Chapter 10: The Beta Test Leak

The hidden forum's footage flickered across Aiden's screen, illuminating his exhausted face with an ethereal blue glow that danced across his features like spectral fire. Three AM at the Golden Mouse, the witching hour when only the most dedicated—or desperate—gamers remained. The cafe had fallen into that peculiar hush that comes when a space designed for noise empties out, leaving only the gentle hum of cooling fans and the soft click of his keyboard to keep him company.

Sleep wasn't an option—not tonight, not with what he'd discovered. His fingers trembled slightly as they hovered over the trackpad, whether from fatigue or the sixth energy drink that sat half-empty beside him, he couldn't tell.

"Beta leak: Kingdom mechanics, unedited."

The video began to play, and Aiden's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't just gameplay footage; this was revolution rendered in pixels and code. A player—avatar clad in simple leather armor—sketched architectural blueprints in mid-air with glowing fingertips, lines transforming into solid stone keeps and wooden mills before Aiden's widening eyes. NPCs moved like living beings, responding in real-time as resources shifted, markets flourished, and defenses aligned to terrain.

"This is it," Aiden whispered to the empty cafe, his voice barely audible even to himself. "This is what we've been waiting for."

His engineering mind—the part of him that had once dreamed of crafting real-world structures before life had intervened—sparked to brilliant life. Fatigue evaporated like morning dew under a summer sun as he saved the link, downloaded the footage, and began scribbling notes on his tablet. This wasn't just a game; it was a living system waiting to be decoded, waiting for someone who could see the patterns beneath the surface.

This could change everything—for the tournament, for their futures, for Lily and his mother. For the first time in what felt like forever, the weight on his shoulders seemed just a fraction lighter.

...

"You found what?" Elena's voice cut through the background chatter of the Golden Mouse the following evening, sharp with disbelief and barely contained excitement.

The team had gathered around their usual corner setup, five monitors aglow in the dimness. Tonight was significant—their first true 5v5 with Sophia, the healer Aiden had spent weeks tracking down. She wasn't tied to any crew or regular team—just a solo player whose name echoed across the cafe circuit for her lightning-fast heals and match-saving revives.

Sophia sat slightly apart from them, her posture perfect, hands folded neatly in her lap. There was something compelling about her stillness amid the cafe's constant motion, like finding a statue in a hurricane. Aiden had seen her clutch a 3v3 last month, her DivineLight healer pulling a tank from death's edge with a perfectly timed revive, her expression never changing even as the crowd around her had erupted.

"A former ER nurse," Marcus had whispered earlier when she'd stepped away for water. "Heard she swapped trauma shifts for virtual healing after burnout hit her hard."

Looking at her now—those calm eyes that seemed to calculate every possible outcome in advance—Aiden could believe it. She brought that same clinical precision to League of the Ancient, her staff a beacon of control in digital chaos.

"Eternal Realms beta footage," Aiden confirmed, keeping his voice low as he glanced around to ensure no eavesdroppers. "Not just combat mechanics—kingdom building. The non-combat class is exactly what we thought, but more."

"Show us after the match," Liam murmured, eyes already fixed on his monitor as he adjusted his settings with lightning-quick precision. "Focus on tonight first."

Aiden nodded, returning to his screen. "Comp's ready," he said, checking their lineup one final time:

Marcus (FortressWall): Tank, his shield like a steel bulwark between them and defeat.

Liam (ShadowStrike): Assassin, daggers forever glinting in perpetual shadow.

Elena (Starshot): Archer, bow crackling with elemental fury that could turn the tide.

Sophia (DivineLight): Healer, staff pulsing with a radiant calm that belied its power.

Aiden (Architect): Battlemage, fingers trailing runes that shimmered with arcane traps.

The ranked queue had paired them against Ironclads United, a high-silver squad with tight coordination and brutal efficiency—the perfect test for their tournament preparation. The map loaded: Ruined Citadel, a sprawling maze of cracked ramparts, tight alleys, and treacherous raised platforms—brutal without perfect unity.

