The next morning, after kissing Maya goodbye, Petter trudged to the university like a zombie. The air was still heavy, the humidity high, but the sky was clear, as if nothing had happened last night. The campus looked as if there was no trace of the previous night's panic, but that was just an illusion. Everything was normal, but no one felt normal.
On social media, however, all hell was breaking loose. Speculation was rampant. "Aliens have arrived and are hiding!" "That thing entered our world and is inside us!" "The governments are hiding the truth!" "The Traveler was a dimensional portal!" "We're all going to die!" thousands of headlines, hundreds of thousands of posts, millions of comments... ChronoFeed had devolved into informational chaos.
As Petter walked to his class, he got into a heated discussion with Liam and Chloe, as well as a few other students from campus.
"It got inside all of them!" yelled an angry, red-haired girl whose name he couldn't remember. "That object didn't just disappear. It went inside! And now it's somewhere inside this planet."
A dark-haired boy with glasses objected, "That's ridiculous. If it entered the planet, seismic sensors, gravity anomalies, or something would have been detected. Everything is quiet right now."
"Isn't the silence more terrifying?" said Chloe, her voice sharper than usual. "Maybe it's something that doesn't make a sound. Invisible. Untouchable."
Liam was scrolling through something on his phone. "Look, official statements are starting to come in. NASA and ESA released a joint statement: 'No threat has been found as a result of the observed movements. Everything is fine and calm.' See! I'm telling you, nothing happened."
Petter turned to Liam. "Seriously, Liam? Do you believe that? An object vanished before our very eyes, then all the observatories cut their feeds, and now they're telling us 'everything is fine'? No one will believe this."
Indeed, very few eyes and brains were willing to believe it. Things had supposedly calmed down, but everyone was on edge. It was the calm after a storm, but no one knew where the storm had gone.
Class time arrived, and even in "System Architectures," this was the topic. The professor, instead of talking about complex chipsets and data buses as usual, had written "Unknown Object Protocol" on the board and was discussing the system requirements for first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence with the students. This wasn't an ordinary class; this was a class for an era when humanity was facing the unknown.
In the middle of the class, another breaking news alert hit their phones. But this time, it wasn't a disaster warning. It was something else entirely.
It exploded on social media instantly. The news was getting insane clicks. The headline was written in flashing red letters: "OPG HAS ANNOUNCED THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY! VIRTUAL REALITY, NOW UNBOUNDED FROM REALITY!"
The news continued that OPG had finally announced the name of their game: "EDEN PROTOCOL." And the most surprising news: the full version of the game would be released to the public in just fifteen days.
But this was no ordinary game launch. To play Eden Protocol, special equipment had to be purchased. This wasn't just a console or a headset. This was, quite literally, a compact, installable gaming "cabin." This technological marvel, which they called the "Omni-Chamber," would be sold as a complete room, featuring foldable, edgeless glass panels with individually controlled displays, an integrated control panel, a haptic feedback system, and built-in temperature and scent generators. This was unlike anything ever seen in the tech world.
The entire world went crazy. The fear created by the "Traveler" yesterday instantly transformed into excitement for the promise offered by the "Omni-Chamber." Orders were expected to explode, and that's exactly what happened. OPG's website crashed; their servers were overloaded. Everyone wanted to be among the first to enter this new world.
Within a few days, Petter and his friends found themselves caught in this whirlwind. Amidst their discussions, they had already filled out the application forms for the "Omni-Chamber" on the website. A hope, perhaps a chance...
When he got home, Maya had heard the news too. As soon as Petter opened the door, she ran to him, schoolbag in hand. "Bro! Bro! Did you hear? The OPG game! Can we play it together?!" Her eyes were sparkling with dreams.
Petter stroked his sister's head. "If we can get one, of course we will, my little fish."
Together, they looked at images of the "Omni-Chamber" online. Next to the familiar movie posters and algorithms on his room wall, a futuristic structure, looking like a piece of the space age, appeared on the screen. It was about 3 meters by 3 meters, made of transparent, edgeless glass panels. Despite being foldable, even its closed state was the size of a small suitcase; when fully opened, it stood in the middle of the room like a light box. The price was astronomical. But the experience it promised was priceless. This wasn't a game room; it was a door to another reality. And it seemed the whole world was dying to step through that door.
