Jesse opened his eyes and moaned in satisfaction after transferring from hard, cold ground to a soft bed. He took off the headset and placed it beside him on the bed.
Pinching his nose bridge, he sat up and glanced to the side.
“Ah!” He suddenly exclaimed and touched his chest, feeling the beating heart. “You shouldn’t scare me like that, Emma.”
“U-u-uh.” Emma stuttered as she stood beside the bed.
She had been standing there for a while, watching Jesse lay on the bed with a headset over his head.
She then opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing his eyes look at hers, she lowered her head and escaped behind the bookshelf.
Like before, it couldn’t hide her body entirely.
“Was there something you wanted to say to me?” Jesse asked and sat on the edge of the bed.
He rubbed his stomach, feeling hungry.
“M-mom and dad told me to come… to invite you for dinner!” Emma said and rushed towards the door.
After opening it and stepping outside the room, she hid behind the corner and peeked with only her head showing. 𝐎𝐯𝐥xt.𝗇t
Jesse looked at the hiding little girl with a smile.
“Y-you…” Emma bit her lip and asked. “Are you playing Martial Online?”
“Yeah, I am,” Jesse replied, nodding his head.
“D-do you like it?” She asked.
“Yeah, I love it.” Jesse replied honestly.
“O-ok.” Emma then ran away, her footsteps fading into the distance.
Jesse scratched his head, went to the bathroom, and from there, he moved out of the room and soon reached the dining hall.
Anna and Jack had already sat down with Emma, while Zach was nowhere to be seen.
After he also sat down, Jesse realized he had forgotten his phone in the bedroom. He then shook his head and didn’t care.
Instead, he grabbed a fork and knife and began eating.
“Anna, are you going on a stable tomorrow?” Jack asked while cutting a piece of steak.
Anna smiled and softly nodded. ” Yes, I am going horseback riding tomorrow.”
Jack nodded, then wiped his lips with a napkin and turned to look at his son. “What about you, Jesse? Any plans tomorrow?”
Jesse shook his head. “Not really.”
“What if you go with Anna?” Jack said and looked at his wife. Anna smiled and nodded, eager to spend time with Jesse tomorrow.
“To horseback riding?” Jesse’s expression looked conflicted. “I don’t know how, though.”
“I can teach you,” Anna offered. “Don’t you want to spend more time outside without having to sit in a wheelchair? Horseback riding is fun, feeling the wind in your hair as you move through beautiful landscapes.”
“I guess… it sounds nice.” Jesse said, thinking about it. He often didn’t go outside when it was absolutely necessary, and these days, he only spends half an hour exercising before having to return once his legs start to ache.
On the back of the horse, he wouldn’t have that issue.
“Then that is settled!” Anna clapped her hands excitedly. “We’ll get you a horse that you like!”
‘I don’t think I really need to know how to horseback ride, but I guess I don’t have anything else to do.’ Jesse thought to himself, not yet aware that his decision would greatly help him soon.
…
“So, this is where Redheart is being held?” SweetieHell leaned against a side of the shop, looking towards the tall tower. “That fool.”
“…” Cerberus narrowed his eyes. “We know the date. In five days, he will be freed. He can’t escape us now that we know the time and place where he will appear.”
“What will we do till then?” Arsenal asked while smoking a cigarette.
Cerberus looked around the streets, saw many passing players from Amaterasu, and smiled mischievously. “Well, we hadn’t had time to grind levels during our hunt.
“There are a lot of players in here, which means plenty to hunt!”
“Finally!” Arsenal spat out the cigarette and grinned. “I wanted you to say that!”
The members of Zahhak smiled and walked away with their dark cloaks fluttering behind them.
The insignia of a three-headed dragon on the back of their cloaks brought an air of mystery and power to their presence.
That insignia, in the following days, would become infamous in Amaterasu.
Zahhak had come to Amaterasu.
…
The following day, Anna and Jesse gathered in the stables. It was much larger than he expected, with dozens of high-quality horses and personal caretakers.
Anna wore low-heeled leather boots with a tailored long sleeve blouse and riding jacket.
With her hair tied into a ponytail, she looked very lovely, mature, and elegant, like a queen who had come to enjoy her hobby—horseback riding.
She effortlessly commanded attention and exuded a sense of grace and confidence.
