NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: The Space
Days had passed since that day.
Roi's life had seemingly returned to normal—or so he thought.
But something was wrong.
For the past few days, a gnawing thought ate away at him. Was he losing his mind?
What do you mean there's a kid imprisoned in cyberspace?
What do you mean I gained some unknown ability?
No matter how much he tried to push it aside, it stayed. Haunting him. Whispering at the back of his mind.
For the first time since that day, he felt a strange pull—the courage to go live again.
He hadn't done anything productive in the past few days. He barely even left his apartment. He just locked himself inside, suffocating in his own thoughts.
Everything that happened was too surreal. Even in his wildest imagination, none of it made sense.
But today… he needed a distraction.
Taking a deep breath, he powered on his PC. The familiar hum of electricity filled the air. His monitors flickered to life.
He grabbed his webcam, turned on the usual dog filter, and prepared himself.
A normal stream. Just like before.
He went through the usual setup—checked his mic, adjusted his lighting, ensured everything was running smoothly. It felt almost comforting.
But the moment he hit "Start Stream"—
His chat exploded.
Viewers poured in. His numbers climbed rapidly.
The comments flooded in, faster than he could read.
[User1289]: WELCOME BACK DUDE WTF
[DarkWebFan]: YO WTF YOU'RE ALIVE?!
[AnonymousVIP]: I THOUGHT YOU DIED BRO
[GhosthunterX]: WHERE DID YOU GO??
[BigTippers]: YOU DISAPPEARED WTF HAPPENED
Roi's chest tightened.
His fingers hovered over his keyboard, cold sweat forming on his palms.
They noticed.
He hadn't just lagged out.
He had vanished.
His heart pounded as he stared at the screen, his mind racing.
Something was very, very wrong.
And whatever had happened that night… his audience had witnessed something, too.
Roi inhaled deeply, gripping his desk as he spoke. His voice, once again, was filtered by the goofy dog effect, concealing any trace of real emotion.
"I'm not here to play games. I'm not here to watch wild videos or dive into the dark web."
He paused, staring at the chat.
"These past few days… have been really hard for me."
The comments immediately turned mocking.
[User4321]: Lmao bro acting like he went to war.
[DarkWebFan]: Bro just touch grass.
[BigTippers]: This is boring, dude.
Roi clenched his jaw. He expected this. The internet wasn't kind to vulnerability.
But he needed to talk.
"Just listen, guys! I don't need donations or subs. I just need to ask something."
His voice trembled slightly.
But his viewers didn't care.
The numbers started dropping.
Three thousand. Two thousand. One thousand. Hundreds.
People left in droves.
His gut twisted. Of course. The internet craved entertainment. Horror. Shock value. Not this.
Soon, the viewer count hit double digits.
Then—
Single digits.
He barely noticed the chat anymore. His thoughts swirled.
Am I really losing my mind?
He exhaled shakily, rubbing his temples.
Then—
The counter dropped to 1.
Only one viewer remained.
Roi blinked. His fingers hovered over his mouse, debating whether to just end the stream.
Then, a single comment appeared.
[Mysterio69]: You aren't alone in this.
Roi's blood ran cold.
His breath caught in his throat.
Mysterio69.
The same user who sent him thousands of dollars. The same user who told him to search for the Black Gate.
The same user who—somehow—knew something.
His hands trembled slightly as he stared at the message.
A creeping realization settled in.
He had thought he was talking to his audience.
But now…
It felt like he had been talking to someone else entirely.
Roi's hands curled into fists as he glared at the single username left in his chat.
Mysterio69.
His voice, still distorted by the dog filter, came out sharper this time.
"You… you're the one who led me to this." His breath was uneven. "You did this to me!"
A reply came almost instantly.
[Mysterio69]: No need to get angry at me. You know I did you a favor.
Roi let out a bitter laugh. "A favor?! What kind of f*ed-up favor is this?! I didn't ask for this creepy a** nightmare!"
The response was calm. Almost amused.
[Mysterio69]: You have the guts to explore the extremities of the internet… but you're afraid when you come face to face with something truly eerie?
Roi's stomach twisted. He had no comeback.
Because, in a way… Mysterio69 was right.
He had always prided himself on being fearless online. Delving into the deepest corners of the internet, unearthing the darkest sites. Yet, now? Now he was terrified.
His voice shook.
"Why did you do this to me?"
He swallowed hard. "If this was just malware or some virus, I would've accepted it. Hell, I would've even laughed it off. But why this?"
