Complete Private Eastern Brisshal Star Fallen Rather Than Called

[Rael]

.

There is a melody that echoes all throughout the virtual space as a young woman bounces on the tips of her toes, eyes ever fixed forward, browsing through the many options laid out before her with a swipe of her hand. Isabella hums to herself, lost in the heartfelt wonder that is to uncover that Terrasphere, the game that had been on everyone's mouths all those years ago until it wasn't, isn't just a rumor. It's real.

It's real, and she is a part of it.

"I wonder if this is truly alright," a blonde lady asks to the dormant reflection of herself sitting in the midst of an empty room, busied fingers molding the image into that of someone else's. Someone who closely resembles a character she'd undoubtedly dress up as for one of her streams, eye-catching still, but not because of anyone else's choice but her own because of the colors she picks along the way.

"Hmm..." Last-minute additions are added to the avatar, walking in circles around the person that she would become as if waiting for something, or rather, someone to stop her. To tell her that what she is doing, participating in a game rumored to be illegal, is madness and she should stay clear of it.

Yet no one does, and it's exactly that sense of freedom that pushes her to press the button to start a new life.

---

She comes to in a body that isn't her own, curling fingers into fists as she tries to make sense of this new reality.

All the while, she falls.

And falls.

Verdant hills stretching on further than she could perceive. Villages, town, settlements all dotting the edge of her vision. Bright flashes of energy bursting to life, indistinguishable from this distance but things she would, in time, learn to recognise as players engaging in combat. A world filled to the brim with wonders and dangers alike, overabundant with life.

The person that would inhabit this world is not Isabella any longer, but in her stead, it's Rael that becomes the star that streaks over Eastern Brisshal's sky.

She is but a blur of color that comes ever closer to the ground, a look of panic befalling the girl's features as she realizes the inevitability of the incoming impact. Thankfully, in her idle attempts to make a connection to this new body of hers, she had gained enough function to brace herself for the eventual crash against the ground, crossing her arms over her head to try and shield herself from harm.

Except that it never comes.

All sounds immediately become muffled as water suddenly engulfs her. Her body sinks down into the waters of a lake she had seen while falling, but had hoped she'd land right next to instead. Why? Well...

Rael, now overcome with a panic, flails her limbs around in an attempt to bring herself back to the surface. Her heart beats rapidly against her chest, committing every mistake in the book that often led to people drowning in the real world, but her flailing is just about enough to bring her head above water. Enough for her to take in a deep breath, just in case she starts to sink again.

"Anyone out there?! Help! Please, help!"

She should've listened to her parents when they told her to get swimming lessons.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

As usual, Hanno was taking his stroll in Eastern Brisshal, patrolling and always wary of the skies just in case a new player was to come into this world. The number of cases of first-timers dying thrice in a row was alarming when the game had returned, but things had become more settled, and with the patrols, he and Cleo have been doing, along with the Lion Arms' efforts on keeping newbies safe, were surely helping to bring that number down.

His eyes went up to the sky, spotting a brimming trail of a shooting star. This one, is close... Very close.

"If anything we won't need to run too far this time-" Hanno said, nudging his shield to make her go back to slumber. With a rumble, the shield's eye and tentacle slowly disappeared, and the faerin rushed toward the star.

Usually, when a starcall happened close, Hanno and Cleo had little to no issues dealing with the newbie. After all, it didn't give them time enough to get in trouble... But this time it seemed different, after just a minute of running, Hanno could already listen to screams for help, making his eyes grow wide as he called his shield back awake.

"Coming!" He yelled to whoever it was, hoping they would listen to him while he braced himself for combat, trampling shrubs and pushing pants out of the way until he got in a clearing--

Only to see someone struggling to even keep their heads above water. Now, that was new, but nothing comforting either. "Hang in there!" Despite always trying to not use his UI Menu features, Hanno kept his priorities and opened the inventory while running toward the water, making his armor disappear into it before tossing his shield aside and jumping into the lake.

Swimming as fast as he could, Hanno tried to reach for the other player, trying to get a hold on her but having a bit of an issue at first due to all the flailing. "H-Hey, calm down, buddy! I'm here, you are safe, but you gotta calm down and hop on, come on." He tried to calm her down first, though it was hard to do it with someone panicking.

@Rael

 

[Morte]

✂˚̣⋅ .

