Kaiden stepped out of Professor Dillinger’s office the next morning feeling off. His body ached, a dull, nagging sickness settling into his gut. He hadn’t been feeling right for a while now. His appetite was nonexistent, his thoughts sluggish, and a constant headache throbbed at the base of his skull. The weight of everything from Alex’s death, the game, the unanswered questions was crushing him, and it made things harder to focus.

  He wasn’t optimistic about the exam. One night of studying after days of neglecting schoolwork wasn’t enough. The questions had blurred together, his mind drifting back to Alex, the Photosphere, and the game instead of focusing on answers.

  The world felt distant.

  On his way back to his dorm, he passed Alex’s old room. The door was closed, but outside it, a small shrine had formed, with flowers, candles, pictures, and handwritten notes from students who had known Alex.

  Kaiden’s throat tightened.

  He would’ve laughed at this, Kaiden thought bitterly. Said stuff like that was way too dramatic.

  A flash of memory hit him. Alex was leaning against his dorm room door, smirking.

  The memory shifted, pulling Kaiden further back to the summer before college. He and Alex sat on the hood of Kaiden’s old car, parked outside a convenience store at midnight, drinks in hand, staring up at the sky. The stress of college applications had been weighing on both of them, but Alex, as always, had been the optimistic one.

  “We’ll get in wherever we want. We’ll be fine,” Alex had said, nudging Kaiden’s shoulder.

  Kaiden had scoffed. “Yeah, you will. I’ll be lucky if I get into a community college.”

  Alex had grinned. “Nah, don't sell yourself short. You have to dig deep inside yourself and let it out.”

  Kaiden belted out a laugh. “Let what out. A fart?”

  Alex snorted. “You’ll figure it out.”

  Kaiden swallowed hard, his hands clenched into fists. He had to find out what happened. He owed Alex that much.

  ???°?°???

  He was nearing his own dorm when a familiar figure stepped into his path: Francesca.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed, but the second she locked onto Kaiden, her expression twisted into something resentful. “Are you going to the memorial for Alex tonight?”

  Kaiden blinked. “Of course.”

  She scoffed, shaking her head. “Doubt it. You didn’t even show up to the funeral.”

  His heart stuttered. “Wh-what funeral?”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Francesca’s brows furrowed, her arms folding across her chest. “What do you mean, what funeral? It was yesterday.”

  The world around him tilted. “No. That can’t be right.”

  “It is,” Francesca snapped. “And you weren’t there.”

  Kaiden’s mind reeled. He had no memory of that day passing.

  Francesca wasn’t done. “People are saying you killed him, you know.”

  Kaiden’s stomach dropped. “What?”

  “They saw the marks on your body, Kaiden. And now there’s a rumor that you attacked Alex. That you….” She hesitated, watching his reaction, before lowering her voice. “That you lost your mind over the game.”

  Kaiden’s chest tightened. “That’s insane. The game did this to me! I would never hurt Alex. He’s my best friend.”

  Francesca’s expression remained unreadable, but the murmurs from the hallway around them grew. Students were listening, their faces filled with suspicion and unease. Kaiden could feel their eyes on him, judging and doubting.

  “Then prove it,” Francesca challenged, stepping closer. “Lift up your shirt.”

  Kaiden flinched.

  “Go on,” she pressed, voice sickly sweet. “Show everyone that you’re not hiding something.”

  She reached for him. Something in him snapped.

  Kaiden shoved her back, hard. She stumbled, nearly falling, gasping in shock. The crowd around them murmured louder, and the glares intensified.

  Kaiden’s heart pulsed as the accusatory looks burrowed daggers into. He turned and ran, slamming his dorm door behind him.

  Kaiden fumbled for his phone, his fingers trembling as he dialed Alex’s parents. The line rang a few times before someone answered.

  “Kaiden?” Alex’s mother’s voice was tired. Hollow. Grieving.

  “Mrs. Carter,” he breathed, trying to steady himself. “Did… Did Alex’s funeral already happen?”

  A pause. “Yes. Yesterday.”

  Kaiden shut his eyes, throat throbbing, and his stomach twisting. “But… But I didn’t get an invite.”

  Another pause. Then, softer, “We left you so many messages, sweetheart. You never answered.”

  Kaiden’s breath caught. He hadn’t?

  The phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the floor. He didn’t even hear his name being called through the speaker.

  The room around him warped, memories flooding in, disjointed and hazy. Days blurred together. Moments lost in time. When he wasn’t playing the game, he was barely living.

  He grabbed the base of his head.

  He saw himself, curled up in bed for days. Not eating. Not drinking. Just existing.

  Had he really let that much time pass him by?

  A choked sob escaped him. He buried his face in his hands, the weight of everything crushing down on him at once.

  An animalistic cry that he didn’t recognize escaped past his lips.

  And for the first time since Alex died, Kaiden broke down completely.

  Kaiden didn’t attend the memorial.

  He sat at the edge of his bed, staring blankly ahead. The tears had dried, but the fire inside him burned hotter than ever.

  He barely recognized himself anymore. He hadn’t eaten. He hadn’t taken care of himself. His grief had swallowed him whole.

  But now, in that moment, his purpose was clearer than ever.

  He had to uncover the secrets of the Photosphere.

  Kaiden reached for his VR headset with a slow, deliberate movement. He wasn’t logging out until he had answers.

  The screen flickered to life.

  Logging in to Revolt The Sun...