1 Chapter 1

I tapped the keyboard with nimble fingers as the code weaved itself together to create the masterpiece of my life, Ethura. The sound never paused for a second, producing an endless stream which seemed to be unstoppable. A light smile tugged itself into existence as I made some final touches. When I thought the code was perfect and unbreakable, I had one of the beta testers to see if everything was alright.

The kid smirked as he ran to one of the capsules and got in with eager. He had told me many times that it was comfortable, but I never got around to try. All my time, free or work hours, was spent on forging the code for the most basic mechanics of the game. The story, graphics, and events were handed over to other members of the team so that the release wouldn't take as long as it would have with only me. I still feel it was the right decision to find an investor. If I didn't, I would still be home in my room with only a quarter of the progress Ethura has today. For this, I'm pleased this was the route I had chosen.

I stared at the holographic screen above the capsule, watching the beta tester as he tried to level up one of his skills. It only took a couple of minutes before it leveled up from Z to Y. The sight of it made a smile appear on my face. There were no status or levels in Ethura. Skills were the only thing which could make a character grow stronger aside from equipment. There isn't even a health bar or a mana bar. The player had to feel out the condition of the avatar, so a capsule was required to play if you didn't want to die all the time. I wanted to make Ethura seem as though it was real. If a player sees an HP and MP(or Energy) bar at the top, it would ruin the experience.

As I was trapped in my thoughts, the beta tester had leveled his skill again in roughly the same amount of time as the previous one had taken. It happened again and again which caused me to frown. The code was broken. "Come out. There is no need to continue." I didn't even wait for the kid to properly exit the game before changing a few things within my "unbreakable" code. I asked the guy to test it out again and again until the code was exactly as I wanted it to be. Now, a player has to train a skill with three times the effort in order to level it up compared to the previous. It had to be hard, or there would be no point in playing.

I glance at the digital clock on my computer and sigh. It was nine in the morning, so I have been working on this code for how long? Twenty hours straight. I laughed weakly as I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion rush through me. I lay my head down after scooting the keyboard away. Another sleepless night, I thought as my heavy eyes drifted closer together. I tried to open them back up, to continue my work, but they refused. My mind was as blank as a sheet of unused paper. Seconds passed like hours, and it felt an eternity before a simple dream, featuring my game, appeared.

When I woke to a rumbling stomach, it was two in the afternoon. Five hours of sleep wasn't bad, I contemplated as I stood up and stretched my stiff limbs. I'm lucky I didn't fall to the ground and unknowingly hurt myself in my sleep. It would not have been pretty for me or my coworkers.

"Stayed the night again, I see." Jacob playfully hugged me from behind. His breath tickled at my neck and cheeks, sending small tingles through my body. I found it strange but amusing at the same time.

I unhooked his interlocked fingers to free myself before I glared at him with my violet eyes. "So what if I did?" I chortled. "I am an adult now, so I am capable of taking care of myself, captain underpants."

He gave me a look which suggested I had offended him. "I've never worn my underwear on the top of my head, thank you very much!"

"I saw you and you know it! You were in your birthday suit in the pool with your swimming trunks on your head." I voice began to pick up, a rarity.

He placed his hand on his heart and opened his mouth in shock. I rolled my eyes at his hysteria. "At least I didn't push my family away when I was five years old! At least I had a social life when I was twenty-five years old!" My eyes narrowed at the nerve he had. The audacity to say such things right in my face. Anger began to build up in my chest, allowing me to feel the need to punch the teeth out of his mouth. Luckily, my hunger kept me. I pointed at him with a shaky finger and a hot face before storming off.

The canteen was the best place in this building aside from my workspace. The food was much better than the garbage I make. Frankly, I would give this place the highest rank in the world for the food, a solid ten out of five. I picked out a steak, some fries, a salad and a glass of water. It wasn't the healthiest meal in the world, but at least it wasn't junk food. Plus, I can get anything I want here for free. It's one of the perks of being on the Ethura Team.

Once the food was gone, I still felt a little hungry, so I got myself a few sugar cookies to munch on as I head back to my station to continue writing some code. This time, I was implanting a few NPCs with hidden skills to be handed away. As the main designer(and creator) of Ethura, I could actually add whatever I wish without anyone questioning my authority. The other members of the team had to come to consult with me for approval with the mini projects they plan to incorporate into the game. If I didn't like the idea, they would have to scrap it away and find a different one.

The day drew long with continuous defeats and success for all members of the Ethura Team. I had to set aside my programming to listen to theories and idea five times. I was pretty annoyed at being interrupted when my creative juices were flowing at high speeds, so I was pretty harsh on all of those who came and only accepted two ideas as they were too good to be let go.

When dusk came, so did a group of six. They would always come at this time to check up on the progress every day. One was her investor, George Luther. He was a short, (forgive me for being a bit racist) black man with a small, grey goatee. He always liked to wear a golden suit and jewelry to match his rotten teeth hidden beneath golden caps. One could easily say he was a man who loved showing his wealth. Next to him was his secretary, Kila Mooth. She had a nice body and face, which was always showing due to her extremely tight, short dresses. It's probably why she got the job because she can't be counted on anything else. The rest of the six were burly men with huge muscles. They usually wore a black tuxedo with a matching cap on the top of their heads. I found it weird George would surround himself with whites. He was always cussing them out for being useless and a waste of money.

