"Yuki here. I'm about to play the MMORPG, The World." My words flowed into the receiver of my wireless headset. While I said it in a slightly hastened voice, it was an attempt on my end to diminish the length of the call. After all, intercontinental calls were still needlessly expensive and it taxed my wallet more than the company’s massive bank account.

A voice crackled through the speakers and bore the sound that only age could bring to it. "Ah, glad to hear from you. Things are still the norm over here."

I smiled, glad that none of those exciting breakthroughs at the company didn't happen without me. "Ah, that's good to hear." Engrossed with inputting the eye-straining account registration to get into The World, my answers came out blander than my vivid and sometimes colorful language.

" I'm expecting a report by the end of the month. You won’t get paid if you don't send one." My director had filled his words with considerable sarcasm, and I grinned when I heard that reminder. It sounded like he had finally realized that my reports and reviews were incredibly accurate – moreso critical on the negative and positive aspects of a game if I had found it enjoyable.. "Well I don't want to run up your phone bill any longer, so I'll head off. Take care of yourself."

"Don't strain yourself too hard, boss." A slight chuckle escaped my lips as I recalled how much the poor man took it upon himself to work push his limits despite his age. I heard a click from my earpiece that told me he had hung up. Timed with the conclusion of that lengthy conversation, I had finished inputting the information and gave myself a congratulatory yawn.

I took a look at the headset that was fashioned solely for this game. Instead of one of the bulkier sets, my purchase was one if the streamlined variants that produced a sleek look while maintaining and improving performance in the game. I tried to remember the reason for my urge to splurge on this game. Tracking back to when I had seen it, I believe it happened when I was reading a thread in one of the forums where a new player was incredibly shocked by the realism of the game. He-she-it-whatever claimed that it was so advanced, that you could even feel what happened to your character. As much as I was anticipating the reality of The World, that last bit worried me a little bit. The negative possibilities dawned on me, but I shrugged them off for they were nothing more than the influence of the human imagination. I had high expectations for this game and I wasn't about to let fearful nothings influence my opinion on it before I had the chance to experience it for myself – as contradictory as that was.

Inputting my log in information, nimble fingers slipped the headset onto my skull and found the enter key. I couldn't quite tell if it was by instinct or by some sort of immense excitement, but my eyes shut as the moment my hand found the controller. Mixed feelings pervaded my mind as my character was being loaded in The World. I didn't know what to expect. I swear I could have felt some sort of sensation while I was being logged in. It took what felt like a breeze on my face to open my eyes to the new world around me. What awaited me was something I could not fathom.

It was something much more than just a game.

<Aqua Capital, Mac Anu>

"Everything is so... Real..." I whispered softly, looking at my surroundings. The blocks of orange-brown stone that formed the walls were all different. Their texture varied from block to block, and each looked to be eroded differently from the weather that they were forced to endure. Nothing was monotonous and repetitive like what games often implemented in order to make things run faster. Here, everything had and shown a meticulous amount of detail. My mind continued to marvel the area. I knew that it was only the Root Town, Mac Anu, but I couldn't help but wonder how long it took the graphic designers to create such a realistic place.

After I finished gazing at the world around me, I decided to walk forward and explore the town. As I took my first step forward, I felt my foot touch the ground. I was shocked. My body was planted right in front of my computer, yet I was taken aback by that first step. My mind couldn't comprehend an interface so intricate, that it allowed a player to actually feel within a game. Maybe The World was one of those sci-fi stories come to life where there was some hidden power.

No, there was no other force that pulled the strings of this game. That's impossible. The only way this sort of realism could exist would be through a player's own thoughts and imagination. Nobody would think this world was real based solely on graphics and processing power. I rationalized it as nothing more than a mental trick brought on by the realistic level and field design.

However, a tap on my shoulder and a voice that accompanied it had shattered my chain of reasoning. "Hey, are you new to The World?" I was knocked for six at what I experienced. Not only did it feel as if the owner of the voice was right behind me, but I actually felt the tap. If the amazing depth of the sound was not enough, I actually felt the tap on my shoulder. No, wait, it was and only was just my imagination and nothing more.

"What? O-of course not!" Oh what was I saying? I couldn't believe that The World was so revolutionary, that even my words were affected by it. I would have proclaimed that I knew how to play the game as opposed to acting surprised if I really did know how to play. My common persona in all of the MMORPGs I was new in accepted all generous offers of help. I couldn't help but note how blatantly false my words were and how my general persona was suddenly torn apart and replaced with something new. This was just a game, Yuki – don’t let it get to you.

