A black sedan drove into the garage of Rothsmith Estate. The garage doors slowly closed.
In the back seat of the car, Jack flipped through a newspaper and sighed.
“Martial Company has truly taken the world by storm.” Jack said and folded the newspaper. “Luckily, our company invested in their company before they released their product.
“Now, everyone wants a piece of the pie.”
“Isn’t this dangerous?” Anna asked curiously. “The world’s economic state will change abruptly. Who knows what the consequences will be?
“At first, Martial Online was fun and all, something to enjoy and have fun with. But now, you can earn money by playing. There are jobs that don’t even require any qualifications or experience.
“Does anyone have to go to school anymore?”
“That is something to be concerned about.” Jack said and crossed his arms. “There had already been a few who had resigned from my company suddenly. It could be coincidence, but I feel like a storm is brewing in the distance.”
“Perhaps we should make a branch of our company in the game?” Anna suggested. “We should jump on this opportunity before its too late.”
“Yeah, but the problem is the workforce.” Jack sighed. “I wouldn’t want to leave it in the hands of inexperienced people.”
Anna also nodded, but she was certain that the future lay with Martial Online. There might be a future where Martial Online ruled the entire world’s economic state.
The door of the garage then opened, and Sebastian hurried inside.
“Master, Mistress!” Sebastian opened the door for them.
“What is happening, Sebastian?” Jack asked while standing up with the help of his walking cane. “I feel a sense of urgency within your tone.”
“I think something has happened to young masters!”
“Huh?” Jack and Anna looked surprised before turning very serious. “What happened? Tell me everything!”
…
Zach and Jesse were called from their rooms for “interrogation.”
They stood silently in a room that looked like a cozy living room with plush furniture and soft lighting. The fireplace had a fire on, emitting gentle warmth and light. There was also a wooden table with two long benches right beside the window that overlooked the nearby forest and garden.
It looked like a room in a cozy cottage, but instead of being in a cottage, it was situated on the third floor.
“When father called, he sounded angry.” Zach whispered. “I wonder if they found out about what happened.”
“They haven’t,” Jesse said with certainty. “Sebastian must’ve informed them because you looked hurt, and I hurried him to leave. I think they are only concerned.”
“What will I say to them?” Zach asked, as he was not very good at lying. He had managed to hide the fact that he was bullied by keeping up his quiet demeanor.
“Nothing. Let’s just act normally, and I am sure they will drop their concern.” Jesse then put his fist forward as if he were asking for a fist bump. “Brothers keep care of each other. We also keep our secrets safe.”
Zach looked at the fist before smiling and fist bumping with him. “Alright!”
Creak—the door then opened, and Jack and Anna arrived with concern evident on their faces. Once the door closed, only four of them were left in the cozy room.
“Alright, what happened?” Jack went straight to the point. “Zach, Sebastian said you were holding your stomach as if you were in pain, and Jesse, why did you want to leave the school so quickly?”
“U-uh, I think I-I had a stomach ache.” Sebastian stammered over his words and awkwardly scratched his head.
Jack narrowed his eyes and turned to his other son.
“Jesse, what happened?” Anna asked gently. The warmth and gentleness of her voice made Jesse relax.
“I…” Jesse sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I saw my sister, Holly.” 𝒩𝚘𝓋𝗅𝒩xt.𝐂𝑂
“Oh…” Jack turned silent, completely forgetting about the fact that she was at the same school as his son. He was aware of the strained relationship between Jesse and his sister.
Anna covered her mouth and looked guilty. If she had known, she would have thought of another way of getting her sons to get along with each other.
“Yeah, after seeing Zach having some stomach aches, I saw my sister, and I kind of wanted to get out of there and get some medicine for him.” Jesse cooked up a quick lie. “Sorry for worrying you two.”
“It’s alright.” Jack then looked at Zach. “Are you alright, son? I could check on you.”
Jack had a degree in medicine and could easily determine if Zach needed any immediate medical attention. However, that would mean he would easily find out about his bruises and determine what had happened.
“Oh, I am fine now!” Zach hurriedly said. “I must’ve eaten something bad during lunch.”
Jesse resisted cheering at the great excuse. However, he began to hope that he didn’t rub some bad influences on his little brother.
“Very well.” Jack nodded.
“Now that you two are in the same room,” Anna said, holding her hands in a tight grip and putting them against her chest. “Please get along. We are now a family, and it’s important that we support and care for each other.”
“I understand, mother.” Zach nodded and looked his mother in the eye. “I promise to get along with Jesse.”
Anna heaved a sigh of relief and smiled gently. “That’s good. Today, servants have made us food, and we can all sit down together as a family. I already sent a message to Emma.”
As Jack and Anna opened the door and walked out while holding hands, Zach approached Jesse and whispered. “Did I do good?”
“You did excellent.” Jesse gave a thumbs up. “Even I believed your story.”
Zach nodded with a sense of accomplishment and a smile on his face.
…
Nocklund, 18 Cavern Street.
Slam!
Holly slammed the door shut as she stormed inside the house.
