Prologue - 0

It had started out as a pet project when I was 15. I had just been a high schooler who had just learned how to code and wanted to make something with it. The world had already been taken by storm when realistic VR games had been invented in 2035. After spending years of my pre-teen childhood playing these games in the "gaming capsules" I had become disappointed in their quality and storylines. I eventually became infatuated with the idea that I could make the perfect game. A game that had a perfect amount of action, adventure, and one that actually challenged the players to use their bodies instead of just using pre-programmed "skills" that when activated, made the computer move the user's body accordingly.

I spent 2 years writing the storyline, after which, I dropped out of high school and my parents kicked me out of the house, having been deemed useless by my family and ridiculed as a NEET. I spent 5 years programming the game from scratch, on an old PC in my room. Taking along with me only my PC and notebooks full of ideas, I spent the remaining 3 years in a shitty apartment, editing and refining my code, whilst doing side jobs to pay for my rent.

And finally, after 10 whole years with nobody's help, no one to support me, just me myself and I, I was going to release my perfect game tomorrow.

"Ahhhhhhhh" I said while leaning back in my chair, interlacing my hands behind my head.

It was 11:53 pm right now and my game was going to be released in 7 minutes. I had made sure everything was perfect, buying advertisements and spreading the news on all the social media websites. I had even created a timer counting down on the release time.

"Finally, after 10 whole, fucking years, I can shove the shit that my family and friends said right back up their asses when I become a millionaire from this game."

Most of them had abandoned me. My parents called me a disgrace and disowned me, saying that I should have used my talent in coding to become a computer scientist or work for the government. My older sister by two years stopped talking to me after I dropped out of high school, calling me disgusting and a "middle aged NEET". Only my younger sister by 5 years ever talked to me, but she was prohibited from visiting me after I was kicked out of the house, so I hadn't seen her in 8 years.

And finally, there were my two best friends, who I had been friends with since childhood, as our parents had been close friends, they just stopped talking to me and distanced themselves from me, and then they started dating, completely severing their relation with me.

At that point, I had been devastated, falling on my knees and crying, looking at my old home, which I couldn't even call a home anymore after I was kicked out, the rain soaking my clothes and my PC that they had thrown out.

I was forced to fend for myself, going to the slums of the neighborhood and joining a gang, where I became their head hacker, which was the side job that I mentioned before.

Even though I was devastated from losing all the people that I held dear to me, and beaten up after having a run-in with another gang, I still had hope in my game, and it became the only light in my world of darkness, helping me persevere through my struggles to this day.

10

9

8

7

'Finally, the time had come'

6

5

4

I settled back in my seat, tears welling up in my eyes from happiness.

3

2

1

Darkness engulfed me.