Umber’s First Darksday of Harvestfall, 1442, trade centre, city of Altansuun.


    The soft chime of an incoming call interrupted Elyssia’s moment of peace. Emmy let out a sigh and pulled herself outside of the game, back to her virtual hub. A glance at the time confirmed it—it was time for her routine virtual chat with her kids. “That time already.” A smile spread across her face, this time genuine and reaching her eyes.


    Emmy walked to the virtual front door and noticed Elyssia’s hands, suddenly aware of what was coming. Her kids would see her like this—like Elyssia. It was not what she had planned for tonight, and she was not sure how they would react. She had heard the rumours, of course. Other players noticing that their avatars outside the game, their virtual selves, now matched their created, in-game avatar. Apparently, many new users had flocked to the game, lured by the promise of the diversion. The rumour had originated from a university in Oregon, and the news had spread like wildfire.


    She had known this would happen, so it was not what stopped Emmy in her tracks. No. It was the sudden realisation that she was about to have a chat with her son and daughter. Wearing Elyssia’s body. Would they even recognise her? Would they understand? Despite wearing her character’s starting clothes, she felt extremely vulnerable, her true core exposed to other’s scrutiny perhaps for the first time in her life.


    But her children were young, and most likely aware of the avatar glitch. Young people knew about all the latest memes and trends. So, while they would probably understand if Dad did not show up his usual self, they might react upon seeing her like this.


    It was an oversight. Emmy had only planned for Jason to see her. For everyone in the game, she would be Elyssia, and that was all there was to it. A standard etiquette, even back when customisation was still possible, before VR, was for people to refer to you by your character’s name. Most did not care who was behind the keyboard.


    So while it had not been part of her plans tonight to introduce herself as Elyssia, it was not like she could do anything about it. Not until people figured out how to reverse the VR avatar change. As far as she knew, nobody had really attempted to find a solution; people had way too much fun with this. And if Emmy was honest, she was rather pleased that she did not have to wear Martin’s costume for tonight’s call. She was not sure how hard it would have been to step back into that lie.


    Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Taking a deep breath, Emmy opened the door to let her children in.


    “Hey, Dad!” Maya’s voice rang out as she materialised into the room. At fifteen, she was confident, sharp-witted. Every time she saw her daughter, Maya would dress her avatar in a brand new mix of casual and vintage styles. She was a VR thrift shopping expert.


    “Hi, sweetie,” Emmy said warmly, but hearing her voice made her wince. It was softer now, more fluid, as if someone else’s words were coming out of her mouth. She half-expected Maya to notice, to comment, but nothing came.


    Ewan, her fourteen-year-old son, appeared beside his sister, his avatar wearing a futuristic jacket and a pair of sleek headphones around his neck. “Hey, Dad!”


    Emmy felt her heart race, her throat dry as she greeted them. She felt Elyssia’s hands stiffly resting in her lap; the fingers curling and uncurling, as if she could dispel the rising panic that way.


    “There’s my guy!” Emmy exclaimed, her heart swelling at the sight of them. She tried as much as possible to act as if nothing was wrong, to sound casual. “How are my favorite people doing?”


    “Pretty good,” Ewan replied, flopping onto his favourite sofa. “School’s been a drag, but what else is new?”


    Maya rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re just mad because Mrs Thompson caught you gaming during class.”


    Internally, Emmy let out a long sigh of relief. They did not seem to care. It was impossible for them not to notice how different she looked. Maybe kids today were just that much better at adapting to this kind of thing.


    Ewan shrugged with a smile. “Worth it.”


    “Sounds like some things never change,” Emmy chuckled.


    “Speaking of…” Maya gave her a long, thoughtful look, clearly taking stock of her father’s new appearance. “That’s quite the new look.”


    Ah, here it comes, Emmy thought, bracing herself. This is when the other shoe dropped. The elephant has entered the room. I repeat, the elephant has entered the room. Emmy was afraid of how much of their mother’s radicalisation had already sunk into the kids. Maybe she was about to find out.


    “Ah — I can explain…” Emmy started, but Ewan interrupted with a grin.


    “Can’t believe you haven’t heard, sis. The #CustomVRAvatars hashtag’s blowing up! There are hundreds of videos of people showing off their new looks.”


    “Of course I’ve heard,” Maya shot back. “What, do you think I live under a rock like Mom? I mean… it’s just a big change from how Dad looks, no?”


