Stars of Gerhana

I am currently unhappy with the way I wrote the story for the currently released chapters ( 12-28-24).

I binged Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for 4 days straight. Seeing the difference in the first arcs of the story between the two series made me realize something about storytelling. I don't know what it is, but I decided that it would be best for me to rewrite my story, knowing what I want the story to be about. I now have the outlines to go off of, whereas at first I didn't have a clue as to what to write.

Effective as of today, I will rewrite chapter 1 to 12 to, if not to improve the writing, to improve the storytelling. It won't be perfect, but it will be more structured.

Therefore, I share the pre-rewritten chapters in this auxiliary page.

The rewritten chapters will be updated as soon as I am happy with the results.

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Chapter 1 : Birthday

7 years ago, the first S Tech device hit the market. It promised a fully immersive virtual environment to whoever wears it. They called it The Sleep X, A virtual reality headset that puts the user into a deep sleep and sends signals directly into the user's brain. As the reviews said, the device can "emulate the taste, sound, and even smell of the environment," hence the fully immersive part of the device. It became one of the biggest hits of the 21st century.

The technology spread like wildfire. Every tech company raced to make the next bestselling product of the century. New VR headsets seemed to be released every couple of months. People started incorporating the technology into daily life. Working from home had never been easier. These devices were so effective, a lot of office buildings became deserted. 

Of course, the gaming industry wanted in. The first Sleeper game was released 2 years later. The global community became addicted to the game in days. People started spending whole days asleep just to play the game. This caused the government to establish an age limit, in hopes of minimizing gaming addiction in children.

To think that as of today I became old enough to play these games is surreal. I woke up feeling so ecstatic about my birthday. I prepared for school swiftly, skipping the unnecessary chore of making the bed. I skipped jauntily through town towards my local school. No man, woman, cat, or dog can break my unwavering excitement today.

As I arrived at my class, a cake had already been placed on my table. It's a tradition in our class. Birthday boys and girls get a free cake on their birthdays. A gift given by none other than our dear class president. She sat on my desk, holding a gas torch ready to pull the trigger at any time. 

"Don't you think it's a little inappropriate for the literal class president to sit on a desk?" I said, walking to my seat. She pulled on the trigger, unleashing a blue dart of fire. "Don't worry, no one's here to watch," she replied.

Sure enough, we were the only ones in class. Apparently, reaching school 40 minutes early isn't a requirement to pass the class. Still, I thought bringing fire into a classroom was a bit overkill. "And you're sure that's safe?" I pointed at the torch.

"Totally!"

She pulled out 2 candles from her pocket. Without hesitation, she torched the barely visible wicks on the two candles. I scrunched like a piece of paper watching it unfold. Seeing fire so close to her skin shook my nerves. Finally, both candles were lit. She thankfully immediately twisted the blowtorch off and stabbed both candles onto the cake. She held the cake out to my face with a happy smile. "Happy birthday, Lucy!"

I was caught completely off guard by her congratulations. Hearing the name "Lucy" ticked me. "Can you please use the full name?!" I yelled. "My name is Lucien! Use Lucien, please!"

She chuckled. With a grin on her face, she said, "Oh come on. What's wrong with 'Lucy'? I think it's kinda cute."

"It makes me sound like a softie. You literally said the name is 'cute'. I'm not soft! I'm hard as rocks! I listen to rock music! You could literally use 'Lucien' or 'Hallowell' or anything else, and I'd be fine with it."

"Pfft! Of course, Lucien Hallowell. That really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?"

Somehow my face had already flushed red from the embarrassment. My name is an unfortunate mishap; I'll give her that. But even then, I thought "Hallowell" had a better ring to it than "Lucy". Although, I think her teasing has grown on me.

She always calls me "Lucy". Even my classmates joined in one day, and eventually, everyone knew me as "Lucy". I hated it at first but gradually got used to it. I hate to admit it, but seeing her smug grin every time she teases me is fulfilling. 

Impatient, she stands up and steps forward. I retreated in defense, for fear of catching my clothes on fire. "Come on, make a wish!" she said. She kept moving towards me, bringing the fire closer and closer. If I hadn't started blowing out the candles, the school might go aflame. 

I closed my eyes as I pretended to wish while still stepping backward. In an instant, I blew out both candles in quick succession. "Congrats! You are now as old as everyone in class!" She congratulated me. 

I am currently the youngest one in class. One time in grade school I skipped a class because of my superior intellect. At the time, I had such an ego for it that I never really made any friends with the new class. People avoided me, and almost everyone gossiped about me. It wasn't really their fault; I was the definition of narcissistic back then. I'd say I've improved over the years.

But even now, people still wouldn't talk to me in class. If they did, it would probably go along the lines of "Hey Lucy, what's the answer to number 4?" or "Lucy, do my homework for me; I'll give you 5 dollars in exchange." I've come to accept that fact. It was my own doing, and I should just eat it up. 

Well, there's one anomaly in class. Our class president, Phoebe Star. She's the only friend I have who isn't from the grade below me and, in consequence, the only friend I have in class. If you look the word "kind" up in the dictionary, a picture of her would appear. 

