I swear this place is gonna collapse sooner or later.
Things have been rough since my parents left me alone in this world... well, I'm not sure yet.
Standing in front of the house they left behind — the one they "died" owning — I still can't believe they're gone. Not until I see their bodies. Not until I know for sure.
The guy in the stiff suit beside me breaks the silence.
"Mr. Edwards, I know it's tough, but this is the only inheritance your parents left. Just sign the papers and the handover's complete."
I nod numbly, take the pen, and sign. With that, the man gives me a nod and walks off without another word.
I'm alone.
The house groans like it remembers me. The cracked windows glare like dead eyes. I walk up the porch steps, each one creaking like it's warning me not to.
The door creaks open.
Dust punches me in the face.
The air smells like old paper, damp wood, and something else. Something... stale and wrong.
Then I see it.
Sitting in the middle of the hallway floor.
A black phone. Sleek. Shiny. Clean. Too clean. Like it doesn't belong in this dead house.
I crouch down slowly and pick it up.
The screen lights up instantly.
App installed: OtherWorld
Welcome, Host.
Initializing handover…
Loading…
Success!
Then—
Mission: Wanna play Rock, Paper, Scissors?
Reward: Store / Status
Penalty: Doppelganger takes over.
"Excuse me?"
My voice sounds stupid in the silence.
I glance up.
There's a mirror at the end of the hallway I don't remember being there before.
And in it—
I see me.
But it's not me.
The reflection moves first. Just a hair faster. Just wrong enough.
It smiles.
Too wide. Too many teeth.
It mouths the words:
"Best of three."
Cold sweat soaks my back.
I raise my hand.
It mimics me.
We both throw.
I go paper.
It goes scissors.
The mirror cracks down the center, a jagged spiderweb of glass.
And the thing is closer now.
Its smile stretches wider.
It's... hungry.
I can't breathe.
This thing wants to play.
It wants to win.
If I lose, it replaces me?
I swallow panic, then do the only thing that comes to mind:
I start laughing.
Not just a chuckle — I laugh loud, teeth showing, like I've completely lost my mind.
I slick my hair back with a shaky hand and say coolly:
"You know… this is boring. You bore me."
Its grin falters — just a twitch — but I see it.
"You're a copy. An ugly knockoff. I've dealt with shadows that whisper my name under my bed. You? You're a tutorial boss."
The doppelganger tilts its head like it's trying to figure me out.
I lean closer, staring it down, wild-eyed.
"I once beat Death at this game. I threw fire. That's an advanced move. You wouldn't get it."
Round 2.
I pretend to hesitate.
Start raising my hand… slowly.
I mutter, "Paper… paper… go with paper…"
Loud enough for it to hear.
I even mouth the word while looking down at my hand.
The doppelganger sees it.
It grins and goes scissors before I even throw.
But I snap my fingers and suddenly switch—
Rock.
Bam.
The second crack forms on the glass — deep and wide. The mirror shudders. The doppelganger twitches.
It stares at me like I cheated.
"Oops," I say, smiling like a madman. "Guess I've got nerves of steel."
Its eyes narrow, the smile now twitching like it wants to peel off its face.
Round 2 – You win.
One more.
Just one more.
The mirror fogs slightly, like it's breathing.
The doppelganger mouths again:
"Final round."
And now it's smiling with confidence again. Maybe it thinks I've used all my tricks.
Good.
Because I saved the best for last.
I stare hard at it.
It stares back.
We both raise our hands slowly, deliberately.
I go rock.
It smirks, switches to paper.
But at the very last split-second, as our hands freeze midair—
I twist. Scissors.
Slice.
The third crack blasts across the mirror. The whole thing screams. Not breaking — not yet — but splitting, warping.
The doppelganger is on its knees now, staring at me in disbelief.
My heart's a jackhammer. My breath is fire.
But I smile.
Round 3 – You win.
Rewards unlocked: Store / Status
New feature unlocked: Mirror Gate
The reflection is gone.
Now the mirror shows something else.
A hallway. Faint lights flickering. Shadows moving.
Something crawls across the walls.
The phone buzzes in my hand again.
I take a breath, and say it out loud:
"Checkmate, bitch."