His name echoed around the cavern: “Tsukasa…. Tsukasa….”
“Stop it!” he wailed. “I didn’t ask for this. Aura….where is Aura…”
Jen Akimoto opened her eyes. The dream had plagued her for several months, ever since her experience in “The World.” Her black hair was in disarray; she swiped a finger through it. Smoothing out her blue sweatshirt, she headed for the bathroom.
She couldn't explain it, but somehow she'd been drawn into the game. Not obsessed, as so many people were, but she had, at least in spirit, been trapped in "The World." The memory still made her sweat.
Doctors were still shaking their heads at the phenomena. Six players had recently gone into comas, but so far only Jen had recovered. The official report had it as “trauma induced by sudden flashes of light.” Jen knew better. “The World” was more than a simple game.
She sighed. The only way to stop this, she reasoned, was to log back in. Time to stop running.
The familiar, jangling music greeted her. She clicked “Sign in,” then input "Tsukasa."
“User account has been deleted. Please register.”
Jen cursed. She punched the “back” icon and clicked “register.” It only made sense. Since her character data, the Wavemaster named Tsukasa, had been modified beyond normal, CC would want to break it down.
Vividly, she remembered that first experience.
“Can you… you know, exit ‘The World?’”
“Of course I can. After we last met, I logged out.”
Random lights played across her vision, and she screamed...
"Jen, snap out of it!" Her best friend, Yoshiro, was shaking her. "I thought you had relapsed," he whispered.
