Chapter 1-

Void Media was a game-designing company notorious for creating immersive games. From thrill-seeking titles like "Ultimate Hunt", or more laid back games, like "Hidden Dreams", they were no stranger to game design. However, with the company's new release of "Middle Land", gamers who played were treated to a different kind of gameplay.

Mika is a high-school student at Spring Hill Academy, along with his sister Mei, and their childhood friend, Haruka. He didn't stand out in school academically, but he had a good gathering of "followers" as Mei had dubbed them. While everyone would complain about the teaching methods being flawed, or school being too hard, Mika was just fine with the way things were. Some might argue he preferred things this way.

Mei is Mika's polar opposite. She goes above and beyond academically, very popular in school, and a huge "following". However, looking at Mei in person, you would never be able to pick her out. Funny enough, Mei is a very shy girl, who prefers to keep to herself. Even she is unsure why all of these people follow her, but she never wanted to take it up with Mika, fearing she'd make him feel bad, so she just kept quiet.

Last but not least, there's Haruka. The fun, bubbly, free-spirited childhood best friend. She's always sure to be there when the twins need her. She's kind, smart, and cute. Just what everyone wants in a best friend, right?

The school day ended early, supposedly due to part of the school policy. Kids were flooding out of the school, obviously wanting to make the most out of their weekends. Knowing that "Middle Land" was coming out today, Mika hurried to the nearest game store to buy the game. Other than sending her a text saying he'd meet her at home, Mei had no idea what was going on, but she decided not to worry too much. Mika was always like this. When he finally got home, he proudly presented the game to her.

"Mei! Look what I got after school!" He shouted, holding up the game proudly and handing it to her. She stared at it in silence for a second before deciding to respond.

"Why did you bring your wallet to school, Mika? What would've happened if people found out? What would've happened if you got beat up?" She questioned, staring him down. Mika could tell she was a little upset, but he could also see a hint of worry in her eyes. She let out a sigh before speaking again. "Besides, I don't think I'm the best person to play a role-playing game with. I can barely play Mario, and that's a 2D platformer." Mika chuckled a little.

"I've offered to help you, but you always say-"

"I don't need you to prove that you're better at video games than me. I already know that, idiot." She interrupted, handing the game back to him.

"What? No- That's not what I was going to say at all." He replied in shock. "I'll make a deal with you. You play this game with me for five minutes, and if you don't like it, you can quit. Is that fair?" He proposed, smiling a little. Mei hesitated to answer, but eventually let out another sigh, nodding in defeat. Mika smiled ear-to-ear, gently grabbing her by the arm, and dragging her into the living room, where he promptly set up the new game, handing her a game controller. Defeated, she took the controller from his hand, sitting next to him on the couch.

They were roughly three minutes into the game, and they had just finished the tutorial quest and were on their way to designing their characters.

"Hey, sis, what class should I pick? Paladin or Mage?" Mika questioned, but after casting a glance over at his sister, he noticed she had already picked Mage as her character's class. He chuckled a little. "Well, that settles that then."

As soon as both characters were completely designed, the screen went white, as a loading screen appeared. What happened from then on was something neither of the twins could believe.