The Recruitment office was surprisingly austere, with no hint of the posters or brochures from the waiting room. I’d never been particularly neat, but the lack of clutter helped put me at ease. Maybe because it was such a contrast to my jumbled mental state right now.

Emily’s smile was more genuine than the receptionist’s as she gestured to a plush chair set before her well-organized desk. Either she was actually pleased to see me, or she was just a far better actress.

“Hi there! You must be Sebastian. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I mean, I know we’ve chatted a couple times via linkcall, but I like being able to put a face to the voice.”

“Er, yeah. You too.”

I shook her offered hand and settled into the seat, sinking into its plush cushion. I bit back a satisfied groan. So much more comfortable than anything we had at home.

She waited until I was situated before steepling her hands in front of her. “First, let me begin by asking if you have any questions for me. I know this can seem like an overwhelming process, and I want to be one hundred percent certain that we’re both on the same page.”

I swallowed and shook my head. “I’m good. I know what I’m getting into.”

Her smile remained, but a slight furrow appeared in her brow. “Are you sure? I don’t mean to stress you out, Sebastian, but this is an important decision. Once you elect to join the Immersive Agent Program, there’s no going back. The process is irreversible. You’re still young, with a lot of life ahead of you. If you have even the slightest doubt, I recommend you wait. You can always return to us again when you’re older.”

I thought of the first time I’d brought up my plans with my mom a little over three years ago, and the furious fight that had ensued. She’d said much the same thing, accusing me of throwing my life away.

But what kind of mediocre life would I have here anyway? Better to give Mom one less mouth to worry about feeding. To do everything I could to ensure my sisters had a better shot at a decent life.

Picturing their faces in my head, I said, “I’m sure. This is what I want.”

Emily nodded as if she’d expected nothing else. “Well then, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Infinitarium’s Immersive Agent Program. IAs like you are an integral part of the player experience, bringing our virtual worlds to life and ensuring our games continue to run smoothly for many years to come.”

She pulled out a sleek-looking tablet. “As you know, your position includes a stipend to be paid out to the person of your choice. Do you have the information for your designated beneficiary?”

“Y-yeah. My mom.”

I rattled off my mom’s name, address, and other identifying information. That’s when it really started to sink in—I’d never see my home again. Never slip onto one of the rickety stools in the cramped kitchen. Never lock myself away from the world in my bedroom. Never help my sisters braid their hair, or hug Mom hello after a grueling day.

Tears threatened to wet my cheeks. I barely held them back. Emily seemed nice enough, but this was still her job, and I didn’t want to give her any reason to turn me away. I’d been waiting since I was eighteen to turn twenty-one so that I could legally register for early retirement without parental consent. And now that I finally had, the last thing I wanted was to let a brief moment of weakness derail all my plans.

I swallowed down the tangle of emotions clogging my throat. It wasn’t like I hadn’t spent countless sleepless nights considering the consequences. Every time, I reached the same conclusion: this was the best way for me to help my family.

And it was also the best way to help myself—to escape from this dreary reality and seize a better, brighter future. I deserved to be happy too, didn’t I?

Emily silently watched while I gathered myself. If there was any judgment there, I didn’t sense it.

When I was finally ready to continue, I cleared my throat. “What’s next?”

Her hands went to a drawer in her desk and returned with a stack of those brochures from the waiting room. The colorful images on their fronts depicted everything from spell-slinging wizards to speeding cars.

“Infinitarium’s Sphere contains over a dozen different virtual worlds in need of IAs. Have you decided which you’d prefer? If not, we can go over them together now, or I can enter you into a random pool so that you’re assigned wherever the need is greatest—with a corresponding increase to your stipend, of course.”

Guilt flickered through me at the thought of turning down more money my family desperately needed. But I’d known what world I wanted to enter ever since I was thirteen and saw the advertisements flashing across a holoboard downtown.

“Caelarian Online,” I said.

My cheeks flushed red when Emily chuckled. She swept away the stack of brochures, leaving only one behind. Its cover depicted a Prism Crusader, his lance radiant with golden light, facing down an enormous ice dragon on a snow-coated mountaintop.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just refreshing to deal with someone so decisive. You’d be surprised how many recruits we get in here who still have no idea where they’d like to go.”

She opened the brochure, leafing through it as she spoke. “Caelarian Online is our oldest property—the very first game Infinitarium created for the Sphere. It features your standard fantasy adventure gameplay, with players exploring the world, slaying monsters, and completing quests in order to level up their characters and unlock new abilities.”

I squirmed in my seat, unable to completely mask my excitement. Over the years, I’d read plenty about Caelarian Online, from overviews of its nine classes and three ancestries to lore primers on the world and its history. I’d never gotten to actually play it though: personal Sphere consoles were notoriously expensive, and I never had the time, or the money, to visit a public Sphere cafe.

Soon enough, I’d finally have my chance.

“Do you know what I’ll get to do as an NPC?” I asked eagerly, staring at the dragon on the brochure cover.

That tiny furrow reappeared on her brow. “We prefer the term ‘Immersive Agent’ for our human-controlled non-player characters. NPC has too strong a connotation with mindless automatons incapable of thinking for themselves. There are still plenty of NPCs in our games, of course, Caelarian Online included. But as an IA, you’ll be able to select from a list of exciting roles custom-tailored to suit your interests, whether it be an important ally to aid and support players, or a powerful adversary meant to challenge players and create memorable encounters.”

A boss monster, in other words. Perfect.

Emily reached down and opened another drawer in her desk. “Before we continue, it’s company policy to provide all prospective IAs with a brief demo of their chosen game.”

My heart kicked up a notch as my eyes latched onto the sleek silver visor she set down in front of me. A Sphere console.

“So, what do you say?” she asked. “Care to take Caelarian Online for a test drive?”

“Hell yeah!” I said, then flashed her an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

She chuckled and sat back in her seat. “There’s no need to apologize. I appreciate your enthusiasm.” She gestured at the visor. “Do you know how to use one of those?”

My fingers hesitantly trailed over the thick band running along the visor’s side. “Not really,” I admitted. “Do I just slip it on?”

She nodded. “Those bands on the side are more flexible than they look. They’ll adjust to fit your head. Usually, it’s recommended to lie down while connecting to the Sphere, but the demo will only last a couple of minutes, so you should be fine right there. Make sure the visor is properly positioned over your eyes and flush against your forehead. That’s how it establishes a neural link with your brain. Then, press and hold the buttons on either side to activate it.”

I followed her instructions, slipping on the headset. It was surprisingly light considering how incredibly expensive I knew it was. Sure enough, it fit my head easily. I’d barely have been able to tell it was there if not for the black lenses blocking my sight.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Emily said from somewhere in front of me.

Shifting to get comfortable in my chair, I took a deep breath and activated the Sphere console.