**UPDATED INTRO FROM READER SUGGESTIONS 1-31 Thanks for the help all.**

  When he left the hospital after school, instead of going home, he went to the first of his weekend jobs. Grayson’s Grocery wasn’t glamorous, but it put a few extra bucks in his pocket and helped cover the never-ending pile of bills.

  As Leo stocked shelves that Friday evening, he noticed the manager, Carl, glaring at him. Carl was a walking cliché of a boss – balding, with a permanent scowl and a tendency to bark orders like he was still leading a platoon.

  “Adams!” Carl barked from the end of the aisle. “You call this stocking? Look at these cans. They’re practically falling off the shelf. You trying to kill someone?”

  Leo bit back a retort and nodded, forcing himself to remain calm. This job might’ve been soul-crushing, but he couldn’t afford to lose it. The last thing he needed was Carl’s rants about “these kids today.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, forcing a polite nod. “I’ll fix it.”

  Once Carl stormed off, Leo went back to arranging cans, suppressing the urge to hurl a few of them across the aisle. The job was exhausting, and every hour here felt like another link in the chain tying him to a life he didn’t want. But it was money – just enough to keep his head above water.

  That night, Leo finally crawled into bed after a three-hour shift at Grayson’s and another four-hour shift waiting tables at Rudy’s diner. He barely had time to close his eyes before he was pulled into a vivid dream.

  In the dream, he was back at the monolith. The symbols glowed faintly, and as he stared at them, a figure appeared beside him – a woman. She was hazy, like an image underwater, but he could see her face, and he knew that face. It was his mother.

  She looked at him, her eyes soft but determined, like she had something to tell him, something important. But before she could speak, the dream shattered, and he jolted awake, his heart pounding.

  As he lay there in the darkness, Leo felt a strange sense of purpose, a tug pulling him back to the game, to the hidden monolith, like a part of him had been left behind in that virtual world.

  Saturday Night, Leo tried to avoid the alleys on his way home, but sometimes, taking the long way around only delays the inevitable. Tonight was one of those nights. As he rounded the corner, he saw a figure waiting for him – a tall, muscular man with a scar running down his cheek and a hard look in his eyes.

  “Leo,” the man said, his voice low and rough. “Been lookin’ for you.”

  Leo swallowed, keeping his face calm. “Vince,” he said, nodding. “What’s up?”

  Vince ran a small gang in Leo’s neighborhood, a rough group that handled everything from petty theft to protection rackets. He’d been trying to recruit Leo for months, and every time, Leo managed to slip out of it – barely. But he could tell Vince wasn’t here for small talk tonight.

  “Listen,” Vince said, stepping closer. “I’ve seen the way you handle yourself. You’re clever, got guts. I could use someone like you. Could make you a nice little sum each week, help you and your old man out.”

  Leo felt a pang in his chest, the thought of his dad’s hospital bills and his crumbling apartment weighing heavy on his mind. But he knew what joining Vince’s gang would mean – getting sucked into a world he’d never escape.

  “Thanks, but I’m good,” Leo said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Got enough on my plate as it is.”

  Vince’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press the issue. “Your loss, kid,” he muttered. “But don’t come crawlin’ to me when you’re starving.”

  As Vince stalked off into the shadows, Leo let out a shaky breath, grateful for once that his reputation for not taking anyone’s crap had kept him safe. But deep down, he knew the offers would keep coming. And every time he said no, he’d be one step closer to losing what little he had.

  Leo’s late-night job was at Rudy’s Diner, a dive where the crowd tended to blur together in a mess of faces. Tonight, it was busier than usual, and Leo found himself rushing from table to table, balancing plates and dodging the occasional leering comment from the bar regulars.

  “Hey, kid!” One of the older regulars shouted, waving his empty glass. “Another round over here!”

  Leo gave him a quick nod, trying not to make eye contact. The job was exhausting, and by the end of his shift, he felt like a zombie. As he walked out of the diner, his mind wandered back to the monolith, the symbols, the strange words that had called to him. The game was a mystery, something beyond his control, but it was also a distraction from the crushing weight of his life.

  By the end of the night, Leo felt stretched thin, as if he were living in two worlds that neither understood nor wanted him. His dad’s condition, the jobs, Vince’s persistent shadow, and the endless grind of survival all pressed down on him, making every day like an uphill battle. But at night, when he lay in bed, the thoughts of the monolith, his mother’s ghostly face, and the voice calling his name in that digital realm beckoned to him.

  The monolith in the game kept coming to mind. Lost Megaliths had become more a game to Leo. It was now more than just an escape; it was a lifeline to something he couldn’t explain, something that felt as much a part of him as his memories. He’d made up his mind to go back, to confront whatever seemed to call to him, but real life had one more test in store.

