Nation 27

CH 5: Something is not right

[A couple of days later一 12th June 2021, Saturday...]

“Hello, everyone. It’s Jared and welcome back to World Crafter! Whoa! The super chat is already going like crazy here when I have not even entered the game. Thank you so much for the support and let’s get into it.”

Jared adjusted his headphones and checked on the audio settings.

“Can you guys hear me and the game sounds clearly?” Jared asked and read the upcoming messages. It was difficult for him to read a single sentence as the messages kept flooding in.

“Okay, hold up. I can’t read any of the messages here. Let me activate the slow mode for the chat… Ah, there we go,” Jared said as he began to read the messages that were slowly popping in.

“Ah, so you guys can hear me. Okay, say hello to Clara from… Nation 3…?” Jared tilted his head at that message in mild confusion and read on only to realize that many of the viewers were saying almost the same thing.

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[[Super chat]]

[Yes, we can hear you]

[Looking handsome~]

[Say hello to Clara from Nation 3]

[How is it over there in Nation 27?]

[Say hello to Sadam from Nation 5]

[What time is it over there? It is currently 2 am in Nation 10.]

[What are you going to do in World Crafter today?]

[Say hello to Tommaso from Nation 15]

[Are you going to slay a dragon today?]

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‘What on earth are they talking about?’ Jared wondered as similarly odd messages continue to pop in the chat.

“Ah,” Jared instinctively touched the back of his head over the sudden throbbing pain.

‘Ever since the incident in the gaming center, I’ve been having these remote throbbing headaches. They usually don’t last long but I should probably get it checked out,’ Jared thought to himself and looked at the chat.

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[[Super chat]]

[Are you okay?]

[Have you slept well?]

[Are you okay?]

[Omg, is he in pain?]

[What happened?]

[(12 dollars) This is Lance from Nation 30. I hope that you have been feeling well.]

[Bro, are you okay?]

[What happened???]

[???]

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“Ah, sorry for worrying you guys. I am alright. It was just a sudden jolt of pain. It’s probably a twitch of nerves or something. Don’t worry. I am okay!” Jared just laughed it off.

“Oh whoa. Lance! Thank you for the 12 dollars! I haven’t even started the game and you’re already donating. I really appreciate it and yes, I’ve been well. I hope that it has been the same for you.”

“Okay, let’s get started. Today, I will be killing that black dragon. He has been terrorizing me for far too long and it is time I took him down!” Jared said and continued with his live game streaming.

***

[12 hours 26 minutes later一]

Jared wished his viewers goodbye before signing out of the game and the platform he had been streaming the game on. As he was no longer streaming and video, Jared then proceeded to switch off the two ring lights that were placed on either side of his chair. The room was immediately plunged into darkness.

Only then did Jared realize that he had been playing World Crafter for half the day or rather, most of the day since he had the tendency of sleeping around 3 am. Glancing at the time on the bottom right of his laptop, Jared clicked his tongue. 

‘I should really set an alarm clock the next time I do a live stream like this. I can’t believe that they all stayed with me. Whoa…’

Jared stretched and swung around his arms. His body ached while there was an almost muted ringing in his ears.

‘Well, that’s what I get for wearing gaming headphones and having the game’s audio pushed to maximum volume.’

A sudden throbbing pain was felt at the back of Jared’s head again.

‘I should get this checked. Hmm… I’ll do it tomorrow morning. Oh… My hair feels greasy. I need to have a bath soon.’

Jared then switched on the bedroom light.

‘But honestly, I wonder what the viewers were all talking about when they said Nation一’

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Honey, are you finished with your game?” a feminine voice was heard from the other side of the door.

“Mom?”

“Yes?” the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman who was dressed in a yellow blouse and jeans.

“I don’t understand… Are you supposed to be busy at the hospital?”

“What do you mean? I’m always off during the weekends,” his mother replied.

“What? Since when? You’ve never had a single day off since I was in elementary school!”

“Honey, why are you saying this? I’ve一” 

Ding dong.

“Oh. They’re here. Come downstairs, Honey. You don’t want to keep your friends waiting, do you?”

“Friends?” Jared asked absent-mindedly and followed his mother down the two flights of stairs.

“Good evening, Mrs. Lee,” Jared heard a familiar voice as his mother opened the door.

“Well, hello boys. Come on in,” Jared’s mother said and ushered Omar and Nic into the house.

“Oh? Why are you guys here?” Jared asked.

“Whoa. Not even a ‘hello’, huh?” Nic remarked with his arms crossed at his chest.

“What do you mean ‘why’? This is what we do every Saturday night,” Omar answered.

“Err… Do what exactly?” Jared asked in confusion.

“Well, the usual stuff. Have dinner together and then some old movies,” Omar replied.

“What? Since when did we do that?”

“Since forever?” Omar said.

“Omar, that’s a dumb thing to say. We are only 20 years old and our time on this earth is finite. What do you mean forever?” Nic criticized.

