Gaming capsule

The following morning, Kit rolled off his mattress and scooted it against the wall. Then, he wandered into the lounge room to check if Kat was already up.

As he entered, he spotted a familiar scene: Kat was sitting upside down on the couch. Her legs were propped up on the backrest while her feet twirled in the air. She had a manga book in her hands and was happily sucking on a pink lollipop as she read.

Kat may have been three years older, but sometimes Kit felt like she was the youngest of them. She proved it right now by pulling her lollipop out of her mouth with a loud pop and addressing him in a childish voice. "Little Kitty, you finally woke up! I thought you'd be up at the crack of dawn worrying about your big sister's snacks."

Kit didn't respond, causing Kat to pout. "Don't be mean, Little Kitty. I have a present for you today, but you have to promise to take it with you." Kit gave his sister a wary look, knowing that every gift she had given him in the past had something to do with her latest manga obsession. She was always trying to convert him into a die-hard fan like herself.

Sighing, Kit knew that Kat was worried about him entering the game alone. He had a history of debilitating panic attacks, sometimes rendering him mute. Looking at her eager face, he knew he would accept whatever gift she had for him, even though he hoped it wouldn't be too out there.

He still remembered the time she convinced him to wear a dress to one of her café theme nights. It was a bright pink number with white stockings and an itchy wig. The embarrassment from that night still lingered in his memory.

Since then, Kit was wary whenever Kat mentioned giving him a gift. Reluctantly, he opened his mouth and gave her the answer she wanted. "Okay, I promise."

Kat squealed and bounced on the couch in excitement before reaching down next to them and grabbing a paper bag with an anime character printed on it. She handed it to Kit with flourish, her eyes sparkling.

With reluctance, Kit reached into the bag and saw what he feared - an anime-themed gift. Kat truly was a terrible gift-giver as she never took into consideration what the other person would actually like.

But her enthusiasm was contagious, and Kit couldn't help but open the bag. Inside was a leather bracelet braided together with pink, blue, and white strips. The pink was coated with a glimmering sheen, the blue adorned with sparkling stones, and the white plain.

"Wow," Kit thought to himself sarcastically. "What kind of bracelet is this? At least no one will see it on me in the game capsule."

He pulled out the bracelet and forced a smile. "Thanks... um, it looks nice." Kat burst into laughter, making Kit question if he had said it sincerely. Her laughter turned into tears as she laughed uncontrollably.

"I knew you wouldn't like it! But it's a good luck charm, so you must wear it when you enter the game," Kat explained between bouts of laughter.

She helped him put on the bracelet which fit snugly on his wrist. "Kat, they didn't have a less flashy one for sale?"

"They did, but I liked this one!" Kat replied with an evil glint in her eyes. She knew she would get away with giving him such a gift because he would never refuse anything from her. Despite appearing innocent, Kat had an occasional evil streak in her personality.

Kit gave her a sour look before saying bitterly, "I don't know if I have time to make any snacks before the installation company gets here."

Kat's expression shifted from glee to pleading in an instant. "Little Kitty, you wouldn't deny your loving sister who adores you more than anything, right?" She clung to his arm and gave him a desperate look.

"Who's the adorable one?" Kit asked.

"Kit, Kitty, my amazing baby brother. Your sister was just kidding. But the bracelet is a good luck charm. I saved up for it and even had it blessed." Kat pleaded sincerely.

Knowing her intentions were good, Kit started to feel guilty. "Of course, I'll make you some snacks. And I do really like the bracelet," he blatantly lied with a straight face.

Kat hugged him tightly before pushing him towards the kitchen. "I'll watch as you make snacks. Want to go over your plan for CAL again before you log in?"

"I've got it covered," Kit replied. They had already discussed this countless times and he didn't want to go over it again.

"Come on, tell me once more," Kat encouraged him with a smile.

Giving in to her persistence, Kit explained his plan again. "I'll choose an epic name and a swordsman class. Then I'll open a restaurant to feed Kat. It's simple."

"For someone who spent so long coming up with a plan, you make it sound effortless," Kat chuckled at him.

Ignoring her comment, Kit finished packing her snacks. He made enough food to last for the duration of his gaming session. Despite her petite frame, he knew that Kat could eat twice her weight if she wanted to.

Just as he finished packing the last container of snacks, there was a knock at the door. Before Kit could react, Kat ran over and opened it. A man in black overalls with the bright blue letters "CAL" on his chest stood on the other side.

After exchanging a few words, Kat called out to Kit. "You need to sign this before they can bring in the gaming capsule." She handed him a clipboard.

Kit looked at the paperwork, feeling the same excitement he had felt just the day before. But suddenly, his hand began to shake and he struggled to hold the pen. His heart raced and he could feel it pounding in his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady his hand. However, when he looked at the documents, everything seemed blurred. "Kat, I need your help," Kit whispered, feeling overwhelmed.

He knew that strong emotions could trigger uncontrollable reactions in him due to the trauma of his father's accident. In his mind, he could hear the familiar voice of his mother screaming, "I never wanted you. Your father forced me to have you!" A shudder ran down his spine.

They were aware that today could cause intense reactions for Kit, making it difficult for him to control himself. He didn't want the man at the door to see him like this, but he couldn't move from where he stood. Sensing his distress, Kat placed herself between Kit and the man and looked down at the papers.

"Kit, let me read this over. I'm older and will understand it better," she said loudly so that the man could hear. She gave Kit a wink of secret understanding.

"Thank you, Kat," Kit whispered gratefully.

After reading through the documents, Kat pointed out where Kit needed to sign. Once he finished signing, she handed the papers back to the man at the door.

"Kit, let's make breakfast while they install the gaming capsule," said Kat, breaking the tension for Kit.

