Chapter 2 - Waking Up in a Dream
—Even within the term ‘VR,’ there’s a wide variety of forms depicted in fiction.
I could list examples endlessly, but the version of [Arcadia] that has become a reality in our world is hailed as a full-sensory immersion type.
Users lie down on a bed inside a capsule that completely envelops their body and simply “sleep” to enter the virtual world. In short, it’s a full dive.
Lulled to sleep by hypnotic waves emitted from the machine, the user’s brain and [Arcadia] resonate through special radio waves, inviting them into the fabricated ‘dream’ of a virtual world—
…or so they say. The detailed technology is a complete black box, a piece of super-technology so advanced that even experts who disassembled it down to the last screw threw up their hands, declaring it ‘utterly incomprehensible.’
For an ordinary person like me, even attempting to theorize about it would be presumptuous.
It’s an existence with one foot, or perhaps both, firmly planted in fantasy. But due to its nature of using human dreams as its stage, the world isn't constructed with existing graphics technology like 3D polygons, despite being a game.
As for how it all works, I, as usual, lack the knowledge to explain it… but the one comment consistently made by those who have witnessed the world is the well-worn phrase in the gaming industry: ‘indistinguishable from reality.’
…Anyway, having spent three years deliberately shutting out information to preserve my sanity, I now find myself diving into the world of my dreams with almost zero prior knowledge—
“So this is Arcadia… the world of virtual reality.”
As a living embodiment of ignorance regarding this world, I stood, as expected, dumbfounded in a pure white hall that was likely the initial setup area.
In the stark white space, there was only a single, large full-length mirror. Aside from me standing before it, nothing else existed in this space.
Naturally, the mirror reflected me. The figure staring back at me, a perfect mirror image, was an all-too-real version of myself, identical down to the last detail.
“—Welcome, to Arcadia.”
“Hk…!”
The figure in the mirror opened its mouth.
The sight of ‘me’ in the mirror speaking with my face and my voice was a genuinely terrifying experience. As I flinched, the other ‘me’ reflected on the mirror’s surface offered a smile—
“Welcome, to your other reality.”
“Eh…—Whoa?!”
The next moment, my body was sucked into the mirror as if pulled by an irresistible force.
“Hey, wha—”
I instinctively shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was no longer in the white hall or inside the mirror.
“W-wow…”
I was in the sky—floating in the middle of a clear blue expanse where clouds drifted by.
A wind that felt impossibly real gently brushed against my cheek… and then I was falling.
“Wait, no—Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!”
I broke through the clouds, my body accelerating endlessly. Looking down, I saw a blue different from the sky’s—water.
“The ocea—glub glub glub?!”
I was slammed mercilessly onto the water’s surface. There was no pain, but the incredible impact sent me tumbling. I started to panic, but as I struggled, I realized that, strangely, I could breathe—
Just as I wondered why, I found myself no longer submerged in the sea, but standing in a meadow.
A warm breeze, reminiscent of spring, caressed me, and the sea of green rustled with a soft sound.
“—This world is your second home.”
A woman’s voice spoke from behind me. I turned, but there was no one there—instead, a dazzling sphere of light floated in the air.
“Okay, anything goes at this point…”
I realized I was smiling wryly at what a wild, chaotic, and forceful introduction this was.
“What did you wish for when you came here?”
The light pulsed in time with the voice.
“What did you seek when you came here?”
I suddenly felt a strange sensation and glanced down at my body.
Just moments ago, I should have been wearing the same clothes I had on in the real world… but now, I saw an unfamiliar—and decidedly generic—set of plain, simple starter gear.
“All that you wish and seek for is in the hands of your second self.”
With those words, the presence of the light began to fade.
I looked up to see the same large mirror from before. The reflection was… a young man who looked very much like me, yet was familiar.
His appearance was identical to my real-world self, save for the color of his eyes—it was none other than the avatar I was asked to prepare when I ordered [Arcadia].
—A fire ignited deep in my chest.
It’s time, right?
This is it, isn’t it?
The distinct ‘pull’ this great mirror is emitting, beckoning me closer—that’s what this is all about, right?
—Go on, it says. Take the first step.
“Hh…!”
Then let’s begin.
Right here, right now—my adventure into a new world!
◇◆◇◆◇
My vision went black the moment I dove into the mirror. As my temporarily lost senses returned, I felt my consciousness, which had been strangely fuzzy during the introduction, sharpen.
My sense of touch was back, but I couldn't seem to move.
