@King_Saber a.k.a Luther blinked his eyes as he got adjusted to his natural surroundings. He was feeling the usual disorientation that came from returning of his senses from the game world.
"I have been playing Immortal World for the last 10 months. The game is set in a world where humans and demons exist. By using cultivation techniques they could gain wondrous power with which they could kill stronger demons The more demons they killed, the higher their levels reached and the greater their powers became. The end game storyline was about defeating the Demon King, the ultimate villain of the game world. It was predicted that only after 2-3 years would the player's power be strong enough to challenge the Demon King. Even then a coalition of thousands of fighters was needed to achieve the feet. But after I joined the games, the trajectory of the Immortal World experienced a sudden change. Long story short, within 10 months, my game character was strong enough to kill not only the demon lord but also 10,000 fighters that had attempted an ambush"
Luther removed the card from the game socket and stared at it absentmindedly his mind wandering until he looked at the Immortal World game card, "It's time to move on to another game. This game had become boring a few months back because no player was able to even face 3 of my moves. The reason I stuck to this game was to defeat the Demon King. I must admit he was strong, but once I had done enough preparation, there was no way I would lose the fight. The ambush was unexpected but it allowed me to witness the might of my combined saber attack. I am grateful to those guys for giving me a chance to witness the might of my strongest attack."
There was a gentle knock on his VR pod. Luther turned to look at his hardworking maid calling him out for dinner. He was reminded that he didn't live alone but had a maid who made food for him and attended to other chores he didn't need to do. She had been serving him for years but occasionally did he have a conversation with her. After the divorce and separation, he had become a recluse who didn't socialize and he became engrossed in the world of games. Days, months, and years passed by he didn't care or realize but the same maid made 3 meals of food every day and served it to his room. He felt like the least he could do was spend more time with her. After all, she must have felt lonely serving someone as boring as him.
Luther came out of the VR pod and headed to the dining room. Looking at the confused maid, he asked, "Madam, may I know your name?"
Sheela was surprised but was quick to recover, "Sheela, master."
Luther made a funny face after being called master but left it at that. "Sheela, I am free so I have decided to have my meal at the dining table. Please serve my food."
Sheela was so surprised that it took her longer to recover this time, "Yes, of course. Please give me a minute to prepare the dining table."
"Sure."
Sheela's mind worked furiously as she thought of many possiblities and then spoke up, "Master, please wait by the dining table as I serve the food."
Luther raised an eyebrow in curiosity but agreed to her strange request.
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Luther sat passively at the dining table waiting for Sheela to serve his meal. With nothing to do, he let his attention wander to his house. and he observed it closely after many years. With it came many painful memories he didn't like remembering, he was much older now but still hadn't fully recovered from his childhood trauma. It would take a much more drastic situation for it to change.
His house was located in an area known as 'Lower Premium'. It stood a step below the premium sectors of Genesis City. Lower Premium was affordable for those with a moderate income, residing between poverty and wealth. That didn't mean it was a bad sector to live in since it provided safety, unlike the economy sector where killing and ransacking others' houses was a common sight.
The house was at the top floor of an apartment with large square feet of space along with the rooftop also belonging to him. No one else was allowed there. This was the house his family lived in before the divorce. There was a kitchen, and 3 bedrooms (one of them converted to Luther's game room, the VR pod, its supply connection and other small projects he was involved in was down there. He had a different room for sleeping but generally, he slept in the game room because he was too tired to move to another room after work, Sheela used the third room), he had a telescope installed on the rooftop which he used occasionally when he felt very lonely. Stargazing brought him comfort, easing the pain.
The sound of a plate stopped Luther's random thoughts bringing his attention to Sheela.
"Master, for today's lunch I have prepared a multi-cuisine platter. The first dish is a plate of asparagus and the second an Indian cuisine. I hope you enjoy it."
Luther nodded, "Yes, of course. I will make sure to savour the taste for all the hard work you have put into preparing the meal."
Sheela couldn't help but smile, "Yes, Sir."
He picked up the asparagus trying it first, the food melted into his mouth as the taste spread through his mouth. It immediately made his mood better. He couldn't wait to try the second dish and dug into it. The dish exploded with flavours—spicy, sour, and sweet—all melding in his mouth. It made him moan in delight, such high quality was the taste of the dishes."
Luther was completely engrossed in his meal but once again Sheela called for his attention.
"Master, I hope you remember how important today is."
Luther replied with a confused look, "Why is today important?"
Sheela calmly answered, "Master, today is your father's birthday. As his son, you must meet with him today. You cannot avoid this."
Luther's expression fell. Sheela's words reminded him of today's important event but he was not enthusiastic about it. After his parents partially abandoned him to live alone he didn't like spending time with them. But it would be wrong to not meet his father on their birthday. After all, they were his parents. Along with these depressing thoughts, he remembered that he needed to pursue a new game to play. So, he would have anyways gone out today for it. He could consider the matter of meeting his father as a small detour before he bought the game. This is how he convinced himself so that his past painful memories didn't resurface.
He looked at Sheela and replied with conviction, "I will meet my father today."