quiet chuckle. "Still the same as ever, huh?"

Rael didn't respond. He rubbed at his temple, feeling the weight of the conversation settle over him.

"You've heard about Ascent, right?" His tone was casual, but there was an edge to it. "It's not like anything we played before. Full-dive VR, complete sensory immersion, and an AI system that reacts to every choice you make. The level of realism is insane—people are already saying it doesn't even feel like a game."

Rael didn't respond, but Leon kept going.

"Look, I'm not asking you to commit," Leon continued. "Just log in. No pressure, no expectations. Just explore a bit—see what it's about. Like old times, before everything got… complicated."

Rael furrowed his brows, lost in thought. He had heard the hype, seen glimpses of the game trending online. But he hadn't cared enough to dig deeper.

Leon let out a quiet chuckle. "Figured if anything could bring you back, it'd be this."

Rael pinched the bridge of his nose. "I already told you. I'm done with all that."

Leon didn't argue. He just sighed again, quieter this time. "Alright. If that's how it is."

There was a pause before Leon added, "Still… it'd be good to catch up sometime."

Rael's fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before he simply said, "We'll see."

The call ended.

For a while, Rael just sat there, phone resting loosely in his hand.

Elias, who had been pretending not to listen, finally spoke up. "Damn. That was intense." He scratched the back of his head, his usual teasing tone subdued.

Rael shot him a look. "It wasn't."

Elias smirked, though his gaze lingered on Rael a little longer than usual. "If you say so." He leaned against the doorway again, arms crossed. "So what's the deal? This some kinda dramatic reunion story? Ex-teammate trying to pull you back in for 'one last ride'?"

Rael didn't answer, but his fingers curled slightly against his knee. The silence was enough of a confirmation.

Elias chuckled, but there was no malice in it. "Man, you really don't want to go back, huh?"

Rael just stared at him, expression unreadable.

Elias didn't press further. He set a couple of plates on the table, motioning for Rael to join him. With a sigh, Rael pushed himself off the couch and sat down. The scent of takeout filled the small apartment, cutting through the lingering coolness in the air.

Neither of them spoke at first. The occasional clink of utensils against ceramic was the only sound between them. Then, as Elias scooped up a bite, he glanced up.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

Rael scoffed. "No, I'm not."

Yet, as he absently poked at his food, the thought lingered.

Elias smirked, taking another bite. "If you say so."

The conversation drifted into silence again, but the seed had already been planted. The conversation faded, but the thought lingered—unshaken, quietly pulling at the edges of his mind.