(AN) Attention all new and old readers. I am doing a complete revamp of the entire story.

I have just now 8/6/2015 begun uploading the chapters of the new version. It is titled Elemental Soul.

http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/3009

In addition If you decide to read A Fantasy In Time right now, then you won't get too many spoilers but also the main story line won't have changed too much. You will miss out on a several unique, entertaining, and possibly violent side character interactions with the main character when compared with the old version though.

Older post:

After reading the comments from several readers and rereading it myself, I have realized it needs some major changes. The basic story line itself will stay the same, and the method for gaining his abilities will stay relatively the same for the MC, but I am working to enrich the overall story. If you notice anything that no one else has commented on, then please feel free to let me know what you think should be changed. I will be consistently keeping an eye out for comments that will help me shape the changes I make. I hope most of the comments will be at the inquiry chapter. Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Have you ever wondered what a world without War would be like? A world where you could immerse yourself into countless simulations trying out every conceivable variation of seemingly endless worlds, just to see what would happen?

We thought we had such a world. At the conclusion of WWIII, those of us that survived, felt that humanity had finally learned its lesson and would decide that War, Just . . . Wasn’t . . . Worth It. So many things seemed to happen once the majority of the smoke and the radiation cleared from the lands. Interestingly enough, it didn’t happen naturally. A single newly born corporation of which no one could have planned for, seemed to suddenly have all the answers. Microbial concoctions that ate up nuclear wastelands, leaving behind clean air and nutrient rich soil, Medical advancements that discovered a way of targeting and eliminating several of the more virulent forms of disease, and technological epiphanies that led directly to the first creation of our now widespread usage of Virtual reality.

All of this came to us in a time when we desperately needed solace from the fallout as billions of friends and family member’s lives were lost. It gave us hope, and we ran with that hope.

My name is Scott . . . Scott Anderson. I have, or rather had a few other names by which I was known once upon a time. Like so many others that were born a few generations after the war, I was an avid user of the myriad of Virtual realities that had flooded the market. Living out your wildest dreams, and fulfilling your deepest desires seemed to be the sales pitch that the majority of those gaming corporations hit you with.

Like so many others, I believed that lie.

But what would happen, if a single individual felt something was missing? Something that could only in part, be described as an opposing element to the horrors of WWIII or the atrocities that humanity once committed in the name of religion and politics. Empowered Compassion is the term. Both the will and the cultivated ability to stand against those that would seek to force their own terrible desires upon others. There is another term for those that allow such terrible things to happen.

Complacency is the word I’m looking for. Violence and abuse within individual families still occurs, and technology can only do so much to bleed off the darker tendencies of human nature. One could still watch the news reports of some husband that had severely beaten his wife in a jealous rage for suspected infidelity, or a mother who had been poisoning her child to fake an illness because she liked the attention it garnered her from commiserating friends and doctors. There were even cases of children that ended up killing their parents simply because they restricted their time playing in Virtual Reality.

These kinds of actions need to be monitored and treated at the source. But how can that happen when most everyone seeks for solace from the Real world in the embrace of the Virtual one?

I had played Virtual reality games for many years from the time that my parents had bought me my first capsule at the age of 8, saying they felt that I was mature enough to play many of the games now on the market. I reveled at the freedom granted to me as I played and progressed through the various age restricted games. Soon, I turned 16 which was now considered the age of when individuals in Virtual reality could do anything. 18 and in some places up to 21 still held back individuals from doing certain things in real life, but it was decided that since Virtual reality was not real and entirely Voluntary, then the actions the players took would not be effectively restrained.

Certainly there were a majority of gaming sites that implemented their own in-game consequences for breaking their laws, but players still got away with things.

All of this came down to one simple truth. Humanity was missing something. Something that could break them out of this spiral of complacency and into the realization of true dreams and desires.

I thought I had the answer, the truth that I felt the world should be looking for. Even now though, I’m not quite so sure. So much had happened to me in what seemed like such a short period of time.

I lay here in the darkness, wondering where and how things turned out the way they did. In all honestly I don’t even know if I’m alive or dead at this very moment. Memories and emotions that I feel are not mine obscure my consciousness the majority of the time. I don’t know if there will ever be an end to this, but I do know for a certainty that there was a beginning. And this is how it began.

