Two weeks after his soul and mind collapsed, Julian's life continued.
The light flickered in a modern apartnt, with laminate floors covered in a thick rug and LED lights fluctuating between warm colours. On the walls were pictures of a family, an elderly couple and a young male with silver hair and red eyes, which are normal symptoms of albinism.
Clack
The young male, now an adult, walked through the door, his keys jingling.
He stepped inside, one hand flicking his phone and keys onto the ledge as he entered. He flicked back both shoulders as his black coat slipped from his broad shoulders. Julian tossed his coat over the bannister and rushed into the living room.
Clap
He clapped before taking out several items from the bag, and his lips curled into a slight smirk as he stepped before a wooden cupboard.
When he opened it, two pictures appeared: funeral pictures of the elderly couple.
"Mother, Father… today is the day."
His hands slowly placed the small treats on a plate, a small thod of worshipping the dead taught in his original world. This boy was not soone from Earth but ca from a land where magic and superpowers existed.
'I hope I get a decent class since my Mana has been locked since I was reborn.'
Julian was the man's na.
A handso man, incomparable to the cute child from the picture on the walls. He closed his eyes, placing both hands together in prayer, thinking about the humans from this world who loved him like their own for over twenty years.
'There are less than four hours until the ga launches…'
His mind wandered for a mont whilst praying to them.
Today was the death anniversary of his foster parents—kind people who couldn't have a child of their own and instead t Julian as a young baby at a church-funded orphanage.
Grrrk~
His eyes opened, a slightly awkward smile on his face.
"Sorry, Mum, I forgot to eat after work since I've booked two weeks off, Brian was really petty and made finish his work."
Though he understood they were gone, Julian just wanted to show the respect due before it beca too difficult for him to do so.
With one last deep breath, he clapped his hands and lit the incense sticks.
'Thank you for bringing up and leaving with enough money to live a warm life.'
"Now, then, should I cook sothing?"
Julian moved to the kitchen, a modern, fully equipped room with the latest digital and AI-powered appliances.
The advancent of technology allowed him to cook several things in the sa oven, each shelf with a different temperature and cooking ti.
"What about beef Wellington and a red wine reduction today?"
His lips curled into a bitter smile.
Julian discovered he spoke to himself too much—there wasn't a cute Asian beauty sitting on the sofa drinking hot cocoa because she was gone.
'Well, this was the only way to avoid her death.'
He wondered if he had made a mistake.
mories of her face resurfaced…
The cold early mornings after a late night, rushing to college to hand in their assignnts, unaware of the effects of the ga, lingered on his mind. Then, the image of her death caused his hand to tremble as he chopped the carrots and leeks.
"It's okay…"
Because of his previous life, he cooked and did most things manually despite there being many useful tools. When the world collapsed, none of them would work, and over a decade of survival, living changed him.
Before long, the prep work was finished, and he wrapped the at, ready to cook it in the oven.
Julian closed the door and checked the tir before he left the kitchen and went for a shower.
Slam
Tonight, he would face his past and the mistakes caused by his negligence.
Julian stepped out of the shower an hour later, his steps on the floor leaving a quiet echo—when he entered his bedroom, he took a deep breath.
He let the towel drop from his hips, his little brother swaying freely from restrictions.
"I can't believe I managed to get one of these premium units…"
His eyes trailed over the sleek, black capsule.
The pod was about the size of a single bed, while the unit was roughly the size of a king-sized bed. Julian tapped the two buttons on the front. One started the fans, creating a cool, low whirring sound, while the other booted the VR capsule's energy core.
Hum~
"So this is my future bed." His hand traced over the smooth, cool surface, tapping the tallic button, which caused the pod's door to slide open.
Shhh~
The soft gel inside the pod pumped coolant, releasing an icy breeze as Julian climbed into the chair with the straps and fastened the clips. He then placed his hands and feet into the pod's hand and foot slots, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
'Well, here it goes!'
Julian closed his eyes before the black door humd with a chanical sound and closed with a loud click, followed by the safety bolt latching.
Click
A vivid blue screen appeared in Julian's vision, even with his eyes closed. The bold text was easy to read and didn't vanish until he thought about it disappearing.
[◊ Welco to Avalon's Fall ◊]
[Coolant safety check: …50% …75% …100%]
[VR Visionary system loading: …10% …50% …100%]
[Ga Engine starting: …5%…25%…100%]
[All Systems OK]
[◊ Would you like to scan your body? ◊]
The ga Avalon's Fall allowed people to edit themselves, but they couldn't change their genders. In the past, people complained about this feature being outdated and bigoted.
But when the truth erged and the world began to fall apart, people forgot about such mundane and fruitless topics.
Nobody cared about such things because their lives were in danger.
Julian's body relaxed in the calming gel. His eyes slowly opened, and he fluttered his lashes to find himself in a beautiful white room. A blonde female stood with six pairs of wings and a golden light surrounding her.
'This is the avatar of the goddess Solaria.'
[◊ Scan your body? ◊]
Once again, the ssage appeared—it hovered in the air.
