I entered the apartment complex and the doorman greeted me.

"Welcome back, Allan." He said to me.

"Hey, Aoki. How's it?" I said without looking to him.

"It's been great. Thank you for asking. I'd also like you to convey a message to your parents when they return from their business trip."

I turn around. "Why can't you do it?"

"Well unfortunately, I'll be leaving back for Japan this weekend. The holidays are coming up and all, I want to get home before it gets really hectic." He said.

"Hmm, alright. What is it?" I asked.

"Thank you for the opportunity, I am very grateful."

"Opportunity?"

"You know, your parents are responsible for getting me this job; and the fact I can live in America." He said with gratitude.

"Yeah, your English has gotten better as of late, hasn't it? You're using big words now."

"Yes! You are correct. I've been working hard to learn the language." He said with enthusiasm. "Oh by the way, Allan."

"Hm?"

"You've got mail in your mailbox, very peculiar too."

"What kind of mail is it?"

"There was a book shaped object that was wrapped in construction paper delivered today."

"Oh, I see. Thanks for telling me, I'll go get it. See you later."

"Yes, if course." He bowed.

I walked over to the mailboxes and checked mine. He was right, there was a book shaped object wrapped in paper. It looked a bit weird but thought nothing of it. I grabbed it and headed for the stairs.

I made it up the stairs of the complex. I walked down the hall and toward the door to my condo and began to put the keys into the door. I hear the sound of a click as I twist the key counter-clockwise. I pull the key out and open the door. As soon as I do so I turn my head to the left towards the couch, and how am I not surprised. My older brother is sitting there on his phone.

"Kangei no ie, otouto." He said to me.

"Ken. I told you to stop speaking Japanese to me." I say as I hang up my coat.

"Oh sorry, otouto." He said, probably just to spite me.

"Otouto is Japanese too." I put my scarf on the hanger as well.

"Jeez, tough to please as always." He said.

I take my shoes off and throw the book shaped thing at him. "What's this?"

He looked at it and I saw realization on his eyes. "N-nothing!" He put it behind his back and continued to use his phone.

"It is something isn't it?" I ask in suspicion.

"Well yes of course it's something, just not something you should pay mind to." He said with fake reassurance.

"I know it's a book, Aoki knows too. It better not be something weird."

"It's not, it's not, don't worry."

"Yeah, sure."

I walked down the hallway to my room and opened the door. Everything was dusted and organized, perfect. I put my backpack on the bed and payed my attention to my shelf. The unopened 'Dream VR' add on box next to the equally unopen console box. With the game's case sitting on top of it.

I do have a plasma TV in my room, but I never use it. On top of that, how do you even set up a console? I scanned through the manual, but the manual wasn't even in English. Not even in Japanese either.

I decided to act, but I don't have many choices. The internet is unreliable, so I decided to go as low as this.

"Ken! I need you to do something!" I called out to Ken from my room. I still can't believe I did something so unforgivable, asking that lowlife for help.

"What do you need otouto?"

"Tch. I need you to set up this game console for me."

"Game console? You like games now?"

"No, it's just something I'm trying out."

"Isn't this like the tenth time you've tried something?"

"What're you talking about?"

"You know how you have no hobbies right? You've been trying so many different things as of late. There was fencing, karate, jujitsu, kendo, now this? It's not even sports related either."

"Uh, have you heard of e-sports?"

"I don't know, have you?" He walked over to the console and scanned the box. He picked up the game. "What you're doing isn't even e-sports; Mega-Quest? What kind of game is that?"

"Honestly I don't know myself. I just went to go buy it with a friend on Sunday."

Ken looked at me weird. "You made a friend too? What's going on with you?"

"Oh wow, what a shocker, I made a friend. That's not the point, help me set this up."

He looked at the boxes. "Ah this brings back memories."

I turn to look at him. "What memories?"

"Back when we hooked up dad's old Wii on the TV and we played bowling."

"Why're you acting like that was so long ago? You're 21; and I'm pretty sure the Wii was long dead even by the time you were born."

"Way to make a memory sour Allan." He said while shaking his head.

"You gonna help me out or not?"

He stopped shaking his head. "Yeah, sure I'll help."

"Took you too long to answer."

"Give that manual to me."

He grabbed the manual from my hand. I couldn't understand any of it, doubt he would.

"Stecken Sie den HDMI-Akkord in den HDMI-Anschluss am Fernseher. Schließen Sie dann die Konsole an eine Stromquelle an."

"Huh?" I was honestly quite surprised.

"You were reading the wrong side of the manual. What'd you do? Did you just open the manual randomly in the middle?"

"Yes. What language is that and how can you read it?"

"German, I've been taking a German course recently." He squinted as he continued to scan the manual.

"Okay, don't care anymore. What does it say?"

"Plug the HDMI cable to the HDMI ports of the console and the TV. After you're done with that, plug the console into a power source."

"HDMI?"

"Do I actually have to do this for you?"

