Liam Barrett:
"This...is it?"
I look up at what is in front of me, and the only thing I see is a giant Rubik's Cube, but only with the colors black and a pulsing green glow, like an alien heartbeat.
"I have to be at the wrong spot."
I re-read the letter in my hands.
"Congratulations, Liam Barrett. You've won. Blah, blah, blah. You, along with a handful of other raffle winners, will get to try out the new Game Cube. Please come to this address on this day. Blah, blah, blah."
Checking the address, I then confirm it.
"Yay. Okay. This is it, alright. Weird, but it's like not I can be picky. My channel could really use this."
Sighing, I pull out my cell phone and check my YouTube channel. I, or as I am lessly known as, EpicFailGamer94, am far from successful. I remember trying everything, hoping to get more likes and subscribers. I raged at Dark Souls. I wore a Pikachu onesie for a SCP- Containment Breach stream. I even once ate a whole raw onion because someone dared me in the comments. I think back to how I cried and washed my mouth while watching the video get three likes. Of course, one of them was from my Mom.
Sighing again, I shove the letter into my pocket before entering the massive, pitch-black Rubik's cube.
The glass doors slide open as I walk inside, and the first thing I see is a group of people, no doubt the other raffle winners, sitting on chairs in the middle of the room. Taking a hard look around, I see a carpeted floor, massive flat-screens on the walls, and a bunch of heavy-looking black doors for some reason.
"Hello," I say, waving my hand as I approach the group. Mostly teenagers, but a few adults, I take an empty seat near the end of the group. "Sooo...Does anyone know if this is a scam or not? Because I might as well tell you now, I only have ten dollars in my bank account, and that is my entire life savings."
As some of the people look at me, one of the black doors opens, and a young man, barely older than I, walks out. Wearing a complete, slick silver suit with a white undershirt and a pair of glasses, the man smiles and combs his black hair with his finger. He then pulls out a microphone, though I doubt he needed it.
"Welcome, winners," the young man shouts, his voice echoing like thunder in the room. "You have been selected to test the future of immersive gaming. Never before have you seen anything like this! I promise you. I introduce you to the Gaming Cube!"
The young man then raises both his hands as he finishes his announcement.
"Uhh," I say, raising my hand. "The Gaming Cube? Like the Nintendo thing?"
"No," the young man barks, pointing at me. "This is beyond Nintendo! This is beyond Ubisoft! This is beyond PlayStation! The Gaming Cube will take you to a whole new level of immense."
I raise my hand again, wanting to know what the announcer meant by "immense", but the announcer puts up a hand. As if one cue, the lights dim and the Gaming Cube starts humming even louder.
"Please," the announcer says. "Simply enter a room, and feel the raw power of the Gaming Cube."
The dozen black doors open simultaneously. All of us "winners" look at each other before looking back at the announcer. He is still standing in front of us with his arms raised.
"Yeah," someone says. "I'm not going in there."
"Neither am I," someone else adds.
"They're probably going to knock us out and steal our credit cards."
Some of the people in the group turn to the sliding doors. It looks like they were getting ready to leave. As some of them start walking, I can't help but think that I should go with them.
"I mean, what are the pros here? Play something called the "Gaming Cube"? See a whole new level of immense? Even in my wildest dreams, I can't afford a VR system. However--"
I look at some of the other winners as they fearlessly enter the room, the doors shutting behind them. My mind is racing back and forth as I try to figure out what to do.
"Should I go? Should I not? Should I give it a shot? I mean, again, I only have ten dollars in my bank account, so either way, I'm already broke."
Grinding my teeth against each other, I take a deep breath, breathing in through my nose before exhaling through my mouth. I then take a massive leap of faith and enter the closest room to me, the door slamming shut with a loud thud.
"Oh, wonderful. This is how I die. Isn't it? Not even with ten subscribers."
As I look around the small, empty room, I see a blinding light. The flash burns my eyes. Screaming as I drop onto my knees, the whole world goes black, then a blinding white. Blinking over and over again, finally able to see, I push myself up.
"Oh man! I knew it! I called it. I should've just left with others---What in the world?"
Back on my feet, I look around, and instead of being in a small, cramped room, I'm standing in a sprawling grassy field. Rolling hills stretch endlessly in front, while giant, brown, and green forests surround me.
"Ahh!"
Jumping when I feel something on my back, I turn around but don't see anything. Slowly, raising my hand, I feel a breeze. A cold, refreshing breeze runs into and past my hand and fingers.
"What..."
Looking at my hand and fingers as I raise them, I didn't just see an empty hand. In fact, I didn't just see my normal clothes at all. Instead of a modern-day, short-sleeved light blue T-shirt with long pants, I am wearing what looks like a medieval, dirty-yellow shirt and loose brown pants.
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhhh!"
Hearing screaming, I scream myself before looking around. One by one, slowly pushing themselves up, are the other winners who entered the room. All of them are also wearing medieval, dirty-yellow shirts and loose brown pants.
Someone else screams when birds chirp near them.
"Is that a dragon?" Someone yells. All of us immediately turn our heads and see a giant grey dragon flying far in the distance in the clouds. Preparing to run for my life, I stop when the dragon flies in the opposite direction.
"Okay," I say. "The announcer guy wasn't kidding when he said immense."
Looking at my hand again, waving my fingers back and forth, the feeling feels too natural, something appears in front of me, and I jump again.
"Ahhh! Argh! I need to stop screaming."
A large transparent square appears in front of me and everyone else. In the square, it asks to select a starting class, with the choices being warrior, mage, or rogue.
"This is the menu! This is the gaming menu."
"This is kind of like Skyrim," someone squeals.
"Skyrim?"
I remember playing Skyrim ages ago, thought sadly, I never finished it. It's still one of my greatest shames. Thinking back, I mostly stuck to swinging swords and shield bashing. Looking back at the menu, I hit the warrior option. As I hit the warrior option, I feel something strange happening to me. It's like my body is growing stronger and tougher. My arms feel energized, and my legs are charged with stamina. Speaking of stamina, I see three bars appear toward the bottom of my vision. I try to touch the bars, but every time I move my head, they move too.
"The HUD. I have a HUD. Okay. If this really is like Skyrim, then I'm guessing red is my health, blue is my magic, and green is my stamina. Sound simple enough. At least, I think."
"I'm a mage," someone screams.
Turning, I see a woman with long blond hair holding out her hands. Somehow, a lightning bolt shoots out. An actual lightning bolt shoots out and almost hits another nearby player.
"Hey!"
"Sorry! So sorry."
"I picked rogue," someone else yells. He crouches down and disappears into the grassy field. "You can't see me. You can't see me. Hehe."
"I chose warrior," a third gamer shouts. He shoots his hand into the air and starts charging. "For honor!"
However, the warrior gamer hits the rogue gamer, and both of them are moaning and groaning in the dirt.
"You two okay?"
I ask this, a little relief when I see them pushing themselves up and dusting themselves off.
"This," I think, nodding, "Is either the greatest opportunity of my life. Or my last video upload ever."
As I keep nodding my head, a new message appears on my HUD, and I accidentally scream before cursing at myself."
"New quest. Journey to HoneyWood."