???: Wake up...

???: It's time to wake up...

???: Open your eyes...

Child: Five more minutes.

???: You've slept long enough. It's time to wake up.

Child: What is that even supposed to mean?

???: Stagnation is an enemy to evolution. I cannot allow you stagnate any longer... Get up.

...

A child finds himself alone in a cybernetic void. But then, a blue butterfly appeared in front of him.

Butterfly: What's your name?

Child: Ikki.

Butterfly: Why are you by yourself?

Child: I'm always by myself.

Butterfly: You can't stay like that forever.

Ikki: Why not?

Butterfly: You can't. The upcoming year will be a turning point in your life.

Ikki: How so?

Butterfly: It will become clear in due time. For now, don't be too reckless out there.

Ikki: I understand.

Butterfly: Good. Now follow me.

The light cleared, revealing a way out.

Ikki was on his way to the train station on the way to Yokohama. Then he receives a text from his mom.

Mom: (Text): Have you made it to the train station?

Ikki (Text): Yes.

Mom (Text): Don't forget that this is what you wanted. Whatever happens between you and my sister is none of my business, and if anything goes wrong, don't you dare come to me asking me to take you back.

Ikki: (Text): Whatever.

Ikki then enters the train. The journey to Yokohama went pretty normal, until the train enters a tunnel.

When the light clears, Ikki finds himself in what appeared to be a blue room

Ikki: What the- where am I?

Standing in front of him, there was a bizarre-looking old man and a female wearing blue.

Strange man: Welcome to the Velvet room, young player.

Strange Man: Don't worry, the you in the real world is fast asleep. You're only experiencing this as a dream.

Ikki: A dream? Who are you? What's going on?

Igor: Ah... forgive my manners. My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance.

Ikki: Igor?

Despite his rather striking appearance, this Igor character has a very calm and well-mannered demeanor. He seems like a nice guy.

Igor: This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... This is a room where only those bound by a "contract" may enter... Henceforth, you shall now be welcome here in the Velvet Room as our guest.

That part got Ikki confused as he didn't remembered entering a contract with anyone.

Ikki: (Contract? What contract?)

Igor: It sure it's been a while since we had a guest. And we got ourselves one with an intriguing situation as well...

Ikki: Why am I here?

Igor: I've summoned you here to discuss urgent matters. It involves your life as well.

Ikki: What are you talking about?

Igor: But first...

A Tarot deck appears in front of them.

Igor: Do you believe in fortune telling?

Ikki: I don't really care.

Igor: Then let's take a look at your fortune, shall we?

Igor begins telling Ikki's fortune.

Igor: Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different. Life itself follows the same principles, wouldn't you agree?

Ikki: I guess.

Igor: Now, pick 6 cards.

The first card was The Chariot

Igor: The Chariot in the upright position means you're feeling trapped in this constant fighting.

Ikki: ....

The second card was The Wheel of Fortune.

Igor: The Wheel of Fortune shows that what you're looking for right now is a turning point in your life. Certain events will play out that will advance you forward. Destiny is at play here, so these events may seem... coincidental.

The third card was the Hermit.

Igor: The Hermit signals a warning not to make hasty decisions, so try not to get too stressed.

The fourth card was Death.

Igor: Death symbolizes a time of absolute ends and new beginnings. Your life is about to go through a period of great transformation. These changes may come out as difficult, or even painful, but you'll pull through.

Ikki: ....

Igor: Now, the next card shows what you're up against.

The fifth card was The Moon.

Igor: The Moon symbolizes "mystery". It seems like there's an unknown force at play.

The sixth and final was The Fool.

Igor: The Fool signals infinite possibilities. This is a time for you to realize your full potential, follow your instincts and act on hunches. However, be mindful of being too impulsive. Your decisions should be based on logic and knowledge.

Ikki: Aren't you gonna tell me why I'm here?

Igor: We are aware of your unfortunate situation.

Ikki: Hm?

Igor: It would seem like there are things you are unable to remember.

Ikki: .....

Igor: As we speak, a great calamity is fast approaching your way. Unless you can regain your lost memories, your future will be filled with misfortune.

Ikki: What are you saying?

Igor: But don't worry, there is a means to oppose such fate.

Ikki: There is?

Igor: Yes, to save your future from the point of no return, we will provide you assistance to regain your memories.

Ikki: Suppose that's true, why are you helping me then?

Igor: Because that's the duty of us residents of the Velvet Room. To guide our guests towards a brighter future...

Ikki: A brighter future... is such thing even possible?

Blue girl: Yes. All we ask in return is for you to always be prepare to take responsibility for your actions and the moves you make.

Ikki: (Take responsibility? I've heard that before... Wait, have I?)

Igor: Ah yes, I almost forgot... Allow me to introduce you to my assistant, Agatha. She is a resident of this place, like myself. She will provide you assistance during your journey.

Agatha: Nice to meet you. My name is Agatha, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask.

Ikki: Um, hi?

Agatha walks up to Ikki and sits next to him.

Igor: We will talk about her assigned role in this place when the time is right.

Ikki: I'm so confused right now.

Igor: Perhaps things are too difficult to understand right now. But don't worry, everything will become clear in due time. For now, know this... you possess great power, and you will inevitably require our help to hone it properly.

Then they hear the bell.

Igor: I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today, you can go back to sleep now... We shall resume our game at a later date.

Agatha: Please take your time to understand what we just talked about. I'll be looking forward to your next visit.

