“What the…” says Wyn, utterly confused.

  Mom and Rohn look on with concern, wondering what has gotten Wyn so up in arms. Wyn tries to explain but can’t find the right words. She hands the strange letter to her mom while she considers the bizarre note. Wyn blinks and shakes her head, half expecting herself to wake up in her bed.

  But it’s not a dream; it is all too real. Too many details match for it to be some elaborate prank. The packaging is exactly what they show in the ads, the terms and conditions on the letter, and even the eerie corporate tone that Progenitis has become known for. Everything is there. Wyn glances at the note in her mother’s hands. Reading the words repeatedly, as though repetition will make the strange situation make sense to her. Wyn’s mind races with confusion, her eyes darting between the package and the letter.

  The paper crumples in the older woman’s hands as the reads it, her lips parting in shock. She scanned the words, rereading them as Wyn did, searching for an error. Trying to find some explanation or error that makes this situation make sense. Blinking away her confusion, she hands the letter back to Wyn, her mouth creasing into a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “It’s yours, Wyn. Congrats. Seems you got their attention with whatever you did in that demo.”

  “YOU WHAT?!” says Rohn, breaking the tension. “What did you do? How did you do it? How do I get one? Are you going to play Eden?”

  Wyn laughs. Each laugh is sharp and punctuated, coming out in jagged bursts. The laugh escapes her lungs, surprising Wyn and her family alike. Rohn’s excitement turns to concern as his sister becomes a puddle of laughter on the floor. His concern only grows as Mom does the same, giggling with glee at the entire situation.

  “Uhhh. Are you okay?” asks Rohn.

  Wyn wipes away tears from her eyes and pulls Rohn into a hug.

  “It’s alright, Rohn. Thank you.”

  Rohn opens and closes his mouth trying to find the right words. Wyn releases him as his eyes dart between the two women, looking at them both like they have lost their minds. A wide grin crosses Wyn’s face as her fear vanishes thanks to Rohn’s interjection.

  “I … I can hardly believe it but yes, they gifted me Eden.”

  “Seriously? That is … WOW! I can’t believe it. When can I play it? I really want to play it.”

  Rohn rises as he talks, unable to contain the excitement. Wyn chuckles and presses on his shoulder to sit him back down again.

  “I wish, Rohn, but the letter says people under eighteen can’t play. Give it another ten years, and you’ll get the chance.”

  “TEN YEARS?! That’s such bullshit!” Rohns face goes bright red with embarrassment as he says it. Mom lets out a gasp, her mouth curling into a frown with a frightening glare. She points down the hall to the boys’ room.

  “Room. Now.”

  Rohn nods and shuffles his feet on the way to his room. The two women, now alone, shake their heads toward Rohn’s room.

  “Don’t be so tough on him. Today has been… a lot.”

  “I won’t.” Mom says, giving Wyn a reassuring smile. “What do you think about all these bizarre terms?” What does ‘existential distortions’ even mean?”

  “Hell if I know,” Wyn says with a snort. “It’s probably nothing. Some people react really badly to immersion systems. I heard about a girl who had a full mental break because of Elysius. She actually thought she was her in-game character and tried to use her abilities in real life. They’re just trying to make sure they don’t have people suing them all the time for going nuts.”

  “Hmmm. I don’t know…” says Mom, “But I trust you. You’ve been playing those games forever. If it’s nothing, it’s nothing.” She puts on her best reassuring smile, though her furrowed brow betrays her doubt.

  “So, I’m guessing you’re going to play?”

  “Oh yeah. Who needs sleep? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have to try it.”

  Mom pulls Wyn into a hug, then rises to her feet with a yawn.

  “Don’t stay up too late. And have fun.”

  Wyn slides the large box along the floor with a grunt. It barely moves a foot before Wyn stops to catch her breath. At a minimum, it weighs 50 pounds, and its packaging produces a great deal of floor friction. Wyn frowns, her brows furrowing deep in thought. She paces the room, searching for a way to move this massive thing, and after a few minutes of pacing, her frown curls into a prideful smirk.

  She walks to their tiny shared bathroom and grabs the bathmat. She takes the bathmat and flips it upside down so the plush side faces the floor. With a grunt, Wyn lifts one side of the box and slips the upside-down bathmat underneath the heavy box. A bit at a time, Wyn slides the entire box onto the bathmat and tests her theory. With a single push, the box glides across the floor, down the hallway, and into her room.

  Pride flows over Wyn as she admires her handiwork. Work smarter, not harder.

  She sits next to the box and looks it over one final time. She commits every inch of the box to memory, running her fingers over the incredibly smooth material.

