Chapter 1 - 1: The Beginning

"And that's how I died...Trapped in a game and killed by the system that was supposed to help me..." 

It all started three years ago when the first fully immersive virtual reality game was announced. 

No one had even heard the name of the Necrosis Corporation until the year 2047 when they suddenly came out with the first fully immersive Virtual Reality Game 'Divinity'. 

A single announcement had made them an overnight sensation.

A small American corporation that had to struggle to gain enough capital for research and development was suddenly the hot property in the market. The Necrosis corporation became the brightest organization.

Every wealthy person in the world wanted to invest in the Necrosis Corporation and get some shares. Probably because they had realized the immense potential of virtual reality in the future of humanity. Most of the people knew that it was only the start. They could feel that the Necrosis Corporation wouldn't end at Divinity.

Just like everyone in the world, Ryder was also excited about the first virtual reality game 'Divinity'. There were already some rumors about the price. If rumors were to be believed, then the prices were not too expensive, but they weren't too cheap either. Although he wasn't rich, he felt like he could afford it.

On August 23, 2048, the game was finally released worldwide. The markets flooded with customers hoping to buy Divinity. The whole world was talking about only one thing. Not politics... not sports... but a game. A game that was about to change the world.

Since Divinity was the first fully immersive virtual reality game, there were no monitors, CDs, or consoles. All they had to do was buy their VR equipment. Although it sounded strange, the VR equipment was nothing but a pair of black sunglasses.

It was said that the sunglasses had some futuristic technology inside them that could make it connect to their nervous system. It was able to send signals and receive signals to the brain, respectively.

Initially, Ryder had his doubts about how safe it was, but the glasses did come with the certification from the world's biggest scientific organization IMC. 

The IMC certificate mentioned that the game and the glasses had been tested by their experts and found to be 100% Safe. That certificate managed to convince him that it would be safe.IMC was a big name, after all.

He stood in a long line for hours before he finally managed to buy a pair of Divinity VR glasses.

The excitement of getting to play the game and experience the virtual world was at its peak as the Millions of Units were sold in just a single day.

Those who couldn't get the game were depressed. Still, the developers of Divinity promised everyone through their social media accounts that they will ramp up the production and sell fifty million units every Saturday. 

All of that had nothing to do with Ryder, though, as he had already received what he desired.

Ryder Flynn was a 24-year-old man. He had just completed his graduation last year and was a working professional.

He was a software designer. He didn't work for any big organization as he wanted to be his own boss. He used to develop android games at that time and earned money from them.

Although he didn't earn an excessive amount, the earnings were still pretty decent. 

He was an orphan. His father and mother had both died in a car accident when he was just 18 years old. Thankfully, they left some savings, and he was able to continue his studies. 

There was someone else who lived in the house with him. It was a girl whose name was Alice.

Ryder's maternal grandpa had a best friend who unfortunately died in an accident. He only had one Daughter who was taken care of by Ryder's grandfather. The girl was named Jasmine. Ryder's grandfather helped fund her studies and gave her a place to stay. He did everything he could as guardian without adopting her. 

She later married someone and seperated. She also had a daughter named Alice. 

Alice's mother, Jasmine, was like an Aunt to Ryder even though she was more of a family friend. 

It was a well-known fact, but everyone treated Jasmine as family.

Jasmine had died with Ryder's parents when they were traveling together. Ryder was told that a truck hit the car of his parents. 

Since the accident, Alice has been living with him. She was five years younger than him. She was a university student at the time of the release of Divinity. Life was tough after their parents' death, but Ryder didn't let her suffer because of a lack of resources.

*****

Ryder got home after getting the VR glasses and locked himself in his room.

"Amazing... It's so incredible that a simple pair of sunglasses could hide such incredible technology." 

He was shocked as soon as he opened the package. There was a pair of Divinity VR sunglasses, an IMC safety certificate, and a Manual. The glasses looked nothing special. They looked like a normal pair of sunglasses.

"What about the charger?" 

That was the first thought that came into his mind as soon as he opened the box. It was a normal reaction as he saw no charger inside. 

'How am I going to charge this thing once it runs out of power?' It was a serious question that floated through his mind.

Ryder opened the manual of the Divinity VR Glasses and started reading it.

As he finished reading the manual, he finally got the answer to the question that was haunting him. He found out that the glasses didn't need to be charged. 

The manual mentioned some technical mumbo jumbo that he didn't understand in the least. All he understood was that he didn't need to charge the glasses. 

He only found out that the glasses could charge through something called the neural link. 

He was somewhat scared thinking about the technology that went behind it and was worried if it was really safe, but the IMC certificate that he had in his other hand managed to calm him down.

He finally wore the glasses. The Manual said that the glasses worked through voice commands. All the commands were already mentioned in the manual, which he learned.

"Divinity Scan!" Ryder said with an excited voice as he used the first command.

"Please keep your eyes open for the retina scan." A female voice appeared in his head.

'Amazing… The glasses can already transmit sounds to my brain.' Ryder thought with an amazed look on his face.

The glasses turned on and started scanning his retina. Once the scan was completed, he would be saved as the owner of the glasses. It was a security feature that allowed only him to access the glasses. It was so that no one else could use his account or his glasses. It would make stealing the glasses useless.

"Scan Completed! Would you like to enter the world of divinity?" The feminine voice again appeared in his head.