Eclipse ascension. It was said to be the biggest game ever. That seemed so real that it was as if you were living a second life, and that's true. When I signed up to be a beta tester, it was how they described the game as indescribable.
So, being a game lover and knowing that this game blew every other one out of the park, I made sure I was one of the first in line to get the full-dive gear. It took some work. Working overtime and juggling multiple jobs, but I saved up enough to get the gaming pod with the game pre-installed.
"Let me guess...you're here for eclipse ascension," the tired, baggy-eyed store clerk said
"Yes," I replied
"Alright, it will be $7,000 for the pod and game, and a year's supply of supplements. You can get advance cooling for another 2,000 or get it delivered and installed for another 300," the store clerk explained.
"I will take the full package."
"Very good, sir, for purchasing the full package, you will receive another three months' worth of supplements," the clerk said with repeated annoyance.
Paying the full amount, I filled out my shipping address and left the store. Making my way back home, I brought some food from the small ramen shop I frequent. But as I continued, I ran into someone, someone I prayed I would never see again.
"Well, if it isn't Kain Nocturne, how the hell have you been?" asked Angelo, a guy I knew from high school.
"Angelo...sorry, but I'm really busy, so I need to go," I replied as I felt my hand begin to shake
Walking past him, I thought it was over until I felt someone grab my shoulder. As the memories of high school came rushing back, I threw my arm back, pushing off the arm.
"Don't touch me!" I said louder than I intended to cause some passerbys to look over
Turning back to see who touched me, I saw Eva, my ex, and the other reason for my shakes and hate of contact with people.
"Calm donw kain, it's just me," Eva said with a grin as if she knew this was the reaction I would give
With my anger growing, I took a deep breath, turned around, and began walking away when I heard them snicker and begin laughing at each other.
(Breath kain...breath) I spoke to myself as I pushed away the memories of being back in that space.
As the shaking in my hand stopped, I arrived at my apartment. Locking the door, I ate my food in quiet and went to take a shower.
With the water running down my fcae my mind began to wander back to the time. The time when I was trapped in a room for three days, forced to become the plaything for those bastards.
(Calm down Kain...its over... it's over)
"Is it though...you still can't even sleep because of it," spoke a voice I knew all too well.
Looking to my left, I saw a younger version of that room, clothing soaked, covered in bruises, and ripped clothing.
"Shut up, you aren't real," I said as I turned off the water and stepped out of the water.
"You can try and ignore me...but the longer you stay away from it, the worse it gets,"
"I'm not hiding from it,"
"Really, didn't we just buy that game to escape from this truth?" the younger me spoke with a grin
Ignoring it, I walked back to my room to change. As I walked back to my living room, I heard a ring at my doorbell.
Looking through the peephole, I saw that it was the game store delivering the pod. Opening the door, I allowed the delivery guy in, who spent the next thirty minutes installing the human-sized pod alongside the supplement tanks and the better cooling system.
"The setup will take about an hour. This is your game code. It will launch at 8:00 pm tonight. I hope you enjoy and have a good rest of your day," the delivery explained as he handed me a few items before leaving.
Opening the large pod, I changed into the provided suit and attached the thumb drive with my game code. Sitting in the pod, I was encased in a soft silicone chair that held me down and let the cold air of the cooling system wash over me.
As I was filled with darkness, a small light appeared, and my surroundings shifted. Instead of the pod, I found myself standing in an all-white room with no doors or windows, only a terminal at its center.
As I walk up to the terminal, a single message is displayed.
[Welcome To Eclipse: Ascension]
Pressing the terminal changes to displaying a list of options to choose from, from cosmetics to your starting clothing. Not changing anything cosmetically, I moved over to what matters, the status panel.
[Welcome: Please choose a name]
Taking a moment, I thought about what to use for my username, but ended up using my last name since it's what I've always used.
[Nocturne Registered]
[Please choose a class]
[Warrior]
[Mage]
[Archer]
[Support]
From what I could remember from the beta, everyone had to choose from the four basic classes. But with correct status placement and completed quest, they could brand out and gain a rare class.
[Mage Registered]
[Welcome Mage Nocturne]
[Character creation completed]
[May Axiom be with you]
[Countdown until launch: 7 hours: 37 minutes: 50 Seconds]