It was nearly nine hours later when Julian finally returned home. His legs were sore, and he let out a slight groan as he stretched them, kicking off his shoes and flopping onto the worn leather couch in his living room.
"Was that really the best she could come up with..." Julian mumbled into the cushions, "almost got hit by a car? That's like the third time she's used that excuse." He felt like screaming, but he held himself back. He didn't need his neighbors hounding him again for making a racket.
His phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he let out a sigh as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning back into the couch.
'Sorry, can't do Aeon tonight. Got a hot date with a millionaire.'
Julian opened the text, rolling his eyes and sending his own message back. It took Julian barely two seconds to decode tat message for what it actually was.
'Yeah right. Your mom probably yelled at you for playing too much, didn't she? Anyway, don't worry about it, I'll figure it out on my own. There's always tomorrow.'
'Yeah, I'll be there. Just a word of advice, try not to die. Or if you do, brace yourself.'
'Yeah yeah, I'll be fine. I'm a pro, right?'
Julian chucked his phone haphazardly onto the couch with a laugh, before zeroing in on the large white box sitting just before him. He had placed it strategically just in front of the couch so he wouldn't have to get up and search for it after he got back from work.
"Great thinking Julian." He muttered, patting himself on the back. His genius astounded even himself, sometimes.
The box was sleek and mostly smooth, except for a small silver latch on the side which he quickly undid. In an instant, the box clicked open, and Julian took note of its contents.
The centerpiece was the large metal headset in the middle. It was mostly silver with some black highlights, and a large glass visor over the front. It looked futuristic as hell, and he took it gently out of the box. It wasn't nearly as heavy as he would've thought.
Just beneath where the headset was, were two more things. One, an instruction manual that he placed off to the side, and the second was a small tube with a thick needle on the end. Julian gulped when he saw it, taking it out gently and placing it on the arm of the couch as far away from him as he possibly could.
"Alright, let's figure out how you work." He whispered, taking the instruction manual and thumbing through it.
It was simple enough, he thought. But that didn't make him any less nervous as he stared at the small tube that lay beside him.
The needle was only around half the length of his fingernail, and he'd need to insert it at the base of his skull, and press the bottom of the tube to insert the chip that would let him experience the 'full dive.' It was recommended he have someone with him while he did it, but...
Julian glanced around. His apartment was shoddy, with peeling cream colored wallpaper and a single, dusty light bulb swinging precariously overhead. There was a small, single bed room behind an old door in the back, and a cramped toilet just opposite that.
There wasn't a chance anyone could even fit in the apartment beside him.
"Okay... Just get it over with Julian." He muttered. He picked up the small metallic tube and raised a brow at its weight. It felt almost as heavy as the damn headset did. "Guess they don't want it to break, huh." He laughed anxiously. He was stalling and he knew it.
He figured it was best to get it over with quickly, squeezing his eyes shut and inserting the needle, recalling the diagram printed helpfully in the manual to guide him. There was a small prick and a sharp sting, and Julian let out a small hiss of pain. He quickly pressed the button, and sighed in relief when he heard the click, pulling out the needle and staring at it in disgust.
"I'm never doing that again." He said, chucking the tube back into the white box it came from, and turning his attention to the headgear.
This was the easy part now, he thought. Lying back on the couch and slipping the helmet over his head, blinking at the sudden darkness.
The visor might as well have been a black hole he was staring into. Like the vast emptiness of space, he could see nothing. He fumbled with the side of the headgear, pressing a small button to turn it on.
Immediately, he was assaulted by a bright mirage of light. Pinks, blues, reds, greens, every color he could think of, he was subjected to. He could feel his body start to stiffen. His legs locked up, and his arms fell limp by his side. He tired to keep his breathing even. This was normal, he thought, swallowing slightly and burying his anxiety.
His vision started swimming, and his eyes slowly pulled themselves shut. He tried to keep them open for a moment longer, but it was like fighting a mountain. Pointless.
And then, he was out.
***
It was the cold that woke him.
His body let out an involuntary shiver, and he could feel the goosebumps littering his arms and back pressing uncomfortably against the fabric of his shirt. Julian's eyes were still shut tight, but he let out a confused groan as he started to come to.
His apartment was like a hotbox. It was small and cramped, and it trapped in heat like crazy. The summers were sweltering, but at least the winter was bearable. He hadn't had a cold night in the entire time he lived there.
