Odyssey of the City of Lights

Odyssey of the City of Lights - Book 1 - Chapter 11

I blinked, the light and colors still looking dimmed and... nasty... ugly. Aaron's voice came to my ears, muffled and distant. "You okay, buddy?"

My throat felt like it was full of sand, making it difficult to talk. I smacked my lips a bit and managed to croak, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Time to get going," Aaron said. "Tomorrow, I'm not working, but I don't want to sleep all day on my off day and mess up my sleep cycle either." I groaned as the feeling returned to my hands. "Okay."

With a struggle, I pushed the mask off my face. Some of the colors came back, but not all of them. Aaron was looking at me with a goofy smile on his face. "How are you?"

Taking his hand for support, I sat up. "I gotta be honest, I don't know, but that was absolutely amazing..." My voice trailed off as I scanned the industrial-looking room. Glancing at my watch, I realized we'd spent an hour in the VR world. It had felt like five minutes and a lifetime at the same time.

"Careful," Aaron held me upright. "My first time, I faceplanted, and my friends laughed at me."

I chuckled, trying to shake off the lingering disorientation. "You have bad friends."

Navigating the hidden stairs and two secret doors, it took us a strangely long time to get back to the car. As Aaron started the engine, I gazed through the window at the world outside. It was so much bigger than my tiny village, which now felt like a mere speck compared to the vast realm I'd just experienced.

"Still got your head in the clouds?" Aaron asked, chuckling as he pulled onto the road.

"Can you blame me?" I replied, my eyes still roaming the passing scenery. This world of dazzling lights and towering buildings seemed so tiny and insignificant.

"Hey, don't worry," Aaron reassured me. "You'll get used to it."

When we arrived home, Aaron handed me a small glass filled with a nasty, sickly sweet drink. "This will help prevent the VR hangover," he explained as I stared at the viscous liquid.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked skeptically, wrinkling my nose at the pungent aroma.

"Trust me," Aaron said with a grin. "I've been there before."

Taking his word for it, I downed the concoction in one gulp, suppressing a shudder as it slid down my throat. We prepared for bed, and I lay on the couch, the taste of the drink lingering in my mouth as my brain grasped for every memory it made in the virtual world.

Sleep eluded me. My village, once my whole universe, now felt like a mere dot in an endless expanse.

As I tossed and turned, a restlessness stirred within me, an urge to explore, to experience more. Yet, there was a tug of nostalgia, a longing for the simplicity and familiarity of my home. It was accompanied by a much smaller spark of fear of my father's scary stories of the dangers of the world outside the village.

But his stories so far have been false so far, so that spark died down quickly, leaving with 2 longings: for the unknown future and a familiar past.

This conflict brewed inside me, a blend of excitement and apprehension, wonder and worry. How could I reconcile these two worlds – the one I'd always known and this boundless realm of possibilities?

I turned over, staring at the ceiling, which became a blank canvas for my racing thoughts. The experience in VR wasn't just an adventure; it was a revelation, a glimpse into possibilities I never imagined.

The whole night was spent debating my own mind.

The shrill sound of Aaron's alarm pierced the silence, and I bolted upright on the couch. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for him to emerge from his bedroom. I didn't have to wait long.