Aldric straightened up, looking at his younger reflection in the mirror. The face was different, but the eyes... the eyes now carried the weight of an emperor who'd ruled for twelve years, who'd fought a war against extinction itself, who'd killed thousands with his own hands.
"Seven days," he said to his reflection. His voice was steady now, more controlled. "Seven days to change everything."
He left the bathroom and went back to his desk. The computer screen was still on, showing some corporate project he'd been working on. They were codes for some dating app he'd been trying to finalize. But that didn't matter now, it had never mattered.
He moved the mouse, closing the window. His fingers hesitated over the keyboard, muscle memory from both lives warring with each other. The programmer's instinct to save his work and pick up from where he left off. Or, his past life's knowledge that none of it mattered.
He opened a browser instead and searched for the game that had been trending for the past few years now, Dominion Online.
The official website loaded. What appeared on the screen was a sleek graphics showed players in fantastic armor, wielding legendary weapons, exploring beautiful landscapes. The tagline read: "DOMINION ONLINE: Where Legends Are Born. Official Launch: November 3rd."
Right now, the game was in closed beta. A limited number of players were testing the systems, and exploring a small portion of the world. The beta phase had logout functionality and the respawn system was active.
But all of that would disappear on the official launch day.
Aldric scrolled through the forums. The players discussed about their beta experiences, citing a growing belief that Dominion Online would be the breakthrough VR Game of the century. The best game that mankind had ever created as it bordered realism, from the dancing blades of grass to the specks of dust particles floating in the air.
Theorycrafters analyzed the various class builds available, and Roleplayers planned their character backstories. It was even said that compared to other VR Games of this generation, Dominion Online wasn't just a kingdom builder, it was a living world.
Every villager, guard, and merchant had a history written into their code. Some had lost families to war; others carried grudges or dreams. It was no wonder the game's memory size dwarfed everything else on the market, each NPC carried a story of their own, from conception to their present age. Truly a generational marvel.
But they had no idea what was coming.
None of them knew that in seven days time, Dominion Online would become a prison for almost all of humanity. Those who remained or couldn't afford game pods were wiped out by the Naphils. They didn't know that the fantasy world they were excited to explore would become a graveyard for billions.
Aldric's hand curled into a fist.
He could warn them. He could make a warning post, tell everyone what was going to happen. But who would believe him? A random account claiming the game would trap and kill them? They'd call him a troll, maybe ban his account.
In fact, they were multiple religionist posts currently condemning the game, calling it the handiwork of the devil. But they were laughed at and bashed online for being out-of-tune-with-reality.
Even if some believed him, what then? The game would still launch. The system would still activate. The only difference would be fewer initial players... which might actually make survival harder for those who did log in.
'No. Warning people wouldn't work. I need a different approach.'
Aldric closed the browser and stood up. His mind was already working, analyzing the situation the way he'd analyzed countless battles and political situations.
In his first life, he'd started slow. He'd picked a common class, spawned in an average starting zone, and played it safe for the first few weeks. By the time he realized the game's true nature, by the time he'd adapted and started building his power base, he was already far behind.
He'd caught up eventually and reached level 487 Sage Tier through years of constant warfare and smart decisions. But those early mistakes had cost him. The crucial resources he'd missed, territories he hadn't claimed, and NPCs he hadn't recruited.
This time would be different.
This time, he had the knowledge of past events. He knew where the legendary starting zones were hidden. He knew which classes would dominate the late game. He knew where to find powerful NPCs and how to recruit them, hidden quests, and secret dungeons.
He knew everything.
But seven days wasn't much time. The game wouldn't officially launch until November 3rd. Until then, he couldn't access the full world, couldn't claim territories or recruit followers.
What he could do was prepare.
Aldric's eyes fell on his phone, sitting on the desk next to his computer. He picked it up, checking the screen.
3:47 AM. Tuesday, October 27th.
He had work in four hours. Some corporate job at a tech company in LA, where he spent his days fixing other people's code and attending pointless meetings.
In his first life, he'd gone to work that day. Showed up tired, did his job, came home exhausted. Repeated the cycle for seven more days until launch day, when he'd called in sick to play Dominion Online.
That version of Aldric had been a wage slave. Too tired to pursue his dreams. Too beaten down by the system to fight back.
Emperor Aldric Thorne had no such limitations.
He opened his email app and started typing.
"To: Nicole Smith, Team Lead
Subject: Resignation Effective Immediately
Nicole,
I quit. Don't contact me again.
- Aldric."
Straight to the point. He hit send before he could second-guess himself.
There. That bridge was burned. No more corporate job. No more meetings. No more wasting time on things that wouldn't matter in seven days.
Next, he checked his bank account.
$3,247.82
"Being broke sucks. Now I can't afford the gaming pod. Where do I get the funds?"