Chapter 4: The Price

"You do realize this is just a conspiracy, right?" Kyle crossed his arms, irritation clear in his voice. "Either you're in some kind of cult, or you're part of this in-game mafia."

Alex let out a deep sigh but responded calmly:

"Kyle, have you ever actually read the agreement that pops up every time you log in?"

"Oh, sure. Just like every normal person, I click 'Accept' and start playing."

"That's exactly why you don't understand anything," Alex pulled up the menu, displaying the text in front of them. "Read."

Kyle skimmed through the long block of text, already feeling annoyed. Who even wastes time on this?

"This is nonsense. Just standard terms and conditions no one actually reads."

"Exactly. No one reads them," Alex looked at him calmly. "And yet, there's something important in there."

Kyle scoffed and waved a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, sure. You cultists."

Alex just smirked but didn't argue. Unlike Kyle, he knew how deep this really went.

Felix waved his hands in frustration towards his computer. The argument between his friends, coming through the speakers, only heightened his irritation. Every word, every accusation, felt like a weapon that someone was deliberately driving into his mind. He muted the microphone, stood up, and, taking off his headphones, left the chat.

"How much longer is this going to go on?" he muttered under his breath, losing his patience.

The remnants of his irritation still hung in the air, and Felix could feel it clouding his thoughts. He instinctively stepped towards the window but, glancing into the dark night, he realized he just needed to get outside and breathe. Fresh air might help clear his mind, or at least shake off the fog.

He threw on his jacket, gave a quick glance at the empty kitchen where a cold cup of coffee sat, and stepped out into the night. The cool air hit his face, washing over him and helping to push away the inner unease. He walked, feeling the tension slowly drain away. The quiet city at night seemed frozen, just like his thoughts.

"They're all so strange…" — thoughts jumbled, and he couldn't quite grasp how it happened, that this game they once thought was just a game had become such an integral part of life. And why, now that his friends were arguing, did he feel as though this wasn't just another conversation, but a real conflict between worlds?

He turned down a narrow alleyway, a place that was usually devoid of people. He walked for a few minutes and ended up at a small café, where warm light spilled onto the sidewalk, inviting him inside. He opened the door, and the soft chime that always accompanied someone's arrival slightly distracted him. Felix approached the ordering terminal. He quickly found the desired item on the menu - a cup of coffee. The terminal announced the price:

- 0.13 kanteeegan.

He looked up at the screen and opened the app on his phone. The exchange rate was familiar, and the payment was easy. Felix selected the required amount in kante and confirmed the payment.

In a moment, the terminal responded:

- 0 kanteeegan and 13 kante successfully received.

Felix took the drink, walked to the nearest window, and sat down. Inside, it was cozy. The warm light from the lamps and the scent of freshly brewed coffee soothed him, but this time, he couldn't shake off the unease.

He placed the cup on the table and stared out the window, into the darkness, not noticing anything around him. His thoughts kept spinning, like a wheel, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. "We're all like animals in a cage. Players who thought they controlled the world, but now, they're trapped in it."

He mentally replayed the recent conversation, when Kyle once again declared that this was all just a game, and that Alex and the others didn't understand what they'd signed up for. He remembered how Alex tried to convince them all by showing the agreement that no one had ever bothered to read. The agreement that contained something more than just consent to participate in the game.

"A game…" — a word that no longer made any sense.

Felix took a sip of his coffee, but it had already cooled. He couldn't taste it. The thought that kept repeating in his mind hit him hard: "The outliers are people too." He had never seen those outside the Dome as "real." Just… other. But now, it wasn't like that.

He looked out the window at the sky — black and starless, like his thoughts. "The game has become reality, and reality has become the game." There was no longer any point of reference where it still remained just entertainment. The world had changed. And what was he supposed to do with this knowledge now?

