Andanum

By Mason Gwan

Ryoto and his best friends, Julie and Shuuto, can hardly wait for the school day to end so they can attend the premiere of Andanum, the world’s first virtual, multi-player video game. The game is the only thing Ryoto cares about—other than his secret feelings for Julie.

As soon as school ends, the friends race to a local center where the video game sale is slated to begin. After the three grab headsets that allow them to enter the realm of virtual reality, they head to Ryoto’s house. Moments later, they enter a world where clans vie for factional power and recognition is not easy to attain. As they begin a long journey to complete individual tasks within their clan, Ryota finds his own mission in the Spiral Thesia. While tensions rise and a sinister plot unravels, Ryota embarks on the greatest adventure of his life.

In this fantasy tale, a boy and his best friends delve into a world of peculiarity and adventure via a new virtual reality video game.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Aug 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483414645

Book preview

GWAN

Copyright © 2014 Mason Gwan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1465-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1464-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913350

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/15/2014

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 1

T he room was pitch black. Only the sound of a boy turning in his sleep allowed his mother to identify where he lay in the darkness. Ryoto always had trouble waking up after a long night of gaming.

Ryoto dear, she said slyly, You better hurry up. Your precious Julie won’t wait forever. The boy was roused by the words and hastily rolled out of bed and into his uniform that he had put out the night before. Swinging open the curtains, he basked in the dull autumn glow and breathed in the crisp morning air. Down on the pavement, he saw Julie waving at him. She bounced up and down trying to keep warm, while her black hair blew around her in the wind. Ryoto was always happy to see his best friend. He eagerly swung over the railing and slowly made his descent down the rickety ladder.

I hope my boy will ask that lovely girl out, thought Ryoto’s mom as she watched the pair disappear beyond the curve.

Ryoto was glad when Julie started the conversation: Ryoto, aren’t you excited for today?

For what? he asked.

Julie suddenly turned on her toes and stared at Ryoto sharply, Don’t tell me you forgot about your promise, Ryoto, she pouted. You said you’d go with me and Shuuto to the opening!

The proximity of their faces caused a deep scarlet blush to form on Ryoto’s cheeks, and he quickly backed up. I’m sorry, Julie. It completely slipped my mind! He looked away in embarrassment without realizing what she was referring to, but now that his eyes were off her, all around him, he could see billboards and ads at the bus stop announcing the release of Andanum, the video game they had been anticipating.

Stupid Ryoto, said Julie with a radiant smile, I know you all too well. You’re awful at remembering important things. The premiere of Andanum is today! You promised we’d go to the release after school.

Ryoto’s jaw dropped. How could he have forgotten about such an exciting occasion? Nexus was releasing the world’s first virtual experience MMO—a massive multi-player online game.

Conveniently, the shrieking scream of the rusty school bell shook him from his stupor, and he bravely grabbed Julie’s hand, causing her to shriek, and dragged her with him to their homeroom at Newton High.

Mounting the stairs, Ryoto slammed the sliding door aside and stood agape as he was met by the suspicious stares of an entire classroom of freshmen. Instantly, they erupted in snickers at the sight of Julie’s and his tightly clenched hands. Ryoto exploded into a violent tomato red and leapt away from Julie into his homeroom seat. His other best friend Shuuto, the rowdiest of all the students in the class, slapped him on the back and said with a grin, You really did it this time, didn’t you, Ryoto?!

Shrugging Shuuto’s hand away, Ryoto struggled to remove the expansive blush on his face, but a smile that Julie sent him wracked his nerves, and he failed miserably. He loved everything about Julie, from the triumphant tilt of her face to her ever-present red scarf.

Staring aimlessly at the dusty blackboard, he thought about what Julie had told him earlier that morning. Eager whispers about Andanum’s impending release were omnipresent. The idea of the game made his heart beat fast and ignited a passion within. It was the only thing he cared about that surpassed his doting affection for Julie. The game gave him the opportunity to turn over a new leaf, as anything was possible in the world of Andanum. There, he hoped, he could escape the troubles of reality and show people what he was really good at.

