Chapter 2: Chapter 1

"Don't be stupid Jacob. You know you're not supposed to be on the testing team." As sweet as her voice was, she reminded him of his mother at this specific moment. Even if she had his best interest at heart, he was still going to do what he wanted.

"They are short-staffed, and when will I get another chance like this? I've already made up my mind." He rolled his chair back until it hit the edge of his desk.

The look of disappointment in her eyes pained him, but it was something he wanted to do. No one was going to stop him, not even her. She turned away from him. "The risk is not worth it. Augmented virtual reality is still a rocky field and the time dilation... Who knows the effects it could have on your brain."

He knew that it was a great risk. Everything had a risk to it, and in the process of developing a reality that stimulates all the senses a human has, there was bound to be some fear surrounding it. Virtual reality was simple, but as the world dove deeper into the digital age humanity kept pushing the boundaries of what was possible. Augmented virtual reality was just that, the newest iteration that only a few had the knowledge and funds to develop.

"I know, I know but think of all the possibilities we would have if it works out fine. Mark always told us to follow our passions, and I'm doing exactly that."

"But Mark isn't entering those pods!"

He rolled his chair towards her and grabbed her hand. It was shaking. Reaching up he touched her face gently. "We are asking the volunteers to risk it. It is only right for one of us to do the same. Don't you have any faith in what we created?"

She did not want to tell him her doubts. On the outside, she was excited just like everyone else until she received the news that he would also be attending the trial. That is when her heart sank. "But that person does not mean it has to be you." She could not bare to look him in the face and turned away once more.

"Jacob, we are ready for you."

The two saw their coworker standing in front of the testing lab holding a chart. The time has come.

"You don't have to do this." She looked at him and saw that he was smiling.

Jacob got up from his chair. "I do." He planted a kiss on her forehead before he held her in his arms. "I'll be back in a moment."

As he walked away from her, all she could do was watch him. He was being stubborn up until this point, and she considered it to be one of his charms. But at this moment, she disliked that about him and wished he would listen to her.

As the door to the testing lab was shut, she prayed that everything would be alright.

"Nervous?" He asked.

"Jessica is nervous enough for the two of us. I'm just... I'm not sure. Excited?"

"You're something else man, I'll give you that. It's been what, three years?"

"Yeah, three years and five months."

"You can't keep a woman like that waiting forever you know. She's too good for you."

Jacob laughed a little. "Yeah, anyone else would have left me by now. I already have something planned for tonight." Jacob took out a small black box.

"Oh, shit!" He was more caught off guard than anything else. "Then make sure you do everything as instructed. Don't try to push it, we need you to return so we can have a drink tomorrow."

"As long as you're buying."

"I'll pass that off to Brandon." He stopped in front of another door and looked at Jacob. "We're here, are you ready for this?"

"Yeah."

"I'm being serious here, Mark will understand if you want to back out."

Jacob placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dave, I'm good. Open the door already."

Dave felt that Jacob was sure and opened the metal door. The office space and the testing area were built differently. "Talk to Mark, he will give you a quick rundown on what to expect."

"Not like I don't know."

"Yeah, but just protocol."

Jacob walked into the large room with monitors everywhere each displaying something different. There were twelve large pods installed, but he could see that one was left open. The office was empty today because everyone was here to run tests so he could hear the various whispers.

An older man stood in the center of the room on a circular platform in front of a console. Jacob knew that was Mark and headed for him.

"I'm ready."

"Good, the others have all safely arrived so we expect you should have no problems entering the world." Mark turned his attention away from the console to look at Jacob. "I won't go over the risk with you considering Jessica already gave you an earful."

For some reason, Jacob could only smile at that. It was like everyone knew his girlfriend well.

"I do need to tell you that you will be in there for twenty minutes. Remember, it is only twenty minutes. It will feel like you've spent more than an hour there, but trust me, it will only be twenty minutes." Mark had to make sure he knew exactly how long he would be in there so he would not believe more time had passed here.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, twenty minutes in the real world, got it. Everything still moves four times as fast inside right?"

"Yes, that is the most optimal speed. Anything higher and well, you remember the experiment prior."

Jacob shuddered. "Don't remind me."

Mark placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Don't do anything foolish inside, and make sure the others don't as well. All you have to do is test the combat to make sure it is fluid."

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Jacob nodded. "Got it. I should go now, who knows how long the others have been waiting."

"Be safe." Mark turned to the nearest employee. " Make sure his pod functions as it should, and have someone monitor his vitals at all times."

Jacob felt a bit embarrassed. Everyone was looking out for him today, and he wondered why.

"All good."

"Thanks, Fran." Jacob smiled at the woman before he entered the pod. The exterior looked hard and dull, but the inside was soft. His body felt as if it were sinking but he remembered it was just the padding.