Her experience is somewhat similar to Rael's, while being all that different. She creates her character with an idea in mind, molding her likeness with a confidence, as if she's already been thinking about it for a while. She decorates her design in a colour close to the one she adorns in real life, only a couple shades lighter and more colourful but mixed with hues of black. And once she is done, she steps back, admiring her creation at an angle from which she could get the whole view. Something which she often did in her work when she was finished with a fresh head of hair, tilting her hair from side to side to see if she had missed a spot.

And she hadn't. Darcy barely ever did.

And then, she was falling. She hadn't expected to be thrown in so quick, but here she was, plummeting from the sky at a speed that should, in the real world, kill her by the time she reached the ground lest she find a way to slow herself. But it's in that moment she grins, spreading out her arms and legs as she lets the wind fly through her hair, embracing the free feeling of falling, How amazing is this?

It's near the ground that she finally braces, but in a way that allows herself to roll to safety, finding the landing not as striking as she expected it to be. She rolls out to a stop, her body coming to a rest on her back as she takes a deep breath, staring into the blue sky above her for a moment as she dazes off. What a world that felt so... Real.

A couple minutes more passed before she finally got to her feet, dusting off her brand new body as she stood, placing her hands on her hips. What was the thing that people did when they first entered video game? Look for a starting npc... I guess. When was the last time she had played a video game... When she was 12? She turns up her nose in frustration at the lack of clear instructions, before a loud sound gains her attention, head swiveling in the direction, Is someone... Screaming?

She walks towards the cries for help, not in a rushed pace like someone else might be, but more in a manner of just going to check out what's up. A curiousness, but not a care. Once she approaches the clearing, she stands back as she studies the scene. A girl with pink hair, drowning. A man with green hair, going to rescue her. And her, hiding, ready to make an entrance. Her moment of truth. A chance to be someone, to be anything, to be-

Ah, who am I kidding?

Morte steps out to the edge of the lake, watching the two of them with an unreadable expression, before glancing around the general clearing. She continues to move without urgency, more as if she's taking a stroll or doing some kind of menial task. She spots a large, sturdy branch nearby, long enough to lend a hand to the two, and picks it up, holding it out towards the water, "Hey, you two! Grab onto this!"

Her brain thought was that maybe if she helped the more experience player out he would point her in the right direction, and then she could get started on her way. Besides, it's never a bad idea to help people out, especially when later it works out in your favour.

 

[Rael]

.

Two strangers come to her rescue. Two.

She ought to be grateful, a part of her mind whispers a suggestion, one that goes wildly unheard of in the elf's continuous struggle to keep herself afloat. At one point, a small figure of a person clad in heavy armor flashes at the edges of her vision, gone in the next moment as she goes underwater yet again, then resurfaces to find that he is gone.

His voice is soothing, another fact that goes unnoticed, drowned by the bouts of panic coiled tightly around her being as she, once again, fails to heed his instructions. Instead, she does the opposite in her fight to stay above water.

"Eek!" High-pitched and anxious is the little noise that comes from her throat when she first makes contact with the stranger, too enraptured in a chaos of her own making to tell friend from aquatic monster trying to grab her and drag her to an untimely demise.

"Please, please, please, I don't want to drown! I just started the game. Oh dear, oh dear..." She cries out, coughing in between the words, latching onto the faerin as if he were the difference between life and death itself. To Rael, now pushing him underwater to keep herself afloat, he might as well be.

A woman clad in purple stands by the lake's edge, the branch in her hands extended towards the pair. She doesn't take notice of any discernable features she might possess, gaze falling onto the object held out rather than the person herself.

With much, much hesitation in her bones, she tears herself from the Faerin allowing him a moment of respite from being dragged down by the woman he thought to rescue, and throws herself at the branch rather abruptly. Her arms circle around it, and she closes her eyes tightly, awaiting for the next part of this plan.

Two strangers had come to her rescue. Two.

How would she ever be able to live down such shame?

@Morte @Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Having someone latching on you when you are trying to save them from drowning was already expected, but it didn't make swimming any easier. Still, Hanno managed to stay with his head above water, at least for a moment- "You won-- GLUBUUBHHGU-!" The struggle coming from the woman became more intense, and so the attempt Hanno to keep some room to breathe did.

'Damn it-' He struggled slightly, trying to keep him from going too far from the surface. It didn't matter if his head was underwater right now, but it did matter if he started sinking and the newbie started going underwater along with him.

