West of Reality

Chapter 1

The sun hung low on the horizon, stretching long shadows across the dusty plains. A hot wind swept over the land, bringing the scent of dry earth and the faint jingle of spurs on the breeze. Dan blinked against the harsh light as he sat up, the world around him sharpening into focus. It all felt real—too real. The dry air stung his throat, and the rough fabric of his clothes scratched against his skin. As he stood and dusted off his pants, he realized he wasn't alone.

At a modest five feet seven inches tall, he was far from the ability to see through the crowd of others, just as dazed and fresh as he was, who were all gathering in front of a large wooden building. The Welcome Center. The start of everything. This was it. His new life. The Wild West, exactly as he'd imagined.

The shift from physical reality to this virtual one stunned him, but it wasn't the strangeness of the world that did it—it was how natural it felt. Just moments ago, he'd been strapped to a table, wires attached to his freshly shaved head, naked as the day he was born. And now he was simply here, as if waking from a vivid dream, fully clothed in 19th century attire, complete with deep green coat, slacks, and a thin vest. He pulled off his stetson hat to take a look. It was a light tan, which nicely contrasted the dark tone of his clothing. His dark brown hair was slightly longer than it had been before, and his beard had filled in—now about the length of ten days stubble, though his mustache was long, growing over his mouth to conceal it.

"Alright!" Dan shouted, unable to hold back as excitement took over. Those who weren't still loading in flinched, and a few cast him disapproving looks. He quickly apologized to the startled ones, but the rest? They could deal with it. This was how they should all be reacting. It was a dream come true.

Dan wasted no time in joining the large group of people who were gathering in front of the welcome center. To say he was eager to get started on his new life would be a massive understatement. The entrance was still shut, and in front of the doors stood a small team of about ten, their uniforms crisp and name tags gleaming with the Lucid Enterprises logo. They had to be the ones running the show, preparing to guide the newcomers through their indoctrination. One by one, they instructed the group to form orderly lines before handing out fliers. Dan's suspicions were confirmed when a woman reached him, her name tag displaying "Claire." She was very thin and short, had short cropped blonde hair, blue eyes and perfectly white teeth.

Claire smiled warmly, though her eyes flickered with the efficiency of someone who had done this too many times to count. She handed Dan a flier—heavy, embossed with a glossy finish that somehow felt more substantial than paper. He flipped it over. "Welcome to the Frontier," it read in bold lettering, followed by a list of instructions and basic guidelines.

Around him, the other uniformed employees began to step forward, calling out small groups of newcomers by name. Each Lucid representative took their group toward different doors leading into the Welcome Center, splitting the crowd for the indoctrination. Dan watched as people were ushered inside, disappearing into separate rooms. Some looked confident, others hesitated for a moment before following, but the whole process ran like a well-oiled machine. Each group was led through the doors without delay, a smooth operation that spoke of years of experience in handling wide-eyed recruits like himself.

Claire remained at the front, seemingly waiting for her own set of names to be called out. Dan felt the electric buzz of anticipation—he was ready to dive in, no matter what awaited him inside those doors.

She glanced at the group, her voice clear and rehearsed. "Congratulations on making the leap," she began. "In a few moments, the doors behind me will open, and you'll each be given the tools to start your journey. Remember, this world is designed to be as immersive as possible. Pain, hunger, thirst—it's all real in here. Well, as real as it needs to be." Her smile widened. "But don't worry, you won't die unless you truly want to."