Chapter 2: Earth Online
When 2042 rolled in, the entire gaming world had its eyes on one name: Earth Online. It wasn't just the next big release, it was a revolution. Tornado Games had promised something no one had done before: a fully immersive VR experience so real, so responsive, it would make you question where the game ended and your life began. Damon had been hooked from the start.
He'd spent weeks reading every leak, every dev interview, every conspiracy theory on shady forums. Against his parents' wishes, and with more confidence than sense, he dropped most of his savings on the immersion gear the moment pre-orders went live. He just knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary game. And it wasn't.
Now, standing in his old apartment, the same one he had moved into right out of his parent's house, he found himself staring at the past as it had never left. His eyes drifted to the shelf, where the VR helmet rested exactly where he used to keep it. He walked over, slowly, and picked it up.
Questions flooded his mind. Was he hallucinating? Dreaming? How the hell could he be back here? His brain scrambled for logic, but none of it made sense. The date, the room, even the woman from earlier, it all screamed impossible.
But deep down, he felt it. This was real.
Somehow, some way, he was back in time.
And honestly? He didn't care why. Not right now. If this was real, if this was truly happening, then he wasn't going to waste a second. Not this time. He had been cheated once. He wasn't going to let it happen again.
He looked down at the helmet in his hands and took a slow, steady breath.