The city of Dasmariñas, a sprawling concrete jungle baked by the relentless Philippine sun, was Tristan Herrera's world.
At fourteen, he was a testament to its humid embrace: five feet, five inches of wiry frame, topped with a mop of short, obsidian hair and eyes that held a fire only he truly understood.
That fire wasn't for school, though his grades were decent enough, nor for the video games his friends obsessed over. It was for a spherical, orange ball and the hardwood court where dreams were born and, more often than not, died.
His dream was simple, yet impossibly vast: to be a professional basketball player. Not just a local hero, but a star, one of the greats, his name echoing in the same breath as James, Bryant, and Jordan. It was a ludicrous ambition for a boy from Cavite, especially one who, despite his best efforts, was often relegated to the sidelines or the end of the bench during pickup games. His passion was a supernova, but his talent was, to be generous, a faint glimmer.
He'd spent the entire afternoon at the barangay court, his worn-out sneakers squeaking against the chipped cement as he practiced his free throws. Swish. He'd made one. His heart swelled. Clang. The next one bounced off the rim, a cruel reminder of his inconsistent touch. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He picked up the ball, dribbling it rhythmically, the sound a steady beat against the cacophony of the city. He saw his reflection in the afternoon sun—a small figure, dwarfed by the towering buildings and the endless expanse of his own ambition.
"Hoy, Tris!" A voice cut through his thoughts. It was Marco, his lanky best friend, his own dreams of basketball stardom slightly more grounded. "Don't you ever get tired?"
Tristan managed a weak smile. "Just one more shot, man. I almost got it."
"You've been saying that for an hour," Marco said, walking onto the court. He was already taller than Tristan, his frame showing the first signs of the growth spurt that had, thus far, eluded Tristan. He took the ball from Tristan's hands with an easy confidence.
"You're all passion and no practice, Tris. I told you, you gotta work on your form."
"I know, I know," Tristan mumbled, his cheeks flushing with a mix of shame and annoyance. He knew Marco was right. He practiced, but it felt like pushing a boulder up a hill—for every inch of progress, he slid back two.
Later that evening, the weight of his mediocrity settled over him. His father, a tricycle driver, worked tirelessly to put food on their table, and his mother, a laundress, had hands that were perpetually calloused.
Their sacrifices were a silent testament to their love, a love that Tristan felt he could never repay with his current skill set. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was letting them down, that his dream was a selfish indulgence.
Walking home, his mind a whirlwind of frustration and self-doubt, he passed by the town plaza. In the center, almost forgotten, was an old, moss-covered wishing well. It was a relic, a remnant of a time before the city's rapid expansion, and a place Tristan had never paid much attention to. But tonight, something drew him to it. The soft glow of the streetlights made the water shimmer, and for a moment, he felt a strange, inexplicable pull.
He reached into his pocket and found a single five-peso coin. It was all he had left from his lunch money. He held it in his palm, the cool metal a stark contrast to the heat of his skin. He closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. If I could just have the talent, he wished, his voice a silent whisper against the hum of the city. The skill. To be good enough. To make them proud.
He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and tossed the coin into the well. It made a small plink as it hit the water, the ripples spreading out in a silent wave of hope. He stood there for a moment longer, a strange mixture of foolishness and desperation washing over him. Then, he turned and walked home, the city lights blurring into streaks of color, the memory of his wish already fading into the background of his mind.
He arrived at their small, one-story house, the smell of his mother's cooking a comforting presence. He ate dinner in relative silence, the day's frustrations still a heavy weight on his shoulders. After a quick shower, he climbed into his bed, the worn-out mattress molding to his frame. The day's exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he drifted off to sleep, the images of missed shots and Marco's effortless dribbles still replaying in his mind.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he heard it. It wasn't a sound, but a voice, or perhaps more of an impression, a thought that resonated deep within his consciousness. It was cold, metallic, and devoid of any emotion, like a computer program running in the background.
Initializing system…
Tristan's eyes shot open. The room was dark, but a faint, ethereal glow illuminated the space in front of his bed. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat of terror. Was he dreaming? Was this a nightmare? He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the sensation to go away.
Initialization complete.
He opened them again. The glow was still there, but now it was a solid, three-dimensional screen, shimmering like a mirage in the middle of the air. It was a floating monitor, a transparent, holographic display. The letters on it were sharp, precise, and glowing with an impossible light.
WELCOME TO NBA 2K BASKETBALL SYSTEM
Tristan stared at the words, his mind a tangled web of confusion and disbelief. NBA 2K? He knew that game. It was a basketball video game, a fantasy world he'd only ever seen glimpses of on his friends' phones. It couldn't be real. This had to be a dream.
He pinched his arm. The sharp sting of reality was immediate. He was awake. He was in his room, in his bed, and a floating screen that looked like something out of a science fiction movie was hovering in front of him.
He reached out a trembling hand, his fingers moving hesitantly toward the screen. As his fingertips made contact, a soft, buzzing sensation ran up his arm. The screen rippled, like a stone dropped into a pond, and the text changed.
MISSION 1: FUNDAMENTAL TRAINING
Objective:
* 30 Push-ups
* 30 Sit-ups
* 30 Squats
* 30 Kilometer Run
Time Limit: 1 Day
Failure: System Deletion
Reward: 5 Points
Tristan's mouth went dry. Thirty kilometers? He could barely run a few laps around the barangay court without his lungs burning. And the time limit…one day? This was insane. The thought of the "failure" consequence, System Deletion, sent a shiver down his spine. It was a threat, a finality that made the floating screen feel less like a dream and more like a very real, very dangerous reality.
He lay back down on his bed, the covers pulled up to his chin, his eyes fixated on the glowing screen. He was still half-convinced this was a waking hallucination, a trick of the mind born from his fervent wish earlier that day. A desperate, foolish wish made on a wishing well.
He closed his eyes again, trying to go back to sleep, to escape this impossible reality. But the screen's glow penetrated his eyelids, a constant, luminous presence. He knew, with a sinking certainty, that this was not a dream. This was real. And it was waiting for him to play the game.
I have to tell someone, he thought frantically. His parents. Marco. They would know what to do. They would tell him he was crazy, that he was seeing things, and maybe then, just maybe, the screen would disappear and his life would go back to being a frustrating, yet simple, existence.
But another thought, a more terrifying and selfish one, whispered in the back of his mind. What if this is it? What if this is my chance? The chance he'd wished for. The talent he'd craved. The skill that had always seemed just out of his reach. The system promised points. What did points even do?
He didn't know, but the word itself held the promise of progress, of improvement.
He sat up again, the weight of the decision pressing down on him. The screen still floated there, a silent challenge. He was a small boy with a big dream, and now, it seemed, a system from another reality had answered his call. The sun would be rising soon, and with it, the timer on his mission would begin.
The first step was always the hardest. And his first step was going to be a thirty-kilometer run. He sighed, the sound a mix of fear and an almost thrilling, reckless hope. His life, he realized, was about to change.