"You know, maybe next time try to not burn the class down while saying that," I told her.

"Yeah? Well, who's the one idly standing by and not blowing the candles?"

"Yeah, sure..."

She placed the cake down on my table. I went over to inspect the cake.

"Whadayathink?" she asked, smirking as she sat down on my seat. I took the suspiciously placed metal knife on my desk and cut the cake.

The cake was a chocolate cake, covered in pure white fondant. It was made like a 3-layered stack. The bottom layer had chocolate chips embedded in it. The middle layer was made of melted chocolate, not unlike a lava cake. The top layer had the darkest color of chocolate compared to the other layers. I'd bet she put in extra dark chocolate when making this layer. From a top-down view, patterns can be seen. A crisscross of dark stripes covers the top of the cake. Written in the middle, "Happy 16th birthday, Lucy", with white icing. Although I disapprove of the name, I still appreciate her efforts.

"You know, Star," I said to her.

"Yeah?"

"The cake is actually pretty good."

"I know, right? What do you expect? I'm the best baker and cake decorator in town! It had to be perfect for my classmate. I mean of course the process is quite simple really. First, I had to make the first layer which was made with chocolate chips which I incorporated into the—" yadda yadda explaining her work on the cake in a wildly nerdy fashion.

"Look, it's great and all," I cut her off, "but I don't really like cake."

She immediately zipped her mouth. She closed her eyes and took a thinking position. "Hmm..." she uttered. I am sure I've already mentioned it to her before. Almost every time we celebrate someone's birthday in class, I always mention in passing that "I do not like cakes" to her. She shouldn't be this surprised. She was thinking for so long that I started to feel kind of bad for her. I considered apologizing to her.

"Star?" I said. She's still thinking. Again, "Star?". Still no answer. 

"You know, Star, I—"

"Pfft!" She started giggling to herself. Her act completely caught me off guard.

Startled, I asked, "Hey! What's so funny?"

She giggled so hard she could barely utter a complete sentence. "You," still giggling, "you thought I forgot!" She paused, keeping herself together with a sigh. "Of course I knew that, silly. I was just messing with you. You can go ahead and throw away that cake if you want."

"Whaaa..."

"I already had an alternate gift in mind, Lucy. It'll be sent to your house this afternoon." She said.

Utterly confused by her actions, I asked her to elaborate.

"That cake, I made it for fun. I've actually prepared the actual 'cake' that you'd actually like. It'll be, as I said, at your house later today. Maybe tell me whenever you get home and find it," she finally answered.

"O..kay?"

She seemed like she was enjoying herself there. That was truly a very confusing moment for me. I really thought she'd be sad about me being disappointed. I never thought she'd be giggling herself to death. I looked at the clock to sweep the confusion away from my mind. Still 30 minutes before class starts. Still no one else in the classroom.

She said that she had a gift for me back then. I wonder what her gift is. She could've just given it to me at school. If it was something normal, she'd give me the gift at school. But since it isn't, I'd think it's something embarrassing. Like some weird romantic gift. Well, I doubt that. But even if it were true, we'd have at least 20 minutes to ourselves at this time before class. She'd have given me the item anyway.

So yeah... what is she giving me?

I'd continue thinking about it, but I realized that I had another problem on my hands. Or rather, on the table. "Star, what am I supposed to do with this cake? I'm damn sure I'm not gonna eat it."

"I told you, go throw it away."

"Wha— I can't throw this masterpiece away!"

"Look, I'm flattered, but that's all yours. Do whatever you want. If you're not gonna eat it, who will?"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. A master baker telling me to throw away their creation. And it's food! That's such a waste!

"Well... then I'll..." I thought about it for a moment. "If I'm not gonna eat it... then."

I took a piece of fresh and clean paper. I placed the wedge of cake I cut earlier on the paper. I held out the cake on paper to her. "Here, everyone's gonna have a bite."

"Oh." She seemed surprised. She looked reluctant to take my cake on paper. Probably because the paper wasn't actually hygienic. But she took it anyway. "Thanks."

While she was eating that slice of cake, I took the time to cut equal pieces. I couldn't be bothered to get paper plates, so I just took whatever looked like the cleanest piece of paper I could find. All 20 slices are ready to be eaten. I placed all of them on the front desk, open for anyone hungry. Finally, I wrote on the whiteboard, "Take one slice," to encourage fairness.

There was a little bit of leftover chocolate and fondant stuck on the plate. I took just a little bit with my finger and tasted it. As I thought, the master baker is very skilled. The sweetness is immaculate. A perfect balance of bitter and sweet flavors in just that one lick. I still don't regret not eating the cake, though.

I took my seat and waited for the rest of the class to come. The first few classmates were a bit disgusted by my serving technique, but it seemed like they took it anyway. It's free food, so why not? Little by little, the servings decreased as people ate the remaining slices.

By the end, there was nothing left but dirty pieces of paper on the front desk. No one bothered to throw away the trash, so I decided to do it to kill some time. It seemed like everyone was quite happy about the free food. I think that was a solid way to start the day.

The school day was as usual as ever. Of course, no one in class remembers my birthday, even though they're the ones eating my birthday cake. I don't care about it; as long as I'm not the one eating cakes, that's fine by me. Besides, the best girl in class gave me a birthday present. I can't wait to see what it is.

