The light flickered in a modern apartment, with laminate floors covered in a thick rug and LED lights fluctuating between warm colours. On the walls were pictures of a family, an elderly couple and a young male with silver hair and red eyes, which are normal symptoms of albinism.
—Clack!
The young male, now an adult, walked through the door, his keys jingling.
He stepped inside, one hand flicking his phone and keys onto the ledge as he entered, flicking back both shoulders as his black coat slipped from his broad shoulders.
In his hand, a small paperback made noise as he hopped on one foot, tossed his coat over the bannister and rushed into the living room.
—Clap!
He clapped before taking out several items from the bag, and his lips curled into a slight smirk as he stepped before a wooden cupboard.
The moment he opened it, two pictures appeared: funeral pictures of the elderly couple.
"Mom, Dad... today is the day."
His hands slowly placed the small treats on a plate, a small method of worshipping the dead taught in his original world. This boy was not someone from Earth but came from a land where magic and superpowers existed.
『I hope I get a decent class... since my mana has been locked since I came here!』
Julian was the man's name.
A handsome man, incomparable to the cute child from the picture on the walls. He closed his eyes, placing both hands together in prayer, thinking about the humans from this world who loved him like their own for over twenty years.
『There are less than four hours until the game launches...』
His mind wandered for a moment whilst praying to them.
Today was the death anniversary of his foster parents—kind people who couldn't have a child of their own and instead met Julian as a young baby at a church-funded orphanage.
—Grrrk~
His eyes opened, a slightly awkward smile on his face.
"Sorry, Mom, I forgot to eat after work since I've booked two weeks off... that guy Brian was really petty and made me finish his work."
Though he understood they were gone, Julian just wanted to show the respect due before it became too difficult for him to do so.
With one last deep breath, he clapped his hands together and lit the incense sticks.
『Thank you for bringing me up and leaving me with enough money to live such a warm life.』
"Now then... should I cook something?"
Julian moved to the kitchen, a modern, fully equipped room with the latest digital and AI-powered appliances.
The advancement of technology allowed him to cook several things in the same oven, each shelf with a different temperature and cooking time.
"What about beef wellington and a red wine reduction today?"
His lips curled into a bitter smile.
Julian discovered he spoke to himself too much—there wasn't a cute Asian beauty sitting on the sofa drinking hot cocoa anymore because she was gone.
『Well... this was the only way to avoid her death.』
He wondered if he had made a mistake.
Memories of her face resurfaced, the early mornings after a late night, rushing to college to hand in their assignments, unaware of the effects of the game lingered on his mind. Then, the image of her death caused his hand to tremble as he chopped the carrots and leeks.
"It's okay..."
Before long, the prep work was finished, and he wrapped the meat, ready to cook it in the oven.
The moment he closed the door and checked the timer, Julian left the kitchen and went for a shower.
—Slam!
Tonight, he would face his past and the mistakes caused by his negligence.
Julian stepped out of the shower an hour later, his steps on the floor leaving a quiet echo—when he entered his bedroom, he took a deep breath.
He let the towel drop from his hips, his little brother swaying freely from restrictions.
"I can't believe I managed to get one of these premium units..."
His eyes trailed over the sleek, black capsule.
The pod was about the size of a single bed, while the unit was roughly the size of a king-sized bed. Julian tapped the two buttons on the front. One started the fans, creating a cool, low whirring sound, while the other booted the VR capsule's energy core.
—Humm~
"So this is my future bed..." His hand traced over the smooth, cool surface, tapping the metallic button, which caused the pod's door to slide open.
Shhhh~
The soft gel inside the pod pumped coolant, releasing an icy breeze as Julian climbed into the chair with the straps and fastened the clips. He then placed his hands and feet into the pod's hand and foot slots, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
『Well... here goes!』
Julian closed his eyes before the black door hummed with a mechanical sound and closed with a loud click, followed by the safety bold latching.
—Click!
A vivid blue screen appeared in Julian's vision, even with his eyes closed. The bold text was easy to read and didn't vanish until he thought about it disappearing.
[◊ Welcome to Avalon's Fall ◊]
[Coolant safety check: ...50% ...75% ...100%]
[VR Visionary system loading: ...10% ...50% ...100%]
[Game Engine starting: ...5%...25%...100%]
[All Systems OK!]
[◊ Would you like to scan your body? ◊]
The game Avalon's Fall allowed people to edit themselves, but they couldn't change their genders. In the past, people complained about this feature being behind the times and bigoted.
But when the truth emerged, and the world began to fall apart, people forgot about such mundane and fruitless topics.
At that point, nobody cared about such things because their lives were in danger.
Julian's body relaxed in the calming gel, his eyes slowly opening, fluttering his lashes to find himself in a beautiful white room, with a blonde female standing with six pairs of wings and a golden light surrounding her.
