Aaron's jabs against the beat-up punching bag echoed through the worn-down gym. As he brawled against the hanging target, sweat dripped from his messy, charcoal hair, falling onto his temples and streaming down to his chin. As the droplets ran through his sharp features, they narrowly avoided piercing green eyes, which stared daggers into the punching bag. Further intensifying his flurry of attacks, Aaron's knuckles started to bleed through the torn fabric of his hand wraps, reminding him why he pushed himself to such an extent. Aaron was no professional fighter, nor had he any grudges to settle, but he simply wasn't sure what else was worth his time and effort.

You see, Aaron was just a dude bored of this mundane reality, a concept most around him failed to grasp as they went about their lives. Going to parties, drinking alcohol, working on their careers, and following paths that fit into society, they didn't really share his sentiment. While they sometimes said life was shit, they still got up every day and worked towards some long-term goal that would help them feel fulfilled and satisfied by the time they retired. But Aaron couldn't bring himself to feel a purpose towards anything in this ordinary reality. Because the main difference between Aaron and the average joe was an insatiable craving for something beyond what reality could offer. While most never even stopped to consider the possibility, Aaron could barely escape the concept, constantly wondering what kind of things he could do in a world without limits. He spun these thoughts through his mind as he unleashed on the bag, further damaging his fists.

Finally exhausted, Aaron delivered a powerful punch before sinking to the floor with a satisfied grunt. He leaned his bare back against the cool wall and felt a refreshing chill rush up his spine, the contrasting cold against his boiling body relaxing his muscles. Closing his eyes, Aaron nearly fell asleep before he was abruptly interrupted by a loud chime next to him. Lazily turning towards the disturbance, Aaron squinted at his phone's bright screen, which continued to light up as a stream of messages rushed in, chiming and buzzing, much to Aaron's annoyance. He picked up the device and found the perpetrator to be none other than one of his numerous housemates. At least it was one of the good ones.

Not bothering to read the messages, Aaron called his friend to see what the hell required such a flurry of notifications.

The call quickly connected, followed by his friend's excited voice. "Oh! hey Aaron, are you coming then? The new expansion looks awesome. Alice and I are dying to check it out".

"Eh?" Aaron was taken aback by his friend's eagerness, unsure of what he was going on about.

Excitement washed off his friend's tone, suddenly replaced by familiar frustration. "You haven't read my messages, have you? Why do I even bother if you never read them anyways?"

"I ask myself the same question every time, Rio," Aaron replied nonchalantly.

His friend let out an exasperated breath. "I guess I should be used to it by now. Look, man, you probably haven't noticed, but it's the 31st of December today, and in case you didn't know, that means it's New Year's eve. Everybody else has gone out to party, and it's just me and Alice left in the house. We wondered if you wanted to check out the new expansion that just dropped today."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "New Year's eve is just another day of the year, I'm feeling pretty tired after my workout anyways, so I think I'll take an early night."

Rio laughed. "You do you mate. The expansion can wait till tomorrow. Take it easy."

Still sitting against the cool wall, Aaron slowly removed his hand wraps and looked at his wounded knuckles. Seeing the blood brought a smile to his face, as he considered it a sign of hard work.

He stood up and walked through the empty gym towards the changing rooms. At first, he'd been surprised at the lack of people training, but now that he realized it was New Year's eve, things started to make more sense. If Aaron had to be completely honest, he preferred it this way. It was like he had his own personal gym.

Dismissing the thought, Aaron took off his sweaty training clothes and hopped into the shower. Twenty minutes later, he was clean and dressed in fresh clothes.

Stepping outside onto London's cold, windy streets, Aaron took a deep breath of polluted air. He liked living in the city. Whenever he needed something, it was usually a short walk away; when it wasn't, Aaron could always take the tube. Another thing to like about this city, in particular, was a certain individual that would often come to say hello before or after Aaron's gym sessions. Looking around, he quickly found his friend.

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Dressed in warm orange and snow-white fur, a small fox scurried underneath a parked van, watching Aaron from a distance. Elegantly, it got closer until it was only a couple meters away.

Smiling at it, Aaron pulled out a pack of honey-roasted ham and carefully left a few slices on the floor. "I heard it's New Year's eve. You can have a bit more than usual to celebrate, buddy." Aaron watched happily as the fox moved towards the ham and started to eat. "I'd invite you to have dinner with me inside, but I don't think it's your type of thing." Smirking at the creature, which didn't seem to be paying much attention, Aaron turned, leaving it to eat in peace.

He quickly reached the house, pulling out his keys to open the door. With a click, the lock turned, and Aaron stepped in, instantly assaulted by flashing lights from every direction. Somehow he'd managed to forget that some of his housemates had gone crazy decorating the place for Christmas, to the point where it now looked like a candy cane factory. At least it made the old house feel less depressing.

