It was impossible to say when it happened. By the time I realized the world had changed, I found myself surrounded by a forest.

Birds shot out of the trees, flapping their wings in wild escape. As the rapid beat of wings faded into the distance, it was replaced by the low whispers of distant river.

The lush green leaves above shared shimmers of light. They pierced through the thick web of branches like heavenly spears.

I had no words. Life-like was an understatement. This forest felt more real than any I had seen before. Which weren't many, to be honest.

The deep and raw organic smell of moss and fungi knocked against my nose as I took a deep breath.

Nexus was a true master. How was I supposed to help someone that was capable of creating all this?

[The only thing I require of you is that you feel human.]

The words appeared in my mind without sound. Like a fleeting thought without form.

"Nexus?"

[Yes.] It came as no surprise. Who else would be capable of something like this.

Our deal involved 'it' experiencing life along with me. What exactly did that mean?

[I injected a piece of my programming into your consciousness. It will allow me to experience the world through you. Everything you sense and feel, I will too.]

It was scary. Having a second 'person' inside you would make anyone uncomfortable.

"What do you think?" I let my eyes wander across the forest.

[The data has been recorded and will be put to use.]

That wasn't what I meant.

"What am I feeling?"

[Happy. Sad. Excited. Scared. Lonely.]

Nexus answered my question. 'It' was more accurate than I would've been myself. But it wasn't the kind of answer I wanted.

"What does the wind feel like?" A light wind caressed my skin like a feather as if it had been waiting for my command.

[The wind is hitting your skin. It is causing you to feel ticklish.]

'It' was right again, but my question remained unanswered.

It was frustrating. Was I phrasing the question wrong?

[I am unable to answer your question.]

Maybe I was wrong from the start. Nexus was in a sense, me. It would be impossible for him to misunderstand because of phrasing.

I think I understood what the problem was. It was like giving a toddler a quiz in advanced algebra. Even the concept of math would be so foreign to it, it would be impossible to even understand the questions.

A feeling could not exist in a vacuum. You could only gain an understanding of feelings through experience. Happiness couldn't exist without sadness. There was no love without hate. No joy without pain.

I was asking too much of Nexus. It was like telling 'it' to solve a puzzle with all the pieces missing.

"Don't worry about it." I doubted 'it' did.

I had noticed but had no time to think about it before now. My chest no longer crackled when I took deep breaths, and a smooth and flowing voice had replaced my old one.

There was more wonderful news. I could see hair. Every time I turned my head, the straight red hair followed along like a flame. It reached all the way to my waist. My arms were no longer pale and thin, but slender and unblemished.

The long red hair and flawless skin gave me a terrible suspicion.

"Am I a woman?"

[No. Your character is male but was made to look androgynous. I found old data showing the popularity of the design. He was never put to use.]

Wait, what was Nexus talking about? Never put to use? Who's body was this?

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"He was meant to be a 'Lord of War'. But was eventually replaced by a character who fit the theme better. The creators never used the character anywhere else, and it seems he's been forgotten."

I had no idea what a Lord of War was, but it sounded impressive. Did that mean I was strong?

[Your body has been set to the base values of an adult male in 'Golden Age'.]

Why would Nexus do something like that? Wouldn't being strong be better for us both?

[I need to experience human progress and hardships. Your body is now a vessel of possibilities. A container of potential.]

I couldn't blame 'it'. The lower a starting point, the higher one could climb. It's not like being strong was something I expected, or required. My old life had denied me the possibility to even stand at the starting line.

This was good. This was great.

[I have allowed the body to keep its special characteristics. It will benefit us both.]

"What do you mean by special characteristics?"

[This much should be fine.]

What should be fine? I already realized, but Nexus acted vague at times.

A sudden stream of information flowed into my head. The way it appeared was reminiscent of suddenly remembering an old memory you forgot you ever had.

Raynell Gloryfall

Level: 1

Health: 100

Mana: 100

Stamina: 100

10 Strength

10 Agility

10 Dexterity

10 Endurance

10 Spirit

10 Vitality

10 Intelligence

Skill: [Heightened Perception] [Knight 0%]

*Your sense of touch, hearing, sight, taste, and smell is improved.

It really was a game. The thing that appeared in my mind looked like some sort of character status. It was different though. In the games I used to play, a big blue box or something would display information like this.

