Are you ready to Create A Legend? What will you choose?
Kit stood in the centre of the sidewalk, captivated by a massive poster displaying twelve characters dressed in vibrant armour and striking combat poses. A silly grin spread across his face as he gazed at the different combat classes represented.
Despite the passing time and people pointing and snickering at him, Kit remained unfazed. His mind was already set on joining one of those classes in the virtual reality massive multiplayer online game (VRMMO), Create A Legend (CAL).
Suddenly, a voice snapped him out of his trance. "Quit standing there, you're scaring off my customers!"
Kit noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively ducked, stumbling backwards. A man in a white uniform glared angrily at him, brandishing a broom as if ready to strike again. Kit pointed at the poster above the shop, trying to explain himself. As the man turned to look, Kit took off before he could be attacked again.
Once he was a safe distance away, Kit slowed down and took a moment to glance down at his clothes. He wished he could afford something more presentable; his current attire consisted of a faded and shapeless shirt from a second-hand store and one shoe missing a shoelace that he had tied together with straws.
Normally, being scolded by strangers would upset Kit, but today nothing could dampen his spirits. He felt an excitement unlike anything he had felt before. It radiated from his chest and made it difficult for him to focus on anything else, he was too busy thinking about finally achieving one of his dreams.
For five years, Kit had been waiting to explore the mysteries of CAL. He had watched some live streams when the game first came out and was blown away by what he saw. But he resisted the temptation to watch more; he wanted to experience everything firsthand.
From what little he had seen, a dream had taken root in his mind: owning his own restaurant in the vast virtual empire of CAL.
Three years ago, his father had promised to join him in the game once Kit finished school. A pang of sadness hit him as he thought about it now; his father had passed away in a hit and run accident and that dream was no longer possible.
As he walked home with shopping bags cutting into his palms, he glanced around the alleyway that would take him to the apartment he shared with his sister. Litter was strewn on the ground, and vulgar graffiti sprayed on the wall, the smell of urine was heavy in the air.
He hated walking through this alley to get home; it was a far cry from their old house in a nice neighbourhood with a backyard where his father used to grow vegetables. The best part about that house had been the warm cosy kitchen, this was where Kit spent most of his time with his dad.
A sharp ache stabbed his chest at the old memory. Two years ago, Kit learnt what it was to live in a continuous nightmare, he was blamed for his fathers passing by his mother and was then promptly kicked out of the house.
The memory of that day still caused pain to radiate from a scar on his face. He remembered his mother's yelling, the coffee cup flying towards him, and the scalding liquid burning his skin.
Flashes of the past flooded his mind, including images of rain, sirens, and being forcibly injected at the hospital before being diagnosed with depression.
To pull himself out of these painful memories and back to the present, Kit poked at the scar on his cheek with his tongue and dug his nails into his palms. He knew he needed to focus on what he had to do before tomorrow.
As he left the alleyway, he could see the rundown apartment complex that he now called home. Despite its flaws - peeling paint, missing wood from window frames, and occasional broken windows - Kit loved this place. It was where he had rebuilt himself after the life-changing events that occurred two years ago.
Entering their apartment, Kit felt a sense of comfort. While their furniture was second-hand and they didn't even have a proper dining table, it still felt like home to him. He was proud of how they had made it their own.
Thankfully, they had a two-bedroom apartment so they didn't have to share a room. Thinking of his room, Kit remembered he still had some rearranging to do in preparation for tomorrow's big event - the arrival of his gaming capsule at 10am!
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His heart pounded with excitement each time he thought about it. He couldn't help but feel like he had arrhythmia today due to all the anticipation. After unpacking groceries onto the kitchen bench, Kit went into his room to finish getting ready for tomorrow.
He disassembled his bed and pushed it against the wall, leaving just the mattress on the floor. He then moved his small chest of drawers next to it. The only thing left was a small bookcase, which he planned to move to his sister's room since it wouldn't fit with his new capsule and bed frame.
Looking at his meagre possessions, Kit couldn't help but sigh. One day, he hoped to be able to afford nice things for himself and his sister.
