An odd advertisment about a VMMORPG started to play in a wide holographic television and it immediately piqued the interest of 19 year old Gray Brior as he sat up from a resting position in his sofa to turn the TV volume up.

The same advertisment was being played in a 3D holographic billboard at a busy intersection. Passersby, who were mostly students and salarymen, stopped for a while to watch it. Even the commuters in a moving bus were intrigued that they popped their heads out the window.

'We are in the year 2045, not far in the future, the world will undergo a cycle of healing." A deep voice of a man echoed across the busy street.

In a distance, two students were enjoying their cigarettes in an empty alleyway.

"Bro he's tryna be edgy. I ain't buying that!" 

"Shut up im listening."

"Earth is almost comparable to a stinking dead rat, to put it simply, our world is dying. Going for a walk and touching grass can't relieve the pain of existence anymore because people already destroyed this world! And so i want to share this game that I created initially for myself to relive the memories of my youth, wherein the world is as pretty as what they say in the stories.

I named it Prism."

In a span of a week, the number of pre-registered players reached millions in the country of Phobos. The game's breakthrough had been broadcasted to numerous TV stations worldwide.

"Gray!"  "are we gonna play it?" A girl with a short and blonde hair ran towards Gray along the aisles in the bleachers.

"Play what?" He asked while still focusing his eyes on the soccer practice.

"Of course PRISM! it's going to be available later 5 pm. What else is it gonna be? Im sure you've heard of it too. It's all over the internet bro. What's funny and annoying is that some people even started to create guilds already with potential WHALES." she said putting an emphasis on the word WHALES as she scoffed and sat beside him.

"What do you expect Scythe? People are just desperate. Although it's interesting, im hesitant to play it because it may be a cash-grab game just like the others."

She side-eyed him with a skeptical expression on her face.

"You always say that, yet you end up playing it. And then you would call me saying 'Hey play this game it's actually good' thank you very much for that info but now i have to start late while everyone is ahead of me."

"WATCH OUT!" everyone in the bleachers exclaimed in unison.

A soccer ball just hit Scythe's head releasing a loud sound on impact. she fell on the floor and her body curled up in pain.

"Scythe! My goodness are you okay?"

 There was a genuine concern in Gray's eyes.

"It hurts, it hurts.." Scythe groaned, covering her head over with her arms.

"It was a miss. I kinda wanted the ball to hit Gray." A guy from the soccer team laughed with his teammates. Gray just responded with a disgusted look in his eyes. 

Suddenly, Scythe got up and yelled at him.

"It should be Gray instead of you Draco! How is it possible to miss a 30 meter shot in an open space?! Even the bleachers are not safe with this guy's bad accuracy! THE NET IS THE SAFEST PLACE TO WAT-"

Gray dragged her away from the field 

"TRASH PLAYERS IN A FAKE FIELD! YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT GRASS FEELS LIKE!"

her voice echoed across the silent field.

The school bell rang and students rushed outside of their classrooms towards the gate like a surge of ant army. It was a disastrous scene, almost comparable to a zombie apocalypse. Students were pushing and hurting each other just to go to the Game store. On the other hand, Scythe and Gray just jumped over the wall and luckily a taxi was approaching.

"I think its our lucky day today Scythe."

"I concur buddy." 

They simultaneously waved their hands to call the taxi. Minutes later, a massive line could be seen outside the car window. 

"No way.."

Their eyes widened after seeing hundreds and hundreds of people were lined up outside the store just for a game. 

'Im totally confused as to why many people are going crazy over this game. Is there something we dont know about it?' Gray thought as he rested his chin on his palm, wandering his eyes outside the window.

The taxi dropped them in front of the store so they have to walk to the end of the line.

"You will never know what grass feels like psh." Teased by some random schoolmate with a huge grin on his face. He was watching  soccer practice with them earlier.

