Staring out into the void, Lyra sighed in contentment. Her three-year-long journey was finally over. She glanced back at the battlefield, where the lifeless body of Famister, Lord of the Void, lay defeated. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine conquering him alone. She had spent hundreds of hours mastering his mechanics to teach her guild, planning for a team victory. Yet, unexpectedly, a newly discovered poison that slowly drained his health while she expertly dodged every attack was instrumental.
Ironically the move that had saved her in this final attempt was her Void Leap. His last attack which destroys all reality in the area was side-stepped by bad coding. A small chuckle left her lips as she stood up and went to get the loot. While Staring at the Void in the boss room was nice she knew that there would be something great waiting in that chest that spawned just now.
As she approached, a slew of messages flooded her inbox. Players on her friends list were eager to know what had happened after the global announcement a few minutes ago. "A true achievement deserves a grand prize, I suppose," she thought.
Upon opening the chest, a dagger floated up, glowing with an eerie light. As she reached for it, a new notification appeared before her eyes.
[Congratulations, Champion of the Void. You have been invited to Alerias as a new Champion.]
[Do you accept? Y/N]
With a deep breath, Lyra thought it over. ‘A new challange?’ Mentally selecting "Yes." in an instant, the world around her dissolved into darkness. She felt a weightless sensation, as if floating in an endless void. Slowly, a soft light began to emanate from the center of the darkness, drawing her attention.
Lyra opened her eyes and found herself standing in a vast, empty space filled with swirling mists of light and shadow. In front of her, a translucent screen materialized, displaying a series of options.
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[Welcome, Champion of the Void. Before you embark on your journey in Alerias, please customize your new form.]
[Select Race]
She stared in amazement as hundreds of options scrolled past, many of them even monstrous non-player races from the game she had been playing. "It looks like every race from the game is here! Insane! What is this?"
As she continued scrolling, her eyes widened when she saw it. A race option she had hoped for years would be added to the game.
[Kitsune - Demi-human Race]
[Traits - Evolution, Karmatic System, Leveling]
[Statistics - Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Perception, Willpower, Spirit, Luck]
Feeling a rush of excitement at the prospect of having such fluffy tails, she selected it right away. As soon as she did, another figure appeared within the void. A kitsune with auburn hair and a single long tail stood there motionless. Its features gave the eerie impression of being her exact appearance in the real world. A small shudder ran down her spine as she felt slightly violated at the thought that her VR helmet might have recorded her likeness.
A new screen appeared with options to alter the figure. Taking her time to get the Kitsune just the way she wanted, she meticulously checked every detail, even blushing at a few surprising options in the character creator. Glancing at her soon-to-be new form, she saw a Kitsune with curly strawberry blonde hair that faded into purple tips, piercing violet eyes that shone with a star-like brightness, long ears with a few piercings, and a button nose. Her figure was lithe and built for speed and flexibility.
After selecting "Finish," her vision blurred, and suddenly she found herself looking at the motionless form of her real-life body.
The shock was immediate as the void began to consume it. She watched in horror as the body she had lived in her whole life turned to dust and vanished. A cold thump hit her chest as she realized something might be wrong. That body had looked exactly like her and was even wearing her outfit for the day.
Panic rose in her chest as she felt her consciousness begin to fade. The darkness took hold of her once again, as quickly as before she could truly recognize the danger she was in.