Chapter 1: Welcome to the Realms of Destiny
> 'Cause I've got faith of the heart
> I'm going where my heart will take me
> I've got faith to believe
> I can do anything
> - “Where My Heart Will Take Me,” Russell Watson
> Theme from “Enterprise”
How many days until Spring Break? That had been Sophia's mantra for two weeks, but today, she could finally answer: Just one. She sighed, watching her students as they relaxed on their devices. Some of them surfed social media, some of them played games and some of them watched videos of other people playing games. Usually, the VR-T 4000s were used to create a virtual classroom that Sophia could use to teach her students, but her kids had finished their unit test and she had unlocked the goggles so they could relax a little. She wasn't getting anything more out of them today, not a couple hours before their week of freedom.
Glancing around her, Sophia gave a wry purse of her lips. The classroom wasn't much to look at. The education budget had been slashed again, and her public school of low income students got very little of what was available. She was lucky that she had won the grant for the VR goggles which allowed her to work with her students virtually, opening up the potential for great digital resources. It wasn't optimal, but it had worked out okay.
"Five minute warning. Go ahead and start packing up. Make sure you replace the VRs on their chargers." There were groans around the room and Sophia didn't blame them. Not all teachers had the time or wherewithal to apply for the Future Classrooms of the World grant, and for those classrooms that didn't have the goggles, the students would be stuck using archaic laptops for their classwork. It was an unfortunate side-effect of the society's current view of education. The teachers were left on their own, expected to perform miracles with the resources that they cobbled together or spent their own money to buy. Even when a grant was offered, the "handout", as she had heard it referred to on her own social media, was always accompanied with strict requirements to prove that her students were, in fact, benefiting from the technology. Sophia hated it, but she was just a teacher surrounded by a society that figured teaching the next generation was her problem - not theirs. So, she did the only thing she could. She taught the next generation.
"Be safe, be thoughtful, be kind!" Sophia called as the bell rang and kids headed for the door. "Get some rest - remember, we have testing the week we get back!" And then, she was alone. With a sigh, Sophia plopped back down into her chair, closing her eyes for a moment. She had a good 20 minutes before the next class would arrive. Just enough time to get caught up on her messages.
Sophia scanned through the chat with her housemates about dinner plans and sent a quick reply about dinner: "Pizza Mac sounds good!" Then she pulled up her school email. 30 unread messages in the past hour. With a grimace, Sophia started through them. Early releases for athletes headed out to a tournament. *Delete.* Professional Development notices. *Delete.* Reminders from the administration that teachers needed to have grades submitted before they left for the day. *Delete.* Information on testing the week they got back. That one Sophia filed away in its proper folder. In a minute, she once again had the neat inbox that she preferred.
That left Sophia with her personal email. Surprisingly, there was only a single message. "Big news from Realms of Destiny 2!" Sophia almost deleted the email as spam, but something had her pausing. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was nostalgia. Sophia had played the original Realms of Destiny for almost 30 years, ever since her father had gotten her the game for her 10th birthday. It had been new then, and it quickly became the most popular MMO in the world. For Sophia, it had been the start of her love of video games. Even when she had to retire her Realms of Destiny account because she just didn't have time to play anymore, she could admit secretly that she desperately missed the game and her character. Huli had started out as a kitsune bard, but over the years had become one of the most powerful characters in the game. She had reached the status of deity, something only a handful of players ever achieved, and became the Everblossom, goddess of hearth and family. It had broken Sophia's heart to give her up. But children have to put their toys down when they become adults, right? And while Sophia might still put in a few hours a week with Hero Master or Knights and Lands, her current video games of choice, she knew that the time required to maintain a character in Realms of Destiny simply wasn't in the cards for her. She had a life to live, and there wasn't room for her fiery fox-goddess, no matter how much she missed her.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
If Sophia had been considering visiting Realms of Destiny again - just to visit! - it ended up being a moot point. Realms had been shut down suddenly not 6 months ago, followed by an announcement of a new game, Realms of Destiny 2. Realms 2 would supposedly take everything from the original Realms game and make it better. A massive world map, over a thousand class/race combinations, cutting edge AI technology, and - best of all - Realms 2 was built specifically for the new Virtual Reality MMO genre of video games. Several of the VR tech companies had started releasing cutting edge VR goggles to make the best of the new game's high quality VR graphics and sensory functions.
