Chapter 12 ~ Family
The night had settled like a soft, heavy blanket over Stonefield Edge.
The quiet breeze whistled gently through the wide plains, making the silver-lit grass sway and dance under the moonlight.
Above, the sky was a masterpiece of glittering stars—tiny lights shimmering and twirling across the dark velvet heavens.
Bathed in the pale glow of the moon, Hikari stood motionless.
His golden-blond hair caught the silver beams, his ocean-blue eyes calm and deep, reflecting the quiet beauty of the night.
His simple brown adventurer's outfit fluttered slightly in the breeze.
Before him, beneath the gentle illumination, was a small boy—his head bowed, fists rubbing at his tear-streaked eyes.
He wore a soft blue cap, a simple red shirt, and short blue pants.
Hikari watched the boy silently, the breeze tugging at his hair, his expression remaining unreadable.
After a few long seconds, Hikari finally spoke, his voice carrying a warm, disarming smile:
"What's wrong?"
The boy flinched slightly, startled by the voice, and hesitantly lifted his head.
Two large, glossy black eyes peered up at Hikari, brimming with tears.
Under the boy's blue cap, black hair clung messily to his forehead.
The moonlight caught the reflection of Hikari in the child's wide, trembling gaze.
Still smiling warmly, Hikari bent down, resting his hands on his knees.
"And what's making you cry, little one?"
The boy hiccuped through uneven breaths, his chest trembling as he tried to speak:
"M-my mom...
My mom...
was taken... by The Stone Gorilla..."
The moment the words left his mouth, he burst into tears again, his small frame shaking with renewed sobs.
Hikari's ocean-blue eyes remained steady, silent, unaffected outwardly.
Inside his mind, a familiar voice whispered:
"Hikari, why do I feel like you're planning to ignore this boy... and log out?"
Hikari's gaze stayed calm as he whispered softly to himself:
Isn't that the logical thing to do right now?
Even if I vanish from this world for three whole days... or longer... nothing would change.
This child would still be here.
The voice answered gently:
"Have you forgotten what the guards told you?
You know very well... this boy will not still be here after three days.
Whether you help him or abandon him... will change the story of his life in this game."
Hikari stood in silence for a moment.
The moonlight carved a sharp, cold glow across his features.
Finally, he responded in a quiet, detached tone:
"Seniora, answer me one question honestly."
A pause.
"Was your design purpose... also to make the player so immersed in the game that they forget about the real world?"
The voice replied without hesitation:
"My only purpose is to assist and guide you."
Hikari's lips curled into a faint, emotionless smile.
"Then don't interfere with my decisions any more than necessary."
The voice lingered for a brief second, then faded into silence with one final whisper:
"You're right.
From now on... I'll only watch."
Hikari stood still, knowing he had completely silenced Seniora.
He exhaled slowly and murmured:
"Elixirs window."
A blue holographic panel appeared instantly before him.
With a simple mental tap, he selected the white Invisibility Elixir icon three times.
Three vials materialized between his hands—thin glass containers filled with shimmering white liquid, each sealed with a wooden cork.
He knelt down and extended the three elixirs toward the boy.
The boy sniffled, wiping his eyes as he stared at the vials with wonder.
"This... this is an elixir?"
Hikari smiled gently, his voice soft and reassuring:
"I'm afraid... I can't offer more help right now.
There are other things I have to take care of."
The boy's small hands trembled as he reached out, clutching Hikari's brown tunic desperately.
Tears welled again in his black eyes.
He clung tighter to Hikari, sobbing:
"Please...
Please don't leave me alone, big brother... please!"
Hikari's ocean-blue eyes flickered briefly.
He clenched his teeth, frustration and anger boiling quietly within him.
In that moment, he released his grip on the elixirs.
The three vials slipped from his hands and fell onto the grass with a soft, hollow clink, landing between him and the child.
The world around him—
—went black.
Like an old television losing signal, darkness swallowed the scene.
In the void, Hikari reached up and pulled the Wystoria device from his head.
It resembled a blue sleeping band with thin, luminous lines of electric circuitry weaving across its surface.
His deep blue eyes blinked open.
His blond hair, no longer touched by golden light, fell naturally over his forehead.
He sat upright on his simple white bed, surrounded by the soft, warm wood of his quiet room.
In his gloved hands, he cradled the Wystoria device carefully.
The blue electronic glow had already faded from it, leaving only the inert, lightweight band behind.
The soft material of his gloves—a flexible, rubbery texture—crackled slightly with leftover static electricity as he removed them carefully.
He then peeled off the matching blue socks from his feet, his mind brooding in silence.
The last part... was bad.
It exposed something important.
This game... it doesn't just simulate a world.
It plays with the emotions of the player.
He stared for a long moment at the cardboard box resting nearby.
