Fan Hua walked out of the hospital, stepping into the heavy Malaysian rain with no umbrella or raincoat.

His dusty, cheap white T-shirt clung to his skin, revealing his toned but malnourished figure underneath. He clutched a brown envelope tightly to his chest as he wandered across the road. Cars horned and drivers yelled at him as they swerved out of their way to avoid hitting him.

All Fan Hua could think about was the last conversation he had with Doctor Shanmugam, “Three months, Fan Hua, that’s how much time she has left, if we’re lucky.”

Fan Hua threw aside his hardhat as he walked into the mall, treading mud all over the floor as he shuffled forward like a zombie. Bystanders watched him and gossiped amongst themselves as the soaking-wet teenager entered the shop. Gamer’s Hideout, it said in bright neon letters above the storefront.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Half an hour later, Fan Hua sat on the cold concrete floor of an empty apartment. Home sweet home. Every piece of furniture and anything that had even the slightest resale value had been sold away to cover his sister’s hospital bills. Only a thin mattress remained, slumped against a corner of the room.

Fan Hua picked up his wet phone and clicked the home button. By some miracle, the screen flickered on.

7:58 pm.

Just in time. Fan Hua unboxed the tiny device he had just purchased from the store and placed it into his ear. There was a sharp pain as the neural uplink device embedded itself.

He clicked the button on the device and confirmed the game he was booting up: Mirrored.

He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.