LOG OUT

The first time Lila activates the headset, nothing happens.

A flicker of static. A low hum. Then—nothing.

She pulls it off, frowning. The tech was supposed to be state-of-the-art—haptic feedback, eye-tracking, full sensory immersion. “More than a game,” the promotional email had promised. “A new way of living.” But all she sees through the lenses is her tiny apartment, bathed in the dim glow of her monitor.

Outside, the train rattles past, a screech of metal on metal.

Lila grimaces. The apartment shakes as it always does—cheap walls, cheap windows, nothing keeping the noise out.

She exhales, tightens the headset’s straps, and pulls it back on. “Engage.”

This time, the world rips apart.

The air shimmers. A golden glow outlines her furniture, warping its shape. Words materialize midair, flickering like dying neon:

ACT ONE: THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.

Then—she hears it.

A distant, echoing scream.

Someone screaming her name.

She whirls around. Her apartment is gone.