* * * * *

By the time I had turned 18 I had grown rather sick and tired of the fake life I was living in Virtual Reality. Friends betrayed each other at the hint of a legendary item and long distance relationships were doomed to failure since rarely did anything substantial ever come of it. Epic accomplishments would certainly garner respect in the gaming community, but when said accomplishments did little to influence or improve the livelihood of those less fortunate in real life, then what good were they? Fed up with all of this, I decided to end all playing of Virtual Reality games.

I had tried to make a difference within those worlds, trying to bring the feelings I held for life in the Real World and use those feelings to positively affect the lives of others. It was a unique feeling that I had on special occasions. Years ago when I asked others what they felt at times when they saw something terrible happen on the news or when they were witness to a horrible tragedy in person they would usually say it was a sad thing, and then move on.

Did they not feel a burning/chilling sensation within them, screaming in silence that such things should not happen? Did they not wonder if they could have done anything to stop it from happening in the first place? After hearing too many of the same or similar answers saying that it was just too sad that something happened and then just walk away, did I begin to grow weary. Was I the only one who felt such things?

It wasn’t till much later on that I discovered that I was far from alone in that belief. Nor was I alone in feeling that the life we were living was just too good to last. For there were others, power hungry individuals that had begun to cultivate something special, powerful, waiting and watching for the right moment to take their place in an ignorant world.

Following my decision to end my playing of Virtual Reality I decided to immerse my time and my efforts into finding the myriad of cures that the company known as Millennial Enterprises had yet to discover. I was studying to become a Pharmaceutical botanist.

Deciding it was time to move out, I left home shortly after I turned 19 and moved into my own small apartment. When I first started out with my schooling, I had to work part time as a Patient Care Technician at a local hospital to pay for my expenses. For a year and a half I had worked first in the PCCU (Progressive Cardiac Care Unit) and then switched part way through to work with pediatrics.

Though the physical stress of working with kids was reduced, the emotional one was greatly increased. It is so much easier to accept the death or dying of the elderly, who have at least had a chance to live a full life. But to see a child, struggling with cancer, cystic fibrosis, or one of many other debilitating diseases was heart breaking. In addition I did kind of miss working with the older adults who could understand and appreciate my darkly ironic sense of humor better. It’s hard to remain cheerful when you can’t joke around as easily.

After I moved out on my own, I found myself less and less interested in keeping in contact with my friends and even family. Both of my parents were still together and I had a younger sister that still lived with them. Every once in a while one of them would call to check up on me to see how I was doing. Visits were infrequent, which was fine with me. As I was determined to get my general studies done within a year and a half so that I could get on with my real studies, I had little time for other activities.

* * * * *

Today was the day I was expecting to hear a response from Millennial Enterprises. I had successfully completed my associate degree in general studies and had applied for a medical scholarship with my corporate Idol. Getting up out of bed I stood in front of my body length mirror. Disheveled blonde hair sticking up every which way that looked like it needed a trim, piercing eyes of two different shades, being blue and green, and a waist that had sadly graduated from a size 34 to 36 stared back at me. Though I wasn’t terribly overweight at 5’ 10” and 195 lbs., I could afford to lose a little weight or at least tone it up a bit.

Sighing while making a mental promise to do something about it, I started getting ready for the day. I honestly didn’t have anything going on today besides waiting to hear back from Millennial Enterprises. The spring semester of school had just finished up and I had a full 2 weeks ahead of me of accumulated vacation time to use. ‘Yipee!’ I thought sarcastically to myself.

After a quick shower and as I busily worked about my small kitchen to create a delicious omelet, I heard the automated chime saying my mail had arrived. Donning my bathrobe as I was currently only wearing my underpants, I stepped out into the humid air of Missouri. It had rained heavily last night leaving behind thick overcast clouds and a nice wet scent to the air. Heading out to my assigned mailbox I excitedly opened it to see a small box and envelope that filled the space. Ignoring the box for the moment I pulled out the envelope, it read Millennial Enterprises. “Yes! Please be good news, please be good news!” I cried out.

Unable to hold my excitement any longer, right there I ripped open the envelope, careful to not damage the contents and read what it had to say.

Dear Mr. Scott Anderson.

We are pleased to see your current interest in pursuing studies in Pharmaceutical Botany. As a predominantly medically inclined corporation it is within our interest to support and accommodate the needs of promising young talents in the medical field. It is with great pride that we would like to extend to you a scholarship offer with special considerations. If you decide to accept our offer then there are a few contingencies by which we expect you to abide. First you are required to attend school at least half time for the fall and spring semesters. While you may attend full time, it is expected that half of your full time credits be applied towards your medical degree. Those classes pertaining to your medical degree must be maintained at an average of 3.0 or higher. If at any time you feel that you are unable to abide by these standards please contact your Millennial Enterprises liaison for further assistance.