7 excruciating hours later, school finally finished. I rushed home to see what my present is. Excitement rushed through me, anticipating the weird gift the class pres had given me.

When I arrived home, there was a box lying on the Welcome Home mat. It was not a large box, around the size of 4 shoeboxes. It's a good thing this box wasn't stolen. Living alone means having to keep every delivered item safe. Ideally, I'd get it in my home as soon as possible. But today's "as soon as possible" is right now. So, I immediately got it in.

It wasn't a heavy box. When I shook it, there was almost no sound. Whatever's inside must've been securely packed. All the more reason to be curious about the contents. No longer able to contain my excitement, I took a knife and cut the box open. 

As I did, it felt like a blinding light flashed on me. I could hear the angels singing, accompanying the dramatic opening of the box. There was a lot of tension in my mind.

Then, I took a look into the box.

"What the—" 

Chapter 2: Gift

『Hallowell: You bought me a Model 5 ?!』

『Boshi: Yes』

I was astounded by her reply. I had already removed the item from the box, which is now on the floor right before me. It had a tag attached reading "Model 5." I looked the name up online to confirm my suspicions. 

Looking at the item, I can see it's shaped like a helmet. It has a white exterior made of plastic, with a dark-colored interior. A visor-looking part is visible from the outside. It's tinged with a subtle off-sky coloring. Blue lines outline the crevasses of the device. If I had to guess, this must be a new Sleeper Tech product.

After a quick load, the information page confirms my suspicions. Star bought me a brand-new VR helmet as a gift. She must be insane. There's no way this is legit.

My phone started vibrating with new messages from Star.

『Boshi: I heard it's used alot by gamers』

『Boshi: Its released a year ago』

『Boshi: Same model as mine, just brand new』

I checked the item details on the website. The price tag was jaw-dropping. 

『Hallowell: YOU BOUGHT ME A $4000 HELMET??』

『Boshi: Mhm』

『Hallowell: Youre giving this to me???』

『Boshi: Yes』

The specs on this item are impeccable. 800 gigabytes of storage. 16-core CPU, each with a 6 GHz processing speed. The description says, "The Model 5 can emulate reality more realistically than 99% of the current market." Compared to the current VR standards for the general public, this console beats it by an order of magnitude.

Why is she giving me this? I had already prepared spare money to buy a decent VR headset. I even told her once a few months ago. I mentioned how I'd buy the current standard level of headset. Why would she waste her money on giving me this gift?

『Hallowell: Are you sure this is for me? I told you I was gonna buy my own』

『Boshi: Just take it.』

『Boshi: You don't wanna throw this one away do you』

『Hallowell: Well...no.』

『Boshi: Also didn't I say to call when you get home』

『Hallowell: No』

『Boshi: Well imma call now so』

My phone rang as soon as she sent that message. Of course, I picked it up. I thought I'd complain and thank her for the gift. But, she had beaten me to the chase and had other ideas.

"Come on!" Star said immediately, "Why are you so slow? Go plug it into your PC! I can't wait forever, dude!"

"What? Huh? What do you mean?"

"I bought us the new MMORPG game. Don't you wanna play?"

"Huh?"

"Go check your catalog!"

What now? She "bought" us a new MMORPG game? I thought the gift was just the VR headset. Curious, I went over to my always-turned-on PC and checked my game catalog. 

Mysteriously, a new game had popped up. Well, it's not so mysterious now since the culprit just revealed herself. But really, she bought me a game on top of the already expensive headset. Maybe it's not that expensive compared to the headset so she probably thought might as well.

I clicked on the game's info page while still on the call with Star. I can hear her making so much noise on the other end. I think she might really be impatient.

I was brought into a fantasy-themed website with a dark blue background. First impressions: the game art is sick as hell. The silhouette of an adventurer in front of a bright, shining, crescent moon. I read the title, "Stars of Gerhana". Sounds like a typical MMORPG game name. Just add an "Online" to the name and it'll be iconic.

Reading the description,

"Explore a fantasy world where the skies empower you. Play your role as a knight, a mage, an assassin, or anything else. Everyone has a place in this world. Will you play as a warrior? a villain? a hero? a nobody? maybe even a fisherman. You will find your destiny in this world.

Have fun with the Branch System. Explore the infinite possibilities of your talents and skills. With this innovative system, you will certainly have different powers from everyone else. Go explore your unlimited potential!

Settle for a home. You can always have a home in this world. Be it in the trees, underground, or maybe in the skies? Who knows where you can live. You might even find a new dimension.

Break everything (and create everything). This world is a sandbox. You can always build and break; no one's gonna stop you. Deforest landscapes, make new oceans, destroy the kingdom—everything can happen. 

Have fun. Make friends, socialize, and marry your love. Experience things you can only imagine in real life. Embrace this world as your second life. Make it your best life.

Let's build this world together!"

Everything points to this being like every other MMORPG game in existence. Other than the sandbox part of it, I think it's going to be a very saturated game. I mean they're good with buzzwords, I'll give them that. I mean come on, "Branch System" is so obviously a buzzword. It's almost laughable.