“Wait… What do you mean that we’re 20 years一” but Jared never got to finish his question as his friends continued to argue.

“Okay, okay! Big ‘whoops’ on my part! I apologize, O’Great Bestower of Wisdom,” Omar said in a sarcastic tone and bowed slightly.

“You are insufferable. I can actually feel my brain cells dying every minute I have to spend talking to you,” Nic shot back.

‘Okay, something is definitely off. Nic was never mean like this and the both of them have never fought like this. Come to think of it, nothing has been right since that day. Just what is happening?’ Jared thought to himself as he watched his friends continue to argue.

“Well, you are一” Omar was interrupted mid-sentence when Jared’s mother yelled from the kitchen.

“Boys! There will be no fighting in my house! If you wish to continue this toxicity, get out of my house!”

Omar and Nic instantly backed away from each other, looking somewhat guilty.

“Sorry, Mrs. Lee!”

“Sorry! We won’t do it again!”

***

The wooden dining table that was large enough for six people, was filled with a variety of dishes. From roast chicken to mashed potatoes, and even Jared’s favorite, ratatouille一 which was a dish that took hours in preparation and baking. 

‘The process of making the… where was this dish from again? Ah… The whole process of slicing the vegetables was tedious and thus, it was on very rare occasions that I’d be even able to set eyes upon this dish. The last time I’d seen this was when Grandma was still alive. Did Mom order the dish?’

“Oh, you noticed it. It’s your favorite, Honey! I had to watch some online tutorials to make it. So, I hope that it will taste good,” Jared’s mother said.

“If it tastes the same as it looks, you definitely should be a chef, Mrs. Lee,” Nic complimented.

“Yeah, you’ve always been great at cooking. So, I’m sure that the ratatouille will taste delicious,” Omar said with a smile.

“You made the ratatouille?!” Jared exclaimed in surprise.

“Why, yes, Honey. I made it because you have been feeling down recently. I figured that making the ratatouille will cheer you up.”

“Whoa… I… Thank you, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, Honey. Now, let’s dig in before all the dishes I’ve prepared turn cold.”

“Dishes? Mom, you cooked all of these dishes?!” Jared half-yelled.

“Yes, Honey. I’ve always cooked on Saturdays.”

Jared just stared at her in stunt silence. In all of his life, his mother had never once cooked a meal. Being a single mother, she had worked tirelessly to put food on the table. Food was mostly takeout unless one of the neighbors had made extra dishes and given them. It was not an easy life and as a kid, Jared was forced to fend on his own a couple of times when he was home alone with no prepared food in the house. He grew out pretty fast due to that. Although life was much easier now, Jared would never forget those difficult times.

“Ah, I can’t wait to try out some of that Nation 15 dish,” Omar said as he leaned close to the ratatouille and inhaled deeply.

“Nation 15? What do you mean? That dish is from… it’s from… Ah!” Jared exclaimed and held onto his head. The throbbing worsened as he attempted to remember the actual name of the place the dish was from.

“Honey! Are you okay?!” his mother rushed to his side.

“I’m… okay… Mom, what’s… the name of the place the ratatouille originated from? It’s where ravioli and lasagna are from… The place Grandma was born…” Jared struggled to talk as the throbbing became more unbearable.

‘Something is not right,’ Jared thought to himself.

“It’s Nation 15, Honey.”

“No… it’s not… It was a… cou.. country…” Jared’s vision was beginning to dim.

“What is a country? Nation 15 has always been the same. There is no other name. Honey, you’re scaring me… Honey?”

As his mother’s voice grew fainter, Jared began to lose consciousness. 

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[A few days after-- 16th June 2021, Wednesday...]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“...Yes…” the muffled voice of his mother can be heard.

Jared groaned as his head throbbed, but he continued to type away at the keyboard, certain to find proof or even a clue as to the name of places in the world.

“... I don’t think he has been sleeping at all…” his mother’s muffled voice was heard again.

Jared sighed. Since Saturday, he has been typing away at his laptop. However, no matter how extensively he searched the web, there was no mention of the ‘Nations’ ever being called by an alternative name. It was as if all Jared had learned for geography back in school was non-existent.

‘Then again, I can’t even remember the name anymore. I may remember there being a different name, but everything is blank after that. Worse, I’d checked the old yearbooks and report cards and there was never a geography subject back in school. From what I can gather by searching the internet, geography is something that is only useful for adventurers and those who conduct geotechnical work,’ Jared thought to himself.

“He said ‘country’ or something like that. I have no idea of what it means,” his mother said on the other side of the door, and Jared turned his head in that direction.

‘Why would I even say that? I too have no idea of what that word means. It is the first time I’ve ever heard it,’ Jared thought gloomily, ‘She’s probably gossiping with some other friend or neighbor over the house phone again. That’s all she's ever done since Saturday.’

