"The Dark Lord has no need for thieves," a voice rasped from the speakers, cold and uncomfortably clear.

The game began without his input. Waves of tiny, glowing paladins began marching down his actual street on the screen. Panic set in as he looked out his real bedroom window; the streetlights outside were flickering in the exact rhythm of the game’s soundtrack.

The code pulsed green on the monitor—a jagged, unofficial download link for . For a seasoned gamer like Luca, the Cyrillic characters in the title and the strange, glitched font were warning signs, but the lure of playing the latest installment for free was too strong. He clicked "Descărca."