It was like waking up from a deep slumber. Awake, but with no recollection of ever fading to black. The diffusion between the senses and in-game response was alarming, but not lasting. It was pitch black, not so like the night, but in the sense that light was absent. Then, he remembered his eyes were closed. He blinked a few times, testing the sensory feedback between the simulation and reality. The latency was only by small margin, but anyone would hardly notice if they were milliseconds too slow in moving. Relax, Akihiko! You got this… he coached himself. He breathed in deeply, and focused his eyesight. “It’s so… bright!” Tendrils of light broke off from the gaps in between the thick canopy above him. Tall trees towered, with their groves dancing as a breeze whirled past the clearing. How long had he been lying on the ground, he wondered. The smell of fresh grass and bark was overwhelming. Things were so much more elated than the real world. It was no wonder VR had experienced a boom… He rose up from the ground, wobbly at first, the usual forced with which he used to bring his mass, was now too forceful for his smaller build. Aki had almost thrown himself back to the ground for a faceplant. He managed to stand up, and examined his arms, his legs, and even his abdomen with a face full of worry. Finally, he tapped himself on the head, and found his hand falling short of his actual height. This was not good. If Virtual Reality was meant to simulate a world close to our own, wouldn’t the ideal body the one you were most comfortable with? The issue at hand was probably something people called “Gamers” had taken into account, but Akihiko, now known as Arram Draper, had chosen his race based on the description, seeing it was strong. Arram had completely ignored the height difference in a rush. He scanned the perimeter, trying to get used to craning his neck. Another pressing matter was at hand. The white haired Fae had no clue where he was. It was a Forest alright, but what kind? There were creatures sure to appear and here he was, fresh from the oven. Arram sighed, and pushed the worries aside. He needed to focus on what he could do, and that would be… moving. To check the stability of his nervous system, a walk around the clearing was good enough to test his muscle control; action and reaction. There were no differences at all. Everything flowed naturally as if it was his own body. He tried something a little heavier. A few jabs, a back hand followed by a round-house kick. There were no visible latencies in the moves, and everything was executed the same way as it would have in real life. The question that bore in his mind was how much damage he could dish out at the moment. He finished and took up the stance of attention for Taekwondo. But while his feet and arms rested in discipline, his eyes were smiling. Beasts of fantasy and imagination… he couldn’t wait to fight one and feel the qualia of victory. True enough, he was here on the account of his thesis, but it did not mean Akihiko could not enjoy the fruits of VR while he was at it. He let himself fall to the ground once more and felt the warmth of the sun on his pale skin.