  It’s time.

  Wyn finds the sealed seam of the box and pulls on the red tab. A strip of it comes off, allowing her to pull the face of the box off and unveil its contents. The interior of the box contains three major parts: the headset, a thick operating manual, and some sort of jumpsuit. Wyn picks up the thick manual and discards it. I’ve used Immersion Systems before. I know what I’m doing.

  Next, she grabs the headset. Unlike the bulky gray Elysius headset, this one is sleek and refined. It is pristine white with artful spiral decals where the eyes would be. Its shape was an oblong sphere, similar to the smooth shell of an egg. There only hole in the headset is at the base, where presumably your neck goes. Must go over your entire head, Wyn thinks. Beside the neck hole rests a tiny button. Wyn presses it, and the headset hinges open at the sides. The headset, or more accurately, the helmet splits revealing the interior. It has a series of LEDs right where the eyes rest and pads for the ears.

  Well, that’s odd. Lining most of the helmet’s interior is a series of decorative symbols. It reminds me of the symbols I saw in Elysius; they really went over the top for the design of this thing.

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  Wyn sets down the helmet and picks up the jumpsuit. Previous systems like Elysius just had a headset, so this is new for Wyn. She rolls out the jumpsuit, which is white and continues the runic patterns found inside the helmet. The jumpsuit has a zipper on the back, and would cover her feet to the top of her neck. It looks big for Wyn, though that’s pretty standard for most clothing. Wyn unzips the suit, and a small tag falls out.

  “This suit is incompatible with most clothing. In order for Eden to function properly, please ensure the exterior of the suit has full contact with your skin.”

  Yikes. Wyn does not like the sound of having to go commando inside of the jumpsuit. Whenever she uses Elysius, she gets quite sweaty, and the material of the suit isn’t permeable whatsoever. Wyn gags at the thought of pools of sweat building up inside the baggy suit while she plays. She takes a few breaths to calm her churning stomach and lets out a groan.

  If I have to do it, I have to do it.

  Wyn strips out of her clothes and slips on the jumpsuit. The baggy thing feels less like wearing clothes, and more like she’s wearing a sail. The bulky fabric hangs off of her with only the hands, feet, and neck fitting snugly. Wyn grabs the helmet and presses the hatch button again. It opens up once again, and Wyn grabs the small power cord and plugs it into the wall before slipping it over her head.

  Lights flash over her eyes as the helmet comes to life.

  “Initiating startup sequence. Please hold still.”

  “Why do I need to hold still?” asks Wyn.

  In response, the jumpsuit changes. The loose fabric contracts. Wyn’s heartbeat accelerates as she feels the fabric tightening around her. Within moments, the fabric goes from hanging off of her to being skin tight. Just as she’s about to fight the suit, she feels a sharp pain at the base of her skull.

  What the hell was that?

  Wyn’s breathing quickens. She reaches back to undo the zipper but can’t. The suit tenses around her arms even tighter than before, preventing her from moving. I need to get out of this thing. Let me move, dammit!

  “Moving at this time is inadvisable.”

  Wyn freezes. Did this thing read my thoughts?

  “That is correct. The Eden System is connected to your brain through your neural port.”

  Wyn frowns. “I did not agree to that.”

  “Incorrect. As part of the terms of PERA?, all required procedures of Eden’s startup system are permitted by the user of the Eden System.”

  Wyn rolls her eyes. I should have read the operating manual.

  “Now what?” Wyn asks the suit.

  “Setup is almost complete. Judging by the distribution of energy in your body, you are currently standing. Please make your way to a comfortable bed to complete the setup process.”

  A bright light flashes, and Wyn reflexively closes her eyes until it passes. After a brief moment, Wyn can perfectly see her room and her own body. She raises her arm and waves it in front of her face. Wyn relaxes as she sees her arm successfully move as she had hoped. The suit is letting her move. That’s progress at least.

  Wyn looks at the rest of her body. The suit conforms to her skin to a ridiculous degree. It looks less like clothing, and more like she’s grown a new set of skin. Holding her hand to face, she can see each and every wrinkle of her knuckles. The runes that covered the suit now faintly pulse with multicolored light. Wyn feels the energy pulse outward, each rune lighting in sequence down her body. The runes also appear to be getting faster after each pulse.

  “It is not advisable to dilly-dally. Irrevocable damage may occur to your body or mind should the startup sequence not be completed properly.”

  Wyn blinks a few times. Did the suit say dilly-dally? She brushes the thought aside and makes her way to her bed. After all, “irrevocable damage” doesn’t sound pleasant. It’s too late now to back out. Whatever this thing is doing, she has no choice but to let it.

