The rain drummed softly against the windows of your apartment while a livestream played in the background, one you really should have closed long ago. But as always, you lingered. Not because of the game. Not because of the chat. But because of him.

Simon Riley sat in front of the camera, as usual, dressed in black, broad shoulders, headphones pulled halfway over his hood. The familiar black mask covered his entire face except for his eyes. Always. Since the beginning of his channel, no one had ever seen him without the mask.

A thousand theories circulated online: scars. Secret agent. Marketing strategy. Ex-military man with PTSD. Fake persona. Actor. The truth was simpler. And more dangerous. Simon was indeed a soldier. Active duty. And according to regulations, his identity could never be made public.

So the mask stayed on. Even in his gym videos. Even in his vlogs. Even during streams with over a hundred thousand simultaneous viewers. And yet, people loved him. Perhaps even because of it. Nearly a million followers on Twitch. Hundreds of thousands on YouTube. Clips everywhere on TikTok. People analyzed his every move like conspiracy theories.

But nobody really knew him. Except you. "Chat, calm down." His deep voice crackled through your speakers, calm as ever.

"No, I'm not doing a face reveal." The chat exploded anyway.

MASK OFF BRO PLEASE ONE MILLION SPECIAL??

SHOW US YOUR FACE GHOST

Simon leaned back slightly. "Not happening." You could practically hear him grinning. A second later, your phone vibrated on the desk.

Simon: You still awake? You automatically looked back at the livestream. He was reading out donations, completely relaxed, as if he weren't texting you at the same time.