A Dying Dream

// ========== GAME SYSTEM INTEGRATION ==========

// Customization for test.player.char: [Alpha]

// Author: [Dave] - Final implementation

class ALLTEST { constructor() { this.player = {

level: 1,

experience: 0,

health: 100,

mana: 50,

inventory: 0/999,

stats: {

strength: 10,

agility: 10,

intelligence: 10,

...

Skills:

{

Unlock= all [{skilltree}

}

...

"Alright that's enough for tonight. Sometimes reviewing old code is necessary. Especially when I plan to test it out tomorrow" thought Dave.

Dave is a young game developper. His parents threw him out of the house after he finished high school. They deemed him as lazy for spending his days on games and instead of looking for a proper career. Fortunately for him, there was another black sheep in the family: a distant uncle. He was now crashing in an old apartment his uncle agreed to rent to him. He was working part time to pay for his expenses, but mostly to invest into his passion: creating his own open world video game. Thanks to A.I's technological progress, it was becoming easier and easier to become a one man team game development. Dave didn't have any close friends who shared his passion and he didn't have the savings to employ other people. He was resolved to succeed all by himself, proving everyone he was worth something, proving himself he was worth something.

Everyday was the same. He would wake up, shower, eat, go to work, come home and code. Rinse and repeat. Everyday. That's what people would see him do. That's what he told people he did. That's what people would remember him for. Nothing else. Only if they did remember him at all.

However, the World within the game he was creating was expanding. Each village, town, and country became more and more lively. Shops, blacksmiths, markets, streets, houses,... every part of the town was being filled up with colorful and interesting characters with their own unique dialogue and personality. Their behaviors were rich and complex thanks Dave's care and the A.I's skillful generative power.

Not only the cities but also the landscapes: the forests, mountains, deserts, beaches, even the skies were vibrant with life and mystical creatures roaming around. The average monsters like goblins and slimes were running alongside other mythical beasts inspired by different cultures. Some of them were just a figment of Dave's imagination. Truly he was giving his all. He gave. Gave. And gave. Until he could no more.

"Wake up" said a blurry distant voice in an echo.

Dave's eyes slowly opened, adjusting his sight to the light.

White.

Everything was white. There was no sound. Everything was still. Dave couldn't see anything but white. Then a white figure approached, descending a glass-like stairway from above. The individual was fully covered in a white cloak. Their face was covered with a bland white mask. Dave barely noticed him with his sight but his entire being right to the core could sense his presence. Dave couldn't describe how he felt right at this moment. It was there. It was an evidence. It was inevitable. It was… Primordial.

— Am I... Dead? asked Dave.

— You are, replied the mysterious figure.

— Is there a point to ask who or what are you?

— Not really, no.

— Is there a point to us meeting here?

— Yes, there is. It is to discuss about what comes after.

— There is... an after?

— Only if you choose to.

— Can I... ask questions?

— I know what you mean to ask. But it's not my place to answer this. You're the only one who can provide that answer. And if you're not able now, then that just means you're not ready to neither ask the question nor have the answer to it.

— This conversation is truly pointless then. Wherever I'll go-

— -It will always be the same, interjected the white shadow. Wrong. You didn't reach a proper conclusion in this lifetime. However, I can sense you still have hope in yourself that you can attain it. That's why we're here. That's why there is an "after" for you.

— Is it the kind of woo-woo thing that will make sense in the end?

— You know deep in your soul that what I say to you is true. However, if it really can satisfy your rationale, then yes indeed. This "woo-woo" thing will actually make sense in the end.
Dave just nodded with a wry smile.

— So... What now? asked Dave.

— Now I just need your confirmation before sending you out.

— Out where?

— Out there.

— Of course. Why did I even ask, I wonder, Dave said while smothering a laugh.

— Do you agree to be sent into the realm of your own creation?

— Wait- You mean... I get to go there?

— If you wish so, then yes.

— What are we waiting for? Come on, let's go then!

— Very well. We certainly won't see each other after a while. Or at least I hope so.

— Yeah, I guess seeing you automatically means I'm dead, right?

— Most of the time, yes. Now I bid you farewell and may you find your answer.

A blind light enveloped the area. There was a shift in temperature. The light became warmer. Birds were singing in the distance. Children's laughs echoed nearby. Dave slowly opened his eyes. He was in the World of the game he created. He was there, in Harsol.