Astral Chain Free Download — (v1.0.1)

The "Free Download" hadn't given him the game. It had turned his computer into a Gate, and he was the one being tethered.

Leo stared at the screen, his eyes burning from hours of scrolling through forums. There it was, glowing in a suspicious neon font: Astral Chain Free Download (v1.0.1)

"Neural link? It’s just a game," Leo muttered, double-clicking the .exe file. The "Free Download" hadn't given him the game

A text box appeared in the air before his new, spectral eyes: V1.0.1 INSTALLED. LEGION ACQUIRED. COMMENCING EXTRACTION. There it was, glowing in a suspicious neon

Leo reached out, his fingers brushing the light. A jolt of electricity surged through him, and suddenly, his vision shifted. He wasn't in his room anymore. He was seeing his room from the ceiling , through a red-tinted lens. Below him, he saw himself—or rather, his body—slumped in the gaming chair, his eyes glowing a vacant, digital blue.