The afternoon sky over Johor Bahru was heavy with clouds, a hint of rain drifting in the humid air. Inside her small but cozy bedroom, Siti Suhaili sat cross-legged on the floor, a large box resting in front of her. Her heart raced as she ran her fingers over the glossy packaging.
The words PlayStation 5 gleamed back at her.
"Finally…" she whispered, a grin tugging at her lips.
For seventeen years, her world had been predictable: school, tuition, house chores, and helping her mother cook. While her classmates chatted about the latest games and anime, Siti stayed silent, her mind focused on exam scores and university plans. Gaming wasn't "practical." It wasn't what her family expected of her.
But deep down, she had always been curious.
During breaks at school, she had overheard her friends talking about Genshin Impact—about mysterious lands, elemental powers, and beautiful characters. They described fighting alongside friends, exploring magical worlds, and collecting treasures. Every time Siti listened, her imagination fluttered. What would it feel like to step into such a world?
Now, she was about to find out.
Setting up the console wasn't as simple as she thought. HDMI cables, power cords, Wi-Fi connections—it felt like solving a puzzle. She chuckled nervously at her reflection in the black screen of her TV.
"You can solve Add Maths, but this is harder than SPM," she muttered, shaking her head.
After almost twenty minutes of fumbling, the PS5's startup screen finally appeared. The soft beep of the console filled her chest with warmth.
"This is real," she whispered. "I'm really doing this."
Her first download: Genshin Impact.
The installation bar crept forward, and the waiting made her more nervous than an exam result. She picked up her phone and scrolled through guides—"Best starter characters," "Tips for beginners." The sheer amount of information was overwhelming.
When the game finally loaded, a swirl of colors and music filled her room. The soundtrack was unlike anything she had ever heard—soft, magical, almost like a dream calling her name.
She tightened her grip on the controller.
Character selection appeared. Two figures—twins—stood in the center of a glowing world.
Siti hesitated. This is me. My avatar. My first step into another life.
She chose the female twin.
The name prompt appeared. She typed slowly, carefully: Suhaili.
As the screen brightened, her character awakened in Teyvat, a breathtaking world of mountains, rivers, and floating islands. The details made her gasp—the grass swayed with the wind, water shimmered like crystals, and the sky seemed endless.
"It's… beautiful," she whispered, her voice trembling.
She moved her character forward, stumbling at first. The controls felt strange, her thumbs awkwardly pressing the buttons. She laughed at herself when she accidentally made her character jump repeatedly against a rock.
Still, every step forward pulled her deeper into the adventure.
The first time she fought a Hilichurl, Siti panicked. She pressed all the wrong buttons, nearly losing. Her palms grew sweaty, but when she finally defeated it, she raised her arms in triumph.
"Yes! Ha! Take that!" she shouted, then quickly glanced at her door, embarrassed someone might have heard.
For the first time, she felt something stir inside her—not just excitement, but freedom.
Here in this world, she wasn't just Siti Suhaili, the quiet girl from Malaysia. She was Suhaili, a traveler, a hero, someone who could wield power and explore endless horizons.
The monsoon rain began to fall outside, pattering against her window. But Siti didn't notice. Her adventure had begun, and she wasn't planning to stop anytime soon.