"I asked for your help didn't I? Things like that don't come often."

"You're right, they don't. But in this situation, I'm a bit un-needed. However, because of your incompetence you don't even know what an HDMI is."

"So what? I don't use this TV at all."

"It's just common knowledge."

I tossed the HDMI cable at him. "Whatever, here you do the HDMI thing and I'll plug the other thing in."

"You're so helpless, honestly."

We did the thing and the plugging. I turned on the TV.

"Why isn't it showing up?"

"Sigh. Because you need to go to the HDMI channel, idiot."

"Who're you calling idiot?"

"Who else is in this room?"

"Shut up. Anyway, the last thing we need to set up is the VR headset."

"That should be something you do yourself. I have to get back to the living room."

"It's not like you're doing anything important."

"Oh yes I am, very important stuff. I take my leave now, I've done all the work I can." He left the room and shut the door.

How useless can he be?

I grabbed the manual again. But this time I looked at the table of contents. The manual was separated into five languages. From what I can tell with products like these, is that there are 'United States' versions and 'European' versions. This feels like a European version with all these languages. The manual is translated into English, Spanish, French, German, and Dutch. English is the first section, which I should have read in the first place.

"Plug long VR cable into the headset via port on the side of the headset. Then plug the opposite end of the cable into back of the console, port labeled 'VR'."

Seems easy enough. I did as the manual said, and it looked all set up. Now, all I had to do was insert the disk and.. then what?

"In order to view what the console displays, please turn to the HDMI channel on your TV."

Oh right, that's what I'm supposed to do. I grab the remote and press a bunch of buttons until my the screen changes to a menu with HDMI labeled in the corner of the screen.

I did it, all by myself! Wait'll Ken see that I can do things for myself.

I tore off the plastic wrap around the game case and took out the disk. I put the disk inside the console, and it appeared on the menu as an option. I picked up the controller and pressed what I assume was the 'ok' button.

A message popped up saying.. "Please activate headset in order to play this game."

I did so and put on the headset. All of a sudden I felt myself fall over and everything went black.

I came to in a white room with a throne sitting in front of me. I could hear what sounded like a choir singing in the distance, but couldn't actually see them. I saw a woman suddenly appear on the throne, she had long blonde hair tied in a braid over her shoulder. She wore a white robe that kind of looked like a toga. She also wore a Laurel wreath on her head.

"Greetings newlyspawn, my name is Goddess Hilda. I am the Goddess of Birth." She said to me in such a calm and sweet tone. "You have been transferred into the large universe known as the 'Divine Isles'."

"What is that? Also, what is this place?" I asked.

"This is where new players will create their character." She answered. "As for what the Divine Isles is, let me explain."

I nodded.

"The Divine Isles is a large universe made of floating islands. Each floating island is, what you'd call, a level. You must clear each island in order to finish the game. The Divine Isles currently has 100 main islands to explore. There are currently no extra islands, as you do not have any expansion packs installed."

Expansion packs? Why would you need an expansion pack in a game as large as this?

"Every island is it's own environment, based on the real world, and the fantasies of the game designers who built these fair isles. Each island, may as well be a whole complete game in itself."

"I have some questions." I said.

"Yes?"

"When will I play the game already?"

"Well, that time will come soon enough. Let us create your character!" She pulled a white curtain in the background and there was an empty white husk of a human that stood there. "Would you like your Avatar to bear your own appearance, or would you like to create it from scratch?"

"I'll have it look like me."

Goddess Hilda snapped her fingers and the Avatar changed. It was almost out of science-fiction, but this was a video game. It grew hair, facial features just popped out of the plain head. The body morphed into my current physique, it's skin changed color, it was a complete copy of me.

"Is this to your liking?" She asked.

"Yes, I like it."

"Alright, please choose a username."

Username? I never really thought about it before. I guess it doesn't matter, I'll use my real name.

"It is recommended you do not use your real name. We are not held responsible for stalking on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc."

She's right; even though I don't have an account on any of those social medias.

"Having trouble? How about coming up with something clever and memorable?"

Clever and memorable? Let's see, my name.. Allan. My last name.. Satou. How about..

"Atou. My name will be Atou."

"As you wish." She snapped her fingers again, and a username appeared above the motionless Avatar, Atou. "You will start off as a level 1 adventurer. But as you progress you unlock skill points. These skill points will allow you to unlock special abilities from the various 'classes' that are programmed into the game. Once you have reached level 10 you may change your class. I hope you have a wonderful experience playing this game. Because there are no returns allowed to the store you purchased this game from. Farewell, Atou."

Suddenly I was swarmed by feathers and everything went white. I woke up in a large gazebo type structure in the middle of a medieval looking village.

I looked around, everything was so life like. The lighting was just as if it were real life, maybe even better than real life. I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and the wind blowing on the tree branches; and I could hear the sound of people talking in their various groups.

As I was getting fully immersed in to the world, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Allan! You made it!" Trevor called out to me while running toward me.