Author note: So hi there fellow penguins, I’m a new author and a non native English speaker so any and all constructive criticism is welcomed wholeheartedly. Regarding rate of update I aim for about once every two weeks but I’m lazy at heart and that might not happen every time so please be patient, there will be updates unless I tell you otherwise. Please enjoy and comment if you want, I promise to read them all ;)

Prologue: Gateway To Nexus

Sebastian Frost was sitting in a lecture hall hearing a middle aged professor droning on about the early years of VR and how it revolutionized the world.

Well in truth he was at this moment in something that looks a lot like a pod from those old sci-fi movies inside his one room student apartment, you might think this contradicts itself, how can he be both at home and at school? Well the answer is quite simple actually, he was at this moment inside a VR device and attending a lecture hosted by his university off the hub in DTUs own private little piece of Cyber the virtual world.

Why would a university teach classes in Cyber and not in the flesh, well when scientist found out that VR tech inherently dilated peoples time perception so that people inside experienced three times more than those outside. DTU not being ones to let a good thing pass them by started using VR as a teaching tool, which then spread like a wildfire through both Denmark and the rest of the world.

Sebastian wasn’t really in the mood to hear all this stuff since most of it is common knowledge, and besides people that decide to take the course packet about VR tech must at least know the basics right?

So while sitting there contemplating what he had done to deserve this torture session of outdated information he fiddled with his pencil as he always does when a stray thought hit him and he turned to tap his old friend Michael on the shoulder.

“Hey have you heard about this new game called Gateway to Nexus? I hear they’ve been able to make the NPCs really lifelike with some AI stuff or something” Sebastian said and as he did he noticed something flash across his friends face. He brushed it off as mere surprise over the fact they had been able to get AI to work in the gaming industry.

“Yeah I’ve heard about it Frost” answered Michael.

“Wanna play it with me? I think it could be a great game if they really have got those AI’s working.”

Once again something flashed across his friends face but this time it was something different. While rubbing his neck Michael answered.

“Truth be told Frost, I have been playing it for months… Ever since it came out”

“What?!”

Sebastian's voice rose higher than the whisper he had been using till now. The teacher looked up with an annoyed expression and shushed waiting just long enough to show it was their fault the lecture had stopped before beginning the lecture again.

Lowering his voice and leaning in close Sebastian asked.

“You’re telling me you’ve been playing Gateway since launch and you didn’t invite me and Kevin?” Sebastian asked still fiddling with his pencil.

“Well not really… Kevin's been playing it with me from the start.” This coming from Michael who was now quite red faced.

“Let me explain, it’s got nothing to do with you per say it’s just the fact you always play mage characters and mages take forever in Gateway before they are ready to leave… “

Michael's explanation took a second or two for Sebastian to grasp.

“Wait a minute so you guys kept me out of the loop simply because it would be inconvenient for you to play with me?” Sebastian asked hands now completely still no longer toying or fiddling with anything.

Michael saw this and his face paled.

“Frost, it wasn’t something we decided upon it just sort of happened.”

Slowly Sebastian looked his friend in the eye.

“You, me and Kevin are through. I won't be a bitch about it, I will greet you when I see you and be unfailingly polite towards the both of you, but that's it.”

Having said his piece he now turned his head towards the teacher ignoring his former friend.

It might seem harsh to end childhood friendships just because people didn’t include you, and normally even Sebastian would agree with you.

Except Michael, Kevin and Sebastian had a long time promise to always include each other, because no one else would in their old neighborhood.

A promise now broken just because of convenience.

While listening to the rest of the lecture, he slowly cooled down.

‘Well it isn’t like it hasn’t happened before, friendships are ephemeral. These friendships just lasted longer than most.’ He told himself, wanting to believe his old saying more than ever.

While thinking this Sebastian opened two private windows. One for surfing and the other to jot down notes. Then the ten hours left of the lecture went by in a flash for Sebastian absorbed as he was in the research of Gateway to Nexus .

Reading through all his findings he was forced to admit that mages did indeed take a long time to get off the ground according to every source he could find, and as if that wasn’t enough their damage was heavily reliant on the circumstances and elemental immunities of their opponents.

Which incidentally triggered Sebastian's stubborn streak.

Before his former friends decision to keep him out he would probably have played something else, but now he could play nothing else which suited him just fine.

If everyone is so damn certain something is useless, he would prove them wrong by turning every downside into an advantage.

His thoughts and musings were then interrupted by the teachers voice.

“That’s it for today's lecture on the conception of VR and its impact on society, remember to log off and get something to eat and I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

With that said the teacher disappeared probably following his own advice.

Saving his notes in a way that makes them accessible outside the capsule Sebastian logged off.

