"Yang Yang, hurry up, or else we will be late!"
"Have you prepared the gifts?"
"Yes! Now let's go!"
Similar conversations were happening in many countries on planet Earth. It was a special day and those chosen few--who became candidates to test a special game--opened their I-Foams at the same time.
"Go! Go! Summons!" they shouted in unison.
With a blinding flash of light, their real bodies were transported to a different world. A world where fairies sing, elves dance, dragons fly in the sky, and real Heroes walk the land.
A world where infinite possibilities await. A world that was within the reach of their fingertips.
-----
Indeed. Today was a special day. A day that every girl dreamed of at least once in her life.
Within the magnificent church of Espoir Frieden, a woman stood in front of the altar. The long black hair that used to hang freely behind her back was now braided, forming a crown on top of her head. Her wedding dress--made by the best seamstress in the kingdom--gave off a subtle glow as it wrapped comfortably around her body.
She held a bouquet of beautiful flowers in her hands. They were handpicked by the Queen herself from her own private collection. If one were to look closely, they would find that the hands holding the flowers were shaking, albeit slightly.
The woman stood, waiting, for her groom to arrive. With each passing second, her anxiousness grew. With each passing minute, she felt her heart tremble. Seated behind her were thousands of people. They came from distant lands to witness her marriage.
Their eyes were focused on the lady beside the altar. Some of the women looked at her in envy, some with contempt, some with disdain. They wondered how this lady--who looked like a fat, healthy, pig that belonged on the butcher's table, was able to marry the man who was hailed as the hero of the realm.
Was the hero blind? Or perhaps she used a charm to bewitch him? They thought up a good variety of things, but they kept them inside their hearts. There were not stupid enough to voice their thoughts out loud.
Suddenly, the doors of the church opened. The woman at the altar, and the people seated behind her, looked simultaneously at the entrance of the church. There stood a man, at least six feet in height. His red hair shone in the sunlight and his sapphire green eyes looked apologetically at the lady who was looking at him with a face filled with injustice.
"Sorry, Abbie, I'm late," the man said as he stepped inside the church. His light-weight red plated armor that matched the color of his hair shone with a faint radiance. With a single step, the hearts of the women watching him skipped a beat. With another step, the men felt their blood boil.
The man made his way to the Altar with a smile plastered on his face. His eyes looked at the woman with tenderness.
When he arrived at the altar, his hand reached out to hold her hand. "Sorry, for the wait." His voice was gentle and kind. He then looked at the priest and nodded his head. "Father, please start the ceremony."
The priest nodded back and looked at the two of them with a smile. He then faced the crowd and asked.
"If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I have an Object--"
The voice of a woman sounded from behind them, but it was quickly drowned by a flurry of sharp slaps that knocked her unconscious. The bride and groom didn't even bother to turn their heads to look and simply focused their attention to the priest.
"Is there anyone else?"
"I Object!" A man shouted fearlessly. "Don't think you can silen--"
The man wasn't able to finish his words because the priest summoned a giant hammer and threw it at him. The hammer hit him squarely in the face which knocked him unconscious.
"Anyone else?" the priest asked while holding another giant hammer in his hand.
The crowd stilled and no one dared to even utter a single word. They looked at the giant hammer in the priest's hand and the bloodied face of the guy who was still twitching on the floor. Clearly, they knew that keeping silent was the right course of action.
"Since no one has any objections, let's just jump to the main part."
The priest raised his hand and faced the groom. "Do you, Alexander Von Ainsworth, take this woman Abbie Matthews as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Alexander answered firmly.
The priest nodded his head and faced the bride.
Do you, Abbie Matthews, take this man, Alexander Von Ainsworth, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?
"I do," Abbie replied with a smile.
"Then what are you waiting for?" The priest looked at Alexander with a grin. "You may now kiss the bride."
Alexander faced Abbie and flashed a devilish grin. He raised the wedding veil to look at her chubby face. Cupping her cheeks in his hands he moved closer. Abbie in turn closed her eyes and puckered her lips waiting for the drop-dead-gorgeous hunk to give her a kiss.
Alexander's lips were only inches away from her when he stopped and spoke in a childlike voice, "Master, it's morning. Time to wake up."
"Um?" Abbie's eyes blinked once, then twice.
The magnificent church, the thousands of people, the wedding dress, and the bouquet of flowers she held was gone.
"Master, If you don't wake up now, you'll be late for school." An eight-year-old boy with red hair and sapphire green eyes looked at her with tenderness.
"Alex," Abbie said while looking fondly at the boy in front of her. "Please grow up quickly."
"Master?"
"After you grow up, please marry me."
The young boy's eyes widened for a brief moment before they returned to their usual gentle expression. Abbie found herself lost in those clear and innocent eyes of his, and remembered the dream she had just a few minutes ago.
"Understood. Master, please wait for me."
"Mmm, I will be waiting."