It was some weeks after the funeral when I decided to enter that sick game because of a whim. I just finished that time doing my assignments when I suddenly saw this old posters of Elfimius Online. My brother was so obsessed with it that he had collected different items that is related to this game. The poster includes the 13 characters that could be found in the game, each of them holding a gleaming spear, staff, blade or gun. 

My hand rested on the character who holds a spear. 

Mom wasn't in the house that time so I could freely sneaked in my brother's room. His room was tidied up as if this room was just waiting for him to come back. But we all know that he wouldn't. 

In his old desk, I saw the console that he used to enter the game. It was called Handler. A helmet like gaming console that's meant to be wore in the head to connect in the person's consciousness in order to bring him in the world of Elfimius. 

In this way the player would be able to experience the game like how he experienced the real world. Gone where the days of the mouse and keyboard type of games. The trend know are Handler-based games that allowed the player to experince a whole new different world.

I picked my brother's Handler and scrutinized it. Friends, I must tell you, that time I didn't even think of trying to figure out why my brother choose to die. I am just curious in the spear that I saw in the poster. 

He committed suicide and we don't know why. And I must confessed that I am more angry than sad. I hate him for not leaving a message that could atleast try to give us a closure or atleast something that could keep our sanity intact. If he was here I would smash this fucking Handler to his face. 

I locked the door to my room and put the Handler in my head as I slowly laid in my bed. I don't want my mom to discover that I am playing with this game.

Based on what I knew about Handler, this device send sound waves that allowed to connect to your consciousness while also putting you in a half-awake state. When using the Handler it is advisable to lay in the bed.

I pressed the start button.... Nothing happens.

"What the fuck!" I said as I realized that this thing was needed to be plugged since it had already lost its battery.

I sighed and plugged the charger. I laid and clicked the start. A faraway sound that is similar to the sound of crushing ocean waves as it hit the shore played in my ears. My eyes felt drowsy and in the moment that it closed, I felt my body was falling—all around me there are bright lights.

"Ouch!" I shouted as my face hit the ground. I slowly raised and rubbed my face. 

I gasped, I am standing in a marble platform with bits of grasses growing in the cracks. From here I could hear the sound of chirping birds.

"Wow, this thing felt really real," I said as I checked on my hands. I even felt the throbbing pain in my palms. I put it closed to my face and saw green pigments that had come from smashing the weeds. If anyone see me, they would immediately report that a lunatic was roaming their street.

I wondered how I look in this game. I heard, that at the start of this game, it copies how one really look in real life. But you could changed it later in the game.

[ Welcome Hero - 181890998, I am Gallarina the Guardian of Elfimius, I am here to guide you. ]

A lady in white cascading dress flew downwards towards where I am. She was surrounded by light and... was it a fucking glitters?! I looked up and immediately get blinded by the light of the sun.

"This game is really insane."

The lady stopped in front of me, but she remained suspended in the air.  She was way taller than me. And although her face looked smooth and beautiful, there was something strange and almost sinister in the way she looks at me. It was as if she had borrowed her eyes from a fead fish. 

I stepped back and checked on her warily. What should I do now?

Gallarina raised her hand. A whole-body mirror rose in the ground. It allowed me to see my self. To tell the truth dear friends, grandpa looks really funny. I laughed. I look like some beggar kid who pretends to be a mercenary in the Medieval Era.

I wore a leather armor over a loose brown shirt. For my boots it is black paired with brown trousers.

A board appeared on the side. That allows me to change my appearance. I decided to change only the color of my hair, eyes and skin. I am confident on how I looked.

[ Swipe left to pick ]

[ Hair - ←Brown→ ]

[ Eyes - ←Green→ ]

[ Skin - ←Brown→ ]

I swiped through the options. Since I always wanted to dye my hair blonde I picked it. For the eyes I choose red. For the skin color there are a myriad of choices imaginable. There's Blue!

But I have to passed on it because I looked like an alien from the movie that I watched long ago. And I think that there are no one who would be crazy enough to use that color for their skin. I picked the pale skin, that had made me look like a vampire. I nodded to myself in the mirror and touched 'okay'.

[ Congratulations! Now please choose a name so you could now start your adventure. ]

[ Username: _______________ ]

Since yours truly is feeling feverishly happy that time, I picked the first two words that had come to my mind.

Promised'Desolation

[ Let's go now Promised'Desolation to Akrinkan Pantheon where all the heroes would gather in order to prevent the Eternal Desolation. ]

At that moment I laughed at the irony in my name. 

"This is hilarious," I said.

Gallarina turned, such humorless beauty. I followed her towards the portal when suddenly the platform started shaking. And from the sky, I saw a man with black wings covered in shadows descending from above.

The lady shouted.

[ Hurry, hero! I could not accompany you now, for I would have to stopped Aservel from crossing to our world. Gather all the heroes of Elfimius and let's all meet in Akrinkan. May the Five Gods of Moor protect you all the time. Farewell. ]

The ground continued to shake, and I swear when it started to break I felt really scared. I never been that scared in my life aside from that moment. If this was real, I might as well pissed my self in scare. I ran towards the portal but felt like looking back. Aserval landed in the ground, his body was covered by his two other wings. He immediately dashed to Gallarina's direction, striking with his flaming red sword. The lady raised her staff.

Bright blinding light surrounded us. Her white dress vanished and her staff gradually turned into a beautiful golden spear. I can't help but to admire the intricate design of her weapon.

She blocked the sword with her spear and strike in the direction of her enemy's heart. Aserval raised his arm and block it using his vambrace.

I took a step backwards. Just as I was planning to watch more of this epic battle. A loud roar had made me looked in the sky. From above, a dragon was hovering above us. The black-armor clad dragon roared and dove towards... my direction! I realized that it was my cue to leave this place. I jumped in the portal.

The roar of the dragon slowly vanished behind me.