********

The lid of the capsule popped open and Sebastian got out. Heading to for the shower he looked at the clock on the wall. A little over midday plenty of time to grab a quick shower and go down and get the Gateway module.

Just before getting into the bathroom a thought hit him. It’s Monday Chris should be down at the gym, and maybe it would be a good idea to go get a little exercise before heading into Cyber again.

Having Come up with this bright idea Sebastian threw on a coat instead of taking a shower and headed out.

Fifteen minutes later he walked in to the gym and was greeted by a giant man with a untrimmed blond beard. The man took one long look at Sebastian and then said.

“Well I’m not gonna spar with you today Frost, i like my joints just fine as they are. I will however get you started on real kicks and japs instead of that pacifist Jiu Jitsu you insist on practicing. Sound good too ya?” The big bear of a man asked.

Sebastian looked at Chris thinking it over, until now he had never needed anything more than self defense techniques and his black belt in Jiu Jitsu was proof of that. Yet there was both truth and sense in what Chris was suggesting, sparring while frustrated results in injuries when at the level Sebastian was at.

“Yeah Bear I'll do something else for a change, got some aggression I need to work out of my system. Nice catch by the way.” Sebastian said, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

Chris chuckled. Like everything else with Chris it wasn’t a small sound.

“Wasn’t that hard to catch, you’re even frostier than usual. Get changed then come get me when you have done the usual warm up.” He said then headed towards a newbie pair doing basic throws. Probably to correct their less than ideal footwork.

Sebastian headed to the lockers then changed into his basic white Qi. Old and worn as it is it’s still the most comfortable piece of clothes in his opinion.

Sebastian's usual warm up consists of a lot of laps around the gym doing knee kicks, heel kicks and just about everything else to get limbered up and the juices flowing. It usually takes about fifteen minutes, today it only took ten.

When he was done he headed over to the training mats, observing the two newbies getting their stances corrected by Chris. It once again illustrated why this gym was the one Sebastian trained in. It wasn’t because Chris was a pro MMA fighter, it wasn’t even because the gym was so close, no the patience and care with which Chris taught everyone was the reason.

Few people at Chris’ level are ready to take half an hour out of their schedule to teach some no good beginners how to stand on their feet, yet Chris was.

So instead of barging in Sebastian waited patiently, walking down memory lane to a time where he was a stocky cocky teen unable to keep even a semblance of control over his clumsy limbs.

“You ready to do some real martial arts now?” Chris’ words yanked him back to the present time.

“If by that, you’re asking whether I’m ready to do some damage, then I dare you to call Jiu Jitsu useless one more time.” Sebastian smiled while he delivered that reply to show he was only kidding.

Chris’ laughter roared through the gym startling the few people there.

“Alright then, let’s start you up with kick boxing since ya are being all feisty and all” Chris said heading towards the punching bags.

At the punching bag Chris did a complex routine involving kicks and all sorts of punches slow enough that you wouldn’t miss anything. Showing the routine a couple of times he went back to the rookies without a word. Trusting Sebastian to have grasped and memorized the routine.

Which he had.

Sweat pouring of him Sebastian stopped and glanced at the clock. He was shocked when he saw the time, quarter to two. Little over an hour since he started, evidently he had more to work out of his system than he thought.

Sebastian washed up in the gym showers, changed and got going. Yelling a quick goodbye to Chris at the other end of the gym hall before leaving.

A couple of stops later on the train Sebastian hopped off and got into one of the big shopping centers of Copenhagen.

Glancing at the map checking whether he remembered correctly where the game shop was he walked briskly and quickly found the shop.

It only took a couple of minutes to spot the giant display featuring a noble knight, facing a giant red dragon, sword in hand marking where the modules for Gateway where. A random thought skittered across Sebastian's mind or rather an odd question.

‘Why is it that dragons are always depicted as the bad guys? It’s the knight that comes barging it to it’s lair wanting to slay it’

Taking a box and grimacing at the price tag of 400 bucks he got in line. Noting that the three people in front of him was also holding boxes containing Gateway modules.

Standing in his own thoughts he heard fragments of their conversation not really paying any attention to it until two of the guys rounded on the other guy horrified by something he'd said.

“No no no you do not want to play a mage Daniel!” Guy number one said.

“But I’ve always played mages before and I like the play style” the guy presumably named Daniel retorted in a rather hesitant tone of voice.

“Yeah that might be but we really don’t want to spend a month in our starting town waiting for you to get your shit together, so play a priest or something else instead, just don’t play a mage.” This coming from guy number two who with a completely straight face told his friend what to play.

‘Wow jerks are everywhere, why does he put up with that? Oh well it doesn’t concern me.’

Thinking this Sebastian tuned the rest of their conversation out hoping he soon would get to pay so he could get home and start proving people wrong on all their preconceptions.

