Prologue:

11:30 AM. Outside, the late autumn sun was slowly but surely making way

towards its peak. Bathing the scattered nearby cheery trees from the garden in a golden radiance. Silence was the only one disturbed by the birds that didn't left yet for warmer places. If one was to listen carefully he or she could hear some small shouts and clashing wood sounds coming from a nearby Dojo located in the same garden.

A small annex to the main house that had an architecture based on a Japanese house with small European influences.

The morning training, which usually lasts from the early sunrise until noon with a light breakfast pause from 10;00 to 10;30 AM, was almost finished. Both sparring partners seemed to not notice that, pouring all their focus into jabs, parries and evasive maneuvers. This would happen more often than the two would like to recognize. Usually a certain woman that was important to both of them would quietly open the sliding doors and make them aware of the time. Today, following her usual pattern she would have to be coming in less than half an hour as usual.

If somebody was to watch the pair, as they were skillfully exchanging blows, they would notice that one of them had the advantage of being taller and even bulkier than the other, and after taking a closer look, unfortunately more skilled than his opponent. Usually he would adjust his skills to match his opponent but today he notices that today his partner was being more careless than usual, making unnecessary movements, half-baked strikes and not paying attention at all to his stance. It was clear as daylight that something was annoyingly distracting the person in front of him.

After easily evading one of the poorly thought attempts to strike his lower right side he seized the opportunity and thrusts his training sword aiming at his opponent's head, stopping a couple of centimeters in front of the his blue training mask. His opponent drops his stance and lowers his own sword. With a gentle smile the man lightly taps his opponent's forehead with the tip of his sword, while looking towards the garden, outside. He lets out a short sigh while putting away his training sword and removing his mask;

"Okay training is over for today, I see you distracted and I know exactly why. Shouldn't have let you buy that game. I don't know why you even play those things when you get real life fencing training with me."

He couldn't see his sparing partner's facial reaction as he was wearing a mask as well but with his keen eye he could notice that his words had some effect, as his opponent lowered his head and turned around, placing the bamboo training sword into its proper holder.

Turning around once again, the second person begins removing the mask's restrains. The first thing that shows from beneath is the blond hair that a bit lower than the shoulders. Once the mask was completely removed the second thing that immediately catches any observer's eye is the color of her eyes, an unusual silver nuance with just a discreet tinge of sea blue.

Those eyes were now directed at the person who has spoken earlier making a slight nod before speaking; "I understand and I'm sorry, father. I am very grateful for your 'kind' words, I have tried to explain what is that I seek by playing those games but you seem to remain indifferent and ask me the same question over and over again. I've giving up in trying to explain to you what I'm looking for."

"Oh, scary… okay Kayla, go and play that game you've kept talking about with your mom. Sorry I'm not that up-to-date with entertainment related stuff, in my times we had computer games as well. Not this complex thought, what I understood from what you told me, this helmet thingy you bought, knocks you out, inducing something like a controlled coma. Then feeds computer generated images and sounds to the brain, simulating real life to some degree, right?"

Responded the girl's father, Eugeo D'Sole, trying hard to formulate his words exactly as he heard his daughter, Kayla Ariel D'Sole and his wife Eveline D'Sole. He would hear them talk about the latest trends in technology throughout dinner, almost every evening after training. He too wanted to join them sometimes but technology related stuff didn't interest him that much. He could use his personal computer for business related stuff and random searches but that was about all he used it for. While his wife was very interested in all kinds of articles that she read on a daily basis.