《Oh Mr General!》


 Chapter 1 - Job Application

    The year was 2100.


    The bustling age of Virtual Technology.


    The craze these days were online virtual video games that shook both children''s and adult''s hearts. People were rarely seen outside as the convenience of online shopping has been minimized to the hours.


    In the technologically advanced society of Country Z, a boy was walking down the stone tiled pavements of the famous Glory Road, carved onto the grounds for life were names of famous individuals.


    There were people from different industries all aggregated together. Some of them were elderly scientists, while the youngest was a 12 year old child who shook the world with his heaven defining voice.Only those who were born in Country Z and had brought glory would be eligible for this.


    Sato Takahashi, a 20 year old youth was walking with soulless eyes down this path. His future looked dimmed and his hopes were destroyed. A second year university student who had just dropped out of school due to a lack of financial funds.


    Just a week ago, Sato had found out that his scholarship backer had to file for bankruptcy due to his greed. He borrowed from loan sharks that would not hesitate to take everything.


    In the end, the poor student was left with no choice but to leave school and take a gap year.


    Right now, Sato has to find a job that could pay him a high wage and take a short term employee like him. He was desperate for cash and yet his looming long and hard journey scares him deeply. He feared that he would never be able to complete his university education and would forever be labelled as a failure.


    As Sato walked down Glory Road, he came across a high-tech bulletin board that showed the latest jobs in the market right now. He immediately perked up and began running through the list.


    The once sad youth was immediately fueled with adrenaline as he yearned for his bright future. As long as he gets hired into a high paying job, by the end of the year, he would be back in university in no time!


    Scrolling through the list of jobs, the hopeful Sato had his hopes extinguished within minutes.


    Most of the high paying jobs listed all required at least a bachelor''s degree of some sort, while others required job experience. For Sato''s case, he has always been relying on the scholarship funds in the school to survive everyday. Never once did he have to go out and earn a living. Now, this lack of job experience has turned around to bite him.


    "What am I going to do now that I can''t find a job to pay for my university funds?" Sato sighed as he looked at his feet despairingly. As he looked down gloomily, his eyes caught sight of the job listed at the bottom of bulletin board.


    "Personal Assistant Required. High paying job. No degree required."


    The youth immediately shouted out as he tapped on to the job. Sato took down a memo in his phone on the job and where he had to file in an application.


    When finished, he resolutely walked back home into his old and dingy one room apartment located in the suburbs of the town. In order to save some of the scholarship funds his organisation was giving him, Sato chose to stay in one of the oldest areas in Country Z, instead of staying in the school dorms which were twice as expensive.


    The door to his room creaked loudly as he opened it up. Inside his room was a simple wooden table where he would usually eat his meals and complete his everyday assignments. There was a single bed that could barely fit the 176cm and an old "Windows 10" desktop* sitting at the corner of the room.


    To the left, it was a small kitchen and mini fridge that allowed Sato to cook some cheap simple meals for himself. There was only one stovetop and a small sink beside it. The stove was still connected to a gas can.


    On the right side of the room was a shutter door that lead to his tiny bathroom. It didn''t have enough space to fit a proper shower and they had to make the toilet area into a shower area too. His house did not resemble a highly technologically advanced society at all.


    Sato shut the door behind him and took his jacket off, throwing it onto his bed.


    He walked excitedly towards his desktop and booted it up. After a few minutes the monitor had finally loaded up and he keyed in his password. In this era, the internet was a national wide connection that was available for everyone. So long as one has a device that could connect to the internet, they could use it free of charge.


    Sato woke his phone up and sent the link from his phone to his computer. The site loaded up to show the job website.


    "Army Job Application Site"


    Sato squinted at the screen and thought to himself, "Why would the army need a personal assistant for? This seems a little sketchy. " He hesitated before filling up the form, he wasn''t sure if this was the right thing to do.


    He looked around his room and it hit him; he really needed a job no matter what. Sato could not live like this anymore. He needed to get back on his feet!


    He stretched his arms and began filling up his application form.


    Name: Sato Takahashi


    Age: 20


    Highest education: 2nd Year University Dropout


    His eyes hovered over this: "Short Introduction about yourself (describe your hobbies, aspirations, values)"


    At this point, Sato stopped filling in his application as he thought about what to write. He needed to be able to impress his employer yet not sound like a douche.


    "I might as well describe my circumstance to the employer and hope that they will sympathise me." He shrugged as he continued typing.


    "I am a youth that is currently struggling financially to get through university. It was the very reason I applied to this job as I desperately needed a job to help fund my education journey. I would confidently say I am a hard worker that does not know when to give up. I will always put my best effort into whatever I am doing and I do not tolerate handing in last minute work. My hobbies include reading light novels and visiting the orphanage to spend time with children."


    Tying up the loose ends, Sato sent out his application and hoped for the best. He closed his eyes and cupped his hands together, praying to the gods above. "Oh God, please help me get this job! All this time, I have used my own efforts to achieve what I got today. So, all you gotta do is help me now."


    What Sato did not know was that this job required to have a university degree in some form of management specialty. It was the job site that inputted the wrong data into their system.


    It was the start of Sato''s crazy journey.


    *author''s note: In this era, they were already up to Windows XV

 Chapter 2 - Ray Of Light

    The electronic application swiftly moves through the data centers and within seconds, arrives into the inbox of Siara Kenstone. Siara was the current Personal Assistant, the position that Sato was applying for. The reason for this job becoming vacant was because she was about to give birth to her baby. It was said to be due in 2 weeks time and she had to do some preparation before she leaves for maternity leave for 4 to 6 months.


    Presently, she had thought that these individuals are actually university applicants as the job hunting software they used would help sift out for them. Hmm a total of 20 applicants have applied for the job. Seems like this time round there would be a cutthroat competition. She immediately prepared and printed out each of the applicant''s resume and sent out an interview invite to each of them.


    By the time Sato had finished eating his dinner, he had already received back an invite for an interview that dated tommorow.


    Tommorow? It seems like they really need to fill up this position badly. I wonder who could this person I''m working for be? Sato thought questionably. His analytical skills told him that it would probably be a ranking officer that requires a PA to help organise their schedule to the minute. He knew if he got this job, he would probably have to work his butt off. Well no need to think about it, if you get it you get it.


    With that, Sato called up his best friend in University Z, Ming. "Hey Ming! How was the first day of class?"


    "Hey Sato. Mmm class was as per normal. Professor Clarence was rambling on about the thought process behind the Autocook. (Author''s Note: A machine that helps automatically make food for people)."


    "Ah thats the usual Professor. He can''t help but talk about his greatest invention. I mean I would talk about it too if I had created that product."


    "True. Oh yeah, we had a club meeting today and we decided that we were going to attempt to clear the Hell Dungeon in ROL"


    "Hell dungeon? Already? I thought we already made it clear that the Expert dungeon had already expended too much of our university funds. Why bother trying out the Hell version if it may even drain all of our budget?! " Sato exclaimed at this news that he just received.


    The game they were discussing about was Ray Of Light. It is currently the most up and coming game where over 10 billion people around the world are playing. The game was set in Ronan, a fantasy world whereby the game world is getting invaded by demons from another world. It was then when humans (the players) enter Ronan and save them from the demons. The humans were the ray of light, symbolising hope in the hearts of the citizens in Ronan.


    Both he and Ming are part of University Z''s Ray Of Light team. They were part of the school guild "RoyalKnights", which is actually a top 100 guild in the world, bringing in a lot of prestige whereever they go. However since Sato and Ming are both people who are of lower level in societal rankings, they often get discriminated in game and do not have a say in game matters. In the case of dungeon clearing, they would usually be cannon fodder for the team and would not be able to showcase their skills.


    "Yeah.. Tyron was confident in his judgement and made everyone agree forcefully. We are going to clear it tommorow." Tyron is the current leader of the school guild as his father was the sponsor of all the gaming equipment in the school. He held absolute power in the club. "Also, Tyron has made the decision to kick you out of the guild. I tried fighting back but..."


    "Hey Ming, it''s alright man. You know how that bastard works. Whatever that doesnt benefit him will be thrown away in the dumpster." Sato reassured Ming that he was completely fine and he really was. Ever since he had joined the guild he had been discriminated and had his own account drop in level significantly for no reason. When he does get a job he shall get himself a gaming helmet and recreate his account to start again. (Author''s note: In ROL, you can only have one account at a time per person. If you would like to restart, you would have to give up your pre-existing account.)


    "Well the team is about to start practice now. I will talk to you later. I have already sent you the notes that I took down during class today. Take care Sato." The call ended and Sato went into his email to open up the files that Ming sent. Inside is the content of the lecture of Professor Clarence. He was the pair''s Mechanical Engineering professor that had won many innovation prizes for his inventions. His name was actually carved on Glory road.


    Sato went into study mode as he revised and watched over the lecture vid on his university account. Ever since he was young, Sato had been a hardworking child. His parents has a bakery in the suburbs of Country Z and they barely get by everyday. Sato worked hard every year to receive scholarships and opportunities to earn prizes and money to help alleviate the financial burden in his family. He was a smart youth that was number 1 in the National Exams which was why he got into University Z, the number 3 school in the world. The youth studies double degree in Computer science and Mechanical engineering.


    After 3 hours of watching the video and studying over the notes, Sato finished his night by looking through his closet for the nicest shirt and pants he had.


    Since he only had 4 sets of clothing, it didnt take him long to find a formal shirt and pants that was too small for his current build. He had worn this for his interview into university and has grown taller ever since then.


    Oh well, I guess I just have to make do with this, Sato thought. He went ahead to iron it over once and cut a little bit of his hair to make himself look more presentable. The current him had overly long bangs and long hair twirls at the back of his head. He looked like a girl with curly hair. When finished with his hair, he had changed into a youthful male that had a slight spring in his hair.


    He then decided to have an early night''s rest to prepare himself for tommorow. How would the interview turn out?

 Chapter 3 - Phone Thief

    Tuesday morning, 6am, Sato''s Mark3 phone alarm rang aloud. The young adult clumsily got out of bed and headed for the washroom. He had gotten almost close to no sleep for he kept thinking about what he should say all night. He knew that if people with university degrees applied, he would be at a disadvantage. He needed to play to his advantages, like how he was willing to do whatever work requested by his boss, no matter how tiring or ridiculous it can be. It was do or die.


    The pay for this job is equivalent to any middle ranking position at a high ranking company. With this money, I would definitely be able to pay my school fees, thought Sato.


    Swiftly, Sato brushed and washed himself up. He then headed to his mini kitchen to cook himself a nice fried egg for his slice of bread. A simple yet delicious meal was what Sato aimed for everyday. He needed to not only save money, but also keep his body healthy to keep studying. Just eating instant noodles will not cut it.


    At around 7.30am, Sato changed up and left the house, getting on the nearby fast train towards the interview place. It was located at the Central Manpower base of Country Z, which was located in the center of the country. The military had built their base there as a central network to all of the other active units in the country. It provide better and more efficient transport of documents towards the Central Manpower Base.


    The trip to central took about 30 mins which was already considered very fast if compared to back in the early 2000s that would have taken him an hour. The whole time Sato was researching on common interview questions and practicing on himself. He needed this extra bit of preparation to make himself more confident. He had almost forgotten to get off at his stop.


    Alighting at the "Central Station", Sato followed the GPS towards the location. It showed that he required to walk around 30 minutes to get there. Since he was still early, Sato decided to walk to the base.


    Central Station was -- as the name states-- the hub of Country Z. It was where not only the big corporations of the country run their business, but also the central shopping district. On one side would usually be where all the tourist and citizens come and shop for items, while the other is the area where business man and working individuals aggregate. Its quite impossible to mix up these two districts.


    As Sato walked down the clean pavements of the business district, he noticed that all the people here were either on their phones calling people or madly running towards a certain direction. It really felt like time was truly money and they could not waste even a second of it. Pressured, he started walking faster and eventually turned right to reach a rather quiet pathway.


    Along this path were less cramped up corporate buildings as it strayed away from the central road that he was previously on. He felt like he could finally breathe. As the youth was about to start walking again, the boy noticed a rather tall man standing near the road side in a brown down jacket and a button up blue shirt. The man was wearing glasses and talking over the phone. You could tell that the phone was one of the latest in the phone lines and he was extremely well to do. Moreover, the man was very handsome. His red glowing lips and symmetrical face gave off a rather eye opening vibe. He looked perfect even without looking at his eyes.


    As the man was talking over the phone, a guy that wore a dark black hoodie was walking up towards his at a fast pace. Sato noticed this and continued to watch his actions. Eventually, things went array when the dark hooded guy rammed into the man and snatched the hand phone out of the man''s hand. He then ran away towards Sato''s direction at breakneck speed.


    Without thinking Sato swiftly ran and started chasing him. He shouted, "Stop right there you thief!"


    The young adult ran after him and winded around many different walk ways. He soon found himself quite winded but continued to pursue him. It was due to this type of people that others think that citizens that live in the suburbs were all thiefs. He hated that nickname.


    Turning left with the thief, the hooded man had reached a dead end and turned around to look at Sato. He took out a pocket knife and pointed it at Sato. "Hey young man, ya better stop this chase. For if ya don''t, I may just accidentally hurt ya!" The man shouted out intimidatingly.


    "Hey man come on. This is not the right thing to do. Stealing will never get you anywhere in your life. Just hand the phone to me and I will not call the cops." Sato tried negotiating with him.


    "Hahahaha. You think after I am done with you, you would still be able to call the cops? Dream on!" The hooded man ran up to him and thrusted his right armed arm towards Sato.


    Instinctively, Sato side stepped leftwards and helded onto the man''s knife arm. He tried to trip the man over, but he was quicker and had kneed him in the stomach. It left Sato winded as he clutched his stomach and leaned against the brick wall.


    "I told ya not to mess with me! Now face the consequences!" The thief angrily sliced downwards at Sato.


    Ah, this may be the end of my life. How pathetic. Sato sniggered inwardly as he recalled his whole life. He had never been able to achieve any of his dreams due to the multiple setbacks in his life. Now he was going to die just like this.


    Sato closed his eyes and fainted. He had accepted his unfortunate fate. At this point, the young man did not realise that the man whose phone was stolen was standing around the area awaiting a moment to strike. The man in a down jacket grabbed onto the hood of the thief as he threw him backwards, away from Sato. As the thief hits the wall, he then delivered a round house kick onto his head, instantly knocking him out.


    Dusting himself off he took the phone from the unconsious thief and turned himself towards Sato. He looked at the righteous young man infront of him and kneeled down. Placing two fingers under his nose, he checked to see that the boy was fine and carried him up with his strong arms.


    At that time, several man dressed in black ran up towards the down jacket man and immediately bow down 90 degrees. "Sir! I deeply apologise for the mistake that we made! We should''ve been beside you at all times!"


    "Its alright. Stand straight please." The man said a few words before carrying Sato and placing him inside his black rolls royce. They left towards a building in the central. The thief was immediately sent off to the police station without delay.

 Chapter 4 - Sato Wakes Up

    Sato scrunched his face as he grimaced in pain. Him taking a knee to the stomach had left a bruise on his body. It made him feel rather weak and it took him a while to realise that he was in a different place.


    Where am I? Was I kidnapped? Sato had thought that the man with the knife had taken him away and locked him in some dungeon. His thoughts ran about carelessly.


    It was then that he heard a light scruffle sound made behind the sofa that he was lying on. Struggling to get up, Sato pulled himself up to see over the leather sofa. The young man saw an evenly built man half-naked. His toned upper body was showing, six-pack abs and well-defined chest, it was a whole package. The man had not noticed that sato was watching as he continued to take off further, this time being the pants.


    After looking at the man''s body, he realised that it was the man whose phone was stolen. Sato also started blushing as he examined that perfect body of his. He started panicking more as he realised that the man was taking off his pants.


    Why did this feel like a voyeur? I''m clearly a guy too, Sato thought inwardly.


    When the man''s pants was off, you could clearly see the tight bottom and sturdy thighs that were chiselled onto him. If he were to be placed against the top male models in the world, he would most definitely not lose. A tall muscular body that exerted dominance and masculinity. It was every girls dream to date such a man.


    Sato blushed even more as he continued to stare at the man. He never once blinked or even breathed loudly. It was as if time froze for him and he was just admiring a work of art.


    The man eventually put on a set of dark blue uniform. The man was wearing a standard No.3 uniform in Country Z, only those of high ranks were able to put it on. As the man looked up, he finally noticed the gaze of Sato on him. He then walked up to him slowly, while barefooted.


    He then placed a hand on Sato''s shoulder to which he asked caringly. "Are you alright?" It was short and simple, but anyone could tell that he had asked with sincerity.


    "Ye.. Yeah. I am ok." Sato stuttered a little. "Thank you for saving me from that thief."


    "It was my fault from the start. You do not need to thank me." The man answered back immediately.


    "Ok. But may I ask you to inform me where have you brought me?"


    "You are at the Central Manpower Base." After hearing the man''s answer, Sato sighed in relief. At the very least he was at the location of the interview. Just then, something came across to him.


    "Wait a minute! What time is it!?" Sato grasped the wrist of the man desperately.


    "It is 9.10am now." The instant the man said the timing Sato knew that he was dead meat.


    "Shit!" Sato, with a burst of adrenaline jumped out of the sofa and ran out of the room. He was late and could not be bothered about anything else. He needed this job and needed it badly.


    The young man ran towards the nearest directory and found that the interview room was located on the same floor he was on. It was located at the end of the hallway.


    Running with all his might, Sato eventually made it and he came to realise that he was probably the last one there. A woman with a big belly was looking at the clock as she stood in the middle of the hallway. She then looked up and saw the late interviewee.


    "You are late." She spoke simply before turning around to the rest of the 19 interviewees. "Alright everyone, I will now split you up into two groups of 10, group A and group B. When i call out the names, please move to one side."


    After finishing up the formalities, the interview officially started. Sato was part of group A. He moved into the conference room just like the others. He had noticed that out of the 20 people, only 2 of them were guys. In fact, most of the woman who had applied look very beautiful and must''ve been the school''s belle during their times.


    As they sat down in a row at the front of the conference table, behind it were five other individuals.


    "Now I shall give you interviewees a brief introduction. My name is Siara, I am the personal assistant that may just be replaced by one of you. The three behind me are respectively Colonel Cyrus, Colonel John and Ms. May. These three individuals closely work with my boss and they would be helping me to judge you. Before I disclose more about my job profession, you would first have to sign this digital clause that requests for your confidentiality on this matter. " Siara handed out 10 tablets with a signature space for the interviewees.


    After reading through the clause, Sato realises the seriousness of this job. However, that did not cause his resolve to decrease. He signed the confidentiality contract.


    "Now, let me begin by first saying welcome to the Central Manpower Base. Today we would be streamlining the 20 of you down to 3 individuals that will personally undergo training conducted by me. The training will hopefully last for 2 weeks, if you know what I mean, and by the end of this, I will select the perfect candidate." All the interviewees had figured out what she had meant as she had pointed to her belly.


    "First things first why don''t we go down person by person and introduce yourself and what degree you have majored in." Siara continued. The statement that she had just said made Sato rather stumped as he heard her saying that he needed a degree.


    "Good morning sirs and madam, my name is Holly Windlock. This year I am 25 years old and I have a Masters in Financial Management at P University." Subsequently as each individual spoke, Sato slowly realised how bad of a predicament he was in. The people that went so far had a Masters degree in some form or another and it was just him alone that didn''t have any.


    It was then when the door had opened up widely by two people in tuxedo suits. A person and his lackie slowly strolled into the room. It had caused everyone to stand up. Only Sato remained slightly clueless and had reacted slightly later than everyone else.


    Who is this guy that caused everyone to stand up so abruptly? Sato thought. Also why did the man''s back look so familiar?


    The mysterious person turned around and looked at the ten individuals that were behind him. As he scanned the people, only one of them had caught his eye and that person was Sato.


    Sato was also shocked after seeing him appear once again infront of him. What are the chances of that happening? He exasperated inwardly.


    "Sir Major General! Can we have your permission to proceed on with our meeting for your potential Personal assistant?" Colonel Cyrus asked loudly to the man in blue.


    Major General?! That man who rescued me was a Major General?!?! Sato was at a loss of words. He had not only ran out of the Major General''s office, but had also seen him naked. Now, he has to bump into him again during this meeting?


    The Major General nodded his head and proceeded to the center seat that was empty previously. Siara then addressed all of us. "Alright now that my boss is here, allow me to introduce him to everyone. The position you are applying for is to be the Personal assistant of Sir Major General Gray Tobion."


    "This was the reason why we had you sign the confidentiality clause as this is for the sake of protecting both my boss and yourself." When Siara had said the introduction of him, Sato froze immediately. He knew that this encounter was rather coincidental and bazaar. My saviour may just become my boss?


    " Now we shall carry on with the introduction. Ms Turner, could you continue on? " The introductions moved on and in lightning speed it had reached Sato''s turn. His mind went blank.


    What am I going to do? I can''t just lie. I would definitely be undergoing a thorough check through before getting this position. I guess I would just have to tell the truth.


    Taking in a deep breath and letting it out quietly, Sato spoke confidently. "My name is Sato Takahashi. I am 20 years old. Due to financial issues, I was forced to drop out of University Z and pursue a job so as to generate some tuition fees. I hope you consider my application!"

 Chapter 5 - The Interview

    After Sato was finished with his introduction, silence permeated the room. It was only after 3 seconds when Siara started flipping through his job application. Her face frowned as she read through the information provided.


    How did this man get past the selection phase of the job site? Shouldn''t it have only been available for people who had a degree? Siara questioned.


    After a short while, Siara took the paper with Sato''s information and placed it to one side. "Well there has been a problem with the job site that we had used. There should only be degree holders here for this interview. I hope you can understand where I am coming from, Mr Sato." Siara spoke first.


    Her words rang in Sato''s head loudly, even though she spoke normally. I... I am not valid for this interview? No chance given?


    "But..." He was speechless, yet he needed to say something. Even if it would''ve made not difference. "Please give me a chance to get through this interview, Ms Siara!"


    "I am sorry, but this is the requirements that was set by the higher ups. I have no right to question their request." Her words were painful, but were indeed the truth. Why would such a high paying job not require a degree holder? It was definitely an error of the job agency. " Now, I am sorry to say this, but could you kindly leave the room now as we would have to continue with this interview."


    The final words crushed all of Sato''s hope of having a chance. He felt condemned and his body heavy. He slowly pushed his chair backwards and walked out of the room with his head low. No one looked at his leaving shadow. All but the Major General. He watched the entire process.


    Sato walked by the other 10 interviewees outside. They were either sniggering or looking down on him.


    "Look at how pathetic this man is. He can''t even stay in the room long enough to finish the interview."


    "Yeah. He was probably uneducated or something. Isn''t he also the one that reached the venue late? It is no wonder that he would be kicked out early."


    His heart hurt, but he could not blame anyone. He was the one that was lacking a degree. He was the one that was late. He was not qualified at all. As Sato walk down the business avenue once again, he realised this time he came down this road with an injury on his stomach. It hurt but it did not hurt as much as the rejection he received.


    Even on the train back home, he just stared out of the window and did nothing. No thoughts ran through his head, only the fleeting clouds and occasional birds that could be seen flying by. He felt empty.


    By now, the interview that concluded with the 19 interviewees and the conference room had 5 people left. They were the ones that are making the final decision.


    "I personally think that this lady, Myra Wilson is a good candidate. She spoke fluently and with confidence during our questioning. She was the one that shone out of the people in group 2." Colonel John gave his comment.


    "Yeah I agree with John on his observation. The other 9 of them were rather mediocre when it came to speaking skills, which is something that is very crucial in the job scope of a PA." Colonel Cyrus agreed with him.


    "Alright. We shall let Myra Wilson get through to round 2 of selections." Siara wrote down her name while looking for any form of response from her boss, Gray. He had kept his silence as per usual. Not many people could ever get him to talk, not even his closest colleagues or Personal Assistant. " Now let us look at group 1 then. I personally think the first person that introduced, Holly Windlock is quite good."


    "Yes yes. I also thought that that lady Holly had a certain charm. Her smiles and the way she spoke could probably lead weak hearted males astray." Ms May commented while looking at the two Colonels.


    "Hey! What are you talking about? I''m not weak hearted ok? However, she was definitely the prettiest candidate out of the 18 females." Colonel John shouted out.


    "Hmm. She would be perfect when having to deal with public relations. Well let her through to the second stage, Siara." Colonel Cyrus agreed and Siara wrote down her name.


    "General Gray, don''t you think that Ms Holly looked really beautiful?" Cyrus asked Gray, to which he only received a glare from him. Cyrus then stood up and bowed slightly to him. "Sorry sir!"


    "Well we need one more candidate. Who do you guys find special or is a suitable candidate?" Siara cleared her throat and got back on topic. This time no one spoke out for the third candidate. Those two were the only ones that really stood out. "If there is no one, then I will just be training and observing two individuals."


    "I have one person in mind." Just then, Gray spoke out. Everyone was shocked at how there was someone that caught the General''s eye. Which lady was it? Or could it be that man from group 2?


    "Sato Takahashi. Put his name down." With that, Gray left the room first and the other four kept silent in shock. Sato? The young man that was kicked out even before the interview truly started? What was the Major General thinking?


    "Well I guess you should write his name down, Siara. We can''t actually go against out Sir''s choice." Colonel John broke the silent atmosphere.


    "Yeah. I do not know what my boss is thinking, but I will definitely keep an extra eye on this mysterious young man." Siara noted him down and the meeting concluded.


    At home, Sato was listlessly lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. What should I do? Work at a construction site to make ends meet ? Go back home to mother and father?


    His best friend, Ming had been trying to call through to him all day, but he had not pick up his phone. He just lied there, unmoving and still.


    At this moment, a different notification sound came through. It was for an email. Sato turned around to pick his phone up to see who is it from. It was from the Central Manpower Base.


    Hmphh was this mail coming in to state that he had not gotten in? Sato clicked into the email. His eyes immediately widen into a circular ball.


    "I GOT IN!!!" Sato jumped out of his bed and was extremely ecstatic. He felt like he was brought back from the dead. He immediately called Ming back and told him about the good news he had received. However, Sato did not become complacent as he knew that this was just the beginning of everything.

 Chapter 6 - First Day Of Work 1

    7am, Sato left his bed and did his daily routine. He cooked his favorite meal, a fried egg with a slice of cucumber on a slice of bread. Munching on his meal, he watched the latest news on ROL.


    "On today''s episode of ''Talking With The Experts'', we will be discussing the latest advancements on the Caverns Of The Lords with the number 1 tank, Death Knight..."


    Sato still kept up with the game as he planned to get back into it when he receives his pay. It was his form of escapism from his current life and a hobby that quenches his thirst for adventure.


    " So far, it seems that no guilds have been able to clear the Hell dungeon in this map. What are your thoughts on this matter, Hell Knight?"


    Sato paid attention to the different strategies the top guilds were implementing. Even though he never had the chance to give any advice to his team, he wanted to improve his overall playstyle for the future.


    The show lasted for thirty minutes and by that time it was 8am. After washing up the dishes, Sato left the house in the same clothing that he wore yesterday. Today was the first day of internship.


    Not wanting to leave another late impression, he made sure to reach on time as he waited in the lobby of the building. In the Manpower base, the employees each require their own verification card to enter the building. In addition, you would need to have your thumb scanned for double authentication purposes. Since he was still an intern, he needed to get a visitor''s pass to get in.


    Soon, two female ladies walked towards Sato and sat behind him. They started gossiping.


    "I heard that there were three of us that gor through to the second round."


    "Yeah. I heard that there is a country bumpkin in our midst."


    "Hahaha yes! He probably got this spot due to connections. He doesn''t have a university degree."


    Their mean demeanour did not deter or affect Sato''s mood as he knew that by right, he should not have went through to the second phase. Instead, it had made him more determined to prove them wrong.


    At 9am, Siara came downstairs to pick them up. The group first needed to lock up camera phones inside a locker as the building contains classified and top secret information. When finished, they headed up to her office to receive further instructions. It was located right beside the General''s office.


    "Good morning candidates. I shall cut to the chase. Within this 2 weeks, I will be constantly evaluating your performance for this job. Wherever I go or whatever I do, you would have to jot down and memorise them as soon as possible, " Siara spoke like a machine gun, continuous and fluent. "I do not tolerate complacency. You may think that having a degree from a top university means that you are the cream of the crop. But you are wrong! Regardless of your status in life, when you work in this building, you are lower than the citizens of this city. You are the face of the General as you would have to appear in public and fend off reporters for him. You are the backbone of the General as you would be creating framework of all his schedules. Every second of his day would be planned out by you and it has to be precise and perfect! Understand?"


    "Ye.. Yes mamm!" The three trainees stuttered a little before replying her. The seriousness and vigor that she shown, had intimidated the group.


    The training begun. First she had given the three a set of names that they would have to remember and the respective divisions they were in charge of. This was especially crucial for this role as she was in charge of all the planning and formalities between her boss and the division.


    Next, she gave them a crash course on how the army of Country Z worked. They needed to understand the layout so as to plan the day for the General. The three were taking down every word that she said. It was as if a tsunami of information had come crashing down on them. The degree holders were struggling as much as Sato.


    Following which, the three left to visit several Branches in the Manpower Base that the General was in charge of.


    "There are three Branches that you would have to remember and understand their purpose in the army. It is important that you have a base understanding of the functions as you would also be present in the meetings with the General. Taking down minutes for the meeting is one of the crucial things in your job scope." As they walked to the Branch, Siara never stopped talking. Even though she was pregnant, she was moving as if she was a well-oiled machine. "The first branch that we would be going to is the Research and Development Branch. As the name stated, they are in-charge of the latest developments in military technology. The General has to oversee their developments."


    As she finished speaking, they had reached the office. There was a guard standing at the front of the gantry point. It is mandatory to scan your card before entering. The guard has to also check whether you have any potential threats on your body.


    Within a jiffy, the four had finished the routine check and had entered the office and walked towards an open doored office. Inside, was a man in his 40s awaiting their arrival.


    "Trainees, this man here is the head of the Research and Development branch, Dr Thomas Yuji. He was meant to be at yesterday''s interview, but was busy with an important meeting and could not make it." Siara introduced him to the group. Dr Thomas then stood up and shook their hands.


    "It is nice to meet you three. I have read your basic information given to us by the job agency and it seems like we are in for a treat!" Everyone present could more or less understand what he was getting at. A boy that does not even have a university degree is taking up the challenge of planning out the country''s top general''s schedule. It was simply audacious!


    Regardless of that fact, Sato did not take much offence and remained indifferent as he shook his hand. "It is nice to actually meet you in person Dr Thomas. I have read your research on ''Machine-Made Tectonic Fissure'' and the conclusion you made at the end was truly eye-opening."


    The comment had raised Thomas''s eyebrows. This man sure knows his engineering. "Why thank you for your praises. It was something I casually wrote about as I was developing military weaponry for Country Z."


    "No no, to an engineering student like me, that research paper had given me many epiphanies as I read through it." Sato was not sparing with him praises. He truly respected him on another level. The man Thomas Yuji was a double PhD holder in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering. He was awarded with the Nobel Prize of Science at a young age of 30 and decided to sign on to the military to help improve the country''s defences. In a short 10 years, he managed to make the country''s defence system, number 1 in the world. It was extremely formidable.

 Chapter 7 - First Day Of Work 2

    "Well now that you have met, I shall bring you three to the next Branch." The group had discussed in Dr Thomas''s office on the objectives of his Branch before setting out to another part of the building.


    Taking their feets through turns and straights, they eventually reached the next Branch. "Now, we are in front of the OPS DIV branch. Let us head in."


    Unlike the first one, the OPS DIV branch did not have any restrictions when entering. They walked rightwards until they reached the end. There was an open door into an office, just like first one. Inside sat a man in his number 3 uniform.


    "Everyone, I believe you have met Colonel John yesterday. He is the head of the OPS DIV." Siara gave a simple introduction and afterwhich they talk about the functions of this Branch.


    "As the name suggests, OPS would mean operations and it involves planning and execution of an activity. Our Division is in charge of both Secret OPS and Open OPS Teams," Colonel John explained. "Our Branch will be the ones planning out those missions. When finished, we send the mission out to the respective camps and my subordinates shall execute them."


    "Sir, if I may ask. If the missions are so important and the plans are created in this office, why is there no additional security like the R&D department?" Sato asked curiously.


    "Good question. You have not worked in the military before and so you would not have known this. All plans are sketched and created on the computer. But not just anyone can log into them," Colonel John explained. "There are multiple steps to logging on. Firstly, a Data Authentication Check (DAC) card is needed to be inserted into a channel. This will help you get into your personalised account after entering your password. However, this isn''t enough. You would then have to use the finger print scanner to confirm your identity. It is a triple authentication process."


    Finishing up with formalities, the group left again and head to the basement of the building. This time, they require to pass through another guard check. There is no signs like the other two branches that somewhat gave a hint of what they do. All the place had was a straight hallway down and slightly dimmer lights. It gives off a strange feeling between a mental asylum and a jail corridor. On the sides of the corridor was a titanium metal door with no windows whatsoever, preventing people from seeing inside.


    At the end of the hallway that stretched 50 metres was another security guard. He stared into the three trainee''s eyes intently before losing eye contact. They could still feel the sharp stares on their backs. They turned right and have reached a door that required a card swipe to get in.


    Siara used hers and the door opened her to the sight and sound of keyboards constantly clicking. "We have finally reached the Data Management Branch. I tend not to come here as you can see it is a pain in the ass to even enter this office."


    Colonel Cyrus was awaiting their arrival at the door and he brought them into his office. "Well good afternoon everyone. Welcome to my humble home, the Data Management Branch. I see Ms Siara has already told you how displeased she is with my office. We get the same remarks a lot!"


    The head of the branch gave off a rather friendly vibe as he joked a little with everyone.


    "However, there is a reason that this Branch needs to be underground, " Colonel Cyrus started his explanation. "When you first entered the floor, you noticed one metal door on each side right? Those rooms are Data storage centers and they take up a lot of space. In addition they tend to get very hot and so we have to create a cooling system so as to not damage our storage area. Thus our Branch was built in the basement with the storage centers."


    "Ok now I will explain what my Branch does. It is simple and can be summarised in three words. We churn data. Anytimes a division requires some form of information within the past 50 years, we will generate it out for them and send it to the respective bases via the intranet." Colonel Cyrus spoke fluently. "You may ask, what do you do if you need data on the years after 50? Simple, there is another Branch in charge of that, but they are located somewhere else in a classified location."


    In the end, the meetings with the three branches had come to an end and they went ahead to eat at the office cafeteria. The perks of working at the Manpower Base was that the food was free of charge and to add on, it was delicious. There would be a rotation of menu choice, between 20 courses and they would all be prepared by an Autocook.


    Sato chose to go for a chicken masala with white rice, a bowl of seaweed soup and caesar salad. He savoured every bite as if it was his last meal. This was the first time he ate so much as he usually tried to scrimp and save some money. He even went for seconds which that caught the watchful eyes of the trainees, Myra and Holly.


    Regardless of that, he continued to enjoy his meal. After eating lunch today, i can probably skip out on dinner, thought Sato happily.


    When the group had finished their meal, Siara went to the food retrieval area and took a tray of food back with her. They then left the cafeteria.


    "The next task for my day is to bring General Gray his meal. Usually, he does not have time to come down here to have his meals and I would bring it up to his office." As they reached the front of his office, two bodyguards stood upright and still. They looked and saw Siara, to which they immediately opened the door for her after knocking and reporting who was here.


    Inside the large beautifully designed office of the Major General, was a sense of familiarity for Sato. This was the place that he had slept. This was the place that the general stood. This was the place he had saw the general in his undergarment.


    He blushed slightly as he noticed Gray wearing a pair of round black glasses. It made him look extremely clean and smart. His clean shaven face with no flaws on his face made him look like a perfectly polished gem. He looked up to find the group of four, scanning the crowd with his clear azure blue eyes. You could almost taste the intensity of his glare. He finished his stare on Sato. .


    "Leave my meal here." With that, he continued on with his work and the group excused themselves. It was then when the few of them could finally breathe normally. The atmosphere in the room was stiffling for everyone.

 Chapter 8 - "We Love You"

    The day quickly went by after the encounter with the major general. The trainees underwent another strenuous session of army cramming. Siara spoke non-stop while using a laser pointer to the slides she had prepared beforehand.


    After 2 to 3 hours, both Myra and Holly showed signs of fatigue and yet, Siara continued strongly. Only Sato was able pull through and remain focus. He was determined when it came to things that he really needed. The scholarships, getting into the top university in the world were few evidences that proved his hardwork and effort. Siara noticed this and took it down. It was a plus 1 to Sato so far.


    At 6.30pm, they were finally released for the day. Sato returned his visitor pass and slowly made his way back home. His head was processing the information he had received today as you were not allowed to take back any form of physical notes back home. (The reason the trainees took down notes was so that they can refer back later on.)


    His highly retentive memory allowed him to revise the information from today over and over again as he took the speed train home. Things like military customs, to the names of individuals that he needed to remember and even the different ranks of the army officials from smallest to largest were all memorised by Sato.


    He reached home extremely drained. As he opened his door, he checked his automatic mailbox (author''s note: this feature is something in the future, where there is a mail machine that delivers mail to your home for you automatically. There''s no more need for postmans) There was a physical mail that was sent by his parents. It needed him to be at home so that the machine can deliver to him.


    Clicking on the "deliver" button, within 5 minutes, a knock on his window sounded out and a drone could be seen holding onto a medium sized box. Sato opened his window and the drone placed it in his house for him. After dropping the box off, it flew away silently.


    Sato was clueless to why his parents sent this to him. The only message he received from them was to "call us back when you receive the mail that we sent to you". He did that and within 5 seconds, the video call went through.


    "Happy 21st birthday, my beloved Sato!" A female voice rang out from the video call as it soon revealed to be Sato''s mother, Geraldine Takahashi. It was only then Sato remembered that today was his birthday. It had totally slipped out of his mind from all the constant studying and the sudden dropout of university.


    "Thank you, mother." Sato gave a bright smile to his mother. He tried his best to hide his fatigue, but to no avail.


    "Ehh. Sato, why do you look so exhausted today? Has university been hard on you?" Since the leave from university and his application to work was so sudden, he had not been able to inform his parents yet.


    "No no I am not that tired, mother. In fact, after seeing you, I feel all rejuvenated again." He had avoided the question first. "Where''s father?"


    "Hey old man! Come over here to say hi to your son! You havent seen him for so long. Why are you acting all shy?" Geraldine pulled a man who had all white hair. He looked older than his age as bad business affected him significantly. Even Sato''s mother who was once a natural beauty had been crumpled by the crippling grasps of societal hierarchies.


    "Happy 21st birthday son." His father, Mahiro Takahashi congratulated Sato.


    "Thank you, Father." Sato felt sour in his heart as he felt like his parents had aged considerably since he last saw them. The last time he had been home was when he was 16. It was during that time when Mahiro had been an alcoholic. Mahiro and Geraldine fought occasionally, where Sato tried being the middleman. In the end, he was hurt by his father which resulted in him moving out. After that day, his father had sobered up and changed for the better, but Sato went into a deep spiral of studying. Every year they may exchange pleasantries on special occasions, but this was the first video call in 5 years.


    "You have become more handsome Sato. A handsome young man." Geraldine started choking up on tears as she realised how much his little boy had changed.


    "Yes mother. I have become a grown man," Sato started tearing up as he saw his parents. "Please do not cry. I will cry too if you do."


    "Ok, ok I will do as you say, Sato." She immediately wiped her tears away. The three talked for over 3 hours before eventually Sato decided to break the unfortunate news to them.


    "Father, mother, I have something important I need to tell you." Sato took a deep breath as he prepped himself. "My scholarship sponsor had filed for bankruptcy and thus, I was forced to drop out of university. I recently found a job in the military and it pays well. I''m trying to earn my keep for university now. Sorry for dissapointing you..."


    The words came out of Sato''s mouth so fast, shocking his parents for a short while. However, they recovered from that momentary shock quickly.


    "Sato, my son. There is no need to apologise," It was Mahiro that spoke out first. "You need to know that ever since you got into the university and became independent, your mother and I were already extremely proud of you. Extremely proud! This setback by the sponsors is not your fault and we know you have been trying your best."


    The words that came out of Sato''s father strummed his heartstrings gently and soothed his exhausted soul. Tears started rolling down his cheeks involuntarily. He was extremely grateful for having such loving parents.


    "Thank you father. Thank you mother." Sato replied sincerely. "I promise to get back on my feet soon enough and go back to university."


    "Good good. Thats my son! " Mahiro praised loudly. "Now, Sato, open up the present your mother and I prepared for you. It is said to be the trend now? I hope you like it."


    Sato took a penknife and opened up the box. Removing the styrofoam protection, he found a helmet-like device inside. It was the GamingPro Device V2 that is used to play ROL. Even though, this wasn''t the latest version that he used at university, it was still considerably expensive. Who knew how long his parents had saved before they could buy it for him. His heart was once again filled with warmth.


    "Tha... Thank you father, mother." He was speechless.


    "This is the least we could do for you Sato. You just need to know that both father and I love you dearly. And we will forever continue to love you regardless of any circumstance." Geraldine spoke honestly to her son. This was something she had always wanted to say to him, ''I love you'', but she never had the chance to until today.


    "Yes. I love you guys too. I will make sure to pay you two back eventually."


    The three spoke for an hour more before ending it for the day. Tommorow was another long work day for the three of them and they knew that this was just the first of many meetings between their family.

 Chapter 9 - Starting A New Character

    Thursday went by in a blink of an eye. The three trainees were once again bombarded with information and were required to remember it by tommorow as they would be undergoing a mock practice as a Personal Assistant.


    Today, the group did not see the General once at all, as he had meetings the whole day. The only one that had caught a glimpse of him was Sato. He had stayed back in the resting area to revise over the notes for a little while longer. The other two trainees had left to eat dinner together. As Sato was leaving the office building, Gray had just got out of his car.


    The boss wore his no. 3 uniform that had no creases. His hair was neatly combed sideways, face emotionless. He looked like a prince from a faraway land, distant with others, yet possessed a unique aura that attracted other''s attention. Sato held his breathe as he immediately bowed to him. Gray nodded lightly before walking past him and into the building.


    The exhausted Sato reached back home at 8pm. He was instantly revigorated as he stepped into his one room flat. Excited to finally try on his GamingPro Device, he first took a quick shower before putting on the head device and lying down on his bed. The machine was connected to the electrical source by his bed, and it powered on within 5 seconds.


    "Welcome to GamingPro. Are you a first time player of Ray Of Light?" The device sounded out.


    "No." Sato replied plainly.


    "Ok. Please wait a moment as we scan your face using facial biometric authentication. Please keep your eyes open during this process." The device spoke once again as it started to scan his face. "Device recognised user as Sato Takahashi. You have an existing account, would you like to enter the game using this character?"


    "No."


    "Are sure about your decision? When the account is deleted, you will have no chance of recovering the account."


    "Yes I am sure."


    "Deleting the character... Please wait a moment." 10 seconds passed before the device prompted Sato again. "Would you like to create a new character now?"


    "Yes."


    "Please pick a class job. There are four choices: Warrior, Mage, Ranger and Assassin."


    "I choose Assassin." In the first account, Sato was forced to choose Warrior to play as a tank (one who takes damage) for the club. He did not like that particular playstyle as he felt that he lacked some form of freedom in the game. Thus, this time he decided to pick the most mobile class in the game and that was Assassin.


    "Would you like to use ''facial morph'' or use your normal face?" In Ray Of Light, the players can only choose between using their real faces or have slight adjustments to their looks. In addition, their body size could not be changed and so a person with a fat body will be fat in game. This was to prevent catfishing from occuring and keeping the game as real as possible.


    "I choose ''facial morph''." With that, the facial features of Sato''s became slightly sharper and his eyes bigger. Rather than becoming uglier, it enhanced Sato''s looks and made him idol-like.


    "Now, please give yourself a nickname."


    "Dawnlore. "


    "Please confirm that ''Dawnlore'' is the name you wanted."


    "Confirm."


    "You will now spawn in Beginner Village 3007. I wish you all the best in your upcoming adventure!" With that, a blinding light shone and when Sato opened his eyes, his entire view had transformed entirely.


    He had spawned in the same typical village that everyone starts off in. A small town that only had one-floor houses. They were all made out of wood and everything was designed with a ''robin hood'' theme in mind.


    Sato looked at the clothing he was wearing. It was the typical beginner leather vest and pants. The shoe he wore had scratches all over the surface. As he started moving around, he began to grow accustomed to his current speed. Back when he played warrior, he had already reached lv58, but now he was back to lv1.


    Sato looked at his stats (statistics) and had placed his 5 free stat points all into agility. Back then, his stats had mostly went into health and it made him feel like a sloth whereever he moved. He didn''t want to experience that again.


    Next, he decided to send a friend request to Ming''s account, ''LonelyGhost ''. He had already told Ming about his new device, at which he was happy for him. Ming had the version 1 of the GamingPro device. He had saved up money from his part time job for 3 months before having enough to buy it.


    "''LonelyGhost '' has accepted your friend request." The system notification sounded out.


    "Hey Ming. I just started my account over and so I''ll be in the beginner village for a bit. I''ll call you when I have reached lv10." The in-game voice rang out. Only at lv10 could you leave the beginner village and enter the real map.


    "Alright. Take your time. Yesterday''s raid was a complete failure and Tyron is requesting for us to gather to try again today. I will tell you how it goes when I''m finished."


    "Alright, have fun!" Sato proceeded to start his adventure again. The game has been out for almost 2 years already and people are still discovering hidden traits about this game. The deep learning technology created by GamingPro runs independently from it''s father company. The creators themselves do not know about many of the easter eggs in the game, making it exciting for the users to discover new terrains by themselves.


    Sato had once delve into the typical quest pathway, but this time round, he decided otherwise. He ran through the Evergreen forest, swift and quick, avoiding the wild beasts skillfully. Even in real life, he was quick on his feet and knew how to move through tight or tall places.


    He only stopped when he reached a large old oak tree. The tree had it''s branches snapped off, a long large sword stroke cutting in between the tree trunk. It looked as if the tree had been split into two by an angry swordsman and it was on it''s last breath.


    Sato walked a little forward and placed his hand on the tree trunk.


    "May the great ancient oak tree rest in peace." He spoke solemnly.


    A bright light shone and enveloped the assassin. When the light dissappeared, so did Sato. He had been transported into a different realm, an empty void that resembled the galaxy. He floated in the midst of the stars, waiting for something to happen.


    Yes! I had managed to trigger the quest again. Sato was overjoyed. Back then, he had stumbled upon this quest accidentally as he was grinding his level up to be with his club members.


    He had to complete the mission of protecting the villagers from a raid conducted by bandits. In the midst of the mission, he stumbled across a beautiful maiden that turned out to be the Elven princess, Rayla. She gave him a clue on how to find the Great Sage, to which he had capitalised out of curiosity. However, in the end, he had declined the offer given by the Great Sage due to time constraints, but he would not make the same mistake again.


    As expected, a blurry figure started materialising infront of Sato. He had bark-like skin with an aged face. His bent back and withered body was supported by a walking stick. He was the Great Elven Sage.


    "Young man. You are the one who had stumbled upon me the previous time. What brings you back again?" The old sage spoke sonorously.


    "Great Old Sage, how could you tell I was the same person from last time? " Sato was shocked by the old man''s discovery.


    "You people from the otherworld had their souls transported into my world. Your physical body may be different, but your soul will forever be the same."


    "Oh that makes sense now." It probably meant that once Sato had discovered this unique quest, no other people were allowed to trigger it as certain Non Player Character (NPC) could tell the difference between other players. Or else after so long, how was it possible that no one else had discovered this quest.


    "Now, let me ask you the same question as before. Are you willing to take on the mission of saving our dying race from extinction, young assassin?"

 Chapter 10 - Elven Assassin

    "Are you willing to take on the mission of saving our dying race from extinction, young assassin?" asked the Great Elven Sage. His eyes were closed and voice trembling from exhaustion.


    In the lore, the Elven race was invaded and forced out of their homes by Demons. Only the strongest elven warriors were left behind to protect the Holy Tree, Yggdrasil. Unfortunately, the fight ended with the defeat of the elves. The survivors of the race were chased across the world and forced into hiding. The Holy Tree, Yggdrasil had given it''s seed to the elves for protection as it died using it''s last strength to deter the Demons.


    The Great Elven Sage was one of the survivors of the invasion. He escaped to the Beginner Village, but was injured in the midst of his journey. He expended his remaining life force to stay alive for a bit longer to look for a successor. Sato was the one he found.


    "Yes I agree." Sato answered seriously.


    "Good. I will now transfer you my remaining energy, do not reject it." As the wisps of energy streamed out of his body, he became more and more translucent. Eventually, he was gone.


    "May the Elven race and Yggdrasil rise to fruition one day!" These were his last words as he perished from the world.


    Sato stood still as he let the energy course through his body. It pulsed and wriggled through his blood streamed. His body felt ticklish as it morphed and transformed.


    "Ding.. Job class transformation detected. Congratulations, you are now an Elven Assassin." The in-game notification rang.


    Sato opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. He was back in the normal world again, just that this time, there was no traces of The Great Old Sage anymore. There was only a small sapling that sat on the ground. Sato walked forward and picked it up.


    "You have discovered the Yggdrasil Seed. Make sure that it does not get into the wrong hands of the Demons. " The notification sounded. That discovery shocked Sato as he knew that he was now part of the main quest. Currently, in the ROL world, the main quest has reached the stage where the humans have invaded into the Demon Spawn Nest. They were on the outskirts of the lair.


    "New Main Quest ''Heir Of The Elven Race'' Discovered. "


    *Heir Of The Elven Race


    *Difficulty Rating: A


    *You are tasked with the mission of searching and rescuing the Elven Princess from the Demon Warriors. Afterwards, escort her to the Elven Resistance Army. Make sure that she is not harmed in any way. Level of injury will affect Final completion percentage.


    *Time Limit: 1 week (Real Time)


    *Failure to complete quest would result in player to lose Job Class and -5 levels.


    When Sato received this quest, his eyes widen. I have triggered a main quest route? Not only that, the penalty of not completing the quest is that serious? Sato took a deep breath before consolidating all the information he had.


    Firstly, he had the location of the Elven Princess. She was currently in the Beginner Village as a bakery girl. Secondly, the Demon Warriors problem. The Demon warriors that he know of were all at least Lv40. If the Lv1 him were to fight them now, he would lose the princess for sure. Thirdly, how would he bring the Elven Princess out of the Beginner Village. There are no items available that lets you bring an NPC out with you.


    Regardless of that, Sato decided to take it one step at a time. He first took a look at his stats.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv1 : 0 / 50


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 10 (+30)


    *Agility : 15 (+80)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0)


    *Stamina : 10 (+40)


    *Health : 500 / 500


    *Mana : 100 / 100


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw - Throws a dagger out at the enemy (deals 100% physical damage). Has a 20% chance of critical strike. (Cooldown: 15 seconds)


    Advanced Stealth - Goes invisble, where enemies cannot see or detect you beyond a 5 metre radius. Last for 5 minutes, unless broken earlier. (Cooldown: 2 minutes)


    Blink - Dashes 5 metres forward in an instant. Gain 1 second of immunity to damage. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)


    Assassinate - Instantly kills enemies that is infront of you. Must be under 20% of maxinum health (Cooldown: NA)


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter - Visibility on your character decreases by 50% in the dark (authors note: eg. If you use stealth on the enemy at night, you are able to reach within a 2.5m distance before being detected instead of the normal 5m.)


    Breath Of The Wild - You have ''Perfect'' affinity with wild animals/beasts. They will no longer see you as an enemy. Killing any animals/beasts will give you no experience.


    Tamer Skill (Beginner) - You are now able to tame beasts and make them into your combat pet. (Only 1 pet is allowed)


    Wind Runner - On open field terrains, gain 50% extra Agility.


    Bounty Hunter - Whenever you kill another human (especially coloured names), you gain experience points. (the higher the level gap or depending on the intensity of the colour of their name, the greater the multiplier in exp) You also will not gain a ''coloured'' name when killing people.


    Sato looked at his stats and his jaw dropped. Why was his character so strong? There too many buffs (a type of boost for abilities) to even count?


    1, his basic stats (strength, agility and stamina) had ''+'' stat points. Normally, you get these ''+10'' points for certain stats when you undergo a job advancement at Lv30 (e.g. Warrior advance into Paladin). However, Sato attained it from his job change and to add on, he had gained several times more ''+'' points than normal.


    2, his Active Skills had evolved and become stronger. His ''Basic Stealth'' became ''Advanced Stealth'' , ''Dagger Throw'' had gain a critical chance, ''Blink'' has immunity to damage now, ''Assasinate'' has no cooldown too. He was basically a born killer now.


    3, he now has several Passive Skills. The original ''Night Hunter'' has changed from 20% to 50% visibility. Sato obtained ''Breath Of The Wild'' and ''Tamer skill'' which changes his whole dynamics in moving around terrain. Now, he would no longer draw attention from beasts. In addition, he can even recruit a pet to help him in fights. Unfortunately, any missions to do with killing beasts could not be completed anymore as it won''t be efficient in gaining experience points. However, the new found passive ''Bounty Hunter'' changes his whole dynamic in leveling. Since he is an elf now, he is no longer a part of the human race and is no longer bound by the coloured names. (Author''s note: When human slay each other pointlessly, the person will gain a colour for their name. The intensity ranges from lowest orange, red, purple and highest black. Overtime, the colour intensity will decrease back to normal, with black taking the longest to change back)


    So how do I look like right now? Curious, Sato went to the nearby lake to look at his reflection. Peeking at the water, he was shocked by his discovery.

 Chapter 11 - The Dream

    The game time was currently set at night. Yet, the moonlight was bright enough for Sato to see his surroundings. Looking at the reflection from the lake will give off a vague picture of Sato.


    Although, just from that, he was able to tell the distinct features of the elf race. He has silvery hair that glisten in the sun and moon. His ears are pointy and eyes green like the evergreen trees in the forest. He was extremely charming, enough to cause a conflict between the kingdom''s princesses to fight over him.


    However, this is a problem right now as he was simply too weak. If he was to show up anywhere in this get up, the Demons may catch on to him and try their very best to kill him. He needed a disguise.


    The timing right now was perfect to go back to the village. Enemies had a lower visibility range of him due to ''Night Hunter''. Sato moved faster than before. After 10 minutes, it was as if he was a fish in the sea. Just like in real life, Sato learnt things fast and could adapt quickly to different situations.


    The Elven Assassin could be seen leaping from tree to tree, nimbly maneuvering between branches. If he were to activate stealth, people may mistake him for a rustle from the wind.


    The young man reached back to the beginner village in record speed. No one before leaving this place could rival him now. He was basically a hack in the system. Sato entered the clothing store and immediately picked out and wore a hood that covered him entire head except for his eyes. He now looked more like a cold-blooded assassin. Paying the cashier with the limited cash he started with in the beginning, Sato left and stood in between two houses before logging off.


    It was already 12 midnight. He needed to get some rest to prepare himself for the long day ahead.


    As Sato was sleeping, he soon fell into a strange dream.


    "Sato.. Sato.. Sato!" A voice rang in his dream. "Wake up! Wake up!"


    Sato felt fuzzy. He rubbed his eye innocently as he looked for the person that called out to him. The figure looked blurry, but his voice felt familiar. "You have to leave now. Now!"


    The man held the sleepy boy''s hand as he took him outside and placed him in a car. Unknown of what was happening, Sato slept again and woke up in real life.


    In the morning, at the office, the group of trainees were being briefed by their trainer on their mock test. "For the next three working days, the three of you will be individually tested and evaluated on your overall performance. I have given each of you a set of the General''s event list to which you are to plan out his day for him. You will then accompany him to the events and adjust accordingly on the day itself."


    Siara had set up 3 seperate stations for them. They each possess an office phone and a personal computer to create the schedule and do some research.


    Siara gave the list to the three trainees, each in charge of a different day. For Sato, his was on the first working day of the week, a monday. Looking at the meeting slots and timings, needed to fit them in so that the General would have ample time to travel to and fro places. He needed to also plan out the meal times and alternatives if his original schedule were to fall apart.


    Throughout the whole morning, Sato kept yawning from exhaustion. The dream from last night seemed to put a toll on his body. However, he pushed through and started calling the different divisions that needed to have a meeting with the General. There were several time slots that clashed and he needed to iron out the different meeting times. There was also the event, ''People''s Innovation Day'' that Gray was supposed to attend as the VIP. He needed to inform his boss that a speech was required during this event.


    And so, the young man left Siara''s office and headed to find General Gray. He had checked today''s calendar and found that the General was set to come into the office early for ''Proposal Briefing''. Signalling to the bodyguards that he wanted to see the General for administration reasons, they let Sato into the room.


    There he was sitting at his desk. He had not changed into his uniform yet and was wearing a tight fitting black polo t-shirt. His bulging biceps were squeezed tightly by the sleeves. His chest muscles pushed against his shirt. It was a sight to behold. He looked like an athelete from the Polo Club, professional and poised.


    "Um, Sir General. I would like to speak to you about the upcoming People''s Innovation Day event that is coming up next monday." Sato spoke nervously.


    "Gray."


    "Pardon?"


    "Call me Gray."


    "Ok. Um Sir General Gray, I would like to speak to you about..." It was then, his boss interrupted him with a light chuckle .


    "Just call me Gray or Mr Gray. No need with the formalities." Gray answered the overly serious boy.


    "Alright.. Mr Gray?" As Sato spoke his name, Gray looked up at him with a light smile. Normally, people could rarely see this side of Gray, however, Sato is one of the people that he shows it to. He looked very charming, causing Sato to forget what he was going to say.


    "Sit down by the sofa for a bit. I will talk to you in abit." Sato listened to him and sat where he had slept previously. He could hear the clicking sounds of Gray''s mouse. The keyboard was tapped rhythmically. Sato started to doze off from the waiting. The room was simply too peaceful.


    When Gray finish his work, he walked towards Sato. The young man had his fist under his cheek as he was sleeping soundly. His slightly chubby cheek was squished by his fist. He looked extremely innocent and cute.


    Gray bent over and moved the boy''s hair away from his eye. He got a better view of his face. Gray smiled charmingly as he admired Sato for a bit before sitting down on the sofa. It was unfortunate that he had a meeting soon and could not spend more time looking at him. The light movement jolted Sato awake.


    "Oh I''m so sorry Sir! I did not sleep well last night." Sato apologised.


    "It''s alright, carry on with what you wanted to say. Also call me by my name when we are alone please." Gray changed back to his usual cool self. It was very different from the man that was admiring the sleeping Sato.


    "Yes Mr Gray. I came by to inform you about the People''s Innovation Day speech that is needed to be prepared. Would you like me to create one for you or would you prefer to do it yourself?"


    "You can create one for me then."


    "Alright. Also Mr Gray, may I ask what are your preferences when it comes to food?"


    "Whatever you cook."


    "Pardon?"


    "Anything. I''m fine with anything." Gray changed his answer.


    "Oh alright. I shall head back and draft a speech now. When I am finish, I will email it to you to check through."


    "Print it and bring it over to me instead."


    "Sure thing, Mr Gray." Sato bowed as he left the room.


    Back in the office, Gray rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sighed. You have grown up, Sato.

 Chapter 12 - The Elven Princess

    Sato went about his day oblivious to Gray''s actions. When he got back to the office, he finished drafting out the final schedule for Monday. He left breaks for Gray and calculated the distance and time it takes to travel to the different locations. He then prepared a counterpart schedule in the case that his original plan falls through.


    For a person who has never done this before, Sato was doing a good job. Even as the other two trainees head for lunch, he stayed back to finish up his plans. He even drafted out the General''s speech that he needed to show him in his free slot in an hour.


    Hungry, Sato went down to the cafeteria to eat his big meal. He wolfed down the burger with fries, to which many eyes started gazing at him. He didn''t mind it and just enjoyed his meal.


    As he finished his lunch and arrived inside Gray''s office, he realised Myra was there. Moreover, she was wearing a rather short skirt that showed her panties if she bent over. It was a hot pink laced underwear, the type that could ignite a man''s inner desires. However, the General showed no reaction to it and simply carried on with his work. He would answer some questions that she asks, but it would be one word answers.


    An honest and moral man, Sato described Gray in his heart. He did succumb to the temptress, Myra.


    "Is there any other questions that need to be answered?" General Gray spoke to Myra coldly


    "No sir."


    "Take your leave." With that, Myra left the room dissapointed. He had given no reaction to the stunts that she pulled on him. Not only that, he didn''t even spare a glance at her.


    "Mr Gray, I have finished the draft for the letter. Could you spare some time to take a look at it?" Sato said nervously. After hearing his tone to Myra, he thought that his boss was not in a good mood.


    "Yeah sure. Take a seat first. I''ll be with you in a second." said Gray cooly. His tone was definitely better now.


    Sato sighed in relief as he now knew that it was just due to Myra''s action that resulted in his foul mood. He took a seat in the sofa, holding on to the script.


    Shortly, Gray came over to read through the speech. He gave some small pointers, but other than that, it was good to go.


    "Good job on the script, Sato." Gray complimented. He had a smile on his devilishly handsome face that could rock anyone''s world. Sato blanked out as he continued to stare at his boss.


    "Th..thank you. I will see myself out then. Good day Mr Gray." Sato awakened from his stupor and he left the room again. He was flushed red in embarrassment. How could I stare at my boss for long? How awkward!


    In the evening, Sato left on time today and immediately got on ROL. He could not wait any longer. He spawned at where he left of and started looking for Princess Rayla. As expected, in the morning of the game, Rayla was currently taking out the freshly baked breads and putting it up for sale.


    The princess wore a shawl over her head that covered her ears. She looked like a typical pretty village girl. She hummed to a familiar tune in the Elf community as she reminisce the days of happiness and peace in her life.


    Sato stood beside her and whispered into Rayla''s ear quietly. "Princess, could you please come with me outside to talk? I''m an elf who has taken on the mission of escorting you out of this village."


    "You are... The boy whom I tasked to find The great sage?" Rayla''s intuition guessed correctly and followed Sato out of the bakery. He then told her about the death of the Great Sage and how he had to escape with her into the mainlands of this world.


    "I will follow you. However, you first need to take the void crystal back from the dirty hands of the Demon warriors. Only that could take me out of here with you. It was that crystal that had taken me into this isolated land with the sage." Rayla gave him a follow-up quest that he to first complete.


    *Quest: Retrieve the Void Crystal from the Demons


    *Difficulty Rating: C


    *The void crystal that is needed by the princess has been taken away by the Demon warriors that lurk the Beginner Village land. The only clue on the whereabouts of the crystal was that it was taken away near the waterfall in the east.


    *Time limit: 1 day


    *Failure to complete would result in Princess Rayla''s favorability of you to drop down to Neutral (She is now "Favourable" with you)


    "Yes, Princess. It would be my honour to help you retrieve this orb." Sato got into character as he spoke heroically.


    Typically, C rating quests were doable and so Sato''s theory was that the Demons were probably either lower in level than usual or were injured in some way. Or else, he would not have agreed to this quest so easily.


    The assassin left the village in an instant. Based on his current speed and the distance from the waterfall, he would most likely take 15 minutes of running if he were not to encounter any mishaps. And he didn''t, reacing the waterfall safely. The status of ''Breath Of The Wild'' allowed him to not run into any animals or beasts. They simply did not care about his existence.


    Sato started exploring the grounds in search of any clues as to where the Demons may be. He knew a Demon''s common trait is it''s horns on it''s head. Every Demon has at least 1. The stronger a Demon is, the larger their horns will be. In addition, if the Demon was of royalty, it would possess wings and it meant that they were extremely strong.


    As he looked for any signs of Demons, he heard rustling sounds in the nearby bush, to which he Blinks away before activating Advance Stealth. He walked a little closer to find two Demon warriors stepping out of the bush. Thanks to his quick reaction, he managed to avoid their notice. He examined the Demon Warrior''s stats from afar


    *Demon Warrior(Weakened by the Poison of the Great Sage)


    *Lv30


    *HP: 300 / 300


    *Mana: 100 / 100


    *The demon warrior had it''s stats weakened by 80% due to the poison that circulated in their body for a long time.

 Chapter 13 - Fighting Demons

    As expected, the Demons were all weakened warriors. Their levels may be high, but their overall strength were equivalent to a Lv10 player. With Sato''s current abilities and stats, it is more than doable to kill them.


    Sato readied his rusted twin blades as he slowly creeped up behind their backs. The Demon Warriors here did not know that they were now the prey instead of the hunter.


    The assassin waited for Blink to go off cooldown before using it. The man appeared behind the two warriors instantly as he used Dagger Throw on the two of them. One of the warrior had been inflicted with critical strike. Assassinate. The critically damage Demon was instantly killed.


    "You have gained 200 experience points."


    "You have leveled up. You have leveled up."


    The other warrior tumbled away from the surprise attack. He quickly whipped out his jagged blade sword as he ran towards Sato. With his quick agility, the assassin leaped sideways as he once again slices forward, taking away another chunk of health. The warrior left his back wide open, allowing for Sato to attack once again, before using Assassinate to end his life.


    "You have gained 200 experience points."


    "You have leveled up." After killing the two warriors, Sato had reached Lv4. This was extremely fast as it gets even harder as your level increases.


    Looting the bodies of the Demons got him 500 gold and a leather Shoulder plate to which he equipped on himself. It was a good harvest. Sato then jumped within the trees and hid himself. He waited.


    As expected, a group of three Demons reached soon after. They were shocked at the scene of their two dead comrades. "Who did this?! You shall pay!"


    "Calm down Ronan, we should tell Captain first before exacting revenge for them." A Demon stopped the angry Ronan from running rampage.


    "Alright. Let''s go now!" The then ran towards the waterfall before disappearing within it. So this was where they set up camp to hide from the humans, thought Sato. On the other hand, he was rather worried after looking at the stats of Ronan the Demon.


    *Ronan the Demon (Weakened by the Poison of the Great Sage)


    *Lv40


    *HP: 500 / 500


    *Mana: 200 / 200


    *Active Skill:


    Flaming Fist - Throws a flurry of 10 flaming attacks that has a 5% chance of inflicting burn damage.


    *Ronan specialises in close combat fights and is the captain''s right hand man in this mission. He had it''s stats weakened by 80% due to the poison that circulated in their body for a long time.


    His damage output was definitely higher than the other 2 warriors beside him. In addition, if Ronan was this strong, what would the captain''s strength be? He needed a plan.


    Looking around his surroundings, he saw 7 players fighting a Lv8 Roaring Wind Tiger. It may be fighting alone, but it could hold its own ground quite well. Still, the players were very organised, showing that this isn''t their first time playing this game. They were slowly chipping down the tiger''s health.


    Ever since Sato became an Elf, his persona has changed and now he is "no longer" human. Due to his new found abilities, there was more advantage in saving the beast than helping the humans out. Running back to the waterfall, he executed his well-thought out plan.


    "Hey comrades, I recently killed two Demons near this waterfall! They were so weak that they couldn''t even lay one finger on me! They were even begging me for mercy as I slitted their throats! Hahahaha!" Sato shouted out loud enough that the Demons under the waterfall could hear him. They were infuriated as a group of 5 Demons charged out towards Sato.


    "You shall pay for this, puny humans! Mark my words, I, Ronan shall be the one that behead you and your family members!" The mad and furious right hand man led his group of Demons and chased after Sato. Since, Sato''s speed was faster than everyone, naturally he was just leading them into a bait.


    As he reached the group of player''s proximity, he immediately activated his Advanced Stealth and hid among the trees. The two groups eventually runs into each other.


    "You bunch of scoundrels! I will kill all of you!" The furious Ronan and the other warriors leapt toward them while drawing this weapons. They were red with anger. Of course, the players had no idea why they were being attacked. However, it was between being killed or to retaliate, which they chose the latter.


    A big fight blew up. Both sides were relatively even, however the Demons, having more health from the start were at an advantage. The beast that was fought against started limping aside. He was on death''s bed. Sato quickly appeared before the poor injured kitty as it started taking out some berrys which he found to have healing properties.


    "Eat these and you will feel better." Sato placed the fruits in it''s mouth as the tiger grunted from the pain. The healing effects started showing after a short while.


    "Become my pet and I will protect you. I was the one that helped you out of this situation previously." The tiger did not take much time to consider before accepting his proposal.


    "The Roaring Wind Tiger has been tamed by you and became your pet." The notification noted his feat.


    "Would you like to give your pet a name?"


    "Whitie." He got the name from the soft pure fur of his pet. Whitie gave a growl in approval.


    *Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger) (Trusting)


    *Lv8


    *Strength: 20


    *Agility: 40


    *Intelligence: 10


    *Stamina: 20


    *Health: 200 / 200


    *Mana: 100 / 100


    *Active Skills:


    Wind''s Wrath - The tiger''s roar calls upon the wind to slice five sharp gales onto it''s enemies. Deals 100% physical damage to enemies.


    *Passive Skills:


    One With The Wind - Gain 200% extra movement speed when out of combat.


    The tiger instantly recovered to full health when he got tamed by Sato. He purred in satisfaction. The two then waited in the bush for the optimum time to strike.


    Currently, 3 Demons have been killed by the players, while 5 of the humans were dead and forced to respawn in the village. They were losing badly now. Other than the health of Ronan which was around 70% full, the rest of the Demons were more or less around 20%.


    Sato used Blink towards the lowest health Demon as he used Assassinate. It was fast and silent. The enemies had yet to realise. The elf then used Dagger Throw to drop the health of the Demon beside him. Once again Assassinate cleanly severed his head off. Sato then leaped forward and sliced the two Demons infront with his blade, followed by two more instant kills. The whole process lasted for 5 seconds. By the time Ronan discovers Sato, his team had already been vanquished. It was simply too fast.


    "You have leveled up!"


    "You have learnt a new Passive Skill "Backstab". Whenever you attack an enemy from behind, you will have a 50% chance of critical strike."


    "You are that person from before!" Ronan pointed at Sato with anger, his veins were popping out from his head. On the other hand, the humans were clueless of the whole situation. "I will kill you right now!"


    Ronan charged forward with his two-handed sword. His biceps were bulging crazily as he sliced downwards onto Sato. Sato activated Blink, dashing behind Ronan. Using his newfound passive, he sliced downwards. Luckily it inflicted critical damage and it cause his to reach 30% health.


    Furious, Ronan dropped his blade into the ground and activated Flaming Fist as a torrent of flaming punches landed on Sato. He tried blocking a few shots with his dagger, yet it still did chunk 20% of Sato''s health.


    "Interesting." Sato realised that he could actually see the shots fired by Ronan quite cleary. He decided to try it out. As Ronan once again used Flaming Fist, Sato stood still and waited for him to approach.


    "You are courting death!" Shouted Ronan. His fists were just about to touch the elf, yet strangely enough, he had missed. Not only that, he had zero contact whatsoever during the 10 whole punches. This was what Sato was trying out. He realised that his reaction speed had increased dramatically after he had changed classes. Now, he could actually dodge many moves.


    "Bye bye."


    "No!!!" Sato used Blink for the last time as he used Dagger Throw, followed by Assassinate to end Ronan''s life.

 Chapter 14 - Captain Zark

    "You have levelled up."


    The fight was over and in the forest, there remained 3 players. Sato started to loot up the Demons that were lying on the ground.


    "Halt Player." A voice rose from Sato''s backdrop. "These Demons that you see on the ground were partly killed by my team. I hope you will take into consideration of this for we are part of the Triple Threat Guild."


    The cocky survivor spoke out and wanted to scare Sato. The Triple Threat guild was the 20th placed guild in ROL. They are notorious for abusing their power to get what they want in the game. However, he had unfortunately bumped into Sato, who actually doesn''t care much about human guilds anymore. In his eyes, they were simply just preys.


    "Whitie, go ahead." With Sato''s command, the Tiger activated Wind''s Wrath as the sharp wind blades started cutting through the skin of the two guild members. As they got lower, Sato instant killed them.


    "You will regret this!" Was the last words that the man spoke. Sato started allocating his new found stat points. Every time you level up, you will be able to distribute 5 stat points to any attribute (Strength, Agility, Intelligence and Stamina). Deciding that his stamina is still not high enough, Sato added the majority of his stat points into strength and the rest into Agility. He was confident in his reaction time.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv6 : 50 / 1000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 30 (+30)


    *Agility : 20 (+80)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0)


    *Stamina : 10 (+40)


    *Health : 500 / 500


    *Mana : 100 / 100


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw


    Advanced Stealth


    Blink


    Assassinate


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Backstab


    *Pets:


    Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Equipments:


    Leather Shoulder Plate - Gives 5 Armour to character (can block 5 physical damage)


    Sato went forward to pet the tiger''s head. He leaped onto it''s back and left towards the waterfall. He was prepared to fight the boss alone. The worse case scenario was just death afterall.


    Sato and Whitie stood on the periphery of the water. They waited. A man with twin horns left walked out of the waterfall. He was half-naked, his chest filled with numerous green tatoos. He looked intimidating.


    *Zark the Demon (Weakened by the Poison of the Great Sage)


    *Lv50


    *HP: 800 / 800


    *Mana: 400 / 400


    *Active Skill:


    ???


    *Zark had it''s stats weakened by 50% due to the poison that circulated in his body for a long time.


    "You have killed my underlings havent you?" Zark enunciated his words clearly. His eyes emanated a terrifying aura. This Demon was a Lv50 elite in a Lv10 beginner village. How was this even fair?


    "I''ll take the silence as a yes." The aura surrounding Zark thickened and expanded. It felt like death was approaching Sato and Whitie. "You shall now pay for your actions!"


    Zark leaped out as he ignited both his fists into two flaming balls and smashed downwards at Sato.


    "Leap away, Whitie!" The tiger immediately reacted, jumping backwards into the trees. Zark relentlessly chased after them and eventually caught up. "Split up!"


    The master and pet disassembled and dodged in two different directions. Zark''s fist had slammed into an Ironwood tree and immediately disintegrated it into nothing. He was terrifyingly strong.


    What would have happened to me if that had landed, thought Sato. He wielded both of his blades as he used Dagger Throw. It had barely scrapped his skin. Zark had the passive skill "Stone Skin" that reduced any physical damage by 50%. He was basically a Demonic tank.


    Realising that it did nothing, Sato went into stealth, while Whitie went into hiding. He needed a plan.


    What was a Demon''s weakness? It was it''s horns. When a Demon''s horns were destroyed or cut off, it''s powers tend to start dissipate over time. I have to destroy it somehow! That was Sato''s final plan. It was all or nothing.


    Looking for an angle to strike, Sato jumped from tree to tree, searching for the most optimum sneak attack route. Zark on the otherhand, was rampantly destroying the trees, in search of the young man.


    "Where are you, you little shit?! Come out and face me like a true warrior!" Zark shouted. The Demon eventually reached a wide grass plain. It was now or never. He had to make use of the tree to propel himself onto him, before brawling it out on the plains.


    Sato activated Blink as he appeared directly behind Zark. He used Assassinate for the extra damage. In addition to the Backstab critical damage, Sato manage to slice off both of his horns before somersaulting backwards. It was a clean and precise attack.


    "Arghhhhhh." Zark screamed in pain and anger as he spun himself around, trying to hit Sato. But to no avail, Sato''s reflexes were too good and had managed to barely sidestep all of the attacks. "I will use all my strength for this one final attack! You must follow me down to hell!"


    Zarks hand started charging up a giant flaming ball. It was his "Flamestrike" that could instantly kill anyone character below Lv40. It was powerful.


    "Whitie!" Sato now called out his pet that was stealthily approaching Zark from behind. The owner and pet had formed a telepathic bond and now could communicate through thought. Whitie jumped on top of Zark as it pushed him towards the ground. He was about to combust his own self.


    "Noooo! I have not gotten my revenge!!" Zark blew up in Sato''s periphery.


    "You have leveled up."


    He had ended the Demon''s revenge in a clean and simple manner that resulted in him losing 0 health. If anyone had saw this, they would have thought that this feat is impossible. It was very hard to even sidestep an enemies attacks, but to do it without taking a single damage, that was insane.


    Sato started looting up the combusted body, to which he attained "The Necklace Of Sorrows"


    *The Necklace Of Sorrows


    *Character gains 10 strength, but loses 5 stamina


    This equipment was perfect on Sato, for he did not actually need much health as he was basically a god at dodging attacks. He immediately equiped it on himself, bringing him up to two equipments that brought him additional stats.

 Chapter 15 - Mr. Gray?

    After finishing up the Demons, Sato went back to the fountain base to retrieve the Void Crystal that was needed to transport the princess out of here.


    *Void Crystal - Able to take an Non Player Character out of Beginner Village (NPC limited to Princess Rayla)


    Sato left the game after completing the long mission. He went to sleep instantly.


    It was finally the weekends and he had decided that he should head over to the mall to buy himself some new clothing. His one formal wear was slowly wearing out from constant washing.


    In the afternoon, Sato went out to the city in a simple white t-shirt and black pants. He decided to shop at H Mall, a middle-class shopping centre. The entire place was filled with people of all ages. The mall had over 10 floors of brands and shops. You can basically find any items you need here at an affordable price.


    Sato walked into a clothing shop that sold collar shirts and formal pants. He picked out a few designs to mix and match. Trying it on in the fitting room, Sato picked one shirt and pants from the tryout. When paying for it, his heart tightened as a portion of his money will be gone. He was on a tight budget, but public image is important for his job.


    He proceeded to window shop around in another formal wear store. Coincidentally, he had ran into three of his ex university classmates, Harry, Wilson and Scott. They were not on friendly terms with Sato. Back then, they used to tease him for coming from a poor background. To now see Sato drop out of university was the icing on the cake.


    "Hey isn''t that the poor boy from our class last year?" Harry said loud enough that Sato who was right across him could hear.


    "Yeah yeah thats the infamous dropout of University Z!" Scott added on.


    "Wow he''s actually shopping for clothes in this store even without his scholarship funds? What is he up to? Is he here to steal some clothing?" The three were planning to cook up a skit to embarrass Sato infront of the other shoppers.


    "Oh no. He is up to no good. Remember how a year ago, he had stolen a branded bag from Rayden. He then acted like it was not him that did it!" Their words eventually attracted the attention from the sales manager. They approached Sato apprehensively.


    "Sir, I am going to have to check your bag. Please follow me to the counter." The sales manager asked Sato sternly.


    "And why must I follow your instructions? Just because they say a few wishy washy rumours, I am now a stealer?" Sato rebutted. He was incensed.


    "Oh look at him now trying to deny his previous deeds. It is no wonder the school had forced him to drop out of school." Wilson added fuel to the fire.


    "Sir, I am going ask you one more time nicely. If you do not cooperate, I will have to call security." The sales manager warned Sato.


    "I swear on my...." It was then someone had came up behind Sato and placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he was surprised by the appearance of the person. "Mr Gray?"


    "Leave this to me." Gray said as he walked infront of Sato, protecting him from the nearby guards. "Pete, your employee is causing trouble for my friend."


    "What? Where?" A man wearing a nice casual suit with striking features walked towards the commotion. The man was Pete Kouglas, the owner of Jfront Clothing, the store that Sato is shopping in.


    "Bbb.. Boss. Wh.. What made you come for a visit today?" The sales manager started panicking. How did this random guy know his boss? Wasn''t he a dropout?


    "Your sales manager was taking advantage of my friend. Those three there started this commotion. Settle it." Gray spoke to Pete in a nonchalant manner.


    "Lance. Head to the backroom later to collect your last pay check. You are fired. Guard escort these three out of my store this instant. They will be banned from entering here from now on." Pete commanded and everyone followed. The whole process happened so quickly that the three students did not even know how to react. When did Sato become so influential?


    As the scene was eventually cleared up, Pete immediately apologised to Sato for this commotion. Sato accepted his apology and had received a few set of the latest clothing as repayment. It was probably also thanks to Mr Gray that he had received such benefits.


    "Thank you, Mr Gray, for helping me out this time. If it weren''t for you, I would have had to go through all of this for naught."


    "Its alright, no need to thank me."


    "No no I will have to at least treat you to a drink. You saved me quite a bit of money with these clothing. Are you free now?" Sato asked.


    "Yes I am. Let us go." Gray immediately accepted his request. Inside, his heart warmed up as he heard Sato''s invitation.


    "Hey Gray! What about our hangout?" Pete said, annoyed.


    "Cancelled." Gray was decisive with his words. Pete on the other hand just gave up on asking him further. What can he do about Gray? He has always been like this.


    "You sure about this, Mr Gray? We can always grab a drink another day." Sato asked again.


    "No, i do not mind." With that, the two left the store side by side. One was taller than the other by a head. They both looked extremely handsome, like two princes on a casual walk. They attracted many onlookers and jealous eyes of many females as they walked around looking for a cafe.


    They eventually settled for a quiet cafe on the top floor. It had an amazing view of the shopping district and the ambience was relaxing. Gray ordered a black coffee, while Sato got himself a sandwich as his lunch. He was starved from all his walking.

 Chapter 16 - Stay With Me

    The sandwich that Sato ordered came shortly after Gray''s coffee. The two sat down quietly t as they drank and ate respectively. The whole scene felt rather awkward as the only noise that could be heard was the crunching that came about from the cucumber in the sandwich.


    "Um how is your coffee, Mr Gray?" Sato broke the silence.


    "It is normal. Also, when we are out of work, call me Gray."


    "Ok i will try." The silence came back again.


    "How is your sandwich, Sato?" Gray asked as he was eating. He choked slightly as this was the first time his boss had called his name.


    "G.. Good. Its delicious." Even though this was the cheapest food he could fine, the cucumber egg sandwich was tasty. "Was it really ok for me to step in between your hangout with your friend?"


    "Yes. It is alright. He is a burden after all."


    "Ha? Why''d you say that?" Sato choked on his food.


    "He made me leave my house to eat lunch with him." Sato laughed at his comment. Was his boss a secret Otaku? After that short exchange, the mood between the two had lightened up.


    "Sato, where do you live right now?"


    "I live at district 9, in the suburban area."


    "District 9? Why did you not live in the university dorms?"


    "Well, I wanted to save some money in case of emergency and not to my surprise, I was correct."


    "Not to your surprise?" Gray nitpicked on his words.


    "Well, I always have extremely bad luck when it comes to my lifestyle. When I had first entered university, my chosen course was changed due to technical errors. Thus, they had given me a different schedule, to which I followed through for a month before realising I was working towards the whole goal. I had to change my course and start from square one, all by myself. Luckily, I made a friend, Ming who helped me during that time." Sato went on to tell Gray about the incident where he had experienced a major train breakdown and missed his lessons for the day. He also, on multiple occurrences, tripped on a person''s leg and dropped his entire tray of food. Not to mention that, but Sato often receive notifications on lesson date changes late and would report to school to find out about it. Even the loss of his scholarship could certify how unlucky he was.


    Hearing all of this, Gray laughed out loudly. This was the first time he had seen Gray laugh this heartily. His dimples were showing distinctly. Eyes creased into smiles. He looked like a model in an advertisement, perfect and flawless. Sato smiled, knowing that his bad luck had allowed him to see this scene.


    "You really do have bad luck, Sato," Gray said. "Just like before."


    "Before?"


    "Ah no forget about what I said. Are you full from the sandwich?" Gray flustered and had changed the subject.


    "Oh. To be honest, the sandwich was not enough for me. I''m a growing boy you know." Sato said it while patting his chest.


    "Well, let me take you to have a proper meal then. Food''s on me." With that, Gray waved for the waiter and paid for the food.


    "Hey, I wanted to treat you to coffee. Also, I do not think it is appropriate for me to eat a meal for free." Sato stood up and was about to look for the waiter to pay. He was stopped by Gray.


    "Sato, stay with me." Gray grabbed onto Sato''s arm gently. It felt like he said it with a different


    agenda.


    "okay." Sato heated up as he sat back down and looked at Gray who was coughing awkwardly.


    The pair left to a different mall that was right beside the one they were previously in. The ambience it gave off was totally different. When one first enters the glass sliding doors, you would be welcomed by the long stretching marble flooring that tapered the grounds of the mall eventually ending in the center. The center of the mall was a majestic indoor fountain that spanned 25 meters in diameter.


    The craftsmanship in the design of the fountain was made by top class sculptors in the Mediterranean. The sculptures depicted the scene of Poseidon riding his chariots that were pulled by sea-horses. His soldiers rode onwards beside him, with armor and weapons equipped. Poseidon had a serene face as if he had won a battle recently.


    Sato stood there and admired the fountain, while Gray admired him. The young man''s fanaticism over art made his face glow brightly as he examined even the smallest details of the fountain. He continued to talk out loud and Gray just stood beside him, listening to his excited voice. The two looked like a prince being followed behind by his loyal surboardinate.


    Gray led the reluctant Sato away towards the top floor of this high-end mall. The reason why Sato never knew about such a wondeful fountain was just because he had never felt like he rightfully belonged in here. The shopping area was filled with high-end clothing brands that were all priced 4 digits and up. In addition, the restaurants here are only those that have a minimum of 1 michelin star. And now, his boss is bringing him here for a meal?


    Eventually, they reached the top floor on the mall that had a spectacular view of the ceiling top. It was that of Zeus looking down at Poseidon from above. He had his loyal subordinates by his side as he was watching the victory keenly. As Sato sat down in the italian 2 michelin starred restaurant, he couldn''t help but admire the art piece again.


    "Shouldn''t you order something for yourself first?" said Gray amusingly. This was a side of Sato that he found interesting.


