"Please join the anime club! We need more members! We're having screening one of the best anime movies ever made. You don't want to miss it!"

I looked up to see a girl with a pink wig and big otherworldly contact lenses standing in front of me. She was wearing a shirt with a graphic of a popular anime character on it.

I hesitated. I was into anime, of course, but I wasn't that into it. I hadn't joined any clubs my Freshman year and they were recruiting pretty aggressively now.

"Sure, I'll check it out," I said, taking the flyer with a smile.

She flinched at my smile, and I could almost hear the voice in her head screaming 'ew'.

I ignored it. This was a chance to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and honor Bob's memory by living life to the fullest.

I walked down the street, feeling a sense of excitement building inside me. Maybe joining the anime club was exactly what I needed.

But as I entered the room where the screening was taking place, I was greeted with cold and loneliness.

I looked around the room, feeling out of place amidst the sea of passionate anime fans. They all seemed to already know each other, chatting excitedly about the latest episode of their favorite anime or debating the merits of different genres.

I began to feel a pang of regret for coming here. Maybe I was better off sticking to my virtual world, where I had a place and a purpose.

The meeting went by in a blur, and left me feeling even more isolated than before. People got up to introduce themselves to each other, but of course, nobody approached me.

I felt dejected, wondering if I would ever truly fit in anywhere. I had been so hopeful that the anime club would be a new beginning for me, but it seemed that even in a group of like-minded people, I couldn't find a place to belong.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, a girl caught my eye. She was sitting alone in the corner, scribbling away in a notebook.

She had long, frizzy, brunette hair, pale skin, and large glasses that magnified her eyes. She was wearing a baggy hoodie, and I could see that she had a sketchpad and pencils sticking out of the pocket. She had visible pores and blemishes on her skin, but there was a charm there.

Despite my social anxiety, I felt a pull towards her. Without thinking, I made my way over to her.

"H-hey," I said, my voice coming out in a nervous squeak.

She looked up, startled. I hesitated for a moment before making my way over to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

The girl looked up at me, surprised. "Oh, um... sure," she said, moving her sketchbook to make room.

I sat down beside her, feeling a sense of nervousness and excitement wash over me.

"What are you drawing?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, just some sketches," she said, showing me the page. They were impressive, full of intricate details and shading.

"You're really talented," I said, impressed.

She blushed. "Thanks," she said. "I'm Emma, by the way."

"I'm Mike," I said, smiling. "Is that... is that a Luminary Guardian I see there?"

Her face lit up with excitement. "Yes! You know about Luminary Guardians?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I play Crystal Harmony Online. It's pretty much my main and only game now."

Her eyes widened. "No way! That's my favorite game too! What class do you main?"

"Oh, I'm a Bulwark," I replied, feeling a sense of pride. "I've been tanking for the last three raiding tiers."

She smiled. "Cool! I play a priest and my partner plays a ranger. We love doing raids together. We're always looking for good tanks for our guild."

I laughed in amusement. "I'd take you up, but I've been tanking for my group the past three years and I can't exactly just leave them hanging. I'm also kind of an officer in my guild."

"Oh, that's really impressive," she said, looking at me with admiration. "What's your guild like?"

"Uh, we're really into pizza. Bob, our former guildmate who passed away, loved pizza, so we honor him with pizza parties in his memory."

Emma's eyes lit up. "Wait, you're in Pizza Parlor?"

I nodded, surprised that she had heard of us. "Yeah, that's us. How did you know?"

"I went to Robert Rubyheart's memorial service. You guys are one of the most respected and beloved guilds in the game," she said, her voice full of admiration. "Super friendly to newbies, with three world class raid groups. Your guild leader organizes all the data center's community holiday events. I hear one of your teams even placed in the top ten this tier."

I felt a sense of pride swell in my chest. "Yeah, that's our guild. We're like a family, you know? We take care of each other."

Emma smiled, and I could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "That sounds really nice," she said. "We've been looking for a guild, but I haven't found one that really fits us."

I felt a sense of excitement building inside me. "Well, how about you come raid with us sometime? I'm sure our guild would love to have you."

In that moment, it felt like Emma and I were the only two players in the world. We spent the rest of the meeting talking about our favorite raids, classes, and strategies. We exchanged numbers and made plans to run a dungeon together the next day.

As I walked home under the stars, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and optimism. Maybe joining the anime club hadn't been such a bad idea after all. And maybe, just maybe, I had found a new friend who shared my passion.

I made my way back up to my dorm, feeling a sense of happiness that I hadn't felt in a long time. As I walked through the halls toward our basement suite, I couldn't help but notice how quiet and empty they were. It was eerie — I'd never walked in a hallway that quiet before. It was only when I reached my door that I realized something was off.