Opening the door to his sister's room, Kit was met with an explosion of colour. Posters covered every inch of the walls - a reminder of her obsession with an anime series. Even her bedspread featured a large male character holding a sword in a fighting stance.
Kit pushed the bookcase under a massive poster of a girl with bright pink hair and a lollipop in her mouth. This image reminded him of his sister. As he moved the furniture, the sound of scraping filled the otherwise quiet room.
Kat's hair was currently dyed a vibrant shade of pink, matching the character she often cosplayed as. A lollipop was a common sight in her mouth, a sweet tooth trait she had inherited from their father.
Working at an anime café made it easier for her to dye her hair rather than wear a wig, as she often complained about getting headaches from them. Kit couldn't help but smile at the thought of his eccentric sister.
Returning to his room, Kit put away his clothes before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Kit had taken over the cooking responsibilities after they moved out, but Kit knew it was because Kat was a terrible cook who could even burn water if left alone in the kitchen.
He, on the other hand, had developed an obsession with cooking thanks to their father and spent most of his time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes he found online or creating his own.
It had been two years since they moved out and Kit still felt guilty for not being able to contribute financially while he finished high school. To save money on household expenses, he would buy large portions of meat and cut them himself, as well as making oils, dressings, and jams from scratch.
Kat was the main breadwinner in the family, having dropped out of university two years ago to support Kit after he was kicked out of their home. She never complained though, saying she was lucky to have her dream job at the anime café where she recently got promoted to manager.
As Kit fried some steaks for dinner, Kat walked into their small apartment and complimented the delicious aroma. Her bright pink hair floated over to him - quite literally - as she stood at only shoulder height to him.
Their dad used to call her a "pocket rocket" due to her boundless energy and explosive personality. In contrast, Kit was average in every way - height, brown hair styled with longer strands in front, light brown eyes, straight nose, and an average build. The only thing that made him stand out were his slightly upturned eyes, a feature he inherited from their father.
Kat, on the other hand, was nothing like Kit in terms of looks. She had soft, glowing skin and large blue eyes with long black lashes. Despite her petite frame, she was well-endowed and many of Kit's friends would often have crushes on her, leading to arguments between them.
But at that moment, all Kat cared about was sneaking a piece of steak from the hot pan before Kit smacked her hand with the tongs and sent her off to wash up for dinner.
After he had finished plating the food, Kit waited for his sister to come back. "As always, it smells delicious. I'm already drooling," Kat exclaimed.
Kat leaned against the counter next to Kit with her plate in hand. They ate their meal in silence.
Once they were finished, Kat struck up a conversation. "I'll miss you while you're in the game for five days. Who will make me tasty snacks when you're in it?"
Kit raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
"Seriously, you know I love food. It's lucky that you've already prepared my meals. Do you want me to help in the kitchen while you're gone? No? Even I wouldn't want myself in the kitchen. You should make some snacks for me now, before it's too late." Kat pleaded with him and gave her best impression of a sad puppy.
Kit sighed, knowing he wasn’t a match for his sister's persuasive abilities. She had done so much for him already; he couldn’t say no to her food requests. "Fine, I'll make some snack bags for you later tonight. I'll probably have trouble sleeping anyway because of all the excitement. My heart has been racing all day and my face hurts from smiling so much."
It had been a long time since Kit had felt this excited. He wasn't used to these intense emotions anymore. Smiling had been a rare occurrence for him over the past two years.
Looking back now, he couldn't believe how he and Kat managed to survive on their own. Their unwavering support for each other had brought them to where they were now and helped Kit make great strides from his desperate days.
Suddenly feeling drained from the emotional rollercoaster of the day, Kit said to Kat, "I'll make you some snacks tomorrow. I think I'll head to bed now."
Kat looked like she was going to argue, but then she noticed how tired Kit looked. "Okay, little Kitty. Make sure you keep that promise though!" She gave him a soft smile and lightly ruffled his hair before taking her cup and heading into the kitchen.
Kit made his way to his bedroom, ready to get some rest for the night. He knew he would need all his strength for tomorrow as he embarked on a new chapter of his life inside the magical world of CAL.