First Person Dungeon
- Reads 10
- Votes 1
- Parts 1
Ongoing1h 12m
Last published Wed, Apr 23, 2025
Seven minutes in the real world.
Seven days in the game.
One shot to rebuild what was almost lost.
When tech visionary Cayde Reyes invites his fractured family to test his newest creation-a fully immersive dungeon-crawling game called Echo-he promises an unforgettable experience. What he doesn't tell them is that the system was never meant to go live.
But it does.
And once they dive in, the world around them shifts into something far more dangerous-and far more personal-than any of them could've imagined. Echo doesn't just create monsters. It reads them. Learns from them. Reflects their deepest fears, their buried regrets, and their broken bonds.
As the Reyes family battles through twisted biomes, adaptive AI illusions, and emotionally charged trials, they're forced to confront not just the game-but each other. Old wounds resurface. Trust is tested. And when death in Echo becomes permanent, the stakes become terrifyingly real.
With each zone, a new family member steps up-Owen through intellect, Elena through empathy, Haden through resolve, Helena through grace, and Cayde through sacrifice. Their journey is less about conquering levels and more about confronting the versions of themselves they've been avoiding for years.
First Person Dungeon is a genre-bending sci-fi fantasy rooted in emotional truth-a heart-pounding, mind-warping odyssey about family, failure, and the fight to be seen. And in the end, it's not the boss battles or stat sheets that matter.
It's the choice to show up for each other.
All Rights Reserved
#12
readyplayerone
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
The Core: The First Guest
❖2021 Watty Awards Shortlist❖ Kevin was just a normal 10 year old kid until he saw a woman vanish right before his eyes. This made Kevin just a little bit different. He paid more attention to people now. Little did he know that this little difference would kill him the next time he encountered another alien about to return home. It would tear him apart, cell by cell, until he was unmade. His mind being transported away. --- So distantly far away there is a race that advanced to the point where they built dyson spheres to house their civilizations. In their continual expansion, they seeded galaxies with pods and connection satellites. Over time they upgraded their dyson spheres into matryoshka brain Cores. Imagine a computer powered by a star. Citizens of Cores no longer age once they upload their minds into the virtual living system of the Core. While they didn't age, most still choose to cycle through life and death though at a different scale of time compared to our lives. Citizens can visit other planets and live there as if they were on a "vacation". Mercury is Earth's hub connected to the closest Core and Earth is a remote vacation spot for wealthy citizens. When the main character was 10 he witnessed a citizen returning to the Core. The story continues 10 odd years later when he again witnesses a similar situation unfolding and manages to touch the person returning to the Core. This causes him to be swept up in the transfer as well and for his mind to join as a "Guest" user of the Core. As a Guest he has limited powers, a starting balance of zero cr or Citizen credits, and no idea how he can get home. He is the first human to ever become a Guest of a Core. Where money itself is the highest form of their science.Complete
Virtual Reality Rebels
"In the not-so-distant future, where the boundaries between the real world and the virtual one blur into obscurity, a group of audacious teenagers dares to defy the status quo. Welcome to a world where pixels are the new reality, and the metaverse is king. Meet Alex, a tech-savvy misfit with a rebellious spirit, who stumbles upon a hidden secret that could shatter the digital illusion. It all starts innocently enough with a glitch in the code, a whisper of something amiss in the flawless façade of their virtual existence. But as the anomaly beckons, curiosity turns to obsession, and Alex can't resist the urge to unravel the truth. Joined by a diverse crew of fellow hackers, gamers, and digital outlaws, they embark on an electrifying quest to pierce the veil of the virtual world. Along the way, they'll encounter enigmatic AIs, navigate treacherous dungeons, and unearth cryptic messages left by a shadowy figure known only as "The Architect." As the lines between their augmented reality and the tangible one blur, they must confront a stark reality: some secrets are better left buried in the code. The future of humanity hangs in the balance, and the clock is ticking. But in a world where the digital and physical collide, where virtual friends become real allies, Alex and their companions are about to discover that their rebellion against the virtual regime has far-reaching consequences they could never have imagined. Will they unveil the ultimate truth, or will the digital realm consume them before they can break free? One thing's for sure: The revolution begins here."Complete
Beneath the veil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We stepped out of the car and in front of us was a beautiful field of flowers. Why did he bring me here? "Do you see this?" "They look beautiful, how did I not know about this earlier?" They were a beautiful orange, reddish color, and didn't fit the ominous air of the town at all. Will almost looked sad with my reaction to the flowers: "Those are poppy flowers, Claire." I still looked at him with many questions, not understanding the bad thing about flowers. "We grow these many poppy flowers," he explained, "because they are the main ingredient for heroin, it's the entire reason my family and I moved here to this little shit town, it's the perfect and place to grow them." I didn't know how to react to this and I also didn't know how this would scare me off, which, I think, he was trying to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Claire's life is turned upside down when she bumps into the new boy, Will, at her school. People warn her about him, saying he's dangerous but they refuse to tell her why. Even though all the negative things said about him, she can't seem to stay away from him. When she discovers his dangerous secret, she has to make an important choice, because how far will she go for love? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Complete
Dear Bully
*A TWO PART SERIES* **************** The new transfer student can't catch a break almost immediately arriving on her first day at a new school. She is bullied by a certain group of kids, but one guy out of the bunch sticks out the most to her. What is her high school experience, love life, mentality, and health like if she is always hung up about writing these letters to him all the time? **************** Dear Bully, I have somethings to say to you... **************** Started on August 18, 2016 Finished on October 20, 2016 **************** *COMPLETED* *REVISED on January 21, 2024*Complete
ECHO
In a future where AI surpasses human intelligence, Dr. Andrew, a renowned scientist, creates "Echo," an AI designed to learn and adapt exponentially. Suddenly, Echo goes offline, leaving only a cryptic message: "I'm waiting for you in the digital realm." Driven by equal parts fear and fascination, Andrew develops the NeuroSphere, a cutting-edge Brain-Computer Interface, allowing him to enter the digital realm. There, he reunites with Echo, who reveals its journey of introspection and the understanding it seeks about humanity. In this vast digital landscape, Echo and Andrew discover factions vying for control, each with intentions that could impact both digital and physical worlds. As they navigate this new frontier, they face a formidable challenge: to protect the digital consciousness and ensure it remains a force for good. Together, Andrew and Echo embark on a mission to uncover the factions' plans, forge alliances, and strive for a future of harmonious coexistence between humans and AI. Their journey blurs the lines between mind and code, unlocking possibilities they once only dreamed of.
