Aelius came out of his neural pod with a sound that was half a gasp and half a curse.
"Motherfu-"
He stopped himself only because he'd already used up his breath getting out.
The pod's shell hissed open, silver-white and perfectly engineered. Aelius dragged a hand down his face, fingers catching on damp hair. His temples still throbbed with phantom pain from a death that happened just a moment ago, claws the size of daggers, black mist rolling like furnace smoke, and that golden aura that had turned every rabbit and lizard into an almost unbreakable wall.
He glanced at his holowatch.
07:01
His eye twitched.
"Are you kidding me?" he hissed, voice raw. "It's only seven in the morning!"
He stared at the number in a daze, irritation building up.
"It's only been seven hours since respawn reset," he muttered, anger rising again. "Seven hours!"
As if time itself had insulted him personally.
He swung his legs out of the pod and stood, bare feet meeting cool floor, body still half expecting damp grass and the stench of monsters. Instead he got polished stone and a penthouse that could've hosted a gala for hundreds of people.
His robe expensive, soft, woven from the finest thread money could buy fell around him in heavy folds. He jabbed the call icon on his holo-watch.
Within ninety seconds the double doors hissed open. A procession of maids entered in perfect formation, led by the head maid, an elegant mature woman whose posture could shame a palace guard in fantasy novels.
They moved like they had practiced this exact route a thousand times stepping over empty wine bottles, sidestepping scattered envelopes and crumpled luxury packaging without even looking down. The faint clink of glass under careful heels was the only sound that betrayed the minefield of Aelius's room.
"Good morning, Heir," the head maid greeted with a flawless bow, as if the mess on the floor was normal sight.
Aelius exhaled through his nose.
"I need a bath," he ordered.
A pause, just long enough to register the clipped tone then:
"As you wish."
They moved like clockwork. Somewhere, water began to run with a low, comforting roar.
Two maids flanked him after putting on soft footwear on him. As he walked the marble corridor to the private bathroom wing. The moment the heavy doors closed behind them, gentle hands removed his expensive silk robes and slipped a soft bathrobe over his shoulders.
The bathroom was a cathedral of luxury. At its center sat a sunken pool the size of a small lake, ringed by white-veined marble and golden fixtures that gleamed under crystal chandeliers. Steam curled lazily from the water, scented with rare blue lotus and sandalwood. Floating rose petals drifted across the surface like crimson stars on a midnight sea. Soft ambient music played from hidden speakers, and floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city, dawn light just beginning to paint the sky gold.
Aelius let the bathrobe fall. He stepped into the steaming water and sank down until only his head remained above the surface. The heat seeped into every sore muscle, every phantom ache from the forest beatdown.
The head maid stood gracefully at the edge and bowed slightly. "The usual, Heir?" she asked, already gesturing for the maids to fetch the wine. After all, she had never seen him eat unless forced by Mr. and Mrs. Linkon.
Aelius stared at the drifting petals.
For a moment his mind automatically reached for the familiar battlefield. The black lizard twice the size it had been yesterday, black mist pouring off its scales like living smoke. Then the golden wave had hit, feeding the darkness instead of fighting it, turning every rock throw into a precision strike and every rabbit into a sturdy shield. One-way slaughter. Roxana's team had still slipped through during the chaos, but to be honest Aelius doesn't have much hope in them; they had already been running on fumes when the battle started due to the long march. Hoping that they survive the pursuing monsters is really too optimistic.
"Those despicable monsters!" he growled under his breath. "Always attacking when we're the most exhausted!"
He came out of the memory with his jaws gritted.
Remembering how the thirst has slowed down his thoughts, how hunger made his body refuse commands he slowly shook his head as he answered the head maid.
"No," he said slowly.
The head maid's professional mask held, but her brows lifted a fraction just a hair's breath of surprise.
Aelius continued, voice flat. "Make something I can actually eat. Preferably dishes made of chickens… rabbits…" He hesitated for a second, hatred flashing in his eyes. "…and lizards. Make some lizard dishes. And bring snake wine too."