His head then went slightly above the water, and even if his nose and mouth were still covered, he could spot a third figure appearing, thankfully-

With the weight of the woman being released from him, there was a vague moment of despair before Hanno slipped his head out of the water, followed by a relief seeing she was just holding on to a branch that was offered.

Breathless, Hanno nodded and spoke tiredly. "Go... Good job, buddy!" He said in approval to the purple-haired woman, swimming toward the pink-haired one and helping to pull her back to the edge and then out of the lake, falling to his knees "Thank... You..." Hanno slipped between heavy breaths, looking at the purple-haired before glancing at the pink-haired.

"Hey... Hey, are you okay?" Hanno asked,

@Rael @Morte

 

[Morte]

✂˚̣⋅ .

Morte watched on as the pink part of the two figures tangled in the water proceeded to nearly drown the other one, barely able to stifle a snicker as she continues to hold out the branch towards them in a show of help. It wasn't long before she was noticed, and there was quickly a weight passed onto the long piece of wood as she struggles for a moment, annoyance flooding through her body as she pulls the branch inwards towards land, letting out a small grunt as she did so.

She drops the branch as soon as the girl is safe, dropping to the side with a roll of her eyes as if trying to get the negative feeling out of her system. She makes sure she is at least first turned away from them as she does this, gaining her composure before turning towards them and putting on the best worried expression she could, playing it up for the big leagues, "What happened here? Didn't know it was so easy to drown in a video game," Her words unfortunately betrayed her face as she kneeled down beside the girl, before looking towards the guy.

He looked way more built up than she did, which must mean he was the more experienced player of the two. She quickly ran through different scenarios and choices in her brain, trying to figure out what was the best way to go about this for the best outcome for her. It was almost as if a lightbulb appears over her head and she moves forward to help out the one that had been drowning in the first place, offering a hand to help her, up, "How did you end up nearly drowning on your first day here? Is there some kind of initiation I don't know about? It's my first, too." She inserts the last comment with a glance at the knight to see what his reaction was.

He seemed pretty helpful, and what kind of knight in shining armour wouldn't want to help 2 seemingly-damsels in distress find their way in the world? Especially after one nearly drowned and the other was so sweet as to help out, That's definitely how I'll kickstart my way in this world, an easy in.

@Rael @Hanno Futaba

 

[Rael]

.

Rael, pulled into the safety that was to have steady ground underneath her feet, laid flat against the soil, her face obscured from sight as she rested on her stomach. The little impromptu excursion into the waters had left her soaked from head to toe, and the elf was unsure if she had breathed in any air at all rather than more water, as was evident when she started coughing into her forearm.

Pushing herself off of the ground, she quietly sat there with her legs tucked underneath her, body quivering with each cough and itch of her throat. Morte's hand came closer, offering the purple-haired adventurer's assistance which she was quick to accept - but not before flicking her head aside, ridding it from leftover droplets of water that clung to her skin with a less-than-satisfying degree of success.

Wobbling to her feet as the woman pulled her up, she looked between her two saviors, brows slightly upturned in confusion. Confusion which then turned into shame at the other's accusations, accompanied by the vibrant shade of pink that quickly colored her cheeks. "N-No, it's not that!"

"I landed on the water, and I don't know how to swim..." She spoke quietly, too quietly, the volume of her tone growing progressively softer the longer she said the words, as if ashamed of them. Because, in truth, why wouldn't she be? Most people her age knew how to swim and as such, problems such as these never would've happened to them. While she, a grown person who suddenly fancied herself an adventurer, had nearly drowned within her first five minutes of spawning.

"Y-yes... I... I'm fine, if only a little startled. Th-Thank you kindly, for your assistance." She joined both hands at the front and frantically bowed her head forward, unconsciously sending more water splashing in their way. "Uhm... Do you know where I am, sir, miss..?"

@Hanno Futaba @Morte

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno slowly recovered himself, blinking surprised at the words of the purple haired and shifting his glance to the pink haired one. Two newbies, that was a certainty. It was something that Hanno didn't expect, but also considered to be an ideal situation. The more newcomers he could gather at once to try to teach them about the troubles of this world and possibly give them the idea of leaving this game, the better.

Still, it wasn't time to talk about the grim stuff yet. After all, one of them just went through a terrifying experience.

"In this world, everything is possible. This ain't your every day's game, buddy." Hanno said, looking at the purple haired with a small shrug and smile, turning to the pink haired and frowning his lips, shielding his eyes from the water that came spilling at him from the pink haired girl.

