A cold, hard knot of disbelief tightened in Jerry's stomach, coiling like a serpent. The video call was silent, a vast, echoing void broken only by the low hum of his computer and the frantic, chaotic drumming in his own ears. He stared at the picture of his online crush, so eagerly awaited, the pixelated image now burning a hole in his screen, a brand of betrayal searing itself into his memory.

The face staring back at him was one he knew intimately, a collection of features he had memorized and despised in equal measure. He'd seen it on social media profiles, the smug, knowing smirk accompanying a savage takedown of another artist's work. He'd seen it in the blurred screenshots of online arguments, the sharp angles of the chin and the calculating glint in the eye a constant reminder of his verbal beatdowns. It was the same face he had seen on fliers for local comic cons, a face that belonged to his artistic nemesis, his rival, his enemy: the infuriatingly talented and sharp-tongued critic from the Northwest Comix Collective.

"WAIT YOU'RE...?!" The words had escaped him in a desperate, breathy gasp, the realization hitting him like a mace to the head. It wasn't just a sudden, jarring revelation; it was an explosive detonation, shattering the reality he had carefully constructed over the past few weeks. The witty, creative, and amazing DM he had been gushing about to his friends, the person who had made their weekly sessions the highlight of his life, was the same person who had torn his webcomic, 'Wizards & Whimsy', to shreds just last week. The betrayal stung, deep and sharp, an invisible wound that ached with a unique, humiliating pain.

How could he have been so blind? He replayed their conversations in his mind, every flirtatious banter, every clever in-joke, every shared passion for intricate storytelling and character development. It had all felt so real, so genuine. He remembered the thrill of her laughter echoing through his headphones, the way she would subtly challenge his ideas and push him to be a better storyteller. All of it—the connection, the excitement, the burgeoning feelings—was with her. The rival. The enemy.