That night, after dinner and laughter, after awkward moments and whispered confessions, I found myself staring at the glowing VR headset in my hands. Mia sat cross-legged on the carpet, her new headset in her lap, eyes wide with curiosity.
"You ready?" I asked, trying to sound cool, even though my heart was drumming.
She grinned. "Born ready."
We both put on our headsets at the same time.
[Initializing Realm of Ascendance…][Syncing neural interface…][Welcome back, Alex Walker.][Welcome, new player: Mia Grey.]
The world around us dissolved.
The colors of reality faded, and a swirl of light and sound pulled me back into ROA. The cool breeze of the virtual world touched my face, and the familiar scent of pine and earth filled my lungs.
I was back—in Tervana.
But something was different this time.
A glowing portal shimmered in front of me, pulsing like a heartbeat. Before I could move, a flash of light erupted beside me.
Mia spawned in.
She looked around, eyes sparkling in wonder. "Oh my god... Alex. This is insane. It's like I'm really here!"
I couldn't help but smile. "Told you."
She took a few steps forward, her hands brushing against the air like she was touching invisible threads.
"Everything feels so real," she said. "Even the wind…"
A pop-up appeared before her.
[Player: Mia Grey has joined the Realm.][Class Selection Available: Mage / Rogue / Archer][Please choose your beginner class.]
Mia's brows furrowed. "What do I pick?"
I walked over. "What do you like? Speed? Magic? Archery?"
She smiled. "I want to cast spells. Duh."
With a blink, her avatar transformed into a light-armored sorceress. A glowing staff shimmered into her hand.
"Whoa," she whispered. "I feel powerful."
"Now you're officially my party member," I said.
"Then we need a team name."
I raised an eyebrow. "We do?"
"Yes! Every party needs a name. Something cool… like 'Shadow Phoenix' or 'Crystal Storm' or—"
"How about..." I interrupted, "Walker's Wrath?"
She gave me a look. "That's literally your last name and sounds like a 2010 Xbox clan."
"Fine. You name it."
Mia paused dramatically. "The Dream Duo."
I blinked. "Seriously?"
She shrugged. "It has flair."
Before I could protest, a loud gong echoed across the sky. A system notification flashed in red.
[Global Announcement: The Gates of Trials are now open.][All adventurers Level 1 and above are eligible to enter the Trials of Awakening.]
"The Trials…" I murmured. I remembered reading about them on a forum—dungeons that test a player's spirit, not just their stats.
"You in?" Mia asked, her eyes practically glowing.
I glanced at her, then at my stats screen. I was still technically under-leveled… but I had something better this time.
A friend.
"Let's do it."
As we made our way through Tervana, preparing for the trial, I couldn't help but glance at Mia. She was laughing at her robe's awkward animation and occasionally trying to jump off small ledges for no reason.
She looked… happy.
And for the first time, I wasn't thinking about school. Or bullies. Or my old life.
I was thinking about this.
About now.
And I couldn't help but wonder—what kind of story were we starting?