A mesh of weeks and months had passed since I first began exploring this new virtual reality world, traversing it as if I was personally exploring a new city or vast forest back on Earth. It was fleshed out to an incredible degree with no signs of artificial overlay. This was done while offering up a restriction free path which any Traveler or adventurer might seek to pursue.
It was surprising that the only things which stood in the way of choice, was the natural law of cause and effect amid civilization and the wilds.
The creators of this virtual reality had really outdone themselves!
They were able to implement a 3 to 1 time dilation ratio, for prolonged enjoyment of its participants. This gave me 3 hours within the virtual word in the time it took a single hour to pass in reality. It was both practical as there was much to explore and fantastic for those who sought a prolonged escape from reality and responsibilities amid their life.
Within the virtual realm itself, we who participated were labeled with the moniker Travelers. It distinguished us as outworlders who were not native-born residents to this realm.
It was quite an immersive experience and a new flavor on interactive platforms. Depending on several factors including prior exposure, current held cultural or religious beliefs, and a myriad of other things among the native populous, we were welcomed or distained with various levels of hospitality and hostility throughout our adventures.
Almost unanimously by the residents, we were attributed as being socially awkward and bizarre. Such had stemmed by the many Travelers who had thought to treat this like the many games they had played before. They had been rather severely disillusioned from their expectations after the initial culture shock.
This was not a game in the sense that level-ups, attribute points, and character screens were included. Even before participation, it was clearly written that this was a grand research project focusing on evaluating the effects of virtual reality in the treatment of mental and behavioral health.
Despite the lacking stereotypical game mechanics, some things reminiscent of such remained. We were all granted a choice of a single avatar from among a plethora of known and newly designed fantasy creatures. Elves, dwarves, goblins, fairies, demons, and mermaids were just the tip of the iceberg.
I had heard of some individuals who had spent more than a day going through the available choices and their accompanying perks and weaknesses, as they were allowed to create a hybrid of two different compatible species.
My personal choice was a bit unorthodox as I had bothered to read more into the introductory material before starting. Paraphrasing what I learned, it stated: Only if we requested it, a unique personalized avatar could be earned, at the very start.
The details of or possible perks to be gained from this unique avatar were not prevalently discussed. I later saw a few outliers on social media who sought to make guesses at what was needed to ‘earn’ that character template, however, few appeared to pursue that avenue of discussion as there was so much more to take up their time and attention. I wondered if was also because almost no one ever succeeded in actually obtaining it.
Something interesting to note which I read in the preparatory literature, was that all participants were only allowed to trash their first character once, in order to get a replacement. Additionally, just as it was before, their origin destination would be random. If they did not like what they got the second time, then tough luck. The unique character template however, would not be available the second time.
To this day, I still didn’t fully understand what test had transpired which allowed me to earn the unique avatar I now had. The memory I retained of that moment however, was very precious to me.
In the character creation room, once I had donned the appearance of, and been transformed into my avatar, I certainly had no immediate complaints.
Looking at myself in the provided mirror, I had drunk in this new character or representation of myself.
There were still many defining physical features which allowed my real identity to shine through. Of the differences I noticed, the most remarkable to me was the change in my eyes. They still retained their original heterochromia gene with one fully green iris and the other being blue.
Ironically, I used to think that such a thing would result in a lot of people asking me about it. However, few people even noticed or cared to look that deeply to see the difference.
The newest change, only for those who truly cared to look close enough, would likely elicit far more interest. It was truly something innately special and awe inspiring!
Black and silver specks, seemingly like dark stars the size of tiny pinpoints lay scattered across my irises. It was like perpetually staring into the starlit abyss of the night sky and witnessing what felt like a hidden spacial storm staring back at me. I felt an odd mix of excitement, calm, and confidence settle within.
That was a new me!
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Something stirred deep within. I paused to reflect on how my real-life ability could sometimes feel like a storm raging inside. In that moment of recollection, I shuddered at the sudden rush of warmth and chills which cascaded through me, reinforcing the integrity of this new identity. My reticence of exploring this new virtual world had already begun to fade. Instead, renewed determination to live up to what my eyes promised and to emulate what I had seen was imprinted upon my very soul.
These eyes, both familiar and foreign, looked potently dangerous. . ., and yet mystically enchanting.
My view had unwillingly been drawn away from the mesmerizing eyes and then landed on the ears. There was a slight point to them as if there were some, but not full blood fey or elf in this avatar. The blonde hair looked pretty much the same with its short waves and gentle curls. The young face, however, was slightly more chiseled than my own, despite the youthful suppleness.
I saw that there wasn’t a trace of facial hair which had left me wondering if I’d ever need to shave at some point, or if my facial hair just hadn’t grown in yet.
I had then taken a step back see the whole me. The combining of the many features and little tweaks compounded into an effect to be entirely different from before.
