Having double checked to ensure that both Leif and Angus were indeed still alive and planning to stay that way, as well as having devoured sufficient water and nourishment to last him a couple hours, Eric returned to the FateGear.
Hauling himself off of the now familiar couch, he turned to observe the right hand wall.
"0d 0h 5m 32s" it read.
Just in time, Eric thought to himself.
Impatiently, Eric stared at the wall, counting down the seconds to the games launch. At last, the timer disappeared, and the symbol transformed into a portal, inviting him into the world of Fate.
Speeding through the character creation, Eric chose to be a half-elf, modeling the character after himself and giving himself a beard in the process. Satisfied with the result, he confirmed that this was how his character was supposed to look like. As he did so, a white light engulfed him. Stumbling a little he looked around, only to notice that the half-elf avatar had disappeared.
No, he realized. It wasn't the half-elf that had disappeared, it was his own body which had merged with the half-elf's. As he turned his gaze back to Eleanor, he thought he saw her give the faintest of smiles before the magical glow surrounding her hands intensified and that tugging sensation returned.