It had been nearly a year since Ryoto first heard about Andanum on the news. As the first game where the players physically experience the cyber-world around them, rather than merely act as onlookers, Ryoto hoped that this would be his opportunity to show his friends—and especially Julie—his gaming skills. Since he found out about Andanum, he had been practicing and building up his knowledge on video games in the hopes of proving himself valuable to his teammates. Ryoto daydreamed about showing off through the rest of his classes. He could hardly wait for the antiquated school bell to announce the conclusion of the day.

***

When the shrieking scream again rang out, announcing the day’s finish and the commencement of a new life in the game world, Ryoto met with Shuuto and Julie in front of their classroom. Both of them bubbled with excitement and bounced repeatedly on the balls of their feet.

Hurry up Ryoto kun! they chanted as he tried to keep up with the frantic energy that powered their lightning fast strides. Surprisingly, they were amongst the first hundred to arrive at Rogers Center where thousands would congregate.

Have you heard? said Shuuto, A day in Andanum is a mere minute in reality, isn’t that fantastically preposterous!

Stop lagging behind, Ryoto. The line is starting to build up! Julie shouted excitedly.

The three managed to squeeze into the shivering horde of arms and legs, looking ahead to watch a burly man of eighty, the CEO of Nexus, announce the commencement of the sale. His steely eyes gleamed in the fading sunlight, as if acknowledging the worthiness of the final project of his life. A glint of red caught Ryoto’s attention. A figure stood at the edge of the masses, a pair of bold black frames with iridescent panes. He was there for only an instant, causing Ryoto to doubt if he even saw him in the first place. A brutal shove brought him back to his senses as the student behind him grew irritated at his refusal to pick up his Corsair gear—a headset with a chip that connects your body to the game and allows you to enter to virtual reality. Just as he wrapped his fingers around the package, he felt Shuuto dragging him out of the crowd to an anxiously awaiting Julie.

Let’s go to Ryoto’s house. We have to set up before the commencement time! she shrieked.

Ryoto’s mom handed each of them a bento box for dinner and wished them good luck as the three piled into his bedroom. I call the recliner! shouted Shuuto. He always had the most energy of the trio. The three set up their Corsair gear then sat on their tatami mats and ate their bentos. Their eyes frantically darted between each other and the digital clock that remained serene on the nightstand. When there was only a minute left, they put on their helmets. The sleek fibers padding the back of the flawless silver protector sent shivers down Ryoto’s spine when he activated the indigo power switch. Linking his hands with Shuuto and Julie, they silently acknowledged each other before letting the darkness take over.

It seemed as if he was flying through a tunnel of multicolored optic fibers. The hairs on the back of his neck stood erect, influenced by the heavy static in the air. Ryoto tried to locate his own body, but an empty expanse of blinding colors was all that he could see. Suddenly, he could feel the presence of thousands of others. It was as if he could sense spirits but not see their physical forms. An explosion of white appeared at what seemed to be the end of the tunnel. The slither of a metallic tongue could be heard from all directions, echoing with the sound of iron grating against a castle forged sword.

The words, "Your journey begins now, player. Choose the faction you wish to represent," rang out, arrogantly drawling and yet harboring a miniscule sense of warmth comparable to the dying coals in a once magnificent hearth fire. Ryoto panicked. He hadn’t spoken about this with Shuuto and Julie before; none of the specifics had been released prior to today. There had not even been a public beta environment server for Andanum (which is common for new releases), so no one in the public had ever tested the game. The mingling multitude of minds was agitated; many encountered the same problem as Ryoto. Ryoto heard his name being shouted faintly. He waded through the coalition of spirits as the shouting steadily increased in pitch.

RYOTO! a deafening shout caused him to wince in pain. He could feel Shuuto and Julie’s presence around him. Thank god I found you guys. I can’t imagine you two being my enemies in here! he said ecstatically.

Hush now Ryoto. Let’s decide, said Shuuto rationally.

Just then, five names appeared, sparking Ryoto’s interest. A panel expanded before his eyes, and his brain began to absorb the text like a sponge. Each name was stenciled in a unique color and style, and underneath those names appeared a description of the clan. In striking calligraphy of amethyst, Wryundveyl appeared outlined in rich gold. The clan of the eastern forests was an organization of bandit outlaws who preyed upon the wealthy and gave to the poor.