Chapter 1: The Beginning
Darkness engulfed a young man's vision as a tingling sensation spread through his body. He was full of excited energy and could hardly wait as a bright light suddenly illuminated the darkness. Around him was an endless world of whiteness aside from a figure that stood directly before him.
From the void, a soft, motherly voice spoke, “Welcome, Alexander Cordis. Please select your race.”
The youth gazed at the figure, which was identical to himself, and smiled as a window appeared in mid-air. It had a number of silhouettes displayed that all looked ruffly like himself, with various changes that were more or less severe. In Eden, there were over 100 different races, though when one was first making their character, one only had 20 choices. These races were for more than just appearances, as each one would guarantee one Skill and Tittel.
For hardcore gamers, as many people were, they would spend hundreds researching these races. From their initial stats to the skills they could learn in the future and even the possibilities for race evolution. As for Alexander, he was far more simple-minded; he wanted to be the same race as his mother.
Eyeing his choice, he stated, “I chose Elf.”
His clone changes appearances, becoming leaner and taller. It gained a pair of pointy ears, and his already blond hair turned almost platinum. Its slightly tan skin grew several shades paler while its blue eyes gained a dazzling brilliance. The figure was then wrapped in a fait luster that gave it a magical air.
While the youth marveled at this, the feminine voice spoke again, “Please Select a gender.”
Alexander didn't hesitate; his mother would kill him if he crossdressed, so he stated, “Male.”
His doppelganger didn’t change as the voice then stated, “Please, adjust your character's design.”
A new screen appeared before him with a number of controls that he could use to alter his avatar's appearance. The young man waved this off happily with his appearance and stated, “No need, I'm satisfied.”
The screed disappeared at this while the mother's voice stated one last question, “Please choose a name?”
Alexander again smiled to himself as he remembered the several hour-long discussion he and his mother had had on this subject. In the end, they came to a begrudging agreement, which the youth now uttered, “Alatar.”
This word appeared above his character's head in white letters; the figure then smiled and transformed into a ball of light. It shot into Alexander's chest, at which point his appearance began to change. Once the change was complete, the youth felt surprisingly light on his feet but also more fragile than he was before. This was the feeling of being an elf being directly transduced into his nervous system.
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A mirror appeared before him so that he could admire his new form, along with a window that possessed two options:
Eden Window [https://i.imgur.com/y9kF30e.png]
Bubbling with excitement, Alexander pressed the Proceed to Eden option.
A bright light blinded him for a second, though once it faded, his heart skipped a beat, and he even forgot to breathe. His new body was suspended hundreds of feet up in the air, and before him was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. The Ludere Corporation controlled its creative material with an iron first, so this was his very first time seeing the world of Eden.
Stretching out before him was a boundless world of color and light.
The sky was a brilliant blue field with billowing white clouds, while the land was blanketed with endless green vegetation. There was a brilliant rainbow that seemed to be made of liquid light and a raring river of glittering water.
His body began to fly through the sky at a fighting speed, though the cool wind was soft against his face. Alexander's body shivered with excitement as a strange tingling sensation filled him. It was like a latent warmth that constantly confronted him. This was the legendary magic of Eden.
Eyes a glow, the youth watched as forests, lakes, and mountains flew by. He even saw rudimentary yet beautiful towns made up of cobblestone buildings and wood pass by him. He longed to stop the flight and admire everything, but this instruction to the World of Eden was beyond his ability to pause.
With tears of awe and happiness in his eyes, he continued to fly till he saw an incredible palace on the horizon. The ancient castle possessed towering walls and was bustling with activity, and leading up to it were vast fields of wheat ready to harvest.
The beauty of this world was beyond anything his mother, friends, or even the internist had managed to describe to him. It was more than just pleasing to the eye; this place seemed to satisfy a deep craving that existed deep inside him. At the same time, a new desire began to burn inside his heart. He wanted to experience more of this world and see all of its wonders.
As he flew, Alexander barely noticed the presence of another flying individual that was close behind him. However, as his body moved towards a platform within the castle's boundaries, he was forced to. The dark-haired girl that had been flying behind him had managed to twist her body around in mid-air. Now, as she landed, her body was catawampus.
Panicky, she had called, “Watch out.”
Alexander, who had been admiring the platform and buildings of stone around him, looked back at this just in time for the girl to get tossed into him. They toppled onto the ground together as the girl let out a belt of excited laughter, squealing, “That was great!”
Crushed under the girl's weight, Alexander groaned out, “Can you get off me.”
The girl who was playing as half-demon scrambled off of him, “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.”
Able to breathe again, the young man gasped for air though kindly responded, “Don't worry about it.”
Considering this statement to be a sign of forgiveness, the girl smiled and eyed the boy before blurting, “Hey, if this is your first day, that means we have the same birthday. That's pretty cool.”
Alexander sat up at this and nodded, “I guess so…” In order to avoid impacting a person's neurological development, one could only receive the implant needed to engage with the Ludere Corporation’s headset once they were 16. The surgery was minimally invasive and only took three days to recover, after which people would immediately jump into the game. Putting this knowledge aside, he looked up at the girl as his manor took over. He stood up and offered a hand. “My name's Alatar. It's nice to meet you.”
The girl seemed a bit surprised by this but smiled and shook his hand enthusiastically while responding, “I'm Allana. I think we're going to be great friends.” The boy didn't know if he believed it, but it seemed too late to back out now as the girl grabbed hold of his arm and added, “Come on, let's go exploring.”
Alexander barely had time to think, though a smile soon appeared on his face. This was a whole new beginning.