The setting was my bedroom — a simple space, but where I spend most of my time. I'm in my senior year of high school, and my days as a student are numbered. Very soon, I'll be going to college to pursue my dream of becoming a game designer, helping companies with promising projects.
My name is Reno Kashi. I am 18 years old, fair-skinned, with short white hair, 5'8" tall, a body still developing from my athletic routine... and black eyes.
It was exactly 10:00AM here in my city, and I could hear some boys shouting outside on their way to the store where they bought the games of the year... And I was still lying in bed like Sid sleeping on a rock in the movie Ice Age 1.
Honestly, it wasn't a good idea to stay up all night playing Sword Art Online — it would be much easier if I could at least get some sleep now to make up for what I lost last night.
Maybe I'll skip the gym today, but it doesn't matter. I just want my phone to leave me alone for a while with its notifications highlighting phrases like (Light weight, baby!) or (Yeah buddy) from the Great Ronnie Coleman, The Bodybuilder.
"Reno... Reno Kashi."
A female voice echoed in my mind. I listened quietly, even though I didn't recognize it right away... it gave me a completely strange impression.
Suddenly, I found myself standing in a completely dark place. The darkness surrounded me on all sides, and I had no idea where to go... except to move forward into the unknown.
My steps then moved forward aimlessly, perhaps to find a way out... but why? What a strange dream, it's lucid and I'm able to think within it, taking actions that I myself want to take.
The clothes I was wearing were a black sweatshirt, light blue jeans, and my white sneakers. Nothing special — I'm just a quiet guy like that meme that went viral on the internet, really... quiet in quotation marks.
Stopping in my tracks, I took a deep breath and decided to ask in a loud voice to see if I would get a response from that voice.
"Hello! Who's talking to me?!" I asked, looking up, trying to see something. A silhouette. A clue. Anything... but nothing was visible.
My eyes scanned an infinite void, more infinite than the power of a cool wizard I sometimes saw on my computer.
I decided to quickly clench my fists, my signal to stay alert for anything... if this is a lucid dream, let's take action.
"Can't I even sleep in peace on Sunday?! You shitty entity, reveal yourself!" I shouted, turning from side to side, alert to any trap.
That's when a light green mist began to spread throughout the room. I instinctively moved to the side, trying to understand what it was. The smell was horrible... like rotten meat mixed with poison.
"Wake up, Reno." The female voice sounded again—this time more childlike.
My heart froze. I knew that voice.
"No... it can't be... Saori?!"
I crouched down, pressing my right hand against the dark floor and covering my nose with my left hand. The mist seeped through my nostrils, even against my will, and with it came memories of my tragic past that happened in my childhood.
My sister, Saori, and I were skiing in Hokkaido with our family. We were laughing, enjoying the snow that sparkled like Christmas snowflakes, and I remember how she looked at me and smiled—with that pure joy of a younger sister watching her brother have fun in the snow... a white land overflowing with unforgettable fun.
"Thank you, Reno-zin..." Her voice echoed inside my mind like a knife piercing my chest.
The happy memory that penetrated my mind was distorted in seconds. The immense joy turned into absolute chaos... much worse than the emeralds of chaos when consumed by the darkness of the user.
Suddenly, I was kneeling in front of a burning wooden house. The fire devoured every possible corner, the smoke that was once unbreathable now became part of the sky that censored the stars... Leaving only tears on my face.
"NOOOOO! SAORI!!!"
I screamed so hard that I woke up from my bed, breathing heavily after that scene... My pupils dilated and everything around my room was normal.
That's when I smelled something strong coming from under the bed. And yes... it was my little sister, Jully. The 14-year-old pest had broken a rotten egg in my room.
And to top it off, she drew a damn egg on my left hand while I was sleeping and having this nightmare.
"My God, Jully, you're going to clean that up later... or I'll tell Mom!" I shouted, staring at the mischievous creature who was slowly backing away, leaning against my bedroom door, sweating with fear.
I got up, staring directly into her mischievous childish eyes—5 feet of pure chaos in front of me. Is this girl growing faster than normal?!
"Go away and hurry up for breakfast." With an angry face, she ended up turning pale and quickly left my room.
She ran out the door, screaming as if she had seen a murderer. I took a deep breath and looked back at my room, still a little shaken by that dream.
"Bizarre... why did these memories come to me only now? Especially in a lucid dream?" I asked myself as I looked at my left hand with the egg drawn on it.
After standing still for a while, I looked away from my hand to the window, opened the curtains, and could see bright sunshine with people walking on the city sidewalk.
"I wonder if they've already bought the last copies of the new MMORPG? Looks like things are going to change a lot today..." I muttered, wearing exactly the same clothes I had on in the dream, and went down the stairs, leaving the bedroom.
If I was already one of the most advanced players in Sword Art Online, now the situation will change after this promotion announced today in physical stores, where the game will be very affordable and the vast majority will have access to the virtual world.
Well, competition won't bother me at all... at least my helmet was still intact on my bedroom counter. You know what's amazing about all this? I love it when the light reflects off that helmet. It looks like a scene from a movie showing a valuable object at the beginning of a journey, doesn't it? Great NerveGear.