FANTASY GAME
Chapter 17 — Waking Up to Reality
Nixon Ballot suddenly opened his eyes.
He sat upright on his bed, breathing heavily as he looked around the room.
His familiar bedroom surrounded him. His clothes were scattered across a chair, his computer sat on the desk, and sunlight streamed through the window.
For several seconds, he remained completely still.
Then he looked at his hands.
"No... wait. What happened?"
He turned toward the door.
"Where is Nostradamus? Where is Sukishi? What happened to Buddha and the others?"
Nobody answered.
Nixon jumped out of bed and rushed into the hallway.
"NOSTRADAMUS!"
A young woman standing in the living room turned toward him. She had been holding a glass of water and looked at him with complete confusion.
It was his sister, Celine.
She stared at him for a moment.
"Nixon, are you drunk?"
Nixon stopped.
"What?"
Celine placed the glass on the table.
"Are you seriously asking me what happened? You drank so much beer last night that you literally passed out!"
Nixon blinked.
"Beer?"
"Yes, beer! You were talking to yourself about something called Fantasy Game. You kept shouting about monsters, gods, some British guy named Nostradamus, and a girl with a sword."
Nixon's expression changed.
"Nostradamus..."
Celine folded her arms.
"Oh, here we go again. Nostradamus this, Nostradamus that. You were even arguing with someone who wasn't there!"
Nixon shook his head.
"No. You don't understand. I was there. I fought monsters. I met Nostradamus, Sukishi, Adam, Eve, Alexander the Great, Buddha, Shiva, and Brava. We fought the Ultimate Announcer!"
Celine stared at him.
Then she sighed.
"Nixon, you need to drink some water."
"I'm serious!"
"And I'm serious when I say you should stop drinking so much."
Nixon grabbed his head.
"Wait... if it was all a dream, why can I remember everything so clearly?"
Celine shrugged.
"Because you were talking about it all night! Maybe you played that game too much before you started drinking."
Nixon looked toward his bedroom.
His computer was still on the desk.
He slowly walked back inside.
The Fantasy Game icon was still on the screen.
He stared at it.
"That can't be right."
He sat down and opened the game.
The familiar title screen appeared.
FANTASY GAME
Nixon's heart began beating faster.
He clicked to continue.
A message appeared.
WELCOME BACK, PLAYER NIXON BALLOT.
Nixon froze.
"No..."
Another message appeared.
PREVIOUS SESSION: NOT FOUND.
He stared at the screen.
"Not found?"
He clicked again.
The game returned to its title screen.
Nixon leaned back in his chair.
"Maybe it really was a dream."
For a moment, he almost believed it.
Then he remembered the frozen wilderness. The Forest Goblin. The city famine. Nostradamus laughing at his complaints. Sukishi calling him useless. The gods fighting the Ultimate Announcer.
He remembered everything.
And he remembered how real it had felt.
Celine appeared in the doorway.
"Are you still playing that game?"
Nixon quickly turned toward her.
"Celine, do you remember anything strange happening last night?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. My brother drank too much, fell asleep, and started shouting about a fantasy world."
"Other than that?"
"No."
Nixon lowered his head.
Celine walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, I'm not trying to annoy you. You probably had a very vivid dream. Just take it easy today, okay?"
Nixon nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Celine left the room.
Nixon continued staring at the computer screen.
Then he whispered a name.
"Nostradamus..."
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
"Sukishi."
The room remained silent.
Nixon sighed.
"Fine. It was a dream."
He reached for the mouse to close the game.
But just before he clicked, the screen flickered.
A single line appeared.
PLAYER NIXON BALLOT: MEMORY RETENTION CONFIRMED.
Nixon stopped breathing for a moment.
More text appeared beneath it.
FANTASY GAME SESSION: SUSPENDED.
REAL-WORLD STATUS: ACTIVE.
NEXT SESSION: PENDING.
Nixon slowly stood up.
His face turned pale.
"No way..."
From the living room, Celine called out.
"Nixon! Breakfast is ready!"
He didn't answer.
He was still staring at the screen.
Then, very quietly, he whispered:
"So it wasn't a dream."
The screen went black.
Nixon stepped away from the computer.
For the first time since waking up, he felt something worse than fear.
He felt uncertainty.
Because if Fantasy Game had truly been real, then the Ultimate Announcer might still be out there.
And if the message was telling the truth, his story wasn't over.
END OF CHAPTER 17 — WAKING UP TO REALITY