A bright light was the first thing to greet Lucian as he woke up. His eyes slowly opened to reveal a vast, entirely new, and luxurious room.
The first thing that caught his eyes was the shocked expression on his maid's face. Such an expression was a rarity in his real life. While the avatars in the Yggdrasil game showed no facial expressions, his maid now appeared on the verge of tears.
"Mas-" Mei Mei was about to throw herself at Lucian, tears threatening to burst as she held her chest, almost as if seeing him wake up had finally lifted the heavy burden from her heart. But before she could do that, someone else beat her to it.
"Lucian!!!!" A shout so loud that it almost felt like a screech echoed as the pink-haired Suzune threw herself at Lucian. Her eyes teared up as she held his collar, hugging him and threatening to soil his spotless white shirt. Tears streamed down from her eyes, and her words were incoherent but made sense.
"I thought you were never going to wake up! The two days you were asleep felt like an eternity... Please don't sleep again!" Suzune shouted with all her might as she held Lucian's collar and shook him, as if trying to make sure he didn't fall asleep again.
Lucian looked a bit dazed by the scene unfolding around him. He had expected to wake up in the throne room since he had fainted there, and from his understanding, at most an hour had passed. However, according to Suzune's words, at the least 2 days had passed.
Lucian quickly pushed these thoughts aside. He realized that his perception of time might be different when he was in that dream landscape, and he couldn't rely on the passage of time there to determine how much time had passed in the real world.
"I'm fine, stop crying, Suzune," Lucian said in a sweet, comforting voice as he embraced Suzune, cradling her in his arms. His voice carried a magnetic pull, providing some relief to the pink-haired girl.
It was a bit weird for Lucian to see Suzune, mostly her pink-haired avatar, in tears. While he had seen Suzune cry many times in real life, it felt different when her virtual avatar displayed such emotions, her eyes filled with tears.
Initially, Lucian had hesitated to return her embrace. What if she wasn't really his Suzune? What if there was someone else behind that pink-haired avatar? Various doubts crossed his mind. However, as he heard her voice and her familiar words, all those doubts vanished. Most importantly, he felt a deep connection and a thread of light connecting him to her.
His soft breathing and the comforting warmth of his touch helped Suzune calm down as she held onto him tightly.
"Suzune, did you use some skill or spell?" Lucian asked, his gaze fixed on the white thread that seemed to connect them.
"It's..." Suzune began, but her eyes suddenly emitted a brief white light. Lucian's eyes followed suit, and for a moment, it felt as if he had gained all the answers to his questions.
"I see," Lucian responded, his understanding evident.
"Thank you very much, my dear Suzune," Lucian said, embracing her tightly. This time, the soothing quality of his voice brought comfort to Suzune, and her anxious expression finally relaxed.
"You shouldn't faint again..." Suzune said, her eyes starting to close as if she was drifting off to sleep. Before Lucian could respond, her eyes closed fully, and her breathing became even, signaling that she had fallen asleep.
"Suzune?" Lucian gently shook her, looking at her calm, sleeping face.
"Did she just fell asleep halfway!?" Lucian exclaimed as he observed the sleeping girl. He was more curious than worried. Heteromorphs like angels didn't have a stamina cycle, and they didn't require sleep or food to continue in the game, unlike humanoid and some demi-humanoid races. Just as he was about to wake her up, Mei Mei's voice chimed in.
"She used a lot of her MP when using her ability to learn more about your condition. Let her sleep, master," Mei Mei advised. Her emotions were finally on display, and she was finally getting on the huge bed.
Lucian sat upright, holding Suzune and gently letting her roll to the side of the bed. He had learned about the ability Suzune had used from her condition. It was a skill that allowed her to take on the condition of any person she used it on. Due to Suzune's support build and rare class, she could only use this skill once, and she had never used it before. She had used it while Lucian was asleep to discover what was wrong with him. However, it didn't work entirely, and all she had managed to get was the Sleep condition, which required the affected person to sleep.
Lucian covered Suzune's sleeping body with the blue sheets adorned with gold accents, ensuring she was comfortable. He understood that she wouldn't have fallen asleep if it weren't for using that skill, which had added a stamina limitation for a week. Her current condition was likely due to this. Lucian decided to let her have her well-deserved nap.
Lucian looked at his hands for a moment. They appeared pale but had a golden sheen, as if someone had covered them with a layer of white over gold. His fingers were long, and his nails were painted red, resembling fresh blood. It was a surreal sight, something that Lucian would need to become accustomed to if everything was as real as it seemed now.
"This is real, Master," Mei Mei said as she nestled into Lucian's embrace, her hands enveloping him entirely, and her breathing gradually calming down as she took in his scent. It was similar to his real-life scent but even more intoxicating for Mei Mei. Perhaps not talking to him for two days had intensified her craving, or perhaps she was simply becoming more and more greedy.
