"I can't believe it's so spot-on," Aiden marveled at the uncanny resemblance of the virtual reality Olympics.
— Wooohooo!
— Aiden! Aiden!
— Ah, player Aiden has stepped up with his bow. What do you think? Player Aiden has shown genius potential since a young age and…
The cheering and the commentary, reminiscent of his athletic days, stirred nerves in Aiden, as if he were truly at the Olympics.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
It shouldn't have been possible, but his ears caught the thumping of his heartbeat, and his virtual lips felt dry.
A familiar target, 70 meters away with red, yellow, and blue circles, unfolded before him. How long had it been since he stood in such a position?
"Whew."
Aiden instinctively pulled back an arrow, the familiar sound of nocking echoing. The vivid sensation of his heart racing overwhelmed him.
'It really works?'
The challenge arose when he assumed the holding position after pulling the string. Glancing at his right hand:
"…!"
Contrary to the expected trembles, his right hand firmly pulled the string, unaffected. Aiden froze momentarily, emotions tightening his throat.
"…"
Swallowing a mix of sadness and joy, he scrutinized the bow.
'It's a bit different.'
The string's tension, the grip—details felt off, but irrelevant. As long as he could pull the string like normal, the toy bow was manageable.
'Let's do this.' Nocking the arrow again, he glared at the target with moistened eyes.
Aiden immersed himself in the silent war of archery—a battle between himself and the arrow. The full draw, an essential prelude, unfolded after a prolonged hiatus.
Keeek! Yet the string rested on his nose and lips like he'd done it yesterday. The right hand instinctively found the perfect holding position beneath his chin.
Perfect hold, but…
'The bow's weight and the string's tension are lower than I thought. Is it for beginners?'
The lightness felt uncomfortable, lacking the familiar weight, causing unnecessary exertion and a wobbling aim.
"Again."
Eventually, he lowered his bow and arrow without releasing the shot.
James and the owner tensed as Aiden nocked an arrow. The look in his eyes transformed.
"D-Dang, pros are something else. His stance is on another level!"
"Y-Yeah, I've only heard about it. It's my first time seeing it too."
James never fathomed Aiden could wear such an expression.
'That's Aiden?'
Aiden's virtual archery felt predatory, like being hunted. Silence descended, creating an almost palpable fog.
"Huh? Why isn't he shooting?"
"…?"
Aiden suddenly abandoned his bow and arrow.
"Does the issue with his right hand still affect him mentally?"
James bit his lip, and the owner chimed in.
"I've seen this happen before in the Olympics. You know how players do that sometimes. It's not a good sign, but it's not something special either."
"Ah, right."
"He must be too nervous."
James remembered an Olympic archer raising his bow only to lower it again. Athletes grappled with anxiety and pressure during competitions.
'Aiden? Nervous?'
A mere virtual reality game triggered nerves in Aiden? James couldn't fathom it; Aiden seemed laid-back at work.
'He must really like it.' James realized Aiden's deep love for archery and how much he must've missed it. Aiden's gestures, expressions, and even his breathing spoke volumes.
Nervousness made sense. It must've felt like reuniting with a long-lost crush. 'Wasn't money just an excuse?'
Aiden didn't seem interested in making money from gaming. Rather, he sought an excuse to shoot again, escaping the dull work life to return to archery. His grandmother's passing added to the weight.
Aiden attended work only for his grandmother. A year since her funeral, he likely yearned to release that burden and follow his heart.
'What his heart guides him to do…'
Unrelated to James, his heart raced. What did it feel like to pursue one's passion and excel? James had never experienced that.
"Hey, he's nocking the arrow again."
The owner nudged James, who could only react with a stunned "Whoa."
Pew!
Aiden released the arrow like a stream of water.
"!"
Even to James's untrained eyes, Aiden's arrow seemed different.
"Wh-What the?" the owner exclaimed. The arrow hadn't landed, but they anticipated a bull's eye from Aiden.
Ffft!
"Whoa!"
"Who is he? This is different from the archery I know!"
Most had seen archery competitions between top pros; the general public only watched during the Olympics.
Yet, Aiden surpassed their expectations. Similar to how Kim Yuna's double axle outshone unstable triple axles.
Aiden's archery possessed an extra layer. Pew! Another arrow hit the center, followed by three consecutive ten-point shots.
Aiden didn't stop. Two more arrows, Pew! Pew! The target seemed pitiful after.
Ten!
Ten!
The voices shouting perfect scores became redundant. Aiden continued, every arrow striking the center.
James thought of the phrase 'Easy as one, two, three' after witnessing Aiden's archery.
"You said it would be different from real life, though."
"Uh, yeah… A lot of athletes can't get used to it, but he's different. They usually struggle initially and improve later. That guy…"
The owner scratched his head.
"I don't know about archery, but isn't he different? On another level. Is that the archery we know?"
James shared that Aiden was America's youngest gold medalist at nationals.
"The youngest?"
"Yeah, he told me over drinks."
"If it's America's national competition, doesn't that make him the youngest world champion ever?"
"He was supposed to be."
The monitor erupted with cheers:
— Wooohoooo!
— A perfect score! All in the center of the target! Incredible!
— Oh my, I can't believe it! He broke the record for shooting time too! This is unbelievable!
The capsule lid slowly lifted, accompanied by the sound of released air. James expected Aiden to confidently sit up and smile, but he hadn't emerged.
"What's taking him so long?"
Approaching, James paused when he peered inside.
Aiden wept, tears streaming down his face, as if releasing a decade's worth of emotions tied to a bow.
"That's incredible. I guess it looks different to even ordinary people if you're on that level."
Loud cheers came from the monitor.
— Woooohoooo!
— A perfect score! All in the center of the target! Incredible!
— Oh my, I can't believe it! He broke the record for shooting time too! This is unbelievable!
The game ended with Aiden shooting every arrow into the very center.
Ssssss. The capsule lid slowly lifted with the sound of air being released. James thought Aiden would confidently sit up and smile, but he didn't come out.
"What's taking him so long?"
James approached thinking this idiot didn't know how to exit the capsule.
"Dude, do you not know…"
However, James paused when he looked inside.
Aiden was crying with tears all over his face. He sobbed as if letting out all the emotions from the ten years he couldn't hold a bow.