Logan’s pen tapped against his desk, the sharp clicks breaking the silence of the classroom. The steady rhythm matched the bounce of his leg, which hadn’t stopped moving since the lecture started. Across the room, Mr. Klein paused mid-sentence, raising an eyebrow in Logan’s direction.

  “Mr. Hayes,” Klein said, his tone dry but amused. “Do you have somewhere else to be, or is this just the sound of a restless mind?”

  A few students chuckled, and Logan managed a sheepish grin as he lowered his pen. “Sorry, Mr. Klein. Won’t happen again.”

  Mr. Klein shook his head and resumed the lecture, but Logan barely heard him. His fingers twitched, itching for something to do. His gaze drifted to the clock on the wall, the minutes dragging as if time itself were testing his patience.

  After class had ended and his lunch period began, Logan was very quiet as he sat the bench with is friends, tapping his foot on the ground as the others talked. Noticing this, Sam frinally decided to break the ice.

  “I think Mr. Klein’s onto something dude,” Sam said as Logan nibbled on his hamburger. “You’ve been fidgety as hell lately. Maybe you need to take up jogging or something.”

  “Jogging?” Logan snorted, unwrapping his sandwich. “Not really my thing.”

  Mia leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. “Seriously, though. What’s up with you? You’ve been weird lately. Ever since you quit VR, it’s like you don’t know what to do with yourself.”

  Logan shrugged, taking a bite of his hamburger to buy himself time. She wasn’t wrong though in her assessment of him. In the weeks since his last match in Dunes of Arabal, his days had felt… empty, dull even. Sure, he was excelling in school—arriving on time, acing tests—but the excitement, the thrill, the challenge… it was gone like dust in the wind.

  “Speaking of VR,” Noah cut in, a sly grin spreading across his face, “we’ve got news.”

  Sam perked up. “Oh yeah! Big news!”

  Logan raised an eyebrow. “What, you guys beat Dunes without me?”

  “Not exactly,” Mia said. Her voice carried the kind of excitement that only came from something big. “We saved up. Between all of us, we bought Gryphon Mark 2 headsets.”

  Logan blinked. “You what?”

  “We’re going to play Odyssey Online,” Noah said, practically bouncing in his seat. “Everyone’s playing it, dude. It’s supposed to be the best VR game ever made.”

  “They say it’s so immersive, you can feel the wind and smell flowers like your actually there,” Sam added, leaning back with a dreamy look on his face.

  Mia smirked. “And it’s not like we could leave you behind, Mr. Grand Champion. You’re going to join us, right?”

  Logan hesitated, his sandwich half-forgotten in his hands. “I don’t know. I kinda swore off VR for a while.”

  “Yeah, and how’s that working out for you?” Sam teased, gesturing at Logan’s restless foot as it tapped very quickly against the pavement.

  Logan rolled his eyes, but his friends’ words lingered. As the conversation moved on more immediate topics such as who actually did their fifth period homework, Logan found his mind drifting.

  “Should I?”

  ***

  Logan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the box in his closet. It was still taped shut, just as he’d left it after his final match. Inside was his old headset, the one he’d used to conquer Dunes of Arabal.

  His friends’ words echoed in his mind: Everyone’s playing it.

  He sighed, dragging a dry hand down his face. Maybe they were right. Maybe quitting had been a mistake.

  Even as he tried to go sleep, the thought nagged at him until it became unbearable. By morning, Logan had made up his mind as to what he would do.

  ***

  The line stretched down the block, a restless sea of bundled-up figures braving the cold Saturday morning. Logan adjusted the hood of his jacket, his breath puffing out in white clouds as he checked the time on his phone. 7:42 a.m. The store wouldn’t open for another eighteen minutes, but the line had already wrapped around the corner.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  The buzz of excitement was palpable, rippling through the crowd like electricity. People huddled together, chattering about Odyssey Online and the Gryphon Mark 2 as though they were about to buy tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime concert. Logan caught snippets of conversation as he shuffled forward with the line.

  “Did you see the launch trailer? The water effects look insane. It’s like real life.”

  “My cousin’s been playing it for a week. She says she lost track of time and thought it was still Tuesday.”

  “They’re saying this thing’s the future of VR. No straps, no drift. Nothing like the old headsets.”

  Logan clenched his fists in his pockets, trying to ignore the numbness creeping into his fingertips. The hype was infectious, and even though he’d already decided to buy the headset, being surrounded by the energy made it harder to keep his excitement contained. What if they sell out before I get there?

  By the time the doors opened at 8 a.m., the line had grown even longer, stretching well past the block and snaking toward the parking lot. Logan shuffled forward with the crowd, the bitter cold replaced by the occasional gust of warm air as people disappeared into the store one by one.

  After some time, Logan finally stepped into the store, his feet aching and his patience worn thin. The warmth hit him like a wave and was truly a blessing but it was the scene inside that made him pause.

  The place was chaos. Employees rushed back and forth, pushing trolleys stacked with Gryphon Mark 2 boxes. Every time they placed a box on a shelf, it was snatched up immediately by eager hands. Some people carried two or three at a time, their faces alight with triumph.

  Logan pushed through the throng, weaving past others who were crowding around the VR section. He caught sight of a stack of Gryphon Mark 2 helmets and made a beeline for it, his heart pounding in his chest.

