Somnium Online

Ugly

Eric woke up slowly. Once again he was back in the miserable real world.

"That was insane." He breathed.

"This is insane!" N cheered.

Eric scrambled to his feet and whirled around.

"What the-" he wondered. "I heard talking..."

N huffed. "You didn't forget about me did you?"

"Wait..." Eric held up a hand. "Hold on... you're in my world now?!"

"Well obviously. I'm part of your brain remember?" N sounded mildly insulted.

"Okay, look, this whole... in my head thing. How does it even work?" Eric asked.

"Think of it this way. You know how telepathy works?"

"Vaguely? So this is like having a voice inside my head?"

"Well, this is sort of more like a possession," N admitted.

"What?! You can possess me?!" Eric exclaimed.

" not completely. It's more like I can write programs for you. Like the strength boost. This code is in your brain, so I can use it to help you."

"Okay..." Eric frowned and looked as though he had absorbed only the key points of what had been said "So not only can I use hacks in virtual reality, but now in my real life?

"That's a crude way of putting it, but yes, essentially."

"Well, this is just great." Eric groaned.

"I know right? We can hang out together, and travel and-"

"This is hopeless." Eric sighed. "Let's just get today over with.

Eric blitzed through his morning routine and was out the door ten minutes earlier than usual.

Eric usually walked to school since it wasn't too far, and anyone who had ridden a school bus knows to avoid them at all costs.

"Huh, the real world is actually stunningly ugly," N remarked.

"Yeah yeah, I hate it too," Eric mumbled.

"No, no, that's not it." N protested. It's not as perfectly polished as Somnium, but in a way that just makes it seem more real. Like you can really tell that this isn't a simulation."

"I should show you the Matrix," Eric grumbled.

"Hey, what's got you in such a bad mood? I mean, aside from having me in your head nothing went wrong today." N asked, concerned.

"It's not what has happened, it's what's going to happen," Eric answered.

"What's going to happen? Is it something bad?" N asked.

"Just wait and see," Eric replied.

And he did. N behold the wondrous horror of high school in all it's terrible glory.

"Eric, please tell me you don't do this every day!"

"Well, I get two days off every five days."

"That's crazy!" N shouted. "I can see why you enjoy adventuring."

"So, can you explain why no one here can hear you?" Eric asked.

"Oh, that's simple, if I wanted I could communicate through you, but that's troublesome. Otherwise, I'm speaking directly to your mind. It's actually pretty useful."

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess." Eric stared out the window blankly.

At lunch, Eric didn't ever eat in the lunchroom. It was a bit of a walk, but it got him away from other people.