    "Yeah. Yeah." Sato glanced at the menu, to which his eyebrows and forehead creased into a frown. It was all in Italian. He looked at Gray pleadingly. "How about you order for the both of us, Gray?"


    "Alright." Gray smiled as he looked at Sato adoringly. Calling for the nearby waiter, Gray ordered several dishes that were unknown to Sato. Sato on the other hand, went back to admiring the painting on the ceiling. A waitress could not help, but take a picture of the duo. It was of Gray looking at the Sato with adoration. His eyes never pealed away from the young man, while Sato was obviously clueless of this. It felt like Romeo was peering and admiring Juliet from a distance.

 Chapter 17 - Live With Me

    The food arrived timely. A neatly organized plate of italian bread with tomato bits was served. It had a combination of a crunch and a citrus taste. There was also a oval plate serving up antipasto to the pair. The skewer dish brought savory flavours to the table, awaking their palates. Sato enjoyed every bite.


    Next up was the main dish, where Gray ordered Rigatoni Alla Carbonara for Sato and Tagliatelle al Rag¨´ Alla Bolognese for himself. Sato''s used typical wheat pasta, while Gray''s had green spinach incorporated inside his pasta.


    "This looks so good!" Sato looked at the plating of both dishes and was mesmerised by the intricate details. The pasta came in a twirl with small little leaves sitting above the pasta. Then came the meat that sat by the side.


    As they ate their maincourse, Gray continued to watch the happy young man eat his food. Sato casually pokes a Rigatoni with his fork and places it into his mouth. A smile would be forced upon his face as he couldn''t help but moan from the explosion in the pasta.


    "Hey Sato."


    "Yeah?"


    "Are you enjoying the meal?"


    "Yes! The food is great! I don''t know why, but for some reason, it feels like I have had this before. Its like my tongue is reawakening from a long slumber." It felt like a deja vu for Sato as if he had eaten this before. However, no matter how he recalled, he knew that he had never tried this before. It felt too surreal.


    "Well, there is no need to think so hard about it, Sato." Gray decided to butt into his thoughts, knowing that the youth would soon have a headache if he continued this. "I''ll take you to other restaurants to try other foods on another day."


    "Oh there is no need for you to do that Gray. I do not want to leech on your money."


    "It is really nothing. It is money well-spent as I have someone to keep me company."


    "Don''t you have other closer friends, like that man from before?"


    "No. He isn''t comparable to you. Don''t bring him up again in this conversation." Gray frowned slightly.


    "Haa?" Sato chuckled a little as he heard his comment about the kind man from before. "Alright I won''t bring him up again."


    The two continued eating their food. Gray twirled his pasta into a small ball before speaking. "During the interview, I heard that you had to drop out of university due to unexpected circumstances."


    "Yes. That''s right." Sato stop eating his meal as he awaited the next few words that were going to come out of Gray''s mouth. "Am I not allowed to carry on with the personal assistant training?"


    "Yes." Gray looked up at Sato seriously. "I have a proposition that you will choose to accept or decline."


    "Speak."


    "I will fully fund your university tuition fees and you can start your school term once again. I will also give you a monthly allowance for you to spend on the outside. However, there is one condition. And that is, you would have to move into my home and take care of the household chores, such as cleaning of my house, cooking, laundry."


    "Pardon?" Sato''s face will filled with shock. Instead of being left out on the streets, Gray had thrown a silver spoon infront of him and gave him a chance to carry on with his university. "Are you serious about this? You aren''t pulling my leg right?"


    "Yes I am serious." Gray nodded and kept his serious face up. "Do you accept my proposal?"


    "Yes. Yes! I accept it! I will make sure your house is dustless! I will cook to the best of my abilities too!" Sato nodded his head as he enthusiastically spoke.


    "Alright, you will be able to go back to school starting tommorow."


    "Huh? That''s fast. How did you..."


    "Do it? Well, my brother is the board of directors in University Z, he can get you in today." Gray said nonchalantly. "Also, you shall move in with me today."


    "But, but my things from my home. I have to bring them over."


    "That is no problem. I have already hired house movers to bring your items over. Just hand me the key and they will do the job."


    "How did you... You knew I was going to say yes to your proposal?" Sato was shocked at how impressive his boss was. It was as if he could read his mind.


    "Yeah. I can read your mind." Gray said calmly.


    "Am I that easy to read?"


    "No. It is only you that I can read, no one else." This comment made Sato blush. His boss always made questionable comments that made him doubt his own sexuality.


    "Well, thank you Gray. I really appreciate that you are helping me pay for my tuition fees. I will definitely pay you back! I can even sign a contract for that!"


    "There is no need for that Sato. I trust you."


    "But Gray, why do you help me so much? You have only known me for a week." Sato was extremely confused by Gray''s actions today. His boss is known as the Ice King to basically everyone. However, when it came to him, he never really showed that side to him and even if he does, it is because he cared for Sato.


    Gray stared at Sato for a while as he thought of an answer for him. He absorbed every detail on the young man''s face. His thin nose, his sharp chin, his light brown eyes that glowed in the accent lighting. He was everything.


    "You remind me of a very close friend of mine." He came up with this excuse.


    "Well, I won''t dissapoint the friend of yours that I remind you of! I will work hard both in school and at home to repay you, Gray."


    "Okay. Let us have dessert before leaving for my home then." The two ate their Semifreddo dessert before leaving the restaurant side by side.

 Chapter 18 - Grays House

    Sato passed his house key to the bodyguard by Gray''s side and told him the address. The man then swiftly left to the place to pack everything up for Sato. He was basically acting as a butler for Gray.


    "Are you sure that no one will..."


    "Steal your things? No one would dare to do that. And even if they do, ill make sure to reimburse you." Gray finished Sato''s sentence.


    "How did you..."


    "Figure out what you were about to say?" He did it again. "Mmm, there will be a time when you will know how I do it."


    "Alright." Sato looked at his boss questionably. There was this fog of mysteriousness that plagues Gray. No matter how far he tried to look into it, he could only see the endless rolling mists.


    Gray took Sato to his car, which is the latest car model, Gale X that is available on the market. He had heard there was only 100 of this model made in the world and each of them is only purchasable through extensive means. As Gray got close to the vehicle, the driver door opens automatically. Sato approached the opposite door and it opened by itself too.


    "Gale, take me back home." Gray spoke simply to the voice recognition system in the car.


    "Yes master. The estimated time of travel is 20 minutes. Please wear your safety belts and buckle up." The system spoke robotically as it started up the car and moved smoothly out of the parking lot.


    "The, the car. It''s moving by itself?" Sato had heard that the Gale X was the first certified driverless car in the world. Seeing it with his own eyes was definitely a treat.


    "Yeah, the driverless function is pretty handy." Gray replied.


    Sato looked around at the interior of the car. There were small LED lights embedded in the dark velvet car ceilings. It resembled stars in the sky at night, twinkling dimly. The majority of the car was made with the finest leather in the world, which made the car give off a professional vibe. The car also had an all round stereo system that made music sound like it was coming from all directions.


    "This car is amazing." Sato gasped as he sat comfortably in the ergonomic car seat.


    "Well if you want one, I can get you one." Gale said in a normal tone.


    "Huh?"


    "You heard me. I can get you a Gale X for you to use."


    "Hahaha. You must be kidding me right, Gray? Even if I did say yes to wanting one, isn''t there only 100 of this car available on the market and every single one has been bought by an influential figure?"


    "Well, I could always give a call to my father and he can just produce another for you." Gray spoke nonchalantly.


    "Ha? Produce another Gale X? What is he? The founder of Gale Foundations?" Sato joked with Gray, to which Gray returned with a serious face. "Wait a minute. Your father is really the founder of Gale Foundations? The largest and most popular multi billion dollar car company in the world?"


    "Yeah. Not that big of a deal really." Gray replied nonchalantly once again.


    "But Gray isn''t your surname Tobion? The founder of Gale Foundations is Michael Louis, which doesn''t have your surname."


    "Well it is actually due to my family wanting to remain low key in society. Michael is a surboardinate of my family and is incharge of Gale for us."


    "A surboardinate?" This was the most ridiculous, yet believable thing that he had heard in his whole life. "So you are saying that everything under the Gale Foundations is actually yours?"


    "Mmm, yeah basically." Gray replied to Sato''s question. "There are also other companies that we own, but that will be a story for another day. Now, would you answer my question."


    "Alright, go for it. " Sato accepted that his boss was definitely a rich yet lowkey man. He can learn more about him another time.


    "How has your life been since highschool?" Gray asked caringly.


    "I.." Sato didn''t actually think his boss would ask him such a question. He did not actually know how to answer him. "I am not actually able to answer this question well as my life before 17 is rather blurry. I had gotten into an.. "


    " An accident?"


    "Yeah, yeah. So ever since then I felt like a part of me is missing?"


    "Mmm it''s normal to have these side effects. Do you at least have a little inkling of what happened in the past?"


    "Well, I do get some visions in my dreams of this man in my life, but I never get to see a clear image of him."


    "I can help you recover your memories, Sato." Gray looked at Sato and said resolutely.


    "Haha.. I do not even know where to start, how would help me with this?"


    "Well, we just need to find some trigger points that will jolt your memory and it can help you recover in no time."


    "Sounds like a plan." Sato nodded to his proposal. It didn''t matter if he had agreed to it as he was stuck in this position for several years.


    The car drove itself to Gray''s house that was located near the suburbs. This had halted their conversation.


    The gate automatically opened when it scanned the recognition card in the vehicle. This was Royal Hills, a compound where only the top 0.001% percent of the country could afford a house here. The houses all have a minimum of 20 rooms where it usually acts as the main family house of the top percenters in the country. The security is tight and patrols around the compound is regular.


    "Isn''t this Royal Hills?" Sato felt rather out of place.


    "Yes. It is where you will be living in the future." Gray said.


    "I don''t think I belong here."


    "You are now bound by an agreement with me. Of course you belong here." Gray reassured him.


    "Ok.." The car continued to move up the winding hills that had it''s land divided up for the house owners. The higher you drive up, the more expensive the land was. Gray and Sato did not stop until they were at the very peak of the hill that had a wonderful view of the city. It was certain that the night view would be even more spectacular.


    "This.. Whole plot of land. It is yours?" Sato looked at Gray questioningly. This whole area was worth at least 8 digits and it does not even inclue the house.


    "Well, the whole compound is technically mine. So yeah this land is mine." Gray said cooly.


    "THE WHOLE COMPOUND? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Gray''s jaw basically dropped to the ground. What kind of family group is Gray part of? This was simply ridiculous.

 Chapter 19 - House Tour

    The driverless car stopped it''s tracks just outside the house of Gray''s. The house was a 15 room mansion that boasted an asset worth of 80 million dollars. The victorian era design was created by top designers in the Mediterranean. The high quality materials used result in a beautifully made house.


    Sato stood outside the monstrous building as his mouth was agape. He was speechless.


    "Don''t just stand there, come in." Gray gestured the young man over as the duo climbed up the white front steps. There were several large pillars that supported the front of the house. Each pillar had a mythical god carved into it. Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Ares and many more. The main gods were all engraved into the sleek white pillars.


    Eventually the two reach the front door that was twice as tall as a normal door. It was made out of a 1000 year old oak tree, heavy and solid. The door was opened up by two people dressed in a formal suit.


    "Welcome back, master Gray." The two of them were the main butlers in the house that directly served Gray.


    "Mmm." Gray nodded as he walked into the house. "I brought a guest back and he is going to stay here. Prepare my secondary bedroom for him."


    "Yes, master Gray." The butlers responded obediently, even though they were all confused by their master''s request. Gray had never brought anyone over willingly and even if he did, they would be forced to stay in one of the guest rooms. It was a first for the two of them to see him treat another person nicely.


    "These two is Potter and Hank respectively. They are the main butlers of this house. If you have any requests just ask them and they will help you out. You could also ask any of the housemaids and they would be at your service." Gray gave a brief introduction. "Now, follow me and I''ll give you a tour of the house."


    Hearing his request, Sato left by his side to go explore Gray''s mansion. Gray first brought him outside to him backyard that spanned the entire hill peak. The yard had a tennis court, a mini golf course, a fresh herbs and floral garden, an oriental lake that contained koi fishes, a pergola that faced the city and an infinity pool that stretched outwards towards the cliff of the hill. The amenities was plentiful for any person to destress from a long days work.


    Sato ran towards the pergola to look at the city view. He was a sucker for good views. "This view is crazy, Gray."


    Whilst Sato was admiring the view, Gray was smiling behind his back as he was watching the reactions of Sato. He was taking in each and every detail on the face of Sato. His widened eyes and gaping mouth made Gray crease his mouth slightly. What a cute boy. Gray thought.


    They soon left for the inside as Sato could always come back to admire the view later on. They first went down to the basement as Gray took him around to explore the vast entertainment ground. Below was an indoor lap pool that had a clear glass ceiling of the outside. It let natural light in that made the whole place all lit up.


    There was another room that had several pool tables for people to play. A theatre room that had the latest theatre setup. There were 20 seats that had extremely comfortable cushioning. There was also a large gaming room that contained all of the latest games and technology. The thing that caught his eye the most was a futuristic gaming pod.


    "Isn''t this the Gamingpro Pod X?" Sato ran towards this full sized machine that was meant to fit a whole human. "This is the latest version that will be realised to the public in 3 months time! How.. How do you have one???"


    "My childhood friend is the main developer of Gamingpro. So he gave it to me." Gray spoke casually.


    "Your childhood friend is Marion Lee???"


    "Yeah. Back when he was young, he had already started developing this game. It was only when he turned 25 did he finally put it out to the public."


    "Wow... I never knew you had such crazy connections."


    "Its alright. Most of the people I know are just plain annoying." Gray commented.


    Well, maybe it is just your weird taste that makes you think they are all annoying. Sato thought in his head while smiling.


    "So do you play the game, Gray?"


    "Yes I do. Do you play the game?"


    "Yes! We can add each other and play together. However, compared to your gaming setup, I am only using the Version 2 gaming helmet."


    "Well, you can just use this gaming pod then. I have one more that is installed in my room."


    "Huhh? Are you serious? I get to use the latest gaming pod? Thank you Gray!" Sato ran up to Gray and gave him a big hug. He had totally forgotten who he was hugging, to which he immediately loosen and backed off. "S.. Sorry for that."


    "It''s alright." The shocked Gray did not get mad at the young man''s action, but rather, he turned around blushing slightly. "Let''s head upstairs first then. I will ask Potter to bring it into your room for you."


    "Oh, alright. Thank you once again, Gray. Today has truly been a crazy experience. I would still be clueless with what I should do if it were not for you." Sato thank Gray sincerely as he looked into Gray''s light blue eyes. They were extremely clear and if he looked closely enough, it reflected his face back at him.


    " It is my pleasure to have you here, Sato. Forever and always." Gray rubbed the young man''s head as he muttered the last few words under his breath. It was soft enough that Sato could not really understand what he had said at the end.

 Chapter 20 - Cooking A Meal

    Sitting down on the sofa, under the warm orange lighting, Sato clamped his legs together tightly as he avoided eye contact with Gray. Ever since lunch, he started to notice that Gray always had a keen eye on him. Regardless of when they were eating their food or when they were on the car, Gray tried to not break eye contact with him.


    His eyes were like an undying flame that was trying to engulf the poor Sato. Why was he doing that? Is Gray testing my ability to look at people in the eye? Sato thought curiously.


    "Uhh, Gray," Sato tilted his head up and looked at Gray in the eye, his eyes was trying to imitate the fiery passion from Gray''s. "I have a question regarding the condition you set for me."


    When seeing Sato copy his actions, Gray broke into a light laugh as he thought about how adorable the young man was. It was like a young cub trying to imitate the roar of it''s lion father. Sato was clueless why he was laughing.


    "Go for it." Gray rapported.


    "After walking around your compound and house, I realised that you do not have a lack of staff to help clean the house. I am also quite certain that the housemaids that work here are able to cook at a very high level." Sato pointed out a burning question in his head. "Why would you need an extra helper like me - who probably can''t cook as well as them, maybe even clean as well as them- in your house?"


    The question posed by Sato had actually stump Gray really hard. It was lucky of Gray that he wasn''t drinking tea at that moment or else he would choke on the water. He showed no emotion or reaction as he quickly thought of a suitable response.


    "Well, one of my staffs, Mdm Sarah, is going to retire tommorow and with her gone, I required an extra hand on the cleaning of the house. She was also in charge of all my meal preparations at home, so you will be stepping in to do her job." The answer that Gray gave was probably the dumbest thing that the nearby housemaids have ever heard.


    How could the employees that work under the Tobion family not be equipped with a large variety of life skills. Things like cooking and cleaning of the house was a mandatory skill to work here. In fact, all of the employees here have some form of martial arts background. In addition, who is Mdm Sarah? When did this person start working here? Why is their master creating a random person for this unknown young man?


    "Oh, that makes sense i guess." Sato was slightly doubting his boss''s words, but since he was the one that wanted his service, he would see through to it. "Don''t have too high hopes for the food that I cook though. It may not suit your taste buds."


    "Anything you cook will be delicious to me." Gray said to Sato earnestly. This statement left Sato speechless. How would you know when you have not even try my food?


    "Well, theres around half an hour before dinner, I guess I shall try to whip up something simple for you to try today." Sato swiftly stood up and walked to the kitchen. Gray followed behind like a loyal follower.


    As Sato stepped through the door that seperated the living room from the kitchen, he noticed a couple of things. The kitchen was way too advanced! There were no gas stoves to cook using, but the latest model of induction stoves. The heat can be controlled down to the decimal place and takes only a few seconds for the stove to heat up. There were modern looking ovens embedded under the counter top. Above it, was things like the air fryer, steamers, an actual oil fryer and many other technologies. There even is a glass display freezer and two large refrigerators that were filled to the brim with fresh ingredients.


    The island in the center of the kitchen had fresh fruits and kitchen tools that could be swiftly picked out to be used. The whole place was large and easy to walk around.


    "This kitchen is a little bit big for me." Sato sighed as he resigned to his fate that he would probably have to up his cooking game. How could he not make use of all these machinery when it is available infront of him. He made a promise inwardly that he would improve his cooking so as to make more delicious and unique food for Gray.


    Finding the ingredients he needed in the fridge, Sato took it out and prepared to wash the vegetables cleanly before cutting it up.


    "There''s no need to wash the vegetables, Sato. The refrigerator has an automatic sanitary function that will kill the harmful bacterias and clean off the dirt on the vegetables." Gray interrupted his action, to which Sato sighed again. When did technology advance this much?


    Looking through the drawers, Gray found the hardwood cutting board and started to help Sato cut up the vegetables.


    "I shall cut up these vegetables for you. Carry on with your other prep-work." Gray had folded up his sleeves as he started to help Sato out. The man look extremely handsome as he focused on cutting the vegetables with ease. His muscular biceps were squeeze tight due to the folded sleeves.


    "I... Okay." Sato gave in to his persistent boss.


    "How finely would you like the vegetables to be?"


    "Diced please."


    "Alright." With that, Gray immediately got to action and chopped up the green and red peppers, followed by the onion. He then placed it into the glass bowl and stood by Sato. "What''s next?"


    "Uhh, I guess help me saut¨¦ the vegetables." Sato was surprised at how faster Gray was working. He never knew his boss was that good at knifework.


    Gray turned on the induction stove. Placing a fair bit of olive oil, he saut¨¦ed the vegetables for 2 minutes, while constantly moving it around by flicking the pan. He adds some salt and pepper in the midst of cooking. It didn''t take much common sense to know how good a cook Gray was.


    When Gray started on the vegetables, Sato started preparing the fresh shrimps that he found in the fridge. The shrimps were large yet supple. Removing the shells off the prawn and deveining it took a short while. Sato then stood beside Gray and started to cook the shrimps on medium high heat. He flips the shrimp over at constant intervals.


    While Sato was cooking, Gray kept watch over Sato and looked at him adoringly. He smiled as he was glad that the young man was by his side. From behind, it looked like a sweet loving couple that was cooking together.


    When finished cooking the shrimps and cutting it in half, he instructed the idle Gray to shred some Monterey Jack cheese for the dish. He was making shrimp quesadillas.


    Heating up the tortilla shells that he found in the fridge, Sato watches over it to prevent the shell from burning. He then removes the tortilla from the pan and places the saut¨¦ed vegetables in the shell and tops it off with the half shrimps. Following which, Sato adds more salt and pepper and lastly, the cheese to accentuate the flavour.


    Moving towards the oven, Sato then makes use of it help melt the cheese down, yet not overdo it by burning the quesadillas.

 Chapter 21 - Satos Room

    The meal was platted on a simple white plate. Cut in half, the melted cheese oozed out of the quesadilla slowly. The two boys sat opposite each other at the large rectangular dinner table that you would only normally see in movies. The table that typically sits over 30 people was occupied by two individuals.


    "mmm, this is delicious !" Sato commented at the food that they had made together. The freshness of the ingredients coupled with the well cooked vegetables and shrimp, made the dish extremely tasty. The seafood had merged with the cheese and peppers, creating a harmonious combination of smell.


    "Yeah. This is good." Gray ate his meal with class, his knife glided through the tortilla shell and into the filling, picking up even portions of seafood and vegetables with his fork. He looked like a graceful prince at an important meal.


    The two maintained silence as they ate the meal. Even though there was only the sound of chewing, the atmosphere wasn''t awkward at all. The two of them were always eating alone and so the silence was to be expected. Having one additional company made the whole meal more enjoable.


    While eating the meal, Sato would shoot cautious glances at Gray. Everytime he did that, Gray would catch on and look back at him with vigour. Sato would panic and blush from that exchange.


    The meal was finished and the plates were taken away by the house maids. Butler Potter came into the living room, looking for Gray.


    "Master Gray, the secondary bedroom has been cleaned and is ready for mr. Sato to stay."


    "Alright. Let us head upstairs to your new room, Sato." Gray said. The pair went up to the second floor and headed into Sato''s new bedroom. When the door was open, the boy was welcomed into a whole new world.


    Compared to the victorian outlook of the mansion, when stepping into the bedroom, the place transformed into a modern themed space. Firstly, the floor was carpeted white with a soft yet durable material. It was cooling for the summer and warm for the winter. Secondly, the walls were painted a simple white, with accent white lighting that shone throughout the edges of the room.


    The right wall of the room had a large flat screen television with OLED display. The king-sized bed was placed infront of the TV, pushed against the left wall of the room. As soon as you enter the room, you would be welcome with the city view through the glass wall. There was a cushion deck for Sato to sit by the glass. It was simply beautiful and sleek.


    The wardrobe was embedded into the wall by the door. When Sato opened it, he was shocked to find out that all his clothing had been moved over and even more when he realised that half of the clothes here wasn''t his.


    "I took the liberty to stock up your clothing for university." Gray stood beside Sato. I do not want you to be seen as anything, but perfect. Gray thought.


    "This..." Sato didn''t actually know what to say. He was speechless."Thank you. I will make it up to you in the future."


    "No need. It is my honour." Gray rubbed Sato''s smooth hair as the young man close his eyes, blushing in embarrassment. Why was his boss so nice to him?


    He then noticed that his game gear was kept neatly in the original boxing and the gaming pod was placed near the glass wall. How efficient were the workers in this household?


    Next, Sato went into his bathroom to be surprised once again. The bathroom had a super sleek, modern circular bathtub that was fully decked out on functions. Things like cleansing of the skin, water massage, thermostatic adjustments, bubbling, aromatherapy were all at the tip of his finger tips.


    The bathroom even came with a sky shower, with other shower points available on the sides. There was even one for his nether regions that made Sato blush slightly. Next came the nice marble basins that had the best brands of soap sitting by the side. There were towels basically for everything, the hands, the face, the body. Even the toilet was the most advanced version there is on the market.


    The whole place basically felt like a 5 star hotel room, maybe even better!


    "This room is too good for me to stay in." Sato looked at Gray with guilt. He had actually not done much for him and yet he gave him more than he asked for.


    "No it isn''t. You deserve this." Gray reassured Sato.


    "Why did you do all this for me?" Sato wanted answers and needed them now. "Don''t say it is all because I agreed to work here. I know for a fact that that is not the reason."


    Gray knew that his lies could only take him so far. He had to be a little truthful to him.


    "You remind me of a little brother I had several years ago ." Gray said. "Back then, I never actually got the chance to treat him as well as he deserves. I deeply regret it and so when I saw you, I wanted to make it right for myself."


    "Oh. What happened to him? Its fine if you do not want to say."


    "He left this world and took all remnants of me with him." Gray kept his lips shut as he looked at Sato with despondency.


    "Im sorry for your loss." Sato walked up to Gray and wrapped his arms around him. The two made contact again, except this time, Sato was more aware of it. The warmth between the two circulated through them. It was extremely comforting.


    Gray lifted his arms to hug Sato, squeezing his body closer to Sato''s. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for far too long. His mouth curled up slightly after seeing the boy''s action. The care that Sato showed for him will forever resonate in his heart. Sato, I will never forget about all that you have done for me. Never.

 Chapter 22 - The Dark Knights Guild

    Leaving Gray''s embrace, Sato felt his heart rate increase dramatically. Why did Gray hug back so desperately?


    "Well, clean yourself up and take a rest. You can try using the GamingPod out. Tommorow at 9, we shall depart to your University campus." Gray said, breaking off any awkwardness in the air.


    "Alright. Thank you for your hospitality." Sato gave Gray a respectful bow. "Also, what is your in game name, Gray?"


    "DK Seven. " Gray left the room while Sato stood there, shocked beyond belief. DK Seven? Did he just say his name was Seven? Gray was part of the legendary guild, The Dark Knights?? Moreover, he is a core member in the guild?


    The Dark Knights were part of the Undead race and they were the number 1 guild in country Z and 5th in the world. Even though there are separate races in ROL, the guild rankings are still shared. Thus, the Dark Knights was the guild that any human race would fear. Back then, his small guild encountered one player, Nine, from the Dark Knights. Their group of 10 players had been vanquished within a few short minutes.


    The core team in The Dark Knights had numbers for their in game name, numbering from 0 to 10. However, the number is by no means the strength of the players. In fact, the public deems Zero and Four to be the strongest players. They were the Captain and Vice captain respectively. The rest of them were all strong in their own ways.


    In terms of the player, Seven, not many have actually seen him as he rarely participates in any of the team missions. Thus, they had always thought that there just a missing player that they had yet to recruit. Now, Sato knew this was not true, for the true Seven was living in same house as he was!


    Swiftly, Sato took a fast shower and brushed his teeth. When finished, he moved towards the Gaming Pod and laid in it. The cushioning in the Pod detected Sato''s presence and started embracing his whole body slightly. The cushions were filled with sensors of different ranges that help monitor the person''s condition. If the person were to enter critical condition, he or she will be forcefully ejected. The machine even had nano technology that will administer nutrients into the player''s body if he or she were to play over a long period of time.


    "Scanning facial data." The machine spoke robotically. "Detecting player Dawnlore. Proceed into game?"


    "Proceed."


    As soon as Sato entered the game, he was welcomed by the bright sunlight that shone in game. In ROL, Sato sent the friend request to Gray. He did not accept the request yet, meaning that he probably isn''t online yet.


    Regardless, Sato continued on with his quest. He first leveled up till LV10. With his current strength, no monsters were able to stop him. In an hour, he leveled up 4 times which would usually take the players at least 5 hours. Running back to the village, Sato found Princess Rayla in the bakery.


    "Princess, I have found the void crystal. We can now leave the village." Sato said.


    "Okay. Let us leave this instant." Without care for the bakery, the two left the place and headed into the forest. With the void crystal, there was no need to wait till Lv10 before leaving the village, but Sato still waited till then as he did not want to go in unprepared.


    "Would you like to leave the Beginner Village with Princess Rayla?" The system prompted.


    "Yes."


    "Please state a designated spawn point location."


    "I choose Greenslate Forest." In the Greenslate Forest, was a spawn point that could be used by players. At any major location, there would always be a spawn point. It is not restricted to just cities so as to make the game easier for others.


    For Sato''s case, he did not want to spawn in the city area as moving around with an NPC there would be too noticeable.


    "Spawning player in Greenslate Forest. 3,2,1..." With that, the scenery changed again. Contradictory to the name, Greenslate forest was actually no longer green. Due to the war between humans and the undead, this Lv15 forest had become a death battleground. All the trees here has died and decayed over time.


    When Sato and Princess Rayla spawned, there was very little players here as the bulk of the players are at least LV50. Only the players that chose to restart would know about this place as there are other Lv15 maps available for people to choose from. In the case of Greenslate forest, there were no worthwhile quests that could be done by the players.


    Sato immediately called LonelyGhost (Ming) as soon as he spawn in the world.


    "Hey Ming, I have reached Lv10!" Sato exclaimed.


    "So fast?" Ming questioned. Sato then explained what happened to him, both in and out of game. The Gamingpod had played a huge part in his increase in gaming ability. There was no delay in receptiveness anymore as the sensors used in the pod was the most advanced technology available on the market.


    "Are you sure this Gray guy is trustworthy?" Ming frowned.


    "Yeah! He is the definitely trustable. Why would he lie to a nobody like me?"


    "You just trust people too easily, Sato. You are more than just a nobody." Ming tried correcting his closest friend. "Well anyways I am glad that you can come back to university for classes. I will ask you more about it tommorow. All the best to your quest. I wish I can help you, but Tyron mandated our presence for joint exercise."


    "Yeah sure we can talk then. Good luck on the exercise." Since the RoyalKnights Guild was a top 100 guild, the group prioritised dungeon clearings and raids so as to improve their ranking. Ming was part of the core team now and they required his participation in these events.


    When their call ended, Sato received a notification from the game.


    "DK Seven has accepted your friend request."

 Chapter 23 - Dark Raven Set

    "DK Seven has accepted your friend request." The system sounded.


    Going into his friends list, Sato selected Gray''s name and decided to send him a message.


    "I was very surprised when you told me your username by the way." said Sato.


    "Really? What is there to be surprised about?"


    "Well, you are in the most infamous guild in country Z! What''s crazier is that you are part of the core team in Dark Knights!" Enthusiasm was oozing from Sato.


    This was the game that he had the most respect for. Ray Of Light, being the only game that is able to turn reality into virtual reality is by far the craziest invention in this century. In addition to that, the requirements to be the best at the game needed the players to have a 1 to 1 realism exchange rate.


    This meant that the players have to play the game using their current physique by using independent. There are two types of modes in the game, assistant and independent mode. As the name suggests, assistant will be fully based on the fixed movements coded by the developers, this requires minimal mental stamina. On the other hand, independent would require the person to move around by himself. It was like comparing a person running with guiding a person to run in a certain direction. Thus, professional players, most of the time, would have great physical stamina.


    Most people are confused by what this meant, since aren''t you playing a virtual game using your consciousness, hence there is no physical movement? Well, according to the latest research, the best way to improve the reaction rate and mental strength is by training the brain to tolerate different levels of stress. What better way to do that than exercising!


    This was the second year of Ray Of Light''s release. In the first year, not many people were prepared to play a game that required their physical stamina to be good. Hence, the greatest gamers had fallen short and a new age of gamers rose. Those that had both reaction time and mental stamina rose to the top and became the best.


    In terms of The Dark Knights, the founder, Zero had started the game during the open beta period. He was an ex-marine officer who retired due to a war accident where he loss his right leg. He was the great hero of country Z, Roy Federico. Even though he can no longer train, his mental endurance has reach a very high state, allowing him to be second in the individual player rankings.


    "Do you not play this game very often?" Sato asked.


    "No i don''t. I didn''t have a reason to play it." Gray gave a straightforward reason.


    "Oh." It turns out that his boss was not a very big fan of ROL.


    "Until you came along." Gray returned with a sweet comeback.


    "hahahaha" Sato typed questionably.


    "Where are you located right now? Also what is your class? "


    "I am at Greenslate forest. Assassin class. Why?"


    "Coming." Gray went offline on chat. This made Sato worried. Was his boss coming down to kill him? After all, he was not part of the same race as him. Regardless, he waited for him since he did owe the man everything.


    After 5 minutes, a man wearing a large red cloak over his whole body, appeared at the spawn point. He gave off a deep death aura, his level and information were unable to be viewed by others. It was probably due to a special quest item. The scary man walked up to the Elven Assassin dressed up with a small hood.


    "Gray?" Sato spoke out to the masked man.


    "Yeah. This is my character." Gray revealed his name and information to Sato. Currently, he was a Lv40 vampire blademaster, which showed that Gray does not actually play this game much. It was surprising to Sato that he was able to remain as a member of the Dark Knights.


    " How were you able to remain part of the core team when you do not play much?" Sato said curiously.


    "The captain, Zero, was saved by me during a joint special ops mission between land and navy." Gray answered. "When he came back, he decided to open up a guild in this game, to which he invited me to join. Even I''m surprised he has not kicked me out."


    "Wow.. What an adventurous life you live!" Sato was in awe. He never knew his employer had done special operations before, even though his well kept body was evidence for his activeness.


    "Its nothing. Anyways, I have brought you some equipment. Put it on." Gray took out a full set of Lv10 assasin equipment for Sato to equip. This was the strongest gear you could find during the early start before turning Lv20. Even the Lv15 gear cannot compare due to the great buffs it gives to the player.


    "You have received Dark Raven Chestguard, Dark Raven Armguards, Dark Raven Legguards, Dark Raven Boots, Dark Raven Hood."


    *Dark Raven Set


    [5/5]


    +50 Armour


    +50 Magic Resist


    (Armour and Magic Resist is the amount of physical and magic damage negated respectively.)


    *Set effect 1: Grants additional 20% movement speed when out of combat


    *Set effect 2: Gain 5% life steal when inflicting damage


    *Set effect 3: Reduces durations of crown control effects by 10%


    After putting the new equipment on and allocating his remaining stat points into his strength and agility, Sato underwent another drastic change.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv10 : 0 / 10000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 40 (+30)


    *Agility : 30 (+80)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0)


    *Stamina : 10 (+40)


    *Health : 500 / 500


    *Mana : 100 / 100


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw


    Advanced Stealth


    Blink


    Assassinate


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Backstab


    *Pets:


    Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Equipments:


    Dark Raven Set [5/5]


    +50 Armour


    +50 Magic Resist


    Set effect 1: Grants additional 20% movement speed when out of combat


    Set effect 2: Gain 5% life steal when inflicting damage


    Set effect 3: Reduces durations of crown control effects by 10%

 Chapter 24 - The Fiery Plains

    "Thank you for the set. I will be sure to pay you back." Sato accepted his gift.


    The set effects that were given from the armour was great at increasing one''s survivability. Life steal allows the player to recover back a certain percentage of health. Reduced crowd control allows the player to decrease the durations of stuns, slows, polymorphs, etc. Increased movement speed out of combat allows for easier runaway. He needed as much help as he could get for he was going up against the demons.


    Even though the two factions, humans and undead, have been going about with war over hundreds of years, they do however have a common enemy, demons. It all started 200 years ago when the Demon King, Rahul invaded Ronan from their homeland, the Nether Realms. Their thirst to conquer the upper realm led them here.


    When they arrived through the spatial rift, they were very close to the Elven Kingdom. They waged a war on the elves first. Knowing about their eminent destruction, the great elven sage tried seeking alliance with both the human and undead factions. However, they both declined. The Elves have always remained as a neutral party between the two faction''s conflicts. As a result, neither of them considered helping them out.


    After the war went down, the elves that survived developed a strong hatred to the demons and both factions. This was the reason why Sato gains experience points for killing other races.


    "No need. This set armour is nothing in the eyes of my guild." Gray waved his hand. Following which Gray took out two more items.


    "You received Dreadful Daggers, Flaming crossbow."


    *Dreadful Daggers (primary weapon)


    +20 attack damage


    (Deals additional physical damage directly proportional to the bonus attack damage)


    *5% chance of applying grevious wounds


    (grevious wounds lowers any healing effects by 80%)


    *Flaming Crossbow (secondary weapon)


    +15 attack damage


    *10% chance of applying burn effects on enemies.


    (burn effects deal 1 to 2% of the enemies health)


    "These are the strongest Lv10 weapons I could find in the armoury." The two weapons were considered middle tier which was already better than the beginner dagger that had no benefits.


    Switching out the gears, Sato looked more like an assassin now. With his prominent handsome face and sharper ears, Sato kept his hood on to prevent onlookers from noticing.


    "You changed your race?" Gray asked


    "Ye.. Yeah. I am now an elf." Sato hesitated for a bit before deciding to tell Gray. He showed him his profile to which the only reaction he had gotten from his was a slight eyebrow raise.


    "Take a look at this." Gray took a screen shot image and sent it to Sato. The boy creased his eyebrows.


    *Hunt The Fugitive


    *Difficulty Rating: A


    An Elven fugitive assassin has kidnapped an important family member of the Dragoons. Kill him and rescue the female from his captive.


    Every 4 hours, the location of the assassin will be revealed to the public.


    (30 minutes till reveal)


    *Reward:


    +100 favorability with the Dragoon Household


    Gold rarity equipment


    500 Gold


    The mission was given to all the undead faction players between Lv30 to Lv50. It was a worldwide sensation as everyone knew the power of the Dragoon family. They were the 3rd most powerful families in the undead faction.


    Based on the mission, Sato can infer that the Dragoon family is most definitely related to the Demon Clan, for they were planning to take back Princess Rayla. Right now, he had to run and look for the Elven Resistance Army.


    "So, are you here to kill me to complete this mission?" said Sato solemnly to Gray. His eyes trembled slightly as Gray walked closer to him.


    "No. I''m here to help you." Grau rubbed the elf''s head as he lightly smiled.


    "But, I''m not part of your faction. Moreover, you get no benefits for helping me." Sato felt guilty.


    "Me playing the game with you is more than enough as a compensation." Gray spoke with conviction, which made Sato smile. What a great boss. "Come on let''s get going,we should not stop moving."


    "But, I am not even sure where exactly is the Elven Resistance Army located."


    "Let me ask Zero for assistance."


    "You sure he wouldn''t mind?"


    "He wouldn''t." Gray was sure of it. He immediately called up Zero, who instantly answered the call. You could tell that Zero truly respected Gray.


    "Good day sir! How nice to see you online today. How can I help you?" Zero spoke with enthusiasm.


    "Hey Roy, I need your help on reconnaissance."


    "Yes sir! Who are you looking for?"


    "The Elven Resistance Army. Any clues on their whereabouts?"


    "Hmm, the Elven Resistance Army. From the previous main quest where we were helping to investigate on the Elven Group''s whereabouts, we discovered that they were camping around the Fiery Fields on coordinates XXX : XXX. However, I am not sure if they had moved away or not." Zero opened up this quest logs to find the results for Gray.


    "Okay. Let me check out that location first.Thank you."


    "No problem, sir! Do you need back up for what you are doing?"


    "Mmm. Could you send a group of assassins to aid in protecting my friend from enemies? Both factions would be attacking him." It would be better if there was additional help to protect Sato, thought Gray.


    "Yes sir! I shall send a group to follow you around." In a heartbeat, Zero decided to help Gray out, without considering the consequences. The amount of authority that the general held was extremely high.


    Gray relayed the message to Sato and they started moving towards the Fiery Plains. The Fiery Plains was a Lv50 map that was deemed as a danger ground. Only the bravest of players would venture into the plains.


    The reason for such precautions was due to two factors. One, the beasts located in that area had a minimum Lv60. Their damage output is very high and would require a whole team just to kill one. Two, this was where the Elves were located. There were many times when the players were mysteriously killed by something. It was only when the Dark Knights conducted an expedition where they found out about the Elves.


    Since the Plains was an unexplored ground for Sato and Gray, they are required to walk on foot to the place. Based on the coordinates, if nothing were to go wrong, it would take around half a day of game time before they reach. One day in real life is equivalent to 3 days in game. Since the mission deadline was a week, Sato wasn''t too rushed for time.

 Chapter 25 - Escape

    Several thousand miles away from the plains, a strong sturdy tower stands tall on the hill. It overlooked Trentham City, the place where the Dragoon family are rulers of.


    "Darn those useless Demon Warriors that I sent out! They couldn''t even finish a simple task of killing the Elven Princess!" A frail and thin looking man stood atop a pedestal as he slammed his bony arm on the table. A dark fiery aura emanated from his body.


    Even though he may look like he was at death''s door, none of the Demons underestimates him. His name is Garglos, a wizard of the dark arts.


    Garglos is the general that led the attack of the Demons on the elves. The void crystal was his invention, to which he placed tracking magic within it so as to track it''s whereabouts.


    Peering into his magic crystal, he watched as Sato and Princess Rayla appear at the spawn point.


    "The heir to the Elven throne must be killed before it is too late!" Garglos scrunched his fist together tightly as he tried to think of a solution. Currently, he could not mobilise his troops to attack them as they were busy with other missions. He required something else to do his bidding.


    "Sir Garglos, if I may speak?" Garglos tactician, Marcoy said.


    "Speak."


    "Why not we put up a mission to the otherworlders? We can use the Dragoon family''s power as a leverage to this mission. That way they can help us get the princess, while being under the bus the whole time." Marcoy''s plan was clean and concise.


    After the Demon clan arrived in Ronan, they decided to establish a family network in the two large factions. In the undead faction, the family that was under their control were the Dragoon Family. The general, Garglos had brainwashed and converted the heads of the family to do their bidding. As a result, they now have a perfect cover to gather information on the Undead Faction.


    "That is a great idea! Execute the plan now. Make sure to put up a generous reward for these lowly peasants to be enticed. We must get that princess!"


    Back at Greenslate Forest, Gray, Sato and Princess Rayla were making their way through the forest at breakneck speed. The Princess was sitting on Whitie as it carried it along the way. By the time the location of Sato was given away, he had already make it out of Greenslate Forest.


    "Let''s go through Ruggard Canyon as it is the fastest way to the Plains." Sato suggested.


    "Alright." Gray complied like a sweet loving husband. "The players should be any minute. Let us go into the trenches of the canyon. It will provide us with some cover until reinforcements arrive."


    As they spoke, they could see several tens of lights shining in the spawnpoint a hundred meters away. They jumped down without hesitation as they slided down the angled walls of the canyon. With their athleticism, they didn''t sustain much injuries.


    It is no surprise that Gray is fit, but in the case of Sato, it is debatable. Normally at first glance, the scrawny thin adult may look as if he couldnt even run a hundred meters without collapsing. However, the most shocking part is that he is a marathon runner. The boy picked up running as a healthy activity after he was discharged from the hospital.


    On days that Sato have late classes, he would choose to take the train a few stops away from school and go for a run. The stamina and endurance that he built up over the years was no joke. It mainly due to this reason that his mental stamina was higher than the average player.


    When the trio had reached the bottom of the canyon, they made a run for it once again as more players started arriving in the location. Some of the undeads specialised in tracking and so, there were more players that were catching up to them.


    "Haha! I found you!" A skeleton assassin appeared above Sato as he swung his blade downwards. "Perish under my hand!"


    Instantly, Sato jumped as he activated blink, propelling him above the assassin. He now possessed the height advantage, to which he kicked him towards Gray who was below.


    "Catch!" Sato grinned.


    The falling assassin wanted to activate his spell to run away. It was then Gray activated Intimidate. The helpless assassin soon died under Gray''s rapier. He comboed Swiftstrike with Riposte Counter.


    *Intimidate - Lock all spells of your enemy for 3 seconds.


    Swiftstrike - Slash on an enemy in 3 different directions. The lower the health, the more damage it does.


    Riposte Counter - Becomes immune to any damage as the blade is thrust towards the enemy in a straight line.


    In 2 moves, the assassin was killed. This was because Gray had a 5 Level advantage against him and he had taken avantage of the blademaster''s passive skill, Vital Point.


    *Vital Point - Player is able to see the weak points in the enemy''s body. If striked, attack does 150% damage. (5 vitals are generated at one time. Refreshes after 1 minute.)


    "Wow you are really good at the game." Sato commented.


    "I''m alright. Your reaction time is fast too." Gray spoke as they continued running.


    Several warriors on mounts started appearing in their vicinity. Their voices echoed in the background.


    "Stop there you evil being! I have come to cleanse your soul!"


    "Hand over the lady now!"


    "I''m going to end your life as soon as I catch up to you!"


    The funny part was that these players were part of the undead faction and they were speaking as if they were doing something good. Aren''t undead players meant to be bad???


    At that instant, a large armoured troll started appearing in their front vision. The player was a warrior troll that was Lv50. He released a menacing aura that lowered the armour and magic resists of Sato and Gray.


    "Hand over the lady or I shall end your life without mercy." The troll spoke arrogantly.


    "Can you handle him?" Sato said to Gray, slightly worried.


    "Yeah, no problem. Just keep running forward." With that, Gray ran forward even faster as he activited his ability, Bloodlust.


    *Bloodlust - Lose 1 percent of your health every second. Gain 200% stat bonus and 50% life steal until the skill is deactivated. (except for stamina)


    Gray jumped above the troll as he sidestepped the slam from the troll''s cursed club. He then sent a strong kick to his head as the troll was sent flying into the canyon wall. It opened up a way for Sato.


    "Argh! I''m going to kill you first, vampire!" The troll stood up as he used Leap onto Gray. The general simply stepped to his left as he followed up with Swiftstrikes that was used to block the strong swings of the troll. He also slashed the large body several times due to his high dexterity. The life steal allowed him to sustain.


    "Time for me to end you." With that Gray activated Crimson Slash. The rapier of Gray''s started to drain blood from his body which lowered his health. However, the rapier started to give off a pulsing sensation. It was as if it became one with Gray''s body. Gray then dashed forward as he used the ability.


    A large red line appeared on the troll''s body as he soon became a white light and vanished in thin air.


    *Crimson Slash - Absorbs 10% of player''s maximum health. Deals 200% damage with bleed effect.

 Chapter 26 - Reinforcements

    "Wow you are so strong..." Sato commented.


    "Nah. Its my character that is overpowered." Gray denied the young man.


    "I can tell when a character is overpowered. In your case, you are definitely the one that is strong." Sato had witnessed the skills of his boss. Even if Gray''s character had great emphasis on strength and damage, a vampire blademaster is extremely squishy. This meant that he is easily killed in a fight. In Gray''s case, every move that the Golem makes is easily dodged by Gray. He had only lost health from his skill set.


    The back and forth defense by Gray was soon noticed by the other players. It made them extremely wary of him as any time a player approaches them, they would be killed without hesitation.


    "That blademaster is extremely scary... Every move he makes results in a death of another player."


    "Yeah! That player should be an extremely high ranking player right? Who else could pull off those fights?"


    "H... His name is DK Seven! Just now, I was killed by him and his name showed up!" A warrior spammed the in-game forum. Everyone chasing them was shocked. The Dark Knights was the number 5 guild in the world. In addition, he was part of the core team.


    "But, was there ever a Seven in DK? I don''t recall seeing such a name in their guild fights?" A DK fan spoke out in the forum.


    "Right yeah! This man should be imposter! He deserves to die!" Another DK fan shouted out. "Just now I was killed by him. Even with Bloodlust, the damage he could output was around what a level 40 would have. Why would DK have such a low leveled player!"


    With that comment, the players now all think that Gray was posing as a Dark Knights player to scare them. They charged at them with even more anger.


    " Umm Gray, I think your name and level combined made them more infuriated." Sato sighed as he observed over 50 players starting to surround them in the canyon.


    They eventually ran into a dead end and the only way back is through the crowd of players.


    "I dont think I can carry out this mission anymore, Gray." Sato looked towards the ground depressingly. "Sorry for dragging you into this."


    "It''s not over until it''s over." Gray reached out to rub the elf''s hair. "I shall protect you till the very end."


    That comment felt familiar to Sato. He could not figure out where he had heard this before.


    It was then several dark mages and archers had congregated together and started charging up their strongest abilities. They were planning to blast the 2 players away.


    Gray moved his character as he stood infront valiantly. He looked like the last warrior on a battlefield against the enemy troops.


    "Attack!" A player gave the command as a barrage of skills came over Sato and Gray. The whole enclosure was now covered in grey smoke. No one could even tell if the princess was alive from that attack.


    As the smoke started clearing up, the scene infront of them enfolded fully. The area around the trio had been left unharmed. A large transparent dome with a purple hue surrounded them. There was even 10 more players added to their group.


    When the players that attacked looked closer, their mouths gaped and eyes popped out in shocked. The group that protected the three were the Dark Knights. The DK players had shown their names to the public. Numbers from 0 to 10 was displayed to everyone. Their weapons and armour were all the latest and most advanced ones in the game.


    "The.. They... Are from... The Dark Knights!!!" A player in the front shouted out in fear. In his head he was thinking of killing the person that said Seven was not part of DK.


    Within the barrier, Zero walked towards Gray as he immediately saluted him.


    "Sir! I apologise for my late arrival!" Zero said.


    "It''s alright. Your team arrived quite timely actually." The Dark Knights had used their Arcane mage, Four''s Mass Teleportation to reach them quickly. In addition, DK''s Higher Shaman, Three had started his casting of Absolute Barrier when they were teleporting, allowing everyone within the dome to be invulnerable.


    "Now let my team clear these useless insects out of the way for you, sir!"


    "Finish it quick. Dawn has to go to sleep soon." Gray''s comment made him feel embarrassed. I''m not a kid anymore. Thought Sato.


    "Yes sir!" Zero commanded. "One, Two, Four, Five, Six, Nine, Ten! You have 2 minutes to destroy the enemies that lay infront of us. Three and Eight shall stay behind as support."


    The DK core team obeyed their leader as they went to their positions. Eight is the other support class character in the core team. She plays Dark Priest. On the other hand, One is the other tank (takes damage for team) class character. He plays Blood Knight. The other players were all damage dealers.


    As commanded, the group destroyed and killed the players in the vicinity without mercy. Their Levels were all in the middle 70s which is basically where all the top players are now. Each spell or attack can chip off a large percentage of the enemy''s health.


    "Roy, this team has become more organised than it originally was." Gray observed their actions. The group would always stay within the radius of their fellow teammates. This allowed them to send their teammates aid, if needed, efficently.


    "Thank you, sir. This compliment, I will remember deeply."


    Not many know about Zero''s background, but Gray was the one that saved him during the war. Back then, Roy was bleeding to death from an artillery shell that destroyed his right leg. It was Gray that ran through the rain of bullets and carried him to safety. When they came back victorious, Roy decided to make it up to Gray whenever he could. It was Roy that forced Gray to keep a core position in his guild.

 Chapter 27 - Satos Fight 1

    The fight was over within a minute. The players that were present were all sent to the spawn point.


    "Let us proceed." Gray looked at Sato as he acquired his confirmation. They took a small detour before getting back on track. On the way to the Plains, the core team surrounded Gray, Sato and the princess, protecting them from any harm. It gave them some time to do introductions to Sato.


    "Hello Dawnlore, my name is Roy, the captain of The Dark Knights. I used to be a colleague of Gray''s, but now I play the game full-time." Zero introduced himself.


    "He... Hello Roy. My name is Sato. I have heard a lot about your story. Thank you for helping me out." Sato was grateful for his help. He had heard about Gray''s rescue only just now when they were running away.


    "It is my honour to help a friend of Sir Gray in any way that I can." Zero said. He then turned around to look at his surboardinates. "Now, please introduce yourselves to Sato."


    "Hello, my name is Ross, the vice captain of DK. Unlike captain, I am just a normal gamer." Four followed his captain''s orders. Seeing how the others weren''t as welcoming of Sato, Ross took the opportunity to introduce them to Sato. "One, Two, Five and Six are military soldiers that play in their free time. Three is my brother and he''s a university student. Eight, Nine and Ten are the other full-time gamers like myself."


    "It is nice to meet everyone." Sato bowed to them. The reactions that came from that were rather subpar. Most of the team were disgruntled over the fact that they were all deployed over to protect a low leveled player. They thought it was a waste of their time. Moreover, they could have made use of the mission and gain favour from the Dragoon family.


    "Four, why do we have to do baby sitting jobs? We do not even get anything out of this mission." Eight commented in disapproval. Unlike One, Two, Five and Six who were more disciplined in nature, the full-time gamers were all rather pissy about this.


    "Don''t question captain''s decision. He must have a reason for helping Seven out." No one on the team knew who Seven really was. Even the vice captain was left out in this aspect. "For Zero to use the worldwide signal to call us back, shows how important Seven is."


    "But what does this have to do with a random Lv12 player? Hes too weak." Nine chimed in. After killing the Lv30, due to the large level difference, Sato leveled up twice in one go. The team however didnt know of his feat.


    "Stop with the complains until this mission is over! We are moving now." Four commanded and the reluctant group left onwards from their break.


    Even without the next release of their location, the hidden players from the canyon were able to share to the public where they were. Currently they were moving through the marshlands.


    The trees that were rooted in this area were all dead,leaving remnants of the trunk behind. Large marsh fields were scattered everywhere. When steeping into it, your body would sink to the waist level, decreasing your overall mobility.


    Typically, the area is famous for their Red spiked Crocodiles and are around the Lv40 range. When grouped up, they will able to defeat a Lv50 player easily.


    The team moved cautiously at the start, looking out for these crocodiles. However, they soon realised that so long as they stay within a certain range of Sato, the beasts will not attack them. The players were rather curious what race the young man was, but Sato kept to himself as he walked beside Zero and Gray.


    "Enemies." Zero stopped their movement as he noticed 2 distinct group of players moving towards them. "One is from the Domination Guild and the other is from the Tyranny Guild. Team, formation 3."


    These two guilds are the second and third placing in the city that DK was in, making them local tyrants in their own right.


    Under Zero''s signal, the team went into a spear head formation that faced the direction of the two approaching teams. Gray and Sato stood behind as they watched DKs teamwork firsthand.


    "The teams are being led by their vice leaders, BlackElephant and Robust. Be prepared to give it your all. They are unlike those low leveled players from before." Zero analysed their teams and gave them the signal. "Attack!"


    The fight broke out at two separate directions. The DKs being the stronger team were controlling the tempo of the fight. They were exhibiting their great skills as they fought without a single casualty on their side. Eight and three stood close to the fight scene and they healed and prevented their teammates from getting to critical health. The tanks in DK took the brunt of the damage, while the damage dealers did their job. A smooth operating team.


    "What''s wrong?" Gray noticed a change in Sato''s mood.


    "I feel bad that they have to help out in my mission." Sato came out honestly.


    "Its alright. If you feel bad, you can pay them back some other way next time."


    "That''s true." At that instant, an assassin from Tyranny got out of stealth as he sliced for Sato. He got Gray instead as his rapier blocked the force from the dagger.


    "Let me be your opponent." Gray sliced out as he left from Sato''s side.


    Seeing how Sato was left alone, it gave Three an idea. He started private messaging Ten who was also disgruntled over this mission.


    "Hey Ten, I have a plan. Leave an opening for a player to get through. This will allow for this Dawnlore player to brawl it out with a high leveled opponent, before we save him."


    "But, what if he dies before we help him out?"


    "Then, too bad I guess. It is a kill or be killed game afterall."


    "Alright, I''ll go ahead with the plan." Ten went ahead to move slightly to the left, leaving a gap for the enemy Skeleton warrior to enter through. Noticing this movement, the enemy made his move on Sato.


    "Haha! Prepare to die under my blade, puny assassin." The enemy sliced downwards strongly using his two handed sword.


    Sato noticed the purposeful change in position, but chose to do nothing about it. He was itching for a Player Killing (PK) battle with someone. Who knew it would be with a Lv50 warrior.


    As the blade came closer and closer to his shoulder, the Dark Knight players thought it was the end of the low level player. At this stage, a sword skill from a Lv50 player can one shot a Lv12 Sato. To everyone''s surprise, Sato leapt slightly to the right as the blade narrowly missed him. What everyone didn''t know was that the hidden class that Sato gotten, had given him a tremendous buff in his agility, making him comparable to a Lv35 assassin.


    Sato jumped and kicked the player as he was propelled further away from the enemy. Due to the differences in stat points, Sato was not able to budge the enemy at all when he kicked him. He was comparable to a brick wall.

 Chapter 28 - Satos Fight 2

    "What a weakling..." The undead warrior scowled at Sato, yet was secretly shocked at the assassin''s dodge. How did he dodge it at such a close range?


    Sato ignored his comment as he used Dagger Throw as he walked slightly closer. As the warrior blocked the attack, Sato blinked behind him to trigger backstab, this time, doing more damage than before, thanks to critical strike.


    Grunting, the swordsman flung his right arm, trying to elbow Sato, but to no avail. Sato had once again kicked off and propelled him away from the enemy.


    "Argh! Annoying pest!" Using Charge, the enemy swordsman dash up to the Elven Assassin in a short 2 seconds, but that was all the time Sato need to go into stealth. The disappearance of the target made the man furious as he activated Bladestorm, in hopes that his projected blades may hit Sato.


    *Bladestorm


    Project 100s of blades that shoot forth in different directions.


    Noticing that the enemy was about to use Bladestorm, Sato telepathically told Whitie what to do.


    "Whitie protect Rayla from any harm. Don''t let any of the blades hit her." Whitie roared as he used his ability to dispell any flying blades.


    Sato on the other hand was sidestepping any of the blades by a hairs breadth. This feat was very hard as it took a lot of fast estimation skills. For a straight A student like Sato, deduction of an object''s motion pathway is child''s play.


    "How is that possible!?" The undead warrior knew how hard it is for a person to dodge all of the incoming blades. Only the top 10 assassins with the fastest Agility stat points could do it and maybe, not even perfectly.


    By the end of the ability, Gray had finished killing the assassin and used Swiftstrike on the swordsman''s vital points when he wasn''t focusing. This lowered his health to 25%.This gave Sato an opportunity.


    When the cooldown on the Blink ability was over, Sato once again used it. He broke out of stealth as he striked the neck of the enemy, before using Assassinate to instantly kill the enemy.


    "You have leveled up."


    "You have leveled up."


    "You have leveled up." The system rang once again as Sato gained a large amount of Experience points from the kill. If Gray had not stepped in to help, he would''ve gained twice as much experience points.


    "Thank you for the help, Gray. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have gotten him."


    "No problem. You would''ve been able to kill him eventually by yourself." That was the honest truth that everyone around could see. The skills that Sato displayed was far higher than his supposed rank. He was like a wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    By now, the Dark Knights had finished fending off the other enemies. Zero could finally speak out.


    "Ten. Step out." Zero spoke resolutely as Ten walked in front of him worriedly. He knew he screwed up.


    "I''m sorry captain. This was my fault. I will accept any punishment you see fit." Ten was remorseful. His action was a direct disobedience to his leader''s orders.


    "Captain, sir, it was actually my fault. I was the one that told Ten to do that. If you had to punish someone, it would be me." Three stepped up to take responsibility.


    "Blake, you useless brother! I am a dissapointment for not teaching you well enough!" Four was furious at his brother that couldn''t control himself and was acting like a kid.


    "Sorry..."


    "Enough. I shall give the punishments to the both of you. After this mission, you two shall be banned from participating in any core team missions for a month. Understood?" Zero''s command was absolute and no one could rebut.


    After the whole drama, Three and Ten apologised to Sato. The two had underestimated the assassin''s skills and it became their suffering. Actually, everyone, including Zero thought that Sato was a newbie and did not know how to play the game. But what this fight taught them was, they should never get into a fight with Sato, especially in the future when he is stronger.


    "Let us continue on. We are almost at the plains." The group had been playing for almost 4 hours and they were soon reaching the border of the Fiery Plains.


    "Alright." For the next 30 minutes, no more players came challenging them. Even when they had reached the fiery plains and the ping that showed where Sato was went off, no one came to fight them. The forum was filled with the conflicts that this mission unfolded. Having to face the wrath of the Dark Knights was something no one wants.


    "You have entered Fiery Plains." The system sounded in Sato''s ears.


    "I can feel the auras of my people, Dawnlore. We must be reaching." Princess Rayla spoke for the first time in four hours. She had kept quiet the whole time as she felt rather uncomfortable teaming up with undeads. However, after seeing how well protected she was, her impressions of them got better.


    " Alright, let us head in then. Gray and the Dark Knights team, thank you for helping me with my mission." Sato gave a slight bow. "I will take it from here. The Fiery Plains is probably too dangerous for most low leveled players."


    "Alright. It was a pleasure to help you out. A friend of Gray''s is a friend of mine." Zero said. Just when the group was about to depart, Princess Rayla spoke out.


    "Thank you, undead people. Without your help, I would not have been able to make it out of there in one piece. You have my word that the Elven race will not treat you badly if you ever visit."


    After her speech, all of the DK players had received Favourable rating, which made it more worthwhile for everyone. They then departed away to do their own things. Only Gray stayed behind.


    "You aren''t leaving?" Sato said to Gray.


    "No. I will protect you and princess Rayla till the end." Gray answered.


    "Alright. Lets go in then." The trio left into the Fiery Plains. The flat land fields were covered in a cloak of fog. Nothing beyond a 2 metre radius can be seen.


    This would''ve been a problem for typical players, but for Sato, his passive skill allowed him to not engage in combat with any of the beasts in this map. The Fiery Rhino were all docile when they went near Sato. Only when they looked at Gray did they get angry. Though, they didn''t engage on him.


    The group ran in for another 20 minutes before something finally happened.


    "Schhhhhhhhhh." The sound of an arrow shot flew through the air and landed infront of Sato''s feet. If the arrow was shot properly at Sato, he definitely would not have been able to dodge it.


    "Halt! Any movement from you shall result in your death!" A loud voice resounded in the air of the Fiery Plains.

 Chapter 29 - Elven Village

    "Halt! Any movement from you shall result in your death!" A loud voice resounded in the air of the Fiery Plains.


    Cold sweat started dripping down Sato''s forehead. Even if I had ten years to train, I would one hundred percent be killed by that arrow. The power difference is too large.


    "Seize fire Elfman." Princess Rayla got off Whitie as she removed her veil from her head. "Under the orders of the heir of the Elven race!"


    "Pr... Princess!" The once arrogant voice became a meek cat. "The princess is back! The princess is back! Move out at once!"


    Within 10 seconds, a group of man and woman arrive in front of the trio. They kneeled down on the ground as their eyes relit with hope.


    "Princess Rayla, I deeply apologise for shooting the arrow at your direction! Punish your subordinate, Rakh, as you please!" The Elfman Rakh was deeply remorseful for bearing arms on his long loss princess.


    The reason why the Elves could tell that Rayla was the princess was due to an innate connection between a royal heir and her subordinates. The elves had a feeling that their princess had not left this world and hence, they held on to this hope for the past 200 years in seclusion.


    "Stand up. Your actions are justified in these times and era." Princess Rayla nodded in approval. "Where are my people now?"


    "Your highness, we have settled down within the mountains behind the Fiery Plains."


    "Bring us there."


    "But your highness, there are two strangers tagging along. Shouldn''t they not be allowed to enter?" Rakh gave the two gamers an intimidating glare. The man''s stats surely did give them a scare.


    *Rakh (Leader Of The Resistance)


    *Lv80


    *HP: ? /?


    *Mana:?/?


    *Active skills:


    ???


    ???


    "Dawnlore is one of us. He was the one who helped me leave the place I was stuck in." Sato then removed his hood and reveal his face. This was the first time Gray was seeing his face too.


    When the hood was removed, a flawless face was revealed to everyone present. The young man had a white glow on his pale skin. His pinkish full lips and sharp eyes complemented his complexion. Even the elven warriors present were eyebound by how Sato looked. The boy blushed as multiple pairs of eyes focused on him.


    "Seven, on the other hand, had protected me from start to finish in this world." Rayla continued to talk after everyone recovered.


    "As your highness approves of this warrior, your subordinates shall treat him as one of our own." Rakh crossed him arm across his chest as he gave a bow to Sato and Gray. "Thank you for bringing back our highness. Our Elf race can finally rise up once again."


    "Congratulations on completing "Heir Of The Elven Race". "


    "Completion rate: S (0 damage was dealt on Princess Rayla."


    "You have gained 500000 experience points."


    "You have leveled up."


    "You have leveled up..." The system rang for five times before Sato settled down at Lv20.


    "You have increased your favorability rating with the Elves and Princess Rayla to Trusting."


    The progress of Sato''s levels is enough to cause a shock in the world, if it were to be known by everyone.


    "Now, Rakh, let us head back to my people. I have been gone for far too long." Rayla said with sentimentality. She had neglected her people''s cries and prayers for 200 years. It was time for her to live up to their expectations.


    "Yes, your highness."


    The group of Elves with Sato and Gray walked through the misty fields with ease. The beasts that live here were actually protectors of the Elves. It was the reason why most players feared entering the grounds.


    Eventually they reached the mountains, where the fog finally clears up and a village appears 200 metres away, in between the crevice of two moutains. The location of the village protects the elves from strong winds and acts as a secluded ground for them to live in peace. It is largely inaccessible unless you either enter through the Fiery Plains or by ascending the mountains.


    As they neared the village, the elves felt a change in their hearts. They knew something good finally came along. The people of the resistance swiftly ran to the entrance whereby they notice the arrival of their warrior team, followed by three individuals.


    "Your highness, Princess Rayla has returned to the throne of the Elves! Kneel before our highness!" The voice of Rakh echoed through the mountains as the villagers kneeled down for the princess.


    Seeing the sight in front of her, the princess could not help, but tear up.


    "Stand up my people. I apologise for forsaking you all these years. I am finally back and will make sure to change all of this for the better!"


    The words from Rayla resonated in the elves'' hearts. These was what they wanted to hear for the past 200 years. Now, it had finally bloom into fruition.


    "Princess..." A soft voice spoke out in the crowd. The villages opened up a route for an old lady to walk through. She looked like she was on her last straw. "You have returned... Good... Very good..."


    When Rayla heard the voice and saw the old lady''s face, she ran up to her and gave her a hug.


    "Sarah, you have aged... I thought about you everyday in that realm." The princess cried out loud as she reminisce over her past. Back then the old lady was actually Rayla''s servant maid. Sarah was oncd a young 20 year old lady. When the war broke out, she was separated from Rayla and had survived through those times. Sarah waited for over 200 years for Rayla''s return.


    "You remember... Me." Sarah cried softly too. "My wishes... and prayers... to Yggdrasil has been heard. I can now... die in peace..."


    "No! Don''t leave me!" The current Rayla was still 16 years of age. As she witnessed her maid passing away in front of her, she couldn''t help, but cry even more.


    "Silly girl... Everyone has to die... one day. My day has finally come... Live your life... To the fullest... Princess." Sarah said her final words as she closed her eyes and passed on, smiling.

 Chapter 30 - First Day Of School

    As the elves went through with the burial process of Old lady Sarah. Sato and Gray stealthily logged off for the night.


    "Sleep well, Sato." Gray said lovingly.


    "You too, Gray. Goodnight." With that, Sato got out of the gaming pod and went to bed. Normally, when people stay in an unfamiliar environment, they would not be able to sleep well for the first few nights. For Sato''s case, he slept like pig, without a care in the world.


    At 8.30am, Hank the butler knocked on Sato''s door.


    "Sir, it is time to wake up and get ready for school." Hank said respectfully. "When you are ready, you can head down for your breakfast."


    "Mmm... Alright." Sato got out of bed feeling refreshed. Even though they had played games till 4am, the nutrient filled gaming pod allowed Sato to enter a sleep like state even when he is in game. This allowed him to feel as per normal, maybe even better.


    Washing up and tidying his bed head, Sato went down for breakfast in his sleep wear. Downstairs, he saw Gray already sitting down at the dining table, having his morning coffee.


    "Good morning, Gray."


    "Good morning." Gray replied with a smile. "I made breakfast. Eat it while it''s hot."


    "Oh, thank you." Sato sat down in front of Gray as he digged into his meal. Today, he was served a ham omelette with a hash brown on the side. "Mmm! The hash brown is freshly made?"


    "Yeah. I minced the potato before frying it to golden brown." Gray explained.


    "Wow. The omelette is good too!" Sato savored the salty flavours from the brined ham.


    "I''m glad you like it." The general had a wide smile on his face after seeing Sato''s reaction. He had woken up earlier to prepare a nice breakfast for the boy.


    "However, I feel bad for letting you make the breakfast." Sato said guiltily. "I should be the one making the breakfast for you. From now on, let me do it."


    "Let us take turns then." Gray tried to make a compromise. He too wanted to cook for Sato. "I want to improve in my cooking."


    "Fine, but when you do not want to cook, I will takeover."


    "Whatever you say, I will comply." Gray smiled. "Also, put on at least one of the clothes I gave you today."


    "Alright!" said Sato enthusiastically.


    When the two finished their meal, it was 9am. Sato left to prepare for his first day of school. He was very excited. The boy couldn''t help but skip blissfully into his room. Humming to a familiar tune, he looked in his wardrobe, trying to pick a suitable wear for today.


    The weather now is getting colder. Picking out a soft grey hoodie, Sato wore it over his plain white tee. He kept it simple, a tshirt and jeans. Carrying his bag with his notebook, pens and tablet, he went downstairs to find Gray waiting in simple casual wear.


    "Are you not wearing your army uniform?" asked Sato.


    "Don''t you know I change into uniform in my office?" Gray looked at Sato with a playful look. The young man was reminded of the time when he woke up to his boss''s body, causing him to turn red like a tomato. "Let us leave for your university then, I will drive you to school."


    "Alright, let us go."


    Today, Gray decided to drive a silver Porsche to work. It was, to a certain extent, a downgrade from his Gale X car.


    The car ride was rather peaceful. The two didn''t actually talk, yet the atmosphere wasnt awkward. There was only classical music playing in the background, Gray drove his car. Sato looked out the window, smiling. He was appreciating the view of the city as they travelled along the highway into the city center.


    "Are you ready for school?" Gray ended the silence after a while.


    "Yeah, I am." Sato contemplated before speaking.


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "No. Not really. Why do you say so?"


    "You had to think about my question before. For a person that is so ecstatic to go back to school, there must be something that is bothering you." Gray analysed Sato deeply. He basically read him like a book.


    "I was just thinking about your new assistant." Sato came clean. "If I had to be honest, the other two candidates aren''t really suitable to be your personal assistant."


    "Mmm? Why do you say so?" The answer pique Gray''s curiosity.


    "Well for starters, the two other candidates don''t actually dress appropriately for the job. Rather, they choose to wear the obscene wears to please your eyes."


    "What makes you think I do not like that?"


    "You... You do?" Sato was stumped which made Gray start laughing.


    "I''m kidding. I''m not the slightest bit interested in these girls. I wasn''t even planning to hire them."


    "Oh, then why didn''t you just remove them from the trial?"


    "I don''t really have a say in them. Those two ladies were a ploy by my parents to get me to fall in love with one of them." The answer made Sato laugh too.


    "I can tell that their plan had failed since you are here discussing about them with me."


    "Yeah. They have been doing this for the past 3 years, trying to set me up with a potential lady in my life. However, they are nothing in my eyes."


    "It seems like your parents really want grandchildren."


    "Well, they are not going to get any." Gray answered childishly.


    "Anyways, going back to your new PA, what are you going to do about it? Isn''t Ms Siara about to give birth?"


    "I wanted you, but school is more important than my needs." Gray''s answer made Sato feel warmer on the inside.


    "Thank you for fufilling my selfless request."


    "It''s nothing. For the personal assistant case, you do not have to worry about it. I will use the schedule you planned for today, while you just focus on school." Gray rubbed Sato''s hair once again. He does to Sato rather often and yet, Sato never minded it. He realised that he had gotten comfortable with his boss that everyone thought was cold.

 Chapter 31 - Motori Kabe

    As they finished their conversation, Gray reached the main gate of University Z.


    "Ok. Enjoy your first day of school." Gray said. "I will pick you up at 4.30pm."


    "Huh? How did you know..."


    "I got you into the school, remember?" Gray interrupted.


    "Right..." Sato forgot. "Are you sure you can make it back here by then? Your conference ends at 4pm. Will it be too rushed?"


    "It will be fine. I will reach here on time."


    "Well, if you can''t make it you can call my number." Back when Sato was doing his intern training, he had received Gray''s number and vice versa.


    As soon as Sato left the car and Gray drove off to work, he could hear chatter around the gate.


    "Isn''t that car the latest Porshe 987 that came out recently in Country I?"


    "I heard that there are only 100 models released in the world. One of it is here right now!"


    "This person must be very rich. The student that just come out, why haven''t I heard of him before? Someone of that calibre should be know throughout the school."


    Everyone was discussing about Gray''s car and Sato could only walk away quickly in embarrassment. Talk about using a more discreet car... In the end, your lower end vehicle is still an expensive brand.


    Once Sato reached a quieter area, he called up Ming.


    "Hey Ming. I''m at the fountain outside Building A. Where are you?"


    "Oh right! I forgot you were coming back to school today." Sato could hear the sound of Ming packing his notes. "I''m at the library right now. I pulled an all nighter studying for today''s engineering test."


    "Today? There''s a test?"


    "Oh shucks! I forgot to tell you about it!"


    "Its okay. Just tell me what chapters are being tested on. I''ll take a look now."


    "Okay... Its chapters 4.2,4.3 and 4.4." Ming flipped through his notebook.


    "Alright, meet me at the fountain outside building A. I''ll be sitting around there." Sato ended the call and turned on his tablet and opened the textbook. He skimmed through the information and realised it was what Ming had given him to review when he was not in school. Seems like I will be fine, thought Sato.


    " Sato! Sorry I''m late."Ming reached as he apologised to his friend.


    "It''s alright. Lets head to class and get ready for the test." Sato smiled as he didn''t take any of it to heart.


    Heading up the spiral staircase in building A, they went into the lecture theatre and sat down in the middle of the room. As time went by, more and more students entered the room.


    " Hey isn''t that Sato? Wasn''t he kicked out of the school because he was too poor?" A commotion started as they noticed the number one student in their class back then was back.


    "Yeah he was. It is weird that he is back here again. Maybe he came in secretly to study."


    "Hey Sato!" A student dressed in a clean blue button-up shirt shouted loudly. "It''s despicable of you to show up in our class when you are kicked out of the university already."


    The boy was Motori Kabe. He was from the notorious Kabe family. His father is the acting Head Secretary Of Country Z, a position third, only losing to the president and prime minister. His grandfather was the previous holder of that position. Ever since Motori came into the university, the spoilt boy has abused his wealth to gain favours from others and bullied those that stood above him.


    In the case of Sato, he was the number one student in mechanical engineering and computer science. His presence in the school makes Motori really jealous. Why couldn''t the top student be him? Why must it be the poor country bumpkin that gets all the glory?


    When Sato heard what Motori said, he simply continued to look through his notes, not caring a single bit about what he said. This just made Motori even angrier.


    "Hey I''m talking to you! Answer me, bumpkin!" Motori walked up to the seat beside Sato as he stared down on him.


    He then noticed the hoodie that Sato was wearing. It may look like a normal grey hoodie from afar, but when you are from the upper class, you tend to notice smaller details.


    "Heh... Can''t believe the country bumpkin bought and wore a fake Saint Laurent hoodie to class. How embarrassing." Motori smirked as he looked down on the youth. The people around that heard his comment also started to judge Sato secretly.


    "What makes you say that it is fake?" Normally, Sato wouldn''t care about the stupid comments made by Motori. However, this hoodie wasn''t bought by him, but by his beloved boss. No one shall talk down on my boss.


    "Oh is it not bumpkin? How else did you have the money to buy the limited edition Hazel Wear Hoodie that goes for a price of 2000 dollars and above?"


    "2...2000 dollars???" Sato himself was stumped. Why did Gray put such expensive clothing in his wardrobe? It was like walking around with a bag of gold on his body.


    "Hahaha! You don''t even know the real price of your hoodie?" Motori continued to mock Sato. "There is a way to prove that your jacket is real. Inside the jacket, there is a sewed on tag that shows has a unique QR code that is impossible to mimic. If you dare, I shall scan it and show everyone here now."


    "Sure." Sato looked at Motori in the eye. "Why not?"


    The young man took off his hoodie, revealing his skinny pale arms. Sato turned his hoodie inside out, revealing a QR code on the side. He did not know that his hoodie had such a function.


    Motori took out his phone as he scanned the code. He connect his phone to the projector screen, wanting to show everyone the information. Within 2 seconds, the information on Sato''s hoodie popped up.


    "Hazel Wear Hoodie #001


    Material: Sea Island Cotton 100%


    Designer: Ruben Alfonsi


    Date of Release: 08.06.2100"


    The information shown in everyone made the room silent. Fake? This goddamn hoodie was the first one ever produced! It''s as real as it could get!


    "Fir... First? How can this be? There must be something wrong!" Motori is in denial. "I could not even reserve and buy one of the 200 hoodies. How did you get the first one!"


    "Give it up Motori. Just because you are rich doesn''t mean anything." Ming stepped in. Everyone else had a new outlook of Sato now. The boy had the capabilities to wear a designer jacket. He must be very rich.


    "Still, that doesn''t change the fact that you are in this lecture room!" Motori retorted. "You have been kicked out of the University campus. Why are you back?!"


    "Motori! Get to your seat now!" A voice came out from the main door that led into the room. It was Professor Clarence. "Sato has been reinstated back into the class and will be continuing school until he graduates. I want no more of your nonsense!"


    "My apologies, professor." Motori contorted his face as he went back to his seat. Even though his father was a high ranking official in the country, this did not mean he could randomly abuse his power.

 Chapter 32 - The Test

    "It is good to have you back, Sato." Professor Clarence said with a smile on his face.


    "Thank you." Sato smiled.


    "Could you come to me now for a talk?"


    "Sure." Sato walked down to Clarence as they left the room together.


    "How are you, Sato?" Clarence spoke with concern. He had heard of his best student''s predicament and was deeply worried. When he heard that he is coming back for classes again, he was very excited.


    "I''m good now, professor. There is no need to worry about me."


    "Okay okay. That''s good. That''s good." Clarence sighed. "We are having a test today. Would you like to take yours another day?"


    "Oh. I can take it today. There''s no need to reschedule."


    "Okay. I''ll trust you on this. I do not want your GPA to drop for this reason."


    "Yeah, there is no need to worry. I''ll do my best for this test too." The pair went back into the theatre as Sato sat back down.


    The test was 8 engineering questions that was to be completed in 2 hours. The number of questions may seem little for 2 hours, but in fact, it is normal to not finish the paper. If the students can complete 6 out of 8 correct, it would already give them an A for this test.


    The students of the engineering class started the test out. There were many frowns on the student''s faces. The test was harder than normal. It was probably because the course , Advanced Dynamics was one of the hardest course, yet.


    Motori would give Sato small glances as he smirked in delight. This time I will beat you in your own game, Bumpkin! Motori isn''t actually considered bad in studying. He was tied in second place with Ming.


    For Advanced Dynamics, Motori was able to bribe a senior to give him last year''s test papers. Half the questions were similar and so he only had to really do 4 questilns. There is no way you will beat me now! Hahahaha! Motori sniggered inwardly.


    Back at Sato''s table, the boy was steadily working on the paper. The first thirty minutes, Sato spent doing the first question. He was refreshing his memory on the course, thus it took longer than normal. However, after that, the next 3 questions only took around 45 minutes. He was speeding up exponentially.


    "The matrix shown in this question can be formatted and solved through Lagrange''s equations, followed by Canonical Transformations." As Sato thought about how to do the question, his hand was writing out the steps to the answer. He was like a methodical robot that was smoothly running. Within 20 minutes, he had completed another two questions, a feat that no one present could do.


    As he reached the last two questions, the young man was finally slightly stumped. It was a unique question that required several formulas other than those that the student''s learnt in Advanced Dynamics. Taking a minute to read the 7th question, Sato started to write again. He had found the method to solving it. Everyone else would have required a longer time to think of how to do it.


    As the 2 hour mark finally came to fruition, Sato stopped writting as he started to feel the pain in his hand creep in. The adrenaline kept him going for the whole two hours. Sato handed in the paper as he went back to his seat to pack up his bag.


    "How was the test, Sato?" Ming, who sat a seat away asked.


    "It was alright. I finished the paper." Sato grinned proudly. "It was thanks to your notes that I got through this test."


    "It''s definitely due to your hardwork rather than my notes."


    "Anyways, let me treat you to lunch at the cafeteria. If it were not for your notes, I wouldn''t have been able to start the test at all."


    "Free food? I won''t say no to that." Ming smiled as they left together for lunch, shoulder by shoulder. Motori stood from afar as he watch Sato leave the room. He tightened his fist as he grinded his teeth. He still did not understand how he had gotten back to University.


    The boys walked down 2 hallways before reaching the building''s cafeteria. The food served here was inexpensive and tasted really delicious. The pair would normally eat here for lunch.


    "How about you treat me to Korean food? I feel like eating Bibimbap today." Ming suggested.


    "Sure. I''ll eat that too then." Sato and Ming stood in the queue for order. He then took out his phone to kill time. It was then he noticed a new message on his phone.


    "How was your first lesson?" The message came from Gray, 5 minutes after the test.


    "It turned out to be a test lesson. I went in quite unprepared." Sato replied his boss. Surprisingly, Gray texted back almost instantly.


    "I see. Did you manage to complete it?"


    "Yeah! I finished it just before the time ended."


    "How confident are you in this test?" Gray asked.


    "Mmm, quite confident."


    "Ok. We shall celebrate when we get home."


    "Celebrate? Isn''t this just a simple test? [laughing while crying emoji]" Sato found this quite amusing.


    "We should celebrate any achievements that you achieve." Gray replied. His words made Sato feel warm inside.


    "Alright :) thank you. I''m about to order. I''ll text you at the end of the day!"


    "Okay. Enjoy your lunch, Sato."


    As they finished texting, it was the boy''s turn to order. They had to order through an ordering machine. Placing in the order for two Bibimbaps, Sato paid for it using his school card.


    The school card is a multifunctional card. It is able to pay for any food in the school campus, lets you enter the building gantries, acts as an identity card, allows you to buy items from the in-university stores.


    As it charged his balance, Sato looked at his balance amount, to which his eyes almost popped out. 100000 dollars? What the ****? Was there some error?


    When Ming look at the receipt that Sato was puzzled at, he too was shocked.


    "Did you hack the school system?" Ming asked.


    "Of course not! I''m not that good at hacking to hack our school''s 10 layer security system."


    "Then how did you get this amount of money?"


    "I dont..." It was then Sato realised what had happened.

 Chapter 33 - Half-Naked

    "Hey Gray..." Sato sent a message. "Did you do something to my school card?"


    "Ah. Yeah. I added a little money to your balance. You had only 10 dollars left." Gray casually said.


    "100000 is little to you?? I think even after I graduated, I would not be able to use finish it..."


    "It''s alright." After seeing Gray''s nonchalant reply, Sato gave up asking. I don''t understand the mindset of rich people, Sato thought.


    "So was it actually from the general that let you stay at his house?" Ming asked.


    "Yeah, it was from him..."


    "Wow. You got yourself a sugar daddy."


    "Sugar my ass! Eat your food." The two chatted about gossips and news that Sato missed in school as they ate their meal.


    "Last week, the Sport''s Planning Council has decided that they are going to hold the university sports day on the first friday next month . Every department has to participate. For your case, you will be in the Engineering department as both your subjects are under engineering"


    "What events are available this time round?" Sato asked.


    "This year I heard that the event is bigger than last years as there are several VIPs attending that day. So the event choices go beyond just the track and field activities. Almost all of the school sports are included this time."


    "Wow that is impressive. I wonder who is coming."


    "Yeah I wanna know too." Ming said. "Also, I wanted to ask you this just now. Are you planning to come back to our club?"


    "I will not be going back." Sato decided without hesitation. "After all that Tyron did to me and you, I will not be joining that club anymore. You should quit too! You do too much for that club without getting the recognition you deserve."


    "Oh... I don''t think I will quit just yet. I do not have very good gear at home, so it is better to just use the school''s to play."


    "Mmm, makes sense. I can always let you use my V2 helmet if you''d like. Besides I do not need it right now."


    "Really? Thanks man! I appreciate it."


    "Yeah, it is no problem. I''ll bring it to school for you to take tommorow."


    After the meal, Sato left for a mathematical analytics lecture, while Ming went back to the library to study. 3 hours later, the Sato left the school gates with a tired mind.


    Unlike mechanical engineering, where Sato had Ming, in computer science, he was all alone. 2 weeks of no lessons made Sato lag quite far behind the other students. He had to pay extra attention, while flipping through the materials of the previous classes. It was extremely taxing to his brain.


    A car turned into the pick-up point just as Sato reached. Rolling down the window, Gray looked at the tired Sato.


    "Hop on. Let''s go home." Gray''s heart ached as he saw how exhausted Sato was. Why do you always push yourself so hard?


    "Mmm." Sato nodded as he went in and sat at the front.


    "Was computer science hard?" Gray had memorised the boy''s schedule.


    "Yeah. I had a friend that kept me updated for engineering. As for computer science, I was left in the dust by everyone."


    "Why don''t you make some friends in that class then?"


    "Well, I did try to make friends. However, in a society where everyones social standings is determined as soon as you are born, it is quite hard to find a friend."


    "Are the people in computer science too snobby?" Gray''s tone grew colder as he heard Sato''s predicament.


    "Yeah. Unluckily enough, in my batch of students, there was no other student that entered computer science under a financial scholarship."


    "They aren''t great people, Sato. They can''t see you for who you really are." Gray spoke from his heart. He wanted Sato to hear his thoughts. He wanted him to remember...


    "Thank you for that Gray." Sato once again felt warm on the inside."You are a great person too. And I will not dissapoint you when it comes to schooling."


    "I know you won''t."


    When the two got home, Sato took a nice warm shower. The water sprinkled on him from all directions as it massaged his tired body. Drying up his hair, Sato left the bathroom half-naked, only to find Gray standing in front of his wardrobe looking through his clothes.


