A webcam light on top of the monitor flickered to life, glowing a blood-red color instead of its usual green. On the screen, a pixelated, live feed of Alex’s own room appeared. But standing directly behind Alex’s chair in the video was a tall figure in custom tailored robes, wearing a grinning, skeletal Pope mask.

Alex didn't hesitate. With shaking hands, Alex pulled out a credit card, navigated to the band's official webstore, and bought the digital deluxe edition of Impera .

Driven by impatience, Alex opened a browser tab and typed the fateful words into a search engine: 🌀 The Descent

The torrent client sprang to life. The download completed in a blinding, impossible fraction of a second.

The second the purchase confirmation hit Alex's email, the red webcam light turned off. The screaming computer fans went silent. The gothic window vanished, replaced by a simple, clean folder containing the actual, high-quality audio tracks Alex had just purchased.

Alex spun around in terror. The space behind the chair was completely empty. 💽 The Cost of the Music

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