Odyssey of the City of Lights

Odyssey of the City of Lights - Book 1 - Chapter 19

After I clicked the button to join the invitation, the screens darkened, and the room disappeared. I voiced my confusion. "Um, Aaron, it's sending me to a new tutorial."

Aaron's voice came through the speakers. "It's mandatory for the first time a devise logs into a new project. No idea why. I made the tutorial short, so just do it."

He was right. The tutorial was short: it had me review the movement pads and action buttons before dimming and returning me back to the living room of our apartment. Aaron was again inches away from my face, and I gasped.

My sudden gasp at Aaron being so close startled him, causing him to jump back apologetically. "Sorry, again," he said, hastily waving his hands, stepping back. "I should have updated the safe boundaries since you're sitting down on the couch. That could have been bad."

I blinked and responded, "That's fine, I think. I'm done with the second tutorial."

Through the mask's speakers, Aaron's voice came through, "I'm sending you an invite to the LAN." Almost immediately, a prompt appeared in my virtual view, offering me the choice to 'accept' or 'decline' the invitation. Hesitantly, I reached out with the right controller and clicked 'accept,' curious about what was to come next.

As I accepted the invitation, Aaron's apartment faded to a grey room with a grid, and then the grey room with its grid vanished, replaced by a lush forest. Standing next to me was an avatar resembling Aaron. "Welcome to the magical forest, Title Pending," his virtual counterpart said. I looked around, recognizing the landscape from the art competition. My gaze drifted up to the waterfall, then around at the towering trees. Unlike the version I had seen earlier, this iteration lacked animals and flowers, and there was no movement in the foliage or the waterfall. It felt like a static snapshot of a once vibrant world.

"Is this the same forest from the competition and deep dive?" I asked, astonished by the level of detail.

"Yep," Aaron replied, his voice coming through as if we were in the same room. "I made a few tweaks here and there, but it's mostly the same."

As we stood there, I my face smile. This forest - even in its static state - represented a world beyond the confines of my reality. It wasn't a deep dive. But this place where creativity and technology merged, allowing me to experience something entirely new. My heart raced with excitement.

"Let's bring this place to life," Aaron suggested. With a few swift gestures, he set his virtual tools into motion.

After a few button clicks, the once-static forest transformed before my eyes. The waterfall roared to life, and the trees swayed gently in an invisible breeze. The grass rustled softly under my virtual feet, and I was mesmerized by the vivid colors and intricate details that surrounded me.

"Wow, this is amazing," I breathed, my voice barely audible above the sound of the waterfall.

"Right?" Aaron's avatar grinned at me. "And this is just the beginning. Watch this." He raised his hands as if conducting an invisible orchestra. As he did so, the wind began to pick up, rustling through the leaves in a symphony of natural sounds.

"Unbelievable," I muttered. I didn't feeling the virtual breeze against my skin. It was eerie how realistic it sounded and looked though.

"Ready for more?" Aaron asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Definitely," I replied, my heart racing in anticipation. What other wonders could this virtual landscape hold?

We ventured deeper into the forest, the soft crunch of leaves and grass underfoot punctuating our conversation as we discussed the possibilities of this world. I tried my hardest to give pointers to Aaron. I did manage to notice a few things he missed. He thanked me and jotted it down in his virtual notebook. I felt proud of myself.