Chapter 1: The Gaming Console
It was just another typical day for Zeke. Wake up. Eat. Go to school.
As usual, the moment he got out of bed, he headed straight to the bathroom for a quick shower. After dressing up, he went down to the kitchen and grabbed whatever food he could find in the fridge.
Zeke Vargas was a 25-year-old student in his final year at Sierra Private College. A little older than most of his peers, but sharp, independent, and on track to graduate.
Once he finished eating, he made his way to the small living room of his apartment. There, sitting on the table, was the unopened box of his newest purchase: Enigma Online PH. The console had just arrived the day before. Without wasting another second, Zeke eagerly opened the box and pulled out the sleek device nestled inside—the DS, or Dimension Splitter.
It looked like a modern wireless earbud, meant to be worn in the right ear. It came with a rechargeable battery and a compact black console about the size of a DSL modem. This box was the bridge, the crucial connector that synced the DS to the game's servers. As long as the console remained online, a player could access the game anytime, anywhere—so long as they had the DS with them.
Zeke set everything up with ease. The console was now fully online and ready. He placed the DS in his bag, planning to bring it with him to school.
Though Zeke didn't seem the type, he had a quiet fascination with online games. Despite never having tried virtual reality gaming before, he'd read and studied plenty about it. This would be his first real experience—and Enigma Online, with its promise of 100% realism, would be his entry point. To say he was excited would be an understatement.
With only three subjects this semester, Zeke had plenty of free time on his hands. He was good at managing his schedule, keeping his grades consistently high while giving himself enough time to explore this new obsession.
His first class of the day had just ended, and he had a two-hour break before the next one. Walking beside him was Dan Mendoza, his best friend and classmate who shared the same schedule.
"Hey, Zeke! Where are we hanging out today?" Dan asked casually as they made their way down the hallway.
"Can't, bro. Got something I need to do," Zeke replied, pulling the DS out of his bag and holding it up for Dan to see.
Dan frowned the moment he laid eyes on the device.
"Wait—didn't we agree to buy that together? That's not fair, man," he said, clearly annoyed.
They had made a pact: they'd both purchase Enigma Online PH two days from now and jump into the game together. But Zeke had broken the agreement.
"I know, I know," Zeke said, grinning. "I just got too excited, I couldn't wait. But hey, this way I can explore the game ahead of time and help you out once you're in."
Dan sighed, but eventually smiled.
"Well, it's done now. Guess I don't have a choice."
Some of their classmates were already playing the game too, walking around with their DS devices clearly visible on their right ears. The hype had spread fast.
"Just chill for now, bro. I'm only creating my character. Let's meet up later, alright?" Zeke said as he placed the DS in his ear.
He tapped the device gently, activating the login sequence.
» Logging in...