When it finally became his turn the clerk asked him if he wanted a technician to come install the module, it would only cost 100 bucks. Trying not to laugh aloud at that absurd price he told him no thanks and paid the man with a credit card ignoring the screams of pain coming from it.

When Sebastian got home it took him a grand total of ten minutes to install the module, and he didn’t even read the manual. He had to admit though that it did take some expertise to get it done, that anti hacking gizmo Dragon Studios had installed in the module did take some tickling to connect well with the capsule, it wasn’t just plug and pray.

He ate a quick microwave dinner, anticipating that it would take some time before he got out of the capsule again. Laying down in the capsule enjoying the custom gel he had installed he ran a last system check before finally saying the magic words.

“Start up: Gateway”

With these words Sebastian's consciousness was enveloped by darkness.

********

Sebastian found himself in a sea of darkness standing on a small island of white light.

“The scan has determined that you have no avatars in Nexus. Would you like to create one?” Said a distinctly feminine and cold voice.

“Yes please.“ Sebastian answered polite by reflex.

A moment later the voice spoke again, this time with what he swore sounded like warmth.

“Have you decided upon a user name?”

Before he could stop himself he said:

“Not really, I usually go by the name of Frost, but I feel like I need something new… You got any ideas?”

This time there was definitely a longer pause before the voice spoke again.

“No I haven’t got an idea for a name I’m afraid, but why would you ask me?” The voice asked, and he could almost imagine the puzzled expression the owner of the voice must be wearing.

“Hmm? I don’t know, guess I wanted another persons opinion since I’m at a loss, hell most people have better naming sense than me” He answered with a self deprecating smile.

“You do realize that I am an AI right?” The voice asked, sounding hesitant for some reason.

“Well yes, I do realize that. I might be slow on the uptake, but I did deduce that you must be an AI since no company can afford the employees to personally create avatars with every player.” He said the hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Several moments went by before the voice once again spoke.

“Alright then why are you talking to me like I am human Sebastian?”

Sebastian's quiet laugh sounded in the darkness.

“Well I’m talking like that because you are sapient and you therefore like everyone else deserve at least basic courtesy. Of course it definitely helps that you sound hot too.” He said with a smirk and a glint in his eye.

“Uhmm we should really get back on track now. Have you found a name for your avatar?” the voice asked flustered, but trying to hide it behind a cool mask.

Getting serious for a second Sebastian contemplated the question. The road of a mage is hard and long, it will definitely take some backbone to endure it… wait endure duro Durabo. ‘Yeah that might work.’

“Yes I have found a name. Durabo, meaning I will endure or survive” Sebastian said feeling a small sense of pride at having come up with such a cool name on the spot.

“The name Durabo is available. Please choose a race, at the moment there are ten races available for selection” said the voice, still doing the whole I’m a cool level headed professional routine.

“Hey don’t I even get a compliment for the cool name… Oh by the way do you have a name oh lady with the voice sweet as honey?” He asked trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

The silence was deafening and lasted so long that he started to fear he might have offended her.

Then a timid voice sounded in the darkness no longer neither cool nor confident.

“Sophia. My creator named me Sophia.” She said her voice so low that he almost couldn’t hear the last part.

“Well I think you have a lovely name Sophia. It suits you.” Sebastian said his smirk now replaced with a gentle smile.

“Thank you. Now could we please get back to the creation process I’m quite certain we have used far too much time already” Sophia said, but her voice sounded pleased not irritated, contrary to what her words might have suggested.

“Ok if that’s what you want Sophia. Next is race right? Well I would like to be an High Elf.” Sebastian said with the same small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

An image appeared before him showing himself as an elf in beginner clothes.

“You are allowed to change anything about your character that can be changed in real life without surgery.”

Looking at himself in elf form, he must admit that he wasn't exactly built like them. Built like a bear with wide shoulders and great slabs of muscles on a wide average height frame, he wasn't exactly tall slim and handsome. His wheat colored hair spiked and his face plain. He looked like most Danes, except for his eyes, the color of polished steel. The hair really wasn’t that elfish to look at though, the color was fine but spiked like it was now seemed to modern.

“Can I see how my hair would look long and tied back in a simple ponytail Sophia?”

“Of course Sebastian”

The hair on the model in front of him lengthened so it reached the middle of the back and then tied together with several pieces of royal blue silk.

‘Never have i been so tempted to get long hair before.’

“That looks great Sophia.” He said with an excited smile.

“Where would you like to start your adventure Sebastian?” Sophia said sounding distinctly satisfied with the complement.

“Oh I’ll start in Vetas in the Eislonien Realm Sophia. No where better to start if you want to be a mage right.” He said with a wink at the darkness.

“Very well hope you enjoy the game Sebastian, best of luck” She said.

Right before Sebastian was swallowed by the usual flash of bright light.