An additional stipulation is included. Though we have refrained from participating in the massive growth of Virtual Realities up to this point, we have discovered important medical uses in the utilization of its sensory functions. As such, we have created a Virtual Reality World of our own that we wish for you to adventure within. Should you choose to accept possible placement with our early group selection then we will promise to finance your educational and living expenses for the next two years. The prolonging of this offer is permissible at the fulfillment of certain requirements not known at this time.

To accept this offer you must insert your DNA within the DNA scanner that arrived with this envelope. . .

“DNA scanner” I mumbled to myself. “The box?” Pulling out the small box I opened it up to see a miniaturized version of other units I’d seen before. “This thing must be expensive! Damn!” Going back to the letter I kept reading.

. . . Upon scanning of your DNA the estimated funds for the next two years will be directly deposited into your account. If you are selected to participate in the immersion of our Virtual Reality world, then you must spend a minimum of 20 hours a week Real Time within the game.

“20 hours a week! They don’t give much time for work then.”

. . . If you cannot accept these stipulations then simply contact your liaison and notify them of your choice. . .

Looking down at the bottom of the page I saw Liaison with a name and phone number. There was a single sentence left of the message.

. . .In closing we wish to thank you for your interest in our company and hope you make the decision to join us in our desire for a better future.

Sincerely,

Millennial Enterprises CEO

Mike Tanning

“Wow. What a weird stipulation.” I said out loud. Looking about me, I saw that my neighbors who had also come out for their mail were giving me strange looks as I stood there bare foot in a bathrobe by the mail boxes. I figured I should go back inside. Putting the DNA scanner back in the box and holding tightly to it and the letter, I made a hasty retreat to my abode.

Once inside with the door firmly shut behind me, I pulled out the mini DNA Scanner. It was a simple process of pricking my index finger with the small needle at the end, verifying my personal data, and hitting send.

Going about the rest of the day I felt a small sense of excitement. Despite not finding the fulfillment I was looking for within other games I felt that this one just might be different.

It was odd. When I mentioned that I had feelings of chilling warmth rush through me when I watched severe injustices occur, those weren’t the only times that I had such feelings. It seemed like whenever I experienced strong emotions I could reach out and pull upon some energy that felt empowering and yet soothing at the same time. Over the 2 decades I had lived, I learned how to reach for that sensation that could fill my (I hesitate to call it) soul.

Wondering if it could be utilized in Virtual Reality, I had spent much of my time (before quitting all VR games), in the attempt to create a skill through the use of that feeling. After much effort, every attempt came to naught. In all honesty I felt that was the main factor of my terminating all Virtual Reality game playing. It was hard though to have this feeling in real life that at times could be so overpowering so as to make you think anything was possible.

Often, when I was younger, I would close my eyes and draw upon that energy while listening to an inspiring song and mentally weave it through the air, imagining myself in the midst of a growing storm of emotions and primal elements. At the end of the song, I’d open my eyes and nothing was changed.

Returning to the present I turned the stove back on to finish cooking my raw omelet. After cleaning up the dishes I had used and putting them up to dry, I went over to my computer.

Turning it on is took a scant second to load before I accessed my bank account. I honestly didn’t think that they would have sent the funds yet. To be honest I wondered how they intended to do it since I had never given them my account information. After entering my user name and password I checked my available balance. . . .

. . . “NO WAY!” I screamed out loud. My new account balance was $81,578 and 53 cents. Deposited within my account was $80,000.00

That was way more than what I would need for 2 years of schooling. Hah, I could live comfortably for at least 4 years on that much. ‘Did I really need to even work right now?’ I thought to myself. “Oh well.” I said to myself still having a hard time believing what I was seeing.

Signing out from my account I decided to take a look at my e-mail. I was met with a big surprise. Dozens of messages filled my inbox from friends I had thought I’d lost contact with as well as few co-workers. Opening up the first one from Thomas, a friend that I had gone gaming with years ago, I read the message.

