Etherveil

3:04 A.M. – December 4, 2026

It all started because I had too many tabs open. 

Both in my browser and in my brain. 

After an all-day grind on Etherveil, a popular MMORPG that ruined my sleep schedule and possibly my spine, I decided to go for a walk. You know, "touch grass," like the internet says. Maybe clear my head. Maybe remember what the sun looks like. 

But instead of walking, I ended up taking a taxi to a beach in Kamakura. I was wearing my lucky blue pajama pants and an unwashed black hoodie that reeked of pepperoni pizza and ramen, looking zombified and feeling groggy. But I couldn't care less as there was no one for me to impress, and also given the time being, the beach should be a ghost town.

"Are you swimming this early, boy?" the taxi driver asked, eyeing me through the rearview mirror. "Sexy women are still asleep at this hour, you know."

"Nope, I'm not swimming. I just want to relax and sit by the shore," I replied. "And I don't care about sexy women either."

"Oh, I see…" he said with a smirk. "Boys like you are the ones women love to chase the most. Ya know... boys who don't have wandering eyes!"

"Right…" I said, smiling awkwardly. 

"Or maybe I just can't pull women because I'm borderline ugly," I thought, resting my head against the seat's headrest. "I wonder if someone would accept me someday…" I shook my head. "Ugh, forget it."

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the beach. It was just the waves, the wind, and the smell of salt and cold air. I actually smiled for once, proud that I was right—it really was a ghost town. I've always hated big crowds, and I've always preferred being alone, both in real life and in-game.

"Now this feels like a reward," I said, shoving my hands into my pockets as I walked toward the water.

The water was disturbingly still. I didn't notice it at first. My thoughts were tangled, looping over whether maxing the speed attribute outperformed the attack attribute for the warrior class that I had accidentally picked instead of the assassin class.

The water suddenly shimmered. Something about it felt wrong. 

"Weird..." I muttered, crouching in the sand. I scooped some water and splashed my face. The shock of the cold made me gasp.

"That woke me up," I mumbled, shaking off the sting.

I stood, pulled a white towel from my hoodie pocket, and wiped my face.

When I blinked, I froze in place as my eyes caught sight of a human figure that was half-submerged in the water. Maybe fifteen meters away from where I stood.

I squinted, trying to focus, but everything was blurry without my glasses. "Is that... a person?" I muttered. Then I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes. "Oh... It's a girl."

I rubbed my tired eyes, convinced I was just imagining things. "She's swimming this early?" I muttered, frowning. "That's... weird."

I wiped my face again with the towel.

When I lowered it, my heart skipped a beat. She had suddenly become closer, probably six meters away now, still half-submerged, silent, unmoving, staring at me, and still slightly blurry in my vision.

I slowly blinked twice. "I-I'm pretty sure she wasn't this close earlier..." I muttered, squinting my eyes. 

Then she rose silently without breaking the surface. The water didn't ripple or splash—it moved with her, as if she were part of it.

She started to walk forward. Little by little, I could finally see her as she got closer toward the vicinity of my vision. My eyes examined her from head to toe. 

I froze in place like a mannequin, staring at her. "What the hell is that?" I thought.

And that's when it hit me. The one coming toward me wasn't human. It was something out of this world—another kind of being that was unknown to mankind. To describe her, she was partly made of the sea itself. Her form shifted between liquid and flesh. Her hair flowed upward in defiance of gravity, a coiling wave that never settled. Water swirled constantly around her face, obscuring it in a veil of motion so I could never quite see her clearly. But for a heartbeat, I caught a glimpse of her peculiar eyes. Tiny stars and swirling galaxies moved inside them, like a whole universe was trapped there. 

Step by step, she came closer toward me, each movement slow and weightless.

"W-What's going on here?" I stuttered, stumbling back as my feet dug into the cold, wet sand. "Who are you? What kind of creature are you?" 

"Child," she spoke softly, her voice echoing like a whisper through deep water. "Do you not recognize me?"

My mouth opened, but all that came out was, "H-Huh?" My voice cracked. "Am I… seeing things?"

The swirling water that covered her face split and fell in slow motion. Her eyes narrowed slightly, not angry, just a bit sad. "Do you not remember me?" she said. Her voice barely moved the air, but it cut through everything. "Do I not seem familiar to you?"

Before I could respond, voices echoed behind me.

"He played all day long, but he doesn't even recognize the one in front of him!" 

"This kid is clueless..." 

"Is this really the player we're looking for?"

I turned around to check, and there I saw three mysterious figures standing five meters behind me—one in all white, the second was glowing like someone had set a supernova to dim, and the third wore a robe made entirely of clouds. 

My eyes widened in surprise as I realized that these were the gods from Etherveil. The actual in-game deities. Though I only know the name of the one that appeared in front of me, Malea, the water god. 

"Shit..." I thought, hands shaking. "Am I dreaming, or did I just develop schizophrenia?"

I turned back to Malea. She was in my face. Close enough that her breath brushed my skin. I flinched and stumbled back a step. My pupils went wide as I noticed that her face changed. Malea looked human now. Her heart-shaped face bore soft, gentle features, and her bright aqua eyes sparkled like sunlight dancing on water. Long, flowing strands of pale-blue hair drifted around her like liquid silk, and her pearly skin seemed to glow with a faint, ethereal light. Spiraling currents of water coiled across her chest, moving in graceful patterns that shimmered as though alive within her body.

