Astralyth Online

A week had slipped by, and Benjamin still couldn’t quite believe it. After spending days combing through every detail of the contest with his parents, verifying it wasn’t a scam, the truth finally sunk in. He really had won five Full-Dive Pods. It felt surreal—how often did things like this actually happen? His parents had been cautious at first, but once everything checked out, even they seemed amazed.

His friends, though, were ecstatic. The moment Benjamin told them the news, they practically exploded with excitement. “Are you serious?” Sarah had yelled, bouncing in place. “We’re actually going to play Astralyth Online together?” Lillian grinned ear to ear, her eyes sparkling with the same enthusiasm. “This is insane!” she’d said. “It’s like we hit the jackpot!”

James, always the cool one, couldn’t hide his excitement either, despite his usual laid-back demeanor. “We’re gonna be legends in the game,” he’d said, already strategizing how they’d take on the world together. Even David, who was usually more reserved, was smiling like he couldn’t believe their luck.

Benjamin had promised each of them a pod, and they hadn’t stopped talking about it since. All week, every conversation circled back to Astralyth Online. They discussed everything from what classes they would choose to who would lead the group. Strategies, character builds, game lore—it had consumed them. Benjamin went along with it, though a small part of him still felt a strange detachment, like he was on the edge of something that didn’t quite fit him.

But the excitement around him was infectious. His friends’ joy was genuine, and for once, he felt like he was a part of something bigger.

After school, Benjamin walked home with a sense of growing anticipation. Today was the day—the day the Full-Dive Pods would finally arrive. His friends had been texting him all day, unable to contain their excitement, and it was hard not to get caught up in it himself. He had arranged everything so that the pods would be delivered to his house and directly to his friends' homes, all set to arrive by evening. Friday had never felt so important.

As he walked through the front door, his parents greeted him, their usual warmth giving the house a comforting familiarity. His mom smiled at him, clearly amused by the buzz of excitement he’d carried home. They sat down for dinner, the conversation flowing easily over the meal. His dad asked about school, his mom brought up plans for the weekend, but Benjamin’s mind was elsewhere, counting down the minutes.

Then, just as they were finishing up dinner, the doorbell rang. Benjamin’s heart leapt, and without thinking, he shot up from his seat. “I’ll get it!” he called out, rushing to the door.

When he opened it, there was a man standing there, dressed in a neat uniform with the unmistakable Astralyth logo stitched onto his jacket. Behind him was a large delivery truck, and Benjamin’s eyes widened as he spotted the sleek packaging in the back. “Benjamin Roth?” the man asked, glancing at a clipboard. Benjamin nodded, barely able to contain his excitement.

“Your delivery’s here,” the man said with a smile, stepping aside to reveal the first of the Full-Dive Pods being unloaded. It was real. It was actually happening. Benjamin’s pulse raced as he realized that everything they had been waiting for was finally here.

The man carefully maneuvered the Full-Dive Pod into Benjamin’s room, its sleek, futuristic design looking out of place among his everyday surroundings. Benjamin watched as the delivery man made sure everything was in order, and once the setup was done, he thanked him and saw him out. Closing the door behind him, he felt his pulse quicken. It was here. This was really happening.

He turned towards the stairs. “Have fun, but don’t stay up too late,” his dad called out from the kitchen. His mom echoed the sentiment with a light chuckle. “We’ll see you tomorrow... or whenever you come out of that thing.”

Benjamin gave a quick reply, his excitement overwhelming. He dashed up the stairs, practically leaping two steps at a time, and burst into his room. The pod was waiting for him, already plugged in and ready to go. The front hatch opened with a soft hiss, revealing a comfortable, chair-like seat inside. It looked as inviting as it did intimidating.

With his hands trembling slightly, Benjamin sat down, the cushion molding to his body in a way that felt instantly relaxing. He reached for the headgear—sleek and soft, designed to fit perfectly over his head. His fingers fumbled a little as he placed it on, his breath catching in his throat. This was it.

With one final deep breath, he pressed the button on the panel beside him. The lid of the pod slowly closed, sealing him inside. Darkness enveloped him, but it wasn’t unsettling—it was calming, like the moment before sleep overtakes you. Benjamin adjusted his position, making himself comfortable in the cushioned chair. His heartbeat was loud in his ears, but then, everything went silent.

The world faded to black, and Benjamin slipped away into the digital world of Astralyth Online.

Benjamin blinked and opened his eyes to find himself standing in a vast white room. The walls had a smooth, marble-like finish, and the pillars scattered around gave the space an ancient, almost Greek temple vibe. Everything about it was surreal, and yet it felt so real. He looked down, noticing the cold stone beneath his bare feet, the sensation as vivid as if he were truly there. His mind raced to catch up, but his body instinctively moved, responding naturally in this new environment.

He raised his hands in front of his face, flexing his fingers slowly. This is crazy. Every detail was perfect, right down to the way his joints moved, the weight of his body shifting as he took a step forward. He could feel the air around him, the coolness brushing against his skin. The sheer realism of it all was almost overwhelming, but in the best possible way.