. . . Hey Scott my man! Did you get a package today for the New VR game? The news sites have been blowing up about the hyped reality percentage and the fact that it came from Millennial Enterprises. Not everyone got the packages today but the news reports said that those studying or working in fields that Millennial Enterprises specializes in were receiving the first wave of DNA raffle entries. So I automatically thought of you. Call me or write back when you get the chance. Catch ya later!

The remainder of the messages were a variation of what Thomas had sent me. Some even offered to buy my DNA scanner if I hadn’t used it already. With more than a passing interest now, I decided to look up online to see what kind of information there was on the new VR. All I could gather was that Millennial Enterprises was keeping its cards Very close to the chest without revealing or admitting to anything. They only said that after this first wave of raffle entries and subsequent drawings, there would be several more as time went by. Being unable to gain any more information from the many news outlets I decided it was late enough already and got ready for bed.

At about 2 am having been woken from a wonderful sleep I saw a message on my phone. With my barely glancing over it, some part of my mind must have understood what it said since my finger pressed yes and I promptly fell back asleep.

* * * * *

*Brrrrrring* *Brrring*

“What the heck is going on?” I mumbled to myself as I staggered out of bed. It was 7 am in the freaking morning and someone was at my door. In talking with my family after moving, I had told them in no uncertain terms that they were to call before visiting. Putting on a quick bathrobe over my night clothes I made my way to the door. The one sided viewing screen showed what looked like a delivery guy with a clipboard. With a sigh I opened the door.

“Hello, may I help you?” I asked the guy with the clipboard. Looking up from viewing his clipboard the guy smiled. “Ah yes you don’t happen to be Scott Anderson do you?” With a nod I answered in the affirmative. “Very good. I do need to gain a secondary verification so if you wouldn’t mind holding up a finger, this will take just a moment.” Pulling out a larger hand held DNA scanner he pricked my finger and ran my blood through the device. Jotting down some notes on his clipboard he looked up and smiled again. “Looks like things are in order Mr. Anderson. Where would you like for us to put your capsule?”

“Wait, What?!” I exclaimed. I hadn’t bought a capsule and I certainly hadn’t gotten any notice from Millennial Enterprise saying they had chosen my DNA . . . unless . . . “Um hold on just a second.” I told the man. With just a nod he went back to reviewing his list. Running back to my bedroom I looked at the message that had woken me that night that I just barely recalled receiving. Rereading it now being fully awake, it said the following.

*To Mr. Anderson. Congratulations on being one of the first few chosen to receive this amazing offer of a life time membership for our new VR game and personalized Capsule. To verify that you accept this prize please select yes and we will send the capsule at our earliest convenience.*

I saw a highlighted Yes that had been pressed just after 2 am that morning. “Oh . . . my . . . goodness.” I said to myself. Coming back to the delivery man I opened the door wide open and invited him in. With a nod of his head he called out to two other guys hanging out by a delivery truck that I just now noticed. “Alright guys, bring it on in!”

Looking for the first out of the way place I could see, I moved the small collapsible kitchen table out of my dining room that I never used anyways, to make room for the capsule. As the three workmen came through the door with the capsule I noticed it was in two parts that I assumed to be the bottom and the lid since they were both of almost the same size and together they would not have fit through the door. I turned back to the guy with the clipboard. “Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked. “Naw” He replied, “We’ve got this taken care of. However . . .” he said as he pulled a thick booklet from the packaging mess they were making. “Since it will take us about an hour or so to set up your capsule, it is suggested that you read at least the introduction of this book before starting the game.” Handing it to me I graciously took it and with a last glance back at them working I went right back to my bedroom to begin reading.

Flipping over the front cover that displayed a carbon copy of the Earth I began reading.

Welcome to New Earth, or at least, a changed Earth. You should notice that if you were to overlay the maps of this world and the one you now live in, that the land masses would line up almost perfectly. There are a few differences. One is that many cities that you may be familiar with are now covered in dense foliage and another is that only a few thousand land marks remain relatively unchanged. Some stand with all their glory, like the Grand Canyon, Mount. Fuji, Stonehenge, and many others. Most of the awe inspiring man-made structures have fallen into ruins that more often than not, are breeding grounds for dangerous creatures that will zealously guard their homes against any intrusion.

