The following morning, Luke woke with a stiff neck and the faint ache of too many hours hunched over his desk.
His notebook was still sprawled open, littered with scribbles, diagrams, and hastily drawn flowcharts. Words like "SP Goals", "Pod Maintenance Plan", and "Ranked Structure" were underlined three or four times.
He groaned, stretching his arms above his head before catching sight of the clock on his wall.
10:14 AM.
"…Guess I overslept." He muttered, shuffling into the shower before throwing on a hoodie and jeans.
Today was important.
He had already ordered his pod, but he couldn't just wait around until it arrived.
He needed to practice.
That was why he'd made up his mind last night: he would go to one of the public VR centers scattered across the city. They weren't ideal, but they'd let him dip into Silent Eclipse, the game that dominated the e-sports scene.
********
The walk was brisk, the city buzzing with its usual morning rush.
