Stars of Gerhana

"Guys! I just fought the hardest boss yesterday!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"Are you talking about 'The Birch'? Did you find its weakness already?"

"I heard that the trick was to kill its branches first."

…

Bla bla bla…

Everyone in class is obsessed with the game. That's the only thing they'd talk about in class.

They'd preach about the most effective way to kill slimes in English class. They'd trade equipment with each other in economics class. All they'd ever do in math class is calculate the most optimal way to deal damage to ingame bosses. Why aren't the teachers even stopping them?

Monday through Friday, it's all they could think about. I'm surprised they could follow the actual lessons with that amount of obsession. If they're obsessed about it at school, I could only imagine how bad it is at home.

Honestly, I can't blame them. This game has gone over the whole internet, even the entire world.

Every street I visit has at least one or two gamers just walking around prideful of their ingame avatars. You can always tell when someone's a player of that game. They say that the game developers reward players with free T-shirts if they were able to do something notable ingame, at least that's what I heard. Players would wear them casually to show them off to other people.

My class had never felt so noisy before. Today is especially noisy. They're all talking about something along the lines of "a raid" and "a big event" that the developers have apparently announced.

This is all just hearsay, though. I have never played this game they're all so hyped about.

Don't get me wrong, I, Lucien Hallowell, am a proud gamer. I've been a gamer since birth; thus I am connected by blood to games. A PC runs all day and all night at home, always automatically grinding my stats whenever I'm offline. I have consoles of many kinds, including old ones you can't even buy anymore. I've played games of many genres, of many qualities. Even as a high school freshman, I already have an online job as a game reviewer. I'm just that good of a gamer.

The real question is, why haven't I played this game everyone's talking about?

Simple. This game is apparently in beta testing and is invite-only. The game requires special equipment that no ordinary person could buy for cheap.

It's called a Full Dive Virtual Reality headset (FDVR or VR for short). These headsets are bulky, and cost an insane amount of dollars for us ordinary gamers. Even most rich people have a hard time buying the product. They're rare and very expensive. The makers of these headsets only give equipment to companies for experimental use.

The game in question, however, has developers that are very generous.

"Stars of Gerhana" currently has millions of players spanning across continents. The developers give their chosen players a free FDVR headset along with an invitation to play the game. I heard everyone over the age of 15 has a chance to be chosen.

Somehow, everyone in class has been given the privilege of playing the game. Everyone was lucky enough that they've gotten to play the game for months by this point.

Out of the 20 people in class, only 2 people haven't been lucky enough to get one.

I am one of those people.

Sadly, since I skipped a grade and is the youngest in class, I haven't been qualified to be chosen for the longest time because of my age. Thus, I haven't had the chance to try out the game. Thus, I don't really understand everyone's obsession with the game. Thus, very sadge.

The other person who hasn't gotten their chance is the girl sitting right next to me. Coincidentally, she's also the class president. Phoebe Star, technically a year older than me, hasn't been lucky enough to get the game either. I don't quite know why she hasn't gotten her chance. If everyone already got the game, why hasn't she?

But she doesn't seem that bothered by it. Her extroverted nature lets her talk to whoever she wants about the game. Even though she hasn't played the game, she can understand basically everything really well.

Today, the commotion in class has left us silently sitting. Everyone's super hyped about "the event" for some reason.

Star has been sitting beside me silently for a couple of minutes now. It is surprising for someone like her. I thought the hype would just fuel her energy. She seems down today. It's like something is bothering her.

"Yo!" I called. "What's wrong?"

Star brought her head up off the table. Her crossed arms relaxed as she replied, "You know, it's a bit lonely when everyone's talking without you." She looks at everyone in front of her, loneliness in her eyes.

"Hmm… You usually talk to them right? Like, you'd usually just join in on whatever they're talking about."

"Yeah… but… it just feels different today, ya know? I just don't see myself hyping for something I can't see for myself."

Damn. I've never seen her this down before. She just doesn't seem like the person to be sad about this kind of stuff. I guess even the class president couldn't fend off the loneliness.

"Cheer up!" I said. "You'll get your turn soon enough," as I pat on her shoulder.

Her indifferent expression had turned into a miniscule grin. "Yeah, I know."

----

The 2 o'clock bell rang throughout the school halls, signifying the end of the day. School had finally ended. People packed their bags to prepare their departure from the prison we call "school". Everyone was rushing around, doing everything as quick as they could. I assume they're doing everything in 2x speed so that they can quickly get home to game. I could be wrong, though.

In my defense, everyone except me and Star had already left the room not 1 minute after the bell rang. Well, it is not rare these days for us to be the only ones left. Because of this, it had become a daily tradition for us to walk home together.

As I packed my bag, I started a little bit of small talk with Star. "Seems like it's hot outside. Did you bring the umbrella?"

Star turned to me in confusion. "I thought it's your turn to bring it."

"What? No, It's definitely your turn today—"

"Just kidding!" Star pulled out a compact tied-up umbrella. "Brought one!" She said with a big gigantic grin on her face.

I was not amused. With the sun at this hour, it would've been burning hot if we went without an umbrella. My face turned sour as I realized her making a fool out of me.