The voice chuckled a little bit. It wasn't intended to mock me, but it did indeed sound amused. "Although it may be a tad overused, there's nothing wrong with being new." By the sound of it, he was kind. I decided to turn around; just to see who it was that was talking to me. When I completed my turn, I was stunned. The detail that CC Corp had put into these characters was amazing. If I had woken up with a visor mounted on my head, I would fall into the delusion that the game was real. At first glance, the player's hair before me was the most realistic component of his avatar. Each strand of the man's long brown hair seemed to be animated separately. Being a programmer and graphic designer myself, my personal works paled in comparison to this realism.

"Wh-what's it to you if I'm new or not?" Once again, I blurted what first came to mind. Although I felt a slight feeling of irritation since I prided myself in being one of those gamers who could pick up a game and understand it, that irate sensation subsided when I managed to get a closer look at this mysterious man. My eyes looked upon his outfit and my mind was filled with admiration and a touch of jealousy when I attempted to grasp the needlessly high level of detail upon the man's clothes. A deep red dominated his clothes, and there was an incredibly intricate golden oriental tiger design embroidered upon his cloth breastplate. Although any game could easily create such a magnificent costume, there was something that separated The World's level from the creators of console games. Each crease was unique, and moved perfectly with the movement of the cloth. The shadow effects were simply jaw dropping, and showed none of those cheap shadows that you see in some games.

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand. "Come on, I'll take you to a place few players will ever see." I felt the warmth from his hand. Once more was I astonished when I could believe that I had felt a physical sensation. I blushed slightly. I never did have an experience like this in real life, and holding hands in an online game was the last place I was expecting my face to turn a slight hue of pink. Oh god, was I doing this in real life too? I couldn't help but look at the man's face, just to see what he looked like. As I expected, it resembled the face of one of those pretty boys that all the young girls would swoon over. Although I knew that it was probably some nobody behind the controller, I couldn't help but be enraptured by its sheer level of realism. This whole experience felt real. When my eyes met his, I noticed him smile lightly. No, no! It’s just a game, keep it together Yuki!

We turned around, and he led me back to the spot I entered the city. I was so engrossed with the details when I had first opened my eyes; I never bothered to look behind me. There was a ring of gold, spinning slowly in the air. Within the ring, there was some type of blue substance. I only assumed that this was what I read about in the instruction manual. It was a Chaos Gate, although I forgot what its purpose was. "What are we doing here?"

"This is a Chaos Gate. It is the apparatus that players use in order to access other areas within The World." There was no tone of irritation within his voice. His mannerisms, words, everything, seemed genuine. Even though I believed in the philosophy that all men like this were nothing more than sweaty old guys, I couldn't help but hope that this specific player was different. "I'm sending you my member address, can you accept it and send me yours as well?"

I blinked once, maybe twice before I finally said something. "Sure." Within moments, a screen popped up and asked me if I wanted to add 'Yoku Minagoroshi.' One of my slender fingers touched the screen's 'accept' button. Was I even using the controller? I couldn't even tell! I'll admit, I felt a sense of glee when I did this. In a game like this, it seemed that a player would remember everything that was a 'first.' This was certainly capable of fitting into that category.

"I'm forming a party with you, can you hit the accept button when it pops up?" My first party, my first 'friend.' I wondered if this man, Yoku Minagoroshi, would truly remain my friend as the pages of time are turned. I hoped that he would not be like any other character from online games that forget about you in a few weeks.

"Alright." My voice was soft, and sounded shy. That wasn't my usual personality, and I couldn't fathom how quickly my outgoing behavior was suddenly changed. I knew what I was saying, but I was saying what I didn't want to say. My interpretation of my own personal situation was a paradox in its nature, and I hoped it wouldn't get any worse. I hit the accept button once the window appeared.

"Well then..." I watched as he walked up the rotating ring. Slowly, the golden frame stopped, and he touched the blue surface that filled the inside. His motions had a sense of fluidity to them. It looked so real; I had to think twice just to remind myself that this was just a game. "... Let's go."

"Wait, where are we -" My sentence was cut off voluntarily. As I looked down, toward my feet, I saw three golden rings begin to rise from the ground. I wasn't sure what to do, so my basic instinct was to just stand there and watch. Each ring seemed to have symbols carved into it, to represent some magical incantation or something like that. As the rings were gaining altitude, my character began disappearing when the rings passed it. As these rings were just about to engulf me head, my eyes shut themselves in nervous fear for what was to come.

Delta: Veiled Misleading City of Obscurity
<The Field>


It was my first time entering one of The World’s areas through the Chaos Gate, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the sensation of traveling between these places and how it felt truly unique. As cliché as it may sound, you could not put what I had felt it into words. Like what I had rationalized when my mind had seemingly felt each physical touch in Mac Anu, I simply placed the experience of traveling between locations as part of my imagination. So long as I remained resolute that every fantastical encounter I have in this game that would further benefit its affluence of realism, I wouldn’t go crazy… right?

