Shadows of Paradise
"Focus, Shurei! You must eliminate all weakness!"
"I won't fail you again!" Shurei shouted, sweat dripping down his brow as he stood before the instructor, a figure shrouded in shadows.
"You're not here to express your emotions! You are a weapon, not a child!"
"I understand what I am," Shurei replied, his voice steady but edged with frustration. "But I want more than just this."
"More than this? You're nothing but a tool! Emotions will get you killed!"
"Then teach me how to control them," he shot back, determination fueling his words.
"You have potential, but potential means nothing without control. Do you understand?"
"Yes," he gasped, forcing himself to push through another grueling exercise.
---
Alarm Rings
BEEP BEEP BEEP! The alarm jolted him awake.
---
"What a dream..." Shurei muttered, blinking against the morning light filtering through his window.
"Just a dream." He took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. "Time to face another day."
---
Ryo's Morning Routine
"Ryo, breakfast is ready!" his mother called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Ryo replied, racing down the stairs.
"Don't forget about the meeting later, Ryo," his father said without looking up from his newspaper. "You need to take this seriously."
"Sure, Dad! But first, I have to get through school!" Ryo laughed. "I might even ace that exam!"
---
Arriving at School
"Hey, Ryo!" called a classmate. "Ready for the big game tonight?"
"Always!" Ryo replied, his energy infectious.
"Look! There's Shurei!"
"Yo, Shurei!" Ryo waved, brightening the mood.
"Fun is a distraction," Shurei said flatly, his gaze steady but with a hint of something deeper.
"You need to lighten up! What's the point of being at school if we can't enjoy ourselves a little?"
---
Classroom Dynamics
"Ryo, you nailed that question!" a girl exclaimed as Ryo confidently answered in class.
"Thanks! Just a bit of studying!" Ryo grinned, his classmates leaning in, hanging on his every word.
"Hey, Shurei! Are you even listening?" Ryo teased, looking back.
"I hear you," Shurei replied, his tone neutral. "But I don't see the point in engaging."
---
Lunch Scene
"Come on, Shurei! We're talking about the game! Join us!" Ryo urged during lunch.
"I have things to do," Shurei replied, his voice calm but resolute.
"Things? You mean overthinking again?" Ryo chuckled, but there was concern in his tone.
"Why does he even bother? He's such a weirdo," a classmate sneered.
"Shut up!" Ryo shot back, glaring at the classmate.
"Why defend him? He's always alone!"
"Because he's my friend!" Ryo replied firmly. "And you don't know anything about him!"
---
Longing for Connection
"Shurei, don't let them get to you!" Ryo called after him as Shurei walked away, focusing on the path ahead.
"They don't understand..." Shurei whispered to himself, his thoughts racing. "I can't let them see the truth."
As Ryo laughed with his friends, Shurei felt the familiar pang of longing. "Could I ever belong to this world?"
---
Evening Delivery
Later that evening, as Shurei sat at his desk, buried in homework, the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock, surprised by the timing.
"Who could that be?" he muttered, making his way to the door.
He opened it to find a delivery person struggling with a large box.
"Is this for you?" the delivery person asked, slightly out of breath. "I need help with it."
Shurei stepped aside, helping the delivery person lift the box inside.
"What's in this?" Shurei asked, eyeing the large, heavy package.
"No idea, but it's addressed to you."
He quickly checked the label. "From Ryo?"
His heart raced as he fished out his phone and dialed Ryo's number.
"Hey, Shurei!" Ryo answered cheerfully.
"What did you send me?" Shurei asked, unable to keep the confusion from his voice.
"I will wait for you at the starting town! My alias is Riyu!" Ryo replied before hanging up.
---
Unpacking the Mystery
With no choice, Shurei accepted the delivery, dragging the large box into his room. He set it down and stared at it for a moment, curiosity getting the better of him.
As he opened the box, he discovered a capsule—something designed for immersion.
"What is this?" he murmured, finding a headgear nestled inside the packing material.
He lifted the headgear and examined it closely.
"This looks serious," he said, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension.
Determined, he approached the capsule and carefully opened it, laying down inside.
"Let's see what this can do."
He donned the headgear and began checking the buttons inside the capsule, searching for the power button.
After a moment, he found it, and the entire capsule lit up, glowing like a spaceship control room.
"Incredible…" Shurei breathed, watching as the interface came to life before him.
Once everything was on, he connected the USB port of the headgear to the capsule. A flash of light reflected in his eyes, signaling the login phase.
[Scanning... Please wait.] The system's voice echoed in his mind.
---
Identity Verification
The capsule's interior glowed, and a screen lit up before him, scanning his eyes. Details began to appear:
Name: Uragiri Shurei
Age: 15
Status: Active
[Identity verified. Welcome to Gaia.]
---
Choosing an Alias
"Kaizer," he typed, the name feeling familiar. It was his nickname during the real combat tests at Paradise, a name no one would connect to him here.
[Alias accepted. Please select your origin.]
"What origin should I choose?" he wondered aloud.
Suddenly, the screen flickered.
[Short circuit detected. Power fluctuations imminent.]
---
Blackout
A moment later, the lights flickered in his room, and the power in the village cut out completely.
"What the—?" Shurei exclaimed, feeling a rush of disappointment.
He sat up, ready to open the capsule, but just as he was about to, the lights blinked back on.
---
Unexpected Pain
Before he could react, a surge of electricity coursed through the capsule, overwhelming him. The pain was like nothing he had ever experienced, far beyond what he had endured in Paradise.
"No...!" he gasped, clenching his teeth against the agony.
The world around him faded as he felt himself slipping away, the pain consuming him until everything went dark.