1 The End and the Beginning 

On December 31st, 2069, at exactly 8:00 P.M, all the world's VRMMORPGs shut down. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of which nearly the entire worlds' population played in some form or another (be it from fantasy dragon-slaying to building elaborate theme parks or even just climbing Mount Everest without the harsh conditions). Memories and livelihoods had been made in these games for generations, and for most it was a sad, if not fond, farewell. All this lead up to and prepared the way for the upcoming VRMMO Foothold Online that was set to release on January 1st, 2070 at 12:01 A.M; just four hours after the massive shutdown. Foothold Online was shrouded in mystery. No information had been released; not even a game trailer (which most experienced gamers thought was very bizarre). The only Information that anybody had was that Foothold would be incredibly lifelike. Even up to, and including, death. If you died, you would have to start over from scratch. Originally, this caused a lot of controversy amongst all the casual and professional players alike. Peerless Inc., the company that created Foothold Online, along with the World Government released an official statement saying that there will be items in-game that can reverse death, but they are rare and precious. This statement calmed the concern of dying in-game and having to start over completely, yet confusion arose in the masses as to the involvement of the World Government. They had never before taken a particular interest in the gaming scene. Nevertheless, the excitement of the release resumed once again. As the designated time slowly approached for the Foothold servers to come online, the world that would normally be celebrating the coming of the New Year was instead anxiously waiting to login for the first time to see first hand what Foothold Online had to offer, and to grab as many advantages as they could. 'If luck is on your side, you can make it rich in Foothold Online.' That bring us to Xale; a 26 year-old VRMMO player hoping to make his true mark, in the real world or the virtual one.