PROLOGUE

"It is the year 2100 AD. As a result of technological advancements – such as the advent of virtual reality, and the creation of sleep-based game machines – online gaming has rapidly developed over the years.

Thus, the realism of online games has increased from 50%…60%…70%…to 80%. The current market is dominated by two MMO giants – The World and Life – both of which have achieved a realism level of 85%. With over 80% of the human population making up the number of players, the first thing that anyone asks of a new acquaintance is, 'Are you from The World or Life?'

However, things have begun to change. The world's largest technology company has caused a huge stir with its revelation: after ten years of research, they have created Second Life, the latest game with a realism level of 99%.

And now the entire world waits with bated breath…"*

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A young woman sat quietly at the edge of a flower strewn meadow; her thoughts drifting. She loved this place. The multitude of colors enchanted her while the aura of peace it projected comforted her. In this meadow nothing could harm her. She didn't have to deal with the starkness of the reality happening beyond it and could let go of all the emotion that weighed down her soul. She breathed in deeply, filling her nose with the pleasing aroma of the flowers, as she allowed herself to simply enjoy the moment; revel in her special place; and cease thinking.

Time passed outside the safe bubble of her haven. How much time was elapsing she wasn't sure and couldn't find the urge within herself to care. Eventually though, a soft voice did intrude upon her solitude.

"Excuse me, Miss."

"Yes," she responded disinterestedly.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a mail message waiting for your attention from the Long Company. It is marked urgent."

No matter how many times she asked him to stop addressing her as "Miss" instead of her given name, Ty always ignored her. It seemed rather ironic to her the way he so easily managed to find loopholes within her requests. She "had not specified that he could not call her Miss when he was informing her that she had received a message from the Long Company" would be his excuse this time if she tried, yet again, to correct him. She would never admit to it now, but she had begun to secretly like his formal way of addressing her. It made her feel almost cared for. The fact that Ty was an artificial intelligence didn't change that. Besides, he was closer to her than any so-called "real" intelligences of her acquaintance.

"Thank you, Ty. I'll view it now."

If she had been feeling less numb she probably would have been sighing dramatically when she said that. Ty acted like a bit of a mother hen to her. She told him, emphatically, that she wanted to be left alone. He therefore, contrarily used any excuse he could to barge into her self-imposed emotional exile.

Instantly upon her agreement, a large, opaque holographic screen materialized about a foot in front of her. The aforementioned message popping up on the hologram a heartbeat later. It was a newsletter of sorts reminding those who had pre-ordered the Long Company's latest virtual reality game that its servers would officially come online the following week, on XX date. It was common practice for game companies to send out this sort of marketing mail before the launch of a new product. It wasn't something that should have been seen as exceptional or worthy of significant note. To the young woman it was momentous; this was her first glimpse of the world outside her voluntary isolation in months.

She'd long ago forgotten having pre-ordered the game. Though her forgetting wasn't a surprise like the newsletter itself was. She had forgotten lots of things over the past few months in her pursuit of complete avoidance.

If she had still believed in one, she might have thought her receiving the message at this point in time to be a sign from a higher power. Ty didn't realize it, but he had just delivered her what could possibly be her salvation. This could be her chance to start anew. She could become anyone she wanted to be once she logged in. She'd be able to leave all of the pain behind. She would escape. And after she had escaped for a while who knew what could be possible?

*Direct quote of the prologue sentences of ½ Prince by Yu Wo taken from the translated version of the novel produced by Prince Revolution.