“Welcome back, Arron.” The ethereal voice resonated from all directions within the white void. “I see you changed your mind.”

If Arron hadn’t known better, he could have sworn there was sarcasm in that statement. But that wasn’t possible. Computers were not sarcastic.

“Umm, yeah. I was hoping to do the tutorial?”

“Certainly. I assume you mean the basic tutorial, rather than the advanced tutorials on crafting, war, et cetera?”

“Yea, I’m just looking to learn how to play. I’m not interested in cross-stitch or anything,” Arron said.

“Of course.” Was that a sigh? Do computers sigh at people here? “Let us begin.”

The white faded into a dark, night sky. Millions of stars blinked, blanketing Arron in its endless reach. No longer was he merely floating in a void of space, he was flying. The sensation was incredible! Laughter bubbled out of him, the waves of sound bouncing through the dark. Though he still had no physical body, rather than feeling unnerved, he was strangely comfortable, almost content.

A rising, synthetic note grew around him, amplifying in intensity four times over. Drums beat back and forth until it hit a crescendo with an equally epic – Bum Bum! A giant planet appeared below him and his view was captivated by it. Blue oceans, snow-capped mountains, and sprawling green forests spread as far as he could see.

“Interius, the final, frontier,” an instantly recognizable voice boomed through the building symphony. “A mythical land of magic, and adventure.”

“Shatner?” Arron asked.

“Only the best,” the voice replied, and Arron could clearly visualize him winking with a cheeky smile.

The scene grew closer. Additional features of castles and kingdoms, people and monsters, formed throughout the world. All silhouettes above the land.

“There are many lives, to live in Interius. Lives of rebellion…”

The view focused on a large, barren section of the map, the drumbeat growing insistent. It zoomed in, highlighting a man holding his sword high as warriors behind him charged a fortified castle.

“Lives of luxury…”

Arron’s view blurred, shifting his focus onto a blue and green island chain. People laid about sunning themselves, others were playing card games, or laughing together over lavish meals.

“And Lives of Adventure…”

Paradise faded, and horns joined the music in force as a shining white castle atop a large hill filled his sights, its towers reaching the clouds. A knight in full armor rode from the gates astride a white horse, lance at the ready, charging a huge black dragon diving from the sky, fire erupting from its jaws.

“What life, will you lead? The choice lies with you!”

Arron fell towards the world, faster and faster until he crashed through a barrier of glass. The shards spun outward, dispersing into smoke. Beneath those tendrils a giant logo for Interius was revealed. The soundtrack reached its final resounding crescendo, sweeping Arron up in its enormity.

“Welcome, to Interius,” the voice finished.

The stars and logo faded with the music, returning Arron to the white void. And for the first time in this place, he could see his body.

“Whoa… What was that?”

“The opening cutscene, of course,” the ethereal voice responded.

“You do realize how cheesy and super obvious of a marketing intro that was, right?”

“Arron, I see you have been informed of Interius’ origin and have signed the necessary NDA’s,” the ethereal voice said. “I remind you, Interius was not designed originally to be a game world. The inclusion of assets, game play and gaming entities was a side use. Most games begin with a cut scene, so Interius does as well. In similar function, many myths, famous tales, and aspects of pop culture were assimilated to create the character of the world.

“As such, admittedly, some of the content, quests, themes and even names used have received… interesting feedback from the players. I assure you, this feedback has already been submitted.”

“I guess that explains the lame, Rat King thing.” Arron wished he’d seen that when he first logged in. “So… what do I call you? I didn’t catch your name before.”

“You did not ask for my name, Arron. A not uncommon oversight for new players. You may call me Luna.”

“Luna,” he repeated with an over accentuated nod. “I can remember that. Are you the AI that runs the game?”

“Yes and no. I am an individualized self-aware and independent partition of the greater AI.”

“A… what?”

“Simply put, I am the AI tasked with assisting players in their initial character creation and tutorials. Would you like me to begin the tutorial content?”

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“Yes, please… Luna.”

The smooth baritone and sweeping, grandiose music boomed again, and the widespread view of the world of Interius returned.

“Interius is a land of possibilities. The greatest achievements come through the toughest of challenges. In Interius, you must grow in strength, adapt your cunning, increase in knowledge and forge your body’s toughness.”

The music faded until it hummed in the background, Luna’s soothing tone clear and strong over it. “You have begun your adventure in the Kingdom of Nordem, within the city of Glendale. There are many starting zones to begin your adventures, but as you initially bypassed the tutorial, the Kingdom of Nordem was selected for you.”

A section of the land pulsed briefly with light, highlighting itself and identifying the borders.

“Nordem is a Kingdom roughly the size of, what you know as, New York State after the institution of Manhattan Island Prison under Warden Pliskin, and bordered to the west by the Sea of Merchants.”

The body of water flashed momentarily. Ships laden with cargo sailed from port to port and pirates chased the wealth with a carefree abandon. “It is a primary highway in Interius for the trading of goods and this strategic use of ports has made Nordem a powerhouse amongst the countries of the central continent. To the north, the Frostspine Mountains mark the southern border of Valheim.”