There was a sense of intense confidence and yet serene gentleness that I had felt lacking in my own bearing. It seemed to portray a willingness and eagerness to walk through fire or some such extreme adversity, to challenge the world and all it had to throw against me. And yet, it also hinted at having a loving and kind nature which could heal and ease the burden of others.
It was something that I had yearned for myself to be more like, especially when ensorcelled and wreathed about by a rush of warmth and chills from my ability. I felt if only I were given the chance to prove myself in the right circumstances, then this is who I could truly become.
My eyes had glistened with suppressed emotion at the thought of starting anew with this version of me. I had to shake my head to clear my thoughts and recall another important detail regarding this new world.
As a prospective healer or apothecary which I planned to pursue in order to advance my real-life goal, I was somewhat excited yet disillusioned by one of the few other rules or mechanics of this place.
In addition to the avatar creation, the only other noteworthy game-like aspect included, was the inability to die permanently. I had learned that upon death, our avatars would lose everything on their person and return to reality. We would then have to suffer a 48-hour real-time lock out period before we could return with a reconstructed avatar. Due to the time dilation ratio, 6 days would have passed in the virtual reality before we could ‘re-spawn’ in our basic adventuring apparel with only our learned skills at hand.
I wondered how much that might disrupt or set back my development, if in the process of procuring a rare herb or material in the wild, I got wiped out by some creature, opportunistic Traveler, or native inhabitant.
As described in the literature, our resurrection point was a several meters tall black pillar. These pillars were usually placed in a high traffic part of the cities in which we arrived. Those who first arrived, were automatically bound to that city or town. Interestingly, until we make voluntary physical contact with the pillar, we wouldn’t understand the local spoken dialect. There were other perks associated with the pillar such as once a day healing and the ability to bind ourselves to a new spawn location.
I learned later, that something it didn’t provide, was literacy.
My master, who took me in shortly after arrival, had to seek other exorbitant means to grant me that skill.
Despite her occasionally stern demeanor and inclination to being a vicious prankster, all in the name of training, my master Victoria really was compassionate. It probably didn’t hurt that I was the first Traveler to arrive at that particular city and arrived in tow with the single man in the entire city whom she had an unrequited crush on. Maybe my appearance as a young teenager also helped?
Thinking back on city councilman Monroe’s reticence and my master’s overly friendly interactions, my youthful appearance likely had little to do with her taking me on as a probationary apprentice.
.
.
.
While my avatar may appear youthful and adorable to some in that virtual-reality. In reality-reality, I was a bit different.
I was a fairly introverted 22-year-old male resident of Saint Louis Missouri, in the USA. Standing at about 5 feet 10 inches in height with dirty blonde hair, I tended to sport a short-trimmed beard and a somewhat lean body. I was an avid swimmer who had already been actively engaged in a lot of outdoor swimming despite the chill water of late spring. As a result, I had a bit of a tan as I had just completed the latest spring semester of college.
To the general public, I was simply a guy employed at a nursing home, working his way through college as an offshoot pharmacist. My few work friends pegged me as an odd reclusive bachelor. I rarely joined in on social events outside of work, and had long since ghosted my gaming friends from years ago. My love life was non-existent, and I even somewhat proudly continued holding onto my virgin card, albeit by personal choice, not from lack of opportunity. . . At least that is what I kept telling myself and others.
Apparently, with me being a dark and broody aspiring medical student with a traumatic past, I was considered to be quite the catch by some women. Yet I never allowed things to progress far enough to fully satisfy their and my cravings. They were left sexually frustrated as I refused to go beyond a certain point, and I was left emotionally unfulfilled at the seemingly lack of depth to their thoughts and emotions.
I will admit to being pleasantly surprised on rare occasion by finding a few unique outliers. Unfortunately, my near singular drive in finding a cure for my sister’s disease tended to sour the budding relationship. . .
To my family and parents who still lived, I was a black sheep who took the illness and subsequent fallout of his sister too hard and ran away from reality and home.
Despite my introverted nature and comfort in being alone, I still yearned to connect on a deeper level with others. Other than my rare interactions with the opposite sex, I would also answer an occasional call from a concerned relative or parent to reaffirm that yes, I was alive and healthy, as well as to engage in exchanging mostly hollow feeling pleasantries. I sometimes dreamed of having a similarly aged and conscious sibling who I might be able to bounce thoughts and ideas off of, even as we pursued our own paths in life.
It all just felt too shallow to me. Why was no one else seemingly affected as deeply as me in the aftermath of that fateful trip to Hawaii? A part of me suspected that my parents too, still suffered and simply kept it hidden, just as I tried to do. . .
All this depressive gloom however, took a far back seat to the roller-coaster experience I had in this new virtual reality.