He was feeling anxious, and any distraction was welcome during this nerve-wracking time. As he scrambled eggs, a delivery man brought in a large wooden crate. Kit retreated to his happy place: the kitchen.

Here, he could escape from his overwhelming thoughts and find solace in fond memories of his father who loved cooking with him.

However, one bad experience at school had taught him to only think about his father in this safe place, as reflecting on him elsewhere led to painful emotions of loneliness and despair. The first time he thought he was better was during his first parent teacher interview without his father.

A memory he previously thought of as embarrassing surfaced that day, it was at the last parent teacher night his father attended, the man had praising him in front of the whole class in a loud booming voice.

Kit began to think of the experience in a new light, his father had been so proud of him he could not contain his enthusiasm. The pleasant feeling didn't last long though and soon feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness became amplified by the loss of his father who would never have those moments again.

This reminder sent Kit spiralling into self-loathing and blaming himself for his father's death, leading to a breakdown at school and eventually therapy. Kit shook the memory away as he focused on the delicious flavours of breakfast and avoided thinking about his father and the gaming capsule.

After eating and cleaning up, Kit leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee. The technician emerged from his room and explained how to log in to the gaming capsule using hand activation on the glass screen.

The technician quickly went through some other important points. "If you try to stay in the game for more than five days in real time, it will automatically log you off. You will receive a warning one game day before time is up. In-game time moves at three times the speed of real time; one hour in reality equals three hours in-game."

"Troubleshoot issues inside the game there is a tab that allows you to interact with support." The man finished reading a script of a clip board then locked eyes with Kit. "Everything is set for you now. Your next supply of nutrients will arrive in seven days and will be delivered weekly until your subscription expires. Installation is taken care of by our technicians during nutrient deliveries."

"Do you have any questions?" The salesperson asked.

Kit intentionally kept his mind blank to control his emotions, so he shook his head without hesitation.

"Great! I'm all done then. Thank you for choosing CAL and enjoy your gameplay." The man smiled and left.

Kit took a deep breath and carefully returned the couch to its original spot, the man had moved it earlier to make space for the delivery. He then made his way towards his room, with Kat trailing behind.

Kit lifted a brow at his sisters sticking to him like glue, "What don't look at me like that, I wouldn't miss this for the world!" she cheekily smiled as they entered the room together.

Kit's eyes lit up when he saw the sleek silver gaming capsule with a glass dome. He could see himself and Kat reflected in its shiny surface. It was slightly larger than his old bed and offered enough space for comfortable gameplay.

In bold blue letters on the side of the capsule, read "Create A Legend". Kit couldn't contain his excitement and nervousness at the sight of it.

His palms began to sweat, and his body tingled with anticipation. He felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn't experienced in a long time - a mixture of happiness, excitement, and anxiety all at once.

It was a strange feeling for Kit, who had spent the last two years simply going through the motions. He couldn't remember the last time he felt these intense emotions.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the gaming capsule. This wasn't the time to dwell on the past.

Stepping closer, he placed his hand on the glass covering to peer inside. Blue lights flickered under his touch.

A raspy voice that sounded like an old lady who had smoked too many cigarettes came from the speakers on the side. "Please keep your hand in place while we complete registration."

Kit was startled and almost removed his hand, not expecting to start the registration process just yet. He kept it in place by a hair's breadth.

"Retina scan initiated. Please keep your eyes open." A blue light flashed out and covered his face. Despite tears forming in his eyes and a twitch developing in his left eye, Kit kept his eyes open.

"Scan complete." Stated the raspy voice. "Player, please state your name and age."

With excitement bubbling up inside him, Kit managed to utter his response. "Kit Vintage, 18 years old."

"Please wait while we complete registration."

Flashing blue lights illuminated the glass dome as a bold blue number appeared, 7,987,655,434. A voice echoed through the speakers, repeating the registration number and assigning it to Kit Vintage, an 18-year-old.

Kit half-expected to hear a smoker's cough from the voice, finding it slightly humorous. He removed his hand from the glass as his registration was completed.

"Place your hand on the glass to open the capsule, then lie down and wait for it to close to begin the login process."

Kit glanced over at Kat, feeling unprepared to start. Nervous jitters took hold of him as he started hyperventilating.

"It's okay, come to the kitchen," Kat said softly, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen in a daze. She guided his hands towards the kettle.

Muscle memory kicked in and Kit began making their drinks. He boiled water, filled two cups with instant coffee, added some milk, and handed one cup to Kat.

The familiar routine helped settle Kit's nerves. "Thanks Kat, it's just nerves. I'm overwhelmed with excitement," he reassured her with a smile.

Kat had always been overprotective when she thought he was struggling. Kit knew if he didn't explain himself, she wouldn't let him continue with the login process today.

"Don't worry, my little Kitty. We expected some hiccups. And if you get anxious in the game, just rub your bracelet. Don't forget, okay?"

A sudden thought struck Kit - did the bracelet have a purpose in the game? His curiosity got the best of him and he asked.

"Yes! It also has a special function but I won't tell you yet. It has a chip inside so it will follow you into the game. That way I'll feel like a part of me is still with you," Kat explained with a smile.

Kit couldn't help but chuckle at Kat's eccentricity. "You're so weird, Kat. I'll literally still be in the same building as you."

"But it will make me feel better," she insisted, squishing his cheeks and causing him to make a fish face. "See? You look even more handsome now."

Kit pushed her hands away and gave her a half-hearted glare. "Okay, okay. I feel better now. I think I should start logging in before my nerves get the best of me again."

"Good idea, but it's okay if it doesn't work out," Kat reassured him.

Feeling determined and ready for a new adventure in a different world, Kit placed his cup in the sink and prepared himself to log in.