I was enveloped in a chilly sensation from head to toe… Am I buried in something, or trapped?
Having gone into this blind, the only thing I knew about this game was the utterly useless premise that it was ‘some kind of fantasy world.’
However, my intuition, honed from a life dedicated to various forms of 2D media before I fell into the life of a part-time warrior halfway through my first year of high school, was telling me—this is one of those ‘sealed away’ scenarios, isn't it?
If that's the case, some kind of event should trigger before long… there it is.
A single point of light flickered into existence in my vision, which had been pure darkness, perhaps due to a lack of any light source, even though my eyes were slightly open.
Just as I thought, I seemed to be sealed in some sort of translucent material. Through what looked like frosted glass, I could see the pale blue light on the other side flickering and swaying as if trying to tell me something.
…I’m sorry to say, despite how desperate it looks, I still can't move a finger or even speak. Unfortunately, no matter what it’s trying to convey, I can’t even offer a word of comfort.
It seemed to realize this quickly. The light stopped its frantic swaying and began to gradually increase in brightness, as if mustering all its strength—
“—Hk…!”
With a sound that was high-pitched, deep, delicate, and magnificent all at once—an indescribably majestic tone—the thing that had imprisoned me shattered.
Thrown into the air, my body was still not under my control. I landed hard on what felt like a rocky surface—I was probably in a cave.
Barely managing to turn my neck, I looked up at the flickering light above me. It was blinking, on the verge of disappearing.
—Even though it had no face or eyes, I could feel it looking at me.
Perhaps it felt the same way. The light seemed to pulse once with satisfaction… then, as if its role was complete, it scattered and vanished fleetingly.
………………—Okay, I can move.
As the light faded, the event's hold on me must have disappeared as well, because a clear sensation returned to my limbs. Confirming that I finally had control over my body, I sprang to my feet, ready to begin—
“Heh…! Nice!”
With a light, bell-like chime, a series of user interfaces began to pop up in my vision.
Some I didn't understand the purpose of, others I could vaguely guess.
Various elements arranged themselves across my field of view… and finally, a double-stacked frame, presumably for HP and MP, settled in the top-left corner as green and blue gauges filled up.
Within the stylishly designed frame shone the letters of my name: ‘Haru’.
Suppressing my endlessly rising excitement, I began to check each interface. I struggled a bit with the rumored ‘thought operation,’ but managed to call up the system menu and proceeded to check—or rather, skim—every option.
I see, I see… so it’s a radar, not a minimap. No idea what it shows yet, but—ah, yeah, that’s gotta be the time display. 25:00? What the heck? Oh, right, I think I heard something about time flowing differently, so that’s that and this is this and that’s that—
“Got it!”
I pride myself on being fairly game-savvy, and I have a decent amount of experience with online games, specifically MMOs.
Even in VR, a game is a game. The same principles should apply.
Having quickly finished my checks and settings, I dismissed the translucent menu window floating in the air—or rather, I literally crumpled it up with both hands and threw it away… wait, what’s with that useless feature? The shock of it hit me a moment later.
I can call it back up, right…? I nervously opened the window again to make sure, then finished my brief system check.
—With that done, it was finally time to play.
I was in what seemed to be a dead-end chamber in a cave, with nothing particularly noteworthy around. It seemed I had been trapped in some kind of strange blue crystal, and its shattered remains were scattered all over the place.
I thought about picking up a few pieces as a souvenir… but when I did, the crystal fragments strangely melted away like ice.
Uncollectible item, got it. Then I have no more business here.
—It looks like a straightforward path, so let’s get moving!
The cave was still pitch-black, but things similar to the crystal that had imprisoned me jutted out from the rock walls here and there, emitting a faint glow.
The pale blue lights floating in the darkness were sufficient guideposts, as long as I didn’t think about how creepy it was.
“…Well, hey, I’m not usually scared of horror stuff or anything.”
So this feeling of my legs wanting to freeze up must be my imagination.
Muttering to myself, more than trying to convince myself—I took a step into the darkness-filled, single path.
I want to write a story freely. I would be honored if you would accompany me.
※Added 2024/11/9: This work is a dangerous substance containing a level of rom-com elements that rivals or even surpasses the battle action scenes, aiming to melt readers with a battle x romance double-plotline.
From the middle part onward, please be prepared to drown in a sea of sugar.
If you read this with a similar mindset to other works in the SF (VR Game) genre, you may suffer severe burns from the heat of incandescent sweetener, so please exercise extreme caution.