Back at his home, Shiro sat at his desk with a bored look on his face as he did his homework. Taking a glance at the clock (6:17 pm), he wondered when Jin would make it back so they could go online. As he filled out question after question, his mind drifted from math to Alfheim, as he began to imagine soaring the skies and eventually defeating his brother and that Cait Sith that always gave him a hard time. Taking a moment to stretch his arms and back, he looked up at the anime poster hanging over his desk. On it was a hero clad in red armor, and just behind him, an evil swordsman with golden hair and reptilian eyes. Shiro knew those slit-pupiled yellow eyes were only contacts, but it still made him look menacing, nonetheless. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he heard the door open. "I'm home, Shiro!" Jin called. In a moment, he poked his head into the bedroom doorway. "Finish your homework quickly, and we can do a boss raid today."
"Yippee." Shiro sighed. "I can't wait..." Jin noticed the sarcasm in his voice and walked in, sitting down on his bed.
"Surely you're not that upset about that whole Cait Sith run-in?" Jin pondered with a chuckle.
"No, it's not that..." Shiro replied, writing in another answer. "It's...never mind..." He finished up and then went over to the amusphere, putting it on. "See you at the tavern, as per usual." he said. "Link start!" With that, the world around him faded to a bright white flash and a streak of colors. And soon, he was Ryu. In this body, he didn't have to worry about the burdens and troubles of the real world. There was nothing holding him back from his goals (except Kage, but nothing's perfect). With that, he headed over to the neutral tavern and took a seat at the table with his big brother, who had selected a quest.
"Alright, Ryu. We're going after a Nuckelavee boss monster this time. This one in particular is considered especially dangerous, but it has a loot drop we need to get you a better weapon." he explained. "A katana called Iron Shadow."
"Alright! Finally a weapon upgrade!" Ryu cheered, "And not a minute too soon, too!"