The next morning, Ace walked into class with a confidence that only a gamer with exclusive access to a hyped-up beta could have. He strolled past his classmates, barely paying attention to the usual chatter about homework and upcoming tests. His mind was focused on one thing—Eclipse Arena.
He reached the front of the class, turned to face everyone, and clapped his hands together. "Alright, listen up," he announced.
A few people turned their heads, some confused, others curious. Mia, already seated, smirked as she leaned back in her chair. She knew exactly what he was about to say.
Ace crossed his arms. "Who here is playing Eclipse Arena when the beta drops today?"
Immediately, a wave of excitement rippled through the room.
"Dude, I WISH," someone groaned. "The devs were so stingy with the beta codes."
"Yeah, I tried signing up, but no luck," another classmate added.
"Same here," someone else said. "People are literally selling their beta accounts online for crazy prices."
Ace grinned, letting their frustration build for a moment. Then, casually, he said, "Well... I got in."
The room erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"No way!"
"Dude, how?!"
"Yo, let me borrow your account!"
Ace laughed, holding up his hands. "Hey, hey, calm down. I just got lucky." He shot a glance at Mia, who rolled her eyes at his smugness but couldn't help smiling.
"Man, you better tell us if it's as crazy as people are saying," one of the guys in the back said.
"Oh, I will," Ace said. "But actually, that's why I brought it up. I wanted to know if anyone else got in. I mean, it's supposed to be a multiplayer game, right? It'd be way better if I had more people to play with."
The class murmured, but it seemed no one else had managed to get access.
Then, a voice spoke up from the side. "I got in."
Ace turned his head to see Liam, a quiet but sharp player who was known for dominating competitive games. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, his ruffled blonde hair framing his face as he watched Ace with a smirk.
Ace's eyebrows raised. "No way."
Liam nodded. "Yeah. Got my invite last night."
The class erupted again.
"Bro, you two are about to have the best gaming session ever."
"This is so unfair!"
"Y'all better stream or something. I need to see this game in action."
Ace grinned. Now this just got even better.
He turned back to Liam. "Looks like we're teaming up, then."
Liam smirked. "Looks that way. Hope you can keep up."
Ace chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about me. Let's just see if this game lives up to the hype."
Mia, watching from her seat, shook her head with a smile. "This is either going to be amazing... or complete chaos."
And with that, the countdown to Eclipse Arena officially began.
That night, as Ace scrolled through his phone in bed, a notification popped up from the school's group chat.
[Sam]: YO EVERYONE CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Curious, Ace tapped the message and saw a link beneath it. The chat was already blowing up.
[Mark]: No way. This is real?!
[Tasha]: Bro, if this works, I'm gonna cry.
[Leo]: Someone try it and confirm before I waste my time.
Ace frowned. A free access link to Eclipse Arena? That didn't sound right. The developers had been crazy strict about invites—why would a public site suddenly hand them out?
More messages flooded in.
[Ethan]: IT WORKS. I JUST GOT IN.
[Chris]: No shot. Hold up, let me try… HOLY SHIT ACTUALLY WORKED!!!
[Mia]: Wait, wait, wait. Are we sure this isn't some scam site?
Ace paused. Mia had a point. This felt suspicious. But at the same time… if it was real, that meant a lot more players were about to get access.
His phone buzzed again.
[Liam]: I checked it. Looks legit. Devs probably had extra slots and didn't announce it.
[Sam]: Bro, who cares? FREE BETA ACCESS. GET IT BEFORE THEY TAKE IT DOWN.
Ace sighed. This was spreading fast. If it really worked, that meant half the school would be playing Eclipse Arena by tomorrow. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Then Mia sent him a private message.
[Mia]: You trying it?
Ace hesitated before replying.
[Ace]: Nah, I already have access. But something about this feels weird.
[Mia]: Same. Feels way too convenient.
[Ace]: Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
He set his phone down and stared at the ceiling. The beta was already exclusive. But now, with this leak, everyone would be playing.
Something about that didn't sit right with him.
But in the end, it was just a game… right?
–––––––––––
The excitement was electric.
Everywhere—bedrooms, living rooms—people were glued to their screens, waiting. The school group chat had gone silent except for one thing: the countdown.
11:59 PM.
Ace sat at his desk, controller in hand, eyes locked on the screen. His heart pounded in anticipation. Eclipse Arena was finally here. He could already imagine the adrenaline rush, the strategies, the competition. This was going to be legendary.
Mia was in a voice call with him. "This is insane," she muttered. "Everyone's playing. Even my uncle got a code."
Ace chuckled. "Guess this game really is for all ages."
The clock on the screen ticked down.
11:59:50
...
11:59:55
…
11:59:58
…
Ace tightened his grip on his phone. Here we go.
12:00:00 AM.
The screen flashed. Instantly, the Eclipse Arena logo appeared, glowing in a sleek neon design. Everyone in the group chat spammed messages—
[Jay]: IT'S LIVE!!!
[Tasha]: LET'S GOOOO!!!
[Mark]: THIS IS ABOUT TO BE CRAZY!
Ace grinned and pressed Start.
But the moment he did—
The screen went completely white.
No loading. No title screen. Just an empty void.
Ace frowned. "Uh… Mia? You seeing this?"
"Yeah," Mia's voice came through, confused. "What the hell? Is it bugged?"
Then something moved.
A shadow flickered across the white void on his screen. Long, thin fingers stretched out from the center, curling like claws.
"What the fuck?!"