He had never really paid much attention to the fact that the kanteeegan in their world inside the Domes existed only virtually. It didn't exist physically, and in fact, no one had ever seen it. In the game, it existed - digitally, as something that could be easily exchanged or spent. But outside the Dome? No one from the outside could touch it, They could have touched it, of course, but it melted like ice. And some crazy people even ate it. It's creepy that kanteegan leaves a mark in the form of blue eyes. Only this is a signal that if a person Eat it more, then the head...

«boom»

The players, those who were inside, could interact with the kanteeegans as they saw fit. This was because the Circle provided them with robots with which they could control games and even virtual money. It was all kind of real, but only in the context of the game.

Felix shook his head. He had always considered this normal. But now that he began to think about such things, it all seemed strange. The inner world of the Dome was so isolated that no one even suspected the reality outside it.

Kyle continued to scream furiously, his face red with anger and helplessness. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Are you crazy?! Are you going to send me to a mental hospital?!" Kyle screamed, barely noticing that his voice was shaking with rage. "You're telling me that this is all, that this... that this is all part of reality, but that can't be true! Do you really think the Circle is behind all of this?!"

Alex tried to calm his friend down, but instead of stopping Kyle, he just kept teasing him to ease the tension.

"Hey, Kyle, don't you recognize yourself? It's just a game, relax! You know that the Circle can't control all of reality. The dome does. This is all just... well, part of their plan!" Alex laughed, trying to make the conversation easier.

But at that moment there was a sharp knock on the door, and before anyone could say anything, the door opened and a man in uniform walked in. His face was stern, and his eyes expressed nothing but severity.

"Alex," he said in a cold, unyielding tone, "please follow me. This is an order from the Circle."

Alex froze. Kyle, stunned and still confused, looked at the screen, not knowing what was going on with Alex, but understanding that they had come for him.

"What's going on?" Kyle stammered, trying to understand what kind of situation was developing with his friend.

Alex, not taking his eyes off the soldier, answered quietly:

"It looks like I'm left with no choice.

Kyle, still sitting at the computer, looked at Alex's avatar, who did not even close the call and went to follow the soldier. In a panic, Kyle grabbed his phone. His fingers trembled as he searched for Jake's number. Once the call was answered, Kyle did not waste time on greetings.

"Jake, Alex just... was taken by the Circle! What the hell is going on here?!" His voice was hoarse with rage.

On the other end of the line, Jake was silent for a few seconds before answering in a calm tone. Kyle noticed that Jake had clearly said something.

"Look, I know this is difficult, but you need to get back into the game. This is not the place to solve such issues. We need to meet with Diego, discuss this. He knows everything."

Kyle was ready to explode with anger, but after hearing Diego's name, he finally held back. He knew that his emotions would not help in this situation.

- Are you crazy? - he cried. - How do you expect me to come back when... when this has already gone too far?! They took Alex, and you're telling me to come back to the game?

- Yes, - Jake answered firmly. - This is the only way to figure out what's next. We're all in this together, and you can't do this alone. Come back to the game, and we'll figure out what to do. This isn't the end, Kyle. You know we have more resources.

- Okay. I'll come back. But only because you asked. But if Alex gets hurt, I won't forgive you, Jake, - he muttered, and without waiting for an answer, hung up.

He exhaled, and entered the game. But as soon as he noticed the policy agreement before entering, he actually read it.

Meanwhile, Diego was concentrating on sharpening the legs of the giant mechanized spider. He lifted them one by one, testing how they cut the air, and making them sharper, like a spear. Carefully sharpened, they were now perfect for sticking into the ground. With a quick movement, he inserted them into the ground, creating an arch of two metal supports, leaving a large space between them - just enough for the kanteeegan.

When everything was ready, Jake, standing nearby, approached Diego with a question that had been hanging in the air for a long time.

"Are you going to help Alex?" he asked, studying Diego's actions.

Diego, without stopping his work, answered calmly, almost indifferently:

"I will pay, and it will help me. From the "game" you can transfer things to reality for a tidy sum.

Jake raised his eyebrows at this.

