His phone grew warm. Then hot. Then the screen flickered, and for a split second, Leo saw his own reflection—but the reflection was playing the game, not him. The reflection’s thumbs moved perfectly, parrying attacks Leo had never seen.
He opened the game.
Three hours later, Leo’s roommate found his phone on the floor, screen cracked, the echidna still moving in slow loops. Leo sat in the corner, rocking, his eyes flickering with faint pixelated patterns. When the roommate said his name, Leo answered in a monotone: “Insert coin to continue.”