"Here we go." Fran closed the lid to the testing pod and Jacob's heart skipped a beat as it clicked.

Gel-like liquid slowly filled the pod and Jacob kept taking deep breaths. "No turning back now." Before he knew it everything went dark.

Things were blurry at first and colors kept shifting. He could not even see his own hands that were outstretched in front of him. When he could it looked like there were four hands, not two. 

'Blurred vision?' 

'No.' Everything cleared up as his sight got adjusted to his new environment. He could smell the flowers and feel the gentle breeze brushing along his skin.

"Woah. So this is what it feels like. Everything seems real." He raised his hand to touch his face, which did not feel different than what it felt like in the real world. "Yeah, definitely feels real."

"Hey, duck!"

His body moved on its own as he sensed something approaching him at a rapid pace. Quickly he grabbed the large metal shield on his back and placed it to his side as he positioned himself behind it. His body just moved as if he was trained for combat, there was no thinking involved. He heard a ding noise and felt the impact of some sort of object.

Truthfully, he had no idea what class he received upon entering the world, but now he knew it was one related to using a shield.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot! The pain sensitivity is no joke. You do not want to know what it feels like to be shot by an arrow!" 

It was easy to see just how excited the others were. There was fighting going on all around him, as the players unleashed high-level spells and attacks one after the other. Jacob noticed he had no weapon, only his shield.

"Newbie, come and join the front line. We were given max-level characters, so just pick up any weapon and use it. Once your body is used to being here all your actions should come naturally to you."

Jacob was unsure about that, as he felt he was already settled in. 'I guess everyone adapts at a different rate.'  He lowered his stance and placed the shield in front of him. Power overflowed within him and he darted forward like a bullet. The ground beneath his feet caved in under the pressure.

The countless skeletons and dark elves were caught off guard by his sudden charge. He blew them away and even though he found himself surrounded by numerous creatures he did not feel as if the situation did not favor him. With a thunderous boom, he stomped the ground with enough force to cause an earthquake.

Friends and foes were having a difficult time standing, but Jacob felt fine. He felt more alive than he's ever been.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Don't use wide area of effect skills near us, this game doesn't discriminate between allies!"

As much as everyone complained about his skill, Jacob just felt happy. This world was so great and gave him abilities he could only read about in comics.

White fog slowly began to rise from the ground, blocking most of his view. The other players did not seem to have much to say on this, so Jacob just kept fighting like he was supposed to. The endless wave of monsters never seemed to stop.

As time progressed, he found himself fighting less and observing the others more. Everyone was so caught up in the fight that they did not pay much attention to anyone else. They generally knew where everyone was, but that was about it.

'Huh? Did we have an extra? I thought there were only eleven capsules authorized, so who is she?' A hooded woman was slaying creatures left and right. Her armor was unique and did not look as basic as theirs. Even the way she moved told him she had years of experience fighting, but that should not be the case.

Even if she was part of the test and played virtual reality games before, her skills would not transition here to this place. Having to feel the weight of your own armor, and weapon was something virtual reality games lacked. They disregarded the concept of a person's stamina allowing the player to never get worn out. Augmented virtual reality developed those minor details to make everything more realistic, so even with a ton of virtual reality time under a player's belt. It would be difficult to transition those same abilities here.

'Her presence is overwhelming. Almost enough to suffocate on. From the way she moves, to how she is dressed it is easy to see that she is a cut above everyone else.' Jacob found himself more attracted to her elegant battle style that he paid less attention to the other players.

'So, why am I only noticing her now?' No one else even noticed the woman and the way the fog kept thickening he doubted they would. Still, out of everyone present why could he not remember her?

"Hey, that was the last of them." She looked directly at him, and he felt a warmth he could not quite place. 

'Huh? How much time passed?' Jacob looked left and right but could not see any of the other players around. The fog was not helping him at all and he could only see the woman with golden eyes.

"I'll see you on the outside." Jacob looked at the woman, but she only smiled at him. He was not sure how much time went by so it was better for him to log out now. Mark would have to understand. They were supposed to be logged out of the world by the people outside when it was time, but since he was still here he guess that has not happened yet.

Jacob opened a transparent window that showed him the settings. He could not help but look over at the woman once more.

"Until we meet again, chosen hero."

"Farewell, Nessa." Jacob watched as she vanished before him, and he opted to do the same. Clicking the button to log out of the game. 'Wait. Nessa? How?'

'Error.' The transparent screen showed him a single text that caused his heart to drop. How was there an error message? Jacob kept clicking the button to log out but the message kept repeating itself over and over. How he recalled who the woman was did not matter to him. He knew who she was, but that was minor compared to this.

The thick white fog covered everything, Jacob could not see anything in front of him anymore.

'Jessica, I might not be making it back after all.' 

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