The mystery of the Traveler was like a forgotten whisper, suspended in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Everyone's eyes were now turned to the new Eden promised by OPG.
After dinner, Petter leaned against the kitchen counter next to his mother, who was drying the dishes, trying to find the right words. The room was filled with the familiar, comforting smell of lemon-scented dish soap and brewed coffee. Sarah placed the last plate on the rack, dried her hands on her apron, and turned to her son. Her face held that expression that simultaneously carried the day's fatigue and a mother's endless love. "Something's on your mind, Petter. Spit it out."
Petter took a deep breath. "Mom... I want to talk about the Omni-Chamber thing."
The smile on Sarah's face faded slightly. "I see. You're talking about those expensive toys."
"It's not a toy, Mom. It's like the next internet. The next smartphone. A new world." Petter continued, trying to suppress the excitement in his voice. "We applied, yes. But... if we get approved, which is a very slim chance, we'll have to buy it. And I... I want one for me and one for Maya."
Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. This was her defensive posture. "Petter, do you realize how big of a decision this is? We live comfortably on the money from your late father's companies, yes. But that doesn't mean we can spend that money irresponsibly. Have you looked at the price?"
"There's no firm price yet, but yes, I know it will be very expensive." Petter looked into his mother's anxious eyes. "I'm not worried about the money. I'm worried about you. What you think."
Sarah walked to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. "Sit," she said. Petter sat down across from her. "Are you sure about this, son? Won't it distract Maya? She's only thirteen. What about her schoolwork? What about your university? You have final projects, you need to graduate. I'm afraid of you losing yourself in a world like that." Every word in his mother's voice was the product of pure concern and protective instinct.
Petter took his mother's hand on the table. "I've thought about all of this, Mom. And in a way, you're right. There are risks. But I don't want to deprive myself or Maya of something the technology and the world are trying to keep up with. We can't raise her in a bubble. This technology will become a part of our lives. Schools will use it, workplaces will use it. We need to learn it, understand it, and know how to control it. I want Maya to be a creator in this new world, not just a consumer. Like me. This could be an investment in her future."
Sarah squeezed her son's hand. Seeing how much he had matured filled her heart with both pride and a touch of sadness. "And what about you? Your goals?"
"My goals haven't changed. I still want to be a programmer. And this technology is more than just a playground for people like me. It's an opportunity to build a new universe. My project, the 'Narrative Engine,' was designed to tell stories within this kind of universe. This isn't an end for me; it could be a beginning."
There was silence between them for a while. The ticking of the kitchen clock was the only sound filling the silence. Finally, Sarah let out a deep breath and her shoulders slumped. Her face held an expression not of defeat, but of trust. She trusted her son. "Alright," she said. "Let the applications stand. If they get approved... we'll talk again then."
Petter's face lit up like the sun breaking through the clouds. He shot up from his chair, ran to his mother, hugged her tightly, and planted a big, loud kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Mom! You're the best mom in the world! The most understanding, the smartest, the most beautiful..."
Sarah laughed at her son's enthusiastic hug. As she wrapped her arms around him, she thought to herself: Oh, my clever boy. If I knew you'd be this happy, I would have agreed a thousand times over and not said a single word.
The next four or five days passed in a strange calm. There was no new news about the "Traveler," nor any new statements from the governments. That global panic had given way to a feverish anticipation focused on one single topic: Eden Protocol and the Omni-Chamber. Applications had surpassed hundreds of millions worldwide. Complaints that OPG's production capacity couldn't meet this demand had already begun, even before there was a product. The game was set to launch in ten days, and everyone was wondering if they were among the chosen few. Tech channels, social media platforms, everywhere was discussing it. Petter was following these discussions closely. In virtual forums, speculations were circulating about the alleged leaked technical specs of the Omni-Chamber, and the game's initial classes and skill trees.
But life went on. For Petter and the other students, the deadline for assignments was approaching. While most students were frantically trying to finish their projects, Petter's mind was at ease. He had already completed his project, now named "Nar-En v1.0," closed potential loopholes, and even added a few new features. He had backed up the final version onto a flash drive with the FTU logo and prepared his presentation.
