Lyris' Room - 10:30 PM
Lyris, overwhelmed by a wave of crushing sadness, curls up under his blanket, tears in his eyes. The weight of his emotions slowly closes his eyelids. In his sleep, a dark and cold dream invades, accompanied by a soft voice calling his name.
"Lyris... Lyris... WAKE UP, WEAKLING!"
The darkness of his dream is suddenly torn apart by a flash of light. His limbs are tense, as if pulled apart, held by four demon-like boys, no older than eight. They pull on his arms and legs with relentless force, driving Lyris to the brink of agony. Another demon tortures him by forcing a non-edible object into his mouth, suffocating him little by little.
"If you can't handle this... how do you think you'll survive? You have to be strong in this world... And you, you're weak, right? We're at level 1000, and you're just worthless shit."
Lyris cries, screams, but only silence answers. The indifference of the world weighs on him, an indifference so crushing that young Lyris collapses in despair. Suddenly, the scene changes: an apocalyptic city forms above him, and the demons dissipate into the air like shadows swept by the wind. The young man reaches out toward the devastated landscape, desperate.
"How do you plan to survive? If the world turns to chaos, will you be the insect... or the predator?"
This feminine voice echoes in his mind, and a familiar face briefly emerges from the darkness. Lyris wakes up with a start, his cheeks soaked in tears. Trembling, he quickly checks the time on his phone.