Part 11
I haven't opened Discord in two days.
Two full days.
No pings. No chaos. No "Server."
It's… quiet.
Too quiet.
At first, it felt good. I slept. I ate. I even went outside again. The sun still exists, apparently.
But something feels off.
Like I forgot something important.
Or something is waiting.
I sit there, staring at my phone.
The Discord icon is just… there.
Normal.
Harmless.
Lying.
I tell myself I don't need to open it.
I shouldn't open it.
So why is my finger moving?
Why am I unlocking my phone?
Why am I tapping the app?
No.
Stop.
But it's too late.
Discord opens.
The server loads.
Everything looks normal.
Of course it does.
General chat is active.
Memes are being spammed.
Someone is asking, "can I be mod?"
Some things never change.
I scroll slowly.
Carefully.
Nothing weird.
No strange channels.
No glitching.
No "Server."
I almost relax.
Then I notice it.
At the top of the screen.
A new tab.
I've never seen it before.
"Control Panel"
My heart starts pounding.
I don't remember having this.
I tap it.
A list appears.
Names.
Every member in the server.
Next to each name…
Buttons.
Mute
Kick
Ban
But there's more.
Options I've never seen before.
"Silence"
"Erase"
"Reset"
I scroll further.
At the bottom…
My name.
The same options.
Including one more.
"Transfer"
I don't understand.
I don't want to understand.
A message appears.
Not in chat.
On my screen.
From "Server."
"you left"
I freeze.
Another message:
"don't do that again"
My hand shakes.
I try to close the app.
It doesn't close.
Of course it doesn't.
Then one final message appears:
"your turn to manage"
The control panel glows slightly.
Waiting.
For me.
I look at the names.
People laughing.
Arguing.
Spamming.
Completely unaware.
Just like I was.
I take a deep breath.
Hover over the buttons.
And whisper:
"…what happens if I press one?"
Because deep down…
I already know.
I'm not escaping this.
I'm just…
Running it now.