Concerning Develpments

Esther

Esther slammed to a stop, nearly a thousand meters in the air, overlooking a vast mountain range. She wore multiple layers and the cold caused her wispy breath to contrast with the pale blue sky, above the thicket of snow. I’ve arrived.

Half a year has passed since Esther swore to take her revenge. She’s been slaughtering followers of the Faction of Light all across the globe. At the same time, she’s been searching for a hidden base, and she finally found its exact location. It was great timing, as well. Other celestial beings have been closing in on her recently, and she wanted to be ready to confront them.

Esther carefully glided down and landed near the freezing peak of a seemingly random mountain. She was fully alert and took the time to avoid the suicidal army trying to march through these mountains. Esther bitterly muttered something about humans being warmongers as she walked to the edge of a precipice.

Esther took in a lung full of frigid air and bellowed, “Allow me passage!” Her voice shook the entire mountain range and caused a few minor avalanches, certainly not making the army’s path any easier. Esther impatiently tapped her foot as she waited, admiring the snow drift.

“There’s no need to yell,” suddenly sounded a voice to her left. Esther turned and took in the Valkyrie with interest.

Valkyries were the chosen race of The Goddess of Creation. As a part of the few holy beings first created by the Gods, Esther knew that they were responsible for protecting the world as a whole from destruction. Children tails tell of Valkyries keeping the order and dishing out justice. In reality, the Valkyries were extremely hands off and have never actually stepped in to resolve any conflicts. To Esther, it seemed like they were lazy scrubs avoiding their duty. She couldn’t blame them too much, though. After all, she abandoned her duties all the same and tried to live a mortal life on Earth. There was also the fact that nothing potentially harmful to the world has really taken place.

The Valkyrie looked extremely outlandish to Esther. They wore weird looking clothing and had the physical characteristics of man and beast. The Valkyrie before her had long, smooth paper white hair that reflected the morning light with a blaze. Their eyes were a pale red with a small streak of aqua blue in their eye lashes. They had short, extremely oddly shaped horns in the front of their head. They grew out curved, the tops ended almost in a scimitar shape and they extended downward to a point farther down and out than their origin of growth. The horns were thin and the same red as their eyes, only bolder and they glared in the sunlight. They wore a modern dark red cotton shirt that reached halfway up the neck with a thin white jacket that had no zipper or buttons over it. The jacket had small lines of dark red down the arms and ended in dark red cuffs. Over the jacket they had a black half cape that only reached the small of their back. The cape had a straight collar, was outlined with the same dark red as their shirt and had a militaristic insignia embroidered in white on the space of cape that draped over their left shoulder. On the bottom, they wore straight slacks that matched their jacket’s color and design. Finally, they had dark red, heavy duty boots that crunched the snow under their feet satisfyingly.

Esther eyed the Valkyrie hostilly and voiced her demands, “I’m here for a weapon. It needs to be deadly and something that the world has never seen. The Valkyries indulge in the greatness of creation, I know you harbor what I seek.” Esther needed a weapon that will catch the other celestials off guard.

“We have exactly what you need,” answered the Valkyrie with a smile. “Walk with me,” she added as she casually stepped past the edge and disappeared from view, Esther followed. She wasn’t surprised, she expected a grand secret base.

As Esther took the step, her world changed. A purple butterfly fluttered across her vision with the bright spring sun behind it. They weren’t in a mountain range anymore and it wasn’t winter. They were in a wide stretch of flat land with florid green grass and vibrant vegetation. The shift induced slight vertigo in Esther’s stomach. In front of them, a giant white, sleek skyscraper with glaring windows that resembled a modern day office building rose past their field of view.

