In an isolated wing of the presidential residence, there was an area specially prepared to house only one person. Filled with medical equipment and air purifiers, doctors and nurses worked around the clock to ensure nothing happened to the boy who lived there.
The son of Gustav L. Dubois, Levi Dubois, a young man who, since birth, had been confined to that area, specifically to a single room where no one was allowed to enter without wearing specialized equipment.
The entire room was coated in sterilized plastic. Cameras watched him at all times of the day. That wasn't a home. It was a prison.
His very existence had already sparked controversy. Levi Dubois, born in a world polluted and with air more rancid than ever, had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency.
Unlike other children, even the sneeze of someone nearby could be fatal. His immune system practically didn't exist. A simple flu or a harmless virus could kill him within hours.
His father, always a member of the upper echelons of society, ensured that he received every treatment possible in search of a cure. Unfortunately, it never came. The disease persisted and continues to this day. The doctors themselves say it's a miracle the boy is still alive.
That same boy lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Anyone who didn't know him wouldn't take a second glance if they passed him on the street, his appearance was simply… average. Not ugly, not handsome, just... in between. A fragile body from lack of physical exercise, medium-length brown hair slightly dry, and the one feature that stood out: green eyes he inherited from his mother, according to his father.
Now 15 years old, the furthest he had ever seen of the outside world was through the few bulletproof windows in his room and holographic projections of ancient landscapes, visions of Earth before humanity had destroyed them in wars over resources.
There's a saying: balance will always come; every blessing carries an equal curse.
Nothing could be truer in Levi's case. His body was nearly useless, a single breath of unfiltered air could kill him, but in exchange, his mind... was one of the greatest of the century.
Unable to leave his room, young Levi immersed himself in books and, even at a young age, began showing signs of genius. For safety reasons, he had access only to digital books, but that limitation turned out to be a hidden blessing, it granted him unrestricted access to the internet and all its archives. He read texts from every field, had no specific preference. To him, knowledge was knowledge, whether it was useful or not. His hunger for information never faded.
As his mind expanded, so did his ideas. His father, despite his age and position, began consulting him on matters that required more than politics, they required pure logic, cold calculation, and a perspective no one else in the government seemed to have.
Levi never minded the weight of responsibility. To him, it was just another equation. The reports came frequently, disguised among medical tests and routine updates. Within minutes, he'd read them, analyze them, and return them with comments, pointing out flaws, suggesting paths, reworking strategies. Nothing truly challenged him. Perhaps that's why he never looked impressed.
But something had changed in recent days.
Doctors avoided eye contact. Visits became less frequent, yet longer. He began to notice that some internal doors remained locked for longer periods. The servers he had access to were undergoing brief updates at unusual hours. Subtle changes. Almost imperceptible. But to Levi, it was obvious: they were hiding something.
He didn't feel fear. He felt curiosity.
He spent more time lying down, eyes fixed on the ceiling, organizing thoughts like chess pieces. The holographic projections of ancient landscapes that used to appear at scheduled times, lush forests, clean oceans, skies with untainted clouds, were now delayed. Sometimes, they didn't play at all.
It was as if even the illusions were beginning to fail.
He didn't complain. Didn't ask for explanations. But he noticed everything. His world was changing, even if the doctors pretended otherwise.
And deep down, maybe he already knew. That all this calm... was just the prelude to something greater. Something that would finally shatter the walls of his sterile world.
Despite being surrounded by voices and footsteps, Levi knew solitude well. It was his only constant companion. To avoid being consumed by it, he learned to use sarcasm as a shield and observation as a weapon. His tongue, sharp as a blade, sliced through any attempt at pity or closeness.
Years ago, he read that an idle mind was the perfect soil for emotional collapse. Since then, he refused to let his mind sit idle.
He studied. He created. He observed.
Every detail around him became part of an invisible puzzle he solved day after day. When he discovered the world of webnovels, it was like finding a crack in his prison. Fantastical worlds, complex systems, magic, heroes, and monsters, all became real in his mind.
And when books weren't enough, he created his own worlds.
But that day...
Levi couldn't focus on any of it.
It was almost dinnertime when he saw it. His father, on the other side of the viewing glass, silently watching him. His voice echoed through the speakers with a gravity Levi hadn't heard in years.
"Hello, son. How are you?"
Rolling his eyes, Levi looked at his father and replied in a falsely cheerful tone
"I'm great, running and jumping around, riding horses and enjoying the sweet scent of nature. And you?"
"Don't use your tricks on me, young man. I know you."
The only response Gustav received was a sharp tongue-click from the boy.
Gustav sighed, shaking his head as he looked at his son.
"Did you read the files I sent you?"
"Oh yes, the new global-scale game? With promises of fame and glory? I read it. Didn't you have a better marketing strategy? That one was awful."
"I know, I know, we could've approached it differently. Since you read it, you're aware of the equipment and the realism of the game. I came to inform you that you'll start playing immediately."
Upon hearing those words, Levi quickly stood and approached the glass, visibly indignant.
"What? You just come in here and expect me to play some game I have no interest in? Knowing full well that nothing created by a council of self-interested leaders ever turns out right?"