  An employee had barely set the box down before it disappeared into Logan’s hands. He clutched it tightly, his fingers curling around the edges of the packaging as if someone might try to wrestle it away from him.

  “Excuse me,” a voice said to his left, and Logan turned to see another employee holding a sleek black case. “You’ll need this for the full bundle—it includes Odyssey Online and a protective carry case for the helmet.”

  Logan nodded quickly, accepting the case and tucking it under his arm. The glossy cover of the game caught his eye, a vibrant image of a sprawling fantasy world practically leaping off the box. Beneath it, the tagline read: “Step into a world without limits.”

  The line to pay was just as packed as the one outside, but Logan didn’t care. He shifted from foot to foot as he waited, his arms aching from holding the box and case for so long. The buzz of the crowd was as loud as ever, punctuated by laughter and excited chatter.

  By the time he reached the register, the cashier barely spared him a glance as they scanned the box and case.

  “That’ll be $1,000,” they said, their tone brisk but polite.

  Logan hesitated, his stomach tightening as he handed over his card. It was more than he’d ever spent on anything before, but he reminded himself that this was what he’d been saving for.

  It’s fine, he thought as the cashier handed him his card and his receipt. This is worth it.

  “Enjoy the dive, sir” the cashier said, a faint smile tugging at their lips.

  Logan nodded, hefting the box and case as he made his way toward the exit. The weight of the purchase felt heavy in his arms but even heavier in his mind. Outside, the cold air bit at his face again, but he barely noticed.

  ***

  Logan sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes fixed on the box sitting on his desk. The Gryphon Mark 2 helmet gleamed on the packaging, the bold lettering beneath it seeming to taunt him: “Step into a world without limits.”

  He had been sitting like this for over an hour.

  Every time he thought about opening it—when his fingers twitched to reach for the tape, or when his body leaned forward as if to stand—something stopped him. Instead, he sat frozen, his stomach churning as his mind waged a silent war.

  The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of his desk lamp and the muffled sound of a car passing outside. But in Logan’s head, it was chaos.

  Why did I even buy it? Wasn’t I done with this?

  But the answer lingered in the back of his mind, unspoken but undeniable: he missed it.

  He missed the rush, the thrill, the sense of purpose he felt every time he entered a virtual world. Sitting here now, staring at the box, it felt like every part of him was screaming to put the helmet on. At this point, it had moved on from a simple tempatation—it had become a full blown craving, sharp and insistent, like an addict staring at their next fix.

  Logan rubbed his hands together, his fingers trembling slightly. He hated this feeling, this sense of being pulled in two directions at once. Quitting VR had been hard, but he’d done it. He’d promised himself it was for the best.

  Then why does this feel like it’s for the best?

  He swallowed hard, his throat dry. Every second he sat here, the temptation grew stronger, the box seeming to loom larger in his vision. He thought about his friends, already diving into Odyssey Online, laughing and exploring while he sat here, paralyzed.

  Red_Fangs, the name echoed in his mind. It was who he was in the game, but it felt like so much more than that. It was a title, a persona, a piece of himself that he’d left behind. A piece he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave behind anymore.

  Logan Hayes doesn’t need this. But he… maybe he does.

  He exhaled sharply, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. “God, what is wrong with me?” he muttered.

  The minutes ticked by, and still, Logan didn’t move. He thought about putting the box in his closet and forgetting about it, burying it alongside his old headset. But even the thought felt impossible.

  Just open it. See what it looks like.

  Before he could stop himself, Logan stood up. His movements were almost mechanical as he crossed the room and sat down at the desk, his fingers brushing against the smooth surface of the box. The glossy image of the helmet stared back at him, pristine and unmarked.

  Just look. That’s all.

  He peeled back the tape slowly, the sound of it tearing breaking the silence of the room. The top of the box folded open, revealing the Gryphon Mark 2 helmet nestled in its protective casing. It was even sleeker in person, its glossy black surface reflecting the light of his desk lamp.

  Logan’s breath caught as he reached out, his fingers brushing against the smooth material. It felt cool to the touch, almost unnervingly so, and as he lifted it out of the box, it seemed to hum faintly with potential.

  For a moment, Logan just held it, staring at the visor that would soon cover his eyes. He could already imagine it—the vivid worlds, the endless possibilities, the rush of being more than just himself.

  But along with that rush came the fear. The fear of losing himself again.

  He set the helmet down on the desk with a shaky exhale, burying his face in his hands. “What am I doing?” he muttered again.

  The helmet sat there, silent and unassuming, but it felt alive—like it was waiting for him. Beckoning him.

  Logan Hayes can say no.

  But He can’t.

  He lifted his head, his jaw tightening as he stared at the helmet. For better or worse, he had already made his choice when he bought it. He had already taken the first step.

  With a deep breath, Logan reached for the helmet and placed it over his head. The interior padding fit snugly, molding to the shape of his skull. The coolness of the visor pressed gently against his face as the helmet clicked into place.

  His thumb hovered over the power button on the side.

  Logan Hayes doesn’t need this.

  He pressed the button.

  The helmet lit up from within, a faint blue glow filling his vision. A soft chime played as text scrolled across the screen:

  “Initializing… Thank for purchasing the next generation of virtual reality.”