The current fully sentient and friendly humanoid inhabitants are expecting you. Their ancestors were just like you and me, only they experienced a calamity of epic proportions that ravaged everything in its wake. Plants, animals, and humans were all changed at the genetic level, some in the smallest of ways while others to such a degree as to be entirely unrecognizable for what they had once been. Humans seemed to suffer the most seeing as more than 99% died from the effects of whatever it was that swept over the face of the Earth. Centuries into their exile from all upper level technology (which was rendered unusable due to electricity no longer working as expected) these inhabitants have been slowly losing ground against various groups of monsters that have been seeking to increase their territory.

On a single day all around their world a bolt of lightning stuck an open space in all large and medium sized towns. After the smoke cleared, and those around it had recovered from the shock, what they saw was a large Stone Tablet. On the Tablet it spoke of how the Supreme Creator had seen their plight and in their time of need would send them help. Their help would come in the form of Travelers who would travel across the fields of time, originating from their very own past before the calamity occurred. They are told that you are unsure as to if it is a game or reality. They know that it is only your minds that are brought through time while new bodies are created for you on their end. To them when your body is destroyed beyond the ability to repair, it takes a total of 6 of their days (48 hours Real time) to reconstruct your body. Their deaths on the other hand are permanent. Many other things are spoken of on the tablet, and in addition to informing them of your coming, the Tablet gives them the ability to acquire limited Status Cards.

All new players must touch the Stone Tablet in order to gain access to all personalized in-game notifications except for the log out option.

*This ends the introduction*

As I browsed through the table of contents I turned to a chapter that dealt with the start of the game. Listed up at the top were the restrictions.

Game Restrictions:

*Cannot change gender.

*Cannot voluntarily change more than 5% of facial identifiable features and 1% of body mass/distribution at game start: In game, overall physical appearance (but not capability) will change along with out of game physical appearance. GM note: This is to encourage keeping in shape. In addition to this restriction a new option not previously offered in VRMMO Games is available at the start.

Special stat available to all new characters provided at the beginning:

Body – Skill Synchronization:

There is a boost to in-game skill efficiency and effects if the player’s real life body becomes more capable of performing their in-game physical feats. 1% synchronization = +1% skill efficiency increase. An increase of up to 100% synchronization can result in a +100% to skill efficiency for each skill individually. This effect can have valuable results as your skill can be working at 200% when those that don’t train their body will be held back from excelling much beyond the in-game skill efficiency.

*Species selection:

All players will be given a large variety of species to choose from with varying advantages and disadvantages, such as several types of elves, dwarves, barbarians, and more, as well as being able to create a blend of 2 different types of their choice.

GM note: A Unique species blend will be offered (in addition to the regular options) to each individual at start of game that will give special traits and possibly an extra ability if selected.

*Cannot choose starting location: Your starting location will be based on your species makeup of which you will get no previous knowledge regarding where they normally start at.

*Cannot see Status plate till certain event occurs in game: Each new player must touch the Stone tablet foretelling of their arrival in order to gain access to Status plate.

*Learning Skills: All skills except for intellect related skills (IE: Deduction, reading, thought processing, etc.) that previously exist and ADL’s (activities of daily living) such as walking, talking, sleeping, brushing your teeth, etc. will be locked at the beginning.

*Skill Sets & Levels: Unlike other VRMMORPG’s This Virtual World will not offer incremental level advancements. You will gain skills through certain actions, but they will not level up in the usual method. Only through careful practice and experimentation will your skills grow in strength and efficiency. Only by achieving certain accomplishments will the tier level of your skill increase. For example, being able to consistently and effectively produce higher level tier enchantments for the enchanting skill will it raise from Common to Uncommon. Skill rarity and effectiveness will be based on a progressive tier system. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Legendary, Mythical, ???, ???.

* Display Menu: You are only given access to a Health bar, Manna bar, Fame, Titles, and your skill sets once you make contact with the stone tablet in your respective starting town. Health and Manna bars will not be based on a number but rather how much they are filled. It is up to you to discover your limits and personal growth. Other displays may be unlocked with certain actions.

*Pain Level: Physical pain level will start at 10% of pain for the first week in-game time of your individual game-play. After that first week the pain level will increase to 20% till the third week. This will continue progressively till you reach your 10th week of game play at which point you will experience 100% pain level for the remainder of the game. Psychological and emotional pain will be harder to measure and modify thus often resulting in being felt in full effect from the beginning. Exhaustion, hunger, physical strain, and personal discomfort will also be felt at 100% at the start of the game.

