I’m keeping a record of my life now.

This journal is to keep my mind and memories in check, as the line between the two worlds I live in is starting to blur.

It’s been four months since I killed Deakins and released the virus into the game.

The mark has left my body, but I’m still able to stay logged in to Alterlife without the six-hour time constraint.

My wife showed concern at first. Not only about how much time I spend in the game, but also about the virus; worried that it might return.

I ease her mind and remind her that the last-known case was over three months ago.

It seems as though it’s been eradicated.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

I tell her not to worry because I’m making money hand over fist.

The Black Knights are flourishing, I’m the most powerful man in Alterlife, and nothing can stop Ace now.

But it’s just an act. A mirror that I put up for the world to see, hiding the man that stands behind it.

I’m different than I used to be. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but something about me has changed.

I also know that something has changed in Alterlife. I can feel it. And even though the virus has been dormant, I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen.

It’s not just the players I talk to and the forums I read.

It’s more personal than that.

Something inside of me knows I’m to blame for unleashing the virus, and there’s something, or someone, out there in the world that is seeking justice for what I’ve done.

Each day I can feel it drawing closer.

And every once in awhile, mostly on a quiet night or in the still of morning, the Amulet glows warm against my chest.