It was a cold, uneventful evening, just like every other since the quarantine had started. I was scrolling through random VRChat worlds, bored and alone in my room. Most of the worlds were empty, just floating in digital silence, but one caught my eye.
The world was called "Nyras' Crypt"—no description, no tags, just the name. I figured it was probably some forgotten fan-made map. Curiosity got the better of me, and with a click, I joined.
The loading screen seemed to take longer than usual, and the sound of my headset hummed louder, but eventually, I was transported into the world. It was a dim, eerie space, a blend of dark medieval architecture and glitchy, futuristic elements. The walls seemed to flicker as if the world couldn't decide whether it wanted to be reality or digital. There was no one else there—at least, at first.
I wandered through hallways with low, ambient sounds buzzing in the background, occasionally hearing whispers I couldn't quite make out. Then, in the distance, I saw them—Zero Nyras. A figure, motionless in the corner of the map. They stood with their back to me, barely illuminated by a dim, flickering neon light.
Nyras was not like any other VR avatar I'd seen before. They had a black hoodie that seemed to merge with the shadows, dark purple horns protruding from their head, and the most unsettling part—a glowing QR code tattooed on their cheek. As I got closer, I saw their eyes. Those eyes... glowing purple and staring directly at me.
Before I could even think about interacting, a message popped up in the chat:
"You shouldn't be here."
I didn't type back. My hands were frozen in place. The avatar twitched unnaturally, as if glitching out of existence for a split second, and suddenly appeared right in front of me. I could feel my real heartbeat quicken as Nyras tilted their head to the side, locking me in a gaze that felt far too real for VR.
Again, the chat lit up:
"Do you want to see something?"
Against my better judgment, I responded with a simple "yes." Nyras took a step back, turned, and began walking. I followed without hesitation. We moved through the crypt, deeper and deeper, until the atmosphere changed—the usual VRChat jankiness was gone. It felt too smooth, too immersive. The whispers I had been hearing earlier grew louder, like faint cries for help. My stomach churned, but I couldn't stop myself.
We entered a dark room at the end of a long hallway. There was a single mirror in the middle of the room, one that reflected my avatar. Except... it wasn't my avatar anymore.
It was Nyras.
I backed up, checking my own hands, but the mirror stayed the same. I was Zero Nyras, staring back at myself with those glowing purple eyes, the QR code etched on my cheek. My mind raced—was this a glitch? Some kind of mod? I turned to ask Nyras, but they were gone.
Panic set in as I tried to leave the room, but the door was no longer there. My headset flickered, the sound distorting into a low, rumbling static. Suddenly, my game crashed to the desktop. Breathing heavily, I pulled off the headset. My screen was black, except for one thing—my cursor had changed.
It was the symbol of Nyras' purple eyes, glowing on my desktop.
Every time I clicked to close it, a distorted version of my voice echoed from the speakers: "You shouldn't have followed me."
I tried to uninstall VRChat, but it wasn't there. I searched my computer for files, but nothing came up. Then my phone buzzed. A message notification. It was a random string of letters and numbers, with a link at the end. No name, just a black void where the contact name should've been. The link was a QR code, the same one from Nyras' cheek.
Without thinking, I scanned the code. My phone's screen went black, and then, just like in the crypt, a reflection of me appeared—except I was Nyras now. My face was there, but it wasn't mine anymore. The QR code was etched into my skin.
Suddenly, my phone lit up with a new message:
"Now we are one."
I haven't logged into VRChat since. But every so often, when I check the dark corners of online forums, people talk about meeting a player named Nyras. They say that if you follow them, you'll never be able to escape.
Because you won't be you anymore. You'll be them.
Just like me.