    "Wha.. What are you doing here?" Sato panicked. He wasn''t wearing his shirt. His bony body with his pale skin made him look rather sickly. Gray turned to examine the boy''s body. He walked forward to the puzzled Sato. Sato crisscrossed his arms over his body as his boss came closer.


    Gray grabbed the Sato''s arms as he pulled them apart. He leaned the boy in on the wall as he looked at everything infront of him. Sato''s jawline, down to his clean-cut neckline, down to his hairless body, his ribcage slightly showing, no pectoral or abdominal muscles present. Sato felt very naked.


    "St... Stop it." As Sato spoke those two words, Gray snapped out of his concentration.


    "Sorry." Gray realised he had grabbed Sato too forcefully. He had been overwhelmed with too much emotions when he saw Sato''s body. After all these years... He had grown too skinny. You have been through too much by yourself, Sato.


    "I was shocked at how skinny you were." Gray told him half of the truth.


    "Oh... Well, its alright. I''m doing quite fine regardless." Sato accepted his reason half-heartedly. Even though he may be dim-witted at times, he knew that Gray was hiding something from him. Something big.


    "We got to work on this."


    "Ha? Work on what?"


    "Your body. I am going to make you healthier than you think you are." Gray nodded as he spoke while thinking. "Right now, I can probably snap you as easily as I can with a twig."


    "It''s that serious?" Sato said.


    "Yes. We shall get to it now." Gray looked towards the door. "Potter?"


    "Yes Master Gray?" Potter came in from outside of the room.


    "Prepare the grill. We will be eating barbecue for dinner."

 Chapter 34 - Who Is The Boss?

    "I will now go prepare the barbecue pit." Potter bow slightly before leaving the room.


    "Barbecue? Why all of a sudden?" Sato asked.


    "Celebration remember? Also it''s a good time to fatten you up." Gray commented


    "Hahaha. Am I a pig that is getting ready for slaughter?"


    "You could put it that way." Gray joked with the young man as he turned back to look at Sato''s wardrobe. "I want to make you presentable infront of everybody."


    "Hmm? How come?"


    "I do not want you to be teased by anyone when it comes to how you look. Its the most fundamental and easiest thing I can achieve."


    "I look fine..." Sato sulked slightly.


    "You do, in my eye. But when it comes down to others, you had a first hand experience of it in class today." Sato had talked about Motori''s stunt today on the car. He realised what Gray said made some sense.


    "Okay. Then what clothes should not be in my wardrobe?"


    "Do you want my honest opinion?"


    "Yes."


    "Everything you brought over from your house is throwable." Gray said seriously.


    "Everything?"


    "Yes everything." Gray nodded. "It is best if you just wear what I prepare for you."


    "But what you placed in my wardrobe are most definitely expensive clothing right?"


    "Its alright."


    "Alright my ass! A grey hoodie that I thought was the cheapest clothing here, turned out to be over a thousand dollars!" Sato retorted Gray. "I just need to have a few simple Uniqlo shirts that can keep me warm at school. Nothing more, nothing less. Is that fine?"


    "No."


    "Why??"


    " I prepared all of this for you." Gray pointed at everything in the wardrobe. Inside, Gray had added another 8 sets of clothes when Sato was in the shower, while all of his old clothes were placed on his bed.


    "You picked every one of the clothing here?" There were at least 10 sets available, meaning Gray must''ve spent a long time doing this?


    "Yes. So you must wear it."


    "But... The clothes are too expensive and it would be a waste for me to wear." Sato retorted.


    "Fine. Who is the boss?" This was Gray''s ultimatum.


    "You are..."


    "So, I request you to wear what I prepared and to throw away your old clothes to make way for new ones."


    "Yes boss..." After Gray saw Sato resign to his fate, he finally smiled.


    "I realised you like plain t-shirts, so I got you new ones from my family store." Gray gave him the stick just now and so he switches to the carrot now.


    "Really? Thank you!" As Gray had promised, there were 4 plain black and white t-shirts neatly folded at the side. Touching the material, he realised it was as soft and comfortable as his hoodie from before.


    "Alright, now you have to do your part. Let''s take these old clothing and dispose of it."


    "Okay." With a gloomy face, Sato took his older clothes and followed Gray to the backyard. There was a bin area where the two dropped off the old clothes.


    "Goodbye. You have served your purpose for many years." Sato had been using the same clothes since he was in highschool. Even after growing out of it, he still wore it to school.


    "Come. Let''s head of the barbeque area. The place should be ready." Like Gray had said, there was an array of meat and vegetables spread across the picnic tables. The meat and vegetables were already sized and seasoned perfectly, making it easier for Sato and Gray to cook.


    Sato''s mouth waters as he watches Gray put a high grade sirloin steak on the grill. He wanted to cook, but Gray said it was a treat from him for going back to school. The 28 year old Gray stood by the grill as he made sure to not lose the juices in the meat. He cooked it to medium rare before placing it to the side of the grill, where it is warmed at a nice temperature.


    "Help me make a few kebabs will you." Gray gave Sato something to kill his boredom, which got him excited. Alternating between meat and vegetables, Sato finished making 6 shish kebabs. He then placed the stick on the grill where he started cooking them beside Gray.


    The smell of the caramelised onions and peppers wafted into Sato''s nose, making him salivate uncontrollably.


    "Here you go. Have a bite." Gray picked up one of the finished kebabs and fed Sato. The boy pulled off a meat cube with the vegetables with his mouth. As he chewed his food, light moans could be heard. It was too delicious.


    "This is so good!" This time, Sato fed Gray the kebab. "Try it!"


    Without standing on ceromony, Gray grabbed Sato''s hand as he brought the kebab closer to his mouth. The warmth of Gray''s hand flowed through Sato''s. It reminded him of just now, when Gray was looking at his body. Gray slowly pulled the meat off the stick before chewing it up. The meat was really good.


    After another 30 minutes of cooking, Gray and Sato made a large table of food.


    "That is a lot of food." Sato said.


    "You will finish everything here." Gray looked at Sato seriously.


    "Pardon?"


    "Everything here must be finished before you go to bed." Sato could tell that Gray wasn''t joking. "Let''s start eating."


    Sato started engulf everything in his sight. He went from the chicken wings and chicken skewers as appetiser, to the steak as the main course, followed by the shish kebabs and Roasted potatos as a second main and lastly pork ribs for dessert. By the end of the hour, you could see Sato sprawled on the ground, unable to move. He was too full.


    "I think I''m going to vomit..." Sato grimaced. Gray chuckled lightly by his side. Seeing his little boy fattening up made him happy.


    "You will be eating like this everyday from now on until you visibly look like you gained weight." Gray said.


    "What???"

 Chapter 35 - Busy Couple

    As the sun gradually went down, Gray and Sato were sitting outside, on the porch. Sato had his tablet for studies, while Gray had his computer to do work.


    Sato was currently rewatching the computer sciencr lectures from two weeks ago. He wrote down the key points as he absorbed every information he sees.


    Gray was reading proposals on military related operations. He drafted out plans and highlighted the parts that were unclear. He was preparing for his meeting tommorow.


    The two looked like a busy couple that wanted each other''s company and yet, need to finish their work.


    "Gray." Sato broke the peace and quiet after finishing one lecture video. "How was the speech today?"


    Sato had written the speech for the event that Gray attended today. He was curious how it turned out.


    "It went good. The event was fine too." Gray said.


    "That''s good. Thats good." Sato heaved a sigh of relief.


    "I sent you something on your email. Check it out."


    "You sent me something? What is it?" Sato went on his tablet''s mailbox. Opening up the unread mail, he realised what this is. "Your work calendar?"


    "Yeah. I realised that there may be some days where I will not be able to fetch you from university. I will have someone come fetch you back on that day."


    "Mmm, but isn''t that too much of a hassle to pick me up. I can just make my way back home by myself."


    "It''s too far for you to walk back, Sato." Gray worried.


    "It will be fine." Sato assured. "I used to regularly run to school from a station away as exercise."


    "Well, that just means that I will have to make sure you do not go home yourself."


    "Huh? Why?" Sato was confused.


    "I do not want you to lose weight. Why would I let you go running?" Gray''s answer made Sato rather awkward. Are you really planning to stuff me up for the slaughter?


    "Anyways, it is good for me to know your schedule. That way I will know if I have to prepare meals for you that day." Sato saved it on his calendar.


    The pair soon stopped doing their work as they admired the final moments of the sun setting. The warm glow from the sun combined with cool breeze made the moment extra comfortable. The day was saying goodbye to the early night.


    After taking a shower, Sato stayed in his room to study. Rather than playing ROL, he wanted to catch up on his study. Besides, his main mission had finish and he could afford to take a break. The student took 4 days of late night studying to finally finish catching up on mostly computer science and some engineering courses.


    On friday, Sato had finished his lessons at 3pm and Gray assigned Butler Potter to chauffeur him back. The past week of university had been very different for him.


    Since Sato started wearing differently, the students around looked at him in a different light. There were rumours going around that Sato is actually from a well-to-do family, but only recently reconciled with them as he lacked money.


    The one that he had been hearing the most often was that Sato had gotten himself a sugarmommy or sugardaddy. This was more likely in everyone''s eyes as they knew that Sato''s surname is Takahashi, which isn''t actually a famous family name. In addition, more students have been sighting Sato entering and leaving a car driven by a handsome man. No one was able to get a close enough look at Gray, but based on his sideview when Sato opens the door, they could tell he was definitely prince-like.


    When Sato came home, he immediately went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. He want to make something delicious for Gray who was coming home for dinner today. Looking at the large array of ingredients, Sato settled for home made lasagna.


    The key part in making a good lasagna starts with the foundation, the pasta sheets. The pasta sheets require the perfect mix of flour and eggs. Sato, doing this for the first time, experimented with the recipes available online. Since the brands stated on the internet was different from the one at home, he needed to adapt and improvise.


    "Test 3, add 600 grams of flour, make a hole in the center, then add 4 eggs." Sato followed the steps, while repeating out loud. "Next, mix it together and add a bit of olive oil."


    The flour and eggs gradually mixed together, forming a dome-like shaped dough. After 3 tries, the consistency is finally correct. Sato continued to knead the dough until it became smooth and elastic. Following which, he let it rest for 30 mins before carrying on.


    He made sure to put extra care into making the sheets as he flattened the dough out with the rolling pin. The outcome was rather subpar, with the sheets becoming uneven. This made Sato rather frustrated.


    "Master Sato, if I may step in," Potter was watching over Sato''s cooking as Gray instructed. He noticed the boy was struggling with the rolling. "There is a pasta machine in the corner cabinet. It will help make the pasta sheets thin and even. I can help you out with that if you would like."


    "Oh really? That would be most helpful, Potter. Thank you!"


    "It is my pleasure." Gray knew that Sato would not want help easily from other. And so, he had instructed Potter to only step in when he looked like he was really struggling.


    With Potters help, 18 pasta sheets came out looking pristine and perfect. Flecks of flour were sprinkled on it''s surface, making it look like snow on yellow land.


    "Thank you, Potter." Sato continued on with the preparation. After boiling the sheets, he started to layer the lasagna sheets with his Bolognese sauce that he made just now while the dough was resting. He spread each layer evenly with the meat sauce and mozzarella. The process was repeated 18 times before placing the baking dish in the oven.


    He baked it for 40 minutes before taking out the tantalising dish.

 Chapter 36 - Our Home

    Sato wore mittens to take out the finished lasagna. The smell of the cheese and tomato wafted in the air as he brought the dish to the dining table. Looking at the clock, it was 6.30, and Gray was scheduled to be home at 6.35.


    Based on what Sato had seen this past week, he realised that Gray sticked to his schedule plan really strictly. If he was set to go for a meeting at 3.30,he would reach at 3.30, no more no less.


    As the clock in the dining room ticked by, the long needle eventually lands on the number 7. The door for the house opens and a man dressed in a long black coat walks in. He looked calm and composed. Gray was home.


    The man turned towards the dining room as he places his work bag on the sofa. He reached Sato and looked at today''s dinner dish.


    "Lasagna? It smells good." Gray complimented.


    "Really? It just came out of the oven 5 minutes ago so it is still hot." Sato smiled. "I made the whole thing from scratch, with a little help from Potter."


    "Oh. Well im curious about how it tastes. Cut me a slice, will you?"


    "Sure!" Sato happily used the spatula as he cut a portion of the lasagna for Gray. As he pulled the portion out, the cheese stretched and pulled, not willing to let go from the lasagna in the dish. The mouthwatering smell grew stronger when cut in.


    Gray waited for Sato to place his own portion on his plate before digging in to the food. They enjoyed the meal together.


    "How was your meeting today?" Sato started the conversation.


    "It was boring." Gray answered. "Thomas was talking about the statistics and analytics on the development of some military technology."


    "Thomas is the head of R&D right?"


    "Yeah. He has a tendency to go off topic when it came down to these types of things. If I had not stopped him early, I would not have made it home on time. "


    "If the meeting was important, you could send me a text. I could just place it in the oven to keep warm and then wait for your return."


    "Nah. I would very much rather spend the time eating dinner with you than listen to him blabber on." Gray smiled at Sato. "How was school for you?"


    "It was as per normal. It''s just lately I have been debating on whether I should join an extracurricular activity."


    "You mean the gaming club for ROL?" Sato had told Gray about his experiences in the club. It made Gray rather displeased.


    "No. I dont mean that. Maybe some sport?" Sato had put some thought into this. "Your comment the other time got me thinking. Maybe I am too skinny and I should do something to gain some muscle."


    "That''s a good idea." Gray nodded along. "How about swimming?"


    "That''s a good suggestion! It has been a while since I swam."


    "Yeah. You can not only practice in school, but also at our home''s lap pool."


    "Our home?" Sato was startled by Gray''s choice of words.


    "Yeah. It is your home now, Sato." Gray smiled warmly at the young man. When Sato heard those words, he could feel something in his heart well up. It felt very familiar and emotional at the same time. Unknowingly, Sato had a tears rolling down his face as he looked into Gray''s eyes.


    "Thank you..." Sato choked on his words.


    "Silly boy, " Gray stood up and reached out his hand as he wiped Sato''s tears away gently. "There is no need to cry over this. This will always be your home."


    Sato did not know if his words would hold true in several years from now. But, he knew that the past 5 days that he spent living with Gray has been wonderful and if not, unforgettable. The feeling of having someone with you when you are home. The company and care that Gray gave him made him feel like he was part of a family.


    "Thank you!" Sato stood up and hugged Gray from over the table. The table width was quite long which made the hug quite awkward. Yet, the atmosphere in the room was only filled with love and care.

 Chapter 37 - Grays Class Change

    The mood in the room gradually toned down. Sato went back to his room, with Gray doing so too. After taking a short shower, Sato went on to Ray Of Light. Over the past few days, Sato had only went on to ROL for a short while before going to sleep.


    After the burial ceromony for Princess Rayla''s caretaker, the elf clan started to prepare for the Coronation of the princess. The process took 4 real-time days to prepare, which allowed Sato to not be as active as he needed.


    That day, the village was lit up with firefly lamps. The overcast full moon stood high in the night sky, glowing with dim light. The willow trees blew calmly with the wind as a path of flowers lead from the elven leader''s house into the village center. The elfman and elfwoman stood by the sides as they awaited the arrival of their soon-to-be queen. Sato stood beside them too.


    As the time for the princess to appear grew closer and closer, the moon gradually gets unblocked by the fog and clouds. The whole village lit up even more. It was then that Rayla walked down the flowery pathway, passing by the overjoyed villagers.


    As the queen reached the center of the village, a slightly raised pedastal was built in the middle, with a wooden seat carved out of the holiest wood in Ronan. It was the Elven Throne. It took 3 whole days of hard work for the Elven warriors to find the tree and make it into a Throne. Rayla walked up and sat on it gracefully.


    She had worn a beautiful white silk dress that donned a royal style design. She looked extremely beautiful. Her face was sharp and eyes clear of corruption.


    The current great Elven sage stepped up and stood beside Rayla, perfectly poised.


    "Today, the Elf clan has gathered here to witness the Coronation of our Princess Rayla. With the power of the full moon and the spirits of nature, I grant thee, Princess Rayla, the Elven royal lineage."


    As the sage spoke, the moonlight shone brightly on Rayla. The Elven Throne glowed too. Rayla closed her eyes. Above her head, was a crown being formed using the quintessential essence of all living beings. The Elves could feel a slight tug on their chest as if they were now more bonded with their queen.


    When the crown finished forming, Rayla opened her eyes. The aura she gave off was different. When Sato looked at her profile it had changed too.


    *Queen Rayla (Queen Of The Elves)


    Lv90


    *HP: ? /?


    *Mana:?/?


    *Active skills:


    ???


    ???


    "Kneel for your queen!" The sage spoke the words. Everyone followed through.


    "Rise my people." Queen Rayla smiled calmly as she looked at her people. "I never knew I would once again be able to stand alongside my people. It is my duty to guide and bring us back to our holy land!"


    "Rarrghhh! Yes!" The crowd cheered on.


    "Our queen is finally be back with us!"


    "It is our time to claim back our home!"


    Even though this was just a game, Sato felt his heart boiling in excitement. The camaraderie shown in the Elf clan was at it''s peak. I shall do my best to help them out!


    "You have gained the Queen''s Blessings." The system notification rang.


    "This... Holy.... Shit!" Sato was stunned from seeing what the effect was.


    *Queen''s Blessings (Passive Effect)


    +10 for all stats


    This increases his overall stats significantly. In addition, he had yet to add his free stat points. When finished, he looked at his profile status with a gleaming expression.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv20 : 55000 / 100000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 50 (+30) (+10)


    *Agility : 60 (+80) (+10)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0) (+10)


    *Stamina : 20 (+40) (+10)


    *Health : 700 / 700


    *Mana : 200 / 200


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw


    Advanced Stealth


    Blink


    Assassinate


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Backstab


    Queen''s Blessings


    *Pets:


    Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Equipments:


    Dark Raven Set [5/5]


    +50 Armour


    +50 Magic Resist


    Set effect 1: Grants additional 20% movement speed when out of combat


    Set effect 2: Gain 5% life steal when inflicting damage


    Set effect 3: Reduces durations of crown control effects by 10%


    *Dreadful Daggers (primary weapon)


    +20 attack damage


    (Deals additional physical damage directly proportional to the bonus attack damage)


    *5% chance of applying grevious wounds


    (grevious wounds lowers any healing effects by 80%)


    *Flaming Crossbow (secondary weapon)


    +15 attack damage


    *10% chance of applying burn effects on enemies.


    (burn effects deal 1 to 2% of the enemies health)


    Sato now was comparable to a Lv50 player when it comes to damage and agility. However, his health was still too low to fight a group of people.


    Gray came on soon after. The past few days, with Sato, the two of them has been helping the Elves complete small missions. Today, after the Coronation, they both have a feeling that they will finally get a good mission.


    "My Queen Rayla. May we assist you in anyway?" Sato approached and asked the Queen politely.


    "Oh Dawnlore! I have heard from the people that you and DK Seven have been helping out a lot. Thank you for your aid all this while." Queen Rayla spoke with gratitude.


    "DK Seven, seeing that you have constantly aided my people in their task. I feel like you deserve a reward. You can think about whether you would like it or not." Rayla spoke to Gray. "Would you like to become an Elven Warrior?"


    The reward was something that Gray really wanted, yet he never knew how he could attain it. Turns out the reward came to his door knocking anyways.


    "Yes, my queen. I am honored to become an Elven Warrior." Gray answered respectfully while kneeling on one leg.


    "Good good." Queen Rayla closed her eyes and place her hand above Gray''s head. A bright orb of light starts forming on her hand. The light eventually entered Gray''s body, engulfing him whole. When the light was gone, Gray had transformed physically. He now looked like a handsome elf. Elegant and cool.

 Chapter 38 - S Ranked Mission

    Sato examined the new Elven Warrior that finished transforming. The main difference in Gray''s character is the face. Like Sato, the ears have gotten more pointy. Gray''s face slim down, his hair turned white. Since the vampire is pale from the beginning, his skin tone didn''t change much.


    "You look rather handsome in game." Sato praised Gray''s looks.


    "You mean I''m not handsome outside of game?" Gray said, feeling slightly dejected.


    "No no. You are handsome both in and out of game."


    "Good reply."


    Sato sighed in relief. It was better to not make his boss ever sad or angry.


    "Oh can I see your stats? Did they change much?" Sato asked curiously.


    "Let me see," Gray looked at his profile.


    *Name : DK Seven


    *Lv40 : 170000 / 200000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Swordsman


    *Strength : 65 (+40) (+10)


    *Agility : 80 (+20) (+10)


    *Intelligence : 40 (+0) (+10)


    *Stamina : 60 (+40) (+10)


    *Health : 1000 / 1000


    *Mana : 400 / 400


    *Active Skills:


    Intimidate


    Swiftstrike


    Riposte Counter


    Bloodlust


    Crimson Slash


    *Passive Skills:


    Vital Point


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Queen''s Blessings


    From the looks of it, Gray had gained extra stat points of 100, but it was not as much as Sato. In addition, he kept all his skills from his previous class and had gained the unique passive skills like Sato.


    "Your strength has increased a lot too!" Sato exclaimed in excitement.


    "Yeah. I have huh." Gray tightened his hand grip.


    "Ok. Now that the ceromony is over, it is time for me to get down to business." Queen Rayla spoke seriously. "I require the help from both of you."


    "Your wish is my command." Both Sato and Gray spoke at the same time.


    "Good. Recently, the undead activity has been increasingly rampant in the Fiery Plains. The beasts have been holding them back, yet they keep coming endlessly." Rayla frowned as she spoke. "I will need the both of you to help me investigate what is causing them to come to this land."


    "You received the quest "Investigate". " The system rang.


    At that moment, both Gray and Sato looked at each other, realising that they have already completed this mission.


    "Your majesty, Seven and I have already figured out the reason why the undead clan has been so rampant in this area."


    "Oh. What is the reason?" Rayla was curious.


    Sato went ahead to explain what had happened, from the point of view of the players. The Dragoon family had used the excuse of rescuing a family member so as to kidnap the queen. They used rewards to blindly lead the players to this land. When Sato finished telling the story, Rayla was enlightened on why there were so many players chasing them.


    "That makes more sense why our journey was so perilous." Rayla nodded. "The Demons must have some kind of seer that could pin point our location that time. Now however, we are covered by a powerful fog created by nature. Hence, they require help to get information. Good intuition my warriors! "


    " You have completed the mission. " The experience gained wasn''t much.


    "Since we have figured out the mastermind behind this attack, I will now require your help to vanquish the Dragoon Family!"


    "You have received the mission "Destruction Of The Dragoon Family". "


    *Quest: Destruction Of The Dragoon Family


    *Difficulty Rating: S


    *The Dragoon Family is the third strongest family in the undead faction. To destroy the family will require you to uproot it from the ground below.


    *Time limit: No time limit


    Sato and Gray both expected this to be the follow up mission, for they were on the main story line right now.


    "We shall get right to it, your Majesty." The pair said together.


    "Great. Also, I have a gift for the both of you. It will help you destroy the family easier."


    "You received 1000 Disguise Mask."


    *1000 Disguise Mask


    *Morphs your looks into anything that you wish. (Changes your character profile too. However, it doesnt change your level and stats. )


    *Masks your username (Prevents your username from showing when killing someone)


    *Untradable Item


    The items that the two received could be classified as a godly artifact. The ability to blend into the crowd without anybody noticing you are the enemy is simply amazing.


    "We shall do our best in completing the mission!" Sato answered for Gray. The two then left the village for now to try out the mask.


    Sato morphed his mask into a vampire-like look, with Gray doing the same. The two then ran through the Fiery Plains, looking for an undead faction player to test it out.


    10 minutes into searching, the duo eventually finds a group of 5 players. The players were very coordinated, with the tank player infront, two warriors by the side, a shaman and mage at the back.


    "Hehe. I got a plan. Gray, follow along and improvise with me." Sato swiftly took some wet dirt from the ground and rub it all over his body. He threw some of it on Gray''s body and face too. The both of them looked like they just escaped from some disaster. "Alright, lets go."


    "Halt! Show yourself!" One of the warriors noticed the presence of Sato and Gray. Both of them left the bushes and showed themselves to the players.


    "A Lv40 and Lv20? What are you doing here? It is very dangerous around these parts." The players let their guards loose.


    "My brother wanted to carry and bring me around the marshes, but we soon went too far and got lost in the plains." Sato acted like a innocent young teenager, while Gray was standing there nodding his head expressionlessly.


    "Oh that sounds really unfortunate. Boss, can''t we help these two boys out? They seem rather pitiful." The shaman commented to the Knight who seemed to be the leader.


    "But we are currently trying to complete our mission. It would take some time before we would leave this place." The knight answered. However, when the knight saw how sad and dirty Sato and Gray looked. He hesitated.


    "Brother, are we going to be abandoned again?" Sato started to tear up in the game. He had a frown on his face. "I don''t want to die again! I''m scared!"


    "It is ok, brother. If these strangers do not want to help us, I will still protect you till the very end! I will never let you get injured, let alone die!" Gray played along as the protective brother.


    Even though he was pulling an act, he was serious about everything he had said. I will never let anyone lay a single finger on you ever, Sato. Never ever.

 Chapter 39 - Triple Threat Guild

    "It is ok, brother. If these strangers do not want to help us, I will still protect you till the very end! I will never let you get injured, let alone die!" Gray played along as the protective brother.


    "Brother! Waaaaaa..." Sato ran into Gray''s embrace as he ''shivered'' in fear.


    Seeing the little boy becoming this frightened, twisted the heartstrings in the five man team''s heart. They couldn''t help, but feel guilty for wanting to leave those two alone.


    "Okay okay! My team shall lead you out of the plains and back to a spawn point!" The Knight leader changed his mind.


    "Yeah! My big brother will do as he promises! Don''t cry anymore, little boy." The shaman comforted Sato.


    "Th..thank you." Sato sobbed lesser.


    "Let''s go now. It will probably take around an hour to reach the spawn point at the Marshes." The leader said. There is no spawn points in the Fiery Plains.


    The group walked cautiously, not wanting to stir any trouble from the beasts in the plains. However, they soon realised their worries was unfounded. Ever since the two brothers had joined their group, no beasts have ambushed them. They were like a walking lucky charm.


    "Let me introduce my team to you. I am the leader, Harry, a knight player. These two warriors are Jeff and Ryan. The shaman is my brother, Samuel and the mage is Grace." Harry introduced. "What are your names?"


    "My little bro''s name is Willy. My name is Gareth. Willy is 13 this year. He hit puberty a little bit early." Gray placed an arm around Sato''s shoulder as he introduced Sato. When Sato heard his ''name'', he immediately pinched Gray on the waist. Why did you pick Willy of all names???


    The five members were forcing themselves to keep a straight face when they heard Sato''s name. Willy? What kind of parents would allow their child to be called a slang word for penis?!?!


    The group eventually reached the marshlands map. Unfortunately, they were stopped by a group of 10 players.


    "Under the mercy of my young master, drop your weapons and leave now!" A man dressed in assassin armour shouted at Sato''s group. There was a man that was cladded in golden armour, sitting on a tree stump, fiddling with his blade. His equipments were high grade for sure.


    "And why should we listen to you?" Leader Harry spoke out.


    "Because if you don''t you shall die under the hands of the Triple Threat Guild!" The Triple Threat Guild were truly notorious. They dared to rebel and PK against other gamers.


    Harry grimaced as he thought about what he should do. If it were just his team, they would most likely be able to run away from this group of 20. However, he now had a Lv20 and 40, which he promised to protect. What should I do? Abandon them? Or fight to the very end?


    "You should run away, Harry. Take your team with you." Gray spoke confidently as he drew his rapier. "I''ll hold them back."


    "But, that would leave your brother and you to die. We promised to help you out." Harry realised that Gray was not a selfish person, for he was willing to sacrifice his life for strangers. "Samuel stand back and heal everyone. Willy stand beside my brother, he will protect you. The rest of us, fight!"


    The average team power for Harry''s group was Lv65. It was already pretty high for a guildless team. On the other hand, this young master group''s average Level was Lv55, yet they had the numbers advantage. It was 20 against 7.


    "Insolent players! Everyone! Kill them and acquire their equipment for me!" The snobby young master shouted out as he continued to sit on the tree stump.


    "Stick to our usual formation!" Harry gave the orders. The fight broke out with each player handling around 4 enemies. Gray excitedly lunged forward using Swiftstrike to instantly lower the enemy Warrior''s health. His additional stat bonus allowed him to be around the same Level as the enemies. Even Harry''s team was shocked by Gray''s strength.


    Two assassins sneaked behind Samuel and Sato. Though Samuel was oblivious of their presence, Sato noticed the slight rustles in the dead leaves on the ground.


    Sato used Blink, appearing several meters away from Samuel. It may look like nobody was there, yet Sato striked the air, hitting the enemy assassin''s back.


    "Argh! How?" The enemy was stunned at the Lv20 assassin''s intuition. In addition, his strength was comparable to a Lv50.


    Sato quickly kicked away from the assassin, throwing dagger throw. It inflicted critical strike and grievous wounds. The other assassin noticed Sato''s threat and immediately turned to help him ally.


    Sato used advanced stealth and hid amongst the dead trees. The assassins had no choice, but to be extra careful. The commotion from Sato''s fight gave Samuel time to position himself away from the assassins. Samuel was shocked at Sato''s fighting skill. A Lv20 is able to lower a Lv50 player''s health by so much?


    Standing on a tree stump, Sato awaited his next moment to strike. Sato was felt rather annoyed. Thanks to these pieces of crap that ruined his plan, he was not able to head to the spawn point without any conflict.


    Sato listened closely for the movements of the assassins. Since they couldn''t find him, naturally, they would go for the Shaman. The fight went on for several minutes with the 5 man team gradually winning. This was all thanks to Sato as the assassins were playing hide and seek with him.


    "God dammit! This Lv20 assassin is putting too much pressure on us. Why not we just stick today and kill that guy first?" The injured assassin suggested to his accomplice.


    "Alright. Let''s go with that then." The assassins unstealthed as they ran through the forest together, in search of Sato. Noticing their change of targets, Sato thought of a plan to win this fight.

 Chapter 40 - Death By Marshland Crocodiles

    Sato had come with a plan to deal with the two enemies. Quietly, Sato ran towards the marshland swamps, looking around for his target. Eventually, he found what he came for.


    Underneath the swampy water, laid a dark green scaled beast. If one were to not look carefully, they would not be able to tell that a wild boss was laying there asleep. The wild boss was The Marshlands strongest boss, the Aquadile. A crocodile beast could blast strong water projectiles at it''s enemy.


    Noticing that the wild boss did not move when Sato stood near it, Sato sniggered and un-stealthed himself. The two assassins ran together, eventually, spotting Sato ''stuck'' in between two tree trunks.


    "Hehe. This time we got this in the bag." The two assassins unsheathed their blades, leaping directly at Sato. Right as they struck down on Sato''s position, he used Blink, disappearing and had gotten himself on land. The wooden trunk splintered and exploded, disturbing the peace and quiet in the marshfields. A loud roar sounded from beneath the water.


    "Rarghhhhhhhhhhhhh! " Two beady red eyes blinked in the dim lit environment. The two assassins had disturbed the peace of the Lv50 wild boss. Normal beast crocodiles were only Lv40, which can be easily soloed by the higher leveled assassins. However, this was a wild boss that required at least a proper team of 5 to defeat.


    The Aquadile used it''s Hydro projectile to attack the enemies. Eventually, their health reached below 20%. This gave Sato the chance to strike and Assassinate them, giving him easy experience points.


    "You have leveled up!" The large difference in Levels allowed Sato to level up to Lv21.


    Alright, time to head back, Sato thought. As the Elven Assassin left the swamp and reached back to the fighting grounds, the Triple Threat Guild had already loss their numbers advantage.


    " You... You shall pay next time! I will remember your names!" The young master warned, while trembling in fear. "Let me leave and I will spare you some mercy."


    Gray stood infront of the Golden Armoured young master unmovingly. Using his rapier, he did the final deed and ended the man''s life with Crimson Slash.


    "Weak." One word was enough to express what Gray was thinking.


    The group of 5 that accompanied Gray and Sato had unfortunately become a group of 3. The mage and warrior had died.


    "Wow you are really strong." Harry praised Gray. If it weren''t for Gray, they would not have been able to make it out alive. The Lv40 player suppressed 5 players by himself. Killing each of them in 4 to 5 strikes.


    "Oh yeah! Your brother! He.. He was attacked by two assassins. I don''t know whether he made it out alive..." Samuel felt guilty for not being able to protect Sato.


    "Brother! Waaaa... That was so scaryyy... I almost got eaten by the big boss crocodile... The two enemies died under it''s hands.." Sato whined.


    "They died?" Everyone was shocked at Sato''s luck. He had managed to escape a wild boss?


    "Yeah." Sato replied proudly. "I ran as fast as I could!"


    The three remainings were truly surprised. This brother duo are out of the ordinary. Even when underleveled, they are able to transcend levels and defeated the higher leveled players.


    "Well, shall we continue? We are almost at the spawn point." Harry said.


    "Sure. Let''s go." Gray replied. While they were walking, Gray private messaged Sato.


    "I never knew you could act this way."


    "Hehe. I am a pretty good actor right?" Sato praised himself.


    "Yeah."


    "You are pretty good yourself too, boss." Sato made sure to make his boss happy.


    "Thank you. I learn from the best."


    When the group reached the spawn point, Harry''s team added Sato and Gray, before departing to meet up with their friends that died. Gray and Sato let them keep all the equipment as a reimbursement for their troubles. The equipments were useless for the two of them.


    "Where would you like to go?" asked Gray.


    "Let''s go Trentham City to scout a bit." This was where the Dragoon family resided.


    "Alright." The pair stepped on the spawn point, teleporting to the undead faction city.


    When they reached, the boys were welcomed with a Halloween-look environment. The spawn point was in the city center. There is 8 different routes that opened up from there. The houses were all victorian era shophouses. The streets lit up using pumpkin lanterns or skull lanterns, with pebbled roads laid on the ground. The place was packed with the undead faction players. Races like the vampire, skeletons, orcs, orges, witches and many more shopped in this city.


    The game was set that if you are in a human faction, you are not allowed to spawn at an undead faction city, vice versa. However, if you are part of a neutral faction, like the elves, you are allowed to go to both human and undead cities.


    "Wow. It''s really dark in the undead city." Sato said while walking around with Gray. Even if it was day time in the city, there would be a dense fog that covers the whole undead faction, preventing much sunlight from entering. "Where should we go to gather intel?"


    "Let''s head into a diner then." Gray suggested. The two of them went into a casual restaurant called Rusty Oaks, sitting down by the windowsill. They order a simple beverage before listening into two NPCs conversing.


    "Recently, I heard about the Dragoon Family deploying a bunch of adventurers to rescue some important lady. However, the mission became a huge failure and the adventurers were unsatisfied that they got no reimbursement."


    "Right. I heard about that news too. The Dragoon family is rather stingy when it comes to rewards and reimbursements, however, they are the powerhouse of this city and so there is no point rebelling."


    "Oh! Have you heard about the new recruitment that Dragoon family has started?"


    "No. What is it about?"


    "They are recruiting adventurers again, but this time, it is to destroy those bastard human faction members. They are planning to attack the small human city, Paleta City. The recruitment started yesterday."

 Chapter 41 - Satos Vivid Dream

    "Recruitment?" Sato listened to the NPC''s words attentively. "You heard that, Gray?"


    "Yeah." Gray replied. "We should go and apply for it."


    "Sounds like a plan. Let''s go now then."


    Gray and Sato left the diner, heading for the castle that belonged to the Dragoon''s. There were a lot of people queuing up to sign up for this event. The crazy part was that there is no Level requirement as this was a contribution ranking event. The higher percentage of damage you do to the enemy, the larger your final rewards will be.


    Players of all levels could be seen joining in on this expedition. The ambitious low leveled gamers are hoping to get something out of this by sticking around the higher leveled players.


    "Hey big brother, do you mind me following you around?" A young female gamer spoke out to a higher leveled gamer.


    "S.. SURE." The heated man immediately accepted. Why would anyone not accept that?


    For Sato''s and Gray''s case, no one wanted them on their team. Their level was far too low for the big guild team''s standards. This played to their favour as it would attract the attention of stronger gamers. Their mission this time was to scout and hopefully do some internal damage to the Dragoon Family. When the registration stopped a man wearing noble clothing walked out of his keep.


    "Dear Adventurers!" The head of the Dragoon Family, Vack Dragoon, commanded out. "I call upon you today to recruit you for a conquest! A conquest to destroy a crucial city in the Human faction! In a week''s time, we shall set out for war!"


    "Rarghhhhh!" The crowd of players roared and was hyped up for the upcoming battle. ROL was so popular for this reason. The ability to physically and mentally feel and experience things that couldn''t be done in real life, was addictive and stimulative.


    Even Sato couldn''t help, but chime in on this. It would be a good time to level up as he would gain experience points from killings both the undead and human faction members.


    After the introduction, everyone present received the quest that starts tommorow night.


    *Battle Of Paleta City


    *Difficulty: B


    *This will be a clash between the Human and Undead Factions. Fight to your death and earn contribution points by killing enemies.


    *Time Limit: 1 in-game day


    *No penalties will be given to the loser


    *The higher the contribution points, the greater the reward.


    "Gray, if we do well in this mission, we would be able to get closer to the Dragoon family. We must try our best to get up the contribution ranks." Sato looked at Gray with determination.


    "Alright." Gray complied obediently. "However, you must go to sleep now. Tomorrow morning, you will be doing something with me."


    "What is it?"


    "A secret."


    "Fine." Sato pouted slightly, yet he was rather excited. What did Gray plan to do tommorow?


    Just as he was told, Sato went offline and prepared to go to bed. The past week had been packed with university work and yet, it was his most enjoyable time in the past few years. Especially today, when Gray had said those words to him. This will always be your home.


    Sato went to sleep smiling. During his sleep, he had a dream. A very vivid one.


    The dream was set in a warmly lit room. The curtains were not doing a very good job at blocking out the morning sun. Sato awoke from a beautiful slumber. A light breeze came in from a half-opened window. It felt ticklelish on his pale skin.


    Then, there was a light knock on the wooden door. A man, lean and tall, came into the room holding a tray. Even though his facial features wasn''t very visible, his smile was identifiable. It was one that could not be replicated. The way his dimples creased slightly, his firm red lips tilting upwards.


    Sato looked at the tray that was presented to him in his bed. It was breakfast. Ham in an omelette with a cup of warm milk. The meal was simple, yet Sato could tell it was prepared with a lot of love.


    "This will always be your home, Sato. Remember that." The voice sounded out before Sato broke out from his dream. The words. They were exactly the same as what Gray had said.


    As Sato wakes up from his dream, it was already morning in real life. Yet, his head felt slightly heavy from that experience. The dream. It felt too real. It felt like I experienced this before. Was this actually a memory of my past?


    The boy slid out of his bed as he went for a warm shower. Turning the water power to the highest, he let it pound on his body continuously. The steam could be seen floating up and around the whole bathroom. It made the whole place look like a steamroom. Sato was deep in thought, trying to recollect what he had dreamt off in his sleep.


    Where was I in that dream? Who was that person that walked into the room? Was that perhaps... Gray? No no that is impossible. Why would he be there in the first place?


    After thinking about it for a few more minutes, Sato finalised that the dream was most definitely a remnant of his loss memory. The experience was just too surreal and somemore, he had not forgotten one bit about every detail in that memory.


    Sato changed into comfortable clothes before heading downstairs to make breakfast. The time was 7 in the morning. Gray has no woken up. Looking through the fridge, Sato found eggs. He then picked out an airtight packet of Ham. The boy had decided to replicate the same exact dish that was made in his memory.


    The first try, the egg had been burnt slightly. The second try, the omelette was not folded properly. The third try, the amount of liquidness in the omelette wasn''t there. He needed it to me perfect. He wanted to validate what happened in his dream.


    It was then the door to the kitchen opened and a man wearing a casual black t-shirt in jogger pants entered.

 Chapter 42 - Eggs

    "What are you making today?" The man was Gray.


    "Omelettes with ham." Sato replied.


    "Oh. Looking at how many eggs you have used, the omelettes must not have come out like you wanted."


    "Yeah."


    "Let me help you with this." Gray stepped up as he adjusted the heat to medium low. Adding the butter, he let it melt slightly on the pan. "The key to making a good omelette is to not overcook it. It is better if only the outside is more firm, while the inside is still slightly runny."


    Pouring in the egg, Gray let it set for a few seconds before stirring the egg slightly to prevent it from curdling up. This also allowed for the uncooked egg at the top to be cooked too. When the layer of egg at the bottom is becoming more solid, Gray added in the sliced ham bit as he heated it over the egg. The finishing touches is done as he jacks the heat up to help make it easier to fold the egg together.


    The finish omelette came out looking yellow and unburnt on the outside. Gray sprinkled some pepper above with fresh herbs. Unlike the outside, the inside of the egg flowed out just as Gray cuts it in half. The mixture of the ham and slightly scrambled eggs gave off a very appealing aroma.


    "It looked just like the eggs in my dreams." Sato stared blankly at the eggs.


    "You seen this omelette in your dream?" Gray looked at Sato expectingly.


    "Yes. This exact one." Sato looked at Gray, shocked. "How did you read my mind? Are you a psychic?"


    That comment made Gray literally topple on the ground. He was flabbergasted at how ignorant this young man was. This egg was clearly made exactly the same as I was the one who made it for you before! Anyways, it seems like my words from yesterday reminded him of his past.


    "That''s right I read your mind." Gray rubbed his head. He decided to just not tell Sato since there were more opportunities in the future. "Now try out the eggs that I made."


    "Okay." Sato gently cut a bit of the egg and placed it in his mouth. The warm flowy eggs ran down his throat and into his tummy. The simple seasoning with salt and pepper, helped bring out the natural taste of the eggs. The ham complemented the taste too, giving it the additional saltiness. "Its what I think the eggs in my dreams would taste like."


    "I am sure it did." Gray smiled warmly as he watched the young man eat away. He then went ahead to make his own eggs. This time, he didnt put as much effort into cooking his. The two finished up their meal at the tabletop in the kitchen.


    "So what are we doing today?" Sato was curious ever since yesterday.


    "Rest for an hour, before changing into your exercise gear. I will take you somewhere then." Gray didn''t give much away except that it was physical.


    Sato went ahead to put on a clean grey dry-fit shirt and running shorts. He predicts that they were going to do some hiking. Seeing Gray after an hour, not in his exercise gear, made him rather confused. Why was I in one while he isn''t?


    "Let''s go." Gray said. Taking his Gale X, they drove even further out into the suburbs. Eventually, they arrived at the base of a mountain. The mountain was covered in evergreen trees, making the environment serene and calming. The only sounds present was wind rustling the trees and birds chirping in the morning.


    "We are hiking?" Sato asked.


    "No." Gray denied. "You are hiking."


    "Huh?" Sato was confused. "Are you leaving me here?"


    "Yes I am." Gray opened the door, making Sato get off his car. "I shall wait for you at the end of this mountain road. If you do not make it, you will be abandoned here."


    Sato was rather speechless. I did not bring my phone and wallet. No cars will even pass by this area. If I do not make it up there, is Gray really planning to let me die here?


    Sato watched as the car left him and drove up the mountain road. The road didnt have a proper lane. It was made out gravel and not tar. Walking on this would be rather tiring and painful, thought Sato. Let''s take the road less taken then.


    Sato decided to walk through the coniferous trees. The path may be steeper, yet it would allow Sato reach to the end of faster.


    Moving through the winding trees that stretched on for miles, Sato didn''t feel as tired as he thought he would be. Even though it was autumn now, the trees blocked the cold wind from coming into contact with Sato. The peace and quiet in the forest allowed for Sato to have a peace of mind. He continued to climb upwards.


    At the end of the road, there laid the foundations for a traditional house that was usually seen in country K. The whole house was made out of wood, with clay tiles layered on the roof. Within the house was hardwood flooring with a traditional floor heating system for the winter. The windows were made out of traditional paper created from the bark of mulberry trees. It keeps the room warm and allows for some sunlight to come through.


    Within the stone gated compound, laid a nice green garden with a small lake in the centre. The whole garden flowed with the natural surrounding, allowing for the whole compound to blend into nature. A young man was seen walking around the grass patch, looking rather worried. His hands behind his back as he looked at the ground listlessly.


    "Relax, Mr. Gray." An old and raspy voice spoke out from the traditional house. He sat by the wooden deck as he drank his warm tea slowly. "If he is as you say he is, the young man will make it here."


    "But..." Gray couldn''t speak out. Today, the request for Sato to hike up the mountain was decided by the old man sitting at the deck area. He was Gray''s martial arts teacher, the last descendent of the founder of Taekwondo, Choi Byung Hoon.

 Chapter 43 - Arrival

    Within the mountain, filled with coniferous trees, a young man is hiking up the steep slopes, one step at a time. His breathing quicken, chest tighten from exhaustion.


    Sato has been at it for over 2 hours, climbing over a half of the mountain already. His previous prediction was correct, if he had followed and walked up the gravel road, he would have to take more than a day to ascend. By then, who knows if Gray would still be there waiting.


    As he hiked higher up, the air got thinner and thinner. It became harder to breathe and he climbed up with the help of the trees. Sato would always have one hand on a trunk of a tree to increase his balance. In addition, he would make sure to stabilise his foothold before ascending further along.


    The part about all of this was that he had no water. Thirsty and dehydrated, Sato was nearing his breaking point. Yet, he pushed through it with his unbreakable willpower. If I can''t even ascend such a simple small mountain, then what was the point in living. This hike will be over in no time!


    Sato''s constant psyching allows for him to continue his hike onwards. His muscles ached from the constant climb, but he never stopped. I will not dissapoint Gray, I mustn''t!


    As of now, Sato has been climbing for over 6 hours. It was already the middle in the afternoon. At his current height, he was already at 4000 ft elevation, resulting in slight altitude sickness. Sato''s head throbbed, stopping the youth in his ascend. He was 90% complete, with the sight of a small stone compound a hundred meters above him.


    Sato decided that walking along the gravel road now would be ideal. The circumference of the mountain was not as large as before, making it a smoother climb now.


    With the sun glaring on Sato from above, there was only two sounds present. The shuffling of the gravel and Sato''s deep long heaves. The young man was close to becoming delirious. His whole shirt was drenched in his sweat, eyes lifeless, back slouching. He resembled a zombie.


    This experience feels rather familiar. The feeling of eminent death, where all forms of pain have disappeared and you have a peace of mind. Your body starts to feel like it''s floating in air. Your heavy breathing melts into the quiet atmosphere. Your vision starts to blend and blur with the environment.


    Sato eventually stood still. At 5pm, Sato arrived at the compound. His whole face was pale, body all haggard looking. Sato could not actually tell what was in front of him through out the walk up, but when he had arrived at the gates of the compound, he noticed something. A dark blurry figure looming and looking at him. The figure gradually got bigger and bigger. Eventually, Sato collapsed. The dark figure caught him from his fall and immediately brought him into the compound.


    "Master! Take a look at him please!" The dark figure was Gray. Embracing Sato in his arms, he called out to master Choi.


    "Bring him in." The old man spoke calmly. Unlike Gray, he was not panicking at all. For a person to even ascend this whole mountain by him or herself, required the willpower of 10 oxes. Things like fainting won''t pose a threat to Sato.


    On the wooden deck, Gray''s master took out several thin needles. With extreme precision, he inserted them into Sato''s face. He was carrying out acupuncture. While he was doing that, Gray had inserted an IV drip for Sato, providing him the required nutrients and water content. The acupuncture took several minutes, before the old man removed all the needles.


    After a few seconds, Sato tilted his body to the side and cough out blood. The blood was darker than normal, a smelly scent accompanied it.


    "The young man spat out the impurities that he accumulated during the climb from his system." Master Choi explained to the worried Gray. "He will be fine now."


    "Okay." Gray held Sato''s hand as he remained unconscious. Sato''s complexion had recovered back to a normal pink glow.


    Gray was regreting his decision of bringing him here to undergo the test.


    "So he passed the test?" Gray asked his master.


    "Yes. He did." Master Choi answered.


    "Okay. Good. Good." Gray continued to look at the unconscious young man. His adoring gaze never lose sight of him as he watched over Sato''s slumber.


    The incident just now reminded him of a point of time in the past. A time when Sato and Gray were younger.


    It was when Sato was 17 years of age and Gray was 25. Sato was sleeping restfully in bed. Gray laid beside him as he watched him rest. For some reason, Gray couldn''t sleep that well. Sato on the other hand, as per usual, slept the instant he got in bed.


    Just then, Gray heard a beeping sound on his phone. He knew what it meant. Intruders were in his home and there were many present. Swiftly, Gray got out of bed, waking up Sato.


    "Sato.. Sato.. Sato! Wake up! Wake up!" Sato felt fuzzy. He rubbed his eye innocently as he looked at Gray. "You have to leave!"


    Gray held the sleepy boy''s hand as he took him outside. Luckily, Gray found the boy a taxi and he placed him in it.


    "Why do I have to leave?" Sato was worried for Gray. This was the first time he had seen Gray this nervous.


    "Something came up and now there are bad guys in the house. You have to be safe." Gray spoke to Sato before talking to the driver. "Hey driver, drive as far as you possibly can from this place. For the safety of this boy and for you!"


    "No!" Sato wanted to get out of the car, but Gray stopped him.


    "Leave now!" The driver drove off on his command. A gunshot sound rang in the background as the taxi drove off into the distance. A black car followed behind them closely.


    In the case of Gray, the gunshot was for him. He barely managed to dodge the bullet as he hid behind a housing pillar. The enemies were targeting him and they wanted him dead.


    "Fuck..." Gray cussed as he looked at the taxi that already dissapointed into the distance. He was more worried about Sato than he was for him.

 Chapter 44 - Breakthrough

    Gray focused back on his current situation. If he did not make it out of here alive, Sato would be in deep trouble too. Looking at his surrounding, Gray pinpointed down the locations of the terrorists. There were a total of 8 gunman, 4 were perched on the roofs of nearby buildings, the other 4 were hiding and blending into the environment.


    Gray took action. He threw a medium sized rock into the bushes. It made a crunch sound. The noise attract the shootings of the gunmans. Gray stealthily exited the other way, making it behind one of the enemy. With quick movements, he snapped the neck of the gunman, ending his life immediately.


    The quiet assassination did not alarm the enemies, giving Gray time to grab the semi auto rifle and the other equipments on the dead person. Afterwards, he approached the roof top gunners. After 5 minutes, the enemy has noticed some awry about the situation. Their target was too quiet.


    "Be careful!" The leader of the gunman shouted out, but it was too late. Gunshots was heard near the roof tops. The 3 gunners were caught off guard and killed. "Shit!"


    There was only one gunner left on the roof top. He hid in the shadows, fearful for his life. He knew that if he were to encounter Gray right now, he would 100 percent be dead.


    Gray didnt pay much attention to the last rooftop man. He observed through his infrared scope, looking for the 3 gunman on the ground. He managed to spot 2 of them sticking closely together, while the loner was crouching behind a window.


    Noting down the enemy''s position, Gray quietly sneaked down the building he was on, before moving to the building that the loner was in. As Gray entered, the loner caught on to his movement and notified his team that was hiding. The enemy quickly aggregated around the building, surrounding Gray''s perimeter.


    "It''s time for the infamous special ops soldier to die!" The enemy that was in the building with Gray shouted out arrogantly.


    Gray did not respond to his provocation as he stayed low in the building. The solo enemy shot his rifle in random directions, in hopes of scaring Gray.


    "What happened now? Too scared to leave your shell?" A male voice echoed through the abandoned shopping mall.


    The leader of the squad signalled for everyone to start closing in from all directions. They were to check for any loopholes that Gray could use. The whole process took 10 minutes, with Gray hiding in the center, trying to think of a way out.


    On Gray, there was two grenades and a knife that could potentially be put to good use. Except, there wasnt any potentially good cover around him. The grenade he had was a high pressure shrapnel grenade that could even pierce through a few inches of concrete. He needed something strong enough to protect him. It was then, he thought of a plan.


    As the enemies approached Gray, the trio was about to meet up with the one gunner soon. It was now or never. Before the gunner could gather up with his group, Gray jumped over the counter desk of the reception area. He lunged himself at the solo gunner. Unprepared, the enemy was shocked as he soon dies from a slice in the throat.


    The loud commotion resulted in the enemies to run at Gray. They wanted to seize the opportunity now to kill him as he was occupied. However, it was all for naught.


    "Click!" The enemies ran past a metal wiring on the floor, pulling off the safety pins on the grenades. It released the valves on the grenades, dropping them on the floor.


    "Grenade! Watch..." The captain warned.


    "Boooooommmmm!" The ground shocked and trembled as hundreds of thousands of shrapnels shot in all directions.


    The three enemies that were nearest to the grenades, stood no chance. They were penetrated all over their body, instantly killing laid on the grounde unmovingly too. He only got up after pushing away the enemy''s dead body that covered him.


    His plan was to use one of the enemy''s body to block the brunt of the shrapnels. A human body is 4 times tougher than concrete. Gray knew about this and decided to use it to his advantage.


    "Argh!" Gray tried to stand up, only to find out that his ankle had actually been pierced through too. Gritting his teeth, he pulled it out and tied a piece of cloth around his ankle to stood the bleeding.


    "Sato!" Gray moved outside, getting on his car and driving off in the general direction that Sato did. The car eventually came to a stop by the river. Sato''s car had crashed and was sent into the raging river below. There was no sign of the enemy. Gray''s eyes lost it''s colour. Did Sato die?


    No! Gray ran down to the river bank. Even though his leg hurt and bled, he didn''t care for his circumstances. He needed confirmation that Sato was truely gone from this world. Trudging down the banks for over 5 kilometres, Gray was soon going to give up. Sato was no where to be seen.


    It was then, two figures could seen lying on the ground on the opposite side of the river.


    "Sato... Sato..." Gray immediately walked through the fast moving water. There were at times when he trips slightly and was almost washed away by the water. Yet, his eyes never left sight of Sato. His one and only Sato.


    Gray eventually made it to the other side. Looking at the driver, he had already bled out from a gun shot wound. Sato on the other hand, was bleeding slightly from his head, but was still alive.


    Gray tied a piece of cloth around Sato''s head as he carried him up in his arms and walked back to the bridge. He didn''t have a working phone on him and so he had to make it back before Sato''s conditions get any worse.


    He looked at Sato''s pale and cold body. Gray hugged him tighter, trying to give him as much of his warmth as possible. You will make it through this, Sato, I promise!


    For Sato, Gray neglected his wounds and injuries. For Sato, Gray could do anything. For Sato, Gray is willing to take all of Sato''s pain away from him.

 Chapter 45 - Grays Mother

    It was 8am in the morning. Gordon had woken up from his sleep bright and early. He went about his usual routine. A cup of coffee coupled with reading the daily digital news. The 70 year old retiree was living a solitary, yet peaceful life.


    His door bell rang. Gordon quickly stood up from his rocking chair and walked towards the door. Not very often would there be someone ringing his bell. When Gordon opened the door, he was given the shock of his life.


    A man with scraps and cuts that ran along his arms and a bleeding ankle that stained his green door mat into a dark red. A younger looking boy was piggybacked over the man''s back. His head was roughly bandaged up with a ripped cloth. The blood wasn''t drying very well, resulting in the youth looking very pale.


    "Ca...Call an ambulance!" The man with a bleeding ankle shouted out.


    "Ye.. Yes!" The old retiree quickly went into his house to pick up his phone to call the paramedics. Within 5 minutes, an ambulance turned up and they went ahead to help Sato and Gray out.


    Without care for his injury, Gray looked at Sato. Cupsing his hands with Sato''s, he prayed. Please if there is a god out there, help keep Sato alive. That is all I ask for, Sato''s recovery.


    Luckily, the bandage had managed to keep Sato''s bleeding to a bare minimum and he was able to receive aid in time. When Sato had finally gotten a bed in the hospital, Gray was then willing to get treatment on himself.


    The whole experience was rather crazy for the doctors. Who would be so crazy enough to move around carrying another person when their ankle was this injured? The sheer willpower needed to push through the pain was ridiculous.


    As the morning turned to night in the hospital, Sato and Gray had both underwent some minor operations. The two laid beside each other in the medical ward room. Gray kept watch over Sato as the boy was still unconscious. He was extremely grateful that Sato lived.


    Two men in black came walking into the ward. Behind them was a mature looking woman. Her beauty surpassed the standards of top class actresses. What was even more shocking was her age. No one would be able to tell that she was in her late 40s. The lady without care for her image, ran towards Gray that laid in the bed.


    "My dear Gray... Are you okay?" The lady stroked the face of the usually solemn man.


    "I''m okay, mother." Gray spoke to the lady who turned out to be his mother.


    "Good. Good." The lady could finally relax a little. "You had me so worried when I heard that you were hospitalised."


    "You didn''t have to travel down to see me, mother."


    "What do you mean? You will always be my baby boy. How can I bear to see you get injured?" Gray''s mother continued to shower him with love. It made the two bodyguards rather awkward as they stood upright, watching them.


    "Mother, let me go. I''m injured remember?" Gray thought of an excuse to make her mother release her grip.


    "Right, right. I forgot. Sorry dear." The lady finally recovered her composure. Her aura soon changed into one of a blood thirsty asura. "Who was the one that did this to you?"


    "Some hermit terrorist organisation that I have working on cracking down for the past few years." Gray told the secret level information to his mother. The bodyguards had went to stand by the room''s door.


    "Why didn''t you just request help from the family?" Gray''s mother frowned.


    It was not known to the public, but the Tobion family is one of the three big families of the world. They hold power in 20% of multinational companies in the world. Their main household was located in Country Y. However, they originated from Country Z.


    Gray''s father, Alex Tobion and Gray''s mother, Melanie Tobion are the current head of the family. They hold absolute power in the family, with their son''s, Gray and Noah, holding second.


    "I can''t just keep using the family''s power to solve everything." Gray kept his explanation short. He didn''t want to get his mother too involved in this.


    "Well, look how it turned out. You even cause this young boy to become hurt." Melanie walk to Sato''s bed as he looked at him sleeping peacefully.


    "Yeah. I deeply regretting getting Sato into this mess." Gray blamed himself. "I shouldn''t have let my emotions get to me during a mission."


    "Emotions?" Melanie was shocked. She pointed at Sato. "You... You mean? You like him?"


    "Yes I do." Gray did not hesitate when he answered. "I do not like him, I love him. I would do anything for him."


    "You..." Melanie was so shocked by his son''s answer that she started to feel faint. However, after a short minute, she recovered from her stupor. "Are you sure about your emotions for this boy? It is not just some fling?"


    "Yes. And I forever will be."


    "Okay..." Gray''s mother rubbed the sides of her head. She started to connect the dots from his past too. "Now it makes more sense. When you were younger, I used to arrange some meetup dates for you, but you did not respond to any."


    "No mother. Even if you had arranged guys for me, I wouldn''t like then either." Gray answered honestly. His frozen heart can only be melted by Sato.


    Just then, a knock on the ward''s door sounded. Their conversation seized and a doctor came in. He was walked to the bed that Sato slept in to check on him. It was time to wake him up to check on his status.


    "Mr. Sato, Mr. Sato..." The doctor spoke the Sato who was coming around. "Can you hear me? Follow my hand with your eyes if you do."


    Sato''s eyes followed the doctor''s finger. Gray watched from the sidelines in anticipation.


    "Wh... Where am I?" Sato asked confusingly.


    "You are in Grace Hospital." The doctor answered him. Following which, he asked him a question. "What is your name?"


    "Sato Takahashi." Sato winced his eye as his head throbbed a lot.


    "What year is it?" The doctor followed up his question.


    "2094?" Sato''s answer made everyone in the room frown. The current year was 2097.

 Chapter 46 - Goodbye

    "2094?" Sato said with a wearied expression on his face.


    The doctor did some more physical checks to see if Sato was responding normally. He came to a conclusion soon after.


    "The patient seems to be suffering amnesia. Other than that, his condition has more or less stabilised. "


    "Doctor, is this short term or long term amnesia?" Gray was worried.


    "I do not know how long this may last for. It could go on for a few days and maybe even a few years. "The doctor shook his head, before leaving the room to Gray and his mother. When Sato went back to sleep, Gray sat by his side as he clasped his hand with Sato''s. His eyes were dim as if it lost a part of it''s soul.


    "Mother, what do you think is the right move?" Gray asked Melanie for advice. His eyes never lost sight of Sato.


    Melanie placed his hand on her son''s shoulder as she spoke honestly. "I think this amnesia may be a good thing after all. After all, your current line of job is too dangerous for a 17 year old to accompany you."


    "Yeah that is true."


    "Maybe in the future, you could come back and find him when it is more peaceful." Melanie comforted his son. He had never seen Gray anguish over someone before. "By then, this young man will be older and he will be more independent."


    Gray listened to every word his mother had said. From young, he had come to realise that his mother has very good reasoning and analytical skills. This was certainly true since Melanie has a PhD in psychology.


    "Okay. I will do as you say." Gray followed her instructions. For the next half of the day, Gray never left Sato''s side. He kept him company and watched the late teen sleep in peace.


    At night, when it was time for Gray to leave, he stroked Sato''s bandaged forehead. He planned to leave right before the doctor did his next checkup. Gray stood beside Sato''s bed in his crutches as his eyes started tearing up in downheartedness.


    "Goodbye." Gray said to the sleeping boy. "I will find you one day."


    With Gray''s departure, Sato was all alone. The doctors were instructed to tell Sato that he had gotten into a car accident on the way to school. Gray had also left the boy a sizable amount of money, under the guise that it was given to him by a generous philanthroper. It was this reason that till this day, he didn''t understand how Sato had gotten himself into this state.


    What Gray did not know was that Sato did not feel like he deserved it. Thus, he had donated all the money away to a charity organisation. Sato then worked hard to earn his keep through scholarships.


    The whole incident was fresh in Gray''s head, where as for Sato, it was as unclear as muddy water.


    An hour after the hike, Sato woke up vomiting out acid from his stomach. The dehydration had gotten the better of him. He realised he was still alive and a handsome figure sat beside his with an overjoyed expression.


    Gray immediately leaped onto the exhausted Sato. Gray''s voice that came out from his mouth was filled with regret. "Good. Good. Your alive. I''m sorry for everything. I am truly sorry for everything."


    "It''s okay, Mr Gray. I''m fine." Sato petted the Gray''s back as he hugged him back. He could tell that Gray was really worried for him. What did I do to deserve such a great person in my life?


    Sato was the only person that Gray would show this side of him to. He tend to hide his emotions from the outside world as it would hinder his thought process. Only when things came down to Sato, he would lose all common sense and chain of thought. Sato meant the world to him.


    Ever since he was promoted to Major General a year ago and his life became stable, he started to look for Sato again. It was around 6 months ago when Gray found out about Sato''s whereabouts.


    However, he did not know how he could talk to him again without sounding weird. Thus, when the fortuitous encounter came along, Gray seized the opportunity.


    "Young boy." Master Choi called out to Sato. "Are you feeling better?"


    "Yes, sir, thank you for treating me." Sato said responsively. "If it weren''t for you, I would probably be dead."


    "Well, I was the one who got you into this predicament. Hence, it is to be expected that I treat you."


    "Oh?"


    Master Choi explained to the confused young man that it was a test set by him to see if he had the willpower to push through toughship. Gray wanted his master to teach Sato the way of Taekwondo for he wanted the boy to be more fit and sturdy.


    "If it weren''t for me, my disciple, Gray would not even want you to go through such a test in the first place." Master Choi finished explaining. "Anyways, are you willing to accept me as your master?"


    Sato understood that Gray had done all of this for him. He felt very warm on the inside. Other than Ming, the past few years for him was rather empty and it was only now he felt like he belonged somewhere. Not dissapointing Gray''s efforts, he replied.


    "Yes, Master Choi!"


    "Good. Good. Rest well for the weekend, from now on, every Saturday will be your training. The venue will be decided when the day gets closer."


    Master Choi sent the pair out of his compound. The two drove back home where they were welcomed with a table of food that spanned over 15 dishes. Sato was rather shocked at how many kinds of meat and vegetables were present.


    "Eat up. I ordered the butlers to cook this for you." Gray reminded Sato to dig in.


    "I thought no one in the house knew how to cook?" Sato cheekily replied.


    "..." Gray quickly delivered a slice of beef into Sato''s mouth, before eating his meal quietly.


    Sato smilingly thought to himself. How sneaky of Gray to lure me into his house. Oh well, at the end of the day, it is a house I do not mind being lured into.

 Chapter 47 - Poppy Handsworth

    Sato went to bed after having his meal. He was dead exhausted from the hike earlier and didn''t even bother to take a shower before knocking out.


    The poor boy was still in his dirty sports wear. He laid in a fetal position on the side of his bed, sleeping peacefully.


    Gray came into Sato''s room. He had predicted this was going to happen. Holding onto a small pail of warm scented water, Gray walked up beside the sleeping Sato. He moved the boy more to the middle of the bed, helped him take off his dirty clothing, even his underwear.


    The naked young man was left exposed to Gray in all his glory, yet he slept unmovingly. Gray knew he wouldn''t wake up, or else he wouldn''t do so brazenly.


    Picking up a soft cloth, Gray wet it and wringed it dry. He wiped it across Sato''s body gently, making sure to cover all areas. He went from the boy''s face, down to his chest and arms, all to the way to Sato''s crotch area. Gulping his saliva, Gray controlled himself as if he was looking at a delicious piece of meat. Sato was like a prey in Gray''s eyes. He was a man after all.


    After wiping all the dirt off the boy, Gray lifted him up lightly as he helped him wear on his pajamas. Sato now wore a panda patterned pajamas that made him look like a child.


    The general left the room looking untouched as if he was never there. The two butlers that stood guard by the door were shocked at how nice their young master was to Sato. Never in a million years would they have thought that Gray would help clean someone up. At the very most, he may ask one of them to do the work for him.


    Gray went back to his room. He himself laid on his bed, his arm covered his eyes. Today was also very mentally exhausting for Gray. He was constantly worried for Sato. His mind was frantic and panicky. Even just now, when he was cleaning up Sato, it required Gray to have a certain amount willpower to not do anything to him.


    When will you recover back your memory, Sato?


    Gray slept early that night too. He woke up before dawn and went for a quick jog. Taking the scenic route around the compound, Gray jogged through a natural valley that was just along his hilly compound. The sun gradually rose in his backdrop as he made his way home.


    The sweaty Gray was wearing a dark blue windbreaker as beads of sweat could be seen suspended on his forehead. The man emanated testosterone that made the younger maids in the house go crazy. How was their boss still single?


    "Hank." Gray called out to his butler that was standing by the door.


    "Yes, young master."


    "Help me cancel the lunch reservation with Poppy today."


    Hank stayed quiet for a while before answering his master.


    "Sir, may I be honest? I do not think it is very appropriate for me to cancel such a reservation for you."


    "Why is that?" Gray wiped his sweat as he answered nonchalantly.


    "After all, Ms. Poppy is known to be a little..." Hank tried to think of a word of describe her. "Overwhelming. She will not take my words as an answer. It would be best if you did it yourself, Master Gray."


    The lady that Hank is scared of is Poppy Handsworth. Ms. Poppy is the eldest daughter of the Handsworth family, a powerhouse family in Country Z. Her father was also a Major General in the army. Her grandfather was a retired Lieutenant General, the second highest position anyone can receive during service.


    Ms. Poppy had a thing for Gray ever since the dinner party that was held in her house 6 months ago. Gray was forced to attend and it was there that Poppy saw the handsome and masculine Gray. She had been pestering her father to help set them up together for the longest time. It was only after promising Gray a certain percentage of his military budget that Gray complied.


    "I did not hire you to say no to my task." With that, Gray left the hopeless butler and went to take a shower. Now, Hank must face the wrath of the young lady of the Handsworth family all by himself.


    Hank went to the house telephone that was a victorian era replicate. Turning the dial, he inputted the Handsworth''s family number. Within a few short rings, a young lady answered the phone with an excited tone.


    "Hello, is this Mr. Gray?" The girl that answered was non other than Poppy. The house phone displayed that it was Gray''s household number. She had ran to the phone from her room when she knew that he called.


    "I''m sorry, young miss, but this is Hank, Master Gray''s butler speaking." Hank started to sweat slightly.


    "Oh. What''s the matter for you to call?" Poppy''s tone changed as she sounded dull.


    "Well, Master Gray isn''t feeling very well today. I am calling on his behalf to inform you that your appointment with him must be postponed." Hank sweat even more.


    "What?! My darling, Gray is sick? Oh no!" Poppy was extremely worried.


    "Yes. Yes. It is very unfortunate."


    "Well, that means that I must come and visit him today!" Poppy''s mood changed for the better. She thought that if Gray saw her when he was vulnerable, he would definitely fall for her.


    "Oh no, Ms Poppy. I do not think that is a good..." The phone line cut off. "Idea..."


    Hank knew that he was in deep shit.

 Chapter 48 - Who Are You?

    Hank paced around the telephone for a minute, thinking about what he should do. He had caused this mess, and so he should fix it. This problem needs to be informed to young master.


    Hank left looking for the house maids to inform them about the situation. He had to prevent Poppy was getting into the house. He tried looking for Potter. However, he was no where in sight. Gray was in the shower and so he couldn''t inform him just yet.


    She shouldnt be coming anytime soon right? Hank thought to himself.


    "Ding dong. Ding dong." The in-house speaker sounded out.


    Hank went to check out the CCTV camera. Shit. She''s here already? A black SUV was waiting for the gates to open, inside was Poppy. Pacing around the CCTV room, Hank tried thinking of an excuse to say to Poppy once again.


    To his surprise, the gates leading into the compound opened up.


    "What the shit??? How???" Hank look at the footage, only to realise that it was Potter that opened up the gates for Poppy. Potter was tending to the flowers by the gate side, which was the reason why Hank couldn''t him anywhere around the house.


    The SUV drove up the small hill and eventually reached the large mansion. Hank stood outside by the door, his hands placed by his tummy. He nervously waited for the young lady to ascend.


    "Butler of the mansion," Poppy spoke to Hank haughtily. "Take me to Gray."


    "I''m sorry Ms. Poppy. I''m afraid my young master is too sick to meet you today." Hank walked alongside her as she came into the living hall. "He is bedridden as of now and is afraid to pass his flu onto you."


    "Oh no! That is not very good! All the more I must take care of him!" Poppy ascended the stairs in hopes of finding Gray''s bedroom.


    Holding onto her small carrier bag, she anticipated Gray''s reaction when he sees her visiting him. Gray will definitely fall in love with me right after this visit!


    Since the young lady has a very strong family background, Hank could not do anything, but follow behind her and hope for the best. He continued to persuade her as she went up.


    Turning right from the stairs, Poppy noticed that one of the bedroom doors. She decided to open it and see if this was where Gray is sleeping. To her surprise, there was a figure that laid in bed, covered by a white quilt.


    "Thats not the right..." Hank tried to stop her, but it was too late. "Room..."


    "Oh no, Gray what happened to you? Are you ok?" Poppy ran up to the man that laid in the bed as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I''m here for you now. Don''t worry."


    There was a light shuffle in bed as the man who was sleeping has awoken from his slumber. The sleepy boy was Sato.


    Rubbing his eye, he turned around to see who was calling out by his bed. His hair was rather poofy this morning and his pajamas was slightly unbuttoned. He looked like an innocent child who was woken up by his parents.


    When Poppy found out that she had woken up a different person, she was shocked. "Who are you? Where is my Gray?"


    Sato didn''t know what was going on. All he knew was that his whole body was sore and the girl wasn''t looking for him.


    "I said where is Gray? Tell me!" Poppy lost her patience. Grabbing onto Sato''s wrist, she glared at him. She thought that Sato was purposely ignoring her, but it was more like Sato was awoken in a stupor.


    "What are you doing here!" Poppy turned around after hearing a familiar voice. Gray''s voice was filled with anger, which caused her to let go of Sato''s wrist.


    "I... I..." Before Poppy could explain herself, Gray walked up to Sato, before looking at the wrist that Poppy grabbed.


    "Sato, are you okay?" Gray asked caringly.


    "Yeah. I''m okay." Sato said.


    Seeing the kindness that came from Gray, sprouted jealousy in her heart. Why can''t the one he care for be me?


    "Mr. Gray. I.. I brought you some medicinal nourishments to help you recover faster. Your butler told me that you were sick and so I have been boiling it since last night." This was obviously a lie as Hank had only told her about this 20 minutes ago. The nourishments were actually expensive herbs that were meant for her father.


    Gray looked at Hank who was looking at the ground guiltily. He then looked at Poppy with coldness in his eyes.


    "Hank." Gray said in a sharp tone. "Chase this lady out of the house now!"


    "Yes, Master Gray." With his command, Hank grabbed her by the arm and pulled the confused young lady out of the room. Only when Gray had given him the instructions could Hank finally act upon it.


    By the time, Poppy was pushed out of Gray''s home, she was still confused by what had just happened. What exactly did she do wrong? It must that boy in the house that manipulated my dear, Gray! I will get my revenge someday! Poppy was sure that it was Sato''s fault that she got kicked out.


    What she didn''t realise was that she had touched Gray''s reverse scale. Whoever does anything to his Sato, would face the wrath from him anytime.

 Chapter 49 - The News

    "Who was she?" Sato asked curiously.


    "No one important, " Gray dismissed his question. "Just some crazy neighbourhood girl."


    "Alright." Sato cracked a small laughter when he thought back to how she acted before. She did resemble someone with a screw loose from their head.


    "Since you are awake, let''s make some breakfast." Gray proposed.


    "Sounds like a plan to me." Rolling himself out of bed, Sato tensed his leg muscles, only to find out the predicament he was in. "Argh..."


    The legs muscles from yesterday were put through hell and back. Now, Sato couldn''t even get out of bed. He was basically a handicap today.


    "Pfff." Gray couldn''t stop himself after seeing how funny Sato look. He resembled a 1 year old child learning how to walk again. Each step he took was shaky and a soft moan accompanies it. "Don''t move."


    With a swiping motion, Gray picked up Sato off his feet and carried him like a princess. Sato blushed in the cradle of Gray''s. He tightened his grip around Gray, for fear that he may drop him. "You didn''t have to do that. I could''ve slowly made my way down."


    "It is not that I had to," Gray steadily walked down the stairs with Sato on him. To him, Sato was as light as a feather. He decided to say a few sweet words to the boy. "It is more of I wanted to carry you down."


    Sato''s grip loosened as he knew that his boss would never want any harm to come on him.


    "Thank you."


    Gray eventually placed him down on the sofa at the living room. Leaving him there, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Sato knew he was basically grounded on this sofa and had to sit here obediently. Bored, he decided to read the daily newspaper.


    "Country X''s military makes groundbreaking advancements on their latest weapon systems!" The headlines caught his eye.


    "Major General Gray Tobion recently attended the annual Military Showcase Event where they revealed the advancements that their research unit has made. As quoted, MG Gray said, ''The latest Missile Defence System is able to detect and neutralise aerial attacks within a 100 kilometre radius. '' The new system triumphs leading military power countries like Country A and C. It will provide an additional layer of safety for our nation. The MG also hinted that they have been developing a Weapon System that can replace our current number 1 weaponry, the Autopilot High Energy Laser Drone. The date of completion was however, not released."


    Sato''s eyes shone brightly. Country X is actually a standalone nation that is surrounded by a vast ocean. The fact that they have been able to improve the system to cover a large circumference of the sea and air, allows for the citizens to feel safer. Thinking about what Gray has been working on made him really proud of his boss.


    Sato continued to read the newspaper. From National news to global news to entertainment and sports, nothing really caught his eye. He then went ahead to on the television, switching to the Ray Of Light Channel. Since the game was a worldwide sensation, the game had created a standalone news source that broadcasted the latest news that happened in the world.


    "Good morning fellow gamers! Next Sunday shall mark the 2nd anniversary of Ray Of Light. We have received news from the developers that there is a special event that will be released at that time. So remember to be on the game that day!"


    .


    "On the Level rankings today, the famous ranker player, GloryLust has become the first person to reach Level 80. He will be the first person to receive his second advancement, which will mark a new era for all players!"


    Unlike other MMORPG games, ROL made the leveling mechanism extra hard. The current level cap was at 100. Yet it is almost 2 years and the highest player has only reached Lv80. Im addition, it gets increasingly harder to level as you get higher. Sato was im awe at the player''s speed. He had been playing the game since he started university and yet, he only managed to reach Lv58 on his previous account. It was one of the reasons why any player will be very reluctant to restart their account.


    .


    "Also, there has been news that the second war between the Human and Undead faction is about to begin. The battle boasts over a 100000 players on each side.


    Each player will only have 1 life. When killed, you will spawn in a different city and not be able to enter the mission terrain. The set mission terrain is at Great Hollow forest, which is the closest terrain to Paleta Forest.


    The fight starts at 6pm Country X Standard Time and will last for a maximum timing of 6 hours. If one of the respective factions is not wiped out by then, the faction with more players alive will win the war.


    I wish all the players that are taking part in this war all the best! Happy ROLing everyone!"


    The message ended there which reminded Sato of the mission that he and Gray accepted. He started to think of his game plan for tonight, wanting to give himself and Gray the best experience possible.


    "What are you thinking so intently about?" Gray walked into the living room with a tray of food, only to see Sato stoning while staring into the distance.


    "I was thinking about our gameplan for tonight." Sato replied.


    "Well, you can think about it when the time comes," Gray placed the food on the coffee table infront of Sato. "Now, eat up while it is hot."


    Gray had made sunnyside ups on toast and some bacon and beans on the side. A simple yet delicious breakfast for the two of them.


    "Thank you!" Sato smiled at Gray before digging into the toast.


    The atmosphere in the living room that day was what Gray had longed for the past few years. Absorbing every bit of detail, Gray then started to eat his breakfast.

 Chapter 50 - Grays Story

    The breakfast session ended peacefully. Now, they were just lazing on the couch together. Gray read his newspaper, while Sato decided to revise through his computer science lecture notes. They resembled a wedded couple that enjoyed each other''s company.


    The peace and quiet lasted for an hour before Gray broke it. "Sato?"


    "Yeah?" Sato said, stopping his work.


    "You can always talk to me about anything. There is no need for you to treat me like I am your boss." Gray proposed.


    "Uhh okay. Sure Gray." Sato smiled at the proposal that Gray gave to him. From the beginning, Sato had never felt binded by the proposal that Gray created for him. In fact, there was never a physical contract for this proposal. He had treated this as a stayover session with his friend.


    "I have actually been curious about something." Sato said to Gray.


    "What is it?"


    "Mmm, how did you get to where you are today? Afterall, it is a known fact that you are the youngest Major General in the history of our country." Sato had heard of Gray''s name on the news when he was in his first year of university. There was no written explanation how Gray had reached this rank.


    "Ah well that is due to a culmination of reasons, " Gray didn''t hesitate to tell Sato everything. He would never hide anything from him. "Like all army promotions, a soldier needs to first accumulate enough events and achievements before being eligible for promotuon. I went to X Military Academy when I was 18, where I did my Bachelors and underwent Officer Cadet Training . When I turned 20, I had already completed my Bachelor in science and was promoted to Captain."


    "You completed your Bachelor''s in 2 years? Are you serious?" Sato was shocked at Gray''s speed.


    "It didn''t take long because I had already completed my highschool when I was 16, giving me an additional 2 year headstart." Gray continued on his explanation. "So right after that, I was posted to a Secret Operations Unit which was where I spent 6 years completing classified missions and raising my rank."


    "It was very dangerous, right? Did you get hurt?"


    "Well, I was never severely injured before, but it was during the last mission, on my sixth year, that I retired from active duty due to an injury on my right ankle."


    "Oh." Sato involuntarily looked at Gray''s right ankle as he told his story. Sato looked rather down now.


    "Anyways, things did get better from then on." Gray immediately switched on the happier story when he noticed Sato''s expression. "I went to Belaviar Institute Of Science and Tech (BIST) to do a direct program that skipped Masters and allowed me to get a PhD in Mathematical Analytics. This took three years to complete."


    "That''s amazing, Gray! " Sato was in awe as BIST was the number one university in the world. The route that Gray took was even harder to be accepted into. Only 5 people every year is allowed to do this program.


    "Thank you." Gray smiled at Sato warmly. "You could do it too if you wanted, you know."


    "Well... Maybe so?" Sato was optimistic.


    "Oh, sorry for cutting you off again. You can continue with your story."


    "Hahaha. Well, there isn''t too much after this part." Gray laughed a little when he saw how polite Sato was. "After graduating, I came back to Country X to report to Army Headquarters. They were planning to post me as the Head of an army Formation, but my father had other plans. The main reason why I was able to get this Major General position was due to my father''s financial injection into X''s Army. He had donated 10 percent of the military budget in exchange for me to hold this position. The army was tempted by this opportunity and so, they promoted me from my previous Colonel rank up to Major General and gave me this job. Of course I required the pre-requisite military knowledge and a PhD which I already had."


    "Mmm. Well, that is still very impressive at the end of the day." Sato could tell that Gray wasn''t particularly happy that his father had interjected in on his career path.


    "I guess so." Gray didn''t take it to heart. He smiled at Sato again as he rubbed Sato''s head. "Just like my father, I will do the same for you. I will get you up to the position you deserve in this life."


    "You don''t have to do that for me."


    "Yeah. I don''t have to. I want to." The comments that Gray always say to Sato, let him feel Gray''s cordiality for him.


    After the storytelling, the pair slowly proceeded to the back porch that overlooked the city landscape. The backporch had foldable glass sliding doors that allowed this space to have both indoor and outdoor elements. As it was autumn now, the weather is chilly and so the porch was made to be indoors. The floor heating on the grounds warmed up the space for Gray and Sato.


    Sato started to work on his report. He was determined to finish it before the ROL event tonight.


    Gray left to prepare lunch quietly. Sato was too focused on his report that he did not even notice the time. In the kitchen, the housemaids were pleading Gray to allow them to cook for the both of them.


    "Young Master Gray, Madam specifically instructed us to cook you the food." The head housemaid, Ms. Paula spoke up for the rest. "It is not right that we disobey at orders."


    Hearing what Paula said, Gray decided to alleviate the maid''s worries. He called his mother.


    "Hello mother?" Gray stared out the window as he spoke to Melanie over the phone.


    "Yes, my dear? It has been a long time since you last called me." Melanie spoke with an excited tone.


    "Sorry, I have been really busy with work. Also, two weeks ago, I found Sato." When Gray spoke of Sato, his tone became happier.


    "You found him? Really? Thats good, that''s good." Melanie knew that his son had been feeling downhearted the past 3 years.


    At first, even though it was also out of care, she had wanted to get rid of Sato from his son''s life as she had thought that Gray was only having a love fling. However, it became apparent when Gray shut himself off from everything and through himself into his studies.


    Melanie was going to help her son find Sato, yet fate was once again played into her son''s hands. Gray had found the boy by himself.


    "Yeah. It''s great." Gray could tell his mother was actually glad for him. Inwardly, he was grateful for having such an understanding mother. "I actually called to tell you that I asked the house maids to not cook for us everyday. They did not want to go against your instructions."


    "Oh that''s okay. Tell Paula that theres no need to worry about what I tell her. She could just listen to you instead."


    "Alright. thank you, mother."


    "Enjoy your day son!" Melanie knew her son was going to end the call already. She quickly spoke out. "I''ll come visit you soon!"

 Chapter 51 - Peace disturbed

    The last sentence stopped Gray''s footstep. Mother is visiting? Soon?


    He was about to call her back for more details, but decided against the idea. Well, I guess Sato can treat it as a ''meet the parents'' session.


    Gray went ahead to shoo the housemaids out of the room after passing on his mother''s message. Thinking about what he wanted to cook for Sato, he decided on a classic dish that he made for him in the past, the Mushroom Risotto.


    Gray reviewed the recipe in his head, envisioning the cooking steps before starting to cook.


    In a saucepan, Gray warmed chicken broth over low heat. As that was going on, he placed 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. This was used to stir and cook the mushrooms, until it turned soft.


    Gray added another tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet, and stired in the freshly diced shallots. He cooked it for a minute before adding rice, stirring it to coat the rice with oil. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, Gray poured in dry white wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. He did the same with 1/2 a cup of chicken broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed.


    Gray continued to add 1/2 a cup of chicken broth at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. This was when Gray removed it from the heat. Gray then sequentially placed mushrooms with their liquid, butter, finely chopped chives, and freshly grated parmesan. Seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste. The whole process took around an hour to finish.


    Gray seperated the risotto into two plates before taking it to the table outside. Sato turned his head when he smelled food. The aroma was extremely tantalising and it made his mouth water.


    "I didn''t even realise you were gone." Sato felt bad that he did not do the cooking for Gray.


    "You were busy with your work. Moreover, you are too sore to cook. I''m more than happy to prepare you a dish." Gray explained to the guilty boy.


    "Okay. Thank you for the meal though! It smells so good!"


    "Dig in then. No need to stand on ceromony." With Gray''s words, Sato dug in. The constant brain power needed to write the report, resulted in Sato becoming extremely hungry. Moreover, the food was well seasoned and tasted really good. Nothing could stop him from engulfing it all up.


    "So delicious!" Sato praised. Within a short 10 minutes, Sato had already finished his food while Gray was only halfway done.