“What is the meaning of this ruckus?!” Terry closed his newspaper in anger and saw his daughter storming inside the house. “Holly, don’t you know how to close the door properly?!”
“What is going on?” Maria walked from upstairs with a concerned look on her face.
Holly looked at her parents and spitefully said. “I met Jesse today at school.”
Maria’s eyes widened in surprise, and her heart began beating in nervousness.
“Huh, what was he doing there?” Terry asked with a frown.
“That doesn’t matter, but one thing does.” Holly dropped her school backpack to the ground and said, “He said something very interesting. Apparently, you two gave off custody!”
“What kind of nonsense are you spewing?” Terry scoffed and turned his head back to the newspaper. “Jesse has already become an adult, yet he acts like a child. Is he now throwing a tantrum and acting like we still aren’t his parents on paper?
“Hmph, truly pathetic.”
“I don’t think he was lying.” Holly laughed mockingly. “He is now apparently Rothsmith, Zach’s brother. Even Zach called him his brother, so it’s either you lying or both of them!”
“Rothsmith?” Terry frowned before exclaiming in shock. “There is a Rothsmith in your school? Why did you never tell me?”
“What does that matter?” Holly frowned.
Terry slammed the newspaper down and shouted. “Fool! The Rothsmith family is one of the leading figures in this nation!
“You could’ve used that as an advantage to get close to Zach!”
“You want me to act like a prostitute?” Holly’s face turned cold. “Did you miss everything I said? Apparently Jesse is now Rothsmith!”
“He lied!” Terry waved it off. “That bastard is only seeking attention. I don’t know how he befriended this Zach boy, but you have to do the same!
“I don’t care what it takes. You will get him to sleep with you, or you will be thrown out of the house like Jesse!”
“T-Terry.” Maria shook her head hesitantly.
“Quiet!” Terry snapped and sat back down on his reclining chair. “End of the conversation!”
Holly gritted her teeth and stomped upstairs. The angry footsteps echoed throughout the house.
Maria sighed and quietly left the room.
Terry scoffed and flipped through the newspaper.
…
At Nocklund’s Main Hospital.
“Ah!” A shocked scream reverberated across a hospital room.
Westlund sat up with cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
“Oh, please be quiet!”
A voice came from a nearby bed.
Westlund’s fearful eyes turned to the right, and there he saw red-haired Marty with his forehead bandaged.
“I have a massive headache…” Marty groaned in pain and laid on his side as he tried to return to sleep.
“M-Marty, what happened?” Westlund asked with a fearful tone. He looked around the hospital room and imagined the cold-eyed young man walking out of the door with the broken pointing stick in hand.
“We got beaten up; that’s what happened.” Marty asked with a groan. “Anyway, what the hell happened to you? You only got stabbed, yet you passed out and screamed like you were a dying crow!”
“T-that…” Westlund grabbed his bandaged shoulder and shuddered in fear. “Pain… it was inhumane. That guy is a monster. He inflicted me with the worst pain imaginable!”
“Dude, you only got stabbed.” Marty rolled his eyes.
“Y-you don’t understand. It felt like all my veins were on fire!”
“Crybaby.” Marty scoffed and then turned to look at the ceiling. “Should we get revenge? Let’s teach him a lesson he will never forget. He has Humanoid Imperfecta, so we only need one good hit for him to shit his pants.”
“No, no!” Westlund covered his head. “I don’t want to see that monster ever again!”
“Hey man, calm down!” Marty screamed.
“No, no, no!” Westlund cried as he curled up in a ball on the bed, trembling with fear. “I don’t want to see him ever again!”
“Nurse!” Marty screamed, and then the door opened as several nurses rushed inside and tried to calm the young man down.
‘What the hell happened to him?’ Marty asked, while the nurses had to tie Westlund to the bed so he wouldn’t hurt himself. ‘I have seen Westlund get hurt before, but I have never seen him like this.’
Westlund screamed and tried to break through the restraints, his eyes filled with a wild and desperate fear. The nurses looked helpless and wondered where the young man was looking.
He looked straight out of the square-shaped window, his eyes trembling in terror.
Outside, a shadowy figure blanketed the sky in darkness. The figure held a black sword that looked like it was made of shadows, and its eyes were dark blue and filled with an otherworldly glow.
The shadowy face dispersed, and from the black smoke, a pale face appeared with black hair and fleshless cheeks. It looked like a person who had crawled from hell. Its large body covered the entire sky as if its massive body could wrap around the world.
However, the face bore a great resemblance to Jesse!
When the nurses looked outside, they saw nothing but bustling streets and a sunny sky.
Only Westlund managed to see the shadowy figure. It seemed to be a creature of immense power and darkness.
‘P-please, leave me alone.’ Westlund cried. ‘I promise I won’t touch Zach anymore. If I see anyone bullying him, I will teach them a lesson myself!
‘S-so please, leave me alone. Please!’
As if the shadowy figure heard his thoughts, a smile crept up on its face, and then the darkness dispersed and the massive body vanished to floating pixels as if it had never existed.
The rays of the sun welcomed Westlund to a new world, away from darkness.