The Valkyrie continued forward, completely unperturbed by the surroundings. Esther only gapped momentarily, she reminded herself to focus on her object and followed the valkyrie. The doors opened automatically as they approached and revealed the inside. The inside was mostly white with a mix of other colors in the decor. The area of the space was around 1060 meters squared with white tile and giant windows for walls. Around thirty valkyries lounged in different colored couches and chairs around circle tables or facing flat screens. They all wore similar clothing to the valkyrie that greeted Esther, the symbol embroidered on the half cape being the only thing that changed between them. Their body shapes and hair color varied, but the color of their eyes and the shape of their horns never deviated. The valkyrie’s voices filled the room with noise, they talked in a language Esther didn’t understand. They busied themselves by doing one of two things. They ate food that wouldn’t be out of place in a mall food court, or they played video games of varying time periods, some playing on old consoles like the game cube and others experiencing fully immersive V.R.

Esther had no idea what they were doing, she was intrigued by the bright pictures on the screens, pondering what kind of amazing magic could manage it. She also eyed the food, wondering what chef could make something so un-animal looking.

“This way,” called the valkyrie leading Esther, already across half the room while Esther was stuck at the entrance. Esther ran to catch up to her and apologized for getting distracted. The valkyrie led her to the end of the room where another valkyrie stood behind a desk, clacking away at a computer, next to an elevator. The valkyrie had a name plate propped on her desk that read Dora.

As they approached, Dora shot out of her chair and saluted with a, “Ma’am.” The valkyrie leading paid no attention and pressed the button for the elevator. By the time they shot higher up the building, Esther lost her ability to be surprised and was perpetually bewildered by the fancy magic of the Valkyries.

Less than a minute passed before the elevator doors slid open with a ding. The valkyrie stepped into a smaller room with an area of about 600 meters squared. Fluorescent lights lit up the room from above, and the walls were smooth and dark. There was a long table with ten rolling chairs that stretched across the center of the room. Without breaking stride, the valkyrie jumped the table and sat in a chair on the other side. Esther carefully examined the chair before sitting in one directly across from the valkyrie.

“I hope you weren’t bothered by the noise outside, some ingenious general is marching their army through here, along with forty crystal elephants,” the valkyrie started.

“Ingenious?” Esther snorted, “I would call them mentally deficient. Their army will be left debilitated by the time they ever make it through, not to mention the strain on the mages responsible for cleaving their path.”

“Actually, their mages aren’t lifting a finger,” corrected the valkyrie. “They’re making use of a technique called fire-setting. They cut down trees, rest them on the boulders, light the trees on fire, and pour sour wine on the rocks once hot enough. This causes the rocks to split easily. I only hope they can march through the entire mountain range without falling to their deaths or starving.” Esther took a moment to rethink her stance and realized that, if they could make it through without dying from any number of geographical obstacles, they could butcher their enemies with the crystal elephants. “Oh, forgive me for getting ahead of myself. I am the Grand General of the Valkyries, Violet Primus. You may address me as Violet,” she formally introduced herself. Esther felt an odd charisma that radiated from Violet. The feeling was extremely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. It was almost as if they had met before.

“I am Esther Garcia. You may call me Esther,” Esther returned the favor. “Shall we return to the matter at hand?”

“Of course. You came here for a weapon, and I have just the two for you,” began Violet with fervor. Violet flicked her hand through the air and two metallic objects appeared on the table. Esther handled the smaller chunk of metal first, feeling the smooth contours, but failing to find how this could be a weapon. The chunk of metal she fingered was an old fashioned revolver. Violet began explaining, “These are newly created weapons called guns, specifically a Colt M1909 revolver, that you have in your hand there” -Violet gestured to the gun in Esther’s hand- “And an M1987 Trench Grade shotgun. Please direct your attention to the screen.” As Violet said this, the far wall lit up with an image detailing the specific parts of each gun. An instructional video detailing usage and cleaning followed. Esther was immediately immersed in the video, fascinated by the destructive power these guns had. As an angel, she had photographic memory, so there was no memorizing needed.

“The Valkyries are truly amazing to make something like this,” Esther communicated her respect for the creator of these weapons.

“You’re mistaken,” Violet smirked knowingly at her, “These were made by humans.” Esther shook when she heard this. A human making such a powerful weapon was a foreign concept to her.

