Chapter 1: Another Life
Sarah Daniger had always felt like she was living in the wrong version of reality.
At eighteen, she was smart, ambitious, and fiercely independent. She had spent most of her teenage years buried in code, learning everything from C++ to Python, studying game engines like Unreal and Unity, and obsessing over how virtual worlds worked. To her, gaming wasn’t just an escape—it was a proving ground, a place where creativity and logic could merge into something extraordinary.
But the real world? The real world was suffocating.
Her parents never understood her passion for game design. Her father, a business consultant, wanted her to go into finance. Her mother, a lawyer, pushed her toward law school. Her older brother, already in med school, rolled his eyes whenever she tried explaining why she wanted to create games.
To them, gaming was a hobby. To her, it was the future.
So when she heard about Another Life—the largest, most advanced metaverse game ever created—she knew she had to get in.
Not just to play.
To build.
To prove that she could create something incredible in a world where creativity was currency.
To start her own business selling in-game assets and coding interactive experiences.
She had spent weeks reading up on it. The game had its own economy, job system, property ownership, and programming framework. Players could design entire worlds, program NPCs, and even script their own mini-games and business models.
And that was exactly what she planned to do.
She was going to make a name for herself.
So, on a Friday night—after yet another awkward family dinner where her future was debated like a court case—she locked herself in her room, powered up her VR rig, and launched Another Life.
As the game loaded, she felt her heart pounding. This was it.
A few seconds later, the screen faded to black, and a mechanical female voice greeted her.
“Welcome, new user. Initializing system… You are now entering Another Life.”
Sarah’s vision blurred, and suddenly, she wasn’t in her room anymore.
She was in the Void—a vast, glowing, empty space where new players began.
Her body was gone.
She was nothing more than a floating golden orb, shimmering in the darkness.
“You are currently in Avatar Creation Mode,” the AI continued.
“Before proceeding, please enter your character name.”
Sarah hesitated for a second. What name should she use?
Her real name felt too personal, but she didn’t want something random.
So she typed:
Dani.
It was short for Daniger—her last name—but it also felt like a new version of herself.
One that could finally be who she wanted to be.
“Name confirmed: Dani.”
“Assigning a guide… scanning available mentors… selected: Mack.”
“Your guide will arrive momentarily.”
Sarah’s glowing form rotated in the empty space, unsure of what to expect.
And then, suddenly, a figure appeared behind her.
Sarah turned—well, floated—to see a towering male avatar walking toward her.
He was… ridiculous.
And by ridiculous, she meant he looked like a Greek god carved out of digital perfection.
Tall, broad-shouldered, sculpted muscles beneath a fitted black jacket. His dark hair was tousled, his jawline sharp enough to cut glass, and his eyes an impossible shade of deep, electric blue.
“Hi, I’m Mack,” he typed in chat, his name hovering above his head.
For a second, Sarah just stared.
She knew it was just his avatar. But who the hell designs themselves to look like this?
His entire aesthetic screamed effortless confidence and maybe a little arrogance.
“Hi,” she typed back. “I’m Dani.”
“Nice to meet you, Dani.”
The text popped up above his head in smooth white font.
“You’re new to Another Life, right? The game assigned me as your guide.”
Sarah’s orb pulsed slightly. Mentor system? Interesting.
“Yeah, first time logging in.”
Mack tilted his head, a slight smirk appearing on his flawless face.
“Well, welcome to the most advanced metaverse in existence. Another Life isn’t just a game—it’s a world. You can build, code, and create almost anything you can imagine.”
His words sent a thrill through her. This was exactly why she had signed up.
“Want me to show you around?”
“Sure.”
“Cool. But first—let’s get you a body.”
A glowing menu appeared in front of her, displaying an array of customization options.
Mack walked her through the basics—face, body type, hair, clothing.
She tried not to overthink it, but standing next to Mack’s virtual perfection made her feel like a total noob.
She ended up picking something simple—a slender, athletic frame, long auburn hair, and a fitted black jumpsuit.
Nothing flashy. She was here to work, not impress.
When she finished, Mack gave an approving nod.
“Solid choice. Basic, but you’ll probably change your look a hundred times once you get the hang of the system.”
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Sarah smirked.
“You mean once I figure out how to make myself look like a Greek god?”
Mack chuckled.
“I mean, if that’s your thing.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Nah. I’m here to design, not model.”
“Oh? You’re a designer?”
“Yeah. I want to create and sell assets in the game.”
There was a slight pause before Mack typed again.
“Then I have two recommendations.”
Sarah’s avatar tilted her head.
“One, find a guy named Skatz Tweet. He’s one of the best coders in the game. He teaches free coding classes weekly.”
That caught her attention.
“And two?”
“Enter the in-game coding contests. The best ones get sponsorships, job offers, and even real money.”
Sarah’s breath caught. Real money?
Mack must have noticed her hesitation because his next message popped up instantly.
“You’re here to build something, right? Might as well aim big.”
She stared at the words, her heartbeat picking up.
He was right.
She hadn’t come here just to exist.
She had come here to create something incredible.
And maybe, just maybe, she had found someone who actually understood that.
“You know what?” she typed. “I think I will.”
Mack’s smirk returned.
“Good. Now let’s get started.”
BUILDING 101
As soon as Sarah—now officially Dani—stepped into her new avatar, the world of Another Life unfolded around her in breathtaking clarity.
