Character

A young boy was born to an average family. His life wasn’t easy nor showered in luxury, but comfortable enough. His mother worked as a pharmacist, and his father was rarely home due to his long trips as a truck driver. It was lonely most of the time, so as a result Chris often found himself immersed in games and just about every kind of nerd culture he could find. Even after being graced (and trusted with the responsibility of) a younger sister later, he’d still find some time to delve into his fantasy games and media. In a way, despite its shortcomings, this was a period of bliss before his late teenage ears that he looks back fondly to even now.

In his eyes, if anything could last forever, then he’d choose those days without a second thought. Alas, tragedy befell upon his life, one droplet at a time.

It started with an armed robbery at his mother’s job. All it took was one wrong move at the worst of all moments; before long, Janet was no more. The piercing sting of loss was so swift that, in all honesty, Chris couldn’t believe he’d not hear her soft teasing voice once more, ‘Goodnight, chubcheeks~’ she used to say, ruffling his messy hair every night.

No more.

As if on a sickening countdown, three years later, his father was next. Rather than a sudden tragedy struck on a whim of fate, however, his demise was something anyone could’ve seen coming a mile away; years upon years of smoking had finally taken hold of his lungs. Honestly speaking, unlike his mother, Chris never really managed to create a deep bond with his progenitor. They often got into arguments with one another in regards to how to raise his little sister, but at the end of his days, both of them could at last agree on something:

Elise, his little sister, would be his responsibility from now on.

In the end, the years went by, his father had sadly passed away and Christopher had long entered the crunch of adulthood. Elise had grown into a bright girl by now, oddly enough following his footsteps in everything gaming, especially VR. Not unlike his earlier days, things were neither terrible nor that great, but they still managed to get through the day just fine.

But things never remain the same, right?

Perhaps he focused too much on his freelancing work in mechatronics. Maybe he never really managed to see past his sister’s bright smile and understand what she felt or what she wanted out of life in this world. Alas, after crunching to get a deadline in a night like any other, he returned to find out that his sister was a victim of the death game.

He was far too young to protect his mother: His words had never reached his father; He failed to protect his sister. This time, Christopher A. Santana was truly alone in this world. Desperate to try and see if he could at least find her in the game as rumors had it, he was far too late —

Terrasphere was shut down.

They say time heals all wounds, but Christopher’s been festering during four years now. The ominous blue light of his monitor reflects a mysterious QR code on his glasses — what does he plan to do from now on?