    Sato looked at Gray with a soft look on his face. What did he do to deserve this kind of treatment? His life had been one whole unfortunate event. Yet, it had taken a turn when his boss showed up.


    Gray noticed the boy deep in thought. He reached out to rub the boy''s soft black hair. Sato did not reject it, instead enjoy his touch. The duo''s peace was ruined when Gray''s phone rang. Unperturbed, Gray took his time to wipe his mouth, before answering the call. He turned the speaker on.


    "Afternoon Sir." A deep voice came out from the speaker.


    "Yes, Cyrus?" The person speaking was Colonel Cyrus. From Sato''s memory, he was in charge of data management.


    "Sir, is it appropriate to talk about work right now?" Colonel Cyrus asked carefully.


    "Go ahead." Gray answered.


    "At 0900 in the morning, a trojan had breached our military firewall and started to delete some of the Confidential Level files." Cyrus started briefing the issue to Gray, "The trojan then wanted to bypass our secondary firewall where we manage to stop it''s movement. However, the problem is that the trojan is extremely slippery. Our man is unable to neutralise it."


    Gray showed a deep frown on his handsome face as he was deep in thought. Yet, it made him look even more manly.


    The conversation was played out loud for Sato to hear. He knew this was a rather big problem. The database that Gray was in charge of is responsible for the majority of the current active soldier''s personal information. If they were to let the trojan run rampant, it would cause huge loses and mishaps in their data pool.


    "Alright. Monitor the trojan as of now. I will make a trip over to the office right now." Gray spoke after thinking it through for a minute. He ended the call, looking at the young man in front of him apologetically.


    "Sato, I gotta head back to the office now."


    "Oh. That''s alright, Gray. Work comes first. This matter is of grave importance to the nation." Sato waved his hand about. He knew Gray felt guilty about leaving.


    "Ok. I will be back as soon as possible." Gray nodded, placing his hand on Sato''s shoulder. He subsequently left with firm footsteps, striding through and towards the front door. Butler Potter was already waiting with a black wool long jacket held in his arm. Potter fitted it on Gray before opening the door for his master.


    Gray''s Gale X was already brought out of the garage for him by Butler Hank. He got into the vehicle and quietly speeded off into the distance. The whole process could be simply described in one word, Smooth.


    After Gray left, Sato decided to carry on with his report. He was focused and determined to finish it all by today. His energy replenished and mind was focused. Sato was unstoppable.


    ....


    "Taking into account the Enthalpy of Fusion of mercury, the metal is able to retain it''s solid form in the solution. Thus, the proposed process is theoretically plausible." Sato wrote up his conclusion for his Physics report. He had spent the subsequent 4 hours of his afternoon writing up his remaining body paragraphs and conclusion.


    " Finished! "Sato stood up stretched his body. He bent backwards and forwards several times before sitting down again. Only then did he notice that the housemaids had already cleared away the plate and dish from the table.


    Checking his report through one last time, Sato went ahead to submit his report online to his Physics professor. He had finished the report 2 days before the deadline.

 Chapter 52 - The War Begins 1

    Sato had finished his report just in time for dinner. The housemaids had already prepared everything for the boy which made him feel guilty. He felt like he was abusing Gray''s power to receive free amenities.


    "Thank you for cooking this meal for me." Sato thanked Ms Paula who came out with the food.


    "It is my duty to cook food for the Young Master and his guests. No need to be too courteous, Mr Sato." Paula said to Sato politely.


    The housemaids had prepared an array of dishes for Sato. There was two stirfried vegetable dishes, 2 meat dishes and a soup. It was too much, even for a growing man like Sato.


    When eating the food, Sato couldn''t help but make light moans of satisfaction. The dishes were on par with Gray''s cooking, maybe even better. What he didn''t know was that the housemaids were trained to cook at an extremely high level, contending with even Michelin star chefs!


    The unfinished food was brought away after Sato left the dining table. Taking a shower, Sato thought back through the past week. The things he had never experienced or seen before were numerous. That week flew by like a bullet train and he was anticipating for more to come.


    Sato left the toilet with only a long black pants on. He felt extremely comfortable in his current room as he laid on his soft cosy bed for a while. There was 30 minutes before the War event on ROL starts.


    "Gray is probably still busy with the trojan in the system." Sato thought back to Gray. "He would not be home in time to join the starting of the war I guess."


    Although Sato cared more about Gray''s current situation, he could not help, but be dissapointed in his absence. After all, Sato was still a young adult that wanted to have some fun with his friends, especially when it came to play ROL with Gray. The times that he gamed with Gray were anything but boring. He wanted to progress on this quest with his boss/friend.


    Well let''s just play the war out first, Sato decided. The war mission was going to continue on until there was a clear victor between the two factions. Players that weren''t able to be online at the start of the war is still able to join during the war. However, those that play from the start is able to rake up more contribution points.


    Sitting in the Gaming Pod, Sato''s mind assimilated to the virtual world of Ronan. The dark skies in the normal world had changed into warm rays of sunlight in the virtual world. The world had just become morning and more and more players are rallying in the respective warring cities.


    Players could be seen gathering outside the trade center and potion shop as they made their last minute preparations. Sato didn''t particularly have much to buy. Whitie, Sato''s White Tiger pet, followed it''s owner, moving through the shadows of the undead city. They swiftly ascended the walls of a random tall building.


    The class, Assassin allowed the players to have greater agility in general, making it easier to climb things. In the case of walls, making use of the video game assist, it allowed Sato to make it to the roof tops without too much difficulty.


    Sato walked towards the edge of the building. He sat on the ledge calmly, unafraid of the fall. Whitie being the loyal pet, laid on the ground beside Sato. Sato gently stroked the tiger''s back as it purred softly. The atmosphere was peaceful.


    Sato loved Ray Of Light for this specific reason. The level of freedom in this game cannot be compared to other games. Not just that, the realism factor is truly out of this world. It was like real life without the pains and struggles of surviving in this cut-throat society.


    ...


    On the other hand, in the human faction, a group of players were grouped together as they awaited the in-game notifications to sound. The group was well-equipped and higher level than the normal players. The team leader stood in the center with a female player. She dressed rather skimpily with a short skirt and a tight fit white crop-top that accentuated her chest. Her equipment was definitely not suited for war.


    "Big brother Tyron... How long more do we have to wait for?" A girl wrapped herself around the arm of the Team leader, Tyron. Her breasts squeezed Tyron''s arms as the horny young man felt like he was about to spurt blood out of his nose.


    "Not for long, sweetheart. Not for long." Tyron pacified the girl. He had found the girl gamer recently and had made her his E-girlfriend. Tyron would buy her anything she wanted in-game, essentially becoming her sugar daddy.


    "I want to go shopping after! Promise me Big brother Tyron!" The girl swung his arm around while making sure to keep her virtual chest clasped on Tyron''s arm.


    "Yes yes, sweetheart. I will take you shopping after winning this war!" Tyron agreed to anything his girlfriend wanted, "So just wait patiently ok?"


    The teammates of Tyron cringed hopelessly as they witnessed everything that went on. This was exactly the guild team that Sato was previously in, the RoyalKnights Guild. The way that Tyron cutely spoke was too much for Ming. He had stepped away from his team as he decided to text Sato to ask about his situation.


    "Hey Sato," Sato had told Ming that he would be joining the Undead Faction in this war. "Are you ready for the war?"


    "Yeah, I guess? How is it on your side, Ming?


    "Well... Tyron is off goofing with girls again." Ming complained. "We probably would be tasked to protect her too during this mission."


    "That is pretty normal for him..."


    "Is your benefactor playing the game with you?" Ming asked curiously.


    "Gray?" Sato thought for a bit, "He may come on a little later. He''s at work right now."


    Just as they were talking, the in-game notification sounded for the crowd of players in the respective cities.


    "The Battle of Paleta City will commence in 30 seconds. May all the players joining in the mission be present in their respective cities. Any player that did not accept the mission previously, will be teleported outside the fight zone."

 Chapter 53 - The War Begins 2

    "The Battle of Paleta City will commence in 30 seconds. May all the players joining in the mission be present in their respective cities. Any player that did not accept the mission previously, will be teleported outside the fight zone."


    "I''ll talk to you later, Ming." Sato said his goodbyes, "May the best player win!"


    The end of the conversation marked the start of the war. Players could be seen sharpening their blades, standing proud and tall as they awaited for the teleportation into the battlefield.


    Just like the other players, Sato soon became a white ball of light that was transported outside of Trentham City.


    Infront of the players stood a general cladded in dark armour. There were two skulls, one on each shoulder, placed on the armour, making the warrior look more menacing. The general was the head of the Dragoon family, Vack Dragoon. Being a vampire, his skin was as pale as snow. His face untainted by aging. He resembled a cold looking prince. Yet, his deathly aura made his presence unfathomable.


    *Vack Dragoon (Head of the Dragoon Family)


    *Lv 80


    *HP:??? / ???


    *Mana:??? / ???


    *Active Skill:


    ???


    "Citizens and adventurers of Trentham City! Today marks the day that we conquer the Human Faction city!" Vack decided to give a bloodboiling speech. "The Undead Faction has always been surpressed by the Human Faction in terms of everything! But! That by no means, mean we are weak in strength!"


    "We were just saving up our strength for the long run! Bottling up all of our anger and frustration, awaiting for a chance to exact revenge!"


    "Now! Now is the time we shall strike a deathly blow on the enemy! With the power of the Dragoon Family and the power of our Undead Faction behind us, I am certain we will win this war!"


    "Rrrraghhhhhh!!!" The crowd of players and NPCs roared in adrenaline. Even Sato, who wasn''t even part of the faction, felt the pent-up rage that the NPCs had bottle up.


    "Now warriors! Charge through Great Hollow Forest and let us destroy our enemies!"


    The command acted as a signal for the players and NPCs to start the war. The assassins were the first to dissappear off into the forest. Their high speed movements allowed them to scout for enemies before the slower warriors and mages would arrive.


    Unlike most assassins that immediately decided to flank and attempt to kill off the lower health class players, Sato decided look for a suitable terrain that fitted his class. Being an Elven Assassin, Sato worked best in the night as there was lower visibility. However, the current time was morning and so, there weren''t many favorable places to sneak attack from.


    Moving around the outskirts of the battlefield, Sato soon found a suitable tree that was both large in size and provided sufficient shade cover for him. He was located close to the center of the battleground and so he would be able to reap rewards from outliers.


    Sato was underleveled and so the current players in the game were far stronger than him. He needed to use tactics like this to survive and score contribution points.


    After 10 minutes of straight up running, the warriors from both factions finally crossed path.


    "Die!" An NPC skeleton warrior shouted out as he swung his bone sword down onto the human warrior. The human parried it, crossing his sword horizontally, negating the blow fully.


    Just as the human was about to recover, an skeleton class player interrupted their fight as he charged through and pummelled down the NPC. He followed up with several slash moves to end the human''s life completely.


    The whole battle was unlike what you would expect in a one versus one. Yet, it was completely acceptable, since this was a war and there were really no rules, except kill.


    Sato watched the battle from the sidelines, he waited for his opportunity to act. Just 10 minutes into the battle, a group of 3 from the undead faction was suddenly ambushed by a 10 man team from the human faction. The 10 man team was very coordinate as they surrounded the trio underneath the tree that sato hid on. The advanced stealth, in addition to the shade, basically provided Sato permanent invisibility.


    The leader of the 10 man walked forwards as he spoke to the undead players with contempt. "Hmmph. Can''t believe there are so many weak players that think they can profit from this war."


    The leader and his subordinates were all lv65 and above, where as the trio were only around Lv60.


    "Kill them." The leader gave his command as the players closed in on the helpless undead players.


    In a desperate attempt to survive, the undead necromancer activated Blood Domain. On the battlefield, a huge blood sphere appeared. It trapped the 10 players, the trio and Sato who hid in the tree.


    *Blood Domain - Forms a blood world that traps players or NPCs within a 30 meter radius. The user is able to draw 2% of the enemy''s health every 5 seconds. In addition, any Blood related spells will be enhanced by 10%.


    The spell marked the start of this miny fight,where the skeleton knight activated it''s Death Shield and stood guard infront of the enemy. The vampire warrior stood beside the necromancer, protecting him from any potential sneak attacks.


    *Death Shield - Creates a barrior of death that grants a shield equivalent to 10% of the player''s max health. When broken, will release a death miasma that will damage the enemy of 5% of their max health.


    The necromancer followed up with several flurries of attacks trying to cut down on the opponents. Even though they were putting up a good fight, the sheer strength of higher levels made it impossible for them to get pass the two tanky knights of the human faction.


    The battle was extremely one-sided. Sato did not even dare to jump in and try to help the undead, for even if he did, he would just be sending himself to death. He patiently waited in the shadows.

 Chapter 54 - Out From The Shadows

    "Argh!" The necromancy was flung backwards, hitting the huge towering tree with great force.


    The fight had went on for a pathetic 5 minutes, whereby the human faction members lose one member, while the undead faction only had the necromancer left standing.


    The fight was not even close, to which Sato felt dissapointed with the outcome. The fight was far too one sided, making it impossible to assassinate the humans. Even though there were 4 players that were relatively low, there were the 5 that had 90% health remaining.


    "Hahaha! That fight put up by you three is far too pathetic!" The leader gloated at the necromancer that laid by the tree helplessly. The leader places a hand on his face, covering his eyes as an act of embarrassment. "It pains me to see how you thought so highly of yourself."


    The necromancer gritted his teeth as he looked back at the cocky human warrior. His eyes filled with hatred, his heart boiling and steaming in rage. Placing his hand in robe, he retrives a red vial that had an ominous vibe surrounding it.


    "I wasn''t planning to use this, but seeing how you acted, you shall go to hell with me!" The necromancer swiftly gulped down the vial and within seconds, his eyes turned red, followed by his entire body.


    "Rarrrgggggghhh!" The red undead mage looked at his enemies, charging straight at them.


    The human faction wanted to run away, however the Blood Domain prevented them. As the necromancer reached the center, he convoluted, his whole body was compressed and twisted. The heart of the necromancer started to glow bright red as it shone immensely.


    "BOOM!!!" The necromancer had self destructed, resulting in a catastrophic explosion.


    Surprisingly enough, the remaining players had all survived. The players that had more health, stood in front and activated their life saving abilities for those that were in critical condition. This showed how well coordinated the team of 10 was.


    "Shit. That attack caught me off guard." The leader did not expect the necromancer to have such a destructive item at his disposal. It was a double-edged sword.


    *Blood Of Yaruk


    The blood of the lord of Necromancer, Yaruk is extremely reactive. At the expense of a player''s life, it will result in an explosion radius of 10 meters. Deal 2000 damage to everyone in explosion.


    When the user dies, penalty of - 2 levels, permanently lose 5 stat points for all attributes.


    The blood of Yaruk was a rare consumable potion. As a result, it had caught him off guard.


    Just as the group of players were about to recover themselves, a player came out from the shadows, positioning himself behind their leader. The player was none other than Sato.


    Dagger throw, the health of the already low leader was cut down till he was in critical condition. Sato immediately used assassinate, killing off the leader before he could even make a sound. By the time one of the subordinates turn to look at his leader, Sato had leaped towards him and used Assasinate once again.


    "You have leveled up. You have leveled up."


    This time, unfortunately, the death of the player had made too much of a scuffle. The low health players realised that there was an assassin in their midst.


    "Gather up, quickly!" The remaining six stood back to back as they braced themselves for the enemy. Even though the blood realm had disappeared, they do not dare to escape as that would be exposing their backs to the assassin.


    Unfortunately, they did not know that they were up against an Elven Assassin, a higher and stronger class. Whitie uses Wind''s Wrath, slicing the air with it''s claws. The original closely packed team was separated by the sudden attack of Whitie, spliting them up by several meters apart.


    Taking the opportunity into his own hands, Sato immediately used Blink that was off cooldown reaching behind the priest on their team. A simple Assasinate instantly ended his life as he prevented any healing from happening.


    "You have leveled up."


    "You have learnt Knee Strike."


    *Knee Strike - Knees the enemy, stunning them for 1-3 seconds (depending on how long the player is). Deal 100% physical damage.


    "Who are you?" One of the remaining players asked out as he trembled with a sword in his hand. He had never seen an Assassin that was able to finish off someone at 20% health.


    Sato remained quiet as he immediately ran up to challenge the swordsman. The warrior had managed to recover himself to 40% health and so Sato would require to brawl a little with him.


    Gripping his Dreadful Daggers tightly, Sato ran forwards, eyes starring down on the warrior. He looked intimidating. Even though Sato leveled up 3 times after killing 3 enemies, he didn''t have time to allocate his attributes points. Sato''s agility was extremely high that it caught the warrior off guard. Swinging his sword downwards from above, the warrior roared with determination.


    "Ugh!" Knee Strike, Sato lands a strong blow on the warrior''s tummy, making him winded. The stun lasted for 3 whole seconds due to the warrior''s low health. Sato hopped over him lightly, making use of backstab to lower his health.


    "Shwuang!" Just as he recovered from the strike, the sword of warrior sliced through the air diagonally, attempting to chunk the low-level assassin down. Sato noticed the incoming attack. Using his fast reaction time and high agility, he bent backward, barely enough to avoid the whole blow. Unluckily, it wasn''t enough. The enemy kicked Sato backward, pushing Sato away from himself.


    By now, the whole fight had gone on for a minute. The human faction group had managed to regroup together again. Most of them have recovered their health to a safe level. In addition, the Blood Realm was removed and their fight had attracted some onlooker''s attention. Sato decided that he should make a tactical retreat, even though he had plenty of health.


    "Thump..." The ground shook slightly. Sato felt cold sweat form on his back. A strong force suddenly crushed on the shoulders of the young assassin. His knees bent slightly as if the gravity around him increased by tenfold. What was causing this?

 Chapter 55 - In Danger

    Sato stood there unmovingly, his hands tightly clenched. It wasn''t that Sato didn''t want to move, but more that he couldn''t. There was a terrifying level of pressure exerted on his body.


    "Blink." Sato used his skill to get out of the zone. Even though the pressure was able to root him in place, Blink is able to forego such effects. He wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead as he looked at the person that had casted that terrifying spell.


    "A level 24 Assassin is causing you trouble?" A person holding a wooden staff with a sapphire crystal embedded on the top, spoke cockily.


    Sato squinted his eyes as his head started to spin extra fast. This opponent is rather difficult to handle.


    *Lacklustree (Spatial Mage)


    *Level 75


    *Human


    As of now, Lacklustree was the number 1 mage in the world. He specialises in locking up the enemies movements. Being able to bump into him on such a huge battlefield is truly Sato''s misfortune.


    Sato looked around him where he soon realises that there weren''t many options of escape for him. The north side was completely devoid of trees for it looked as if a large fire had came through and had destroy it all. The South side was where Lacklustree was standing, whereas the east side had the injured group that Sato was fighting with. The only option was to run westward!


    However, just like how Sato had found an escape route, so did the number 1 mage in the world figure it out.


    "Don''t think you can run away from me!" Raising his spatial staff, Lacklustree started to cast his next spell.


    Seconds later, a long slash mark appeared infront of where Sato was running towards. The dark purple hue accompanied by spatial particles flowing into the marking, was the Spatial Mage''s signature spell, Spatial Rift.


    *Spatial Rift - Opens an entrace into space. Any enemies that get too close will be sucked into the rift. When entered into space, the player will gradually lose his health with no hope of escaping.


    The move that Lacklustree casted was used to trapped Sato, preventing him from leaving from any direction.


    "You all over there! Go kill him!" The mage shouted orders to the injured team. When casting Spatial Rift, the mage has to constantly supply mana to it, hence he would be immobile. The spatial particles was visibly repairing the slash mark.


    Seeing this, the furious team players immediately acted on it. They surely wanted to avenge their fallen leader and comrades. They ran towards Sato with vigour.


    Yet, Sato did not panic. He knew that panicking would not help him solve his predicament. There was only one option left. Charge through the group of enemies and make it to the burnt trees terrain. With the passive ability, Wind Runner, he would be able to run on open terrain such as that swiftly.


    Sato lowered his center of gravity discreetly. He did not want to give away his plan this early on. Keeping the frown on his face, it made Sato look helpless.


    The first two warriors had already charged up on Sato. Slicing downwards, they had made it certain that Sato''s only form of retreat was into the Spatial Rift. Or was it?


    Just as warriors were 2 meters away from Sato, the Elven Assassin leaped into the air, making use of his lowered stance. He jumped over the two warriors, shocking them greatly. While in the air, Sato tucked his legs in, before kicking them out on the backs of the two enemy. Unluckily, they were too close to the rift, resulting in them being sucked into their death.


    "You have leveled up."


    "What?!" Lacklustree who was spectating was truly surprised at Sato''s reflexes. Who would have thought that a low leveled assassin can outplay a Lv60 odd player?


    Sato knew this wasn''t the time for him to celebrate. He has yet gotten to safer grounds and is under fire from two formidable enemies. The enemy archer had already prepared to fire her arrow. She released it just before Sato landed on the ground. It signified that the arrow shot would most definitely hit Sato and fatally kill him.


    As this was a video game, Sato was able to see the arrows trajectory and could more or less gauge it was going to hit his heart. If it were real life, it would be humanly impossible to react to this.


    Yet it wasn''t, so Sato took advantage of his high agility to try twist his body in the weirdest angle possible. Since the shoot was going to hit him, he needed to reduce the damage he was going to take. With the twist, the arrow shot had missed his heart and had scrapped right under his armpit.


    "You have taken 100 damage from the skill shot, Arrow Snipe." The system sounded out in Sato''s head. Due to Sato''s low level, he wasn''t able to equip better armour. In addition, his stamina stat was too low, causing him to low a significant chunk of health.


    Sato landed in a spiderman pose, his eyes still looking up in fear of the enemy launching another quick attack. What he did not realise was that the enemy had thought the arrow skill would have ended him there and then. Who would have thought that he could once again survive?


    "Whitie!" Sato shouted out into the large tree, where Whitie the tiger was waiting. Listening to his master''s instructions, Whitie used Wind''s Wrath, but this time, aiming towards the ground. "Boom!"


    The soil that was loosened from the previous explosion had become similar to fine dust. Now, with Whitie''s skill, they were able to create a dust storm as a cover.


    Sato promptly climbed onto Whitie''s Back. The loyal tiger seized the timely opportunity to run upwards to the flaming plains. The skill One With The Wind allowed them to move faster.


    One With The Wind - Gain 200% extra movement speed when out of combat.


    The well-thought-out plan was only possible as the player was Sato. His high intelligence allowed him to think outside of the box and make quick decisions. Within seconds, Sato had managed to leave behind his enemies and made it out of the encirclement.

 Chapter 56 - The Sibling Squad

    As the dust storm slowly cleared away, a man dressed up in a black wizard robe could be standing still solemnly. The man was Lacklustree. Stomping on the ground in frustration, veins could be seen on his forehead. "How embarrassing it was for me to be outplayed by a low-level assassin! Mark my words, if I were to bump into you on the battlefield again, I will make sure you are destroyed once and for all!"


    Even though Lacklustree is unable to read his username due to the 1000 Disguise Mask, most of the players in the war, if not all, are higher than Lv50. Additionally, he remembers how Sato was dressed up. Flinging his sleeves, the enraged mage leaves the scene. In the case of the ragtag injured team, they were just grateful that they made it out of that scuffle alive.


    During this time, Sato had already run far into the burning plains on Whitie. Around him were many small scuffles between the two factions. It seemed like the big fight that caused this part of the forest to burn had already ended.


    Sighing in relief, Sato drank a health and mana potion to get him back to full health. He finally had the time to allocate his newly acquired stat points. I had jumped from Lv21 to Lv25 during this fight! What surprised me the most was that assisting in killing the enemy had given me experience points! The acquired passive skill, Bounty Hunter, is such a godly skill! Now, how shall I allocate my points?


    After 5 minutes of deliberation, Sato placed his points where he thought was best suited for his current mission.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv25 : 80000 / 150000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 55 (+30) (+10)


    *Agility : 65 (+80) (+10)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0) (+10)


    *Stamina : 35 (+40) (+10)


    *Health : 850 / 850


    *Mana : 200 / 200


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw


    Advanced Stealth


    Blink


    Assassinate


    Knee Strike


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Backstab


    Queen''s Blessings


    *Pets:


    Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Equipments:


    1000 Disguised Mask


    Dark Raven Set [5/5]


    *Dreadful Daggers (primary weapon)


    *Flaming Crossbow (secondary weapon)


    Sato had mainly allocated his points into Stamina since he had way lesser health than the other players. Also, his equipment was far too shabby.


    Now, what would be Sato''s next course of action? As of now, the fight is skewed towards the Human Faction. Most of their players were teaming up temporarily and so they had the number advantage. The best option right now would be... To forge an alliance!


    ...


    "Hobz! To your right!" Hanz called out to his brother who was about to be ambushed by an assassin. The preoccupied Orc knight heard his warning and immediately dodged to the side. The attack by the assassin missed.


    "Thanks Brother!" Hobz shouted out to Hanz while continuing to fight the enemy warrior. The two of them were twin brothers that decided to play ROL together. One decided to be a Orc knight while the other was a Orc archer.


    "Continue to focus your shots on the warrior, Hobz. He is their team''s main damage source. If we take him out, we will win this skirmish." A man wearing glasses, who was holding a relic-old book, gave instructions to Hobz the archer.


    "Got it, Blast224!" Hobz replied with a snigger.


    "Call me Hayden! Or I will kick you out of the team when we are done with this!" Hayden warned the mischievous Hobz. The Orc Necromancer was their team leader and strategist. "Big sis Laia don''t laugh too!"


    A girl could be seen laughing at the joke that Hobz made earlier. Unlike the way Hayden had treated Hobz, he was kinder to the girl gamer. "Who asked you to pick such a lame name?"


    The girl, Laia was actually Hayden''s big sister and she was playing as the Orc Shaman of the team. The two pairs of siblings were close friends in real life and had decided that they would make a squad in ROL.


    "Focus on the fight with us!" The enemy could not help but cry out loud. Which person would talk about other stuff while fighting against an enemy? Such disrespect!


    The fight between the two parties was rather close. The human faction team did not let their main damage dealer die and the undead faction team was also being harassed by the enemy constantly. Yet, the funniest thing was that it seemed like the undead team didn''t care about it one bit.


    "Blast224! I''m hungry! Can I log off and eat for a bit, then come back on to fight?" Hanz asked a question with a blank look on his face.


    "DON''T CALL ME BLAST224!!!!" Hayden went ballistic."Also, what makes you think you can leave in the middle of a war and then come back in a bit??"


    "But Hayden I''m hungry too! Hanz and I didn''t eat dinner and we came on to play..." Hobz chipped in.


    "I TOLD YOU TO EAT BEFORE COMING ON!!!!!" At this point, Hayden was screaming his lungs out.


    "Hayden, you''re too noisy! Do you want me to kick your ass when we get out of the game?" Laia showed a devilish face to her brother.


    "So...rry." Hayden could only reply with a depressed face. In front of his big sister, he had no power.


    "Haha, Hayden got scolded again..." Hobz teased the same-aged Hayden.


    "..." The enemy was speechless at how their fight had turned out. So was the invisible Sato that was listening in the distance. What kind of team was this? They were far too eccentric! I like it!


    Sato decided to help them out. Staying in stealth mode, Sato had snuck behind the enemy backline. He then used Blink, appearing right behind the main human swordsman. Even Hobz was surprised at the random appearance of Sato. How did he get through without being detected?


    Knee Strike, Sato stunned the enemy and followed up with a Backstab that reduced him to critical condition. Assassinate. That was the end of the swordsman. Everyone around was shocked by the sudden end of the stalemate.


    "Attack them now," Sato said to the four undead gamers. "I''ll provide you pressure on the other players."


    "Okay." They agreed to Sato''s proposition. There was no reason not to.

 Chapter 57 - The Fierce Battle

    "So who are you?" Fighting alongside Sato was Hobz. He asked out curiously.


    "Yeah why do you do so much damage for a Lv20 plus player?" Hanz couldn''t help, but comment out too.


    "How about we finish the battle first, then I will answer your questions." Sato broke out a cold sweat from listening to them talk.


    Within a few short minutes, their fight had ended. Sato had managed to level up once more, reaching Lv26. He could now answer their questions during this momentary peace.


    "So what''s up with you helping us?" Hayden was the only one who was suspecting Sato''s sudden appearance. In addition to that, they were unable to view his username, making Sato even more obscure.


    "Well firstly, the reason why I helped you guys out is because I wanted to find a team that I could temporarily form an alliance with, " Sato answered honestly. "My teammate is unable to log in to join the war yet, leaving me all alone."


    "Then... What about your level? The last time I checked it said you were Lv25, but now you are Lv26. What is that about?" The observant Hayden did not let go of a single detail. As expected, not many people know about the Bounty Hunter skill.


    "I acquired an item that allows me to change my levels and stats, in addition to masking my name. It''s the reason why you guys can''t see it." Sato twisted the truth a little, since the 1000 Disguised mask doesnt actually change your stats and level, but only the looks.


    "Okay ... Let me discuss with my team before informing you if you can join..."


    "Welcome mysterious assassin to the squad!" Hobz interrupted Hayden, walking forward to place his hand on Sato''s shoulder.


    "Huh???" Hayden was speechless at how fast Hobz had accepted Sato.


    "Welcome!" Both Hanz and Laia had said their pleasantries to Sato.


    "Alright then..." Hayden could only follow along at this point. "Welcome to our team."


    "Thank you everyone." Sato said.


    "What do we call you by then?" Hobz asked.


    "Sato is fine. That''s my real name."


    ...


    The newly made group of five then started to move off after making simple introductions about themselves. To the siblings, Sato was just a hermit vampire assassin who didn''t want to show his level and name.


    "I wanted to ask this before, but what happened to this large patch of trees on this land?" Sato asked them curiously.


    "Oh, you have asked the right person! We were here when the grand battle was fought!" Hobz the most talkative person in the squad started to tell the story.


    "When the battle had first commenced and our sibling squad had come to this part of the land, all the trees were still intact. All of a sudden, General Vack from our side and a swordsman in white from the human side appeared!"


    "You should be able to guess what happens next. A great battle commenced with General Vack activating Hell''s Terrain. Within 5 kilometers radius, all the trees were burnt down by the flames of hell! Not only that, the ground was able to spawn flame devils that would indiscriminately attack people. Not only that, those in the terrain were unable to leave due to a flame barrier!"


    Sato listened along and finally understood why when he was waiting in the large tree before, there was not much commotion. Many players were trapped inside the burning terrain.


    "So, after the General had casted the spell, the swordsman in white did not panic. Instead, he remained composed, while casting a super scary spell. It was scarier than the Hell''s Terrain! He used Heaven''s Armament! I''m sure you have heard of what that active skill was!"


    Of course Sato has heard of it. He was after all once part of the human faction on his old account. The Heaven''s Armament was a Active Skill that could only be learnt by the 3 Great Light swordsmans in the Human Faction.


    Heaven''s Armament - Generate an unlimited amount of swords that can be controlled at the owner''s will. Lasts for an indefinite period of time.


    "Since the three great light swordsman were split up to defend three regions in the human faction, that would mean that the warrior that was fighting just now was..." Sato spoke ominously.


    "Yes. He is the first son of King Grathor, the youngest light swordsman, Maverick Heathersworth." Hobz continued. "Throughout the whole Undead Faction, maybe even the Human Faction, everyone knows that General Vack Dragoon is one of the 10 rulers of the Undead Faction. Yet, against a great light swordsman, he was being surpressed!"


    "Everytime a flame devil spawns on the ground, it was immediately killed off by Maverick''s Heaven''s Armament. Vack was not able to cause chaos in the war. The swords from the heavens were far too overpowered. In the end, both sides fought for 30 short minutes before both sides retreated away. Though, Vack Dragoon did sustain more injuries. That was also why the morale of the humans were higher than ours."


    The story that Hobz told showed Sato that it was just as he had observed. The undead side was losing the war. The players needed to form up in groups not act alone anymore. The newly formed team with the siblings is the perfect scenario for Sato.


    "Looking at where we are now, I suggest going towards the river that runs near the edge of the forest. There would be lesser players that are higher level there." Sato looked at the current team''s levels. The average in the team was Lv60 which was barely passable at this rate.


    "Mmm, but i love fighting people!" Hobz commented while flexing his biceps. Hanz and Laia both agreed with his statement. "It''s alright if we bump into strong enemies! We just need to defeat them all!"


    "..." Sato was once again speechless. Defeat them? Have they ever fought someone of high caliber? They were acting like fishes in a small pond that did not know beyond their home was a vast ocean. Did I choose the wrong team?

 Chapter 58 - A Proposed Plan

    Currently, the war had lasted for 3 hours. The sun that rose during the start of the battle, was gradually going down. By now, most of the solo players had been eliminated from the battle. This was a team game and if players weren''t willing to adapt, they were simply awaiting their deaths.


    Also, the main problem that players were facing now was fatigue. Mental exhaustion was to be expected coming into this, since Ray Of Light does not require people to physically move their bodies.


    The respective factions had agreed upon a temporary cease fire for both sides were exhausted from the constant fighting.


    In the makeshift Human camp, ten leaders of the ten strongest team were having a meeting to discuss the next course of action.


    "I suggest that we should break up into a 3-4-3 formation and move into the battlefield." The leader, TeaseMePlease of the HellFire Guild team decided to speak his mind first. "The two teams of 3 will split up from the main group of 4 and attack from the sides."


    "I stand on TeaseMe''s plan. It would enable us to divide and conquer, yet reduce the number of casualties that each team will have." The leader of the AngelicPeace Guild, AutumnLeaves agreed to the proposition. She was the only female leader out of the ten of them.


    "That may be a plausible plan, but based on your course of action, wouldn''t the group of 4 teams take the largest bulk of damage from holding the Undead Faction off? Out of everyone here, who would be willing to sacrifice their members for the other''s interests?" Complexity from the RoyalEmpire guild brought up the elephant in the room, to which the other team leaders that were too afraid to speak up, started agreeing with him.


    The three leaders that spoke up in the meeting were part of the strongest guilds in Ray Of Light. HellFire guild was ranked 3rd in the world, AngelicPeace guild was ranked 7th in the world and RoyalEmpire guild was ranked 2nd in the world.


    Their sheer power that they could summon at any point of time, was simply unimaginable. Tyron was lucky enough to be invited into this meeting as one of the representative leaders of their makeshift team, but compared to the three of them, he was worth peanuts. All he could do was listen to them talk in the back and hope he gets a portion of the final cut.


    "That is true." TeaseMePlease folded his arms, looking across the table at Complexity condenscendingly. "However, you have to think about this in the long run. If this plan were to be carried out, our Human Faction is almost guaranteed a victory. Our main General, Maverick Heathersworth had already dealt a significant blow on their General, which already reduced any potential anomalies. Also, what plan are you able to formulate right now that has no drawbacks whatsoever?"


    The words from TeaseMePlease cut into Complexity''s bones quite deeply. His plan was indeed the most effective and would be able to make use of their current player alliance that they had created. It''s no wonder he was crowned, one of the 7 greatest tacticians in the game.


    "Alright. Then how would you organise which team goes where?" Complexity popped the question that everyone wanted an answer to.


    "Simple." TeaseMePlease showed an innocent smile, while raising his arm up to stretch. "The three of us would rock paper scissors. The loser will be the ringleader of the group of 4. For the rest of them, they will draw lots to see who goes where."


    Just like that, their plan had been settled. Their alliance could be said to be more of a dictatorship than a proper alliance. The funniest thing about this plan was that TeaseMePlease had lose the rock paper scissors game and was chosen to become the ring leader of the meat-shield team. The unlucky leader of the HellFire Guild was sulking under a tree as he awaited for everyone to gather up.


    On the other hand, the Undead Faction had a different course of action. Unlike the Human Faction, where the different teams were coordinated and were able to come to a concensus on a plan, the Undead Faction were constantly bickering on what they wanted to do.


    In this war, there were four main guilds that participated under the Undead Faction''s name. They were the Vortex Guild, the Everlasting Guild, the DeathWing Guild and finally, the GODS guild. Respectively, they were 10th, 9th, 4th and 1st in the world rankings.


    Even though there was a clear disparity in the strength of the guilds, no one wanted to have one clear leader amongst everyone. Everyone wanted the largest piece of the pie.


    "Since we are unable to arrive on a consensus, we shall all move off seperately and fight for our own objectives." Mars spoke for his Guild, GODS, leaving the meeting room to go back to his team.


    "I''m leaving too. Bye peeps!" Yolla from Everlasting left the room next, followed by TextDontCall from Vortex.


    Only SilentNoise from DeathWing stayed behind in the meeting room. His hands would clasped together, his forehead resting on it. He had suggested a temporary alliance with everyone, but it failed miserably. Now, he had to think of a contingency plan.


    Unlike the other three leaders and their guilds, DeathWing was different. Their main city that they had focused on was Trentham City. The one that managed to trigger this war mission was exactly due to their guild. As a result, if they were to fail to win the war, the biggest loser would definitely be them.


    "That piece of shit, Mars... He must''ve figured out that we needed to secure the victory of this war to progress further up this mission." SilentNoise complained under his breath. After all, Mars was also one of the 7 greatest tactions in this game. "I should''ve expected this outcome when I proposed the alliance. The only plan I could think of now is..."

 Chapter 59 - The Injured Vack Dragoon

    Within a tent made out of Cow''s Hide, a man laid on the wooden bed, looking rather injured. He had a long bloody cut across his chest that no matter how many bandages were wrapped around him, the bleeding wouldn''t stop. The injured man was Vack Dragoon.


    As he laid in bed thinking about his miserable loss to the Light Swordsman, a shadow of a hunchback man appeared outside of the tent. When Vack noticed the hunchback''s presence, he immediately left his bed, kneeling on the ground without care for his wounds. He beared the pain that felt like a million needles stabbing on his wound, for the man in front of him can do him much worse.


    "Mas...Master," Vack''s words trembled as he spoke to the hunchback man. "The... The Light swordsman was... Was too strong for me. I apologise for being a let down to your excellency."


    "You imbecile! How can you not even take care of a Light Swordsman? You were even blessed with my demonic power." As the hunchback man came closer to Vack, he was able to see the numerous scars on the wrinkled face of his master. One of his eye was not open, but it did not seem like he was missing his eye. There was stitches that sewed together his eye lid preventing it from opening it. He was the demon wizard of Dark Arts, Garglos that once tried to foil Sato''s mission.


    Garglos reached out his bony arm, straight for Vack Dragoon''s body. As he touched Vack''s skin, a dark aura started to emanate from Garglos'' hand. "You shall now pay with your life! Life Drain!"


    "No your excellency! I promise to not fail you anymore! I promise! Ahhhhhh!!!" As Vack screamed and writhed in pain, Garglos did not let go of his grip, continuing to drain his life force from the Dragoon head. Within seconds, the once muscular Vack, had become a pile of skin and bones.


    Life Drain - Suck up the life force that is within a person. Each year of life force is equivalent to a year of living.


    "Pathetic of him to only contain 5 years of life force left." Garglos snorted. The reason why he dared to make so much noise was due to the soundproof barrier that his tactician, Marcoy created.


    "Now, let us carry out the backup plan. Bone Realignment."


    Crackling sounds could be heard throughout the room. It was from the bones of Garglos. The once hunchback old man had miraculously managed to straighten up his back. In addition, his once sharp diamond shaped face had transformed into a squarish-looking face.


    "Damn! That hurt way too much! Now, Muscle Inflation!"


    Next, came the sound of the whistling of air. The noise continued as the muscles of Garglos started to grow bigger. His chest, biceps, thigh and even his nether region were all inflated!


    When all this was finish, Garglos removed his dark purple robe to reveal his naked body. The once frail and bony figure had changed into a muscular and well-built body!


    Walking up to the pile of skin and bones, Garglos separated the skin from the bones, afterwhich he slipped it on himself. The body muscles were configured to look like Vack. He was planning to impersonate him!


    Looking down at the new him, Garglos cackled in amusement. Oh how it reminded him of his past. Back then, in order to enter the Undead Faction, he had to dress up similar to this.


    "Sir Garglos, there is the adventurer, SilentNoise is here to seek your presence and guidance." Marcoy informed his superior who was getting used to his body.


    "Oh,"Garglos smiled in excitement. This was the young man that would help the Dragoon family in any way that he could. "Help wrap me up in bandages now. It''s time to test whether my acting skills is still up to par."


    After three minutes of waiting, the anxious SilentNoise was allowed to enter the tent. He had been pacing around outside, not knowing what to say to the head of the family. When SilentNoise went into the tent, the assistant of Vack, Marcoy (He was placed under Vack when he was still alive) was already standing beside the injured man.


    Seeing the deep red wound on the General, it made Silent even more apparent that the loss of their undead city was drawing near. He decided that he should speak up now, for it would be too late in a moments time.


    "General Vack... I... I am regretful to say this, but... We are losing the war on our front. The adventurers... We simply lack the strength to win against the wretched Human Faction!" Silent put on a defeated look as he spoke with grit. One knee on the ground, his fist was rolled into a ball as he looked up at the deathly-looking general.


    "My treasured adventurer, I too was defeated by the Great Light Swordsman. I''m close to death''s door and yet I do not want to die with any regrets." With the help of his assistant, Garglos used all his strength to stand up. He walked towards SilentNoise as he made the adventurer stand up.


    "I will need your help during the next part of this war. The next fight may be the climax and finale all in one." With a little bit of acting, Garglos made sure to look like he struggled. In Silent''s eyes, Vack had raised his hand outwards. A purplish aura that gave off an overwhelming power started to form in his hand. The spherical aura grew larger and larger, but eventually, it condensed into a small dense ball.


    "This... Is the remaining power that... I have in me... Use it... On the warriors... You see fit... I look forward... To the victory... For my city..." After giving his ''remaining power'' to SilentNoise, Vack collasped on the ground, struggling to say his last few words. It was then, Vack Dragoon had passed on.


    "*Inheritance Of The Mysterious Aura


    *You have received a Mysterious Aura from Vack Dragoon. Should you choose to accept this strength, you would be required to share it with 50 players.


    *The Mysterious Aura will be able to give the players a 200% increase in all stat points throughout the course of this war. The side effects are unknown, but it may also not show throughout your whole gaming experience."

 Chapter 60 - Inheriting The Mysterious Aura

    *Inheritance Of The Mysterious Aura


    *You have received a Mysterious Aura from Vack Dragoon. Should you choose to accept this strength, you would be required to share it with 50 players.


    *The Mysterious Aura will be able to give the players a 200% increase in all stat points throughout the course of this war. The side effects are unknown, but it may also not show throughout your whole gaming experience.


    This was the mission that the system had given SilentNoise. When he saw it, he knew that the game had not truly given up on him. Godly! Truly a godly skill! The increase in stat points would allow the players to become twice as strong as they usually are.


    Now, as for sharing it with players, 18 will be given to his teammates and him, leaving him with 32. Silent was not planning to give this to the other big three alliances, for why would he want his competitors to get stronger. There was only one group he could pass this to.


    Near the encampment of the big four alliances in the Undead Faction, laid bare an open ground that was used as a temporary rest point for miscellaneous teams. These were teams that were either formed during the war or just small teams that weren''t part of an alliance. These were players that numbered to around 200.


    Sato and his teammates were resting on the dirt ground as they waited for the second round of fighting to start.


    "Haydennnnnnnn," Hobz was grabbing onto Hayden''s leg as he begged him continuously. "Can I please leave the game to eat? I''m veryyyy hungry..."


    "No." Hayden''s answer was an immediate refusal.


    "But..." Hobz soon made a teary face, while looking at Laia. "Big sis Laiaaaa. I''m hungryyyy. Can I get off to eat?"


    "Just hold on for a little longer. We should try to survive and kill enemies for as long as we can. That way our rewards would be higher." Laia tried to coax the hungry Hobz. His brother, Hanz simply sat by a stump, enduring the hunger pangs.


    From the past 2 hours, Sato had gotten to know his teammates more. Hobz, Hanz and Hayden were all 18 year old students that were attending university, whereas Laia was 26 years old and was already working.


    The four of them were only playing this game for fun as far as Sato could tell. Within the past 2 hours, their contribution points had only allowed them to reach within the top 100s ranking, which is pretty for a casual player.


    "Sato, what is your true level? Your point rankings is so high compared to us!"


    "Luck I guess."


    Sato, on the other hand, had reached the 20. How? While exploring with his team, he would first move head and look for any potential kills. He had managed to kill off any random outliers, both on the Human and Undead Faction, credits to his 1000 disguised mask.


    "Shucks! I forgot that there was that political science report due early in the morning!" Hanz opened his eyes and stood up in surprise.


    "Hahahaha you lazy sloth! Unlike you, I had finished all my reports yesterday!" Hobz decided to rub it on his twin brother. "Who asked you to play ROL till late at night yesterday?"


    "Oh Hobz, you managed to complete the 10 structured questions for the Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry?" Hayden asked, with a surprised look on his face.


    "Commutative Algebra? We had homework for that???" Hobz then stood up in surprise, alongside his brother. Sato who watched from the background, chuckled lightly. What a funny pair of brothers.


    Their conversation was soon cut short when a light commotion arose in the camp base. "Did you hear? SilentNoise from the DeathWing Guild had come with an amazing offer!"


    "Oh, let''s head over for a listen." The curious bunch of siblings decided to tag along the crowd. They reached the back, noticing that SilentNoise was preparing to give a speech.


    "Hello fellow players. Most of you here should know who I am and so, do trust my words when I say it." Silent had attracted everyone''s attention. "I just went over to visit the Head of the Dragoon Family. Unfortunately, he had passed on from this world."


    "What? The general has passed on? Are you serious? What are we going to do about this war now?"


    "This time we are screwed for sure! Why did we even decide to wage war on the Human Faction? What a waste of time!"


    "Does this mean that this is the end of Trentham city and the Dragoon Family? This sucks!"


    The commotion in the camp had reached an all-time high. Everyone only calmed down when SilentNoise spoke again. "Quiet down everyone! Even though he had left this world, he did leave me something to impart on select individuals!"


    Raising out his hand, Silent summoned out the powerful aura as it levitated on his hand. He had even shared the effects of the aura to show that he wasn''t lying to then. "This is the remaining power of General Vack. He had instructed me, while on his deathbed, to give the players extra strength to battle in the war!"


    "I will be selecting 32 players amongst you all to inherit this power. Now who would like it?" Immediately as Silent said the question, the group of players cheered and roared in excitement. Some people even wanted to climb onto the tree stump, in hopes of stealing it out of Silent''s hand, but his guildmates barricaded around him.


    The sibling gang joined in the fray, trying to fight for the aura. Only Sato remained still. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the aura closely.


    Ever since he had gotten close enough to SilentNoise, his heart started to have an uneasy feeling. It felt similar to when he had fought against the Demons back in the Beginner Village. Behind that strong power, was most definitely a Demon essence!

 Chapter 61 - The War Continues

    "Guys, wait up." Sato called out to the four that were trying to squeeze through the crowd. He had a frown on his face which stopped everyone''s movement.


    "What is it?" Hayden asked.


    "The Mysterious Aura. We should not inherit it."


    "Huh? Why is that?"


    "I sense..." Sato thought about how much he should tell them,before speaking. "I know that beneath the benefits that it is giving, there is a malicious demonic aura."


    "Demonic aura? Like the Demons that invaded our continent?" Hayden''s eyes constricted listening to Sato.


    Everyone has read the lore about the Demons invading the land of Ronan. Everyone could predict that the main quest for both Factions would eventually lead to the clash with the Demon race. Thus, when Sato spoke that the aura had the presence of Demons, the siblings became apprehensive.


    "Are you sure about it?" Hayden asked Sato once again to reassure himself.


    "Yes, I am. I cannot tell you how I know, but what I say is definitely true." Ever since he became an Elven Assassin, Sato''s sensitivity and awareness for his surroundings had improved tremendously. In addition, he had fought against stronger Demons before and so it made him even more sure of it.


    " Okay. We shall listen to you and not get the aura." After playing with Sato for a bit, the siblings knew that Sato had no ulterior motives. Rather, they had taken quite a liking for him.


    "I say, let''s get going and look for a strategic point to prepare for the upcoming fight." Sato adviced and the rest complied. The 5 players left the group ahead of time.


    While looking for a place to fight, Sato decided to allocate his points once again. He was able to increase his level to Lv29. It was truly shocking if anyone could see it. As of now, Sato was comparable to a Lv60 player, stats wise.


    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv29 : 100500 / 190000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 60 (+30) (+10)


    *Agility : 70 (+80) (+10)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0) (+10)


    *Stamina : 45 (+40) (+10)


    *Health : 950 / 950


    *Mana : 200 / 200


    *Active Skills:


    Dagger Throw


    Advanced Stealth


    Blink


    Assassinate


    Knee Strike


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Breath Of The Wild


    Tamer Skill (Beginner)


    Wind Runner


    Bounty Hunter


    Backstab


    Queen''s Blessings


    *Pets:


    Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Equipments:


    1000 Disguised Mask


    Dark Raven Set [5/5]


    *Dreadful Daggers (primary weapon)


    *Flaming Crossbow (secondary weapon)


    In the Undead Camp, SilentNoise had chosen the strongest players in the miscellaneous camp to give the auras to. He even manage to rope half of them into his team to fight this war. "This time our guild shall be number 1 out of all of the guilds!"


    ...


    As the time reached 9.30pm, the battle once again commenced. The Undead faction players haphazardly ran onto the battlefield in search of players to fight. They soon found their target, yet was hesitant to attack. Why? Well, the Human players were all coordinated and commanded to stand together, making them stronger.


    "Charge! For our Faction!" The coordinated group, under TeaseMePlease from the HellFire guild''s command, attacked the spaced out Undead Faction.


    Even though the Human Faction was more coordinated, after 10 minutes, the strength in numbers on the Undead Faction started to show. Only WAR guild had yet to attack and was only watching.


    "Why are we suddenly winning this fight by so much?" Mars frowned as he watched the battle from the sidelines.


    "That is weird indeed." A soft yet soothing voice commented from the side of Mars. Her face was covered by a thin pink veil, but anyone that looked carefully could tell that she was definitely a beauty. She was another elite from GOD guild, Venus.


    "Advance Scrying." Venus used her observation skill to scout for any clues.


    *Advance Scrying


    *Able view from a bird''s eye view within the distance of 2000m.


    Venus looked into the battle that was enfolding before her. She too frowned when she realised the problem.


    "Out of the 3 top guilds that participated in this war, only HellFire is fighting right now."


    "What?!" Mars rubbed the right side of his forehead after getting the intel. After a minute of think, he gave his orders to his guild. "Venus, immediately prepare for a counter-attack on the enemy. Allocate everyone to the right side of the forest battlefield."


    "A tough battle is about to start."


    On Sato''s side, his squad had been standing on the left-most side of the forest, picking off smaller groups of players.


    "Kill kill! Woohoo!" Hobz shouted in excitement. The constant fights allowed for him to forget about his hunger.


    "We are winning! The end is close!" Hanz used Far Sight from the tall tree that he was standing on. He was able to see the battle that was taking place in great detail.


    *Far Sight (Advanced)


    *Allows the user to see for a distance of 1000m. The sight will only be visible when there is a clear passage of view (e.g. In a plain, on a very tall scouting point)


    The battle was progressing faster than the Human Factions thought, thanks to the Mysterious Aura from Garglos. The Human players were being overpowered by the Undead. However...


    "That doesn''t make sense." Sato commented as he ended another player''s life.


    "Why doesn''t it make sense? The Aura is allowing us to overwhelm the Human Faction. Obviously, we should be winning." Laia asked Sato, confused.


    "No. Even if we are now supposedly stronger than the Human Faction, we should only be tying with them in terms of strength and not crushing them." Sato continued to explain logically. "After the end of the first battle, our players should be lesser than the Human Faction. But now it seems like they are definitely lacking players on the battlefield..."


    As Sato was explaining to his teammates, there was a light tremor on the ground that started to become louder from his left side. It was then Sato knew what had happened.


    "An ambush! Run! Run fast!"

 Chapter 62 - The Ambush

    "An ambush! Run! Run fast!"


    Sato turned his body, grabbing onto Laia who was nearest to him and ran off towards the center. The enemy ambush was starting and they were caught in the frontlines of it.


    "Charge! Kill!" a large group of players readied their bows and staffs as they cast their skills and barraged Sato and his teammates.


    "Everyone use your defensive skills now! Don''t be stingy on it!" Hayden quickly commanded his team, focusing himself once again. He had been too lax and so, had not done sufficient reconnaissance.


    The enemy''s attacks soon came flying in under the sky. If anyone were to be hit by more than 5 of those skills without any protection, they would surely be dead. That was currently the case for Sato. Unfortunately being a low leveled player, his current health was truly subpar. Three full attacks would be his maximum.


    A fireball''s trajectory was falling towards Sato, yet when it seemed like it was about to hit him, it barely misses the young man by the skin of his teeth.


    "How is that possible!?" The Fire Mage that was aiming at Sato was utterly profounded when it missed the assassin.


    What he didn''t know was that Sato could make some calculations in his head at an inhumanly fast speed. It was what made him, Sato, a genius in University Z. In addition, being an Elven Assassin, it allowed him to have high Agility to help react to these attacks.


    ...


    In the middle of the battlefield, the bigger guilds started to panic when they heard about the commotions from the sides.


    "What! We are trapped?" Yolla gritted his teeth as he thought about his guildmates that were mainly grouped at the periphery. "Quickly tell the guild to group together again. We are going to have to launch a counter-attack!"


    "I knew something was fishy about this. The whole fight went far too smoothly." TextDontCall spoke with a wise intonation to his vice-leader for this war. "Carry on to earn contribution points in the center of the battlefield. I''m sure SilentNoise will likely join in the fray and counter-attack. At that time, we will have time to earn more points."


    Just like TextDontCall said, SilentNoise was currently ordering his guild to move towards the sides. He needed to win this fight badly or else he would lose out way too much. "Quickly send Baldy and his group to the left, while you move with your group to the right. I will try to finish off the remaining players in the middle with my group."


    "Yes sir!" SilverBullet followed Silent''s orders, leaving to the right.


    ...


    "God... you sure took your time to attack didn''t you?" TeaseMePlease complained unceasingly. "You guys were definitely planning to use this opportunity to chip away my guild''s strength! How despicable..."


    "I do not know what you are talking about..." Complexity dug his ear after hearing TeaseMe speak over their voice comms.


    "..." AutumnLeaves remained silent.


    "Well, you bastards better do a good job on the sides and help us cinch this win!" TeaseMePlease spoke with spite.


    "Yeah, yeah." With that Complexity left the call. It made the furious HellFire leader even angrier.


    "When I see him outside of this war, I am going to make sure I kill him a hundred times over!"


    "..." AutumnLeaves left the group in silence.


    On Complexity''s side, after ending the call, he went ahead to do his job. "Continuing raining attacks on the enemy while charging in! Once we are close enough, switch to arm combat and the backline shall provide support!"


    "Yes sir!" Even the guilds that were not under Complexity were completely stunned by his calm demeanor.


    TeaseMePlease may have spoken as if Complexity had taken a longer route, but what he didn''t know was that Complexity had already taken into account the exact distance needed to prevent enemy reconnaissance, such as Advanced Scrying, from detecting them. The reason why it felt like TeaseMe was losing so badly was simply due to the sudden gain of the Mysterious Aura on the Undead Faction''s side.


    ...


    "Argh!" The death toll on the side of the Undead Faction spiked with the arrival of the two ambushes. Eventually, both factions were dead even in the death count.


    Sato and his team had managed to run away from the rainfall of attacks, but everyone except for Sato was badly damaged. They did not have such fast agility nor the processing speed to react to the attacks.


    "Quickly heal up using your potions. Laia, heal yourself first, then heal everyone else." Sato spoke out while watching their backs. Their group was now hiding behind a larger-than-normal tree. The enemies were close and so they couldn''t spend too much time there.


    "This is bad..." Hanz sighed slightly, his blade and shield were sprawled beside him. "I ran out of potions to heal myself."


    For a knight like him, it was natural to run out of potions easily. Luckily, Sato did not have to use much of his potions and so he passed half of his to Hanz.


    "Thank you, bro Sato." Hanz smiled warmly. He had already accepted Sato as one of theirs after all that they have been through.


    "All good, Hanz. Besides...Shh." Just as Sato was about to speak, he heard the footsteps of players coming closer. To his surprise, when Sato was peaking from the side of the tree, an arrow whistled by, barely missing the assassin''s head. Shit, we have been spotted, Sato thought.


    "There''s no need to hide anymore. Come out." A cocky voice rose from behind the tree. it was very familiar to Sato, making him smile slightly under his disguise. The cocky man had one arm around a slender lady, while his other was loosely holding onto his sword. He was none other than Tyron, his school bully.


    Tyron''s group immediately went over to the side of the tree that Sato''s team was recovering by. Their measly group of 5 was simply too small compared to the group of 20 from Tyron. At this moment, Ming who was standing with Tyron''s team did not know he was up against Sato.

 Chapter 63 - Breakaway

    "Bahahaha! These low leveled players dared to enter the war mission!" Tyron decided to rub it into Sato''s group. "No wonder the Undead Faction is losing. They have noob players like them!"


    The rest of Tyron''s guild started sniggering and followed with their leader''s comments. Anything to get on his good side. Only Ming stood silently by the side, watching the group of five guiltily.


    Sato stared into Tyron''s eyes angrily. It was fine if he had only insulted Sato, but to drag his four other teammates into this? It was simply unacceptable.


    "Hayden. I will try to distract the group of them. Seize that opportunity to make a run for it." Sato quietly whispered under his breath to Hayden who was gripping his staff tightly.


    "How could we do that? We..."


    "It''s okay. There''s no need to stay behind. The location to fight there was my decision and so I should bear the responsibility." Sato didn''t let Hayden continue. He did not want to drag everyone down with him, at most he dies in the battlefield. There weren''t any penalties for dying here.


    "Enough chitchatting, you low lifes! Let me end your adventure short now!" Swinging his sword downwards and pointing it at Sato''s squad, he yelled at them.


    "That''s so typical of you, Tyron. To use your group to attack those of lower power than you. Despicable." Sato stepped forward getting closer to the cocky leader. Due to the low level displayed on Sato, the other players did not even bother to raise their weapons.


    "Huh? How do you know my real name?" Tyron had not used his real name as his in-game name. In-game he was called HisMagnificence, a truly cocky name.


    "I guess you wouldn''t have been able to recognise me, now that I have changed my name." Sato spun the dreadful Dagger on his fingertip. "How about this? If you beat me in a 1 versus 1, I will tell you how I know your name?"


    "Hahaha! Sure! This 1v1 against you will be so easy that I will only have to use my sword to defeat you!" Tyron didn''t think much of this challenge as he had thought that he could finish Sato off in seconds. What he didn''t know was that Sato was buying his teammates time to heal up so that they can make a healthy sprint later on.


    Brandishing his blade, Tyron walked up, finally leaving behind his sugarbaby. His guildmates had created a makeshift circle for them to fight in.


    "Watch my first strike!" Tyron shouted out as he slashed downwards using all his might. This was a Level 70''s full force attack, something that Sato wouldn''t look down upon.


    Just as it was about to split Sato in half, the assassin gently leaped backwards. The blade barely misses him.


    "What?"


    Tyron shocked at the assassin''s agility decided to continue slashing at him. Yet, it was to no avail. Sato was not getting hit by even one attack. Heck, he did not even have to use Blink to run away.


    "You sure you are able to kill me solely based on your normal attacks, Mr big ego?" Sato taunted the young man while yawning a little.


    "You piece of.... Shit!" Going against his words, Tyron followed up Sato''s taunt with an empowered strike, Earth-Shattering Blow.


    *Earth-Shattering Blow


    *When slashing down, creates a small gravity surge that will stun anything within it. Deals 150% physical damage.


    Sato knew what attack was coming up as he saw the red glow from Tyron''s sword. Afterall, he was once part of the young man''s guild. Using Blink, Sato appeared behind Tyron. He taped on the cocky boy''s shoulder teasingly.


    "Too slow, Tyron." Sato Knee Strikes the back of Tyron, stunning him for a short second. In that time he decided kick him into Tyron''s human barricade.


    "Arghhhh! YOU FILTHY ASSASSIN!" When the rich spoilt boy got up, he was fuming with anger. His face was red and looked like it was steaming from all the pent up rage in him.


    "Take this blow from me! Not like a pussy that only knows how to run!" This time, Tyron had activated his strongest skill. A flurry of symbols appeared in a circle around the furious swordsman. The air around him stiffled and fluctuated as if his aura had thickened tremendously.


    "Symbol Of Death: Magi''s Blade!" With a vertical slash in the direction of Sato, the circle of symbols that was originally on the ground, had formed in the air. Next, came out a bright light from the center of the circle, lines started to lengthen out from circle.


    Sato smiled as he swiftly skidded on the ground, preemptively dodging the long range sword skill of Tyrons. In a second, the light expanded straight towards where Sato originally stood.


    Missing the assassin, it continued to on to destroy the tree behind Sato, where the 2 pairs of siblings were recovering. The center of the tree was completely destroyed, resulting in it falling downwards.


    "Whitie now!" Just like he had asked before, Whitie used Winds Wrath to knock up a dirt cover that lower the player''s vision slightly. That was the signal that Sato gave the siblings for them to run. The tree that was once obstructing them had been taken away too.


    "Don''t let those four get away!" Tyron figured out the assassin''s plan and immediately ordered them off.


    "It''s too late! If you leave to chase them now, I shall kill your small brained leader!" Sato, instead of running away, walked up to Tyron who was immobilised.


    *Symbol Of Death: Magi''s Blade


    *Summons a sword ray from Magi''s volume. Deals 500% Physical damage that is able to destroy almost any terrain that is struck in it''s path. After user uses the skill, he will be immobilised and unable to cast anything for 5 seconds.


    "How did you know about the side effect?" Tyron stared into the mysterious assassin''s eyes. He had only used this skill when he was against raid bosses or when he was sure that I can kill someone. Unless the person was a part of his guild before, no one else would have known.


    It was then Tyron had an epiphany. Scanning through all the people that had known about this skill, only one person fitted the criterias.


    "Sato... So it is you." Tyron laughed loudly while he had no choice, but to stand still. "Guys no need to chase his teammates! Circle around this peasent boy! I''m going to make sure I kill him on this battlefield!"

 Chapter 64 - Sato Against The RoyalKnights

    The situation was simple. Sato was surrounded, trapped in the grasps of the RoyalKnights Guild, Tyron''s guild. Everywhere he looked was the same, death. He was staring death right in the eyes. Since his respawn, this will probably be his first death.


    "You have any last words, you filthy peasant?" Tyron made sure to enunciate his last three words. He would always make a point to rub it in on Sato that his social standings were higher than his.


    Was it an Inferiority complex? Sato didn''t know why he was targeted by Tyron. Regardless, Sato stood still in the center of everything. His mouth curved upwards. His eyes didn''t falter. His hands never loosen his hold of his blades.


    Tyron furrowed his eyebrows in dissapointment. "Why aren''t you trembling in fear? You know that you are going to die in my hands any second now right?"


    "Why is there a need to fear death at this point?" Sato shrugged his shoulders. "Fearing death wouldn''t help my situation."


    "Pffff..." Tyron started to laugh at Sato again.


    "Acting tough in a hopeless situation is so typical for peasants like you and Ming over there. After all, that is all you can do..."


    "Don''t drag Ming into this, Tyron. This grudge is between you and me. Even if I were to die in your hands, I will try my very best to drag you down with me!"


    Focused, Sato brandished his blades as he ran straight at Tyron. Seeing Sato act, Tyron panicked slightly, faltering as he got behind his guildmates.


    "Kill him!"


    The two players in front of Tyron were the two co-leaders of the guild, SummerWind and TerriblyGood. Both of them specialised in defence and offence. Activating Light Guard, the armour that they were wearing started to glow brightly.


    *Light Guard


    *Grants additional 50 armour and magic resistance for 2 minute. All Darkness related spells and abilities will have 40% reduced damaged.


    Thinking through this, he didn''t use Blink just yet to get past the two Paladins. Knowing the players in Tyron''s guild, there were many of them that had crowd control effects. Sato sparred with the two of them. One on Sato''s left and the other on his right. They continued to strike down on the assassin. Yet, the solo player was relentless in his defence and was even able to damage the two paladins.


    However, it was of no use as Tyron''s team had two Priests that healed them back to full.


    "Haha! You may be one slippery assassin, but against so many players, what can you do?" Tyron taunted Sato. "Mages cast your crowd control on him now."


    There were 3 mages in Tyron''s team, two of them casted Area of Effect spells that required Sato to be in the area to be stunned. The other had used a sure-fire hit spell.


    Perfect. Sato had been waiting for this moment. He knew that no matter what he does from this moment on, he would eventually perish. Thus, in order to maximise his returns, he was hell-bent on killing Tyron.


    Just as the spells were about to hit him, Sato used Blink. Other than the skill being able to get him right beside Tyron, he would be immune to all stun effects for a whole second! Thus, just as the explosion where Sato originally stood happened, he had already reached behind Tyron.


    Backstab, triggering a critical strike, followed by a Dagger Throw and another Backstab. He was comboing his attacks as much as possible.


    Tyron was surprised that Sato was able to escape from it. In addition, where was his damage coming from?! He had managed to lower his health by a third. Not only that, only 15 seconds had passed since he had used his skill, he needed to wait for another 5 seconds.


    When the guild members had realised that Sato was right on their leader, they couldn''t do much. If they were to target Sato, it would most definitely damage their leader too.


    "Hea.. Healers quickly heal me back!" Tyron stuttered for fear of death.


    "Wishful thinking."


    Tyron had not notice, but Whitie who had left earlier with the group was actually hiding and awaiting the next orders. Right now, it was occupying the three priest''s time.


    "Its time for you to die." Sato took out a dynamite looking item that he had bought for this war. It was the DX500, a dwarven specialty item.


    *DX500 (Consumable Item)


    *When activated, after 5 seconds, the Dynamite contraption will explode and deal 500 true damage to everything within a 10 meter radius.


    When Tyron noticed the item, he started to panic even more. He knew the damage that would be dealt to him and at his current health, it would be impossible to live.


    "Sato, Sato I''m sorry for what I had said earlier. Please spare me! I''ll let you go too!" Tyron tried to negotiate for his life. He wanted to be a part of the victory in this war and not just be a spectator.


    "Save your words, Tyron. I''m definitely killing you today. This is not just for what you did earlier, but also for all the times that you took advantage of your status to bully me in game!" Sato smiled devilishly.


    "Goodbye Tyron." The DX500 had ticked down to 0, just as Tyron''s immobilisation was finally over.


    "Boom!"


    The once flat ground had a newly formed crater. There was translucent grey smoke that floated in the air. Only Sato was left in the crater, Tyron had been taken out of the battlefield. At this point, Sato was only left with a 100HP. He was surely going to die to the remaining players.


    "Kill me now, if you must avenge your dumbass leader." Sato smiled care-freely.


    The mages had already fully charged up their spells and had aimed it the crater. Bzoom! Three different coloured spells of destruction blasted out from the respective mages. The second boom happened. More smoke rose in the air.


    Now, Sato was gone too.

 Chapter 65 - The Greatest Fight In ROL

    Outside of the battlefield, Tyron had respawned in the neighbouring city.


    "Argh!" The spoilt leader was furious at Sato. He had been killed and now was forced to watch from the sidelines. Since he was unable to communicate with those on the battlefield, he went ahead to watch the battle on the official broadcasting website.


    Searching up for his Co-leader, Summer Wind''s point of view, he watched what happened after. From the aftermath of the mages, it looked like Sato had finally died alongside him.


    "Good. At least that bastard died too. Sato, I will make sure you pay for this!"


    Those that had died in the war would be unable to make use of the contribution points in the war. In addition, only the faction that wins will be able to receive rewards from this battle. That was why everyone was trying their best to stay alive while winning the war.


    In the game, a Knight clad in shiny armour had stood by solemnly. He had watched the whole battle and did nothing to help his friend.


    "Sato, I''m sorry," Ming spoke apologetically to himself. He wanted to help, but being in the guild with Tyron had bound him.


    ...


    As the conflict between Tyron and Sato ended, the main battle in the centre of the forest had reached its climax. The Undead Faction was ambushed in three directions leaving them with no way of retreating. Even if they moved backwards, it would do them no good.


    Yet, it did not yield the overwhelming results that the Human Faction was expecting. On one hand, they are indeed winning the battle. On the other hand, the Undead Faction did not yield a single bit and was holding on very well.


    "What''s allowing those players in DeathWing to stay alive for so long?" TeaseMePlease who was in the thick of it had watched the Lv60 odd players from DeathWing overpower Lv70 players like it was nothing. That was a 10 level advantage!


    Even the other guilds from the Undead Faction were confused when they realised how strong DeathWing was.


    "Silent, how come your guild members and several casual players have this dark aura circling around you? Is this a spell buff that you cast?" Yolla asked curiously in their temporary war chat.


    "No. The General, Vack had given it to me to pass it on to players. It buffs our overall stats for this war." SilentNoise knew that he wouldn''t have able to keep it under wraps forever. Thus, he told them frankly.


    "Wow! I can''t believe you didn''t share it with me." Yolla complained, with a pouting emoji in the chat. TextDontCall forwarded the message, agreeing with Yolla.


    "You didn''t want an alliance so I shall be the monopoly," SilentNoise replied simply.


    "Guys, my guild will launch an attack from behind in 30 seconds. Focus down HellFire Guild first. They are the weakest." Mars brief them on his plan, to which everyone agreed. It was the most logical point of action.


    "Alright, I will send a notice to my members."


    ...


    Behind the group under HellFire, a large circle of with many red symbols formed on the ground. TeaseMePlease''s subordinates noticed and informed him. He was frantic.


    "Everyone be careful! The enemy is flanking." TeaseMePlease realised that this was WAR Guild''s prized spell, Advanced Teleportation.


    Just as Mars had briefed, his group of 50 players appeared behind and had launched a counter-attack. Immediately, Mars used Earth Shatter, breaking the ground in a cone shape and stunning the Human Faction''s backline.


    The subsequent attacks from GOD were layered together perfectly resulting in absolute destruction in HellFire''s main damage and support backline.


    "TeaseMe! It''s you versus me! " After using his Crowd Control skill, Mars went ahead to challenge the team leader of the HellFire guild, leaving the shot-calling of his team to Venus.


    "Sure! Bring it on big guy!"


    An Orc Warrior versus a Human Magic Knight. Even though HellFire was the 3rd ranking guild in the world, based on individual power ranks, TeaseMePlease and Mars were 1st and 2nd respectively. Aside from this war, they have challenged each other 100 times so far since the release of this game. They each had 50 wins.


    "Let this fight be the deciding round to see who is the strongest in ROL!" Ares proclaimed.


    The greatest fight in ROL history began. Both sides activated their defensive skills before running up to trade blows. Cleaving blow was used by Ares. His axe sliced through the wind, aiming down on TeaseMePlease''s shoulder. Yet, the human Knight did not falter, activating Gear Armament. This was his prized ability, that allowed him to increase all his stats by 150% temporarily while allowing him to interchangeably switch out his weapons.


    The activation of the ability granted temporary invulnerability, which helped block the Orc''s attack. Mars was blown back slightly, but he continued forward without care. Switching off his original one-handed blade, TeaseMe equipped his Thousand Lightning Bow, which was supposedly used by the current strongest archer in the world.


    "Hmph. I cannot believe you would be this desperate to win this battle. Having to switch your original bow for something stronger." Mars smirked in disgust.


    "Upgrading your weapons is a strategy in itself, little orc. Now taste the lightning."


    Activating the bow''s unique active skill, Arrows that were released had become armour penetrating bolts of lightning that jolted through the air.


    Mars knew it was coming, preemptively activating his prized ability too, Rage Overdrive. The orc warrior was consumed in a ball of crimson red. When the lightning arrows came into contact with it, the damage was immediately nullified.


    "Tch." TeaseMe clicked his tongue.


    Seconds later, Mars broke out of his eggshell. The red that was on that ball, had also transferred onto his skin. He had become something that looked like Satan''s incarnate. His horns had enlarged, his eyes had turned red too. His muscles on his arms, chest and legs were bulging.


    "Rraghhh!" Bursting with strength, Mars launched a flurry of swift powerful attacks on TeaseMe. The Magic Knight immediately switched back to his one-handed sword and brought out his divine shield to parry his crazy attacks. Everywhere they went, there was destruction. Their abilities that they launched were currently one of the strongest skills available right now.


    After 5 minutes of clashing, both sides were reduced to 50 per cent health. However, TeaseMe was at an upper hand for his armour as Mar''s rage bar was almost gone, which would force him to transform back to normal. He had managed to deter the orc warrior using his long-range advantage from the bow.


    "Hmph, this fight is harder than I thought," Mars spoke in the midst of all the dodging of arrows. "However, I have one trump card."


    The thing that Mars said had made TeaseMePlease cold sweat. What was this premonition I''m feeling?


    "It''s too late to think about it now. So, goodbye." With that Mars activated, Terrorising Fear, a sure-hit skill that is able to freeze any player for 2 seconds. He then used Cleaving Blow once again to chip his health down.


    "That wouldn''t be enough to kill me you know." TeaseMe knew the limits of Mars, after using all his skills, he would still be left with 25% health. Plus, Mars would be rendered with no more active skills, allowing him to win eventually.


    "Yeah. I know it wouldn''t be enough. That was why I called a friend to come help me."


    "What?" A traceless shadow appeared right behind TeaseMePlease''s back.

 Chapter 66 - Satos Class Upgrade

    "What?" A traceless shadow appeared right behind TeaseMePlease''s back.


    Before he had gotten a chance to turn his head, the assassin had already slashed the neck of the Magic Knight. A glint of the blade, a swipe of his hand, TeaseMePlease was instantly killed.


    He didn''t even have the time to say what he wanted to say to Mars. Despicable. Under-handed. Yet, he couldn''t really blame the War God, Mars since this was afterall a war and where a team battle was necessary to win. Still, he was rather salty that he had to call for an assassin to finish him off.


    The body of TeaseMePlease started to disappear. A man dressed in a dark cloth-wear, his face covered with a mask. The assassin emitted an aura of death as he stood in the middle of the finished battle. His hands were holding onto a pair of Cresent looking blades that glinted without any light reflecting on it. He was the one who finished off TeaseMePlease instantly. He was none other than Sato.


    ...


    Going back 30 minutes in the past, Sato was lying sprawled on the ground, awaiting his eminent death. The spells from Tyron''s mages had already been prepared. In 3 seconds he would die and his first mission of infiltration into the Dragoon Family would all become a failure.


    "Bzoom!" The spells were released at breakneck speed. Sato closed his eyes awaiting his death. He had always hated dying in this game. It may be painless, yet the feeling of dying felt all too real emotionally. Back then when he was part of Tyron''s guild, dying was a regular occurrence for him. Everytime he did, it would make him shudder from head to toe when he leaves ROL.


    Huh? Sato opened his eyes in confusion. Why wasn''t I dead? What came next surprise the young man. A tall lean fit man had stood in front of Sato and blocked every spell for him. From his familiar looking back, he looked like every handsome prince that came to save the princess in their time of need.


    "Gray?" Immediately after blocking the spells, a smoke cover gave Gray a timely escape route. Gray smoothly picked up the injured Sato as he zoomed out of the scene. Sato was confused from what had happened, but chose to stay put in Gray''s embrace.


    This may be a game and so there was no temperature sensors, however, his heart felt warm at this point in time. After running and hiding behind a secluded group of trees, Gray was finally willing to talk.


    "You were going to ask how I knew you were there?" Gray predicted Sato''s question, where by the boy nodded in agreement.


    "I was watching you from the internet broadcast on the way back from work. Thus, I had a vague idea of where you were." That was a lie. Gray had not only been watching on the way back, but all the way from the start of the war until the time he came on. Heck, he really to personally kill Tyron when he spoke illy of Sato.


    "Oh that makes sense," Sato said while drinking up a potion. He looked at the handsome man that was looking out for enemies nearby. His chiseled face and his blue eyes didn''t change even after the visual alteration. "Thanks for saving me, Gray."


    "There''s no need to thank me. It''s my duty to protect you. I even almost failed if I had come a second later." Gray spoke guiltily.


    "Well, you did save me so there''s no need to be guilty. Besides, is the data breach in your department fixed up?"


    "Yeah, all fixed. That trojan was eliminated an hour after I arrived. However, I had to stay in the office to investigate the loophole they exploited."


    "That''s good then," Sato sighed in relief. He had thought that Gray abandoned his work early just to play games. "Well, now that you are here, let us carry out the next course of action!"


    "Dawnlore is out of combat. You have reached level 30 and is eligible for class promotion. There are two routes that you can choose from. The Dark Elf or the Light Elf route." The system notification sounded in Sato''s head.


    "The Dark Elves are specialised in close and far range combat battles, where as the Light Elves are specialised in damage spells and healing. The Dark Elves are more oriented to Agility based stats, while the Light Elves are oriented to the Intelligence based stats. When the path is chosen, you will not be able to switch over in the future. Please decide carefully."


    Within hesitation, Sato chose the Dark Elves pathway. He had been allocating the majority of his stats to agility from the get go. When chosen, Sato had an opaque glow surrounding him.


    His character was changing visibly. The major difference was the skin colour. He was once very fair, but now it had become a blueish grey tint. His eye colour had become a red hue that looked like rubies trapped in his eye.


    "Your skill ''Dagger Throw'' has been upgraded to ''Dagger Mark''."


    *Battle Mark


    *When damaging the opening using this skill, (deals 100% physical damage) the enemy will be marked by you for 5 seconds. You will be able to teleport to the marked location during this time frame. (costs 20 mana)


    "You have gained the passive skill ''Enhanced Nightvision'' and ''Bow and Dagger Mastery''. "


    *Enhanced Nightvision


    *Visibility of Obstacles and players at night increased by 100%. (Author''s note: Basically it becomes as clear as day to Sato.)


    *Bow and Dagger Mastery


    *Allows player to use two types of weapons, the bow and the dagger interchangeably. Can be switched during combat.


    "You have gained the unique active skill ''Incorporeal Spirit''."


    *Incorporeal Spirit


    *Transform your body into an ethereal spirit of nature from that will last for 1 minute. Everytime you kill an enemy, increase duration by 30 seconds.


    *Whenever you kill someone, refresh Blink skill cooldown.


    *Gain active skills Twin Leaf Storm and Treant Summon. Gain passive skill Nature''s Barrier.


    Twin Leaf Tornado: Creates two vortexes that strikes opponents in two directions. Each vortex deals 150% damage. Has chance of critical strike.


    Treant Summon: Gives souls to trees for the duration of your transformation, making them into treants that are under your command. Max summon: 3 (increases with progression of level)


    Nature''s Barrier: Forms a shield around you that negates 50% of all damage. Lasts for the duration of your transformation.

 Chapter 67 - Temporary Partnership

    The glow around Sato disappeared. He opened his eyes, processing the skills that he had just received. The skills... They were so strong! At this point, his ability to kill people has increased by two fold!


    Unique Skills were something that every player yearned for, yet seemed almost impossible to learn or receive. There were 3 methods of acquiring a unique skill.


    The first which was the most generic way, acquiring through Dungeon Instances. When a team completes the first clear of a dungeon, the final boss would always drop a unique skill book that could be learnt. Although, the unique skills that they drop aren''t the strongest of them all. In addition, this route is not usually available for casual players since the large guilds have far more resources and manpower to achieve the first clear of any dungeons.


    The second, which is how most of the top players receive their unique skills, is through the main story line quest. When reaching an important milestone, the player would be rewarded with something on a huge scale, such as a unique skill book. Players like TeaseMePlease and Mars had acquired theirs through the main quest progression. It is evident that their unique skill is more powerful than the rest.


    The third and final way to receive a unique skill is through luck-based occurances. Stowed away in different locations in this world of Ronan, is treasure chests for players to find. Even though it is very rare, this route of acquiring unique skills is the most conventional way for casual players. The skill "Symbol Of Death: Magi''s Blade" was found by Tyron''s guild on an expedition into a Desert Terrain.


    For Sato''s case, he had gotten his unique skill through the second method, main quest progression. Sato shared his newly acquired skills to Gray. He fully trusted this man and would be willing to trust his life with him.


    "That''s a very strong unique skill." Gray raised his eyebrows when he saw Sato''s.


    "Yeah, with this, my survivability has also increased, " Even though Sato reached this point, he wasn''t satisfied yet. "However, we got to do something about this war. It is progressing in the Human Factions favour."


    Gray agreed with Sato. He had been monitoring the state of the war outside of the game too. At this juncture, the Human Faction had pincer the Undead Faction, trapping them in the middle.


    "Before we discuss this, let me pass you these." Gray took out a set of equipments that are for Lv30 assassins. He had already prepared the best equipments for Sato way beforehand and was only waiting for his levels to catch up.


    "Thank you, Gray." Sato didn''t stand on ceromony now and immediately equiped it. He knew his equipments would surely need upgrades sooner or later. Gray had already told him that he wouldn''t need to get new equipments for the Dark Knights Guild will prepare it for him.


    "Back to business, I think the next best move would be to look for a partnership with a guild. A strong and powerful guild." Sato suggested.


    "Which guild are you thinking of?"


    ...


    Back on the battlefield, Gray was in the midst of the GODs guild players, fighting against the remaining HellFire guild. After their escape, they soon found the GODs guild formulating their counter-attack plan in a secluded location.


    Can''t believe Sato managed to convince the top guild to work with him. Although, it was like him to do that. Gray thought in his heart.


    Back then, Sato had revealed his active skill Assassinate to the GODs guild, to which they all raised their eyebrows. When was there ever such a strong assassin-based skill in the game?


    That was when it came to Mars, a way to finish off one of their biggest threats, the strongest player in the human faction, TeaseMePlease.


    Now, the main character in this war, Sato, was standing in the middle of all the conflict. He looked extremely cold and deadly to those around, yet only he and Gray knew that he was putting up an act. Right now, any one of the big players in these top guilds could kill Sato off if they tried.


    "What a dangerous assassin... Able to kill off the number 1 player in the world at 20% health."


    "Did you see the player''s level? It states level 30. I''m guessing he is using a masking item to not show his true level."


    "I wonder how high-leveled he truly is? HappyBoy123? He must be hiding his name on the level rankings. If not, how did he kill TeaseMePlease?"


    "Is this person GODs guild''s secret weapon? How come I have never heard of him before?"


    Everyone asked similar questions about Sato, yet no one, even Mars, know much about the Elven Assassin. All they know is that this player was not to be trifled with.


    Activating Advanced Stealth, Sato left the scene quietly, heading back in the shadows.


    "I done my job. Now, shall we proceed as promised?" Sato asked in the group chat.


    "Yes. You may take all the kills you like that our players fight. We shall harbour you in our alliance temporarily for this war. However, I cannot promise you that if you take other alliance''s kills, they may come after you after the war." Mars explained the agreement.


    "Sure thing Mr. God of war. Text me when you require my aid." Sato ended the conversation, smiling.


    The agreement he and Mars had agreed upon was beneficial for both parties, since the contribution points is allocated by the percentage of damage done to the enemies. Not only that, it would allow them to win the war quicker.


    "Gray, I''m about to go on a killing spree. Be right back!" Sato spoke in the voice chat to Gray. He thought it was only right to tell him since he would basically be abandoning his boss/friend.


    "Go for it, but be careful by yourself." Gray worriedly replied Sato. "I may not be able to reach and save you in time if you go too far."


    "It''s going to be fine! Afterall..." Sato activated Incorporeal Spirit before saying his last words, "I''m no longer the same assassin as before."

 Chapter 68 - Rising In The Rankings

    Sato activated Incorporeal Spirit. Within seconds, the assassin transformed significantly. The once black armour that Sato wore was replaced with a light green robe that glowed regardless of the time. The short hair from Sato''s character had suddenly grown long silky silvery hair. It floated around as if there were wind currents blowing it around.


    This was way too high key! Sato sweated from worrying that the glow would expose him. Though, it all went away when he realised during stealth, the effects did not show through.


    A timer appeared on Sato''s display screen. "60,59,58... "


    "It''s time to get going." Sato showed a devilish smile that was rarely seen on the young man. Only in the game would anyone ever see this side of him.


    Picking up his pace on the open terrain in the middle of the forest, Sato swiftly peeks behind his enemies looking for a suitable player. Around him, he noticed one of the undead warrior was struggling against a human berserker. Sato used Battle Mark to help damage him. "Let''s try this out shall we."


    Before taking to the mark on the enemy, Sato decided to go for a different player, someone with a lower health bar. Taking the opportunity to strike down the frantic enemy, Sato used backstab to critically strike the enemy.


    He acticated the teleport towards the mark just as he sliced the throat of the enemy. He had done it in style, without even looking at the one he killed. Swift and ruthless. That was how the players in the GODs guild described Sato.


    The mark had brought him within 2 meters of the next target. The opponent had not realised that behind him was an additional assassin.


    "Hello, buddy."


    Sato whispered creepily, giving chills down the player''s body. He followed up with a Knee Strike on his back, stunning him for 2 seconds. This had allowed for the undead warrior to clamber to his feet. They took the enemy out together easily in 10 short seconds.


    The series of exchange had only took 15 seconds, yet it gained Sato an additional 60 seconds. This was simply too broken! The skill was built exactly for wars. It may be why he had inherited this skill in the first place, since the Elven race would definitely have a war one day. At that time, Sato would not be at a disadvantage.


