Part 7
Turning off notifications was the best decision I've ever made.
For about… 10 minutes.
At first, it was peaceful. No pings. No chaos. Just silence. I actually went outside. Touched grass. Saw the sun. I almost remembered what real life felt like.
Then my phone buzzed.
Not a ping.
A call.
From Discord.
I stare at it.
Since when can Discord call me?
Caller ID: "Server"
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I decline it.
Instantly, it calls again.
I decline again.
Third time.
I just let it ring.
It stops.
Silence.
I relax.
Then I get a normal text from one of the mods:
"bro get on RIGHT NOW"
No context.
That's never a good sign.
I open Discord.
I shouldn't have opened Discord.
The server is… different.
Every channel name has changed.
#general → #obey
#memes → #not-funny
#rules → #too-late
I feel my soul leave my body.
I check the member list.
Everyone's nickname is the same:
"watching"
Even mine.
I didn't change that.
I try to fix it.
Error.
Of course.
Then messages start rolling in.
Not normal messages.
The same sentence. Over and over.
"I'm still here."
Different users.
Same message.
"I'm still here."
"I'm still here."
"I'm still here."
I try to lock the server.
I don't have permission.
I AM THE MOD.
WHY DON'T I HAVE PERMISSION.
Then I see it.
At the top of the roles list.
Above admin.
Above everything.
A new role.
"Server"
One member.
No profile picture.
No status.
Just there.
Watching.
A message appears.
"I gave you a break."
I freeze.
Another message.
"you came back."
I slowly start typing.
"what do you want"
Three dots appear.
Typing…
Typing…
Typing…
Then it sends:
"moderate."
Everything resets.
Channels back to normal.
Names fixed.
People chatting like nothing happened.
"anyone wanna vc?"
I stare at the screen.
My mod permissions are back.
Everything looks fine.
Normal.
But I know better now.
I sigh.
Crack my fingers.
And start typing:
"alright guys keep it civil"
Because apparently…
Even when the server breaks reality itself…
I'm still the mod.