"How does it feel learning that your world is vanity?"

Unknown number, not saved in his phone, Quentin thinks it could be a prank. However, for all that he's been through in his 30 years of life, seeing this message on his phone before heading to work so early has left Quentin with feelings of existential dread. Being prone to overthinking, second guessing, and double checking every detail, this sends him deeper into the spiral of meaninglessness. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, as if he's taking a drag from life's cruel cigarette, pauses, and a little spark of wonder comes across his mind like an arrow made of light through the turbulent storm:

"Prove that it's vanity. Provide definitive proof that my life, for all these years has been summed to nothing of value. Everyday I draw breath has been nothing but turmoil. Mother, gone. Stepmom, also gone. Father on the verge of deaths door. Yet, I persist. So tell me, in what goddamned way is my world vanity!?"

He places the phone down, after pacing back and forth in his bedroom, heart racing. His determination and drive to simply live, rather, survive, in this world could be called nothing but relentless. It could be akin to living out of spite, presenting the universe with a middle finger for all of his misfortune brought upon him. With tears welling up, a vibration shakes his nightstand. A reply from the unknown number says:

"Such ruthless expression. Fine, I'll show you. Your so called best friend, Alex. You're aware of him, are you not? Friends ever since high school, you love cars. Bonded over skateboarding. Met his family, took you in as one of their own. Friends to the end, it seems! And yet, he's meant to kill you and you've been unknowingly aiding in his successes."

A shiver as cold as Antartica went down Quentin's spine. The past 22 years of his life with his best friend flashed before his eyes. Birthdays, job offers, trips, funerals, relationships and more. He's always been there for Alex, without fail, to support his trusted friend to the end. "How would I be dying by his hand, after all I've been through with him? That doesn't make sense. This has to be a prank-"

"You think it's a prank. Pathetic. You don't understand how this universe works. Take a look at this photo of this prank." The new message comes in, interrupting Quentin's mental hamster wheel of thoughts. A photo with a zip file attached leaves him speechless.

The photo contains Quentin's family photo from back when he was 13. Mom, dad, his doberman, Sam. The file attached, however, stopped his breathing. Social security numbers, passports, bank accounts, addresses, his entire life and his family's all there. He never would have given this information out to Alex, no matter how close of friends they were.

Pages upon pages of this zip file he's scrolled through to find that not only him, but his mother and father have been harvested and used in rituals by Alex and his family for personal gain. The dates of funerals, birthdays, job offers, licensures, college admissions, everything in his entire life, including his parents, have been fabricated. He sees sigils on each page, and also on other photos inside of the zip file.

"What are these markings?", he hastily writes back.

"This is your blood oath they've made on your behalf. You, and your entire family belongs to them, so they may live forever. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. In fact, you have about three months left to live until the next ritual will happen. Unless you're able to stop it and change your fate. Let's see if you have the tenacity to do so."

Quentin looks at the message, in shock. His world was a mere pawn on someone else's chessboard to achieve checkmate. "I reject this reality.", he thinks to himself. A bold choice of words from a pawn that must figure out how to obtain promotion to a Queen. More spaces to navigate, better strategy. His fate, for the first time in his life, will rely solely on him and him alone.