Scythe just rolled her eyes and quietly uttered "fat ass"

"Yo Graayy!" A nerdy looking guy in the line gladly smiled and waved at Gray. "Wait, is that gray for real?" Said by his companion with a red hair who knew Gray as well.

"Miyo! Ludwig! I missed you guys" they dapped up as a form of greeting. "Dont tell me you guys skipped class just to be early here." Gray jokingly said. As they were having a small talk, Scythe felt really bored and out of place as she stood beside Gray. But a Eureka moment occured to her--she grinned wickedly and whispered to Gray's ear.

"Tell them to buy us some copy too. You guys are friends right?" She suggested with a wide grin extending to both her ears.

"Tell them ill pay-"

"You know that's not allowed. You can read the sign over there." Gray refused and pointed his index finger to the sign posted outside the store entrance.

"A person is allowed to purchase only one copy. They do this to avoid resellers." explained Gray and he continued to converse with his friends.

"Oh it's gonna take forever i swear.." she complained in undertones.

"Oh look... it's an E-girl. This game will be ruined because of you." A derogatory comment coming from a guy with a neglected beard hit Scythe's nerve. She slowly turned her head with a death gaze. 

"How lucky am I today to see a troll in a public place.. It must have been a really long time since you crawled out of your basement. You dont know how happy i am right now because there will be no monitors protecting trolls like you from me." Said Scythe as a dark aura gradually surrounded her.

She slowly walked towards him with a clenched fists and a deadly look in her eyes.

"Come on then." The guy taunted, trying to supress his fear and avoid embarrassment. The people nearby just looked at him with a displeased expression on their faces.

It took a while before Gray noticed the situation. 

"Scythe? What's going on?" Asked Gray as he ran towards her. 

Scythe began an uncontrollable rampage, sending the guy with a weird beard in a hospital due to heart attack and then stealing his spot in the line. The incident became advantageous on their end, however Scythe's mood was completely ruined. Gray, who was trying to stop her, injured his forehead during the process. Now both of them have lumps on their foreheads like two mad rhinos. 

"A copy of Prism please." Said Scythe

"That goose egg on your forehead looks bad kid. I hope you're fine." Said the Cashier as he reached a copy of the game in the cabinet. 

"Yeah, im good thanks for your concern." Scythe faintly said, giving thanks to the cashier with a sullen mood. The cashier only replied with a confused smile.

Gray was the person next in line. He took a step forward and smiled at the cashier.

"I want the same thing." Said Gray. The cashier reached the cabinet for a copy.

"I have a lump too by the way."

After swiping his card for payment, he then walked towards the exit and reached for the door handle but a big tall guy opened it before him coming from the outside of the store. 

For a big guy, he was not scary-looking at all. In fact, he radiates a bright aura.

"Excuse me little guy." He lowered his head to make eye contact with Gray and immediately noticed a lump on his forehead. You could see a hint of concern in his eyes.

"You should get that checked out kid." He smiled and proceeded to the cashier. 

Not long after, Gray exited the store. Within a sniffing distance, Scythe's triumphant smile was lighting up the atmosphere as she waved at him. He let out a scoff, thinking about how fast Scythe's mood could change.

"Listen Gray, I'll call you before I hop on the game. My in game name will be the same as usual. See you there." 

They waved goodbye and went separate ways. 

"Make sure to answer my call!"

Gray rushed home. When he arrived in the entryway, he hurriedly tossed his socks and shoes on the shoe rack.

"How's school Gray? I heard Scythe got into a fight again? Take care of your cousin." His mom yelled from the kitchen.

As he was climbing up the stairs, his phone rang. There was an incoming call from Scythe.

"GRAY!!" Scythe yelled, almost deafening Gray, making him to slightly put the phone away from his ear.

"I just got home, how-"

"Hop on NOW, I am telling you! You wont believe this." The call ended and a message from Scythe popped up on the screen.

Gray's eyes were filled with fascination and excitement as he was watching the video that Scythe sent him.

'Now, now. That odd guy is something else for creating something like this. This game is the real deal.'