Chapter 314: A Sad Request
Hearing those cold, harsh words, Rael felt like he was being suffocated.
But he knew he deserved this. He abandoned her, and to top it all off, she remembered everything despite being in a coma for so long.
And knowing that she sat in silence for nearly 14 years… it made Rael want to punch himself relentlessly.
Fuck… Rael held his forehead, which felt like it was about to burst.
“Hey.” Melissa snapped her fingers, getting his attention. “How’d you get in here, anyways? Do you have some kind of shadow assassin skill?”
Rael shook his head slowly, and as he was about to answer, Melissa approached the door and opened it before signaling for him to leave.
“Could you hear me out before I go?” Rael asked. “And no… I won’t be making up any excuses. I just want you to know a few things.”
He wasn’t sure how big of an effect his words would have on her, considering this was nothing but a Memory Record.
But even so, because of his Memory Record, he was finally able to reunite with his sister.
“Are you going to tell me a few more of your stories?” Melissa tilted her head. “Sorry, but I’ve already heard plenty.”
“It’s not a story this time. Rather, I want you to know something…” Rael trailed off, letting out a sigh.
As reluctant as Melissa was, she nodded, and in the end, Rael began explaining his experience in Sketa Online.
.
.
.
It took a while to explain everything, but he at least got the main points across.
Soul Damage, reincarnation, and the fact that he was currently inside a Memory Record.
But in the end…
“Right… and I’m a fairy,” Melissa said, then pointed to the door. “I thought you were going to tell me something valuable, or at least apologize. But while I was lying there helpless, you were out there living a whole new life. Do you realize how that sounds to me?”
“…”
Rael couldn’t refute it, so in the end, he shot her one last nod and slowly made his way out of her home.
He turned around, perhaps wanting to hear a final goodbye, but the door slammed shut in his face.
That went about as he expected.
So with a blank look, he made his way to the mini house he had gotten.
To his surprise, Jane and Julian were already waiting by the front door.
“Took you a while. So did you get her autograph?” Jane asked with a raised brow.
However, Rael simply shrugged her off as he went inside the house.
“We’ll be going Shrine hunting tomorrow. We need to reach level 50 soon,” Rael said dryly. “So get some rest, as we’ll be out for the whole day.”
There was also one more matter he wanted to deal with, and it involved both the Chosen Ones as well as the Arena Maria had mentioned.
There should still be 5 or so days left until that happens… and I also managed to confirm one thing.
His sister wasn’t chosen.
It was a relief on one end, but a mystery on the other.
What was the point of the name “Heroes” when they were all evil?
He didn’t even have the energy to scream at the idiots, as all he wanted to do was drop into his bed and go to sleep.
So after a few minutes of procrastinating, that was exactly what he did.
.
.
.
—KNOCK KNOCK!
Rael darted awake at the aggressive knocking on his door.
Just in case, he entered the Soul Realm. Then he slipped out the window and circled to the front.
That was when he spotted a figure he wasn’t quite expecting to see.
It was Melissa, and she wore a mask, as if hiding her identity.
But before he could go back into the house, the door swung open.
Julian stepped forward suspiciously.
“Look… mom and dad aren’t home, so could you please piss off? I don’t want your special mushrooms,” Julian muttered, causing Rael to nearly stumble over.
This fucking midget… what is he saying!?
“Dad? Is Rael inside?” Melissa asked, her voice high-pitched. She was clearly hiding who she was.
“Rael? Who’s that?” Julian asked, yet his brows soon furrowed. “Rael… Rael Altros? Sorry… I might be a bit paranoid.”
Before things spiraled further, Rael left the Soul Realm, reappearing behind Melissa.
“Hey, my bad. I was stealing some food from our neighbors,” Rael said, scratching his cheek. “What’d I miss?”
“Rael?” Julian asked, leaning in. “Are you Rael?”
“I’m Aster,” Rael replied without missing a beat as he shot a glance at Melissa. “Can we talk inside?”
“Of course,” Melissa replied coldly and stepped inside.
Rael did the same, but just as Julian was about to close the door…
“Can you get out for a few minutes?”
“Seriously…?” Julian sighed. “Fine. You know what, I’ll go get myself a weapon for when we leave later.”
Rael nodded and went to the small living room where Melissa was already seated.
He sat down opposite her, confused.
“What’s the special occasion? I thought you didn’t want to see me again.”
“You thought right, but something you said yesterday caught my attention,” Melissa said. “In that world of yours, you went back to before that Sketa Online game came out. And you mentioned seeing actual real players, people, right?”
“Sure?” Rael tilted his head. “Where are you going with this?”
“Do you think I exist in that world as well?” Melissa asked. “In both worlds, for that matter. You played the game, but you’re now also inside the game at the time you played it, right?”
Rael gave her a quick nod, so she continued.
“Do you think there could be two of you then…?” Melissa trailed off, her expression turning sour. “The current you, and the one from that time as well…”
“I… that might be possible,” Rael replied, falling into thought.
If he was back in the past in a completely different body than his own, then the previous Rael should still theoretically exist.
But to confirm it, Rael would need to look into it.
After all, his previous name was Quarterpounder69, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to track.
Even so, Rael met her resolute gaze as he slightly tilted his head.
“Why?”
Melissa rose from her seat, a resolute yet sad expression plastered on her face.
“Say… could you meet the other Rael and tell him about me? I know it’s stupid… but I just wish that at least one Melissa doesn’t have to experience the same loneliness I did.”
Before he could answer, she raised a single finger, stopping him.
“Let your actions speak for you instead. Bye, Rael,” Melissa said. “I hope your happiness lasts.”
With that, she left.
As for Rael, he simply sat there, pondering over her request.
It wasn’t hard to do, as all he needed was the premium shop to find the player he was looking for.
Therefore, he had made his decision.
I’ll do it.
He rose from his seat and went outside his home.
To his surprise, Julian and Jane were waiting for him with slight smiles.
“Packed us some weapons. Also, I asked around and got us a Shrine’s location,” Julian said, then pointed to the giant bag Jane was holding. “And she packed us a bunch of food… so are you ready?”
Rael let out a chuckle as a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Yep. Let’s go.”
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