1 Prologue

Videogames. The so-called 'bane of humanity'. Many simply think of videogames as an obstacle for their children. While that might be true in certain cases, videogames, or games in general, are the reasons that children and many adults could put up with real life. Through videogames, they have the chance to escape their harsh reality and start anew, via making a game character.

Inside of a small, dimly lit rectangular room, an adolescent boy who looked no more than fourteen, can be seen sitting with his legs crossed, while staring at a TV screen. His pair of dark eyes looked murky, muddy almost, with marginally visible signs of desiring to continue his worthless life within them.

The color of his skin was nearly as white as paint, as he had only received the light that emanated from the TV screen for nearly a decade. His figure was as thin as a rake, to the extent his bones could be seen visibly just by a single glance. Along with his cadaverous figure, he had dark, unkempt hair that cascaded down his back with tousled curls accompanying it.

For how long had he been staring at the TV screen? An hour? Two hours? Three hours? No. Today, he had been focused on that TV screen for a tad bit over fifteen hours. Why? It was the only thing he could stare at for an eternity without getting bored. It was the only thing that brightened up the days when he was in solitude.

He wasn't like this at first. Before, he used to be like most other kids. Optimistic, energetic, talkative and any other positive individuality a perfectly healthy kid had. That was until a certain incident happened to his parents which led to their demise. He refused to acknowledge their sudden departure from life.

So, he acted the way most people would have. He ran. He ran, ran and ran for what seemed to be an eternity, until the sight of their corpses were no longer visible to his eyes.

He hated to lose the things he cherished greatly. That's why, he thought that as long as he refused to admit to the fact that the things he cherished had long disappeared, they would still exist, comforting him through spiritual means.

The boy concentrated his gaze at the TV screen. In his hands, he held a black controller, while the TV screen projected what appears to be some sort of Player VS Player game.

As soon as the match started, the boy performed a consecutive barrage of combos to his opponent, giving them little to no chance to retaliate to the boy's onslaught. The boy had an absentminded look etched onto his face. He had face many opponents before, yet not a single player could beat him, nor give him a run for his money now.

He had gotten way too strong at the game. His muscles had memorized every combos every character could pull off, every glitch the game had to offer and every hidden moves that was implemented into the characters' codes.

The boy fell on his back, bored out of his mind. He had been playing the same game every day for the last 10 years or so. It's the only game that he had kept throughout his life. A keepsake from his dad. He lied on the ground, reminiscing about the time he had spent outside of his room. How long had it been since he had seen the sun? For how long had he confined himself in this room?

The boy looked behind him, staring at the mountainous pile of trash that had accumulated over the years. Cup noodles, empty water bottles, trash bags and cardboard boxes stacked on top of one another, creating a neat fortress that blocked out the sunlight from the windows.

To the boy, these pile of trash are his treasures. They were the ones who accompanied him when he was at his lowest. They protected him from the intense ray of sunlight that blinded him. To him, there were more than friends, more than just mere item. They were his family.

"You guys will never leave me, right?" The boy asked while staring at the mountainous pile of trash.

A large, almost creepy smile etched onto the boy's face. Whatever response the pile of trash gave to him, it gratified him.

A loud rumbling sound omitted from the boy's stomach. A sharp pain promptly followed after his stomach rumbled. How long had it been since he had last eaten something?

As far as the boy was aware, the last time he remembered eating was three weeks ago. The boy rummaged through the piles of trash, searching for any money possibly hidden underneath his worthless treasures.

However, no matter how much and how long he spent his time searching for them, not a single one entered his range of sight. The boy letted out an exasperated sigh from his lips. He was hungry and needed something to consume. It didn't matter what, as long as it could satisfy this aggravated necessity of his.

He rummaged through the piles of his worthless treasures once more, but deeper this time. The foul smell that was hidden underneath the piles of trash started to reveal themselves. The smell only worsen the deeper he dug. Yet his expression remained stiff. Not a single sign of distress nor nervousness could be seen during the entire procedure. The way he brushed off the foul smell that ventilated inside of the room made it seem like as if he was used to be living in such grimy conditions.

The boy finally gave up after a few more minutes of searching. The thought of selling his valuables to strangers had came across his mind every once in a while, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. His treasures were worth more than anything anyone could offer to him. They were invaluable in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, the boy decided to satisfy his undying hunger with water. With his pair of stick legs, the boy carried himself to the upper left corner of the room. Two metal buckets, a few centimeters apart from each other were present there; one containing yellow liquid, while the other contained greyish liquid.

The boy lowered himself, and began to drink the greyish liquid slowly. Every sip he took tasted a bit soapy, dirty, and acidity. The liquid in this particular bucket is a mix of rainwater, and greywater. He had been drinking from this bucket for nearly a decade as well. If the boy was lucky, every once in a while, small chunks of food would float to the surface, giving him what he likes to call 'a week's worth of sustenance'.

Sadly, today wasn't his lucky day. The boy headed back to his designated seat, and continued to play the same game over and over again for the rest of the day, before he went to sleep as usual.

'I wish... I could play with others just once' the boy thought to himself just before falling into a deep slumber.

...

A ray of immense light blinded the boy's eyes, obscuring his vision. The boy stretched his arms outwards, attempting to cover his sight from this light. But something wasn't right.

'Why are my arms... chubby?" The boy pondered. A soft, dainty hand caressed the boy's cheek. 'This feeling...' a scenary of when the boy's mother was alive flashes by his eyes.

'This sense of nostalgia...' the boy couldn't help but to burst into tears. How long had he waited to feel this from his own mother?

Through his teary eyes, the boy stared at the face of the woman carrying him within her arms. Although blurry, he could roughly make out the woman's appearance. It didn't match the same appearance his mother had, but he instinctively knew, that this person was his new mother.

Smiling inwardly, the boy closed his eyes in satisfaction, and slowly drifted to sleep. If this was a dream, he wish that he wouldn't wake up from it.

...

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