The head maid's eyes widened for the second time, so quickly it was almost invisible. As a maid she would never question the heir's tastes. Not to mention how rare it is for him to actually eat something. As long as the dishes were made with the finest ingredients and posed no risk to his health, she would serve them even if he suddenly demanded a human.
"As you wish," she said smoothly, turning with a small gesture. "Prepare a meal."
The maids scattered into motion.
The head maid stayed behind him, hands folded, silent as a shadow.
Aelius sank lower into the pool until the water touched his jaw. In his mind the forest replayed on loop. Different strategies, different timings… but to his dismay he couldn't find a single flaw in the monsters' coordination. They were just too good.
His fist clenched beneath the water in rage… and something else.
A strange, sharp excitement flickered through him, hot and alive in a way he hadn't felt in years.
He was surprised by the foreign yet familiar feeling but didn't have the energy to analyze why.
He let the warmth swallow his limbs.
His thoughts slowed.
His breathing evened.
And before he realized it, he drifted.
…
The head maid watched the young man in the pool.
Watched his expression soften into something almost peaceful.
For years she had watched him move through life, from innocent and cheerful boy to a man who moved like a body performing obligations, drinking, spending, breathing, lusting, existing but never truly living. Since that accident… since that day everything changed… she had only seen him grow dimmer each year, like a candle starved of oxygen. If not for Mr. and Mrs. Linkon, she had doubted he would even be alive today.
But now…
Now there was something different on his face.
Not joy, not happiness yet.
But a drive. Like he had found something that fueled his will to live.
Her throat tightened.
Is it because of that game everyone talked about? Gaia Online.
She had known from the start that her young master was one of the rare few who got a spot.
But she hadn't expected it would give him back something she thought was gone. If she ever got a chance she could try her luck next time, maybe she could get a spot, that way she could take care of the heir even in games.
The head maid exhaled quietly, relief slipping out like a prayer.
"Madam… Milord…" she murmured under her breath, eyes lowering. "You can rest easy now."
…
"H…he…Heir."
Hearing vague words close to his ears, Aelius jolted awake so hard water splashed his shoulders.
His eyes snapped open, sharp and irritated.
The head maid stood behind him, calm as ever.
"Staying in water too long is not healthy for your body," she said gently. "Please consider getting out when you are ready."
Aelius blinked, then looked down at his own hands as if he had seen a ghost. He had actually slept? Without wine knocking him out? Without that usual nightmare?
"…How long was I asleep?" he asked, composing himself.
"One hour and two minutes."
Aelius widened his eyes slightly in surprise "That long?"
He stood. Water slid off him in sheets. Maids moved in immediately, towels, soft hands that never hesitated as they dried his body. His damp robe was taken away with reverence. A new bathrobe replaced it, warm and heavy.
As they adjusted the collar, the head maid spoke again.
"Additionally… Mr. and Mrs. Linkon has contacted you."
Aelius paused.
"…Lars and Mira? When?"
"Half an hour ago, Heir. Would you like to take the call during your meal?"
Aelius nodded. "Mm."
…
The dining room was an entire wing.
A long table stretched across polished floor. Dishes made exactly to his order steamed in front of him were roasted chicken with crispy skin, rabbit stew thick with herbs, grilled lizard tails glazed in a sweet-spicy sauce that smelled faintly, and a crystal decanter of snake wine glowing amber. Fruit cut into perfect shapes, fresh bread still warm from the oven.
Aelius's eyes flicked to the head of the table.
Empty.
It had been empty for a while.
His gaze dimmed for half a second.
Then he sat down not at the head, but at the side because sitting at the head felt like admitting something he didn't want a name for.
He picked up his fork and knife.
The holowatch chimed.
A hologram bloomed in front of him.
A burly man appeared first, hair wild, eyes half shut, rubbing his face like he was trying to erase sleep.
The moment he saw Aelius calmly slicing into a lizard tail, he froze then stood up with exaggerated posture and pointed.
"Holy shit!!" Lars shouted, suddenly wide awake. "MIRA! MIRA COME HERE! COME HERE!"
Aelius stabbed a piece of meat with unnecessary force feeling his irritation building up.
A white-haired woman stepped into view a second later with short hair, glasses slightly crooked like she'd put them on while running.
