'SNAP'
Zuxe jerked up from his sleep, his heart pounding, breath coming in quick, shallow gasps, as if he'd just surfaced from a nightmare that left him rattled to the core.
His mind recalled the events that transpired with him just a few moments ago, which almost felt real, as he reached out his hand to pick up his phone.
Wiping the beads of cold sweat from his face, he glanced at the top left corner of the phone to check the time.
2:18 A.M.
'Oh... it's already past midnight. I really slept for eight fucking hours,' Zuxe wondered as he got up from the bed, planting his feet on the floor.
Rubbing his eyes, still sleepy, he walked towards the bathroom, setting aside any thoughts arising in his mind.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
Splashing water on his face to remove any traces of dizziness, he headed out of his room, into the courtyard to get some fresh air.
Moving out into the courtyard, he could hear faint voices of people talking, swords clashing, youngsters partying, indicating that the clan was as active at night as it was in the daytime.
He felt several eyes watching him, as if his every movement was being observed.
Indeed, clan heirs were no exception, especially him.
Observing nature for a while, Zuxe decided to head out of the courtyard, as he was not feeling sleepy anymore and hadn't had anything to do.
Training for the upcoming eligibility test?
'Fuck that... I'm not a masochist.'
As he reached the central area of the clan, several demon hunters patrolling there did notice him but didn't say anything, as it was normal for people to walk around there at night.
Turning left from there, he began walking on the way that led to the clan market.
Really... the clan looked totally different from how it seemed in the daytime.
The clan market was also the place from where most of the noise was coming.
Arriving at the clan market, he saw it was still brimming with people, as they went about enjoying their nightlife.
As he skidded through the crowd, delving deeper into the market, a thought crossed his mind, but just for a second.
'What if they realize that I am one of the heirs of the clan?'
Would they immediately get on one knee as they do with other heirs, or ignore him like a sewer rat running amok?
Sigh...
Probably... but most of them didn't even know he existed.
He sighed, and the next moment, a building came into view, surprising him momentarily.
As he had planned to come there from the beginning.
It was a striking glass structure, reflecting the surrounding environment with its sleek, modern design and a spacious entrance, LED lights pulsing along its exterior.
"Well... let's give it a try."
Saying so, he entered through the glass gate, which slid open automatically with a soft hiss, welcoming him into a vibrant gaming hub filled with the hum of activity and glow of screens.
He was once again astonished by the technological advancement of the world, which wasn't displayed in the game much.
The world he was currently in was on par in terms of technology with his previous world and ahead in some fields of science, also due to the presence of Soul Essence.
But in some areas, it was too backward compared to his previous world.
One of which was absolutely not gaming.
Dim neon lights flickered, rows of sleek black booths lined the walls, while in the back, tables for chess and carrom sat under warm, focused spotlights.
Players hunched over boards, not bothering to see who entered the hub.
He scanned the area, searching for the person he came for or a table that wasn't occupied.
For a moment, his eyes locked with a person, having black hair and eyes.
That person waved his hand, motioning for Zuxe to come over.
Zuxe walked to the back corner and sat across from him on a chair.
"Hi, my name is Raven. What's yours?"
That man extended his hand forward, introducing himself, flashing a bright smile.
"Hello, I am... Vant. Nice to meet you."
Zuxe copied the motion, locking their hands momentarily.
Although he knew no one knew about him, still he didn't want to take any risk, so he used an alias just in case.
Sitting beside Raven was a girl almost the same age as Zuxe.
She had black hair and eyes, the same as that of Raven.
"Oh!... I think your age is around eight years, isn't it?" Raven interrogated, a tinge of curiosity visible in his eyes.
"Bingo! You guessed right... I am a full-fledged eight-year-old man."
Zuxe replied, using his humor to full extent. Unfortunately, no one laughed — not even smiled.
'I guess... in this world there is a scarcity of dark humor.'
"So, you must be giving the academy eligibility test today?"
Raven pressed on, but he didn't stop as he continued to introduce the girl beside him.
"She is Shreya, my younger sister. Apparently, she is also participating in the upcoming eligibility test."
The girl who had been sitting quietly until now took the initiative, extending her hand for a handshake as she pursed her lips.
"Shreya here, nice meeting you, Vant ."
Zuxe's heart skipped a beat as he shook her hand.
It was not love at first sight.
Just that it was the first time in eight years he had touched any girl his age in that world.
"The pleasure is all mine," he replied, quickly composing himself as a smile etched across his face.
These two siblings, with whom Zuxe was so busy chatting, were heirs of one of the branch families of the Arcane Clan. That was also the reason why no one dared to sit along with them.
In the game, they played an important role in some of the arcs, despite being side characters.
Shreya fell in love with Cyrus in the game. Later on, when Cyrus got trapped in a difficult situation, she sacrificed herself to save Cyrus from dying when Cyrus was trying his hardest to save the female lead.
And it was a cutscene... believe it or not.
Zuxe wasn't at fault.
When the news reached her brother, Raven, the guy who seemed the most harmless and friendly went berserk, almost killing Cyrus due to rage.
Unfortunately, both of them died because of Cyrus, resulting in a tragic ending for them.
After some 'light-hearted' conversation and background introductions, which Zuxe obviously faked, Raven suggested, grinning.
"Vant... would you like to have a friendly spar with my sister? It will also help you train for the upcoming test."
"Yeah-yeah, of course, but I will not go easy on her."
He replied, not thinking about the words much, but as the words registered in his mind, his face curled from happiness to that of regret.
His mind raced to come up with a good enough excuse to reject them.
"You better not..."
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Guys, send power stones, I wanna eat them...