"I understand it very well," Lucian replied as he patted Mei Mei, her braided black hair as smooth as silk. Her appearance might have changed slightly, but Mei Mei was still the same.
"Why did you faint, Master? You shouted, and then everything was chaos, and then you fell to the ground," Mei Mei said, her breathing labored. It was hard for her to see her master faint, scream, and appear as if he was in pain, holding his head. It was something she would not want to witness again.
"Well, that's complicated... I'll have to explain it later, in detail," Lucian replied.
"Master, you have been asleep for 51 hours, 31 minutes, and 23 seconds," Mei Mei said, looking into his eyes. Lucian finally noticed an oddity.
"51 hours, 31 minutes, and 23 seconds of absolute agony..."
"Are you okay?" Lucian asked as he held her cheek and looked into her eyes. The way she spoke, with her voice cracking and her words almost coming as if darkening, was scary.
Her eyes were spinning. No! Her black pupils were literally spiraling as she looked at Lucian, and the more she looked, the faster the darkness within it spun. When Lucian gazed deeply into them, he saw... he saw what could only be described as a reflection of himself in that darkness of her eyes.
"Mei Mei, are you okay?" Lucian asked as he looked at the tears falling from her eyes, while her pupils darkened faster and faster, spiraling even more quickly. It was surprising how Lucian didn't find them creepy this time. When they were playing Yggdrasil, it was very unsettling whenever Lucian looked into Mei Mei's eyes. But right now, he didn't felt an ounce of discomfort.
"The last time I didn't hear your voice for more than 40 hours was when I was 13 years old, and you stopped talking to me because of your pettiness," Mei Mei said, moving closer to him, her face drawing near, their lips almost touching.
Lucian could clearly feel her breath, her heartbeat, and the sweet scent from her body.
"Sigh~ who knew I would sleep for over 2 days..." Lucian said as he held his maid's head with both his hands and pulled her closer, bringing their already close lips into an embrace.
Lucian's lips finally met Mei Mei's in a long and cold embrace. Mei Mei's entire body shivered with a blush covering her face. Her entire body was experiencing pleasure like never before. It was really like kissing Lucian in real life, which was already a form of absolute bliss, now intensified by a hundredfold.
Lucian, meanwhile, felt a distinct connection with Mei Mei when he kissed her. It was as if she was connected to him by a thread, and as he kissed her, he experienced a pleasurable sensation unlike anything he felt in reality.
Mei Mei gently kissed Lucian's pale lips, as if savoring the moment, wanting to devour him, almost stopping her breathing as she continued to kiss and enjoy his lips. Lucian allowed her to do that for now, as he was lost in his thoughts.
In Yggdrasil, it was impossible to engage in R-18 or even R-15 activities without facing the risk of getting banned. Usually, actions like kissing another player, be it an NPC or another player, would result in an immediate forced log out. Players would then be met with a timer, requiring them to wait for a review of the situation by the developers to determine if R-15 or R-18 rules were violated. If violated, the players will be banned and shamed on the servers. But now, nothing like that happened.
Mei Mei continued to kiss him, her face now as red as a ripe tomato, displaying an ecstasy and vulnerability she rarely showed. As Mei Mei continued to suck on his lips, Lucian decided to test something else. He took a bite. Yes, he bit her lips, drawing a few drops of blood. His two sharp, vampire-like upper teeth dug into her lips as if ready to devour her, but all Lucian did was draw a little blood. Mei Mei didn't even care; she didn't mind the bite or the blood. Lucian's mouth was filled with a slightly iron taste, mixed with a bit of bitterness, but it didn't make him react.
This confirmed one more thing.
He was able to draw blood from Mei Mei, who was his guildmate, and the friendly fire should be systematically off. That meant friendly fire could happen now. If Lucian wanted, he could hurt Mei Mei or Suzune, and the same likely applied the other way around, even with NPCs.
Though he knew very well that neither Suzune nor Mei Mei would be willing to hurt him or even think of it, even if they were in their avatars now, he could feel their devotion and love. Words like devotion, loyalty, and love could be convoluted at times, but Lucian knew them very well. He had every reason to believe they wouldn't betray him.
But he hated himself for a second right now because his rational mind wanted to put some measures in place, and it was leaving a bad taste in Lucian's mouth.
"That should be enough to calm you down," Lucian said, pulling away from Mei Mei, who still wanted to devour his lips. He looked at her, saliva still running and dripping from her lips, her eyes unfocused as she gazed at him, her face flushed. It was as if she was in a trance.
Lucian looked at Mei Mei and said, "Mei Mei?" She immediately snapped out of her daze.
