Chapter 1: 1 – Exception

“Are you sure you’re fine, honey?” Mom asked.

“I’m fine… Just a little lightheaded. Don’t worry about it.”

“I can’t help it. It’s been happening more and more often. What if you get seriously hurt one of these days?”

“I just need to rest for a bit. I’ll be fine.” I waved my hand.

I could see Mom’s eyebrows half-frown in the rearview mirror. She was definitely still concerned.

“I’m going to talk to the teachers. Maybe we can get you relieved of PE. I’m sure they will understand.”

I only grunted in acceptance. I didn’t like having an exception being made for me, but at this point, skipping PE would just be a relief. If it helped me avoid the…

“Honey, I’m still worried, though. Not just you collapsing, but if the hallucinations are coming back…”

“No, no, I’m fine! My vision just got a bit blurry.”

As I said that, I looked out of the car’s side window just in time to see the familiar visage of an ominous purple crack in space floating in mid-air just outside of the grocery store we were passing.

Mom sighed. “If you say so.”

I didn’t like lying to Mom, but I couldn’t help it anymore. Nobody ever believed me anyway and I didn’t want to go back to people thinking I had schizophrenia.

“Should I stay home with you?”

“Mom, don’t… I don’t want you to get into trouble at work. I’m just gonna lie down for a bit, you don’t need to worry.”

Mom could only sigh.

My gut clenched. I hated always being a burden.

Once we arrived home, Mom gave me a kiss on the cheek, told me not to strain myself too much, and then drove off back to work.

I watched her car disappear around the corner and sighed.

I entered our apartment building, drove the elevator to the fourth floor, and as soon as I was home, I headed straight to my room.

When I entered, I glanced at the stupid purple crack floating in the middle of my room. I’d somewhat gotten used to it over the years, but that didn’t mean I didn’t hate it.

Nothing I could do about it though.

I gave the purple crack the middle finger, changed into more comfortable clothes, and as promised, hopped into my bed. It didn’t take too long until I got bored and grabbed my phone to fiddle with it.

Seemed like Frank and Casey were worried too… Ugh, I’d forgotten to check my messages after I collapsed.

“I’m… fine… Just… a bit… light… headed…” I spoke the message I was typing out loud.

I sighed. Being relieved of the PE might actually be the best solution, though. Better than worrying everyone every time that stupid thing in the gym hall zapped me.

As if to argue with my thoughts, the purple annoyance in my room crackled and shifted, catching my attention.

“Shut up! It’s all your fault! What the hell are you, anyway?!” I shouted at the inanimate thing.

The thing crackled again in response.

I growled at it.

I’d been seeing these things ever since I was aware of myself. At first, they had been tiny and harmless. The past me had even found them pretty.

But as time had gone on, they’d grown larger and had been nothing but trouble for me. Touching them or sometimes even getting close to them shocked me. Not that big of a deal normally, but when exhausted from PE, getting shocked like that tended to knock the lights out of me.

Shaking away these thoughts, I took up my phone and began browsing. Apparently, Rogue Life Online had gotten a pretty big update yesterday. A new area with a new quest and finally a fix to the annoying collision bug.

“Hmm…” Looking at the full changelog made me want to play again.

Assuring myself I had rested long enough, I got up and turned on my computer. While it booted, I browsed the forums on my phone to see what other people thought of the new content.

Then, a crackle.

“Whoa?!”

I jumped, dropping my phone. It hit the floor with a crack.

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“No no no!”

Luckily, my phone only had a cracked screen and seemed to still be working.

I sighed in relief… Before glaring at the purple crack that had nearly cost me my phone.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid…”

Why was I the only one who could see those things? Why was I the only one who could be affected by them? They always just ruined everything. And kept dragging Mom into it too. She was stressed enough. She didn’t need this!

At that point, my anger exceeded my caution and I walked up to the stupid purple crack. As always, no matter what angle I looked at it from, it looked identical. As if it was a 2D picture always facing me.

I punched it.

“Agh?!”

My fist phased through, but not without getting shocked. Even if I’d expected it, it only pissed me off more. I tried grabbing the thing even though I knew it was impossible. Even though it hurt my fingers.

“Wait, huh?”

I grabbed it. Somehow.

“What the hell?”

I’d always stayed away from them since they kept zapping me, but I could just grab them all this time? No, hadn’t my fist just phased through?! How did this make any sense at all?!

“Nugh!”

Even though I’d grabbed it, I couldn’t move it in any way. But now that I knew I could, I tried several different approaches. Pushing, pulling, crushing it. Nothing worked until I grabbed it with both hands, my fingers digging in the middle. I wanted to rip the stupid thing apart, the pain of being shocked be damned.

“Ngwhaaaa!”

And I did. The space tore open and I fell on my butt because of the unexpected movement.

“Ow, what in the…”

When I looked up, I froze.

There were… trees. A picture of trees? All surrounded by a purple frame. No… there were trees inside the purple thing I’d just torn open?

I carefully got up and approached the phenomenon floating in the middle of my room. When I got closer, it got even weirder. Not a picture, rather, it was almost like a window to another place. A familiar place.

I lifted my hand and tried touching the space inside the purple frame. My hand went through.

…

I took a deep breath–

“Okay…”

– and poked my head through it.

On the other side lay a sprawling orangish-yellow forest. When I looked down, the purple frame was still there, even on the other side.

I gulped… and then proceeded to pull my entire body through the portal.

I stood in the Golden Woods, completely mesmerized.

“No… way… This is… from the game…”

I recognized this place. It was a mid-level area inside Rogue Life Online. Except… it was real. Not in the game. Unlike the imperfect VR, I could feel the breeze, I could smell the nature, I could feel the grass beneath my feet.

Suddenly, I felt dread. I whirled around and found the portal still present. I didn’t hesitate and immediately jumped through it head first and found myself back in my room.

“Alright… Okay…” I said to myself while standing up.

So, I wasn’t stuck in a game world or anything like that. I just–

I turned around.

– had a portal into the game world inside my room, apparently.

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