He tried to move the mouse. No response. He tried Alt+F4. Nothing. The task manager wouldn’t open. The keyboard lights died one by one. The only thing still alive on his desk was the monitor, and the face in the reflection was stepping closer.

“Ah, you’ve found yourself,” the figure whispered. Not through the speakers. Inside Leo’s skull.

Then the emulator spoke again.

The emulator opened, but it wasn't a window. It was a full-screen void—a deep, oceanic black. No menus, no "Load ISO," no settings cog. Just a blinking cursor in the center, pulsing like a heartbeat.

“Insert Disc. Or yourself. Either works.”