    The battle progressed on, both sides losing significant manpower. Yet, the Undead Faction had slowly creeped up from behind in terms of overall strength. How?


    They had what everyone was calling the Assassin Of The Wind. Everywhere he went there would be bloodshed. In just one hour, the man going by the username, HappyBoy123 had climbed from 20th place all the way to 5th in ranking. It was unimaginable to the big guilds in the war.


    Only Mars and Venus had predicted this end after seeing Sato''s active skill, Assassinate. An instant one shot at 20% health? Not only that, it had no cooldown whatsoever?


    They knew that in the future, they should never offend the mysterious assassin player that not only attacked like the wind, but had came with the wind.


    Even with the resistance from the other guilds, GODs guild was able to fully wipe out every single one of the players from HellFire guild. Now, they were going to focus on others. Gray who was amidst the GODs players had made friends with a few of the core team members. They were now moving together.


    Seeing that, Sato smiled, knowing that Gray was doing just fine. Now, what shall I do? My skill duration was able to increase to 5 minutes. At that time a message came in for him. It was from Mars.


    "Currently fighting Complexity. Come help."


    Sato focused once again. He moved towards the location that Mars shared. Even though Complexity was not even in the Top 20 of the player rankings, he shouldn''t be underestimated even during a 2 versus 1.


    "I can''t use my unique skill, so we need to work together to take him down." Mars explained the situation.


    "Alright." Sato replied. Complexity''s unique skill wasn''t the same as Mars and TeaseMePlease or even Sato. In fact, it was a unique passive skill. It was a passive skill called Unyielding Strength.


    *Unyielding Strength


    *When fighting, the longer the battle goes on, the stronger you will get. Gain 10% increase in armour and magic resist every 5 minutes. Max number of stacks: 20


    Though this skill is not particularly good in short battles, it was especially good in Prolonged Battles and even, wars like this. When fully stacked after 100 minutes, Complexity would gain triple his armour and magic resist stats. He was deemed as the tankiest player in the whole of ROL.


    In addition, Complexity, naturally being a Defense-based Knight, he had prioritised stamina followed by strength and agility. He was basically unkillable with this unique passive skill.


    Mars has been clashing head on against Complexity for the past 20 minutes. It was to no avail. Even when his stacks wasn''t fully charged before, without his Unique skill, he couldn''t budge through that thick defence by much.


    "I''m here." Sato left stealth calling out from behind complexity. His backstab critically striked, yet his heary wavered infront of this abominable knight. I only dealt 2% of his health?


    "Hahaha! So the infamous HappyBoy123 is finally showing himself in front of me!" Complexity smirked as he sliced the air behind him, completely missing the agile assassin.


    "Oh, I guess I have become quite famous from this war." Sato commented out.


    "Yes, yes. My teammates call you the Assassin Of The Wind now. Though it seems to me you are more like Paper Of The Wind. HAHAHA!" Complexity taunted Sato, in hopes of making his angry. Instead, he gotten sniggers from the ethereal looking assassin.


    "Well, it''s only this way because we are fighting you the wrong way." Sato looked at Mars while speaking.

 Chapter 69 - Sato Fights Alone

    "Mars, does your team have any blademasters?" Sato asked him privately.


    "Unfortunately, no. There were two before, but they had died in the fights before." Mars knew what Sato was thinking of. The passive of blademasters was Vital Point and it allowed for a 150% boost in physical damage whenever one of any five vitals was struck. If they had that class of players, it would probable to take him down togethed.


    "Wait a minute," Sato remembered a player who plays Blademaster. "We do have someone that can help us with this fight. Hang on for a moment."


    Leaving the fight in a hurry, Sato ran towards the team of players fighting 10 meters away. He called out to a certain individual. "Gray! I need your help!"


    The instant Sato spoke, Gray''s head peeked out from the fight. Without care for what''s going on, he left his teammates, heading to Sato.


    "What is it?" Gray asked caringly.


    To the other players in the core team of GODs guild, they were all shocked to see DK Seven speak. All this time he only nodded and wouldn''t even bother to reply to their questions. Yet, when the assassin asked for his help, he gladly left the group to go over.


    "Mars and I require a blademaster to be the main damage dealer against Complexity. The guy is an ultra tank who doesn''t take much damage from me and Mars," Sato explained the predicament. "We were thinking how naturally, blademasters have the passive skill Vital Point, and so they will be able to chunk the enemy more effectively over time."


    "Okay. Let''s go and kill Complexity." Gray left with Sato without hesitation. He didn''t even say goodbye to his teammates that he battled with for over an hour.


    Mars and Complexity were still fighting evenly, but it was Mars that was losing out gradually. He was running out of health potions and his healer was battling elsewhere.


    "Hahaha! Looks like the number two player isn''t much after all!" Complexity rubbed it in on Mars. "However, I think it is time to end this skirmish between me and you. Lacklustree!"


    "Spatial Rift." Lacklustree who was hiding in the midst of his guild, Royal Empire, casted his unique skill behind Mars. In front of him was a massive tank, while behind him was a black hole that will end his life. There was no where to run.


    "Twin Leaf Tornado!" Sato aimed it at Lacklustree''s Location. This was the only active skill he was allowed to use right now, for the Treant Summon may signify that he had something to do with Elves.


    The twin pronged attack striked downwards from the air. Unfortunately, the destruction that was meant to happen didn''t come to fruition. Lacklustree had noticed it coming in and so he had cancelled his skill immediately and used Spatial Walk, teleporting him right beside Sato.


    "There you are!" Lacklustree cynically said to Sato. Disobeying his leader''s order of killing Mars, he left on his own agenda. He wanted to kill Sato instead. "Space Engulfment."


    *Space Engulfment


    *Transports player and opponent to an alternate dimension. Uses 20 mana every 10 seconds. The player is able to use Spatial Walk without mana. The cooldown of Spatial Walk is reduced by 80% (2 second cooldown now).


    As Sato was transported away into the space realm, Gray worried slightly, before focusing on Complexity. "Take him down with me, let Sato take care of the mage."


    "Okay." Mars believed Gray''s words. If Sato were to really die against Lacklustree, there was nothing he could do. Afterall, the Space Engulfment skill had no way of interfering. It was the ultimate 1 versus 1 skill.


    Within the spatial world, Sato looked around the place in amazement. The place wasn''t actually completely dark. In fact, the millions of shimmering stars in the black blackground, make the whole place light up. He was stepping on a single flat plane of land, yet he looked like he was floating in outer space.


    "Hahahaha! Welcome HappyBoy to my lair!" Lacklustree''s voice echoed around Sato. The man was no where to be seen.


    "I''ve been looking all over for you on the battlefield. At one point, I thought you had died already. But seeing that your points kept increasing, I knew you were still out there."


    "Humph... Why do you want to kill me so badly?" Sato laughed lightly at what he had said.


    "Why? Why?! Me not being able to kill you is simply too embarrassing! I have to redeem myself now! Seeing how you have activated your Unique Skill, you must''ve gone easy on the fight from before against me! What disrespect!"


    "Now... Now! You must pay for that!" With that Lacklustree appeared behind Sato stealthily, before activating Death Hand. It was a Pugilist related Mage skill that could do significant damage over time if hit.


    Before the tightened fist came into contact with Sato, the assassin had activated Blink, teleporting right behind the spatial mage and began to slash his back using his cresent blade. Just then, Lacklustree activated Spatial Walk, allowing him to disappear once again. The assassin struck air.


    "Tch." Sato clicked his tongue in dissapointment. The 2 second cooldown on Spatial Rift was a tough predicament he was in. If he couldn''t think of anything, he would most definitely die here.


    While Sato''s Blink Cooldown had yet to refresh, the Spatial Mage teleport behind again, using this same tactic. This time sato wasn''t so lucky and tried to block most of the damage using his arms.


    "-50,-50,-50,-50..." In total over the next 6 seconds, Sato lost 300 HP which was one third this health.


    "Hahaha! Truly a useless assassin when in my space terrain. You are unable to hide anywhere now!" Lacklustree liked toying with his opponent''s feelings. He would purposely savoured and take his time to kill his enemies, making him one of the most ruthless players in the world.


    Although that was the case, Sato didn''t panic and chose to keep a calm state of mind. Breathing in and out deeply, he focused his mindset. He closed his eyes slow, loosening his grip on his blades.

 Chapter 70 - Victory

    Haha it seems like he has given up on fighting back, Lacklustree thought in his head. Spatial Rifting behind Sato once again, Lacklustree used Death Hand on the assassin.


    To his surprise, just as his arm stretched out trying to hit Sato, the assassin twisted his body side ways, dodging the strike completely. Subsequently after, Sato slashed the mage, dealing 5% of Lacklustree''s health.


    The injured spatial mage was shocked that Sato could dodge that without even sparing a glance at him. How is that possible?


    To prevent himself from behind too close, Lacklustree decided that using long ranged spells would do the trick. Dimensional Collaspe. To the right of Sato, There was a slight disturbance in space. Out of no where, the space started to spiral and twist, attempting to pull Sato. Yet, without looking, the assassin stepped away before he could take damage.


    The impossible was done once again, shocking the number one mage. Lacklustree refused to believe that he can dodge everything, casting Void Ball at a rapid pace towards Sato. The 5 spheres that could chunk down his HP came flying in. Like a stroll in the park, Sato simply Blink towards the side. He even casted Twin Leaf Tornado at the position Lacklustree stood.


    The furious player had to teleport away once again, unable to do anything about it. "What trick are you using! How is it possible nothing is hitting you?"


    "It''s quite simple actually, " Sato turned to where his opponent stood. He kindly revealed the reasoning, since even if Lacklustree knew, he wouldn''t be able to stop him.


    "The biggest flaw in this game''s mage characters is the sound effects. Every spell casted will result in a noise being produce. Say for example your Spatial Rift, a ''Blink'' Sound is made everytime you use it. As a result, I can easily dodge your attacks."


    " I purposely closed my eyes to restrict all the useless senses. Since I will never be able to see you if you strike my blind spots, I may as well lose sight for this fight."


    "You may be the best Spatial Mage due to your high Damage Per Second in team fights. However, when up against me, someone that is used to being in a disadvantageous position, you will lose."


    Sato after proclaiming his victory, decided to strike out where Lacklustree was standing. To make matters worse now, the spatial mage was panicking inside and out. He hyperventilated loudly making it easier for Sato to know where he was.


    In addition, Lacklustree''s mana pool was almost drained out after the prolonged fight for 4 minutes. Right as the mage appeared somewhere else, Sato used Battle Mark, teleporting behind his enemy.


    "Goodbye." The continuous critical strikes and swipes on Lacklustree eventually ended his pitiful life. If the mage had trapped any other assassin, the outcome would have been his victory.


    The kill was just in time for Sato''s unique skill refresh. He was finally out of the world. The setting sun in the horizon welcome the assassin. Back where he was originally transported away, the duo of Mars and Gray had finally reached the eventual ending of Complexity''s death.


    Even though Gray was several levels lower, with his quick reflexes, he was able to damage the top tank player in the world alongside Mars and escape close to unscathed. Mars too had gradually life-stealed his health back when Gray was distracting him.


    On the other side, TextDontCall from Vortex and SilentNoise from DeathWing, they managed to take down the leader AutumnLeaves from Angelic Peace. Unfortunately during the flanking of the Human Faction, Yolla from Everlasting had been taken out, his guild too was compromised.


    The fight swiftly came to an end when the big guilds were taken out.


    "The battle of Paleta City is over. The Undead Faction has won the war and destroyed Paleta City. The server will be closed in 1 hour to undergo major updates." The world notifications rang in every player''s game.


    "Woo finally all done!" Sato stretched his body as he lied on the grass patch in the forest. Gray stood beside him obediently. The Elven Assassin looked at the placing in the game.


    1: HappyBoy123


    2: SilentNoise


    3.Mars


    4. TextDontCall


    .


    .


    .


    In the end, the death of Everlasting Guild prevented them from receiving any rewards. Sato too, managed to get first place out of the whole battle. Gray on the other hand, joined too late, which resulted in him not getting much contribution points, though that didn''t matter much to him.


    "Hey Happy," Mars called out to Sato. "It was nice working with you."


    One of the best players in the game had complimented Sato. Inside, Sato was squirming in joy, yet he was not allowed to show much emotions in the game.


    "Yeah. You too."


    "Are you sure you do not want to join my alliance? I''m sure my Guild leader will not decline. I''m referring to you too, DK Seven." Mars extended the olive branch to the duo.


    "I''m sorry, but I''m more of a solo player. Staying in a guild restricts me too much." That was a lie. Sato truly wanted to join the number 1 guild in the world. He really did. Regrettably, he was fated to be alone due to his race.


    "Well, I''ll see you around then. May there be other opportunities of working together."


    With that Mars left after adding Sato. Luckily, the Disguised Mask allowed for him to customise his username on his friends list. If not, he would not be able to hide his identity.


    "You ready to log off?" Gray asked Sato. He would follow the boy anywhere he went.


    "Yeah! Let''s head back to the city first then log off." The duo got off the game after a long day. Even though he wasn''t physically moving, Sato felt very hungry.


    Just as he was stretching, a familiar silhouette stood by Sato''s door. Gray was looking at the young man in front of him. The extremely skinny body of his made Sato look rather frail and weak.


    "You wanna grab a bite?" Gray asked.


    "Yeah! How''d you know I was hungry?" Sato looked inquisitively at Gray.


    "I''ve known you for long enough to tell that you are hungry." This comment by Gray make Sato confused. I have only been with you for less than a month, thought Sato.


    "Besides, I didn''t get to eat much in the office. So I am quite hungry myself, " Gray grabbed Sato by the hand, leaving the room. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 71 - Morning Hike

    The next day, the sun rose later than usual today. Red leaves could be seen sprawled on the rough stone steps in the mountains. The temperature had started to drop, signifying that winter was coming.


    Hiking up the mountain right now, were two distinct individuals. One had blonde hair while the other had black. One was a head taller than the other. The shorter man was Sato, panting along rhythmically as he ascended the stone steps. The taller man was Gray and from the beginning till now, he had only broken a little bit of sweat.


    "Mind me asking, why are we hiking in the morning?" Sato looked at Gray with exhaustion in his eyes.


    Yesterday, he had gone to bed rather late since they went out for some supper. He had planned to sleep in today, but was dragged out of bed early in the morning. They have been climbing for two hours and was almost at the peak.


    "Breakfast." Gray said one word before smiling and pushing Sato on. They were almost at the top.


    "Pardon?" Before Sato can continue complaining, Gray pushed the young man upwards. Not long after, they finally reached a flatten-out point of the mountain. There, they had a clear view of the sun rise. In between two peaks of the mountain was a big red sphere that was the sun. That day, there were no clouds, making it exceptionally beautiful.


    "Wow." Sato admired the view.


    "Was it worth it?" Gray asked while looking at Sato adoringly.


    "Yeah. Definitely worth the hike."


    Now, let''s head for breakfast." Grabbing Sato''s shoulder, Gray turned the young man around and guided him inwards of the mountain. After a short walk, they arrive before a small wooden house that had a sign saying ''Welcome''.


    "There was a restaurant here?" Sato was surprised, considering how this place was so out of place. He was sure that there must be close to zero customers.


    "Yes. It is built here as requested by my mother."


    "Your mother?"


    "This mountain is a private estate of the Tobion family. My mother likes to go for morning hikes and so, after her walks, she would have her breakfast here." Gray explained while leading Sato into the wooden house.


    To the side of the house was a kitchen area with a simple counter top. In the center of the house was a round marble table that had seats for a maximum of 8 people. There were two long stretching windows on each wall that showed the mountainous view. The house was heated up to a cosy temperature.


    "So you''re that this mountain is your family''s land and that this restaurant is made only to serve your family?" Gray nodded to Sato''s question. The young man was dumbfounded. He does not understand what a rich family can do.


    The pair only had to sit at the round table for a short five minutes, before the food was served. Today''s breakfast was a traditional chinese dimsum that had soya milk as a drink. Sato could tell all these were handmade this morning. The freshness of the ingredients made Sato smile in bliss. Coupled with his hungry nature, the filling breakfast was what he really needed.


    When they were finished, Sato left the wooden house, getting ready to climb back down, only to be stopped by Gray. "Why are you heading that way?"


    "Aren''t we going back down now?" Sato was confused.


    "Yes, but not by stairs."


    "Not by stairs?" Sato followed Gray along a stone pathway. They were walking through trees that were specially built to look like an archway. Eventually, they reached a station looking area. That was were Sato knew what they were taking. "A cable car?"


    The pair got in the cable car that was already awaiting their arrival. The machine started to move, smoothly descending the mountain. As they went down, Sato was able to enjoy the view once more and see the boundless red autumn trees in the mountains. It was a sea of red.


    At the bottom, the pair was welcomed with a chauffeur car that brought them home where Sato got to take a nice refreshing shower. He changed into a casual hoodie as per normal and wore a comfortable jeans, before heading downstairs to find Gray.


    The handsome blonde man was waiting for him, while watching the news on the television. He wore a black suit with one arm resting on the back of the sofa as he paid attention to the news. He looked like an important business man today.


    "Hey, are you heading somewhere today?" Sato inquired.


    "Yes, I''ll be heading to Country Y to settle some military matters. I will be home late at night." Gray told Sato his plan for today. Offing the television, Gray walked to the door.


    "Oh, alright." Sato followed along Gray.


    "If you are rushing for work, you do not have to send me you know. I could always take the public transport of I could ask the butler to fetch me."


    "No I enjoy driving you to school." Gray replied without hesitation. He went ahead to open the car door for Sato, before entering the car himself. A true gentleman.


    The car ride lasted for a short while. Sato got off the car, before looking at Gray. "Have a safe flight Gray."


    "Thank you." With that, the Gale X sped off into the distance.


    Slinging on his bag, Sato turned around and entered the school. Just then, a voice came out from the side of the gate. "Wait up Mr Sato. Or should I say Mr HappyBoy123."


    It didn''t take a genius to realise that the person calling for him was none other than Tyron. Sato stopped his steps as the spoilt brat and his gang arrived in front of him.


    "What is it, Tyron?" Sato asked plainly.


    "Oh! Ever since you left, you have developed quite an attitude. Weren''t you once very respectful of me?" Tyron walked even closer, staring right into Sato''s eyes. To his surprise, Sato''s heart did not waver. Instead, he stood there staring back at him.


    "Not exactly. I never had an attitude and never respected you as a person." Sato shaked his head at Tyron''s comment.

 Chapter 72 - Mings Story

    "What did you say?" A vein popped out on Tyron''s forehead.


    The spoilt boy''s biggest pet peave is definitely when people do not respect him. In fact, those that do not grovel at his feet, will be bullied and abused by him.


    "Are you not scared that I can make your life in University Z as miserable as possible?" Tyron lifted Sato slightly by pulling his hoodie upwards. He stared daggers at Sato.


    Sato smirked back at his comment. Swiping Tyron''s hand away from his hoodie, he tidied up his attire. This was a clothing given to him by Gray. He didn''t want anything to happen to it. Sato walked away without care.


    "Just because you have gotten yourself a backer from the board of directors in the university, you started to get cocky eh?" Tyron spoke to Sato, while he was walking away. "Mark my words you wrench! You are nothing! Nothing outside of this school!"


    The conflict that just went down was placed aside in Sato''s head. He couldn''t be bothered to deal with it right now. Since his lesson started in 10 minutes, Sato went to class early. In the classroom, he noticed that Ming was already sitting at their usual spot. He was looking rather absent-minded today.


    Sliding into the spot beside Ming, Sato tapped on his shoulder. "Morning Ming."


    When Ming noticed that Sato was here, he flinched reflexively. "Oh hi."


    "Why the long face?" Sato knew something was up.


    "I.. I.." Ming hesitated for a bit. "I''m sorry for what happened last night."


    "Oh is it about the war?"


    "Yes... I wasn''t able to help you that fight against Tyron and was just sitting duck the whole time. I even caused your death. I do not really know how I could repay you."


    "Ah that fight..." Sato rubbed Ming''s messy hair and laughed loudly. The overly worried boy clearly didn''t sleep well because of this. "I''m not even mad about the fight, Ming. Besides, I lived in the end and got first place in the war!"


    "What? Are you serious? You''re not joking me right now, right?" Ming''s face lit up when Sato told him what had truly happened. He sighed in relief. "I thought you would be so mad that you wouldn''t talk to me anymore."


    "Hahaha why would I? We are best buddies man! Even if I did die in the game, I wouldn''t be mad at you at all."


    "Well, I still feel guilty about this. What are friends for if I couldn''t help you when you needed it the most?"


    "Mmm... I personally think that friends should only help you when they can actually make a difference in a situation, " Sato explained his reasoning. "In that fight, the stakes were against you from the very beginning as you wouldn''t have been able to harm your Faction members in the war. Not only that, if you had helped me, you would most definitely be kicked out of your guild and chased down by them. What then?"


    "I could just be like you and create another account!" Ming answered back.


    "Yeah, but at what cost? You would have to restart on ROL all over again. I suggest you play on with Tyron''s guild for now. I may have a solution to your problem in the near future. So for now, just bear with it."


    Sato managed to convince Ming to stay put in Tyron''s guild. Ming trusts anything that Sato say. From the start of university, ever since they became friends, he knew that Sato is trustworthy and not fake. It was also why, he had gradually developed a crush on him.


    Back then, he was discriminated for being gay in high school. The one that he thought was the one in his junior year of highschool, turned out to be just a prank that his crush wanted to play on him.


    From that point on, his life lost colour. It became a pain to live his life. It became a nuisance to keep breathing. It became a hassle to move about and study. Yet, he pushed on.


    So why did he? Well, he had a purpose of living. Ming lived in a family of 4 siblings. His parents both worked long hours in low paying jobs. Ming being the oldest out of the five, (Their family had 5 year old male twins, a 10 year old boy and a 9 year old girl) had to work a part-time job while studying to support his family.


    Luckily, Ming was a hardworking and smart child. Even though, he struggled with many things in his monochromatic life, he lived on. Ming got into the top university in country Z and received a full scholarship that allowed him to lesson his parent''s financial load. Things started to turn out for the better.


    It was also then that Ming met Sato. He would always remember the day that he met him. He was trying to look for the Ray Of Light extracurricular club, when he accidentally bumped into Sato and dropped all of his books.


    Ming realised he was that boy in his engineering lecture that would attentively copy down notes regardless of how boring the teacher was. Back then, he had already classified Sato as that ''Hardworking, yet cute asian boy'' that every girl liked. Though, he never approached his eye-candy.


    On that fateful day however, Ming had gotten his chance to interact with Sato. Oh how the rays of light were all pointing at the cute young man. The way Sato smiled without showing his teeth, his eyes creased into two cresents. Even after knocking over his notes, Sato wasn''t even angry at Ming.


    What surprised Ming even more was that Sato took the initiative to become his friend. From that time on, Ming''s life started to have colour again. Every day being next to him in class, being able to study and work together on projects and even playing ROL, it gave his life meaning and happiness. It made him feel human again.


    It was all thanks to Sato. And even if he didn''t like him in a romantic way, Ming was completely fine with that.

 Chapter 73 - The Oasis

    The classes in the morning finished successfully. Gray and Ming both left for the nearby school cafeteria to have their lunch.


    "What should I have today?" Sato thought on his way there. Ever since Sato acquired a large amount of money from Gray to spend on food, he wanted to try out the cuisines that he couldn''t try before. Of course he wouldn''t abuse Gray''s power, but nothing says that he couldn''t try out food menus.


    The nearby school cafeteria was nestled in between the Business school, the Engineering school and the Sports school. As a result, the place was always jammed packed with people, especially during lunch hours. The cafeteria was sponsored and opened by one of the University Z''s most famous alumni, Borax Yukala, the founder of Borax Technology. He had revamped the once old and non air-conditioned cafeteria into a state of the art, technology oriented food zone, code name, The Oasis.


    The food is all prepared using Professor Clarence''s invention, Autocook. The computer data contains all the know hows of cooking top michelin star food. Since they are all made using the computer, the food will always be made to perfection. Mr Borax had spent millions of dollars perfecting all of the recipes in the Autocook robots. Even the cheapest class of food prepared here is worthy of a michelin grade.


    To top it off, the now air-conditioned cafeteria doesn''t require the staff and students to order from the front. Instead, they can simply sit at and order from the tables and await for robots to deliver their food. Everything was automated, even the cleanup using the robots could be requested by the students.


    By the time Sato and Ming reached The Oasis, the place was jammed packed with people. The noise level in the cafeteria was at it''s peak. Many students could be seen standing around the tables, awaiting their turn to sit down.


    Luckily, when the pair entered the cafeteria, a seat had opened up at the window side. The two of them took their seats as Sato activated the ordering interface.


    "Hmm, should I have the Shashimi and sushi set today? Or should I go for the Begger''s Chicken combo meal?" Sato debated.


    "You could always come back here and have the other set tommorow." Ming chuckled when hearing about Sato''s struggles. He went ahead to order his usual meal, Teriyaki chicken bento, which was the cheapest item on the menu.


    "Ming, let me treat you to this meal, after all I have money now." Sato reminded Ming that he now had over 100000 dollars on his id card.


    "No no, how can I do that? After all, that money was prepared for you to use." Ming kindly declined his offer. Till now, he still wasn''t sure what this Major General was up to. Why was he so nice to Sato?


    Wanting to find out more, Ming decided to ask the young man directly. "Hey Sato, ever since you started living with Gray, has he ever like... You know... Done anything indecent to you?"


    Sato laughed out loudly when he heard Ming''s question. "What are you even asking? No he hasn''t done anything indecent to me. He''s a very nice guy. Maybe even perfect I would say?"


    The compliments for Gray made Ming feel rather jealous. What had he done to deserve such praises? Even though Sato had said all good things about Gray, Ming still felt uncomfortable. Why did this general want to take in Sato out of no where?


    "Come on Ming. Relax a little. Maybe I could bring you back to the place I stay and see him for yourself. I''m sure he is more than willing to get to know my best friend in school!"


    Sato ordered his food and sent out the order. His comment had cheer up Ming greatly. Sato knew that Ming would always felt better whenever he gave him a compliment.


    Sato talked to Ming for ten minutes about the lecture that just finished, before a robot arrived at their tables with their food. The powerful aroma came out of Sato''s dish just as he opened up his lotus leaf packaging to reveal a well cooked chicken. Inside the Beggar''s chicken, was the stuffing of glutinous rice that complimented the meat very well.


    "Delicious!" Sato closed his eyes as he enjoyed his meal. He cut a portion of his food, before giving it to Ming to try. "Have a go at it! You would definitely like it!"


    Of course Ming wouldn''t say no to Sato. He ate it up, agreeing to Sato''s statement. Just as the two of them were eating their meal, a person walked by holding a tray of unfinished food. He stumbled fakely, flinging his tray towards the right.


    The loud noise from the clanging of the plate and bowls brought silence to the entire cafeteria. All eyes were on the corner of the room, where Sato and Ming sat.


    "Oh no... I''m so sorry." The man sarcastically apologised to Sato. He had spilled his remaining soup and left over rice all over Sato''s head and body. Bits of seaweed was hanging on the young man''s head. Sato looked up to see the culprit and to no surprise, it was Tyron.


    "Man, the floor was slippery over here. You can''t blame me for slipping up and dropping my food on you right?" Tyron smirked. His band of friends were chuckling to the side of the cafeteria.


    "Tyron, you have gone too far this time!" Ming complained. Ming who sat in front of Sato saw everything. That action just now was deliberately done to make Sato wet.


    "Oh Ming, are you planning to side with this bumpkin too? Would you like me to treat you like how I treated him when he was in our guild?" Tyron threatened Ming.


    "You!" At that point, Ming was about to explode in anger. His usual calm self would only change when the issue had to do with Sato.

 Chapter 74 - Meeting Familiar People

    A soft soothing touch reached out for Ming''s shoulder. Sato stopped him from doing anything reckless. The last thing he wants waa for Ming to get in trouble.


    He knew that this bastard, Tyron clearly did it on purpose. Yet, there was really nothing he could do. In the school, everyone knew of the three unruly prince and princess of University Z. They were Tyron Kopperfield, Motori Kabe and Poppy Handsworth.


    Ever since they entered the university, they have been abusing their powers to gain favours from students and even lecturers. Tyron mainly controlled the year 3s, Motori Kabe controlled the year 2s and Poppy controlled the year 1s. Many will have heard of their infamous stories before and so, no one dared to act against them when they do something bad.


    "Its okay, Ming. Tyron slipped and spilled the contents accidentally." Sato stood up while picking off the remaining seaweed on his head. "Let''s go."


    "Wait!"


    A voice came out from the crowd of onlookers. The male who stood up wore a bright orange hoodie. Beside him was a boy wearing glasses. The boy was trying his best to pull the student who stood up, back down.


    "I saw what you did there just now. Apologise to him now."


    The boy wearing glasses could visibly be seen gasping. He started mouthing out words while covering the sides of his face. "It''s all over now... It''s all over now..."


    "Oh really?" Tyron walked forward to their table. He placed a firm on their table as he looked at the young students glaringly. "What did I do exactly?"


    "You know what you did." Another boy wearing a Green sweater, sitting in front of the orange hoodie student, started speaking. "The tray of leftover food was purposely spilled by you."


    "Oh? Do you have any evidence to back you up?"


    "Yeah. Our friend in glasses will have the honour of explaining to you his reasoning." As the green sweater boy passed the ball back to the boy in glasses, causing him to panic deeply in side. Looking up at the bully Tyron, he decided he should speak up for Sato.


    "There.. There is three big flaws to.. To your plan. The first is the flooring of The Oasis. The flooring is layered with a non-slip material, namely Polyurethane. This prevents slipping to the highest level, unless the floor has a slipping agent, which is clearly impossible. The second is the reasoning behind your actions. You wanted to return your tray manually which is perfectly fine on paper. However, from the place you originally sat, the most normal and common way that people return their trays is at the Return Point in the center of The Oasis. You were heading to an abnormally far point inside The Oasis to return your tray. The third and most crucial flaw that you didn''t take into consideration is the surveillance system in the cafeteria. There are a total of 55 surveillance cameras placed around The Oasis, each able to capture a certain area of the room. The reason why there are so many cameras is to prevent theft of the machinery. The ultra HD footage taken just as you tripped and spilled your contents on the student over here can be looked into. It is very easy to tell by a person''s mannerisms, whether he is faking a slip. "


    " Well said! "The orange hoodie student shouted out, followed by clapping from other students around them. At first, the boy in glasses stuttered a little, but as the time went on, his speech became fluent and precise. "So are you going to apologise now?"


    After hearing the flaws that he made, Tyron clenched his teeth in anger. He looked at Sato who was smiling at what had just went down. Forcing himself to look apologetic, he looked at Sato. "I am sorry for my slip up."


    He then left the cafeteria in embarrassment. The Oasis went back to it''s usual high. After the incident, Sato went to thank the three boys for standing up for him. The funny part was that the three of them declined his thanks.


    "Before you thank us, I think you should wash up a little in the bathroom." The boy in the Green Sweater said to Sato.


    "Sure. I''ll see you in a bit. We shall meet the foyer in 20 minutes?" Sato invited.


    "Alright. We will be there." The orange hoodie boy quickly went ahead to finish his meal. The others took their time.


    Sato and Ming headed for the bathroom. Ming helped clean the remains off Sato''s hoodie. Since it was a cold day, Sato couldn''t just not wear an outerwear. He left to the University store to buy a University Z jacket to wear on. Luckily, he had plenty of money in his student card.


    Eventually, the five boys met at the foyer. Sato thanked them as he looked at their appearance. He was rather conflicted at the moment. Why did the three boys feel so familiar?


    "So, what year are you guys in?" Sato asked curiously.


    "We three are all year one students. How about you?" The orange hoodie boy answered for the three of them.


    "Ah, I''m a second year." Sato knew that the pieces were coming together. "So what are your names?"


    "I''m Hobz." The orange hoodie boy introduced himself first.


    "I''m Hanz." The green sweater boy introduced next.


    "I''m Hayden." Lastly was the shy glasses boy.


    "Hahaha. I knew it. Hey guys, I''m Sato." Sato laughed at his coincidence.


    "Huh? Bro, why does that name sound familiar?" Hobz whispered loudly into Hanz''s ear, which defeated the purpose.


    "You''re.. You''re HappyBoy123?" Hayden asked as soon as he figured out where the name came from.


    "Yeah. I cannot believe the three of you study in the same university as me."


    "No wayyy!" Hobz and Hanz hugged each other in shock as if they had seen a ghost. This was truly a small world.

 Chapter 75 - Story About The Genius

    The five boys carried on chatting about what had happened yesterday. Especially Hobz, Hanz and Hayden, they wanted to know what allowed Sato to live. When they heard that Gray came and save Sato in the nick of time, all of them blinked in admiration.


    "This Gray person you''re talking about, you''re saying that he managed to use his Riposte Counter to block all the attacks??" Hobz was in awe as he listened to the story.


    "You also got the chance to partner up with the GODs Guild??" Hanz chipped in with his twin brother. They both looked identically surprised.


    "Yeah. It was quite surreal." Even Sato couldn''t believe that he got such good opportunity.


    "How about you guys and Laia? Did you survive till the very end of the war?"


    "Yep! Thanks to Hayden, we got to stay in a group with the other non-alliance players. By banding together, we survived and even got top 100 for the rankings!"


    "Oh That''s good news!"


    "Yeah! It wouldn''t have been possible if it were not for you saving us then. So thank you again!" The three boys thanked Sato properly. Even Hayden who was really shy in real life, said his pleasantries.


    "No problem. No problem." Sato rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "It was my fault that you got dragged into my conflict with Tyron. So, it was only right for me to get you out of that situation."


    ...


    "Senior Sato, what is your major?" After talking about ROL, Hobz asked about Sato''s life.


    "I''m majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, a double degree program." Sato replied honestly.


    "Mechanical Engineering? Hayden, Hayden! Could Sato be the student that Professor Hobskin always talk about?" Hobz shook Hayden in excitement.


    "Professor Hobskin? My Mathematics professor from year 1? Are you his students?"


    "Yes! Hayden and I are both Mechanical Engineering Majors. We have to take the compulsory Calculus course like everyone else." Hobz explained for Hayden and himself.


    "Oh wow! What a coincidence! How about Hanz?"


    "I major in Political Science, unlike those two smart-alex that could enter that course." Hanz studied in a course that wasn''t as popular as Mechanical Engineering. In fact, University Z was the number 1 school for Mechanical Engineering and so it required students to have close to perfect grades to enter the major.


    "Anyways anyways, let me carry on my story!" Hobz cut in front of his brother. He truly enthusiastic right now. "So there''s this one story that Professor Hobskin would bring up everytime we do a test and we get the results back."


    "But first, we need to get our facts straight! By no means is our class stupid in any way. I mean, we managed to get into this course and so, our level of intellect is definitely there!" Hobz continued to blabber on non-stop, making Ming who had not experience this before, feel rather awkward.


    " Anyways back to the story. As everyone here knows, including Hanz that would hear me complain everytime, Professor Hobskin''s tests are not a joke! Heck! If anyone of my classmates get above a 50% on a test, we would be the top 10% of the class!"


    "Yet, time and time again, Professor Hobskin would say ''Oh why is it my class this year is under-performing on their tests? There''s this student from last year, his name is Sato, without fail, he would score a 100% on my tests. Why is it that no one here can even come close to his grades?''. "Hobz made sure to say Professor Hobskin''s words in the old man''s voice. Hayden nodded in agreement with what Hobz had said.


    When Sato and Ming heard their story, they laughed out loud.


    "Does he really bring that up everytime?" Sato asked Hobz, refusing to believe it.


    "Yes! Without fail!" Hobz assured his senior.


    "Well, Hobz, Professor Hobskin wasn''t wrong when he said Sato got a perfect score for all his tests. However, he did not tell you that only Sato was able to achieve that feat. Everyone else was scoring below 50%. The dumbest part was, after each test, the next one would get harder and harder! The professor refused to believe that he couldn''t make Sato lose a single mark. It got the point where there was once our average score, after excluding Sato, was a 25%! In the end, our school had to moderate and create a seperate examination criteria to calculate our GPA (grade point average) for the course!" Ming told the true story to Hobz and Hayden.


    "Are you serious? I guess we should just count ourselves lucky, right Hayden?" Hayden nodded to Hobz''s question after hearing the story. Both of the engineering students looked at Sato in a new light. How devastatingly smart was their senior?


    Sato could only sit there quietly with Hanz as they conversed. The three of them had experienced the pains of not being a total genius like him.


    "Oh no, look at the time, Ming. Its almost 2pm. Sorry guys, we got to go for tutorial now." Sato reminded Ming of their schedule. Before leaving, they didn''t forget to exchange their numbers so as to keep in contact. In addition, when they are in the game, they would add each other there.


    ...


    At 5pm, Sato came out of the school grounds to see that Butler Hank was already waiting for him. Man he truly is a professional butler, thought Sato.


    When Sato got into the car, Butler Hank asked. "Mr. Sato, where would you like to go now?"


    Thinking about all that has happened, there was one place that he had been wanting to visit for the longest time. I guess it is time to visit them again!


    "Butler Hank, take me to this address."

 Chapter 76 - The Sunflower Orphanage

    In the Suburbs of Country Z, a few blocks away from where Sato lived before, there was a run-down compound. In the compound were three wooden buildings, each two floors tall, built next to each other. The outside of each building once had bright paintings of sunflowers. As time passed, the weathering resulted in the gradual loss of the paintings. Now, they were barely visible.


    A black Porsche car parked itself outside of the compound. There was a worn-out sign that looked like it was about to fall apart. The sign wrote ''Sunflower Orphanage''.


    "I''ll be here for a while, Butler Hank. You can leave first if there are things to do." Sato said to Hank before leaving the car.


    Following along, Hank exited the vehicle and accompanied the young man from behind. "Young Master Gray instructed that I should obey your orders at all times. Unless, you instructed, it would be preferred to follow you around."


    "Oh, that''s fine then. Let us head in." Sato pushed open the wooden swinging doors. The door creaked as it opened. Accompanying it was the sound of chimes clinging with the movement of the door.


    The front of the orphanage was grassless, with rough flooring covered all around. There were a few wornout playground sets in the corner, clearly it had been here for many years. As Sato and his butler walked closer, the sound of children shouting and laughing got louder. The atmosphere was boisterous and happy.


    At the front door, Sato knocked on it as he awaited for someone to open up. The door eventually opened and revealed an older lady dressed in a nun outfit. When Sato saw the lady, he revealed an innocent smile that would''ve been able to melt anyone''s heart.


    "Mother Maria, how are you?" Sato reached out to give Mother Maria a hug.


    When Mother Maria saw it was Sato, she too was happy. "I''m fine, I''m fine. Since you came to visit, I feel even better."


    "Ah that''s good." Sato came in with the Butler. "I''m sorry I didn''t bring any gifts for the children this time."


    "Oh, that is alright, silly. Your presence is more than enough. The children all miss you. Everyday they would ask when is Sato visiting again. When was he going to come play with them." Mother Maria reassured him before leaving the looking at the man beside Sato. "Excuse me, but this is...?"


    "My name is Hank. I am a butler working under Mr. Sato." Hank greated her formally.


    "A butler? Isn''t Sato..."


    "It''s a long story, Mother Maria. I''ll tell it to you later on." Sato said. They reached the end of the short hallway. At the end, a pair of wooden doors were closed, but it couldn''t keep the sound of the children shouting down.


    As he turned the door knob, the door creaked slightly and revealed the sight. There were two long tables in the simple dining room. Each table sat 10 children, who wore hand-down clothings. It was currently their meal time. The meal for today was fish congee and pickles, simple and healthy.


    When the children saw who it was at the door, they immediately left their chairs and sprinted to the door.


    "Big brother Sato!!!"


    "Hello everyone!" Sato greeted with a bubbly expression. The children were so excited to see their big brother. Everyone fired questions at him without stop.


    "Big bro Sato! I learnt how to do the 6 times table! You can test me later!"


    "Big brother Sato, can you play with me later? Juno bullied me just now! I don''t want to play with him anymore!"


    "Big brother Sato, can we draw together later?"


    "Big bro Sato, how long are you going to stay for today? I want you to read me a bed-time story!"


    "Me too! Me too! I want you to read for me too!"


    "That''s not fair! I want big brother Sato to read for me!"


    The conversation started to become more hostile. Hence, Sato quickly decided that he should appease to the little kids. "Alright, alright! I''ll try to do everything that you all want! I''ll even stay to read to everyone a bed-time story!"


    "Yayyy!!!" The children cheered out loud. Mother Maria and her fellow Sisters all shook their heads. Sato sure knows how to draw the children''s love and attention.


    "But first, let us all finish our dinner. The Sisters and Mother Maria prepared such a delicious meal for everyone. So do not waste your food!"


    "Okay, big brother Sato!" Everyone headed back to their seats obediently and swiftly finished their food. Sato stood at the entrace smiling at how well-behaved they were.


    "Sato, have you eaten dinner?" Sister Sarah who was close with Sato asked him.


    "No I have not."


    "Let us eat together then. We still have some leftovers. Its enough for you and the mister beside you."


    "Ah? Alright, then I won''t stand on ceromony." Sato agreed to her invitation. He then looked at Butler Hank, asking him. "Hank, have you eaten dinner yet?"


    "No I have not Mr Sato." Hank answered simply.


    "Oh then that''s perfect. You can have dinner here too." Sato gestured for Hank to sit beside him as Sister Sarah brought them the food to their table. "Thank you, Sister Sarah."


    "No problem, Sato."


    Mother Maria and Sister Sarah went ahead to sit in front of the pair of boys. The other sisters sat beside them. After saying their grace, they started to eat their meal.


    Sato ate the food with bliss. The fish congee that Mother Maria made was one of his favourite meals of all time. It may not be up to par with michelin starred restaurants, but the food had it''s own significance.


    A year ago, when Sato rented the dingy old apartment in the suburbs, there would be times that he would lack the money to get food. Thus, sometimes Sato would live on two meals a day.


    One time, he had his wallet stolen by a thief. Sato tried to chase after him, but to no avail, he failed to catch him. He had lost his remaining pocket money for a week.


    Starving and lost from the chase, Sato eventually stopped moving outside Sunflower Orphanage. Sister Sarah , at that time, was playing with the children outside. She saw the exhausted Sato and decided to invite him in for a meal.


    The first meal that was prepared for him was exactly the Fish Porridge made by Mother Maria. As the smooth congee flowed down him throat, it revitalise the starving young man. Within a minute, he had already finished up his meal and asked for seconds.


    From that day on, Sato came to know of this orphanage and would visit the place every weekend. He would stay here for half a day to a whole day, just playing with the children. He would even help clean up the orphanage when the children are taking their afternoon nap.

 Chapter 77 - Sato Plays With The Children

    After his meal, Sato started to play with the children. The excited bunch all wanted Sato for themselves, leaving Sato quite helpless. In the end, he separated them into groups.


    Firstly, there were children that wanted to roleplay. And so, Sato went for his forth meal of the day, an impromptu tea party.


    "Big brother Sato, would you like some more tea?" A little girl asked Sato, while holding a pink plastic kettle.


    "Yes please!" Sato had an angelic smile when playing along.


    "Big brother Sato, do you want some cake? I can make it for you!" Another girl asked Sato.


    "Of course!"


    "What flavour would you like?"


    "Chocolate cake please."


    ...


    Secondly, some of the children wanted to draw and do some practices. Sato went ahead to sit on the floor, beside their small table, and interact with the kids.


    "Look, Big bro Sato! I drew a space monster!" A 5 year old boy shouted out proudly.


    "Wow that looks so scary!" Sato acted scared when looking at the drawing. When the boy continued to draw, Sato looked at another boy who was thinking deeply. "Are you ready for the next question?"


    "Okay! I wrote my answer!" The boy confidently wrote down on paper. "Next question!"


    "Number 5, what is 6x7?" Sato asked inquisitively.


    ...


    Thirdly, by the time Sato had finished up the first two activities, it was time for the children to shower. Sato decided to help to wash up the boys. The place was set up to look like a japanese onsen shower area. Everything was open and a central bath zone that had a place for the children to soak.


    Teaming up with the male helper and Butler Hank, the three man entered the shower zone and helped to clean the 8 boys up. The boys were very playful and naughty.


    "Take this Big Brother Sato! Aqua Ball! Hwaaaa!"


    "Ahhh! So ticklish! Hahahhahahhah stop!"


    "No!!! I do not want to shower yet!!! I want to play more!!"


    Without fail, the once dry Sato, had come out all soaked when he had come out. The good thing though, was that he had scrubbed and cleaned the boys up very thoroughly. It made him feel accomplished. Butler Hank too, was soaked from that shower session.


    ...


    The more exhaustive activities had finally come to an end. With that, came snack time. The government had allocated some budget to provision of basic necessities. However, when it came to renovation of the orphanage, they was close to no financial coverage for that aspect. The people could not really blame them because through out country Z, there were over 1000 orphanages spread across this large country.


    Their history was filled with minor war conflicts that resulted in the country it was todat. Suburbs were gradually expanding because of the growing financial inequality between the rich and poor. Though, the country is doing well economically, that is because only the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer.


    Aspects that were related to quality of living of the lower class, were neglected by the government to the lowest extent possible. They would only cover for their most basic human needs.


    As the children ate their snack, Sato sat by the table benches and watched them. Though he was wearing wet clothes and he had used up most of his remaining energy, he felt satisfied and glad that he came. Everytime he made the orphans happy, the same happiness will reciprocate back to him.


    "Achoo!" Sato sneezed. He rubbed his nose gently.


    "Mr. Sato, I have asked Potter to deliver spare clothes to the orphanage, for you to change into. He should be here any moment. " Butler Hank said to Sato. When Hank left the shower area, he immediately called Potter for him to deliver the clothes for Sato. That was what made him a top-class butler in the world.


    " Oh, thank you Hank. I appreciate it a lot."


    Sato nodded slightly as he replied to the butler. Just like he said, Potter came within 5 minutes and he got to change into a comfortable sleeping pants and a sweater for extra warmth. The orphanage may be heated up slightly by the central heating, but it wasn''t functioning to it''s best capabilities. Some parts, like the dining area, was slightly cold.


    When Sato changed finish, he proceeded to ask Hank and Potter. "Do you know when Gray is coming back from his work trip?"


    "Gray should be on his way to Country X''s private airbase now. The estimated time of arrival back in Country Z is 2100. Though, the timing may vary." Hank gave a detailed report to Sato. The flight from Country X to Country Z was only about an hour, showing how close the two countries were.


    "Oh, alright that''s good that Gray wouldn''t be reaching back home too late." Sato worried lesser. Ever since he met Gray, he started to care more about this man. Though Gray never hid anything from him, there was this fog of mystery that surrounded his boss/friend. Till now, Sato hadn''t figured out what exactly was that mystery. He couldn''t bring himself to ask Gray too.


    "Big brother Sato, I finished snack time. Can you read me a bed-time story now?" A cute little girl with two pig tails walked up to Sato and spoke to him nicely.


    "Of course, sweetheart." Sato couldn''t decline. He simply couldn''t.


    Just when Sato accepted, the rest of the children chimed in once again.


    "That''s no fair! I want big bro Sato to read to me!"


    "Me too!"


    "Me three!"...


    "Alright alright! I shall go to each room and read it to everyone! Okay?" Sato tried his best to compromise, to which all the children finally quietened down. The nuns and mother Maria all shook their heads when they saw Sato''s action. He was spoiling all of them so much.

 Chapter 78 - Satos Bedtime Story

    The orphanage was very small. Even though it had a dining hall, a kitchen and a communal shower area, there were only three larger sized rooms left. And so, these became the places to sleep. Two were allocated to the children and the other for the caretakers.


    At night, when the children had finished brushing their teeth and got comfy in their bed, Sato went into the first room. He had prepared to read Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Searching up the classic story, he became reading out with emotion.


    "Once upon a time, in a land far far away..."


    The story was read aloud by Sato, with dramatic pauses and intonations to keep the children interested. When it reach the climax where the evil step mother wanting to feed the poison apple to SnowWhite, the children tried to warn the princess.


    "No, don''t eat the apple, SnowWhite! It had poison in it!"


    "That stepmother is so mean to SnowWhite!"


    After the Princess had eaten the apple, she had fallen into a deep sleep. That was when the children felt depressed. Luckily came the handsome prince that kissed SnowWhite and saved her from her slumber.


    "Prince charming and SnowWhite lived happily ever after. Okay, I have finished the book. It is time for you to sleep!" Sato finished the book, to which the children who were still really awake, complained out loud.


    "Aww... Brother Sato, but we are all not tired yet. We want you to read more to us!"


    "Yeah, yeah! We want more!"


    "Alright, I do not have enough time to read you all another story." Sato stood up and walked up to the double decker beds where the kids laid on. The proceeded to cover the children up with their blankets. "But, I can sing a song to you. It was a song that my mother sang to me when I was a child whenever I didn''t want to sleep."


    "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream


    I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam


    And I know it''s true that visions are seldom all they seem


    But if I know you, I know what you''ll do


    You''ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream... "


    The song that Sato sang was Once Upon A Dream, a song sang in the Sleepy Beauty. Though it was best sung by a female, Sato tried his best with his voice. Luckily, the young man had a slightly more feminine voice than compared to other guys.


    As the children listened to Sato sing, they soon fell into a slumber, into a dream.


    Closing the door quietly, Sato left the room and headed to the room in front. Inside, the children were all awake and active. When Sato entered, everyone obediently got into their beds and were ready to listen to his story.


    ...


    At the private airbase in Country Z, a private jet soon landed on the raining grounds and a man dressed in a black suit, got off the plane. Butler Potter was awaiting his arrival for over 30 minutes in the pouring rain. His umbrella was open as he guided his young master to the car.


    "Young master, how was your work? Did the plan go smoothly?" Potter asked Gray while driving off in the black Bentley. He was currently Gray''s acting personal assistant, since there wasn''t any other suitable candidate.


    "Yes. I managed to get the Minister Of Defence to agree upon the partnership between the two countries." Gray debriefed Potter. "It would be a biannual exercise. The first exercise would be held in our country, this coming January, followed by in Country X the following year."


    "Understood, Young master. I shall write it down on your calendar when we get home. Shall we head back now, sir?"


    "Mmm. Is Sato still at the orphanage?" Gray thought about his boy, even though he was exhausted from his long day of work. By right, he should''ve slept back at home in Country X. Yet, he came back, knowing that he would be able to see Sato at night.


    "Yes, Young master. The last update from Hank reported that Mr. Sato was reading bed time stories and singing a song to the orphans."


    "Oh? If Sato is still reading the book to the children, could Hank video stream it to the screen in the car?" Gray smiled at the thought of Sato reading to the children, even more when he sang to them.


    "Understood." After five minutes, Hank connected his phone to the screen wirelessly. The video showed Sato reading SnowWhite to the second group of children. All of the kids were very engaged with Sato, and so was Gray.


    Eventually, it came to the end and the children were like the previous room, all unwilling to sleep. Sato smilingly started to go around the children''s beds and sang the song wonderfully. His voice was clear and not forced. He was definitely talented.


    "But if I know you, I know what you''ll do


    You''ll love me at once


    The way you did once upon a dream"


    Gray watched the video intently. He had a warm smile hanging on his face when he looked at Sato. The devoted Sato when he was with the children, made Gray even more certain that Sato was the one for him. He would give anything to have this boy in his life.


    "Potter, let us head to the Orphanage."


    ...


    Eventually, the song came to an end and so Sato left the bedroom and headed back down to the dining hall where the grownups sat at night. Mother Maria walked up to the tired Sato and held his hands in her''s.


    "Thank you for everything that you do, Sato. Your time spent here really does make the children extra happy."


    "It''s not a problem. I do this because I love playing with the children." Sato replied honestly. He truly did love spending time with them.


    "I guess it is time to head back now. Hank?" Sato turned to ask Butler Hank who stood behind him always.


    "Yes, Mr Sato. The car is being driven over to the orphanage now by Potter. You can take a seat first when waiting." Hank came up with an excuse as he knew that his young master was coming over now.


    "Alright, let me know when the car is here then. Thank you."

 Chapter 79 - Gray Arrives

    Sato closed his eyes and placed his head on his arms on the table. The eventful day had finally come to an end. Sato was exhausted. Within a minute of placing his head down, he had fallen into a peaceful slumber.


    Those that were sitting around him, purposefully lowered their volume, afraid of awaking Sato. The young man had done a lot for their orphanage. Ever since Sato started visiting, the children were more well-behaved and looked forward to seeing him again. Back then when they realised that they had no parents, their hearts were like still water, unperturbed and silent. Sato changed all of that. Within one year, they were now acting like a normal playful and happy child.


    10 minutes passed and soon enough, the dining hall''s door opened up silently. The man in a suit, Gray, walked in. The sisters that saw the General for the first time started to blush. Even though they were forbidded to be with a significant other, that didn''t mean that they couldn''t find someone attractive.


    Gray had a clean shaven look, with his short but neatly styled up hair. His blue eyes sent ripples into the heart of women whenever they look at him. Yet, the man doesn''t have any airs of arrogance.


    Standing beside the boy who layed sprawled on the table, Gray looked at the boy intriguingly. The onlookers felt the atmosphere getting more awkward the longer they stayed behind. Hence, they swiftly left the hall and went to their room. With a smile on his face, Gray lowered his body to get a closer look at Sato''s half revealed face, the other half covered by his arm.


    On the left side of Sato''s face showed peacefulness. The boy was completely defenseless, his eyebrows relaxed, lips free and easy, his eye shut tight. Gray looked closer to find a tiny black mole on side of his lip and there was a small, close to invisible scar on his cheek. The scar was from the ambush in the past, but had long healed over time. Sato''s imperfections made him him, and that was what Gray found perfect.


    Seeing how exhausted Sato was, Gray slowly moved the boy off the table and into his arms and embrace. Cradling him in his warmth, he leaned Sato''s head on his broad shoulder as he princess carried him out of the orphanage. The curious Sisters watched secretly in the corner as Gray and his butlers left the house. They were all excited and squirming on the inside.


    Gray made sure to walk as fast as he could into the car for he didn''t want Sato to get cold any longer. He carefully placed Sato into backseat, leg first. Gray then got into the back with him and allowed Sato''s head to lie on his lap like a pillow. Signalling to Potter that he should drive slower, the group left the orphanage location back home.


    In the car, Gray never left his eyes off Sato. He watched the boy sleep peacefully. Occasionally, Gray would part and stroke the young man''s long hair. Sato really needed a haircut, thought Gray. It was really getting too messy.


    Everytime when Gray was with Sato, he would always feel at ease. All the stress that was kept in him from work, would dissipate away when he stayed near him. Sato was his natural stress reliever.


    Gray''s phone started to buzz in his pocket. Luckily he kept his phone in his left pocket, or else if the vibration had awoken the boy on his right, it would''ve made Gray rather angry.


    Seeing that the caller was from an unknown number, Gray got slightly curious. The phone he was carrying right now was a military serialised phone. In normal circumstances, a civilian will not be able to call it, unless given special permission, like Butler Potter and Hank. Thus, since this person can call through, he must be of some form significance.


    Gray swiped the phone and placed it by his ear. He was welcomed by an unknown person. "Hello Gray. Long time no see."


    "Who is this? How did you get this number?" Gray spoke in a lower and quieter voice, afraid of awaking Sato.


    "Aiya? You have already forgetten me after all these years?" The unknown caller acted shocked and unhappy to Gray''s answer. "We have been through so much together. The times when we exchanged bullets and I was chased by your team through the snowy mountains for days. Don''t you remember those fun times?"


    "..." Gray furrowed his eyebrows when he heard the guy''s story. He had figured out who he was. "Yroth, why are you calling me?"


    "What do you mean by ''why''?" The guy called Yroth started to laugh evilly. "I missed you, that was why I called. What other reason is there for calling?"


    "I locked you up in the highest security prison in Country H and sentenced you to lifetime imprisonment in there. If it were not for the godforsaken laws of that country, it would be a death penalty for you." This time Gray was furious. If Yroth was able to call him, that could only mean one thing. He had escaped from prison.


    "Oyoyo, relax my old friend. Why is there a need to get angry? I''m calling to inform you that I was released on my own volition. Now, I''m planning a visit to Country Z for you! Are you excited?" The cynical man spoke sarcastically to Gray. As the General expected, Yroth was somehow able to escape from prison.


    "Aren''t you afraid I can track your location and activate military personnels from Country H to retrieve you?" Gray had started tracking on his tablet in the car the instant he figured out who he was dealing with.


    "Nah! Why would I be scared?" Yroth spoke fearlessly, "Afterall, I am in a place where you will not be able to access their Military resources."


    When the location of the caller was revealed in 30 seconds, the place that Yroth hinted was indeed a problem for even Gray himself. Currently, Yroth''s location was in Country N. The country was currently in a civil war that had fights going on everyday. It was just like the man had said, it would certainly be impossible to get aid from them.


    "Oh yeah, there is one other reason for calling you." Yroth spoke his last words before ending the call.


    "I''m here to inform you that I am visiting Country Z to repay you for what you did to me years back. Your family, your closest friends and even your colleagues, they will all be in danger. Mark my words, Gray. Mark my words."

 Chapter 80 - Grays Mission

    The grudge between Yroth and Gray started a while back. At that time, four years ago, Gray was only a Major ranked soldier. He was already leading, at that time, the number one special operations team in Country Z.


    He was looking for clues on the infamous drug cartel, The Saints. The mastermind and leader of this cartel was none other than Yroth. Back then, they didn''t have an inkling on who exactly was the mastermind behind the operation.


    The only clue the military had was that there was a supplier deeply rooted in a highschool in Country Z. Gray spreaded his team members out to the different highschools as staff members. He himself was tasked with being undercover in the top high school, Metropolitan Academy of Science in Country Z.


    The undercover process was long and arduous. They were not allowed to reveal their identities to the public for fear of the cartel group hiding in the dark. At that point, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.


    During the day, Gray would be a Mathematics teacher to one of the classes. In the night, he would rendezvous with his team members and get information (if they possessed any) from them. The process repeated itself for a whole year.


    ...


    When Sato was 16, he had went to Metropolitan Academy of Science (MAS). He had a rough highschool time as he was bullied by his schoolmates. From young, Sato was already deemed as the genius student in the school. Everyday, the rich students would exhibit their power on Sato and threatened him to help them complete their assignments. Sato was on scholarship into MAS and so, he didn''t dare to disobey.


    In his toughest times, Sato met and got to know this school teacher. The man was wonderful and helped him through his tough times. The teacher was Gray. It was also this time when Gray met the young student, Sato who back then only knew him as a teacher. .


    Every test that Gray set for the class, only Sato was able to get 100%. Yet, there was never a look of cockiness or arrogance in the boy. In fact, Sato always looked serious in his class.


    One day when Gray was going back to his office, he noticed Sato being taken to the back of the school by a group of boys. Sato looked afraid.


    Even though Gray was doing an undercover mission, he took his fake job very seriously. Knowing that something wasn''t right, Gray went to take a look.


    It turned out that Sato had accidentally not changed the answers on the bully''s paper and so he was caught for plagerism. The rich bullies decided to take turns to throw punches at Sato. By the time Gray arrived, Sato laid sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Gray took pity for him and carried him to the infirmary.


    The nurse treated his wounds while Gray sat beside the youth as he recuperated. When Sato woke up, Gray enquired about his predicament. At first, Sato was afraid to say anything and didn''t dare to reveal the problem. However, after months of care from Gray, they eventually got close enough for Sato tell him everything.


    The next day, the Sato''s bullies were expelled effective immediately. They were not even given a chance to repent. All these were thanks to the Tobion family''s power. Of course, Sato knew nothing of it and thought that the school did everything.


    After the bullies were gone, Sato''s school life had improved dramatically. He even made two close friends that would eat meals and hang out with him.


    In addition, Gray''s and Sato''s relationship took a turn for the better. Gray had fallen in love with Sato. Sato had fallen in love with Gray. Though there was the thing about teacher and student relationships, they didn''t let it hinder their learning or teaching experience. Gray also continued his undercover mission even during their relationship.


    In the end, after a year of hard work, on Gray''s side, he finally managed to gain valuable information that there would be a supply overhaul coming in on the coming Saturday night. The head boss of The Saints was taking a visit that day too.


    Hence, that day, the Special Ops team led by Gray, headed off into the blackness. Armed and ready, they scouted for the cartel''s presence. At 11.45, close to midnight, a black limousine was sighted circling into the meeting point. A man dressed in a white suit, with neon green spiked-up hair. He was Yroth, the drug cartel lord.


    When the target was spotted, the team moved out effectively neutralising the threat. However, the drug cartel members were also armed with firearms. They fought back in hopes that Yroth could leave unscathed. It came true. The leader made his solo escape.


    Though Yroth left, he was still trapped within the four walls of Country Z. Sea patrol and air control was tight. Thus, the search for Yroth began by the authorities. Gray and his special force team had finished their mission and could wrap up loose ends.


    This marked the beginning of the end. It spelled out that the days of Gray being Sato''s teacher started to dwindle away.


    Till now, Sato knew nothing about this mysterious teacher/ lover of his. He only knew that Gray was great to him. And that was all he asked for.


    During the last few days in school, Sato and Gray spent their usual time together after school. Gray had allowed Sato to stayover at his house where they simply cuddled and relaxed together. That was when the remains of the Saints attacked and ambushed Gray''s home. For some reason, Gray''s location and identity got leaked. The event resulted in Sato losing his memories of the past, while Gray got a service injury.


    By the end of it all, Yroth was finally arrested but had to be extradited back to his home country, Country H for stand trial. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment, but it seemed that the stay in the prison didn''t last for too long before he broke out.

 Chapter 81 - Preparations

    In a snowy mountain village of Country N, a place where military strifes were frequent in the big cities, only the smaller towns were uninvolved with the conflicts. The villages lacked technological advancements as compared to most major cities. Thus, it was very uncommon to see a mountain village have electricity and communications with the outside world.


    Yroth sat inside a traditional straw hut, in front of the circular fireplace, smoking a cigarette. Ever since his escape a week ago, his bald head had just started to grow out small strands of hair. It was a long way to go to get back his silky neon green hairstyle.


    Yroth had just ended the call with Gray. He sniggered as he puffed his cigarette one last time before extinguishing it in the fireplace. Ever since he came to this unknown village that his subordinates set up for him, he started to put his plans to fruition. From the day that he got locked up in prison, all the way till now, he had been ploting his revenge on Gray, the bastard that ruined all of his plans. If it weren''t for him, his drug cartel would''ve become the biggest drug organisation in the world within the next 5 years.


    Beside Yroth was a plastic file containing a document with information on Gray. He picked it up casually, flipping through the intel that his underlings had gathered for him. His eyebrows raised when he read a certain part of the paper.


    "It seems like Gray has not changed one bit."


    On the document, showed a picture of a young man who had a lot of handsome asian features. His dark brown eyes had a certain charm for whoever that looks at him. That young man was Sato. The document Yroth was currently reading was detailing the people that Gray hangs out most often with.


    It is almost impossible for anyone to acquire data on Gray, since he was not only a Major General in Country Z, but was also a part of the Tobion Family. However, the deeply seeded organisation that Yroth set up in Country Z, had enabled him to spy on Gray over the years in secrecy.


    "It seems like Sato Takahashi is most definitely the most precious person in my Gray''s heart, " Yroth knew about the General''s relationship with Sato back in the past when he had launched an ambush on him. Yet, after all these years, they were still together. Taping on his file rhythmically, he laughed out maniacally. "Looks like my upcoming revenge will have to involve Mr. Sato again... "


    ...


    In Gray''s car, the Major General''s aura had turned dark and solemn. Butler Potter shivered slightly at the sight of Gray''s expression. The current look on his face embodied an asura that was trying to contain his anger in him for his enemies. Any second Gray looked like he would explode in fury.


    Surprisingly, the atmosphere cooled down after a few seconds. Gray had looked at the sleeping young man on his lap and immediately contained himself. His thoughts were racing, thinking about what should be his next course of action.


    This time I shall not make the same mistake I made 3 years ago. Yroth is surely going to seek his revenge on me, just like last time. The timing is inconclusive, but there are many precautionary measures that needs to be taken now. Sato, I will not let anything harm you again.


    Without a care of the world, Gray bent his back, leaning in closer to Sato. A cool breeze, a silent night, a light peck on Sato''s cheek. Gray cared for Sato and would make sure nothing would happen to the boy.


    ...


    At home, Sato was carried and laid in bed slowly. Gray watched over him for a short moment, before heading to his room to start his preparations. Butler Hank and Potter and even Ms. Paula, the head housenaid were already waiting in there for their young master. Gray''s once calm and soothing aura had changed back to his strict and solemn self.


    "Hank, I will be needing you to double-up on your protection for Sato. From tommorow onwards, make sure there are people secretly watching over his safety in the school campus. I do not want a single hair on him to be loss. Also, everyday, prepare a report on who Sato interacts with and any suspicious-looking person you see around him." Gray briefed his helpers one by one.


    "Paula, strengthen the security around the compound and especially around this house. Double up on the guards on duty. Make sure that the patrol timings are within a 15 minute interval. Also, take note of anyone that interacts with our property or suspicious-looking people that lurk around our house. " Even though Sato only knew her as a housemaid, but behind the middle-aged looking lady was actually a vast long military background. Paula was originally a female bodyguard for Gray''s mother, Melanie. Back then, she had participated and led many military missions in Country Y. Now, she was the acting "head housemaid" of the Tobion house.


    "Potter, contact the Chief of Navy and Chief of Air force. Set up a meeting for us, preferably within this week. Also, tell Colonel John that I will be coming into his office first thing in the morning for a meeting, pertaining to Yroth."


    "Yes, young master." The three subordinates of Gray left the room to carry out their tasks with haste. They knew that this time Gray was truly pissed.


    When the room was left to himself, Gray sat down in his leather seat. He opened his classified-level computer and entered the World Security Organisation Network (WSON). The WSON is a standalone platform that only the highest statuses in the world could enter. Even the top 1 percenters of the world have to go through stringent sifting to get into this network. This was where the heads of major economical countries, monopolies, military chiefs would discuss and propose their solutions to problems of Global Importance.

 Chapter 82 - History Of Country Z

    (Note: This chapter gives an overview of the world the characters are in. This chapter is purely world building and is not related to the next chapter)


    Country Z not only holds the title of ''The fastest growing economy in the world'', but is also known for it''s ''technologically advanced society''. Yet, the craziest part about this is that Country Z was only established fifty years ago.


    Back then, the land of Country Z was considered as sparse territory. Though the island was large, it was surrounded by sea in all directions and the natural resources were scarce. Thus, even though, the island was equally near to many of the big league countries, none of the leaders dared to try expanding towards that area.


    It was only in the year 2050, when a group of ambitious youth adults ventured into the unknown, and decided between themselves that they should set up new ground here. The earth was covered with many of these types of islands. Only when a country decides to colonize it, will the island be considered their ''land''.


    However, not everyone is allowed to simply ''claim'' that the island is theirs. Beyond a certain size, like how big Country Z''s land was, the country or founder will be given a total of 2 decades to develop the land. If the newly emerged nation was not able to meet the criterias set by the big leaders of the world, such as human population, total gross domestic product, rate of economic growth, etc, they would be forced to give up the land.


    As a result, the group of young adults got together and came up with an ingenious plan. A plan that shook the world to it''s core. They were the four Founding Fathers of Country Z, Nicholas Wake, Benjamin Ruffls, Tess Rosiah and Peng Zhi Xiang. Using, their family''s large wealth and power, the hopeful bunch got to work and started to build up a city from scratch.


    Each of the four in the group surprisingly came from different countries. They all met in university where by they came to learn that they all had the same ambition, ''to leave a legacy behind''. This ambition stuck with the 3 boys and 1 girl, all the way until they completed their PhDs at age 25. Each of them studied a different course with respect to their interests.


    Nicholas Wake studied Political Science and had become the first prime minister of Country Z, while Benjamin Ruffs studied Economics becoming the first Chief Head in the Council Of Economic Advisors. Tess Rosiah studied Architecture becoming the first Minister of Urban Development and lastly, Peng Zhi Xiang studied Mechanical Engineering becoming the first Minister of Technological Development.


    These four were the pillars that laid down the foundations of today''s Country Z. They caused an upheaval in the World''s leader group. Within 30 years, they had managed to create a very strong currency, produced countless talented individuals, have the highest economic growth in the world.


    However, what came next devastated their newly formed country. A war arose between Country Z and the nation, Country N. Country N was always going head to head with Country Z''s economy. Both sides never wanted to let each other get ahead. In the end, a conflict arose between the two leaders and their respective countries.


    Country N was infamous for being the nation with one of the strongest Military power. Unlike Country Z, the founding fathers did not go far into Military science research and as a result, they were on a losing end of the trade. Although Nuclear warfare was banned around the world, Country N relied on their strong naval and air force to launch their attacks on Country Z''s soil.


    The once fast growing country, eventually went into a slump that lasted for five whole years. During that time, Country Z faced strong oppression from Country N. Many of the big powerhouse countries didn''t dare to offer aid since it wasn''t beneficial to them. And although the four founding fathers came from other countries, it was only one individual, making it not worth the risk.


    It was only in the year 2085 when Country Z tried their very best to negotiate terms with Country N. In the end, Country Z was forced to give up 40% of their overall capital for the next ten years in exchange for their safety.


    Consequently, began the slow economic growth age of Country Z. The founding fathers of the nation had stepped down from their seats between 2085 to 2090. They welcomed a new age of smart intellectuals that continued to push their economy onwards. It was the start of that period when the Military in Country Z grew exponentially. The country recruited many Military Science experts and well-trained soldiers to improve their country''s safety. It slowly gave their citizens the confidence to proceed along without fear again.


    Even so, the main thing holding them back was their lack of capital to carry out urban developments. Their country soon came across the issue of Income Inequality. The rich would get richer due to their already abundant financial capital, while the poor stays poor due to the lack of aid from the government. This problem was not tackled for the new heads of the country wanted to solve other more pressing issues that they were currently facing.


    Things only started to turn for the better for the poor once their treaty with Country N ended in 2095.


    The extra capital allowed the government to invest more into research of technology and help improve the efficiency in industrial processes. It once again jump started the country''s technological growth.


    In addition, the government''s newly injected amount of capital allowed them to slowly repay the poor for their hard work. They developed new pension schemes and built more housing for the homeless and the poor. Yet, even after five years of continuous improvement, the problem of income inequality was still evident in such a technological advanced society.


    Nonetheless, the short history of Country Z shows that they have been through a lot, and were still able to hold on till the very end. Only time will tell what the future holds for this young country.

 Chapter 83 - WSON

    On Gray''s laptop, the standalone network was displayed in full screen. The background of the site was set to be black, with white lettering. It was less straining on the eyes and more discreet than a normal communication website.


    In the World Security Organisation Network, the users are able to create seperate discussion groups for different topics. The network guaranteed 100% privacy on the information discussed. No one was allowed to leak any topic discussed here for fear of severe repercussions.


    The WSON was formed by the Major World leaders on Earth 25 years ago. It was first only created for the discussion of political topics that was of Global importance, but it slowly ventured out and recruited in the top businesses and organisations. As of today, the total net-worth of those within this network is equivalent to 50% of the world''s economy. That was noteworthy for the sole fact that there were only 50000 users on WSON.


    Gray entered the channel labelled "Tobion Family Group". There were only 5 people in the channel, where each of them played a significant role in their family.


    The most important person, who was the main reason why their family could enter WSON in the first place, was Gray''s grandfather, Byron Tobion. The man was able to turn an unknown family group into the biggest hidden powerhouse around the world. Of the three big families, only the Tobion family was kept under covers ever since they became prominent.


    So how did Gray''s grandfather start everything?


    It all dated back to when he was a young chap, that wanted to simply created his own humble business. Byron was a genius when it came to the Stock Market. At the age of 20, within a year, he had already made himself a multimillionaire with a starting fund of $1000.


    Not only that, he had an uncanny way when it came to handling businesses. Using the capital he had made from the stock market, Byron with often work with other businesses in the shadows.


    He loved helping industries that were falling short on sales and implement unique yet effective strategies to increase their revenue and profits. When the industry had successfully transitioned or turnover, he would dissappear soundlessly. Never once, would he reveal himself to the major shareholders of the companies that he aided. The shareholders would always try to get more information on who this miracleworker was, but regardless, there would be no traces of him in the end.


    During university, there were only four people that knew of Byron''s doings. Those four were his closest friends that he met during a university camp. He stuck with them ever since. The four friends were in fact Nicholas Wake, Benjamin Ruffls, Tess Rosiah and Peng Zhi Xiang, the founders of Country Z.


    To the other people in the world, these four were seen as legends, but in Byron''s eyes, they were just his buddies.


    What everyone didn''t know was that Byron was in fact, one of the founding fathers of Country Z. Everyone was taught during history class that there were only 4 founding fathers. It was actually thanks to Byron that Country Z became the fastest growing economy in the world within a short 3 decades.


    Byron was the founder behind the scenes. His vast political knowledge and business prowess allowed him to become the main brain behind the success of this country. It was Gray''s grandfather that led the discussions between other big league countries and allowed them to gain a foothold in the world. It was also Byron''s idea to work behind the scenes, so as to ensure his family''s and his own safety.


    When the major world leaders gathered for an annual meeting in 2074, Country Z had finally gained the recognition of the big leagues. Both Nicholas Wake and Gray''s grandfather were invited. That year, the leaders discussed the threat on Cyber attacks and they came to a consensus that the leaders needed a safer platform to debate on other top secret plans for their country.


    Everyone agreed that this isolated network was necessary and so the World Security Organisation was founded in 2075 and they had created their very own standalone network for the world leaders to discuss in. Both Byron and Nicholas were given access at the start as they were the spokeperson and representative for Country Z.


    Everything went smoothly for the next couple of years. Their country, formed by the five close friends prospered. Until the start of 2080, that was when everything went downhill. Byron had started to draft out plans to cooperate with their greatest competing country, N. He had formulated an ingenious plan to work in tandem with their neighbouring country on the productions of certain projects.


    Howbeit, Nicholas disagreed with his actions. Nicholas wanted sole possession of the projects and thought that cooperation with Country N would only slow down their economic growth. The two fought over this issue for a whole night, before Byron called it quits! The man who worked under sheets for 3 decades left his prized achievement, his baby, to his best friend''s ordinance.


    That was how history went down. Nicholas went through the dark tunnel of uncertainty alone, without aid from Byron. His other friends weren''t able to help him much as they weren''t specialised in that field.


    Byron, on the other hand, had left together with his wife, for Country Y. He went to stay at his son, Alex''s home. Alex''s wife, Melanie was from the already prestigious Hanlon family. There at Y, with his newfound time, Byron personally taught his eldest son, Alex Tobion his tactics for the business world. He wanted to make his son, that was going to take over the Family name, become an even more terrifying man.


    Through Byron''s and Alex''s efforts, the Tobion family had seized majority shares in multitudes of large industry companies in the world.

 Chapter 84 - Disagreement

    On the "Tobion Family Group", there were only three people that were currently online. The first was Byron, Gray''s grandfather and the second was Alex, Gray''s father. The other two that were offline were Noah, Gray''s younger brother and Gray''s uncle, Michael. These five were considered the main brains of the Tobion family.


    Although, Gray''s father was the current Head of the family, Michael, Alex''s brother, worked alongside him in almost everything. Together, they were the unstoppable duo. If it weren''t for their teamwork, their family would not be where they are at today.


    On the flip side, Gray''s brother, Noah, is unlike Gray. Gray worked in the military sector, commanding political power in Country Z. Ever since the war with Country N, high ranking military officials have more say in how the system was ran in Country Z''s government as compared to the past.


    For Noah''s case, he worked in the business sector. Most of the time, he was learning the ropes from his grandfather and father. Ever since Gray and Noah were young, Gray had never been interested in taking over the Family businesses. As a result, Noah had to bear the responsibility of it. He didn''t have much say in retrospect of his family''s situation.


    Seeing that his father and grandfather were online, he started to type in the chat group. "Father, Grandfather, are you there?"


    Within 30 seconds, a message followed through. It came from Alex. "Yes Gray. Is there something important you got to discuss about?"


    "Yes. Do you remember the last active mission I completed? The one with regards to the drug cartel group, The Saints."


    "I remember it vividly. At that time, your mother was so shocked that she immediately flew over to check on you." Alex answered back in two separate messages. "Why do you ask?"


    "Their leader, Yroth has escaped from prison."


    "Oh?" A minute later, Gray''s father continued on. "There is currently no news reporting his escape from Country H. Where did you get the information from?"


    "I got it from Yroth himself. He called me to inform me of his return."


    When Gray sent this message, his father went silent for a short while. Only after he consolidated his thoughts, did he reply.


    "I''m guessing you want our family''s aid to track him down."


    "Yes." Gray answered simply. He knew his dad''s strong analytical skills wouldn''t fail him. "Could you activate a squad from the Horsemen?"


    The Horsemen that Gray was talking about is similar to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as described in the bible. The four were Conquest, War, Famine and Death. Unlike how the Bible described it as four people, these were four Squads of specially trained soldiers that worked under the Tobion Family. Only in times of trouble will they be activated to help the family carry out tasks of grave importance.


    "Oh? What is the reason why you need the Horsemen so badly?" Alex was curious as to why Gray was so desperate.


    The last time the Horsemen was activated was in fact 3 years ago when Gray had nearly died again the surprise attack. It was the squad of Horsemen that managed to track down the escaping Yroth and neutralise him effectively. This showed the prowess of this elite squad of men under the Tobion Family. Even the military couldn''t catch up with their reconnaissance speed.


    "I am afraid that history may repeat itself again." Gray answered honestly from his heart.


    "Don''t worry Gray. Nothing would come into harm with you. Even without the Horsemen''s aid, I''m sure bodyguards around you is enough to ensure your safety."


    "I am not worried about my safety, father. I am worried about the people around me."


    "Hmm? Are you perhaps talking about that boy toy that you are keeping in our home?" As soon as Gray''s father addressed the elephant in the room, the atmosphere immediately turned cold.


    "Do not call him a boy toy." Gray never liked it when someone denounces Sato. Be it family or even his closest kin, if someone were to insult Sato, they would get on Gray''s bad side.


    "Is he not just a gigolo you found on the streets? Wasn''t it also because of him back then, you almost died yourself?"


    From the beginning, Alex was never welcoming of the thought that Gray was a homosexual. He assumed one day his son would be normal again. Yet after three whole years, he had not changed one bit. It even got to the point that he wanted to activate the Horsemen to protect this young man.


    "Gray, if your reason for activating the Horsemen was to ensure your safety, I would consider it. However, you choose to use it for the sake of protecting a stranger? My answer will always be a no."


    "Activate a squad for Gray." Just as the conversation started to turn sour, Byron had butted in. He spoke his words clearly, shocking not only Alex, but Gray too.


    "Thank you, grandfather." Gray thanked him sincerely.


    "Anything for my grandson. :)" Byron sent an emoji while he was at it. "Later on, I will give you the contact information of the leader of the squad."


    "Alright, I will be off then. I will visit you soon, grandfather." With that, Gray left the group without saying goodbye to his father. Then, the chat was left with the older pair of father and son.


    "Why did you give Gray a squad? All for the sake of protecting this nobody?" Obviously Alex was dissatisfied with the way his father did things.


    As soon as Byron read finished his message, he replied without hesitation. "Alex my son, there are two reasons I did that."


    "The first being that, by giving Gray a squad from the Horsemen, he would be able to more effectively neutralise a looming threat. It may be used to protect another person, but in return it would my grandson get rid of an obstacle in his way. Anyways, we have four squads and only one is currently deployed off. I see no harm in letting him use one."


    "Now, comes the second reason. This was actually the main and most important factor that I considered. The person the Horsemen is deployed to protect will most definitely become the lover of my beloved grandson. You may not agree to Gray''s love interest. Even I do not agree to it fully. However, you have to remember that this is his life that he is living. It is not for you to decide what path he takes or who he can love. We just got to learn to accept things as the way they are."


    "In the worse case scenario, if anything were to happen to Gray''s lover, you may even lose this perfectly great son of yours. Do give it some thought, Alex. I will be going offline now. It is getting late."

 Chapter 85 - Acceptance Notice

    The next morning, Sato woke up in his bed, looking rather confused. How did he even get home? Most likely Butler Hank had carried him into the car.


    After washing up from yesterday, Sato went downstairs to look for Hank. The man in a black suit was standing by the door obediently. Judging by the time of the day, Sato suspected that he was waiting for Gray to come down to leave the house.


    "Hey Hank," Sato called out for the butler. "Thank you for carrying me out of the orphanage. Although, you could''ve just woken me up. "


    "Oh, Mr. Sato. The one you should be thanking is Young Master. He was the one that didn''t want to disturb your sleep. He was also the one that carried you to the car. However, don''t tell him I told you this." Hank winked at Sato.


    "Oh?" Sato raised his eyebrows slightly.


    From the day Sato moved in, Gray had done so much for him. Most of the time Gray would not acknowledge that it was his doing. His genuine kind actions have started to make Sato''s heart quake. Yet, he didn''t think much of it.


    Ever since Sato was young, he had been different from normal youths. A typical growing teenager would go around liking people. They would want to start a relationship or even make moves on their crush. Sato, on the other hand, had been focused on his studies from the very beginning. Due to the lack of money, he had to prioritise studies over everything else in the past.


    If it were not for Gray making a move on him in the past, Sato would not have realised what love was in the first place. Nonetheless, he had forgotten about it all and Gray was back to square one.


    "What were you discussing?" Just then, Gray came down the stairs.


    "It''s nothing, " Sato smiled while shaking his head. "I was just about to ask Hank what your schedule was today."


    "You could''ve just asked me." Gray rubbed Sato''s still messy hair.


    "Well, I didn''t know if you were awake. After all, you came home late last night."


    "Alright, alright. Let us have breakfast. I will tell you then." The pair started their day of normally, with them enjoying a nice healthy meal. Gray told Sato that he was going to have several important meetings that may take a while and so he would most likely not have dinner at home. That was of course accepted by Sato. He would never restrict anyone''s freedom.


    "I got something to tell you though." Gray came out upfront with Sato. "For the next few weeks, maybe months, I will be hiring more bodyguards to be station around the house and you. There is a highly dangerous man out in the open that wants to harm those around me. I do not want you to be hurt by that nut job."


    "Ah? Do you really want to get bodyguards for me? Wouldn''t that cost a lot of money? I do not know how I can repay you back..." Sato felt guilty for burdening Gray. He felt like a deadweight to him.


    "No matter how much it costs, as long as you are safe, it is all that matters. We are family remember. There is no need to talk about repaying me back." To reassure the university student, Gray smiled warmly as he showered him with nice words. In fact, he was doing all of this more for himself. Sato being an innocent chap, could not see Gray''s love for him.


    ...


    Sato went to university as per normal. Today he had Tutorial for Engineering. The class were getting back their test results from last week. Here, they will be able to go through with an assigned academic staff on the mistakes that they made. Typically, it was held in groups of 10 in Sato''s University.


    The paper was given back to the Engineering students. If anyone got below a 4 out of 8, they would have to retake the module. Thus, half of the class had dull faces when they saw their grades. There were two other students that sighed in relief when they realised they just passed. Ming on the other hand had gotten a 6, giving him an A.


    "What did you get, Sato?" Ming nudged Sato who was holding onto his paper.


    "Ah? I got an 8." Sato said normally. The students in the class when they heard him, wanted to vomit blood. How could this monstrous genius not get stumped by this test paper?


    "You sure are the top student in the class." Ming smiled at the boy that sat beside him.


    "Thanks hehe. I got lucky on the last 30 minutes and realised that Professor Clarence had placed a trick question. If you realised, you would have gotten a 7."


    Everyone in the class was speechless at this point. They was no point comparing themselves with Sato. Lucky? More like a mad genius that was hard to come by in a century! It was a known fact that Sato had not taken the full course for this test paper. Thus, it made everyone more certain that Sato was leagues above everyone else.


    ...


    At the end of the class, a male student named Terence came up to Sato to tell him the news. "Hey Sato, my vice-leader and I have deliberated and accepted your application into our club."


    "Oh really? That''s great! Thank you for accepting me after the application period!" Sato shook Terence''s hand.


    Sato was relieved that he had gotten into an extra-curriculum activity. In their University, everyone is mandated to join at least one club every year they are enrolled. Since, he had quit the ROL club, he needed to apply for a new one. Hence, he decided to go for Taekwondo. After all, he had accepted the teachings of Master Choi, might as well have more time to train himself.


    "Well, our training is every Wednesday and Friday. So tommorow, be sure to come to the Training Hall at 5pm. You can wear Physical Training clothes for that lesson. We shall give you the uniform another day." Terence the leader of the Taekwondo club left after briefing Sato.

 Chapter 86 - An Epiphany

    In the Central Manpower Base, Gray sat in the meeting room, his hands clasped together as he looked at the two individuals in front of him.


    "I called you today to share an important news with the two of you. I''ll cut to the chase to not waste more of your time." Gray spoke eloquently and with seriousness. "The Saints leader, Yroth has escaped from jail in Country H and will most likely be coming for me in the near future."


    "Oh?" A man dressed in a blue navy uniform said curiously. His rank on his attire symbolised Leutenent General (LG), a rank higher than Gray. He was none other than LG Benjamin Huggins, the chief of Navy. "That bastard is back?"


    Back then his Navy fleet was activated in pursuit of Yroth. Yroth''s experienced cartel members had managed to not only slip multiple times, but had also caused millions of dollars of damage.