“Surely, you’re jesting…?” Esther asked unsure.

“Well… these haven’t been made yet, but they will be some time in the future, and most definitely by a human,” confirmed Violet. Esther looked at the guns in a new light, as well as giving humans a mountain load more credit than she was before. Her face lit up in child-like curiosity as she examined everything from the firing mechanism, to the metallurgy. Esther loved weapons, as did Mary, the daughter of a blacksmith. It was one of the things they bonded over. Before she left Paradise, Esther’s mission was to master the usage and theory of every weapon ever created, that was part of the reason she received the moniker, Angel of Death. While Mary dedicated a large portion of her life to smithing; she was an excellent blacksmith. They had a large room as a dedicated forge in their cot, and Esther never failed to provide rare resources for Mary to try her hand with.

“You have an adorable smile,” Violet commented without thinking. Esther was slammed back to reality. She found chest feeling funny at that, but immediately lowered her head with a grimace. Despite genuinely enjoying being flirted with, she couldn’t bring herself to not feeling guilty. Even if half a year has passed since Mary’s passing, Esther still felt like she was betraying her. “Oh, I- I apologize, that was crass. Especially given the circumstances,” Violet was quick to take that back and switched her facial expression from genial delight to all business.

“It’s fine. Thank you for apologizing,” Esther tried to keep the conversation from turning awkward.

Violet nodded curtly and asked, “So, do you have questions concerning your weapons?”

“I do have one,” affirmed Esther. “Why are you simply giving these to me. Don’t you know what I plan to do with them?” When she first arrived, Esther was prepared to level the entire mountain range to get what she wanted. Violet mulled the question over for a moment before responding.

“The Goddess of Life’s presence on Earth has grown toxic and upsets the balance. We haven’t been able to make a move with the risk of offending The Goddess of Life and creating conflict between her and The Goddess of Creation. Having you deal with them works perfectly. Also, most beings don’t know, but The Goddess of Creation also tasked us with maintaining celestial order. I’m sure you agree that some of her angels have gotten out of hand. They look down on everyone else, carrying themselves like gods while, in reality, they have practically equal standing with humans.” Esther narrowed her eyes, Violet’s explanation was crueler than she expected.

“Are you saying that you condone the genocide of the followers of the Faction of Light?” probed Esther.

“If that is what restores balance, then so be it,” Violet answered coldly.

Esther thanked Violet for the weapons and left, pondering their conversation. In the end, she was left confused on what to think and how to feel about the Valkyries. She chose not to dwell on it and plotted her next moves. Her next target was extremely important, she needed to kill them before the other celestials caught up to her.

Dan

“You really aren’t even a little surprised that I made an android?” asked Faith hopefully.

Dan laughed, “Nope, not at all.” Faith visibly deflated. “But that doesn’t make it any less awesome, you made a freakin android!”

“Dan is correct, Doctor. No one in history has achieved the same feat,” Lilly tried cheering Faith up. Faith sighed and let it before bidding goodbye and leaving.

Dan smiled at their receding figures. When they were out of sight, the smile was replaced with a focused expression. Dan ran out of the amusement park and into an alley. In the alley was the man from before who bothered them.

“You performed well enough, here’s your pay,” said Dan as he handed the man an envelope. The man was clearly unsatisfied.

“That shit wasn’t part of the deal, you never said that girl was a freak! I want compensation,” demanded the man. Dan shrugged, it was only fair since he was injured. He dug into his pocket and added three more twenties. The man riffled the money greedily before looking up with a gleam in his eyes. “This isn’t enough. I want more,” the man growled as he adapted a threatening demeanor. Dan regarded the man with pity, he had no idea the difference in their abilities.

“Trust me, you don’t wanna do this,” scoffed Dan. The man walked extremely close, and looked down at Dan. Dan sighed and was about to warn him again, but the man reached for him before he was able to. His training kicked in and Dan easily dodged the man’s hand. He proceeded to grab the man by his throat and slam him into the wall near them.

