The conversation between Ash and Rose was frantic. Following his mum’s reveal of the Sensync Dive headset the two could talk of nothing else but the plan for tomorrow with the frequent thankful comments from Ash to his mum in there too. They talked the night away, wine flowing, merriness increasing all the while.
“I can’t believe you are actually coming in with me!” Rose exclaimed for what seemed like the 90th time that evening, a wide smile painting her face. “I know I didn’t say it before, but it would not be the same without that’s for sure” her words were beginning to slur with the effect of the wine gaining a foothold in her cognition. “Endoria wouldn’t be the same without you in it” She blushed and looked towards the floor sheepishly.
“Well, that’s my cue!” Grace said, slapping her knees and getting up, “It’s late though you two, and you’ve got a big day tomorrow so try not to stay up too much later. Your online game thing beckons” She laughed, more to herself than at anyone in particular. She was content in the fact her son seemed much happier than earlier.
“Goodnight Grace” Rose looked up, wine flushed red face from the position on the floor that she’d flopped into when Ash was getting the Sensync out of its box to charge. It wasn’t any different to hers, but she wanted to share in Ash’s experience so got closer, finding herself cross legged next to the coffee table and Ash.
“Goodnight you two. See you in the morning Ash” She beamed towards him. He said his thank you’s once more, even getting up to give his mum a kiss on the cheek for all she had done for him. “Ash, look after her” She continued quieting enough for Rose not to hear her, “She’s had quite a bit to drink, and she is already starting to get tipsy. She’ll thank you in the long run” She tilted her head in a such a way that he knew what she was telling him to do.
“I will, I will, don’t worry. Thanks again Mum” He smiled at her.
Ten minutes passed by, Ash finally left his precious Sensync and Rose had joined him back on the sofa. She had offered to get him another drink but with time going by and his mum’s words ringing in his head he thought it a good idea not to have another and suggested the same to Rose. They had a big day tomorrow and the last thing they both wanted was a hangover.
She conceded that it was probably a bad idea to get any more.
“I meant it you know” She was blushing in Ash’s direction once more, “Endoria wouldn’t have been the same without you, I’m so glad you got the headset. We can go on all sorts of adventures together the both of us! The thought of floating around in there on my own did make me sad too you know. You are special to me. I hope you know that” She had shimmied a little closer to Ash, and he knew this was more than just friendship that he saw in her eyes. If he was entirely honest with himself, he could definitely see himself and Rose in a relationship but at the same time, would that make things really awkward if anything went wrong? That and he wasn’t the type of person to hit on someone whilst they were clearly drunk, no matter how much they said they wanted it.
Rose leaned closer to Ash. He could feel the warmth of her skin as she got closer in towards him. A part of him wanted to lean in as well, take Rose in his arms and kiss her passionately, hands exploring each other’s bodies. He looked into her deep brown eyes, her ginger hair had long been separated from its bobble and left to cascade down the sides of her face, framing a face of beauty that Ash hadn’t noticed before this evening. She looked back at him, letting her eyes linger on Ash’s lips. He wanted to go in for the kiss, to feel her soft lips pressed against his, to take her head in his hands.
“Rose” He spoke softly, “I’m not sure tonight is the right time for this. You are special to me too, and I can’t stress that enough. You are such a wonderful person, full of life, and I love you for that” He took her head in his hand and slowly rubbed her cheek, staring into the big brown eyes and feeling a fool for denying the moment. “You’ve also had a lot to drink, and I’d hate for you to do something you will regret in the morning. Can you imagine if you were mortified something happened between us? I’m not sure that’s a feeling I’d like and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like that either”.
She visibly slumped, shoulders lowering and a small but audible sigh escaping her lip glossed lips. “I get it. I’d best get myself off home now anyway, big day tomorrow!” She feigned excitement but it was clear to see she was disappointed.
