Aiden let out a soft tsk, his fingers dancing erratically over the game controller as the VR headset transported him into another realm. In this virtual universe, he was cloaked in a mist of crimson, wreaking havoc above the bustling streets of New York.
The hands that wreaked such destruction, however, were not those of a man, but delicate and slender, their beauty accentuated by pale skin and black nail polish. Yet, the scarlet mists that swirled around them tore through life after life, turning what should have been a work of art into a reviled instrument of death, a progenitor of sin.
Yes, Aiden was role-playing a female character—the Scarlet Witch.
Aiden, a seemingly ordinary 16-year-old boy, was named during a scorching summer's day by the elderly man who adopted him. Now, he was engrossed in the globally released game "Marvel Universe," which had launched just a month prior. Drawing on the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse and elements of the comics, the game featured nearly a hundred characters. Overwhelmed by the sheer choice, Aiden had struggled to pick just one.
A Marvel fan through and through, Aiden had been swept up in the franchise's global storm since "Iron Man," boarding the Marvel bandwagon without a second thought.
A month after its release, Aiden had only just managed to acquire the game, driven by financial necessity. Since his grandfather's passing, funds were tight, and he had been working and studying to get by. His clean-cut looks had garnered him generous tips while delivering fast food—rewards for his appearance, though he wisely kept his integrity intact.
Back to the game.
The virtual world boasted formidable characters: Captain America in his iconic blue and white, Iron Man in his gold and red armor, the Hulk's massive bulk barely contained by tattered shorts, Thor, the God of Thunder, surrounded by arcs of lightning, and the incomparable beauty of Black Widow.
The Avengers were all there, each with a set of recommended stars beneath their feet, indicating the game's recommendation level. This fascinated Aiden, for the game not only allowed full immersion through the VR headset, letting one live out superhero fantasies, but also offered individual storylines for most of its hundred-plus characters. Aiden could embody Captain America, reliving the horrors of World War II, or Iron Man, reveling in modern-day New York's nightlife.
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Among the Avengers, only Hawkeye had a four-star recommendation, while the rest, including later additions like Black Panther, Spider-Man, Vision, and Ant-Man, boasted five stars. After twenty minutes of indecision and perusing characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, and Human Torch, Aiden, with a fiery passion in his heart, chose the Scarlet Witch, who had debuted stunningly in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
He selected the "Mutant Mayhem" as his "main world," a universe dominated by the "X-Men." As expected, Aiden quickly became unstoppable.
In the game, Aiden had no moral qualms; these were just characters, after all. Unlike the young, conflicted Scarlet Witch of the movies, who grappled with her powers and sought her identity amidst fear and confusion, Aiden's incarnation was unburdened by inner demons or restraints. She was a villainess unchained, wreaking havoc without remorse.
And like his experiences in GTA, Aiden initially followed the main storyline, only to soon abandon it for rampant destruction and chaotic play.
To enhance the fun, the game offered various templates and skills, divided into three categories: Physical Attack, Magic Attack, and Defense.
Physical Attack had three skills: Brawler, Cold Weapon Master, and Firearms Expert. Each skill had ten levels, with level 0 being the default for ordinary characters and level 9 representing the pinnacle of mastery. Even elite fighters like the Winter Soldier and Captain America were rated only at level 7, indicating the game's cap. But players could push beyond, achieving levels 8 and 9, making the game increasingly thrilling as one could dominate other superheroes.
Magic Attack was also divided into three skills: Physical Magic, Mental Magic, and Mana Charging. All were graded on a ten-level scale, with each level increasing damage without teaching new spells—which disappointed Aiden.
Defense consisted of two skills: Physical Defense and Mental Defense, again with ten levels each.
However, Aiden found the lack of strength or speed skills in the offense category puzzling. He imagined the absurdity of the Scarlet Witch lifting a tank like Hulk or outrunning Quicksilver.
Disregarding the defense skills, Aiden poured all his skill points into Magic Physical Damage and Mana Charging, seeking maximum damage and enjoyment. The rare "light orbs" needed to upgrade skills made the process grueling, a challenge Aiden saw as the game developers' gleeful trap.
Despite the bloodshed and countless virtual lives taken, Aiden had accumulated only 12 light orbs. Most of these were rewards from the game after defeating top-tier superheroes and villains.
Aside from combat, completing missions was another way to obtain orbs, like defeating Ultron with the Avengers, which would likely yield at least one orb. But as it stood, the Scarlet Witch, played by Aiden, was now the ultimate villain, with all superheroes converging on New York to take her down.