Chapter 3: Fading Dreams, Fading Hopes

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Reality

Amir sat in his dimly lit room, the VirtuaGenesis headset resting in his lap.

His fingers traced the smooth edges of the device absentmindedly, but his mind was elsewhere—trapped in a spiral of doubt, fear, and exhaustion.

Everything felt heavy.

His father's words still echoed in his head, digging into his skin like rusted nails.

"You should be out there looking for a real job."

"You're not a child anymore."

His jaw tightened.

His father didn't understand.

He never had.

Amir had been job-hunting for months, sending out resume after resume, scrolling through endless job listings, attending interviews only to get the same rejection email days later.

"We regret to inform you..."

"Unfortunately, we've chosen another candidate..."

"We appreciate your application, but..."

It was always the same.

Over and over.

Rejection after rejection.

He wasn't being picky. He had applied for everything. Call centers, retail jobs, office clerks, anything that would help keep the lights on and food on the table.

But nothing.

It was like the world had already decided he wasn't good enough.

And now his father thought he was just lazy? That he was sitting in his room doing nothing?

A bitter chuckle slipped from Amir's lips.

Did his father even know what it felt like?

To try so hard and still fail?

To watch your dreams wither away, crushed under the weight of expectations, responsibility, and circumstances beyond your control?

To feel like no matter what you do, it's never enough?

He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

The pressure in his chest tightened, a deep ache that had been there for years.

A constant, suffocating weight.

He had once dreamed of being something more.

When he was younger, he wanted to work in game development, creating worlds that people could escape into—just like he had always escaped into games.

But that dream had been laughed at, dismissed as a childish fantasy.

"Games won't put food on the table, Amir."

"You should focus on something stable."

"Be practical."

So he tried.

He forced himself to follow the path they wanted, pushing his passion aside.

But now?

Now, he had nothing.

No degree. No job. No future.

Just a broken dream and an empty bank account.

Amir let out a shaky breath, leaning back against the wall.

For a moment, he considered it—giving up entirely.

Closing the game before he even started. Deleting the email. Returning the VR set.

Maybe his father was right.

Maybe it was time to stop chasing dreams and start being "realistic."

But then…

Then what?

Another year of endless job applications? Another year of feeling like a failure?

Another year of being stuck?

He gritted his teeth.

No.

He couldn't.

Because if he let go of this last chance, then there would be nothing left.

And that scared him more than anything.

His grip tightened around the VirtuaGenesis headset.

If this game was his only shot, then he would take it.

Even if it meant diving into the unknown.

Even if it meant risking everything.

---

Evening

The apartment was quiet.

His mother had already left for her night shift at the hospital. His father was in the living room, watching the news in silence.

Amir stood by his bedroom door, listening to the faint hum of the television.

For a moment, he considered stepping out.

Maybe he should try to talk to his father.

Try to explain—really explain—why this game mattered to him.

But then he remembered the look his father had given him earlier.

That look of disappointment.

Like he had already made up his mind.

Like Amir's words wouldn't change anything.

His chest ached.

Slowly, he turned away, shutting his door.

He walked over to his desk, sat down, and placed the VirtuaGenesis headset over his head.

The sleek material fit snugly, the interface molding to his skin. The faint hum of power vibrated against his temples as the system booted up.

A deep breath.

Then—

Darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Then, slowly…

A new world began to take shape.

The air smelled different—crisp, electric, filled with an unfamiliar energy.

Light pierced through the void, revealing a vast digital sky, stretching far beyond anything he had ever seen.

His feet weren't standing on solid ground, but on pure data—a glowing, shifting platform of code and light.

A voice echoed around him, calm and mechanical.

"Welcome, Player. Initializing Avatar Creation..."

Amir's breath caught in his throat.

This was it.

The first step into a new reality.

A reality where he could be more than a failure.

Where he could be anyone.

For the first time in a long time…

Hope flickered to life inside him.

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