Anyway, I think I better start setting up my game or else this girl on the other line is gonna kill me. "ComeOnComeOnComeOnComeOnComeOnComeOn," is the only word I can hear between all the growling. I think she's going a tad bit feral.

"Okay, Star. Hold on for like, 5 minutes while I figure these wires out."

"YES!!" she seems a bit too excited. "OKAY!" she continued, "I'm gonna hang up the call now. I'll be waiting in-game. You'll know me when you see me OKAY!?"

"Sure," I answered.

The phone went silent. Seconds later, the iconic high-pitched noise of a closed call is the only sound left. Suddenly, I had a minor realization. "Oh wait, you didn't actually give me your IGN," I whispered to myself. It was too late, she had already hung up and had probably gone into the game world. "Well, I guess we'll see what happens next."

I took a few minutes to understand the manual that came with the headset. Coils of wire surround me as I try to pick out the right one for each socket. It took me a considerable amount of time to finally get the wires right. Then it took me even more time to actually make the wires look neat and tidy. All in all, It took 30 minutes to set up. Quite a 500% margin of error in my estimation. Star must be quite fuming.

It's finally time for me to get myself into the game world. I booted up the game on the PC. And according to popular media, it seems like all I need to do is lay down and wear the headset. I'd then be placed into a deep sleep where it can simulate an almost-realistic world for me. I imagine it looks quite dystopian as an outsider. But, it's just the generally accepted way to use the headset now.

"Well, I guess I'm finally doing it now."

laid down on the bed, looking straight up at the ceiling. I pulled the headset over to my head and wore it. I had thought the inside wouldn't be this comfortable. I had the impression that headsets of this caliber must be hard on the inside. But to my surprise, the interior has a soft, cushioning layer that prevents discomfort. Must've cost 2% of that $4000 just for the design.

I readied myself for my first VR experience. I pressed the "On" button on the helmet. 

『Welcome to The Model 5』

A sound coming off the system rang in my ear. 

"Here we go." 

Chapter 3: Beginning

『Stars of Gerhana』

It was the weirdest feeling I've ever felt. I was asleep yet I felt so conscious at the same time. The sounds that surrounded me—the birds outside my window, the fan keeping the air bearable, even the sound of my PC—all faded away instantly. I felt my body start floating away in space. It all felt so serene.

『Welcome to the land of Cosmeia』

"Woah!..." that sound startled me. 

『Open your eyes, Player』

I opened my eyes for the first time. I found myself being engulfed in some sort of yellow smoke. There was nothing but a yellow background in the distance, along with a couple of decorative clouds. I tried to move my hands around, but it seemed like it was nonexistent. I couldn't feel my body at all, as if it had no shape. I was just an eye left floating in a yellow realm. 

『Speak your name, Player』

As soon as it said that, I could feel my mouth appear from nothing. Immediately, I started speaking to test my mouth, "Aa...Uhh...Uhmm..." Seems like my mouth works. "A name?" I asked the voice in my head.

『Speak your name, Player』

It had repeated itself. This time, as it finished, a textbox popped up, prompting me to, "Pick a name for your in-game character. Please pick a pronounceable name. Your name will be checked by moderation."

Well, I better pick a name then. Thinking about it for a while, I really have no other choice. Everywhere I go, I refer to myself as Hallowell. I think it's such a good name. It sounds fictional enough that people never expect it to be my actual name. And it's unique enough that in most games, I get to have that name as my IGN. And most people who know me can recognize me by Hallowell.

"I guess... my name will be Hallowell," I said out loud.

『Hallowell, is that your name?』

"Ah, look at that. You even pronounced it right. Yes, yes that is my name."

As soon as I said that, the rest of my body started appearing. I can finally move and swim around this place. It really felt like I was swimming in a giant pool. I felt no weight on me, it felt so surreal.

Before I could do anything further, the game had more things to say.

『Would you like to know more about Cosmeia』

"Yes."

A text box popped up. It describes a lot about the typical MMORPG rules. A lot of "You can level up by..." and "Your goal in this game is..." things I've seen in every MMORPG I've ever played. Ominously enough, there's a very bolded red section titled "PVP SYSTEM". Which I skimmed as fast as I could. 

I see no use for further reading. I'm sure I can get the hang of it eventually. I tapped on the "Continue" button at the bottom of the text box.

『You can always access guides while playing』

『You are now ready for your new life in Cosmeia, Hallowell』

『Have fun』

Immediately, I felt a weight on my body. My body started to fall through the nonexistent air. 

"Woah!!" I couldn't control it. I was falling back first from what felt like the height of a mountain. I couldn't turn my back. It was just too frightening.

I pierced through clouds and more clouds, unable to see where I was falling. "Aaaaaahh!!!" I screamed my lungs out in fear.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I splashed down onto a body of water. I felt so far yet it didn't hurt when I landed. I was too shocked by the landing, I didn't even notice that I was sinking deep into the water. 