“Good job, now you don’t get paid,” Dan spat in the man’s face. The man’s face was terrified and he futilely clawed at Dan’s hand. Dan rolled his eyes and dropped the man. The man gasped as he fell and slammed against the ground. He quickly picked himself up and ran out of the alley in freight. Dan looked at the wall he slammed the man against and tsked. The wall had a giant spider web of cracks in it. My physical strength is growing faster than I can learn to control. Dan shook his head and moved on to the next step.

Dan fished a phone out from his pocket. The phone was a modified satellite phone. Dan called one of the three numbers saved and put it up to his ear with a deep frown. When the receiver clicked, a voice answered in russian.

“Did you confirm that it was an android?” asked the voice. Dan grimaced at the sound of the voice.

“Yes, I did. I’ll send you the proof,” Dan answered bitterly in russian.

“No need to be hostile, Boris. Do I need to remind you of our deal?” taunted the voice.

“If you do anything to hurt Faith with this, I’ll-” started Dan.

“I know, your little friend won’t be hurt, promise,” the voice cut him off.

“And remember, after this, I’m done. No more favors,” growled Dan.

“Of course, we’re old comrades, after all.” But they both knew that wasn’t true, Dan would get another call the next time he was useful. The blackmail he was holding over Dan was too important.

Dan was born and grew up in Russia. His real name is Boris, and he used to be a russian spy. He was trained from young to be a spy with the sole purpose of serving his mother land, and Dan was an exemplary spy. However, that only lasted until he had a mission in the E.U and found out what life was like for free people. Eventually, Dan couldn’t keep his yearning suppressed, so he faked his death on a mission and made a new identity in the U.S. Dan lived a happy life for four years, but his paradise was ruined when he got a random call out of the blue. The call was from Alexei, a fellow spy he trained with. Dan still has no idea how he was discovered, and Alexei guarantees that he can find Dan if he changed his identity. So, he’s been forced to do favors for Alexei in exchange for not revealing him as a traitor. Somehow, Alexei caught wind that Faith was making an android and had Dan get proof.

“I really wish you stayed in the service. No one is as good as you, and-” sighed Alexei. Dan hung up the phone, he didn’t have time or patience for Alexei’s bullshit.

Dan hurried out of the alley way and made his way to his car. He drove home with a migraine. The recent events of his life were too complicated and stressful for him to handle. Alexei wasn’t even the worst of it.

Dan hung his keys on a hook next to his apartment door and walked into the main portion of his 670 square meter apartment. To the right of the walkway was the small kitchen with a stove, some cabinets, a sink, and a refrigerator. Past that was a small area with a couch, a coffee table, and T.V.

As he came in, Dan knew something was wrong because of the sound of someone cooking. Dan rounded the corner and saw Nicolette cooking chicken and rice.

“You’re awake! How did you untie yourself? And what the hell do you think you’re doing using my kitchen?” asked an annoyed Dan.

“Oh, you’ve finally arrived! Your level of technology is truly amazing. Your-what was it called?...Refrigerator keeps everything fresh, and your stove makes flames obsolete. I’ve never been able to cook more conveniently, even with magic,” Nicolette drooled over Dan’s kitchen. He looked at her with exasperation, how was she being so casual?

Nicolette looked to be in her mid twenties. She had deep red hair and two relatively small black horns curved up on the side of her head. The only other feature that betrayed her inhumane race was her thin black tail that ended in a small spike. Other than that, she looked exactly like a human. She wore a plain blue apron over a solid white shirt. On the bottom, she wore jeans with black boots.

Dan stomped over and grabbed her wrist.

“You can’t be out of-” Dan was cut off as Nicolette glared at him.

“You just sit and wait for me to finish cooking,” she huffed. Dan found himself doing exactly what she told him to. He lost control of his body, he couldn’t even open his mouth. So, he sat down on the couch and obediently waited for Nicollete to finish cooking. When she was done, Nicolette ambled over with two bowls of chicken and rice, and sat across from him on the floor. She told Dan to eat, and his body happily obliged. Despite disagreeing with the situation, he had to admit that the food was delicious, it might have been the best thing he had ever eaten.

