The gameplay was normal at first, though the atmosphere was heavy. There were no ambient sound effects of bustling courts or marching armies, only the sound of a slow, rhythmic drumbeat that seemed to sync perfectly with Victor's own heart.

The lights in Victor's apartment cut out. In the pitch black, the only thing visible was the green light of the webcam, and the sound of his bedroom door slowly clicking open.

On the monitor, the map of Hungary began to change. The names of the counties were shifting. They were no longer historical names. One by one, they were changing to the names of people Victor knew. His mother. His best friend. His professor.

Victor pushed his chair back, his heart racing. He reached for the power cable of his PC, but stopped when his phone buzzed on the desk. It was a notification from his banking app. A deposit had been made. It wasn't money. It was a notification of a data transfer.