After hanging up the call, Alex heard her mother calling out downstairs. "Alex, dinner's ready!"
Alex's stomach started growling as she smelled the fragrant aroma downstairs. Alex is starving all the heavy lifting and crying earlier exhausted her. With the delicious aroma of food in the air, she can't help but dash downstairs. Based on the scent alone, Alex can tell that it is her mother that cooked this time. Her mother now rarely cooked, ever since she gave birth to her siblings. Alex and her father's cooking tasted good, but they still can't compare to her mother's godly cooking skills.
Seeing the delicacies lined up on the table, Alex was itching to eat already. Nevertheless, she controlled her hunger. Then she sat beside her little brother, El, waiting for her mother and father. "El... Where's mommy and daddy?"
Facing Alex, El pointed at Zach and Irene's room. "Mommy, Daddy... Play..."
Following El's finger, Alex sees her father and mother walking out of the master's bedroom. "Dad, What happened to your face?" She was bewildered as she saw Zach's face, full of bruises and minor cuts.
"This?" Pointing at the bruises on his face. "This is nothing. It will heal up pretty fast." His wife did not even hold back when beating him up, knowing that he heals three times faster than normal humans. "Nevermind that I have good news for you. Your mother agreed to let us play... I mean, train in the basement."
"Really!?" Alex turned to look at her mother.
Seeing her daughter's happy face, Zach nodded satisfactorily. All the beating he received is still worth it in the end. Zach used Alex's safety to his advantage to force Irene to compromise with their request.
Irene nodded to Alex. "But don't neglect your studies, ok? If I see your grades failing even once, I'll forbid you from training in the basement again." Irene doesn't want her children to know Zach and her past, but if it comes to their children's safety. They would do anything to protect them, even if it means that Zach and her need to teach their children every knowledge and skill they know to survive.
"I promise, I promise." Alex nodded hastily.
"Let's eat, let's eat first. The food will get cold. I am starving already." with the food being within arms reach, Alex can't resist the temptation to eat already.
Seeing the kids' starving looks, Irene and Zach giggled. They then sat down with Irene, sitting with the two girls and Zach, sitting with the two boys and Alex. Irene then started serving the little children their food.
The family of seven joyfully eat their dinner, disregarding the dark cloud looming outside.
...
After eating the last grain of rice on her plate, Alex suddenly burped. "Excuse me."
Her mother's cooking is the best. Sadly, she can only feast on it on rare occasions. "Mmm, mom, you should cook more often again. Father's cooking and mine can't simply compare to yours." Alex suggested while fondling her bloated stomach. In the end, Alex still has a long way to go before she can surpass her mother in cooking.
"Instead of me cooking, how about I seriously teach you how to cook?" Irene replied while breastfeeding Zandra in her arms. Maybe it's time for her to teach Alex the secret cooking technique of their ancestors.
"Really?? But how about Ax, El, Serene, and Zandra? Who will take care of them." All this time, Alex has been self-learning, watching the things that her mother and father do.
"Ax and El can now take care of themselves. Then for Serene and Zandra, I'll let your father take care of them since we will be closing that dead dojo." Irene is not worried about their financial situation even though none of them have any source of income. Although they live in a middle-class society, their fortune is actually enormous to the point where it can reach their great-great-grandchildren and still allow them to live leisurely. Risking their lives working for the world has a lot of benefits. One of them is the lovely payments they received after every mission.
"Your mother's right. We can close the dojo that place's use is for us to train anyway. Now that we can use the basement, we now have a new place to train." Zach nodded even though his dojo has been insulted.
"Can we start tomorrow?? I promised a friend to treat her to dinner." Alex asked as she remembers her promise to Samantha.
"Of course," Irene smiled. She's happy to see that her daughter now has another friend aside from her childhood friend Ezekiel.
As Alex remembers her promise to Samantha, she also remembered Ezekiel's plan. "By the way, dad, I'll add you to our discode server later so that you can easily contact me in-game." After saying that, Alex started going back to her room.
"Are you guys fine with me being in there? It might be a little awkward for your friends."
"It's just me, Ezekiel, and one friend of ours, so basically, it will just be the four of us, so don't worry."
"I got it..."
...
After Alex entered her room, she went to her bed and started meditating in a lotus position.
It is still ten in the evening. There are still two hours left before the game officially starts.
Alex wants to be in her top form before playing. Meditation is the best method she knows to eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding her mind and causing stress.
Time passed in this silent room as the only sound that can be heard is the clock ticking beside Alex.
...
*Beep! *Beep! *Beep! Alex stood from her lotus position and turned off the alarm clock.
The time right now is 11:55, only five minutes left before the game officially starts.
Alex stood up from her bed and went to the 1st generation capsule beside her computer.
Alex pushed a button in the middle of the capsule. The lid then started opening up. It was just like five years ago when this thing arrived at their home.
After the capsule fully opened itself up, Alex entered as she slowly lay down inside. The capsule also automatically closed itself up. The feeling laying there inside is just like what she remembered. It is so comfortable inside. She doesn't know what materials they used to create this but sleeping in here is always more comfortable than sleeping in her bed.
As some time passed, a system notification appeared on her eyesight.
[30 seconds remaining]
[Do you wish to have a countdown?]
[Yes/No]
Alex clicked the Yes.
[10] It's finally starting.
[9]
[8]
...
[5]
As she watches the countdown, Alex's heartbeat kept on pounding faster and faster.
[4]
[3]
[2]
It's here!!
[1]
[Do you wish to enter Parabellum?]
[Yes/No]
Alex clicked the yes again.
[To enter utter the words, 'syste...."]
"System start." Before the system notification can finish, Alex already coldly mumbled the words.
After saying the system command, a bright flash of light covered her vision. Then a voice of a child whispered in her ears.
[Welcome to Parabellum...]
[Please create your character...]
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