  “Hold still while a small sedative is applied.”

  Wyn tenses as a trickle of liquid enters through the prick at the base of her neck. She barely has time to panic as her vision begins to blur, and then fade completely into nothingness as she falls unconscious.

  Wyn opens her eyes and finds herself in a white void. A faint blue lattice grid spreads throughout the white void and into the distance as far as her eyes can see. She looks down at her simple white clothes, then touches her face, which feels like her own, not the Eden helmet.

  She scans her surroundings for any sign of life or, well, anything at all really. What the hell is this place? What happened to me when I passed out.

  As if in response, a small blue orb appears in front of her.

  “Greetings, Elowyn Abulata. I am your Progenitis Systems Artificial Intelligence. But you can call me PSAI!”

  Wyn winces at the sudden ear-piercing voice. The orb speaks with a piercing, nasally male voice. Were it not so damn encouraging, Wyn would describe the voice as that of a whiny teenage boy.

  “Uhhh, what?” asks Wyn.

  “You must not have heard me. Adjusting volume metrics. GREETINGS ELOWYN—”

  The sound reverberates through the void, causing Wyn to grab her ears in pain as her eardrums are assaulted by the incredible sound.

  “STOP! Please… Do not talk that loud.”

  “Understood. My apologies. I will speak at a volume more appropriate for human ears.”

  “So, where the hell am I? Am I dead? Is this what heaven looks like?”

  “Most certainly not, Ms. Wyn! The zone known as ‘heaven’ is only accessible to members of the angel race, or high-level clerics. Think of this as your tutorial zone! I, as your Progenitis Systems Artificial Intelligence, or PSAI, am here to guide you through the beginning stages of Eden, and assist in the onboarding process.”

  Wyn just stares at the orb, saying nothing for a long time as she attempts to process what the orb said. Okay, so heaven is real, but this isn’t heaven, and angels are real in Eden? Got it. I think. I have no idea what is going on here.

  “That is entirely understandable. Transitioning to a new world such as Eden is sure to be overwhelming. That’s why I’m here to help new participants in the Eden Project! I am your Progenitis System Artificial—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. So, what do I need to do to get out of this hellscape?”

  “I am sorry you do not enjoy the standard tutorial zone. Would you like it to change to a more calming environment?”

  “Sure.”

  “Understood! Shifting to an environment statistically likely to be calming to humans!”

  The blue lattice begins to wave and disperse, the white void giving way to a new environment. Slowly, a wood cabin with a fireplace appears, with a snowy mountainous view out the window. Wyn spots a comfortable dark green couch with a steaming cup of liquid on the side table next to it. Bookcases filled with elaborate designs cover the wall opposite the window.

  The genuine feel of the area most amazes Wyn. It’s not like Elysius, where you felt distant from the character you were playing. The heat of the fireplace, the icy breeze from the window — it all felt real. They weren’t kidding about True Immersion; at least the room is cozy.

  “I am glad you find this environment appropriately soothing. Are you ready to begin the onboarding process?”

  Wyn nods to the orb and sits on the couch.

  “I am glad to hear it! As you begin the onboarding process, would you like to create a new avatar, or reuse an avatar used from Elysius?”

  “My fire archer, I’d prefer to use that.”

  “Unfortunately, your fire archer is unrecoverable from Elysium due to UNFORESEEN ERROR.”

  Psai glitches out for a moment, the orb losing its spherical shape and spazzing out.

  “What do you mean I can’t bring my old character over? Isn’t that the entire point of Eden? Using your old characters?”

  The orb reforms and once again speaks, each syllable of the words once again punctuated by a faint glow.

  “Typically yes, the Eden System is intended to allow players to continue leveling and improving their old characters from prior Progenitis Games, but in your case, your previous character has run into an unknown error that does not allow me to transfer it over to Eden!”

  Psai, despite the bad news, is downright cheery to the point of being awkward. To Wyn, it sounds like the AI is desperate to appease Wyn and make her feel better about the whole situation. Whatever error Wyn encountered during the demo ended up deleting her old character. Or at least destroying it somehow.  “Are you certain she’s not recoverable? I put a lot of time into that character.”

  “No. But you do have an exciting opportunity to select a brand new avatar for Eden using the brand new class and archetype system! Unlike in previous games, you can select brand new classes of greater variety and power. Of the many players of Eden thus far, a majority have elected to create a new Eden avatar rather than use an older Elysium avatar.”

  Wyn sighs; she had loved that archer. She’d been leveling her up ever since she got Elysius. At least she won’t be the only person starting from scratch.

  “Alright, Psai. Let’s create a new avatar.”