Opening Ceremony

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When Zen and I finally managed to get back into the city, most of the firework spectacle had already toned down. This hinted at the imminent event that was about to take place.

We arrived at the huge plaza which marked the starting point of the game, and almost suffocated from the sheer number of players that were present there. All the players were in heated discussions and excitement brimmed in the air.

It was quite hard to get through the masses of crazy hair-colors to the plaza, but Zen and I wanted to be first in line at this once in a life-time opportunity. We had to apologize quite often to the players we would bump into, as we made progress to the front.

I was a bit unnerved and uncomfortable within this huge crowd unlike Zen, who was a natural extrovert. He seemed to catch onto my thoughts.

"Are you alright? We can stay a bit further behind if you feel unwell here."

"No, it's okay. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for us after all."

"Hm, if you say so. Don't push yourself, though."

Followed by many more apologies for bumping into even more players, our destination—the center of the plaza—came steadily closer. At the same time, the space between me and the other people shrank gradually until it was already a challenge to raise your arm.

( I can't take this anymore. I think I'll go crazy here! )

My thoughts rushed through my head faster than I could count them. Every minute in this claustrophobic hell felt like an eternity for me.

Soon enough, I did not perceive the people around me as other players any longer, but more like a death trap generated by the game. Once you get in, you will never escape again.

Just as these thoughts reached new extremes, Zen and I finally halted.

As I looked around, I realized that we had managed to reach the first row of players. In front of us, the huge runic monument that marked the center of the whole city, stretched above us into the sky. I did not dare to look behind me, as I already knew that it was an ocean consisting of people.

Unlike the further rows in the back, the players here were holding their breath and waited diligently for something to happen as they gazed upon the gigantic object in the center. It was safe to assume that these people were part of the most enthusiastic gamers, wanting to savor every single moment here at this event.

"Well, it was certainly worth it. I bet you feel way better here than in the crowded back."

"Yes, much better. I only had to give up on half of my sanity on the way here."

"Don't complain to me now, Myst. We did it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I shrugged playfully.

Of course, I was just joking. To be honest, I was incredibly happy that we managed to get through the masses and secure ourselves seats in the first line for the show.

"—Hey, what's that?!" Zen shouted, as he stared at something behind me.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, startled by his sudden reaction.

Our conversation was cut off as out of nowhere, many particles and colored smoke effects filled the whole plaza. The grand sound of trumpets and drums began to ring through the area, which seemed to come from an invisible orchestra, playing a medieval-like theme for the entrance of a king.

My gaze wandered toward the monument again and I followed its structure from the bottom to the top above us. Just as I had expected, something manifested itself at the very top of it.

"Look up, guys!" I shouted, as my finger pointed at the unknown object in the sky.

The data construct had now taken the shape and form of an orb, which was dark blue-colored. It was like staring into the deep abyss of the ocean if you looked at it from afar.

Then, shortly after, said orb began to blink slowly in a lime tone as if it wanted to tell us something. All of us knew by now, that the long awaited Opening Ceremony of Undral Legacy had begun. The music, played for us by the invisible orchestra, shifted to the next phase, apparently, as the trumpets toned down and the drums picked up a monotone, yet fast rhythm.

As a response, the blinking orb descended a few feet before transforming in mid-air into a transparent object.

—No, it was not an object. The data transformed into a huge transparent silhouette of a person, with two more behind it.

Once the show had finished, we could clearly see multiple figures occupying the sky. They had been wearing robes, covering their faces with a hood that was attached to it.

"Are those … projections?" I muttered.

"Yeah … 3 of them. They might be administrators." Zen answered me, seemingly astounded.

The drums suddenly stopped playing, leaving the plaza in complete silence. No one said a word. All gazes were directed at the projections in the sky, waiting for something to happen.

Then, the giant projected figure in the front of the other 2 pulled down the hood, revealing the face of a wise mage with a grey beard and hair. His companions copied his movements and did like him, showing that their avatars were a middle-aged woman with glasses and black, curly hair, as well as a younger man in his twenties, with white hair and a warm smile.

"Welcome, dear players! I welcome you all into the magical world of Undral!" The wise man with the grey beard spoke up, in a deep and gentle voice.

"Is that…?"

"I don't know…"

"Hey, that white-haired man in the back looks cute!"

"I know, right?!"

The people around us started to chat with each other, throwing comments left and right.

To calm the chatter down again, the assumed leader of the 3 figures raised his hands as if he were a principal talking to students. His facial expression remained calm and gentle. Unsurprisingly, everyone acknowledged his efforts and the plaza went silent once more.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Wellsburg, a leading Administrator and developer at New-Level. Coincidentally, I also happen to be a representative of the Argo Corporation."

Wellsburg directed his left hand toward the black-haired woman with glasses behind him. She picked up the speech now.

"My name is Harukane. I am an Administrator at New-Level as well. My specialized task is to oversee and manage the player-support."

Her voice and appearance gave the impression of a school nurse, or simply someone you could entrust to your problems without any worries.

Truly befitting for a chief in the player-support department.

It was now the turn of the white-haired young man, who was still smiling all the time.

"And finally, my name is Artis. Unlike my fellow colleagues, I am not an Administrator at New-Level. The task I am entrusted with is being a scientist for the Argo Corporation. I was also part of the leading developer group for the ArgoSpace."

( He is what?! )

Everyone seemed stunned by the importance of the people in front of us. All of them were higher ups in the company which created this world. The scientist called Artis could even be considered a celebrity.

"How cool!"

"We get to talk to these people?!"

"The cute boy was Artis?! You're kidding!"

Players began to chat with each other again, with most men being charmed by the kind Harukane, while some of the women went on and on about the genius Artis.

"Myst, can you believe it? How lucky are we to be among the first 28,000 players that get to experience this one-time event?"

I nodded at his comment. Being able to attend this event and meet the staff behind this amazing technology was already reason enough to buy the ArgoSpace and Undral Legacy.

Wellsburg noticed the commotion and spoke up again.

"We are honored that some of you have already heard of us. However, this ceremony is not about us administrators. We are here to celebrate the grand opening of the very first VRMMORPG, and most of all, you players that worked hard to be among the first ones that get to experience this wonderful world!"

His voice became more encouraging and motivational, which made all present people even more excited. In the blink of an eye, the whole plaza was drowned in cheering and energy from the players.

Zen and I were part of it, of course. If anything, Zen might have been among the loudest and most cheerful ones of all.

"From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for being such a supportive and engaged community, which exceeds everything we could have hoped for! That is why—"

Wellsburg did not get to finish his magnificent speech. Amid his sentence, their projection distorted, and the voice cut off. It was the very same experience that I had in the character creation.

For some reason, it gave me a shiver down my virtual spine.

Shortly after, everything returned to normal again.

"What's this? Are we experiencing connection issues?"

Wellsburg turned his head toward Artis, who seemed to be as confused as him.

"Hey, Zen. Doesn't that remind you of the bug in the character creation?"

"Yeah, I thought I was the only one…" He answered, with a worried expression.

The people around us gave each other a dumbfounded look.

A small transparent window popped up in front of Harukane along with an alarming sound.

"Sir Wellsburg, this is not a connection issue! I was notified about an unauthorized IP logging into our server systems!"

His expression became shocked as he directed his attention toward Harukane.

"Come again?! At a time like this?! Who would do such—"

Wellsburg's voice cut off again, as the projection of the Administrators distorted once more. This time, however, was much more intense and did not return to its normal state after a short amount of time.

Instead, the projection vanished completely from the sky without leaving a single trace of it behind.