"Marcus anchors mid," Aiden instructed, fingers poised over his keys like a pianist preparing for a concerto. "Liam roams the edges, Elena snipes from the western tower, Sophia sustains from protected positions. I'll trap the approach lanes." He paused, scanning each teammate's face, seeking confirmation. "Questions?"

Sophia's voice was soft but clear, like a bell in fog. "I'll need line of sight for mass heals. The eastern parapet gives better coverage than the western fall-back."

Aiden blinked, surprised but pleased by her immediate tactical assessment. "Good call. Adjust as needed."

The monitor flashed:

[System]: Match begins in 3…2…1…

The map materialized around their avatars, ancient stone and ivy-clad ruins bathed in the golden light of a setting sun. The beauty of it barely registered—there was only the coming battle, the strategy, the win they needed to secure their synergy.

The Ironclads stormed forward with practiced coordination, their tank—a hulking knight named Ironbreaker whose armor gleamed like burnished steel even in the digital dusk—barreling into mid, shield slamming Marcus back several paces. Their mage, ArcPulse, followed in his wake, lobbing crackling plasma orbs that scorched the ground where they landed.

Marcus dug in his heels, shield absorbing the brunt of the assault with golden flashes of particle effects, but Elena, eager to prove herself, overreached. She climbed a crumbling tower to snipe their archer, Skyfang, fingers dancing across her keyboard with practiced ease. Her arrow grazed the target, a whisper of damage that drew attention rather than inflicting meaningful harm, and Skyfang returned fire with methodical precision, pinning her with a volley of piercing shots. Elena's health bar plummeted to a dangerous 30%.

"Need backup!" Elena barked, voice tight with frustration as she dove behind a half-collapsed wall.

Liam was already gone, slipping into the shadowed alleys to hunt ArcPulse, his character a blur of dark motion and glinting steel. He landed a venomous slash—green poison effects ticking damage—but the Ironclads' healer, Lifeweave, cleansed it with a casual wave of her staff, leaving Liam exposed in enemy territory. Ironbreaker pivoted with surprising agility for such a massive avatar, stunning Liam with a shield bash that sent him flying backward, and ArcPulse's follow-up orb blasted him to critical health.

Sweat beaded on Aiden's forehead as he watched the situation deteriorate. Sophia's staff glowed with ethereal light, a powerful heal surging into Marcus to keep him standing against the onslaught, but her mana bar dipped alarmingly fast.

"I can't cover everyone at once," she said, voice even despite the pressure, fingers moving with precise economy across her keyboard. "Priorities?"

Aiden triggered a stun trap at the alley mouth, runes flaring brilliant blue on his screen, but Marcus missed the signal to pull Ironbreaker into its range. The trap fizzled, catching only empty air, and ArcPulse punished the failed coordination with a scorching blast that caught Aiden in its radius, his health dropping to 60%.

The Ironclads claimed mid, their victory immediate and punishing. Their archer, Skyfang, repositioned to pepper Elena with arrows as she respawned, preventing her from rejoining the fight effectively. Liam darted back in, aiming for Lifeweave this time, but Ironbreaker's stun caught him again, and Skyfang's covering fire forced Sophia to shield herself, draining precious mana. Marcus fell under a combined assault—plasma and steel merging in a devastating combo—and the score tipped: 3-1.

"We're crumbling," Elena snapped, narrowly dodging Skyfang's next shot, her earlier confidence replaced by frustration. "Where's the plan, Architect?"

The irony of the nickname wasn't lost on Aiden. His jaw clenched as his eyes flicked to the minimap, calculating angles, distances, possibilities. "Regroup at the west ledge," he commanded, voice steady despite the pressure building in his chest. "We hit now or we lose."

Sophia's voice cut through the tension, quiet but firm, like she was calling a code in the ER. "I'll ward the ramp approach. Liam, tail their healer—don't engage, just shadow. Elena, target their mage on my mark. Marcus, bait the tank into Aiden's trap."

