1 Genesis

DREAMS AND REALITIES

I woke up lying on the ground with my mind still disoriented. I can only sense the grass touching my skin, the gentle breeze of the wind blowing over my face and the sight of a beautiful blue sky. If I remember, my PC screen just suddenly went blank and then...

(11 months ago)

"Hey Joker, you really should try this upgraded game they are releasing this week. They say it is only open for a limited number of server but it's worth a try. We might actually be able to access their server."

"You know I'm already done with those games, Brian. On top of that, it's a waste of time", I responded coldly.

"Oh, come on", Brian protested. "When was the last time you had a good time? I miss you seeing in action. You should try this cool game we are playing right now. It's called "Elder Tales". It's actually way more fun than the game we played last together. How about it, "Agitator"?"

"Please don't call me that", I retorted. "It's not like it is something I should be happy about. It's the reason I quit playing, remember?

"Well, yes but... It's been two years. Just try it once and if it won't click, I'll stop asking. How about it Joker? I'll treat you with your favorite float today."

"You're black mailing me, you must know that", I grunted in protest.

"If that's what it takes for you to make that one try I asked" Brian grinned.

"You're really something, bro. I'll think about it but I must have that float you offered as an installment."

"Sure do. Are you thinking of using a female character again? You've been using female character ever since you started online gaming", Brian asked.

"Of course I do that to protect my private information. We might not know somebody out there wants you dead because you pissed them so much", I responded.

"You're right. If it was not because of that, you might have been found out and got beaten up by those players who got banned because of your trickery", Brian concluded.

(Joker's room)

"What's so special with this game? It must just be some typical online game anyway", I thought. I checked the internet about the game and found its website. It says that they are going to upgrade the game statistics and introduce more quests and monsters to be fought. After reading some of the articles, I accidentally clicked a hidden link within the web page. So much with my obsession with interesting things, I followed the instructions and filled up some forms. After clicking done, my computer went blank and has shut down on its own. I was surprised with what's happening. "Is it supposed to be like this", I thought. Somehow it was like one of the computer virus that destroys hardware functions like the "Love Virus". I pressed and pressed the reboot button but to my dismay, it never functioned at all. I gave a sigh as I accepted what happened to my PC. I might not even be able to pay for a repair this time because I need the money for my job hunting.

(The day it all happened)

It was just another typical night for me. After hours of fooling around, I got tired and went straight home. I head immediately to my room and dropped my tired body on my favorite haven, the bed. Just as I am supposed to close my eyes, I caught a glimpse of my unrepaired PC over the corner of my room. It has been almost a year since my computer bugged down and it still pains me to lose my one and only computer. I got up and sat on my bed as I try to remember my experiences I had with that computer. When I thought I should just sell it, I convinced myself I should try powering it on. Maybe, just maybe, it might function again. I won't lose anything if I try anyway so I switched on the AVR and pressed the power button on my CPU unit. To my amazement, my computer worked just fine. I tried connecting to the internet but then my computer went black. That moment, I really felt disappointed. I thought I was able to have my old computer back. Suddenly, the monitor began blinking and then I was blinded by a strong flash of light from the monitor.

(At present)

I woke up lying on the ground with my mind still disoriented. I can only sense the grass touching my skin, the gentle breeze of the wind blowing over my face and the sight of a beautiful blue sky. I waited for a few seconds to pass and as I felt better, I pulled myself up.

This place is new to me. "Where am I exactly?" I thought as I ponder over the things around me. I took a few steps and made observations. My senses are working just fine; I can feel the wind, I can touch the ground and I can smell the aroma of trees and grass just like how I remember it from the real world. The only thing that was suspicious was these icons displayed on my field of vision which look like that on a computer screen on a RPG game. "Wait, am I in a game? This is crazy. I must be inside a virtual reality RPG game." I accessed one of the icons and a window popped-out. It is the character page where it displayed the status point. On this panel that I just opened, I am surprised because the name registered wasn't my real name but instead it was a name I always use whenever I try to play computer games. "JOKERofSPADES", Level 1. However, something peculiar caught my attention that is written just below the character name. It says "female". "What the heck? I'm in a female avatar? Is that why I have this uneasy feeling since I woke up?" I checked my hair and it is actually long and dyed violet. It was cool for me using female characters for security but I've never thought it would back fire on me like this. How should I deal with these mountains on my chest and not to forget about "that" below? This is really embarrassing on my part specially that I am wearing female clothing. I continued reading about my character and it says that "Brekenspear" class are spear handlers female warriors who have high critical hit ratio and having a sub-class mage who can cast magic skills with or without wand or staff. After reading that much, I thought about the place I am in. First, I must look for a more secure ground to assess my environment. I can read more about my character after I can tell I am in a secured place so I decided to set on higher ground just like they do in movies for advantage over odds.