The glowing words "YOU DIED" flashed across the screen again, mocking him in their familiar red hue.
Rian just stared, his hand frozen over the mouse. His fingers trembled slightly, not from fear but from exhaustion. The headset around his neck buzzed faintly with the noise of his stream chat exploding into laughter.
[Chat] "LMAO again?!"
[Chat] "Bro's really gonna die of old age before beating it."
[Chat] "Just quit, man. Touch grass."
He forced a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, guys. I was so close that time. Just a few more frames and"
But even he didn't believe it anymore. The game had beaten him again just like it had for the past seven years.
The game was called Eternal Quest, a legend among gamers, but not for good reasons. It was infamous for being unfinished a masterpiece turned monster. The developers abandoned it after years of bugs, impossible mechanics, and a final boss that no one had ever defeated.
But Rian couldn't let it go.
It had been his favorite since childhood, back when gaming was still fun before streaming, before the pressure, before everything in his life fell apart. Somewhere along the way, Eternal Quest stopped being just a game. It became his proof. His last stand against a world that called him a failure.
Now, at twenty-six, he sat alone in a small, cluttered room filled with empty cans and flickering monitors.
He glanced at his viewer count: 412.
It used to be thousands.
"Guess I'm just background noise now, huh…" he muttered.
[Chat] "Bro's losing it 💀"
[Chat] "Can't beat pixels, imagine real life."
He ignored them and loaded his save. This was attempt number 3,782.
"Just one more," he whispered. "If I can beat this… maybe they'll all see."
The final boss appeared The Warden of Chaos a swirling shadow of wings and blades. The haunting music began, and his fingers danced automatically. He knew every pattern, every frame, every sound cue by heart.
The fight felt eternal. Every hit, every dodge was muscle memory now. Then, finally
The boss's health hit one pixel.
He stopped breathing.
"C'mon… just a bit more…"
But then the game froze.
"What… no, no, no don't you dare"
The frame stuttered. The music glitched. The boss moved again, faster than before. One hit. Two. Three.
YOU DIED.
Rian's mind went blank. His heart sank.
He stared at the red letters on the screen until his reflection blurred in the monitor. His chat was a wall of laughing emotes and insults.
[Chat] "Skill issue."
[Chat] "Still can't beat it after 7 years 💀."
[Chat] "Bro's wasting his life for views."
He didn't even read the rest.
His throat felt tight. His hand slipped from the mouse.
"Maybe it really is unbeatable," he whispered.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes half-closed. The hum of his PC filled the silence. Around him, the glow of RGB lights and half-eaten food containers painted a portrait of defeat.
He thought about his parents how they'd stopped calling. His old friends who moved on. The unopened letter from his mother that still sat on the desk, collecting dust.
He had given everything to this one thing. And now, it felt like it had taken everything in return.
The stream was still live.
His camera still watched him.
He reached for the mouse and clicked End Stream.
The chat disappeared. The light from the monitor dimmed, leaving the room in darkness.
He stared at the screen, his reflection faint and hollow.
For a moment, he saw the boy he once was the kid who played for fun, who dreamed of being someone.
"Was I really wrong for trying…?" he murmured.
He stood up, slowly. His vision swayed, the edges of his sight flickering with black spots. He hadn't eaten properly in days, maybe longer. His body felt like it was running on fumes.
He took one step forward then stumbled.
The corner of the desk met his forehead with a sharp crack.
Pain.
Then warmth.
He collapsed to the floor, his hand clutching the wound. His breath came out shallow, uneven. He tried to move but couldn't.
Blood dripped onto the wooden floor, drop by drop.
His thoughts grew blurry, fading with each heartbeat.
"Figures…" he whispered weakly. "Couldn't even… beat a game…"
The ceiling above him blurred into streaks of light. His hand reached toward the monitor one last time toward the game that had consumed his life.
"I just… wanted to win once…"
His fingers twitched, then stilled.
The hum of the computer faded away.
The screen went black.
The world fell silent.
And then
only darkness.