Theo's eyes snap open wide, as a flood of static fills his head and a migraine sets in. He blinks, trying to shake off the feeling of disorientation. A rhythmic throb pulsing in time with a faint hum at the edge of his thoughts.
It was dark.
No– not dark. Just a dull gray.
That single observation cut through the haze in his mind. The darkness was absolute, all consuming, everywhere and everything. A muted emptiness stretching endlessly in every direction.
Theo exhaled, trying to focus his mind. He reached for a memory– any memory– but his thoughts were sluggish and tangled, slipping through his grasp like sand.
He tried to flex his fingers.
They responded instantly. Too instant.
In this haze and darkness, where time, direction, and memories were hard to possess, why was it so easy to move? No stiffness, no strange feelings. It felt as though it was his, but not at the same time.
A cold shiver ran down his spine
"Where am I?" The question rose in his mind before he could stop in, echoing as if spoken aloud.
And, just as the silence was becoming deafening, a soft chime sounded, gentle yet absolute–
[Welcome to Elderspire (can change) Online].
LEAVE SPACE HERE FOR FUNNY END CHAPTER BUT NOT END CHAPTER
Theo flinched as the glowing words materialized before him, hovering the empty abyss. The letters pulsing and putting off an enthusiastic neon light.
"A system message?"
The thought came naturally, accompanied by a rush of information pouring into his head, a metaphorical flood. Game Mechanics. Controls.
Elderspire! The knowledge settled into his thoughts as if it was natural and his earlier lapse in memory was just that, a lapse.
He knew Elderspire Online.
It was a game; he had played it before. Hadn't he?
Theo's stomach twisted, though he couldn't explain why. He grasped at his memories again– his name, his past, his friends, his family– it was all there and yet, something was missing.
Just as he was really thinking about it and trying to figure it out, the void shattered, like fragile glass.
The gray emptiness lurched from beneath him as light and sound and the game world crashed into existence all at once.
Then– impact.
Theo lands on solid ground knees buckling as he re-acustoms himself to gravity and the natural rules of the world.
Suddenly, he absorbs it all, the scent of the damp earth, the weight of clothing on his skin, the distant chatter of voices.
For a moment he just breathed and let the fresh air fill his lungs as though it were a brisk spring morning.
Then the voice ran out again– loud, clear, and absolute.
[Global System Message: Elderspire Online is now live! Welcome, adventurers, to your world of limitless opportunities]
Theo barely responded as the announcement faded, replaced by the excited murmur of countless voices in the crowds.
Around him, the once empty space now teemed with life– players blinking in confusion, some stretching, others laughing, and some already rearing for action. Some joked about the immersion, others tested out their HUD, while a few immediately started forming parties and adding friends.
Theo remained still.
His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, feeling the texture of his glove and the squeeze of leather. He shifted his weight from one foo to another, the damp ground slightly giving way. The scents of pine and earth lingering, a cool breeze, and in the distance the sound of… water rushing? A river, perhaps?
It was all too real.
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm the unease coiling in his gut. There was no reason to panic. This was an MMORPG, right? Elderspire Online. Realism is part of it all. He had logged in just like everyone else.
____________________________________________________________________________
He had been in his apartment– lights dim, holo–screen softly glowing in the darkness. The brand new Neural Dive Gear resting snugly over his head. A sleek cutting edge device designed for supposed full immersion in the brand new game Elderspire Online.
There was a rush of excitement as he settled in for the night.
He'd been waiting for this game for years. Pre-orders had been a nightmare, but he was able to secure one of the early access slots to gain access even a few hours earlier than most everyone else.
He had put the headset on, reclined in his chair, and initiated the dive.
| [Connecting to Elderspire Online…]
| [Logging in…]
A moment of floating darkness. A familiar transition.
Then– arrival.
The memory was crisp, clean, and perfectly in place.
So why did his stomach feel so uneasy
____________________________________________________________________________
Theo shakes his head, pushing away the strange feelings. No need to overthink things right now. He was here, the game had launched. It was time to put all that preparation and research to good use. This is what he had been waiting for.
He took a step back, watching other players logging in and adjusting to the system. Some testing basic combat mechanics with swords, axes, etcetera. Others are looking into the trading and economic aspects of the game.
A few outliers catching his eye:
A lone player, hiding amongst the shadows of the crowds, darting around suspiciously
A group of four, already having formed a party, talking in hushed but urgent tones.
A player struggling when accessing his menu, his expression twisting from confusion to concern.
Theo filed away these details, already instinctively mapping the social and physical landscapes. It was a habit, one he wasn't sure where he started. As he was analysing his surroundings, another notification flashed in his vision, but unlike the global system message, this one seemed… different.
| [Log Updated]
| - Recent Activity: New User Initialized
| - Assigned Permissions: Restricted
| - Status: Active
Theo frowned.
The message hovered for a fraction of a second before blinking out of existence, vanishing before he could focus on it.
A system notification? No– those usually had a more polished UI. This was… different.
It didn't look like a standard player prompt, nor did it resemble any other notifications he had seen so far. And the phrasing– New User Initialized? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Theo reached out, almost instinctively, to try and bring it back up. But it was gone, no lingering icon, no history log. It was as if it had never been there in the first place.
His stomach twisted again, but before he could dwell on it, the noise of the world pulled him back in.