    A big change was an understatement, Emmy thought. Elyssia was fourteen inches shorter than her real-life self, and now Maya was actually taller than she was.


    Ewan shrugged. “I think he looks kinda like Fierce Deity Link. It’s kinda cool.”


    Maya smiled as she studied Emmy, then said, “Yeah, definitely some flavour of Link. But she doesn’t have the funny hat.”


    Emmy’s heart swelled at their banter. How many teenagers would reference one of Link’s alter egos from Majora’s Mask? Her geeky kids had picked some year-two-thousand semi-obscure game to lighten the situation. They were clever. She chuckled. “You caught me just as I finished creating her. This is just the starter gear. Maybe I’ll find a garden gnome hat later and send a screenshot.”


    “I want to see that!” Maya said with a snort of laughter. “So, what’s her name?”


    Emmy hesitated, her face flushing. She had been trying to keep things light, but now they were peeling back the layers. Still, there was no harm in answering. “Elyssia,” she said.


    Ewan perked up. “And what class are you playing?”


    Emmy smiled at her son’s enthusiasm. The two of them loved talking about game mechanics. “Same old — A tank. Just the punch-and-dodge type, not the block-and-soak kind.”


    “Oh cool, you’re just like Jet Li!” Ewan mimed some Kung Fu punches with a grin.


    “It’s a pretty name,” Maya said thoughtfully. She paused, then asked, “You know… Dad doesn’t feel quite right like that. Should we call you Ely? Or Mom?”


    Emmy’s breath caught in her throat. Claire would lose her mind if she heard this. Her mind raced with the possibilities, the risks. Could she ask her kids to keep this from their mother? What if it slipped out? Claire could use it against her. Emmy was not sure she could survive another court battle. Not now.


    “Ah, let’s not anger your mother more than we need to, okay?” she said cautiously. “Just stick with Dad for now. I’m sure someone will fix the glitch with our avatars soon, anyway.”


    Secretly, she hoped she was wrong about that. They can take their time solving that bug. For all she cared.


    The kids nodded, but neither of them seemed overjoyed about the decision. Press X to Doubt?


    “Sure,” they said in unison.


    They spent the next moments catching up—sharing stories about school projects, friends, and the latest shows they had been binge-watching. Emmy soaked it all in, grateful for the connection, even virtual. Despite the physical distance, these meetups made her feel closer to them.


    As they chatted, Emmy lost herself, listening to the sound of their conversation. How strange it was to see her children speaking to her in this form, the voice of this body feeling both familiar and foreign all at once. It was not just an avatar anymore. This body? It was hers.


    A notification flashed in the corner of her vision—Jason had logged on. Emmy hated to end the call, but Jason might log out if she did not respond soon. He rarely played by himself.


    “Oh, it looks like I have to wrap this up,” she said regretfully. “Prior engagement.”


    “Aww, already?” Ewan pouted. Emmy ruffled his hair.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    “I’m afraid so. But we’ll chat again soon, okay?” She tried to hide the pang of sadness she felt at cutting their time short.


    “Promise?” Maya asked, her gaze searching.


    “Absolutely,” Emmy assured them. “Maybe we can even plan a virtual game night.”


    “That would be awesome!” Ewan said, his eyes lighting up.


    “Count me in,” Maya said in agreement.


    “Great. I love you both so much,” Emmy said, her voice softening. Losing custody had been one of the hardest things she’d ever gone through, and moments like this reminded her of what she had lost. But for now, she held onto the moments she could share with them.


    “Love you too, Dad,” they replied in unison.


    With a departing smile and wave, Emmy disconnected from the call. The familiar silence of her virtual living room settled in around her, and she was alone again. The talk had gone smoother than she had hoped, but even as relief washed over her, the anxiety still lingered in the background, a dull throb in her mind. Today had been one hurdle, but tomorrow would bring another. For now, though, she held onto this feeling. A minor victory.


    She told herself she did not deserve kids as great as Maya and Ewan. But she was so thankful to have them—a small beacon of light on a cloudy night.


    <hr>


    In an alternate virtual space, Maya leaned back on the sofa, her expression thoughtful. “He looked happy,” she said, as she recalled in her mind an image of her father in Elyssia’s body. More than happy, she thought. He looked alive.


    “Yeah,” Ewan said. “I noticed that too. That spark in his eyes when we were just chatting?”


    Maya sighed. “Mom would’ve freaked out tonight.”


