Before the light, before the grass, before the warmth—there was gray.
Gray carpet. Gray ceiling. Gray light filtering in through drawn blinds and dusty window slats. Even the glow from the computer monitor felt washed out, as if the color had given up trying.
Ike sat curled in his desk chair, hoodie sleeves pulled over chewed fingernails, one knee hugged against his chest. The other leg tapped a frantic rhythm on the stained floor. His desk was littered with energy drink cans, empty instant noodle bowls, and the fossilized remains of snacks he couldn't remember eating. His last shower had been three days ago. Maybe four.
The apartment was silent except for the whirring of his PC fans and the low thrum of lo-fi beats looping endlessly through his headset. He wasn't listening. The music was just there—like white noise, like a digital blanket he could pull over his ears to block out the real world.
On the screen, a Twitch stream played in the background. A streamer named Nyxx was laughing, her voice bright and full of energy Ike hadn't felt in years.
"They actually added mount taming in the beta? That's insane. This game's gonna change everything."
She tossed her pink hair back and pointed at her camera, eyes lit with excitement. Ike watched her mouth move but didn't really process the words.
His receipt was still open in another tab, the digital watermark flickering across the top in garish neon font:
RENTAL CONFIRMATION — DREAMSTATE HUB, MODEL S-1 (USED) — 30-DAY TRIAL AGREEMENT
The gray-market site was sketchy. Half the links didn't work. The checkout process had no verification, no ID, just a crypto wallet and an address. He never spoke to a human. The unit arrived in a beaten-up black case that smelled faintly of cheap plastic and lavender disinfectant.
Still, it worked.
That's all he cared about.
The confirmation sat beside a tab with a paused online grocery cart he couldn't afford to check out. Rent was overdue again. The landlord had stopped knocking. Now he just slid paper notices under the door, each more urgent than the last. Ike hadn't opened one in weeks.
Instead, he scrolled forums. Watched leaks. Poured over lore. Memorized class breakdowns and faction histories like they were gospel. Erehwon wasn't just a game. It was a portal. An escape hatch. A life raft.
Or maybe a coffin. But at least it was something.
When the unit finally arrived, he set it up with trembling hands.
The DBCI hub looked like something from a sci-fi thriller—smooth, black, and cold to the touch. It emitted a faint hum when powered on, like it was purring. He hooked it up beside his bed, installed the neural pads, and ignored the onboarding video. He didn't need to be told what to expect.
He already knew.
DBC Interface active. Please initiate biometric sync.
Sync confirmed. Welcome to the Dreamstate. Launching: EREHWON.
Ike opened his eyes to light and color so vivid it hurt. A breeze kissed his skin. Grass tickled his fingers. He felt... whole.
In Erehwon, he was taller. Stronger. Healthier. His muscles moved without protest. His breath came easy. His heartbeat was steady.
He stood in a verdant valley ringed with mountains that shimmered in the sun. Birds cried overhead, and a crystal river meandered nearby, its water so clear it looked like glass. A strange deer-like creature paused at the edge of the river, locking eyes with him before bounding off into the trees.
A HUD shimmered softly in the corner of his vision.
Welcome, new user. You are now inside EREHWON. Initializing Avatar Integration...
He looked down at himself. His body moved like silk. His reflection in the river showed a face he barely recognized—clean, confident, unburdened.
Tears welled in his eyes. He didn't wipe them away.
"You may now choose your path."
Three figures appeared before him:
A cloaked sorcerer with stars in their eyes.
A knight crackling with static and steel.
A rogue whose shadow whispered secrets.
He hesitated, savoring the moment. Then he stepped forward.
The Vale of Beginnings was a meadow suspended in eternal golden hour. It smelled like spring. The air hummed with possibility.
He chose the rogue path. Agile. Subtle. Unbound.
His tutorial guide, a spritely NPC named Calyx, greeted him with a crooked grin and a voice that felt more real than half the people he'd known in his life.
"Name's Calyx. I get the misfits. Welcome to the edge of the world."
Calyx handed him a dagger and a pair of soft leather boots. Then, with a wink, led him into the trees.
The first quest was simple: Track the shadow-beast lurking near the river bend.
But nothing in Erehwon was just simple.
Every step felt tactile. Leaves brushed his arms. His boots sank slightly in damp soil. The dagger in his hand had weight, balance. He could feel the tension in his calves as he crouched behind a mossy log.
Calyx crouched beside him.
"It's not just about fighting. It's about seeing. Shadow-beasts don't hunt with fangs. They hunt with silence."
Ike listened. Birds quieted. The breeze shifted. Then—a flicker. A shadow moving where it shouldn't.
He moved instinctively, circling behind. Slipping between trees. Dagger raised.
The creature turned. Smoke and ink, shaped like a wolf. Eyes like dying stars.
He struck.
The blade met resistance. The beast shrieked, half sound, half nightmare. It dissolved into vapor, leaving behind a glowing shard.
Calyx clapped him on the back. "Nice reflexes. You might just survive here."
They walked back to the clearing under a rising moon.
"There's more like it. Harder. Stranger. You're just getting started."
Ike looked up at the stars—more stars than any sky back home had ever shown him. He breathed in deep.
He wasn't thinking about bills. About missed calls. About his body wasting away in a dark apartment.
He was thinking about his next quest.
Back in the real world, a system warning blinked on his neural HUD.
Warning: Session Time Exceeded Recommended Limit (5h 43m)
He ignored it.
In Erehwon, he felt alive.
He wasn't ready to go back.