Jesse, on the other hand, stood with his arms crossed while looking around the stables.
He was wearing Jack’s old horseback riding outfit that was rather tight, but it was better than a casual outfit.
“These are all our horses.” Anna said and led Jesse to the largest stall, where a majestic black stallion stood proudly. “His name is Midnight, and he is one of our strongest horses.”
Jesse looked at the black stallion and felt a sense of arrogance and confidence from him. He didn’t think he would fit him.
“Maybe someone else?” He suggested.
Anna smiled and nodded, then showed another horse from a neighboring stall. This time it was a white stallion with a snow-white mane and a calm demeanor.
“Who is he?”
“He’s our newest addition to the stable,” Anna replied. “His name is Snowflake.”
“Why that name?” Jesse asked, as it sounded very womanly.
Anna giggled and looked at her new stepson. “You can name him, if you want.”
Jesse tapped his chin thoughtfully, considering the perfect name for the horse.
“Uhh, perhaps I will name him Arion.”
“Arion, does that have a specific meaning?” Anna asked curiously.
“Yes, Arion is divine-bred and known for his exceptional speed and beauty,” Jesse explained with a smile. “In the mythology, he was black-maned, though, but I like that name.”
“Hmm, it sounds nice.” Anna smiled and then opened the stall before guiding Arion out of it and leading him out of the stables to the training ground.
The training ground was covered by a wooden fence, and it was mainly to teach newcomers the art of horseback riding.
Guiding the horse, Anna made Arion lay down on the ground, making it easy for anyone to hop on top of it.
She then returned to the stable, bringing with her a saddle, saddle pad, and girth.
After putting them on the horse, without Arion showing any reaction, she turned to Jesse and said. “Hop in. I will guide the horse for you. Just get the feeling for it.”
“Alright…” Jesse took a deep breath and gently sat on the saddle. The feeling of sitting on the horse’s back was quite nerve-wracking, as he didn’t feel like he had any control.
Anna then guided the horse to stand up, grabbed the reins, and smiled at Jesse. “Alright, hold tight.”
The horse slowly began galloping circles around the field, making Jesse’s heart beat faster and faster.
After several circles, Anna gave the reins to Jesse and smiled. “Try it for yourself. Take it very slowly; I will be right beside you in case something happens.”
“R-right.” Jesse grabbed the reins, thankful for her stepmother’s kindness, and felt more confident after having an expert at horseback riding beside him.
He then sat like a wooden doll on top of the saddle while holding the reins. He didn’t want to make any abrupt movements in case the horse got frightened.
Arion slowly began galloping faster as he continued circling around the field. Anna had to start jogging to keep up with him.
“Try to slow down!” Anna shouted behind him, but the horse kept picking up the pace.
“Sssshit.” Jesse grabbed the reins tightly and accidentally pulled them, causing the horse to start galloping forward towards the wooden fence. His eyes bulged. “Oh shit!”
“Stop pulling the reins!” Anna shouted, her beautiful face changing shades.
“Jump, jump, jump!” Jesse shouted and wished for Arion to listen.
When the wooden fence was within arms reach, Arion leaped majestically over the fence and landed gently on the other side.
He slowed down and stopped moving while neighing.
“Hahahaha…” Jesse erupted into uncontrollable laughter. “That was almost as thrilling as skydiving. I could have died, hahahah!”
“Jesse!” Anna jumped over the fence and looked at the laughing young man with a pout. “That was not funny!”
“Hahahaha…” Jesse covered his face and shook his head with a grin. “Ahhh, yeah, that was pretty exciting.”
Anna’s cheeks swelled as she pouted more and put her hands on her waist to show her displeasure. “You could’ve gotten hurt. That was not fun at all!”
“I am sorry; I didn’t mean to worry you.” Jesse looked at his stepmother and smiled. “I think I got this. Want to get your horse and check out those beautiful landscapes you talked about?”
“You got it?” Anna looked at him in surprise. No one she had met had learned horseback riding this soon. It was unnaturally fast. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Jesse caressed Arion’s mane as he neighed powerfully. “Arion is a good horse. He will help me.”
“Alright then.” Anna smiled and hopped over the fence. “I will go get my horse. Do you think you can keep up?”
Jesse gave a confident nod and replied, “I know Arion can keep up with any horse.”