To the average person, a game is merely all it is. To others though, it could mean the world.
To Victor, games meant an escape from his shitty reality and a break from the mundane.
When he heard about *Ascension of Souls*, it wasn't from some flashy trailer or influencer review. It just appeared one morning on a quiet forum he frequented. No ads. No fanfare. Just a link and a date.
That was enough.
The moment the servers opened, he logged in. The startup sequence was crude and lacking polish, but that only made it feel more personal. Realer, in a strange way.
There was no character customization. No sliders, no names, no class choices. You entered as yourself, or close enough. Victor didn't mind. If anything, he appreciated the honesty of it.
He hadn't expected the world to be so beautiful. The forests moved like they were breathing. The towns felt alive. The people, even more so.
Victor spent the first two days just watching.