Mira stared at her husband in confusion.
Then her gaze shifted to Aelius.
Then to the dishes.
Then back to Aelius like she was watching an alien attempt human behavior.
Glancing at her husband with a barely concealed mischievous smile, she matched his exaggerated pose and pointed.
"…Who are you, Alien" she demanded with exaggerated tone, "and what did you do to our Aely!?"
Mira leaned closer. "Psst, Alien-kun, let's make a deal, you can possess our Aely every now and then if you keep eating like this. After all, he never eats on his own will!"
Lars lost it instantly. He wheezed, shoulders shaking.
Aelius paused mid-bite.
His irritation flared so hard it nearly killed his appetite.
"Motherfuckers," he snapped, chewing anyway like spite was seasoning. "Keep playing and I'll end the call."
Lars slapped a hand over his mouth, trying to smother laughter and failing miserably.
Mira cleared her throat, forcibly trying to look professional, but her trembling shoulders gave her away.
Noticing that Aelius might lash out again, she hurriedly pacified him.
"Okay, okay," she said quickly. "We'll stop. We'll stop."
Lars also calmed down, only his shoulders still shaking.
Aelius took another bite, eyes narrowing but deciding to let it go.
Mira adjusted her glasses, expression turning sharp as she changed the subject, fearing Aelius might actually stop the call and, worse, stop eating!
"Have you checked the official forum?"
Aelius's holowatch pinged as the hologram display shifted automatically.
[Community: Beta Access]
The page loaded.
Aelius's eye twitched with familiar disgust as he remembered the last time he looked at this cursed forum. His people were still tracking down that bastard who had called him a noob.
Then he saw the topic everyone was screaming about.
He clicked the top post of the day.
The thread expanded.
[HardCoreLevelingArcher]: Holy shit everyone did you see that huge fucking red ink in the sky? And those chains! I could see them from Village #10! Brothers and sisters care to share which village was that from?
[Six]: I'm from Novice Village #7. OP isn't lying. I could see them from here as well. Unfortunately it's not from our village.
[ThisSenpaiDreamsOfBunnyGirl]: What? There was such thing happening? No wonder my wife cough I mean the village chief suddenly left the main hall in the middle of teaching us meditation!
[INeedHealing]: Not from Novice Village #9 either. Also is there a healer who still needs a teammate? These grass monsters deal too much damage!
One by one, people reported from different villages. Their answers were similar: it was not from their village.
Then a familiar user came into view.
[ProGamer69]: HAHAHAHA! I knew it! It must be from our Novice Village #2! What did I say, fuckers?! Where's that bastard who kept calling us noobs yesterday? Come out!
[GoddessFeetsAreDelicate]: Brothers, our goddesses must have succeeded and triggered a hidden event!
[HardCoreLevelingArcher]: Damn could it be really you bunch from Village #2? For the first time I felt like my luck had failed me! There's nothing to do here except meditation and combat practice and picking up hidden quests once in a while!
[WhereMyHugsAt]: @HardCoreLevelingArcher Bro are you bragging or actually serious.
[JealousyABitch]: Although they triggered some type of event, all of them got wiped out two days in a row. That's two days worth of progress. And we all know that once you're behind you stay behind!
[JellyNBelly]: Brother, so what if they triggered an event? Besides it might not even be from Novice Village #2. There hasn't been a single eyewitness from those people just assumptions. Isn't it more realistic this is a world event since all of us noticed it?
The arguments spiraled.
Aelius read in silence, fist slowly tightening around his fork.
Could it really be from their village?
But… this JellyNBelly guy was right despite everyone from Novice Village #2 being convinced, not a single eyewitness had answered. Only assumptions. And Roxana had remained completely quiet no matter how many pings she got.
Aelius's mouth curled.
He glanced at Mira and Lars through the hologram.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Mira lifted a hand to her glasses, pushing them up with practiced precision.
"I think it might really be from our village," she said calmly. "And the fact that Roxana hasn't answered definitely means she's still alive and is the only one who might have made it inside."
Lars pumped his fist.
"Hahaha! Does that mean we will be spawning in the novice village tomorrow? Time to grind levels and show those lizards who's the boss!"
