〉 Neurological Sync Stability CHECK
〉 Language Processing Cache CHECK
〉 Sensory Integration Status CHECK
〉 Executive Function Evaluation CHECK
〉 Neurological Sync Stability CHECK
〉 Scan Procedure SUCCESSFUL, Full Dive Sequence COMPLETE
〉 Hello there, Reina. Can you hear me alright?
A young girl’s voice intruded into my head as I stared toward a black abyss.
I don’t remember what happened before… what exactly was before? Where… where am I?
〉 Your heart rate is increasing, Reina. There’s no need to be alarmed. This type of response is quite reasonable, given this is your first net-drop.
I tried to feel for my arms, legs, even the taste in my mouth, but I couldn’t sense anything. This… this is getting weird. If I’m dreaming, I seriously need to wake up.
〉 You aren’t dreaming, Reina. I need you to focus on my voice for a moment.
My head… hurts… No… What is this feeling… It’s like a headache within a headache…
〉 I’m sending your brain everything it needs to create a space for us to talk. It may hurt since it’s your first Mindspace, but just trust me.
I could suddenly feel my body, except it wasn’t necessarily there, like a ghost in a shell. It felt as if I was free-falling, with powerful gusts of wind hitting me from all sides.
Then, nothing.
〉 It’s time to wake up.
The darkness dispersed, brightening into an endless white void. The floor was reflective and rippling like a stream of flowing water.
Wait… if I’m able to see the floor, then… where are my feet?
〉 We haven’t created your avatar yet, silly.
I hear giggling… but who the hell is laughing right now? This isn’t funny.
〉 I’m sorry… haha… It’s just your reaction to all this is very abnormal. First-timers usually have some sort of idea of what they’re getting into.
A throne made of blue crystal grew from the floor, materializing in specs of white glittering light. Then, a young girl with chin-length silver locks appeared, sitting with her legs crossed and a wide grin.
Her body brimmed with prismatic light, oozing with a spectrum of colors that was vibrant but not blinding. A long white and gold-furred robe fluttered at her backside, with the rest of her body protected by a light set of armor. Her white pupils vibrated along the broad claymore that sat sheathed on her back, doubling her in size.
〉 Let’s give a form so you’ll be able to visualize our conversation more clearly. Sending direct messages to your frontal cortex is rather boring.
A warmth spread across my body, or whatever I currently was, as I regained the ability to blink. I regained the feeling in my hands and feet, though it didn’t feel like I could move any of my limbs.
With another blink, I gazed at the brim of the sword and saw my reflection—a single gray blob.
Why… why do I look like that? Oh… my god. Did I die? Am I being reincarnated?
“You seriously don’t know where you are right now? This is getting a bit concerning, Reina.” The young girl said with a tilt of her head.
Of course, I don’t know where I am! If I knew then I wouldn’t be in distress, you arrogant little girl!
“What? Name-calling someone you’ve just met? You’re so mean!” The young girl said while puffing her cheeks. “Maybe I’ll just keep you this way and send you off to Callixtus as a blob!”
Wait… Callixtus… That sounds familiar… Oh yeah, now I remember. We got locked in the club room because of Tiger's incompetence. Then he dared to put his filthy hands on me.
“I can’t remember the last time I cried in front of someone, and it just had to be him. Damn it.” Reina said.
The young girl nodded with a smile. “Now you’re getting it! Your visual and auditory cortex are processing information vividly. We’ll test your olfactory and gustatory cortex later.”
She then snapped her fingers, causing a wide mirror to rise from the floor. A small gray blob with no facial expression sat atop a red circular table.
I looked pathetic.
“I see.” The young girl said with a hand up to her chin. “So you take your appearance seriously. Could I also assume you value the way other people see you in the real world? Your status, in particular.”
I never stopped to consider that, but I suppose I care on a subconscious level. Morally speaking, one should always treasure how they look in the eyes of others. And those who deny it are lying, pretending to be unaffected by society’s opinions. We’re all slaves to validation. Whether it be from ourselves, our parents, or our peers.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“That’s a very honest answer. I’m impressed. You’re quite mature for your age.” The young girl said.
The mirror gleamed, and a beautiful young woman looked back at me. Her skin was milk-white and pearlescent, unblemished and brimming with life with pink rose-petal cheeks. Her almond-shaped eyes showed a mix of emotions — deceit, manipulation, lust, envy, and passion all in one. A midnight silken bob cut of hair flowed down to her slender neck and shoulders, elegant yet rebellious.
She almost looked like…
“Well, you. Yes, I know.” The young girl said with a sigh. "Usually people’s avatars are the exact opposite, or even superb compared to their real selves. But it’s not too uncommon for someone to be content with themselves in both planes of existence."
“Well, since you’ve picked an avatar, we’ve got some other things to be sure of.” The girl said.
The girl took the claymore from her back and lowered it into the watery floor. Ripples ran past my feet as I battled to keep balance.
“Hey! Stop that!” I said while hopping from one bare foot to the next.
“That’s good. Vestibular systems, check.” The girl said.
The claymore then cracked with ice, and the floor itself then froze over as well. I stood on the tips of my feet as my legs shivered from the cold.
“Thermoregulatory center, check.”
She then walked over to me and opened her palm. A small piece of chocolate appeared in her hand, jabbing it into my mouth.
I sputtered and coughed, feeling the milky sweetness dissolve on my tongue and slide down my throat with a gulp. The smell lingered in the air for a few seconds, then a realization occurred to me.
“Wait, a second… Aren’t I in a game? How am I able to-“
“Olfactory, Somatosensory, and Gustatory cortex all functioning. You’re almost ready.”