Star stood up energetically with the umbrella in her hand. "Let's go!"

We walked out of our class towards the gate together. As she unfolded her umbrella, I could finally shade from the intense sunlight of the sun. Her umbrella is deceptively large. I can stand next to her without being too close and still be in its shadow.

Throughout the walk, we exchanged a lot about homework and games. She's as much of a gamer as I am. Her computer has insane specs compared to current standards. Even so, she still has some time to work as a baker with her parents. She's a local celebrity in our town. Her mastery over cake decoration has gotten praise by everyone.

----

It wasn't long until we reached our home. Since she brought the umbrella, it would be weird if we went to her home first. We like to switch it up every day. If she brings the umbrella today, tomorrow I'll be the one bringing the umbrella. This way, I get to see her home, and she gets to see mine. Every other school day that is.

"Well, I guess I'll go then." Star said.

"Mhm. See you tomorrow then!"

Star waved goodbye as I unlocked my gate.

----

"Hmm?"

As I walked to my door, I saw a box lying on top of the welcome mat. It had no address written on it; it was just a plain cardboard box taped close. I couldn't figure out where this box came from.

I don't remember buying anything online. Since I live alone, it's definitely a package sent by a friend. But why would they send a box instead of just giving it to me in person? Maybe there was an address under the box.

As I raised the box off the mat, I noticed the weight of it. Whatever is inside is surprisingly heavy. Maybe that's why it was sent to my house. The sender was considerate enough that they expected that I wouldn't be able to carry it all the way home.

But as I looked at the bottom of the box, there was not a single line of text visible. There were no addresses, not the sender's address, not even my address. How would this package be delivered to my house if there was no address? Then maybe it wasn't sent by mail.

I suspect that some of my friends have something to do with this.

I was still too nervous to open the box. I keep thinking that it could've been sent to the wrong address. So, I carried it inside without opening it.

I quickly took out my phone and texted each and every single one of my friends. The mission was to catch the culprit as quickly as possible.

As minutes went by, one by one, they'd deny the package as theirs. Even after texting most of the 30 people I knew, none of them claimed the package.

"Who is the culprit!" I whispered to myself in frustration. It couldn't be from the people I don't know.

Unless…

It was a bomb!

No… That only happens in cartoons. Realistically, it could've been a misdelivery. Maybe it was one of my neighbors'.

----

The curiosity had stormed my mind. What is in the box? Why is it so heavy? Why was it sent to my house?

It was just too intriguing.

I couldn't help it any longer. Open the box, I shall!

I couldn't care less if it wasn't a package for me. It was sent to my house after all!

I took out a box cutter from my bag. It clicked as I slid the blade out of the compartment. With a quick jab, I stabbed the tape that was holding it together. Not long after, the box was successfully sliced open, allowing my eyes to see what's inside.

It looked like a helmet. On top of it, there was a single piece of paper. Taking a better look at it, it wasn't an ordinary piece of paper. It was a letter.

"

Dear Lucien Hallowell,

Congratulations on being invited to our Beta Testing Program. As you might have seen around the internet, our game 'Stars of Gerhana' is currently doing an invite-only Beta Testing Program for chosen players. We invite you to participate in our program.

As you may or may not have noticed, the package delivered to you is devoid of any home or company addresses. This is to protect your privacy, as well as to protect the confidentiality of our company.

Inside the cardboard box, we've given you the device needed to play the game. Please refer to online manuals for further setup requirements. We've also prepared the required cables needed for the setup. The game 'Stars of Gerhana' should have already been added to the game catalog on your forever running PC.

Please use the given VR headset to play the game. Your PC has a high enough specification to support the game.

Your participation will help us improve the gameplay experience and immersion of the game. Thank you for being a part of the Beta Testing program.

Regards,

The Gerhana Project Development Team

"

…

Now I know this was definitely sent to me.

An invitation to "Stars of Gerhana" and a VR headset?

This is it!

I was chosen! I was chosen for the game's beta! Who would've ever thought? I, the youngest in class, the smartest genius in class, can finally play the most hyped game of the decade! I can finally see for myself what the hype was about.

I jumped to my feet and ran around my house carrying the heavy box. I quickly and carefully put together the setup as described on the online manual. As I check my game catalog, I could see the new game on the very top of my page.

I can't believe I was worthy enough to play this game! Maybe I'll make a review? No. I'll make a video series reviewing every aspect of the game! Well… maybe not. I want to enjoy the game as much as possible. I don't want to ruin my experience by reviewing every aspect.

But wow! The possibilities are endless. There's so much hype for this game. Maybe I can finally join in on the others' conversation in class! Maybe I can optimize my own numbers in class! Maybe I can get my own T-shirt.

No! I'm getting too ahead of myself.

First and foremost, let's try starting the game. I shan't make any assumptions! I shall play this game and see for myself.

As my gamer thoughts toned down, I finished setting up the headset.

It was finally time.

I booted up the game and laid down on my bed.

Apparently, all I need to do now is close my eyes for 10 seconds.

Well… here goes nothing!