Which was to say, he was definitely no longer in his apartment.
He slowly pried his eyes open, staring up at a cold gray sky. It looked mocking, he thought. It was a strange thing to think about the sky, but it was just the impression he got. If the sky had eyes, this one's would be cold and cruel.
Staring at it made him dizzy, he realized.
Julian slowly sat up with a grunt, turning his eyes away from the sky and looking around at the snowy hilltop he found himself on. The snow wasn't thick, or piled very high. But it was consistent. Every jagged rock in sight was blanketed in soft white snow, and Julian shivered again.
He was wearing the same clothes as he was in the real world. A flimsy black t-shirt, and faded blue jeans. Not exactly winter clothes, he thought. He really needed to prepare more.
He pushed himself up with his arms, rising slowly into a standing position. His new height made it easier to see, and he took a few hesitant steps forward.
"Holy... Shit..." He muttered. He was high up - much higher up than he would've liked. He was at the very top of a tall mountain that cut the sky with its sharp peaks, standing solitary like a giant. He could see lush green grass start to peek out at the bottom half of the mountain, which fed into a wide, never ending forest beneath him. His stomach churned, and he forced himself to stop looking straight down.
Julian shivered again, wrapping his arms around himself to try and keep warm. He sighed, his breath coming out in a chilly puff of air. His arms were being rubbed red and raw by the biting wind, and his fingers were starting to lock up from the cold. His face was growing numb and his eyes were beginning to water from the wind that buffeted him.
He knew he could die of hypothermia. You could die of anything in Aeon, whether it be the cold, starvation, dehydration, or blood loss. And when you died, you'd return to your spawn point. Which in his case, was the very top of the mountain.
"Great..." He scoffed. "Why'd my spawn point have to be up here." According the manual he had read, everyone's spawn point was randomized the first time they entered Aeon. Starting out in the harsh cold on top of a large mountain was far from being ideal. It was up to him to find his way to a 'village' that contained an 'arch,' a large gateway that could transport them to one of the nine major cities on the realm of Aeon. It was also one of only three ways to return to the real world. You could use an arch, an 'exit stone,' or you could simply die and choose to return.
Reaching one of these villages was the games way of having a tutorial without having an interface. Aeon had no classes; no stats. You could be and do whatever you wanted here.
Julian looked around, before spying a small sloped path to his left. It went down, hugging the edge of the mountain. He followed the path with his eyes as it curved around the side of the mountain and out of sight. It was almost impossible to spot with the snow blanketing everything, making it all blend together. He would have to be careful of where he was stepping.
Despite the situation, Julian's face slowly grew into a grin, a jolt of excitement tingling down his spine.
"This is awesome. It feels so... Real." He muttered to himself. Julian was a skeptic, but he was happy to admit when he was wrong. He could see why people were so addicted to this. It was literally a whole new world for him to explore.
He tensed his legs, leaping up and yelling out:
"WOOHOO!" The noise echoed through the mountain tops, and he landed on his feet with a small thud in the snow. He sucked in a breath, tasting the chilly air.
And then, he began to walk.
***
He didn't know how long he had been walking for. His legs were starting to ache, but as he carefully looked over the edge of the mountain, he could see he was only around half way there to reaching the 'green.' The bottom half of the mountain that was covered in grass and not snow.
His walk had been mostly uneventful. He hugged the mountain as he walked, careful to watch his step as he raised his arm to pitifully shield himself from the wind. It didn't help much, but at least it was something, he thought.
He just had to keep walking. One grueling step at a time. His feet were starting to hurt, and he was regretting not wearing some thicker shoes.
"It's not like I expected to start on a mountain." He grumbled, barely able to hear himself over the harsh wind.
He could see another bend in the path coming up, and he slowly peeked around it.
Nothing, he thought. As usual. Still, better safe than sorry, who knows what could be hiding -
Pain.
Sharp, white hot pain. It lanced through his body, feeling like hot magma was being poured through his veins.
Julian glanced down. Sharp, jagged teeth glinted in the light reflected from the snow, gripping his ankle. Stark red blood slowly dripped from the wound, dying the snow crimson.
He followed the teeth, seeing a snarling maw and deep, amber eyes that glowed with a faint purple light. A coat so white it blended in seamlessly with the snow around it. Even if he squinted, Julian doubted he could see where the creature ended and the snow began.
The maw closed tighter around his ankle, and adrenaline replaced shock.