I gathered the courage to keep myself together. "Courage gathered!" I thought. The problem now becomes how do I even swim out. I've never swum before, and I've always hated the idea of swimming. It's just too wet of a sport to get into. Thus, I hadn't had the faintest idea of how to swim. I decided that paddling upwards towards the surface was a good idea. Surprisingly, just paddling worked. I didn't even have to move my feet at all. This must be the VR logic working its wonders.

I successfully pierced through the water's surface. I can finally breathe the fresh virtual air around me... which... smells like fish... and bread. Quite an unusual cacophony of smells, to say the least. I expected more of a... fresh air kinda vibe.

There was a lot of noise around me. A lot of people are speaking to each other. I could kinda hear the words "level" and "mobs" from their mouths, leading me to believe that most of these people are actually players.

Wow... I could see at least 100 people around me. This place feels so alive. It's exciting to know that there are quite a number of players playing this game.

I'm currently swimming in a very wide fountain. It must be around the size of 50 public pools. It's gigantic. Periodically, people falling from the sky splash into the fountain. Maybe it's best for me to get out of the water. I paddled away from the center with my hands.

I stepped my feet on rocky ground. For the first time, I finally stood straight up as a VR avatar. I tried standing on the edge of the fountain to see my reflection.

"Wow." It was the first time I've seen such realistic reflections in a game. My avatar looks pretty much like the real me. I'm apparently wearing some sort of brown t-shirt and ragged pants. My hair looks messy as well. Probably because of the fall.

Around me are mostly people with armor and cool-looking clothing. They come in all sorts of different colors. Some even have floating ornaments and wings. They look so cool.

But from my point of view, I couldn't even see the opposite edge of the fountain. I needed a better vantage point to actually take in the view.

I noticed the center of the fountain has a very tall statue. I think it actually reaches the sky. I bet the view up there is gonna be spectacular. Curiosity got the better of me. I have to see what the sight is like from up there.

I went back into the water and paddled my way to the center. There's a platform there that holds the tall statue. It's quite far from the edge though. Luckily, I can actually swim in this world so it wasn't much of a problem. Although looking down, this fountain is really really deep. I'd hate to be someone with thalassophobia right now.

The fountain is magnificent. Though it is gigantic, almost like a sea, smaller fountains decorate the empty space. That's the only reason I recognize the fountain as a fountain. without these fountains, it actually looks more like a sea. Even as a fountain, It brims with marine life, fishes the mind can only imagine. Of course, frequently players do fall from the sky.

Swimming—Well... paddling to the center is surprisingly fun. Just looking at the scenery is so nice. It made the 10 minutes of swimming quite fun.

『Ding!』

What was that? It suddenly rang in my ear for a split second.

A text box popped up in my sight saying 『Swimming』

"Hm." I've also noticed that my swimming speed has become faster. I became more agile in the water. Seems like I've acquired a new skill.

The text box eventually disappeared following a little animation.

After a few minutes of swimming, I finally reached the center platform. Looking straight up, I could see how high the statue actually was. "That's definitely gonna take a while."

I started climbing the statue. Little by little, step by step, I ascended. I've decided not to spoil my view while climbing. I focused on climbing up the statue.

 Another『Ding!』rang in my ear. This time, accompanied by the text box 『Climbing』. Sure enough, I was able to periodically fling myself up the steps. This made my climb a bit more bearable.

I climbed...

and climbed....

and climbed....

until finally I've reached the peak.

"Holy—" The view from up here is incredible! I could see the whole kingdom where this fountain lives. "It's so beautiful," I couldn't help but utter.

Looking down, the fountain was a perfect circular shape. A lot of people surrounded the fountain, looking like ants patrolling around. The kingdom itself was marvelous. Streets branched like the roots of a living tree. Most of the buildings I could see from up here look medieval. Its splendor can be described with no words. The castle, sitting in the middle of all the buildings, can only be marveled for its size. Sure, it's not as tall as this statue, but it is still very tall for a castle. 

Beyond this kingdom, everything's covered with fog. I can somewhat make out the shape of mountains and forests in the fog, but it's almost invisible inside the fog. It's so cool to be able to see everything from up here.

I think I've had enough of the view for now. I've almost completely forgotten that what I'm playing is an MMORPG. There's still more to discover about this world than just the scenery.

"Oh.." I've completely forgotten something really important. I've enjoyed myself so much that I've forgotten that... Star is waiting for me.

"Crap!" It's been at least an hour since I said I'd join her. Well even if I go back down, where can I even find her? Among all these people, where could she even be? 

Maybe there's a way to find people in this world. "Maybe the guide has the answer to that one."

As I thought that, suddenly a text box of the full guide appeared in front of me. "Well, this is useful." 

Luckily, there's a search box for me to use. So I tried searching for "chat".... Nothing.

Well, maybe I could try "friends"... Nothing.

Maybe "social"?... Nothing.

I couldn't find anything. "How can I even find her if I can't communicate with her??"

『Try calling her name out』

"What the—Who was that?" I was startled by the voice that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It sounded like a girl, speaking directly into my mind. I thought I was alone up here, but I was definitely very mistaken.

『Celeste, your AI guide』

"Huh... neat." 

A guide huh? Well... I won't be needing you most of the time. But for the rare cases I do, you might just be there in clutch.

