Click. Click. Click.
The circular chamber rotated clockwise as the doors opened to each of the realms. At twelve o’clock the portal shimmered full of vines and intricate wood workings. The portcullis that blocked the door was raised and awaiting the newest patrons. At six o’clock the cybernetics buzzed to life as neon lights flickered and all but had a sign flashing that said “enter here”. The stark contrast of the two was impossible to miss, but these were the two options of starting. The only two.
The Echo Realms only got harder from here and each chamber offered its own challenges and realms. Vortex had found it easier to start the players here.
“I heard a favorite of mine is finally coming to play,” The cloaked male voice said from his throne to no one in particular.
[Entry number 1008 has been accepted into the Nexus.] A clipped robotic female voice echoed in the chamber.
“Very well,” Vortex sat up as he pressed his fingers together with a wicked grin. Raven hair hung over one eye while cerulean eyes lit with intrigue. His frame was lean but he took up space, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in his throne.
“Let’s see what choices she makes when she arrives.” His excitement was palpable. The metal walls of the nexus reverberated every word ensuring that every corner was caressed by anything he needed to say.
[Entry number 1009 has been accepted into the Nexus] The robotic voice chirped.
“That was…quick.” The confusion was clear in his voice as he looked around as if someone would answer him. He pulled up a handheld device, flipping through a few interfaces until he settled with profiles of new players.
“Interesting. Two in one evening is rare.” He flipped his screen closed and then looked at the two doors.
“ARA, do me a favor and dump them in simulation alpha. I don’t want them to have a choice of their first Nexus. I know exactly how I want this to play out.”
And why shouldn’t he? This was his world after all, they were all just living in it.
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[Welcome entry 1008. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
Her head was pounding and she couldn’t even remember what she was doing. She ran a hand through her hair and the other rubbed at her eyes. She was kneeling on a cold metal floor as she looked up.
[Welcome entry 1008. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
“Yeah, I heard you the first time. Who is 1008?”
[Welcome entry 1008. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
“Holy. Fuck. I get it. Highlighted door. I don’t know about you, but I don’t make it my mission to walk through doors that a disembodied voice tells me to-”
[Welcome entry 1008. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
She stared up at the door. Yes, it was certainly “highlighted”. The problem was, she wasn’t sure where she was. Neon lights lit the door frame, pinks and blues and clicking of some machine she couldn’t see. She cocked her head before taking a step closer and then remembering she hadn’t even looked behind her.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
On the exact opposite wall was a door that looked more like a forest. The entrance could have been something to an old castle but it was discernibly not highlighted. She pushed herself back, swaggering backwards away from the cyber door and towards the other one. The stretch of room was…domed? She looked up and could see the vaulted ceiling and the way it shaped over her. There were only two doors but the room was so vast. Why? And more importantly where the hell was she?
[Welcome entry 1008. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
“Fuck you and your highlighted door. If you’re not answering any of my questions, I am not listening to you. I know this trick. Probably a trap.” She laughed. What a bizarre dream she must have been having. Why did it feel so real though? She couldn’t remember going to sleep either.
Her footfalls were light and when she looked down she could see she was in the outfit she had chosen this morning. She had no shoes on, so she could feel the cool of the metal as she took each determined step to the other end of the room. When she approached she could see the door better finally. The entrance shimmered with the promise of something on the other side she couldn’t see and she placed a hand on one of the vines. It certainly felt real.
Her breath caught in her throat a bit with the realization that something was certainly wrong. She wasn’t home. She wasn’t sure how she got here. She was talking to a robot voice, and there were no answers.
“This is like something out of a bad movie.” She huffed and crossed her arms.
“Alright, think Evie. What could possibly have happened.” She tried to recall the last thing she could remember but she couldn’t quite place it.
[Welcome entry 1009. Please proceed through the highlighted door.]
Before she could turn again to snap at the voice, she realized the number had changed. She shrugged, perhaps the voice was finally done with her. Her hand hovered over the shimmer of the door and when she touched it, grazing her fingers on it just a bit- she could feel the jolt of energy coursing through her. Without another moment of thought, she stepped forward.
The darkness that overtook her was just seconds but her body felt like it was being ripped to shreds and put back together piece by piece. When the light returned she was now standing outside of what could only be described as an old tavern. The weathered, two-story building with a sloping roof had ivory creeping up the stone and wood walls. The wooden door was slightly ajar and the warm glow within was inviting.
[Welcome entry 1008. Please fill out the following information.]
[Name. Race. Class.]
[Please note, your stats have been assigned based on base character traits provided by the participant. Every Nexus allows you to re-craft your race and class.]
“What the hell are you talking about?” She looked down at her hands but when she looked back up a digital sheet hovered over her. The stats were filled out and she would get to those later, but she could see the rest of the information was blank.
“Player…Evie…but name blank? How…?” She looked at the equally blank areas for her race and class.
“What is this? Some rip off DnD dream I am having?” It was the only thing that was remotely close to what she was seeing here.
[The Nexus is a dimension of worlds where you get to be the star.] This time when the voice spoke, it felt more like an advertisement than anything else.
“The Nexus? That’s what this is? Why am I part of the Nexus?” She sighed and placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose and counted to five. It wasn’t helping.
“Fuck it. I have a character sheet at home, I’ll just use that.” She figured she should play along to get whatever dream this was over with.
When she went to respond she noticed the name and class had already been chosen. But…how? They were now filled with a character from a game she had played long ago. It was something she and her friends had been working on themselves. Her name now read “Vixen” and her class read “tempomancer”.
“Seriously? Who is doing this?” She waved her arms in the air to try and clear the screen, but when she flicked her wrist up it disappeared.
[Vixen. Welcome to the Nexus: Legendary World. At level one, you have access to Legendary World until you reach level 5 where you will be eligible for re:Nex. Good luck on your adventures! Thank you for choosing Nexus.]
And just like that Vixen stood alone before the tavern door. She caught her reflection in the broken window of the tavern. Hair the color of wet cherry wood, eyes the color of the sky, and a feminine curve accentuated by the tight corset. This was certainly her character, straight out of a story but it was her. She supposed there was only one thing to do, and she pushed the door open with one hand.
Just as suddenly as she did, a deep male voice replaced the robotic one of the female.
[So, you walk into a tavern-]