Wow, he thought, spinning slowly to take in his surroundings. The vastness of the room felt endless, its ceiling towering high above him. Every corner of the space was meticulously designed, but still, something about it made his heart race. This wasn’t just a game. This felt like another world entirely.

Just as he was absorbing the incredible detail of it all, a figure materialized before him. His eyes widened as a woman appeared, as if stepping out of thin air. She had long, dark hair that cascaded down her back, her features soft yet striking. There was something ethereal about her, an almost otherworldly beauty that made Benjamin freeze in place.

“Welcome,” she said, her voice calm, with a faint smile playing at her lips. Benjamin stood still, mesmerized by her presence. He had expected something cool, but nothing had prepared him for this.

"My name is Genesis," the woman said, her voice as smooth as silk, “I will help you create your character for Astralyth Online.”

Benjamin nodded, still trying to wrap his head around how real everything felt. A shimmering panel materialized in front of him, hovering just within reach. He stared at it, eyes wide with wonder. Wow. It was packed with information, an endless list of races and subraces, each one more intricate than the last.

He reached out, instinctively scrolling through the options. Humans, of course, were there as the default choice, but his curiosity drew him to the more exotic selections. Orcs with their rugged strength, Elves with their lithe forms and natural affinity for magic, and then there were the Beastkin—creatures with animal traits like cat ears or wolf-like features. Each race had a subrace, offering layers of customization that boggled his mind.

His eyes drifted over the more fantastical options, and he stopped when he reached a category labeled "Demonkin." The images that accompanied it were striking—dark, horned figures, cloaked in shadow with piercing eyes that seemed to glow. They looked powerful, dangerous, and strangely compelling.

The sheer variety was overwhelming, and yet Benjamin couldn’t help but be fascinated by the possibilities. He could be anything here, anyone. The reality of the game felt like a second skin, and the idea of leaving behind the version of himself he knew for something entirely different was tempting.

He glanced back up at Genesis, who watched him patiently, her smile still serene. “Take your time,” she said softly. Benjamin nodded again, fingers hovering over the choices. He had the freedom to be whatever he wanted, and that thought both thrilled and unnerved him.

Benjamin had been scrolling for what felt like an eternity, his eyes darting across the vast array of options. Each race seemed cooler than the last, and every time he thought he might settle on one, a new choice would catch his eye. He dismissed the more brute-like options—Ogres and most of the Beastkin didn’t really feel like him. The Demons, though tempting, felt too dark, too far removed from what he was looking for.

He sighed, feeling the pressure of making the "right" choice. The list scrolled endlessly, flashing images and descriptions in vivid detail. Just as he was about to loop back through for the third time, something strange caught his attention. The smooth, pristine interface began to flicker.

At first, it was subtle—just a few lines here and there, like tiny visual glitches. But then the distortions grew, spreading like fractures across the screen. The panel warped, sections blinking out momentarily before reappearing, but not quite right. It was the kind of error he'd only ever seen on malfunctioning PCs, like pouring water on a graphics card mid-game. Strange artifacts—disjointed pixels and jagged lines—flickered into view, creating unsettling distortions in the races’ images.

“What the—?” Benjamin muttered under his breath, instinctively leaning back. His heart began to race, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bizarre display.

Genesis didn’t react. She remained still, her serene expression unchanged, as though nothing was happening. Benjamin glanced at her, wondering if she’d noticed the sudden glitch, but she seemed oblivious. The panel continued to glitch, now more aggressively, with images of races flickering in and out, some morphing into unrecognizable shapes.

A cold feeling washed over Benjamin as the game world—so real just moments ago—began to feel disturbingly fragile. This was really not supposed to happen.

The glitches were spreading, and Benjamin could feel the world around him breaking apart. It wasn’t just the panel anymore—everything seemed to distort, twisting and warping like a corrupted file unraveling before his eyes. The walls of the once serene, temple-like room began to flicker and bend, their marble surfaces shattering into fragments of light. Even Genesis, who had remained composed, now appeared distorted, her form flickering as though she were being stretched and pulled apart, yet she still didn’t react. She stood there, serene and unbothered, as the world crumbled.

Benjamin’s heart raced, panic rising in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask for help, but no sound came out. His pulse thudded loudly in his ears as he looked down—and froze.

His own body was glitching.

His hands, his arms, his legs—all of them flickering in and out of existence, warped and twisted like the rest of the world. It felt like his skin was buzzing, vibrating violently, like it didn’t belong to him anymore. He watched in horror as parts of him pixelated, then reformed, then broke apart again. A rush of terror surged through him. What is happening to me? His mind screamed, but the words were lost in the chaos.

Then, pain.

It hit him like a tidal wave, ripping through every inch of his body. It was like his entire being was on fire, every cell igniting in agony. His muscles convulsed, his nerves screamed, and he doubled over, clutching at his glitching form as if that could somehow stop the pain. The room around him shattered into darkness, the fragments of the world falling away into nothingness, and all he could feel was the burning—unrelenting, all-consuming.

His vision swam, his mind spinning as the pain grew unbearable. With a final, broken gasp, everything around him went black. The pain, the room, Genesis—everything vanished as he collapsed into unconsciousness.