I pull up my player status screen. Immediately, I realize what the problem is.

My avatar looks different.

When I started the game, I'd spent years playing as humanoid characters like dark elves. So instead of teeth and claws, I chose a sword as my weapon and made my avatar more humanoid in appearance. I made the skin ash grey and raised the ears into a point. I also reddened the eyes and brought the hairline forward into a more sinister point. Humanoid, but definitely not an angel.

That's different now.

My skin has a slight bronze tan, my eyes are blue--to the point where they appear to glow--and my hairline has softened. Even the angle of my avatar's jaw has been altered from an angular point to a softer round.

My avatar has been remade into an angel. What the fuck?

Well, not quite, it looks a little too rugged for an angel, but I'm closer to it than any other citizen of hell.

Have I been hacked?

Is this some kind of joke because I reached...

Ah, I see. I am an angel. The game has taken my appearance into its own hands--I've even been locked out of the customization options. I stare at my new face a few minutes more. I guess I'm not opposed to it, but what a pain in the ass if everyone in Hell thinks I'm either an angel to fight or some angel loving newb.

Geezus, they don’t know what I am. All sorts of people claim they’ve reached the Fallen Angel level, but none mentioned this, and everyone in the Queue seems surprised. Could I be the first?

Shut up. Don’t worry about that right now. I need solutions. What new skills did I pick up?

Here's the Sword of Flame skill I already discovered. The default setting is to activate whenever I draw my sword. I'll leave it like that for now. It gives my sword a significant boost in the damage it deals.

Warding. Allows the caster to place wards preventing demon entry. Useful for securing territory buildings in hell and preventing other demons from opening chests.

My pulse quickens. It won't help me here, but in the future... I'll think more about it once I'm out of this situation.

What else. Come on, I'm a Fallen Angel, I've got to have something...

Yes!

I unpause, crouch down, and summon my newest ability.

Wings.

Not the white, glowing, wings of Heavenly angels. These wings are so black they absorb the light.

I leap into the air. The wings are like another set of arms on my back. In the same way, I only have to think about moving my arm to grab something, I just think I need to fly, and the wings respond. I rise upward, the smoke swirling and shifting with each flap of my wings. The crowd can see me--most stand with their mouths open. They know the truth now, I'm no angel wannabe, nor am I an angel from Heaven. The way Hell works, they’ll line up by the hundreds now, thousands maybe, to try and take me out. All so they can brag on the boards that they killed a Fallen Angel.

I should’ve picked Heaven. I bet there’re fewer assholes up there.

I soar up into the sky. In this circle, it looks blue and full of clouds. There's a ceiling to it, eventually. Maybe one day I'll reach up high enough to touch it. Today, I streak forward, reveling in freedom, heading toward the Eternal Plains to find a bit of peace.

Wings. I can fly.

I can fly, I can fly, I can fly, I can fly.....

Peter Pan. My mom's favorite Disney movie.

How many times did we watch that together when I was a kid? Every time I was sick and stayed home from school, and then at least another four times a year on top of that. She hasn't turned that video on since dad...

The center of the Eternal Plains is empty. I touch down on the soft grass and collapse to my ass. Flying is amazing, but it's drained my stamina points. I'll have to focus on leveling that up if I want to fly further and faster.

In my menu, I return to the Warding spell.

I've waited months for this.

When real life sucks, to be offered a chance to escape somewhere else--to be strong, powerful, and a person of influence--it’s like a drug. When I put on that helmet I'm not just playing a game, I'm immersing myself into a different life. I'm shaping myself into someone I could never be in the real world. The fact this game allows me to experience it like I'm truly living in its world is too much to resist. But the one thing the game has lacked is a place to call my own. Hell is filled with players who look to pick fights to prove how badass they are. And if it isn't another player hassling you, there's some NPC looking to do battle. The boards said there was a way to have your own space--a place where you could be safe and alone. Now I have the ability to give myself that.

But what if the game is real?

It doesn't matter--I have what I need. I'll carve a little piece of hell out for myself and spend my time enjoying my own space. If I feel the need to do missions, I'll just do the hell bound ones. Can’t get into too much trouble killing demon NPCs.

It’s just a game. Just a stupid coincidence. I’m an idiot for worrying about this.

Powerful hands clamp down on each of my shoulders. They’re strong in a way not possible for another player. I’m dealing with NPCs. I didn't notice them moving toward me. It's like they appeared out of nowhere.

“If you make a scene,” one of them hisses, “we’ll erase you.”

He gets real close to my ear and adds in a ragged whisper, “I’m not just talking about your avatar.”