Online In Another World

[Earth]

Running on a treadmill, a man in his early twenties worked up a sweat, though had a perfectly athletic body, having been keeping up his fast pace for well over an hour on the exercise machine.

In front of him was an immaculate view through tall panes of glass, having the spectacle of the entire affluent city below him, overlooking skyscrapers and countless digital billboards.

One such billboard has his own face on it along with the name of the company he was the CEO of: "ICARUS Robotics: Join The Future Now!"

It was what he looked at the entire time while getting his cardio in, holding a smile as his pure-white, slicked back hair became laden with sweat.

He pressed the digital pad of the advanced treadmill, causing the conveyor to come to a stop as the youthful CEO grabbed his bottle of water, taking a large gulp of it before stepping off.

That's right. I'm the best. I've become the youngest trillionaire in history. Still…what's left for me to do? I've accomplished it all, he thought.

It wasn't just the billboard, as the white-haired man threw a cold rag around his neck and checked his phone, his name was everywhere in articles:

["Youngest trillionaire, Vincent Icarus, sees a fifty-percent growth in ICARUS Robotics over weekend."]

["Vincent Icarus seen with actress, Julie Reverie, on New York streets–a new couple?!"]

["BIG NEWS: Vincent Icarus invests $10 billion dollars into SAMSARA Studios, forming a collaborative business between the two tech goliaths. What does this mean for the future?"]

Though it was once exciting for the blue-eyed young man, it all became stale to him, looking around at his lavish suite atop his own company's illustrious skyscraper. It was fitted with the latest technology as robots cleaned the tile floors and took his bottle for him once he finished, taking it to the recycle bin.

"That reminds me…" Vincent mumbled.

Before he could ponder what came to mind, the automatic doors opened as a youthful woman with short, red hair walked in, adjusting her glasses.

"Mr. Icarus?" The woman said.

"Elaine," Vincent sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you to ring in? This is my personal quarters, you know."

"S-sorry, sir…but, it's just–you told me to treat this very urgently for you!" Elaine said, adjusting her round-rimmed glasses frantically, holding a box in her hands.

The box that the assistant held caught Vincent's eyes as he began to realize what it was, taking it out of Elaine's hands before she could explain.

"Th-that's–!" Elaine tried to tell him.

"It's my gift from SAMSARA," Vincent smiled, already knowing.

All of his attention was focused on the heavily-protected box, which was reinforced by steel with a digital lock keeping it shut. The bored look on the young CEO's expression was washed away as he held the box in his hands like an early morning Christmas gift, carrying it to his sleek, glass desk.

"Err…Mr. Icarus? About your meetings today–" Elaine meekly asked.

"Cancel them."

Vincent responded without missing a beat, only briefly looking up from the box with a smile as he kept his hands on the box.

"...All?"

"All of them," Victor clarified.

The assistant was taken aback by the shift in priority from her boss, though she didn't question the eccentric trillionaire.

"Why don't you take the day off, Elaine?" Victor said, noticing her lingering in the spacious room.

"But I–"

"Take a vacation, all expenses paid," Victor offered.

The young assistant's face lit up with gratitude as she nodded multiple times, adjusting her glasses, "Th-thank you, Sir!"

With that, the woman left the room, prompting Victor to tap the digital pad on his glass desk, locking the doors to his immaculate quarters atop the cityscape.

There was a giddiness inside of him that he had lost over the years, a tingling sensation in his fingertips as he ran them over the box with the label of "SAMSARA".

It took you long enough, Haru, he thought with a smile.

It was a custom-built product just for the CEO of ICARUS Robotics, leading to the package being heavily secured, though all it required was a fingerprint from the recipient as Victor pressed his thumb against the digital, light-blue screen on the front of the box.

As it scanned his fingerprint for authenticity, the internal mechanisms securing the precious package were unlocked, causing the metallic clips to ring as it opened slightly for him.

"...Now, let's see it," Victor said with excitement to himself.

Lifting the lid of the heavy-duty box, he opened it, revealing the device within, kept securely wrapped in cushioned material, which he promptly tossed aside.

Compared to the usual, all-white model that was bulky and somewhat clunky, the headset sitting within the box was of a sleek, vanta-black, fit to be slimmer. The "SAMSARA" company name was inscribed on it with the model number of "001", specifically for Victor.

"There it is," Victor held it up with a smile.

Though as he lifted it, the youthful CEO was surprised as he found a paper slipping out from the headset, catching it after it glided down onto his desk.

"This is…?" He mumbled.

It was a letter, with the front of the folded paper simply having the initials "H.T."--something he recognized instantly.

Haru, Victor thought.

As he opened the personalized note, he read the cursive handwriting left for him by the founder of SAMSARA studios himself:

["My dear friend, Vincent, I hope this finds you well. There were a few bumps in the road getting this prototype ready, but after a grueling effort, it's been done. This is a special privilege, only for the likes of you–an esteemed partner of SAMSARA and a friend of mine: this headset will allow you to log-in and out as you please, and as requested, you can enter any of the three established worlds.

However, I must exemplify this: never stay in for longer than a week within Arcadius. I cannot provide you the details, but if you overstay your welcome there, there's a certain…force that will prevent you from leaving. I doubt this will be an issue for a busy man like yourself, though. Please, enjoy it–what awaits you are worlds beyond our own, and each will welcome you with new lives paved for greatness."]

Reading the letter only served to further stoke the flame of excitement burning within Vincent as he caressed the paper before setting it down, setting his eyes once again on the special headset.

Before trying it out himself, he opted to check something out before diving in:

"On."

The singular command caused the digital hologram of his computer monitor to blink on, to which he used the search engine with just his words:

"Search 'Reincarnation Online'," Vincent said.

Within a second, hundreds of millions of results came up, allowing Vincent to read up on the software, though he was already well informed on it, only now wanting to see the reception with it. It was overwhelmingly positive, though it was hardly surprising.

You'd think it would be impossible for reviews to be made for a product where the consumer never returns, but Haru is a genius–he's thought of everything, Vincent thought with a smile.

["Shin Tsuma" 5/5 stars | "Simply amazing. My brother was paralyzed from the neck down after a car crash…I did my best to support him, but I knew he wasn't happy with his life. After discovering Reincarnation Online, we both agreed this would be best for him. The reports have shown me how amazing his life is now–he's a commander of an entire space battalion! Amazing!"]

["Juliana Bellrose" 3/5 stars | "...I didn't know much about this product as I'm not as techy as I'd like to believe I am, but I knew something like this would pique my son's interest. Ethan Bellrose was his name…He tried his best for me, but deep down…I knew he hated living in his own body. I knew how painful daily life was for him, but…the day he chose to enter Reincarnation Online, I felt as though I failed as a mother. Still, according to these reports…he's happy. He's living in a healthy body now…I just hope he hasn't forgotten me. 'Emilio Dragonheart' is his new name…how wonderful; I hope it is a beautiful world you're in now, Emilio."]

The reviews came from the family members and close acquaintances of those who used the software to reincarnate; though in essence losing their loved ones was a painful experience, it was eased by a new product that SAMSARA launched: "Otherworld Status Reports."

Through paying for a subscription, those who sign-up for the product receive bi-annual reports on the status of their loved ones within Reincarnation Online, able to see their general mood and happiness, along with a vague outline of the developments they've made in their new lives.

However, nobody else besides the highest developers within SAMSARA are actually allowed to monitor what goes on in these connected worlds.