Livien Verorin hurried through the motions, the traditional ribbon-tying on the school fence irritating her to her core. Each movement of her fingers smoothing the satin fabric felt like a meaningless waste of time—time she could have spent far more productively.

  She didn't understand the point of any of it when the school was virtual anyway, existing only in digital space. This location would be restored in ten years for the first reunion, but again, even that would be nothing more than virtual reality, a simulation of memories.

  The ribbons wouldn't hang on this fence all those long years, gradually fading and fraying, subject to the whims of weather. All of it was nothing more than a beautiful illusion, a tribute to tradition that had lost all real meaning.

  At least the graduation ball won't be for another three months. There'll be enough time to fully immerse myself in Seratis, the thought flashed through her mind. Tying a tight knot in the ribbon, the girl's thoughts were infinitely far from this showy ritual and the classmates clustering nearby with sentimental faces.

  Without waiting to hear the farewell speeches from the headmaster and students pouring in a sentimental stream from the speakers, she resolutely gave her neurolink the command to immediately disconnect her from the school location.

  The capsule lid began rising, and the girl, not waiting for its smooth automatic movement upwards to finish, impatiently helped the mechanism along, pushing the hatch with her palms. Practically leaping from the capsule the moment her mind regained control of her body, she rushed swiftly to the opposite wall of her tiny dwelling—there, where the so-called kitchen was located.

  Since the ports in her body still hadn't been installed, eating and drinking had to be done the old-fashioned way. However, the wait for the coveted port installation procedure wouldn't last much longer: only three hours separated her from the moment when she'd finally be able to fully immerse herself in the Ether for long months without worrying about her body's physiological needs.

  For attending virtual school, the capsule didn't use intragel, which normally filled the space around the body during long gaming sessions, maintaining muscle tone and preventing atrophy. So washing off the thick, slippery substance wasn't required, fortunately—this saved her precious minutes.

  The cramped space Livien from old habit continued to call the kitchen, though it little resembled the kitchen from her childhood, was one of the functional walls of her living capsule. Built into the smooth surface was a food processor—a compact device blinking with dim indicators.

  The girl gave a mental command to her neurolink, and the processor obediently produced two standard tubes of nutritional mixture calculated for her age, weight and physical activity level.

  Livien began methodically sucking down their contents whilst dressing, deftly juggling the tubes between quick movements as she pulled on clothes. The tube caps seemed deliberately designed so they could be conveniently gripped in the teeth, freeing hands for other tasks.

  The magnetibus ride to the medical centre and subsequent port installation took far less time than she'd initially calculated, allowing for possible delays and queues.

  The magnetibus arrived and delivered her exactly to the second indicated in the schedule. The installation procedure itself also went surprisingly smoothly: the medical robots worked with polished movements, and the anaesthesia proved so high-quality that Livien felt practically no discomfort.

  This couldn't help but please the girl. She considered the unexpected time saving a good sign, an omen of luck on her first gaming day.

  Therefore, leaving the sterile corridors of the medical centre and feeling only faint tingling where the new ports had been installed, she made a spontaneous decision to go to the memorial centre—there, where she'd long been planning to go but kept postponing due to lack of time.

  Public transport didn't fail this time either.

  Entering the enormous glass building sparkling in the rays of artificial sun mimicked by ceiling panels, she passed unimpeded through the vestibule and ascended to the floor she needed. Nothing required scanning or special verification—her neurolink handled everything automatically, silently exchanging data with the building's system.

  Doors slid open before her on their own, lifts stopped precisely at the right floor, and navigation indicators gently lit up along her path as if in greeting.

  Walking between long, tall rows of filled niches, each holding someone's memory, someone's lost life, she finally found the one she needed. The girl's hands trembled slightly as she reached them towards the smooth surface of the niche.

  These were her parents' digital imprints—all that remained of them in this world. They'd died two years ago, if one could call the voluntary leap from the parking platform of their residential tower that, when hope had finally run dry. Livien still remembered that day with frightening clarity—every detail, every word of their last conversation.

  Slowly donning the virtual reality helmet designed for brief sessions linking with digital imprints, she thought about the rumours that periodically circulated online. They said that certain particularly privileged citizens were allowed to take digital imprints of relatives and loved ones and embed them in one of the artificial game worlds.

  In such cases they could stay there as long as they liked, using a full immersion capsule instead of the uncomfortable helmet that gave only limited access and strictly regulated session time.