  Leo pulled his hood up against the misting rain as he left his late-night shift at Rudy’s Diner, exhaustion weighing him down. His brain was fried from back-to-back shifts.

  The city was too quiet. No late-night music from the bar across the street. No cars rolling by. Just the sound of his own footsteps as he walked toward the bustop, where two people were waiting. He adjusted his hoodie. Probably just exhaustion making him paranoid. Then—his phone vibrated.

  Unknown Number: Stop playing.

  Leo froze. He looked around. Nothing. Just the empty sidewalk stretching ahead. A cold prickling ran up his spine.

  It’s just a prank. Ignore it.

  He kept walking. Another vibration.

  Unknown Number: You don’t belong here.

  Leo’s breath hitched. His hands clenched into fists.

  Why do I feel like I am being watched? Is someone following me?

  He wasn’t alone. Somewhere behind him, a shadow moved across the crosswalk..

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  When he arrived at the bus stop, a figure across the street caught his attention. It was a man, tall and dark, his face shadowed by the low brim of a wide, black hat. Leo squinted, unsure if he recognized the man or if the shadows were playing tricks on him.

  The man didn’t move, just stood beneath a streetlight, angled toward Leo as if he was watching him. Leo felt an uneasy shiver travel up his spine, but he quickly shrugged it off. Probably just some guy waiting for the bus like him, he thought.

  When the bus finally pulled up, Leo climbed on board, heading straight to the back, where he slumped into a window seat. Two other passengers climbed on and took seats nearby, but the man across the street moved slowly, almost deliberately, as he walked toward the bus. Leo watched as the man stepped inside, passing the driver without a glance. Oddly, the driver didn’t seem to register his presence at all – not a glance, a nod, nothing.

  Leo turned his gaze to the window, hoping the man wouldn’t come near him. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting his shoulders relax for a moment. Then he heard a commotion toward the front as another passenger wrestled with an unruly umbrella, nearly smacking the mysterious man as he walked down the aisle. Strangely, the man stopped just short of being hit, as though he sensed it coming. Then, after a few seconds, he continued his way down the aisle, each step deliberate, his cane tapping softly on the floor.

  Leo glanced up, meeting the man’s eyes for the briefest moment. The man was staring at him, his face blank but his gaze intense, unblinking. Leo quickly looked away, willing his heartbeat to slow as he tried to ignore the feeling that he was being studied. Maybe it was one of Vince’s guys, he thought, and he forced himself to relax, hoping his face betrayed none of his nerves.

  But the man kept glancing at him, his gaze flicking over Leo’s face every few minutes. The bus ride felt endless, every stop and start punctuating Leo’s rising tension. After thirty agonizing minutes, Leo couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to get away from the man and his unsettling stare.

  As the bus rolled to the next stop, Leo stood up and headed for the door, hoping the man wouldn’t follow. But just as he was about to step off, the man’s cane appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Leo froze, his eyes narrowing in irritation. He glanced at the man’s face, which remained blank and unmoving.

  “Excuse me,” Leo muttered, stepping around the cane. The man didn’t stop him, and Leo quickly exited the bus, his steps quickening as he put distance between himself and the stranger.

  The air outside was thick with mist and the smell of damp concrete, and Leo pulled his hood tighter around his face as he walked down the sidewalk. He counted the seconds, waiting for the bus doors to close and pull away, but he didn’t hear the familiar hiss of the hydraulic doors. Against his better judgment, he glanced back.

  A lone elderly passenger hobbled off the bus and shuffled in the opposite direction. Leo exhaled, relieved – but his breath caught when he heard the sharp tap-tap of a cane hitting the pavement behind him. He didn’t have to turn around to know that it was the man, somehow watching his every step, each tap of the cane coming closer.

  Heart pounding, Leo rounded the corner, his pace quickening until he was nearly jogging. He took another corner, then broke into a full run, darting down a narrow alleyway and hiding behind a cluster of bushes near two rusted dumpsters. He crouched there, hardly daring to breathe, listening for the cane’s tapping footsteps. But the street was quiet, and the mist seemed to swallow any sounds that might give the man away.

  After several minutes passed without a sign of him, Leo allowed himself to relax. Maybe he’d lost the guy. Standing, he brushed off his clothes and made his way through the backyards and narrow paths that led to his neighborhood, sticking to the shadows.

  When he reached the street across from his apartment, he paused. The street was empty, his building’s faint glow reassuring him that he was almost home. He stepped out, crossing the road quickly.