Inside, the charging station—an elegant, shallow disk with a sleek connector cable—waited quietly.
Hikari set the Wystoria device down gently and muttered:
"First things first...
I'll just recharge the device for now."
After setting the Wystoria device onto the charger—its glassy, curved surface clicking gently into the port—Hikari stood and walked toward his bedroom door.
He opened it quietly with a soft creak and stepped into the dim hallway, the wooden floor cool beneath his bare feet.
Descending the staircase with slow, soundless steps, the warm amber glow from the lower floor caught his attention.
Laughter and voices drifted softly from the kitchen.
As he turned the corner and entered, he found his small family gathered around the dinner table.
His father sat at the corner, wearing his usual square-rimmed glasses.
His dark black hair was neatly combed, and his brown eyes scanned a folded newspaper placed beside his untouched bowl of rice.
He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with faint shell-pattern textures beneath a soft beige vest.
Without looking up, he muttered dryly, "I hope he's doing what the professor asked him to... and not just napping."
Opposite him, Hikari's mother sat with a soft smile, her long blonde hair cascading gracefully over her shoulders.
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled, and her rose-colored homewear gave her an aura of serene warmth.
"He's probably annoyed with us," she said with a gentle laugh.
In the middle, sitting casually with her elbows on the table, was Hikari's high school-aged sister.
She wore a simple white loungewear set, her blond hair styled like their mother's, but her blue eyes were sharper—more vivid, more alive than Hikari's calm gaze.
She was already looking at him.
Without turning her head, she said plainly, "Why don't you ask him yourselves... instead of assuming?"
Only then did both parents glance toward the entrance—where Hikari stood quietly at the doorway.
He sighed lightly and stepped forward into the light.
"If I'm annoyed about anything," he said in a steady voice, "then it's probably about how your decision seems to have changed... because of money."
He pulled out a wooden chair and sat down across from his sister.
"The Wystoria device costs around 300 dollars," he continued.
"It wouldn't have been hard for me to save up if I took on a part-time job while studying.
And yet, you both strongly rejected the idea—not because of the price, but because of the device's... unpleasant history."
He looked directly at them now.
"So I'd really like a proper explanation.
What changed?"
His father glanced at his wife, then adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly:
"You're absolutely right.
We couldn't ignore the fact that the first release of Wystoria caused... deaths. Brain damage.
Some users are still receiving psychological treatment to this day.
It wasn't something we could overlook."
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
"So what? You changed your mind because someone offered you money?"
His father frowned.
"Do you really think I would change my principles over money?"
Hikari didn't respond immediately.
His mother smiled as she ladled soup into a bowl, sliding it gently across the table to him.
"No, sweetheart," she said warmly.
"Your university professor gave us undeniable proof.
That in the last two years, not a single case of psychological harm has been linked to the new Wystoria units."
His father nodded, picking up where she left off.
"Everyone knows the company's director was imprisoned after the original disaster.
But what most people don't know is that the moment he was released seven months later, he completely redesigned the system."
Hikari took a slow spoonful of the soup, tasting the warmth.
Then he looked up toward the ceiling thoughtfully.
"What a surprise... you're using the exact same arguments I used when trying to convince you two before."
He gave a small shake of his head.
"That contradiction... is what I don't understand."
His father set down his chopsticks, his expression more serious now.
"I'm an architect, Hikari. I've always believed engineering belonged to the real world—concrete, wires, physical form."
He paused, then leaned forward slightly.
"But your professor... he showed me something different.
He told me that game worlds also require engineering—complex, patient, brilliant engineering."
He tapped his fingers softly on the table.
"He didn't talk to me about your grades in math or science.
Instead, he told me you had the ability to understand the structure beneath anything that's been built."
He smiled faintly.
"He asked me to imagine this:
That I build a hospital. Then I let you walk inside, and you recreate its design with uncanny precision—even if you've never studied architecture."
Hikari blinked.
"To an engineer, that's normal," his father added.
"But you haven't spent five years studying like I did.
You never studied game engineering either.
And yet, he was convinced that you could dissect this game's world...
and understand exactly how it was made."
He leaned back.
"So tell me, Hikari.
What was the result of your first experience?"
Hikari took another spoonful of soup.
For a few seconds, he simply sat there, letting the silence settle.
Then he raised his eyes toward the ceiling once more and spoke slowly:
"This game... it's not some flashy fantasy."
He set the spoon down, his tone suddenly sincere.
"The people behind it... the team that built this world...
They're geniuses.
In every sense of the word."
The three of them—father, mother, and sister—watched him quietly.
Staring at his calm blue eyes, knowing fully well...
Hikari wasn't the type to compliment others.
Not unless he truly meant it.
And tonight, for the first time, he did.