"ARGHHHH!" He yelled, falling and landing on his back. The creature whipped its head back and forth, and Julian's body moved with it. He felt his back scrape across jagged rocks as he was dragged from side to side, and another scream tore free from his throat.
Instinctively, his legs came up to try and catch the creature. His foot lashed out as he kicked wildly, his vision dancing and swimming from the pain.
He was being dragged further now - towards the edge of the mountain. Shit, he thought. he kicked harder, his legs were screaming at him, but he couldn't stop. A stray kick caught the creature in its eye, and it fell back with a whimper of pain.
Julian took that moment to scramble to his feet, only to fall back immediately as he tried to put weight on his ankle. His back felt bruised as something dug into his spine, but he ignored it in favor of staring at his ankle. It was mangled and bloody, and Julian could see the barest hint of white bone.
He felt like screaming again, but he pushed that urge to the back of his mind and buried it under the adrenaline that was surging through his veins. He pushed himself back up, standing shakily on one leg as he finally took in the creature that had attacked him.
It looked looked like a cross between a wolf and a hyena. It was big and bulky, and Julian could make out the tensing and squirming of its muscles, hidden by its fur. Julian frowned, wincing from the pain. Why couldn't he see it before?
The thing blended in, to be sure. Its white fur kept it well hidden in the snow, but its sheer size made it obvious now where it was.
He looked again, its amber eyes had stopped glowing that faint purple glow.
Magic then, he thought. Of course it was. Most creatures on Aeon could use some form of magic, he recalled.
A low snarl reached his ears. Blood - his blood - dripped from the beast's jaw. He could see the way it lowered itself closer to the ground; the way its muscles tensed. Julian knew it was going to strike.
Again, he dropped to this floor, though this time entirely on purpose. Just as he moved, the wolf-hyena surged. It flew through the air, sharp canine teeth poised to rip out where his throat just was.
Instead, they sunk deep into his shoulder, and Julian held back another cry of pain, spittle flying from his mouth as four heavy paws landed on his stomach and held him down. He could feel its teeth tearing through flesh and bone, and his thoughts grew hazy and jumbled.
He needed to do something, but for the life of him, he couldn't think what.
Was he really going to die so soon? He had barely explored this world. He had seen nothing except snow and rocks with trees and grass in the far off distance.
Julian made a decision. Even if he died right after, he wouldn't lose this fight. He was going to win. This game - Chronicles of Aeon - was everything he had ever wanted. A new life. Away from his shoddy apartment and crappy day job. He wasn't going to give up so soon.
He was going to rule his new life. No matter what.
His hand fumbled around in the snow as the beast fell back, rearing up for another strike. He needed to find it quickly. His hand fell upon something sharp and heavy, and he couldn't stop the savage grin from forming on his lips, teeth bared like the snarling animal that was trying to kill him.
They moved at the same time. Julian's hand came up just as the beast cut through the air, a sharp, jagged rock stopping its charge as it tore through its right eye. He almost felt bad at its low whine, a steadily growing trickle of blood running like a river from its wound.
But he couldn't stop. He surged forward, pushing with his mangled ankle with all the strength he could muster. He brought the rock down again, feeling it dig into the wolf's flesh and cut through muscle.
Again.
Blood pooled beneath them both, and Julian felt some of it splatter on his face. A coppery taste landed on his tongue, and he forced back a gag.
Again.
His arms were sore, his legs were aching, and his body hurt. His head was dizzy and swimming but he could still see the beast's muscles twitch.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Julian fell back. The snow had started to melt under the heat of their warm blood. The wolf had stopped moving, and he was finding it hard to move himself. His eyes felt like shutting. Just one moment of sleep, he thought. Just a minute.
The wind picked up. Harsh and biting and he felt it buffet his skin and agitate his wounds. The pain was enough to jolt him awake.
He stood up, slowly pushing himself up onto his good ankle. He used the wall of the mountain to steady himself.
"I really, really hope that was the only thing up on this mountain..." His words came out slurred, and he took in a greedy gulp of oxygen to keep him awake. His his throat was parched and his lips were chapped. He tried to wet them with his tongue, but it too was dry.
He took a step, winced at the pain, and tried to take another.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. His throat bobbed as he swallowed what little moisture he had in his mouth. His whole body tensed, and his lungs seized up.
He couldn't breathe.
Something was watching him.