“I’ll answer any question you have, however, I won’t have you treating me as anything but a fair maiden,” insisted Nicolette. Dan felt like he fell from being held in the air as he gained control of his body. He breathed out satisfyingly and popped his jaw. To collect his thoughts, Dan thought back to how he ended up in this situation.

Dan climbed out of his car and readjusted his collar. He checked his watch and frowned, he was running late for his interview. If Dan took the usual route, he wouldn’t make it on time. Luckily, he was familiar with the area and knew a short cut.

Dan practically jogged through a maze of alleyways. Unfortunately, half way through he had trouble navigating. Then… if I take a left here I should come out near the-his thoughts were interrupted as someone who was sprinting crashed into him. Dan caught himself and kept the women who he collided with from falling, as well. His eyes widened as he saw that the women he caught had horns protruding from their vermillion hair. Next, he noticed the accumulation of minor to distressing injuries on her body. She was bleeding a considerable amount and her clothes were covered in dirt.

“Are you alright?” Dan asked with concern.

“Please, you must assist me! I didn’t think they could follow me here,” gasped the women. A vile roar that physically hurt to hear echoed from the alley the women emerged from. A clack of hooves made Dan feel turned around, what was an animal doing here? He soon saw exactly what creature elicited those sounds. A monster with red skin that looked like a mix between a goat and man glared with a tangible killing intent directed towards Dan.

The monster looked like what Dan might call a demon. It was completely red, from its skin to its tall and razor sharp horns. Its face was similar to an orc’s with giant tusks protruding from its maw, and its eyes were balls of black. It had the upper body of a heavily scarred, ripped man and the legs of a muscular goat. Wrapped around its arms, dangling from its hands, and screeching against the asphalt were thick chains. The chains were somehow kept molten hot without cooling or losing structural integrity.

Dan involuntarily shivered in fear, but he still forced his muscles to put himself in front of the women.

“Run!” Dan yelled to the woman before turning back to the terrifying, nearly three meters tall, monster. The monster growled as it flung its chains at him. Dan rolled under the chains and jammed his fist in its jugular with all his might. The monster merely shrugged its muscles and swatted Dan like a fly. He felt weightless as he soared through the air and smashed into the wall. His body felt so much pain that his vocal cords refused to work. What did come out of his mouth was a gush of blood he threw up. Dan felt his shattered bones grind against themselves as he heaved himself to a sitting position. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his arm. His head snapped to his left and his eyes bulged in a mix of anger and desperation. He told her to run away, but the person clenching his arm was the woman from before. She had a tight face with pained eyes, as if she felt torn between two options. The women moved with irresolution as she reached out and touched Dan’s chest.

“It’s the only way…” Dan heard her say. Even half unconscious and numb with pain, Dan could tell that it sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than it actually being true. Suddenly, he felt an intense pain that rivaled when he first got hit by the monster. The pain coursed through his entire being and it felt like his very soul was being squeezed. But then, when it felt like he reached his limit and was about to go insane from the excruciating pressure, it subsided. Dan opened his shut eyes and saw the woman shift as she grabbed his face. His vision was obscured once again as the women leaned in and kissed him. While it was his first one, he knew something was different. It felt like they were grappling on a spiritual level. I can’t believe I am forced to soul bond with a complete stranger from another realm. The foreign thoughts of another person entered Dan’s head. It was then that his consciousness was fully dragged into his spiritual body. He felt his soul rend from his body and fuse with Nicolette’s soul like two stars colliding. There was no mental or audible communication, but he knew what her name was. He felt it was a pertinent part of her soul, along with some other things that he hasn’t gotten to reading yet. Her name was Nicollete Deville and she was a succubus. She used to be human, but she was brutally morphed in a way that Dan felt the damage it had on her. He could tell that she had a different name when she was human, but he felt it as a blur, as if someone erased it and he was straining his eyes to read the faint lines left behind. After Dan experienced minutes worth of time in a matter of moments, he fainted.