『You won't be able to chat with anyone unless you've met them in person』

"That... That's a stupid system."

『There's no way around it』

"Ugh... She can't possibly hear me from up here."

『In this world, anything is possible』

"Right..."

Honestly, her idea isn't really as far-fetched as I thought. Logically speaking, that might be the only way to do it.

Yet, I thought about it for a second. There's no way she could hear me from up here. But I can see almost everyone around the fountain from up here. If I give this vantage point up, it'll be harder to spot her.

If I could scream just loud enough, she might be able to hear it. But it's so high up, I couldn't possibly scream that loud. But maybe this game might have weird logic. But if it doesn't work, it'll be useless screeching.

"Arrgghhh!!" I scratched my head around the problem for a couple of minutes. Finally, concluding that this might be the only way, the most logical method would be to cry her name out hoping she'd hear me.

So I gathered as much air in my lungs as possible. Finally, I shouted, "Star!!!"

"Calling for Star!!!"

They probably didn't hear me. It's definitely worth doing it more than once.

"Star!! Calling for Star!!!" Well, I guess there'd be more than one person named Star in this game. I don't even know her IGN. Considering I wouldn't wanna use her real name, I guess I'll...

"This is Hallowell!!! Calling for Star!!" Subtly louder than the last time I cried her name out.

"This is Hallowell!!! Calling for Star!! If you can hear me... I guess... go to the... go to the top of that bank building and wave!!" I couldn't come up with a better idea.

"This is Hallowell!!! Calling for Star!! If you can hear me, go to the top of that bank building and wave!!!"

I must've cried out so many times. I'm not actually shouting in real life, so this isn't gonna hurt my throat or anything. So I kept going just for that possible chance she could hear me.

『Ding!』

『Lion's Roar』

Finally, after so many times repeating myself, I got a skill that might help. With one final large breath, I took advantage of my skill.

"THIS. IS. HALLOWELL!!! CALLING FOR STAR! CALLING FOR STAR! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, GO TO THE TOP OF THAT BANK BUILDING AND WAVE!!!"

This time, I could feel myself being pushed back by my own voice. It was so loud, I could even see the water ripple from up here. I think... it is safe to say... she could've heard that one. Well everyone probably could've heard that one.

Looking on top of the referred bank building, I can see just a single tiny dot zipping around. If I had to guess who that is, it'd be some random weirdo named "Star" who's not the star I am calling, or it's some random weirdo named "Star" that I actually want.

I'd bet my life on it; that's Star. Zipping around in a very Star way, definitely Star. She would definitely do that, especially since I've completely missed our arranged time by an hour and a half.

"Now... how to get down from here..."

Well, I guess there's only one way down. 

"Geronimo!!!"

...

...

After a splash and a set of paddling exercises, I've finally reached the edge of the fountain once more. All I have to do now is go to the bank building and find her. Hopefully.

Good thing the bank is conveniently right in front of me.

I went over to the side of the building and grabbed the walls. With a tiny burst of energy, I flung myself 3 stories up towards the roof. I reached the top quickly this way.

Finally, I can see who this zip-zapping person is. 

...

"WHERE. WERE. YOU. LUCY?!?!!"

Chapter 4: Rooftop

"I've been waiting for 2 hours, Lucy!" she said as she flapped her hands. Her face looked as annoyed as a cat waiting for food. In all fairness, I did say I'd join her in "5 minutes".

I pretended to look at my wrist as if I was wearing a watch. "Well, an hour and 32 minutes to be exact," I taunted her.

"How do you even know the time!?!? I've been standing here for who knows how long! And you've only called me just now!"

"Check your vision. It tells the local time in the UI."

"What?"

I think Star hadn't realized that there was text in her vision. In the corner of our eyes, we can see the current timestamp and a few other logos. It is quite faded, almost transparent if you weren't looking close enough. "Star, check the bottom corner of your vision."

She started moving her iris to the corner of her eyes. She seemed like she was struggling. "Where?" she asked as she kept trying. I started chuckling, thinking it was funny.

"You don't need to look at it. It's like in your... peripheral vision? I think that's the right word," I told her.

Struggle as she might, she still failed to see the text I spoke of. I thought of other ways to help her find it. "Star," I said. I turned her around to face the large fountain. "Look at that statue in the middle of the fountain. Don't take your eyes off it." I thought it was a good idea to point at the approximate location of her text, using the statue as a reference.

"Hmm? O...Kay??"

"Are you looking at it?"

"Yes..."

I stood behind her. Holding her shoulder with one hand, I looked at the statue. Approximating the position with my finger, I covered the spot in her eye where the text might be. Assuming her interface is the same as mine, the relative position should be the same. "Keep looking at the statue, but try to focus on my finger."

"Uhmm.."

"It should be right around my finger. Try to focus, and you'll be able to see the timestamp and other logos."

Seconds passed as she tried to focus. After a minute or so, she finally responded. "Oh! I see it!"

I let go of her. "Okay, good job. You can look away now," I said as I stood back.

She turned around and faced me while seemingly still looking at the things in her eyes. "Whoa... this is so cool," she said.

"Mhm..." Seems like she got over me being late. 

