"Verification complete," it read. "Enjoy your skin. We'll be taking the rest of the account—and the user—now."

Leo laughed. "Edgy," he muttered. He chose his default "Jonesy" variant, thinking it was a gimmick. He clicked confirm.

The site looked like a relic from the early internet—plain text, no flashing banners, and a single input box. "Enter Epic ID," it read. Leo hesitated. He’d heard the horror stories of accounts being wiped, but the desire for that digital status was too strong. He typed his username and clicked Generate .

Suddenly, his PC fans roared to life, screaming at a pitch he’d never heard. The screen flickered white, then black. When the monitor finally stabilized, Fortnite was already open.