Three more days passed. Tuesday morning began with that familiar Florida heat. When Petter arrived on campus, he entered the "Advanced Data Structures and Algorithm Optimization" lecture hall. The air was thick with tension. Today was the presentation day for final projects. Professor Miller sat in the front row, arms crossed, with a critical expression.
One by one, students went up to the board, trying to impress the professor with the codes and graphs projected on the screen. Some presented a machine learning model trying to predict stock market data; others explained the optimization of a 3D physics engine. Relatively speaking, the entire class's projects were refreshingly good.
It was Petter's turn. He walked calmly to the podium, plugged in his flash drive, and opened his presentation. "My project is the 'Narrative Engine'," he began. "Its purpose is to go beyond static storytelling and create narratives that dynamically change based on the psychological states of the characters." On the screen, the interface he had designed appeared. Character modules, event triggers, dialogue trees... He explained them all, clearly and confidently, like a conductor introducing the instruments of his orchestra. The stern expression on Professor Miller's face slowly turned into one of keen interest.
When Petter finished his presentation, a light round of applause rose from the class. "An impressive concept, Mr. Petter," the professor said. "And the implementation looks just as clean. Congratulations."
Petter took a relieved breath as he sat back down. Just then, as the professor was wrapping up the class with a few final topics, the phone in Petter's pocket vibrated slightly. On the screen, there was a notification with a golden OPG logo: "Purchase Confirmation Required for Your Omni-Chamber Order Request."
Petter's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. His eyes went wide. Was this real? Had he been chosen from among hundreds of millions of applicants? With trembling fingers, he tapped the notification. He was redirected to OPG's official website. On the screen was a gleaming image of an Omni-Chamber and a massive "CONFIRM" button beneath it. The price was written right next to it: $69,999.00.
Petter's jaw dropped. This was even more than he expected. But he wasn't thinking about the money at that moment. He just wanted to press that button. He wanted to let out an uncontrolled, high-pitched scream of joy, but the scream died in his throat, turning into a choked hiccup. "Yee-"
All eyes in the class instantly turned to him. Professor Miller, who had just been saying something about "the future of quantum computing," paused and looked at Petter over his glasses.
A snicker came from the back row. "Looks like someone got their OPG approval, Professor."
Another student chimed in, "Did you see a winning lottery ticket, dude?"
Petter felt his cheeks burning. "I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbled.
Professor Miller cleared his throat and continued the lecture. But Petter wasn't hearing him anymore. He quickly pressed the confirm button and, just as he had promised his mother, he checked the option for two units.
As soon as the class ended, Petter rushed outside and excitedly called his mother. "Mom! Mom, you're not going to believe this! It's confirmed! It's confirmed for both of us!"
His mother's voice on the phone was shocked. "What? Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes! And the price is set. Seventy thousand dollars each."
There was a moment of silence on the phone. "Petter... That's the price of a house."
"I know, Mom! But this is more than a house! This is a future! Please!"
He heard his mother sigh. "Alright, son. If you want it this badly... Alright."
After hanging up, Petter called the private client services at Florida Mercantile Bank. He gave the necessary approvals for the massive $140,000 transfer from his account. After a half-hour phone call and several security verifications, the transaction was complete. On the screen, it read: "YOUR ORDER HAS BEEN RECEIVED. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO STEP INTO EDEN!"
Petter, walking on air, ran to Liam and Chloe. When he shared the news with them, Liam slapped him on the back joyfully. "Unbelievable, man! Unbelievable! You have to tell us everything when you get in!"
Chloe, however, was more reserved. She was smiling, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "Is it right to react this strongly, Petter? We don't even know what it really is yet."
Petter teased his friend. "Come on, Chloe! How many times in your life do you get to be one of the first to own a revolutionary technology? This is like the people who bought the first television or the first computer! We're witnessing history!" They joked around a bit more, then Petter left them and headed home.
When he arrived home, he decided they couldn't celebrate this news with an ordinary dinner. "We're going out tonight!" he announced. "Get ready! First, a nice dinner, and then we're going to the park to have some fun!"
Maya shrieked with joy and ran to her room. Sarah was also on board with the idea. Every moment spent with her children was worth the world to her, and this celebration would do them all good.
