Leo reached for the power button, but his hand froze. The shadow under the streetlamp in the game began to climb out of the bottom of his monitor like spilled ink, pooling onto his keyboard.

He realized then that 41.61 wasn't a version number. It was a countdown. And it was already at 00.03.

The sound wasn't a digital "clink." It was a wet, heavy thud. Suddenly, a thin, stinging line appeared across Leo’s own forearm. He gasped, dropping the mouse. A tiny bead of blood welled up on his skin, exactly where the enemy had tried to parry him.