"It's so real. Now that I've seen Master speak, I can't just shrug it off as just another weird dream of me being eternally together with Master..." Mei Mei leaned closer to him once again and embraced him with both her hands, locking him in place.
Her voice sounded grateful, happy, and many more emotions were hidden within it.
"We can be forever together now..." Mei Mei said with a huge smile creeping on her face, her dark eyes and blushing face betraying her intoxicated state.
"Real, huh... It's truly so real," Lucian muttered, his eyes fixed on Mei Mei and the sleeping Suzune. He didn't feel weird seeing them breathe or have facial expressions. Usually, Lucian would've been very distrustful of everything around him, even his maid. But right now, he didn't feel that... He knew that his maid was his real Mei Mei, and Suzune was his own Suzune even though she was in her avatar now. Lucian pondered this thought for a moment before breaking away from Mei Mei's embrace.
She reluctantly let him go.
"Everything is real now," Lucian murmured to himself as he removed the blue and gold silky blanket covering his body. The bed was large enough to accommodate a group of people. Lucian swiftly leaned forward and jumped out of the bed, landing on the white marble and beautiful tiled floor of the room.
He looked around the room. This was his personal quarters in the Aeternus Chamber of the Castle of Valhalla.
The room was spacious, with a large canopy bed featuring intricate designs and adorned with blue and gold silky sheets and covers. Every detail was clear to Lucian. In the center of the room, a small yet beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling, emitting a blue light that illuminated the entire room brilliantly. The room contained other pieces of furniture, such as a tea table on one side, next to a window with a view of the sky. On the other side, there was a dressing table, a full-length mirror, and many more closets and storages.
Typically, Lucian's room would have been a mess, filled to the brim with useless cash shop items and other homemade items he didn't want to clutter his inventory with. However, today, it was exceptionally clean.
"Did you clean the room?" Lucian asked as he looked around, not finding any of his previous items.
"Yes, master," Mei mei replied.
Lucian didn't say anything and walked forward, touching the tea set situated on the ornate tea table.
As soon as he grabbed the teacup, he used some minor force with his slender hands. With a crack, it was broken into pieces, almost becoming powder.
"Let me clean it up," Mei mei suddenly appeared beside Lucian, in an instant, even though she was in bed seconds ago, as if she had just come straight out of his shadow. Though she probably did just exactly that. Because of her abilities, she was able to easily enter Lucian's shadow and move into that.
"You are able to use all your abilities?" Lucian asked as he let the crumbling pieces of the teacup fall to the ground.
"Yes, they are working even better. I feel as if I've mastered them through years of training. I'm almost perfectly able of using all of them," Mei mei explained as she retrieved a piece of white cleaning cloth from a dark circular space that suddenly appeared near her hand. The entire process occurred almost instantly, but Lucian noticed it in slow motion.
"How did you do that?" Lucian asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched Mei mei use the cloth to clean the table, causing the fragments of the tea cup to vanish as she wiped the table clean.
"It's the inventory, Master," Mei mei responded. She moved her hand, and the same dark circle materialized near her. With a quick gesture, she inserted the cloth, making it disappear along with the remnants of the tea cup. Afterward, she withdrew her hand, and the dark space closed, leaving her without the white cloth.
"How did you do that?" Lucian asked, turning to look at Mei mei, who stood there with her usual stoic expression. It was amazing how, even in this new world, her face remained unchanged.
"You just have to think of it, Master. Try visualizing opening your inventory," Mei mei explained.
Lucian thought about it, and immediately, a small circle with swirling pitch-black darkness appeared. It was the perfect size for his hand to fit in.
"This is interesting," Lucian muttered as he pushed his hand into the inventory, and a wealth of information flooded his mind. Items filled his thoughts, yet it didn't overwhelm him. In fact, with just a thought, Lucian was able to grab onto an item. He then pulled his hand out of the dark circle, which promptly expanded to allow the item to pass through.
The item he retrieved was a thick book with foreign writing on its cover. The book had a green cover adorned with a golden frame, featuring a golden sword at the center, surrounded by depictions of light.
Lucian opened the book and began to read it. To his surprise, the inside was filled with various sword techniques. What interested him was that these techniques were not from Yggdrasil; this book contained more than five techniques on every chapter.
"This is interesting... These weren't in Yggdrasil," Lucian muttered as he continued to read through the book.
"There are many things that were not in Yggdrasil, master," Mei mei said. Her statement prompted Lucian to turn and face her as he posed one of the most important questions.
"How are the NPCs?" Lucian asked.
Mei mei's stoic expression finally broke, and she looked at him, her eyes wavering, likely due to a mix of shame, guilt, and other emotions. She had to provide an answer, and she did so in a soft voice.
"They are real," Mei mei replied.
