The light was blinding and it felt like Jared’s body was floating, or rather, it felt as if his body had been swaying or moving. He felt drained, and his legs ached slightly as his body continued to sway.

‘Am I in water? Why do I feel so weightless? How long have I been here?’ Jared thought.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the bright, white light began to fade, and visuals set in. Fallen leaves crunched under his black sneakers as he sauntered along a pathway.

Jared looked around and saw that he was in a park that was very close to the local shopping mall. It was about a thirty minutes walk from his house. Although it was fairly close, Jared had not been to the park in ages due to the pandemic that had started late in the year 2019. As Jared walked, he noticed that the terrain and the cherry-colored benches were exactly as he remembered.

Just seeing the jogging pathways and man-made pond brought many fond memories of the fun times Jared had had with his friends and schoolmates. As this was the largest park in the whole area, many schools would often organize excursions to the park. In a way, the park was an integral part of the town.

The warm summer breeze blew gently and Jared closed his eyes and stretched out his arms wide. Relishing the fresh air, and breathing in deeply.

‘I have not been to this park for over a year, but it felt like an eternity,’ he thought.

A small leaf that was carried by the wind, hit gently at Jared’s right cheek. It caused a ticklish sensation that Jared unconsciously reached out to touch his cheek even when the leaf had long fallen to the ground. Jared’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘Whoa. The electromyography sensor stuff works. I can actually feel the cool breeze and even the slightest touch. Hm. Let’s see…” Jared then pinched his left arm hard and immediately felt a jolt of pain at the exact spot.

‘Whoa. I can even feel pain,’ Jared thought in surprise and another breeze blew at him. Looking around as the leaves of the trees rustled from the wind, ‘I wonder how much detail has been put into the graphics, and will there be a world border of that sort like other games?’

With that, Jared ventured further into the park and noticed that he was the only person in the whole vicinity. The once busy park was devoid of any living being or creature. Not even the notorious squirrels that tend to steal food from picnic baskets or trash were in sight. The hollows in trees were left empty. Jared was all alone and most likely, the only one in the entire world.

‘Well, it’d have been quite creepy if they’d managed to include avatars of actual people in the game. Then again, it’d have been interesting to see the level of detail the game had for this customized setting,’ Jared thought as he tapped his left hand onto his hip.

Almost instantly, the manual settings appeared in front of him. The ‘screen’ was invisible and no bigger than a horizontally placed A4 paper. There were only three categories; current status, customized settings, and exit world. Jared began to look through the first two categories.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Current status]]

[Transference completed]

[Host attributes and other info]

Level: 1/100

Exp.: 0/100

Strength: 5/10 (Average)

Agility: 5/10 (Average)

Speed: 5/10 (Average)

Selected world: Real-world

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A rumbling was heard in the distance, and Jared looked up towards the horizon. The sky was clear, and the Sun shone brightly.

‘Is it going to rain?’ Jared wondered. 

Another rumbling was heard from the opposite direction and closer this time. Jared looked at the sky in all directions but there was not even a cloud in sight.

‘Weren't those distant thunders I heard? It shouldn’t be ‘Serein rain’ since it is still daytime. Moreover, lightning and thunder shouldn’t happen during a ‘Serein’... Hmm... If it’s really going to rain, I should go look for shelter soon.’

Jared listened for another thunder to be heard for the next couple of minutes but was met with silence. Shrugging his shoulders and coming to the conclusion that it was not going to rain in his location and instead on a further away location, Jared continued to scroll through the manual settings.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Customize settings]]

[Weathering: Normal]

[Current program: Adventure] 

[Levelling mode: Off]

[Survival mode: On]

[Creative mode: Off]

[Place of spawning: The lab]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly, there was a rustling and what sounded like footsteps just behind Jared.

‘Wait… There’s someone else here?’ Jared immediately turned to look around.

“Hello?” Jared called out loudly, but the only thing he could hear was the rustling of nearby trees as the breeze blew through them.

‘No, I must have been mistaken.’

A couple of thunders were heard, and this time, it was very close.

‘Okay, that’s my cue to leave and find shelter. Although I’m interested to know what rain would feel like in this game, I don’t want to get fully drenched in the rain. Wait... My place of spawning was in a lab? Where exactly is that, and why am I here in a一’

A booming crackle of lightning deafened him and the whole world shook. Jared’s ears rang and he stumbled from the loss of balance. Holding his head with both hands, he looked around and noticed a huge crack in the ground about fifteen feet away.

