Analogue
Arush's memories replay, focusing solely on the negative experiences that have shaped his life.
Event 1:
In the school cafeteria, a student pours porridge over Arush in front of everyone.
"This is for you..." the student sneers.
"Eww, clean this up! And don't ever sit next to me again!" another student yells, punching Arush in the face.
The entire cafeteria erupts in laughter, including the teachers who ignore the bullying and join in the mockery.
"Are you alright? Splash; have some water and chill, girl. OH, I CAN SEE YOUR BOOBS! DON'T YOU WEAR A BRA?" another student taunts, causing even more laughter.
Event 2:
During a family gathering, a relative asks Arush, "In which grade are you?"
"I'm in college," Arush replies.
"Oh, you're in college already? Well, I thought you were in 10th standard," the relative says, prompting everyone to laugh.
Another relative asks, "What do you want to do in the future?"
"A businessman," Arush responds.
"HAHAHA... The world is big, kid. Think smaller," the relative mocks.
"An employee in a company," Arush suggests.
"Don't you have any ambition? Or a dream? My son is in 7th standard, and even he knows what to do in life," the relative retorts.
Arush's mother adds, "He is just a burden anyway."
Event 3:
At school, a girl pushes Arush. "Oops, sorry girl. OH, it's you! I thought you were a girl!" she exclaims.
Another girl chimes in, "What do you eat to get such huge boobs like yours?"
"Isn't this sexual harassment when he is listening to all this?" a third girl asks.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's inform the faculty and blame him. Or should I say 'her'?" the first girl suggests, laughing as they walk towards the faculty room.
Present
Arush is falling through a tunnel, screaming, "AAAAAAA..." He reaches space, surrounded by stars and planets.
He looks at his hands. "Are these my hands? They're really white, like I could go color blind if I stare at them for a couple of minutes. And where AM I? Is this death? Where's the grim reaper to guide my soul? Or did he abandon me too? Is this really what the afterlife looks like? It's literally space I'm floating in."
...
"WAIT!!!!!! HOW AM I EVEN BREATHING? I don't have a NOSE, I'm typically a formless form!! Wait, does that even make sense??"
...
"Who cares?"
He notices something behind him. "Huh? What is this? If I remember correctly, this is where the tunnel ended, right? But the hole is so small, how can I even fit in?"
He touches it, and it opens. Tentacles coil around his limbs, pulling him inside.
"No, No, No, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!!!!"
He gets sucked in and falls again, screaming, "AAAA...." through the tunnel, and smashes onto a neon glowing floor like a pancake.
"Ah, Ouch, was not in the mood for another roller coaster ride. Where am I now??"
A screen pops up.
Present
Arush is falling through a tunnel, screaming, "AAAAAAA..." He reaches space, surrounded by stars and planets.
He looks at his hands. "Are these my hands? They're really white, like I could go color blind if I stare at them for a couple of minutes. And where AM I? Is this death? Where's the grim reaper to guide my soul? Or did he abandon me too? Is this really what the afterlife looks like? It's literally space I'm floating in."
...
"WAIT!!!!!! HOW AM I EVEN BREATHING? I don't have a NOSE, I'm typically a formless form!! Wait, does that even make sense??"
...
"Who cares?"
He notices something behind him. "Huh? What is this? If I remember correctly, this is where the tunnel ended, right? But the hole is so small, how can I even fit in?"
He touches it, and it opens. Tentacles coil around his limbs, pulling him inside.
"No, No, No, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!!!!"
He gets sucked in and falls again, screaming, "AAAA...." through the tunnel, and smashes onto a neon glowing floor like a pancake.
"Ah, ouch, was not in the mood for another roller coaster ride. Where am I now??"
A screen pops up in front of him:
WELCOME
PLAYER MUST CREATE A NAME TO BE CALLED IN THE HEART
ENTER NAME ¬¬__________________________
"A name, huh? This feels like those MMORPG games I played a lot in secret. I think my phone's storage was completely filled with its data alone," Arush mused.
Data?
"CRAP!!!!!!!!! I FORGOT TO CLEAR MY BROWSER HISTORY!!!!!!"
"Oh, it's not like they can do anything now that I'm out of their reach. Wait... NO, NO, NO, NOOOO!!!! What if... What if this is just a dream and I was just fainted this entire time? Then... I will just go ahead and faint again, I guess. Then I've to enjoy to my fullest to have no regrets before waking again."
"First will be the name. Hmm, Glow? Armin? Raizen? Oh..."
He started typing, "S, A, B, E, and R. Yes! SABER!!! I like that sound," and hit enter.
The floor vanished, and he fell again, screaming, "AAAA....."
BAM! He landed on a new neon floor.
