Who You Are

In the decade of the 2050s, VOXA, a virtual reality social media, rose into popularity. Everyone was completely unrecognizable in the universe-their real names, origins, appearances, wealth, gender, fame, and titles were hidden, unless an avatar told them. Users would also not be able to distinguish blood relatives and real-life friends from strangers. Instead, they would have to look for their chosen families.

The VOXA app was inspired by the novels of the best-selling author named Raven North, who was secretly Roxana Steinberg, a plain-looking teenage American girl who spent most of her time in her room typing stories on her tablet. Everyone else was unaware of her hidden fame and wealth. In the virtual universe, she walked as Angela. Though friendless in the real world, Angela spent her VOXA adventure with five people from different countries-Edward from the United Kingdom, Karl from Germany, Claire from France, and Camilla from the United States-who were very fond of her novels and treated her as if she were a family member.

Among her friends, Edward stood out the most. Unlike everyone else, his avatar looked strikingly ordinary and acted in an oddly formal way in a supposedly casual setting. He was also very secretive, refusing to give his name and dodging questions by giving riddles to solve. And when they talked about Raven North's novels, his remarkable intelligence shone and he spoke in a graceful and flawless manner, making his friends doubt that he was no older than a teenager.

Noticing his strangeness and eager to know more about him, Angela and her friends helped each other figure out his true identity. Was he a real user? An AI? Who is he? What kind of person is he?