Plain and unassuming, it sat in a dingy, unremarkable neighborhood in central London. Its five floors were a testament to a bygone era, but now the structure showed signs of neglect and decay. The basement, previously a storage space, had recently been converted into living quarters, allowing Rio, Alice, and Aaron to move in a couple years ago.

The house's ground floor was a functional space, with a basic kitchen absent of warmth or character. The cabinets and countertops were plain and practical, and the appliances were useful but uninspired. The living room was similarly bare, with basic furniture and a rarely used fireplace.

Moving up to the first floor, one was greeted by a shared bathroom and three bedrooms, much like the basement. Each room had plain wallpaper and basic furnishings. The windows were standard issue and offered no view of interest.

The second and third floors were mirror images of the first, with three bedrooms and an equally boring and stale shared bathroom.

Glad that all the delinquents living above the ground floor had gone out to party, Aaron headed down to his room for a peaceful rest. He barely picked up on Alice's and Rio's conversation as he walked by their doors. They seemed to be playing that shooter game they had picked up when Aaron started working out, as the two of them refused to progress in their other games without him.

Stepping into his bedroom, Aaron spotted the time on the clock, 19:45. Holy shit, it's early, he thought to himself. Shrugging his shoulders, he put down his gym bag before pulling out a packet of almonds and a protein bar from one of his wooden desk drawers.

Sitting on his bed and snacking, Aaron glanced around the room. Its ebony furniture and stark white walls offered no comfort or solace. The bed was a low platform model with a dark frame that seemed to loom over the space, creating a sense of oppression. Up against the corner, the dresser was equally uninviting, its black surface reflecting the room's emptiness.

The white walls were unadorned and offered no distraction from the somber furniture, amplifying the feeling of emptiness and loneliness. The only other touches of color came from the naked lightbulb's harsh glare, which hung curtly from the ceiling, casting a cold and merciless glow on the room.

Overall, the room was a sad and lonely space focused on stark lines and a neutral color palette. The absence of decorations or personal touches gave the room a desolate and cold quality, making it feel like a prison cell rather than a place to call home. Despite all this, Aaron had never made an effort to liven the place up, nor had the desire to do so.

Finishing his snack, he quickly cleaned up and headed into the bathroom, promptly brushing his teeth before slipping into bed. Laying on the hard mattress, Aaron stared at the blank ceiling, allowing his mind to roam free. Fantasies he knew would never come to pass came alive inside his head, bringing a bittersweet feeling. Like a taunt from the sky above, he'd been blessed with the ability to dream far and beyond but been cursed to be too weak to ever make those dreams a reality.

It was a childish thought. He knew this. But Aaron simply couldn't let go. Reality started to fuzz as he allowed his mind to drift, falling into slumber.

Unsure how long he'd been asleep, Aaron suddenly jolted awake, roused by loud banging against his door. The sudden commotion made him feel sick, but he stood up and threw on a robe before heading for the door. Slowly opening it ajar, he peeked through to find Alice and Rio waiting. Aaron struggled to keep his eyes open as he addressed them. "Morning?"

Rio spoke hurriedly, his Colombian accent more prominent than usual. "Sorry to wake you, man. There's something going on that you need to see."

Following them, he was led into the Living Room, where the TV was lit, displaying a single line of text in front of a black background. "Please gather your families for an important announcement in 01:06 minutes."

Aaron yawned. "Is this it? You could have just watched the announcement and told me what it said later."

Alice was leaning against the window, looking at the sky outside. "Unfortunately, I don't think it will be a basic announcement about electricity prices. Take a look at this."

Following her suggestion, Aaron walked up next to her to take a peek outside. Following her gaze, he looked at the sky, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You've got to be shitting me. There's no way that's from the fireworks show. What the fuck is going on?"

Rio was also stuck to the window, gaze lingering on the sky as he spoke. "We're almost as clueless as you are. Five minutes ago, we sat down to watch the fireworks show, and suddenly, a bunch of flashing went off outside. We went to look, and the sky slowly shifted from just a black canvas into whatever the fuck this is."

Returning his attention to the sky, Aaron stopped for a moment to take it all in. It was magical. A plethora of colors splashed all over the place, defying the concept of space as he knew it. How could there be so much color in such an empty place? The whole reason space was dark wasn't due to a lack of light but rather a lack of surfaces for that light to bounce off. But this was simply marvelous. There was no order or structure to any of it. It was almost as if a 5-year-old had covered themselves in paint and rolled on a humongous piece of paper. What did it mean? Awe and disbelief were slowly starting to turn to excitement. Turning back toward the room, he couldn't help but notice his friend's nervous glances. Yet rather than nerves, Aaron had butterflies in his stomach. Looking at the TV, he eagerly waited for the last couple of seconds left on the countdown.