Disaster struck on a Tuesday.

He tried to log in.

“Invalid private key.”

He laughed. Surely a bug.

It was not a bug.

He checked backups. None. He checked screenshots. None. He checked his notes app. A grocery list and a reminder to buy coffee filters.

Panic set in.

Years of GMs. Carefully curated follows. Mutes. All gone.

The replies were brutal but honest.

“Not your keys, not your notes.”
“Welcome to sovereignty.”
“This is why we tell you to back up.”

He generated a new keypair.

A fresh start.

He posted: “Lost my keys. New npub. GM anyway.”

The replies came faster than ever.

“GM legend.”
“Character development arc.”
“Decentralization is a harsh teacher.”

He felt strangely free.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Building in Public