Creak… creak…
Footsteps advanced across the floor, steady and deliberate. They halted before a plain wooden door. The woman faced it, raised her hand, and knocked.
Knock… knock…
"Keal, wake up," she called, her voice faintly echoing through the room. Keal Ardent lay sprawled on the ground, one leg draped over the bed, his right hand resting on his stomach and the other at his side.
"Wake up, son! I'm already late," she called, knocking on the door again. "Can you hear me?"
Keal rubbed his head with his right hand, lifting it from his stomach. His leg still dangled over the bed. "Mom… let me sleep a little longer," he murmured.
"Mom, didn't I tell you the vacation starts today? I don't have to go to school, so please let me sleep a little longer. I'm just tired."
Her eyes narrowed, a faint flush rising in her cheeks as she tapped her foot impatiently. Irritation was clear on her face.
"Just because vacation has started doesn't mean you can lie in bed all day."
Keal raised his left hand, searching the table from side to side until he touched the clock. Glancing at it, he said, "It's eleven o'clock, Mom."
"Ok…! Looks like you forgot about the V7. I'm glad to see that. Well, I'm heading to the office—you stay in bed," his mother said. "I'll be busy starting tomorrow, so I guess your V7 gaming setup is canceled."
The V7 was the latest model in the V series of VR gaming devices, a virtual reality.
Keal shot upright, one leg still tangled on the bed. His balance wavered, but he forced himself forward, stumbling toward the door and yanking it open.
"Mom, you can't blackmail me like this! It's unfair," Keal said. He looked outside and froze as he saw her walking toward the yard. "Mom, you're not serious, right? At least wait for me to get ready."
"Yes, I can," his mother said. "You have only five minutes, or I'll leave you here. And don't blame me later, asking why I didn't wake you." She opened the door and stepped outside.
Keal bolted to the washroom and brushed his teeth as fast as he could. After rinsing his mouth, he hurried back to his room and flung the cupboard open. Grabbing the first T-shirt he saw along with a pair of pants, he hopped awkwardly on one leg, stumbling as he tried to pull them on while rushing toward the kitchen. Snatching a piece of bread from the table, he shoved it into his mouth.
Keal's mother climbed into the blue car and started driving. Keal flung open the front door of their house and spotted the car just ahead. Still chewing the piece of bread he had stuffed into his mouth, he ran toward it and slid into the front passenger seat beside her.
She started driving and glanced at Keal. "Keal… your father called this morning. He wants you to stay with him for the vacation. They're planning a trip with you—somewhere… um, maybe Thalburg, she said."
The phone connected to the car's Bluetooth began to ring—ring… ring… ring… Keal turned his face toward the window, leaning his elbow against the sill, his hand propping up his jaw as he sat in silence.
"Since you haven't seen your sister, you'll have plenty of time to spend with them. If you go there, your vacation…"
"Mom… Mom, enough! Don't annoy me—just answer the phone," Keal said roughly. "I told you, I don't want to talk about him or his family."
It had been a while since Keal's parents, Nora Ardent and Eamon Ardent, got divorced. Eamon had fallen for another woman and even had a daughter with her. Perhaps that was the reason for his anger toward his father.
"Okay, dear, as you wish," Keal's mother said, and she picked up the ringing phone.
"Mrs. Ardent, it's urgent. Can you come to the office right now?" Malathi Iyer's voice came from the other side of the phone.
Mrs. Ardent glanced first at the car's display screen, then back at the road, slowly adjusting the steering wheel. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"The game we launched last month has run into some legal issues. A notice arrived an hour ago, claiming it was copied."
Nora Ardent and Malathi Iyer were colleagues at a gaming company called February. February was one of the top companies in the industry, and Nora Ardent was the manager. Recently, they had run into some legal issues with one of their previous projects, Last Game.
Mrs. Ardent's eyes shifted from the road back to the car's display screen. "What the f**k are you saying? Who's claiming it was copied?"
Ms. Iyer's voice came through the car's display. "The notice came from BT. They're claiming that the Last Game we launched was copied from their game Explore—that 90 percent of it was copied. And our new project is now on legal hold; they say it's possible this one was copied from their games too."
"Do they have any legal evidence to prove that this one was copied from them?"
"I don't know, but I checked the Last Game, and it really matches 90 percent of their game Explore—the missions and story are the same, and the character design and graphics look similar."