Bit by bit, my eyelids opened to see where we were. A vast thigh-high prairie of sorts surrounded us. Each gentle breeze that traversed across the field rocked the grass back and forth, producing a calm wave as the sun reflected off of each blade. There were but a few trees placed on small hills, each with a set of great branches and a full compliment of leaves to create a large shade on the ground beneath them. Not even an hour into the game, and I had set aside my observations as a graphics specialist and looked at The World as a player. It was too breathtaking to be analyzed – too amazing to be noted as mere pixels and polygons.

I took a curious step forward, and felt the soft ground beneath my foot as I transferred my weight. I decided not to think of these constant realistic feelings as plain imagination and went on to accept it as part of The World. Fussing over the concept and continuously debating it would be detrimental to my entertainment, and I was compelled to enjoy The World to its fullest. Perhaps this virtual world had the power to influence a player’s perception as it did mine. It wasn’t real, but everything looked and felt real.

Yoku, the man who had taken me to this beauteous area, took a step forward and joined me. We stood side-by-side in silence, basking in the sun and taking in the landscape before us. It seemed that he knew just what was going through my mind, and his silence was a polite way of acknowledging that fact. He really did seem like one of those knights in shining armor that you would often hear of – one of the rare jewels that became nigh impossible to find as the years went by. I couldn’t believe that he donned this persona for simple roleplay or as an escape from his true self. Who was I kidding? This was a game. Everybody wears a mask.

After a period of silence between us, he was the first to release a word. “I never did introduce myself.” He began, his words as warm as the shining sun above us. “You must forgive me for suddenly taking you to this place without doing so.” He turned to me, looking straight into my eyes with a friendly smile and extending one hand out. “I am Yoku Minagoroshi, Tactician of The Unity.” It felt a touch odd to hear someone include a title with his or her name, but I overlooked that one flaw. Oh lord, I’m already thinking about this man’s pros and cons. Someone save me before I lose myself!

I stood for a small moment to recollect my thought before I presented myself. “Yuki Sato.” Two short words were all I could manage as I reached to take his soft hand. Perhaps it was only a second or two, but I suddenly drew back my hand when it felt like I had been holding him for too long. He smiled at my reaction and turned his body to face the prairie again. It seemed as though he wanted me to lead, which was a gracious act on his part. As much as I had read the manual, I still wasn’t too sure of what to do. Yoku, who appeared to notice this, stepped up to the plate.

“As expansive as The World is and as abundant its population may be…” His words sounded almost philosophical, he turned his head to the sky to further allude to that tone of voice. “…this field has been seldom visited by players.” I perked a brow when I heard him talk about the history of this particular area. It was odd that we didn’t see one or two people out of The World’s immense populace. My thoughts and wonders grew silent as he continued to speak. “There are secrets to this field, hidden in its beauty, uncovered only by those can truly appreciate this world for what it is.” Was he referencing the realism of The World, or was there something much deeper?

My curiosity was sparked, and I decided to pursue the history of this place. “I’m looking at the map, and I don’t see a dungeon here.” I had a handle as to why this place wasn’t too popular for many of the players who played The World for levels and such. There wasn’t a dungeon on the map and basking in the serene landscape wouldn’t help someone’s level at all. “No dungeon, no reward. Am I right?”

He let out a gentle chuckle. “That is but a veneer to protect the splendor hidden beneath these plains.” He looked and sounded like he really enjoyed the game. “Only those who can see the tiny details that makes The World so magnificent…” he trailed off for a moment, and my eye caught his foot nudge something on the ground in a sort of motion that looked like a secret movement of sorts. Right in front of us, a large castle had slowly begun to form itself. “…can reveal to us the true beauty beneath it all.”

“My word…” I was speechless. The large palace took shape slowly. Soft streams of light flew around the area in front of us, taking form of spires, towers, and everything else required to make a castle. The stone slabs that formed the castle walls were smooth to the touch, making any attempt at scaling it impossible. The castle itself, upon completion, was a dull white that wasn’t quite reflective enough to blind every other player but clean enough to exude a sort of celestial aura. It was incredible.

Yoku placed a hand on my shoulder, detracting some of my attention from the castle. “Do you see something odd?” Odd? The only odd thing aside from a castle popping up from nowhere would be that question he had asked me. I shook my head a little bit, taking care to show a bit of confusion as he asked that question. He laughed quietly. “There’s no front door.”

One of my avatar’s finely shaped brows arched, displaying a mix of puzzlement and embarrassment. It was the most obvious feature of the large structure and I had completely overlooked it in my excitement. This was the dungeon that must have been hidden from the average player. “How do we get inside?” I asked him, expecting that he would yield an answer and reveal yet another concealed switch stashed away in the field somewhere.