"I see... I am glad we found you then." He smiled, before adding: "My name is Hanno, Hanno Futaba. And you are in Eastern Brisshal." Hanno explained, then looking at the purple haired as well, knowing she was a newbie, judging by her words.

"It is the starter region, for those that log in for the first time. There isn't any initiation or tutorial. This place is just like real life, in a sense, you are just pushed into the direction of obstacles and challenges and you are meant to learn things by yourself or from others." He said, untying his hair and shaking his head to try to get rid of some water.

@Rael @Morte

 

[Rael]

.

"Is- Rael! My name is Rael, Hanno. Thank you for the rescue."

The elf put out both of her hands to shield herself from stray droplets of water that found their way onto her form again, the sight of the Faerin's easygoing attitude easing the burden weighing down her chest for the time being.

And as suddenly as she had started to let out those tiny chuckles, so did she remember she had been the one to get him in such an unseemly state in the first place.

Laughter turned to a mild panic.

"Oh, dear, uh... How do I... How do I open the inventory? Do I even have anything?" Rael muttered under her breath, eyes bouncing off of every corner in her surroundings as she tried her hardest to focus on one element of the HUD at a time, thinking that it would suffice to make it pop a window open.

She balled both her hands into a fist and shut her eyes closed, very tightly so. What followed was a series of ominous hums which, at the time, she thought would summon the game's menus into existence. Her eyes popped open after the ritual, deflating her smile as nothing come into being.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything to help you get dry..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Rael-" Hanno held his hair, trying to get rid of the water excess. "It is a pleasure to meet'cha! Even if it was a bit of a crazy intro." He said, giving one last shake of the head and resting his hands on his waist, tilting his head as he looked up at the woman.

A small smile crossed his lips as he heard her chuckles, proof that perhaps she was fine- But before relief could spread completely, the panic of the woman made Hanno blink, noticing her gestures and having the brief reminder that yes, she was a newcomer, she wouldn't know the basics of this world.

"Don't worry about it-" Hanno said, tugging his scarf and half-closing his eyes as the scarf turned into a translucent and ethereal Mana Mantle, waving it and allowing all the water that was absorbed by it to fall on the shiny grass as he pulled it out of his neck, letting it shimmer with the water particles as it wrapped around the girl's neck, slowly turning back into a more solid form, now completely dry.

"Use it to dry yourself. My aura hardly let me catch a cold, after all!" He grinned, though honestly, not having his hair tied and lacking his scarf made him feel like there was a lot missing on him.

"To open your inventory, you need to do it like this." Hanno showed his open palm, closing it firmly and opening, then making a few gestures before a handkerchief was summoned on his hand, allowing him to at least wipe his face.

@Rael

 

[Rael]

.

There was a certain feeling about the person who had found and then subsequently saved her, an indescribable feeling that brought an undeniable calm to the previously quickened thrums of her heart against her chest. Gone was the fear of drowning and the anxiety of her entrance to the game resulting in her first death, an event that, while completely out of her control, would've been most unfortunate to deal with.

"Aura? Oh, yes. I think that was one of the things available for me to select... Ah, exciting!" Mana Mantle wrapped gently around her neck, she pulled it off to do just as he had instructed, putting herself in the care of the more experienced person in her immediate vicinity.

Hanno redirected her attention after noticing her failed attempt to pull up her UI, proceeding to demonstrate how one achieved just that, and she copied him. Upon opening her inventory for the very first time since her chaotic fall into the game's lands, three things became immediately apparent to the girl: one, there was absolutely nothing in her inventory; two, her starting funds came to a grand total of zero; and three, she hadn't equipment with which to arm herself.

"Wha... What... "

Momentarily taken aback from the initial shock that was to discover she had absolutely nothing to her name, she silently dabbed her wet cheek with the faerin's mantle, going through the motions needed to finish drying herself off before continuing to fire the barrage of questions regarding the game at him.

"Eastern Brisshal, you said... The Beginner's region... Right, so at least there is somewhere that I should be able to get equipment. Right?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Without his scarf, Hanno could only concentrate his mana to create a warm, holy aura to try and keep himself safe from a cold and hopefully speed up his drying process, while making sure to engulf Rael in the aura.

Hanno watched Rael recovering herself even more with his scarf, smiling when she seemed to be successful at summoning the UI, and letting out a brief chuckle at her initial reaction that was nothing short of nostalgic. "I know what you are thinking of... 'How am I supposed to do anything if I got nothing?'" He said, shrugging. "This game isn't the best one for beginners, which is one of the reasons I wander around to make sure people are safe." He said, as Rael worked on drying her face off.

