[Brien][Sector 8 of Nation 27][Early May--- 3 years ago…]The early morning breeze blew and rustled the leaves in the trees as Brien stepped out of his cottage and into the veranda. As he closed his eyes and relished the cool breeze hitting gently against his face, Brien brought up the cup of hot coffee he was carrying and inhaled its scent deeply.To Brien, there was nothing as delicious as having a freshly brewed cup of pure caffeine on a lazy morning. Moreover, being able to simply enjoy a moment of peace was rare and one he had not been able to have in a very long while.“Mm,” he hummed and smiled slightly as he sipped at his coffee.The leaves rustled again, and Brien’s smile began to fade. The morning was still his to enjoy, and he was adamant to keep it that way.Despite it being a quiet start to the day, he could hear the distant laughter of children as they played with each other. Goats that have strayed relatively closer to his cottage bleated as they grazed the long, gree

Warning:This chapter contains aspects of memory loss, delusions, and a slight indication of Derealization Disorder that might be uncomfortable for certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Jared] *Tick**Tick-tock**Tick-tock, tick-tock*The ticking from a clock echoed loudly as it pierced deep into Jared’s consciousness.“Jared…”*Tick-tock, tick-tock*‘Why is this voice so familiar?’ Jared thought as awareness began to set in.“It isn’t polite to intentionally disregard and feign ignorance. I know that you’re awake, so let’s halt all these dramatics, shall we?”‘No… This voice…’ Jared felt a chill course through his body, ‘It can’t be…’Jared’s eyes shot wide open, and his eyes almost immediately adjusted to the dimly lit room.“D-Doctor Heine…”“Yes, did you miss me?”It was a nightmare all over again. He was in

Warning:This chapter contains slightly disturbing descriptions of gore that might be uncomfortable for certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Jared]The long hallway which was once filled with blaring sirens and flashes from the emergency light, was momentarily plunged into an eerie silent and pitch darkness. As Jared groped blindly in the dark to find his way toward the balcony of the fourth floor, all he could hear were the thumps of his heart as it frantically beat against his ribcage. Amidst the deafening silence, Jared could hear nothing other than his racing heartbeats and the shuffling of his feet as he cautiously moved closely along the wall on the left side of the hallway. Vaguely, his senses began to play tricks on him in the absence of li

[Jared][Back in the past…]“Hello, everyone. It’s Jared, and this is World Crafter. I know it has been a long while since I’ve last streamed or even uploaded anything online, but my exam is finally over! I’ll start playing more regularly from today onwards!”Jared double-checked on his play settings, before smiling into the camera again.“I caught little snippets of the new mob and biome the game creators have made and I can’t wait to play in a new world… in a beta version, to be exact. Hahaha.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Super chat]][Welcome back!][Miss you! uwu][Jaredddddd! Glad that you’re back!][The new mobs? Especially The Thing? Ughhh][Bruh… Doesn’t he know that the game creators have beefed up the hostile mobs really high af?][Lmao. I wonder if he’s going to explore the Dark City~][He just returned… There’s no way he’ll immediately go to the Dark City, right?][Why not? Just cheese it by

[Mike][18 November 2021, Thursday--- the following day]Even though it was the afternoon, the forest was dimly lit by the muted sunlight penetrating the thick canopy of trees. If one wasn't particularly attentive to the time, the day could easily be mistaken for evening. The occasional cool breeze of autumn that swept through the forest only added to the illusion, contributing to the atmospheric ambiguity of the surroundings.Scrape, Scrape, Scrape.Mike looked up towards the canopy of trees. The scant sunlight that managed to filter through the forest canopy resembled twinkling lights as the passing breeze playfully teased the leaves.‘Have I ever felt this calm during these recent weeks we’ve been traversing this dense forest?’“Hm…” David grumbled beside Mike.Scrape, Scrape.Adamant to not look at his grumpy comrade, Mike wiggled slightly away without ever getting up. It was the first time since leaving the facility that he had time to appreciate the intricate pattern that the ca