Hymn of Elys

Chapter One

Alice sat on her overstuffed couch, silently gazing at the object that dwarfed her hands. For its size, it was lightweight; it was also probably as non-intrusive as she could get for the price she paid. It was mostly made of plastic, and also some mysterious substance that the employee at the game shop had tried to explain. She had always prided herself on her intellect, but even she could admit that most of the specifics had blown right over her head. One thing was for sure: it was an older model. That was the only reason that she had gotten such a good deal on the VR headset.

Her finger smoothed over a metallic ridge as she turned the visor and eyed it critically. The employee had given her some vague directions, and also a disclaimer. Unfortunately, there had been a price to pay for an older model: no warranty, and no guarantee that it wouldn't malfunction. It had a short return window: only fourteen days. As it was, she would have to try and get as much use as she could out of it within that time. It was the best way to make sure it would hold up over the coming months, or years, if she was lucky.

Alice let out a shuddering breath as she lifted the gear onto her head. She let the weight settle onto her skull, surprised at how light it felt. When the plastic started to mold itself to her scalp she tried not to let it get the best of her. A light tremor started in her small arms, but she managed not to yelp.

Within thirty seconds, the headset was securely and comfortably attached to her head. The weight was almost nonexistent, but she could feel the shadow of a touch across the back of her neck where the shell of the visor ended.

A nervous giggle escaped her lips, and she knew her pulse was racing.

"I just have to relax." She spoke, as if whispering it out loud would help her calm down. It was a nervous habit she had yet to break.

Slowly, careful of the VR gear, she slid her body down the sofa. The cloth tugged at her flannel pajamas, so she adjusted them once she was comfortable.

Alright, the clerk had mentioned that once she was ready, she had to flip the clear brim over her eyes.

Alice heard a small humming noise start, almost imperceptible if it hadn't been above her left ear. The headset powered on, and on the inside of the visor were blinking text; the visor had barely enough room to show the simple white script. 'System ready. Begin?'

"Um...," she hesitated, causing the screen to flicker as it sensed her caution. Was it echoing her anxiety?

"Ye-," she didn't even need to answer completely for the virtual reality system to boot up. There was almost no wait time before she was floating in an empty abyss. Alice jolted in surprise, her mind trying to understand what was going on. This was amazing! It understood what she wanted before she even knew! Alice was almost in awe at how in tune it was with her psyche. She let out a crazed laugh, her hazel eyes sparkled with a dangerous light.

"Game select. Voice input required." The digitized voice rang out in the small space, echoing in her ears. Though it was computer generated, it still had a feminine intonation. Alice glanced around, trying to find the source of the phenomenon.

"Game select. Voice input required," it repeated. It had barely been thirty seconds, yet it was pushing at her to make a decision! Who knew artificial intelligence could be so impatient?

Alright, she needed to pull herself up by her bootstraps, just like dad always said. Alice smiled, gaining her confidence as she thought about her foster father. "Hymn of Elys." The system paused as it registered her decision, as if giving her a moment to rescind what she had spoken. However, she held no nervousness in her mind this time, and the system realized that.