"The best place for you to get things started is Honeyhome, the starter town of Terrasphere... Well, not officially, but it is the closest one." Hanno explained while turning his back to her, gesturing to a certain direction, that would lead to the famous town.

"It is where you can get fairly easy tasks and jobs that will get you paid enough to buy your starting equipment, that is usually fairly cheap." Hanno said, turning to face Rael completely before suggesting: "Or I can buy some stuff to you, so you can start off without struggling too much." Honestly, he would rather just go and buy everything she needed so she could survive with ease, but he also couldn't force anything onto her.

@Rael

 

[Rael]

.

Initial disappointment set aside for the time being, the elf took the mantle and tossed it over her head, pressing it to her hair and shaking it to dry it more appropriately this time. The result, though unseen by her, was a more fuzzy version of what she had originally intended, face framed by puffed-out pink strands of hair.

"I think I would've expected a beginner's package, at the very least. A few potions, a rusty sword with the lowest stats ever to exist in the game, a map... Basic things. But nothing at all?" Except, as someone who had taken to the more magical options the game's menu had to offer during the character creation, even if she were possessed of a sword, Rael doubted it would be of much use to fend against threats.

She passed the mantle back to its owner with an apologetic smile for its present state, still unsure of the specifics of how it worked. Her eyes drifted to the direction he gestured at, nodding silently before he gave his next offer.

"Oh, no, no. Uhm..." Her hands linked at the front, thumbs drawing circles around one another as a visible sign of her discomfort. Discomfort she would not mention and discomfort she did her best to bury, for while she would appreciate being bought the equipment, if she was to learn what called people to this game, she had to experience everything the same as them. "Could I trouble you with accompanying me to Honeyhome? Perhaps take me to an NPC that could help me get started around here, and I'd also be grateful for any advice you could give while on the journey there."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno listened to Rael listing several things one would expect to start with a game, shaking his head at each of them before finally shrugging with a sigh. "Nothing, only you and your wits." Something that was bad news if you fell into a lake without knowing how to swim.

Looking at Rael's fuzzy hair, Hanno held back a laugh, muffling it in a 'pff-' before picking his scarf back, returning the apologetic smile with a reassuring one, turning the scarf into its ethereal form and making the water fall before wrapping it back on his neck, fully dry once again.

"NPC to get you started? There isn't such a thing." Hanno chuckled, handwaving. "There is no tutorial, no starter quest or anything like that." He said, pausing for a moment. "A particular Innkeeper I know is fond to new players, she should be able to redirect you to good opportunities for sure." Hanno rubbed a chin, smirking at the possibility before gesturing to her to follow.

"For me to help you out though, first I need to ask... What do you know about Terrasphere?" Hanno asked, adjusting his scarf and marching toward Honeyhome.

@Rael

 

[Rael]

.

The elf tilted her head aside at the hints of laughter the faerin was quick to stifle, its source unknown to one who couldn't behold her current physical state in a mirror. A smile crossed her lips, however, as the veteran's warmth resonated with something within her. It could be the pull of his aura, comforting and protecting, but to one who knew of no such things, she attributed the feeling to the happiness she felt at the veteran's amicable presence.

Her finger raised, quick to interject with another question at the tip of her tongue, shot down by Hanno's listing of all the features currently unavailable within the game. She retracted her hand, at a loss for other questions or pieces of advice she could get from him, until he offered her the second lifejacket for the day, this time in the form of an introduction to an NPC. "Perfect! I could get my bearings then, get to the nearest library, find out what's been happening..."

Rael fell into step beside the smaller person, her pace somewhat awkward at first until she found the perfect rhythm after the passing of several seconds. Just then, he would throw her off-balance with his question, drawing some stutters from her person.

"W-Well... I know... Uhm..." A sharp intake of breath for confidence, an exhale for reassurance. "It's a rumor, right? That's the way I heard about it years ago... 'The game that kills people'! Someone plays it and then they die because of unknown reasons, found dead in their beds."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno continued to guide Rael through the path to the nearest town, sideglancing at her as she spoke of rumors. Of course, the second thing that would come to mind of someone that knew about this game for long enough was that.

"Those aren't rumors." Hanno said, going straight to the root to give no room to think otherwise. It was long gone the time he hesitated to talk about it. "It is the truth. I saw it myself." He said, before elaborating: "Families destroyed because of the curse of this game."