The clarity of her instructions was a lifeline. Aiden laid a layered trap—stun rune hidden beneath a flame burst—at the ramp's base. Sophia's wards lit the approach, glowing sigils that pinged enemy movement with soft blue pulses. Marcus lumbered forward, taunting Ironbreaker with a shield slam that echoed across the digital battlefield, drawing him up the ramp. The enemy tank charged, heavy boots triggering Aiden's stun rune. Blue light froze him in place, and the flame burst roared to life, slashing his health to a precarious 40%.

"Elena, mage!" Sophia called, her staff blazing as she cast a mass heal, green waves washing over their party and refilling depleted health bars.

Elena's bow hummed with power, loosing three elemental arrows in rapid succession—ice, fire, lightning—that crashed into ArcPulse like a perfect storm. The mage staggered back, health zeroed in an instant, and collapsed into a heap of digital armor. Liam flickered into existence behind Lifeweave, daggers sinking deep—critical hit markers flashing, poison damage stacking. The healer fumbled a cleanse, fingers too slow, and Liam's second strike dropped her where she stood.

Skyfang spun to face the new threat, arrows raining down on Sophia with deadly accuracy, but her wards had revealed the archer's angle of attack. Marcus interposed himself, shield glowing under the pressure of multiple hits, while Aiden fired an arcane lance, a pinpoint beam of energy that carved Skyfang's health to a mere 20%. Sophia's revive hit Elena mid-fall from a tower, letting her land a perfect frost arrow to finish the archer.

The Ironclads' assassin, Nightclaw, made a desperate last play, lunging for Sophia from stealth, but Aiden's proximity trap—a hidden explosive rune placed minutes earlier—detonated with perfect timing, stunning him mid-air. Liam sealed his fate with a backstab, daggers flashing in the digital moonlight that had risen as the match progressed.

[System]: Victory! Ironclads United defeated!

The cafe erupted around them, players from other stations crowding around to see the comeback, murmurs rippling through the gathered onlookers. Aiden exhaled slowly, fingers easing off the keys, tension draining from his shoulders. They'd been a mess at first—scattered, out of rhythm, individual talents without harmony—until Sophia's calm calls had pulled them tight.

"Your wards flipped it," Marcus said, turning to offer Sophia a fist-bump, his usual stoic expression softened with genuine respect. "Kept us alive when we should have been toast."

Sophia's lips quirked upward, her professional calm thawing slightly. "Just doing my job. You all bled plenty."

Elena snorted, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "Fine, the healer's legit. But we're still rough around the edges."

Liam gave a rare nod of acknowledgment. "Won't eat another stun next time."

Aiden allowed himself a small smile, the taste of victory sweet after the initial struggle. "We'll drill it. This was just the beginning."

...

Later, as they huddled around a corner table with bottles of water—energy drinks for Liam and Elena—Aiden pulled up the beta footage on his tablet. The team fell silent as stone forts rose from digital earth, NPC markets bustled with autonomous activity, and resource systems bent to a player's gentle nudge.

"This," Aiden said softly, voice carrying his engineer's hunger, "is what Eternal Realms offers. Not just another battlefield—a world to build, not just fight in."

Marcus's jaw dropped, eyes wide with childlike wonder. "That's... wild. I could build my cafe." He laughed, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "A digital one, at least."

Elena's eyes gleamed with calculation, always the businesswoman despite her fall from privilege. "If we don't choke in the tournament first."

Sophia's quiet laugh cut through the edge of Elena's practicality. "Step by step. One level at a time, like any healing process."

Liam said nothing, but his usual guarded expression had softened, eyes fixed on the footage with unmistakable longing—the look of someone who had never had anything permanent to call his own, seeing possibility materialize before him.

As Aiden powered down his tablet, the victory and footage mingled in his mind, fueling something deeper than mere determination. The tournament waited on the horizon, Blackthorn's team a distant storm gathering strength, but tonight, they'd found their fifth—and a glimpse of what they could become together.

In the dim light of the cafe, with the hum of machines around them and the taste of possibility on his tongue, Aiden allowed himself to imagine a future built with virtual stone and real friendship—a structure strong enough to support all their dreams, and perhaps, just perhaps, a cure for his mother.

"Two weeks," he said simply, meeting each teammate's eyes in turn. "Two weeks to become unstoppable."

And for the first time in years, he almost believed it could happen.