The land mentioned flashed in Arron’s view, revealing muscular, long-haired men fighting with axes and massive swords. “A land of barbarians and raiders, famous for its primitive nature. For those seeking to expand their knowledge of smithing and augmentation, there is no better place than Valheim. Raiding the bordering areas of the Sea of Merchants is deeply ingrained in the culture of the North, but they stand united with the civil lands when it is necessary.”

Arron’s view flowed to the east and the musical accompaniment took a foreboding tone.

“Over the last several years, a dark presence has taken root to the east.” A long, winding region pulsed with a deep gloom, creeping its way along the eastern border of Nordem, expanding to divide the south. The mass bled across the nation’s borders, revealing flashes of battle where shining knights met desiccated corpses on fields marked by pestilence and death.

A horrible shadow laughed from inside blackened halls of stone.

“Nightshade the Undying, a lich of great power, has begun to encroach on the realm of the living. At first, the Council of Merchants, the people’s representation in Nordem, convinced the King there was no threat to Nordem and involvement would put the flourishing economic state of the kingdom at risk. Recently, with the rising threat along the borders, the growing number of bodies shipped for cleansing and burial, and the outcry from the regents of the area, the threat has become more difficult to explain away.”

A dark, four-sided fortress rose from the ground. Near its base, a tall skeletal being wrapped in black plate armor eradicated a group of men in a single blow with a massive black sword.

“While the council still pressures the king to avoid conflict, more concerned with their finances than the lives being lost, the appearance of The Black Keep and Shiver the Black, a rising menace as the shadow of the Undying Lands expands, has spurred the need for action in the minds of the people.”

Arron glared at the image of the Black Keep, coming face to face with his long-time goal for the first time. That Keep held his Bella prisoner. Its very existence sickened him and the way it corrupted the land around it incensed him further.

“This is where you find yourself, Arron. This is where your adventure has started.”

A single drop of water plipped against the view of the world and its colors bled into each other, merging until they all washed away, leaving him standing in the white void again.

The name of his adversary swung on a pendulum in his mind. Shiver the Black, in the Black Keep. A putrid example of the ridiculous content Luna had mentioned. If only he could—

“Shall we continue with character progression, Arron?” Luna asked.

Arron pushed back his rising anger. He was here for a reason. “Right, yes. You’ve shown me the world, what’s next?”

“Your Skills, Stats, Levels, and other important information for character progression can be found on your Character Sheet. This is one of the most important sources of information during your time in Interius. Let’s access your Character Sheet now.”

Arron waited, but nothing happened. “And uh… how do I do that?”

“That’s right, from the beginning then,” Luna grumbled. “Your Character Sheet, like all actions, is accessed through force of Will. You do have the option to adjust to verbal or physical commands, such as gestures, if you choose. However, Will allows for the most seamless experience. It also allows for difficulty simulation.”

A table with three balls, red, blue, and yellow, appeared in front of Arron.

“Using your Will, please move the blue ball off the table.”

“What like… with my mind?” Arron asked, feeling ridiculous.

“No, with your Will,” Luna replied. “Simply Will the ball to fall off the table, and it will.”

Arron couldn’t really explain the sensation any better than Torbin had or Luna was trying to do, but he understood what they meant. He just sort of, intended for the ball to fall off the table, the same way he would intend to bend his arm… and it did. Rolling off the side, the ball bounced on the floor twice before reappearing in the same spot on the table.

It was really freaky. Like he’d reached out and made something happen without touching it. Which, of course, was precisely what had happened.

“Well done, Arron. Continuing, one of the primary advantages of using Will while interacting with the game is it allows you to feel when there is resistance. Both verbal and physical interactions simply result in notifications about success and failure when your intention meets resistance. With Will, you receive feedback in the moment. Try now to move the yellow ball.”

Not wholly understanding what Luna was talking about, Arron focused on the yellow ball. It moved, but only slightly, and a strange pressure permeated when he pushed. Narrowing his eyes, he pushed harder and smiled as the ball rolled off the table.

“Very good. It is impressive you succeeded in moving the yellow ball on the first try. As you experienced, the yellow ball resisted your Will, so you had to struggle harder to move it. Finally, let’s try to move the red ball. This ball will not be movable.”

Arron turned his gaze on the red ball, pressing his Will into it the way he had before. It held firm. But something about the way it pressed back made him feel like he could overpower the ball. That feeling of weakness, combined with the challenge from Luna, pretty much sealed his next several minutes on their own.

He pressed harder, physically leaning into it, gritting his teeth. The resisting pressure had a texture to it, a solidity, and yet, he sensed the faintest crack in its form. Running along this invisible wall was a weakness, and Arron began to hammer that weakness with his iron intention. Blow after blow, he slammed his Will against the immovable mass that was the resistance of the red ball. His stubbornness in full gear, he refused to give in.

Sweat beaded on his brow, and his jaw ached from the pressure of his bite. His knuckles were white as he clenched and unclenched his fists in rhythm with his blows. A sharp whining began to whistle in his head, steadily growing louder.

Something shattered under his Will, a great rushing feeling throughout his body, and he promptly passed out.