“What is the difference between fiction, and reality?” A man wearing an expensive suit asked, standing atop a stage in front of thousands of people, cameras all on him, a nametag on his suit said ‘Marcus Krow’. He allowed a few beats before continuing, ensuring he had everyone’s rapt attention. “Is it the ability to touch, hear, see? All of the senses combines into what we call reality?” Marcus continued to ask, but it seems apparent to anyone watching that he already had the answer.

The well dressed man walked across the stage, as if thinking for a moment. “If that’s the case, are not dreams… reality as well?” There was a small murmur from the crowd, and the man just shook his head, “Of course not. You wake up and that world is gone, but what if there was a way to make it remain, no longer a fleeting memory?” A large smile bloomed across the mans face, and he motioned to the large screen behind him, “What if I told you, that there is a way? We at Krowsford industries have long been the leading creators of cybernetics, our brain machine interfaces are the cutting edge, the best of the best… but.” Another dramatic pause, letting the tension build in the crowd once again.

The screen behind Marcus flashed to life, revealing a long field of rolling hills and wild animals, “Our products have been primarily used in the past for amputees, for those who lost limbs in wars or in natural disasters. Today we take a different approach.” A medieval castle came into view, a sprawling cityscape surrounding it filled with people wandering about. “Today we unveil Astrala Online, the worlds first, true virtual reality world!” The crowd erupted into cheers of excitement, and Marcus paused in his speech for a moment to let them get it all out. After a moment he motioned for them all to quiet down and he continued,

“Astrala is a revolutionary approach on the idea of MMO, as you all know a hand select of games have dominated the market for generations, squeezing every last drop of money out of consumers for the continued enjoyment of their product. Not us.” He explained, motioning at the screen. “Astrala online will use a subscription based system, but this is one where the players can use the in game currency to pay, instead of typical real world money.” This again, got many excited cheers from the crowd, but he didn’t let them cheer for long, instead saying, “There will be no Micro-transactions in A.O.! This is a living, breathing world where powerful magical items don’t just pop out of the sky because you swiped your credit card, no.” His eyes scanned out across the crowd and continued with, “Your success or failures in this exciting new world will be determined by your efforts, and your skills!”

It took a moment for the excitement of the crowd to die down, and the man atop the stage was sure that there are similar reactions across the world from those who are listening in, but he kept his attention on the matter at hand. He walked across the stage, nodding to the various people and finished with, “Astrala Online will be releasing in two months, December of 2033, so mark your calendar and ready your finances, because this world will not wait! A few lucky people across the world will even have the chance to play the game for three months entirely free! Simply head to our website and enter into the raffle, and just maybe, the mystical world of Astrala will extend its invitation to you!” With that, the stage darkened and Marcus Krow could no longer be seen, the cheers of excitement in the room shook the building as the man walked behind the stage, a sinister smile worming it’s way across his features.