It was 2 pm—the official unch of the beta for Sehrei Online. Within mere seds, dozens of the selected ?pyers? for the trial run enced logging into the game.

  Despite the sudden influx of signatures engaging with the servers simultaneously, Aphiniti—boasting an unparalleled processing ability—swiftly detected a grave anomaly.

  Without hesitation, she frohe irregurity, her defense meism rearing its head—a formidable firewall that reached out like ghostly appendages.

  In moments, the fn threat was identified—an offspring of the notorious Stux virus, a byproduct of decades-old sociopolitical warfare.

  Yet, Aphiniti, a teological marvel ahead of her time, remained uerred. She possessed the potential to pletely ralize the threat.

  Her proverbial eyebrows narrowed as she fidently squared up against the malware, a looming mehat jeopardized the sanctity of the universe her masters had painstakingly sculpted.

  Little did she know, however, that her intervention in this moment would set in motion a pendulum effect, creating irreversible ripples that echoed through both the real and virtual worlds.

  ***

  In the heart of the Zenith Corporation’s bustling headquarters, one of the senior developers, Zhāng Wěi, sat quietly in his dimly lit office.

  Instead of the ventional photo albums portraying a family, his desk bore a delightful chaos of a figures and other adors that reflected his undying passion for animation and video games.

  While the other executives indulged in a celebratory toast to mark the successful game un the boardroom, he found so the tranquility of his own space.

  After overseeing the smooth login of most pyers, he shifted his substantial frame in his chair and was soon engrossed in a video game on his phone, his pudgy face illuminated by the phone’s s.

  Meanwhile, on one of his diagnostiitors, amid the sea of data streaming across the ss, a fleeting error notifiomentarily interrupted the usual flow.

  This digital whisper carried significe, for it pertaio her than Aphiniti—the artificial intelligence administering the newly unched game.

  When he eventually turned his gaze toward the monitors through thick-rimmed gsses, he discovered the lingeriiges of the vanishing notificatirettably, it was too te to iigate further as it had already vanished from the s.

  A momentary frowched across Zhāng Wěi’s face as he briefly sidered cheg the logs to uhe cause of the error. However, curiosity succumbed to the allure of his ongoing game, and he decided to let the matter rest. After all, Aphiniti erfect; even without his plete vigi was virtually impossible for anything to g.

  ***

  — “As I speak, beta testers from across the globe are p into the game, painstakingly on the hunt fs and glitches,” decred a familiar news anchor. “Predictably, ‘Sehrei Oa Test’ has cimed the top spot as the trending keyword oer.

  unity forums and various other ptforms are already abuzz with discussions about the game’s intricacies. Now, let’s read what one of our world’s tamers has to say. He’s posting on the forum straight from within the game.”

  [Solo-Master: Man, I ’t even put into words how mind-blowing this game is! It’s like I’ve nded on some crazy alie instead of just pying a game.

  I’m not one for spiracies, but seriously, I’m starting to think they made this thing with some -level alien tech. How else do you expin how ridiculously real everything is? We’re talking about venturing into virtual reality, right—uncharted waters! You’d expect a few hiccups, but nope, none here.

  Zenith Corporation really k out of the park. I practically smell the grass, feel the dirt under my feet, and hell, I swear I feel the wind on my face. It’s too damn real, like I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole or something. Zenith’s on a whole new level with this one.]

  A female medical receptionist gracefully shifted her focus away from the monitor mounted on the wall as an elderly couple approached the front desk.

  Her son had fallen uhe spell of a captivating new video game, incessantly urgio i a siderable sum in acquiring the elusive Nexusphere.

  While the device was well above her pay grade, she was still curious to learn what the hype was all about since her son seldomly asked her for anything.

  Though, the idea of a virtual realm simir to the real world stirred flig emotions. Wasn’t that a whole new level of being a Tablet Kid?

  Dismissing the horrid notion, she metaphorically donned her work mask and turned her attention to the sloroag guests.

  “Hello, how I assist you today?”

  “Hi,” Diana began, gng at her husband with a warm smile. “We’re here to see Daisuke Williams. He got admitted st night.”

  “Mr. Williams,” the receptionist drawled as she ehe suro the system to retrieve his information. “Daisuke Williams, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Dale firmed. “He’s been w for us for a couple of years now. He’s bee somewhat of a grandson to us.”

  “Poor thing,” Diana’s eyebrows wrinkled in distress. “I hope he’s feeling a lot better now.”

  “Um,” the receptionist met the hopeful gazes of the Robinsons with regret in their eyes. “I’m sorry to say, but Mr. Williams insisted and was discharged from the hospital earlier this m.”

  The news nded like a heavy blow on the Robinsons, leaving them both shocked and appalled. Dale’s response came with a tinge of accusation, “Are you serious?”

  Diana, her expressioched with grief, asked with , “Is it safe for him to be moving around already?”

  “Ideally, he should be in bed for a few weeks,” the clerk crified ruefully. “But, unless he has a mental illness or presumed to be a dao himself or others, we ’t forcefully keep him here.”

  Diana turo her husband, seeking guidan this ued turn of events. “Dear, what should we do?”

  Dale’s fiightened around an envelope taining a bnk ched paperwork transferring ownership of their business. His reassurance came with a sweet ale tone as he cupped the side of her face, “Don’t worry, Honey. I’m sure he’ll drop by the store once he’s able. randson is a tough and responsible kid.”

  ***

  Daisuke was in a state of stunned silence.

  While his virtual mother held him aloft and regarded him worrisomely, ed that her newborn baby was as stiff as a board, his quivering eyes were busy appraising the dark and dipidated world around him. Even if a dystopian spin was implemented, it was being wly clear that this wasn’t the ?Character Creation S?.

  …Then where am I? This… ’t be ihe game, it?

  his stubby hands a, he pondered whether his current predit was a carefully orchestrated special event as Zenith was notorious for being fanatics when it came to the pursuit of realism.

  “In what world,” he imagihe head of development deg with dramatic fir, passionately clutg his chest, “is a human being given an adult form at the moment of iion? An unrealistie, that’s what!”

  As Daisuke surveyed his surroundings, however, that notion seemed to drift farther away from possibility, dragging his emotions along into the depths of despair.

  The dim glow of a virtual moon filtered through a broken window, sparsely illuminating a small, squalid bedroom seamlessly blending with the adjoining bathroom.

  Tattered posters and eerie cracks adorhe walls, while the few timeworn pieces of furniture scattered across the space bore the unmistakable marks of years of .

  Tilting his head, Daisuke gazed past the rough, uneven floorboards and through the crooked front door. The distant chatter and bleak hum of the slums, now his new home, faintly reached his ears. His lips quivered as he processed the harsh reality of his surroundings.

  Sihe fateful day his parents passed away, life seemed relentless in its pursuit of his misfortune. Wave after wave of bad luck came crashing down all around him, leaving no room for respite. The test iment was supposed to be his salvation—a foolproof pn to break free from the clutches of his unlucky streak.

  However, fate had other pns, and now he found himself in a virtual prison for his ret crime, more wretched than the life he sought to escape. It unishment for daring to dream of a better life.

  Daisuke felt his stomach tighten, his heart shattering intments as the tragic reality unfolded around him. His round, pale face suddenly crumpled, and thearted wailing.

  Through his bitter tears, he could see his virtual mother heave a warm smile of relief. Her beauty and radiance were in stark trast to the gloom of the background, and she cradled him in her arms, an almost palpable aura of maternal loving and care washing over him, lulling the newborn into a deep sleep.