A few moments later, she had gone. He felt bad that he’d rejected her but knew it was the right thing to do. His mum had said to look after her and he was sure he did the right thing in the long run. He’d see how things went and if something more happened another time, then that’s something he would think about when the time came. He continued for half an hour cleaning up after himself and the impromptu party that had occurred and when he’d finished he sat on the sofa and looked towards the Sensync box. Thanks mum he said to himself you’ve no idea what this means to me.
***************
The next morning was a blur. He harboured a slight headache from the alcohol last night but was so excited, after a couple of paracetamols he barely noticed it. His sensync was charged. His bedroom was clean and tidy. He had helped his mum with the remnants of last nights party. Everything was ready.
But he still hadn’t seen Rose.
They had exchanged mornings with either other by text but that was hours ago and his last message asking if she felt alright after last night was left unread. He wondered if it had anything to do with rejecting her last night, maybe she was so upset she couldn’t face him? Several times he went to message her again and apologise but didn’t know how to say it.
It was now 11:15. She was meant to come around at 11, an hour before the servers opened and it wasn’t like her to be late. He began pacing the kitchen, anxiety welling up inside him, a nervousness that didn’t want to leave. Should he text? Had he messed everything up? Should he have kissed her?
At that moment there was a small tap tap tap on the kitchens side door to the garden, following this it opened. It was Rose.
“Morning Ash” She smiled meekly as she popped her head around the door. Entering fully, she seemed distracted, downcast “Are you alright?” She ventured, as if not sure what to expect. Ash wasn’t sure how to take this different version of Rose, did last night truly have that much of an effect on her?
“Yeah, I’m good” He said tentatively, “Are you?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and it was as if Rose knew what he was looking for.
“Are you ready?” A wide smile appeared on her face and excitement started to light it up. Her ginger hair in its usual ponytail bouncing excitedly behind her and she practically skipped fully into the kitchen. Ash’s question went unanswered but it seemed as if the old Rose was back. “Is it all charged? Have you eaten? Don’t forget the toilet! Not sure how that all works with this deep dive stuff”
“Hello to you too” He grinned back, happy to see his concerns were unfounded, “Can you squeeze a few more questions in there or are you good to go?” He continued, laughing.
She scrunched her face up in mock offence. “How have you not thought of all of this?” She asked incredulously. All Ash could think about was her face a couple of inches away from his own last night, ready to be kissed. He shook the image away. But he wanted to know if they were ok.
“Hey, Rose” He started playing with the cuff on his hoody nervously, how did he want to approach this? Should he even? She seemed to have turned herself around when she got in and he didn’t want to go back to Rose being…well…not Rose. “About last night”. He needed to know where he stood. Rose’s face didn’t change from the excited smile she wore but there was a hesitation before she continued.
“What about last night?” she asked quizzingly, but she stopped jumping around and a flicker of concern flashed across her face. Ash didn’t know how to react, surely she remembered? Maybe she was so drunk she forgot about the entire thing? Was he going to make a fool out of himself for bringing something up and make her feel uncomfortable?
“It doesn’t matter, don’t worry” He decided against it, shaking his head. He did not like the feeling of bringing a potential kiss up if she didn’t want to talk about it, or even if she’d forgotten all about it! He wanted to get both of them back to the way they were before the wine took over.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
They continued talking about Endoria until it was time to get themselves ready.
“I’ll see you in there!” Rose danced towards him, stopped a couple of steps away from him and held his gaze. There looked to Ash that there was some form of struggle when suddenly she kissed him on the cheek and left. That was new. He stood there shocked for a moment.
His head was all a buzz as he made his way upstairs and as his mum wished him good luck as they passed each other on the landing. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he did feel like there had been a change with each other and he wasn’t entirely against it. For now, though, it was time. After all this time it was now here.
He settled himself on his bed, picked up the sensync headset and gently placed it on his head. What was to come? How was this going to feel? Would it be just like VR? Even a small fleeting thought that his brain might get fried played on him as he settled into a laying position. He shook that thought away, that was not a concern. He’d seen so many videos on the process now he knew it wasn’t something to worry about. It didn’t stop his heart from racing and butterflies appearing in his stomach. Much like every piece of technology nowadays, the Sensync Dive had a start command.