Hanno rose three fingers, looking at Rael. "Three deaths is what you need to have your real body lifeless." He said, with a grim tone. "After that, you are no different from the Landers, or well, NPCs" he quoted the latter, because even regarding that he had his reservations.

"Why else do you think a veteran would be wandering in these low level lands?" Hanno asked, with a faint smile.

And he wasn't even the only one doing that.

@Rael

 

[Rael]

.

When she had first learned of the game's dangerous nature, it had been information received as she leaned on one of many pillars that lined the hallways marking the entrance to the cafeteria. It had felt somewhat akin to a ghost story when her friends lowered their voices so they could speak of it, sharing statements posted by the VRSA to dissuade the widespread panic that shook the foundation of the VR industry.

Distant. Unreal.

Lips pressed against one another, forming a thin line. Though she was aware of the possibilities, her decision to join the game had been founded on her lack of awareness surrounding the specifics that led to the disaster that happened all those years ago. As a streamer, she had been asked to share her opinions by quickly disappearing messages. As a person...

"My condolences," even when she spoke, it felt like the weight of the circumstances hadn't fully sunk in. "To think I was so careless I almost could've... Well, I got you to thank the worst didn't happen."

"Are you... A Lander?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno waited for a reaction from Rael, a bit worried about how she would handle it, but thankfully it seemed, at least on outside, that she was somewhat prepared for it.

"It is fine. But I would recommend you to learn how to swim. Never know if it will happen again, right?" He laughed.

It was good, because she wasn't panicking or feeling bad. It was bad, because she wasn't leaving the cursed game already.

When asked if he was a Lander, he chuckled. "Heh, nah. I am not a Lander. I am a player, or as the Landers like to call, a Starcalled. A Lander is a native from this world, an NPC" Hanno said, crossing his arms. "But don't mistreat them just because of it. They have emotions, and thoughts, and I would even dare to say... Consciousness." He was already expecting a weird look from the girl, as he was used to it.

"UI Locked players aren't Landers. They still hold their memories. They are just... Stuck in the game. And their real body is dead." Hanno scowled slightly.

"I am not UI Locked either... Yet." He grinned.

@Rael

 

[Rael]

.

"Starcalled has a nice ring to it, and I can see where they drew inspiration from."

Her laughter joined his, even if it was a joke made at her expense.

"How... How come? Consciousness? I have played a fair share of VR, at most I think the AI is capable of reacting to players' input, but... Consciousness?"

Though hesitant with each subsequent response to the details offered by the veteran, Rael's face remained set in its neutrality, a far cry from the girl who had been but a whirlwind of emotion, distressed at the prospect of drowning at the bottom of that lake. The blue pools of her gaze lowered themselves, trained on the blades of grass that brushed against the exposed skin of her ankles.

"It feels real," a simple observation, one that many others would've noticed fairly early on, but one that she had just caught on. By staying still, she kicked her foot back and forth, as if testing more of the sensation, trying to understand their limits and compare them to memory.

She pressed a hand to her forehead and rubbed her temples, as if finally being hit by the weight of the knowledge bearing down upon her shoulders. All the answers she had ever sought were now being handed to her on a silver plate. It all opened more questions on the how, the why... And at the very core of it-

"I... Don't understand."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno smirked at Rael's sense of humor, someone that could laugh off bad experiences was always nice to have around, especially with such a captivating smile. "Exactly, Lady Star." He teased with a nickname.

At her reaction, it was expected... Yet somehow different. As if she actually gave his words a thought, rather than outright dismissing them. The question, the confusion, the moment where she made her observation and insights regarding it made him at least muster a smile, even if it didn't necessarily mean she accepted what he said.

"I don't understand either," Hanno admitted. "And I've been playing this thing for years and years. There is just... Too much to understand. The people from this game, the players that are locked and still are... As real as they were when they were alive." He frowned.

"You know the Turing Test? The 'NPCs' here make that thing look like a joke. It is just indistinguishable, you only know who is a Lander due to player mannerisms. You will understand when you meet one-" Hanno said, letting out a quiet chuckle.

"But... Maybe we can understand a bit more of this world together." Hanno said, sliding his UI open and sending-

Notice

Hanno Futaba has sent you a Friend Request

"... For now, I think we should hurry to talk to the Lander I told you about. So, let's go?" He asked, turning around and sideglancing Rael with a smile.

@Rael