Aelius felt it too, a sharp spark in his chest.
Excitement.
The thoughts of beating up those mobs, especially that lizard made his fingers itch.
His appetite came roaring back like it had been waiting for permission.
He lowered his head and started eating like it was his last meal.
Across the hologram, Lars and Mira exchanged a look. A gentle smile spread on their lips.
Then, silently, they fist-bumped.
…
Back in Gaia.
Inside one of the rooms of the largest building in Novice Village #2.
A pink-haired girl frowned in her sleep.
Her hair sprawled across the pillow like ink, too perfect to be real, the kind of beauty that looked like a doll at first glance.
Beside the bed, under it, a soft, miserable sound was heard.
"Eeeek… mother… I'm so scared…"
A fox-eared girl trembled in the shadows, curled up like a potato sack.
Her ears were flattened. Her tail wrapped around her like a blanket that wasn't working.
Inahime squeezed her eyes shut.
Just a while ago the sky had cracked, not metaphorically, it had literally split! And scared her so badly her brain had short-circuited and thrown her under the bed.
And then, just when she thought she could breathe again, a red ink-like substance had appeared right in front of her village.
The pressure had been heavier than even that of her mother.
Heavier than anything that belonged in this backward, low-life-energy corner of the world.
There is a monster here.
A monster I can't beat.
Inahime's eyes stung, this was not what she signed up for!
She pressed her paws to her ears like she could block out reality.
"I want to go home," she whispered pitifully. "Wuwuwu…"
As if offended by her cowardice, her status panel blinked into existence.
[Quest: Receive and help the otherworlders and teach them a way to survive in this world - Incomplete]
Inahime's mouth twitched, tears welling up.
"…Naggy~" she muttered indignantly, voice still melodious even in despair.
She uncurled slowly, peeked out, ears snapping upright despite herself.
The window showed the village boundary shimmering peacefully.
No cracks.
No red ink.
No terrifying pressure.
Just silence, as if it was a normal morning.
Inahime swallowed.
Maybe… maybe that thing was just passing by.
Why would a monster like that stay in a place like this? There was practically no life energy here. Nothing worth taking at all!
Her chest loosened a little.
She crawled out from under the bed with the careful dignity of a princess pretending she hadn't just hidden like a terrified child.
Glancing at the sleeping girl briefly, she sighed in relief, the girl was still asleep.
She straightened her dress.
Smoothed her hair.
Cleared her throat twice like she was preparing to announce a royal decree.
Then she walked to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back: fox ears, orange tail with white tips, big adorable eyes… and a face that absolutely did not fit the image she wanted to be.
Inahime coughed again.
A playful, confident smile returned to her face as if it had never left.
She pumped a fist with puffed out chest.
"You got this, Inahime~" she whispered fiercely to herself. "What would mother do?"
She placed a finger to her lips, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Ara~"
She tilted her head.
"Did you have a good rest, otherworlder~?"
She paused and frowned.
"No no. That doesn't sound like mother at all."
She tried again, switching her posture like an actor on stage.
"Ara~ About time you woke up, little fox~"
She paused, a grin appearing on her face.
"That's perfect! That's exactly what mother would sound like!"
She struck a victory pose as she clapped happily.
"Good job Inahime~ Your mysterious mature image is not far off!"
As if struck by sudden inspiration she practiced more lines and poses she could use once the otherworlders arrived. With every sentence she got more and more excited, not noticing the passage of time at all.
Then she turned around and froze.
Because the girl who was supposed to be sleeping a moment ago…
Was up and staring at her.
Roxana's crimson-pink eyes were open, wide and amused.
Her mouth was slightly parted.
Inahime's own mouth opened.
Her ears slowly rose straight up like antennae catching incoming disaster.
Roxana blinked once.
Then slowly, the corners of her lips lifted.
A faint, amused smile.
Like she'd just found something entertaining.
"Fufufu~" Roxana murmured, voice soft and teasing even half-awake. "May I join the fun as well?"
Inahime's soul left her body.
"Noooooooooooooooo!" she screamed, collapsing on the spot. "My cool mysterious, cold and mature image!!"