『This is the avatar of the goddess... Solaria』
[◊ Scan your body? ◊]
Once again, the message appeared—it hovered in the air. When Julian reached out, he could touch and move the message with his fingertip. He tapped the edges while quite impressed with the expensive pod he bought.
"When I entered the world in the past, only cheap headsets were available... but a pod that lets me sleep while gaming... a medical level pod is totally different."
[Yes] [No]
The option popped up, and that's when he realised his body currently appeared as a shadow.
There were no textures or even a proper shape.
—Tap!
Of course, he took pride in his looks and didn't want to change... in case he met her again in the future.
[◊ Customise Body? (Can increase body rating up to 30%) ◊]
While the message appeared, the voice sounded gentle and benevolent as the avatar of Solaria spoke to him.
A feeling of greed, rather. Because Julian wasn't born on Earth, his body couldn't absorb the mana needed to grow fully, leaving him shorter than in his first life. Thus, a regret that followed him even in his last life was that the headset couldn't scan his body or face.
Thus, he remained stunted, which affected him in combat.
"It doesn't matter—body rating also affects muscles, bone density and other senses."
With that said, he tapped the maximum change before the eyes of Solaria seemed to move, focusing on him before curling her lips into a smile the moment the box vanished.
[◊ Oh Warrior from another World, I accept your desire. ◊]
Her words, like the warmth on a summer afternoon, allowed Julian to relax for a moment, but he couldn't help but feel an itch at the back of his mind.
He repeated her words in his mind as the white room began to fade—his consciousness would soon enter a state of stasis while the capsule scanned him.
—Zoooon!
Rocked onto his back, Julian's mind floated away like a boat on a calm lake.
[Body Customisation Starting: ...10% ...30% ...40% ...99%]
The gel inside the capsule bubbled, the processor and engines of the VR unit whirring at max speed along with the fans, a low hiss sounding from the hydraulics as the pop swirled to scan his body completely.
They grimaced slightly. Julian's muscles were cramped, twisted and reformed, and the gel seemed to seep into his body like magic.
His lips parted, gasping while asleep, causing air bubbles to flow inside the green gel while it transformed him to the genetic level.
[Detected Avalon Native: Bestowing Unique Talent and Restoring Mana Circuits]
A sudden jolt of electricity flowed through the pod, causing the inside gel to flicker and electrocute his body, turning neon blue.
—Bzzzt!
[Complete]
[Starting Mana Circuit repairs!]
...
Two hours later, a low humming remained all the twisting and gyrating over, while the gel now looked strange. The old gel being sucked into the exhaust was a dark red with black dirt, replaced with the fresh nutrient oxygen created for the VR capsules.
[Avalon's Fall Online: Now Loading!]
Following the mechanical voice, a beautiful graphical scene appeared: a field full of green flowers, beautiful sunlight, and small critters running across the land.
The title "Avalon's Fall" appeared in Silver on a banner wrapping around two swords buried in the ground with a golden kit shield.
[◊ Please wake up, dear player. It is time to save Avalon from the fall! ◊]
The goddess Solaria's voice echoed, causing Julian's consciousness to half awaken into the world of Avalon's fall—his body stumbled forward.
"Is this the game...?" His low voice echoed the distant wind, and singing insects filled his ears as the wind brushed against his skin.
The scent of flowers made him stand still. "I can smell the flowers... is this Avalon?"
This planet was his home...
Avalon.
Unlike humanity, his planet didn't believe in gods, or rather, they vanished many years before they attacked the world.
"I am grateful to my parents from Earth... but to finally return to my homeland feels different."
Julian wasn't in a rush because the [Enter World] button was greyed out with a timer.
It would take five minutes before he could start the game.
—Beep!
[You have a message from Kang Sena]
In the last few moments before the game started, he saw a message in the corner of his vision.
His hand reached to open it out of habit before halting. "Sena?"
Julian whispered her name as if it would cause damage to speak it any louder, the very mention causing his chest to tighten and his heart to beat faster.
A weakness...
If Julian could point out a clear weakness of his, Sena would be that weakness.
[◊ The End will soon begin, dear survivor. Please solve unfinished business before it's too late! ◊]
『There it is again... a strange comment!』
Julian's gaze darted towards the idle goddess, her body frozen.
While the game also used her image in this part of the game in his previous life, he couldn't remember if she spoke, looked at him, or breathed as she did now...
"Well... I have about a minute, so why not open it?"
[00:44]
With that, he clicked on the message sent from his ex-girlfriend, not noticing the subtle flutter of Solaria's eyelashes or her lips curling into a smile.
The next moment, a loud feminine voice shouted in his ear.
[Voice Message Sent: 21:57]
"Oi! Julian you bastard! I don't accept our break up! Meet me tomorrow, or I'll melt your beloved Rias Figurine!"