The Power Of Radiation

Mark looks at Vlad's shocked face with a confused expression. This outburst is so out of character of Vlad, it leaves Mark's thoughts in a muddled state. Mark then looks at himself and feels his face and body briefly. Everything is in the right place, Mark thought. Mark then asks the obvious question to Vlad, "What do you mean?". Vlad has by now calmed down from his first glance at Mark's face and explains in a still shaky manner, "Your eyes…". Mark's eyes widen in surprise and panic as he doesn't have a mirror or reflective surface to see his eyes with. Mark then pours some of the water in his water skin out in a pot that they normally have breakfast on. The exotic sight reflected by the water stuns Mark.

The normal, clear water reflects a sight that would not be out of place of a Science Fiction movie. Mark's face is normal but his eyes have turned a vivid dark pink and purple color. This scares Mark for a moment but he constantly comforts himself by a simple but profound explanation.

"This is all in a VR game world and not an irreversible change. I can easily stop the game and be right as rain in reality whenever I choose."

With a deep shudder of relief, Mark finally is able to calm down to the amazement of Vlad. Vlad's thoughts revolve in his mind debating whether Mark has finally lost it or if he knew this would happen and has been hiding it. Vlad's eyes glint with suspicion and avarice as he asks Mark, "Any idea of what caused this? Or how it happened to you?" Mark's eyes narrow slightly as he thinks of the miraculous pink pond and its possible value in this world. "No, no idea. I just felt itchy last night before I went to bed… Maybe a bug or something bit me while I was asleep?" This jumpstarts the superstition and paranoia that is present in Vlad's rural brain.

Many explanations and events in this world don't make a lot of sense because of the lack of education in small villages. Brambleton is a prime example of this and Vlad is only slightly more educated than the rest of villagers because of his frequent trips to the city. The VR world is very similar to reality in terms of physics and is only considered an alternate medieval version of reality. The VR world Mark is in is just one of many alternate realities that have dedicated servers set up for people to experience scenery and different lifestyles which makes it a prime place to train many types of skills like basic medicine and learning such as education. Many working-class people enjoy servers and worlds like these to escape their mundane existence and jobs and get a sense of adventure or excitement their lives have been missing at a low cost. Mark's fascination comes with the advanced AI's capabilities and how this advanced VR capsule makes the experience feel like reality as compared to the distantness which is normal in lower end VR capsules. This specific server has a much higher time dilation which is also useful when training or learning.

After this morning's episode of shock and awe, Vlad then rushes to pack up their belongings while staying a healthy distance from Mark. His personality reverts itself and he grunts to say they should get moving and reach the city today so nothing else unexpected happens. Mark is slightly put off by Vlad's superstition but he has put up with worse looks and action in his daily life so this is nothing new. Mark then gets on the now repaired cart as his thoughts turn to the pink water and the pond it was in. Different explanations and theory overwhelm Mark's mind as he realizes slowly that his thought processes seem to be much clearer than normal and his memory seems to have improved. During the journey, Mark tests this sense of mental strength much to his delight.

Mark can remember almost anything he has read before if he thinks back on it and his thought processes seem to divine answers to random questions almost like it is a new super power. Mark then laments his new abilities and how useful they would have been in school when he was younger. "I could have gotten a good job as an accountant or clerk and I also wouldn't have had to work my b.u.t.t off to get that scholarship to college." Mark mumbles to himself.

His determination returns when he thinks about how hard his parent's have worked in order for him to have the things he needed growing up. Mark clenches his fist at the thought of his parents even now needing to work two different jobs to support themselves in society and how that can all be changed with him. "I just need to finish this trial and learn the necessary skills to be a doctor and they money will flow in regardless if I am still a F rank citizen. This way I can hold my head high and prove that success is possible for me and that machine from when I was 10 doesn't dictate my life."

This is Mark's last thought as they rise above the last hill along the dirt road ahead of them. The road at the bottom of the hill becomes stone cobblestones as they lead up to huge wrought iron gate and one of larger walls of stone Mark has seen in his life aside from movies and history books. Mark has seen parts of the mega cities' walls which were amazing in scope but being able to see the whole stone wall of a medieval city at once is a feeling that he cannot describe with words. A long line of others like Vlad with carts of produce and other goods line the road below them. A sign craved out of stone in a grand fashion hangs above the gate of the city. It reads "Stone City" with smaller script underneath it saying, "Green Kingdom".