    "Looks like the damage we dealt to the Saints back then wasn''t enough. Now, he is out to seek revenge with his invisible army." The other LG ranked personnel commented. He was the chief of the Air Force, Miller Radskin.


    Although he wasn''t involved in the operation years back, he had long heard about the Saint''s drug operations in their country. Now that Gray, the previous Person In Charge of the operation had requested for his aid, he would do his best to help him out.


    Gray told him the incident of Yroth calling him last night. He then briefed them on his game plan.


    "This time my plan is to eliminate The Saints once and for all. With that in mind, I will require the help of the Air force and the Navy. We will have to control these two methods of transportation, so as to restrict the Cartel''s movement fully. In addition... "


    ...


    The meeting lasted for 3 long hours. Gray''s plan wasn''t perfect in the beginning. It had some loopholes that he couldn''t figure out, but after discussing with the two chiefs, the operation was almost finalised. The combined brain power of the top generals in the military was truly terrifying. The chances of success this time was high.


    By the time Gray left the meeting room, it was already 7pm. He was hungry from all the brainstorming. Butler Potter had been waiting outside the room from the very beginning. He immediately left to get the car as soon as he saw Gray leaving the room.


    Within 5 minutes, Gray had already departed for home. Looking into the rear-view mirror, he talked to his butler. "Has Sato arrived back home?"


    "No, Young Master. Mr. Sato is still at a school consultation. He should be out soon." The newly hired guards for Sato kept watch over him.


    "Let''s head over to his school to fetch him then." When he spoke about Sato, Gray''s mood naturally got better.


    At school, Sato had just finished up his consultation with his Computer Science professor. The day was finally over for the hardworking student. He could finally head back home to play some Ray Of Light.


    After adding each other''s contacts, Sato was able to add the three boys in the game. They started doing Dungeon runs together. Luckily for Sato, all the dungeons in the game only had demonic beasts. Thus, he was able to kill them. If not, it would be rather hard for him to explain himself to them.


    Sato scampered like an overgrown puppy, towards the school exit. Although most of the times Sato acted like a mature grown adult, there was a side of him that was cheerful and innocent. Often, it could only be expressed in the game and so ROL acted as an outlet for his other self.


    "Hey poor boy! Nice to see that you haven''t left campus back to your sugar daddy''s home." A familiar voice came from the back of Sato. What a coincidence that I would bump into Tyron, Sato thought. It was almost as if Tyron and his lackeys had been waiting for him.


    "It sure took you long enough for to finally be alone." Tyron spoke contemptly. Sato simply smirked at his comment. Too predictable.


    "Oh? It seems like I should really take you outside of school for a ride." Sato''s reaction really grinded his gears. He walked up to Sato and placed his arm over Sato''s shoulder. Although Tyron wasn''t exactly muscular, he was considerably strong with a tall build. Compared to the skinny Sato, Tyron was gigantic.


    "Get your arm off me." Sato looked at his bully dead in the eye. There was no fear in them.


    "What if I do not want to listen to you?" At this point, Tyron knew he struck a sensitive part of Sato. He decided to grip Sato''s side sleeve tightly, pulling the skinny boy closer to him as he whispered tauntingly at him. "What are you going to do about it?"


    Just as Tyron tightened his grip on Sato, a kind of epiphany struck Sato deeply. It felt like some mental block had been relieved after all these years and now he could think even clearly. Although he hadn''t recover any bit of memory, his body reactions had improved.


    Without thinking, Sato grabbed onto the arm of Tyron''s that was on his right. He didn''t give the bully any time to think before turning his body around, resulting in Tyron having his arm twisted. Sato followed up by kicking the depression in his knee joint, causing Tyron to lose balance and kneel on the ground.


    Within seconds, Sato had completely supressed Tyron and left his lackeys speechless. How did this frail looking boy do such a number to their boss?


    "What are waiting for? Attack him!" Without a care for the school rules anymore, he shouted out to his shocked subordinates. Everyone swiftly charged up towards Sato, ready to beat Sato up.


    Sato who had just done something totally out of the ordinary was staring into space. He had only snapped out of it when the lackeys were only 2 meters away from him.

 Chapter 87 - Gray The Asura

    "Bang!" A loud sound resembling a bullet shot, stopped the lackeys in their tracks. Cold sweat immediately formed on their foreheads. Looking in front of them, a 7mm bullet was lodged deeply in the ground. One more step forward from the nearest lackey would have resulted in him being shot in the foot.


    "Ahhh!"


    Reality settled in quickly for the lackeys. All three of them scampered off as fast as they could. Two of them even stumbled to the ground when attempting to flee.


    The only one that couldn''t properly react to the situation was Tyron. Just a second ago, he had been submitted to Sato and was forced to lie on the dirt ground. And yet again, he was defeated with his lackeys fleeing before his very eyes.


    "Impossible... Impossible!" Tyron looked spiritlessly at the ground, shouting in frustration.


    Sato too, was shocked by the sequence of events. He knew that Gray had placed some bodyguards in his vicinity to protect him. What he didn''t know was that they were fully equipped with firearms of explosive proportions!?!? Luckily, there was no one around the school gate at this time as most of the students had gone home or left for dinner.


    A black car seized the opportunity to drive past the school gate and into the University. A familiar man to Sato came out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped moving. He had heard of the incident from the hidden bodyguards and had personally guided their action. Thus, when Gray saw Tyron screaming at Sato, he gave off an extremely terrifying aura. His hands were gripped tightly as if he could bleed just from his fingernails on his skin.


    The guards around the outer perimeters of the school gate could even tell that their hired boss was someone that should not be trifled with. Gray walked up towards Tyron without speaking a word. Sato saw the man who was wrapped in a devilish aura walk past him. Sato felt chill run down his arms even though Gray''s anger wasn''t targeted at him.


    Tyron who was the victim of Gray''s assault started to shiver in fear. Unbeknownst to himself, this mysterious man devil had reached 2 metres before him. All Tyron knew was that he had a few seconds of leeway before Gray would take action on him.


    "D..Don''t y.. You ge.. Get any close.. Closer to me! I.. I p.. Promise.. You that y.. You will regret it!" Tyron couldn''t help but chatter involuntarily. Each step Gray took towards him, felt like a huge stomp from an enraged mammoth. Eventually, Tyron''s bladder gave out and he had peed his pants.


    "I.. I come from.. From a very str..strong background! If, if, you lay.. Lay your hand.. Hand.. On me, my father will.. Will kill you!"


    Tyron was not lying when he said that his family background was strong. The Copper field family holds majority of the shares in the entertainment industry, their Copperstone Studious have produced many blockbuster films of the decade. In addition, they have opened multiple luxury malls under their name, Copperfield Foundations, bringing in millions of dollars every year. Tyron, being their only son meant that they spoilt him into the being he was today.


    When Gray heard what Tyron threatened him with, he couldn''t help but give a light laugh at his comment. He then toned up his aura that he gave off when he finally opened his mouth.


    "Oh really?" Squatting down, Gray starred daggers into Tyron''s eyes. His vision never faltered, for he didn''t give a damn about what Tyron had just said. "If I do hurt you now, what can your parents do for you at this very moment?"


    Gray proceeded to take out the pistol that he had kept in his pocket sleeve of his jacket. He had taken out the gun from his vehicle. In Country Z, it was illegal for anyone that didn''t work under the Country/Government or certified Bodyguards to carry a firearm. Gray pointed the gun straight at Tyron''s forehead, not batting an eye at anything.


    "What if I were to shoot you now? Can your parents stop me from killing you at this very moment?" Every word that Gray spoke was emphasised with anger. The man of few words originally, had become an asura of death.


    "No.. No.. Pl.. Please D.. Don''t kill me.. Me." Tyron raised his arms and waved at Gray, begging him to not end his life.


    "Gray, stop! That''s enough!" Before Gray could take action, Sato''s voice spoke out into the hellish aura that the General emitted. Sato''s words were like a soothing bell to him as it lulled the man to put down his pistol.


    Tyron fainted from fear and terror. Gray, on the other hand, stood up and headed for Sato, ignoring the loser before his eyes. He softly held both side of Sato''s arms as he inspected the boy. "Are you hurt in any way?"


    "No, I am fine, Gray." When Sato saw how Gray had more or less turned back to normal, he took in a deep breath. "Thank goodness I stopped you there... If you had done anything to Tyron, his family would''ve came and seek revenge for him. I haven''t even accounted for the repercussions you would face with the military."


    "There would not have a problem for me if I had killed that spoilt moron." Gray denied the young man''s statement. Sato could tell Gray was telling the truth when he said it. The man was a Major General in the army and not only that, his family background is truly out of this world. Owning a few luxury malls is simply nothing in Gray''s eyes.


    Regardless of everything, he was glad that Gray had not kill someone in the school grounds. It would surely appear in the news if any passers-bys had videoed and leaked it online.


    Seeing how Gray acted out for him, it had left a strong imprint on Sato''s heart. He stepped forward and hugged the well-bodied General, his eyes closed and smile curved into a cresent. "Thank you."

 Chapter 88 - Satos Memory

    "W.. Well we should get going for home. Let''s get in the car." Gray stuttered slightly when Sato hugged him.


    "Alright." Smiling, Sato entered through door that was opened by Potter. Likewise for Gray, Potter went to the other side of the car and opened it up for his Young Master.


    Before Gray entered, he spoke to his butler softly, yet with resolution. He glanced at Tyron for a second. "Clean up this mess. Also, reward the bodyguards with $100000. Ask them to continue to protect Sato from the shadows."


    "Understood, young master." Potter bowed slightly as he answered to the General. Taking out his phone, Potter called a number. "Grant, Young Master has rewarded your team $100000. Remove all evidences of the gunshot. You can leave that boy alone."


    "Noted." A simple answer was given before their conversation had ended.


    Grant was the Team Leader that lead the protection of Sato. It was thanks to his skillful reconnaissance and insights that allowed for Sato to be unharmed. In addition, he had not cause any further trouble for Gray, like shooting someone down. If he had done that, even though he would escape unscathed, it would''ve given Gray more paperwork to do.


    In the car, Sato looked rather exhausted from the series of events. Gray noticed it immediately and had reached out his arm to pull Sato towards him. Gently, he led Sato''s head to his shoulder, wanting him to rest on him. At first Sato was unwilling to rely on Gray, however what came next from Gray''s mouth allowed him to relax.


    "If you think of me as family, you would rest on my shoulder."


    Those words were enough for Sato to count on this trustworthy man. He smiled gently, before closing his eyes to take a rest. "Alright."


    Just like last night, the car ride became peaceful. Gray would take small looks at the young man that laid on his shoulder. In his heart, he pitied Sato greatly. Although Sato would always put up a strong and reliable front so as to not anyone worry about him, Gray knew that behind that barrier were scars that ran deeply in Sato''s heart.


    It was usually the strongest individuals that suffered the most throughout their lives. Even a genius in everything required to put in hard work just to achieve great things.


    For Sato''s case, he had become the humble and kind person he was today, from experiencing a lot of misfortunes and toughships. They helped to mould the young man into who he was now.


    Regardless, today was a blessing in disguise. Sato may have came close to being harmed, but what was given back in return was greater. Somewhere inside Sato''s brain now, there were new neurons being formed and old neurons being replaced. The long untouched parts of Sato''s memory was being brought to light once again.


    Back when Sato was 16 and was physically bullied by his schoolmates, Gray had witnessed the bully''s actions. At that point, he gave Sato a choice. Gray allowed the teenager to choose between bringing up the bullying with the general staff members or standing up for yourself with your own skills.


    Sato chose the latter. It was also due to this decision that snowballed their relationship further. Gray had taught Sato self-defence arts that he had learnt in Special Operations training. Since Sato was a rather frail boy, most techniques that Sato learnt was to use your opponent''s strength against themselves.


    Gray made sure to train his physical strength and stamina along the way. Every morning they would go for a nice jog by the nearby lake at school. In the late afternoon, they would do strength training on alternate days and learning of the self-defence techniques on the days without training.


    Eventually, after 6 tough months, Sato had finally acquired a decent physique and was able to stand up for himself. Although there were times that they threatened to abuse their family''s powers, Gray would then settle it for Sato.


    This however, was not known by the teenager. He had thought it was all due to the build up of confidence and strength that allowed him to step out of this dark times. The outcome was all intended by Gray.


    Even though Sato could not remember who the teacher was, he did however regain a part of his memories.


    When the car had reached the mansion, Gray woke the young man up. As expected, Sato was rather drained from the stimulation of the brain. Gray whispered into Sato''s ear cheekily. "Would you like me to carry you into the house?"


    With that said, Sato woke up in the blink of an eye. Even if he was tired right now, so long as his counciousness was still there, he would not want Gray to carry him up. It would simply be too embarrassing. Gray laughed at his action, before helping Sato out of the car.


    Today, they were able to have dinner together. During their meal, Gray asked about Sato''s day, while Sato asked about Gray''s day. It felt normal and peaceful within the pair''s hearts.

 Chapter 89 - Party

    The next day came and went by quickly. Eventually, Sato went for his first Taekwondo training. There, he met his seniors and students that joined recently. The physiques of the people inside the club varied greatly. There were taekwondo practitioners that were as stick-like as Sato. There were even students that were very chubby and plump in size and yet, willing to learn and improve themselves. It was the perfect place for someone like Sato who used to not exercise much.


    At the end of the training, Sato was tired and beat from the workout. Although it wasn''t as exhausting as the hike up that mountain to Master Choi''s residing, he felt drained from his first day in the club. Senior Terence squatted down beside Sato, who was lying on the ground and patted his shoulder.


    "You did great today, Sato. Keep it up!"


    "Really? I felt rather lacking in the physical aspect." Sato smiled back at Terence''s praise as he wiped his sweat off his face with a small towel.


    "Yes I''m serious! If you ask any of the seniors that were watching you practice the steps and forms, they would describe you as devilish!"


    The reason why Terence spoke so highly of Sato was due to two reasons. The first is that after being shown the steps and moves once, Sato could perfectly mimic every strike and movement. He was like a mirror to the seniors that demonstrated for him. The second reason was that Sato had an unyielding strength within him. Regardless of how tired he was during practice, he would force himself to get back up to practice the moves once again. The culmination of talent and hard work would always win the praises of anyone.


    "I guess, thanks for the compliment." Sato was shy when people say nice things about him. He didn''t know how to react.


    "No problem man! You deserve it!" Terence stood up and went to the middle of the training hall to give out an announcement.


    "Alright guys, I have some great news to share with everyone! This Friday, we will be going for dinner, alongside the Karate Club members at Happy Notes Bar. We will be celebrating our gold medals that we received during our championships. So be sure to clear out your schedule and come along!"


    When Sato heard the announcement, he got rather excited. This was the first club outing he ever had. He would definitely not miss out on this.


    Of course, when the young man got home, he couldn''t wait to tell Gray about his day. Gray had reached home only minutes before Sato and so he had not change out of his attire. Today, Gray had to attend an opening ceremony that was located in the training camp in the suburbs. As a result, he didn''t have time to change into his civilian clothes.


    Seeing how excited Sato was when he told the story to him, Gray''s tired look was refreshed. Sato was too pure and innocent for an adult.


    "So, so, when we got to the end of today''s practice, Terence, our captain announced that we would be having a celebratory party! I cannot wait to go for the group meal with all my club members! I wonder what it would be like?"


    "Alright, enough talking for now, young man." Gray chuckled. He pointed to the clutter of food on Sato''s plate that was not touched. "Eat finish your food first. I will continue to listen to your story after you are done."


    "Fine." Sato pretended to pout, before he wolfed down his dinner. His famished body, coupled with the delicious meal that Ms. Paula cooked up, resulted in the boy finishing up his dinner in 5 minutes.


    "You gotta chew a little more, Sato. Besides..." Gray reached over the dinner table, leaning closer into Sato''s face. Using his clean white handkerchief, he gently wiped the side of Sato''s mouth. He couldn''t help but laugh when he saw how Sato looked. "Look at how messy you are. You got sauce all around your mouth."


    ...


    After their dinner, the two sat at the living room sofa and chilled. Gray had taken off his military suit and was wearing his white Button-up shirt that tightly stuck to his body. His muscles were deeply defined by his attire that could make any girl go crazy. Sato too, couldn''t help but take a look at Gray''s figure.


    Since it was cold outside, the fireplace was on, with cedar firewood being burnt. The natural oils in cedar resulted in the house smelling pleasant and fragrant. Not only that, it provided warmth for those that sat around the fireplace.


    Even after Sato finished talking about his story, Gray and Sato continued to converse. They wanted to get to know each other better. Especially Gray, he wanted to know more about the times he was absent.


    From the beginning of their meeting, Gray knew that Sato was definitely born under an unlucky star. Even before Sato lost his memory, he was already unlucky enough. Only when he was around Gray did his luck get better.


    "So have you ever fallen in love with anyone after your car accident?" Gray looked at Sato with a serious expression.


    This burning question was something that Gray wanted to know the most badly ever since he left Sato. When he was further studying, there would be many questions that revolved in his head.


    How are you Sato? Where are you now? Have you been eating well Sato? Have you grown any taller? Are you being bullied anymore? Has your heart been taken up by someone else? That last question ached him the most throughout his studies and now, he would be able to relief himself.


    "Ah?" When Gray popped the question at Sato, he was rather surprised at first. But afterwards, he recovered and just shook his head. "Sadly no. Just like how I was telling you about my bad luck, it seems like I am unable to find anyone that is for me. In fact, I am sure if this level of bad luck continues, I would probably be single for the rest of my life."


    The answer that Sato gave, allowed Gray to breathe normally again. Any other answer would''ve probably blown his head off. He could not imagine anyone else being with Sato. Only he himself would be able to have this sweet cute looking boy.


    "Well, you never know, Sato." After talking with Sato for several hours, Gray stood up and headed to shower. The first few words were heard clearly by Sato. However, what came next were just a string of mumbles from Gray''s mouth.


    "The person you love may have been right in front of you all this time."

 Chapter 90 - AGS Group

    And just like that, it was Friday night. Sato had finished his Taekwondo training with his peers and seniors. Showering and cleaning up himself in the school shower, Sato came out looking clean and pristine.


    After two weeks of eating delicious and healthy food, Sato finally started to gain more fat in his body. And although he was definitely still skinny, he no longer looked like a starved person.


    Last night, Sato had deliberated greatly on what he should wear today. He even asked for Gray''s opinion, to which he told the young man to just go for jeans and a nice oversized t-shirt. Sato followed along with Gray''s suggestion and had brought the shirt to school to change later after the shower.


    When Sato wore finish his final look, he looked very charming. He had tucked in the simple white shirt into his black jeans, and tied up his long hair into a ponytail at the back. Coupled with his nice Asian features, he resembled a pop star.


    The club members gathered together at the foyer in the evening to travel to the bar. The Happy Notes Bar was not only walking distance from the school, but also owned by someone in the board of directors. As a result, they get to have great discounts if students were to drink there.


    The ambience of the bar didn''t fail to amaze the students there. The placed was designed to give off an urban style vibe. The place was dimly lit with nice jazz music playing in the background. All the furniture were made out of varnished dark hard wood that made the place more earthy.


    The club had booked the side seats on the leftside of the bar. If they had not done that, they wouldn''t have been able to get it now. At this timing, the place was already filled with customers, mostly students. Many were even queuing to get a seat inside.


    The reason why this Happy Notes Bar was so popular was because it was also a famous grill restaurant. When you combine the appeal of alcohol and food, no one would be able to resist wanting to eat here.


    Sato sat in the corner with his other fellow peers that joined the same year he did. There, he talked to those who were near to him.


    "Hey Tae Wan, what are you majoring in?" Sato asked Tae Wan, another year 2 that joined Taekwondo this year.


    "I''m in Sports Science." Tae Wan replied. "The curriculum requires me to join at least one sports extracurricular every year and so this time, I chose Taekwondo."


    "Thats cool. I was wondering why you were so good at Taekwondo when you came in, you must be really sporty in order to get this far." Sato praised in admiration.


    Tae Wan already had a Black Belt 2nd grade when he entered the club. As a result, he didn''t actually have to learn anything and could just practice and hone his own skills.


    "Haha, it''s not because I am good at sports that got me this black belt. In my opinion, anyone can get this if they put in enough effort. For me, my parents forced me to learn it when I was 12. Only when I got my 2nd grade at age 17, did they allow me to stop."


    "Wow that''s really long." Sato was shocked at how long it took for the strongest guy out of the new people to get to where he was. He wondered to himself how long it would take him to get a blackbelt.


    "Hey, hey Sato. So being in the AGS group, what is it like in there?" Another year 2 peer named, Jennifer, asked Sato a question.


    In university Z, the school had created a group namely Academically Gifted Students group (AGS) so as to help hone those that were seen to have potential in the future. Sato was of course invited to join the group as he was the top scorer in Mechanical Engineering and did very well in Computer Science last year.


    "Well, I am technically a part of the AGS group, but also not a part of it?" Sato answered honestly. "From the day I was accepted last year, I have not been to the Centre that they have set up or went for a meeting once."


    "Huh? Why don''t you go for it? Isn''t it such a great opportunity?" Jennifer was surprised at how Sato turned down this chance.


    "It''s not that I do not appreciate the gesture, but more that, I think there is more to life than just studying. Going for the extra learning sessions with the AGS tutors may be beneficial for me in the future, but just doing well in class is more than enough for me. I am not pursuing the path that is going to mould me into someone I am not."


    When Sato explained to everyone around him, they all listened intently. In fact, their opinions on this matter were rather symmetrical. They had all thought that those students that were a part of AGS group would be either too arrogant or would lack the social ques to make friends with them. However, talking to Sato, he was just a normal person like them, except for the fact that he was a genius amongst men.


    As a result, those people that didn''t want to talk to Sato at first, immediately started to befriend the young man.

 Chapter 91 - Kiss

    The party got more exciting as the evening progressed into the night. The seniors were getting more and more drunk. They partied as hard as they trained for their competitions.


    As for the students that joined recently, the whole time they got to know each other. Especially Sato''s table, there were many club members surrounding them. The majority of them were curious about Sato, the prodigy student of University Z, a member of AGS group.


    "Sato, so what do you normally do when you are home? Do you study a lot?" Pete, another year 2 student, said to Sato.


    "Most of my free time is first spent completing all my assignments. Afterwards, I play Ray Of Light."


    "You have time to play Ray Of Light and still do well academically?" Luka who was a 1st year student, said with a shocked expression.


    "Yeah, that''s crazy... I play Ray Of Light and do my assignments, but I''m definitely not able to beat the scholars or geniuses in my course..." Brook, also a year 1 student, lamented.


    "Oh, Sato I heard rumours from my roommate in Mechanical Engineering that you were forced to leave university, but then you managed to come back soon after. Is that true?" Tae Wan said something that caught everyone''s attention.


    "Wait what? Sato was kicked out of our school? Was it some mistake?"


    "Yeah it must be some mistake... He is a part of the AGS group, why would they kick him out of the school?"


    "Yeah are you sure this news from your roommate is accurate? It seems rather sketchy to me." Jennifer looked at Sato confusingly. She wanted to know the truth now.


    "Haha, what Tae Wan just said is true. I was forced to leave the school due to an executive decision at the top. I wasn''t able to pay for the school fees this semester and so I had to leave." Sato smiled while explaining. It was all in the past for him.


    "Then, how did you come back so fast?" Jennifer asked.


    "Well, I had what you would call a fortuitous encounter?" Sato still remembered how the day he met Gray went down.


    Heading for an interview to become a General''s Personal Assistant, he encountered a theft case on the way. Inadvertently, he helped out Gray. It was from then on, Sato''s and Gray''s life crashed together and became one.


    "During my darkest days, I made myself a big brother that cared for me greatly. He helped to get my life together, watching out for me whenever he could. It was thanks to him that I was able to get back to school so fast." Sato smiled unintentionally when talking about Gray. Those around Sato could tell that he was genuinely blissful and not faking it.


    Tae Wan patted Sato on the shoulder after hearing the story. "It''s great that you found someone to help you out along the way, Sato. If you do not mind, would you count me as your friend too?"


    "Oh oh me too! Me too! I wanna be your friend too!" Jennifer chimed in excitingly.


    "I wanna be your friend too, Sato..." Everyone around the table spoke out Sato. Their words truly made Sato happy and also thankful for what he had now. Mostly, he was thankful for Gray. Ever since the day he met Gray, his life started to turn for the better. Gray was his lucky angel, his saviour.


    "Thank you guys. I am delighted to call all of you my friends." Sato smiled while crying out involuntarily. He couldn''t help it, but tear up after what his newly found friends said to him. Sato tried to wipe his tears away, but it continued to flow out.


    "It''s alright, Sato. Cry it out. You''ve been through a lot and I''m sure you have been holding in all that tension until now." Jennifer who majored in Emotional Councilling of Psychology. She gently rubbed Sato''s back as she guided him through his experiences.


    ...


    When Sato calmed down after what had happened, their party started to turn up again. The other time was only the Senior Taekwondo students that drank a lot. Now, even the juniors started to join in. Sato, who never actually tested his alcohol tolerance, ordered a gin and tonic to try. The alcohol went down his throat, warming up his entire body. Sato felt a rush immediately. It was something he had never experienced before.


    Not only that the club members started to play some party games. This time, they decided that they would play the King Game. In poker cards, there were cards numbering from Ace to King (Depending on the number of players). Everyone would pick up a card and the one that has the King card can order specified numbers to do whatever they want. If they cannot accomplish the task, they would have to drink a shot.


    Sato and his newly found group of friends decided to play altogether.


    Picking up a card, Sato picked up ''4''. On the other hand, Tae Wan got the ''King'' card.


    "Alright, I would like number 6 to sing and dance to the Chicken Song!" Tae Wan decided to ask the mystery person to do something embarrassing.


    It turned out to be Brooke. The junior decided that he would rather do the task than to drink a shot. And so, the boy started to dance and sing to the chicken song while everyone laughed and clapped along. The atmosphere was lively.


    Eventually, the game progressed for a while and everyone was more or less high from alcohol. Sato was a rather lightweight drinker, since it was his first time drinking so much in one sitting. He was tipsy from 4 shots of Vodka.


    Picking up his card, Sato was once again just a random number 9. This round, Pete was the King of the round. Cheekily, he looked around before saying his command.


    "I would like the ''Queen'' to kiss ''9'' on the lips."


    "Huh?" Sato stoned a little before realising that number 9 was him. Raising his hand, he realised that he was to kiss Jennifer.

 Chapter 92 - A Kiss

    "Me?" Sato was dumbfounded at his luck. Was he actually going to kiss Jennifer?


    The young man looked at Jennifer that sat directly in front of him. He was rather undecided at this point in time.


    From Sato''s memory, he had never kissed anyone before on the lips. He was inexperienced to the core. If he had told anyone at the scene right now that he no experience, they would not believe him. Sato was a handsome Asian that had prominent facial features and a slim face to pair everything together. He was definitely a lady killer.


    "I..." Sato paused, looking at Jennifer awkwardly. The girl was blushing from the dare that she was given, but she had no signs of disagreement. Rather, it seemed like she didn''t mind kissing Sato.


    When the crowd of people realised that nothing was happening, they started to whine in dissatisfaction.


    "Come on, Sato! What are you waiting for??"


    "Yeah, Sato! Senior Jennifer seems rather willing to do the dare!"


    "Go on bro! There''s no need to be afraid of Jennifer. She won''t bite."


    Sato broke out a slight sweat when he heard their comments. It wasn''t that he didnt dare to kiss Jennifer. It was more of that he didn''t know how to kiss someone properly. Do you have to wet your lips or keep it dry? Do you pout your lips when kissing? How long do you kiss for?


    Seeing how clueless Sato looked, Jennifer laughed lightly as she realised the main crux of the problem. It seemed like the handsome Asian boy was rather new to kissing. She walked beside Sato and rolled her eyes.


    "Oh gosh Sato, why are you making me wait for so long?"


    With that, Jennifer took the lead and lifted Sato''s chin slightly as she planted her red supple lips on Sato''s dry lips. Sato''s eyes were wide open in shock. He had not expected Jennifer to kiss him just like that. The exchange between the two individuals lasted for a short second, but in Sato''s head, it felt like an hour.


    Jennifer opened her eyes when she finished kissing Sato. She winked at the young man before going back to her seat.


    "Ohhhhhhh!" The crowd was shocked at how bold Jennifer was.


    Tae Wan patted Sato on the shoulder while laughing loudly. "Well congrats on you! You kissed one of our school belles."


    To everyone in the school, Jennifer was considered one of the top 3 school beauties. The girl was half white and half Asian. With her black hair and westernised features, she was a unique beauty.


    Sato blushed when he heard Tae Wan''s compliment. He didn''t exactly know how to feel about this. To him, that kiss was rather underwhelming? Was it because he had been hyped up by everyone? Sato wasn''t sure.


    ...


    When the bodyguard that had been spectating everything from the beginning, realised Sato had kissed someone, he knew that he would have to report this to Gray. Except, he didn''t know if he should. If he did tell his boss about Sato kissing a girl, who knows how he would react. Only a dimwit like Sato couldn''t see that Gray loved Sato deeply.


    Picking up his phone, he decided he should call Gray instead of his usual text messages. The call ringed twice before Gray picked up.


    "What is it?" Gray sounded extremely serious.


    "Sir... Mr Sato just played a drinking game. He..." The bodyguard started to cold sweat, even before telling the Intel to Gray. "He had kissed a female friend from the Taekwondo Club."


    "..." There was radio silence for a whole five seconds. Although the bodyguard wasn''t beside his boss, he could feel a lingering chill over the phone. It was only after a bit that Gray replied to the worried and afraid bodyguard. "Okay. Carry on your surveillance. Make sure to watch out for potential enemies."


    "Understood, sir." The bodyguard ended the call. Only then could he finally take a breath of fresh air. He secretly prayed for Sato''s safety when he gets home.


    ...


    Only around 1am did the club''s party end. Sato bidded farewell to his newly made friends. For the first time, he had a lot of fun in real life. He was already looking to the next gathering with them.


    Butler Hank was already waiting for Sato by the road side. When he left the house, he had felt a dangerous aura emanating from Gray. He didn''t know why, but it was only after the call with the bodyguard that watched Sato, did he change. Sato must''ve done something really bad.


    Sato got inside the car smiling. His head spun around as he was rather tipsy from all the alcohol. Hank didn''t know if he should warn the young man of what awaits him at home. However, seeing the state of Sato right now, nothing would probably enter his head.


    "Be careful with the steps, Mr. Sato." When Sato got inside the housing compound, Hank swiftly aided Sato in climbing up the stairs. He feared that the boy may fall down and injure himself.


    "I''m fine, I''m fine. There''s no need to help me walk, you know." Sato complained while mincing up his words. His eyes were only partially open.


    Ignoring what Sato had said, Hank even helped the boy up the house stairs and led him back to his own room. The whole time, Sato tried to struggle out of Hank''s grip. Sadly, the butler was an ex-soldier and was physically fit.


    He held the boy firmly along the way. Only when Sato crashed on his comfy bed, did he let go and helped him take off his shoes. Hank was going to start wiping up Sato''s sweat from the party, but a looming dark shadow stopped him in his path.

 Chapter 93 - A Kiss 2

    During the kiss, there was only one thing on Sato''s mind. How did he feel about that experience?


    To Sato, the kiss with Jennifer didn''t actually hold any meaning nor any feelings attached to it. Ever since he had come into university, the pool of people that he sees everyday increased as compared to highschool. Yet, no matter how pretty a girl was, Sato''s mind never had any thoughts or opinions on their looks. Be it guys too, even if the boy was extremely charming, it had no effect on Sato.


    Was it weird? Sato had thought for several years that he was asexual. Nonetheless, there was a void in his heart that was empty. Sato felt lost whenever he tried peering into it. He knew something wasn''t right and it was most definitely a result of his amnesia. Sato couldn''t pinpoint what was missing in his life. He had lived blindly for those three years and only up till recently, everything started to change.


    The reason why Sato was dwelling on that kiss was because of the cause of that change in his life. The cause originated from a person and it was him that ran through Sato''s mind when their lips planted together. Even a dull-witted person like Sato could tell what was the reason for these thoughts. He liked Gray. He liked Gray in a romantic way.


    A race of emotions had suddenly flooded his brain after the kiss. Sato was fully ecstatic when he realised he wasn''t actually asexual. He had always wanted to be in a relationship like everyone else.


    Seeing people going on dates and saying sweet things between each other, Sato wanted to know what that experience was like. Just that, he never had the chance.


    Now, he was given an opportunity, but it was on Gray. Regardless, Sato was excited for the new experience and continued to enjoy his time at the party.


    ...


    All this wasn''t known to Gray. Back in the house, Gray stood beside the bed of the drunk young man. Sato was unwilling to go to bed as he flailed around trying to get a grip of himself. He opened his eyes to see a familiar handsome face.


    "Grayyyy..."Sato dragged his word as he grinned brightly. He struggled to lift himself up, before falling over Gray''s leg.


    Seeing how playful Sato was, Gray couldn''t help but extinguish his anger and help him out. Back when he had heard from the bodyguard about the kiss, he had this flame of jealousy that sprouted and grew in his heart. The current state of Sato helped to blow out that fire.


    "Your very drunk Sato. You should stay in bed." Gray tried to put him in bed. He coaxed the 21 year old as best as he could.


    "No no! I don''t want to sleep yet! I wanna play games with you..." Sato shook his head with exaggeration. His flushed face and slurry speech made the boy look like an innocent child that didn''t want to go to bed.


    "We can play tommorow." Gray''s anger was gone. Now, he was enjoying his time with drunk Sato. "I promise you."


    "No! I want to spend more time with you!"


    "We can spend time together tommorow right?"


    "No we have to spend time together today too!" Sato shook his head innocently again, which made Gray chuckle.


    "Why is that?"


    "I''m scared that you will leave me..."


    "I will never leave you, ok?" This time, Gray got into bed with the boy. The General could tell that Sato had changed somewhat after the party. Gray sweeped the hair that covered Sato''s eyes. He gazed into them adoringly.


    "I realised something today Gray." Sato spoke seriously as he looked at the man in bed with him.


    "What is it?" The two boys were less than a foot away from each other.


    Sato got even closer to Gray as he looked cutely at him. Without any inhibitions, Sato whispered bravely. "I like you."


    What came next was history. Sato leaned in just like how Jennifer did it to him. He closed his eyes, his lips came in contact with Gray''s. A warm electrical current flowed through the two individuals. It felt refreshing for Sato, like it was meant to be. Even though he was drunk, he could tell that the two kisses today were clearly different.


    "Mmph.."


    During their kiss, Gray bit on Sato''s lower lip mischievously. It made Sato moan quietly. Gray pulled back slowly, frankly unwilling to do that. Yet, he did it because he wanted confirmation.


    "What you said just now, " Gray lay hold on Sato''s shoulders. "Did you mean it?"


    Sato let his head fall to the right. He looked at Gray confused. "What do you mean?"


    "When you said you liked me, did you mean it?" Gray repeated it to the drunk boy. Sato understood it this time. He chose to nod seriously, instead of replying. This was more than enough for Gray.


    The General pulled Sato closer as he kept Sato inside his warm embrace. His heart was in turbulent from today. Gray had been wanting to hear Sato confess his feelings to him for the longest time. Ever since they met during the interview, all the way till now, he had been counting down the days till Sato realises his feelings for him once again. And today, on a very unlikely night, Sato had done it.


    Not before long, Gray felt Sato''s body convulsed slightly. He knew what was coming next. Reaching out for the bin that laid beside the bed, he picked it up and placed it between him and Sato. The drunk boy threw up, effectively ruining the atmosphere in the room. Gray chuckled faintly. Even though Sato said it when he was drunk, it shall be counted as a win.

 Chapter 94 - Sparring

    The sun rose per usual on a Saturday morning. Sato awoke with a deep sharp pain on his forehead. It throbbed to the beat of a drum. "Ahh..."


    Looking to his right, Sato noticed a pill of aspirin and a cup of water placed on his bed side table. He ate in without hesitation. Sato also realised that someone had helped him to change out of his clothes from yesterday. Man, I can''t remember much after the King Game last night, Sato thought.


    He had partied too hard for his first time. Now, he regretted it deeply. What exactly went down afterwards?


    Sloppily, Sato dragged his feet into the bathroom to take a warm shower in hopes of getting away the headaches. The water flowed down on him incessantly as Sato stood still. He was in the midst of recollecting his thoughts, but there wasn''t much to it.


    When he went down for breakfast, Gray was already there at the table, having his morning coffee. Gray wore a nice brown sweater to kept him warm. He read his news on his tablet before putting it down when realising Sato was up.


    "How is your head?" Gray asked with a welcoming smile.


    "Terrible... Thanks for getting me home in one piece though." Sato rubbed the temples on his head while talking.


    "It''s nothing." Gray paused slightly before continuing. He tried to sound cool on the outside, but within he was secretly anxiously. "So do you remember anything from yesterday?"


    "Ahh, I sadly can''t remember anything beyond a certain point of the party..." Sato shook his head in dissapointment. He looked up at Gray, embarrassed.


    "Did I do anything embarrassing when I got home? Was that why you were asking?"


    Gray shook his head too. Obviously, he was dispirited that Sato couldn''t remember yesterday night, but he didn''t show it on his face. "No not really, except for the fact that you did not want to sleep and wanted to play games instead."


    "Serious?! Ahhhh!" Sato covered his face shyly. This was his first time knowing how it felt to be drunk. It was a pretty bad experience like everyone else.


    "Well, eat up the porridge before it gets cold. The housemaid prepared some hangover soup to help you recover faster." Gray carried on to read the news while sitting in front of Sato.


    The whole time, Sato had been staring at Gray. Ever since last night, his perception and thoughts when being with Gray, changed completely. Today, he was admiring Gray''s blue eyes. Although he was looking down, the blue hue resembled the Pacific ocean. It was utterly mesmerising.


    Sato was in a trance-like state whereby he had lost all awareness of his surrounding and was only focusing on Gray. He didn''t realise that Gray had a keen sixth-sense. Without much time, he could tell that Sato was looking at him intensely.


    "Do I have something on my face?" Gray joked a little. He looked up to see the reaction on Sato''s face. As expected, the boy blushed as red as a tomato.


    "Not.. Nothing!"


    Sato went back to his food, but would try to steal occasional peeks at the handsome General in front of him. The whole breakfast was filled with youthful romance.


    As promised, Sato started his first Taekwondo lessons with Master Choi. Today, the venue was in the mountains where Master Choi dwells in. It was also the place that Sato was placed to the test.


    Unlike traditional methods of teaching new students the art of Taekwondo, whereby the students would first learn a set of moves that is rigid and inflexible at times, Master Choi taught his students differently.


    "Attack me." The master said to Sato without any expression.


    "Pardon?" Sato didn''t quite understand what his teacher was getting at.


    "Attack me using your legs." Master Choi spoke simply and precisely.


    "Uhhh..." Sato didn''t know if he was serious, but he followed through regardless. "Then, excuse me for making a move."


    Through the first two extracurricular lessons in Taekwondo, Sato was only taught the forward kick. It was a simple vertical up kick that any beginner could do. However, having a curious learner''s mindset, Sato searched up all the other kicking forms and had watched other experts perform them.


    As a result, although he had only practiced forward kicks, he was an encyclopedia when it came to all kick forms.


    Sato reached out and kicked his leg forward, aiming at Master Choi. He aimed upwards at his teacher''s chin. Yet, his legs could no reach it''s planned final destination because of how inflexible the boy was. Master Choi knew of that from the very beginning and did not even flinch or move a single bit. The old man followed up with a thrust of his hand right in the center of Sato''s chest. The boy stumbled backwards with slight discomfort.


    "Again." He said simply.


    This time Sato was more determined to land a strike on his teacher. He measured up the distance correctly this time and launched another forward kick. Before it could go beyond Master Choi''s waist, a hand had intercepted his kick and repelled the force away. It hit the bone on Sato''s bare feet, causing great pain there.


    "Again." Master Choi repeated.


    And so began the long repetitive training where by the teacher stood still and the student launched many fruitless attempts at landing a proper hit on his teacher. In the past 30 minutes of training, Master Choi had only said one word, ''again'' repeatedly. He never stopped to give any advice and only asked for Sato to attack him. Even the academically advanced boy could not figure out the purpose of this repetitive sparring.


    He had been launching a frontal kick on Master Choi for so long and all the old man had done is repel it with his hand downwards. There was simply no way of landing a strike this way.


    Unless...


    It was then something clicked in Sato''s head. Looking back at the moves in his heads, he memorised the movements of the next kick which he would have learnt in university. It was time to put it to the test.


    Sato hopped a step forward to get closer to Master Choi. Launching the same frontal kick from before, Sato''s teacher was yet again, about to parry his movement. To his surprise, Sato''s leg suddenly changed direction. The vertical kick was made into a horizontal one. Sato had combined the front kick with the side kick.


    Caught slightly off guard by his student''s action, Master Choi rotated his body slightly leftwards. It allowed Sato''s kick to miss him. Although that was the final outcome, the spontaneous move by Sato had finally earned him a nod from his teacher. Within a second, Master Choi was back to himself again.


    "That move was good. Now on to the next step..."

 Chapter 95 - Invitation

    Training lasted till 1pm in the afternoon. By then, Sato was beat and exhausted. He laid on the training grounds, deeply panting. If university training was exhausting, this could be counted as hell. Every step of the way, Master Choi would push Sato''s body and brain to the limit. Whenever Sato thought of another way of striking his teacher, it would be immediately shut down by Master Choi right after.


    Gray came to pick the young man up from his teacher''s house. Seeing how tired Sato was, it made Gray feel bad, yet extremely proud of him. Not just anyone gets a chance to learn from one of the best Taekwondo masters in the world.


    "How was the training? Was it fruitful?"


    Sato drank a whole bottle of water before he finally had the chance to speak. "Yeah, it was very fruitful. Far more enriching then the set movements we had to learn in the clubs."


    "Of course," Gray reminisced the times when he underwent training with Master Choi. Back then it was hell for him too. Except, it was in a different way.


    "I still remembered the days when he had made me do progressive weight training while sparring with him."


    "Oh?" Sato was curious.


    "I had about a months time before I had to go for a dangerous mission in Country K. In that country, no firearms were allowed at all and so we had to mostly rely on closer combat. Thus, Master Choi created a hellish routine for me to follow, to which I fainted at least twice everyday."


    "That''s insane!" Sato admired Gray''s perseverance.


    "It''s all in the past. Now, I''m mostly rusty bones." Gray rubbed off the compliment. He had never been good at receiving them.


    When Sato heard what Gray said, he mummured out some words under his breath. "Rightttt... A six-pack lean fit soldier like you would fit the description of ''rusty bones''..."


    "What did you say?"


    "Nothing." Sato shook his head while smiling.


    The two of them headed home in good spirits.


    ...


    In the front porch of the martial master''s House, the Old man finally took a seat after his long morning. Although he didn''t move much, he was still tired from all the parrying and reflexive movements. Sato had definitely surprised him the most out all of his previous students.


    Master Choi knew that he was training a genius. And so, his method and approach was different to how he taught his other pupils. The old man realised early on that the boy would most likely study up the other kicking patterns in Taekwondo. This would mean that there was no need to teach Sato from the ground up. Instead, he could work on building a strong foundation for his newest student and not dwell on other aspects too much.


    With that said, Master Choi chose sparring as a good teaching point. It allowed Sato to get more familiar with person to person combat and gave him more space to practice his kicks. The set rigid movements that could be learnt by Sato instantly is leagues apart from what the grandmaster teacher was doing with him.


    As a result, after the end of the first training, there were already several new combination of kicks that Sato could pull off. Although his physique and strength wasn''t there yet, this aspect cannot be rushed due to Sato''s natural build.


    I am definitely training a devil, thought Master Choi. He wiped his head when recalling the spar. No matter how many times he knocked the young pupil down, Sato would stand up again, like an undead zombie that didn''t know how to die. Since the young man did not complain, the teacher should even more not take a step back.


    I sure am getting old though...


    ...


    After taking a shower and having barbecue for lunch, Sato decided it was time to let his body take a break. His mind however, was put to use. Sato went ahead to play Ray Of Light. Gray came along as well, after all, who else would he want to spend his weekend with?


    They were planning to enter the Frozen Tundra Dungeon, where they were going to attempt to kill the Demon General Trazar. In a dungeon, Sato and Gray were able to kill the demonified beasts which doesn''t go against their passive skill. In addition, the other reason why they were doing a dungeon run now, was because of the Sibling squad. They wanted to play with their senior.


    "Senior Sato! Let''s go kill some Demons!" Sister Laia wasn''t free today to play and so the remaining group entered the five man dungeon.


    The average level of the monsters were around Lv55 to 60 and so it wasn''t too hard for everyone to battle with. While they were fighting, the siblings would joke around and make Sato laugh. Even Gray had to give it to them sometimes when they make a funny joke. Although he wouldn''t laugh, he would show a small smile as a gesture.


    "Say, Senior Sato? " Hobz asked out while shielding his team from the Chilling Breath of the Gargoyles.


    "Yeah, what''s up?" Sato followed up.


    "So, Hayden, Hanz and I were planning to go to the Grand Theme park tommorow. And we were curious if you wanted to come along? You can get Senior Ming to go with us too! Heck, Big bro Gray should come too!" Hobz invited them enthusiastically.


    Before Sato could even say anything, Hobz continued on talking by himself. Sato could only break a sweat when he heard the talkative boy go on.


    "Since tommorow is the Country''s Founding Day, there would be a firework showcase that was said to be the greatest one this year! So of course you would want to come right? Right?"

 Chapter 96 - Amusement Park 1

    Sato looked at Gray who was quietly listening the whole time. Sato said while fighting off the Demonic beast. "Gray, are you free this Sunday?"


    "Yes. I am free." Gray replied.


    "Then, would you like to come with us to the Amusement Park?"


    "I do not mind." Gray answered as cool as he comes.


    With that said, Sato looked back at the boys that offered. "That settles things easily. Gray and I will be going with you guys tommorow. I''ll ask Ming later if he would like to come along."


    "That''s great! Woooo!" Both Hobz and Hanz cheered out in excitement.


    "Guys... Can we be excited about this later on? The final boss fight is about to begin..." Hayden interrupted their celebration.


    "Sheeshh, you''re such a party pooper as always, Blast224." Hobz teased the boy in glasses.


    "Hobz... I said don''t call me by that name!!"


    ...


    In the end, Ming agreed to coming along with the boys. Sister Laia too was going to come on the outing.


    At 7.30 in the morning, the group of boys and one girl were planning to gather at Horton Station. Just nice, it was where everyone''s Fast Train station intersected eventually.


    Gray and Sato got off the car at Hubbard Station, the nearest one to their compound. Looking at Gray, the handsome General wore a Black Trench Coat and a simple white turtle neck sweater underneath. He looked just like a model out of a magazine.


    "Is it your first time taking the Fast Train?" Sato asked the man that stood beside him. Unlike the General, Sato wore his usual White Hoodie and a T-shirt underneath. He looked like a cute typical youngster.


    "Mhmm. You would have to teach me how to take the Fast Train." Gray replied embarrassingly, after all, this man was far too rich to ever get the chance to take a public transport.


    "There''s no need to be embarrassed. There''s a first for everything!" Grabbing onto Gray''s hand, he pulled the tall man along with him when he realised the time. "Come on, we are going to be late if we do not go now!"


    Sato smiled while directing Gray on what to do. He bought Gray a Train card that could be topped up with cash for future usage. Sato guided Gray through entering the Gantry point. They then proceeded to the Train Platform.


    Lucky for them, the Fast train heading towards Horton Station had arrived. They boarded the metal machine successfully. Inside, Gray looked around at the layout of the train. There were seats for two layed out throughout the entire Fast Train on each side. As it was just 2 stations away, Gray and Sato didn''t sit down as the train moved speedily.


    The whole time, Sato was stretching himself in the open space. The training from yesterday had caused his muscles to ache greatly once again.


    Seeing how sore Sato was, Gray said to Sato. "I think I should ask Master Choi to lower his difficulty of training."


    "No no. It''s really alright, Gray! The harder training the faster I will become stronger!" Sato brushed off the issue as he smiled brightly for Gray to see. He knew that everything Gray did for him was because he cared for him. And so, he wanted to become stronger quickly so as to not burden him more.


    The pair soon reached Horton Station where they met up with the people that were already there. Hanz, Hobz and Ming were sitting on the bench watching a video on Hobz''s phone. It was of a PK battle between two top ranked players in ROL.


    "Hey guys!" Sato waved out. He walked up to everyone that was there.


    "Good morning Senior Sato!" Hobz and Hanz greeted him politely. Ming simply waved at his best friend.


    "This is...?" Hobz looked at the handsome tall man standing behind Sato. He looked somewhat familiar.


    "Ah, this is Gray, DK Seven in game." Sato introduced the quiet Gray for him.


    "No way! Why is he so handsome in real life?" Hobz felt so shocked that he stepped backwards a few times. Hanz''s mouth was gapping too. Seeing all of this, Sato laughed lightly at their reactions.


    "Nice to meet you." Gray greeted them politely before going back to his awkward self around others.


    "Well where is Hayden and Sister Laia? Are they reaching soon?" Sato asked.


    "Oh, the two aren''t meeting us here. They left to Grand Theme Park first to buy the tickets." Hanz commented as they started to walked to switch Train Lines.


    "Oh seriously? That''s pretty good forward planning."


    "Yeah.. You know what Hayden is like in game. He is like that in real life too. When it comes to logistics and planning related issues, he is the man for the job." Hanz complimented the missing boy.


    While on the train, everyone started to talk amongst themselves. Gray however, was on his phone doing something. He looked like he was calling someone important and so no one disturbed him.


    Seeing how Gray wasn''t listening in quietly, Hobz spoke softly in their circle. "So what does Gray do exactly for a living?"


    Sato knew they would be curious for sure and just gave them a general answer. "Well, he''s an officer in the army."


    "Ahh, that explains why it looks like Gray always has a rod stuck up his ass. The army has trained him well..." That joke by Hobz made every laugh out uncontrollably. Even Sato had to admit most of the time the kind-hearted man looked like that.


    After 30 minutes of travelling, the group of 5 arrived at the station where Grand Theme Park was based. They met up with Hayden and Laia that were already standing outside the station.


    The two of them had the same reactions as Hobz and Hanz when they were introduced to Gray. Following which, they headed together towards the entry point.


    "Sato how did you exactly meet this handsome man?" Laia pulled Sato aside. She whispered into his ear curiously.


    Sata chuckled and told her the truth. "Well, I applied for a job which I didn''t qualify for in the end. There, I met Gray who worked in the office."


    "Wow... That''s such a lucky encounter by you. It''s really rare to see such an eye-catching man nowadays. If I wasn''t already dating my boyfriend, I too would be starstruck when I see Gray for the first time." Laia spoke honestly.


    Like she had said, there were a lot of girls, even guys that turned their heads when they walked by. All of them wanted to catch one more glimpse of the handsome General.


    Sato got flustered in his heart. Was he really that eye-catching to everyone? To him, Gray was indeed quite handsome, but all of that was secondary when it came to his godly personality.


    When the big gaming group arrived at the entry gate, they were stopped by a man dressed in a black suit and tie. He had a tag that read "Senior Manager" on it. When he saw Gray that stood in the back, he knew he found the right target.


    "Good morning Sirs and Miss, I am here to guide you into the Grand Theme Park. Please follow me." The Manager pointed them towards the VIP administration office respectfully.

 Chapter 97 - Amusement Park 2

    Everyone there was confused. Hayden who had bought the ticket waved his hands in denial. "Sorry I think you have gotten the wrong people. I have only bought the normal pass into the Theme Park."


    "Oh? Well I apologise sir, but the tickets you purchased earlier, will be refunded by us in the office later on. We will be providing you with the Vip tickets for the Theme Park."


    "Huh?" Everyone was confused by the manager''s answer. Sato took a short while to process what had just happened before coming to a conclusion.


    He looked at Gray who stood close by him. "Did you do this?"


    "Yes." Gray replied Sato. "The creator of Grand Theme Parks is my granduncle."


    That was all that was needed to be said for Sato to understand the whole situation. It seemed like the vast background of Gray''s truly comes in handy.


    Everyone found out about what Gray had done when they went into the Vip officer. They were extremely confused at how an officer In the army can have such great connections. Yet, they didn''t ask around as it would be too rude of them.


    After the processing of passes, everyone entered the park with happy spirits. In the end, everyone present was given a one year Express pass to go to the Grand Theme Park. Not only that, for today, all expenses within the Park will be paid for. At night, they would also be allowed to watch the fireworks from a private viewing deck. They were originally given a tour guide to bring them around, but they chose to not have one as it wasn''t actually needed for the youngsters.


    "Alright guys... Let''s roll out!"


    ...


    The group of gamers headed out to ride rides ranging from Roller-coasters to Theatric Shows to Bumper Cars and back to more roller-coasters. For lunch they went for the most expensive option, the Carribean Bay Restaurant.


    The whole experience was out of this world. With the express pass, they never needed to queue for any rides and were able to go on it within 5 minutes. Not only that, whenever they were hungry, the usually overpriced foods on the street side was completely free for the hungry young boys.


    It was 5pm and the group started to get nauseous from all the roller-coasters. They sat outside one of the rides, resting.


    "Hmm... What should we do now?" Hobz placed his head on his hands as he stared into blank space. Ming and Hayden were looking at the map of the park. Usually, the boys would have only been able to ride three or four rides at best. Yet now, they rode finish almost everything that they wanted.


    Hanz was enjoying a Pretzel while humming to a familiar song tune. He looked around and found something good that would probably intrigue everyone.


    "Guys, how about that?" He pointed to a delapidated wooden building that had figures of ghosts, vampires and skeletons on the outside. As expected, most of the guys shouted out in eagerness.


    "A haunted house!"


    The only one that looked rather afraid was Hayden. He was reluctant to go into the place at all.


    "Hayden, your in-game character is literally a necromancer... Why are you so scared of a haunted house?"


    "Well, in game they can''t physically come at you. However, what if they was an actual psychopath inside the haunted house and they wanted to kill me?" Hayden spoke paranoically. His hand was sweating and forehead was covered in sweet.


    In the end, Laia had to step in and physically pull his brother into the haunted house. "Relax bro, big sis will protect you from anything that comes for you!"


    "Noooo!"


    Hobz and Hanz went in together as a pair too, leaving Sato, Ming and Gray. Sato turned around to ask Gray, seeing that Ming was alone by himself. "Gray, Ming is all alone for the haunted house. Can I go with him and you go with someone else?"


    "Oh no, it''s fine really. I can go by mys.." Ming wanted to refuse his offer, but was interrupted by Gray''s okay. He felt like he was intruding on the two at times. There was something about their relationship that was off.


    "Well, let''s go then, Ming!" Sato walked through the gateway smilingly, with Ming following closely behind. Gray watched them leave from afar. His eyes never left sight of Sato.


    As they headed inside, the atmosphere and surroundings got dark. Sato and Ming huddled closely while shuffling their feets slowly. To be very honest, Sato wasn''t exactly a very brave person when it came to supernatural things. He would be less scared of fighting a gangster than seeing a zombie in a haunted house.


    Suddenly out of no where, a female ghost that had blood all over her face, popped out of a corner of the room. Sato shouted out in fear as he hugged Ming tightly. Ming who wasn''t afraid of this kinds of things, firmly stood there for Sato as he fended the ghost from the scared boy.


    Throughout the remaining parts, Ming for grab hold of Sato''s hand, guiding him forward. He would check for any jump scares to not let Sato get even more frightened.


    "There''s no need to be afraid of these people. They are all fake, Sato." Ming reassured Sato, who had closed his eyes for more than half of the haunted house.


    After five grueling minutes, the pair finally made it outside, where they were welcomed by the setting sun. The other two pairs that went first were already waiting outside.


    Hayden who was more scared than Sato, looked as if his soul had left his body. He was lying down on a bench all pale from the experience. Gray came out soon after looking like he had taken a stroll in the park. Clearly, the experience had no effect on him.


    "Thank you for guiding me through, Ming." Sato gave his best friend a hug while sighing in relief. He didn''t know his casual action had resulted in two different reactions from two different guys.

 Chapter 98 - Amusement Park 3

    The night time on the eve of Founding Day soon arrived. The whole Theme Park changed dramatically, whereby now, the main attraction soon became the theatrics and night shows as compared to the rides.


    The reason why Grand Theme Park is boasted as the best amusement Park in the world is due to its day and night features as compared to only daytime amusement parks. It was in a tier of it''s own.


    After having a delicious dinner, the gamer group went ahead to watch a musical play in the theatre. Every 6 months, the park would coordinate with a third party musical company and hire them to perform in the theme park. The musicals here were world-renowned. Just getting a chance to watch the performance was already worth the price of coming here.


    Laia and the boys were allocated the best seats in the house due to Gray''s connections. They were given food service by the staff stationed there. In addition, they were unobstructed by people from their viewing deck.


    By the time the musical finished, it was already 11pm. The places where the fireworks could be viewed were already jam-packed with people that wanted to get a good view of the fireworks display. There was barely any space to move through. Sato and his friends decided it was best if they just headed for their private deck now as compared to later. There may not even be a pathway in a moments time.


    The private deck for fireworks viewing was only saved for usage by Vip customers. Typical express pass users will never get the chance. The place would have a security guard station downstairs to prevent curious onlookers from heading up.


    On the second floor of the castle building led to an open platform that welcomed the sky and surrounding areas. There were outdoor sofas that were positioned into a square. In the middle, a nice fireplace was lit to keep the viewers warm on an autumn come winter night. Nice ambient music was playing in the background as they waited for the show to start.


    The group were in awe for quite a while before settling down cosily in the sofa seats. Living up to their names, the group started to discuss about ROL. Although Ming wasn''t part of the undead faction, they would converse about themes like what and when the next big battle would happen.


    Gray got bored when it came to gaming. And although the people around couldn''t see it from his monotone expressions, Sato could tell that the man only plays the game to accompany him. As such, he would try to make some small talk with Gray.


    "Are you hungry?" Sato asked Gray. Sato was sitting beside the stiff looking man.


    "Not really. Are you?" Gray asked back.


    "Yeah, I didn''t eat much during dinner. The haunted house made me lose my appetite." Sato looked guilty when he spoke. Currently, there was a whole mob of people downstairs, which would mean if he wanted to get food, he would have to walk through that.


    Yet, even before Sato said anything, Gray spoke out for him. Grabbing Sato''s hand, they stood up together. "Sato is hungry. I''m going to go with him to buy something to eat."


    "Alright! Come back quickly! The show starts in 30 minutes!" Hanz reminded the pair before they left for downstairs. Ming watched them leave into the crowd downstairs, his heart was aching for an unknown reason whenever he looked at the two of them.


    To Sato''s prediction, his reluctance to come down was founded. There was basically no room for movement between places. Everyone was standing around, waiting for the fireworks show to start. Those that weren''t able to fit into the crowd, were forced to stand in the outer parts of the viewing area. They would have to put up with a slightly obscured view.


    Seeing that Sato and Gray wasn''t back after 20 minutes, everyone got worried that pair was lost within the crowd. Ming stood up as he volunteered to look for them.


    "I''ll come back with them. You guys can just wait here."


    ...


    Sato held onto his churro that he got near the musical theatre. Now, he and Gray was unluckily stuck inside the human mob. They were being pushed along by those trying to leave or enter the place. Sato looked at Gray guiltily. "Sorry I dragged you into this situation, Gray."


    "It''s alright." Gray replied coolly. He actually didn''t mind this predicament. "I''m glad that I came along. If not, I would not have been able to watch this firework show with you."


    Sato blushed from Gray''s comment. The man was always generous with his cheesy phrases and nice words. Thinking back, there wasn''t a time that Gray had not been able to cheer him up. He always felt comfortable when they were together and that there was nothing more that he wants than to be around him.


    The countdown for the fireworks started. 10, 9, 8. People were counting all around. Gray looked at Sato curiously. He spoke normally.


    "Sato... " The rest was unheard.


    "What?!" 7, 6, 5. The countdown was too loud for Sato to hear Gray.


    "I love...!"


    "Love what?!" 4, 3. Sato heard a little bit more. This time Gray shouted into Sato''s ear.


    "I love you!" 2, 1. Gray made sure to say it loud enough before the firework went off. Sato heard what Gray said. Of course, his heart started to beat nervously.


    Everyone linked together from back when Gray first asked him to move him. To how Gray would always care for his wellbeing and his mood. To how Gray would sacrifice his time and personal gains for him. Everything made sense.


    "Boom! Boom!" The fireworks went off in the background of the two individuals. Sato never took his eyes off the General that just confessed his feelings to him. Gray too never took his eyes off Sato.


    "I.. I.." Sato stuttured marginally. He bucked up his confidence that he had built up his whole life. He shouted out his feelings for the first time, sobered. "I love you too!"


    Gray smiled at what Sato had said. Finally. Since the beginning, he had waited to hear that personally from him. Although he did confess once without a conscious mind, this one felt more genuine.


    Sato lifted his chin, while Gray lowered his head too. Gray closed his eyes, and so did Sato. Gray pulled the young man closer to him than they already were. Tilting their heads naturally to the right, the fated pair kissed. Their lips interlocked as an influx of emotion rushed through Sato and Gray.


    Whether it was only possible due to the current situation they were in, both of them didn''t care. In the crowd of hundreds of people, Gray and Sato kissed contentedly. Everything became invisible to them. The random people disappeared. The noise from the fireworks disappeared. Even their thoughts for anything had disappeared.


    The only thing that mattered there and then, was their presence.

 Chapter 99 - The Boy Lost In The Dark Dark Tunnel

    Ming had witnessed it all.


    From when Gray confessed to Sato''s turn and all the way up till they kissed, Ming was there.


    To the boy that saw Sato as his bright light in his dark never-ending tunnel, it was as good as extinguishing the light source completely. He was now trapped, lost, paralysed by the darkness. What was in front of him, Ming did not know. When can he see again, Ming did not know. He was clueless.


    Yet, Ming knew this day would eventually come. He had predicted this outcome back when he had made Sato his beacon of hope. Ming had always known Sato saw him as his own brother, his best friend. And that, would never change. Everyday felt like there was a ticking time bomb on Ming''s chest. A tight sinking feeling of doom, emanated from the depths of his heart.


    Today, the bomb finally gave way. It ended Ming''s suspense and yet, killed everything within him again. He was back to square one. The boy lost in the dark dark tunnel.

 Chapter 100 - What Now? (End Of Arc 1)

    At the end of the firework show, Gray and Sato made their way back together to find the others. Sato was still breathless from the kiss. His face flushed red whenever he looked at Gray and his charming face. He could not believe that he had just confessed his feelings to someone.


    Ming had already found his way back to the group. He had changed back to his usual demeanour, although, beneath that layer of skin was just pure sadness. After 5 minutes, the pair got back to the viewing deck, where they headed out of the theme park together.


    Hobz explained to Sato what he had missed during the time they were gone. Sato had told them that they were stuck behind a building that blocked their view and so, they weren''t able to see anything.


    "So, the last firework that went off was this rose shaped one, it felt so real! Look at the video look," Hobz showed Sato on his phone enthusiastically. He continued on, "Also, Ming went looking for you just now, but it seemed like he couldn''t find you."


    "Oh?"


    Sato turned around and slowed down his footsteps to walk with Ming. Sato spoke to his best friend. "Thanks Ming, for trying looking for us! I hope you were able to see the fireworks and it wasn''t ruined because of me."


    Of course, Ming shook his head and smiled as best as he could. "Nah. I was able to see the fireworks from below. You did not ruin anything."


    "Phew that''s great..." Sato sighed in relief, at the same time, he felt something wasn''t right with his best friend. He couldn''t pinpoint it, like it was masked up by some fog.


    Looking at Ming right in the eye, Sato asked again. "Are you sure I did not ruin the experience for you? You know there''s no need to lie about it right?"


    "Yes yes, I''m sure. There''s nothing for you to worry about." Ming pushed Sato away jokingly as he put on yet another fake smile for him.


    When they reached the exit, the group seperated from Sato and Gray. Butler Potter was waiting for the duo by the gate.


    "See you guys in school or in game!"


    Sato waved goodbye to his friends before entering through the door that Gray opened for him. They left immediately after settling down.


    In the car, Sato looked out the front of the vehicle absent-mindedly. He was still in a daze from what had happened. The young man would take quick peeks at Gray, who sat on his right. Without fail, Gray would notice them.


    "Are you done looking at me like that?" Said Gray teasingly.


    "No," Sato followed along, "Never."


    "Do you want to continue from where we left off?" Gray guided his left hand towards Sato''s cheek. He moved closer to the boy, whispering it into his blushing ear.


    "N..no. I do not want to do that right now. B.. Besides, there are others around. Be more considerate."


    Sato recovered from what Gray had said. He quickly moved away Gray''s hand from his face before replying sheepishly.


    "Oh? So if Potter was not here, you would like to continue from where we left off."


    "No!"


    Gray enjoyed teasing Sato down to the last bit. Seeing the boy unable to retort made him really happy.


    Eventually, Potter had reached home and the two got out of the car together. On their way up, Sato decided he should ask something he thought about on the way back.


    "So Gray..." Sato looked at Gray curiously, "What now?"


    Gray didn''t give an immediate answer to the boy. The General wanted to gather his own thoughts before saying anything out to him. The main thing that he was contemplating was in fact directly related to Sato.


    "Before we go any further, I have something that you should know." Gray looked at Sato with serious eyes. Sato knew that the man wasn''t joking around about this. "How about we talk about it in my room?"


    "Okay."


    Gray and Sato sat on the leather sofa, facing each othef. Sato got himself into a comfortable position before Gray spoke.


    "Although I have not lied to you in any way since I met you in the interview. I have been hiding something from you, " Gray continued. "Do you remember when you told me that you lost your memory three years ago? Not only that, on separate occasions, you told me that you would have dreams, extremely vivid ones that felt more like memories to you?"


    "Yeah, I remember. That day you also said that you would help me get back my memories. Correct?" Sato remembered.


    "Yes, I did say that and I will follow through with my promise." Gray took a short pause. He continued to speak with importance.


    "Hence, what I am about to say will probably muddle with your brain. What I say after this is all the truth. No lies."


    He took a deep breath in and out. Gray spoke. "The memories that you had lost during your highschool days contained times that I spent with you when you were in highschool. I was the man you dreamed about several times. The one who made you breakfast. The one who made you get out of bed in a hurry. I was the blurry man that you seeked."


    Sato didn''t speak and so, Gray carried on.


    "Back then, I was involved in an undercover mission where I became a highschool teacher, your highschool teacher to be exact. We fell in love back then and so, disregarding my mission, I had a relationship with you. As a result, there came a day that the terrorist organisation had attacked my home. You were there with me, sleeping in my bed. I heard the noises to which I immediately thought of getting you out safely. Luckily, you lived and survived, but you had lost a part of your memories in return. I was deeply regretful that I compromised your safety and so, I left. I was a coward that abandoned you at your lowest, when you knew of nothing about that three years. I have been sorry from that day on and everyday, I wished to see you again. Luckily for me too, lady luck was by my side and you came into my life again. I wanted to make things right. I wanted to make it up to you. I.."


    Before Gray could squeeze out another word, Sato had stood up and walked to where Gray sat solemnly. He opened his arms and embraced the General. Sato did not speak an ounce of a word. He hugged Gray warmly, lovingly.


    Tears started to roll down from Gray''s eyes. He had kept everything in him for far too long and now, the flood gates had been opened by Sato. He couldn''t control himself.


    "Thank you. Really. Thank you."

 Chapter 101 - Update

Uhh hi readers that still support this novel, this is the author speaking. Right now, it is the Chinese New year period and I''ve been very busy with celebrations. And so, hopefully by Sunday, I will be back to writing the second arc of this novel. So stay tune for more Oh Mr General!

 Chapter 102 - Together

    5 months before the kidnapping...


    A week and a half had passed since Sato and his friends went together to the Grand Theme Park. Everyone had a blast, but most of all, Sato and Gray had finally confessed their feelings for each other.


    When the pair were home and in a more private setting, Gray sat the young man down before revealing the truth to him.


    He went back to the time when Sato was in highschool. Gray told him about their relationship back then and how he had been searching for him ever since the day he left Sato. Of course, without fail, Gray felt guilty throughout the entire process.


    If it were not for him wanting to become a couple with Sato, the boy would not have lost his memory. If it were not for him abandoning Sato when he was most vulnerable, Sato would not have ended up in such a sorry state several years later. As such, Gray took Sato''s absence from his life as a divine punishment. He thought he deserved every bit of suffering that he had caused himself.


    At first when Sato heard about his past and their story, he couldn''t actually believe or put out any words. Yet, when he taught back to the times where Gray understood him as if he was always around him, he knew that the man was not lying. More so, Sato started to pity the soldier in civilian wear. Gray had suffered because of him and that made it worse.


    Sato slid closer to Gray on the sofa. With open arms, Sato wrapped himself around Gray like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Sato consoled the older man, while leaning on Gray''s shoulder.


    "It''s alright, Gray. I didn''t actually suffer much. In fact, finding you has allowed me to feel less empty on the inside, " Sato spoke honestly, "Back then, I did not actually know what I was missing from my life. Without a direction or aim, I simply continued to walk forward, hoping that one day I would find that missing something."


    "And today, I realised what I had been looking for all this time, was in fact, right in front of me." Gray turned to look over his shoulder. Sato was already looking at Gray with his signature warm smile. The distressed soldier lifted his hand and caressed the young man''s smooth untainted face.


    "Thank you, for everything."


    From that day on, the pair got even closer than they were before. Although Sato could not physically remember everything that Gray said to him, without fail, the two would always catch up at night after work and school. Telling Sato a story of their past became a norm for Gray. The times they had spent together when Sato was in high school, was deeply engraved in Gray''s head. To him, that was probably one of the best times of his life, excluding now.


    On their first weekend of being a couple, although Gray supposedly had work to attend to, he had cancelled all meetings to go out and have a great time with Sato. This action of his had suprised everyone in the office working overtime. Thanks to their General''s spontaneity, everyone had been allowed to go home in the early afternoon.


    "Where are we going?" Sato asked anticipatingly. He looked at the handsome man that was driving the Gale X. Sometimes it was hard for himself to believe that this stunning, well formed man loved him.


    "It''s a secret." Gray answered with a mysterious smile.


    Gray drove out of the suburbs and into the greener parts of Country Z. Here, the place was protected by the government from factories. The forest that the pair drove through had brown leaves scattered all over the floor. The environment was welcoming the eminent winter. The once lush green leaves on the tree, had become bare and naked. Yet, it didn''t lower the overall aesthetic of the place. It looked like mother nature had covered the earth with a dark maple blanket. Sato had opened a small slit in the car window to let in a hint of earthly aroma, making the car feel homely.


    Gray drove up the road that circled around a hill. The place was empty, without a sight of people. It was only them and the view. As they went higher, Sato got a better view of surroundings. The maple blanket spanned for many kilometres, as far as his eye could see. It was extremely picturesque.


    At the end of the road, Gray stopped his car in front of the modern-looking house. After a short few seconds, the metal gates slided open, welcoming it''s owner.


    "What is this place?" Sato asked Gray. The house metallic sheen and cuboid shape design that was rarely seen. There were no visible glass that allowed anyone to see what was inside. It resembled a safe house that could withstand an air strike.


    "It''s my surprise to you." When Gray stopped his car on top of a circular platform, a light rumbling sound rose from below. Sato realised that the car was heading downwards, into the platform ground. Eventually, he was 2 storeys deep and the dark underground was lit up with ambient lighting on the wall.


    Gray led Sato out of the car and up the cement stairs. The place had an industrial design with grey tones everywhere. On the first floor, everything was just as he imagined. Modern. Modern. Modern.


    The living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, everything was modernly industrial.


    Gray placed his hand on a tablet-like screen that was attached on the wall. After the hand scan, a bright green light shone, signalling the change in the house.


    The once metallic cuboid building started to clank and move. Pieces of the structure started to relocate, revealing the glass that hid from the light. The surrounding started to become brighter with the welcoming of sunlight.


    "Welcome to my secluded abode."

 Chapter 103 - Performers Lineup

    "This place is amazing.." Sato wowwed when walking around the house. On the second floor of Gray''s private home, everywhere he looked had a glass wall overlooking the surrounding area. The sea of red was covering the entire place, making it feel like the house was the one and only safe zone.


    "How did you get to build a house in a nature reserve?" asked Sato curiously. It was a known fact that government-declared nature reserves were a straight prohibition for all parties that wish to destroy the flora and fauna.


    Gray walked up behind the shorter boy and slung his arms over Sato''s shoulders. He rested, speaking softly. "My grandfather was a founder of Country Z. And so, this was actually once his home."


    "A founder?" Sato turned his head in attempts to look at Gray questionably. "How is that possible? There''s only.."


    "Four?" Gray completed the sentence for Sato. Pulling Sato''s hand, he guided him to the black leather sofa that oversaw the calming view.


    "I''m going to show you something," Gray then stood up and picked up a rustic photo album, bringing it to where Sato sat, "Something that would change the way you saw things."


    Flipping open the first page, there was a photo that had five individuals in it, four guys and one girl. All of them were youthful and exuded great confidence. Sato soon realised from their familiar facial features of whom they really were.


    "Aren''t these the founding fathers of Country Z? How do you have their picture? Wait a minute. The man standing beside Mr. Nicholas Wake looks so much like you." Sato pointed at the face of the man that resembled Gray.


    "Well of course the man looked like me. Rather, I looked a lot like him." Gray laughed lightly at Sato''s bewilderment. "That man in the photo is my grandfather, Byron Tobion. He is the fifth founder of Country Z."


    "Wh.. What?" Sato stuttered slightly, unable to comprehend Gray''s words.


    "It all started all the back when they were still university students..." Gray told Sato the exact story that his grandfather told him. The great burning passion to transform a dream into a reality, allowed the five founders to create the great and powerful Country Z.


    "That is simply mind blowing.." When Gray told finished the story, only then did Sato close his jaw-dropped mouth.


    "When I heard it at the age of 16, I too was baffled." Gray replied agreeingly. Following which, he looked at his watch and asked out. "It''s already quite late into the afternoon, are you hungry?"


    "Yes! Especially after listening to such a mind boggling story!" Sato grinned as he picked himself up before helping Gray off the couch. They went ahead to the kitchen to whip a delicious meal for themselves.


    The rest of the day was history. They spent their time watching a horror movie together. Both of them weren''t the shopping type of people. And so, this date was the most perfect kind for the new couple.


    ...


    Back to the present, the school''s sports day was almost arriving. This year, the University had went above and beyond. They started preparing for the event on the Monday of the week. They hired external vendors that sold delicious snacks and treats for the people that were participating or simply just watching the sports day.


    For University Z''s sports day, everyone in the country was allowed to come into the campus grounds to watch the games, so long as they purchase tickets. Usually, there wouldn''t be too many spectators. Yet, when the school realised the list of several guest performers, there was a shocking influx of people that wanted to come.


    "The Sirens are performing at our school on Friday?!?" Sato exclaimed in excitement when sitting in the living room. He was checking out the list of performers that the school advertised.


    The Sirens were a contemporary pop band that grew to fame two years ago with their cover song, You''re Home To Me. When Sato was all alone, this song helped bring his mood up and had cheered him on through highschool and university. When the band had a concert last year, Sato really wanted to go. However, due to his lack of income, he wasn''t able to go. This time when he realised the school had hired The Siren to perform, he was over the moon.


    There were many other famous performers that were coming to the Sports Day, like the band, Summers Day, the singer, Yander Roo and even the famous magician, Roger Jacobs.


    While Sato was admiring the stunning lineup, Gray came back from home to find the boy starring deeply into his phone.


    "What are you so engrossed with?" Gray peeped from Sato''s back.


    "Oh, welcome back!" Sato greeted Gray with a grin like a Cheshire cat.


    "I''m looking at the people that are going to perform at my school''s sports day."


    "Is there someone that you like in there?" Gray looked at the phone, alongside Sato.


    "Yeah! The Siren is performing that day. Have you heard of them?"


    "No, I do not think so?"


    "What? Are you serious?" Sato shocked, immediately pulled Gray into the seat beside him. "Here listen to this song by them! This is definitely my favorite!"


    Sato played the song from the app on his phone. If the app had recorded the number of times he had played the song, it would definitely be in the hundreds or maybe even, the thousands!


    The song started to play our loud. Since Sato had heard it countless of times, he was singing along with the singer of the band. Rather than paying attention to the song, Gray was more interested in Sato''s every action. Although Sato doesn''t have the best singing voice, he had a slight raspiness that complimented the song.


    When the song ended, Sato was brought back to the world. He opened his eyes and saw Gray looking at him with his adoring eyes. He asked, "So how was it?"


    Of course Gray gave Sato the answer that he wanted. Except, the young man did not know that Gray wasn''t refering to the song. "It was eye-opening."

 Chapter 104 - Sports Day

    For dinner, the housemaids had prepared an extravagant array of oriental dishes for the couple. They sat down to have a nice meal together. Sato, looking rather distracted, ate a stalk of vegetable slowly.


    "What''s the matter?" Gray asked immediately when noticing Sato''s strange behaviour.


    "Ah?" Sato didn''t realised Gray had asked him something for a second. He wasn''t the type of person that would hide his problems and so, he answered back.


    "Well, recently for the past week or so, Ming has been acting differently from before. He seemed more distant from me? It was like he was trying hide something from me. Did something happen during our outing to Grand Theme Park that I didn''t know about?"


    Gray listened in to Sato''s problem, in search of a solution to it. He too was clueless about this issue. There wasn''t much to go on with what Sato had told him.


    "What does he do nowadays that made you think like this?" Gray followed up.


    Sato gave it some thought before coming out with a list of questionable actions from Ming.


    "So, as you know, we would normally meet up somewhere before going to class together. However, for the past few days, he had been using excuses like, ''he was rushing up some report'' or that ''he had to go to the toilet''. As a result, even when he came to class, he would sit at some other seating arrangement, away from me. Not only that, we would normally have our lunch together as much as we could. Yet, once again, Ming surprises me that he was going to have lunch with his other friends. This did not happen just once. In fact, for the past week, I have been having lunch either by myself or with my club mates. What''s worse is that, on regular occasions, Ming would reply to my messages late with crappy excuses. He never does that! He usually replies within five minutes of my sending. "


    Hearing this, Gray scrunched his eyebrows together. Thinking about everything that Sato said, Gray replied with his opinion.


    "Personally, I think Ming is going through something on his own and what he wants is time to himself. Since he is your best friend, if he wanted help, he would approach you first. So, I think what you can do at this point is just give Ming some space. When the time comes, he will naturally tell you. "


    "But... That is the part I''m worried about. Ming has a long history of keeping things to himself. Rarely, would he express himself. He is the type of person that would follow along with people''s opinions, especially when he cares for the person."


    "Mmm.. That is just what I think, Sato. There is another thing you could actually do."


    "Oh? What is it?"


    "Pick an appropriate time and occasion where you can directly ask Ming if he was facing any problems in his life."


    "That''s not a bad idea I guess," Sato agreed with Gray, "If things do not get better tommorow, I''ll just ask him on sports day. There''s no way he can avoid me then!"


    "Alright, well now, can you eat your food before it gets cold?" Gray said to Sato lovingly.


    "Yep!" Sato smiled back as he started to consume as per normal.


    ...


    The next day flew by in the blink of an eye and the sports day was finally tommorow. Today, Sato had been given the event roster on his phone. He was assigned to the 2500m race which he didn''t particularly mind. It was good training for his stamina. The engineering students didn''t have high expectations for Sato, for not many people in engineering was part of the school''s track and field team.


    The seniors in his Taekwondo club had also asked for the new juniors to come to the training hall to spectate the sparring fights. Sato had to go watch for a short while before leaving for the performance by The Sirens.


    In the morning of the event, Gray drove Sato to the University.


    "Have fun at the sports meet." Gray wished Sato through the car window.


    "Thanks!" Sato waved goodbye. The students wowwing at the sight of Gray''s car had become a norm for the student.


    "I''ll see you around." With a cryptic smile, Gray drove off.


    "See me around?" Sato looked confused by his boyfriend''s statement. Regardless, he placed Gray''s words behind him and walked into school.


    For the first time in a long time, Sato had not feel this comfortable in the school grounds. The once cocky Tyron had stopped bullying Sato, ever since that incident. Now, only Motori from his engineering class teased him, but he was simply an eye sore.


    Everyone was required to gather at the school soccer field ground in the morning. There were very few moments in the year where there would be such a huge gathering. Only big events like the school''s founder''s day and Sport''s day would everyone gather up for a speech by the university president.


    Fifteen minutes before the speech, most of the students had gathered together into their respective departments. Today, everyone arrived earlier than late, for there was a warning notice that was issued the other day by the University staff.


    "All students are to report at the Soccer field before the beginning of the speech by the University President. If any student fail to do so without an official reason, they will be issued a demerit point for their truancy."


    This was by no means a lax situation. With five demerit points, a student would be expelled from University Z. In consequence, everyone came to school earlier than usual, for fear of a traffic jam that would affect their school track record.


    At 10am sharp, the president of University Z stood up on the stage set up yesterday. He began his speech as prepared.

 Chapter 105 - Speech

    The speech was like any typical head of a school speech. It was boring, long and a complete waste of time. By the time the speech was almost finished after 20 minutes, everyone present were either complaining about their aching legs or sleeping from boredom.


    "... And so, I shall be introducing this year''s guests of honour. They are our proud alumni from the 35th batch of students that entered University Z. This batch was deemed as the ''Generation of Miracles'', which by no means, is understated."


    When the President of the school spoke up to this point, everyone had woken up from their stupor. The Generation of Miracles? What was so magnificent about this batch of students? Why were they different from the rest? And just like that, the once sleepy students and some staff members listened in to what the president had to say.


    "The first alumni I will be introducing was the valedictorian of the 35th batch, Pete Kouglas. Pete is the founder of the world renowned fashion brand, Jfront Clothing, which has opened over 500 shops worldwide."


    A loud commotion arose when Pete ascended the steps to be on the stage. Everyone that had a slight inkling on fashion, would know about the prodigy in the fashion world. Just in his second year of University, Pete had launch Jfront Clothing and had skyrocketed ever since. Sato realised that man was none other than Pete from the mall. So it turned out that he was a student of University Z.


    "The second alumni that will grace us with her presence is Jesslyn Ugashi. Jesslyn is the Co-founder of Geneva Financial Corps, the second largest Finance company in the world."


    Once again, a roaring commotion rang from the soccer field. It doesn''t take a genius to know about Geneva Financial Corps. Just the scale of it''s businesses that it had branched out to, was more than enough to shock anyone. The industries ranged from video games, to fashion, to electronics, to shopping malls, even toilet paper!


    "The last alumni that came today is no less than the other two. To the people in his industry, he could be considered a prodigy. To the people in the world, he would even be considered a god. Let''s welcome Marion Lee!"


    The silence in the soccer field lasted for a short second, before the loud roars and cheers rang below the stage. Just like the President had said, Marion Lee was truly regarded as a god to many in the world. The genius that created the game Ray Of Light, an alumni of University Z, was gracing his presence to everyone. Even Sato couldn''t control himself no longer. It was as exciting as meeting his idol band, The Sirens.


    The cheering did not stop for a whole minute when the three alumnis were standing on the stage. Only when they realised that Pete Douglas was about to speak, did everyone quieten down.


    "Good morning students, staff members and guests of University Z. I am Pete Douglas, an alumni of the 35th batch. On behalf of Jesslyn and Marion, I shall say a few words to everyone. I didn''t actually have much time to prepare for this speech as I woke up this morning realising that today was actually Sport''s Day."


    Seeing how unprepared the fashion god was, made everyone stifle their laughter.


    "There was only one thing that came to mind when I was driving to the University. And that was the word, ''Passion''. Without passion, everything that you are doing now is basically a waste of time. Only those that are passionate can push beyond boundaries that were set by the predecessors before you! Only those that are passionate can break new grounds in a certain field or industry! Only those that are passionate will be truly happy and enjoy what they do as a job! In fact, it would no longer just be a job, but rather, it becomes an integral part of your life, a hobby even! And so, my greatest advice I can impart on everyone here today is to look for that bright light in your life. Just like how myself, Jesslyn and Marion had done ten years ago, you can do that too! Regardless, I hope that everyone will have a wonderful Sport''s Day. Best wishes to those here today!"


    A roaring clap, a resounding cheer, the three genius had left the stage, signalling the start of University Z''s Sport''s Day.

 Chapter 106 - Satos Race

    Sato waited till 12pm for his running event to start. Even though there was no expectations placed on him, he had a sense of responsibility to try his very best. Not only that, it was exciting to find out how you place in a competition.


    Sato wore the engineering school dryfit shirt. It was a striking yellow that was different from the other department''s shirts. Standing on the race track were 15 other individuals that would be running concurrently. The shirts worn by the different departments basically made a rainbow on the track.


    The 2500m had 2 rounds. In the end of both rounds, the fastest 10 individuals from the runners would give points to their respective school departments. Only the top 3 would get a medal of excellence.


    In Sato''s round, he was the only Engineering student. Standing amongst the crowd of runners, there were 2 individuals that stuck out from everyone else. One was Jacob Williams, a long distance runner that broke the national record last year. The other was the current captain of the track and field team, Michael Sanders. To top it off, more than half of Sato''s group were from the track and field team.