Lucian regarded her with a puzzled expression. "How real?"
"Just as real as you and me," Mei mei answered, her voice carrying a hint of guilt. It wasn't that she had done anything wrong, but she might feel guilty for creating an NPC that could potentially complicate Lucian's life.
Mei mei continued, "They are listening to all the orders, even though they are real now, not just a set of data." She sighed before continuing.
"Master, you have to address them. They were very worried about you. And when I say 'very,' I mean it. They were just as worried, if not more, than Suzune and I," Mei mei said. She didn't compare her level of care for him to others, but this time, they were genuinely concerned.
"Is that so?" Lucian replied, still lost in thought.
Lucian stood there, contemplating the implications of such words, but before confirming his thoughts, he decided to take a different action.
"[Message]," Lucian muttered as he placed his hand on his ear, activating a spell used for player communication. His initial idea was to contact the GMs, but nothing happened. There was a faint sensation, like a connection attempting to form, but there was no corresponding endpoint.
Lucian made another attempt, casting the same spell once more.
"[Message]," but this time with a different purpose. He aimed to communicate with another player, specifically Mizuki.
For a brief moment, it seemed to work as a connection established, and Lucian's eyes widened as he shouted, "Mizuki?" However, there was no response from the other end.
"Mizuki?" Lucian called again.
"Can you hear me?" he shouted. Before he could continue to call out, Mei mei grabbed his hand.
"It's useless, master. I've tried contacting Mizuki, but it's hopeless. The message spell only works when I'm communicating with Suzune or you," Mei mei explained.
"Is that so..." Lucian muttered as he removed his hand from his ears.
"I wonder where Mizuki is..." Lucian mumbled, his voice carrying a sense of melancholy. He wouldn't have minded being in a new world filled with hope, but not when he was missing a vital person in his life, someone he cared about deeply.
His gaze again fell on Mei mei, who was holding his hand, trying to comfort him by gently stroking his hand.
"It's fine, master. I'll make sure Mizuki returns to you," Mei mei replied with conviction in her eyes. Her braided hair swayed, and it was a moment that genuinely made Lucian smile, something quite deadly, given his new appearance.
"Thanks," Lucian replied, and Mei mei felt a pang in her heart. She wanted to embrace him right there and then, but she knew that now was not the time.
Lucian silently walked towards the other end of the huge room, his bare feet creating little to no noise.
He appeared in front of the huge full-body mirror. The mirror's frame was gold, and it was situated in front of the dressing table. Lucian had modeled his room after the many royal rooms he had seen in movies and animes.
The mirror in front of him was a spiraling golden mirror with no reflection, showing only darkness.
"[Reflect]," Lucian commanded, and as he did so, the mirror briefly shone blue before displaying his reflection.
Lucian expected his usual avatar's appearance, but what he saw shocked him a little.
"What on Earth?! Is that really me?" Lucian exclaimed loudly as he moved closer to the golden mirror, scrutinizing his figure from head to toe.
His silver hair still flowed wildly down his back, but this time, each strand seemed to emit a soft golden glow of its own. Lucian's eyes were a deep shade of crimson red, reminiscent of old red wine. The most astonishing transformation was his face, which looked vastly different from his avatar. While his avatar had made him attractive to almost everyone in the game, his current reflection felt truly otherworldly.
His eyelashes were long and the same silver color as his hair. From his nose to his forehead to his slightly long pointy ears, every feature appeared perfect, making Lucian question whether he was still looking at his avatar. Although Lucian was attractive before, in fact, he was likely the very very very attractive, his current appearance was on another level. His face, though androgynous, possessed both handsomeness and beauty, emitting an otherworldly radiance. He could only be described as a world-shaking beauty.
"Do you see what I'm seeing, Mei Mei?" Lucian wondered, pointing at his face. It was still a little surreal to know that he looked so otherworldly gorgeous now.
"Yes, master. That's you," Mei Mei said, albeit with a hidden smirk.
"So it's not an illusion created by this mirror," Lucian muttered as he slightly played with his hair and poked his cheeks to check his sensations.
"Sigh, I guess I'll have to keep myself safe now," Lucian muttered as he sighed and turned around.
"Can you go and call all my 8 personal NPC - ah, sorry, no, call all my 8 personal servants to the throne room, also bring Adele with them if possible," Lucian said to Mei Mei as he opened his inventory, trying to find something good to wear.
"As you wish," Mei Mei said in her usual voice before she vanished into the shadows, as if she were not even there.
"Wahh, scary abilities," Lucian mumbled, not realizing how scary his abilities had become.
"I should wear something good. Don't want to look funny in my pajamas."
Lucian still hadn't realized how calmly he was dealing with this change of pace.
[Charachter Sheets]
[Mei Mei]
[Suzune]
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