A MAN AND HIS HOBBY
Isaac Vale had always been a man of simple pleasures.
While others chased careers, relationships, and grand ambitions, he was content with the rhythmic, meditative escape of running. Not running in a metaphorical sense no, he wasn’t running from responsibilities, nor was he avoiding some tragic past. He just liked to move. The steady pace of his feet against pavement, the feeling of wind cutting against his skin, the quiet freedom of being in motion, it was the one thing that made him feel alive.
He didn’t care for competition and he had no interest in marathons. He wasn’t particularly athletic nor did he obsess over his times. Running was just his hobby, his ritual, his thing.
And when he wasn’t running in real life, he was running in Epoch Eternal.
An MMORPG hailed as the most immersive virtual experience ever created, Epoch Eternal had captured the world by storm. Unlike other games that relied on controllers or keyboards, Epoch Eternal was played through Neuro-Link. A cutting-edge system that let players experience the game as if they were truly inside it. Every movement, every sensation. It was all simulated through the brain.
For most players, it was a dream come true. They became powerful warriors, legendary mages, rulers of cities, and commanders of armies. Kingdoms rose and fell, dungeons were conquered, and treasures were hoarded. It was a world of adventure, danger, and glory.
Isaac, however, did none of that.
While others were grinding levels and killing bosses, he was taking delivery requests. While guilds waged wars over land and titles, he was dodging battlefields, slipping through enemy lines, and getting paid to move items from one place to another. He had no weapons, no spells. Just speed, agility, and the knowledge of every shortcut, hidden tunnel, and escape route in the game.
He had built his entire in-game reputation around being a courier. A messenger, and occasionally, an informant. He delivered packages for merchants, transported letters between nobles, smuggled contraband across warring factions, and on very rare occasions, gathered intel for those willing to pay the right price.
And the best part? He never had to fight.
He wasn’t a coward. He just saw no reason to pick up a sword when running away was infinitely more efficient. Why engage in combat when he could simply not be there by the time the enemy even realized he existed?
Isaac was happy in his own little niche. The game’s economy thrived on war, conflict, and ambition, which meant there was always demand for someone who could move things without being seen.
His in-game name? Relay. Simple. Fitting.
And that was how he spent his evenings after work—logging into Epoch Eternal, slipping on his hooded courier’s gear, and running.
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THE REAL WORLD
Isaac’s real life was as mundane as they came.
At 29 years old, he worked as a logistics coordinator for a mid-sized shipping company. A fitting job, really. He didn’t particularly love or hate it. It paid the bills, and it gave him enough time to indulge in his two favorite activities: running and gaming.
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He had no grand ambitions. No desire to climb the corporate ladder. No pressing need for romance. Life was simple, and he liked it that way.
His coworkers saw him as quiet but reliable. He wasn’t particularly social, but he wasn’t unfriendly either. He spoke when spoken to, attended the occasional office party when absolutely necessary, and generally stayed under the radar.
“Hey Isaac.” his manager, Carter, called from his office one evening. “You’re staying late again?”
Isaac, who was reviewing a shipping manifest, glanced up. “Yeah, just finishing up some reports.”
“Man, you need to get a hobby outside of work.”
I have one. It just happens to involve running across battlefields while people try and kill each other.
He only nodded. “I like keeping busy.”
Carter shook his head with a chuckle. “Well, don’t work yourself to death.”
Isaac smirked. Unlikely. I don’t even let myself die in a video game.
By the time he finished work and returned to his small apartment, the city outside was settling into its usual late-night rhythm. Neon signs flickered, the hum of traffic filled the streets, and the world carried on as usual.
He changed into something comfortable, made himself a quick meal, and settled into his gaming chair. He reached for his Neuro-Link headset, the sleek, visor-like device that let him enter Epoch Eternal.
As he slid it on, the system hummed to life.
Welcome back, Relay.
And just like that, the world around him dissolved, replaced by the sprawling cities, vast forests, and endless roads of Epoch Eternal.
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A ROUTINE RUN
The streets of Eldermere. A bustling trade city, were alive with the usual chaos of player-driven economy.
Merchants haggled, adventurers boasted about their latest exploits, and guild recruiters barked about upcoming wars. In the distance, a massive auction house was flooded with players, all competing for rare loot.
Isaac or rather, Relay paid it no mind. He adjusted his hood, checked his inventory, and set off at a brisk jog. He had a delivery to make.
Tonight’s job was simple. A package from Eldermere to the border town of Kestrel’s Reach. No special requests, no rush, just a standard delivery. A job that most players wouldn’t bother with, but one he enjoyed.
He took the usual side streets, leaped across rooftops when needed, and avoided congested areas where players might try to rob or recruit him. Movement was the game within the game and he was its undisputed master.
As he neared the city gates, a few players glanced at him, but no one bothered him. To most people, he was just another NPC.
Perfect.
He stepped onto the open road, stretching ahead beneath a vast, starlit sky. He smiled to himself.
Another peaceful night.
Or at least, that’s what he thought.
Halfway to Kestrel’s Reach, Isaac noticed something odd.
The sky flickered.
Just for a second—like a screen suffering from a momentary glitch. He stopped running, frowning. That wasn’t normal. Epoch Eternal was known for its seamless immersion. Visual bugs were rare, and when they did happen, they were usually fixed within minutes.
Then it happened again.
The stars above blinked, and for the briefest moment, he thought he saw something beyond them—something vast, something real.
A notification appeared.
[SERVER MESSAGE: SYSTEM ERROR DETECTED. ATTEMPTING REBOOT.]
Isaac raised an eyebrow. That was new.
Another flicker. This time, the ground beneath him rippled as if the world itself was unraveling. The trees warped, the horizon twisted, and his entire body felt—
Pain.
A sudden, real sensation of vertigo and pressure crushed his chest. The world turned white.
And then-
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Isaac’s eyes snapped open.
Except… they weren’t inside the game.
He wasn’t in his chair. He wasn’t wearing his Neuro-Link.
He was outside. Physically.
The cool night air brushed against his face. The scent of grass and distant firewood filled his lungs. His clothes, his courier’s gear weren’t digital textures. They were real fabric, real weight.
He looked around.
The rolling hills of Epoch Eternal stretched before him. Not in a screen, not in a game, but in reality.
Isaac Vale had just become Relay.
And he had a delivery to make.