Chapter 1: Blank
The year is 2025, Solvang, California.
Sunlight radiated through the windows of the Elysium headquarters. In its cool stillness, rows of sleek, metallic pods lined the polished floor.
Elysium was a virtual reality laboratory. Founded by a business magnate named Ursula Von Der Leyen III, they cracked the code on full sensory immersion. Furthermore, they achieved total sensory integration. Their "Elysian Enclave" promised a full-body experience where the virtual felt real.
The previous model, the Enclave Mk. I, had garnered a cult following for its unparalleled realism. Players could feel the wind whipping through their virtual hair, as well as the coolness of digital rain on their skin. But there was a critical absence: pain.
Without the sting of a virtual scrape or the ache of a virtual blow, the world felt incomplete. So, Elysium had taken the next, controversial step: integrating a dampened pain response.
It wouldn't be crippling; just a slight discomfort would heighten the experience. Enough to make a virtual punch feel like a playful nudge or a fall from a virtual cliff—a jolt of adrenaline. Enough, they argued, to bridge the gap between the real and the unreal.
"And how do you expect the public to feel about this?" a news anchor asked Ursula.
"Well," she said, "we're still in the testing phase. Hence the reason why we've chosen seven lottery winners across the world to be the first participants."
The screen showed a display of the seven winners. These were the pioneers, the first who would enter a world of consequence. Nothing life-threatening, but challenging enough to highlight the capabilities of the Enclave Mk. II before its official release.
"I sure would love to be one of those seven," the news anchor laughed. "Tell us, did you get a chance to speak to these winners?"
"Not yet," she responded with a hint of amusement. "I reviewed their background, however, and found them to be more than exemplary."