A stale wind lingered in the night sky above the Megalopolitan city of Gametopia, mingling with the hum of vehicles and chattering crowds. A sovereign peace remained, despite the complexities of a suburban city brimming with highly advanced technology.
Hover cars glided along the highways, their sleek designs navigating the intricate roads of the High District, while citizens moved along the bustling sidewalks. A punk-up beat filled the streets from the many commercial skyscrapers, a testament to the city's thriving business ventures.
Many of the towering buildings displayed massive digital posters, flashing images of VR goggles and video game characters at intervals. It was a beautiful night in Gametopia, as it had always been.
In the mid-districts, lights glowed as lively conversations echoed through the households. While this was a subtly peaceful occasion, something else was unfolding in a house farther from the main road, at the very edge of the streets.
Instead of vibrant conversations, there was loud screaming and the sound of objects breaking and clattering.
It was enclosed within the household, leaving the event to unfold within the walls of the house.
A loud thud echoed as a boy was suddenly slammed against the wall of the said household.
It was the interior of the house, the dining area where four figures sat and ate their supper while one in particular was standing, a scowl on his face.
"What do you think you're doing?" The young man asked, with blonde hair and ruby eyes, he exuded a princely aura around him.
On his right hand was a broken bottle, and on the floor, in front of his feet, was a broken plate with its contents poured out.
The boy recoiled in pain, his back aching as he sat up, panting heavily from the collision and the mix of emotions within him.
"Paxton, I asked a question". The young man said, his tone riddled with disgust as he attempted to walk forward.
"Enough, Rolyn. I think he gets the message". An elderly woman interjected. She sat at the end of the table, looking up from her meal as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
She placed it back on the table, the attention of the people gathered slowly turning towards her.
She had yellow hair and red eyes, mirroring those of the two children seated around the table. A blonde adult male sat next to one of these children, his focus on the food.
Rolyn sighed, his gaze lingering on Paxton before he walked back to the other end of the table and took a seat.
"You need to train that vermin more, Mother. You don't want him to end up like his father now, do you?" Rolyn, the blonde asked with a click of his tongue, his gaze glowing with a subtle malevolence.
"Just leave him be. He must have grown a ball since you arrived".
The young boy, Paxton remained still on the floor, his gaze flickering with intensity as he groaned bitterly.
'Why? Why me?'. He thought, his emotions swirling within.
'How dare they do this to me when my father had been so kind to them!'.
He slowly stood up from the floor, their attention drawing to him as he did so.
"Paxton, go to your room. Your sight is disgusting and we're having a meal'.
'Disgusting? Until a week ago, you treated me like a prince!'
A soft cackle escaped his lips as he took a step forward.
"How….How…". His breath was shaky, a strange emotion taking hold of his words.
Rolyn kicked down his chair as he stood up, a sudden burst of golden energy cascading him as a golden glaive appeared on his arm.
"What? You dare speak in front of us?" The boy asked as he kicked Paxton back to the wall.
Paxton groaned from the impact as Rolyn stumped his foot further on his chest, pushing him against the wall.
"Ha….don't you wish you were dead? You could have died with your foolish father on the execution grounds".
Paxton looked up at Rolyn, his ambient gaze darkening with the rage of emotions that swirled within him.
"How dare you! Who do you think you are?! My father"–"Aaarghh!!"
A sharp stinging pain assaulted his brain as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his eyes as he clenched his abdomen while he groaned in pain.
Rolyn laughed out loud in excitement at the sight as he pulled out his glaive from Paxton's body.
"What's up with you tonight? You've been so mild since your family fell apart so why are you acting up now?"
He asked as he drove the glaive into the boy once again eliciting another hollow scream.
"Brother, isn't that enough? You will kill him at this rate".
A girl asked, yellow hair and red eyes just like her mother, an unreadable expression on her face as she continued her meal.
Rolyn stopped for a second, his head drifting towards her before glancing back at Paxton.
"Stupid boy. You should have stayed quiet as you always have…..what kind of fool acts up in front of a player?"
"A powerful one at that!" The boy, his features the same as the mother, screamed out in excitement, giggling at the sight before him. He sat opposite his sister, the girl from before.
"Shut it, Romeo". The girl said with a passive tone as she looked away while the boy glared at her.
Rolyn remained silent for a while, his gaze fixed on Paxton as he remained still on the floor, his blood forming a pool around him.
He clicked his tongue and turned around, his spear disappearing as he took his seat.
"What a waste of energy. We should have ignored him".
"It doesn't matter, you did a good thing, Rolyn".
The mother said with a smile. "Let's just continue our meal"
"And Paxton?" The girl asked, her tone laced with concern as she remained still on the spot.
A tense silence ensued before the final verdict was given by the woman.
"You let him be. He doesn't have any use for us now," the mother replied, and the clicking of cutleries resumed as they continued their meals.
Paxton was stuck on the floor, his thoughts muddled by the pain and anger that washed over his very being.
Being the son of one of the most popular Pro Players had reached its end the moment his father died, and the beginning of the end began that day.
'Hah…..what a shitty life. It doesn't even try to repay good people for their effort. It only rewards those who don't deserve it'.
It was like a drift, his brain slowly losing its purpose in the spur of it all.
'If I had not found out that they had to do something with his death…..then would I have ended up like this?'
Revenge was a fly dream when you were weak, worse still, it meant nothing with pure determination.
Sometimes, one needs the power to achieve that revenge. 'If I had just…..waited..'.
As his line of thoughts came to its purposeful end, a sudden surge of energy cascaded him in a warm hue, and a brilliant light pierced the air.
The sudden phenomenon caught the people in the dining room by surprise as their gazes shifted to the sight.
Their expressions turned drastic, fear of the unknown taking precedence on their expressions as the beam of light pierced the cold night.
Far in the distance of the night, this phenomenon occurred all around. Light beams pierced the sky, cascading a bright ambience upon the canvas of the night.
It occurred in almost every household, and throughout the Megalopolitan city, spreading waves of excitement and fear at the same time.
"No….No…No, No, No!" The woman jumped from her seat, her terror-filled expression fixed on the boy as the beam of light began to dissipate with Paxton's body.
"Rolyn, do something! Do something quickly!".
Rolyn stood up in a heartbeat, tension brewing in his chest as his spear appeared in his grasp once again.
Adrenaline filled his lungs and his body lunged towards the boy as he aimed his spear at the boy's figure.
"We won't let you". He said in a rush but a sudden outburst broke his attention.
"Rosan!"
"Stop you bitch!".
The cries of his mother and younger brother took him by surprise as a petite figure suddenly dashed into him, pushing him away from Paxton's body.
A loud thud echoed as the light vanished, with Paxton's body in tow while Rolyn fell on the floor with his younger sister lying on top of him.
A tense silence suffused the room as their gazes turned to the girl, signs of shock etched on their expressions.
Rolyn glanced at the empty spot Paxton once was and then his sister. His blood ran cold.
"What have you done?" Hey ther