02. BIZZARE

Vikram had always found solace in the world of games. It was an escape, a place where reality's weight could be lifted, even if just for a little while.

The digital world offered him a sanctuary from the judgment, the pity, and the uncomfortable attention he faced every day. Here, there were no expectations, no underestimations due to things beyond his control. Opponents were faceless, unfeeling entities, each a challenge to conquer, each a test of his skills.

They didn't care about his background, his struggles, or his reputation—they simply presented an obstacle for him to overcome, just as he had always wanted.

In reality, however, things were different. People looked at him with concern, with pity. They saw a young man who had made a name for himself in the gaming world but still seemed stuck in the shadows of his own life.

There was no recognition of his achievements, no understanding of his pride and the fierce determination that had propelled him to where he was. Instead, there was only the uncomfortable gaze of others, a reminder that no matter how far he had come, people only saw his misfortune.

The bitterness of it all often simmered beneath the surface, ready to boil over. Vikram had built his image from nothing—he had clawed his way into the spotlight. He had earned his fame. Yet, all people seemed to focus on was his so-called "unfortunate fate," as if that were all there was to him. It stung, each time.

"Focus, Vikram. Don't get distracted," he muttered to himself as his fingers flew across the controller, tapping away with the precision of a master.

He was in his element now, caught in the throes of his latest obsession—a game called Slumbering Sloth. It wasn't much by the standards of most games, but for Vikram, it was something else entirely.

The name of the game didn't make sense to him. Slumbering Sloth? What kind of title was that for a game with such intricate mechanics? But, as with anything in the world of gaming, it wasn't the name that mattered—it was the gameplay. And Slumbering Sloth had caught his attention in a way few games ever did.

The core of the game was simple: save the princess. Defeat the demon king. The same old trope. But the mechanics? Those were something special. Each level was meticulously crafted with a unique design, and every platform had a red tint to it. If the player uncovered a secret in the area, the red would fade.

If they didn't, the red remained. The challenge wasn't just about completing the level—it was about uncovering every hidden secret, achieving a perfect completion rate.

Vikram had quickly found himself drawn to the challenge. The red tinge of the unexplored areas taunted him, daring him to uncover every mystery. He had to—he couldn't stop now. It was a challenge, and one he was determined to conquer. The game might have been 2D, but the depth of its design was something he could appreciate, something that kept him coming back for more. The graphics didn't matter. It wasn't about cutting-edge visuals; it was about the intricacies of the design. And for Vikram, nothing was more satisfying than perfecting every detail.

Nothing existed beyond that screen—nothing but the pursuit of perfection.

Even Duck, his King Cobra, knew better than to disturb him when Vikram was in the Zone. The snake hissed, but Vikram didn't even flinch. He had fed Duck earlier. It could wait. The game demanded his attention now, and nothing—not even his pet—could break his concentration.

Time passed. Hours bled into each other. The sun set and rose again, but Vikram didn't notice. He only saw the game—the world within the screen—and he was intent on finishing it.

He had played for nearly 26 hours, only stopping for brief breaks to drink water, feed Duck, or take care of basic needs. But even then, his mind never truly left the game.

The culmination of his effort was close. The final boss loomed ahead, a challenge unlike any he'd faced before. Vikram smiled to himself as he prepared to face it, knowing that victory was within his grasp.

The hero was about to return the princess to the castle, and in the process, gain the throne of the Macedonia Empire.

The reward for saving the princess was the throne itself, a symbol of the hero's rise from humble origins to greatness. Vikram had already envisioned how the game would end—the hero's coronation, the crowd cheering, the princess smiling at him with admiration.

But as the character reached the throne, something was wrong.

The princess, who was supposed to look at her hero with gratitude and affection, wasn't looking at him. She was staring directly at Vikram. Not through the screen, but at him. Her eyes seemed to pierce into his very soul. Cold dread washed over him.

He blinked, trying to shake the feeling off. "It's just a glitch," he muttered to himself. But deep down, he knew it wasn't. Something was terribly wrong.

Then it happened. One by one, every character in the game—the hero, the princess, the emperor, the crowd—turned their heads slowly, their eyes locking onto Vikram through the screen. The world around him began to change.

The once-blue sky darkened, turning a deep, blood-red. The sun, once bright and orange, now burned crimson in the sky. The entire game seemed to shift, warping and distorting, as if it were alive and aware of him.

Vikram's breath caught in his throat. His mind screamed at him to disconnect, to turn off the game, but his hands were frozen, unable to move. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. The tension in the air was suffocating, and even Duck, his pet snake, had gone still, sensing something was terribly wrong.

Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, the hero raised his sword. Vikram watched in horror as the sword, despite the game being in 2D, seemed to point directly at him. It was aimed right at his heart.

For the first time in his life, Vikram felt true terror.

The world around him exploded. The game, once a place of comfort and challenge, became something else entirely. The screen flickered violently, and the once-familiar pixelated world now felt like an inescapable prison. Vikram's heart pounded in his chest as the reality of the situation hit him.

This wasn't just a game. Not anymore.

And as the sword in the hero's hand moved closer to the screen, Vikram knew that something far darker was unfolding before him. The game had stopped being a game—it had become his nightmare.

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