    Ewan nodded solemnly. He had heard her rant against trans people a million times now. Claire did not need to be here as they both knew all the arguments she would throw, no matter how often people proved her wrong and debunked her.


    Maya continued. “Mom hasn’t exactly been easy to deal with lately.” That was an understatement. Claire had lost almost every friend she had. All except Lisa, and even she was not letting Claire’s nonsense slide uncontested.


    Ewan frowned. “She’s been pretty intense.” Ewan had to put his foot down only a few days ago about not joining her in a stupid rally about some inane rumour at a nearby school. At least people had moved past the lies about litter boxes in school.


    Maya agreed with her brother. Intense was one way of putting it.


    “Tell me about it. All that stuff she’s been posting online—it makes me uncomfortable.” It was difficult being the daughter of a radicalised mother at school. Especially when she tried to get people to band together and fix problems that they themselves created.


    Maya looked at her brother. “Did you notice how Dad reacted when I asked about the name?”


    Ewan nodded. He had recognised the way Dad had hesitated. How she had swallowed hard before responding. He had seen it in so many arguments with mom, and it usually meant that he was placating her.


    “Yeah, I don’t think he believed what he said about the glitch. How it would get fixed soon?”


    Maya stayed quiet for a moment. “I think you’re right. But I’m sure he’ll tell us when he’s ready.”


    “Yeah. I just hope he knows we’ll support him, no matter what,” Ewan said quietly.


    Maya smiled softly. “I’m sure he does.”


    She had wanted to hug Elyssia, but Dad had never been too comfortable with physical contact. She could guess why.


    They sat in silence for a while, both feeling the weight of what had just happened, the subtle shift in their father’s demeanour, the quiet joy they had not seen inside him in a long time.


    “Do you think Mom will ever... you know, go back to how she was?” Ewan finally asked, breaking the silence. His voice was softer now, tinged with uncertainty.


    Maya stayed silent for a long moment, thinking about all the changes they’d seen in their mother over the years—the increasing distance, the angry rants about people who were different, the coldness that had replaced the warmth she used to have.


    “I don’t know,” she said, quietly hoping she would. “I hope so.”


    Ewan nodded, but said nothing more. They both knew things had changed too much, that the divide between who their mom used to be and who she was now seemed impossibly wide.


    Still, there was comfort in knowing that they were not alone in navigating this new reality. They had each other. And maybe, just maybe, they would get to know their dad in a whole new way too—on his terms, as the person he was finally allowing himself to be.


    As they sat there, sharing the silence, both Maya and Ewan felt a sense of privilege. Tonight, they had met someone special. They had met Elyssia. And though they did not know exactly where the journey would take them, they both had a feeling they would see her a lot more in the future.


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, in her copy of the virtual hub, Emmy exhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment as she let herself process the conversation with her kids. It had gone better than she could have imagined, but the fear still lingered—the fear of what the future might hold, the fear of what Claire might do if she ever found out.


    She shook off the heavy thoughts and stood up, preparing herself to log back into the game. Elyssia was waiting. Her new life, her new adventure—it was all waiting for her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a surge of excitement.


    With a determined smile, she returned to the game, still in the bazaar where Elyssia stood.


    A message pinged from Jason: “I’m finally in the game, starting with character creation now. Any idea what I should go for?”


    Elyssia mentally sent her response. She knew what Jason enjoyed, so she was pretty convinced he would agree with her suggestion. “I’m an evasion tank. I think you’ll enjoy the Mage class. It’s a caster, ranged DPS. They’re a bit like scholars, using spell books filled with utility ritual spells, like teleports, portals, summoning. At level one, it’s as close as a support class you can find, other than playing healer.”


    Jason’s response appeared quickly. “Okay, so a studious type. That sounds right up my alley.”


    “Perfect. I’ll just start making my way to you, then. You’ll start in the city of Luminara. That’s where the Priest guildhall is. Once you’re done with character creation, try to see if you can find one to join us?”


    “Will do.”


    The lively scene unfolded around her once more, and this time, she did not hesitate. Elyssia stepped forward, weaving through the bustling market, her heart lighter than it had been in years.


    As Elyssia, she was free. As Elyssia, she could be who she truly was.


    She started walking to the palisades. Assuredly, there would be newbie quests all over the city of Altansuun, where she had spawned. Easy source of XP, teaching the players the basics of the interface, peppered with some lore about the world. It was the modern way of games like this.