‘Wha一’ Jared began to straighten up when another booming was heard and this time, Jared was thrown a small distance away from the sheer force.

Ears still ringing, Jared saw a huge, deep crack had formed just ten feet away from where he was standing. A tall tree once stood on that very scorched crack and in an instant, the tree has been completely obliterated.

The lightning was getting closer to him. Staying out in the park was not safe as the lightning was causing massive destruction in its wake.

Since there was no other building in sight, Jared started running toward the mall. He had just entered the open car park and was only a hundred meters away when another lightning struck about seven feet on his left. The blast of the lightning threw him as if he was no more than a raggedy doll and he hit hard against a van.

Jared’s head hurt and it felt like the air in his lungs was forced out of him. The concussion was so hard that the incessant ringing in his ears had stopped and he could hear no more. As more lightning struck a distance away from him, the ground quaked, but the world remained silent.

The blast had momentarily deafened Jared completely.

Shaking his head, he half ran and half staggered towards the entrance of the mall.

Jared’s head continued to throb and his vision blurred. His legs screamed with every painful step he took. There were only a few feet left before he would be within the safety of the mall’s structure.

‘Just a little more,’ he thought.

Slowly, his hearing began to return but everything sounded almost muted. As it began to rain like bullets, Jared only heard what sounded like static and odd mumblings. Squinting hard and looking towards the entrance that was just a couple of steps away, he could vaguely make out white-like figures. 

They were running towards him and possibly yelling something incoherent. The voices were muffled over the heavy pitter-patter of the rain and the booming thunders. It was only when he reached the entrance that a couple of the figures grabbed onto him and supported his weight. 

He was cold, confused, and in pain. 

Jared wanted to thank them for preventing his fall and perhaps ask who they were, but words could not seem to form.

As the figures ushered一 more like dragged一 him through the entrance and more towards the foyer of the mall, Jared could more or less make out the words they were saying.

“How一 happen?”

“一wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“一surge一 energy一”

“一 ripped through一”

“一many?”

“一only一”

At this point, Jared’s legs felt like lead and his body drooped forward. More hands grabbed onto him before gently laying him on the cold tiled floor. 

“Should we一 doctor?”

“No, he’s fine,” a male voice that sounded closer and clearer said.

Jared was losing consciousness when he felt something soft tapping his right cheek. Jared tried to focus on the person who was hovering over him. His vision was still very hazy but he could make out that the person was tapping at his face with their hand. Other than that, the person’s head was mostly white with the bottom part of the face being black. Although Jared should have been horrified at such a sight, he was calm. Everything felt surreal.

Jared’s vision dimmed. 

“Can you hear me? Don’t worry. You are safe now. Just rest and we will take care of you.”

Then Jared’s eyes closed and he succumbed to the darkness.

*

*

*

Energy ebbed away and weariness took over...

*

*

*

Sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss...

*

*

*

A never-ending fall...

*

*

*

Darkness was all around yet it felt like it was no more than a mere black curtain that covered the light.

Heaviness in the body yet feeling adrift as if laying on soft, cool clouds.

Clean air yet it was somehow potent and harsh that it was difficult to breathe一 perhaps close to suffocation.

All alone yet quiet, muffled sounds and voices could be heard.

Slowly… Ever so slowly, the senses unite, and everything begins to return to its proper place.

*

*

*

Drip. Drip. Drip.

“Hey一”

What is this place?

“Jare一”

Where is this place?

“一hear me?”

Who is that?

“Jared一”

Is someone calling?

“Is he coming to his senses?”

Someone was tapping lightly at Jared’s right cheek as he slowly regained consciousness. He was surrounded by white and light that at first, he squinted and blinked rapidly. When his eyes finally adjusted, he realized that he was in one of the rooms of the game center. The interior of the room was exactly as he had caught a glimpse upon entering the center earlier.

Unlike most of the rooms which were equipped with computers, numerous visual screens, and huge industrial control panels, this room had a couple of beds in it. The stark difference was what made it stand out amongst the rest of the rooms. It was the main reason why Jared was so certain that he was in the game center.

‘Those people who found me must have carried me back to this game center and laid me on one of these beds,’ Jared thought to himself as he observed a nearby machine that was beeping steadily and the IV drip that was attached to his left arm.

