Heaven's Sword Online- Book One of the Alta Luna Saga

Episode 2: Dive!

*Manuel*

The strange girl leads us inside. The walls of the store must have been made sound proof during remodeling for us not to have heard all the chatter going on in here. It's like a full on gaming convention in here.

"Come," the mysterious girl says as she signals for us to follow.

My neighbor stares in awe at the various white and black pods spread throughout the store. There has to be like a hundred of the seven-foot-tall cocoon looking things.

"So cool!" I yell, drawing a few stares.

My neighbor snickers as my face reddens.

The stange girl goes on ahead without us and climbs up a platform in the center of the room where several attendees are gathered.

She picks up a microphone from its stand and puts it close to her lips.

"Hello everyone. Our last two beta testers are here! So get ready to dive!" She snaps her fingers and the pods suddenly snap open, releasing a cold, thin mist.

What? Already? That was fast.

Calm down, Manuel. You got this. Just imagine yourself like those MMORPG anime protagonists. Oh, God! Who am I kidding? I will totally end up being a side character!

The strange girl stares at me for awhile. A chuckle escapes her lips.

"Ah, sorry. Zoned out a little there. As I was saying, you may dive now. There are staff by the pods for those of you who require assistance entering. Upon diving you will be asked several questions that will determine your experience. Please answer these truthfully. This world will grant some of your dreams. That is why this game bares the word 'heaven' in its title."

What about 'sword'? I hope that it only refers to the fun, playful kind of swordsmanship and not the battle to the death kind. If so then the game should be renamed 'Hell's Sword Online'.

My next door neighbor signals goodbye before making her way to one of the pods.

I walk over to the one next to her and enter it. The crystalline glass door shuts as soon as I sit down. There doesn't seem to be any kind of button to open it from the inside. There is only a 11x8 tablet and a helmet. I touch the tablet and see several pages of information appear. One of them is a waiver that prevents me from suing should I get hurt.

Great. These people definitely expect something to happen.

Stupidly I press okay and sign my name. Hoping that I didn't just sell away my life. The black helmet drops down from above and fits my head nicely. Almost as if it were designed for me. Probably was if the onwer of this place is a psychic.

Shutting my eyes, I drift to sleep.

***

"You're about to ascend to the world of Alta Luna," a feminine voice calls out. I find myself floating upward toward a green light which illuminates the sea of darkness.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"My name is Lua. I will be your guide throughout this journey," the voice responds. "Now. Tell me yours."

"I'm Manuel Angeles."

"Good. Now tell me more." A dark skinned girl manifests in front of me. She touches my face and gives me a pearly white smile. "I see. You're twenty-two and without a job. You will find a lot of work within Alta Luna. May you succeed in your endeavors. Now, go back to sleep. Once you awaken you might not recognize yourself, but don't be alarmed."