  However, Livien didn't particularly believe these tales—they seemed too good to be true. Therefore she calmly, almost philosophically accepted the necessity of regularly travelling here, to the memorial centre, to spend a brief half-hour on a virtual forest glade where her parents always patiently waited—or at least their digital copies created based on personality scans.

  These scans were conducted by full immersion capsules on a regular basis—with each entry into and exit from the Ether, the system automatically updated the data. So the digital copies of her parents contained the complete matrix of their personalities precisely as it had been recorded during their last, final immersion in virtuality, several hours before the tragedy.

  This time nothing changed in the familiar ritual. The virtual glade looked exactly the same: sunlight broke through the foliage of tall trees, somewhere in the distance a brook burbled, and on the soft grass, as always, Mum and Dad sat, smiling at her with that same warm smile she remembered so well. After talking with them about everything weighing on her and telling them in detail about her grand plans for the future in Seratis, about how she intended to fulfil the vow she'd made to them, Livien felt an unfamiliar calm spreading inside her.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Saying goodbye until next time, she removed the helmet and headed home, feeling somewhat lighter than before.

  At home, Livien methodically prepared for her first full immersion. The capsule already awaited her, its dim indicators flickering along the perimeter of the hinged lid. The girl changed, neatly folding her street clothes on the only chair—there simply wasn't room for more furniture in the tiny studio.

  Climbing into the capsule, she felt the cold smoothness of the inner lining touch her skin. Then the ports activated.

  The sensation proved exactly as described in the instructions, but knowledge didn't make it any more pleasant. Something clicked dully at the base of her skull—the neurolink established direct connection with the capsule. Simultaneously, her skin felt as though pierced by thin needles in two places—the nutri-port and ex-port began their work.

  The world around her dissolved smoothly, like watercolour under a stream of water, only to gather again a moment later—already in the famous portal chamber of the Ether.

  Finding amongst them the very first, brightest portal—the gates to Seratis—the girl flew towards it without hesitation, feeling anticipation mounting inside.

  "Immersion," she spoke aloud, and the world flared with blinding light.

  The opening cinematic couldn't be skipped, though Livien tried doing so by every conceivable method. During this time, according to the instructions, delicate synchronisation of her neurolink with the capsule's artificial intelligence occurred—a process both delicate and necessary.

  So the girl simply had to relax and begin enjoying the colourful spectacle unfolding before her eyes: majestic landscapes of Seratis, ancient cities, dragons in the skies and epic battles of heroes.

  When the cinematic finally concluded, the character creation menu appeared before her. Choosing species and subsequent appearance settings didn't take Livien much time—she'd long known what she wanted to be in this world.

  "Are you certain you want to complete appearance settings?"

  "Yes, certain!"

  "Nemira," she said, choosing her game nickname.

  Now before her stood a troll woman—the embodiment of her long-nurtured dream. Two metres eighty in height, which hid beneath a half-hunched figure, muscular yet surprisingly graceful build with long arms. The body was toned, lean, seeming ideally adapted for swift movements and acrobatic manoeuvres.

  Her skin shimmered with an unusual blue tint with a light greenish cast, like the surface of a tropical sea in moonlight. Yellow eyes burned with predatory fire, and the same yellow hair, long and thick, cascaded over her shoulders, lending the appearance simultaneously wild and refined beauty.

  Powerful fangs, protruding from both upper and lower jaws, jutted beyond tightly pressed lips even in repose. They were sharp, predatory, gleaming in the virtual light like polished ivory with a light yellowish tint at the base. These fangs made the troll woman's appearance truly fearsome, adding to the image a primal, unbridled savagery—the impression intensified by the predatory slant of the yellow eyes and the overall threatening aura emanating from the entire figure.

  Livien was very pleased with her game essence.

  With the free characteristic points she proceeded very simply, investing them all in the Strength parameter.

  "Done," she informed Karo.

  "Do you wish to choose a starting location or leave random selection?"

  "Taviri'Naa."

  "Accepted! Welcome to Seratis and enjoy the game!"

  The cinematic about trolls that began pleased the girl and she didn't notice how she became absorbed in it. After its conclusion, the surrounding space swiftly changed, and Livien found herself standing in a dim cavern hall, lit only by the faint, flickering light of an unknown source.

  Looking around, she noticed system text.

  The welcome message was standard; she'd read it in guides, but the species part pleased her.

  "Your wandering soul has merged with a young troll woman!