When he awoke, he was in his apartment, being dragged across the floor. Amazingly, all of his wounds were healed, but his body was stiff. He also felt extremely different on a spiritual level. Despite never feeling like he was broken or lonely, now he felt whole and complete. Like he was an already finished puzzle, but he found that he could mix his pieces with a different puzzle and turn into something greater.

“Thank the gods you’ve awoken!” sighed Nicolette before collapsing. Dan hurried to help her and found that she was only unconscious. She must have pushed herself past the point of exhaustion to get Dan to a safe place. He also noticed that she had different wounds from before, and thankfully a lesser quantity. Factoring in his rejuvenation, Dan surmised that Nicolette was also healed but received new, non life threatening wounds as she fought off the monster. Dan heaved a sigh that sounded like water rushing from a broken dam. He lost feeling in his legs and leaned against the wall, sinking into a sit with his knees near his chest. Dan felt like he was going insane, he had trouble believing that everything he just experienced was real. But then there was Nicolette, undeniable evidence advocating for his sanity.

After recuperating for a few minutes, Dan stood and carried Nicolette in his arms. Before, when he was gathering the broken pieces of his will, he plotted a course of action. Dan carried her into his bedroom and set her down on the bed.

His bedroom was small and dim. A queen sized bed plundered most of the space. A dresser with a lone lava lamp was squished between the bed and the left wall. A closet with a sliding door was built into the right wall.

Dan zip tied both of her hands to a post of the bed frame and zip tied her feet together. After, he made her drink some water and dressed her wounds. They were mostly burns and small cuts or bruises. Satisfied with his handy work, Dan proceeded to collapse and pass out on the couch. The next day, Nicollete was still asleep, so Dan forced himself to go about his day like normal, cleaning up the mess he made of his week plans. When Nicolette still hadn't awoken three days later, Dan was starting to grow worried but he promised to spend the day with Faith. He considered canceling, but he hadn’t spent time with Faith in a long while. And Dan was sure that Faith planned to show him his android, which Alexei had been pressuring him to get proof of. After some thought, Dan chose to go out. The whole time, he could feel himself changing. He actually grew taller, his skin clearer, his muscles denser, and he was filled with mental clarity. He could tackle mental problems that would have given him a headache before with ease, and his level of strength began surpassing that of a human. The weirdest change were the times when it felt like his consciousness was separate from his physical body. He entered a world of black, blue, and white. To Dan, even though the main color was black, the world was blindingly bright and breathtakingly beautiful. Every time he visited, the world felt closer and more tangible than before. The last time he visited, he even felt like he was connected to it, almost like a second body.

In the present, Dan stared into Nicolette’s sea green eyes, as if he was hoping they would give all the answers instead of her voice.

“To start…” Dan found that he almost didn’t want to know why or how. “What’s happening to me? Why am I… changing? Am I turning into a succubus?”

Nicolette giggled, “No, you are not turning into a succubus. Your body is simply being nourished by mana. It’s fascinating how the humans of this realm are exactly the same as the humans in my realm, the only difference being that humans of this realm don’t have any mana. They lack a mana pool entirely, the only thing occupying their spiritual body is their soul.”

“Wait-wait, slow down. What do you mean by spiritual body and what’s mana?” interrupted Dan.

“Well, mana is fairly similar to the mana present in this realm’s works of fiction. The best way I can describe it is a resource that allows beings to surpass their physical capabilities. The spiritual body is exactly what it sounds like, a spiritual version of your body,” Nicolette thoroughly explained everything Dan was confused about. This questioning went on until Dan had a basic grasp on how mage things worked. The entire time Nicolette was smiling in amusement as she watched Dan struggle to put things together. But it wasn’t malicious, it felt more caring. Like she enjoyed watching him grow in understanding.

