Wretched Dreams.

What… a man was startled to suddenly see a light heading towards him, it was like being on a speeding train in a tunnel, and the end was so bright, and it was closing in fast. ”ahhh… ”

-Level up!

-Level up!

-Level up!

…

After god knows how long time in the tunnel and an endless line of notifications appearing in his peripheral vision, he suddenly found himself in a vast expanse of greenery. He looked around searching for any answers for his predicament, but there was no one to ask and nothing to get a clue from.

He stood there clueless for a minute turning his head around like a lost child when a puff of purple smoke exploded too close to him, what was worse was that it was upwind so it enveloped him entering his nose and throat making him cough profusely.

”Welcome adventurer! ” a high pitched voice sounded in his ear coming from the place where the smoke appeared. ”The world is happy to receive you in the Phoenix project. Rise and prosper in the wondrous and magnificent journey. Explore an endless world of opportunities and boundless growth. Become your greatest dream and experience unique sensations, and the world will reward you for overcoming hardships and gaining new experiences. This is your time adventurer. ”

He stood there dazed listening to what seems to be a female pixie too small to produce as much smoke as it did. ”w… Wh… What! ” he tried to speak but it was hard for him to remember how to talk for some reason.

”You may feel disorientated at first. You may experience nausea and vertigo when moving for the first time. Endure it and overcome it and the world will reward you appropriately. Goodluck adventurer! ”

The pixie said its last words and disappeared as it appeared, in a puff of smoke which made him cough again. He attempted to reflexively shoo the smoke away from himself but his hands weren responding.

-Quest initiated: Move around.

-Description: Figure out how to move and take your first step in the world to start your magnificent journey.

-Quest reward: (beginner flip-flops: something to wear on your feet instead of walking around with your bare foot.)

A few lines appeared in front of him pushing the previous long line up and taking their place at the end of the notification line. He had no idea what was happening or where he was. He was still dazed and unable to remember where he came from or how he got here.

After a second of reflection, he discovered that he didn remember anything from before that long tunnel. He doesn even remember his name or who he was. He started panicking and his heart raced, he felt sweat dripping on his face and back and his whole body trembled. His legs were unable to hold his weight and he fell to the ground.

The feeling of being imprisoned inside his own body was familiar to him somehow, and this fear of being unable to move or control himself subsided slowly as his hands moved to prevent himself from falling on his face instinctively. He then forgot the familiarity of being unable to move as if it was a distant dream and looked at his hands closing and opening them a few times to make sure he could control them.

When he calmed down a bit he tried to stand up on his weak legs. He was moving on instinct and his mind was still unable to form proper thoughts. When he finally stood up and walked forward the quest completion notification sounded in his ears startling him, it was the first time for him to notice the plop sound, this sound also felt familiar to him but he was unable to recall anything, let alone the origin of this sound.

-Quest completed.

-Congratulations! You completed your first quest and received your first reward.

-Achievement Reward: interface unlocked (interface: you can access your stats and manage your skills and personal informations.)

-Item received: (Beginner flip-flops: comfy to wear. What more could you ask for.)

A pair of navy blue flippers appeared in front of his eyes and fell to the ground arranging themselves with his feets. He stared at them for a second admiring their color and decorations, there was a bunny ear mark on them and a white dot on the heel area. He didn know what to do with them. The scene was familiar to him but no matter how hard he focused, he couldn remember anything.

He lifted his feet slightly and the slippers slipped on on their own as if they knew where they belonged, he felt a slight joy when he walked around in them. he remembers this joy, this feeling of having something new, when was the last time he felt this.

When his mind wandered for a second he had a sudden burst of memories coming back at him threatening to split his head apart. He remembered a fall, a thought about last moments of life, a girl. He couldn endure the pain and shock of remembering what happened to him, he collapsed.

….

”He doesn seem stable! Should we call it a day?! ” a woman in her late twenties said as she watched the readings of a life support system on the side of her busy monitor.

”The fact that he connected at all is a milestone in of itself, but we should hit the iron while its hot. Plus, whats the worst that gonna happen! Hes already been out for… What! Ten years now! We could be making him a favor by giving him some action! Must be boring as ** in there. ” a man in a white coat shrugged. he had a shaved head and a muscular body stretching the white elegant coat to its limit.

”Are you sure you are a doctor!! I mean… Should i look you up?! You seem suspicious! ”

”Yeah i get that a lot… Any way! Keep it up Ill go give his mother the good news… ”

”Wait! What! We haven succeeded yet! What if it didn work! ” she anxiously interrupted him standing in his way to prevent him from leaving the hospital room. When she realized how big he was she wasn convinced in the slightest that she would be able to stop him.

”Listen Hayley! If you knew this family… Hearing anything about him would make their day, not to mention a good news… They didn hear good news about him for more then 8 years… Even if it didn work, it would make them happier then ever just to know he is still in there. ” tears piled up in his eyes making him push her aside gently and rush out of the room before his tough guy act crumbles under his tears in front of her.

Outside the room down the long hall in the waiting room, a woman sat expressionlessly on her chair lost in her thoughts and unaware of her surroundings, when a familiar voice called on her.

”mrs D! Good news! He connected for about 10 minutes! ” Hearing those words pulled her out of the chair so energetically, she felt a happiness that haven visited her for a long time overcome her.

”Oh my god! Danny! Thats a wonderful news! Can i talk to him now! Is he playing? Did he remember the accident?! How is he now?! ” the womans tears couldn be stopped and her joy was unimaginable. She couldn wait to meet her son again af