He could touch and move the ssage with his fingertip. He tapped the edges while impressed with the expensive pod he bought and adjusted its size.
"When I entered the world in the past, only cheap headsets were available, but a pod that lets sleep while gaming. After all, a dical-level pod is drastically different."
[Yes] [No]
The option popped up, and suddenly, he realised his body appeared as a shadow.
There were no textures or even a proper shape.
Tap
Of course, he took pride in his looks and didn't want to change… in case he t her again.
[◊ Customise Body? (Can increase body rating up to 30%) ◊]
When the ssage appeared, a gentle and benevolent voice sounded when Solaria spoke to him.
A feeling of greed, rather.
Because Julian wasn't born on Earth, his body couldn't absorb the Mana needed to grow fully, leaving him shorter than in his first life. Thus, a regret that followed him even in his last life was that the headset could not scan his body or face.
Thus, he remained stunted, which affected him in combat.
"It doesn't matter—body rating also affects muscles, bone density and other senses."
With that said, he tapped the maximum change before the eyes of Solaria seed to move, focusing on him before curling her lips into a smile the mont the box vanished.
[◊ Oh Warrior from another World, I accept your desire. ◊]
Like the warmth on a sumr afternoon, her words allowed Julian to relax for a mont, but he couldn't help but feel an itch at the back of his mind.
He repeated her words internally as the white room began to fade—his consciousness would soon enter a state of stasis while the capsule scanned him.
Zoooon
Rocked onto his back, Julian's mind floated away like a boat on a calm lake.
[Body Customisation Starting: …10% …30% …40% …99%]
The gel inside the capsule bubbled, the processor and engines of the VR unit humming at max speed along with the fans, a low hiss sounding from the hydraulics as the pod swirled to scan his body completely.
He couldn't help but grimace, squinting his eyes.
Julian's cramped muscles twisted and reford, and the gel seed to seep into his body like magic.
His lips parted, and he gasped while asleep, causing air bubbles to flow inside the green gel as it transford him to the genetic level.
[Detected Avalon Native: Bestowing Unique Talent and Restoring Mana Circuits]
A sudden jolt of electricity flowed through the pod, flickering the inside gel and electrocuting his body, turning it neon blue.
Bzzzt
[Complete]
[Starting Mana Circuit repairs]
Two hours later, a low humming remained all the twisting and gyrating over, while the gel now looked strange. The old gel being sucked into the exhaust was a dark red with black dirt, replaced with the fresh nutrient oxygen created for the VR capsules.
[Avalon's Fall Online: Now Loading]
Following the chanical voice, a beautiful graphical scene appeared: a field full of green flowers, sunlight, and small critters running across the land.
The title "Avalon's Fall" appeared in Silver on a banner wrapping around two swords buried in the ground with a golden kit shield.
[◊ Please wake up, dear player. It is ti to save Avalon from the fall. ◊]
The goddess Solaria's voice echoed, causing Julian's consciousness to half awaken into the world of Avalon's fall—his body stumbled forward.
"Is this the ga…?" His low voice echoed the distant wind, and singing insects filled his ears as the wind brushed against his skin.
The scent of flowers made him stand still. "I can sll the flowers. Is this my Avalon?"
This planet was his ho…
Avalon.
Unlike humanity, his planet didn't believe in gods because they vanished many years before they attacked the world.
"I am grateful to my parents, but to finally return to my holand feels different."
Julian wasn't in a rush because the [Enter World] button was greyed out with a tir.
It would take five minutes before he could start the ga.
Beep
[You have a ssage from Kang Sena]
In the last few monts before the ga started, he saw a ssage in the corner of his vision.
His hand reached to open it out of habit before halting. "Sena?"
mories of breaking up, the world coated in grey, battered with rain and storm.
Julian whispered her na as if speaking it any louder would cause damage, the very ntion causing his chest to tighten and his heart to beat faster.
A weakness…
If Julian could point out a clear weakness, Sena would be that weakness.
[◊ The End will soon begin, dear survivor. Please solve unfinished business before it's too late! ◊]
'There it is again, a strange comnt.'
Julian's gaze darted towards the idle goddess, her body frozen.
While the ga also used her image in his previous life, he couldn't rember if she spoke, looked at him, or breathed as she did now…
"Well, I have about a minute, so why not open it?"
[00:44]
With that, he clicked on the ssage sent from his ex-girlfriend, not noticing the subtle flutter of Solaria's eyelashes or her lips curling into a smile.
The next mont, a loud feminine voice shouted in his ear.
[Voice ssage Sent: 21:57]
"Julian, you bastard! I don't accept our break-up. If you don't et tomorrow, I'll co there and sit at your door until You let in!"
"Hah…"
He couldn't help but find her voice comforting, knowing she would be joining the ga tonight rather than starting late because of him… but the guilt and desire to escape remained.
Thus, he hesitated, and the tir reached zero when his hand reached for the reply button.
[Error! NPC detected.]
[Starting — Nightmare Mode]
Suddenly, the ga turned dark.
The beautiful scenery vanished, and sothing burning echoed in the distance.
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