Prologue

Kael's life had not been easy since he died. Well, sort of. A few deities worked together to take him down for some reason. During a last attempt, Kael used his remaining powers to be reborn.

A meteor flew over a small town during the birth of a child named Kael. The whole village believed the baby was unique, someone who might change the tides of the world.

Well, he was indeed unique. Kael lived as a baby with both of his parents. His father was named Robert, and his mother, Kate.

They both had 'normal' jobs—nothing fancy that would require a degree or something similar. Leaving the small town where they lived to seek a degree was something they didn't have the luxury to pursue, which was okay.

Kael, on the contrary, showed a high intelligence for someone his age. It was expected considering he had the mind of a millenial deity inside the body of a small child.

He grew up being the smartest kid, and that attracted the athletic kids to mess with him. Too bad for them he was also the best in sports, making him a genius in everything he tried to do.

But there was one thing he could never have: magic. Kael was so used to being a powerful deity capable of changing the world with his powers, but now, despite his intelligence and physical performance, he was all but a human.

That change during his university days. Kael was in med school - all thanks to his incredible mind - and during this time, another VR game launched, but this one, called Aetheris Online was meant to be the greatest.

When Kael saw the trailers, the gameplay, and the interviews with the devs, he saw a change to change his reality. The game had magic. The game was in a medieval era. The game was exactly how the world Kael lived in was.

That was an opportunity he couldn't miss. He tried to get his powers back since he was young, trying to create a mass of followers, people who would worship a deity - himself - and that would grant his powers back.

But that didn't work. People wouldn't just follow a random person talking nonsense and believe it was a deity from another world. That sounded pathetic.

Yet, that could work inside a VR game with its fantasy background and players who would do anything to get stronger.

'This is my chance!' thought Kael.

During the morning, he left his tiny apartment which was located near his university. His gaze swept across the rooms, seeing the clothes scattered around, the dishes patiently waiting to get washed, and the dust all over the place.

'I'll clean this later,' he promised himself.

Kael was not different from a human. In that regard, at least.

He had accepted the idea of pursuing a degree just to get a better life for his parents. For him, they were his parents and the people who took care of him after being betrayed by other deities and ending up on a random planet called Earth.

'If I can get my powers back, I can even make them live forever... This is one of my goals.'

Only by doing something for them would Kael sleep better at night.

Anyway, he looked in his apartment for some cash - he found a few dollars - and that would be enough to buy the game helmet and a copy of Aetheris Online.

He locked his apartment and went downstairs, and inside the garage, he found a friend of his. Lucas was his name, and he was also a student at the same university and lived in the same apartment block.

They became 'friends' because Kael saw him as a simple person who didn't try to be someone he was not.

"Hey, Kael," Lucas said, a smile forming on his face, "where are you going so early?"

Kael stopped by to speak with him. After years of living as a human, he was better at acting as one.

"Going for a walk to buy the new VR game. You know, that Aetheris something. It looks dope," he said.

Lucas' smile widened. His hand reached his backpack, and from there, he pulled a copy of Aetheris Online and showed it to Kael.

"You mean this game?" he said, "I'mma play this too."

Kael wasn't expecting his friend to be playing as well. That was only because of his naiveness. Everyone would be playing that game. It was the best one released at that point.

"I would never expect you to be playing the game too."

Lucas moved closer to Kael and whispered, "in fact, I am one of the few beta testers. So I know a few things if you need some help. What do you think of us playing together? I was planning on playing solo, but we can do some content in two. It might be better."

The idea was nice. Kael liked it. He also wanted to play it solo for a while, and little by little get some followers to worship him, hoping to get his powers back.

But having someone to play along wasn't bad. If there was someone who Kael wanted to play with, that was his friend Lucas.

"Sure, why not? I am in desperate need of some help," Kael said, "when are the servers opening?"

"Tonight, I think. Do you mind if I go with you to buy the game?"

"Not at all."

The two left the apartment, walking by the crowded streets. It was early in the morning, but there were already people walking, running, and cycling. Kael couldn't understand how they had that much energy to do that.

Many stores were selling the game helmet and a copy of the game, so Kael just picked the one that was closest to where he lived. It took them around 10 minutes of walking to get there.

The line to get into the store was big.

"Are they all here to get the game?" Kael asked.

Lucas nodded. "Probably. No one wants to miss out and lose a few days of playing because of the waiting to get the restocks."

"And why are they selling the game only in physical copies? Aren't digital copies a thing?"

"I don't know. The game developers didn't give us an answer."

Kael felt like it was strange, but he tossed the idea to the back of his mind and focused on getting what he wanted, and that was the game and the game helmet.

They waited for a while in line to get into the store, but gladly, he managed to get the items and leave with them inside a bag. Lucas talked the whole way back, explaining a few things about the game. He looked excited to have someone to play with.

"What class are you thinking of choosing?" Lucas asked.

Everyone knew that was the hardest question for someone starting a VR MMORPG.

"Maybe the Wizard? I saw that you can learn many types of magic with it."

"Yeah, you can. I'll go with the Berserker, I think. Anyway, just choose one that you feel fits you."

Kael decided to avoid talking about it. He would see the classes for himself during the character creation, and see what fits him the most.

After arriving at the apartment block again, Lucas shared his ID in-game - the one he planned on using at least - which was Bonk Bonk.

"It's because my character will use two-handed weapons, you know... Anyway, see you later."

Kael laughed at that after his friend left.

The rest of the day took a while to pass because his mind couldn't stop thinking about the game. When 6 pm finally hit, it was time for Kael to hop inside the game.

'I cannot wait!'