    Even so, when the race had started, Sato gave it his best. Jogging at a good pace from the start, Sato maintained his position in the middle of the pack. If he could maintain at this pace for the remaining 5 laps, he could hope to be in the top ten.


    Unfortunately, things started to spice up during the 4th lap. As expected, both Jacob Williams and Michael Sanders were neck in neck at 1st and 2nd place. Everyone else were more or less grouped together. The more seasoned runners knew that it was time to kick it up a notch if they wanted a chance to get a better placing. And so, with the 5th lap coming close, half of the pack had split up and started to increase their speed.


    Sato noticed this change in momentum and decided that he should follow along. Even though he was already tired from the quick paced jogging, he wanted to not dissapoint himself if he didn''t put in his best effort. Kicking the tired mindset away, Sato ran onwards.


    In the viewing point, that was supposed to be the president''s office, there stood the three famous alumni from University Z. Pete Kouglas held a martini class in his hand as he spectated the race from above. The 3rd floor view allowed him to see everything clearly.


    "Oh? I just saw something interesting." Pete smirked while watching the race.


    "Hmm? What is it?" Marion came towards the wide glass pane, looking at what Pete was talking about.


    "You see that boy in the yellow t-shirt?"


    "Yeah? What''s wrong with him? He looks pretty normal to me."


    "That student may look normal, but his identity is rather special." When Pete dropped the hint, both the president and vice-president came to check out what he was talking about. Only Jesslyn remained seated, not curious whatsoever.


    When he realised that he caught the attention of Marion, he continued to speak. "That boy over there has a special relationship with Gray."


    "Gray? Serious?" Marion asked questionably. "What kind of relationship?"


    Both of the heads of University Z didn''t know much about who Gray was. The only person that was famous in Country Z with the name Gray was none other than the Major General of their country. The alumni couldn''t be talking about him right? If there was someone related to the General, wouldn''t they know about it?


    When Sato was able to come back to university, Gray''s brother, Noah had done the admission process quietly. There was no need to broadcast to the whole world about Sato''s relationship with his brother. So, it was as expected that the president and vice-president knew nothing about it.


    "Well, I''m actually not sure myself. All I know was that the last time I had encountered the two together, there was this protective instinct that rose out of Gray." Pete retold his story to Marion, to which he raised his eyebrows.


    "That''s an eye-opener." Marion commented back. He looked at Sato that was trying his best to run the last lap.


    "Yeah. Just like you, I have never seen Gray act like that since he was young."


    "Who exactly are you talking about?" The President decided to ask the alumni.


    "Ah, it''s none of your business, Solomon." Pete called out the President by his last name, disrespectfully. In spite of that, the President could only quietly back away from the two individuals by the glass pane.


    "Sorry..." The president gritted his teeth. He bowed slightly, not looking into Pete''s eyes.


    The reason why the president had to be so respectful had to do with an important reason. Behind Pete''s job as the CEO of Jfront Clothing, his family background, could be said to be more than stellar. The Kouglas family was one of the major shareholders of University Z. Pete''s Family was the founder of Geneva United Bank. They were one of the founding families that settled in Country Z, back when the economy just started. They moved their original base of operations to this promise land and had grown their bank exponentially ever since.


    "It seems that we should at least go say hi to this young man." Ignoring what had happened with the President, Marion continued to speak. Just like Pete, Marion''s family background was far from normal.

 Chapter 107 - Asking Questions

    The Lee family was just as pretegious as the Kouglas. Unlike how the Kouglas was one of the founding banks in Country Z, the Lee family had opened the first hospital in Country Z. The Lee Medical Group is an organisation for medical practioners to work in. Only the top 5% of doctors were able to get a rightful spot in the interview stage. Only those that have impressive accolades and achievements, would be able to get into the medical group.


    "Let''s go then." Marion turned around to leave the room. Pete followed behind. The only ones left in the room was Jesslyn, the President and his Vice.


    "Tch.. That cocky bastard." The president, Bruce Solomon complained only when Pete had left the room.


    "Calm down, Bruce. You know how powerful his family is." A female voice rose from the sofa. Jesslyn said while drinking her tea slowly.


    Unlike the other two, Jesslyn''s family wasn''t as prominent as the two guys. She was a true genius that came from a humble family background.


    "Just because his family is so prominent, I have to put up with his shit?" Bruce grinded his teeth in anger. Looking at his Vice President, he asked. "Who was that boy in yellow?"


    The vice president went ahead to look through the itenarary that was given to them. He flipped to the race page, finding the information that his Head wanted.


    "His name is Sato Takahashi. If I remember correctly, he was the top scorer in the Engineering department last year."


    "Hmph. Help me find out what''s so special about this boy. I don''t believe I can''t find anything more on him." Bruce grunted.


    Jesslyn heard the conversation between the two older men. She laughed lightly, standing up and walked towards the door. "I advice you to not look into it."


    "Huh? Why do you say that?"


    Looking back at the President, she spoke innocently before leaving the room too. "Mmm.. Intuition?"


    ...


    The race came to an end, with a placing that was more or less predicted. The first 8 places were all Track athletes from University Z, following which was a Sports Science student. Surprisingly, Sato had managed to squeeze in 10th place in his group. He was currently lying sprawled on the ground, panting furiously.


    "I did it." Sato whispered under his breath. He covered his eyes with his arm, blocking out the sun that beamed brightly from above.


    "Not bad, little bro. Not bad." A man dressed out in designer clothes appeared behind Sato. Realising that someone was talking to him, Sato sat up and looked at the familiar man.


    "Huh? Aren''t you Pete Kouglas?" Sato was surprised by the person that approached him. When he noticed the person standing behind him, he got even more shocked. "Ma..Marion Lee? Oh my god...."


    "Hey! That''s rude of you to react to Marion that way and not with me." Pete complained.


    The man standing behind Pete, walked up as he reached out a helping hand for Sato. "It''s nice to meet you, Sato. Let me help you get up."


    "Oh, okay!" Sato quickly wiped the dirt and sweat off his hand. Clasping his hand together with Marion was both a dream come true and slightly embarrassing. He couldn''t believe his first contact with his idol would be after a long grueling race.


    "It''s nice to meet you!"


    Of course, everything that happened just then was seen by the students and staffs around. They were all talking amongst themselves, discussing who was that special youth.


    "Does anyone know who that runner was? Why did the two godlike alumni approach him?"


    "The two of them looks so handsome up close! But who is that boy standing around them? He''s ruining the picture."


    "Isn''t that Sato from our department? He''s so lucky to get to talk to the Marion Lee, the creator of ROL! I wish I would get that chance!"


    Seeing how more and more people were noticing them, Marion proposed to Sato. "How about we pick somewhere quieter, so that we can talk more in private?"


    "Oh, sure sure! Anywhere is fine!" Sato enthusiastically approved to his idol. Pete felt like a third wheel while following behind them. Though, he didn''t really mind. Since his main mission for today was to look into the young man that was following Marion and him into a quiet room.


    The trio arrived in the University cafe. As everyone were cheering for their respective sports and enjoying the outside vendors, the cafe that was located on the second floor of the Common building was close to empty.


    Sato ordered a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice to quench his thirst. He sat there stiffly while looking away from the stares of the two grown men. They were definitely staring at me right? Right? Sato thought inwardly.


    "Are you and Gray dating?" Pete went straight to the question that was burning in his heart. The sudden popping of the question made Sato choke on his juice. He started coughing heavily in shock.


    "What?" Sato didn''t know what to say. He was blushing slightly from Pete''s decisiveness.


    "So, Is it true?" Pete looked at Sato dead in the eye. He really wanted an answer from Sato.


    "Um.. Why don''t you just ask Gray yourself?" Sato followed up with another question. "Aren''t you close with him?"


    "Well of course! Both Marion and I are as thick as thieves with Gray! However, you know Gray. He is the type of guy that wouldn''t share anything with his bros!" Pete complained. Marion being nodded along to Pete''s words.


    "So? What''s the answer? You guys are dating right? Right?"


    Seeing that the two guys were definitely not lying about, Sato decided that he should just revealed it to them. Embarrassed, he gave the two curious alumni a simple nod.


    "I knew it! I told you, Marion! That son of a gun was clearly hiding his relationship from us!" Pete said to Marion contumely.


    Sato chuckled seeing how proud Pete was for predicting their relationship. The boy couldn''t help but ask them about Gray.


    "Well since I answered a question. Would you mind if I ask one myself?"


    "Yeah, of course. Ask anything." said Marion smilingly.


    "Mmm, could you tell me about how the both of you became friends with Gray?"

 Chapter 108 - Grays Childhood

    The story of how the three boys had met and became best friends, went back 2 decades ago. It started how most young friendships would, family connections.


    The Tobion family was growing in strength exponentially, but they were not the towering giants of the current day economy. Byron Tobion had only recently joined forces with his wife''s family.


    He had lent a billion dollars as his starting capital. This capital was rather significant to the Hanlons, but knowing of Byron''s economic and business prowess, his father-in-law had entrusted him with the money.


    At the start, Byron decided to contact some of his trusty connections. The time where he spent in Country Z building up their economy, Byron had become close friends with both the Lee family and the Kouglas family.


    They linked up eventually outside of Country Z as at that time, the place was filled with numerous conflicts. The heads of both the families had eventually discussed plans of expanding their businesses elsewhere together. Kouglas'' banks were reliable in it''s monetary prowess, while the Lee''s commercialised hospitals was practical for business related matters. For the Tobion family, although they started off with no physical assets, Byron started to acquire shares of sunrise firms and had become their majority shareholder.


    Together, they expanded out into different countries, setting up a business there, acquiring a strong fan base, before leaving to expand elsewhere. With that, came a strong and close bond between the 3 families. Even though the Tobion family came out on top after a short few years, they never played the power game. To these, the money was secondary. Friendship was what mattered most.


    This was of course enforced in their family gatherings. Any time when all three Heads were available and away from work, they would take turns to hang out at each other''s house.


    When Gray was 8, that was the first time that he met both Pete and Marion. The Kouglas family head had twins, a son and a daughter. For the Lee family head, he had two older daughters and the youngest son, Marion. Coincidentally, their ages were all close enough so that there wasn''t any awkwardness between them.


    Except, Gray being Gray, wasn''t as welcoming as the active Pete and the polite Marion. It was in fact Pete''s twin sister, Delilah that was the able to crack into Gray''s barrier. Though she was only a month older than Gray, Delilah was very mature and acted like a big sister to Sato.


    "Gray be nice!" Was what Delilah would say when Gray ignored Pete and Marion. Rather, he was neutral with Marion, but when it came to the loud and playful Pete, he couldn''t be bothered.


    Gray was never interested in playing children games like tag and hide and seek. From a young age, he was interested in mathematics and science. Reading was his hobby and studying was his norm. It was rare to come by a child that was as studious as he was.


    Only when Delilah commanded Gray to play with everyone else, would he take a break.


    As the years went by, everyone grew up, but the four of them kept in contact. They had a group chat, but most of the time, it was only Pete that was talking. Both Pete and Marion attended University Z at the same time. Gray went to military school, while Delilah went to Country U to study Computer Science.


    ...


    In the cafe, Pete continued to ramble on about his sister and Gray.


    "Seeing how Gray was really close with Delilah, there were many times that my parents and Gray''s parents had wanted to arrange their marriage."


    "However, that was postponed many times due to Gray''s constant refusal. Delilah loved Gray from the bottom of her heart, but sadly, it wasn''t reciprocated."


    When Sato heard about Delilah''s feeling for Gray, his heart quivered slightly. A question appeared within his soul. Would Gray have liked her, if he did not meet me again? The thought soon disappeared away. He knew what type of person Gray was.


    "Where is your sister now?" Sato asked Pete.


    "Mmm, the last time I checked, she was working in Bapple, programming the latest AI system for them." Pete thought back to a year ago. Bapple was a fierce competitor firm to the Mark phone. Those two firms were neck in neck in the phone industry. To be able to work and code for the top phone company in the world, Delilah was a force to be reckoned with.


    "Well, if I''m not wrong, Delilah will be coming to Country Z soon." Marion interjected.


    "Oh? You spoke to her recently?" Pete asked curiously. Marion didn''t mind talking personally, but when it came to texting or calling over the phone, he was as anti-social as Gray.


    "Not really," Marion took out his phone to look at her social media. "She posted last week that she had filed her resignation."


    "What?! How come she has yet to unban me from her account!?" Pete was furious when he realised he was still blocked by her.


    "You''re asking me why? Even after all the lame comments that you make on her posts, do you think she will unblock you?"


    "That was so long ago! Why wouldn''t she unban me?"


    "What do you mean a long time ago? The last time you sent a ridiculous comment was a month ago," Marion scrolled through Delilah''s feed, finding Pete''s comment. "You wrote ''what a fake ugly bitch XD'' on her post and that wasn''t the dumbest thing you had said on her feed..."


    Hearing their conversation made Sato speechless. Pete was just as Gray had said, a rather eccentric person.

 Chapter 109 - A Challenge

    "But I made that comment on my spam account? Why did she have to block both my public account and spam account?" Pete complained, to which Marion shook his head.


    While talking to the two alumni, Sato received a message from his club leader. "Where are you? The Taekwondo matches are about to begin."


    "Oh no, I forgot!" Sato stood up, grabbing his bag and ran for the training hall. "Sorry, Pete and Marion. I have to go watch my club''s competition. We can talk more another time!"


    Sato left just like that. Pete watched speechlessly. He looked at Marion that was slowly drinking his coffee. "Did he really just abandon us for a trivial club?"


    "Well, he does look like a normal student to me." Marion analysed Sato. "In fact, he doesn''t have an air of arrogance after dating Gray. If I must say so myself, he definitely likes Gray for his personality."


    "Yeah... I can at least tell that he wasn''t lying about his feelings." Pete spoke seriously.


    Normally, his casual and outgoing personality would be described by others. Only when it came down to people that he cared, would Pete become serious. This was especially so for Gray''s case. If Sato was ever unworthy in any way, Pete would do his very best to break apart their relationship.


    "Let''s go watch this competition after you finish your coffee."


    "Alright."


    ...


    The Taekwondo training hall was littered with people everywhere. There were Taekwondo players wearing their uniform, getting ready for their turn to spar. Sato arrived slightly late. His club members that weren''t participating, were already standing around a sparring ground.


    From afar, Sato could tell his Club''s vice captain, Jake was sparring right now. Jake''s striking black belt was a clear giveaway that he was a master in his art. 3 white strips were engraved on his belt.


    "Sorry I''m late." Sato caught his breath when he reached amongst his friends.


    "It''s alright, " Terence, the captain assured Sato. "In fact, you came just on time. Jake''s round just started."


    Jake approached his opponent cautiously. Although his opponent, Ronald was only a 1st dan black belt, he did not let his guard down. His opponent had joined the club the same time as him and so Ronald knew Jake''s sparring style very well.


    In fact, most of the people participating in today''s event were from the Taekwondo Club. Only a handful of individuals qualified to participate in today''s event as you were minimally required to have a red belt.


    A straight kick was launched by Jake, where Ronald dodged backwards. Jake did not falter. He continued to move forward, following up a turning kick. As he did not have much room to generate his centrifugal force, he launched a 270 degree kick towards Ronald''s upper arm.


    When Jake started to wound himself up, Ronald knew that his vice-captain was going to launch a strong strike on him. If he moved further back to dodge, he would be forced out of the ring. If he didn''t, he would definitely be hit by Jake eventually. There was only one thing to do.


    With Jake''s 270 degree kick, Ronald did not falter. Twisting his body, Ronald retaliated with a side kick, aiming at his opponent''s glutinous maximus. In turn, his twisting of his body resulted in the eventual strike of Jake''s to hit his chest.


    The fight was truly a spectacle to watch in person. Sato''s eyes was glued on his senior''s battle. In the end after that clash, Ronald had taken a rather strong hit and had lost due to the lack of hits by the end of the round. Still, the fight was definitely worth a watch. Jake''s skills in taekwondo was not to be trifled with.


    After the match, both individuals were treated with sports medicine. Due to advancements in technology, medicinal relief was at it''s peak. A quick medicine spray, coupled with proper protection gear, got rid of their light bruises on their bodies.


    "That was such a good fight.." Jennifer wowed in amazement. Like Sato, both of them were not as skilled as their seniors. Watching them use higher difficulty moves, increased their interest in the sport.


    "Yeah! That was a very good exchange to watch." Sato agreed.


    Sato continued to watch in the sidelines. He watched his friend, Tae Wan clinch his victory after a close fight against their senior. It was really exciting. Eventually, right before he was going to leave to watch The Sirens perform, he came across someone familiar. His physique and taunting voice gave his identity away to Sato.


    "Hahaha! I cannot believe this is the standard of red belt in our school!"


    Hearing this, both Sato and Tae Wan walked over to see what was going on. They found their 3rd year senior lying on the ground. His hand was clutching his arm tighterly as he laid on the ground. The familiar voice came from Motori, a student in his engineering class.


    His laughter filled the hall, his gloating attracted the attention of everyone. "Pathetic.. Thank goodness I have a private instructor to teach me everything, unlike these no name wannabes."


    "Are you looking for a fight?! Well I''ll give you one!" Tae Wan pointed out as he stepped forward furiously.


    "Oh ho.. A black belt 2nd Dan plans on schooling me? Pfffft! It seems like the Taekwondo Club in our school only knows how to bully others!" Motori''s spiteful words continued to come out.


    "You!"


    "Tae Wan, don''t let his words get to you," Sato immediately stood out and got ahold of his friend. If he didn''t, a flying kick may have flew out and smashed Motori''s face. By then, Motori''s words would have come true and have ruined their club''s reputation.


    "Oh ho, the little gold digger has stepped out from his kermit shell.." Motori said maliciously to Sato. Seeing Sato getting insulted, made Tae Wan even more furious.


    "That''s enough, Motori. You''ve already won. Now just shove off." Sato had to try his best to hold Tae Wan back.


    "But what if I do not want to go? I am itching to fight someone right now." Motori scratched his head before coming to a devious conclusion. "Oh! How about you challenge me to a spar? If you win, I''ll leave. If not, I''ll just continue to wander around here for a bit."

 Chapter 110 - A Challenge 2

    Sato stood still for a short moment, processing Motori''s request. He walked forward, determined to put an end to it.


    "Alright. I shall agree to your challenge."


    "No! Don''t do it. Jake has already went to informed the staff. There''s no need for you to intervene." Terence had watched everything unfold from the beginning. He quickly stopped Sato.


    "Captain, I cannot let this slide. This challenge, I will be accepting regardless of everything." Sato took off his shoes and socks. Wearing his Physical Training kit, without any protection, he was completely exposed.


    "You.." Terence wanted to stop his junior, but seeing how determined Sato was, he could not bear to stop him. In fact, if it were not for his position, he would''ve stepped up to fight Motori too.


    "Come." Sato stood ready, his hands balled into a fist, both legs bent, one more forward than the other. Motori smirked looking at the white belt newbie in front of him.


    "Well, if you insist!" The reason why Motori was so happy was because of the current scenario that he ensnared Sato into. They were currently ''sparring'' and so, whatever harm he deals to Sato, the school cannot hold him liable, so long as he does not kill Sato.


    Running up towards Sato, Motori sets up for a jumping kick. He jumps up with both his knees, twisting his body as he slices the air with his right leg sideways.


    Sato did not falter. He had basically researched every move to it''s core over the past three weeks. The kicks were all engrained into his head. Knowing that the blow was going to come from his right, Sato stepped to the right as soon as he saw Motori jumping in the air.


    Motori''s leg barely missed Sato''s head. "Tch.."


    Landing on his feet lightly, Motori quickly got into position to launch another attack. Since he was fairly close to Sato, Motori turned to his back as he jabbed a back thrust towards Sato''s stomach. Sato wasn''t able to react in time for he had never experienced such a combo before. And so, stepping a few times backwards, Sato clutched his stomach, grimacing from the pain.


    "Oh yo! Are you regretting your decision now? Do you want to surrender?" Motori taunted, alternate hopping on his feet.


    Sato ignored the pain, getting into his stance again. After all this training with Master Choi, how could he give up just like this. This weekend, He had undergone the same training as the previous weekend. He had learnt a combination of moves that was particularly hard to achieve at this stage. Let me put it into use now, Sato thought.


    "Since you do not want to yield, I shall make you!" Motori smirked. Shuffling slightly closer, Motori spun himself. Anyone could tell that he was going for a spinning kick.


    Nows the time! Sato stepped forward when Motori was about to launch his spinning hook kick. It look as if the strike on Sato was inevitable.


    "No, Sato!" Terence and Tae Wan who were at the scene shouted out worrily, just as Sato ran forward. However, when they realised that Sato had turned his body, with his arms raised to block his face, they knew that Sato had a counter plan.


    Motori''s hook connect, but it wasn''t as effective. Sato''s lunge had closed too much distance between them, rendering Motori''s kick useless. Not only that, his parry through his arms, had made Motori lose his footing.


    Nows my chance! Sato quickly seized the opportunity. Raising his right foot, bending it 90 degrees, Sato trusted his leg forwards as it landed square on Motori''s chest. The cocky red belt fighter was unable to retaliate. He was pushed out of the ring, before staggering to the ground.


    Sato had won and by no means was it easy. But, he had done it. And like every underdog story, a loud cheer reverberated through the air.


    "Sato! Sato! Sato! Sato!" The cheering did not stop for a good minute. Sato bowed honorably before getting off the ring and wearing his shoes.


    Tae Wan and Terence were waiting for him in the sidelines. Everyone present was honestly jawdroppingly shocked at what Sato achieved. In fact, not many people in the club could''ve achieved the feat that Sato did.


    "Argh!" Motori grinded his teeth in frustration. He picked himself off the ground, stomping off towards the side door. Whenever he walked by someone, he was jeered on with mockful comments.


    "Sato what you just did was simply eye-opening!" Sato''s senior, that had watched his fight, praised out.


    "Yeah! Thank you for protecting our club''s name from that cocky bastard!" Another person congratulated.


    Sato could only stand there and accept their compliments. He was rather embarrassed from it all. He scratched the back of his head as his eyes were squeezed together into an upside down smile.


    Then, it hit him. Looking at his watch, Sato couldn''t help but run off again, like he did several hours ago.


    "Shoot! I totally forgot about the performance!"


    Sato sprinted off, disregarding the pain on his stomach. To him, The Sirens was definitely more important than his injury.


    ...


    At the corner of the hall, Pete and Marion watched the boy run off and out of the hall. They shook their heads, realising the follies of Motori.


    "That dumbass will probably die when Gray finds out about this.." Pete predicted.


    "Yep. Agreed." Marion said while nodding.


    "It seems like this trip over to University Z was worth it," Pete turned around to leave the hall. He looked back at Marion who wasn''t moving. "You''re not going back yet?"


    "No. Not just yet. I''m meeting someone in the school."


    "Oh?" Pete gave Marion a weird look as if he knew what was going on. "Tell me. Who''s the girl?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Spit it out.. I have known you since you were a kid. You acting all cool and mysterious just reinforces my point even more." Pete gave his reasoning.


    "Well I shall neither agree nor disagree to that statement. Now, just go off to somewhere else before I give you a kick in the ass."


    Marion had to physically push Pete away from this place, before heading off in the opposite direction. Pete pouted at the secret kept by his best friend.


    "Man... Why does no one ever want me in their life?"

 Chapter 111 - Lesson Learnt

    The performance by special guests were held outside. They had converted of their Fifa-sized soccer fields into a concert hall. An outdoor concert tent was set up after 4 hard days of work.


    By the time Sato reached the performance area, the whole place was already jammed pack with people. There was barely any space to walk through to get to the front. To make matters worse, his favourite band, The Sirens, had almost finished their song.


    Sato had basically missed the whole performance and from where he stood, he wasn''t able to see the singer in person.


    "Man.." Sato sighed. He sat on the concrete pavements, tired from running across campus.


    After 5 minutes of resting on the ground, Sato stood up. There wasn''t much of a point for Sato to be around here anymore. His favourite band had finished their one piece and the next singer had started. Although he was regretful for missing out on it, the things that he had done in that time were not.


    Sato dusted his pants off when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Not knowing who it was, Sato turned around to get a shock. "Gray? How come you''re here?"


    Before Sato could get another word in, Gray took him by the hand and promptly left the venue.


    "Where are you taking me?" Sato was slightly worried seeing how Gray acted. He didn''t have his usual calm demeanour, but instead, he looked hectic and serious.


    After walking into the building that was next to the soccer field, Gray brought Gray into a lecture theatre. It was empty as expected, stuffy from the lack of air conditioning. The door was closed and Gray finally let go of the young man.


    "Take off your shirt." Gray said straightforwardly.


    "What?"


    "I said take off your shirt." He repeated.


    "I.." Sato listened to Gray reluctantly. Pulling his dryfit shirt over his head, Sato exposed his lighter skin to Gray. Although Sato has been eating better, he was definitely still skinny and a bit of his rib cage can be seen up close.


    Gray walked up wordlessly as he reached out his hand towards Sato body. The young man did not move, rather he didn''t dare. When Gray was serious, he was very scary to be around.


    Gray clasped his hand onto Sato''s waist. Pressing gently using his thumb, Sato squirmed from the soreness on his stomach. As expected, Sato knew that he couldn''t hide his injury from his boyfriend. From day one, Gray had already emphasised that he didn''t want him to get hurt. He had even hired bodyguards to protect him from any kind of mortal danger.


    Now, seeing that Sato was kicked in the stomach, of course Gray would be furious.


    "I.. I''m sorry..I.."


    "Don''t talk." Gray interrupted. He took out a tube from his pocket, squeezing out a transparent gel. Rubbing it against both of his hands, Gray moved over to Sato''s stomach.


    When it came in contact with Sato''s skin, a slight shiver ran through Sato''s body. The gel felt cold when it came in contact with Sato''s body. As Gray rubbed over Sato''s injured area, the pain started to subside more and more. Not before long, the pain had basically went away.


    "I''m sorry.." Sato mumbled under his breath. He knew that he was in the wrong this time. If he had not impulsively went ahead and accepted Motori''s challenge, he wouldn''t have made Gray this angry.


    Ahead of Sato''s apology, Gray pulled the half naked boy into his embrace. He tightened his hold on him as he spoke to Sato. "Feel my heart. Can you hear it beating?"


    Badump, Badump, Badump. Gray''s heart was racing, just like how he had described. From this, it made it more evident that Gray was extremely worried for Sato. It also made Sato emotional and tears started to form by his eyes.


    Gray could feel the minute trembles FROM Sato''s body and knew what was coming. He pulled Sato away from him as he looked at Sato in the eye. Gray raised his arm and wiped away Sato''s tears off his face. "There''s no need to cry, silly boy."


    "I really am sorry.. I won''t do it again." Sato repeated himself. With each word that Gray says, Sato couldn''t control his emotions more and more. The tears continued to roll down his face.


    At this point, Gray realised his mistake. He had released too much of his aura onto Sato. Typically, he would only set free it when he was with people that angered him. Now, when using it on someone he cared about, he had basically hurt Sato emotionally.


    "No, no I''m the one that should be apologising. There''s no need for you to say sorry." Gray quickly hugged Sato again as he tried his best to sooth his lover. The General was deeply regretful for his impulsiveness.


    Planting a kiss on Sato''s forehead, Gray allowed Sato to lean in on him. They eventually sat on the ground. Sato laid in Gray''s embrace, his eyes were red from all the crying. Like a loving parent, Gray ran through Sato''s hair tenderly.


    They stayed this way for a good ten minutes. It was just them, alone in a hundred seater lecture room. With only an accent lighting on their back wall, the two boys remained still.


    That day, both Sato and Gray learnt an important lesson. And that was that, the most vulnerable aspect in life was love in its purest form. Nothing came close in second. Nothing.

 Chapter 112 - Awkward Atmosphere

    Sato and Gray left the lecture theatre together. Although the Sport''s Day event was yet to be over, they decided to head back home.


    That day, Gray had wanted to surprise Sato by coming to the school event in the afternoon. What he didn''t expect to happen was Sato getting hurt. The events after that were somewhat unfortunate. Even though both of them had admitted to their shortcomings, the atmosphere between the two was very awkward.


    As they were walking towards the main entrance, both of them saw someone that looked very familiar. Gray decided to call him out. "Marion."


    "Oh, hey Gray. Hey Sato." Marion said his pleasantries. Beside the genius man, stood an extremely pretty lady wearing a skin tight dress that accentuated her glorious figure. The two of them were holding hands, looking like they were going to leave the school too.


    "This is?" Gray stared at Marion curiously.


    "Um.. This is my girlfriend, Natalia. She teaches Psychology here." Marion felt like he got caught doing something bad. It was to be expected that he felt that way, since this was the first time he had gotten a girlfriend. Moreover, the first person he told was none other than Gray.


    Gray took a simple glance at Natalia. Any normal guy in the Psychology department would have their eyes goggling all over her. She was definitely a seductress to any straight male. He reached out his hand to shake hers and Natalia reciprocated. "Nice to meet you, Natalia. My name is Gray, a close friend of Marion''s."


    "It was nice to meet you too." Natalia smiled. She looked at the young man that stood beside Gray. "And this is?"


    "Oh, my name is Sato. Nice to meet you." Sato shook her hand. Even though Marion couldn''t pinpoint why, he could tell that Sato was slightly toned down as compared to earlier.


    "Are you guys heading off already?" Marion noticed that they were about to leave too.


    "Yeah, you too?" Gray answered for them.


    "Yep. I actually came back to school today to bring Natalia out on a date." Marion explained. "Didn''t realise that the school would make such a big deal about it."


    "You came to fetch Sato too?" Marion followed up.


    "Yes." Gray said simply. Following which, placing a hand on Sato shoulder, the two turned around and left. "Have fun on your date."


    "You too."


    ...


    In the car, Gray was the driver, while Sato sat in the front seat. Normally when the car ride was silent, the atmosphere wouldn''t feel this stiffling, but after all that happened, it was inevitable.


    Neither of them spoke for at least 15 minutes. It was only when Gray came to a halt by a red light, did he speak.


    "Do you mind if I take you somewhere? It will be nothing strenuous." Gray asked politely.


    "Sure." Sato nodded, giving the okay to Gray.


    The following 30 minutes, neither of them spoke in the car. There was no music, no small talk, just the light rumbling of the car engine and the blowing of the car heater.


    Gray had drove quite a distance down the highway. Only when he reached the last sign on the road, did he turn out. When they reached the destination, it pique Sato''s interest.


    "We''re at the beach?" Sato commented when Gray opened the door for him.


    Gray nodded as he helped Sato out of the car. Since Sato''s hand was already in his palm, Gray didn''t let go from that point on. The couple left for a walk down the pedestrian pavement.


    "I''ve actually never come to the beach before." Sato said. He looked straight the whole time.


    "Well, that''s what you have been led to believe." Gray didn''t look down either. He continued to tell Sato the truth. "You have been to the beach before. In fact, your first time was with me."


    "Really?"


    "Yep. Two months into our relationship back then, you told me about never coming to the beach before. Of course after knowing that, I decided that we should make a trip down there."


    The pair walked only a short 100m before Gray pointed out a concrete bench that overlooked the sea.


    "When we came here at time, we sat in this seat and overlooked the water and sand. I still remember the excitement on your face that day." Gray smiled while telling the story. "And now, here we are years down the road. How are you feeling?"


    Sato looked at the place that Gray was talking about. Pulling Gray along, Sato walked right up to the bench as he placed his hand on the concrete back rest. He looked forwards unmovingly.


    It remained that way for quite a while. Sato said after staring at the clear water with a clear beam on his face. "The old me and the current me agrees that this view is indeed spectacular."


    "Really?" Gray rested his hand on Sato''s shoulder lovingly again.


    "Yep! During the past 3 years, I would sometimes try to imagine what the beach would look like in person. It was through the fragments in my head that allowed me to imagine this exact image. It''s scary how surreal everything is."


    Gray smiled at Sato''s comment. Guiding him forward, Gray said kindly. "Come take a seat."


    The couple sat together on the concrete seat silently. This time, the atmosphere was back to normal again. The awkwardness and barrier between the two had broken down.


    The windy cold air would blow against their faces, but the pair did not mind it. In fact, both Gray and Sato huddled closer to share their warmth between themselves. So long as they were together, nothing seemed tough or horrible.


    "Thank you Gray. Thank you for bringing me here." Sato said as he stared dreamy-eyed into Gray.


    Gray replied with a loving peck on Sato''s forehead. To him, he would give the world to Sato in a heartbeat if he ever asked for it.


    "Anything for you, Sato. Anything for you."

 Chapter 113 - The Surprise

    Sato didn''t have a meal in school and so, he started to feel hungry halfway through their beach outing. The grumbling of his stomach was a clear giveaway sign that Sato needed to he fed.


    Gray laughed lightheartedly at the boy, before pulling him out of the seat. "Let''s go grab some food."


    The couple walked down the pedestrian pathway exploring the shops that were set up by the beach. Eventually, a small tentage that had a sign ''Freshly Caught Grilled Fish For Sale'' caught Sato''s eye.


    "Let''s eat there!" Sato quickly pulled Gray into the tent. The place only had a total of four seats that faced the cook, two were already taken by another couple and so Sato didn''t want others to take it.


    When they settled down, the owner of the tentage told Sato what fishes were available today. He settled for the Salt Baked Sea Bass with a bowl of rice.


    When it came out in the salt shell, Sato cracked it open with a mini hammer. The aroma of the fresh fish expunged outwards as it invaded their nose. White smoke drifted out of the dish non-stop, making the food look mysterious. Using his chopstick to pick up a small chunk of meat, Sato delivered it straight into his mouth. As expected, the white meat was heavenly.


    "Open up!" Wanting to share the joy with Gray, Sato picked up another chunk of meat for Gray. He fed it to him lovingly, to which Gray accepted it with a great big smile.


    A simple meal spent eating together with someone you love far outweighed the greatness of an extravagant repast.


    ...


    When Sato ate finish all the meat on the fish, they left for the car. Apparently, Gray had something planned while Sato had his lunch. No matter how many times Sato tried to peek, Gray''s privacy screen protector prevented him from knowing what was going on.


    "Where are we going?" Sato asked again when he was in the car.


    "It''s a secret." Gray said cryptically.


    "How bout you give me a small hint?"


    "Nope.. No hints."


    "Come on..." Sato puffed up his cheeks, looking all mad at Gray for not letting him know where they were going. It only made Gray happier to see Sato this curious.


    "We''re almost there anyways." Gray was driving along the beach side. It seemed like they were going somewhere around here. "So be patient for a bit."


    The Gale X drove up one of the island''s eroding hill. Over the years, the weather and water had slowly chipped away on one side of the hill. Eventually, it became a cliff on that side. Gray''s final destination was none other than the cliff.


    Stopping near the edge of the fence, Sato and Gray got off the vehicle. They were immediately welcomed with the cliff view of the ocean. The dark blue hue from the waters, coupled with the azure blue sky and the cawing of the flying seagulls, made this place look so serene.


    "This is so beautiful.." Sato exclaimed. He felt this way about Gray''s house view too. Just that one overlooked the glorious city of Country Z, while the other showcased the vast ocean.


    "You''re more beautiful." Gray pulled Sato''s messy hair back. The wind had prevented him from admiring his own perfect view.


    Sato felt speechless upon hearing Gray''s cheesy comment. Only a handsome guy like Gray could get away with it.


    "Besides, this isn''t the surprise of this visit." Gray continued to lead Sato on.


    "What? Then what is the surprise?" Sato grabbed Gray''s arm as he swung it around playfully. Gray walked forward and guided Sato along a worn down path. There were no grass on this pathway. It was obvious that many people had went down this way before.


    The pathway eventually ended, expanding out into a large patch of dirt land. The surrounding of this flat earth were multitudes of naked trees that shedded crimson red maple leaves on the ground. The sign wrote ''camping ground'' on it.


    Since it was autumn, no one had any plans of camping and the place was barren. Except this time, in Gray''s surprise, a black shipping container box sat right smack in front of them. Two chairs were placed facing the large red box.


    How did that shipping container get there? Well, it didn''t take a genius to get the answer, but Sato had to confirm it anyways.


    "Gray, by any chance, you had this shipping container brought all the way up here?" Sato looked up at his boyfriend questionably. He didn''t want to believe it was true until he heard it from Gray directly.


    "Yes. In fact, I did using a helicopter." And of course he did. Gray said it so normally that it made Sato even more speechless.


    "Why did you have to do that?"


    "Due to time constraints, I had Potter use my helicopter to move the entire set up over here." Gray guided Sato into the seat as usual. He continued to explain his surprise to the young man. "This surprise of mine was impromptu. Since I know that you love them so much, but you were unable to watch them earlier on, I decided why not we watch it now. Together."


    When Gray spoke the word ''together'', the side of the container facing the couple detached and fell on the ground in a controlled manner. This shipping container was rather special as it was actually more of a stage than a containment unit.


    Inside, the ceiling lights of the box turned on, revealing 5 individuals. A drummer, a bassist, a pianist, a guitarist and a singer were waiting on the inside. With the taping on the drum sticks, the band began to play their melody.


    And just like how they had played it just hours ago in front of thousands of people in the university, the Sirens sang their latest cover song, but this time, it was dedicated to one individual.

 Chapter 114 - I Love You

    After finishing up their one song in school, their manager received a call from their biggest boss, the Head of their Music company, Muse Entertainment. The boss had warned them to not screw up this next performance. If they did, their band may have to go on an indefinite hiatus.


    That was enough to show that the people who they were singing for next, were extremely influential. Everyone knew that within the next few hours, the band was going to perform the most important performance in their entire career. They focused up, preparing incessantly for it, making sure that their instruments work, making sure that they did not mess up the lyrics and melodies, making sure that the sound system worked.


    To reinforce how important the next show was, a helicopter had been assigned to carry their portable shipping box to their destination. On the way up the hill, they realised that they would be performing on a camping ground. They then assumed there would be some major big company event happening here later on. Or so they thought..


    When the suspension door flipped open and they started to play their song, they were given a shock of their lives. Two?! They were only performing for two individuals?!


    What was even crazier was that their boss required them to change their character''s name in the song, into Sato. That was more than enough to show that this performance held for the couple, was in fact only for that young man sitting in the chair.


    Regardless, the Pop band played their empowering tunes for Sato and Gray. Jamming it down as best as they could, they sang their hearts out. Clearly, their current performance felt more personal and inspiring since they were only singing for two people.


    Sato''s name even came out in their second song, making the young man blush shyly. He nudged Gray with his elbow as he whispered into his ear. "Did you really have to request them to change their song character''s name to my name?"


    "I didn''t do anything like that." Gray really didn''t. When he told Potter to coordinate everything for him, he didn''t say such instructions to him. It was actually the Head of Muse Entertainment that requested The Sirens to change the name. However, this wasn''t know to Sato and he had just thought Gray was lying.


    The Sirens played their entire album for Sato and Gray. Even though it was exhausting to sing throughout, they didn''t reduce their excitement and energy levels as they could that the person in front of them were definitely very powerful. Sato felt rather bad for them and gave them a break half way through to drink some water.


    When their album was finished, the performance finally came to an end. Sato received their signatures and a personal notebook with a handwritten message from them. He was exceptionally esctatic when he got to shake their hands.


    "When we have our comeback concert next year, we shall invite you to come for it." The lead singer, Mark promised his fan. That invite was more than enough for Sato. Everything starting from the time he met Gray, felt like a dream.


    Waving goodbye, Sato and Gray walked back the way they came. The Siren finally got a chance to take a breather. They sat down on the dirt ground, not caring about the dirt ruining what they wore. They sighed in relief. That was the hardest time of their life so far..


    ...


    On the car back home, Sato''s smile never left his face. The day started out on a pretty disastrous note, but as the time went on, it got better and better. Eventually, it became one of his happiest days in his life.


    Gray was glad that he could make his lover this contented. He asked, "Are you satisfied with my surprise?"


    "Of course! Are you kidding? That was one of the craziest things I have ever seen in my entire life!" In a heartbeat, Sato poured out all of his emotions and thoughts. "I realised that all of my shocking moments in my life were all done with you. Not one time was without you."


    Hearing Sato''s words, Gray was glad that was the case. He wanted to be the one that created great memories for Sato. He wanted to forever be there for him. He didn''t need to say it out for Sato to figure out what Gray was thinking. Gray''s adoring gaze was the only clue that was needed.


    "Thank you for being by my side, Gray. I really appreciate it." Sato answered Gray''s thoughts. Gray simply rubbed Sato''s hair. He didn''t feel the need to reply to that. After all, he was doing it for his own sake too. Grazing through the hair, Gray remembered something that he wanted to bring up.


    "Oh yeah, I think it''s time for you to get a hair cut."


    "Aww.. but I''m quite lazy to get one." Sato grumbled. He truly didn''t like to cut his hair. It''s actually what made him look physically poor.


    "I know.. You are exactly the same in the past. I remember I had to drag you to the barber to cut your hair." Gray reminisced the past. Indeed, Sato never changed. "Come on, do it for me."


    "Fine.." Sato gave in to Gray''s request. Since Gray wanted to him to cut his hair, he would go for his sake.


    "That''s right." Gray smiled as he turned into the house gates. "I''ll accompany you tommorow to the barber."


    The pair got off the car together. Potter helped to drive it into the garage. As they ascended the steps, both of them noticed Hank waiting outside the mansion. His expression looked especially stiff.


    "What''s wrong?" Gray asked.


    "Young Master, Madamn has arrived safely and is in the.." Without letting Hank finish his sentence, Gray opened the main doors widely as he walked in fluidly. He smiled warmly when he saw the graceful lady sitting by the fireplace. She was wearing her reading glasses, reading her newspaper.


    "Hello, mother." Gray greeted endearingly.

 Chapter 115 - Chatting

    "Oh my dear Gray!" Gray''s mother, Melanie, stood up to hug her eldest son. She had not seen Gray in person for a long time. "How have you been?"


    "Good good." Gray reciprocated with a warm hug. He too missed his mother. Ever since he started work as a Major General, he did not have any time to travel overseas to find his mother. Not only that, when he managed to get back Sato into his life, he did not want to leave him once again.


    Melanie caressed Gray''s smooth face. Indeed, my son looked much happier and lively around Sato, thought Melanie. She knew that everything up to now were as a result of Sato. She wanted to get to know Sato. No she must to get to know him.


    "And you must be Sato." Melanie smiled warmly, spreading her arms, she hugged the young man. "It is nice to finally meet you."


    "It is nice to meet you too, Ms. Tobion."


    Sato greeted back politely. He was stiff to the bones when he had realised that Gray''s mother was in the house. But after the hug, he had loosened up. Melanie doesn''t put up a front, showcasing her friendly and uplifting personality.


    "There''s no need to call me Ms.. Just call me Auntie. If you want, you can call me Mother too." Melanie spoke straightforwardly, to which Sato was speechless.


    "Mother.. Don''t put Sato on the spot." Gray spoke tenderly. Though in his heart, he did not actually mind Sato calling his mother, mother.


    "Um.. Auntie it is nice to meet you. Gray has spoke about you before." Sato settled for auntie as he spoke to Melanie with an amicable tone.


    "Oh, has he been badmouthing me?" She glanced at her son, looking surprised. Sato quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.


    "No no. In fact, he told me how affable you were."


    "Oh really? I guess I did not love Gray for the past 28 years for nothing."


    The newly met pair sat down on the living room sofa, chatting up a storm. Gray left back to his room for a conference call, leaving the two alone.


    Melanie first asked the typical questions that an acquaintance would. Questions like what do you major in school, where are you from, what are your hobbies, etc. Although most of it, Melanie could have hired a private investigator to find out. However, respecting his son''s boyfriend''s privacy and to also leave out the spoilers, she asked Sato personally.


    Of course, Sato answered honestly. As good as he looked on paper, whatever that was kept inside Sato were also squeaky clean. He was a genuine kind gentleman and Gray saw that many years back.


    When the starter questions were finished, Melanie decided that Sato should get a turn too. After all, a one way conversation was never fun to begin with. "Go ahead. Ask me anything."


    Sato thought it through. There were things that he was curious about, like the Tobion family''s background, but that was secondary. Sato wasn''t a materialistic person and so, knowing that will not change how he perceived things. Instead, Sato asked what he had always wanted to know.


    "Can you tell me a story about Gray''s childhood?" It was the same thing he had asked Pete and Marion before. He could never know too much about Gray.


    "Oh? Mmm let me think about it." Melanie raised her eyebrows when she heard the question. As expected, Sato did care about Gray a lot. She gave it some thought before settling for this story.


    "Well, I am sure you know about Gray''s family situation. From young, Gray was a quiet boy. He never once complained about anything. He never needed to ask questions or request for anything as he was resourceful. But, there was one time that he complained."


    "What is it?"


    "On his 7th birthday, Gray had requested for a dog. However, his father, Alex forbidded him. No dogs were allowed in our household because of my allergies. My husband did not want me to suffer in any way, so he had declined Gray''s request. Gray complained nonstop for the first time that day, to which he was grounded by his father for his attitude."


    "As a result, the poor boy sulked for three days and three nights, not wanting to come out of his room. He simply would not budge and stayed deathly silent in his room. Or so we thought."


    "By the fourth day, I simply could not stand seeing Gray this depressed. Not listening to what my husband said, I headed for his room to check up on him. And when I opened up the room quietly, I realised Gray was not in his bedroom. It turned out that he was hiding in his closet. And in that closet, he had been hiding a puppy in a box!"


    "It was then I realised why Gray had asked for a dog that time. He had picked up a poor stray outside our house and secretly brought it into the house. Unluckily, he wasn''t granted permission and so he had hid it in the closet out of sight from everyone."


    "Aww.. So what happened to the puppy?" Sato responded endearingly. He thought about how cute young Gray looked, taking care of the puppy.


    "Well, as a result, Gray was once again grounded by his father. The puppy, however, got to stay, but it was not allowed to be kept in our home. The puppy was only allowed to stay in the guest house."


    "Every morning, Gray would run out of the house and through the gardens to come to the guest house to play with the puppy. He named him, Shiro because of his snow white fur. It was one of the few times you would get to see Gray smile and play happily."

 Chapter 116 - Satos Past

    The story from Gray''s mother made Sato smile. Getting to know about Gray was something Sato could never get sick off. It was refreshing and interesting at the same time.


    "How are your parents doing?" Melanie asked Sato curiously. The reaction she received back was unexpected. Sato had an empty look on his face.


    "I.. I do not know." Sato was embarrassed. He had no clue about his parent''s condition, let alone any of their latest developments. As compared to Gray''s family, although they were thousands of miles apart, they would still keep in contact through the phone.


    "Why is that?" Melanie knew that she had hit the soft spot. With her expertise in human relations, she wanted to help him. With a smile, she continued. "There''s no need to hide anything from me."


    The mood of the room was right and so, Sato decided to reveal it to her.


    "It all started when I was 15. I was a normal a normal middle school student, living in a small two room flat with my family. My father, at that time, was a construction worker, earning us just enough to get by. Although we were poor, our family was contented with life."


    "Nevertheless, everyone changed when the construction company had laid off my father. He wasn''t given any prior notice and so, he couldn''t prepare for the worse. For the two months, my father stayed at home, looking for a job on the Web net. By the third month, he started to change, emotionally and mentally. He picked up drinking and would head out to drink in pubs by himself till late at night. My mother tried to persuade him, resulting in their frequent fights. This carried on for many months, with my mom bearing all of his insults and wrath. She even had to pick up multiple part time jobs to keep us afloat."


    The atmosphere got more solemn as Sato told his story. He continued, with a grim smile on his face, trying to hide his sadness.


    "Nearing the end of my last year of middle school, I reluctantly came back home for the holidays. I had stayed in the school campus for the longest time as I did not want anything to do with my father. Yet, when my mother pleaded me to come home, I couldn''t say no. And so, I came back."


    "I still remember that day vividly. My father with his unshaven beard, sitting on the couch, with a can of beer in his hand. His face already had a slight reddish flush from afternoon. He was drunk."


    "When my mother saw me, she had a sympathetic look on her face. She knew I did not want to be here and that I came for her. I scanned her with my eyes, my heart wrenched in pain throughout. There were evident dark bruises that were scattered across her arms and legs. Even without pulling up her shirt, you could tell she wasn''t just beaten on her limbs. She ached everytime she walked, but still, she obediently helped my father. "


    "Throughout our first dinner in a long time, I remained silent and ate quietly. I didn''t want to make a sound even when I chewed my food. Still, it was impossible to avoid everything. My father looked up at me with his drunken eyes, sloppily he asked how were my grades."


    "I didn''t want to give a long answer and so, I replied with a ''fine'' . And if you know how drunk people behave, you would be able to recognise my mistake. I had made my father mad. His emotions got the better of him. He started to shout at me for being rude. My indifferent attitude had resulted in me receiving a beating."


    "I have never received a beating from my father. Not once in my life, until that day. It was as if I did not recognise him anymore. I knew that his angry emotions wasn''t him at all. It was the alcohol acting out." Sato''s voice got hoarse as his hand trembled slightly. Melanie noticed it and reached out for the young man. She gave Sato a reassuring nod, before speaking.


    "It''s okay if you do not want to continue. We can stop here if it is hurting you too much."


    "No. It is fine. The story was almost over." Sato shook his head. In fact, after all these years, this memory had become more of his distant past. Adding on to his amnesia, it made him feel like it was his past life.


    "After that experience, I ran away from home. I did not come back after my middle school graduation, directly applying for a full scholarship to the highschool. It seemed that during my time there, I had gotten to know your son, Gray. Although, I do not remember it, my feelings back then and now are genuine."


    When Sato finished his story, Melanie nodded her head. She patted Sato''s hand as she commented.


    "That was very brave of you to tell me the story. Getting hurt by your closest one''s is always the most painful. For you, it was father. Luckily, you realise that it was actually not your father''s doing, but instead, the use of substances." Melanie analysed like a true therapist.


    "Has your parents contacted you recently?"


    "Yes. On my birthday two months ago, they video called me. It seemed like my father had quit drinking and have sobered up."


    "That''s good, that''s good."


    "But.." Sato hesitated before continuing. "I cannot pluck up the courage to go back home."


    Melanie didn''t speak for a good minute. She thought about it before replying.


    "Here is what I think is the best course of action. There are two things you can do in this case. One, you can continue the way things are and just carry on with your life. You go on your way, while they go on theirs."


    Sato thought about it sensibly. This was what he had been doing all this while, escaping. Yet, that was not his heart wanted.


    "Two, you can go back home and visit your parents. This is what people call ripping off the bandage. It may hurt at the start, but in the end, it would benefit you."


    "As you have said earlier on, your father has changed and now, wants to patch things up with you. And so, you should reciprocate. There''s nothing for you to lose."


    It was true that Sato had nothing to lose. At the very most, he could carry on with the first option. Seeing that Sato was deep in thought, Melanie stood up and left upstairs.


    "Think about it, Sato. I''ll head upstairs first to rest a little."

 Chapter 117 - read my comment down below pls! The Armageddon Project

    The advice that Melanie gave to Sato stuck with him into the evening. Lying in his bed, Sato stared at the ceiling aimlessly. From the way it looked, everything was up to him. His parents had already taken the first step and now, he needed to move his feet too.


    Back when they had called him to tell Sato that they loved him, Sato''s heart had started beating again. The things a parents could do for their child to be happier were very simple. So long as they show that they care, their child would reciprocate back.


    For Sato''s case, speaking to them through the phone was miles apart from meeting them in person. His trauma had created a large crevice in his renewed heart. He wanted to start moving again, but everytime he attempted, the pain kicks in. Sato was scared. He was terrified of the what ifs.


    What if I went back and it was still the same as back then? Would I be able to go through that trauma once again?


    What if I went back and I am not able to be myself around them anymore? Would they still accept me back as their son? What if they hated the current me?


    Sato dwelled on it for a long time. Gray had finished his conference call minutes ago and decided to check on Sato. When he came around to his room, he saw the melancholy boy, with a pillow covering his head.


    He was able to breathe through that right? Gray got worried and quickly ran in to lift the pillow off Sato''s face. Sato was welcomed with a worried face from Gray.


    "Why did you cover your face like that? You scared me.." Gray lifted up Sato''s fringe that covered his dark brown eyes. He noticed that Sato had a straight face on, which was totally different from how he usually was around him.


    "What''s the matter?" Gray asked tender-heartedly. Sato didn''t reply.


    "Did my mother do something bad to you? I shall go ask her." Gray didn''t know what was wrong and was about to go ask his mother. It was then Sato woke up from his stupor. He grabbed onto Gray''s rough hand, stopping him from going.


    "No.. Auntie did not do anything bad. It''s something else." Sato clarified.


    Gray sat down by the bed side, looking at Sato worriedly. He asked, "Do you wanna talk about it?"


    Sato stared into Gray''s dreamy eyes. He knew Gray cared and loved him deeply. It was a fact. Maybe only he knew Sato best. Sato asked with a curious mind, "What kind of person am I, Gray?"


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "Like, what are the qualities that define me? Good or bad."


    "Well," Gray continued to caress Sato''s hair as he spoke, "To me, I would say that you are reckless due to your righteousness. You are smart, but humble about it. You are playful and loving to those that you are close with. But most of all, you are genuine in all ways in life. Never once, have I ever seen you put up a fake image."


    "In this society, people like you are hard to come by. The sincerity and earnestness in your actions are what everyone should aspire to achieve. If everyone were able to do that, the world would become a better place."


    "Is that good enough of an answer to your question?" Gray gave Sato a kind smile. Sato nodded in acknowledgement. Sato knew that Gray would not lie about what he said. The man was straightforward and blunt about the things that he say. If someone were to ask for an honest opinion from him, Gray would not sugarcoat it.


    "I had a conversation with Auntie about visiting my parents." Sato decided that he should explain to Gray his problem. When he finished, Gray sat there quietly thinking it through before he spoke again.


    "Well, what mother suggested was sound. I too, think that it is a good opportunity for you to seize. After all, your parents had held out an olive branch. Your father seemed like he has changed too."


    Sato laid on his bed soundlessly, thinking through what Gray said. After hearing the mother and son''s combined advice, he felt more compelled.


    Gray knew the boy needed a push and so, he suggested. "How about this, why not tommorow after we cut your hair, I accompany you to your parent''s house?"


    "You would go with me?"


    "Of course. I would even give my life for you, much less visiting your parents." Gray chuckled at seeing how innocent Sato looked.


    With Gray, Sato received the extra boost of assurance. Nodding, Sato said. "Okay. We shall go tommorow."


    "That''s more like the reckless Sato I know."


    At night, the family of three had their dinner together. Sato told Melanie about him going to visit his parents tommorow with Gray.


    "I''m proud of you for taking that step forward, Sato." said Melanie.


    "No, it was thanks to your encouragement that allowed me to do this."


    Melanie had cooked the sumptuous meal with the housemaids. In front of everyone laid an array of dishes that looked very appetising. The smoke wafted in the air for all of the dishes, showing that it was cooked finished minutes ago.


    Sato chose to start off with the claypot chicken. The tantalising aroma enter Sato''s nose even before he consumed him food. When the tender meat enter his mouth, the juices hidden within, exploded forth a strong bout of deliciousness. Sato was overwhelming with flavour.


    Each and every dish that Sato tried out after were all the same as the chicken. They all tasted amazing.


    "Eat more if you like it. You shouldn''t be too skinny."


    Seeing that Sato enjoyed what she cooked, Melanie was very happy. It was good that Gray''s boyfriend had a great appetite for food.


    "Yes Auntie." Sato continued to consume everything. Gray, on the other hand, observed the young man who was enjoying his mother''s cooking. Sato was too cute in his eyes. He turned to look at his mother, planning to speak to her.


    "Mother, how are things over on your side?"


    "In terms of what aspect?" Melanie replied.


    "With Regards to the Horsemen," Gray brought up the topic on the Tobion''s elite squad of soldier. He wanted to know more details on it. Of course, he did not care if Sato listened in, since he had full trust in the boy. "When will they be arriving in Country Z?"


    "Well, I was going to tell you sooner or later, but I had to cancel their mission." Melanie sipped a mouth of soup after breaking the news to Gray.


    "Why is that?" Gray''s voice got slightly colder as he tried to maintain his calm.


    "There was another more pressing issue that required their immediate attention. I''m sure you have heard about Country N''s Armageddon Project." Melanie answered seriously.


    "I think it''s best if the two of you carry on your discussion in private." Just the name was enough to make Sato''s hair stand up. Were they going to talk about something so confidential when I am around? Sato felt out of place. He stood up as he tried to excuse himself.


    "Oh no, it''s fine, Sato. Continue to enjoy your meal. Both of us trust that whatever we disclose to you here, you would not leak it out." Melanie assured the young man, even Gray nodded in agreement. In the end, Sato could only suck his thumb and just sit in to listen.


    "Anyways, continuing on from where I left off, the Armageddon Project, I''m sure you have heard of it right? The latest hacked information from Country N''s database has provided us an overview on what the Project was capable of."


    "Yeah, just now during the conference call, the International Security Department for our country had requested for emergency aid. They were releasing their information on that project." Gray now realised where his mother was coming from.


    "You mean to say that the Tobion family has to step in and intervene on the Project?"


    "That is precisely what I was trying to say." Melanie nodded solemnly. She continued to explain further. "The Project was classified as an S tier mission difficulty. The Armageddon device that was leaked, was described to have the function of absolute control over any technological device connected on the Internet."


    "We are not sure what stage of development were they on. Thus, if left unchecked, we would be in big trouble if the Armageddon Device was finished. I''m sure you know the consequences of such a machinary."


    Gray understood where his mother was coming from. Indeed, this predicament was far more important than Yroth''s revenge. Just by comparison, Gray''s drug cartel mission was only rated as an A tier classification.

 Chapter 118 - Escorting The Dragoon Head

    As the highly classified discussion came to an end, Sato finally could breathe. The back and forth between mother and son was very serious. They eventually finished up their meals and rested in their rooms respectively.


    Although Sato and Gray were dating, they still respected each other''s boundaries. Right now, the young man wasn''t intimate enough with Gray yet. And so, they slept in their own bedrooms.


    After playing a bit of Ray Of Light, Sato decided to sleep. In the game, Sato and Gray had slowly progressed up the ranks in the Dragoon Family, eventually becoming a trustworthy adventurer in their eyes. After completing numerous missions, they had managed to increase their favorability rating from Favourable to Trusting. With their newly found privelege, they figured out that there were indeed signs of Demons in the Family.


    With the S tier mission of "Destruction Of The Dragoon Family", if completed, it would definitely help Sato in destroying the entire Demon Clan.


    Their next big mission requested by the Dragoon Family, was "Escorting The Dragoon Head".


    *Escorting The Dragoon Head


    *Help to escort the Head of the Dragoon Family to the Tutachi Desert Plains in the west.


    *Failure to complete the mission will result in - 2 player''s level. Trust level will lower from Trusting to Despised. (This does not apply to races in the Neutral factions)


    The mission was set to start on Friday night next week, leaving Sato and Gray some leeway to get ready. If they wanted to get rid of the Dragoon family head, now was the best time to do that.


    Sato''s sleepless night soon started. He didn''t know how to describe the feeling that was inside him right now. Was he worried? Excited? Nervous? Maybe it was a culmination of all of the above.


    Gray in his own room, after playing the game, also could not sleep. Unlike Sato that worried about the meeting with his parents, Gray was up thinking about Yroth and the Armageddon Project. Since Gray was in charge of the Operations Division, a sizable chunk of his manpower would need to be allocated for reconnaissance in Country N. Not only that, he would need to leave behind some of his men in his own country to deal with Yroth.


    The safety of those he was closest to were the most important factor that he had to consider. He did not want any harm to come on his mother, who was planning to stay in their Country Z house for an indefinite period of time. Not only that, his beloved Sato was with him too.


    ...


    The night went by slowly, with Sato barely getting any sleep. Below his eyes were dark eye bags due to the lack of sleep. When he went downstairs early in the morning, the sun had not rose yet, the skies were still dark.


    Seeing that he was the first awake, Sato decided that he should make breakfast for both Gray and his mother. The housemaids were going to help the boy, but he kindly declined. Instead, he asked them to just carry on with their daily chores.


    Sato looked into the packed refrigerator, taking out some dumpling skins and some meat paste. He decided to make his very own dumplings that he used to make in his old house. It was cheap, delicious and convenient, since he could make the dumplings the night before and simply steam it the next day.


    Mixing a proportionate amount of seasoning, Sato kneaded the meat with other vegetables like green onions, ginger, before folding it within the dumpling skin. He skillfully folded the dumpling skin and as a result, numerous cute and bite-sized dumplings were formed.


    When finished, Sato decided that he should steam it now, seeing that the sun started to rise over the horizon. The two of them should be waking up soon. And just as Sato had predicted, the pair of mother and son arrived in the dining room timely. There were welcomed with the sound of the steaming pot whistling in excitement. The dumplings were cooked to perfection.


    Melanie sat down with a smile on her face. She observed the well-mannered Sato help prepare for breakfast. Of course, Gray went along to help Sato in the setting up of the table. The housemaids could only watch in the sidelines as the two guys stole their jobs.


    Two piping plates of dumplings were served up to the dining table. Smoke drifted in the air playfully as the white plump dumplings looked perfect on the porcelain plates.


    "Thank you for making these dumplings, young Sato." Melanie said with gratitude.


    "Oh, it''s my pleasure, auntie." Sato went ahead to deliver one directly to her plate. "Please try it and tell me if the taste is to your liking."


    "Okay, then I won''t stand on ceromony." Melanie placed the well sized dumpling into her eye after blowing on it a few times. As she chewed down, an explosion of flavour wrapped around the inside of her mouth. Her lips involuntarily curled upwards.


    "This is really delicious." Melanie praised.


    "Really?"


    "Yes. I''m one to not lie when it comes to food."


    Sato sighed in relief, knowing that Gray''s mother liked his food. Gray too, tried Sato''s dumplings and smiled in delight. The trio had their breakfast, before Gray and Sato departed out of the house.


    The first stop was none other than, the barber.

 Chapter 119 - Sato Cuts His Hair

    "Gray.. Can I please not cut my hair?" Sato used his puppy eyes to pacify Gray. 99 percent of the time, Gray would relent and go with the boy, but this time, he shook his head determinely.


    "No, it is time to cut your hair. It has become far too long." Clearly Gray being the stronger man, pushed Sato towards the barber shop that he would always go to.


    Since Gray''s family was majority in business related fields, their decorum was one of their top priorities. Without good etiquette or appropriacy, their image would be ruined. In order to make their lives easier in the long run, the Tobion family had established their very own barber shop brand namely, PrestineCuts.


    The barber shop, PrestineCuts was rated last year as the number one hair shop in the world. Boasting customers from around the world, they have opened over 200 shops around the world. Of course, these shops were strategically placed to benefit the Tobion family businesses, allowing them to not travel far to get a cleanup on their looks.


    When Sato entered the shop gloomily, he couldn''t help but be surprised by the design of the barbershop. The shop retained the olden days vintage look, overhung with warm lighting to ease their customers. It was rare nowadays to find a close replica to the olden days barber shop. In addition, the staff there greeted them politely as if they were just like Gray''s housemaids and butlers.


    "The boy over here would be getting a haircut." Gray sat down on the couch, nearest to the door. He requested for a person as he sat down. "Let Melvin cut his hair."


    "Understood, Mr Tobion." The staff bowed to his customer and led Sato in respectfully. "This way sir. Take a seat as we call Mr. Melvin for you."


    Sato could only smile back grimly. He was truly reluctant to cut his hair. In his opinion, his looks never really mattered. So long as he could survive and live sufficiently, he would not want to waste money cutting his hair. He had always cut his hair when it was too long, mainly his fringe. In the end, the uneveness of his hair was very evident, making Gray get flustered. He would not want his boyfriend to look like he was mistreated, much less messy in general.


    When Melvin first came out of the back room, he first went to greet Gray and to receive instructions from him. In PrestineCuts, Melvin held absolute authority in this branch. Melvin was one of the top 10 hair stylists in the world. If anyone wanted to hire him to help style their hair, the fees required were astronomical.


    Yet, Melvin was in fact the only person here that knew about Gray''s real identity. After graduating from the most prestigious hair styling school, he was poached by the Tobion family to become one of the co-founder''s of PrestineCuts. When Gray was 15, he became his personal hair stylist. Wherever Gray went in the world, he would follow along to help style and cut his hair. Since Gray settled in Country Z, Melvin became the manager of this branch.


    Melvin realised that Gray wanted him to cut Sato''s hair, to which he gladly accepted. When he came to see what kind of mess Gray had handed him, he almost cried out loud. What kind of monstrosity was sitting in front of him? For a world class stylist like him, he never had the chance to see such a bad state of hair before.


    To make matters worse, after Melvin had a feel of Sato''s hair, he gasped out loud, which Gray smirk in agreement. Sato''s hair was not only messy, but had a very rough feel too. Clearly, Sato never used any high quality shampoo over the years.


    "Mr. Gray, the hair from this young man is simply horrendous! I.. I do not know if I can save it at this point." Melvin talked about Sato''s hair as if it was a live species. To him, the hair was basically a living and breathing organism. To see such a badly taken care hair, it was torturous for Melvin.


    "I did not come here for you to give me bad news, Melvin. I want results." Gray usual disposition was put forth on Melvin. The hair stylist felt a chill from behind his back. He turned to bow to his young master.


    "I apologise for previous harsh words. I will make sure to recover this young man''s hair to normal."


    Since young, Gray had acted this way in front of him. Normally, after spending enough time with someone, you would have more or less gotten used to their aura. However, as usual, when Gray gets angry or what he didn''t want, his demeanour was too stifling.


    Sato who was the victim of such an assault felt extremely guilty. Why was Gray so strict when it came to others? Not only that, it was directed at a hair stylist. To Sato, he didn''t actually care about the state of his hair. Only Gray, who loved to touch and feel the boy''s hair, would want it to be restored back to normal. So, was Gray actually doing it for himself or for Sato? This was a question that would never be answered to anyone.


    Melvin swiftly began to direct his assistants to grab several different hair products. There were over ten different compounds that were placed on the side table by Melvin. It was incomprehensible to those that didn''t know what was going on in the first place. When does a person ever need to use this many hair products?


    Firstly, Melvin mixed two different hydration products together and applied it onto Sato''s long hair. Sato''s hair had long glorious locks that went down his neck. It was far too long for normal standards. Stroking downwards, Melvin applied all of it onto the boy''s hair, not missing out anywhere. Even before he started to cut Sato''s hair, it was cleaner and more comfortable for the customer to treat his hair first. Not only that, Melvin realised that there were many knots in Sato''s hair that prevent him from combing the boy''s hair down. He needed to get rid of that problem.

 Chapter 120 - Sato Cuts His Hair 2

    It''s time to step up my game, Melvin thought. Pushing forward a large machine that had a dome to nestle a person''s head inside, he encased Sato''s coated hair in it. The machine being used right now was the latest Hair Osmosis Machine. It helped to increase the permeability of liquid compounds into the hair, effectively increasing the process in which the hair could recover.


    Melvin turned the machine on and Sato started to feel a light pulse around his head. Near his scalp, there were tingly sensations spreading around, making Sato feel very uncomfortable. It was very ticklish.


    After 20 minutes, Melvin turned off the machine and followed up with another layer of coating on Sato''s dry hair. The heat had help to evaporate and residual liquids and aided in the absorption into Sato''s hair. The process was repeated for five times, taken a total of 2 hours to complete.


    Each coat had a separate function. Hydration, tensile strength, lubrication, Improvement of Sato''s hair health, everything was chosen systematically to not negate another compound''s function. During the two hours that Sato was doing his treatment, Melvin wasn''t idling around. Using his great sense of style, he chose a few types of hair styles that would fit the young man. He then used the latest 3D facial modeling artificial intelligence to showcase the hairstyle to Gray. As Sato didn''t particularly care about his hair, Gray would be doing the choosing for him.


    Gray looked through the different styles carefully. He eliminated several options off the bat, including those that were short hair designs. Sato, from the very beginning, was used to having longer hair. Cutting the hair short would be too large of a change for the boy. As he swiped through the hair styles, Gray eventually raised his eye brows when he looked at the second last suggestion.


    "This will be the one for Sato." Gray gave the tablet back to Melvin. He agreed to Gray''s choice and started preparing to cut Sato''s hair.


    Wearing on his styling holster, Melvin''s entire outlook changed completely. He now looked like a proper hair stylist. Melvin stood behind the young man, feeling Sato''s hair with his experienced hands.


    "It is much better as compared to just now." Melvin blew out an air of relief. If it wasn''t better than before, he would definitely get it from Gray in the near future. He prepared the boy as he grabbed out a barber hair clip. "I''m going to start cutting now, Mr. Sato."


    "Alright." Sato sighed slightly and accepted his fate.


    Melvin clipped the top of Sato''s hair that was closer to the young man''s sides. He was going to tackle the easier part first, which was shaving down the sides of Sato''s hair. Using his trusty electric shaver, Melvin smoothly scaled through Sato''s long hair. The barber was brave and precise. He made sure to give Sato sufficient hair length to not make it look weird later on. After finishing both of the sides and back, Sato''s hair already looked significantly shorter. Now, only the top was long and unkempt.


    Melvin let Sato''s hair down, using his haircomb he straighten it down. Melvin had to use some conditioner lotion to help smoothen it further as some parts were still locked together. When it was ready to cut, Melvin did not hesitate. Whipping out his scissors, he danced across Sato''s hair skillfully. The combination of the scissors and the comb was like a famous waltz being performed on stage. Eventually, Sato''s hair had become shorter than before, but the overall vibe was still very him. Gray wanted nothing to change in his boyfriend. He chose the safest option, but still had the elegance of a superstar. He had went for long bangs and 4/6 parting of the hair design. As Sato''s hair was also voluminous and his hair parting was naturally to the side, there wasn''t a need for further gelling or waxing.


    With the finishing touches on Sato''s sides and ends of his hair, Melvin went ahead to wash up Sato''s finished hair style, before blow drying it for him. Sato was shocked at the changes that happened to him. Although Sato''s hair was still long, it wasn''t messy anymore and it actually looked decent. Gray nodded in approval, feeling the boy''s hair in the process.


    "It looks good and feels good." Gray said.


    "Thank you for the compliments, Mr. Gray." Melvin bowed slightly, in his heart it was still beating nervously. If he wasn''t happy with it, who knew what would have happened to him.


    Gray looked at Sato as he asked, "Are you satisfied with your haircut?"


    Sato nodded in approval too. Indeed, there was a significant qualitative change in his look. It had transform his face from one that looked more like a hobo, into a popular university student.


    "Let''s go for lunch then. You must be hungry." Gray proposed.


    "Alright."


    The pair left the Barber without paying for anything. After all, Gray was the ultimate boss of this place. They drove off to a nearby restaurant before alighting again. When the pair entered, the two looked like a dreamy couple that descended from the heavens. Everyone had their eyes of the couple. Before, it was only Gray that had great looks, but now, Sato with his new hair cut, complemented Gray well.


    Sato started realising that people''s gazes were on them. Normally, he would have not attracted any attention. Yet, after getting his hair done, people were finally able to get a better look at Sato. The old messy hair of Sato''s would usually cover a portion of his face and let others feel uncomfortable around him. It was a large qualitative improvement.


    "Do you see the difference now?"


    "Yeah.. It''s pretty evident." Sato admitted. Although he didn''t like getting too much attention from others, it was nicer than being thought of as a poor beggar.


    The couple went upstairs into the shop house restaurant. They were specially allocated the window seat that was isolated from the rest. It provided them some peace from the watchful eyes of the public. And of course, Gray and Sato enjoyed their lovely Mediterranean styled meal.

 Chapter 121 - Happy Moments

    The happiest moments in people''s lives are always the shortest. No matter your status or the amount of wealth you possess, happy moments are always fleeting and very hard to come by. The down periods or even just normal repititive cycles would be present for the most parts of your life. That is why people cherish every happy memory that they make. They treasure and savour it to the bone. In times of trouble or distress, they reminisce such happy moments.


    Sato could still remember one of his happiest moments in his life till this day. Age 7, winter. The skies were gloomy, obviously, signs of rain. Yet, it wouldn''t be able to become snow, for the winters in Country Z were not cold enough.


    Sato had just started his school holiday. He peers out the window from his warm cosy 2 room house. He laid down, chest facing the ground, waddling his legs around. His arms held the weight of his small head.


    Sato''s mother, Geraldine, watched her son adoringly by the dining table. She was chopping up vegetables for today''s dinner. The only sound in the house was the rhythmic sounds of chopping. Everything was peaceful and calm.


    "I''m home!" Sato''s father, Mahiro, cheered loudly as he stepped through the front door. His face had a large beaming smile that came in consequence of his wife and son.


    "Father!" Sato exclaimed. He ran up to his father in open arms. Of course, Mahiro reciprocated. He lifted his son off the ground and into the air.


    Mahiro went to where Geraldine sat, delivering a kiss to his wife''s cheek. Geraldine smile and said to her husband, "Go take a bath, will you? Take Sato with you too, he hasn''t taken one yet."


    "Oh ho, you heard your mother. Let''s go take a nice warm bath, little stinky."


    Mahiro carried little Sato who was chuckling in his arms. The two males in the family went ahead to have a water fight in the bathroom. Sounds of laughter and screaming could be heard from outside. Geraldine couldn''t help but beam from the boy''s interaction.


    When the two came of the shower all nice and clean, they headed to the open concept kitchen to find Geraldine. Geraldine was busy stir-frying the broccoli when the father and son watched eagerly from behind.


    "Sato, doesn''t mother''s dish smell so good?" Mahiro lifted Sato up to get a better look at the food.


    "Mmm! It smells really good!" Sato agreed, nodding along enthusiastically.


    Geraldine rubbed Sato''s slightly wet hair as a sign of thanks. She carried on to cook while the pair of boys watched from behind. Skillfully, she whipped up 3 simple dishes comprising of two vegetables and a meat dish. During the time that they ate, Sato would throw in compliments about the food. The whole atmosphere was blissful.


    Just as they were about to clean up the dishes, Mahiro clapped his hand and got his family''s attention. "I have good news that I want to share."


    "What is it?" Geraldine said, while Sato didn''t care about it.


    "Today, my company head released good news that we would be getting a bonus this year! So," Mahiro paused for a moment before saying it out, "Why not we go on an overseas trip?"


    "Overseas?!" Sato''s eyes widened when he heard what his father had said. He had heard in school from his classmates that they were going to travel overseas for holiday. Many of them were travelling to tropical countries to escape the winter. For Sato''s case, he never had the chance to travel on a plane before.


    That concept was never really explained by his parents, but being the smart child that he was, he understood that his family wasn''t as financially abled as compared to others.


    "I was thinking.." Mahiro rubbed the little boy''s head as he continued speaking, "Why not we travel to Country J for a short holiday? Since Sato hasn''t seen real snow before, this will be his chance."


    Sato''s eyes sparkled when he heard his father speaking about snow. Geraldine being the supportive wife that she was, agreed without hesitation. "Sure, honey. Let us go to Country J."


    "Hooray!"


    The family of three booked their tickets that very night. Although it was the cheapest plane ticket on the market, and they weren''t travelling far, it was still the first flight that Sato was taking. He was so excited that the night before, he could not sleep.


    On the plane, Sato would constantly look out the window to see the sea of clouds that laid below him. He was higher than the clouds for the first time. It felt so surreal to the little boy. Since it was his first time on a plane, he didn''t know about the air pressure that would clog his ear. When it started hurting, Geraldine immediately told him to yawn a few times, to which it helped to unblock his ears.


    Regardless, Sato enjoyed the flight and that was just the start of his trip. At the Country J International airport, Sato dragged his mini luggage by himself and followed his parents to find their designated coach bus. They had booked a tour package to help lower their costs.


    When they arrived at the pick-up point, the other tourists have already arrived and so, they left immediately after. The coach drove off onto a highway that led up a mountain road. Country J was famous for their mountainous ranges. As they head up one their most famous mountains, the weather got more and more cloudy. Eventually, white specks of snow started drifting down the sky. Sato''s eyes were glued to the window from the get go. When he realised that it was actually snowing, he was ready to get down from the bus to feel the snow. The higher they got, the road sides had also become whiter and whiter. Snow was everywhere.

 Chapter 122 - Visiting Satos Parents 1

    Seeing the white specks of snow drifting by, made the little boy''s dream come true. He had finally gotten the chance to witness snow in it''s true. The purity and fickleness of a snow made it even more enjoyable for Sato.


    The boy had read many books since he was young. One of it was a science describing the properties of the three states of matter. Snow was a solid state of water. When it landed and came in contact with Sato''s hand, the white fluff gave off a slight chill on the little boy''s palm. Eventually, the snow melted and became water, disappearing in front of Sato. The boy knew this was the case for snow and so, seeing it for himself was very enjoyable.


    Geraldine and Mahiro sat on a wooden bench overlooking the mountain lake and their son. Mahiro''s arm stretched over Geraldine, he embrace his wife lovingly. At that point and moment in their life, they could be considered a happy and contented family.


    ...


    Sato reminisced the happy times that he had spent with his family. The snowy trip was just one of the few moments in life that gave him pure joy. It should be his earliest happy moment that he could remember.


    Gray noticed Sato smiling to himself in the car and had asked what was that about. The boy gladly answered Gray back.


    "I was just reminiscing my childhood memories. Many years have passed since then. Many things have changed and happened along the way. Nothing was the same anymore."


    Gray didn''t say anything in return to what Sato had said. The young man was right that people do change. It was inevitable. Even if you do not welcome change, change would be forced upon you by others.


    Just like Sato''s father, he did not ever want to lose his job, but when the company laid off workers and he was chosen as one of them, he couldn''t fight back. He was powerless in the face of adversity, most people are. Unless you are proclaimed as the strongest person in the whole universe, you would forever have to face adversity in some form or shape.


    The car ride was silent throughout the journey. Gray was there only to accompany the boy. After reaching his house, it was all up to Sato. Gray could only go that far. Sato had to take the next step by himself.


    The neighbourhood that Gray drove by started to become older. The housing situations were becoming more haphazard and messy. Although the houses weren''t makeshift, they looked like plain concrete buildings. The roads too were worn out, where the concrete pathings had holes in them. You could tell that the government had neglected this part of society, leaving them to rot.


    In fact, the terminology where the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, could be applied to Country Z. There weren''t that many policies in the country that help to mitigate poverty. Even taxes weren''t progressive.


    "You have reached your destination on the left."


    Gray''s GPS sounded out. The high end vehicle came to a halt outside the concrete building. The stopping of the Gale X car had caught the eyes of many onlookers, both good and bad. Though none of them took action for they knew only the top percenters in the country can afford such a car. They wouldn''t dare to offend those people.


    Sato looked out the car window, his memories of his childhood started to flow even more fluidly in his head. This was where everything began. From the time he could remember, he had grown up here. This was the place that he celebrated his birthdays. This was the place that he lived throughout primary and secondary school. This was the place that he made happy memories with his family.


    This was the place where it all ended. The building looked as old as ever. It felt like time had stopped indefinitely and only when Sato came back, did the time start flowing again. Was it time for everything to start moving again? Was my heart willing to forgive the wrongdoings of yesteryears?


    Sato was woken up from this thoughts from a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked to his right to find Gray smiling at him warmly.


    "There''s no need to over think things." Gray said. "Just do your best and know that I am always behind you in anything you do."


    Gray''s comment made Sato chuckle. "For some reason, you last comment made you sound like a stalker."


    "I''m glad it helped to make you less nervous."


    Sato turned his head to look at building on his left again. He took in a deep breath and opened the door.


    "Are you going to come along?" Sato said to Gray.


    "No. This is your battle," Gray shook his head and continued to speak, "However, I will wait for you in the car."


    "Okay."


    "I look forward to good news that you will bring." Gray wished Sato good luck as he watched the boy ascended the concrete steps to head to the second floor.


    The neighbourhood that Sato lived in consisted of multiple two storey buildings. Each building had 40 units, 20 on each floor. Sato''s family lived in the extreme corner unit of the building. It was built to be slightly bigger than the rest of the units.


    Walking down the hallway felt very familiar to Sato. This was the path he took everyday to come home from school. Sato stood outside the door and realised nothing had really changed. The bicycle that his father used to commute to work looked the same from many years back. The sign "Takahashi Family" that was drawn and made by Sato back when he was in primary school, was still hung outside.


    Sato raise his hand. His fist tightened. He hesitated to knock. Thinking back to what Gray said, it was all about taking that first step. After that, it was history and everything would move by itself like well-oiled gears in a machine. Decisively, Sato took action.


    Knock, knock, knock.

 Chapter 123 - Visiting Satos Parents 2

    Knock, knock, knock.


    For the subsequent seconds after Sato knocked the door, time slowed down significantly. Sato''s mind was racing at record speed. Thoughts and emotions were basically a blur.


    Run? Should I run? I still have time right now, maybe I really should run away...


    No no. Stay, just stay. It''s not that bad. They are your parents after all. They cared for you throughout your childhood.


    But.. What if? What if it was all the same and nothing had change? At that point, could I bear to go through such an experience again?


    Then again, if I do leave now, I will just be escaping from my problems once again.


    Forgiveness. Anyone should be given a second chance if they were willing to reflect on their mistakes. So that leaves us with only one option. And that is...


    "To stay strong and push through." Sato mouthed out the words as he stared straight at the house door that slowly opened up. The natural light from the bright sun shone into Sato''s eye. A silhouette of a lady with long hair appeared in front of Sato. The identity of the lady was almost instantly revealed to Sato, but Sato still squinted to get a better look.


    "Sato?" The lady had a surprised tone in her voice when she spoke.


    "Hi mother." Sato replied awkwardly. His hand was fidgeting amongst itself. In the end, he decided to just stand straight.


    Sato''s mother, Geraldine woke up from her stupor and said back to her son. "Well don''t just stand outside, come on in."


    Geraldine led her son into the house that he had stayed in for his whole life prior to leaving. Both happy and sad memories were present in every inch and corner of this tiny unit. Sato walked around slowly, examining every part of his old home. It had been far too long since he came home.


    The old table that they used back in the day was still there. It had now been ridden with scars that came about from Sato''s father''s drunken tantrums. The old wooden chairs had been replaced with the chairs with built in cushions. Mahiro had thrown those and broken it before too. Most of the furnitures that were too heavy to carry were all still intact and present in the house. Seeing that the house was no longer as messy as the past, it made Sato''s heart warm up slightly. Maybe father did get rid of his drinking habits entirely.


    "Wher.. Where''s father?" Sato stuttured. Ever since he stepped into the house, his feelings and emotions were let loose. He could speak properly now.


    "He went to the convenience store to buy some bread." Geraldine replied quickly, she didn''t want to keep Sato waiting. "He should be coming home soon as he left a while ago."


    "Oh.."


    Silent pervaded the room instantly. Sato didn''t exactly know how to carry on, neither did his mother. They haven''t seen each other except during their occasional video calls. Now, being stuck in a small room together, it made things even more uncomfortable.


    "So.. Did father really.. Quit drinking?" Sato hesitated before finishing his question.


    " Your father, he.." As Geraldine was about to answer Sato''s question, the door to the house open once again. In the past, when Sato was young, when he heard the keys chiming, he would run and welcome his father. Now, Sato''s heart was the only thing he could hear. The nervous thumping went Badump, Badump.


    The older looking man had significantly more grey hair than the past. It looked like he had aged a whole lot since the last time Sato had seen him in person. The video call on Sato''s birthday had already given a vague impression of Mahiro. The meeting today further confirmed that his father had aged significantly over the past few years.


    Mahiro looked at the familiar figure that stood by the balcony window. His eyes faltered, unable to believe what he was seeing. He stumbled on his words.


    "Sa.. Sato? Is.. Is that re..really you?"


    Sato didn''t say anything back, except standing there unmovingly. He was frozen in place. Mahiro approached carefully as if he was scared that he would frighten his son away. He stopped when he was 5 metres from Sato, before continuing.


    "I.. I have been reflecting. Reflecting on my past mistakes during the time that you had left this home. There were many regrets that went through my head everyday. Countless regrets. And many of them, had to do with you."


    Mahiro''s eyes were getting visibly redder. On closer inspection, you could tell that there were tears forming in them.


    "Ever since you left, I had decided to quit drinking. From that day on, I tried my best. I tried my very best to kick that devilish habit of mine! It was rough at first and I have it all to thank your mother for following me through this ordeal. Even though I had physically abused her before, she still stuck with me throughout this journey. If it weren''t for her, I may have given up along the way. Maybe, I would have ended my life, wallowing in my past mistakes."


    Mahiro held onto Geraldine''s rough hands as he stared adoringly into her eyes. Tears started to flow down his face and so did Sato. His father''s words had tapped into the deepest parts of his heart and soul. Like a godly harp that strummed on the heartstrings of humans, Mahiro''s words resonated in him.


    "I know I have wronged you many times in the past. Countless times, you have seen me throw tantrums and express my rage out vehemontly. It must have scarred you deeply, to which I am forever sorry about it! I am sorry for everything that I had caused as a result of alcoholism! I am sorry for breaking up this family! I am sorry for not being a good father to you! "


    "Stop! Just stop!" Sato interjected Mahiro''s apology. He couldn''t take it anymore. Tears were rolling down his face like a waterfall. He couldn''t see what was in front of him, except for two familiar figures. His emotions were all over the place. He was basically sobbing at this point.


    "I.." Mahiro didn''t know how to follow up on this. He held onto his wife''s hand tightly as he waited and watched his son cry from a distance.


    The gap of five meters had never felt so far and distant for the two individuals.