The entire world seemed to have gone dark. The fluorescent lights flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls. I hesitated before pushing open the door, my heart racing in my chest. Inside, everything was dark and still, except for a faint glow coming from a television monitor. As I approached it, I could see that there was a message flashing on the screen.

"Welcome to Crystal Harmony Online, where fantasy becomes reality."

Huh?!

The world vibrated briefly, before shifting back into focus with me at the doorway. Did I just hallucinate that? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It must have been a trick of the light, or maybe I was just tired from the long day.

"Ew, what's that smell?" I wondered out loud.

I wrinkled my nose as I entered my dorm's kitchen area, only to find my dorm mate, Zach, sitting on a couch with a catering tray of greasy fast food.

"Hey man, what's up?" he asked, his mouth full of fries.

"Did you seriously just bring that in here?" I gestured to the plate of food.

"What, you got a problem with fast food? It was left over at the commuter lounge."

"I have a problem with the smell of soybean oil and heart attacks," I shot back, opening a window to let some fresh air in.

Zach rolled his eyes. "Like you're one to talk about heart attacks. You spend all your time holed up in your video games, probably developing carpal tunnel or something."

I sighed. "I'm not in the mood for this right now, Zach."

He shrugged, taking another bite of his burger. "Suit yourself, Mike."

I made my way over to my bed and sat down, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over me. Even though I had made a new friend, it was hard to ignore the fact that I still didn't feel like I belonged in the real world.

As I stared up at the ceiling, I couldn't help but think about all the times I had lost myself in the virtual world. It was so much easier to be someone else, someone who was confident and brave and fearless.

I sighed, knowing that arguing with Zach was pointless. Instead, I turned my attention back to my computer, logging into Crystal Harmony Online.

The game wasn't there.

What?!

Panic set in as I frantically searched through my computer files, but the game was nowhere to be found. I double-checked my downloads folder, my desktop, and even my trash bin.

It was gone.

I tried typing in the URL and hitting enter, but the game's website returned a 404.

My heart pounded in my chest as I realized that Crystal Harmony Online had been taken down. How could this happen? This game was my escape, my solace, my sanctuary. It was the one place where I felt like I belonged.

I quickly opened up Google, searching for the game's developer, but all I found were old forum posts and outdated websites for a failed project. It was as if the game had never existed.

Okay. Think, Mike.

I popped open Discord, jumping down to the <Pizza Parlor> server.

A server that was no longer there; as if it'd never existed. Panic turned into full-blown dread as I realized that not only was the game gone, but so was the community that I had grown to love. The people I had met, the friends I had made, all of it was gone.

I felt a deep sense of loss as I stared blankly at my computer screen. It was as if a part of me had been ripped away. I had invested countless hours into the game, building relationships and working towards becoming the best Bulwark in the world. And I'd sort of gotten there — in the top ten.

But now, it was gone.

I fumbled for my phone. To reach out to the girl I'd met at the anime club. Emma. My heart pounded in my chest as I fought my social anxiety, but I scrolled through my phone to dial her number.

That too, was gone.

I sat in stunned silence, staring at my phone as if it had betrayed me. How could everything just disappear like this? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Did I hallucinate everything? Was I schizophrenic after all?

My mind was racing, trying to find some kind of explanation for what had just happened. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was no logical explanation. It was like the game and my entire virtual life had just been erased from existence.

I sat there for what felt like hours, staring at my computer screen and trying to come to terms with what had happened. I needed some air.

Zach raised an eyebrow as I stumbled out of my room, my knees aching in protest as I slammed the door open.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I... I don't know," I said. "I just need to get away."

I took the elevator down from my dorm room and walked out in the streets. Tears stung my eyes as I walked down the sidewalk, my head bowed in defeat. It felt like I was walking in slow motion, the world moving around me while I remained frozen in time.

But then something strange caught my eye — a door. A simple wooden door propped up against the side of the dorm building. It looked out of place, yet oddly inviting at the same time. I hesitated for a moment before reaching out and pushing it open, not sure what to expect on the other side.

As soon as I opened the doorway, all light disappeared and a brilliant white fog filled my vision as if I had stumbled into another world entirely.

Colors began to swirl around me like ribbons of energy, and I found myself in the middle of a forest city's square.

There were thousands of people around me, all dressed in modern clothing. The people all looked around in confusion, as if they too were unsure of how they had ended up in this strange place.

A voice boomed from above, causing everyone to look up at the sky. A man with a long white beard, black robes, and a red mask floated above the city, his robes glinting in the strange, multi-colored light.

"Welcome, travelers, to Arinthia!" the man's voice echoed through the square. "You have been chosen to participate in the ultimate game! A game that will determine the fate of not just this world, but your own as well!"

...

What. The hell?