*Playable game time: Due to possible unique circumstances players will be allowed to stay (on rare occasions) in the game for up to 48 hours Real Time which comes out to 6 days in-game time in a 1 – 3 time dilation ratio. Upon the end of those 48 hours they will be forcibly logged out no matter the circumstances. They will then suffer a 24 hour RT period in which they cannot log in, during which they are strongly encouraged to exercise their body and refresh themselves. The Capsules have a built in body monitor that will react accordingly to the stressors upon the body. It is recommended that you spend no more than 12 hours RT in-game for every 12 hours RT out of the game. It is however permitted for you to spend up to 18 hours RT in-game for every 6 hours RT spent out of it consistently since sleep is accounted into the equation of the Capsule usage. Further monitoring and application of time restraints may apply depending on bodily stresses discovered.

*Death Penalty: Each time you die, depending on if there are scavengers in the area, you are at risk for losing whatever you have on your person except for the basic undergarments. You will not lose levels since there are none to lose, you will not lose skills since once learned those can only be lost through neglect. Every death will result in a 48 hour RT lockout from the system.

*Other restrictions: Other restrictions may show up throughout the game, but for the most part, anything you can set your mind towards accomplishing, with enough power, skill, and wit, nothing will be held back from you.

Sitting there for a moment with the book laying open on my lap, I thought about what this would mean for me. It was odd to think that there wouldn’t be levels. Usually that was the basic method to determine strength and skill. With a sigh I closed the book and lay back in my desk chair as I gave thought to the idea that maybe, it just might work this time. Closing my eyes I relaxed my body and opened my mind. Reaching into that place of unknown origin to pull upon a power that I had yet to fully understand, I knew what to expect. Empowering warmth and hope flowed through me as I basked in its comforting embrace. Time seemed to slip by as I just took in the feelings. A minor stinging sensation began to grow in my nose and eyes causing a small amount of moisture to gather in my eyes.

At that moment I heard a knock on my bedroom door and looking up I saw clipboard guy waving to me. ‘Oh gosh, I hope he didn’t see me just then.’ Turing all the way around in my swivel chair I faced him directly. “Anything I can help with?” I asked him. “Nope, just coming to let you know that it’s all set up.” “Oh! Okay, uh do I owe you anything?” With a laugh he shook his head. “Nope, but we’ll be getting out of your way since we’ve got a bunch of other deliveries to make today. Good luck.”

After seeing them out, I hurriedly went to look at my new capsule. The size of the thing shocked me. I had maybe 2 feet between the capsule and the kitchen counter to get into the main kitchen. Easily twice my body width and 1.5X my height when laying down, it even came up to my waist while standing. Pulling open the lid it opened with a hiss without tipping over. I hadn’t realized till now that they had bolted the freaking thing to the floor! Oh well . . . if worst came to worst I could always sell the parts to pay for the floor repairs.

Now that everything was actually here, I began to wonder. I have enough money, I’m already on vacation for 2 weeks. “Yeah, let’s turn in my two week notice.” I said to myself. After writing up a letter thanking them for the time they had employed me, saying a few good things about their hospital and feeling at bit relieved at the idea of not going back, I finished up my letter of resignation, and hit send.

Excited to begin, I went to the bathroom to make sure I wouldn’t need to go anytime soon and I stripped bare as the instructions had said and lay down in the odd feeling gel that made up the interior of the capsule. Once I got comfortable, the lid began to automatically close in on me. I had to admit that at that moment I had a small surge of claustrophobia as complete darkness surrounded me.

*Initializing* *Testing DNA*

The words appeared in front of me laying there suspended in the darkness.

*DNA verified*

*Scanning body – Please remain still.* . . . . About 30 seconds went by as I saw a progress bar filling up before I saw another display . . . *Scan complete*

Suddenly a bright light filled my view and I was in a perfectly white room with a darkened figure sitting behind a desk just a few feet from me. Looking down at myself I was relieved to be wearing something like a white bath robe. Having been in VR’s before I knew mostly what to expect and so I just waited till I was noticed. “Alright Mr. Anderson, or should I call you Scott?”

“Scott’s fine.” I replied as I tried to make out some discernable features of the mysterious shadowed figure. “Very good.” He replied. “Did you by any chance take time to look over the booklet that came with your capsule?”

“I did sir.” Going on to tell him what parts I had covered he seemed to nod appreciatively before stopping me from speaking further.

“You have done well and read more than most do in these cases. That will make things easier. Did you have any questions then before we begin?” I shook my head in the negative.

