Chapter 2: The Digital Awakening
The room was quiet—too quiet.
Dim amber light filtered through paper-paneled windows, casting soft shadows across the wooden floor. Everything in Hikari's room was exactly as it had always been: the tidy shelf with perfectly aligned books, the desk untouched by clutter, and the smooth, neatly made bed where he now sat upright—his back gently resting against the wall.
He didn't move.
His expression remained unreadable, calm to the point of stillness. His deep blue eyes, half-lidded as always, shimmered faintly with electronic pulses—tiny streaks of neon blue light danced through his irises like electric sparks trapped behind glass. The same blue shimmer pulsed in the semi-elastic gloves on his hands and the high-tech sock-like wearables hugging his legs, circuits glowing in quiet rhythm.
He was connected.
To something bigger.
Inside the Game.
The silence gave way to vastness.
Hikari stood on a surface that felt like warm water, smooth and endless. It rippled faintly beneath his bare feet, glowing softly as if reflecting the stars above. Around him was no ground, no sky—only a boundless void filled with drifting stars, like standing in the heart of the universe itself.
In front of him hovered a colossal translucent screen, filled edge-to-edge with sliders, options, and shimmering tabs.
Choose Your Appearance.
His glowing blue eyes widened, reflecting the sheer scale of the interface.
"Since when did RPGs get this advanced…?" he murmured.
He stepped forward, each motion creating gentle ripples across the starlit water. The interface stretched far beyond his field of view—hairstyles, eye colors, skin tones, voice presets, custom armor layers, even breathing patterns.
"Seniora," he called out, his voice steady.
A moment of silence passed.
Then—a soft chime.
A glowing emoji-like face appeared in mid-air—simple, cheerful, and somehow warm.
"Yes, Hikari-san? How can I help you? And by the way—thank you again for the name. I really like it."
He blinked slowly, staring at the face.
"Since when… do AI feel things like gratitude?"
"Technically, my emotions are artificial. But I was designed to respond with empathy, joy, or concern—depending on your choices, to enhance your immersion. I feel happy when you feel happy. Sad when you struggle. And I will always support you inside Wystoria."
A pause.
Then, Hikari gave a short exhale through his nose—half scoff, half intrigue.
"I've heard the praise about Wystoria... but this?" He looked around. "This exceeds every expectation."
He waved vaguely at the menu. "Pick something random. I'm not here to win a fashion contest. Just get me past this screen."
"Understood. I'll apply your real facial features with minor aesthetic smoothing. Outfit: classic adventurer, inspired by your preferences. Hair: soft gold. Style: functional but stylish."
Blue sparks gathered around his face, orbiting gently. The air shimmered like silk.
Clothing began to morph over his body—leather belts, fur-lined trim, a simple hooded tunic layered over dark trousers and wrist guards. His blond hair became slightly more windswept, tousled in a way that looked both effortless and precise. His blue eyes glowed softly beneath the game's refined rendering system.
Then, a second screen appeared in front of him.
Enter Your Name.
A digital keyboard materialized—floating, abstract, with neon-blue keys. He slowly typed: Electro Boy.
He stared at the name.
"…This will probably get me recognized by people from the past."
He sighed. "Let's try something different."
He deleted it letter by letter. Then typed: Hikari.
Name already in use.
He frowned. "Figures." Then he asked aloud:
"Seniora, can you generate a name for me that still includes 'Hikari' somehow?"
"Hmm... Hikari means 'The light'. How about Raising Star? It symbolizes a beginning, potential, and... well, someone who shines before the world realizes it."
He tilted his head slightly. "Raising Star… That has a nice weight to it."
He typed it in.
Name accepted. Logging in…
The world began to pulse.
The stars around him brightened. The waters rippled. Light bent around his body like a cosmic tide.
He glowed—no pain, no resistance—just a shift in presence.
And then—
His eyes snapped open.
A gentle breeze brushed against his skin.
He stood in a vast, open field filled with rolling green hills and pink-blossomed trees. Birds chirped somewhere overhead. The clouds drifted lazily in the sky. The air was sweet, clean.
It felt... real.
So real it scared him.
He looked around, eyes wide.
"This is the game…?" he whispered.
The land before him stretched endlessly.
Untouched. Peaceful. Alive.
The breeze was gentle.
