Entering the World

Heather woke up to the sound of her alarm clock.

Staring at the ceiling of her dorm, she thought

Today is the day. The day I have to rejoin D.O. The day when the hunt begins.

The rest of the day became a blur to her as the weight of the hunt overrode all other thoughts.

During lunch, her friends tried to talk to her, but she was relatively unresponsive, blaming it on falling asleep too late.

"Well go get some sleep then", Mingkai said.

"Yeah. Can't have one of our top students falling asleep in class", Justin joked.

Heather only nodded and laid her head down in an effort to pretend that she was gonna take a nap.

Both guys huffed a sigh and let her be, both curious as to why she was suddenly so tired, but not willing to ask.

At the end of school, she made a beeline straight to her dorm.

As she walked towards her door, she noticed a large package on the front with bold letters on the top.

CAREFUL DO NOT DROP

It arrived, she thought, as she wrestled the package into her dorm.

Tearing apart the packaging, the box revealed the VR device she used to use back during the testing of D.O.

Running her hand along the silver line in the middle of the device, she felt the familiar curves and smoothness, a remnant of the time before college.

Heather began to setup the device, plugging in different cords and following the setup instructions that came with the package.

After half an hour of just setting up, it was ready to run.

Inserting the chip that contained the game date for D.O. she had bought yesterday with the boys, she then opened the hatch and sat in the comfortable seat located inside the device.

Alright. You got this Heather. It'll be a breeze...for now, she thought, mentally preparing herself for the Shift.

Heather put on the helmet-like item that was inside the device and closed the hatch.

Closing her eyes, she pressed the power button on the left armrest of the chair.

…

Whoosh

…

Heather felt like she was flying through the air before coming to a stop and just hovering.

This was the Shift, a mental jump from reality to VR.

Suddenly, a robotic voice began to speak.

"You may now open your eyes."

So, she did.

Opening her eyes, Heather found herself floating in a black space with blue symbols and text circling around like a makeshift room.

"Welcome! This is the world of D.O. I am Mary, the introductory fae," said a high-pitched voice.

Turning her head to the right, Heather was greeted with a light blue fairy-like being.

The being was relatively short, but had a long flowing blue dress complete with wavy blue hair tied up into a ponytail.

"A fae folk?", Heather asked, feigning confusion.

"Yes! We fae folk will be your guides throughout the experience. I, in particular, am the introductory fae, the being who helps you get started! Like a beginners tutorial!"

"I see."

"Then let's continue! We are now designing your game avatar! Simply think of how you would like to look and that will be reflected in this world."

Heather blinked, thinking hard of how she wanted herself to look.

Poof!

While her body proportions had stayed the same, Heather had changed a couple things about her looks.

Her wavy dark brown hair had changed into straight hair with purple highlights still tied up in a ponytail.

Her brown eyes were now a deep shade of purple while her face was adorned with a red tattoo of a swallowtail under her left eye.

Mary clapped her hands.

"Oh my, how beautiful! Say, would you like to save your changes and move on?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful! Now then, it's time to enter the world!"

A sudden bout of dizziness shook her as the world around her changed and became a room.

"This is the world of D.O. From here until you reach the high school, I will be your guide. Only you can hear me as my voice is limited to your ears only. ", spoke Mary.

Heather nodded, taking a look around the room she had arrived in.

It was a small place with a bunk bed in the corner and a small bathroom to her left.

"When you are ready, please exit through the door and go down the stairs."

Heather mentally nodded, quickly making her way towards the areas the fae mentioned.

After reaching the first floor and walking into what looked like the house's living room, the fae spoke again.

"This is the living room, the main area of the tutorial. Here is where all players start out. From here, you can teleport to any area in the world. Would you like me to list the options as well as a brief description?"

Heather responded, "Sure."

"Okay."

As the fae listed all the areas, Heather began to make a list in her head of where she wanted to travel first.

The school, definitely the school first. Once I obtain that item, I'll make my way to the Black Market. After all, PVP fights are the most straightforward duels.

The hunt begins now!