“Jared, are you okay?” a worried face hovered above him. It was Nic.

“Yes…” Jared struggled to sit up, but his body felt numb and heavy. Assuming that he just needed a few moments to recuperate, Jared decided to continue to lie on the bed.

“You got us really worried. We thought that you’d never wake up,” Omar, who was standing next to Nic, said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Jared was only unconscious for an hour,” Nic reprimanded.

“Ah, yes… Sor一”

“Mr. Lee has regained consciousness. Doctor Rueben, how is he?” a man dressed in a dark gray suit asked. Although Jared had no idea who the man was, he was confident that the man was either a senior staff member or the boss of the whole place. It was not just based on the fact that he was dressed like a businessman and was giving orders. It was from the aura he carried that just seemed to exude power and command.

“His vitals are stable and cognitive functions based on the live scans state that he is as healthy as he can ever be,” the doctor, who wore a typical white coat, replied before turning his attention to Jared, “Mr. Lee, are you able to move your toes?”

Jared who was still lying in bed attempted to wiggle his toes. He was beginning to regain some feeling in his limbs and body but it felt numb. Lifting his head slightly, he looked towards the end of the bed he was lying on to look at his feet. The blanket had been pulled off the lower part of his legs and he could see that his toes were moving.

‘Strange, I know that I’m wiggling my toes yet I don’t actually feel anything,’ Jared thought to himself.

“Good. How about your hands? Try opening and closing your hands,” the doctor instructed.

Jared did as he was told and almost similar to his toes, there was little feeling in his hands.

“Good. Now, can you try sitting up?” the doctor asked.

This time, it took some time for Jared to sit up. The numbness was so prominent that if his eyes were closed, he would not have been able to tell whether he was indeed sitting up or not.

“Good. It would seem that your motor functions are still intact.”

The doctor was about to turn and probably say something to the man dressed in a dark gray suit when Jared called out to the doctor.

“Doctor, I don’t really feel anything…” Jared trailed off.

“Ah. You must be referring to the numbness. It will wear off some. I’d given you some morphine earlier for the pain.”

“Pain? Wha一”

Then Jared remembered the series of events that have taken place before he had lost consciousness.

‘Wasn’t that in the VR game? Why am I in this makeshift infirmary?’ Jared thought to himself as he furrowed his brows.

“Jared... There was a horrible storm. A bolt of stray lightning had struck the side of the building, the very spot where your VR room was set up. Apparently, one of the wires that ran out to the outside of the building was exposed and the lightning hit that,” Omar said.

“Yes,” Doctor Rueben replied and adjusted his squarish spectacles. “The lighting caused a massive power surge and the entire building was void of electricity. Although everyone in this game center was merely logged out of the game, you were indirectly struck by lightning. However, when I examined you, you were merely unconscious with no apparent injuries. There were no signs of any electric shock either.”

“We have called for the ambulance just to be on the safe side but there are many trees that were struck by lightning. As a result, the fallen trees have made it temporarily impossible for any assistance to come. Please do inform me if you’re feeling any pain or discomfort. I’ll be right down the hall,” the doctor said and excused himself. He bowed to the man dressed in a dark gray suit before leaving the room.

“Mr. Jared Lee, my name is Robert Dreyfus. I am the personal assistant to the CEO of the Gemini Enterprise company. On the behalf of the company, I’d like to deeply apologize for the potential danger you were necessarily exposed to. We will pay for any medical bills if you require medical treatment,” the man in a dark gray suit said.

“Ah, please do not apologize. This was something you had no control over and according to the doctor, I am completely fine.

“That is very understanding of you, Mr. Lee. Here is my card in case you ever need to reach out,” Robert said as he gave Jared a contact card before leaving the room.

“Jared, are you really feeling okay?” Omar asked in a worried tone.

“Yes, I feel fine. What exactly happened?” Jared asked as he looked around to see if he could spot his VR room from where he was through the most glass partitioned infirmary. However, all he could see are some people, most likely the other players, looking into the infirmary at him.

‘Whoa. I feel like a lab rat with all these white walls and glass with people just looking in... Can’t shake the feeling that I’m a test subject.’

Omar followed Jared’s gaze, “They are all worried too. Your room was the only one affected. All the devices there were burnt crisp black from the lightning. We… we thought that…” Omar hesitated.

“Yes?” Jared prompted.

“We…” Omar trailed off.