"Not again, I might puke if these surprises keep on hugging me. Now, where have I fallen this time?" Another screen popped up.
"Another screen, huh? What is it this time?"
WELCOME
PLAYER must create an avatar to be seen and be able to interact with the NPCs.
"I see, of course! Without an avatar, the game is incomplete. Now, how should I make my avatar? Like me?"
Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—
Two hours passed
Zzzzzzzzzz
Three Hours passed
Khhhhhhhhhhhh
The clock ticked, and five hours passed.
Bubble pops
"HA? Did I fall asleep? Nah, I was definitely concentrating," Arush muttered to himself.
"Now then, how should I make my avatar more sexy? VERY sexy," Arush thought, his fingers clicking away.
CLICK CLICK CLICK
An avatar of a bodybuilder appeared.
"How do I look? Nah, this isn't my preference," he muttered, shaking his head.
CLICK CLICK CLICK
An avatar of a lean minotaur appeared.
"What is this?" he exclaimed, bewildered by the unexpected transformation.
Still stuck with the white avatar, Arush screamed in frustration, "AAAAAAAHH! WHY CAN'T I DECIDE ANYTHING?! It's not that hard, is it? In fact, deciding my avatar wasn't hard at all. So why is this case so different? Maybe I have a little TOO many options, that's why?"
As he was about to click another button, her image flashed in his mind. "Now that I think about it, she must be in the same situation as me, right? Otherwise, it doesn't make any sense for only me to have the privileges of being a player, right? Wait, why again? I'm feeling bad for her even though I wished to go far away from others every time I could remember."
"But... her image, even though it was an act, I felt good and alive for once. The image of family, except for them. But I shouldn't have hit her, after all, she was my mom, the one who gave me birth. I should probably apologize and beg for their mercy, right? Since God also prefers this kind of living, right? It's even written in the book of my destiny to endure torture and suffer misery on their behalf so that they could experience happiness, right? After all, I'm just a worthless, good-for-nothing punching bag. THAT'S MY WORTH."
A straight punch on the face.
"I think it's better now, I came back to my senses. SCREW THEM! I don't give a crap about them. They didn't care about me, so why in the right mind should I care about them? Yes! They don't care about me. In fact, NOBODY CARED ABOUT ME."
CLICK (Hair)
"I'll JUST"
CLICK (Torso)
"BECOME A"
CLICK (Lips)
"BETTER VERSION"
CLICK (Full Sleeve T-Shirt)
"OF MYSELF THAT"
CLICK (Pants)
"I'VE ALWAYS DREAMT OF"
"From this very moment," Arush declared, determined to create a new version of himself.
Arush lay on the floor with his brother's foot on his head. "All that I shall do is enjoy!" he declared.
He remembered being scolded by the boss. "No more worrying about that minimum wage bullshit."
He remembered holding a few coins in his hand while others held notes. "No more being punished for being bullied."
He remembered being bullied in the washroom by five people. "No more women harassing my body."
He remembered a phone taking pictures of him naked and girls pressing his chest. "I have nothing to do with any of them."
He remembered all of them laughing. "I DON'T CARE!"
NOTIFICATION
Do you want to erase your memories?
Yes No
"Memories, huh? Yeah! I WANT to forget them. What's the worst that could happen? System! I would like to erase my memories," Arush declared.
Arush began to smile, then burst into laughter.
"AHAHA! AHAHA! HAHAHA!" His laughter echoed around him, filled with a mix of relief and determination.
From now on...
A smile slowly spread across Arush's lips.
"I shall become the opposite of myself," he declared, opening his eyes.
Now then...
He turned off the screen and stared straight into it, an evil smile forming on his face.
"Shall we begin? From the start?"
TASK COMPLETE You are now ready to be transferred in H-eart where your journey will begin Are you ready? TRANSFER NOT YET Transfer was clicked and the neon floor disappeared while different coloured lights were shooting up from below ARUSH's eyes were sparkling with those lights ARUSH was falling in between those lights EEEE....Heh he was smirking he fell in the light ARUSH was standing on a field of grass He opened his eyes and his eyes widens in surprise (The view was unable to be seen except for him) The screen appeared
TASK COMPLETE
You are now ready to be transferred to H-eart where your journey will begin.
Are you ready?
TRANSFER NOT YET
Arush clicked on the transfer button, and the neon floor disappeared as different colored lights shot up from below. His eyes sparkled with those lights as he fell amidst them.
"EEEE....Heh," he smirked as he fell through the light.
Arush found himself standing on a field of grass. He opened his eyes, widening them in surprise at the sight before him (the view was unseen by others).
A screen appeared.
WELCOME TO H-EART
Welcome! To the Land of Aura, one of the 5 lands
You will begin your journey as a player from here