All of that may have made Sophia's mouth water, but she knew it was just a pipe dream. She was an adult now, with a job and a family - such that it was - and errands to run and bills to pay. She didn't have time for a new addiction.
Still… Sophia hesitated, then clicked open the email. It wouldn't hurt to read about the new game, right? She might find herself discussing it with her students at some point in the future.
Big News from Realms of Destiny 2!
Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as a Realms of Destiny 2 alpha tester! You will be among the first to experience the awe and wonder, the thrill and adventure, of Realms of Destiny 2.
Sophia blinked and when she had finished reading the email, she had to go back to read it again. An… alpha tester? But… she hadn’t even signed up to be on their mailing list, and she hadn't logged into her account for Realms of Destiny in over 3 years. It didn't make sense. Except there it was, right in front of her eyes. Feeling slightly paranoid, Sophia didn't follow the link provided by the e-mail, but instead went straight to the Realms of Destiny website. Where there had once been news and links relating to the original Realms of Destiny game, now it showed only the announcement for the much anticipated sequel. Still, there was an option in the upper corner to log into an account, and Sophia did so, surprised that she still remembered her password after all those years. "They say you never forget your first love," she mused with a smirk. Then her smile fell away as her screen changed. The login screen disappeared and was replaced by the image of a blue and green planet pierced by a sword and a magical staff at opposing angles. The Realms of Destiny logo. Sophia's heart skipped a beat in longing. She couldn't deny how much she missed that game. Then the logo spun three times before slowing again, this time was a bold script printed across the globe:
Welcome, Sophia, to Realms of Destiny 2!
***
“So, let me get this straight.” Logan put down the wooden spoon that he was using to stir the pot on the stove and turned to stare at Sophia, who sat at the dining table a few feet away. “You received an invitation to alpha test what could become the biggest MMO in our lifetime… and you are going to pass?”
Sophia frowned at her housemate. “Well… yes.” She paused, then continued, “My plate is full. I have teaching and… and a life. I don’t have time to become addicted to Realms of Destiny… again.”
“You have a week,” Logan pointed out. “Spring Break, an entire week with no responsibilities. That’s plenty of time to enjoy it.”
“And when Spring Break is over? What if I can’t put it down?”
Logan let out a disgusted sound and turned back to the food on the stove. “I can’t believe you are going to turn down a chance of a lifetime because you are afraid of what might happen. You can’t go through life like that, Sophia.” Sophia fell silent, brows furrowed. “Look,” Logan continued, “We’ll be out of your hair starting tomorrow. You’ll have an entire week without kids. Take the time. Enjoy the new game. When it’s over, you can go back to your boring life.”
“Boring!” Sophia tried to feel offended, but Logan’s smirk made it difficult. She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” Pulling the pot from the stove, Logan began pouring the contents - macaroni and cheese - into a large casserole dish. “And let me know how that rig works out.”
Turning back to the table, Sophia scowled down at the box in front of her. It had been on the porch when she got home. The note had said that as part of her role as an alpha tester, she was authorized her very own Titanium XVR. It was the top of the line in virtual reality hardware. Sophia had never owned a VR rig, but she know that the XVR was expensive. And she was getting one for free? Her suspicions had led Sophia to explain everything to Logan, hoping that he would explain what the catch might be. Instead, Logan had brushed off Sophia’s concerns and insisted she try both the game and the new VR.
With a nod, Sophia grabbed the XVR and carried it upstairs. She still wasn’t sold on being an alpha tester, but she couldn’t resist a box opening.