Abysswalker : LARPing into the shadow

The office felt like it was closing in on me. I leaned back in my chair with my head falling against the stiff fabric and shut my eyes. It didn't help. My thoughts were a mess but one thing kept breaking through, my brother.

That idiot.

He was in a hospital bed beaten up after one of his stupid motorcycle races. Illegal of course, because he couldn't just take it easy. The doctor's voice still echoed in my mind,

"He's stable, but the injuries are serious."

Stable? Serious? How was I supposed to feel better hearing that? I hated him for putting himself in danger again.

He's all I've got. Our parents died years ago in a car accident leaving me to figure out how to keep us both afloat. I've done everything I could for him and now this. Again. He's pulling me into the chaos all over and draining me emotionally and financially.

How am I even supposed to pay these hospital bills?

I sighed, looking into the spreadsheet on my screen that blurred into a mess of rows and numbers.

"Kira," came Lili's familiar teasing voice.

I looked up to see her leaning over my desk where her usual grin softened by a hint of concern. Her neatly styled bob framed her face like she'd stepped out of some trendy salon ad.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said, sitting up and attempting to sound like I had my life together.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay," she perching herself on the edge of my desk.

"Come on, spill. You look like you're about to combust."

I forced a laugh. "It's my brother."

Her teasing demeanor shifted. "Still in the hospital?"

"Yeah. The bills come up." I trailed off.

Lili frowned for a moment. She didn't need me to spell it out.

"You know what you need? Something fun that totally outside your comfort zone."

"Says you," I shot back unsure of where she was going with this.

"I'm going to a LARP event this weekend. It's going to be amazing."

"LARP?" I frowned as I unfamiliar with the term.

"Live Action Role-Playing," she said gesturing animatedly. "Think cosplay, but you actually live it. There's a plot, quests, battles, and everything! This one's medieval themed. I'm going as a noble sorceress. Look!"

She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of her costume. A flowing gown with embroidery and a staff that looked like it belonged in a fantasy epic.

"How much you spent on this?" I asked in totally amused.

"Worth every penny," she said without hesitation.

"You should come! Oh, wait never mind. This one's full. But seriously, try it."

"Well… I'm too broke for that." I leaned back.

"Also what's so great about pretending to be someone else?"

She smirked. "It's not pretending. It's escaping. You could use an escape, Kira."

***

Later that night after another exhausting day at work, I found myself mindlessly scrolling on my phone.

Lili's words lingered longer than I expected and that LARP stuff kept circling in my head. What made it so special? Why did Lili a finance expert with a sharper wit than most anime villains pour so much time and money into something so ehm childish?

Curiosity got the best of me so I searched LARP events near me.

The first result wasn't what I expected. It was an ad in bold letters.

GET PAID TO JOIN LARP EVENTS! Exclusive Opportunity for New Players!

Paid? To role play? It sounded ridiculous. I hesitated for a second then clicked to see what it was all about.

Set Theme: XXX

Event Duration: 3 Days

Requirements: None

Max Participants: 1,000

Scrolling to the bottom I noticed there was no mention of how much we'd be paid. The only thing listed was the company sponsoring the event, Altiris Labs. I'd never heard of them before, but curiosity outweighed caution. After all, what did I have to lose?

"Should I?" I muttered aloud.

Before I could second-guess myself I texted Lili.

Me: Hey, ever heard of paid LARP events?

Lili: Nope, but if it's legit, DO IT.

Me: It's this promo thing, I guess? They pay you to join, this weekend for 3 days.

Lili: Girl, this is fate. You're stressed, you're broke, and now you've got a free ticket to escape reality. Sign up.

Me: You're not joining?

Lili: Can't. My sorceress debut is this weekend, remember? This is YOUR chance. Go have fun, and I want full details after.

With Lili's encouragement pushing me forward, I clicked on [REGISTER]. The form asked for basic details. Name, age, contact info, and done.

"That's it?"

The confirmation email arrived almost immediately.

Welcome to ARKANOVA! Prepare for an unforgettable adventure.

Interesting. I wasn't sure about that. But for the first time in the year, I felt a flicker of excitement.

***

The next weekend I drove to the set which is a five-hour journey that took me far from the city. The road stretched endlessly into the countryside flanked by nothing but open fields and the occasional tree.

When I finally arrived, I almost slammed on the brakes.

Before me stood an impossibly tall building in sleek monolith of glass that seemed to pierce the clouds. Its surface reflected the faint light of the afternoon sun.

To one side of the building there is a towering wall extended outward curving slightly to what seemed to be an enormous area. The sheer scale of it made me feel small.

For a moment I just sat there staring.

"This is… huge," I murmured to myself, half-enchanted and half overwhelmed.

As I stepped into the building, I couldn't help but pause until my breath felt like catching in my throat. The interior was super sleek where everything shone in pristine white and almost clinical but somehow mesmerizing. The vast emptiness of the space made every sound echo faintly.

Scattered across the room were guides each wearing a robotic mask and flowing white robes. One approached me silently with their mechanical movements which is almost convincing. I wasn't buying it, though. There was no way they were actual robots clearly it had to be part of the immersion.

The guide held up a scanner then a soft beep confirming my identity. Then without a word they pressed a stamp against my hand. A faint glow of green LED light pulsed briefly as it touched my skin, but when I glanced down the stamp left no visible mark.

I chuckled.

"They're already LARPing," I muttered, half amused.

If this was their warm-up act I had to admit it was impressive. Maybe I was finally getting a glimpse of this event's theme.

The guide gestured silently directing me down a long hallway. The corridor like everything else, was coated in a seamless white finish that made it feel endless. The walls were unbroken except for faintly visible doors spaced at regular intervals each with a number etched in glowing green text.

As I walked, I counted: 674… 675.

The number on my ticket matched the door before me. I couldn't help but marvel at the scale of the operation. If every participant had their own room then there must have been close to a hundred rooms on each hallway.

Were there really 1,000 participants here?

I hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.