I noticed him start walking in the direction of one of trees near the castle; his silent actions beckoned me to follow. He walked in a brisk pace toward one of the trees and I tagged along a few steps behind him. I was still marveling at the field that had now been complimented by a white castle. Yoku stopped just a few yards away from the tree and I stood near him. “Tell me what you can find on this particular tree.”

At first glance, it looked like a regular tree with nothing special. With what Yoku did with that castle, I knew that there was something else to this tree. I took his comment about how tiny details reveal The World’s beauty to heart. My eyes scanned the tree’s base and slowly moved to its branches. They traced each limb and its leaves to find that one unique trait that was sure to set apart this tree from the others. My eyes finally found something amidst the greenery above me. “One red leaf.”

Yoku smiled, and he raised his spear to touch the leaf. A bright light began to emanate from each leaf, ultimately engulfing them. The lights soon faded and all of the green leaves turned into a range of colors from goldenrod to crimson. It was a brilliant display, but I couldn’t quite understand just what we were supposed to do. Did all the trees have this and did we have to meticulously go through each and every single one of them just to unlock the dungeon? “Let us play God for a moment.” The timing of his words to my thoughts felt like he could read my mind. “Trees undergo a natural cycle of death and rebirth. I would like for you to play the Goddess and quicken the pace in which this tree may rejoin its other comrades.”

I nodded, looked at the tree, and tried to comprehend what he told me. Could he be any more cryptic? New players shouldn’t have to think this much, but it seems like this man is taking me through a crash course in understanding The World to its fullest. Play God, eh? I knew that was one of the major hints, but I couldn’t place my finger as to how it related to the tree. I thought a touch more, and I related that natural cycle Yoku was talking about with the seasons. The final bit was what truly perplexed me. How would I force this tree into the greenness of Spring?

It hit me.

Gods and Goddesses were often depicted a beings who wielded great power. Often times, these powerful entities armed themselves with some sort of staff or weapon. I was a Wavemaster and the elements were under my control. I grinned slightly, fitting one of the last few pieces into the puzzle. The only thing that remained was to decide which spells to use. With my standard equipment, I had four at my disposal – Juk Rom, Rue Rom, Gan Zot, and Repth.

“Now let us progress through Autumn and into Winter.” I began, feeling excitement rush through me as I roleplayed the visage of an almighty Goddess. Four spells and I needed to choose one. I twirled my staff in front of me, eventually raising it high above my head and stopping it. I sent the butt end of the staff crashing into the ground, and a green symbol formed above my head. “Juk Rom!” I shouted, activating the spell. The wind howled around us, whipping and cutting the blades of grass around the tree. Slowly, the tornado of wind engulfed the tree’s branches, slicing each leaf off and sending clearing the tree of any foliage. With the end of the carnage that ripped the tree bare, the immediate area was devoid of red leaves and grass.

I continued my act as Mother Nature. “From death, new life arises.” I had felt more comfortable this time, ‘chanting’ while spinning my staff in a similar fashion to the first incantation. “We shall shed the ragged clothes of Winter and bring forth the immaculate form of Spring!” I crashed my staff into the ground once more. “Rue Rom!” Droplets of water formed around the tree, spinning and flying high into the sky. Before these liquid drops could fall back down to the ground, I raised my staff into the air. “Repth!” The spell was directed just above the tree, and the healing light engulfed the droplets. The water came falling in the form of mist, coating the ground and the tree with miniscule beads radiating healing energy. As if nature really had allowed us a rapid perusal through its cycle, healthy green leaves began to grow upon the branches and the grass began to rise from the barren ground. Not a single red leaf could be seen.

I heard clapping from behind me. “I’m amazed at how quickly you were able to take apart that riddle.” He didn’t sound sarcastic, but that puzzle he shot to me was a touch easy. Then again, maybe he didn’t know of the quick thinking I had often prided myself in. Had he been sarcastic, I believe he would have gone out of his way to comment on the little roleplaying I had done to solve the riddle. “Allow me to take care of the rest.” He said, taking one step forward and striking the base of the tree with one powerful thrust. I head a series of clicks for some odd reason, but my wonders about that would soon be cleared. Just to my left, the ground sank in and separated, revealing a hidden set of stairs.

I looked to Yoku, who had just finished pulling his spear from the tree, and motioned to the new set of stairs. He just urged me to take the lead. I looked down the set of stairs to see what I could find. Two torches dimly lit the staircase, and each step was covered with erratic lines of vegetation and a thin coating of moss. I could see a set of wooden doors at the end of the staircase, which I assumed led into some outside room connected to the castle. Slowly, my feet descended down the staircase, my hand softly touching the wall to cover the worst-case scenario of slipping. Finally, I reached the bottom of the stairs. A large oak door separated me from whatever lay inside. I took in a breath, took hold of the metallic ring, and began to pull.