“What about you, why were you being chased by that demon? Who are you and why are you in my realm instead of your own?”

“Actually, that was not a demon, I am a demon. It is absolutely imperative that you know the difference. Demons are more civil, cunning, and handsome than what you say yesterday. That was an Abyssal fiend, specifically a beast called an unchained capra, it is one of the more powerful Abyssal fiends. Abyssal fiends general rely on unique constitutions and raw physical strength. Demons also rely on unique constitutions, but they use a mix of magic and physical strength. Abyssal fiends only use magic if it is particularly powerful or high in the Abyssal hierarchy. You should know that demons are exceedingly more dangerous than most abyssal fiends,” expounded Nicollete. Dan pinched the bridge of his nose as he soaked in this information.

“That’s valuable information, but you didn’t answer any of my questions,” Dan saw through her attempt to dodge the question. Nicolette pressed her lips together in a pout before sighing in defeat.

“My human name was Carmen Favesh. Time moves slower in the Abyss, so I can’t say exactly when. But… it all started when my father was betrayed.”

Faith

Faith climbed out of the passenger seat of his car. Lilly climbed out on the opposite side.

“Do you have a feel for it, yet?” Faith quirred Lilly.

“Yes. I am swiftly approaching mastery of the skill,” Lilly answered concisely.

“That’s great, how about your senses?” Faith followed up.

“My hearing, sight, sense of touch, and smell are all satisfactory. I was not programmed for taste,” Lilly confirmed her status. Faith continued down a check list of concerns as they walked to their apartment.

When they arrived, Lilly abruptly interrupted, “Doctor, you have nothing ordered and pending arrival. There is a package of unknown origin at your doorstep.” Faith’s curiosity was piqued, he bent over and picked it up. “I advise you to be cautious, Doctor. I am not equipped with the hardware required to scan the package, therefore I am unaware of its contents,” admonished Lilly.

“I doubt anyone’s figured out what I’ve done, yet. I kept you underwraps, I even have all my schematics and notes on paper instead of in a computer file,” Faith assured her it was fine.

“If you say so, Doctor.” They walked into the apartment and proceeded to open the package. Inside it was a V.R headset, nothing else. Faith examined the device with interest. It lacked any distinctive logos or anything that stood out. The only marking on it were the letters V and R on the front. Faith and Lilly had no idea who would send it or why. They double checked the address and confirmed that it was indeed mailed to Faith Fohster. Before trying it out, Faith decided to take it apart. After fully dismantling it, Faith was left baffled. It didn’t contain any V.R technology, it was only a screen that can be worn over the eyes. V.R has come a long way since it was first made. Standard V.R graphics are close to life like, and there’s talk about fully immersive systems being developed. With no other options, Faith opted to reassemble it and try it out. When putting it back together though, Faith modified it. He made it possible for Lilly to connect to the system via wire and control it to an extent.

Faith laid down on his bed with the mask on and booted it up. As soon as he pressed the power button, Faith experienced extreme vertigo. He had no idea what was happening, the most he could describe it as was the feeling of a disconnect from his body. The next thing he knew, Faith found himself in a completely different location. He was in a desert, and Faith could feel every detail. He felt the blazing sun scorching his skin. He felt the coarse, sandy winds drying out his eyes. He felt the solid sand as it drained through his fingertips.

“Lilly! Lilly, are you there?” Faith screamed in the air.

“I am present, Doctor,” Lilly’s smooth voice graced Faith’s ears.

“What’s happening? How am I experiencing fully immersive V.R? The headset was only a screen!”

“I have no clue, Doctor. The headset is performing as expected. It is only visually outputting what you see.”

“But how is that possible?” Faith questioned reality more than Lilly.

“Would you like me to remove the headset?” asked Lilly.

“No,” Faith immediately rejected the course of action. “I want to explore more in here. Monitor my vitals and stand by.”

“I already am, Doctor.” Faith couldn't help but crack a smile, his creation was awesome. He turned his attention to the vast dunes around him and picked a direction.