“Alright then.” Waving his hand at the wall to my left I turned to it, to see a mirror image of myself staring right back at me. I could see that just behind it were different versions of myself to show me what I would look like if I were a part of each race. Swiping through the different options I could see some that looked to be varying degrees of cruel, angelic, or just plain exotic in expression and features. Knowing that I could merge them together, I was more interested in what the system had thought up for me.

Turning to the man again I enquired. “Sir, I read that we would be given an option to choose a specially made avatar for us?” A smile seemed to fill his face though I couldn’t be sure until he spoke.

“Oh, so you wish to try it out? Most players don’t like others choosing for them.” His tone obviously had a sense of mirth and derision in it, the latter of which didn’t seem to be directed at me.

“Yes Sir.” I replied. “Very well.” With another wave of his hand, the display that had my other avatars seemed to shrink to make room for a new avatar. Looking at it I could see that I had retained my medium length wavy blonde hair as well as my two different colored eyes. Beyond that I could see some minor differences. The skin was slightly more pale then my own and the ears were lightly tipped like a half elf or less would have had if merged with a human. With a twist of lips I asked if I could take away as much of the abdomen as I possible.

Gazing at the screen I took in the description behind this new Avatar.

¼ Human ¼ Moon Elf ½ UnknownCharacter traits:This unique combination, attributed specifically to Scott Anderson, is made up of 3 beings of which little is known of the third. All that is currently known of the nameless being is that in times of strong emotion, the skin may become lighter or darker depending upon the emotional state of the character. Other characteristics may be revealed through further gameplay.

Turning back to the man behind the desk I spoke. “I’ll take it.”

Apparently I surprised him since he now seemed to lean back in his chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. Wait . . . Is it becoming easier to see him? His face seemed just as dark as it was at the beginning. Shaking my head I waited for him to speak.

“Are you sure? You haven’t even asked to see if you got a bonus skill or not.” I just shrugged my shoulders at that. “What made you choose to accept this avatar if you don’t mind me asking?”

With a slightly depressed sigh I spoke. “Seeing as I haven’t been having the best of luck with finding what I’m looking for by going my own way, then maybe it’s time to rely on someone else’s knowledge and experience and trust them for once. . . Besides, I like the look in his eyes.”

A muffled sound began to come from the darkened figure and soon it seemed to turn into full out laughter. Banging his right hand on the table while covering his eyes with his left hand. Soon enough he calmed down and paused to gather his composure. “Well I hope and believe you won’t be disappointed.”

Suddenly I myself was transformed into the Avatar. Along with my original appearance, so too did my robe disappear to be replaced with what I believed to be regular traveler’s clothes. Feeling my body I was pleasantly surprised to have a flat stomach. I guess I didn’t have as much weight to lose as I thought seeing as I only got 1% change in body mass distribution/loss granted me. Turning to the wall that had now turned into a mirror, my eyes, filled with a fierce light that I had long since thought lost stared right back at me. Squaring my shoulders and holding my head with conviction I felt immensely better than I had a few moments ago.

“It looks good on you.” The man said. “Any idea what you want to want to be called?” As I stared back at my reflection I pondered on a name that might reflect me just as well as this new body did. Thinking of my favorite stone and favorite activities. I finally came to a conclusion. “Is Jade Storm available?” Looking up at him I realized he had actually stepped out from behind the desk still shrouded in darkness and was standing before me holding out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Jade Storm.”

As I took his hand in mine I could feel the immense power of this being. Just as my new name was Jade storm, I felt as if I was just a small piece of Jade while He was the storm. It was as if I was being tossed about in a once in a millennia storm that could put to shame all that followed or preceded it. Though I shuddered on the inside at the breadth of his presence I saw no change of expression on his face.

Soon enough, he released my hand and walked to the center of the room before stopping. “Normally we don’t give people an option as to where they want to start, but I think that I should tweak this rule just this once, so that you can begin to start choosing for yourself again. Though I believe you are right in the case of your avatar to trust me, you shouldn’t doubt yourself so much.”

Opening up a 3D representation of the World he let my gaze take in the geography. Thinking back to when growing up I had always loved swimming and exploring streams and waterfalls. Having never been there before, I decided on Niagara Falls. “Is there a decent town or city right next to Niagara falls?” I asked.

“There indeed is.” He replied with a giant smile. “Is that where you wish to go?”

I nodded my head and in an instant I was engulfed by another white light.

* * *

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