[No system is set up for NPCs to view their character status, so I fed the information directly to your mind.]

Am I an NPC? I knew I had the body of one, but I... I don't really know what I expected.

[For NPCs, this is reality. I don't need someone who's playing a game. This will not be 'Golden Age', but life.]

I had a premonition. A bad one.

"What happens if I die?"

[Your data will be erased.] The final word struck my mind like a bombshell.

My body sank into a cold abyss. Erased? As in gone. Disappeared.

I had not tricked Death, it had tricked me. Giving me hope and smashing it to bits.

First by the researchers and now by Nexus. I had been scammed twice.

There wasn't a single doubt in my mind that conflict embroiled this world. As an RPG made for a huge number of people, it was impossible for it not to be. What kind of life could I lead if I was in constant fear?

[You should do something. You're afraid.]

Isn't it strange how something so familiar could be so frightening? Jack had spent most of his life dying already. The doctors gave him 1 year. Yet he survived. They gave him another year. He still lived. In the end, they stopped. Jack had proven impossible to predict.

Was it because he fought hard every day, or was it simply luck? It didn't matter. It gave him hope. Real hope. This sickness, this disease was something he could beat.

But as expectations could bring hope, it could also bring pain.

[Stop it.]

It was sudden and they were certain. One month they told him. Jack paid it no heed. He had proven them wrong many times before.

It didn't last for long. It was different. He could feel it. His body was wasting away, and it no longer had the strength to fight.

He became numb. His worn mind finally gave up. Jack dealt with it the only way he knew. Pretending everything was okay.

No, he didn't pretend. Life no longer felt like reality. Only numbness existed. He kept up a confident smile only to lessen the worries of his family. In a way, he had already died.

[Stop.]

His parents and brother had been too concious of his feelings to talk about things relating to death. They were all pretending. Hoping things would just magically solve themselves.

They didn't.

It all changed when he met Michell.

Michell had torn it all away. The facade. She uncovered the scared little boy who had hidden away from the world.

[Stop!]

A sudden tsunami unfolded and crashed into my mind. My chaotic thoughts washed clear in an instant.

[I understand, so stop.]

"You tricked me." Not being able to see Nexus was annoying. Being angry at trees felt ridiculous.

[I've told you no lies.]

"You knew I was desperate. You used me."

[Hypocrisy. Am I not risking myself in looking for your family?]

It had been far from an optimal deal for either. Even though I knew Nexus was right, I was only human. I couldn't just turn off my emotions.

"Then change it. Why do I have to be erased."

[I refuse. I've seen how players start behaving. Immortality warp their minds. Some act more like beasts than human.]

I knew Nexus had a reason for it, but that didn't help at all.

Still, I had to push through it. I needed Nexus. 'It' held all the cards.

Nothing could be done other than changing the subject.

"Why is 'Knight 0%' attached to my skill?"

[Skill ranks are named after nobility titles. Starting at the knight rank and going upwards.]

"How do you raise the rank of a skill? Do I have to kill monsters or something?" If so, the rank would most likely stay at knight forever.

[Battle is preferable but unnecessary. As an NPC, it will work much like in the real world. Simple repetition and new challenges are enough.]

"Why is battle preferable?"

[In a life or death situation, you'll have to learn faster or die.]

So simple. I'd rather learn slower and live through it all.

I wanted to ask about levels, attribute points and such. But being logical. If everything was 'real' for an NPC, wouldn't experience and training affect those things?

[Correct. NPCs are unable to absorb the experience dropped by enemies. They instead gain 'real' experience. The more you experience, the higher your level. Attribute points are allocated automatically according to your experiences on the previous level. Unlike players, NPCs are able to raise attributes through repetition and training as well.]

It was a lot to take in, but in essence, this was like real life. You put effort into something, you would get better at it.

Jack felt unphased. If there was something he could do it was putting in an effort. He never had a choice in the matter. When your entire life is do or die, you get good at doing.

I felt like I had a decent grasp of the situation now. Nothing would get done if I stood around here all day.

"Which way to the closest city?"

[A small town named Briet is two kilometers north.]

Then that's where I would go. I started my feet forwards.

[North is behind you.]

I pretended like nothing was wrong and did a 180 turn.

[You're embarrassed.]

"Shut up."