  O child of surf and jungle! You stand at the threshold of a great path walked by your ancestors—proud and free as waves breaking against coral reefs. The blood of seafarers and conquerors flows in your veins, and in your chest beats a heart that knows no fear of storm and will not bow before enemy.

  Coastal lands, swamps and jungles are your home, land harsh and honest, tolerating no weakness yet generously rewarding strength of spirit. Here each day is a trial, and each night a time when ancestral blood calls to those who know how to listen. Extinct volcanoes tower over the world like stone guardians protecting your people's peace. Their slopes kiss clouds, and in caverns sleep ancient secrets accessible only to the worthy.

  Jungles give way to mangrove thickets with rich hunting grounds. Coasts stretch to the very horizon, covered with white sand and palms, where canoes slice waves faster than wind, and frigatebirds circle in the skies, seeking prey.

  Rise then, child of Ocean! May your path be marked with deeds worthy of songs round the fire. May ancestral blood guide you, and may your spear never dull in hand. Seratis awaits its heroes—and you may become one of them!

  Kia kaha, rangatahi! May Ocean protect you!"

  Next she saw notification of a received quest.

  "Attention! You have accepted quest: 'Initiation by Ether'

  Rank: F

  Objective: Complete initiation in Seratis

  Description:

  'Your soul has awakened in Seratis—in one of the ancient spirit caves where boundaries between worlds thin to the limit. Here, amongst stone vaults and shadows of the past, you must find the way out, to the light of the living world.

  Seek the exit from this place where echoes of ancient voices still sound in darkness, then prove your right to exist by undergoing initiation by Ether itself—a trial that will determine whether you are worthy to walk further along the hero's path.'

  Reward: Initiation in Seratis"

  This was the standard quest for all who were only beginning their journey in the Ether. Moreover, it differed only in minor details—location names, cultural peculiarities of peoples and so forth. But in one form or another it existed in absolutely every one of the hundreds of game worlds accessible through the Ether's portals. Initiation was an obligatory ritual, a kind of gate through which every novice had to pass before truly entering the game.

  True, Livien had her own plan regarding precisely how to complete this quest. Meekly submitting to a lethal blow from some NPC like a sacrificial lamb to slaughter was categorically repugnant to her. She wasn't planning to become another statistic in this ritual, even if that's how the developers had designed it.

  The girl set about warming up, studying her new body. Her hands grew accustomed to new proportions, her fingers felt the texture of stone differently than in the real world. More precisely—differently than an ordinary human's hands.

  Each movement required attentive correction and fine adjustment. She needed to relearn coordination, as though mastering her own body for the first time. The troll woman's body proved completely different: far taller than her accustomed height, significantly stronger, with completely different mass distribution and a fundamentally different centre of gravity. Her fingers were longer and thicker than she'd grown accustomed to feeling all her life, muscles responded to brain commands with unfamiliar power, and each step resonated in her spine quite unlike before.

  But gradually, slowly and methodically, step by uncertain step, movement by movement, she began feeling this massive body as her own. The neurolink steadily did its work, establishing connection between consciousness and avatar, transforming the alien shell into a natural extension of her will.

  Pressing her entire body against the rough stone floor, she gathered her strength and in one fluid, almost feline movement leapt up, covering nearly half the hall in a single powerful jump. The mighty body's muscles reacted with such explosive force that she herself was momentarily surprised—Ilira had clearly tried her best, imitating the species' physical capabilities with maximum accuracy.

  Standing before the wooden chest in the very centre of the ancient cave, she pressed her palm to its rough, time-cracked surface. The wood was cold and coarse under her fingers, as though it had stood here for centuries.

  Before her eyes immediately materialised a semi-transparent loot window with a single item inside—a modest, unremarkable ring, gleaming dully in the cave's uncertain light.

  Taking the inventory ring in hand, Livien carefully turned it between her fingers, examining the simple workmanship, then slipped it onto the middle finger of her right hand.

  An apparently completely ordinary, utterly unremarkable ornament, this ring actually replaced all inventory and cumbersome bags in the game, making burdens invisible and weightless. Her ring was the simplest, most basic, only F-rank. The lowest possible, so she had access to only twelve slots for storing items.

  In future, if she got lucky with money and finds, she could inlay into this ring six special crystals with spatial pockets, significantly expanding available space for equipment and loot. True, reasonably capacious crystals cost very, very much—more than she could even imagine now.

  Finishing with the ring, the time had come for thoughtful study of her Heritages…