"How is Ethura coming along, Sarah?" George asked with a bored tone as he "secretly" moved his hand onto Kila's butt. I heard her giggle and saw her make strange faces when he moved his hand to other places. Although I don't really understand these actions much, I could sense that it wasn't appropriate due to the new guard blushing.

"Ethura's basic skill system is ready for the launch. All I need to do now is set up the "feeling" so players will know are wounded." I smiled as I explained everything I still needed to do. If only the programming of the capsules wouldn't have taken so long, I would have been done with this months ago.

George grunted. "Alright. How long do you think it would take?"

"A week at most."

"Good!" He smiled, showing off his gold before giving his secretary a long kiss. She moaned and hooked her arms around his neck with passion. My eyes drop. I don't see why they are doing this. It looked uncomfortable to be clinging to someone else with the excuse of love. I much prefer computers compared to humans any day. The only exception to this was her twin sister, Elena.

Elena was the smartest between the two of us. Well, better at understanding human interaction that is. She was able to become a psychiatrist with a master's degree. Would anyone believe a master was possible at such a young age without seeing the evidence? I don't believe so. The people here were skeptical of my skills when I first came to this place, even George, but their comments about my age ceased when they saw me crack their defensive software with ease. She was the only one who could read my thoughts without a hassle, and she had saved me many times.

As for Jacob...Hang on. Why am I thinking of him? He was an annoying coworker who would never leave me alone. I am unable to keep my cool when he says something I don't approve of, just like earlier today. I need to ask my sister about all of this. She'll be able to tell me exactly what is going on.

I sit down in my rolly chair to begin on the new code but hesitated. Should I just go ahead and go home to get a nice rest before the long week ahead? I weighed the pros and cons before heading out. The receptionist wished me a good sleep right before I go through the spinning doors of death. I'm not kidding when I say that. Once, my shoe got caught in the back. I tried to unhook it by squatting down, untie the shoe, get my foot out of it, break the shoe free, exit the doors, and put my shoe back on. It would have been a simple process if the door weren't always moving in a circular motion. I got down to squat, but that was it before I fell on my butt and was being pushed by the glass doors. I yelled and screamed for someone to help me, but people were either taking a video or ignoring me. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later when a guard came over with the key to switch the door off automatic spin. By then, I had a massive heat rash and a few months worth of nightmare to follow through. Even now, I am scared of them, but they were the only way inside.

I rode the subway to the housing district and walked the rest of the way home. I was welcomed with a large, closed gate which refused to open no matter how many times I place the pin in. Annoyed, I called Elena and told her to unlock the door. I was then informed that I went to the wrong house. Grumbling, I waited at the gates until a red convertible rode over from the left.

Elena had the roof open, so she could enjoy the nice spring breeze. She gave me a smirk. "Told you," she said as she unlocked the doors. I scrambled over with profanities rolling off the tip of my tongue. Once I put the seatbelt on, she drove off to our home.

We ate some homemade chicken and dumplings before heading to the sofa. She said I needed to relax more and watch some TV. I tried to pay attention to the show she was watching, but it was just so boring. I ended up falling to sleep in the middle.

When I woke up, I noticed Elena had placed a fur blanket on top of me. My heart warmed at the sight of it as I snuggled deeper into its warmth and softness. I was about to fall back to sleep when I suddenly felt my phone begin to vibrate in my back pocket. I groaned as I bring it out. It was George, so I answered despite my reluctance.

"Hello?" I greeted him while stifling back a yawn.

"Yes, hello." It was Kila. "George has told me to inform you that your presence in the Ethura project is no longer needed."

"Hmm? What?!" It took me a moment to realize what she was saying. Do they want to fire me? From my own creation?

"You heard correctly, Ms. Johnson. You handed the rights of Ethura over to the company, so the game was no longer yours as soon as you had signed your signature on the contract. Therefore, Ethura is my darling's to control. We thank you for your great service and sent a billion dollars into your account. I hope this will appease any hatred you may hold after this conversation and hope you wouldn't spread rumors. Afterall, you still have a nice career ahead of you. Plus, your sister would still be very happy and alive. Farewell, Ms. Johnson."

She hung up. My eyes widen as my phone buzzed again, this time from my bank. The billion was deposited. "No!"

I scrambled up and rushed to my room upstairs. I tore through everything I owned until I found the ten-year contract I had made with them. I read through its contents, word-for-word, and my heart plummeted. It turned out Kila was telling the truth. I was only fifteen when I had signed it, so I would naturally not understand that one needs to read contracts before signing.

Tear, genuine tears flowed out my eyes. This was too much. They were too much. I now regret my choice in going to an investor. He took advantage of my young age and made me sign this death sentence of a contract. If I am to tell anyone of my involvement in the creation of Ethura, I would be hunted and killed. If I try to hack into the system I built from scratch, they would send me to jail for the rest of my life.

"I'm sorry, Ethura!" I sobbed. "I let you down."