Chapter 2: Confirmed Kill
600 Words
Kara couldn’t focus the whole morning. Hindi dahil sa reports. Hindi dahil sa meeting. Kundi dahil sa isang name: Nightmare9.
“Nope,” she mumbled habang naglalakad papunta sa pantry. “Hindi siya ‘yon. Coincidence lang. Nightmare9 could never survive corporate meetings.”
But deep inside, may kutob na siya. The way he said her old username—StrawberryMilk17—with that smirk? Only one person on earth ever teased her with that tone.
Bumalik siya sa desk niya, sinisilip-silip si Ace sa glass wall ng office. Nakaupo, tahimik, tapos seryoso habang nagta-type.
“You sure you’re not spying on your ex?” tanong ni Lani, sabay sip ng milk tea.
“I’d rather eat paper,” Kara whispered. “Pero... I think I know him.”
“Past office fling?”
“Worse. Past online mortal enemy.”
That afternoon, she marched into Ace’s office with a laptop in hand and zero shame.
“Need anything?” he asked without looking up.
“Yup,” she said, plopping into the chair in front of his desk. “I need closure.”
He glanced at her. “This isn’t HR. Or therapy.”
Kara turned her laptop screen toward him. A screenshot from Valorian Vortex—her last match with Nightmare9. “Recognize this?”
Ace didn’t blink. “Pixelated defeat.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So it is you.”
He leaned back. “And you’re still dramatic, I see.”
“Dramatic? You trolled me for three years!” Kara half-shouted. “You’d ambush me, send me flying off cliffs, and once—ONCE—you renamed your pet wolf ‘KaraCries.’”
“I’m creative,” he said simply.
“More like evil.”
There was a pause.
And then—Ace smiled.
Not a full one. Just the corner of his mouth twitching upward, like his face was learning the concept of joy for the first time.
“You know,” he said, “You were my favorite match.”
Kara blinked. “Wait, what?”
“You were unpredictable. Annoying. But you didn’t quit. Kahit ilang beses kitang talunin.”
Her brain stalled for a second. Was that... a compliment?
“You disappeared,” she mumbled, crossing her arms. “Why?”
“Life happened,” he replied vaguely. “Had to grow up. Study. Work. Quit games.”
She nodded slowly. “Sana nag-goodbye ka man lang.”
“Di naman tayo friends, diba?”
That stung a little more than expected. Bigla siyang natahimik.
Ace noticed the shift in her face. “Hey,” he said, voice softer. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
She stood up, forcing a smile. “No worries. Just closure.”
As she turned to leave, he added, “By the way… I’m still undefeated.”
She looked back, eyes narrowing. “Are you challenging me?”
A faint smile. “Who knows? Maybe HR has a policy against staff PvP matches.”
Kara grinned. “Too bad I am HR-friendly. But I’m also revenge-friendly.”
That night, back in her condo, Kara logged into her old Valorian Vortex account. She hadn’t played seriously in a while. But now?
Now she had a mission.
“You may have won the past,” she said aloud, stretching her fingers dramatically, “but in the name of all rage-quitters… I shall rise.”
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: Good game. See you online. – A
Her eyes widened.
“Oh no. He’s stalking me now too?!”
She couldn’t tell if she was horrified… or excited.
- Writer
