Chapter 417: Forum Gossip (part 2)

Chapter 417: Forum Gossip (part 2)

Micah scrolled through the forum, the glow of the screen reflecting off his tired eyes. He had opened the alpha server, wanting to read about Darcy, already guessing what the whole thread would say. But the moment he saw the name, his eyes widened. "Fuck! Why is it about me?"

Pinned discussion: FrostbiteAshe-where Did He Go?

[All] VenomPuppy: Anyone know what happened to FrostbiteAshe?

[All] BeautyMana: Right. I’ve never heard of him after that college tournament.

[All] DefenseGurly: Frosty?! Is he online right now?

[All] ChunkyGear: Nope. Haven’t seen him in ages. Damn shame. Always brought out legendary players for us to watch.

[All] KillerKitten: Yeah. And don’t forget, DarkVyne vanished after their last match together. Like Poof. Gone!

[All] PlainPrivilege: Honestly? I don’t care about the hype. I just miss watching Frosty get wrecked in five minutes. That was such good entertainment. Peak comedy.

[All] VenomPuppy: LOL! You remember that? That’s why he got famous as a trashy account in the first place.

[All] SplatterDemons: Nah, it wasn’t the deaths. It was his sharp mouth. The way he cursed people out mid-match. That’s how he got his nickname.

[All] BeautyMana

[All] DefenseGurly: That’s what happened when you run with pros.

[All] ChunkyGear: Tsk. Rumour is that even the SilverBlade Legion captain played with him privately.

[All] DefenseGurly: Speaking of that, where the hell is ShadowBishop?

[All] KillerKitten: So you tell me, Frosty always ran with DarkVyne, DarkLegand, ShadowBishop, ShadowSlayer? The four famous players?

[All] SplatterDemons: Yep! There was even a bet pool about which of them would end up with him at the end! People were crazy shipping them.

[All] EasySweep: Haha. Maybe he got so embarrassed that he went into hiding. Imagine being a dude and getting labelled as the team seducer! If it were me I would never show my face either.

[All] VenomPuppy: You are just jealous.

[All] DefenseGurly: Heard lots of teams wanted to scout him.

[All] BeautyMana: Not for him. They wanted the players behind him. DarkVyne and DarkLegand.

[All] DiabolicDestroyer: What the hell are you guys blabbing about? That’s not fair. He was solid at that tournament.

[All] PoisonIvy: yeah. Seriously. Don’t talk behind his back like this! He had real skills.

[All] KillerKitten: really?! You two from SilverBlade Legion are defending him?

[All] EasySweep: Hold up. Are you saying he’s now your teammate?

[All] PVPMaster: No, their official site denied it.

[All] SplatterDemons: why though? Didn’t they need support players?

[All] NinjaInPajamas: I heard Frosty turned the down. Because of DarkVyne?

[All] PVPMaster: Oh? So he chose him?

DiabolicDestroyer: Hey! Stop spreading rumours.

[All] PoisonIvy: I wish he did! But my son has gone MIA! Meanwhile, DarkVyne’s been wandering around depressed.

[All] SplatterDemons: Who’s your son? Frosty?

[All] PVPMaster:

[All] EasySweep: wait a minute! You know DarkVyne? How? Who is it? Is he from QC University like you guys?

[All] BeautyMana: Ohhh...they’ve gone offline! Haha. They spilled the beans and dipped.

[All] DefenseGurly: Damn!I knew I should have gone to QC!

[All] VenomPuppy: LMAO. As if you’d even make it in with your pea-sized brain!

Micah read the messages and rubbed his face. He thought his name should have been forgotten by now. Those two idiots! Zian and Lulu! They practically told everyone he and DarkVyne were from QC! They might as well have put up a neon sign pointing at them. It wouldn’t take much for anyone to narrow him down!

But what got into his mind was not their identity being exposed, but it was about Darcy looking depressed. Did he know about the switch? Was it because of that? His eyes darted toward his old phone. He was tempted to turn it on. He was worried about Darcy. Was he alright?

He let out a big sigh and stood up. He couldn’t do it. He was too scared.

He shoved his hands into his short pockets and walked downstairs. The night air hit him as he stepped out. The faint glow of streetlights dotted the road behind the beach, but out here, near the shore, the world was darker. The stars were clear, scattered like diamonds, and the full moon hung brightly over the sea.

Micah sat on a bench, elbows resting on his knees. He looked at the endless ocean, waves after wave crashing down. Then slowly the water level drew back. Away from him. Like they found him despicable too.

Micah let out a bitter laugh at his own thinking. He knew it was just an ebb tide. Nothing else.

He tilted his head back, closing his eyes, listening to the ocean’s roar. But when he opened them again, a faint row of light touched the horizon. The sun began to rise, rays stretching across the water in a shimmering path of orange.

Micah drew his knee into his chest and hugged them loosely, watching the sunrise silently. He stayed like that until movements on the sand caught his eye. Sea creatures struggled to go back to the sea, afraid of being stranded on the beach. But a Stringery fish was left behind.

Micah frowned, pushing himself to his feet. His legs had gone numb from sitting too long, and he hissed under his breath as pins and needles pricked him. He limped awkwardly across the cool sand, avoiding the sea snails and small crabs until he reached the fish.

He stared down as its fin beat weakly against the damp ground. Even though the tide had already abandoned it, the water pulling farther and farther back, the creature didn’t jump up and down, didn’t fight, like it was resigned.

Micah’s throat constricted. "Just like me, huh? Already giving up?"

Micah’s eyes filled with sorrow for a second before he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling he had lost it, comparing himself to a fish.

He let out a loud sigh. He needed to help the fish go back to the sea instead of feeling melancholy.

Wait... could he even touch it safely? What if it were poisonous? He slapped his forehead. He scanned the beach. He had no towels, no driftwood, nothing to use. He looked down at himself and took off his shirt in the end.

He was ready to lean down from behind the fish, avoiding its tail, when large hands grabbed him from behind, and he was pulled back, stumbling a step.

"Hey..." his words were caught off the moment he twisted his head. His eyes widened.

A familiar face stood there, close enough to see in the faint morning light. Someone he had never expected to find in this place.

"Why...why are you here?" Micah whispered, his breath caught.