Igor: Until meet again.

Ikki's vision blurred until all he saw was darkness. Suddenly he opened his eyes and finds himself laying on the train seat heading to the city of Yokohama.

Ikki: (Man, what a weird dream...)

"Attention passengers, we're now arriving at Yokohama, the second largest city in all of Japan with a population of over 3.8 million. If you look to your left, you'll see the famous coastline. We hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Be sure that you have all of your belongings with you before leaving the train."

Ikki had exited the train, then he looks at an address left by his mother.

Ikki: Okay, so this is Yokohama, I've heard on the news that the cyber crime rate in this city has increased to concerning levels. Whatever. I should find Aunt Mana's place soon.

Ikki starts walking around the big city. Then he stops by a glass window. He looks to see TVs broadcasting news about cyber crimes.

Ikki: Huh?

"And so, an anonymous group has once again viciously leaked private information from other political parties illegally embezzling tax money. The police has so far made little to no progress in identifying the culprits."

Then he continues on his way, hearing all kinds of talk about the new games that are coming up.

Ikki: Huh?

After searching around, he finally found the place he was looking for.

He then started ringing the bell 3 times, he waited for a minute until a woman opened the door.

???: Geez, what the hell? It's my day off!

Ikki: Hi. Are you Aunt Mana?

Mana: Oh. Ikki Inuzuka, right?

Ikki: That's me.

Mana: Oh yeah, I completely forgot you were coming over today. You were so little when I last saw you, now look at you all grown up.

Ikki: Yeah. I'm transferring to a new school, so I'm staying with you until I get my own place.

Mana: Yeah, I know. You just arrived here, right? Welcome to Yokohama. This place is so big. I'm surprised you didn't get lost.

Ikki: So, um... Thank you for having me.

Mana: Your mother and I worked together for years. But to be honest, I was against the idea of having my nephew living with me, but you just had to choose the college that's in the same city where I live.

Ikki: Sorry. It was on a whim.

Mana: Don't apologize. That topic aside, I'll show you to your room.

Mana takes Ikki to the second floor where his room was.

Mana: Here you go. This is where you'll be sleeping.

Ikki was in awe. He then drops his luggage.

Ikki: Woah, is surprisingly larger than my bedroom at home. Is it really okay for me to use this room?

Mana: You can make all the mess you want, as long as you clean it that is.

Mana proceeds to leave the room.

Mana: We'll be heading to your new school tomorrow, so you can get your ID, uniform, and other essentials. Oh, and I know quite well about your status as a young gamer prodigy, I don't mind if you play all day, but I expect you to be on your best behavior and prioritize your education for the remainder of the year, and if you cause me too much trouble, I won't hesitate to kick you out. You got that?

Ikki: Sure.

Mana: Don't forget, this is only temporary until you become self-sufficient. You are an adult now, no one's got any abligation to care for you. So until then, well, you know.

Ikki: I know. Don't worry. I'll start looking for my own place as soon as possible. Oh, Aunt Mana one more thing.

Mana: Yes? And just call me Mana.

Ikki: I heard a lot about cyber crimes increasing recently, and that the police is making no progress, is everything alright?

Mana: Look, your mom told me about how much you love games, but you shouldn't be worrying about things like that. Please keep that in mind, just focus on living a normal life.

She leaves the room.

Ikki: (A normal life... Just what is a normal life?)

Ikki decides to call it a day. So he goes to bed.

Ikki: ....

Ikki starts recalling life back at home.

Ikki Inuzuka. Also know as genius gamer Zero-One. A young gamer prodigy infamous for his superhuman gaming skills, no matter the game, he could easily blast his way to the top. He won several game tournaments all over the country, he soon became undefeated and rose to being 1# in over 20 different video games.

Ikki's father died in a car accident when he was little, and his mom was a police officer who's always working. So Ikki had video games raising him for most of his life.

Ikki and Mana arrived at the school called Chisai University. They exited the car and entered.

Mana: Just a heads up, I got a very busy schedule, so you'll be walking starting tomorrow.

Ikki: Okay?

Making their way to the principal's office, they enter to find an old man and a woman.

Anzai: Ikki Inuzuka?

Ikki: Yes, sir.

Anzai: I am Principal Shinosuke Anzai, and this right here is Misaki Fukuhara. She will be your homeroom teacher.

Ikki: Nice to meet you.

Misaki: L-Likewise.

Misaki was slightly nervous. A part of her shirt wasn't tucked in and her documents were a mess, meaning that she was in too much of a hurry.

After some paperwork, Ikki was given a uniform, an ID, and a schedule.

Anzai: Welcome to Chisai young fellow. We hope you enjoy your time here.

Ikki: Sure. Thanks for having me.

The two then left. Walking with his hands in his pockets he couldn't help but to hear other students gossiping.

Student: I've never seen that guy before.

Student: Is he a transfer student?

Fem Student: He's kinda cute.

Student: Hey, did you hear about this game called Persona Online? It's amazing!

Fem student: Come on, who hasn't heard of that game. Even old geezers know about it.

Student: Is it really okay to play it though? They were all sorts urban legends supposedly related to that game.

Student: For real?

Student: That's why I wanna try it out! It just sounds so cool!

The stories about the new game went on an on. Ikki's curiosity continued to pile up.

Ikki was in his room, taking a good look of himself at the mirror.

Ikki: Normal life, eh?

...