“I said wait dammit!” I said, striding over to the girl and picking up her by the scruff of her armor. “How is this possible? This shit is way too advanced to be just a game!”
A devilish smirk spread across the girl’s lips. She poked my arm, and a burning sensation spread like a torch was setting it ablaze.
I writhed and fell to the ground, grabbing hold of my throbbing limb as my head became fogged and the pain encapsulated my entire body. I squinted through the tears in my eyes as a tattoo branded itself onto my skin in the shape of wide-beastly claw marks warping into a black void.
〉 Obtained Pact Scroll, «Xarzallon’s Greed»
“What… what is this? What did you do to me?”
The girl chuckled, then bent down, stroking my hair with an innocent smile. “You do know that I’m a player, right?”
“A player as in… a real person?”
“No duh. The name’s Xarzallon. But my friends just stick with Xarza.”
I arched my back as the pain grew into my chest and neck. It was like tiny insects were burrowing holes in my body, then twisting and wiggling around to make livable nests with each passing second.
“Why… does it hurt… so bad…”
Xarza frowned and slammed her foot into my stomach. The air seeped from my lungs as a hoarse cough exited my throat.
“I’ve given you a gift, you ungrateful bitch. And that’s the way you answer me? Fuck, you’re annoying.”
The air became hard to breathe. My hands tingled as the floor turned black and felt rigid and cracked. The entire room became coated in darkness, with only a small tint of gray holding me and Xarza in the center.
“Usually the AI admin Nex comes around and guides new players into Callixtus. I even held her appearance for a while, however…”
Xarza’s skin became paler, as her once black locks lost their color and whitened like snow. Two black horns sprouted from atop her head, and her body shed its armor and robe, replacing them with a loose-fitting black dress.
“… After realizing you just hopped into the game knowing nothing, I just had to take advantage of you!”
With the burning sensation ending in the pins and needles of my aching toes, I crawled up to my hands and knees with a grimace.
“Aw, don’t look at me like that,” Xarza said with a pouting face. “It’s not like I knew you’d come to me. We players can’t control what happens in-game. Though, you’re quite unlucky to be sent to a demoness in your first life. I think it’s somewhere below one percent…”
I stood up and grunted, then lunged at Xarza with a burning fury pent in my stomach. The demoness snapped her fingers, causing the mark on my arm to glow, and the burning pains scorched my arm like a million puncturing needles.
“AAGGHHH!”
The pain in my voice echoed across the abyss, while Xarza watched with glee. After a few seconds, the pain subsided, and I fell onto my back, out of breath and sweat gliding past my brow.
“Now that you’ve calmed down, we can talk.”
Xarza slammed her bare foot on the ground, and a charred tree stump grew for her to sit on.
“Unlike goddesses who can have hundreds of thousands of player followers, us demoness can only have one. Not that it makes you special or anything. Hell, serving under a goddess usually gives unique perks like «Mythical Weapons» or «Advanced Elemental Magics». But, unfortunately, you’re stuck with that irritating «Pact Scroll».”
“How do… I leave… this place…”
Xarza’s eyes widened. She then burst into laughter, falling off her stump with her hands wrapped around her stomach.
“BWAAHAHAHA! YOU SERIOUSLY DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO LOG OUT? GOD YOU’RE SO PATHETIC!”
Xarza then placed her foot on my arm. The coldness of her skin that followed the blistering heat searing through the tattoo sent a shiver down my spine.
“You’re my property now. A slave, a tool that only I can use. And you’ll leave when I want you to leave. Understand?”
My mouth perched open, almost wanting to answer her in fear of having my entire body engulfed in flames. As if she was contemplating doing so, she stared at me for a second, then chuckled before sitting back down on her stump.
“It’s getting late and I’ve got work, so I’ve got to log off. But the next time you’re online, we’ll talk some more.”
Xarza raised her hand, pulling up a white interface, and began scrolling through several lists. “And by the way, EEG allows you to control the game using your brain. Just think of leaving and the Nexern system will do the work for you.”
Just think… of leaving…?
〉 Request Node Accepted… Logging Off…
Wait, I think it’s working…
“Though you’ll want to learn a bit more about Callixtus before you hop back in. The tutorial phase has ended and you’ll enter the Overworld after the game launches.”
Tutorial phase…? Overworld…? Game launch…? What is she talking about?
It became dark. Then, light. I heard my name being called, their voice sounded familiar…
“Reina… Reina! Wake up, Reina!”
My eyes parted open. The white lights above were dazzling as I tried to shield my face. Two hands shook my shoulders, and then a face emerged at my side.
Am I still in the game or… is this real?
My nose twitched as I sniffed the air. The lemony scent of the polishing spray lingered from when I cleaned the club room.
I then touched my cotton shirt, feeling the soft and comforting grooves of the fabric.
This is me in the real world. I’m back.
Tiger’s face, once a set of polygons and triangles, fixed into one object. The concern in his eyes grew as I reached a hand toward him.
“Reina… I kept calling your name… You were in there for hours and were untraceable… Are you okay? Where did you go?”
Without a thought, my arms wrapped around his chest. I felt the warmth of his body, heard the beating of his heart, and invoked the pleasant scent of cologne as I nuzzled deeper into my embrace. The sides of my eyes became wet, then my cheeks and lower chin.
“Reina…? What’s the matter? What happened in there?” Tiger asked.
I nodded and continued to cry, trying to invoke all the senses that I lost while in that place. And why, why do I have to rely on this guy, of all people?
I feel… so damn pathetic.