***
Next day
"Brother, I'll be leaving for a while," Mia said as she sat at the foot of Elian's bed. Her voice carried a hint of coldness, but beneath it was a subtle trace of concern. "I'm starting college next week, and my flight to Harvard is this evening. I need to go early to settle a few things. I won't be able to take care of you for now, but don't worry, I'll be home for the holidays. I've also gone over everything with Leah, including your medication." Leah is the name of one of their helpers.
"Mmm" Elian, didn't say anything in return. It's not that he couldn't but he can barely speak due to the illness. His mind is still active, trying to understand what's happening. Mia is only 16 years old. He didn't know if she was going to Massachusetts alone, but he wasn't too overly concerned. He knew that despite his not showing any "outstanding trait", that Mia is a very responsible girl and that there is a hidden brilliance within her. He didn't know what happened to Mia in the last 3 years, but ever since the diagnosis, she would barely visit him in the room. He barely saw her smile, and there was always that trace of coldness in her voice. Somehow Mia felt a little bit unfamiliar, but of course, he still cared and love her without change.
At that moment, Mia looked at Elian for a long while before finally speaking. "Brother, there's a new game that just came out. It uses a gaming pod, you have to lie inside it to log in. It's a fully immersive game, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to use it or not." She paused briefly. "Still, I'll help you set it up. You can try it now, and if you like it, you can keep using it while I'm away."
Elian's mind was in turmoil. "Fully immersive? Would I actually be able to feel and move my body, or would it just simulate the sensation?" He didn't know what to expect, but he was definitely looking forward to it. After all, he used to be a gamer.
And honestly, all this waiting... all this staring at the ceiling... it was getting old. He was very very bored.
He looked at Mia and simply said, "Please."
"Alright, give me a minute. I'll set it up here for you. It's pretty big, so I'll ask Robert for help." With that, she walked out of the room.
A short while later, she returned with Robert, their driver. Together, they carried in a massive box, large enough to be mistaken for a casket.
Elian stared at it and couldn't help but think, "Fuck, is this their way of sending me off?" Of course, he knew that wasn't the case. But this was just his way of keeping himself entertained. Internal monologue at its finest.
There were a lot of wires and connections involved, so setting it up took some time. Thankfully, his room was fairly spacious, so even after placing the massive pod, there was still plenty of room left.
It took about an hour, but surprisingly, Elian didn't mind the wait. In fact, he was enjoying himself watching Mia and Robert stress over the manual, going back and forth between the casket and the tangled mess of cables.
The room felt more alive than usual. Compared to his typical days of staring into the void, this was practically a party. "If this kept up for a few more years," he thought, "maybe I'd unlock the laws of space and start doing some weird cosmic shit. Well it's not like I can move or anything, so maybe I should start from telepathy."
"It's done."
Mia's voice pulled Elian out of his wandering thoughts. Robert stood proudly to the side, admiring their handiwork like it was a masterpiece.
"You're very lucky, sir," Robert said, looking at Elian. "This pod's actually really hard to get. Anyone who has one right now is basically a beta tester."
Surprised, Elian turned to look towards Mia, only to catch her glaring at Robert. Then, with a sigh, she looked back at him.
"I didn't want to get your hopes up," she said. "I really wasn't sure if it would even work in your case. But yeah... it was kind of a hassle." She paused, then added with a small smirk, "But who do you think I am? Of course I pulled it off."
There was a rare note of pride in her voice, the kind that only showed when she was really proud of herself. Her mischievous grin was on full display.
It had been a while since Elian had seen this side of his sister. To be honest, he missed it. He wanted to smile, but his lips barely moved. There was so much he wanted to say, so many questions, thoughts, memories. But all that came out was a quiet, "Thank you."
They understood. Talking was a strain for Elian, and he rarely spoke unless it mattered. Without a word, Mia and Robert gently lifted him and carefully laid him into the pod.
"Once we shut the pod, all you have to do is say 'Start,' and the game will begin," she explained. "While you're in the game, you'll still be able to communicate with us outside. There's a small screen on the pod where we can type messages, and you'll receive them in-game.
There's also a voice feature, when you reply, your voice will be isolated just for the message. No one in the game around you will hear it. It was originally designed for emergencies, but I think it'll be really useful in your case too.
Try it out for a bit. If you like it, we can activate the liquid nutrient solution. Basically, it'll feed you while you're in the pod so you can stay logged in longer. But keep in mind, it's not ideal for long-term use. That's why the game has a built-in safety feature that if you stay in the game for three days straight, you'll be automatically locked out for at least 18 hours unless you're in the middle of a special quest or critical situation.
But don't worry, the pod will monitor everything. It'll make sure nothing goes wrong. We'll be right here outside. Just let us know how you feel, okay?"
With that, Mia closed the pod.
The pod itself resembled a sleek, high-tech casket. Its glass top allowed people to see inside, though users had the option to darken the glass or customize its appearance if they preferred privacy.
Inside, Elian could feel his heart pounding — loud and fast. Despite everything, he was actually excited. Looking back, he realized he didn't even know what the game was about. He didn't know the name, the genre, or what to expect.
And yet, for the first time in a long while… he was looking forward to something. He closed his eyes, and with struggle he said. "Start".