An hour later, they were all ready. Sarah was wearing an elegant, navy blue linen dress that fell to her knees. She had her hair in a simple bun and had put on light makeup. Her usual tired-mom expression was gone, replaced by a chic and happy woman. Petter had ditched his usual hoodie and jeans combo, wearing an ironed white shirt and beige canvas pants. He had combed his hair, and with the excited look on his face, he looked more handsome than usual. Maya, however, was a bundle of energy. She wore a rainbow-colored skirt made of layers of tulle and a sparkly pink t-shirt. She had colorful barrettes in her hair and light-up sneakers on her feet that flashed with every step.
They went to a small Italian restaurant downtown, known for its dim lights and soft jazz music. As they sat at their table, the air smelled of fresh basil and garlic bread. Sarah ordered a glass of white wine. Petter got a sparkling lemonade, and Maya asked for a strawberry milkshake. When their food arrived, the table turned into a feast. In front of Sarah was a seafood risotto, in front of Petter was spaghetti bolognese, and in front of Maya was a heart-shaped margarita pizza. They laughed throughout the meal, talking about school, projects, and dreams. The tension created by the "Traveler" or OPG felt very far away from this small, warm table.
After dinner, they walked to the nearby city park. The evening cool had set in, and the sound of cicadas filled the night.
The park was lit by yellow streetlights. Maya immediately ran to the swings. "Bro, push me!"
Petter sat his sister on the swing and started pushing her from behind. Maya let out a joyful scream every time she went high, her rainbow skirt billowing in the air. Petter pushed her higher and higher. In that moment, his sister's laughter was like the most beautiful music in the world.
Later, while Sarah sat on a bench watching them, Petter and Maya went down the slide and rode the seesaw. When they were finally tired, they lay down on the grass. The city lights blocked the stars, but the sky was dark and deep, like velvet.
Maya rested her head on her brother's shoulder. "Bro, when the Omni-Chamber comes, we're going to have lots of adventures together, right?"
Petter stroked his sister's hair. "Yes, my little fish," he said. "Even more adventures than we can imagine."
In that moment, lying on the grass under the starless sky, Petter understood once again what the most precious thing in his life was. It wasn't revolutionary technologies, nor was it mysteries from space. It was this simple, flawed, but real moment he was spending with his family. And no virtual world could ever replace it.
Lying in the cool of the grass under the starless sky, Petter was suddenly filled with a burst of energy. While he felt an infinite peace on one hand, on the other, a childish joy was nudging him. He suddenly shot up, lifted Maya (who was in his lap) into the air in one motion, and sat her on his shoulders. Maya giggled as she wrapped her arms tightly around her brother's neck. "Come on, let our queen have some fun with us!" Petter yelled and ran toward the bench where their mother was sitting.
Sarah, holding a small cup of coffee, watched her son's childish joy with a smile. When Petter reached the bench, he gently lowered Maya and sat her next to his mother. "I'm going to get tokens!" he said and ran towards the token booth at the park's entrance.
When Petter returned with the tokens, he heard Sarah talking to Maya about fairy tales. "Prince Charming always comes on his white horse and defeats the evil dragon, right, sweetie? But sometimes, the dragon is actually a kind-hearted creature, and the prince needs to understand it." As Sarah said this, she glanced at Petter out of the corner of her eye, as if giving him a message. Maya was listening to her mother in awe. The expression on her face was as if she were right in the middle of a fairy tale.
Petter dropped the tokens into his mother's palm. "Alright, little princess," he said, helping Maya onto the carousel. Maya chose one of the glittering horses and excitedly hopped onto it. As the carousel slowly began to turn to its cheerful music, Maya swayed happily along with the other children around her.
Petter and Sarah sat on a bench opposite the carousel. Sarah's smiling eyes darted between Petter and Maya. Seeing her son so happy meant the world to her. Petter mischievously snuggled up to his mother, gently bumping her knee with his leg. "Alright, my queen," he said, his voice a flirtatious whisper, "do you want to ride something too?"
Sarah smiled and placed her hand on Petter's shoulder. Its warmth could be felt even through Petter's t-shirt. "Not right now, sweetie," she said, without taking her eyes off Maya. "I enjoy just watching."
Petter raised his eyebrows at his mother's evasive answer. "The haunted house?"
"No." There was determination in her voice.
"Bumper cars?"
"Not a chance." Her lips pursed.
"What about the Ferris wheel?"
