I didn't know how long I had been unconscious, but I felt as though I was paralyzed and unable to move. It was like floating in darkness. My body began to twitch as sensation slowly returned, accompanied by waves of anxiety and excruciating pain.
Finally able to breathe, despite the feeling of suffocation, I regained control of my body and tried to make sense of my surroundings. Even as I could still hear Justin and Tyler's voices in the distance, calling out to me.
A speck of light appeared before me, glowing like the first light of dawn. It expanded into a circle with a diameter as wide as half of my body. As confused as I was, nothing felt as strange as my eyes adjusting to it effortlessly. Four similar lights appeared around it, forming words that I couldn't quite make out.
Focusing on the words, "New Game" shone the brightest among the four lights. The other three read "Settings," "Continue," and "Accessories."
"New Game?" My voice sounded jarring after the silence.
Wait... Continue? Settings? I had played enough games to recognize a gaming menu when I saw one. The icon flashed, and the words were drawn into the circle of light, like being pulled into a whirlpool. I followed them, feeling my body stretch as the light engulfed me, accompanied by a brief sound filling my ears.
When the light faded, I found myself standing on a dirt pathway surrounded by the lushest green field of grass I had ever seen, dotted with dandelions and daisies. Although I expected to smell the grass, the air held no discernible scent. Amidst the silence, the only sound came from my own movements. Something felt off, like standing in a beautiful botanical garden filled with plastic flowers. Every element, from the clouds and the sky to the distant trees, seemed like a CGI wallpaper, meticulously arranged to accentuate its unnatural aura.
Filled with excitement and joy, I thought to myself, "Finally, I've escaped the real world," a smirk on my face.
Bending down, I touched the dirt pathway, feeling its rich texture under my fingers. It felt so real, as if such a sensation were possible. The edges of the path were neatly trimmed, contrasting with the tall grass. This reminded me of the anime series "Sword Art Online" (SAO). Looking around, I noticed a crossroad in the distance with a wooden sign planted in the grass at the side of the pathway.
I walked forward, the details of the environment ahead becoming clearer with each step, as if I had suddenly developed near-sightedness. Upon reaching the crossroads, the sign bore a carving in bold letters: 'tutorial.' Beneath it, a map depicted a square-shaped path with titles at each corner. The Northern Point was labeled 'Community,' the Eastern Point 'Actions,' the Western Point 'Menus,' and the Southern Point featured a red box with 'You are here?' written inside.
"Waw?" I murmured, startled by the echo of my own voice.
Pondering my whereabouts, I assumed that heading towards 'Community' would be the best way to find answers. Running down the dirt pathway and taking a left at the crossroads, a rotating circle appeared before me, continuously filling and emptying with blue liquid.
Wait... It's a loading icon. I heard the chirping sound of a successful internet connection. Five bars rose and vanished, replaced by a red window with blank spaces for 'Username,' 'Password,' 'Email,' and 'Experience.'
I stared at the window for a moment before deciding to play along with whatever trick the universe had in store. I said, "Email," and the word began to glow. Verbally spelling out my email and password, both were accepted. However, when I tried to create a username, it was rejected. Each attempt resulted in the window shaking, displaying, "Existing username. Try something else," in the red box above. Not surprised by the challenge, given the abundance of gaming accounts, I finally succeeded in registering as 'TriniGhoul,' proceeding to input my experience.
Now registered, a chat window appeared, followed by an invitation from my brother's name and his best friend's name. Without hesitation, I accepted the invitation.
"Stephen?" my brother's voice echoed in my head, filled with concern. "Stephen? Is that you?"
"Yeah, Justin, it's me," I replied, the window tracking my gaze. "What's going on? Where are you?"
"I'm at the Community."
Community? Oh yes. We're not far from there. Before you meet us, we need to discuss a few things. This game is incredible, Stephen. You've chosen the right game. The level of detail and graphics is truly out of this world.
"In my mind, I thought, you have no idea, brother," Justin exclaimed eagerly. "You have to get some gear."
"Gear?" I exclaimed, my heart racing with excitement. "Sweet! Where do I go?"
"You have to head down the back alley, make a right, and boom! You'll see a sign saying Black Smith."
"Alright, cool. I'm on it!"
"And don't forget to equip some new skills. See you soon, big brother," I muttered to myself, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Wait... Justin and Tyler are already in the game, and they're ahead of me. Well, what did I expect? He's my brother, after all.