The Elder Scrolls V

Cold sea water slowly touches the sneakers.

You open your eyes abruptly.

Your head is pounding, your clothes are soaking wet, and the enormous stone bridge leading to Solitude looms over you. A sea breeze carries the scent of salt and seaweed, and somewhere high above you can hear the dull creaking of wooden carts. You don't remember how you ended up here.

And the worst thing is... You recognize this place. Skyrim. The real one.

At first, you think it's a dream. Or a prank. Or the aftermath of a hard impact, like an accident. But then you hear a low, hoarse growl.

Several horkers slowly emerge from behind the coastal rocks. Their small, dark eyes are already looking straight at you. One slams its tusks against the rock, the second begins to crawl forward heavily, and the others follow.

You turn and run.

Stones slide underfoot. The cold air stings my lungs. Behind me, I hear the splashing of water and the heavy snoring of pursuing animals.

Ahead, you spot a narrow passage leading into a small cave. Without a second thought, you rush inside, squeezing between the walls, catching your clothes on sharp corners, clinging to the walls with your hands. Only when you find yourself in the darkness and confines of the small cave do you realize the horkers haven't followed you.

Your heart pounds so hard it drowns out your thoughts. You slowly slide down the wall onto the cold stone floor, clutching your head in your hands. Your body shivered from the dank cold and your wet clothes, gradually becoming stiff from the freezing air.

"This is simply impossible..."

A completely absurd thought pops into my head. The same one that comes to a person who has spent hundreds of hours in the game and seemingly earned every possible achievement.

"If this really is Skyrim... Then it turns out..."

You close your eyes. You take a deep breath. And, folding your hands in a prayerful gesture, deep in your soul you pray for salvation, for a return home.

But a familiar black window with a blinking, translucent keyboard flashes before you. A thin, blinking line awaits your first command.