Leo smiled, gripping his glowing hands into fists. The game had become his reality, and he was ready to win the match.
Leo spun around. Standing there was a man clad in bronze greaves and a red chiton, holding a massive hoplite shield. His face was weathered, his eyes wide with disbelief. Age of Mythology Extended Edition v2.8 PC
A massive, golden bolt of lightning ripped from the clear sky, striking a scouting party of enemy Ulfsarks miles away. Leo smiled, gripping his glowing hands into fists
Leo looked down at his own hands. They were glowing with a faint, blue UI overlay. When he waved his hand, a translucent green blueprint of a Barracks hovered over the dirt path in front of them. He realized with a surge of both terror and exhilarating awe that he wasn't just playing the game anymore. He was the player entity made flesh. Standing there was a man clad in bronze
The soldier looked up, a fierce grin breaking across his bearded face. "They have already frozen the outer farmlands, My Lord. But with you to command the favor of the gods, we fear no frost."
He rested his chin in his hand, watching a squad of Egyptian Axemen desperately trying to hold back a relentless tide of Norse Frost Giants. Golden sand met crushing ice in a clash of pixels and code. Leo smiled. He had been playing this game for over twenty years, transitioning from the scratched CD-ROMs of his childhood to this digital, polished version on his PC.
Leo stood up and looked at the floating green grid projected across the valley. He swiped his hand upward, selecting a group of idle villagers standing near a cluster of berry bushes. They immediately bowed and set to work, their movements crisp and synchronized.