Martial Online.



"Mmh..."

A silent whisper sounded in a spacious room.

A young man opened his heavy eyelids and felt like he was floating aimlessly across a dreamscape. 

He felt groggy, unsure whether he was still sleeping or awake.

"Where... am I?" Jesse groaned, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was tucked under a warm blanket with a soft pillow under his head and an even softer bed.

He felt like he was lying on top of a marshmallow.

It felt surprisingly calming and relaxing as all of his stress faded away like it had been wiped away with a wet cloth.

"Mm..." Jesse, feeling the blissful sensation, turned to his right side, planning to continue sleeping. 

However, when he blinked his eyes, a pair of bright, piercing blue eyes stared back at him.

  "Aaah!" Jesse screamed in shock and hurriedly sat up. 

"Ah!" The figure with piercing blue eyes also let out a scream and escaped behind a bookshelf. 

However, the bookshelf could only hide half of her body. She still hid her face behind it—thinking she was actually hiding well.

"What in the..." Jesse scratched the back of his head, wondering who she was. 

He could only see a petite person hiding behind the bookshelf, her black hair slightly showing. She was wearing an adorable-looking dress, even though he couldn't see it entirely.

The door to the room then swung open, and a familiar-looking figure appeared with an inquiring expression. 

When he saw the scene, he sighed and wryly smiled.

"Emma, didn't I tell you that this room is off limits?" Jack said and knelt on the ground. He was looking at the person hiding behind the bookshelf with a gentle smile. "Come out now, and let's talk about why you're here."

The person slowly emerged from her "hiding" spot with a shy expression and her head hanging low.

She shyly mumbled. "I-I got lost, I swear!"

  "Emma, what did I tell you about lying?" Jack chuckled and patted his leg. "Come on, your mother was calling for your help with dinner."

"Okay..." Emma replied, her voice barely audible. She then lifted her eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of the black-haired young man. 

Her face was adorable, with chubby cheeks and round blue eyes.

She then lowered her gaze again and ran out of the room while hugging a stuffed red-eyed white bunny tightly in her arms.

"Jack... where am I? Who was she?" Jesse was full of questions. 

He sat on the edge of the bed and tried to stand up, but his legs were feeling very sore and painful when he tried to put any weight on them.

'Oh, great.' He sighed as he was unable to stand up once again. 

Only then did he remember that he spent most of the morning standing, perhaps even for several hours, which was definitely his record.

He thought it felt natural after playing Martial Online, but now that he thought about it, it was very unusual!

"You are at my home." Jack said and looked out of the room before closing the door. He walked over to the bed with a walking cane, tapping against the carpet-filled floor. "You fell asleep while we were waiting for someone to come pick us up.

"I didn't want to wake you up since you seemed somewhat tired this morning—you should take care of yourself more."

Jack then cleared his throat after getting sidetracked by his worries. 

"I couldn't find the keys to your apartment, and I didn't think sleeping in the car was appropriate, so I brought you here."

Jesse frowned and patted the back pocket of his trousers. He could clearly feel his keys there.

'Couldn't find, huh.' He wryly smiled and then nodded at his father. "Who was that girl?"

"She is Emma, my daughter." Jack fondly smiled and said. "She is also your little sister. I told her not to come here, but I guess she is in her rebellious phase—her curiosity seems limitless at times."

'My little sister...' Jesse became speechless. He couldn't help but remember Holly's face before it faded into obscurity.

He hadn't had good experience with siblings and it frightened him to have more siblings.

"I know you didn't want to meet them yet. You don't have to, and I hadn't told them who you are yet." Jack said and sat on the edge of the bed. "However, in the dinner, I plan to. Do you want to join us for dinner? My wife made her famous lasagna."

"I... uh." Jesse struggled to answer.

"You don't have to. I am not forcing you." Jack chuckled, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Jesse side-glanced at his father and felt guilt creep in. "I guess... I can join you for dinner."

Jack looked at his son in surprise before blossoming into a smile. "That's great. Shall we join them? I am sure they have finished preparing the meal by now."

"Sure, but... I think my legs have resigned for today. Is there perhaps a spare wheelchair lying around?" Jesse chuckled while rubbing his painful legs as if he were having a sudden growth spur, causing his leg bones to ache uncontrollably.

"There is an elevator we can use; can you walk there?" Jack asked and handed his silver-handled walking cane to his son.

"Yeah, I think so..." Jesse took the walking cane and stood up while leaning against it. He put most of his weight on it, so he wasn't feeling as much pain. 

However, it was still painful.

Jack pulled out a phone from his pocket, sent a quick message, and then pocketed it. 

He then headed over to the door, opened it, and left the room with his son.

There was an open elevator with six buttons leading to different floors. The lowest floor was the basement, and the highest was the fifth floor.

Jesse limped into the elevator with a surreal feeling. He managed to catch a slight glimpse around the hallways, and the house seemed extremely large with no end in sight. 

He also rarely came across a house with an elevator, except in some old movies with insanely rich families as main characters.

He couldn't help but wonder if the rest of the house was just as extravagant.

Perhaps there were hidden rooms or secret passageways waiting to be discovered.

Jack pressed the second floor button and moved his arms behind his back as the elevator doors slid shut. 

The elevator then gently began moving down, and soon they had reached the second floor.

The elevator door opened, and there was a butler, wearing a fancy black suit with a red tie, waiting for them with a silver wheelchair.

"Master, young master." The butler bowed and walked towards Jesse with the wheelchair. 

He moved behind him and waited for his new young master to sit down.

Jesse sat down in a wheelchair with a strange expression. 

He was treated like a prince, which made him unsure of how to feel.

"Has my family arrived in the dining room yet?" Jack asked the butler while walking out of the elevator.

Butler, pushing the wheelchair out of the elevator, replied. "Yes, they have, sir."

"Good." Jack smiled and then looked down at his son. "Jesse, it's getting late, and if you want, you can spend a night here. I can ask Sebastian here to go fetch a few of your personal items from your apartment, if you want."

"Ah, no need; I don't want to bother." Jesse shook his head.

"Young master, it wouldn't be a problem. If you need anything, I'll be more than happy to assist you." The butler named Sebastian spoke with a professional tone.

"Oh, then..." Jesse pulled out his keys and handed them over to the butler. "On my bedroom desk, there should be a white headset with a golden visor. It is extremely fragile, so handle it with care."

"Your wish is my command." The butler replied and saw Jack nod. He stopped pushing the wheelchair, bowed, and left to go fulfill the order.

Jack walked to the wheelchair and began pushing it towards the dining hall that loomed in the distance. 

He felt his heart pounding against his chest as they neared the dining hall. He wondered how his family would react to Jesse.