One thing about his mother was that she was neither one to gossip nor was she one to take a leave of absence from work. As there were few employees at the hospital, there was never a chance to even take leave from her job– especially this abrupt.

‘Just further confirmation that this is all wrong.’

“... I don’t know what… kept saying that it wasn’t real… that he didn’t belong here… I… he even said that I wasn’t his actual mother…” Jared’s mother sounded like she was crying, and it broke Jared’s heart. 

No matter what, he had never intended to hurt her, but he knew that he was indeed not in the real world. Although Jared could tell that his memories from his life previous to the incident at the gaming center were slowly fading away, he knew that he had to return to his world, where his real mother was still waiting for him.

“... I think he has Derealization Disorder…”

‘What on earth is that?!’ Jared thought and typed out the assumed spelling hard onto the keyboard. The definition for the condition popped up on the screen, and Jared read it out loud in a low tone.

“It is a mental state of detachment from reality and thinking that everything is unreal... I AM NOT INSANE!” Jared yelled, and there was a crashing sound of something small falling onto the floor. Shortly after, footsteps that sounded as if someone was running away from his door were heard.

Jared could not help but smile over the thought that his mother could no longer gossip about him over the phone. Judging from the crash he had just heard, his mother had most probably dropped the wireless house phone onto the floor when he had startled her by yelling. 

‘Why she would even gossip right at my bedroom door is beyond me. She is definitely not the kind, introverted mother I know,’ Jared thought darkly and decided to scroll around on the search page for Derealization Disorder.

‘It may not be my ailment, but I suspect that someone out there may have posted something of the same description that would better fit my situation… Well, that is just wishful thinking on my part anyway,’ Jared thought and kept clicking from one website to the next.

‘I’ll just do this final check before I confront those people back at the gaming center. That Dreyfus guy has deactivated his mobile. There is no way of contacting him. Judging by how Mom and my friends have reacted, there’s no way I can convince the local authorities to help me. I’m truly on my own, and I need to gather as much information as I can before I can really do something. If push comes to shove, I may even have to break into the game center. I am sure that the answer I’m looking for is in there.’

After about half an hour, Jared came across a series of videos that were all under the title of ‘Glitch In Your Reality’. Clicking onto the top video listed, Jared put on his noise-canceling headphones and listened.

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A cheery-looking girl in dark pink hair popped up on the screen and greeted her audience.

“Hello, my name is Cathryn Andrews. Today, we are going to talk about the glitch in the matrix. Have you ever heard of it before? Well, let me explain.”

“A ‘glitch’,” Cathryn made air quotes and continued, “is a sort of mistake or error. Usually, this is a term we use when it comes to devices or games.”

“However, what happens if there is a glitch in real life? Totally impossible, right?” Cathryn paused a dramatic effect before continuing.

“To be fair, it is not supposed to happen but there have been reports of incidents that it exists. ‘How’, you may ask?”

“Well, let’s put it this way. Have you ever felt like you’ve experienced something before? Like you’ve seen a street that you know, or rather remember, never to have traveled to previously before?”

“Yes, I understand that we tend to write it off as ‘déjà vu’ but what if that is not the case? What would you do then?”

“Creepy, huh? I know exactly--”

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Jared never got to hear what the girl in the video said next as his headphones were abruptly yanked off.

“Hey! Wha– Ah!” in an instant, Jared’s right arm was yanked up so hard that he stumbled out of his chair. The only thing that kept him from falling was the very same hand that had a strong grip on his arm.

Turning around, Jared gasped. It was a huge, bulky man who was dressed completely in white. Although Jared was unable to see the man’s face due to the medical facemask, there was no doubt that the man meant business

“Who are you and what the hell are you doing?!” Jared yelled as he tried to pull his arm free from the man. 

“These men are here to take you away, Jared.”

Jared looked towards his bedroom doorway and saw that his mother was standing next to another man. The second man was lanky and wore the same attire as the first one. A shiver ran up Jared’s spine when he saw what the second man held. In was a syringe.

“W-Where?” Jared stammered, but his mother looked away in guilt and did not answer.

“Where?!” Jared demanded in a slightly louder voice.

“The mental asylum,” the bigger man answered.

“What?! Why? I… This is all because of what I said on Saturday?! Are you INSANE?!!!” Jared walked towards his mother, wanting to shake some sense into her. Immediately, the second man pulled his mother behind him and stood between both Jared and his mother.

“Ma’am, I need you to stand back. He seems very agitated and could attack at any moment,” the bigger man said as Jared realized that he had a firm grip on him again.

“What are you talking about?! I wasn’t going to attack her! Now, let me go!” Jared yelled but to no avail. Despite all of his struggles, the men easily subdued him and there was a prickly pain on his arm.

As Jared’s vision grew dim, he glared at his “mother”.

“--Why?” Jared asked in a strained voice before losing consciousness.