BECOMING A GOD ONLINE

1. ELYRIA

Micheal walked slowly down the familiar streets of his neighborhood, his backpack hanging loosely over one shoulder.

He looked tired. His clothes were worn and dusty, and anyone who saw him would know he’d had a rough day.

In front of him was a restaurant and people were gathered around the restaurant, this was a place he always passed by.

But now in front of this restaurant there was an unusual crowd of people.

Well he'd never seen this crowd before. But he didn't care.

As he passed by the restaurant, he caught a glimpse of the TV screen through the window.

The TV flashed a government announcement: "...and in other news, the government has officially released Elyria, a revolutionary virtual reality game, free for everyone above fifteen years old. After two weeks of intense testing, Elyria has been deemed beneficial for cognitive development..."

Micheal didn't linger to watch the rest of the announcement. He continued walking as his stomach was growling with hunger.

The constant feeling of hunger had become all too familiar, and he couldn't afford to waste time here.

As he walked further, he overheard conversation from passerbys.

"Have you heard about Elyria? It's like a second world!"

"I'm signing up as soon as I can - my kids are begging me to get it!"

"I don't know, man... I think it's just a distraction from our real problems."

"Real problems? Like what? Hunger? Poverty? At least in Elyria, we can forget about all that."

Micheal tuned them out, his mind was preoccupied with constant worry.His life was a mess currently.

If he was the only one in this mess after his parents death, then he won't be this worried. But his little sister, Maya had to bear a childhood he couldn't bear watching her live through. Even though he too was a kid.

Any conversation that wasn't about making quick funds sounded boring to him.

Micheal quickened his pace, his eyes fixed on the small, rundown house in the distance. The old house had been their home for as long as Micheal could remember. The paint was chipped, the windows were boarded up, and the front door hung crookedly. It was easily the only property his parents left for him and his sister.

Inside, Maya sat on the couch, her nose buried in a book. Despite the malnutrition that had affected her body, Maya's beauty was still there. Her silky black hair fell down her back like a waterfall, and eyes were bright.

Maya was indeed a beauty, a little beauty though, as she seemed young around the age of thirteen or fourteen.

But the struggles of poverty had hidden a part of that beauty, leaving her frame frail.

Micheal pushed open the creaky front door, and Maya looked up from her book with a smile on her face. "Bro," she said, her voice soft.

Micheal dropped his backpack on the floor and walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. "What's up, sis?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Maya shrugged, her eyes clouding over for a moment. "Just trying to focus on my reading."

Micheal nodded, bur he noticed the faint crease between her eyebrows. He knew that look, it meant she was worried about something. "You okay? You seem a little..."

Maya waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, bro. Just tired, that's all."

Micheal wasn't convinced, but he let it drop. He knew Maya hated talking about her problems and he knew why she hated talking about her problems and the reason made his heart beat vigorously with anger.

The reason was because of the situation of things and his incapability to satisfy her needs, why complain to him if he can't solve the problem? It was bad feeling.

As they sat there in silence,

Micheal couldn't help but think about what he should do next. He had to do something real quick. There was nothing at home to eat now, with the way hings were going he doubted that he would be able to focus on his studies in the long run.

His mates were sleeping and had a worry free mind, after all he was just 16, the kind of things he was dealing with wasn't for his age.

Just as Micheal was lost in thoughts, the front door burst open and Alex walked in with a huge grin on his face.

Alex was an ordinary-looking guy, but with a hint of handsomeness that came from his bright smile and sparkling eyes. His short black hair was unkempt, sticking up in every direction, and his worn jeans and faded t-shirt made him look like he just rolled out of bed. 

Alex looked to be around same age as Micheal without a doubt.

"Have you heard?!" Alex exclaimed, not noticing the peaceful atmosphere he was interruping.

Maya rolled her eyes "Heard what, Alex?" Alex was disturbing her reading.

Alex plopped down in the armchair across from them, his eyes shining with excitement.

Why the hell is this one happy? Micheal thought to himself in silence

"Elyria! It's finally out! I just signed up."

Micheal raised an eyebrow. "Elyria? The virtual reality game?" He recalled hearing about it while coming back.

Alex nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, man! I heard it's different from other VR's."

Maya sighed, standing up to stretch. "Alex, is it really worth the hype?"

But Alex just filtered her question. "Dude, this is huge! We have to try it out! Mike, you in?"

Micheal yawned, his eyes feeling heavy. "No," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He was already numb from the hunger, and now he just wanted to sleep and not think about any game.

But Alex didn't give up. "Yo bro, this is free, you know? I just wanna try this out and you should join me. And also, there's something more exciting - we can get to meet people we normally can't dream of meeting in real life."

Micheal remained silent, not replying until Alex mentioned something that caught his attention. "And, dude, there's a competition for the top performers in the game, with cash prizes. We're talking about thousands of dollars, Mike. We could really use that money." Alex persuaded.

Micheal's eyes snapped open and his tired expression vanished..

Thousands of dollars? That was something he couldn't ignore. The government were already taking care of his school fees, but the extra money could help him and Maya with their daily struggles.

Micheal looked at Alex, a spark of interest could be seen now. "Tell me more," he said.

Just as Alex was about to continue, the front door burst open and five men barged into the house, They were huge and they looked scary.

"Micheal," One of them sneered, his eyes eyes scanned the room and landed on Micheal.

"We've been looking for you."

Micheal's heart raced as he stood up, his eyes fixed on the men. "What do you want?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice steady.

But inside his heart beat increased 10 fold, he knew what they wanted and that was why his heart was beating furiously, he didn't haxe what they wanted.

The man who called out his name and who was also the leader of the group had a scar above his left eyebrow.

The man looked dangerous, he looked at Micheal and sneered at him. "You know exactly what we want, kid. Your parents borrowed money from us, and now they're gone." He spat on the floor. "Leaving you with the debt."

The journey of how Micheal struggled was a long story but it all began after his parents death.

Suddenly, the men bursted with violence and began smashing the furnitures, breaking chairs and tables in the room with ease. Maya shrieked as they overturned the couch, sending cushions flying everywhere.

Micheal felt a surge of fear as he tried to protect his sister.

These things the men broke and scattered around were things his parents left behind.

The leader walked straight to Micheal and raised him up from the ground.

"You owe us five thousand dollars, kid," the leader growled.

"And if you don't pay up, next time it won't be just furniture." He glanced at Maya, his eyes lingering on her frail frame. "Maybe a limb or two. Or maybe even a life."

As they left, the men delivered a parting blow, smashing the TV on the floor. Micheal felt a sense of dread wash over him, knowing he had to find a way to pay off the debt before it was too late.

Calming down he looked at his sister and the tears flowing down her eyes.

His heart wretching in pain he glanced at Alex who didn't know what to say. 

"When is is starting?" Micheal asked.

"When is what starting?" Alex asked with a low voice,

"ELYRIA, the game you spoke about, when is the competition for the cash prize starting?"