Eve Snow completed the Preliminary Level, Level 0: AnteRoom with little to no difficulty and received a few rewards. Though, it was not much but the increase in her experience points (EXP) from 0 to 40 points was still noteworthy since the EXPs will come in very handy as she goes along.
Now known as Eve Nyx in the world of Alderix, her journey in this universe was about to begin.
<< The Gates of Alderix Have Opened Up To You >>
Eve was delighted with the notification she newly received. A vertical rift appeared in the vast space of nature that was the form of the AnteRoom. Initially starting a single straight line that ran down to the ground from the sky, the rift started to widen, creating more space inside it and distorting the structure of the A-Room.
Inside the blackened rift, Eve could see a dot of light that was slowly expanding and reaching closer to her as if it was trying to escape. The dot of light got so closer and closer and when it reached the mouth of the rift in space, it exploded into branches of blinding light, overwhelming the space within the A-Room and briefly stealing vision away from Eve Nyx.
Eve quickly put her hand over her eyes to block off further rays of light until the surrounding felt less bright. She shook her head and blinked a few times to try and clear her blurred vision.
"What is this light?"
<< Welcome, Eve Nyx >>
A voice called out to her from within the rift as though it wanted her to enter the unknown path.
"Synapse, what is this?"
She called onto her Synapse for aid and understanding while rubbing her eyes.
<< It's The Gate Of Alderix >>
<< Gates Of Alderix: >>
<< The Gates of Alderix are formless pathways and portals that serve as the main doorways into the world of Alderix. The Gates of Alderix can only be accessed when a player has completed the Preliminary Level, Level 0: AnteRoom >>
"So that's one of the Gates of Alderix. Wasn't what I was expecting."
<< To Continue To The Next Stage, Player Must Proceed Through The Gates Of Alderix >>
"I know that. It's not like you guys made it optional to proceed or not."
Eve sighed, adjusted her attire and walked into the colossal portal that had opened up to her. She continued to walk until she disappeared into the light, only then did the Gates of Alderix close and the rift disappear, leaving the A-Room as it was before the distortion.
....
....
Anna impatiently tapped her fingers on her table and her feet on the floor while frequently glancing at her watch.
Her impatience did not go unnoticed as a young man walked up to her and placed his hand on the chair opposite her.
Anna's eyes glanced at the stranger's hand and her gaze travelling from there until it reached his face. He was a young man and if Anna was to guess his age, he would be somewhere between his late twenties and early thirties.
He was tall, slender and handsome and what peaked his appearance in front of Anna was the glasses he wore along with his corporate attire. Anna loved it when men dressed to impress and shirts and ties did it for her, but the moment right now was not about her wild, deep and unexplored fantasies.
"Do you mind?" the young man asked for the third time.
Anna was gazing at him shamelessly and blinked a few times before realising that he asked her a question already.
"Sure. I do," she blurted out.
She immediately covered her mouth and turned her face away as she turned red. That was not what she wanted to say but her shameless crush on fine men had gotten the best of her.
She turned back and quickly corrected herself.
"No. I mean you can sit. I don't mind."
"Well, thank you."
The young man pulled the chair back, sat down and leaned back on it.
"I was beginning to think you wanted to walk me out."
"Why would I do that?" Anna asked.
She sipped her coffee from a closed cup with a straw and moved her eyes around to everywhere else except the man's face. She could not look him in the eyes, not those damned blue eyes of his.
He stretched his hand over the table to shake her as she was looking away.
"Forgive me, I'm Mark. What's your name?"
"A-Anna."
"If you don't mind, can I ask why you're alone here? Just that I noticed you've been here for a while now."
Anna smirked. "You've been stalking me, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and sighed, her obsession had failed her again. No case of stalking should be addressed in such a sensual tone. If truly he was stalking her, she should be irritated but that was not the case, Anna was enjoying her new company.
Mark chuckled and shook his head.
"No, no. That's not the case, Anna," he said before pointing to the building close to the cafe, the Neu-Ron company building.
"I work there, so I could notice you seeing how everywhere is made of glass."
Anna nearly spewed the coffee in her mouth. She blinked more times than usual and her eyes gaped at Mark as he spoke.
"You work there?"
Mark laughed. "Why are you so surprised? Are people not supposed to work there?"
"It's not there. I just did not expect it."
Mark called for the waiter before shifting his attention back to Anna.
"You're funny, Anna. I like that in my women."
Anna's blood raced and her heart dropped into her stomach with Mark's words. She had planned, at first, to be hostile towards him since he was a stranger but the young man was ready and armed with words that were strong enough to break down her walls.
His flirting weakened her to the knees and made her more receptive to him and their little first meeting of chance turned into their first date.
....
....
Meanwhile, at the shack the Snows called home.
Seth was immersed in the graphic book with black and white colouring that he was reading.
As he flipped the last black and white page, Seth signed and closed the book.
"They are on break next week?" he complained.
"Damn it! Now I have to wait for two weeks. Argh!"
He brood over it and shook his head. Although disappointed, he was amazed by one of the characters in the last chapter of the story.
"Damn, Gojo Satoru is strong. What the hell!"
He had just finished the recently released volume of the manga classic, Jujutsu Kaisen. Seth preferred to read the old manga classic because, in his opinion, they had better stories and were crafted with patience as an ingredient for their storytelling and worldbuilding.
He could not just get enough of them but the downside was that getting hold of the classics was a difficulty task, and the stores that had them put them up in batches so they could make as much money as possible.
"Next chapter is in two weeks, guess I have to wait for them to publish it. Well, till then, I still have to catch up on One Piece."
He dropped the manga volume on the table, beside his phone and picked up his phone instead. He dialled Eve's number again and still could not reach her.
He dropped the phone and got up to cover his sleeping brother, Adam, with a blanket so he doesn't catch a cold.
"It's 5:30 pm and she's not back yet, and no calls. That's unlike Eve."
Meanwhile, unknown men were in the Snow's neighbourhood snooping around with the pictures of the three Snow siblings: Eve, Adam and Seth.