"Transferring things to the Dome costs 700 kanteeegan each," he said, immediately understanding what was being discussed.

Diego, without turning around, quietly and coldly replied:

"I know."

Kim stood there in complete shock, but decided not to say anything. He felt that any words would only make the situation worse, and he just watched in silence. His gaze was glassy, ​​as if he himself was trying to comprehend what was happening, but could not.

Jake, on the other hand, did not hide his emotions. His face was distorted with surprise and bewilderment.

"Where did a homeless person outside the dome get so much kanteeegan?" he blurted out, unable to resist asking. "There's such chaos here that all the money there is has long been lost. And you're saying that you have enough to free Alex? It's cheaper than saving him in other ways! This is… how?!"

Diego, without showing emotion, finally turned to Jake and said the words that threw his interlocutors off balance:

"Alex won't just be locked up," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. "They'll do the same to him as they did to my father." K.L. drove him crazy, changing his memories and desires. It's not just torture - it's the destruction of the person himself.

Shock, like a cold wave, washed over everyone. Even Kim, who had previously held back his emotions, now stood at a loss, not knowing what to say. Jake was shocked, his eyes widened and his face turned pale.

"How is this possible?" was all he could squeeze out.

And then Kyle, who had just connected to the game, was no less stunned. He silently looked at everyone, unable to believe it.

"So you mean to say that they... they can do whatever they want with people?" he asked with horror, although he already knew that the answer would not be comforting.

Diego nodded silently, without giving an explanation. There was something firm and determined in his gaze, as if he himself had lived through everything he was talking about.

Diego, looking back at Kim and Jake, said with cold determination:

"Do you have a connection with Alex? A phone? Before it's too late, call him. Ask him to accept my goods — three legs and a kanteeegan, then lean the phone against the speaker so he can hear me."

Jake immediately took out his phone and dialed Alex's number. A quiet voice was heard on the other end of the line.

"Alex, are you there?" Jake asked, feeling the tension in his voice. "We sent you what you need. Try to get let somewhere… a toilet, or somewhere they can let you in urgently. Do you understand?"

Alex, although he did not understand what was happening, nodded as if in agreement. The soldier seemed understanding and allowed him to go to the toilet booth. A few seconds later, he found himself in an outdoor toilet booth, his gaze quickly looking around. It was quiet outside, but out of thin air, a package suddenly materialized. It began to fill the entire booth, hiding the space around him. Only the kanteeegan had the packaging.

Diego began to shout furiously towards Jake as he called. "Listen to me carefully. Place the legs in an arched position in the ground so that they stand level, leave a gap between them for the kanteeegan. But do not touch the kanteeegan with your hands until it is finished. Afterwards, touch the kanteeegan and think about Jake's lair. Got it?"

Alex felt his heart beat faster, and without wasting any time, he stuck the legs in as Diego had told him. He placed them in the corner of the toilet, right on the bottom of the booth. The kanteeegan was fixed between the arch, and its tip barely touched the metal, and Alex, concentrating all his mind, focused on Jake's lair. He thought about it, despite all the confusion.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and the soldier grabbed him. Alex tried to resist, but he was quickly pulled out, and he no longer knew where he was being dragged, but he understood that everything was going according to plan.

Meanwhile, Diego, who remained with Kim and Jake, wasted no time. He activated the process, opening a portal through the arch. The energy that emanated from the legs and the kanteeegan began to fill the air, like an invisible force ready to receive him. But nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Felix was having a conversation with himself. Then, suddenly, a thunderous crack. A hum of electrical charge. Through the window of the café, Felix saw what many pro-players feared in the game. "The blade of K. L." The electric charge was directed toward the sky. Everyone saw it, and the dome was pierced straight through.

A laugh.

The toilet booth and everything within a one-meter radius was torn to pieces, scattered like splinters. Diego was at the center of the portal, with the electric charge emanating from him.

"I am a KL'son, you vipers. I've broken the dome."

To be continued…