Lost in Transition

With a click of a mouse button, mere seconds after nine o’clock Saturday evening, 11th of November, Verona’s room had vanished without a trace, leaving the young man in shock.

Everything was gone.

His PC, with all its peripherals, and then the desk, the bed, the cabinet–everything.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing near a small pond under the shade of Belnaros Forest. He was now clad in an all-white attire with purple trim, an abrupt transformation from his previous dark sweater, jeans, and flip-flops. Confusion consumed his mind, and he couldn't escape from it.

The air carried the earthy scent of moist soil. The hood of his cloak swayed in the breeze. It revealed his disturbed expression beneath as he stared at the gloves of his hands. Then, he glanced towards the pond and slowly walked towards it. His tunic and trousers followed his every move, his boots creating a rustling sound with each stride.

When he arrived at the pond’s edge, he crouched and peered into the calm waters.

He could not believe what he saw.

His hands frantically pushed back his hood, and the surface revealed his silver hair and eyes. His face resembled his appearance in the real world: clean-shaved with East Asian features, contradicting the pale Western-like complexion the MMORPG character was supposed to have.

Bending closer, he removed one of his gloves, cautiously extending his index finger towards the surface. As his fingertip brushed the water, the ripples spread, distorting his reflection. He swiftly pulled his finger back, feeling the damp and chilly sensation on his skin.

He held his breath, momentarily frozen.

After several seconds, Verona tore his gaze away from the pond in disbelief. His expression turned dark. He slipped back the glove while soaking in the sights and sounds of the thick forest before him.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting patches of dappled light on the forest floor. The rustling leaves and the chorus of chirping birds filled the air. Trees stood tall with towering trunks and lush foliage. Delicate blossoms added bursts of colour to the intricate fabric of nature.

It was nothing but an otherworldly yet masterful piece of fantastical art.

Yet, its beauty only invited uneasiness and anxiety.

It was impossible, he reasoned. Belnaros Forest was not real. Regnalia was just an MMORPG. It was just a product of human imagination–a fantasy.

As uncertainty entangled his mind, a blink tone suddenly chimed from nowhere before a floating pop-up window suddenly appeared right before his eyes.

Verona stared at it, stupefied.

His gaze darted between the window and his surroundings, his mouth agape as his grip on reality faltered.

Welcome to Regnalia! Happy hunting and adventuring! Protect all good and defeat all evil!

Those were a series of phrases he was already familiar with. He saw it whenever he logged in to Regnalia, after all. He had no idea why those words could appear here.

However, he knew what he experienced now was hardly a mere game.

With reluctance, he reached out to touch the window. It felt almost the same as a touchscreen, except it was frameless and suspended in mid-air. It felt natural yet eerie at the same time.

Not long after, his eyes caught the close button on the corner, and his finger instinctively pressed it. The window vanished, giving way to a larger interface that displayed his in-game profile.

[Fulcrum] Verona
Champion of the Cosmos
Lv. 100
Janissary

In the first row, his guild and in-game name were displayed. Next was his equipped Title. Beneath that came his current level and then his profession. That info was not the only thing he saw in the interface.

There were green and yellow bars, representing his health and skill points bar, respectively, along with a myriad of buff icons. Something caught his attention there, but he pushed it aside as his eyes noticed something more important below.

The familiar options he had grown accustomed to in the game were laid out before him: equipment, inventory, quests, stats, skills, and companions menu, among others. It was different from what the game had before. Now, they were merged with his profile–unexpectedly.

However, some seconds later, he was motionless. His hand slowly trembled. His teeth clenched.

The logout option was nowhere to be found.

Desperation fueled his actions as he frantically searched for it. He opened every menu he could find, scouring every corner of the interface. It should be here somewhere, he believed. It had to be here. However, the more he looked, the harder it became to breathe.

“Dammit,” Verona murmured in frustration. “How is this possible? What the hell is going on here?"

It soon became painfully clear that his efforts were in vain.

Suspicion gnawed at him as numerous questions raced through his mind. Still, he was convinced about one thing.

The expansion pack was the likely cause of this whole predicament.

Was it a coincidence or deliberate? He could not be certain. It was easy to point his finger at anything dubious, but Verona was not a person who would jump to a hasty conclusion.

Be calm, he thought. Be calm. Being angry was pointless. There was nothing he could do. Everything in his head was mere wild guesses and speculation. He needed more proof. Not even Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, or Conan could solve this. He had to focus on what was in front of him.

He still had some good news. At least the friend list remained intact. He wasted no time accessing it.

A sigh escaped his lips as he saw that one hundred and seven people were online.

Pressing the topmost person on the list, he was dismayed that the private chat feature could not be selected. He pushed it again and again, and the same warning came out.

Not in-range.

This still could work, he assured himself. Undeterred.

Unlike the logout option, that feature still existed, although the choice was darkened, marking them as unavailable. It was the first time Verona had seen such a thing ever. However, he knew everything had changed at this point.

This was a different Regnalia, and all of those modifications in the “mechanics” probably had something to do with it.

He continued scrolling, pressing name after name, but he could call no one. Twenty people, then thirty, forty, and still no response. There were still more names to try, he thought. Even if he exhausted his friend list, he could use his guild member list, which was also available and had more people than his entire friend list.

Thinking about his guild sparked a flicker of memory within him–a certain girl.

Maya.

He swiftly searched for her name with anticipation. The list seemed endless, but finally, his eyes locked onto her entry. Her name gleamed on the display.

He pressed her profile.

Hope surged when he saw her private chat feature was available. He pressed it and started to talk, just like he usually did when he used the mic on his headphones, just like in the game.

“Hello…?” he said, his voice filled with hope and desperation. “Maya, can you hear me?”

He waited several seconds, but there was no answer. After some time, he called her again. He refused to be discouraged.

A few seconds later, his heart skipped a beat.

“Verona, is that you…?” Maya finally replied with a trembling voice. “Is that really you?!”

Verona closed his eyes as he lifted his head. He took a deep breath and released all the air inside his lungs and all the tension and fear inside him.

Relief.