Fallen Realm Online: Rise of The Fallen Monarch

*****

"Why don't you voice your thoughts?" Xylen, who's now part of the almost motionless queue, couldn't help but eventually ask Aurelia, whose lips had been twitching as though wanting to speak, but hesitating since they departed from the strange old man.

"I…" Aurelia stammered as soon as he heard Xylen, startled by his sudden remark.

She hadn't realized that Xylen had been observing her closely, knowing that she had something bothering her to ask.

Aurelia instantly glanced at him, catching his gentle smile, which seemed to encourage her to express herself.

Seeing his reassuring demeanor, Aurelia hesitated momentarily before finally opening her cute small mouth.

"Brother, I'm not doubting you and your judgment. But don't you think that old man has conned you?" she asked tentatively.

Hearing her, Xylen's gentle smile deepened.

He had already guessed from the start that this was what was troubling Aurelia, but she had refrained from asking outright, probably worrying about how he might feel.

This is just the type of person Aurelia is—always overly concerned about his emotions.

Finally, Xylen sighed and contemplated for a moment, then glanced at his hand, where a small orange slip of paper, seemingly to have been crudely torn from a larger sheet, rested flatly.

He then looked back at Aurelia.

"To be honest," he started, pausing briefly to gather his thoughts. "Even I had zero idea why I bought it."

"Huh…" Aurelia blinked, greatly taken aback by his candidness.

Initially, she had thought Xylen might have been swayed by the old man's outrageous claim that a cure for his condition lay within the gaming world.

She had been genuinely worried because only a fool would believe something so preposterous, which was akin to being told you could find a treasure chest in a dream that would make you rich in reality.

Now, however, realizing that Xylen himself wasn't convinced by the old man's absurdities but had purchased the paper for reasons even he couldn't explain, Aurelia felt a sense of relief wash over her.

With this, a small smile graced her face, making the atmosphere bloom all of a sudden.

"It was just a coin, anyway. That nasty old man has probably already spent it," Aurelia concluded as if trying to comfort Xylen over the minor loss.

On his part, Xylen chuckled softly.

Truthfully, he didn't believe the old man's fantastical words, as he had told Aurelia.

He hadn't bought the small piece of paper without a reason, as he had told her. Instead, the urge and instinct to acquire the so-called talisman had been so overwhelming that he couldn't resist, no matter how irrational it seemed, and this was exactly why he paid for it.

But could he tell Aurelia this? Of course, no.

Shrugging off the thought, Xylen casually folded the paper and slipped it into his pants pocket, letting it fade from his mind.

"Let me know when you get hungry so you can grab something to eat," he told Aurelia, who nodded her head softly, and with that, they continued their slow advance in the queue.

By the time they finally reached the front of the line, night had fully descended. Yet, the entire site was illuminated by countless bright floodlights, ensuring everything remained visible and the place, was still filled with a sea of people.

"One at a time," the doorman, a masked figure in black, stated flatly just as Aurelia pushed Xylen toward him, causing the pair to halt.

Xylen instantly raised a brow but quickly clarified, "As you can see, I can't manage on my own."

The masked man hesitated at this, but then as though given an authoritative, he shifted to the side and finally gave the two of them entry.

'This Rex Corps is just as mysterious as I remembered from my previous life,' Xylen thought as they entered the compact facility.

And just then;

"Name?" an icy, indifferent woman asked suddenly, forgoing even a basic greeting.

The abruptness caught Xylen off guard, but he quickly returned to his senses and supplied his name.

The woman, a beautiful but unsmiling one, with her black hair packed into a bun, dressed in a white suit quickly entered it into a computer, and moments later, a sealed gaming pod—identical to what he remembered, very portable, unlike what the world had initially anticipated was handed to him.

The payment was swiftly processed via the ATM card he had just gotten from the card before coming, the huge amount of money making Aurelia feel slightly pained before shaking it off.

Just then;

"This pod is now uniquely assigned to you," the unsmiling woman explained dispassionately. "Once you activate it for the first time, it will record your DNA and bind exclusively to you. From then on, no other pod will be compatible with you."

With her explanation complete, she dismissed them with a glance, signaling that their transaction was concluded.

"That's it?" Aurelia, who had expected a long process murmured, utterly baffled. "Then why not allow someone else to assist in the purchase?" she muttered, shaking her head exasperatedly as she carefully maneuvered Xylen out of the building.

Once outside;

"These Rex Corps people are unbelievably arrogant," Aurelia vented her frustration, fuming. "So arrogant. Acting as though they're doing us a favor when, in reality, they're just after our money."

Xylen smiled faintly but chose not to comment.

Apart from the sheer volume of customers which he hadn't encountered when he was purchasing his in the past... likely due to the pod's release day and the purchase center being different, everything else about the process, including the impersonal attitude of the staff, mirrored his experience from his previous life.

"Time to head back," Xylen finally murmured after a moment.

Aurelia's eyes widened with alarm, seeming to finally recall what had been at stake.

"By now, your half-siblings must've returned and realized you had left the underground garage," she said nervously.

Xylen only offered her a reassuring smile.

"There's nothing to fear," he replied, attempting to ease her worry.

Despite his optimism, however, Aurelia's expression remained anxious as they started their journey home, taking one of the countless numbers of taxis bringing in and taking off the people from the site.

*****

By the time they eventually reached the mansion, it was nearing midnight and the estate had become quiet, as though no one was around.

"See? I told you everyone would be asleep," Xylen said with a soft laugh, finally putting Aurelia at ease.

"I couldn't help worrying," she admitted, wiping the beads of sweat that had oozed out of her brows. "If we lose this place, where would we even go? Apartments in this city are impossible to afford. And how would we pay for one anyway?"

She muttered her fear as she pushed Xylen's wheelchair toward the slope leading to the underground garage.

Just as she thought they had escaped, though…

Pak!

A sharp noise rang out, and before the two could react, the dark surroundings were bathed in blinding light.

Startled, they both recoiled, only to see a group of figures standing before them and smirking wickedly in their direction, as though saying; 'Escape now.'

"I told you, young master! The crippled trash would only return when he thought everyone was asleep," a servant sneered gleefully.

As soon as Aurelia and Xylen recognized the faces before them—none, but Xylen's half-siblings, they froze.

Aurelia paled, while for Xylen, it was as though a jolt of electricity suddenly coursed through him, igniting the clear memories of his previous life.