"Wait!" she paused. "You're still late by an hour and a half!!"

...

Never mind.

"Also, what's with those clothes?" she said.

She was probably talking about my dull starting attire. Based on what I saw in my reflection, these clothes really don't suit me. I don't think they even provide any form of defense. I really do need to change these as soon as possible.

I hadn't paid any attention to her clothes. I'd assume she was wearing the same dull and dingy clothes as mine, but... looking at her... she looks much better than me. She was wearing a faded purple-colored shirt and a fashionable pair of brown pants. Well... more fashionable than mine at least. Hers also looked a lot more intact than mine.

"What's with yours? I thought starters got worn-down clothes like mine," I replied.

"Oh... this? Some guy gave me these clothes while I was waiting for you. The clothes I had before were pretty much like yours, though. Of course, I threw it away."

"Well, lucky you," I patted down my clothes with a reversed sense of pride.

"What? You don't like it?" She said as she held her clothes. She smirked with the fullness of egos. Rubbing it into a commoner such as me.

"Well... at least you look cute," I said as I pointed at her clothes, "And I'd rather you be looking cute than ragged, so..."

"Oh. Um... Thanks." She said as if in a nervous way.

"So... How loud was my shouting?" I asked. 

I was a bit curious about the very blatant shouting I did. Well, I shouted for around 30 minutes just hoping she'd hear me. If she had heard me the first time, then it would have been very embarrassing. Obviously, that's not possible because I was that high up, but I was still curious. "How long did it take you to hear my call?" following up the first question.

"You didn't need to shout for that long you know... I heard you already," she answered.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I was literally waiting for you for like 30 minutes. I couldn't tell where the hell that voice came from."

"Wait what?"

She then proceeded to explain how quickly she was able to hear my voice. Apparently, she had acquired a new skill called "Golden Ears" which allowed her to focus on sounds she wanted to hear. "And in effect," she said, "I perceive your voice as much louder than everyone else's... So that shout you did..."

"Oh... Whoopsie I guess. Well, I couldn't tell whether or not you were already on the roof. Couldn't blame me," I said. I giggled thinking how deaf she must've become after my great "roar".

"Uurghh... You know everyone could hear you, right? I mean, the fountain literally did a mini tsunami when you shouted."

"Welp..." I shrugged it off. 

A few more rounds of complaining passed by before she finally stopped. It felt like an eternity getting barraged by her comments. Star is being Star as always.

"Also, Lucy. Call me by my game name," she said.

She has a point. Well, Star already sounds like a game name, but I guess it's better safe than sorry. "What's your name then?"

"Guess."

"Boshi."

"Obviously."

"Weeb."

We proceeded to climb down the building. She showed me the way down this 3-story building the safe way. I would've jumped down myself, but she said that fall damage is unusually high in this game. I wouldn't want to die of a stupid cause.

The path down was almost like a mini field trip to the bank. The third floor was filled with NPC tellers. Then the second filled with ATM-type machines. Then finally, the first floor was filled with a lot of people.

Star—Boshi said that the bank building was divided into 3 parts.

The 1st floor functions as the stock market of the bank. She said that the guilds and some companies in the game can apply for stocks in this world. The first floor allowed these companies to apply for stocks and stuff like that. I don't personally understand how it works, but I guess I'll figure it out some day.

The 2nd floor functions as the typical bank you'd see in real life. The currency they use in this world is Gold. The ATMs on this floor allowed players to store, send, receive, and withdraw Gold from a virtual account.

The 3rd floor functions as a lot of things. The NPCs on this floor allow players to, among other things, reserve land, apply for loans, and even make contracts.

We reached the bottom after a fine walk through the bank. Since it was crowded, we decided to walk away from the fountain.

I remember that I saw a market area somewhere behind the bank. While on the peak of the statue, I could see almost no one in the market. Well, either that or... The render distance was limited. But for the time being, we could check it out while figuring out what to do.

"Let's go to the market, Boshi."

Chapter 5 : Path

We decided to walk to the market.

From the bank, we took a north, which should lead us straight to the place. The path to the market isn't too long. Well, at least that's what I assumed. Even though it was a straight path, I could barely see the market in the distance.

"Well... that's surprisingly far..." I said.

"Your idea by the way." She monotonously replied.

"If you wanna go somewhere else, then that's fine by me."

"No... it's fine."

We slowly but surely followed the path to the market.

Walking didn't really eat away at our energy. Since this was a game, fatigue was probably unnecessary for us players.

However that doesn't really eliminate the chances of boredom.

"Lucy..." Boshi said, "What were you doing before going to the rooftop?"

Seems like she was the first to succumb.

"Well... it all started a very, very long time ago," I jokingly said.

"Just give me the short version." She punched me lightly on the shoulder.

I proceeded to explain the wiring situation to her, which took half an hour. Then about the fountain. Then finally I mentioned the screaming-her-name-out ordeal. I do wonder why I took a whole half an hour for that one.

"Wooow, interesting..." she monotonously said.

...

Is that it? just "interesting"? Geez, you were the one who asked for the story! I thought it was actually cool for a first-time experience.