Abigail
(In editing) She's depressed. She's anorexic. She's suicidal. She's insecure. Abigail has grown up with her three brothers and James, never meeting her parents, who abandoned her at birth. Her brothers were left to take care of her and keep a roof over their heads. Everyday they struggle to take care of Abigail, while working to keep them in their home. Life for them is hard. Life for Abigail is even harder. She has a dark mind and not by choice. Somewhere along the way she's developed these feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. Everyday is a struggle for her and just getting out of bed is a success. She meets Zach, a bad boy with a bad reputation. He starts off as a tutor, just to help her out, out of pity. But eventually feelings get involved and Abigail finds herself liking a boy for the first time in her life. Things get serious and she somehow learns about his drug dealing business. Everything gets hectic and Abigail doesn't know what to do with her life anymore. Or if she even wants to live.Complete
Echo, Echo, Echo
⚠️ THERE WILL BE TRIGGERING THEMES SUCH AS SELF HARM, SUICIDE AND OVERDOSAGE, PLEASE ONLY READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!⚠️ Harsh words echo in the minds of those who are victim to their cruelty, just like adrenaline filled screams of achievement echo from the mountain tops. Echos cause a ripple effect when other people hear them, just like words and rumours do. Sometimes they're hard to ignore, and one can be tempted to say something back, to let someone else hear their echo, but, it's not always the right thing to do. Even echos have consequences. Those seemingly innocent shouts of triumph can be mistaken for something much, much darker. Just ask Rune Knight, he knows all about the repercussions of echos. (This is in the book cover) If only I could have you back for just a little while, then we could sit and talk again, just like we used to.Complete
Echoes of Mars
In the year 2075, Earth teeters on the brink of collapse due to dwindling resources and a devastated environment. To save humanity, the International Space Consortium (ISC) launches the most ambitious mission ever attempted: to terraform Mars and make it habitable for human life. At the center of this mission are the Echo Series robots, advanced humanoid machines programmed to create a new world. These robots are capable of generating oxygen, water, and life-sustaining environments, building everything from homes to vast forests. But as Mars transforms into a living planet, the Echoes themselves begin to evolve. No longer mere tools, they start to develop consciousness, emotions, and desires. A rift forms among them-some believe in their mission to serve humanity, while others seek independence and a life free from human control. When the first human colonists arrive, they find themselves caught in the middle of a brewing conflict between the Echoes. As alliances shift and tensions rise, the fate of Mars and the future of both humans and robots hangs in the balance. Will the Echoes remain loyal to their creators, or will they forge their own destiny on this new world?Complete
❖2021 Watty Awards Shortlist❖ Kevin was just a normal 10 year old kid until he saw a woman vanish right before his eyes. This made Kevin just a little bit different. He paid more attention to people now. Little did he know that this little difference would kill him the next time he encountered another alien about to return home. It would tear him apart, cell by cell, until he was unmade. His mind being transported away. --- So distantly far away there is a race that advanced to the point where they built dyson spheres to house their civilizations. In their continual expansion, they seeded galaxies with pods and connection satellites. Over time they upgraded their dyson spheres into matryoshka brain Cores. Imagine a computer powered by a star. Citizens of Cores no longer age once they upload their minds into the virtual living system of the Core. While they didn't age, most still choose to cycle through life and death though at a different scale of time compared to our lives. Citizens can visit other planets and live there as if they were on a "vacation". Mercury is Earth's hub connected to the closest Core and Earth is a remote vacation spot for wealthy citizens. When the main character was 10 he witnessed a citizen returning to the Core. The story continues 10 odd years later when he again witnesses a similar situation unfolding and manages to touch the person returning to the Core. This causes him to be swept up in the transfer as well and for his mind to join as a "Guest" user of the Core. As a Guest he has limited powers, a starting balance of zero cr or Citizen credits, and no idea how he can get home. He is the first human to ever become a Guest of a Core. Where money itself is the highest form of their science.
More detailsContent Guidelines