Sarah was about to say "No" when Petter suddenly locked his arms around her waist from the side. His left hand gripped her waist tightly, and his right hand moved up slightly to rest in the middle of her back. He also applied pressure to her knee with his leg. "Yes, my queen," he said, his voice full of laughter as he brought his face close to her neck, "that was your last right to refuse. You don't have any left."
Sarah laughed in surprise, but then her voice took on an authoritative tone. "Petter! Let me go! The children are watching!" she said, trying to push him away gently. But Petter's arms were like a vise.
"No, I'm not letting go! We are riding that Ferris wheel!"
Sarah squinted at Petter. The smile was still on her face, but her eyes held a defiant sparkle. "So you're challenging me, huh?" she said, and suddenly grabbed Petter's head, pinning him between her own shoulder and the bench. With this sudden move, Petter's arms remained locked around her waist, while she had turned slightly sideways. Both of their legs were pressing against each other. Petter's head was stuck in the area between her shoulder and the bench.
As Sarah pressed down on her son's shoulders with her hands, squeezing him even tighter, Petter's muscular arms gripped her waist more firmly. The scent of his mother's hair and light perfume filled his nose as Petter's muscles tensed, a look of surprise and amusement on his face. His mother pushed him to the left for a moment; Petter's body flexed and resisted. Then to the right; Petter's body tensed like a spring. A brief power struggle took place. A sweet smile of this small victory over her son was on Sarah's face. Finally, Sarah took a deep breath. "Okay, okay! You win," she said, laughing. "But I'll make you pay for this at home, one way or another!"
"That's more like it!" Petter said, and as he jumped to his feet, he quickly tapped his mother's left leg over her dress and darted away. Sarah watched him go, laughing in surprise.
Meanwhile, Maya continued to turn calmly on the carousel. Her childish face held an expression of innocent delight. The park's atmosphere was in full swing. The noise of bumper cars from afar, the creaking of the Ferris wheel, the music blaring from carnival games, and the screams of children... All of it combined with the colorful lights dancing in the night, creating a magical world far from the anxieties of reality.
When Maya got off the carousel, Petter first took her to the haunted house. At the entrance, a clown in a ghost costume was waiting for them, cackling. While Sarah watched from outside, Petter and Maya got into a small, dark cart. Inside, skeletons suddenly popped out at them, bat figures hung from the ceilings, and spooky sounds and wind effects made Maya huddle closer to her brother each time. Every time she got scared, Maya gripped her brother's t-shirt tightly, but when they came out of the tunnel, she had a smile mixed with victory on her face. "I was so scared, but it was so much fun, bro!"
After that, Petter took Maya to the 'House of Magic Mirrors.' Inside, they ran around laughing between mirrors that made their bodies comically stretch and shrink, get fat and thin. Petter picked Maya up in his arms and stood in front of one of the mirrors. They both looked like dwarves. Petter planted a kiss on Maya's face. "Look, the world's cutest dwarf princess," he said.
Next, Petter tried his luck at the 'Target Shooting Game' by himself. As he tried to hit the targets with a plastic rifle, Maya and his mother watched. Petter hit two out of three shots, won a small teddy bear, and immediately gave it to Maya. Maya's eyes sparkled with joy.
Then it was time for the Ferris wheel. Petter approached his mother. "Come on, my queen. It's your turn." Sarah hesitated a bit but finally agreed. The three of them got into a small red cabin. When the door closed, they began to rise upward with a soft creak.
As the Ferris wheel slowly climbed, the city lights spread out beneath their feet. The tiny cars looked like toys. The park's colorful lights shimmered below like a dancing mosaic. When they reached the very top, a cold wind gently rocked their cabin. The view was breathtaking. On one side, the glittering city; on the other, the dark ocean and sparse stars above it... Sarah rested her head on Petter's shoulder. "You were right," she whispered. "This is wonderful." Petter put his arm around his mother's shoulder. Maya was looking down, pointing at everything she saw with her tiny finger. In that moment, at the top of that Ferris wheel, they felt as if the weight of the entire world had been lifted from their shoulders. It was just them, in that small cabin, holding each other, witnessing this magical moment.
When they got off the Ferris wheel, Petter bought huge cotton candies for both of them. Maya's face was all white, as if it were made of cotton candy. As the night grew later, the park's lights began to turn off one by one. Tired but happy, they got into their car and headed home.