The Void was no longer empty.
A massive cityscape stretched before her, neon-lit skyscrapers piercing the artificial dusk. Hovering transports glided through the air, and players moved through the streets, some dressed as fantasy warriors, cybernetic beings, or even walking vending machines.
Sarah—Dani—took a hesitant step forward, her boots clicking against the smooth pavement.
“Welcome to Genesis Plaza,” Mack typed, standing beside her with that damn confident stance. “It’s the central hub of the game. Every new player starts here.”
“It’s… massive.”
“And this is just one sector.” He gestured toward the skyline. “There are thousands of worlds connected to Another Life. Each one is different—some are sci-fi, some fantasy, some just… weird.”
Dani glanced at a group of anthropomorphic cats haggling over weapons with a sentient AI vendor, and yeah, “weird” definitely fit.
“So… where do I even start?” she asked.
“With the basics,” Mack replied. “Follow me.”
Mack led her to an open space near the Beginner’s Market, where players could practice coding and building without interference.
With a simple command, he summoned a floating menu in front of them, filled with tools, scripts, and pre-made objects.
“Alright, lesson one: Building. Click this.”
A basic cube appeared in the air between them.
“Every object in Another Life starts as a primitive shape—prims, for short.”
Dani hesitated, then reached out and tapped it.
Immediately, the interface opened up, displaying size, rotation, and material settings.
“Go ahead. Move it.”
She dragged a slider, and the cube stretched into an awkward, lopsided rectangle.
Mack laughed.
“That’s… a choice.”
“Shut up,” she typed back, rolling her eyes. “I’m experimenting.”
“Oh, by all means. Some people prefer abstract art.”
She glared at him—well, at his stupidly perfect avatar—but he just smirked back.
Dani adjusted the shape again, making it into a cleaner cube.
“Better.”
“You’ll get faster. Eventually, you’ll be able to build entire structures.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“And you?”
“I’ve built entire cities,” he said, stretching his arms like it was no big deal. “I own a few stores, some apartments, and a couple of personal islands.”
Dani blinked.
“Humble.”
“Hey, you asked.”
His smirk deepened, and damn it, she was starting to like it.
Once she had a grasp on basic object manipulation, Mack moved on to scripting.
“This is where the real fun begins.”
He opened a blank coding window, the interface crisp and minimalistic.
“Scripting in Another Life uses a modified version of Lua. You’ll write scripts to make objects move, interact, or do whatever you want.”
He pulled out a small glowing orb, placing it in front of her.
“Type this in.”
Dani followed his instructions, typing out:
lua
CopyEdit
function onTouch()
print("Hello, world!")
end
As soon as she hit Run, the orb glowed and displayed:
HELLO, WORLD!
Dani grinned.
“Easy.”
“For now.”
He ran his own script, and suddenly, the orb floated, spinning lazily in the air.
“With coding, you can make anything—vehicles, NPCs, interactive quests, full-blown AI-driven simulations.”
“So you’re saying I could build a store and automate everything?”
“Exactly.”
He paused for a second.
“Which reminds me—you’ll want to find a good location. I’ve got a few recommendations.”
She was about to respond, but then he created a terrain panel, showing how terraforming worked.
Dani watched as he raised mountains, sculpted valleys, and added water with just a few clicks.
“It’s like digital magic.”
“Pretty much.”
“You really enjoy this, huh?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” His text appeared almost instantly. “It’s the closest thing we have to creating a new reality.”
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten just a little.
“Yeah,” she typed. “I get that.”
After an hour of building, scripting, and throwing sarcastic jabs at each other, Mack finally stepped back.
“Alright. You’re officially dangerous.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You can now create objects, script them, and mess with terrain. Give it a week, and you’ll be launching full simulations.”
Dani felt giddy. This was everything she had hoped for.
“So, what now?”
“Now,” Mack said, “you need resources.”
He pulled up a floating directory, highlighting Skatz Tweet’s store.
“This guy is the best coder in Another Life. His products will save you months of work. He also gives out free stuff, and his notecard has his contact info.”
Dani nodded.
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“You said you had stores. Where are they?”
“Scattered around.” He gave her a casual shrug. “But I’ll show you the best places to set up shop when you’re ready.”
Dani hesitated.
“Why help me?”
Mack paused, and for a second, she thought he wasn’t going to answer.
Then his message appeared.
“Because I like seeing people build cool things.”
And just like that, her heart did something stupid.
As the night stretched on, Dani finally realized she needed to log off.
“I should go.”
“Makes sense.”
A small friend request notification popped up.
Mack has sent you a friend request.
She stared at it for a moment before clicking Accept.
“I’ll see you around, Dani.”
And then, just like that, he was gone.
She stood in the virtual world, staring at the empty space where he had been.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt something new.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
She had come to Another Life to build a business.
She hadn’t expected to meet someone like him.
As she headed toward Skatz Tweet’s store, her thoughts spun wildly:
Would she run into Mack again? Was he really that good at coding, or was he just messing with her? Was his avatar’s ridiculous perfection a reflection of his personality? And, more importantly—why the hell did she suddenly care so much?
She shook her head, frustrated with herself.
But even as she walked away, her fingers hovered over his name in her friend list.
She had a feeling this wasn’t the last time they’d talk.
And deep down?
She hoped it wasn’t.