It was dark.

Lauren opened her eyes. Already something was off. Where was her mom? It was like this every year, her mom should have woken her up by now. Looking up, she didn't recognize the ceiling. Her ceiling was a calm shade of beige, but she was currently looking at a blank black space. She sat up, her hand on her head. Looking around, she saw nothing but a black void, even downward.

This definitely was not her room.

She stood up, her feet planted upon the... nothing she was surrounded by. She took a cautious step, just to make sure. And as her foot landed, something popped up in front of her.

Blip. That all it was. That's all that was heard before the blackness in front of her was replaced with a glowing rectangular panel.

[b]Please input your username.[/b]

Lauren began to laugh. She laughed harder than she ever remembered laughing in her entire life. This was too much. This was crazy. She laughed for a good five minutes. Maybe more. And as it slowly died down, Lauren smiled at the window.

[i]This is a dream. This has to be. It's just too silly.[/i]

Still smiling, she reached toward the panel, and touched it. The text box filled itself out.

[b]KeyLime[/b]

Indeed, it was the name she used the most on the Internet. So it would make sense that she'd be thinking about it.

The text on the window changed.

[b]Welcome to ReSet ReaLity! A world in peril needs your help! Join forces with other players to save Espereox! To begin, choose your class type.[/b]

At the bottom of the window, there were five buttons. Lauren scanned them. From the left, there was a shield, a sword crossing a dagger, a bow and arrow, a wizard's hat, and a cross. Lauren didn't hesitate, pressing her finger onto the button with the wizard's hat.

The text changed again.

[b]You have chosen the Mage, the basic offensive magical class. Mages work away from the fight, belting the field with spells or summoning creatures to fight for them. At Level 20, the Mage can be promoted to a Sorceror, a Summoner, or a Spellsword.

Are you sure that you want to choose this class?[/b]

Hell yes she was sure. She always loved being the magic attacker in MMOs. She was a fan of spectacle, and nothing was flashier than advanced magical abilities. She pressed yes.

Lauren mentally patted herself on the back. Even if this was a dream, it incredibly realistic and super complex. She knew she had a great mind.

[b]Good choice! You will make an excellent mage, I'm sure. You will be given your abilities and be transported to Espereox momentarily.[/b]

Her smile widened. She was going to be sad when she eventually woke up, but she might as well enjoy it as much as she-

Her eyes caught motion as, for only a fraction of a second, another message appeared.

[b]This may hurt a bit.[/b]

[i]What-[/i]

Then pain. An overwhelming pain that enveloped her entire body. Her vision turned white as she screamed in agony. A burning sensation covered her from head to toe and she fell backwards, curling into the fetal position. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears slowly leaking from them as she tried to wake up. A high pitched buzzing pierced her ears, and she began to sob as the blinding light penetrated her eyes.

And then it was over. Just like that. The pain was gone, the bright light no longer bathing her eyes, the high pitched buzzing quickly drowned by the natural sounds of the outside. All told, the pain lasted maybe twenty seconds at the most, but she didn't move from her position, and she didn't open her eyes, not even as the pain subsided.

She should have woken up when the pain started, but she didn't. This wasn't a dream. This was real.