Chapter 5: Took you long enough

Alice spends a few minutes exploring the menu in search of the logout option, in an irritated tone she grumbles, "What the hell is this menu?! The design is so confusing, and I can't find the Log Out button!"

During her adventure in the menu, she comes across a button with the title 'Support', without thinking twice she clicks on it—which apparently does nothing…

"Oh, hello Miss of Blades, how can I help?" BOB appears behind the player, scaring her again. But quickly, a feeling of relief takes over Alice's body.

"Thank God you showed up. I-"

The NPC interrupts Alice with his cold, robotic voice, "Are you enjoying the experience?"

"Yeah, it's been a lot of fun so far... But I'm trying to log out and I can't. Must be a bug. Can you fix that?"

"But there's nothing that needs to be fixed, Miss of Blades."

Alice, surprised, points to the menu—trying to signal the absence of a Log Out button, "W-What do you mean? How then do I log out of the game?"

BOB puts his hand in his pocket, pulling out a small card with pre-written text on it and reads the content to Alice—but in a voice and tone that the player has heard several times, it's Joel McStar's, the creator of Arcadia: "Hello dear player! If you're listening to this pre-recorded message, congratulations! You've been chosen to participate in the newest step of humanity: The Dreamwalk Beta Test! You probably already knew that... Or better, believed that you knew."

Alice frowns and has a confused look on her face—what's the point of this message? Why doesn't BOB take her out of this game?

"Arcadia was indeed one of my best projects, I created a world 50 times larger than earth, and gave everyone the opportunity to be whatever they wanted, but my masterpiece had a big flaw… Nothing was real. But now, that will be different, after vigorous years I finally created the perfection I sacrificed so much to obtain. A game that you will never stop playing, I guarantee it."

The player looks stunned, while listening to the cold words of that, who was previously, her only hope.

"Welcome to your new reality, where you can live in the game that you idolized so much, in a world worthy of you! LIVE YOUR DREAMS IN DREAMWALK!"

With the shock of information, Alice falls to her knees without strength, small tears fall from her eyes. She says in between sobs, "What did he mean? I want to go home!"

BOB remains expressionless, ignoring Alice's request and continues reading the message "But... Certainly, there will be those who wish to return to their sad lives, so I have put a way out. It's quite simple: you just need to unlock all 100 hidden achievements in 2 years! If you fail, you will stay with us forever! But don't be sad, here, I'll unlock an achievement for you!"

[Achievement #001 unlocked: Took you long enough]

[Description: Find out the truth.]

"There you go, now you will need to only unlock 99 achievements instead of 100, you don't need to thank me!"

Alice feels completely disoriented and scared by the revelations she just heard. As she tries to process everything, a sense of despair grows within her. She doesn't want to be trapped in this digital world forever.

With her mind taken over by desperation and frustration, Alice turns to BOB with a wild look in her eyes. She firmly grips her sword and advances towards the NPC, shouting with all her might.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

With a quick movement, Alice tries to strike a blow with her sword at BOB, but before the blade can even touch him, an invisible barrier stops her—but the player exploding in frustration continues to try to move her sword in vain. "TAKE ME HOME, OR ELSE…!"

BOB remains impassive in the face of Alice's attack attempt, as if he were accustomed to this kind of reaction from the players.

"You can't hurt me, Miss of Blades. I'm just an NPC. My functions are to serve and guide the players. Attacking me won't change anything."

Alice backs off, frustrated and exhausted. She lowers her sword, feeling helpless in the face of the enormity of the situation she finds herself in. "Why are you doing this...?"

"Because you agreed to participate."

"What?! I never-" a familiar digital panel emerges in front of Alice, it was the Terms of Service.

"Line 504: 'I agree to remain in the Beta Test for an indefinite period'. And, given that you agreed with every word of our terms, there is nothing I can do."

The revelation is like a blow to Alice, leaving her speechless as she stares at the relentless reality of her situation. She realizes, with a heartrending weight in her heart, that her own negligence has led her to this virtual dead end.

With a mechanical gesture, BOB puts the small card in his pocket and looks at Alice with his unflappable expression. He offers no words of comfort or further explanation—leaving Alice even more confused and helpless.

The player feels as if she is trapped in an endless nightmare, where there is no way out and no one to help her. She looks around, trying to find some clue or hope of escaping this oppressive virtual world, but all she sees are digital trees and the disconcerting emptiness of the game's scenery.

BOB turns his back on Alice and starts to walk away, his robotic figure slowly disappearing into the digital landscape. He shows no signs of concern or empathy for Alice's situation, like a machine just following its function of informing the players.

With a sob of anguish, Alice falls to the ground crying, her tears run down her face and fall on the blue grass. She feels lost and alone, not knowing where to go or what to do next. She just wanted to go back home, eat her favorite food, chat and laugh with her parents, sleep in her bed—these simple things have become an unattainable dream.

As the feeling of despair and helplessness envelops her, Alice closes her eyes and whispers a last fragile hope to herself: "I will find a way out of here... I have to find a way…"