“Aura, In”
The weirdest sensation he had ever felt followed. He felt like he was falling from a great height, he didn’t feel in any danger, but he could feel his body moving. It was pitch black, but for a small point of light that had begun to get closer and closer.
“Sync in progress” A metallic voice seemed to ring out from all directions at once, “Visuals, complete. Auditory functions complete. Brainwave patterns….synchronised”
The white point of light rushed towards him, and he found himself stood on a solid white surface in a solid white room. There were no edges to the room, no details, or distinguishing features, only white. Everywhere. This was unlike anything he had experienced in a normal VR headset. Everything felt real, he couldn’t put his finger on it. He began moving and heard the echoes of his footsteps travel for miles yet it was like he was walking down the street. Albeit a very white street but it was like he present in the white room, this was where he actually was. Where was his body? What would it look like just laying there on his bed?....How did he get out if he wanted?
Before he could ponder on that too long the AI that would be running Endoria, Aura, appeared from thin air in front of him.
“Woah!” His heart hammering in chest from the unexpected appearance, “Can you not warn me? Jeez. I’ve been in here two minutes and already getting jump scared”
“Apologies Ash” She paused slightly, “did you want me to leave feedback on your experience?” her flowing blue hair moving on its own, in a non-existent wind making the white in her hair sparkle like stars. Her regal and magical appearance from the conference still in full effect here.
“You can do that?” Ash asked, beginning to calm down.
“Of course, I control this experience for you. If it’s not to your liking, it may not be to others either and all feedback is valuable. Scaring you was not the intention. What would be your proposal as an alternative?” She asked, her white skin seemed to glow and her smile put him at ease.
“Just walk out of a door or something” He replied and started looking around. “What is this place and why is it so white?”
“This is your hub. When you start the headset up and before you enter the game you are sent here.” She continued speaking in her soft tones, each and every word rolling off her tongue like the queen she was. “This acts as a place where your brain adjusts to the deep dive experience before putting it through its paces in the game world. It’s an important mediator, without it you may experience some unfortunate side effects but rest assured” she could see Ash’s eyes widen in fear, “Getting straight into the game without first entering the hub is impossible. Before we start would you like to import some information from your brain to personalise your experience further? Any information is entirely confidential, and I am bound by law not to share anything outside of your own account, even to The Chaos Council. Doing so would be a breach of privacy and The Chaos Council will see themselves shut down if an attempt to gain access to anyone’s information were to happen. A copy of the terms and conditions is available in your menu to read before we start”.
And with that a menu popped into existence in front of his face startling him for the second time and forcing him to take a step back. He looked disapprovingly towards Aura.
“Apologies once more Ash. Would you like your menu to come out of a door also?” The question was innocent, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the suggestion.
“No no” He said between laughs, “It’s quite alright! Maybe let it fade into view for people the first time?”
“Noted” she nodded softly and slightly, reinforcing the vision Ash had of her. The menu held the age-old terms and conditions screen. He wasn’t bothered about the information in his head, there wasn’t anything of any real value in there anyway, but he could imagine others with secrets to hide being very wary about this step. He took a little time to read the section on information sharing and it did appear that Aura was correct. Not that he ever doubted her.
Would you like to import your brain mapping for better personalisation? The ultimate question at the bottom of the page asked. Without too much of a thought he pressed accept on the holographic menu in front of him. Nothing felt different. He felt the same as he did before and the room was still white.
“Now, let’s decorate the place, shall we?” Aura smiled, reached out and tapped his menu screen, the terms and conditions fizzled away towards her, as if being collected and a real menu screen took its place.
A menu with so many options it made his eyes hurt. He could see thousands of pages of all sorts from carpet designs and colours to wallpapers, panelling, lighting, furnishings, structures, everything you needed to practically build your own house. This was just the hub customisation section. There was a settings tab, training tab, store tab and others locked behind ???
“I know it can be overwhelming,” She said as if reading his mind, “And I know you are probably excited to get into Endoria so I would suggest choosing a preset for now. The menu system is quite intuitive, use it like you would any touch screen and navigate to the preset section”.