Levi's protest was interrupted by his father's serious tone.
"Son! You're going to play. Understood? Look, I've always wanted to see you out of this room—see you running through the streets, living a normal life… and now you can. You have this chance through the game. It's a new life, Levi. A new body. A new chance. There will be no negotiation, you will play."
Levi remained silent for a moment, eyes locked on his father beyond the glass. His chest rose and fell slowly, regulating his breathing. He could feel the blood pulsing in his temples. That imposition… that unilateral decision, like his life was just another protocol, it didn't surprise him. But it still hurt.
"You always make decisions for me, don't you?"
He finally said, voice low but firm.
"Since I was born. Since I almost died just for existing. Since I became a technical problem disguised as a son."
Gustav didn't respond. His eyes held guilt—but also resolve.
"If I enter this game,"
Levi continued, drawing closer to the glass,
"it's because you threw me in. Not because I wanted to. Not because I believed."
"Maybe so,"
Gustav replied, shoulders heavy.
"But maybe, just maybe... when you open your eyes in that place, you'll realize it's exactly what you wanted all along. You just didn't know it yet."
Levi scoffed, stepping back.
"And what if it's just another prison?"
"It won't be. Not this time. You'll see."
Silence hung between them. The father watching the son. The son watching the father. Words unsaid. Wounds unhealed. But also, something new, a faint glimmer of hope.
"They'll come to prepare you shortly,"
Gustav said, ending the conversation.
"The equipment will be installed today. You'll be given one of the premium pods. They come with certain advantages at game start... Son, whatever happens, don't die. Don't let yourself be killed in the game, no matter what it takes. There's only one chance."
Before Levi could reply, his father's image disappeared. The viewing window darkened as the privacy system activated. The boy remained still for a long moment. He did nothing. Thought of nothing. Only the void surrounding him. And if, by some miracle, this really was the end of it all.
He let out a short, humorless laugh.
"A new body, huh? Let's hope this one comes with an immune system."
Despite the small clashes he had with his father, Levi knew he only wanted the best for him. His mind spun, analyzing every line of the conversation, piecing together every possible scenario.
In recent days, highly classified files had appeared—he didn't even have access to them. He remembered clearly: it was around the same time the game and the immersion equipment surfaced. The details he had noticed, his father's final warning, something was hidden behind this story. And the urgency for him to enter the game... he was sure he'd discover it soon.
Levi walked back to his bed, each step echoing in the clinical silence of the room. He sat down slowly, as if the air around him had grown heavier. For a moment, he looked at his own reflection in a metallic panel. It wasn't the first time he felt like an experiment inside a glass aquarium—but maybe, just maybe, it would be the last.
"A new body... a new world... a new chance..."
His father's words echoed in his mind like a code yet to be cracked. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to imagine for a brief second. Could the sky there really be blue? Could the trees still have leaves that danced with the wind, instead of being mere remnants of a ruined past?
He remembered an old book he read as a child, about a group of siblings who escaped reality through a wardrobe and ended up in a magical kingdom ruled by a lion. It had seemed silly back then. Not anymore.
He opened his eyes. He was tired—but not physically; he barely knew what that meant. It was something deeper, something existential. The exhaustion of waiting for a life that never arrived.
He looked at the control screen in the corner of the room. The medical routine was late. No nurse had brought his meal. And strangely, he didn't feel hungry.
He opened a new tab and scanned the medical wing's cameras. Restrictions. Access denied.
"Well, well…"
He murmured.
"They really are taking this seriously."
He had already known what was coming, even before his father confirmed it. He knew the game wasn't just a game. And something had forced them to act in a hurry. And when there's urgency, there's danger.
Levi wasn't naive.
He knew adults only accelerated plans when they were afraid of tomorrow.
With a touch on the panel at his side, he activated an old projection: the image of a dense forest, leaves swaying with the wind he had never felt on his face. A soft, melancholic soundtrack began to play. He closed his eyes again.
He imagined himself walking among those trees. Breathing that air. Running, tripping, laughing, maybe even getting hurt. But free.
And in that moment, he understood, it didn't matter if it was a dark scheme, a conspiracy, or a fatal mistake... for the first time, there was a crack. A breach in the prison of plastic and protocols. And if he didn't cross it now, maybe he never would again.
Levi opened his eyes. He gently touched the console beside the bed.
"Let them install whatever they want,"
He whispered with a crooked smile.
"Just let me dream... even if it's for the last time."
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Hello hello, Kronios here! What did you think of MC's first appearance? I think I managed to present the first layers of his story, give me some feedback on how you think the story will progress, do you think anyone will get it right? Hehe. By the way, SCID is a real and extremely sad disease, most of those who have it die while they are still babies. Basically, the disease deactivates the parts of your body that produce antibodies and coordinate the defense against diseases, the only treatment is a bone marrow transplant, which still often does not solve the problem. As you saw from MC's presentation, those who have this disease have to stay in a completely sterilized environment and avoid any contact with the outside world. If you want to know more about the disease, just search for the case "David Vetter, the boy in the bubble".