For a moment, silence.
Then—
[Mysterio69]: Because you are the perfect candidate for the ability.
Roi froze.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
"Ability? For what?"
No reply.
The chat stayed still.
Seconds ticked by. Heavy. Suffocating. Endless.
Each passing moment made his chest tighten.
Then, finally—
[Mysterio69]: I want to ask… did you meet the kid?
A sharp chill ran down Roi's spine.
His breath hitched.
His thoughts flashed back—to Kyler. To the glitching room. To the eerie child claiming he was "prisoned in cyberspace."
His throat felt dry.
"Are you talking about the kid who was saying nonsense?"
A response.
[Mysterio69]: Yes, the kid.
[Mysterio69]: He is your predecessor.
[Mysterio69]: He is the creator, owner, and first wielder of that ability.
Roi's stomach dropped.
This was not a joke.
His lips parted, but no words came out.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. He felt like he was standing at the edge of something dangerous, something he wasn't ready to understand.
"What ability?" His voice barely came out.
"I don't want this."
His screen glitched.
The chat froze.
And then, Mysterio69 finally replied—
[Mysterio69]: But it already chose you.
The screen flickered slightly as another message appeared.
[Mysterio69]: Have you felt a surge of energy these past few days?
Roi hesitated. His fingers twitched over the keyboard.
Energy.
That heavy, suffocating feeling in his chest. The strange static in the air. The glitches in reality—
Yes. He felt it.
He swallowed. "Yeah… I feel like I've been carrying something heavy inside me. It's suffocating."
[Mysterio69]: That's the best part. No one would interfere, lol.
Roi didn't reply.
He just let out a long sigh. Not in relief—but in anxiety.
Something inside him screamed that he was being dragged into something way bigger than him.
And he had no way out.
Another message popped up.
[Mysterio69]: There's nothing you can do. You are the chosen one.
Roi's hands curled into fists.
"I never wanted this." His voice was low, shaky. "Pick someone else. I live alone. I don't need this in my life."
But the next message made his stomach churn.
[Mysterio69]: It's not only you who actually opened the Gate.
His breath hitched.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
[Mysterio69]: There's actually a bunch. Dudes, streamers, people who had the balls to explore the deep web. And yet… they all got tangled in its web.
Roi's heart pounded.
Others?
"What happened to them? Why don't they have this 'ability' you're talking about?"
The response came instantly.
[Mysterio69]: They died, lol.
A cold shiver ran down Roi's spine.
"Wh-what?"
For a moment, silence.
Then—
A notification popped up.
[Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000.
Roi barely noticed it. His mind was spiraling.
Then—his speakers crackled. A voice message.
It wasn't Mysterio69's voice. It was automated.
A monotone, emotionless voice rang through his headset:
"Because they were a bunch of losers. Idiots who couldn't handle power."
Roi's blood turned to ice.
His fingers went numb.
"What the hell are you saying?" His voice was hoarse, but he barely recognized it.
Another comment appeared.
[Mysterio69]: They all died the moment they heard the loud noise. Or died during the trial.
[Mysterio69]: They couldn't bear the power.
Roi's body went rigid.
That noise. That screech.
Was that the moment?
Another donation alert.
[Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000.
His speakers crackled again. Another automated voice message.
This time, the voice was louder. Sharper.
"But you… you are different."
The words rang in his skull.
Another comment popped up.
[Mysterio69]: YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE!
The screen glitched. The lights in his room flickered.
And deep inside his chest—
That energy surged again.
Something inside him was awakening.
And he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was.
Suddenly—
Blackout.
The entire room was swallowed in darkness.
Except for one thing.
His monitor.
Still lit up.
Still glowing.
Roi's breathing quickened as he pushed back from his desk, heart hammering.
Then—
The room glitched.
The walls flickered between reality and something warped, distorted. The floor seemed to pixelate beneath him. His entire apartment was breaking apart like a corrupted program.
"Wh-what is this?!" Roi gasped.
A comment appeared.
[Mysterio69]: Oh… the trial starts.
His hands trembled. A pit formed in his stomach.
"Trial?!" His voice cracked. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Another comment.
[Mysterio69]: The true test begins now.
Roi's gut twisted. He felt a strange pressure in his chest—that energy again, now pulsing, expanding, threatening to consume him.
His screen glitched.
One last message appeared.
[Mysterio69]: If you survive this… you will wield the power.
Roi's vision blurred.
His ears rang.
Then—
The screen flashed.
And everything went white.