---

Walking wasn't really much of a problem before, but this much made me notice how sharp and uncomfortable the ground is. More of this walking will definitely bruise my virtual feet. Did the developers of this game decide that realistically uncomfortable grounds are necessary for a fully immersive experience? And how is Star keeping cool with that?

Her expression was very neutral. Nothing on her face indicated that she was in discomfort or anything. That's impossible! Someone like her would've been complaining by this point!

Then I looked at her feet. "Ah..." She has shoes on. That's the thing keeping her comfortable.

"What?" she asked.

I immediately looked away, hoping she wouldn't notice I was staring at her feet for a prolonged amount of time. But lucky her... getting free clothes and free footwear from some stranger on the street. I guess I should've been born a girl.

5 minutes went by; it seemed like the market was getting closer. Maybe it was just the boredom making me assume things, but I thought we would've been there by now. However, the market still looked like it was way over the horizon. Looking back at the sight from the statue, the market didn't seem this far. I estimated the walk to take around 5 minutes.

This is weird. Maybe I should ask the people around for help.

But when I looked around, it seemed like we were the only ones on the street. And all the stalls decorating the street were empty. There was nothing being said, nothing being done, by anyone else. We were the only ones walking on the street. Even the only sounds we could hear were the crowds way behind us.

"Hey, don't you think this path is a bit too long?" Boshi was seemingly worried.

"Yeah, no. I don't think we're supposed to be here."

"We should go back and take a different path," she suggested.

I nodded in agreement.

When we turned around, however, the sounds we heard went silent. The crowd that should've been in the distance was now replaced by the same market that we turned our back on. The sounds of the crowd suddenly appeared behind us once more.

"Hey... I thought the market was behind us," she said.

She turned again the other way. The fountain crowd went silent. This time, the sound didn't reappear. The crowd had suddenly disappeared into nothing. All we can hear is complete silence. We were squished in complete silence.

"Th-That's the market over there! Why is it behind us and in front of us at the same time?!" She became frightened.

What the...?

The path in front of us should've led to the fountain. But the fountain switched places with the market... somehow? But no, that shouldn't be possible. But... even then... the fountain should be behind us... which it isn't... 

I thought about it for a second.

...

...

Then, I had a sudden realization. "This must be a trick!" I gasped in excitement.

"A trick?"

"Yes! Someone must've rigged the path!"

I looked around to observe what I could see. It seems like the street had no branches. It's just a straight line with no alleys. The buildings bordering the street looked very climbable, though.

I immediately went to one of the buildings. I placed my hand on the wall, intending to climb. But immediately, the walls pushed me back with an invisible force. I was knocked down by the force. I quickly got up and tried again. But no matter how many times I tried, the wall kept on pushing me back. Each push gradually became more violent.

"Well... I tried," I shrugged at Star.

"What are we gonna do now?" she asked, her tone alarmed.

"Let me think..."

Let us assume that this road is going to always make us face the market. No matter where we turn, we will always see the market in the distance. Yet there's still a lot of sound coming from behind us. The fountain exists, but when we try to observe it, it disappears and reappears behind us. Thus, the market is always in front of us, and the fountain is always behind us.

But when Star turned her back, I still saw the market, and she saw her own market. The sound of the crowd disappeared, indicating that when we had our backs to each other, the fountain completely disappeared. Looking at it from another perspective, whichever way we look, there will always be the market.

That means, to test that hypothesis, I simply must close my eyes. Then I wouldn't be looking in any direction.

I closed my eyes.

...

...

Suddenly, the sound of the crowd can be heard again! I was right! If we just close our eyes, we can go back to the crowd, I think...

"Star, close your eyes," I instructed.

"Wha— What for?"

"Just do it."

...

"Have you closed your eyes?"

"Yes... why are we doing this?"

Wait! If we both close our eyes, then through my reasoning, both directions should be the fountain. Yet, when she closed her eyes, I could still only hear the crowd from one direction... my direction!

That could only mean that there is a real fountain direction and a real market direction. Then the market is real!

"Star, do you still wanna go to the market?"

"Call me Boshi!!" she said angrily.

"I couldn't care less about your name! I ask you one question: Do you wanna go to the market?"

"Uhh... if you want to..."

Immediately I tried to grab her arm. After struggling to find her hand while closing my eyes, I finally caught her. I turned my back, facing what I assumed was the market direction.

"Alright then," I said, "as long as I'm holding your hand, don't open your eyes."

"Wh—What??!" 

"We are going to the market! I'm not gonna lose you along the way. So hold tightly for dear life!"

Her arms gripped harder. Trusting my judgment and trusting her to trust me to not open her eyes, I walked towards the market direction.

Finally, the volume of the crowd gradually decreased. That made me believe I was doing the right thing. I've solved the puzzle!

Although we walked slowly, the five minutes passed with no problem. We were able to walk surprisingly in a straight line, reaching the market at last.

Unknowingly, I crashed into a lamp post.

"Ouch!"

"Lucy? Are you good?"

It did hurt. Reminding myself that we've escaped the impossible street, I heaved a sigh of relief. We've finally arrived at the market after the ordeal. 

"I'm okay... you can open your eyes now." Opening my eyes as soon as I said that.

Star followed soon after.