Harold Jenkins sat alone in his dimly lit living room, huddled over his computer. The soft glow from the screen cast an eerie shadow on his face, highlighting his deeply sunken eyes and unkempt beard. He was a man of average height and build, but his appearance was far from ordinary. His face was marred with scars and blemishes, and his crooked teeth only added to his sense of self-consciousness.
In his sleep, however, Harold experienced a remarkable transformation. He possessed a second body—a magnificent dragon named Ignatius. While Harold slumbered, his consciousness seamlessly transitioned into this powerful creature, granting him a newfound sense of confidence and freedom. It was through Ignatius that Harold found solace, a place where he could escape the harsh realities of his everyday life.
Tonight, Harold, as Ignatius, was live streaming one of his songwriting sessions. With his small dragon body perched on a cushioned stool, he projected an air of confidence and charisma. His fans adored Ignatius, flocking to his streams for entertainment and a glimpse into his fantastical world. To conceal his true identity, Harold had created a virtual model of a dragon-mixed human girl named Ignatius, who served as the persona through which he interacted with his viewers.
As the stream progressed, Harold, in his Ignatius persona, noticed a comment asking if he owned any pets. He rolled his eyes playfully, embracing the opportunity for a quick joke.
"Ah, pets," he chuckled, adjusting his virtual dragon ears. "Let me tell you, finding suitable accommodations for a dragon is no small task. It's not like we can just walk into any old apartment building!"
The scene cut to a flashback, revealing Harold's awkward encounter with an apartment clerk. He stood before her, timid and uncertain, attempting to secure a place to live.
"Hello... I would like to look at a roo-" Harold started, his voice faltering.
Before he could finish his sentence, the clerk's eyes widened in terror, and she screamed in panic.
"OH MY GOD, CALL THE ZOO! MOMMMMM, AN APE ESCAPED!"
The girl jumped out of a window and Harold approaches to see people surrounding her, they looked up to see his face and also tears their eyes out in terror and dies, mass suicide which was on the news.
The flashback faded away, bringing the focus back to the present livestream. Suddenly, a loud knock echoed through the room, jolting Harold out of his memories. Startled, he turned to see a figure standing in the doorway—an edgy teenage girl relative he had rarely interacted with before.
Lily stood before Harold, her appearance a stark contrast to the ordinary. Her wild, multi-colored hair cascaded down her back, adorned with an array of piercings that glistened under the soft glow of the room. Her eyes were accentuated with smoky eyeliner, giving her an intense and mysterious allure. She exuded an aura of nonchalance, an attitude that seemed unfazed by whatever she encountered.
"Hey, weird pet thing," she said casually, leaning against the doorframe. "My parents called, and I'm gonna be living with Harold Jenkins from now on. Is this the apartment?"
Harold's eyes widened in surprise, momentarily taken aback by Lily's appearance and her nonchalant attitude. He quickly composed himself, gesturing towards the virtual model of Ignatius on the screen.
"Um, Lily, I don't know how to tell you this," he introduced, his voice tinged with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. "I'm Harold."
Lily glanced at the livestream set up inside the room, her gaze lingering on Ignatius for a moment before shifting to Harold, who was sleeping on the couch in the corner, hidden from view. She raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "So, you're a dragon now? That's cool, I guess," she remarked with an air of indifference. "I've seen weirder things."
Harold blinked, taken aback by Lily's nonchalant response. He had anticipated shock or confusion, but her calm acceptance surprised him. "You... you're not surprised?" he stammered, unable to hide his astonishment.
Lily shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Nah, not really. I'm a vampire," she said, crossing the room and plopping down on a nearby chair. "You'd be surprised how often the supernatural creeps into everyday life. It's about time someone stirred things up around here."
Harold's heart skipped a beat as Lily casually mentioned her supernatural status as a vampire. He had always assumed his secret would be met with disbelief or fear, but here was Lily, accepting it as if it were an everyday occurrence.
As Harold processed Lily's revelation, she reached over to grab a nearby water bottle. In her nonchalant manner, she accidentally pressed the microphone button on the streaming setup, chugging down water she commented.
"I'm kinda confused tho about why you must put on a dragon virtual girl facade when you're an actually dragon irl?"
The chat exploded with a frenzy of excitement and disbelief. Harold's carefully crafted illusion shattered before his eyes. The viewers' messages flooded the screen, demanding proof, addresses, and personal information.
Panic coursed through Harold's veins as he realized the magnitude of Lily's accidental revelation. He rushed to mute the microphone, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
Lily, seemingly unaware of the chaos she had unleashed, turned to Harold, casually wiping her mouth as he scrambled to turn off the livestream but in a panic unable to figure out how.
Harold's voice quivered with a mix of fear and anger as he confronted Lily, "No, Lily, what have you done?" Desperation filled his words as he realized the gravity of the situation, his mind racing with the potential consequences.
[I'd still smash] - ReptileEnthusiast49
[Username checks out] - slipperyman
[:POG:] - napboy
[192.168.100.42 - This you, Ignitius?] - heckermen69420
[That girl voice kinda hot tho, her name's Lily?] - mommyissuehaver999
[Everyone's here on a list somewhere fr.] - RealCatGirl92
The livestream was rapidly descending into chaos. The chat became a battleground, with some fans defending Harold's privacy while others ruthlessly sought to uncover his true identity. Personal information was being shared, and threats of exposure permeated the virtual space.
Overwhelmed by the weight of it all, Harold's mind went blank. The thought of his true identity being revealed to the world was unbearable. Frustration and desperation surged within him, and he impulsively grabbed his computer, hurling it to the ground. The screen shattered, sparks flying, as he unleashed his anger, hoping to erase any trace of his digital existence.
Lily's remark cut through the tension, "Wow, you're clearly not very smart if you think that'll work. Like the guy down the street who thought Ctrl Alt Del was a dance move."
...
...
...
...
"..."
The scene did not cut nowhere
Silence filled the room as everyone was trying to processe Lily's comment. Harold, or Ignatius, turned to face Lily, his expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. The chat heard her remark and eagerly awaited the punchline.
"What? Only the audience gets to see the cutaway jokes. We've got a story to continue, people. Let's get back on track."
With that, the characters refocused their attention, leaving the cutaway joke behind and continuing with the unfolding events.
Breathing heavily, Harold's gaze shifted to the window, his eyes locked on the distant horizon. The online community he once cherished now appeared as a treacherous abyss, filled with lurking dangers. The camera panned out, revealing a dimly lit room located in an unknown corner of the world. The walls were adorned with countless pictures of Ignatius, forming a shrine of obsession. In the far corner, a solitary figure sat, their presence shrouded in malevolence, their sinister laughter echoing through the room as they persisted in their relentless pursuit to unveil the true identity of their beloved VTuber/Vocaloid idol.
