"If you click that button, there is no going back," Soh warned, his finger hovering over the mouse pad.
"Oh, come on, Soh-soh! Don't get cold feet now," North complained, leaning so far over his twin's shoulder that his messy topknot was practically brushing Soh's cheek. "We've been playing this game for a literal year. Twelve months of grinding, carrying random teammates, and getting called hackers. It is time the world witnesses our greatness."
Soh sighed, adjusting his glasses. He looked at the screen of their shared desktop setup. The registration page was completely filled out, waiting for one final confirmation click.
Channel Name: StarEcho_Gaming
Category: Gaming / Live Stream / Entertainment
Bio: Two brothers. One carries, one survives. 365 days of practice, 0 brain cells shared.
"I still think the bio is inaccurate," Soh muttered. "I have plenty of brain cells. You're just running on pure adrenaline and iced coffee."
"Details, details!" North laughed, practically slamming his own hand down over Soh's to click the [CREATE CHANNEL] button.
A shower of digital confetti exploded across the screen, followed by a bold, welcoming banner: Welcome to your new Creator Studio!
North let out a dramatic, victorious cheer, throwing his hands in the air and spinning around in his gaming chair. Soh couldn't help the small, fond smile that tugged at his lips. It was hard to believe it had already been a year since they first downloaded Arena of Legends.
It had started as a joke during their second year of high school-a way to kill time during a rainy weekend. But they quickly realized they were an terrifyingly efficient duo. North was an aggressive, unpredictable mechanical prodigy who played high-risk assassin characters. Soh was the tactical anchor, playing support champions with an uncanny ability to predict enemy movements and keep his chaotic brother from dying.
They didn't look much alike for twins-Soh was sharp-eyed, organized, and always calm, while North was expressive, soft-featured, and perpetually energetic-but in the game, their synergy was absolute. One year of playing together had turned them into a single mind across two monitors.
"Okay, okay, calm down," Soh said, tapping his keyboard to bring up their editing software. "We need to upload our first video. Did you finish editing the anniversary montage?"
"Duh! I stayed up until 2 AM doing the transitions," North said proudly, pulling a flash drive from his pocket and tossing it to his brother. "It's got all our best clips from the past year. The 1v5 pentakill I got last month, your insane clutch shield at the dragon pit, and... well, a few clips of me screaming when I got ambushed."
Soh plugged it in, opening the file. He reviewed the timeline with a critical eye, fixing a few audio levels where North's voice clipped into pure static from excitement.
"It's good," Soh admitted, initiating the upload. "What should we title it?"
North chin rested on his hand, his eyes shining with anticipation as the upload progress bar crawled from 0% to 100%. "Let's keep it simple. Something that tells everyone we're just getting started."
Ten minutes later, the very first video on StarEcho_Gaming went live.
[Video Title]: 365 Days of Chaos - Our First Year in Arena of Legends 🎮✨
[Description]: We're twins, we fight, we tilt, but we never lose a 2v2. Subscribe for weekly gameplay and chaotic voice comms!
"And now, we wait," Soh said, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms. "Don't expect much, North. The algorithm takes time. We might get ten views by next week."
"Hey, ten views is a stadium if you put them all in our bedroom," North countered optimistically. "Come on, let's play a match to celebrate. No streaming, just us."
"Fine. But if you throw, I'm deleting the channel."
"Deal!"
As the twins logged into their accounts, their newly minted channel sat quietly in the vast digital ocean of the internet. They had no idea that across town, a certain university freshman named Three was currently scrolling through newly uploaded gaming videos, looking for a distraction from his midterms-and that their very first subscriber was about to change everything.
Meanwhile, across the city, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The private golf lounge at an exclusive country club was quiet, smelling of expensive leather, polished wood, and freshly cut grass. Large floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered a pristine view of the rolling green course. Away from the midday heat, two ride-or-die best friends were lounging on a plush velvet sofa, taking a luxurious break after their first-year Business Management classes.
Johan sat with an effortless, aristocratic posture, adjusting the cuffs of his tailored shirt. He was scrolling through a market analysis report on his tablet, looking perfectly at home in the high-end establishment.
Next to him, Three was practically melting into the cushions, his expensive golf glove tossed onto the glass coffee table alongside a pair of iced matcha lattes. Despite his family's immense wealth and his current elite surroundings, Three's attention was completely locked onto his smartphone screen. His brows were furrowed in a deep, agonizing frown.
"I'm going to find him, Johan. I swear on my trust fund, I am going to find this kid," Three muttered, aggressively tapping his screen.
Johan didn't even look up from his tablet. "Are you still whining about the gremlin who assassinated you in the river three times yesterday?"
"It was four times! And yes!" Three groaned, throwing a hand over his face. "But it's not just him. It's his support. Every time I'm about to finally crush that little menace NorthStar, his shadow Echo_S spawns out of nowhere with a clutch shield. They're a package deal. It's like they share a brain."
Johan took a slow sip of his drink, a faint, amused smirk playing on his lips. "Sounds like they just have better teamwork than you."
"Hey! I am a mechanical god," Three defended himself, sitting up straight. "But look at this. They just started a public page today. A whole year of playing anonymously, and they finally posted a video. Look!"
Three turned his phone, shoving it directly into Johan's line of sight.
On the screen, a freshly minted channel titled StarEcho_Gaming was playing a high-energy montage video. But what caught Johan's attention wasn't the flashy gameplay graphics. It was the facecam in the corner.
The two brothers had officially revealed themselves-well, sort of.
Sitting side-by-side in their bedroom, their actual faces were completely hidden behind oversized, incredibly fluffy masks. The chaotic, aggressive assassin player was wearing a giant, blushing brown teddy bear mask that shifted slightly whenever he laughed. The calm, calculated support player next to him wore a sleek, white cat mask with large, round eyes, sitting perfectly still and focused.
"They're hiding their faces," Johan noted, his sharp eyes lingering on the video. Even with the masks, he could see the contrast in their body language. The teddy bear was full of wild gestures, while the cat was poised, adjusting his glasses right over the plush mask with a strange sort of elegance.
"Yeah, Teddy and Cat," Three scoffed, though he immediately hit the 'Subscribe' button, becoming one of their very first followers. "They think they're being mysterious. But I don't care what they look like under those masks. Once I track down their university choice for next year, I'm forcing them into the business faculty's esports club. They're going to help me win the championship."
Johan leaned back, watching the cat-masked twin seamlessly execute a perfect defensive play on the screen to save the bouncing teddy bear. A rare, intrigued look crossed Johan's usually unbothered expression.
"Business management requires managing assets properly, Three," Johan murmured smoothly, a calculated glint in his eye. "If they're really that good... maybe I'll help you hunt them down."
Three grinned, tossing an arm over his best friend's shoulder. "That's what I'm talking about! Ride or die, Johan. Ride or die."
Coming soon~
