Rose knows the end of an era is coming the second she hears about Yggdrasil shutting down. As an ode to the game and everything it had done to shape her life, the stubborn bride-to-be convinces her fiance and 13-year-old sister to log in one last th...
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The game really hadn't changed. My avatar still moved rigidly, trying to focus in on the speaker. This world was beautiful. Pixelated, yes, but impressive none-the-less. The never-ending blue and purple skies, the dark wood of the tall oak trees. Even the NPCs had layers and dimensions to them, previously overlooked in other games. The attention to detail was miles ahead of its time. But we had grown up. And new gamers became harder to please.
I smiled into the screen and watched David's character sway impatiently. How many hours had we logged into this world? The two of us. Together?
"ROOOOOOSSSSEEEE!" Aster's shrill voice hit me like a brick wall. "ROOOSE! ROSE! ROSE! HOW DO YOU MOVE THIS THING?!"
"Aster?" I felt my face squirm. Aster was definitely not known for her coordination. When she was old enough to start playing, I helped direct her to a character I felt she might enjoy- a human rogue. Great at long range weaponry and easily able to level up. However, Aster never quite got use to the controls and it became apparent rather quickly that the only reason she even wanted to join was to hang out with David and I.
"Aster, just- just stop. Everything." David laughed. He raised his hands defensively as if to calm her, then ordered them out to his sides in a questioning half shrug. "Isn't it past your bedtime anyway?"
"Mom said I could stay up!" Aster screamed, I couldn't even begin to imagine how poor mom was dealing with this back at the house. Aster was like me: when playing a game she became the character. Everything was real. So her dizzily jumping up and down, spinning around the edges of the tree fort in a vain attempt to reach David and I was a very real terror for her. "Help me!"
I looked back at David, wondering what he was thinking. I could feel his nerves running thin, though the smooth expression of his avatar revealed nothing. "Aster, just breathe." He instructed, a blue icon popped up next to his face. A sweating emoji. "Don't you have an item to help you?"
"An item?! What's that?!"
If her rogue's dexterity wasn't so high, she would have definitely fallen out of the tree by now. The way she clumsily flew around the trees instead of walking on the rope bridge like a normal person was beyond me. Somehow, she had managed to just jump. Repeatedly.
"I'll get her." I let out a deep sigh and shifted my avatar into position. Though I was a much higher level than Aster, my reflexes were lacking. I had to be careful if I wanted to get her without falling myself.
"It's almost time." David reminded me. "We log out together, okay?"
I tried my best to nod, but I was rusty. David laughed. I liked the sound.
A warming lull in my ears.
I held onto it as long as I could before sprinting into the tree to retrieve my sister.
