Ruan stared off into the distance, eyes unfocused, barely registering the scene that was unfolding around him. The valley stretched out endlessly, a sea of jagged stone and swirling mist, with distant shapes becoming silhouettes against the alien night sky. He stood at the edge of it all, his bare feet pressing into the patchy ground, but the sensation barely registered. His mind was elsewhere, caught in a familiar listlessness where thoughts blurred into one another.
Where am I now? The question echoed, but there was no urgency to answer it. The grass felt grossly too much like the real thing, the coolness of the breeze brushing against his skin too vivid, but they were just footnotes. That was because he had been here before--well, not here specifically, but in environments like this. Another immersive world, a carefully crafted simulation where players were meant to marvel at the detail, all while accomplishing nothing with their time. It was impressive, sure, but he had seen more creative locations than this. It made him wonder why this spot in particular was so popular right now.
His eyes scanned the others gathered nearby, the men who had appeared alongside him. The man nearest to him was a pensive giant, maybe six-foot-five or taller, an absolute beast that hurt to look up at. A Japanese salaryman stood off some distance away, taking in the surroundings with analytical precision as he gripped onto a briefcase with nervous energy. A grizzled bearded man with a curved sword at his belt muttered to himself, his expression one of barely restrained panic. No one's clothes matched any single time period, but many had weapons or other props. A fantasy world, then? Ruan frowned. But, why the mix-and-match aesthetics? And why don't I get a sword?
A heavy nudge jolted him from his daze, nearly making him stumble. He looked up to see the giant man muttering something to get his attention, although it wasn't a language he knew. His brow was furrowed as he gestured toward a spot where the air shimmered unnaturally. Ruan blinked, confused, his eyes trailing after the man's silent warning--until he saw her.
His breath caught. A slow grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Oh... I can see he's a man of culture too.
Her skin was an unnatural shade of blue that seemed to drink in the light. Her hair, flowing like liquid shadow, framed a face that was both terrifying and mesmerizing. But it was her eyes--deep pools of crimson that promised taboo secrets--that captured him.
Wow... her model is insane. Was she some kind of succubus character? Ruan couldn't help but stare as he admired the work. Every detail was polished, from the way her gown drifted unnaturally as though caught in an unseen current to the way her lips moved with that eerie, directionless voice. Damn. That was a good effect.
Then the thought hit him. Wait... there's probably some guy piloting that character. His smile faded, and his shoulders slumped, a familiar sense of disappointment settling in. Figures. Why else would they need a voice changer?
He looked down at himself, absently checking for his character model--only to blink in confusion. His body wasn't clad in armour or a sleek, custom avatar. It was just... him. His soft belly peeked out beneath his pajama top, the fabric wrinkled and worn. He had glasses on too, despite him needing to remove those to wear his VR headset.
What the hell? He hadn't chosen to look like himself. Where was his HUD? His menus? His--
Wait. Was this just a dream then? Had he binged so many hours inside these fake environments that he couldn't tell the waking world from the--
Ruan barely registered a blur of movement as he was struck twice, at first sending him to the ground hard enough to take the wind out of him. The second force skipped off his nose, and although he saw nothing, whatever it was knocked his glasses off kilter. It burned like ice as he blinked back tears, and when he reached up to adjust them, he realized one of the lenses was missing. Half of his vision was compromised, but he was suddenly acutely aware of the reality of his situation.
The giant guy. His arms were outstretched as if he had shielded him from some unseen threat. He glanced down, his expression grave but steady, his soft voice now urgent and understandable.
"Are you alright?"
He only managed a nod, his racing heart and breath catching up to the rest of him as a chorus of screams rang through the air. He barely had time to push himself off the ground before something heavy crashed down nearby. Ruan's eyes darted toward the sound. His missing lens caught his eye first, glinting faintly in the dirt, but beside it lay a man sprawled on the ground, his face twisted in agony, blood streaming from the raw stump where his arm had been.
Oh... oh shit.
Ruan stumbled back, the ground suddenly feeling too solid beneath his feet. The Japanese man was already moving, dropping to his knees beside the wounded figure, his hands steady as he pressed down to staunch the bleeding. This was a bit too much, wasn't it? This wasn't like any game he had played. Too vivid. Too real.
The sound of distress drifted to him, but they were distant, muffled. He had already started to walk away, not in any particular direction, just not wanting to face whatever lay behind him. One voice managed to rise above the others, devoid of passion. It was that succubus lady.
"You have been brought here because your souls yearned for escape," she said, resonating inside of him even as Ruan continued to leave. "You may not have known it, but I have answered your unspoken desire. This is your second chance. A new beginning."
Escape? A second chance? Is that what this was?
The words echoed in Ruan's mind as he stopped to bring his hand up. It came half blurred into view, trembling slightly as he brushed his fingertips together. A strange weight lifted from his chest--so faint it was barely noticeable, but it was there.
