Chapter 4

Family

[You have defeated a Killer Rabbit!]

[You have completed the quest 'Killer Rabbit Killing'!]

[You have obtained 75 Feoh!]

"Lesser Devour."

[You have obtained the skill "Speed Burst"!]

Speed Burst Active Skill

For one second, increases speed to 1000%

Cooldown: 30 Seconds.

"Hm."

Lost got a new skill, but he wasn't happy. No, rather he was rather melancholic.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

'Why am I still playing this?'

'I.. shouldn't be here.'

“Log out.”

[Logged out successfully.]

Lost- no. Axel Alexanders stepped outside his room. He took off his casual clothing, and took a shower. He dressed himself in a black suit and tie, with a white dress shirt underneath. He put on leather shoes, and looked back .

“Mom, dad, see you soon.”

He opened the door. The sky was bright, with slightly dark clouds floating in the distance. He could hear birds still chirping, and he could smell the aroma of flowers from his neighborhood.

"It's exactly like that day." He said, staring at the faraway clouds.

He went outside his apartment, and passed by the second-hand shop next door.

"Hey, Ax!"

"It's that day, isn't it?" shouted the old man tending the store with a slouch.

Axel nodded.

"Good luck." the shop owner said with a kind smile.

"Will do."

He took a bus, and sat in the back. He looked out the window, letting his mind wander off in the distant scenery. He looked at a picture he had in his wallet. He breathed in through his nose, then released air through his mouth shakily. His eyes became watery.

[The bus has arrived. Passengers, please exit the doors safely.]

He got off.

His destination wasn’t a building, a park, nor was it a mountain. It was a graveyard. Holding the bouquet of flowers, he walked down a path.

It was a location with a grim aura. The gloomy colors of the leaves and stones blended together and made it seem like a place devoid of joy.

With every step he took, he saw flowers, already withered, in front of tombstones.

Step.

Step.

Step.

However, even with all of these details, he had a smile on his face.

He looked over a tombstone.

“Mom, dad, I’m here.”

It was ten years after his parents' death. In his family, it was tradition to visit their late family members' grave every 10 years. His ancestors believed that every 10 years, the spirits will come to visit the living. It was similar to the Spanish Día de Muertos, except it was every 10 years, and on the day of the death.

He put down a bouquet of flowers, it was composed of tea roses, hyacinths , as well as pink camellias.

“Here’s your flowers. Mom, you like the hyacinths right?”

He sat down in front of the grave. And from his pocket, he put down a dvd.

"Slam Dungeon, remember when we watched this together?"

"You said that you wanted to make a game based on it... I'm still waiting, dad."

His eyes started to water once more. His hands started shaking and he punched the ground.

"Why.. did you have to go so soon?"

"I'm alone mom, dad.."

"Our last conversation was you asking me if I've eaten…"

His mouth started to shake. He raised his head, and looked at the picture on the tombstone.

"I miss you…"

He then wiped his tears, and blew his nose.

"Hey dad, remember when you dreamt about making a game that'll become the second world for players?"

"I think I've found it."

"But before that…"

He then started to tell them stories about his life, what happened to him. How he became the best in KnB, and how he got kicked out of his agency.

"You dreamt about being a professional gamer when you were young right? I beat you to it, dad. Well, I'm not one anymore though, haha..."

He told them about Freedom Fantasy, and how he got a Hidden Class. He smiled ear to ear. He was relieved that he could 'talk' to them.

Why did he play Freedom Fantasy? Sure, it was something revolutionary. It was something that could replicate the five senses, something that created a whole new world. It was wonderful, but that was only secondary.

"That MMO idea of yours, Kozaki completed it."

His parents were employees of Kozaki Productions, they pitched the idea for Freedom Fantasy. Kozaki saw the potential in their pitch, and instantly made it their studio's goal. They worked really hard to achieve it, but they got into an accident before they could complete it.

It was a car accident, after a company dinner, a careless truck driver hit their car, killing them in the process.

Axel knew that it wasn't Kozaki's fault, but he was immature, he blamed him for it. As such, they grew distant. Kozaki could understand Axel's feelings, so he let him be.

As an apology, he completed the development of the game. It took years to finish, but it was worth it. An easter egg was found in the trailer of the game. In the ending scene, there was a poster that read 'For the Alexanders'. But nobody knew what this meant, except Axel.

When he saw the scene, he dropped his coffee mug, covered his mouth and uttered while crying, "Thank you."

"Isn't he a good person? Hahah."

"He must still feel the burden.."

"I'll need to apologize one day, don't I?"

He stood up, fixing his tie.

"It was nice talking to you, see you again mom, dad." he smiled once more.

He sat on the bus stop's bench and waited for the bus to come.

Time passed, and rain started falling. That's when a man sat right next to him. He was wearing a blue-striped white t-shirt, overlayed by a light brown sweater vest. His hair was black, with some already turned white, as well as signs of balding.

"You're here to see your family too?" asked the man.

"Mhm."

"Me too, hahah!"

"Was it your parents?"

"Nope! It was my son, hahah!"

'..!'

"He was young.. seven years old."

"He really liked these games all you youngsters are playing."

"Games?"

"Yes, games. I think they're called RPJs?"

"RPGs?"

"Hahah, yes!"

"Forgive me, being old, I forget things easily."

"That's fine."

"Hahah, you ever heard of Freedom Fantasy? That game's really popular, hahah!"

"Of course, I play it too."

"That game is, 'awesome' as you youngsters say it!"

"Do you play it?"

"Hahah, of course! My son liked these kinds of games, playing it, I feel like my son is still here with me!"

"That's nice, haha."

"Hahah, yes!"

"That game's wonderful, even an old man like me could play it well!"

"I'm starting to understand why my son liked these games, hahah!"

Axel can only smile, he felt the same. Even if his parents created that game indirectly, they took part in giving birth to it. This led him to feel that the game was a part of his parents. Thus, he cherished it.

"If you ever hear the name Rex, that's me, hahah! I'm actually-"

A taxi stopped in front of them.

"Well, that'll be my cab. I'll be off now, young man!"

The man got inside the taxi. The taxi drove off into the distance. Axel stared at the direction the taxi was driving towards, lost in thought.

"..."

'..!?'

'Rex? Where have I heard that befo-'

Before he could finish his thought, a bus came towards the stop.

'Ah, I should go.