Black.

Awareness returned to Hall.

There was nothing around him. Nothing at all. No colour. No light.

Where’s Maheera? he wondered.

He couldn’t feel anything. Trying to move his hands, he realised they weren’t there. Not only that, he didn’t know whether he was lying down, sitting up or standing. He couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

What’s happening?

Fear rose within him. But his breath didn’t quicken and his heart didn’t race.

It was as if he was made of pure thought.

Mega-weird!

Light flickered into existence. Glowing green lines forming a grid.

And then he was there.

Hall gulped in a breath of air, feeling his chest expanding.

His heart thumped.

He blinked his eyes.

He flexed his muscles.

Hall’s body felt different. He was taller, leaner, stronger. He had muscles. Like … BIG muscles. Really big muscles.

He gasped. Hall was a living, breathing version of his game avatar, HallsOfAwesome.

What’s going on? he thought. I must be in a game after all.

In his left hand he held a shield. In his right, a sword.

He gave the weapon an experimental swing.

Lightning crackled from its point, arcing through the darkness, across the light grid.

‘Whoa!’ Hall jumped back.

Up ahead, light flared and a form took shape. A man made of metal. It didn’t look like a robot, so much as a bronze statue, arms by its side, standing to attention.

More light. Flash after flash, as an army of statues appeared.

The first statue moved. It stepped forward and drew its sword. Raising the weapon, it charged.

It took Hall a few moments to react. Once he overcame his astonishment, his gamer instincts kicked in. He swung his sword with the precision of an avid gamer as the metal man bore down on him. A slash and a crackle of energy and his attacker fell, neatly sliced in two. Light engulfed it, and it disappeared.

Yes! thought Hall. This is a game.

He was in his element.

Another statue came to life, drew its sword and charged.

This time, Hall was ready. He swung his blade, lightning discharged and the metal man blew apart, its pieces disappearing in little bursts of light.

The next soldier attacked.

Hall slashed his sword.

Energy crackled.

The metal man fell.

But then, slowly, it began to get up.

Hall swung his sword again. This time his opponent blew apart.

The next metal man was even harder to defeat.

They’re getting stronger, he thought. Adapting to my attacks.

As the next soldier stepped forward, Hall rushed at it, swinging his sword before it could draw its own weapon. It went down with one strike.

That’s it, thought Hall. I’ve got to get them early.

He took a deep breath and charged, slashing and swinging. Lightning arced as his blade cleaved its way through his opponents before they had the chance to take their first steps.

With the final swing of his sword, Hall thrust it high above his head and shouted, ‘YES!’

Then everything was gone.