8 Stage 8: The Pieces Are Set

December 1, 2083

As the doorbell rang, a low, two-toned melody echoed throughout the house, causing Lixin to jump. Wondering who it could be, the black-haired boy rose from his chair, his slippers scuffing against the hardwood floor as he made his way to the door.

Once there, he peered through the peephole. His face lit up when he saw his cousin. Unbolting the locks, he opened the door and greeted Zeyu warmly. But his cousin was too excited to pause for pleasantries, pushing past Lixin and bounding into the house with a barrage of questions.

"Did your pod arrive?" Zeyu asked enthusiastically.

Lixin nodded in confirmation. "Yes, it just got here about 30 minutes ago. The delivery crew is setting it up now."

"Finally," his cousin sighed as he entered the living room and plopped down on the couch. "It's been three days since mine arrived. I don't know why it took so long for yours to come. I thought I would go crazy with the wait."

"If waiting makes you crazy, then you might have deeper issues. Do you want to speak to my therapist?" Lixin asked jokingly.

"No thanks, I'm alright."

Lixin chuckled at the look of horror on his cousin's face when he said the word "therapist." He understood, though. Following a kidnapping scare, his cousin had been required to see one for five years. It was no wonder he didn't like them.

"Hey don't change the subject. Was there a routing problem or something? Was that the reason they took so long to bring your pod?" Zeyu asked.

"No," Lixin denied. "It was because nobody was home. They tried to deliver it twice, but I was at my therapy session both times, and you know that my mother and stepfather are away on business, so no one was available to sign for it."

"Urg, I keep telling Aunty to hire some help, but no, she wants to do everything herself. Well, at least that was all it was. I didn't feel like writing that nasty complaint email anyway," Zeyu laughed.

Although it sounded like a joke, Lixin had a feeling that his cousin was dead serious. Because if there was one thing he learned about his cousin, it was that the man didn't play about his money.

"Well, at least the wait was worth it. It gave us more time to gather more information about Watashinojinsei-dan Online."

His cousin nodded. "Yeah, that post about the best starter accessories was really helpful."

"I know," Lixin chimed in."We've learned a lot this past week."

Although he was forced to help his stepsister create recipes for the game in his former life, he never fully knew what it entailed. But now, he has a better understanding.

Watashinojinsei-dan Online, which translates to 'Story of my Life', is named that because every player can become the protagonist of his or her own story.

From what he researched, he knew players needed to answer a series of questions to get one. After that, they would receive an original plotline or Persona as they were called that was tailored just for them.

The game boasted having over ten thousand unique storylines, with new ones being added all the time—and depending on the action a player takes, one narrative can lead to over 500 singular paths.

So even if players copy the same answers and get the same storyline they have, it will still turn out differently down the road depending on their actions.

The game gave players limitless choices; they could partake in whatever they dreamed of doing. Whether it be smoking Copper Oak weed, drinking with dwarfs from Underland, gambling away their fortunes, marrying an NPC, divorcing a dolphin, or having intercourse with a giant and producing offspring with an elf–they could achieve all these fantasies inside Watashinojinsei-dan Online.

Within the game, anything a player can imagine is possible. In awe of this, Lixin couldn't wait to play. He really wanted to know what kind of story he would get.

"So, did you figure out a name for your avatar yet?" Zeyu asked, jolting Lixin out of his reverie.

Lixin grinned and replied, "I just came up with one this morning. I'm calling myself 'Fortuitous Fish'."

Zeyu couldn't help but smile in response. He shook his head while chuckling. "I should have expected that it would be something with fish in it. How come you like them so much?"

Lixin shrugged. "I don't know, I just do. I just think they're fascinating creatures." He was about to say more about the matter, but then he was interrupted by a worker walking into the room.

The worker waved apologetically and stated, "I'm sorry for the interruption. We just finished setting up your pod. I need to go over the details with you before getting your signature."

"No problem," Lixin replied, getting up to follow the worker to his room with his cousin following.

~

Once in the room, Lixin saw his new virtual reality pod—a metallic white sphere that looked like a chicken's egg but was spacious enough to fit an adult comfortably. The inside was padded with yellow memory foam and in the center, there was a black body suit connected to many wires.

He took it all in while the worker pointed out each feature. The pod was a remarkable piece of machinery. It looked exactly how it was portrayed on the website.

However, he was still confused about the anti-gravity feature on the pod. So he asked the worker a couple of questions about it.

The worker explained it was for safety; if a player remains in one position for too long, their muscles become stiff. However, the anti-gravity feature of the pod remedies this by gently rocking the body, maintaining circulation, and preventing soreness or fatigue.

"Huh, I never knew that," Zeyu whispered next to him. Lixin was really glad he was smart enough to ask questions instead of asking his cousin about it.

After learning the reason, Lixin continued to listen to the worker's instructions and warnings about his Dream XRPRO pod. For instance, he was told not to stay inside the pod for more than 12 hours and to fill it with Cooling Solution every month.

When the man had said all he needed to, he handed him a user agreement to sign. After reading it over, Lixin jotted down his signature and handed it back to the worker with a smile.

"Thank you so much for everything," Lixin said as he escorted the workers to the door.

~

8:00 PM

"Geez, Lix, can you move any slower?" Zeyu teased him over the phone.

Lixin rolled his eyes and kept brushing his teeth at the same speed. As he spat out his toothpaste, he saw his cousin's inpatient face on the screen and smirked.

"You know I wouldn't mind if you started without me," he said jokingly.

"No way," was Zeyu's cheerful reply. "This is a special moment for us. Two cousins embarking on an adventure together. How epic is that?"

Lixin choked on the liquid he was swishing around his mouth after hearing his cousin's words. Coughing to clear his throat, he spat out the water.

After washing his face, he turned to look at his cousin before saying, "Alright, I'm ready."

"It took you long enough," Zeyu teased him, but there was obvious excitement in his voice as well."I'm going to go get myself suited up. "

With a nod of acknowledgment, Lixin headed into his room to do the same. "Alright."

"By the way, don't forget to pick Ayla Cove as your starter town!"

"I'm not going to forget," Lixin replied sarcastically. "You just reminded me like ten times yesterday."

Zeyu simply shrugged and grinned. "Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

~

Author Says:

MomoCatt: It's finally time to start playing. Are you excited?

Lixin: Yup. I can wait.

MomoCatt: Well, the readers won't be.

Lixin: Why not? I thought they would enjoy it the most.

MomoCatt: It's because this is the last week that I will update every day.

Lixin: Let's give them some Green Tea. They won't lose their happiness that way.