She was right, it was very easy to navigate. He scrolled past a section on ‘plumbing’ showing toilets and showers of all different kinds, past ‘gardens’ which held numerous shrubs and hedges, flowers, and patio furniture. Eventually he came to presets and to his surprise his own house was listed right at the top.
“I notice you’ve seen your house. Don’t worry. I haven’t sent a team out to fully design your house” She spread her arms out, “Why would I need to when its all in your head anyway! We’ve imported a memory of your house into the game, and you can use that as your preset for now. Any changes you would like to make you can do so at any time when you are in the hub, please note, some may require in Chaos Council Tokens to place. CC Tokens can be earned in various ways, you can go through your instructions at any time through the menu. I hope you enjoy this tiny portion of personalisation; I assure you there’s more to come!” She tapped her nose knowingly.
“Hmmm, I like the thought of doing up my own house” He clicked the option of using his house as a preset and immediately he found himself stood in the front roo.. Coffee table in the exact place it was when he opened his Sensync box, the sofa where had sat with Rose and almost kissed. He truly felt like he was stood in the exact same living room.
“There’s more you can do here but redecorate, but for now that is locked. I hope you enjoy your new space! I am sure you are wanting to get straight into the action. From your hub you need to be at your computer to enter the game world”
He chuckled, “That seems fitting I suppose. I can get upstairs too? It’s not just this room?”
“Oh no” She smiled, she seemed oddly out of place in his front room, and he felt the urge to clean up even the place was spotless. “You have access to your whole house. If you look out of the window you can see everything you would normally see, though you can’t access anything outside of the exterior doors in this current version” He was genuinely impressed.
“I’ll…just” He awkwardly pointed past Aura who was currently standing between him and the stairs, she moved to the side, well I suppose moved was a strong word, she literally just floated to one side so he could get through. “Thanks” He said, passing her. She didn’t smell of anything and he didn’t feel any form of warmth as you do when you come into close contact with another human.
Upstairs everything was exactly as it was in his house. The little details were spot on, even the coffee stains on his desk from the numerous cups of coffee he had during marathon gaming sessions. He took a seat at his computer and wondered what to do next.
Aura appeared through the floor, taking on a corporeal form and clearly could travel through walls. This, again, took Ash by surprise. Even a noise escaped his mouth this time.
“I apologise Ash. I didn’t mean to scare you” Ash looked towards her exasperated, “I shall use the door next time”.
“I’m not entirely sure how I feel about you being in my room, let alone you floating through the floor!” He had one hand pressed against is chest and tried to slow his breathing, not for the first time today.
“Would you like me to make this room out of bounds for me? I can communicate with you through your menu if you prefer?” It all seemed very alien and strange to Ash, she wasn’t apologetic, but she didn’t seem put out either. Whilst she didn’t seem this way at the convention, she most definitely felt like an AI assistant now. Ash assumed it had something to do with the millions of people who were probably connected to her at once currently. The amount of power something like this would take truly baffled Ash’s mind.
“No, you are ok, just don’t look at me if I’m naked” He joked, waiting to see the response.
“Noted” She said, again tipping her head only slightly.
“Let’s get into Endoria then, do I just turn it on?” He reached out and switched his PC on. It all happened at once.
“No Ash, you…” Aura started to speak but drifted away. Oops. His hub house seemed to swirl into nonexistence around him, blackness returned once more, and a ringing sounded in his ears. Something wasn’t right, what did he do?
A small white dot started blinking in front of him in the darkness. It had form, he could walk around it and see it visually within his space. I wonder… he thought and reached out to touch it.
“ERROR, ERROR” A noise sounded and reverberated in his head so loud it made him drop to his knees and cover his ears, but it didn’t help. The sound was in his head, he squeezed his eyes shut. “INCOMPATIBLE LIFEFORM DETECTED. RESET IN PROGRESS”
….
….
….
The sound stopped. Replaced by birds tweeting and the occasional trumpet of an elephant off in the distance.
“Welcome to Character creation, Ash”.