The world ended with a loading bar.
Evan Cole was halfway through cursing at his monitor when the bar froze at 99%.
"Don't you dare," he muttered, knuckles white around his mouse. The room around him—unpaid bills on the desk, instant ramen cups stacked like a shameful monument—felt painfully real compared to the promise on the screen.
EIDOLON REALMS
Full Dive Connection Initializing…
This was supposed to be his reset. The game launch everyone had been talking about for three years. True neural immersion. No screens. No controllers. Just a new world and a fair start.
The bar flickered.
Then reality blinked out.
Evan woke up choking on air that tasted like pine and cold stone.
He rolled onto his side, coughing, fingers digging into damp soil. Sunlight stabbed through his eyelids. When he finally forced them open, he wasn't in his apartment anymore.
Above him stretched a sky too blue to be real, clouds sharp-edged like they'd been rendered in ultra-high definition. A forest surrounded him—towering evergreens, moss-covered rocks, the distant sound of water rushing over stone.
For one wild moment, panic seized him.
Then a translucent window snapped into existence in front of his face.
WELCOME, PLAYER.
EIDOLON REALMS v1.0
Status: INITIALIZATION ERROR
Evan froze.
"Okay," he said slowly. "That's… new."
The window stuttered, text blurring before correcting itself.
ERROR CODE: 001-LIFEBOUND
Neural Link: IRREVERSIBLE
Logout Function: DISABLED
His heartbeat slammed into overdrive.
"What do you mean disabled?"
As if responding to his voice, another window unfolded.
ATTENTION, PLAYER
Due to an unexpected synchronization anomaly, your consciousness has been permanently anchored to Eidolon Realms.
Player death will result in TOTAL CHARACTER TERMINATION.
Have a pleasant journey.
The window vanished.
So did Evan's sense of humor.
He staggered to his feet, legs trembling. The forest didn't glitch. Didn't fade. It stayed solid, painfully detailed down to the individual needles crunching beneath his boots.
Boots.
He looked down.
Leather boots. Worn, but sturdy. Not the socks he'd been wearing in his apartment.
He raised his hands. Callused palms. A faint scar across the knuckles he didn't remember earning.
Another window appeared, mercifully less threatening.
CHARACTER SHEET
Name: Evan Cole
Race: Human
Class: Unassigned
Level: 1
HP: 100 / 100
MP: 50 / 50
Stamina: 100 / 100
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 10
Willpower: 10
Luck: 5
Unassigned Stat Points: 0
"Of course," Evan whispered. "Average in everything. Even in another world."
A sharp crack echoed through the forest.
Evan spun toward the sound.
Movement—too fast, too deliberate—slipped between the trees. His instincts screamed danger before his brain caught up.
Another window flared crimson.
WARNING
Hostile Entity Detected
Threat Level: Low
Recommendation: FLEE OR ENGAGE**
"Low threat my ass," Evan said as a shape burst from the underbrush.
It was a wolf—if wolves were the size of motorcycles and had eyes glowing faintly blue. Its fur bristled with static, sparks jumping along its spine.
Stormfang Wolf – Level 3
Evan's mouth went dry.
"I don't even have a class!"
The wolf growled, muscles coiling.
Evan ran.
Branches whipped at his face as he bolted through the trees, lungs burning. A stamina bar appeared in the corner of his vision, ticking down faster than he liked.
Stamina: 72… 68… 64…
The wolf gained ground. He could hear its breath now, hot and close.
"Think, Evan, think!"
A fallen log loomed ahead. He leapt, barely clearing it, and skidded down a rocky slope into a shallow ravine. Water splashed up around his ankles as he stumbled.
The wolf followed.
Cornered.
Evan's eyes darted around wildly until they landed on a half-buried object near the streambank—a rusted sword, its hilt wrapped in cracked leather.
No time to hesitate.
He grabbed it just as the wolf lunged.
The impact knocked him flat. Pain exploded across his chest as claws raked his torso.
HP: 100 → 67
"NOPE!"
Adrenaline drowned out fear. Evan shoved upward, the blade scraping uselessly along the wolf's side before biting deep into its shoulder.
The wolf howled.
Another window flashed.
COMBAT ACTION REGISTERED
Improvised Weapon Use Detected
The wolf recoiled, electricity crackling wildly. Evan scrambled to his feet, gripping the sword with both hands.
"Come on," he breathed. "Come on…"
The wolf charged again.
This time, Evan didn't run.
He stepped forward and swung.
The blade struck true.
CRITICAL HIT!
Stormfang Wolf HP: 45 → 0
The creature collapsed, dissolving into motes of blue light that drifted away on the breeze.
Evan stood there, shaking, sword slipping from numb fingers.
A chime rang out—clear, triumphant.
LEVEL UP!
Level: 1 → 2
Stat Points Gained: 5
NEW ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:
First Blood – Defeat your first hostile entity.
REWARD:
+1 Strength
Skill Unlock Available
Evan sank to his knees, laughing breathlessly.
"I'm alive," he said. "I'm actually alive."
Another notification appeared—smaller, quieter, but somehow heavier.
HIDDEN SYSTEM NOTICE
You have been marked.
The forest seemed to grow darker around him.
Evan swallowed hard and looked up.
Somewhere far beyond the trees, something had noticed him logging in.
And it was very interested.