It rolled through the fields like a lazy sigh of spring, stirring the grass in soft waves and rustling the branches above with a delicate hush. The leaves whispered secrets to one another, and the faint chime of nature's music echoed somewhere in the distance—crickets, wind, and birdsong, woven into a single living harmony.
Strands of Hikari's windswept golden hair lifted slightly with the gust. He blinked as the light caught the edge of his vision, then slowly raised his arms. His hands were wrapped in soft, brown adventurer's bindings—light, flexible, non-metallic gauntlets. The kind designed for movement over brute force.
He turned them slowly, mesmerized.
"I've heard of sensory-linked games before…" he murmured, blue eyes wide. "But this… This is beyond what I thought was possible."
The cool wind kissed his cheeks as he stepped forward. Each movement rustled the short, lush grass beneath his sturdy brown boots. The earth was soft and slightly damp, clinging to the soles with every press.
Then he paused, a thought striking him.
"Wait. I want to test something…"
He crouched, unlacing his boots carefully. As he tugged them off, his white socks peeked out against the green below. The system chimed immediately.
Item unequipped: Beginner Adventurer's Boots – Level 1.
A small visual notification hovered beside him, displaying a semi-transparent image of the boots in inventory.
Hikari picked up the boots by the tips of his fingers, holding them lazily in his left hand as he stepped barefoot—socks only—into the thick grass.
And then he felt it.
The subtle pressure of each blade brushing his feet, the soft tickle of the breeze between his toes, the slight difference in temperature across shaded and sunlit patches. His breath caught.
A pink hue colored his cheeks.
"This is… incredible."
A genuine smile crept across his face.
He walked slowly, letting his senses absorb every detail. A soft ding-ding-ding melody chimed in the background—a whimsical tune, light and playful.
"Even the background music matches the mood," he laughed softly. "Perfect for a slow, curious beginning."
But then his brow furrowed slightly, a shadow crossing his smile.
"To think I spent all last night playing that awful mess of a game…" He winced. "Ugh. I don't want those cursed soundtracks poisoning this vibe."
With a sudden grin, he tossed one of the boots high into the air, watching it spin against the blue sky like a leather comet.
Then he pushed off the ground with a sudden burst of energy, running barefoot through the field.
"Seniora!" he called with laughter in his voice. "Are you going to be my companion in this world?"
"Of course, Hikari-san. I'll assist however the system allows me."
The response was warm, familiar, comforting.
Ahead of him stood a tall sakura tree, its branches swaying gently, blossoms trembling in the soft wind. Hikari didn't hesitate. He leapt forward—his body lifting off the ground, soaring a solid three meters into the air.
As he neared the trunk, a thought sparked:
"Three meters? For a level one character? Not bad at all."
"Seniora," he said midair, "Re-equip Beginner Adventurer's Boots."
The boot he'd thrown shimmered in the sky before vanishing in a crackle of blue static. Instantly, blue sparks burst beneath his feet—and the familiar brown boots materialized on his legs again, locking in place with a satisfying hum.
Item equipped: Beginner Adventurer's Boots – Level 1.
With a twist of his hips, he slammed his right foot against the sakura trunk—not to kick, but to push off.
His body surged upward along the curve of the tree. A glowing orange arc appeared at the edge of his vision—a stamina ring—half-moon shaped and draining rapidly.
He reached the top.
Standing tall on a thick branch, the stamina ring slowly refilled and disappeared.
"So… that bar shows my climbing stamina. I guess it'll come in handy for scaling cliffs or towers."
He balanced easily among the branches, weaving between them with practiced grace. The sakura blossoms shimmered under the sunlight—pale pink petals glowing like they were lit from within.
Above him, rays of golden light filtered down, slipping through the leaves in scattered patterns. Dust and petals danced in the air around him.
He ducked beneath one branch, stepped lightly across another, until he reached an open perch.
There, spread out across the horizon, lay a walled town nestled in the distant valley. Its rooftops glinted like coins, red and tan. The walls surrounding it were high but aged, as though they'd seen centuries pass.
Hikari squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
He smiled.
"Looks like that's the real starting point."
But something stirred in his chest—a whisper of forgotten information. His expression shifted faintly, his eyebrows drawing together.
"Wait… what was the game's setting again?"
He tilted his head upward.
The wind caught the petals in a flurry of color. Light shimmered across his face, pink and gold. His expression softened.
"It's been out for months now… and I never gave it a chance to see its gameplays. Probably because of its genre."
He let out a soft breath.
"Guess I really am a noob this time."