The boss chamber still glimmered with the afterglow of their victory. Kaiden and Naō caught their breath, quietly dividing loot. Kaiden tucked away the Tidewarden Husk, while Naō stashed the Fungal Bloom Shard. Both eyed the faint shimmer of the Photosphere at Kaiden’s side, its resonance had grown to a steady, pulsing thrum.

  Kaiden just shook his head. Feels like it wants something.

  Before he could move deeper, Kaiden’s HUD pinged. An urgent message from Ironstride:

  “Hey, got something urgent: Ashglass Market, east of Blackcoral. If you’re around, let’s party up. Danger’s getting real.”

  Kaiden typed a reply then his vision blurred. An overwhelming wave of vertigo struck. A crackling sensation raced up his spine. Suddenly, the tunnel and Naō dissolved into static.

  [FORCED LOGOUT – CONNECTION TERMINATED]

  Kaiden jolted upright. The world had collapsed into his own dark, stuffy bedroom. His VR rig was hot against his face. Dried sweat stuck his shirt to his back. His hands shook as he peeled the visor away.

  His mother stood at the doorway, face red from crying. “Kaiden. Honey. You haven’t eaten in almost two days. I kept knocking. I kept trying. You just said ‘not hungry’ over and over, don’t you remember?”

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  He blinked, dazed. The taste in his mouth was sour. He couldn’t recall the knocks or his replies.

  Behind her, his father stormed in, jaw tight. “This is what you came home for? To lock yourself up and play games? Your sister is in the hospital fighting for her life and you’re rotting away in here?”

  Kaiden tried to speak, but the words caught. “I’m not just playing, Dad. I’m trying to help Mina. And Alex. There’s something weird in that game. Something nobody else sees. I can stop it—”

  His father cut him off with a harsh shake of his head. “I don’t want to hear it. It’s a game, Kaiden. It’s not life or death. It’s a waste. Under this roof, there will be no more gaming. You’ll be present with this family. Or you’ll be out.”

  His mom burst into fresh tears, clutching his shoulder. Kaiden’s chest ached. The room spun; he reached out for the desk, but his dad was already unplugging the VR system, coiling the cables in tight, angry loops.

  Kaiden tried again, voice rough with frustration. “Please, just let me finish—”

  “No,” his father snapped. “You want to help? Be there for your sister. Be there for us.”

  The door shut behind them, the game equipment gone. Kaiden stood in his old room, the Photosphere’s hum now a hollow ache in his chest.

  No game. No system. No way to get more information.

  He sat on the bed, hands trembling, and stared at the blank space where the headset had been. For the first time, he felt truly locked out of both worlds.