My life is over. Finally. What a relief.
The thought made him smile so wide that he couldn't stop himself from chuckling, even as his feet carried him deeper into the night, still with no plan or destination. He stumbled now and then, but the urgency had drained from his body, and he hardly noticed when he stepped on the occasional sharp stone. His vision swam, and as the world tilted around him, a part of him clung desperately to the hope that this wasn't just another dream he was about to wake from.
He fell again, but never felt himself hit the ground.
- - - - -
Ruan woke up face down on warm, rough stones. One of the porous rocks clung to his cheek as he pushed himself up, tumbling from the rim of his missing lens as it clattered to the ground. It wasn't ordinary gravel. He was pretty sure he should remember the name from some long-forgotten science class. Igneous? Lava rocks? Whatever.
He rolled onto his back with a groan, brushing dust and pebbles from his skin, then blinked up at the branches overhead, filtering hazy light through thick leaves. His mind was slow to catch up, trying to piece together how he'd ended up here--wherever here was--and when he sat up, a glint caught his eye. He reached for his glasses, pulling them off to inspect a new scratch decorating the surface of his remaining lens.
"Great," he muttered, sighing as he slid them back on. "Just what I needed."
The weight of the silence hit him then. There was no one around this time. No weird fantasy dudes with swords. No demon lady monologuing about fate and survival. He was alone. That should have scared him--did scare him for a moment--but then, inexplicably, a strange sense of excitement stirred in his chest. He was in a whole new place. No one knew him. No expectations. No reminders of what he'd left behind. Just... a fresh start. He stood up slowly, brushing the remaining dirt from his pajamas. His bare feet protested as they shifted over the jagged stone, but he tried not to notice.
Then he saw that he was in the middle of a pathway, with four cardinal directions to choose from. A crossroads.
A perfect circle of small shrubs with gray-green leaves and bluish-purple flowers surrounded the spot where he'd awoken. The symmetry was so neat it looked unnatural. Ruan frowned and crouched down, brushing his fingers over the leaves before bringing one of the flowers to his nose. It smelled... minty? His stomach rumbled as if to remind him that mint was technically food. He squinted at the flowers again, remembering more common sense science advice about brightly coloured things in nature often being poisonous. Yeah... probably not a great idea. But this was a forest, right? There had to be something to eat, and if there was a path here, maybe that meant people lived nearby.
Without any better plan, Ruan determined he would walk down each of the paths for a bit, backtracking if he didn't find anything immediately. He only made it partway before his endurance, enthusiasm, and energy levels and started to wane. His feet throbbed from stepping on the igneous-or-whatever stones, and he winced as he sat down heavily on a fallen log.
Why couldn't it just be dirt? Dirt was normal in forests, wasn't it?
He grumbled internally, rubbing his soles. Finding shoes had just skyrocketed to the top of his priority list. Right after food, because his stomach was already complaining, and he wasn't sure how long he had been out for. Glancing down, he spotted something growing near the base of the log. Mushrooms. They were dry and ear-shaped, with streaks of purple running through them. He liked to cook for himself whenever he was feeling down, which was often. But this didn't look like the kind of mushrooms that arrived at your door, prewashed and prepackaged. Squinting, he tried to remember if that weird purple streak meant anything. He had no idea. Maybe if he turned it over or looked at the gills or... whatever you were supposed to do with mushrooms. He reached out, hesitating.
"Are you looking to eat that?"
A calm feminine voice startled him, making Ruan whip around.
She stood just behind him, holding a basket filled with strange herbs and flowers. She was tall--really tall--and wore plain cloth robes with a dark shawl draped over her shoulders. But it was her face that left him speechless. Her striking pale silver eyes were almost unnervingly bright, looking down at him with mild curiosity, outlined by dark makeup that curiously extended down her cheeks in curving points. Her chin-length, ash-blond hair framed her face in a slightly messy, effortless way, and her lips--painted a distinct shade of purple--quirked in a faint smile.
But Ruan's brain was quickly paving over those mild details.
Because she had pointed ears, and he was pretty sure they were real.
"Are you... an elf?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. His mouth hung open as he leaned back against the log, blinking up at her like an idiot.
Her expression didn't change, but for a moment, something unreadable flickered behind her eyes. Then, without answering, she knelt beside him, her movements smooth and unhurried. As she reached down to pluck the mushroom from where it grew, Ruan caught an unintended view of her chest as it drooped toward him, her shawl doing very little to disguise what lay underneath. He immediately turned his gaze skyward, his face flushing.
"Purple dye oyster," she said with an air of nonchalance, adding the mushroom to her basket. "If you had eaten it, you'd have been throwing up purple until you shriveled up like a raisin."
Ruan blinked. "Oh..."
"And yes," she confirmed as an afterthought. "I am indeed an elf."