  But halfway across, he froze. The man was there, emerging from the shadows with eerie calm.

  “You are the one who spoke to it,” the man said, his voice low and raspy.

  Leo blinked, his heart pounding. He didn’t know what to make of this, didn’t want to know. His mind raced with possibilities, each one more unnerving than the last. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to panic.

  “You’re crazy,” Leo said, his voice defiant. “Stay away from me.”

  Without waiting for an answer, Leo aimed a swift kick at the man’s shin, feeling a satisfying impact as the man stumbled, his face barely registering any reaction. Taking his chance, Leo spun and bolted for the building’s entrance, not stopping until he was inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

  He sprinted up the stairs, his breathing ragged as he hurried down the hallway and into his apartment, quickly locking the door behind him. His mind was a mess of confusion, his heart racing as he tried to process what had just happened. For a moment, he leaned back against the door, his gaze fixed on the narrow window overlooking the street.

  The man was nowhere to be seen. But Leo couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t seen the last of him.

  The virtual world blinked to life, the familiar sounds of distant birds and rustling leaves surrounding him. The dense jungle was right where he’d left it, the sun filtering through the canopy and casting strange, flickering shadows. Taking a deep breath, he retraced his steps through the ancient ruins, weaving through the labyrinthine passages until he found it – the hidden alcove, glowing softly, the monolith still standing tall and silent.

  For a moment, Leo just stared, feeling the weight of his own heartbeat as he took in the strange, ancient structure. It looked out of place, too real for a VR game, like something lifted straight from the earth’s oldest memories.

  With a deep breath, he stepped forward and reached out, his fingers hovering inches from the cold stone. His skin tingled, and a shiver ran up his spine. He knew he should turn back, that he should quit the game and pretend he hadn’t seen anything – but something deep within him urged him on.

  His fingers brushed the surface, and the monolith came alive.

  Symbols flared to life, moving and rearranging themselves as a voice echoed in the depths of his mind. A voice that was neither human nor machine, carrying an ancient weight that seemed to vibrate through his entire being.

  “Leo.”

  His heart skipped.

  “Leo… you are closer than you think.”

  Every instinct told him to pull his hand back, to quit the game and forget he’d ever seen this. But that itch – that maddening curiosity that had brought him back here night after night – pushed him to stay. He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper.

  “Who… what are you?” he stammered, swallowing hard. “This… this is just a game, right? Some glitchy hidden level?”

  The voice remained calm, as if amused. “A game, yes. But it is also a message. The past is not what you think it is. And your future depends on what you do now.”

  As the symbols shifted and swirled, the face dissolved back into abstract designs, the room around him flickering in and out like a dying candle. Leo’s heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming quick and shallow. He couldn’t tell if it was the haptic feedback or his own body, but he felt hot, like an electric charge was building up inside him, filling him with an energy he couldn’t control.

  With a gasp, he tore off the headset and stumbled backward, blinking in the dim light of his apartment. His fingers still burned faintly from where he’d touched the monolith, the feeling lingering like an echo he couldn’t shake.

  He slumped back in his chair, trying to steady his breathing. Just a game, he reminded himself, just a game. But even as he told himself that, he couldn’t ignore the strange, unsettling familiarity of the voice – or the symbols that had rearranged themselves into shapes he felt like he’d seen somewhere before.

  Then, his phone vibrated on the table. He glanced down, his pulse jumping as he saw the screen light up with an unknown number.

  His fingers hovered over it, heart racing. His logical brain screamed at him to ignore it, let it go to voicemail and forget about the whole weird experience. But his hand moved almost of its own accord, driven by the same instinct that had pulled him back into the game.

  He answered.

  “H-hello?”

  A pause, then the faint crackle of static on the other end. Finally, a voice – soft, calm, and oddly familiar, like an echo from a dream.

  “Leo Adams,” the voice said. “It’s time to stop playing games. You’ve been chosen for something much bigger.”

  Leo’s mouth went dry. “Who… who are you?”

  But before he could get an answer, the line went dead, leaving him sitting there in stunned silence. The apartment around him felt cold, silent except for the steady tapping of rain against the windowpane.

  He let his phone drop onto the table, staring at it as if it would spring to life and give him answers. This had to be a prank, some viral marketing scheme by the game developers, or a hack. But deep down, a small, unsettling part of him knew that wasn’t true. The voice on the phone, the symbols from the monolith, his dreams… they fit together like pieces of a puzzle he’d barely begun to glimpse.

  As he sat there, trying to process it all, a feeling settled over him – a weight, a sense of inevitability. Whatever this was, it wasn’t over. In fact, he had a feeling it was only just beginning.

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