"Do you not think that you don't belong in this world?" she said, smiling faintly. Her voice was calm, but it hit me like a punch. 

I looked down—and just like that, bad memories came rushing inside my head. The everyday bullying I experienced in school. The bruises I hid. The nights I prayed the shouting would stop. The years of trying to matter. Trying to breathe in a world that didn't care if I did. 

"Well, sometimes…" I said, voice barely holding steady. "I do feel like I was born in the wrong world. This world doesn't just feel so right to me. I mean… I'm a total loser."

Then she smiles. Not pity. Not mockery. But pure excitement. Her whole face lights up like she's been waiting for me to say those exact words.

"Allow this to be your summoning, champion!" she said with a wide grin, lifting her hand as the water rose with it, swirling around her like it was excited.

I stood there, sweating, confused, and one hundred percent sure this was a fever dream brought on by lack of sleep and too many energy drinks.

I took a step back, heart pounding.

"So… what now?" I said, smiling nervously. 

Malea smiled softly and raised her hand. The water around her began to stir, spinning and twisting like it was alive—it rose in a spiral motion, wrapping around my lower body gently. The touch was cool and weightless, and before I knew it, my feet lifted off the ground.

"H-Hey! What's going on?!" I shouted, trying to move, but the water held me in place.

Malea looked up at me as I rose above the ground, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, reflecting the pale moon above.

"You come with us!" she said, her voice bright and full of excitement. "Play the game you love the most!"

"Love the most? I hated that—" I started to say, but she floated closer to me.

She pressed her finger gently against my lips. "Shh," she whispered with a small smile.

The water spun faster, slowly enveloping my entire body. My body felt lighter, my head dizzy. The sound of rushing waves filled my ears, and everything around me started to fade. The last thing I saw was her smile before the world went completely black.

When I opened my eyes, there was no sky, no ground, just emptiness. I was standing in a space that seemed to stretch on forever, glowing faintly with a soft, pale light that had no source. The edges of the void shimmered like liquid, and I could see nothing beyond it. It felt unreal, like the kind of place you only see in dreams, where the rules of the world don't exist. I tried to move, and the ground—or whatever should have been under my feet—didn't feel solid. It was like standing on air that supported me just enough to keep me upright.

"Am I dead?" I whispered, my voice swallowed by nothing.

No answer. Just cold, unbroken silence.

"Great," I muttered, voice tight with disbelief. 

Then, like someone flipped a switch to turn on the lights, sharp golden letters appeared right in front of my eyes, hovering, glowing, crisp as a blade's edge. 

[WELCOME TO ETHERVEIL, LU RYO!] 

My heart pounded like crazy. This was the exact startup screen I'd seen a thousand times logging in, except now—I wasn't staring at a monitor. I was inside it. 

"M-M-Maybe I really am not dreaming..." I stuttered, rubbing my eyes. 

A mirror materialized in front of me, sudden and seamless. It floated in place, about eye level, with a faint glow around its edges.

When I looked into it, my jaw dropped. The face staring back wasn't the one I had in real life. It was the avatar I created during character customization: Crimson red hair, cut short and slightly messy. Bright orange eyes that stood out against fair skin. The complexion was smooth and flawless, unlike my real face. Just beneath my left eye, there was a small mole that I'd added. It was strange seeing it like this. It moved when I moved. Blinked when I blinked.

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Holy shit… I-I really am not dreaming!" 

Another screen slid into view, just beneath the mirror:

[Use Avatar Appearance]:

[Accept?]: [Y/N]

[Use Real Face Data]:

[Accept?]: [Y/N]

I didn't even hesitate. I decided to choose my avatar's appearance. And for the first time in a long time, I actually felt okay seeing my own face. No acne scars. No dark circles. Just smooth, clean features.

Seconds later, another window slid in, sleek and smooth: 

[Choose your starting class]: 

[Mage] 

[Healer]

[Warrior]

[Assassin]

[Archer]

I grinned. "Time to pick the class I wanted to pick before." 

My finger hovered, then pressed Assassin. But just as I made contact, the screen glitched. Static bursts across it with a loud crackling sound, like an old TV losing signal. The interface warped for a second and then vanished completely.

"W-What the... hey! Come on!" I said. 

In its place, blunt words burned into the emptiness:

<>

I just stood there, mouth hanging open. "No class?" I said. "Perfect. Even in another world, I'm a total nobody!" My voice echoed and faded into nothing.

Then, without a warning, the floor beneath me suddenly cracked. It literally shattered like glass hit by a hammer. 

"Huh? Wait—WAIT!" I shouted, my eyes glued to the spreading fractures. White light shot along the cracks, racing faster and faster, twisting and branching in every direction.

Before I could even move, the floor beneath me collapsed.

I screamed as I dropped, plummeting into nothing. The void stretched endlessly around me, spinning and twisting. My arms and legs flailed, but there was nothing to grab.

Darkness swallowed me. My vision blurred, my body went numb, and then… I lost consciousness.