6 It's All in Your Mind

Bert arrived at 9th Heaven Cafe, only few knows that Age of Clans begins here. About 15 years ago, he was just a teenager who loves playing virtual reality. He compete in lots VR competitions, best achievement was 3rd place on Tekken Remastered Tournament. Never ever once he pursued the first place, all he wanted was to be part of the virtual world. His father send him to Jakarta's college, to become a dentist. But all he did was drink coffee in 9th Heaven and complaints.

He complaint about the weather, about the school, about life, about his love life. But then, as his friends grows, he begin to complaint about outfits. He hates blazers, shirts, or tux, all he wanted to wear is chain armor, rusty plates, a cuirass with iron helmet on his head. He also complaint about guns, he hates them, he want everything goes back to swords and bows, where life was not anything like this complicated 22nd century.

Complaints shifts into idea when Bert decided, "instead of wasting my energy to criticize the world like a loser, why not be that change myself?"

Bert then concept a game in his note book, just a virtual reality game where he can play as if it was real. From the taste of the food, to the pain when the gamer's flesh wounded by blades. Back then, he just want to live in a universe where life is like MMORPG.

A figure enters 9th Heaven, about the same age with Bert. She was well groomed woman, eyes sparks intelligence, and the way she steps into the room screams confidence. She was like a queen, basically not really need make up to looks great but still use them anyway. She sits in front of Bert and give a simple smile. 13 years ago, this lady wears denim and eyeglasses, her wavy hair tied in ponytail. But she always gives the same greetings, "Bertie! How's my gay best friend doing?"

"We're doing great, Sam," Bert smiles. "The game we created is going wide, tomorrow Japaneses will try it."

"So I heard. Let's get into the topic, shall we? You said unexpected effects on the gamers?" she always straight to the point, kind of person who thinks that small talk is waste of time.

"My nephew just played, he hates the game. He emailed me his review about the game, I find it incredible, do you want to read it?" Bert presses something on his bracelet and then a hologram screen shows up on his palm.

"Show me," Sam lean to the table as Bert swipes that screen on the table. Sam catches the screen and begin to read the email.

Sam stretches her lips wide, creating a cold smile. "Well, looks like this game doesn't works well for those who are couch potatoes."

"That's one point. Another one is, that my nephew spends only two days playing the game, and in the game he trained as knight. When he woke up from the dream, his muscle grows as if he already trained for two months..."

"Seriously?" now Sam's eyes widened.

"Seriously. He has body like those celebrity tweens. I don't think that this is make sense. What do you think?"

Since they sit in smoking room, Sam lit her cigarette, and smokes while thinking about what probably was happened to her friend's nephew.

"Basically we just dreaming when playing this game. This is a subconscious mind MMORPG," Sam nods several times when she talks. "It was using brainwave technology to delivers the wanted state of brain, and when they fall asleep in condition we wanted, which is lucid dreaming, the system record the brain activities, translate it into scripts when deliver it to the server. You know how advance brainwave technology nowadays aren't you? It can cures mental illness such as ADHD, Schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxieties, and right now transgenders starting to use this instead of injecting certain necessary hormone before surgery."

"Yeah, I know a little about it. So you mean that my nephew's muscle growth was influenced by his subconscious activities?"

"He was training for ten years in-game time, that's a lot of time, means lots subconscious activities."

"Interesting," Bert lean on his back. "I never knew we can grow muscle just by dreaming."

"Back then, people can have orgasm just by dreaming, why not gain muscle by exercising?" Sam smirks.

"If that's what you said," Bert still doubts it. "But I want to try it myself, after all, I design this."

"Oh, you change your mind now? You said that you will never try it, afraid of getting the real pain if a monster eats you alive," Sam gigles.

"I was just curious."

"Go on then, remember to wake up, okay?"

"If I love it, I will never awake," Bert winks.

"Meanwhile," Sam pressed her cigarette to the astray, "I will report this to the developers. Because I fear that some other unexpected effects undiscovered. We don't want to endanger societies with our creation, do we?"

"Good idea, I will tell you something if there's another thing."

"Okay Bertie, before we go home, would you like to have dinner? It's on me."

"That's what I've been waiting for," Bert check the menu on the table and pick a simple bacon sandwich.

Sam is a doer, she always be the action woman. Had Bert never met Sam years ago, Age of Clans will always be just doodles in Berthand's scrap book.