What felt like ages passed before the light came into her vision again.

Dassah felt herself drifting off to sleep when she noticed a white speck glimmering in the distance. It bobbed up and down in a calming way as it drifted towards her.

“Welcome!” a small voice said from the light. “You have begun the exciting journey into TheirWorld! You are about to experience a great adventure to the vast reaches of the world of ‘Uldarin,’ a land of great power, magic, and mystery!

“First, you must register your account! Your system account code is 2131HE6M5T791-0079134. Once this account code is registered under your legal name, this system will be tied to you. Please enter the legal name of the account barer.”

The little sprite’s greeting was followed by a text box which Dassah filled out:

Please Enter Account Owner Name: HADASSAH GRAYDON

<>

“I see!” it said. “Your name is Hadassah Graydon! It’s nice to meet you! My name is Biku Biku, and I will be your guide through character creation! Before setting foot in Uldarin, you must create your avatar! Creating a character in TheirWorld is a long, but thrilling, process! Are you ready to begin?”

Note: Only one character is allowed per account. Once a character has been confirmed, it can only be modified via in-game choices, items, and events. Further, there can only be one account registered per IGSR Number. This account is verified by optics, fingerprints, and DNA, and it is non-transferable. Varier Co. and the associated governments strictly enforce this law. Anyone who fails to adhere to this regulation shall be imprisoned by the government which apprehends them, not by the government of citizenship. See Appendix 1 of the game manual for further details.

<>

“Accept,” Dassah said.

Biku Biku spun in the air and said, “Let’s take a look!”

The little light materialized into a younger, naked copy of Dassah herself.

Creepy, Dassah though, twitching.

Compared to Dassah, the avatar looked about ten years younger and didn’t have the body that reflected Dassah’s more idle lifestyle and love of good food. It was more like it had taken an idealized version of a sixteen-year-old girl and applied Dassah’s current biometric data.

“This is your avatar’s base!” said Biku Biku in Dassah’s deep voice. “From here, you can make minor edits to hair color, hairstyle, skin quality, skin color, eye brightness, and eye color. Is there anything you would like to change?”

Circling the avatar, Dassah scratched her head, then focused on giving herself a bit more of a healthier, outdoorsy look. She tanned her skin, put her hair up, and brightened her eyes. When she was finished, Biku-Dassah snapped her fingers and was clothed in ragged-looking garments.

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“This is the way you will appear in the game. Is this correct?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent! Then I will start teaching you the basics,” said Biku-Dassah, and she held out her wrist. “This black dot on your wrist is your basic menu button. As you become more acquainted with the TheirWorld system, you may change the button’s appearance and location, or you may delete it entirely. For this tutorial, however, we shall use the standard physical button. Allow me to show you your character’s information!”

Biku-Dassah ran her finger along the dot and pulled up a menu identical to a WristComp. She clicked ‘Character Information’ which brought up a new screen.

<< -------------------- Level 0 No Profession >>

<< Human - ---------- - ----------- >>

<< Mother: ----------- Father: --------- >>

<< Stats: >>

< Body - 5 >

< Endurance - 5 >

< Resilience - 5 >

< Reflexes - 5 >

< Intellect - 5 >

< Spirit - 5 >

< Presence - 5 >

< Resolve - 5 >

< Perception - 5 >

< Fate - 0 >

“Every character begins life with the same base stats and skills depending on your species. These stats and skills will be impacted by the choices that you will make as you journey through Uldarin.

“As you begin your journey through the tutorial, it is your destiny as a hero of Uldarin to meet the Three Fates. The first of the fates shall show you your past. The second shall lead you to your present, and the third shall bring you to your future. After you meet with all three Fates, your soul shall be given its true form and be allowed to enter the world.

“From here,” the light continued, “You shall meet with the First Fate, who resides in this very realm. If you have not read the manual on Character Creation, please do so now!”

Another screen popped up:

Would you like to log off and read the Character Creation manual?

< >

Dassah refused, and the sprite led her forward until a silvery mist surrounded them. It started at her feet, and then engulfed them both. She panicked at first, but a cool breeze brushed against her skin. Almost instantly Dassah felt calmer, and the tension in her muscles relaxed.

“Who are you?” the breeze seemed to ask softly. “Who are you?”

“I-I’m Hadassah Graydon,” she answered hesitantly.

“Not that name,” the wind said, with an echoing breath. “Not that name.”

Please enter your character name:

<>

Ah, this is the name selection. Feeling embarrassed she didn’t figure that out sooner, Dassah filled in her chosen name, “Guin Grey.”

“Who are you?” the breeze asked again. “Who are you?”

“I’m Guin Grey,” she said with more confidence.

“Guin Grey, Guin Grey,” it wondered aloud, then: “Why have you come to this place? This place, where the world is made of dreams...”

The world around her plunged into even deeper darkness, then everything came alive in an explosion of light and color.