    But Elyssia did not enjoy questing. It felt like she was dancing to someone else’s tune, and following was not in her nature. There was a plan somewhere, with all the quests in the city mapped out. Every so often, a quest would exist to teach you about a specific game mechanic, a feature, or a class ability. Most quest would reward you with a piece of equipment, some money, perhaps some food.


    Elyssia had another plan. But as she made her way to the walls, she noticed someone walking into an interception course. He was about a foot taller than she was, a toned Half-blood felinae with black and silver braided hair. A burgundy woollen vest he wore partially covered his loose dark trousers. Beneath the vest, multiple pieces of protective, reinforced leather covered a simple cloth tunic. He locked his amber eyes on her.


    When they got within speaking distance, he stopped.


    “Shavi.” Disciple. Her mind translated the word for her, as if she had known it all her life. “Where are you off to, determined as you are? You have not completed your training.”


    Elyssia studied the man. He certainly had the look of a teacher or guild master. She frowned. It looked to her like the game had a heavy-handed approach about forcing the players to do the early tutorial quests.


    “Away. Off to Luminara, to meet a friend,” she said in a curt response. She could not help how annoyed her voice sounded.


    The man raised an eyebrow and studied her intently. “If that’s the case, then let me write a letter of introduction for you. Perhaps it will be of help.” He explained. “Follow me.” It sounded like an order, not a suggestion, but the man did not wait for her to move, and turned, headed towards one of the few largest constructions in the city.


    Elyssia let out a sigh and follow him, almost sprinting simply to match his walking speed.


    Before long, they reached the Tulaan Ger, the House of Combat. She somehow knew the meaning of the word. This, too, had to be Elyssia’s knowledge. Those were all foreign words to Emmy. Inside, she quickly learned the man was called Bagsh Rhyzar by the students. Master Rhyzar. He wasted no time on pleasantries and penned a letter that he rolled and offered her.


    “Should you find yourself in trouble or need of advice, find Mergen Raelan in the city of lights.”


    Mergen meant wise men. For her master to give this title to someone, it must be someone he highly respects.


    Elyssia accepted the letter. As she took it, Rhyzar bent down, levelling his eyes with hers. His face was inches away from hers and his eyes were intense.


    He closed his eyes and leaned forward, gently leaning his forehead against hers. He nearly whispered his words, and there was a trace of sadness behind them. “Your stay amongst us was brief, Ohin. I pray our teachings help you on your journey.”


    Ohin. Daughter. Elyssia felt tears run down her cheeks as she stood there frozen, caught in the moment’s emotion. That word, once more. But it was more than just the choice of word. That gesture. Her bagsh was symbolically transferring as much knowledge or guidance as he could to her through physical contact. He could not be there to guide her, but he seemed to hope to impart her with the wisdom that would. Elyssia was regretting how she treated him earlier. He seemed to truly care about her. She felt something at the back of her head. A vague recollection of the relationship they had shared. They were only vague memories, but they felt important to her, like she was about to leave a piece of herself behind. Just who was she, before Emmy had incarnated her character?


    Rhyzar slowly stepped away from Elyssia and gently wiped the tears running down her left cheek with his right hand. He was not showing any sign of it, but it felt to Elyssia that he was just as emotional as she was.


    “May Terra watch over you.” His voice had remained steady, but barely, as he whispered the words.


    He gave her a small nod before turning his attention back to the rest of the students under his care, clearly glad for anything to distract himself from the well of emotions her departure was stirring.


    Elyssia wiped the rest of the tears off her face, then turned towards the exit and walked away, leaving the Ger behind.


    Elyssia marvelled at how real the whole moment had felt. The tutorial quest, if that was even what it was, adjusted itself to suit her plans perfectly. It was not like she had seen the “Accept” and “Reject” buttons, and she doubted any other player would have the exact experience. This was not the quest system from the game that she knew. Just how advanced were the NPC AIs in this game?


    Still, she had a long way to walk to Luminara. And she knew there would be plenty of enemies on the way to aggro her as she did.


    And she was ready to use them as training fodder.


    “XP Chain, here I come”, she said confidently. She looked forward to challenging herself with the local fauna. Where the enemies were weak, she would simply pull enough to overwhelm her. Where the enemies were outclassing her, she would take them head-on anyway—she had cooldowns for a reason! In her mind, every combat encounter was raid practice. If it was not challenging, that meant you were simply not trying hard enough. And if all you did was fight things you could beat with rote tactics, then you would never learn how to handle challenges went things went south.