"Really? I thought its story was original and unique," Mrs. Ardent said.
"Well, there's just one difference—the sacrifice. In Explore, a side character sacrifices himself to protect the main character from the final boss, whereas in our game, the main character sacrifices himself to protect the supporting character from the final boss. After that, the game continues."
Mrs. Ardent asked, "So, what is the team behind this game doing now?"
"Right now, they're working on a few small missions for the new project," Ms. Iyer replied.
"Listen, for now put the project on hold and dismiss that team for today. Until I arrive, don't let the boss know about this, okay? I want to check it myself."
She ended the call and looked at Keal. "Looks like this vacation is going to drive me mad. So, what have you planned to do for your vacation?"
Keal sat on his hand and looked at his mother. "Next week, my friends and I are going to an abandoned house near the jungle for camping."
"Oh, I see…! Well, camping is a good idea, but staying in the jungle might be too risky. Whose idea was it?"
"Nah, we're not staying in the jungle. We'll be in that abandoned house—it's about 30 km from home. We chose it because of Samar—we've got the guts to face any tough situation. That house felt like the perfect place."
"Well, we reached our destination while just talking." She parked the car in the parking lot of the gaming store, and they got out.
When they stepped inside, a store employee greeted them.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. How can I help you?"
Mrs. Ardent said, "We'd like to buy a V7 gaming set, and also one copy each of Explore and the Last Game."
"Sure, ma'am," the store employee said, heading to the shelves. A few minutes later, he returned with the items and placed them on the counter. The cashier checked everything, then turned to the computer to begin billing.
The cashier said, "Ma'am, your ID, please." Mrs. Ardent took the ID from her bag and handed it to him.
The cashier typed her details into the computer. The screen flashed up her record: Name: Nora Ardent. Age: 41. Occupation: Manager at February. Residence: Lime, House No. 323.
"Here's your bill, ma'am—200 Gelder and 20 Sol (₲200.20, with 64 Sol equal to ₲1)."
She pulled out two notes marked ₲100 each and added two hexagon-shaped coins of 10 Sol. Handing them to the cashier, she waited as he packed the items neatly. With the bag in hand, Mrs. Ardent stepped away from the counter, and together they walked out of the store.
"Have a great day, and don't forget to visit our store."
As they stepped outside, Mrs. Ardent bumped into a strange woman. The bags slipped from her hands, tumbling to the ground, and everything spilled out across the pavement.
Her hair was silky and brown, and a pair of sunglasses partially hid her face. She wore a jacket, and her posture suggested she was trying to stay unnoticed, as if someone were watching her. She moved with a hurried, tense energy, like she was in danger.
Both of them quickly apologized. The woman picked up her package, checked it once, and then walked away.
Keal and his mother gathered the scattered items back into the bag. "What's wrong with her?" Keal muttered.
Their car stopped in front of their home. Keal stepped out, carrying the packages they had bought.
"I already cooked lunch this morning—white rice and tarka. Eat on time, okay? I might be late tonight, so if you can, make dinner," Mrs. Ardent said as she started the car. "Bye, honey!"
"Bye, Mom," Keal said, walking into the house. He opened the door, stepped inside, and took off his shoes. Then he headed to his room, entered, and closed the door behind him.
Immediately, he pulled the packages from the bag. First, he opened the V7 package and the VR glasses package, setting them up and starting to connect them. Then he opened the two controller packages. He connected one controller to the V7, but when he looked at the other, it seemed different—more like a watch than a traditional VR controller.
The VR controller looked like a bracelet, with a circular device fixed at its center. When worn, the band rested on the palm, while the circular device stayed on the inner side. It was designed to detect and track the player's movements, and to activate it, the user had to press the device.
"Is it a controller or a watch?" Keal asked himself, staring at the unusual device. First, he held it in his palm, but it didn't feel comfortable like a VR controller. Then he slipped it onto his wrist, and it fit perfectly, just like a watch.
Keal noticed two small buttons on the side of the circular device. He pressed the left one, and the circle lit up, displaying two options, Spawn and Transmigration. Curious, he pressed the left button again—more—accidentally clicking the Spawn option. In an instant, Keal vanished from his room.. In an instant, Keal vanished.
A woman's voice echoed through the room. "Welcome to the Alterra."