Two horses, one white-maned and another blond-maned, galloped through a thin forest filled with vibrant autumn leaves.
The horses exited the forest and raced up a hill.
At the top of the hill, the horses neighed in triumph, their manes flowing in the wind.
A beautiful landscape opened up in front of them, showing cloud-splitting mountains, flowing rivers, and beautiful forests.
Across the mountains, a colorful rainbow stretched across the sky, adding to the breathtaking view.
The vibrant colors of the rainbow reflected off the clear waters of the flowing rivers.
The scene looked like it was taken straight from a painting.
“This is my favorite place to get away from everything.” Anna said with a relaxed smile. “I come here whenever I need to find peace and tranquility.
“The sound of the water rushing and the beauty of nature never fail to calm my mind.
“It’s like a little piece of heaven on earth.”
“It is indeed beautiful.” Jesse agreed while taking in the sights with a relaxed look.
Anna inhaled the fresh air and let out a happy sigh.
She then glanced at Jesse and wanted to take this moment to have a slightly more serious conversation.
“How have you been doing?”
“Hmm, what do you mean?” Jesse opened his eyes and glanced at his beautiful stepmother.
She looked very serious, even with the smile on her face.
“A lot of things have happened to you recently. I just wanted to check in if you are alright, because it can mess up even with a saint’s head.”
“I am fine, truly.” Jesse replied with a reassuring tone. “I’ve been through some tough times lately, but luckily, I have something that keeps me sane. Without that, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“What is it?” Anna asked curiously.
“It might sound silly, but it’s Martial Online.” Jesse chuckled. When he said it out loud, he realized it was indeed quite silly. “It is silly, but to be able to live like a proper person is my saving grace.”
“Like a proper person…” Anna sighed and turned to look at the rainbow. “You and Jack are very similar. You two treat Humanoid Imperfecta as weakness.”
“Is it not?” Jesse asked.
“At first glance, it might seem like a weakness.” Anna sighed. “That’s why it’s called “Humanoid Imperfecta,” as if you are an imperfect human being.
“However, isn’t every human imperfect in their own way?” She turned to look at her stepson with a smile. “We all have our flaws, and that’s what makes us unique and beautiful.
“I think Humanoid Imperfecta has one of the biggest strengths.
“Their ability to embrace and enjoy life’s beauty way more than anyone else can.” Anna spread her arms around as if she were trying to hug the world around her. “Unlike others, they see the beauty in every little detail and truly appreciate it after a lifetime of suffering.
“They have learned to find joy in the simplest of things.”
Jesse looked at her with a stunned expression. After a while, he chuckled and asked.
“Are you perhaps a philosopher?”
Anna giggled and covered her mouth. “What made you think that? Did I perhaps sound smart? Believe it or not, I practiced this speech last night.”
“What you said is truly thought provoking.” Jesse said with a smile and looked towards the arched rainbow. “Maybe you are right. Does father play Martial Online?”
“No.” Anna shook her head. “He doesn’t want to, as he has already embraced his disease and learned to live with it.”
“Oh.” Jesse nodded, but he wanted to show his father that magical world.
“Ah, by the way.” Anna raised her finger and cheekily smiled. “Can you call me mother? Please, at least once. You call Jack as father, so it’s only fair.”
Jesse looked at her and showed his tongue. “Mother, happy?”
“Yay!” Anna laughed and clapped her hands. “Now we can officially be a family!”
Jesse rolled his eyes and sighed with a smile. He then looked at the horse below him and said, “Arion has been a little bit fidgety lately. Is he hungry, perhaps?”
“I suppose we have been out longer than expected.” Anna pulled the reins and turned around. “Shall we return?”
“Yup.” Jesse turned the horse around, and they started heading back to the stable through the thin forest.
While their horses ran beside each other, Anna turned to her stepson and said. “About the Martial Online. Emma is also playing it rather actively.”
“Oh, really?” Jesse replied, intrigued. He didn’t expect that little girl to also play it.
Then he remembered that the game might not be the safest for her and became a little bit worried.
“If anything happens to Emma in there, can you promise me that you will keep her safe?” Anna asked with a serious tone.
Jesse looked at his new mother and nodded firmly. “Of course.”
Anna smiled sweetly. “Great. Let’s race back to the stables!”
With her blond-maned horse below her, she took off at a gallop, leaving Jesse to follow behind.
“Arion, a bucket of carrots will be waiting for you back in the stables.” Jesse whispered in his horse’s ear.
As if Arion understood, he also picked up pace and started slowly catching up to the blond-maned horse.
…
As the moon appeared in the bright, starry sky, Jesse returned to his room and took off his clothes, then grabbed sweatpants and shirt before plopping down on the bed.
It had been very long day.
“Cheater…” Jesse thought with a chuckle.
He lost the race as Anna used a shortcut he was not aware of. Therefore, he narrowly missed out on the victory.
After returning to the mansion, they had dinner and a lengthy conversation with Jack on the balcony that oversaw the entirety of their land. 𝐎𝐯𝐥xt.𝗇t
“Yawn…” He rubbed his eyes as the fatigue started to catch up to him. However, he didn’t want to sleep yet.
He began wondering what he should do tomorrow.
“Again, horseback riding? Perhaps not.” Jesse pursed his lips and was conflicted because, without Martial Online, his life was very dull. “Spend a whole day watching videos about Martial Online? Perhaps I can learn something new.
“Or start a new TV show and try to waste time till I am freed from prison.” He put his legs up to point at the ceiling. “Not sure if I want to do that.”
Jesse couldn’t even spend time with his new parents because they would be going out to visit Nocklund.
They have very busy lives, and only because of him have they taken some time off work.
“With Zach? Nah, he is going to school, and I am pretty certain he hates me.” Jesse scratched the back of his head.
It was the first time he had a brother.
“What about Emma? She most likely doesn’t want to.
“Therefore, training it is.”
Jesse chuckled, even though it sounded boring.
“I haven’t seen all this mansion has to offer, so I can also spend tomorrow looking around. Then, find a place to train my swordsmanship.”
He thought it sounded like a plan, and then he pulled out his phone from his pocket to see if there was anything special in the forums.
However, what he saw in there truly shocked him to the core.
At the top of the forums, a colorful post caught his attention. It was all written in capital letters.
[FIRST MARTIAL ONLINE UPDATE COMING TOMORROW NIGHT!]
