Tristan saw himself standing on a vast, open field, the sun blazing brightly above him. The grass beneath his feet was soft and green, and a gentle breeze blew across his face.
'This is it,' he thought. 'The game has begun.'
His customization options were displayed in front of him: hair color [platinum blonde], eye color [blue], skin tone [light tan], and clothing style [casual or formal]. He went with 'casual.'
A menu appeared, with several different clothes accessible; each one had its own unique design with varying colors and patterns. Tristan chose a gray shirt with a black jacket and pants. He also picked up two sets of boots, which he slipped on.
The words [Welcome to Love Is Dead] are displayed over his head.
[Anything is permitted in this world, where everything is imaginable, including death, agony, love, lust, and pleasure.]
Instead of wearing a VR headset that covered his full field of vision, with the game's audio playing in his headphones and a controller in his hand.
The game enabled his body to be fully immersed in its environment by utilizing advanced motion capture technology that evaluated every movement and activity made within the virtual realm.
In addition, Tristan might use vocal instructions or hand gestures. He was given complete authority over what actions may be taken within his character's virtual reality.
The game's tutorial appeared, and he followed the directions to get acquainted. It was all so simple, and he quickly found himself navigating his way through the options to get to the eroge's first level.
The name of the first level, 'ENIGMA,' appeared in bold letters above him, and a countdown timer began ticking for forty-eight hours before disappearing totally from view.
It was a lovely and serene scene, with nothing but nature surrounding him. There were trees in the distance, as well as a little pond and a few hills. He went around for a while, taking in the view, before encountering his first challenge.
It was a little valley, and he had to jump across to get to the other side. He took a deep breath and leaped across without hesitation, but as he landed on firm ground again, he noticed something was wrong. He could hear growling from behind him.
Tristan turned hastily, only to discover an enormous wolf with fiery red fur standing there menacingly, glaring back at him while baring its jaws.
Tristan took a step back, assessing his next move. He looked for anything that could help him defend against this animal, which had a twisted fur pattern that looked like flames running down its spine.
The wolf growled again, its eyes fixated on him, and he realized he had to act fast. He lifted his hand, and the wolf came to a halt.
He noticed that it was staring at his palm.
'What are you staring at?' Tristan muttered fiercely. He stared down at his hand, perplexed, until he noticed a cold mist growing between his fingers.
He understood he had activated his ability to manipulate illusions within the game.
'Is this what they meant when they said I could fix the bugs and the occasional glitches?!' he exclaimed, excited.
Tristan hesitated for a bit before deciding to take a chance. He approached the wolf slowly with his hand outstretched, and to his astonishment, the wolf lowered its head and allowed him to gently pat it as if it were a dog or cat rather than a wild animal.
The creature appeared placid, and after several minutes of scratching behind its ears and massaging its tummy, the flames on its back vanished into nothingness, as did all traces of red on its body.
It transformed into a typical gray-furred wolf, with no indication of any unusual coloration or markings.
It finally let go of Tristan's arm, as though happy with their interaction. It suddenly bolted into the distance, showing no indications of anger toward Tristan. He was astounded by the game's realism and the way it made him feel as if he were interacting with a real, living individual.
Tristan smiled in satisfaction after easily taming one of these animals; however, he soon learned it wasn't the bug he was supposed to solve at this level as the timer continued to count down with just forty-five hours remaining to accomplish it.
'Was that wolf a fucking glitch?! What kind of bullshit is this?' Tristan muttered angrily to himself as he walked through the forest again.
'Where have all the hot ladies gone?!' He kicked an old tree branch on the ground, watching it fall apart and crumble into dust as it collided with the ground below.
"Screw you!" He yelled, kicking up dirt and rocks from beneath his feet and flinging them across the area.
As he walked back to his starting point, he observed something strange in the distance. He had not seen a modest, isolated house in a long time. He made his way over to the house, his curiosity getting the best of him.
The door was open, and he could look inside. The interior was elegantly designed, with luxurious furnishings and expensive-looking decorations. As he entered, two lovely women welcomed him.
They were identical twins, both with long, dark hair and stunning features. They wore matching white dresses that hugged their curves and revealed a tempting amount of skin underneath.
Their eyes shone brilliantly as they glanced at Tristan with interest. One had her hands clasped under her chin as she stared at him intensely, while the other carried a glass of wine in one hand and licked the rim seductively. Both girls seemed thrilled to have caught him staring in awe at them.
Tristan felt drawn into the sight, unable to look away. He couldn't help but notice how similar these twins were to Alise.
He wondered if there was a connection between them or if it was just a coincidence. It didn't matter to Tristan because all three of these ladies were stunning.
He could see the twins names displayed above their heads: 'Lily' and 'Lyla.'
He was about to approach the pair when one of the twins spoke to him. "You must be new here," Lyla replied, smiling. She sipped her drink once more and set it on the table beside them.
Tristan's response was merely an expressionless look. He chose not to say anything at this time because he wasn't sure if the game characters understood that he was an anomaly in this virtual world. Instead of engaging in a lengthy conversation, he chose to engage in light flirtation with a brief introduction of his name in the hopes that this would move things forward more quickly.
His major goal was to identify the bug, resolve it, and move on to the next stage as soon as possible.
But, Lyla abruptly seized him by the shirt collar and drew him in, breaking his train of thought. "Do you want to play, Tristan?" She whispered as her breath, fanning his ear, sent thrills down his spine.
*****
A/N
¶ Any idea what this level could bring as the name of the level suggests?
¶ Why do you think Lyla is suggesting a game?
¶ What sort of game is she offering?
I would really appreciate your comments and support of this novel with your power stones. Your active comments would motivate me to write more chapters.