 Chapter 124 - Give Me Some Time

    Thirteen years ago...


    "Father, mother," Seven year old Sato called out to his parents and dragged them over to their hotel balcony. "Come look at the view!"


    This was one of their few overseas trips that the family took, making it ever so memorable. The snowy hills, coupled with the setting sun, created glittering shimmers on the snowy backdrop. The whole place looked majestic and ethereal.


    Sato held onto both his parent''s hand and looked over the horizon. It was a special moment for the fast maturing boy and he knew how to cherish every last bit of it.


    "One day.. I will bring father and mother back here to see the sunset again!" Sato proclaimed. "I promise!"


    Mahiro and Geraldine smiled after hearing what their filial son had said. They were glad that Sato turned out to be a fine young boy and not one that threw incredible tantrums.


    "Okay, we shall wait for you to bring us back." Mahiro rubbed his son''s hair. He had a warm gaze on his face.


    Never did he knew that things would turn out this way a decade later.


    ...


    Sato''s tears were still coming out like a waterfall. It was never ending and uncontrollable. Even when Sato tried to forcefully stop his sobs, it just kept coming. He had kept it in him for far too long. All those years of loneliness as he faced the whole by himself. The solidarity was stiffling, with little room for him to breathe. There were any friends or relatives to back him up. It was only when Gray appeared in his life that his outlook for everything had changed. Before that, it felt like his world was black and white. Gray was his colour and it brought life to the still images of monotony.


    Thinking about Gray, it allowed Sato to slowly get him bearings together. The sobbing gradually reduced to light sniffles. Eventually, his eyes were just red. He looked up to see his parents, watching over him cautiously. They were afraid of him, afraid that any small movement from them would scare him away.


    Wiping away his residual tears, Sato stood up fast. He bowed fleetingly before speaking. "I.. Sorry for that scene."


    "It''s fin.." Before Mahiro was able to get the word ''fine'' out, Sato interrupted.


    "No.. It was my fault for not being able to control my emotions. I have heard your apology and I know you are sorry," Sato continued speaking, while sliding past the couple and headed for the door, "But, I.. I need some time to process through everything. It came to me like a truck and I just want some time to think about it. Don''t worry about it, I know that you were genuinely apologising.. It is just that I want to think it through."


    Sato waved his hand around. He was so nervous to the point that he repeated his sentence several times over.


    "Okay. Take your time, son. Your mother and I will be waiting here for you. I apologise for overwhelming you."


    "No, no. It''s really nothing. I.. Goodbye." Sato opened the door and ran swiftly down the hallway. He couldn''t bear to stand in the room any longer. It wasn''t that he rejected his father''s apology. Sato was just too overwhelmed.


    Sato arrived on the first floor in no time. His face was devoid of emotions, as if his soul had left Sato''s body. Gray was distraughted. He left his car immediately and ran up to the young man. Sato''s heavy steps were stopped when he walked into Gray''s embrace. Gray didn''t speak and only chose to spread warmth into Sato''s body. He tightly held onto the lifeless boy.


    Mahiro and Geraldine were worried about the emotional impact on their son. Multiple times, Geraldine wanted to run out to get hold of her son. Yet, Mahiro stopped her in her tracks. He knew that the boy didn''t want anyone to disturb him right now. After all, a parent wanted what''s best for their children.


    As Mahiro wanted to get some fresh air, he left to the balcony. He noticed a familiar looking boy standing around with another man. He realised it was Sato not long after and beckoned for Geraldine to come take a look. The worried mother drew in a sigh of relief after knowing that his son was in good hands.


    Geraldine leaned into Mahiro''s shoulder as she spoke to her husband. "Our son has grown up and has someone to lean on."


    "Yeah," Mahiro had a weight lifted off his shoulders when he saw the scene before him. He smiled genuinely, "He indeed has grown up."


    "Would you like to head home and rest?" Gray said softly. He swayed slightly, side by side, while holding Sato in his embrace. Although they have stood there for over 10 minutes, Gray''s voice was patient with no signs of anger.


    "Mmm." Sato grunted in agreement.


    The boy was lead into the car by Gray. The pair left quietly back home. Back at home, Sato was welcomed back by Gray''s loving mother. She gave the young man a gentle hug and a pat on the back for facing his fear.


    "I wasn''t able to get to a consensus in the end.." Sato regretted. He tried to recall for Melanie.


    "It''s alright for you to feel this way. Most of the people that has gone through what you did, would react the same way as you." Melanie replied.


    "What you should do is gather back your thoughts and emotions. The reason why you acted as so, was because you had kept it in you for so long. At the end of the day, you have taken a big step forward already. And now, whenever you are ready, you can forgive your father."


    "Okay." Sato gave a reassured nod. He listened to Gray''s mother well. After all, not only was she a professional psychologist in the past, she felt like someone he could trust to tell her any of his problems.

 Chapter 125 - Reading Week

    On Sunday, Sato gave his parent''s a call. After yesterday''s burst of emotion, Sato finally got a chance to calm down and gather his thoughts.


    "Sorry about yesterday. I.. I can see that you have changed for the better. So father, I''m willing to give us a chance again." Sato said through the video call to Mahiro. Geraldine sat by his side and listened in.


    "Oh, that''s great!" Mahiro formed a genuine smile when he heard Sato forgiving him.


    "But.." Sato continued, "It would take some time for me to get used to this. So, I don''t want you to think it will be back like the past so fast."


    "That''s acceptable, that''s acceptable. I''m really glad that you are giving me a chance again, son. Thank you." Mahiro agreed and held his wife''s hand off camera. He was really too happy and relieved that Sato was giving him another chance.


    "Well, I''ll call you guys another day. I''ll head off first." Sato waved goodbye before getting off his phone and covered his own face with a pillow. Beneath the covers, he had a curved slit on his face. He was really glad that things have started to turn for the better with his parents.


    Though, that happiness was short-lived, for he was welcomed with another problem. Sato had texted Ming about playing some Ray Of Light together for the past few days. Yet, his best friend didn''t reply him. It was obvious that he was being ignored by Ming.


    What happened between us? Did I do something to Ming that I didn''t know about? He buried his head deeper into the pillow, grunting in dissatisfaction. Even after getting a great and wonderful boyfriend like Gray, he still cherished his current friendships. He would make sure to play Ray Of Light with his online friends and go out with his university mates too. Thus, in the case of Ming, his absence, greatly affected him.


    The weekend ended just like that, with many ups and downs along the way. Ushering in the new week, was the year end examination preparation. The University had Reading Week, whereby students get the chance to catch up on their readings and studies for exams. There would be no classes and so students does not need to come to school. The following week would be the commencing of examinations.


    Sato woke up as per normal, early in the morning, and went for a morning hike with Gray. The temperatures had started to drop and so they were able to see their breath early in the morning, where the temperatures were colder. They climbed their usual mountain and had breakfast in the wooden house atop the mountain.


    Since Sato did not have classes, he was prepared to stay at home to study for his exams. The young man was able to study in any conditions. Unlike others that were not able to focus at home, the studious nature of Sato''s allowed him to zone out and focus on what is in front of him.


    Back when he lived in the dingy old apartment by himself, the upstairs neighbours were always clamouring and fighting, resulting in loud noises every night. Not only that, the walls of the apartments were thin, allowing for the tenants to know when someone is walking in the hallway. Sato studied in that condition for a whole year and still managed to be top in the class. That was more than enough proof of his ability.


    "You can tell Hank if you would like to go anywhere later on." Gray told Sato while wearing his shoes. He was about to leave to work.


    "Okay." Sato said.


    "Come here," Beckoning for Sato to come closer, Sato obliged. Gray stepped forward too, giving his lover a kiss on the forehead. "I''ll be leaving now."


    "Okay." Sato repeated, but this time, his face was blushing from Gray''s romantic action.


    "Oyo, my son is all grown up." Melanie watched from the sofa and cheered for her son. It was definitely worlds apart from the usual cold Gray.


    Sato left for upstairs, back his room to start his study grind, while Gray left for a meeting in another camp. Sato had a total of eight exams in the next two weeks, a sign of how tough it was to do two degrees at once. Normally the number of exams would only be around four or five for students.


    Melanie had some loose ends to tie up on her side. She left soon after Gray and headed to the Hayfield Limited''s building. The Hayfield Limited was one of the Tobion family''s subsequent family names that were under them. The Hayfield Group was in charge of real estate, comprising of integrated developments, shopping malls, offices, homes, real estate investments and others. They are the fifth biggest real estate company in the world.


    Knowing that, anyone could tell the sheer power of the Tyron family. Their covert operations had created a vast network of business lines in almost every industry. They dabbled in both science and arts, not on the short end of the stick for anything. It was the reason why they are one of the big three families in the world.


    When Melanie exited from the car, in front of the Hayfield Building, a row of security guards and front desk workers welcomed her into the building. Her entrance was spectacular, attracting the watchful eyes of spectators, yet her elegance and posture did not seem to care about anything around her. Walking at a comfortable pace, she headed up the presidential elevator that only stopped at the very top floor. She was here to find the boss, but more like, only the head of the Hayfield group was worthy of her presence.

 Chapter 126 - The Meeting

    Martheus Hayfield paced around his office floor nervously. He knew who was about to reach his office. In fact, he had to cancel all pre-existing appointments just to facilitate this meeting. Even though Martheus was on the Forbes 100 list for most successful leaders, his success was more or less thanks to the Tobion Family.


    Without the stable foundation and vast networking background, the Hayfield Limited group would not have become the monster that they were today. And now, the lady head of the Tobion Family was gracing her presence today, of course everything else was to be put on hold.


    The reason why Martheus was so nervous was because usually, whenever someone from the Big family comes for inspection or a meeting, it would be a result of bad news. The last time round, Jerrard Tobion, the second cousin of the Family head came, it was to break the news that the fundings for Urban Expansion in Country Z would be cut down by 20%. This was because the company wasn''t able to meet the annual expected growth and as such, the allocation of financial resource was to be cut down and used some where else.


    As a result, Martheus had to call for a structural shift in the company''s employment structure to cut costs, causing many employees to be laid off. It was quite a debacle, but they couldn''t do anything about it as it was the command from above.


    Since the Lady head was coming, Martheus was thinking that the news that she brought was even more catastrophic, maybe even the closing down of the entire company. After all, nothing is impossible for such a giant shadow family.


    "Ding.."


    The elevator sound rang in the large office space. Martheus stood beside the door and waited for it to open. His hands were placed in front of his body and back upright and firm. When the door opened, he bowed 45 degrees and greeted the lady.


    "Good morning Madam. It is an honour for you to grace your presence in my company." The CEO spoke eloquently, without showing his nervousness.


    "Good morning to you too, Martheus." Melanie did not look back when she replied. She walked forward to the CEO''s table and elegantly sat down in the main seat. Martheus followed along with his head looking at the ground. He then sat in the seat that was usually for his employees. The atmosphere was rather cold and stiff.


    Melanie was like Gray. When it came to business, her attitude portrayed to others would be cold and aloof. She would never smile or joke around, unless she was dealing with her family. Only those that were close to her would get to see her true self. In the cruel business world, there was a need to have a strong front if you would like to demand respect from others. A kind and soft-hearted superior cannot go far and would be stopped at the gates of success.


    "Martheus," Melanie went straight to the point as soon as her subordinate sat down, "I came here today to assign a task for your company. Do you have know of all your competitors in Country Z?"


    "Yes, Madam. Our company''s Analytics Department would prepare a Competitive Analysis paper annually and present to the directors and me." Martheus answered quickly. He didn''t want to waste his boss''s time.


    "Good. Then you should know about the Copperfield Foundations and their overall development."


    Martheus recalled the meeting that he had recently and at breakneck speed, sifted out the information that he needed. The CEO that was in the Forbes 100 list was by no means a dumb person.


    "Yes madam. They currently hold approximately five percent of Country Z''s properties. They are by no means a high risk competitor for our company."


    "Well.. The reason I am here today was to task you on removing Copperfield Foundations from Country Z''s ground."


    "Pardon?" Martheus looked confused. He couldn''t really catch on to what his boss was saying.


    "What I mean by that is that, I want you to completely crush this puny company." Holding a piece of paper in her hand, she held it in front for the man to see.


    "Like this paper in my hand, I am asking you to smash it up and allow for the shredder to tear it into smithereens." She followed through with her action with an emotionless expression on her face.


    A chill ran through Martheus''s body when he saw her action. Even though she was just demonstrating it with a piece of paper, she was actually talking about a company that had a strong foundation in Country Z.


    Shredding it to smittereens? Only a big family like the Tobion Family would have the resources to do that. After all, it is easily achievable by the Hayfield Group to weaken an enemy''s share. But to completely wipe them off the face of this earth? It was a hard thing to do.


    "Do you now understand what I am getting at?" Melanie repeated herself to wake the CEO up from his stupor.


    "I.. I.. Understand Madam." Martheus bit his lower lip as he answered. He didn''t know if he should ask, but he decided to follow through. "However, may I request for some financial aid in toppling the Copperfield Foundations?"


    The surrounding was silent. Melanie did not speak for a good five seconds, before giving him an answer. "Alright."


    With that, Martheus could finally relax a little from his predicament. Since there was additional backing from the Tobion Family, it was definitely possible to wipe them out.


    "I will be expecting results from you within two months time." Melanie headed for the elevator while speaking about the deadline. She stood in the elevator and continued talking. "If the deed is not completed by then, you would have to face the consequences. Understand?"


    "Yes Madam." Martheus bowed slightly. The door closed in front of him. He could feel his back was drenched in cold sweat. That short meeting was the scariest thing that happened to him in his life.

 Chapter 127 - Sorry About Lack of upload

Hi guys I''m currently recovering from a bad cough, so Hopefully I will be back writing again by this weekend. Sorry for the late update!


    -Horizon, the autho

 Chapter 128 - Reading Week Over

    The nice hot shower had created a mistified atmosphere in the bathroom. A young man with a thin physique came out of the shower area, steam was billowing from his body. He wiped his wet body dry, using his white cotten towel. His action wasn''t rushed as he took his time to dry every inch of his body. The young man was none other than Sato.


    Last time, Sato would have to rub over his hair multiple times before he could get the majority of the moisture out. Yet, after the haircut, it only took a few strokes from the towel. When he was mostly dry, did Sato leave the bathroom half-naked in his pants, his towel hanging around his neck.


    Sato immediately noticed a familiar back facing his window, looking out into the distance. He smiled as he greeted the person.


    "Hey Gray, you''re back from work!"


    The General turned around to look at the newly cleaned boy. Gray walked towards Sato, his hand ran through Sato fringe. He pushes it back and gives Sato a kiss on his forehead.


    "Are you hungry?" Gray asked.


    "Yeah! Super hungry. If it weren''t for the sun setting, I wouldn''t have noticed the time." This was true as Sato was extremely engrossed in his studying.


    "Then let''s have an early dinner."


    "Mmm, alright." Sato smiled. Opening up his wardrobe, Sato pulled out a nice clean white t-shirt and wore it over his body. The couple left for downstairs, where they sat in the living room, waiting for the house keepers to finish cooking. Knowing that the pair wanted to eat soon, everyone quickened their pace in making the dishes.


    "Oh yeah. How is Ms Siara doing?" Sato asked Gray, while cuddling in his embrace. Siara Kenstone was none other than Gray''s personal assistant before she went on maternity leave. She had given birth to a healthy young boy and was debating on whether she should come back early to resume her original job position. After all, Gray was temporarily filling her position with Potter. There were definitely some things that Siara was more familiar with than Potter, since she had been working directly under him from when he had assumed the Major General position.


    "I told her the other day that she was to rest at home and not end her leave so soon." Gray didn''t want to stress Siara out with work as this was a well timed rest period for her. The end of the year was a downturn period where workers in the military can take a breather, such as going on a holiday.


    "That''s good," Sato nodded in agreement, to which he followed up with another question. "Are you going to go on a holiday too?"


    "Yes." Gray''s answer was simple.


    "Oh When?"


    "When your holiday starts, I shall go on holiday." The older man''s reply was always perfect in every way possible. After hearing what Gray said, Sato smiled in glee. He was obviously glad that his winter break would not be spent alone.


    After the reading week and two weeks of examinations, Sato would be let off for winter break for six weeks. This was longer than most students as Sato was lucky that his exams were cramped in the first two weeks, giving him two extra weeks of rest.


    "Master Gray, the food has been prepared. You may head to the dining table to have your meal." One of the housemaids came out of the kitchen to inform the couple.


    "Okay." Gray acknowledge. The pair got up and went to eat their early dinner.


    "Oh, what about Auntie? Is she coming back to eat?" Sato remembered that Melanie had left early in the afternoon and wasn''t home yet.


    "There is no need to wait for mother. If she were to come home, the housemaids could just prepare for her afterwards."


    "Alright."


    Gray pulled the chair out for Sato, before sitting down in his own. The pair enjoy a nice sumptuous dinner that could easily feed a family of four. Obviously, they over-prepared.


    ...


    The week went by in a blink of an eye and soon enough, the weekend came around again. During this time, Sato spent most of it studying. In seldom lapses in focus, he would worry about his best friend, Ming. At this point, their relationship had turned cold, almost stale. The messages that Sato sends over the phone would be ignore. Even the calls were left unanswered.


    On Friday, Gray even worked from home. He wanted to accompany the sad young man. They studied in the enclosed porch, welcoming in the sunlight, but keeping out the cold air. Melanie was rarely home in the afternoon and would come back late at night. Who knew what she was up to?


    Even Gray, her own son, knew nothing about her plans and would just carry on with his life. Gray knew that whatever his mother was doing, it was something big. After all, she was Head Madam of the Tobion Family. When was her plans ever small?


    On Friday, while the couple was hanging together in the room, Sato asked if they could go visit the Orphanage. Whenever he was sad or lost in his thoughts, going to the orphanage would help him greatly. Of course, Gray agreed to tag along. There were two reasons for him saying yes. One was that he wanted to cheer up Sato and by going to the orphanage, it would help clear up his thoughts. On the other hand, he had a surprise installed for the boy and it had something to do with the orphanage.

 Chapter 129 - The New Sunflower Orphanage

    "You''re looking all bright and cheery today." Gray glanced at Sato while holding onto the steering wheel. Although his Gale X car has a driverless function, he likes the feeling of having control over the vehicle.


    "Of course! We are going to see the children! Why would I be excited!" Sato responded enthusiastically.


    He had woken up bright and early with Gray. Disregarding their usual hike, Sato dragged Gray into the car and wanted to head off immediately. If there was one thing that Sato liked as much or maybe even more than gaming, it would be the interaction with children. The orphanage was his haven, a safe place for the fast-paced and cutthroat society.


    Humming along a familiar tune by The Sirens, anyone could tell that the boy was on track to a good day. The drive went by quickly and they were only a short minute away from the orphanage.


    "Remember how I told you that I have a surprise for you?" Gray finally asked the excited Sato.


    "Yeah what is it?"


    "Well, you can see for yourself, right.. When we turn this corner." Gray turned the steering wheel smoothly, that would drive into the lane where the orphanage was. The hint suggested Sato to look to his right, allowing him to get a peek for himself.


    As the came to a slow down, the once rundown-looking building had a new paint job over it, breathing new life to the Orphanage. The crusty white paint had transformed into a white victorian church that gold outlines on the edges.


    The two buildings on the sides of the church had also been painted over. In addition, the once weathered sunflower paintings, had been reborned as a more lifelike image. The painting instilled sunflowers being blown by the summer wind as it shook side-to-side carefreely.


    To carry on the painting, the rough concrete grounds of the compound had been entirely replaced with grass fields that stretched across the entire compound. Only a pathway that led from the gate to the building, was left without life. Even the fences and sides of the compound had been lined with flowering plants. It would blossom when spring came and by then, the whole orphanage would look even more beautiful.


    All these were nice and pleasant to look at, but the cherry on the cake was definitely the newly built playground. Decked up with safer and more fun equipment, the playground was perfect for the young children to play on during the warmer months. If today wasn''t suddenly so cold, the children would not hesitate to come out and play.


    "You.. Did you do this?" Sato stepped out of the car, unable to believe what he was seeing in front of him. It had only been around a month since he had last visited this place. Yet, it was almost unrecognisable.


    "Do you like the surprise?" Gray stood beside Sato and examined the shocked expression on the young man''s face. This was what he lived for. He lived for Sato''s reactions.


    "Are you kidding? Of course I like this surprise!" Sato turned to his right as he wrapped himself around the bigger sized man.


    "Thank you! Really, thank you for everything!" Sato leaned his head on Gray''s chest.


    He was very grateful for everything that Gray had done. Although he was only doing it to make Sato happy, Sato was still thankful for his help. Gray''s impacts had not only made his life better, but had allowed for the children in the orphanage to have a better childhood.


    "It''s my pleasure, Sato." Gray rubbed Sato''s head lovingly, continuing to speak afterwards, "Now, it is time for the great unveil. Come over here with me."


    Gray held onto Sato''s hand as he lead the boy to the wall beside the Orphanage gate. In the past, all the wall had was a worn out, old sign with the Orphanage''s name. Now, hung on there was a large rectangular plaque, covered by a white cloth. The cloth masked the words on the plaque.


    Sato looked at Gray confusingly. What could be underneath the cloth that was so special? Gray smiled cryptically and nudged him on, "Well don''t just stand there. Go on and remove the cloth."


    Obediently, Sato went ahead and lifted the cloth off the plague. The plaque was made out of a high quality hardwood with many layers of varnish protection. There were words carved into it before being lined with gold on the markings.


    It read, "The Sunflower Orphanage."


    Below the name read, "In collaboration with The Miracle Foundation. Founded by Sato Takahashi and Gray Tobion."


    Sato was surprised after seeing what was engraved on the plaque. It wasn''t his name that made him so shocked, but the Foundation that Sunflower Orphanage had collaborated with.


    The Miracle Foundation was a world famous organisation that specialised in Child Adoption. The founders of the organisation were all famous entertainers and powerful businessman that wanted to help give children a home. Using their extensive connections, they would be able to find a suitable home for orphans and give the child a chance to have a family of their own.


    Usually, only the famous and long running orphanages in the world would be able to collaborate with the Miracle Foundation. This was expected as there were far too many orphanages in the world and they couldn''t just work with everyone. Seeing that The Sunflower Orphanage was able to work with them, Sato knew that Gray played the biggest role in this.


    "This plaque.. I.. Thank you, Gray." Sato turned and smiled at Gray as he continued, "I thank you on behalf of the children from Sunflower Orphanage."


    Indeed, this surprise on the plaque was far more special than the renovation of the entire building. The reason for that was simple. The orphanage was supposed to be a temporary haven for the orphans. If the orphan was not able to be adopted by a family, they would have no choice, but to leave the place when they are older. As such, a collaboration was most needed, especially for an unknown small orphanage.

 Chapter 130 - Plans Going Forward

    Hi guys, this is the author speaking again. I''ve had a lot of time to think during my sick days and I have been trying to figure out where I wanna take this writing hobby of mine.


    I write this novel so as to train my writing skills and to also let you readers enjoy the story. However, lately it has been getting more and more boring. I''ve been trying to get back on the ball again for OMG!, yet it has become apparent that I am losing interest in working on this novel.


    Thus, let me get straight to the point. I will be working on another novel that I have wanted to write for several months now. I shall not talk too much about it, but the least I can do is tell you all that I am going to write a Wuxia/Xianxia novel!


    This does not mean that I will not be writing this novel anymore. It just means my uploads will be less frequent. I hope everyone will understand where I am coming from. May my road forward this year be smooth sailing.


    - Author, Over The Horizon

 Chapter 131 - A Sparring Session With Gray

    On the way home, Sato sat in front seat, smiling from the news that he had received in the Orphanage. The children will now be able to find a place to call home. He knew the importance of family.


    The few years that Sato lived alone, without any emotional or financial support from his parents, was definitely the toughest time in his life. When no one is there to listen to his problems or help him with it, it made Sato feel like it was him against the world. Even with the help of a best friend, it still didn''t feel like he had a family.


    It was only when Gray came into his life and changed everything. Gray had held his hand and had guided him into the light. With him, Gray had helped him to get back to school. With him, Gray had given him a home. With him, Gray helped to solve problems that isn''t possible alone. With him, Gray had even reunited with his family.


    Everything in Sato''s life revolved around Gray, just as how Gray''s life revolved around Sato. Fate was definitely a playful thing. Gray may have been forcefully torn away from Sato''s side when he was young, but fate, fate had brought them back together.


    It was things like this makes Sato so thankful for everything that he has. After all, who knows one day, he may not see Gray ever again.


    "What are you thinking about?" Gray asked Sato who was deep in thought.


    "Nothing much," Sato smiled back blissfully, "Just thinking about how lucky I am to meet you twice in my lifetime."


    "The same goes for me too." Gray smiled back when he heard what Sato said. He must''ve been the luckiest person on earth to get Sato back into his life again.


    ...


    At home, Sato went down to the gym in the basement to do some exercise. His body had grown stiff from sitting in the chair for the whole week. The young man decided that practicing his Taekwondo would be the best way to loosen his body up. Gray agreed to help him out in his training.


    The two changed into their sports attire. Gray wore a tight fitting dryfit singlet and shorts that showed off his compact biceps and thigh muscles, where as Sato wore a long sleeved shirt and pants. The two were obviously contrasting when it came to dress attire.


    "Man.. You look like you could eat me up." Sato flirted with Gray as he looked at his boyfriend stretching.


    "Why not we try it out in bed?" Of course Gray would not give up without a fight. He threw back another flirty line which made Sato blush.


    "Go easy me please." The line had two meanings, but in the context right now, he was asking Gray to not go all out during training.


    Gray got up from his leg stretches and they headed to the training room. Gray had specially converted a part of the gym to facilitate Sato''s training. Whenever he felt like it, he would be able to hone his skills at home.


    Gray went ahead to help Sato in his kicks. There were some minor adjustments that needed to be made and so, while holding his kick position, Gray used his hands to point out where Sato needed to focus his strength on. The kick practice went on for about an hour before Gray made a comment to Sato.


    "I think you should be able to spar with me now. Master Choi said that he has to now move around when sparring against you."


    "There''s no way, if you do not go easy on me.." Sato shook his head in disagreement. He was already tired from kick training, while Gray looked like he only just got started.


    "Well, we will never know unless we try right."


    Of course, even if Sato complained about Gray''s request, he would never say no to a challenge. After all, what doesn''t kill you in martial arts makes you stronger in the future.


    The pair wore on a few protective gear in case, before stepping up onto the sparring platform.


    "You wanna start first?" Gray asked.


    "Sure." Taking in a deep breath, Sato shuffled his feet towards Gray. His eyes was focused on Gray. When he was close enough, twisting his body to increase his centrifugal power, Sato launched a round house kick, aiming at Gray''s head.


    The movement was obviously too slow for the General. Not only was he honed by Master Choi, he was tempered in the battlefield during close combat battles against his enemies. Raising his left arm, Gray blocked the blow from hitting his head. Typically, when striking with a round house kick, you have to step forward to prevent yourself from losing balance, but for Sato''s case, the block from Gray knocked off his balance.


    Take a hit, return a blow. Gray applied this notion against Sato. Since Gray was bigger in size, the more nimble Sato would be able to easily move around him. As such, with ample time to retaliate now, Gray threw out a side kick.


    Coupled with the fact that, Sato wouldn''t be able to stick his landing properly, Sato knew that he was in trouble. He reflexively withdrawed his right leg and leaped backward, in attempts to dodge the kick. Yet, he had underestimated Gray''s leg length and the kick had managed to scrap his stomach.


    "Leave a means of retreat anytime you strike your opponent." Gray nodded when he saw Sato avoid the bulk of his kick. It was sadly still too slow.


    Sato blew out a deep breath, standing in his striking stance once again. Shuffling up his steps, Sato approached Gray. This time he was more apprehensive than before. Hopping lightly on his two feet, Sato waited patiently like a predator waiting for his prey.


    Gray knew that Sato was waiting for him to strike first and so, he did. Putting one leg forward, Gray placed his weight onto his right leg, he mimicked Sato''s previous roundhouse kick. Sato knew it was coming as soon as Gray stepped forward.


    He hopped backwards in hopes of dodging, but as his leg lifted off the ground, Gray''s movement did not stop. It was a feint. Gray''s previous leg move was instead, to gain him momentum.


    Landing on his left foot, Gray''s right leg swung inwards with incredible force. He had instead done a spinning hook kick. The rest was history after that. Sato was knocked out and Gray quickly got to checking on him. Luckily, Sato was wearing head gear and Gray had slackened his kick strength. If not, it would most definitely be a one way ticket to heaven.

 Chapter 132 - Notification

    Hi guys, this is the author here again. I''m here to say sorry about my slow uploads nowadays. I was working on a novel that I have wanted to write for a long time. Seeing that I have a one month break, I thought it was the best time for me to do some writing and research for that novel.


    As such, I am proud to say that I have published the novel on WebNovel for everyone to read. The name of the novel is ''The Strongest Moron''. It is a martial arts novel, so if you do not like those, I am sorry for the inconvenience.


    I will be writing both books concurrently, this time, mainly Oh Mr General! as I have already written a fair bit for the Strongest Moron. Thank you for being patient and I hope you give my other Novel a read and some love too!


    Sincerely,


    The Author, Over The Horizon

 Chapter 133 - You Remember?

    3 years ago...


    Sato, age 17. It was a nice hot summer weekend. The high schooler was on holiday, a period when students would gather together to go out and have fun. The beach was an attractive spot, or even the movies, to escape from the sweltering hot sun. Sato was not doing any of that. Though he may not have friends, he did, however, have a person''s company.


    Gray, age 25. He too was on summer break. Though it was a mission, there would be no movements that could be tracked if the school was not open. It had already been a year into his forbidden relationship with his student, Sato Takahashi. It didn''t matter to both of them, however, as it was only between the two of them. A love so strong, a bond so unbreakable, an everlasting relationship for life.


    By this time, Sato had basically moved into Gray''s apartment. In the night, they would sleep together and in the morning, they would be woken up by each other''s smiles. There was nothing more either of them could ask for. Their summer routine revolved around things that they can do together. Gray, knowing that his job scope was full of danger, wanted Sato to be safe too. And so began the teenager''s training.


    Gray had rented a boxing gym near his house. Sato never really cared what he did with Gray, for everything to him, was fun. Gray first went through the basics of Military Self-Defense. It was a combination of many different martial arts ranging from Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, grappling, and basic self-defense against weapons in hand to hand combat. Although it was meant to be a serious training, Gray never once forced the boy to do something.


    Maybe it was because he really cared for what Sato wanted or that he knew Sato could pick up anything quickly, Gray was having fun with the youth. Sato, of course, picked up the different martial arts styles and applied it in his sparring sessions. It was fun while it lasted, all before that unfortunate incident that separated the couple...


    ...


    Sato opened his eyes slowly. As soon as he did that, a wincing pain from the side of his head had hit him like a truck. Only after ten seconds was Sato able to look at his environment. Weird, wasn''t I sparring with Gray just a second ago? Why does the place I am at now seem like it was the hospital? A strong smell of disinfectant. The beeping sounds from the blood pressure cuff. Most definitely, I am at a hospital.


    Sato was alone in the large hospital ward for a short minute before a tall and handsome man entered the room. Although Sato could not see who had entered yet, he instinctively called out a person''s name. "Gray?"


    When Gray heard Sato''s voice, he immediately ran pass the corner and looked at the young man endearingly. Gray breathes out a sigh of relief. He walked towards the chair beside Sato and sat before him. Sato could tell that he had given Gray quite a scare. Reaching out, Sato gently rubbed Gray''s soft hair. He smiled to show that he was really fine.


    Afterwhich, Gray explained to Sato the situation. The gym sparring session had ended in a rather anti-climaxing way, with Sato being completely knocked out. Gray being extremely paranoid that Sato would suffer from brain damage, had called the ambulance and sent the boy into the hospital. He received an MRI and thankfully, there were no adverse effects. Yet, Sato had not woken up. Only after a subsequent 12 hours did Sato wake up from his sleep.


    "Let me guess, you did not get a wince of sleep right?" Sato looked at Gray with a pained expression. He had worried the poor man the whole night. Judging from his rugged look, it was obvious to Sato even if Gray did not say it himself.


    "Well, if you had gone easy on me like in the past, this would not have happened," Sato said teasingly.


    "In the past? Wait, Sato, do you remember sparring with me?" Gray''s eyes lit up in excitement when he heard what Sato had said.


    "Are you talking about the days when we sparred in the gym under your apartment complex? I do remember them." It only hit Sato a few seconds after he had blurted out those words naturally. "Wait a minute. I do remember our sparring sessions!"


    "Oh my gosh." Gray stood up and gave the boy a hug. It was the type of hug that was as a result of relief, a relief that Sato had regained some of his memories. Sato, of course, was happy too.


    Before Sato was discharged from the hospital, Gray called in the regular doctor to get Sato''s head checked again. This time, he also asked about the memories being gained back. The doctor nodded when he had heard about Sato''s case.


    "The situation that you just experienced is very much possible. Anything ranging from Visual and sight to physical experiences may trigger a memory from the past. In this case, the sparring session from last night could indeed result in Sato remembering his past experience."


    Gray thanked the doctor and got ready to leave the hospital with Sato. Sato was slightly confused with one thing and so he asked Gray. "Is there no need to fill in some paperwork to get discharged from a hospital?"


    Gray shook his head as he explained to the young man their situation. "There is no need to do paperwork in this hospital. Marion''s family owns this hospital. I have already registered you under my name, so you can come here anytime to receive free treatments."


    When Sato heard his explanation, he was dumbfounded. He could never understand or comprehend the rich life.

 Chapter 134 - An Afternoon Nap

    When Sato and Gray got home, Gray received a call from the military. It was the afternoon by the time they reach back and so, both of them did not eat lunch. Thanks to the timely call, Gray was not able to eat any food before getting back to work. He closed his study room''s door and started a conference call.


    Sato sat at the dining table with his bowl of porridge. He stared into space, worrying about Gray''s health. The man has not had a proper meal since yesterday. To add to that, he did not get any sleep prior to everything. Sato lost his appetite and wasn''t even able to finish half of his porridge. Heading back to his room, he went ahead to take a shower.


    In his naked and vulnerable self, the hot shower poured over the boy''s body. In hopes of injecting the warmth in his body, he turned the water strength up. Water flowed down his face endlessly as it felt soothing all across. He felt hopeless in such a situation and knew that worrying would do him no good. The shower helped calm his mood down and so, he patiently waited.


    One hour, two hours, Sato did nothing except waiting. There was nothing that he felt like doing when his man was busy at work. Even if he did pick up a book and started revising, nothing would have gone into his head. The worries for a lover hurts more than a stab wound.


    Eventually, the conference call ended and Gray opened his door. Sato who was waiting for this moment quickly got out of bed. He turned the corner to find Gray walking out towards him. Of course, Gray smiled at the worried young man.


    "Why the long face?" Gray caressed Sato''s soft cheeks.


    "You should have brought food into your conference call." Sato looked at Gray in the eye. He was quite displeased with Gray''s reckless action.


    "It was an emergency meeting with the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. There was no way I could eat anything during the call."


    "Still..." Sato focused back as he held onto Gray''s hand and pulled his downstairs. The housemaids knew what Sato was doing and had already started to heat up Gray''s lunch. "Sit down."


    "Okay." Seeing how angry and worried Sato was, it made Gray feel happy on the inside. Sato cared for his wellbeing and that was all that mattered.


    Within five minutes, the food came out hot for Gray. Sato had also received another portion of food too.


    "Mmm? Did you not finish your lunch just now?" From the housemaid''s actions, Gray had caught Sato in a bind.


    "Uh..." Sato blushed in embarrassment. He quickly changed the subject back to Gray, "Come on. Eat your food, Gray."


    Gray smiled as he ate his first bite of the day. Sato followed along and continued to finish his meal. As expected, the two were really an inseparable couple. The housemaids that watched from afar, giggled like little girls when watching their master''s interaction with his boyfriend. It was a refreshing sight and they knew that Sato was perfect for their master. Even the Head maid, Paula, could not help but smile. She had worked in the household the longest out of all the housemaids and without a doubt, there was never a time when Gray was happier than he was now.


    When the couple finished their food, Gray and Sato sat by their favorite porch to digest their food. Sato leaned in on Gray''s broad shoulder as he looked at the outside view. The day was slightly gloomy, with overhanging clouds over the horizon. It looked like it was going to rain. Yet, the mood in the room was nothing but bliss. The warmth between a couple was able to triumph any form of cold.


    As they sat there quietly, eventually, Sato realized that Gray''s breathing was very constant. He looked up to over Gray''s shoulder to find the handsome man sleeping peacefully. He was very thankful for everything that Gray gave him and there was nothing more that he loved than spending time with him. Sato closed his eyes too and fell into his own slumber. The couple took a wonderful afternoon nap together inside the embrace of each other''s arms.


    ...


    In the Copperfield Foundation building, the board of directors was having an emergency meeting. Caleb Copperfield sat in the center of everyone, his hands were cupped together while his elbow rested on the table. There were deep frowns on his forehead. Clearly, there was bad news given out during this meeting.


    "So what you are saying is that," Caleb interrupted the presenter''s presentation, "Not one or two, but ALL of our investors had backed out from the expansion project?!"


    "Yes, sir.." The presenter replied in a passive voice.


    "What happened?! There better be some goddamn good reason for why they had all backed out!"


    "I...It was because of Hayfield Limited! Th...They suddenly revealed expansion plans in the Western District and had given higher percentage shares to each of the investors. As a result, everyone hopped boat.."


    Caleb Copperfield sat at the table front in silence. The board of directors was firing comments between each other, blaming each other for their hopeful plans of expanding in Country Z. The company was having an internal war.


    "Enough!" Caleb slammed on the table loudly. The whole room went silent once again and he could finally hear his own thoughts.


    "Yu Ting, what about the purchasing of land in the western district? Is it too late to cancel our quotations?" Yu Ting was a scholar hired by Caleb to take care of the company''s finances. Unfortunately, Yu Ting shook his head with a heavy-hearted expression.


    "Sir, our quotations went through a day ago, while the news just came in today. With the lack of investors, the company will have to foot the debt ourselves."


    When Caleb heard the report from Yu Ting, the boss of the company finally slumped his body in his chair. Defeated, his eyes now lacked spirit and vigor. It was clear and evident that Hayfield Limited was purposely targetting his company. Yet, he still could not figure out who he had offended in there.

 Chapter 135 - The Underwater Highspeed Railway Project

    Unbeknownst to what was happening in the outside world, Gray and Sato had awoken from their nap. They didn''t want to sleep any longer for they, respectively, have some work to do. Sato went upstairs to revise for his examination that was tomorrow. Although he was more than ready for the paper, it was never a bad idea to revise through your work one more time.


    By the time Sato finished his revision, a housemaid had already came upstairs to inform Sato that dinner was ready. Nodding, Sato packed up his study materials and placed it on the side. He stretched his body, especially his neck area. The kick from Gray had bruised Sato''s neck and it was starting to flare up and become sore. Just as he was massaging his own neck, a warm hand came in to replace Sato. It didn''t take a genius to realise that the person behind Sato was Gray. Gray started to rubbed and massage the pressure points on the neck.


    Light moans came out of Sato''s mouth unintentionally. The massage from Gray was simply too good. Although it ached slightly, it was the type of good pain, a stimulative kind of pain.


    "Are you feeling better?" Gray asked caringly.


    "Yeah.. After that massage, my neck feels less tight." Sato moved his head around to show Gray the mobility in his neck. Gray nodded in reassurance, yet, he still felt guilty on the inside.


    When Sato saw that Gray was still guilt-ridden, Sato stood up and tip-toed to reach Gray''s face. Dragging Gray''s head closer to himself, Sato planted a light peck on the General''s lips. Sato said while squeezing Gray''s face, "I am fine, Gray. There is no need to feel guilty."


    "Mmm." Gray gave in and smiled at Sato. He held the pale white hands that laid on his face as if he did not want to move to have dinner. He rather stand here and accept the warmth from the young man.


    "Besides," Sato continued, "If you had not kicked me and knocked me out, a part of my memories may still be locked."


    "That is true. Maybe I should kick you one more time in hopes that you gain back more of your memories." Gray teased Sato.


    "Wh..What? Please no! At least not until I finish my examinations¡­ I am scared that your kicks may knock all of my knowledge out of my head."


    The couple laughed together. They headed downstairs to have dinner, only to be surprised by Melanie. She was finally home after going missing for a week.


    "Mother, you''re back." Gray greeted.


    "Good evening, auntie." Sato too, greeted.


    "Oh? You two sweethearts finally decided to come downstairs." Gray''s mother teased the two of them.


    "Are you feeling okay, Sato? I heard that my impulsive son had knocked you out." Melanie asked with a worrisome expression. She had already started to treat Sato as her son-in-law.


    "Oh, I am fine, auntie." Sato nodded his head to reassure Gray''s mother.


    "Next time, don''t be so rough with Sato, okay?" Melanie scolded his son as Sato watched sorrily from the sidelines. Gray didn''t mind the scolding though. He nodded and agreed to not do it ever again.


    "Come on, let us have our dinner."


    The small family had a wide spread of food again. Once in Sato''s life, this type of lavish lifestyle was something unattainable for the young man. Being able to enjoy such treatment, Sato was still grounded to earth and did not change for the worse. This was one of the core reasons why Gray loved that boy. He was true to others and had the heart of a Samaritan. In a world where many only want to attach onto others because of their wealth, it was a rare sight to find someone like Sato.


    "Mother, where have you been this week?" Gray broke the peaceful silence.


    "I had to go back to Country Y to attend an emergency meeting. Your father insisted that I stay for the remaining of the week. Of course, I could not decline such a request." Melanie smiled and blushed when talking about her husband. Even after all these years, She was still deep in love with her husband. Sato smiled when hearing Melanie''s story. He hoped that would be him and Gray when they were older too.


    "Anyways, the meeting had to do with the Underwater Highspeed Railway Project. You have heard of that right?" Sato and Gray nodded. The couple would always keep up with current affairs and so, knowing about such a widespread news was pretty normal.


    The Underwater Highspeed Railway Project (UHRP) was as stated in it''s name, a train line that ran underwater. The Train Line was not a typical underground railway that connected to countries. Rather, it actually ran through the sea using large glass pipes that would allow a train to pass through it. This Project was discussed and proposed by many countries around the world, but none of them have come close to the length of the railway designed and built jointly by Country Y and Z.


    The current longest underwater railway line is only 500km long. Although it was by no means short, the UHRP had been constructing a 2000km railway track between Country Y and Z. The distance is many times longer, resulting in massive media attention. The UHRP had started five years ago and were now in the final stages of construction.


    "Well, the Tobion family is one of the main investors in the UHRP. We have officially confirmed the completion date would more or less be in the first quarter of the year."


    "Seriously? That is awesome!" Sato was extremely passionate when it came to the UHRP. As he was in Mechanical Engineering, the mechanical systems behind the Glass Tunnel was truly fascinating.


    "Oh really?" When Melanie realised Sato was interested in the UHRP, she suggested a proposal. "Would you like to get a closer look into how the tunnels are built?"

 Chapter 136 - Sleep In My Room

    "Oh really?" When Melanie realized Sato was interested in the UHRP, she suggested a proposal. "Would you like to get a closer look into how the tunnels are built?"


    "Wait a minute. What? You''re not kidding, right?" Sato''s gulped down his mouthful of food as quickly as possible. He had to confirm that Auntie Melanie was not joking.


    "Of course not!" Melanie laughed at how cute the young man was. "Is there a need for me to joke about this?"


    "Although the preview event will only be opened to the public next year, I will be able to make special access for you to view the tunnel."


    "Um, um..." Sato looked at Gray for confirmation whether it was fine if he could say yes. Gray knew Sato was hesitating for no reason and so, reaching under the table, he patted the boy''s thigh gently. "If it is not too much trouble for you, I would like to get a closer look at how the tunnels are built!"


    "Oh sure thing, dear!" Melanie smiled as if it was nothing. Taking out her phone, she went through her recent contacts and called up a number. Placing her phone on speaker, the ringtone eventually was replaced with a male voice.


    "Good evening, Madam. What may I help you with on this fine evening?" The man spoke with elegance, treating Melanie with respect.


    "Good evening, Jaden. I would like to bring someone to view the UHRP tunnel, say, next Saturday? Could you schedule someone to wait at the front gate? He or she should have a knowledgable background on how this tunnel was built."


    "Oh, that would not be a problem, Madam. I can come down myself and bring you all around."


    "If that is not troublesome for you, that is fine too."


    "Not a problem at all, Madam! If there are any changes in the timing, just drop a message and I will adjust accordingly."


    "Alright. Thank you for your time, Jaden. Have a good evening."


    "Have a good evening to you too, Madam."


    Melanie gave a smile to Sato after showing him how simple it was for her. Sato knew that the person Auntie had called up was none other than Jaden Masoko. He was the Lead Engineer and Designer of the UHRP. There was no other person that knew this project as well as him. Getting a personal tour from the Lead Engineer, himself was a dream come true for Sato, but to the lady that ran many international corporations, it was a piece of cake.


    ...


    Before Sato went to bed tonight, the young man headed to knock on Gray''s door. A few seconds later, a handsome and tall man came and open the door. He had his shirt off. It seemed like Gray had just taken a shower as there were still some water droplets on his well-toned body.


    "Uhm... Can I come in?" Sato blushed.


    "Of course." Pulling on Sato''s smooth hand, Gray embraced the boy warmly. Taking a light whiff of the young man''s hair, the smell of apples lingered and tickled his nose. Sato did not reject Gray''s hug, even though he was half-naked. Rather, ever since last night''s experience, he couldn''t help but feel closer to his boyfriend, like a switch had clicked in his head.


    "If you would like," Sato continued with a timid voice, "You can sleep in my room with me tonight."


    "Oh?" Gray whispered into the boy''s ear while still hugging him. "Why not we sleep in my room?"


    "Ah?" Sato was stumped by Gray''s request, but from Gray''s light chuckle, he knew that his boyfriend was just playing with him again.


    "Hmph! Then we shall not sleep together tonight!" Acting all poutful, Sato backed off and crossed his arms. Gray couldn''t help but plant a kiss on Sato''s forehead.


    "Let''s head to bed now."


    "Okay."


    In Sato''s room, Sato took the left side of the bed that he was used to. By chance, Gray was used to sleeping on the right side. It felt as if they were meant to be together. The lights were off and only the starry city lights from outside were present. As this was the first time Sato slept beside Gray in a while, he had his back facing his boyfriend. His face was flushed red and he could hear the light breathing of another person beside him.


    Even though they had done this before many years back, this was a fresh experience for Sato''s brain. Sato tried closing his eyes again as he focused on his breathing. In two seconds, out two seconds, in two seconds, out two seconds. It was only when a warm touch came over Sato''s entire back, did he no longer time his breathing.


    "There is no need to be nervous." Gray talked to the nervous boy while wrapping his right arm around Sato''s waist. It was no longer strange to Sato that his boyfriend knew how he thinks. The man was extremely attentive to anything he did. Knowing that Sato wasn''t behaving how he usually did, Gray calmed him down.


    "Okay." Sato smiled. Even though Gray could not see it, he could tell from the way his boyfriend''s body had loosened up.


    "Goodnight, Sato."


    "Goodnight, Gray."


    It was a night filled with love. The pure and innocent love between two star-struck lovers.

 Chapter 137 - Examination Day

    Sato''s first exam was on Monday. Examination start time was at 9 am and so, being the good student that he was, Sato was already up at 7.30. As Gray slept in the same room, he too woke up and washed up. The pair had breakfast together with Gray''s mother. Sato was not doing any last-minute revisions as it was ineffective and would only induce panic in him.


    Grabbing his blue haversack containing his water bottle and pencil case, Sato went outside of the house, awaiting for Hank''s car arrival. He wanted to say to Gray goodbye, yet, he was nowhere to be seen. To his surprise, instead of the typical Porsche car arriving, the Gale X had stopped in front of Sato.


    "Gray? Aren''t you going to work today?" Sato had seen a ''meeting'' slot on Gray''s calendar for the whole morning. Seeing that Gray was still able to bring him to school, he felt it was rather strange.


    "Get in," Gray gave his signature smile to Sato, "The meeting for the whole morning is bringing you to school and bringing you home afterward."


    "What?" Sato laughed as soon as he figured out what Gray was on about. "Did you seriously block off your morning just to send me around?"


    "Yes, why not? Do you not like it?"


    "Of course, I like it," Sato gave Gray a quick hug when he entered the vehicle. "If I could give you an award, it would most definitely be the Best Boyfriend Award."


    "Oh? I am flattered."


    Gray drove the usual route that he would take Sato. As time was still early, Gray drove at a leisurely pace. He took the least traffic route, eventually reaching the university smoothly. Sato got off the car, attracting many eyes again. After being sent by Gray to school so many times, he had become used to the stares.


    "I''ll come to fetch you at 12.30?" Gray looked out the window after checking his watch.


    "Sure." Sato nodded.


    "Good luck with your paper, even though you do not need it." Gray waved goodbye as he wished off Sato.


    "Thank you." After dropping Sato off at school, Gray stepped on the accelerator, turning into the driving lane. He drove off faster than before when Sato was in the car. Heading into Central Street, Gray left back to his office to do some work first. When it was time to pick up Sato, he would then leave work.


    At University Z, there were a bunch of students waiting outside the Engineering building. Today was Sato''s Computer Science written paper. As expected, there were many students busy flipping through their notes one last time. Sato stood outside by himself, catching the eye of many students. Whispers of gossips circulated around.


    "Hey, isn''t that Sato?"


    "What? Where? Oh, I see him now. Even though he does not dress up richly, I am willing to bet that the clothes on him are worth thousands."


    "No way... Are you saying that plain white hoodie could possibly be worth thousands of dollars? Do you really think that the hoodie is made out of heavenly silk or something?"


    Hearing all the whispers around him, Sato was clueless about what was going on. Sato did not know about this, but he had gotten famous overnight.


    Why? It was a result of a few students that sat in the cafe on the day that Sato had a talk with Marion Lee and Pete Kouglas. Seeing this random nobody in the school talking to the two most famous alumni of University Z, the students had to post it inside their University''s forum page. Of course, within a few days, the post exploded and those in the same class as Sato knew who he was.


    One gossip leads to another. The story where Sato gets dropped off and fetched by some mysterious rich person was thrown around in the loop too. Even the story of how he was called out by the famous Motori Kabe for wearing fake branded goods was brought to light. Now, everyone, not just in the Computer Science and Engineering department, knew how he looked like.


    Eventually, it was ten minutes before the examination began, the students streamlined their way into the lecture hall. They had to sit alternating to prevent cheating. Regardless, in this day and age, students were rarely able to cheat. The latest facial recognition cameras are able to detect any odd movements in a person''s eye movement. There was a 1 percent chance of error, but that could be resolved using an invigilator checking on the suspected student.


    Sato chose to sit at the back. Taking out his favorite pen, he sat patiently in his seat. The young man was not nervous one bit, but rather, he was excited to finish his first paper. After all, when this ended, Gray was coming to fetch him.


    The paper was distributed out to the students and the timer started off. Sato opened the paper and started to read through the questions. The students were given 13 questions in total but were only needed to answer 6 of them. As Sato skims read through the first question, he immediately skipped onto the next one. The first question was on the topic of Computer Vision, a topic that he was not too confident in. The topic delved into how computers could gain a high-level understanding of external digital sources.


    The second question, however, Sato did not bother reading into it and just started to work through the question properly. It was about Advanced Algorithms. This was something Sato studied a lot during his reading week as a large majority of this semester was on this topic. The answers came out of Sato''s head like flowing water. Simple definition questions had never stumped him, even the ''prove'' questions were nothing difficult.


    As the hour went by, Sato had already completed 3 questions. A paper that was allocated 3 hours to complete, Sato was devilishly fast. He was not done just yet. Within the next forty-five minutes, he had completed the last three questions. Checking through his workings twice, Sato raised his hand to submit the finished paper. It only took him two hours to finish, which truly shocked one of his Computer Science professors.

 Chapter 138 - Confession

    "One paper down, five more to go." Sato breathed out a sigh of lamentation. Not even the genius student himself enjoyed doing examination papers that lasted for three full hours. Looking down at his phone, he realized that he finished the paper an hour earlier. Sato dialed his phone, calling someone.


    "Hello? You finished already?" The familiar voice sounded slightly surprised. He laughed lightly.


    "Yeah, Gray. The paper came out topics that I studied in detail for." Sato smiled, feeling proud.


    "Alright. Then could you wait for thirty minutes? I have to hand this report to my subordinate."


    "Sure. Drop a message when you are done. Bye!" Sato was understanding of Gray. After all, he was the one that finished his paper early. As he hung up the phone, he decided to go for a walk around the university campus.


    The current campus he was located in was called Langers Town, which was named after Joey Langers. He was a famous engineer that was migrated to Country Z after its founding. Joey Langers had created the Xeron Scope Engine that was eventually commercialized and used in all airplanes in the 22nd century. After earning a bucket load of wealth from the patent, Joey Langers sponsored the engineering and computer science department, thus, his name will be forever remembered in University Z.


    Sato sat by the fountain seats which he loved the most. Beside him was a bronze statue of Joey Langers, an idol of Sato''s. For many engineering students, their end goal was to be able to contribute greatly to the world with their creations and calculations. Sato read through some new articles on his phone, keeping up with world affairs. It was then, a person walking by had caught the young man''s eye.


    "Ming?" Sato recognized the familiar shoes that his best friend wore. Looking up, he realized it really was Ming, who had been avoiding his all this while. After not properly seeing him for several weeks, he noticed the physical changes of his friend.


    The already skinny Ming had lost even more weight. It was to the point that he now looked like Sato when he first lost his scholarship grant. To make it worse, there were dark circles under the young man''s eyes and his hair was disheveled. It was obvious to anyone that Ming had gotten no sleep for many days. The slouching body added on to his current exhausted outlook.


    "Sato?" Not believing that the person in front of his was Sato, Ming shook his head slightly and focused his tired eyes. The man''s eyes suddenly widen in shock that it was actually Sato. Ming quickly turned around, in attempts to walk away from the fountain area.


    "Hey, stop!" Sato flung his backpack to the side of his chair as he stood up and chased after the boy. It didn''t take much effort for Sato to reach his tired-looking friend. Sato asked apprehensively as he held onto Ming''s wrist tightly. "Why are you avoiding me?"


    "Wha..What do you mean? I wasn''t avoiding you." Ming''s head was turned away from Sato, both his fists were clenched close.


    "If you''re not avoiding me, then why won''t you look into my eye?" Sato''s tone of voice was a mix of anger and sadness.


    Over the past few weeks, even though the young man was filled with love in his life, there was always a part of him that was distracted. He could never give his one hundred percent on any matter as he was always thinking of Ming.


    The thought that his best friend was avoiding him for an unknown reason, made him uncomfortable, and resulted in many sleepless nights. It was why Sato had resulted in increased training and exercising right before he slept. If he was not totally exhausted, the random thoughts and worries would pop up in his head. Seeing Ming run away from him, even after Sato called out his name, it felt like a dagger had been stabbed into his heart and was being wrenched out slowly.


    Seeing that Ming was not giving up on walking away, Sato could result in asking another question. This time, his tone leaned towards sadness.


    "Could you at least give me a reason why you are avoiding me? I really have no clue in what way I had hurt you."


    Avoiding you? A reason? Ming''s heart quivered at the words of Sato. Why had Ming started to avoid Sato in the first place? Was it an act of jealousy? Was it an act of distress? That night in the amus.e.m.e.nt park was the first time Ming felt the way he did in his entire life. Watching the one person he loves, get taken away by someone else, had changed him as a person.


    The days after the outing was long and painful. He stayed in bed for multiple days and only when his body started to convulse in hunger, did he get out to eat and drink minimally. When he wasn''t doing that, he was trying to sleep. He was trying to sleep away from the scene that he saw that night. It was an attempt to forget everything that had happened that night, an attempt to treat it like a dream. Evidently, it was in vain. Whenever he thought about Sato or even saw his shadow, the only thing that would pop up in his head was him kissing Gray. Unlucky? Unfortunate? In the wrong place at the wrong time? That could be all used to describe Ming''s circ.u.mstances.


    Hearing what Sato had said, Ming turned around slowly and looked at the boy that had caused so much joy and yet, so much pain in his life. Sato''s grip loosen when he caught a proper glimpse of Ming''s face. Only one word could describe the feeling expressed by his best friend. Despair. There was only despair written all over Ming''s face. Uncontrollable, tears started coming down from Sato''s face. There wasn''t a frown while the tears rolled down Sato''s pale face. He was stuck in a state of shock.


    Ming noticed that Sato was crying and his heart ached even more. What did I do to deserve your tears? Ming raised his bony hands as he wiped away the tears that came down from both sides. Moving in, he planted a forced kiss onto his best friend''s lips. A coldness moved into Sato''s body speedily. His eyes widen in surprise from what Ming had done. Before Sato could even react, Ming had already turned his back and ran off clumsily.


    However, this was all Sato needed to be able to figure out the reason behind their growing rift in their friendship.

 Chapter 139 - Sorry

    Time is fickle when you carry on with your life. Although one year may be seen as a long duration in the grand scale of things, there were only 365 days in a year. In a day, there would only be 24 hours. In an hour, there are only 60 minutes. And in a minute, there are only 60 seconds. Every second is precious in the sense that you may never know what could happen and in the blink of an eye, a year would''ve past.


    The friendship between Sato and Ming may have lasted for two years long, however, during the minute of interaction by the fountain, everything between them had crumbled apart. One individual was slowly crumbling into dust, while the other was left behind, thoughts astray and his mind, troubled. Where did those good times go? Neither of them knew. The only thing that both of them knew was that their relationship would never be the same anymore.


    ...


    "Bzzz...Bzzz...Bzzz...Bzzz..." Sato''s phone vibrated in his pocket as he stood still unmovingly. He had been in the same position for the longest time. Only when he realized that someone was calling him, Sato blinked himself out of his stupor.


    "Hello? Sato? I am at the school gate." Gray''s voice came through the phone speaker soothingly. Sato hadn''t recovered fully from just now, to which Gray continued on worriedly. "Hello? Are you there, Sato?"


    "Ah? Oh, I''m coming out now." Sato quickly went and retrieved his backpack. He made his way to the car with a heavy heart.


    When Gray realized that Sato wasn''t giving off his usual vibe, he briskly got out of the car. Gently holding onto Sato''s arm, he helped him into the car. Gray didn''t speak out a single word during their exchange. Even when they were in the car, Gray did not ask any questions about what had happened. It was a tacit understanding that Sato would share his thoughts and problems if he wanted Gray''s opinion or help. This was one of the points that Sato liked about Gray.


    At first, Gray had plans to bring Sato to try out a new Michelin starred restaurant that opened in the Central shopping district. Now, he had simply instructed Potter to cancel the reservation and drove off in a new direction. Along the way, Sato realized that Gray was bringing him to a familiar place. After 20 minutes of driving, the road soon opened up to a wide expanse of blue. They had arrived at Country Z''s beach.


    Parking his car, the pair got out and headed down towards the beachside. The soft sand laid under their feet as they walked by the waters. The sounds of the rolling seawater were calming, allowing Sato to organize his thoughts and focus back on reality. Gray''s hand comfortably wrapped around Sato''s. Their arm swayed about with rhythmic pacing. It was relaxing for the both of them.


    "Gray.." Sato finally spoke up and broke the silence. There was apprehension in the way he spoke, for he was worried about how Gray would react. "I.."


    "You do not have to tell me yet if you are not ready." Gray turned his head to look at Sato. He gave a warm smile that melted Sato''s frozen expression. It was that that allowed Sato to tell Gray what had happened.


    "I met Ming today at university." Sato stopped in his footsteps.


    "Oh?" Gray stopped too.


    "He looked very malnourished and tired. It looked as if he had changed entirely as a person." Thinking back to his best friend, Ming looked like he was genuinely in pain. It made Sato reveal a pain expression himself when he told Gray the story. Gray did not reply and just nodded firmly.


    "He was avoiding me from the very start. He did not even want to look at me in the eye. I didn''t know how I had done him wrong and so, I probed..." Sato bit his lip, unable to believe that what happened next was actually his reality.


    "In the end, Ming had given me a forceful kiss on my lips. And everything... Everything became clear." As he said the final line to the story, tears started rolling down his face uncontrollably. His teeth firmly bit down on his lower lip. His head faced the ground in despondency.


    Sato''s hand that was holding onto Gray''s hand was trembling slightly. Sato''s free hand was clenched tightly too. Sato didn''t exactly know what to do or say after that. He stood by the rolling waters, awaiting for Gray to say something back. What came after was not what Sato was expecting.


    "Mmm..." Gray nodded and grunted understandingly. Sato looked up at his boyfriend that was blurry from his tears. With a smooth movement, Gray pulled Sato into his embrace. This was what Sato needed the most right now. A hug from Gray. An acknowledgment from his loved one. A consoling moment. Sato bawled out crying his pent up emotions.


    He was sorry that the feelings from Ming could not be reciprocated. It would never come true. His heart already belonged to Gray and that was something that would never change. Even if he would be born in another life with Gray, he would still choose Gray. After all, he was truly his soul mate and to Sato, Ming was his best friend. And although Gray was his loved one, Ming was also someone he had treated as his brother for life. He was someone that he held with great importance too. If need be, he would give his life for his brother too.


    Knowing that the exchange from before may be the last and final time he and Ming would ever interact, it caused great pain to Sato''s heart. The warm and consoling embrace from his boyfriend was like a bed for him to rest his tired heart on.


    Badump, badump. The heart, just like time, is so fickle and fragile. All that Sato could hope for was for time to heal the deep wounds that were drove into him today.

 Chapter 139 - Hello My Viewers

    Hey guys,


    This is the author speaking. I apologise deeply for the long hiatus and me switching to write other books. Thankfully for all of you, I would now be continuing Oh Mr General! for an indefinite period of time.


    I would start off with a simple writing goal whereby I will be publishing weekly. I may publish more than one chapter a week and the days I publish would vary. However, I can promise that I would continue to write OMG! until I reach a certain milestone in the novel.


    Stay tuned my beloved viewers,


    Over The Horizon. ????

 Chapter 140 - The Visit 1

    Just like how the meeting between Sato and Ming ended within a blink of an eye, the first week of semestral examinations was over just like that. Sato had two papers this week, of which, both posed no difficulty to him. Rather, the event that happened on Monday haunted him every night in bed.


    In the day time, Sato would be deeply buried in books so as to keep his head preoccupied. At night, while trying to sleep, the thoughts would slowly creep back into his head. It even lead to him having numerous sleepless nights before his second paper. Luckily enough, Gray was always there by his side to take care of him. The general decided to work from home throughout the week and worked by his side. The company given to Sato deeply moved the young man. How lucky was he to have such a loving boyfriend?


    There was one thing that did turn around his mood slightly. And that was, the Underwater Highspeed Railway Project. The private visit to the Underwater Railway construction site promised by Gray''s mother was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.


    That day, Gray entrusted Sato to his mother and the pair left in the private car driven by Melanie''s personal bodyguard. Melanie knew that the young man was not in his usual and knew that she shouldn''t overstep boundaries. Rather, she kept the mood light and talked about the UHRP. Sato listened engrossed as he got some in-depth information that was never released to the public.


    "At one point, two years ago, there came a point where we almost had to shut down the entire operation," Melanie told Sato top-secret news, "There was a section in the railway that had faulty and compromised materials. As a result, severe leakage of seawater became a problem in that portion. At that time, if the leakage had worsened into a seawater outburst, the entire project would have been compromised. Thankfully, the Lead Engineer and his team found the error rather quickly and the project was halted for repair in no time."


    "Oh no, seriously? If you do not mind me asking, but what was the cause for faulty materials? Was it due to the resultant pressure from the neighbouring sections? Was it as a result of the manufacturers for the materials?" Sato inquired further.


    "Neither," Melanie dismissed the two scenarios given by Sato and continued to explain, "After further investigation and calculations, the engineers came to the conclusion that the problem laid with the misalignment between the connective points on each steel pillar. This caused a leakage of seawater that was worsened with the pressure underwater."


    "Oh¡­" Sato raised his eyebrows in realisation. There were indeed many scenarios that the young man did not consider. He was always interested in Error Management in Mechanical Systems and so, this was right up his alley.


    Seeing that Sato was extremely intrigued by the project, it made Melanie very satisfied. A hardworking and curious boy was welcomed in many cutting edge technological companies. These traits, especially the curiosity aspect, was very hard to be trained into employees. It was something inborn and depended greatly on a person''s personality.


    Melanie also trusted the young man as much as he trusted his son. She knows that Gray''s judgement of people was as keen as hers. For him to be obsessed over Sato, it meant that this young man was truly something else. And from the many interactions with the twenty one year old, she herself had confirmed her doubts on Sato''s personality. When a person is faking, there would always be minute slip ups no matter how skilled one was in masking their true personality. Sato was genuine to the core and was probably why his son fell in love with him in the first place.


    As such, the project''s secrets were all revealed to the curious young man. She trusted the boy enough and knew that if nothing went wrong, eventually, Sato would be integrated into her family.


    The pair of mother and ''son in law'' soon reached the entrance to the construction site. The guards immediately allowed the black vehicle to pass through the moment they saw the car plate number. Stopping the Madam of the Tobion Family would be the same as shouting in front of the police station that you had murdered someone. As they got through, Ash got to see the inside of the construction. Rather, the entire place now looked even grander and lusher than the outside. Beside the roads that lead to the Railway Station, were evergreen trees that coated the surrounding in a deep green colour. The pavements were tiled with rough dark stone slabs that contrasted with the grass on its side. The station itself looked extremely futuristic, with clear glass that allowed for people to see the inside of the building at a closer look. The roof of the station was wavelike, very fitting for the purpose of the station.


    As they got off the car, the guards that were stationed in the construction site had already lined up to greet the Madam and her companion. Even though they were curious as to who Sato was, no one made a noise and had their heads bowed facing the ground. Melanie brought Sato into the station where the Head Engineer, Jaden Masoko was waiting patiently by the sliding doors. His hand was cusped together politely as he greeted Melanie and Sato.


    "Ah?" Sato didn''t really know how to react. He bowed back respectfully to the Head Engineer that he had idolised over the past two years. Never would Sato have imagined that the Engineering god would be the first to bow and greet him. Sato quickly greeted in reverence, "My name is Sato Takahashi. I have always been a big fan of your works, Mr Masoko. I..I have read every paper that you have written before and being able to meet you today has been a dream come true for me."


    "Hahaha, it is an honour to have Mr. Takahashi appreciate my works." Jaden didn''t exactly know how to react now either. He knew that the person accompanying the Madam of the Tobion Family must also be high profiled. To know that Sato was actually a huge fan of his work, it made Jaden conflicted as he didn''t know how to answer back. In the end, he came up with a formal answer.


    "No, no, there is no need to address me so respectfully. Just Sato is fine." The young man quickly shook his hand in disapproval. Sato felt very uncomfortable that his idol was being so respectful.


    "Ah¡­ Then may I address you as Mr. Sato? Any further would be going against my professionalism."


    "That is fine, that is fine." Sato relented, while Melanie smiled at the scene in front of her.


    When the small details were finally settled, the trio and Melanie''s bodyguard entered the gantry way that led towards the underwater railway platform.

 Chapter 141 - The Visit 2

    For the rest of the afternoon, the Head Engineer brought Sato and Melanie on a tour around the railway station. Sato was able to enter the control room that would monitor and control the speed rail remotely. The mechanical systems as explained by Jaden Masoko were normally hard for non PhD students to understand. However, for Sato, he understood almost everything and did not require the Head Engineer to dumb it down for him. When he didn''t understand what Jaden was saying, Sato would make sure to raise it up and get an answer. Sato had left a very good impression on Jaden.


    Of course, the highlight of today''s tour was none other than the railway itself. The trio headed onto the tracks using a mini transport train that was used by the engineers and mechanics that wanted to carry out routine checks on the railway. As the transport train moved into the dim lit tunnel, Jaden took out his torchlight and illuminated for the VIP pair. Although today may have been a tour solely for Sato, the Madam of the Tobion family was here to visit and so, the Head Engineer himself had to do his best in explaining.


    "I realised that the materials used to build the Underwater Tunnel used iron super alloys. Why not use nickel-based super alloys which is more resistant to temperature changes and corrosion?" Sato asked.


    "There are two reasons for this. One is the cost of nickel-based super alloys. The budget given to us by our sponsors were long overshot due to complications in the construction. The iron-based super alloys are cheaper in bulk was chosen for this reason. Also, the weight is needed to be taken into consideration. We built the railway underwater and by using the iron-based super alloy, which is heavier, the need for additional materials to increase its density in water is lessoned." Jaden explained it both scientifically and from a business aspect. Usually the business part would be omitted, but when it came to the VIPs, he would not sugarcoat anything.


    "Moving on, the shape of the tunnel was actually changed in the beginning of construction.." The Head Engineer continued to explain the structure of the tunnel. Sato was extremely engrossed, while Melanie also listened in on the mathematical aspect of the construction. Even though she did not really understand a large majority of it, she did not interrupt the boy''s conversation. After all, to her, the result was the most important part in this project. The knowhow of the tunnel was not important for her.


    By the time the sun started to set in the cold winter, the group finally left the railway station. Sato was very satisfied with this trip. He had gotten the chance to get answers to many of his burning questions. In addition, at the end, he was able to exchange contact numbers with his idol.


    On the way back, Sato thanked Melanie with his deepest sincerity. After all, she had accompanied him down to the station even though she was an extremely busy person. The beam on the young man''s face was more than enough for Gray''s mother. She was glad that Sato enjoyed himself.


    At home, Gray was already waiting for the pair. Although it was only 5.30pm, the pair was hungry from all the walking. And so, the small family decided to have an early dinner. To Sato, there was nothing more that he could ask for. Such moments in his life would always be cherished. The small talk and getting to hear about Gray''s day, was something Sato loved.


    "There is an army awards ceremony tomorrow," Gray looked towards Sato as he asked, "Would you like to come with me to the event?"


    "Ah? Me?" Sato pointed his finger at himself.


    "Yes you," Gray smiled back, "I have a plus one and so, I am asking if you would like to come with me."


    "Um.. But I do not know what to do there. What if I make a fool out of myself?"


    "Well, I would be at the ceremony with you. I would let anything or anyone come to harm you. So what do you say?" Gray reassured the boy. His warm smile made Sato blush a little.


    "Fine¡­" Sato gave in to the charming General. When Gray tries to convince Sato, the young man would always relent in the end. After all, who would ever say no to such a handsome devil?


    "Hmph.. Gray, I am very disappointed in you. Ever since you got yourself a boyfriend, you have forgotten about your mother." Melanie complained jokingly.


    "What are you talking about, mother? You hate such events. There would always be people trying to suck up to you." Gray saw through her ploy instantly.


    "Well, you could''ve at least invited me too.." Not long, Melanie got over it and started giving advice to the young man that was not used to such events. "Sato, you should always be careful of the old weasels in the army. The higher the rank, the more conniving and cunning they are. When they request you to do anything for them, do make sure to say no. If not, they would always come back to you like wild dogs on the street."


    "Okay. I will listen to auntie."


    "Do take care of my son for me. He can be stubborn at times." Melanie directed that at Gray.


    "Of course I will take good care of your son in law." In turn, Gray changed her words and directed it at Sato.


    The dining table was filled with warmth. To the Tobion family, a day with family is a day of happiness.

 Chapter 142 - The Boy From Humble Backgrounds

    Ming Yue Guang, aged 23. The boy was born on the day of the Moon Solistice, hence the name directly translating to Moonlight. It was said that the boy''s forehead shone brightly when he was born (Definitely not because the operating lights were far too bright), further reinforcing the reason for his name.


    His father was an honest construction worker. His mother, a worker in a local bakery. The income from his parents were just enough to allow the family three to live a humbling life.


    Ever since Yue Guang could remember, his father would say to him that the happiest point in anyone''s life is that "The greatest friend of truth is time, her greatest enemy is prejudice, and her constant companion is humility."


    Of course, a young child would never understand such a saying. To Yue Guang, his father would always explain it in two phrases. Be satisfied with what you have. Never compare yourself to others. The young boy would grow up living by this saying.


    As time went on, Yue Guang never once complained about the lifestyle that his parents led. Yue Guang''s father''s job required him to always be away from home. The longest time the young boy would ever see his father would be two weeks before he would leave the family for another three months or more.


    However, this did not weaken their paternal bond. Most of the time, the boy would not have the latest shoes or newest school bags. Maybe only during his birthday, would Yue Guang receive a present from his mother and father.


    His father, Ming Jiang Fei, would always give the boy a similar type of gift. The present, a book. The book would get increasingly difficult to read as Yue Guang grew older. Inside the book, there would be a message left by Yue Guang''s father.


    "Xiao Guang. Happy 7th birthday. Your father is very proud of you. I heard from your mother that you won first in the school sports day race. Indeed, you are truly my son! I hope you will enjoy this story book that I bought for you from Country V. Take your time to read through it. If you don''t understand the word, you can always count on the trusty internet!"


    "Xiao Guang. Happy 12th birthday. I''m sorry that I am unable to spend your birthday with you once again. Work is inevitable in everyone''s life. It is what keeps us living and breathing. I stumbled upon this interesting book in Country I and so, I decided this is a very suitable book for you. Keep growing my son! Take care of your mother!"


    "Da Guang. Happy 20th birthday. I am currently working at the border of the Country B. There is sadly no bookstores in this area and so I was only able to send you a letter this time. However, that does not mean I do not have a book recommendation for you! I have asked the bookstore uncle to save a copy of this book for you. All you got to do is collect from him. Remember to live with humility, my son. Treat everyone as an equal and live happily!"


    "Da Guang. Happy 22nd birthday. This would probably be the last job that I would receive. Your father is now 57 years of age and can barely lift bricks without an aching back. I am now situated in the mountainous areas of Country N. Surprisingly, there is a small bookstore that sells rustic books. Give this book a try and see if you like it. Stay strong my son. You are now in your final year of university. Soon enough you would be entering true a.d.u.l.thood. There would always be ups and downs, but always remember that if you stick to the truth, everything would go your way!"


    Sure enough, the books that came from Yue Guang''s father we''re all written in different languages. The old man was special that way. It was also the main reason why Yue Guang developed a keen interest in languages and had studied International Studies as his major in university.


    Over the years, Yue Guang''s mother, Melisa was different to her husband. Melisa married Ming Jiang Fei when she was only twenty five. It was a typical love at first sight story. They met at a book store where Jiang Fei had made the first move on her. Within four months, they were happily married and the next moment, Yue Guang was born. Although she gave up her youth for a guy that was 9 years older than her, Melisa did not regret her decision. She was considered a beauty that was comparable to super stars around the world. Even as she got older, with her body becoming more frail from the strenuous work, she was happy and contented with her life.


    Melisa was a practical person. As her husband was always away for work, she was the one that was physically there for Yue Guang through his childhood, teenage years and university life. For birthdays, she would buy the boy things like birthday cakes, school bags, stationeries, etc. The extra bread that were left unsold would be brought back home to feed her growing son. Not once, did she complain about having to raise Yue Guang by herself. Melisa was understanding that her husband was out earning a living for their family. She herself had her own role in the family. And that was to be there for both of the boys.


    Just like his mother, Yue Guang never once complained about it. He was raised this way and he knew that these practical gifts came from his mother''s hard work in the bakery. His father had to stay months away from his family. He knew it was tough on everyone.


    It was why Yue Guang was extremely happy that his father was finally retiring for good. They would then be able to spend more time together as one family. Or so he thought¡­

 Chapter 143 - Sato’s Suit

    Sunday afternoon, Sato left the house with Gray to a custom tailor shop to get himself a suit for the awards ceremony. Gray had long prepared for such an occasion for Sato. He had preordered the suit to be made two weeks before. Today was the final fitting, perfectly in time with the army ceremony.


    "Gray.. Do I really have to attend with you?" Sato started to regret as he was changing into the suit in the changing room. There was hesitation in his voice that was hard to be dispelled away. After all, this would be the biggest event he would''ve ever attended.


    "You do not have to force yourself to go if you do not want to." Gray knew that his lover was obviously uncomfortable going to such events. He didn''t blame the young man, rather, he calmly gave him a way out.


    "Now that just makes me feel guilty about not going¡­" Sato lamented.


    "Hahaha. That wasn''t my plan to begin with. I am ser¡­"Gray''s last word slurred, "rious."


    "Well, how do I look?" Sato asked as he stepped out of the changing room.


    Sato wore a navy suit that wrapped neatly around his body. It wasn''t oversized and sat perfectly on Sato''s body. The black chino pants was slim flit. It highlighted Sato''s lean muscular legs. His diligent training had been paying off and the young man no longer looked anorexic. With Sato''s neatly cut hair, the young man now looked like a lady killer in a suit.


    "You look perfect." Gray walked up and gave a peck on Sato''s forehead. Up close, Gray adjusted the minor details on the suit before stepping back once again to observe the suit. He asked Sato, "Are you able to breathe well? Is it too tight?"


    "Not really?" Sato didn''t know what to look out for.


    "Raise your arms for me please." The young man did as he was told. The suit sleeves followed up along with Sato''s arms. Gray notice the subtle movements and went ahead to inform the tailor about the changes. "Make the sleeves wider by a centimetre. The waist of the suit needs to be 0.5 wider too."


    "Understood." The tailor obediently collected the suit from Sato, before leaving to make the alterations.


    "Isn''t a centimetre of change not very much? You do not have to trouble the tailor just to adjust the suit for me, Gray." Sato felt embarrassed about it.


    "There is no need to feel sorry for them," Gray grabbed his smooth hand as he pulled Sato to sit on the sofa with him, "It is their job to make the most perfect suit for their customer. Besides, I would like you to look your best for the event."


    "Ah! So you do want me to go¡­" Sato realised the predicament he was stuck in once again. He plunged his head into his hands. Gray turned his body to look at his boyfriend. Gently, he pulled his hand away from his face.


    "Potter. Bring over the watch that I prepared for the occasion." Potter came back soon after with a tray that had an open box that held a watch inside. Obviously, the brand of the watch was not known to Sato. He expected it to be a custom made watch. As Gray picked the watch up, he calmly helped Sato wear it on his left wrist without letting Sato see the design of the watch. "From the day I first met you, there was a gem that I felt truly represent you as a person."


    "The sapphire, with its clean blue finish. Just like you, it felt cool, but not distant. It felt comfortable, but not hazy. The clarity and pureness in whatever you do is just like the most beautiful sapphire." Gray revealed the watch design to Sato. The entire circular casing was made of a whole indigo blue sapphire. The intricate pieces of the watch was as if encased in a gem. The belt itself was black leather that wrapped comfortably around Sato''s wrist.


    "This is too¡­" Sato could not get the word ''expensive'' out of his mouth. It was far more than that. A watch like this was one of its kind. There was a saying that every gem in the world is unique in its own way. Having known that a high grade sapphire that been carved out just for him, the boy did not know how to react. He knew that Gray must''ve designed the entirety of the watch. It doesn''t take a genius to notice the attention to detail. Knowing that, Sato replied respectfully. He respected his lover''s attention to detail. "Thank you. I love it."


    "I''m glad that you like it." Gray smiled warmly. He was glad that Sato took his surprise positively. Everything that he said about Sato being the most beautiful sapphire in the world was the truth.


    "Well now, I really do not have a choice, but to go with you to this event." Sato sighed jokingly.


    "That''s so nice of you."


    "Thank you, really. However, you have to promise me no more of such expensive accessories." Sato warned the General with a stern face. He was one that did not think much about expensive items.


    "Alright, I will promise you that." Gray smiled back, before planting another kiss on Sato''s forehead.


    After spending two hours at the tailor shop, Sato and Gray left back home to shower and prepare themselves for the award ceremony. At 7, they left the compound in their well-made suits and headed towards the City Hall.

 Chapter 144 - To My Readers...

    To my readers that have read up to this chapter, it must mean that you are pretty invested in this novel and its characters already. I write this short message to you to proclaim in goal for this novel.


    I, Over_The_Horizon, would like to reach the Top 50 novel rankings!


    This goal would be hard to achieve if only carried out by myself. However, if we all work together to vote using spirit stones and help spread my novel to others, this goal may just come true. To make it worthwhile for you all, I will try my best to publish 7 times a week (most likely every day). So, please please please, help me out! Together, I believe anything is achievable.


    Sincerely,


    Over_The_Horizon

 Chapter 145 - The Award Ceremony 1

    City Hall, the place where everything began. The founders of Country Z began to develop this land starting from here. The large building had large marble pillars that supported the inverted stairs ceiling making it look extremely domineering. Inside, it was where the country''s Justice Court was and where many major Government meetings and events were held.


    The Award Ceremony which was held annually was traditionally held in the biggest function room in City Hall. It was used there as a symbol that without our strong and reliable Military, the country would not have prospered and the City Hall would not have existed.


    During the Award Ceremony, the military celebrates Long service personnels that were finishing their leg of the race. The best units from each formation would be awarded too. Moreover, significant milestones achieved would also be celebrated. It was the perfect time to adorn patriotism and inspire the younger generation.


    Seeing that it was such a major event, every high ranking officer in the military ¡ªthat was not undergoing out of country missions¡ª are required to attend. That was also to say that the country media outlets would be sure to capture however much on the event as they could.


    The event starts at 8 at night. Sato and Gray arrived five minutes before the event. Dressed in their well tailored suits, they immediately caught the eye of the media. Sato stood beside Gray who maintained a straight face as they walked up the steps into City Hall. Sato wasn''t as good as the General, resulting in him looking like a stiff stick.


    "Relax your shoulder muscle. Take a deep breath in and breathe out." Gray whispered in his ear. Within seconds, Sato''s loosened slightly. His heart, however, was pounding.


    When they finally got inside the building, Sato placed his hand on his knee to support his limped body. He complained to Gray, "How do you even do this so often?"


    Gray laughed as he placed his hand comfortingly on his partner''s shoulder. "All you need is a little more practice."


    "Yeah nah. I''ll pass on that. I''d rather much be unknown."


    "You know that by being with me, your life would never be unknown right?" Gray chuckles lightly.


    "Then I Guess I would just have to go back to my usual life before I met you." Gray''s expression became solemn in an instant. Seeing how depressed the General looked Sato could not bear to joke around anymore. "I''m kidding okay. I cannot bear to leave you in a million years!"


    "Only a million?" Gray pouted slightly.


    "A billion! A trillion years! Are you happy now?" Sato pacified the grown man.


    "Hahahaha. That means that even if you were to be reborn millions of times over, you would still want to be with me?" Gray laughed, satisfied by what Sato had said.


    "You were the one that teased me into saying that.." Now was Sato???s turn to be sad.


    "Alright, alright. Let''s not wait around here and proceed to our seats." Gray changed the topic and led his partner towards the function hall. It was impossible to be lost in this enormous building. After all, there were signs and guides plastered along every major junction.


    When the pair of handsome men arrived at the front door, the door mans opened up to welcome them to a completely new view. The function hall was fully carpeted in red velvet, with chandeliers hanging freely along every few meters. Round tables covered over with a silky material, with overly excessive floral decorations on the Lazy Susan.


    One of the waiters guided Gray and Sato to their seats. Around the table, there were already a few familiar faces awaiting their arrival.


    "Good evening, Sir and Mr. Sato." The man that greeted the couple, adorned a Colonel military rank. He was Colonel John, one of Gray''s subordinates.


    "Good evening, Sir and Mr. Sato." Late by a beat was the other Colonel ranked subordinate of Gray''s, Colonel Cyrus. The both of them stood up as a sign of respect.


    "Sit down," Gray smiled relaxingly, "There is no need to be so stiff."


    There was another person that reached their table before the couple. He did not show any signs of greeting the Major General and continued to sip on his white wine in a sophisticated manner. Gray saw the person and decided to be the first one to greet him. "Evening, Jack."


    "Evening, Gray." The man grunted out a reply. From the tone, it was easy enough for bystanders like Sato to know that the two did not have favourable impressions of each other. Before Gray had taken up this position, it was Major General Jack that lead this formation. Coming from Jack, there was obvious signs of disparagement to the young General.


    "How is the new position holding out for you?" Gray asked the old man.


    "Great. My current subordinates are full of tenacity and grit. Unlike..Hmph.." Jack scoffed as he looked towards Colonel Cyrus and John. The pair subconsciously lowered their heads in disappointment.


    Hearing such cutting words from your ex boss will surely hurt anyone. The pair worked their asses off and all they received back was criticism.


    "Well, I''m glad you love the muscle heads in the active formation. They sure complement your work ethics." In a heartbeat, Gray threw back his own criticism so as to spite the Major General. He would sit back and allow his own subordinates to suffer such insults.


    "¡­" A thick blood vessel formed on Jack''s forehead. Gray''s banter surely struck a nerve. He swallowed his anger with a mouthful of wine, before shutting his mouth shut.


    Sato smiled subtly as he watched how Gray handled the situation smoothly. Indeed, this was the great man he fell in love with.


    On time, the Army award ceremony commenced at 7.30 sharp. The emcee for today started to give a brief introduction and history of Country Z''s military. As the emcee was giving his speech, a young man had strolled up to the table where Gray and gang sat. The young man''s hair was a typical military haircut, short and neat. He wore a simple black hoodie and jeans into the venue, which caught the eyes of many military personnels.

 Chapter 146 - The Award Ceremony 2

    In their heads, they were thinking just who the hell this person was? Who in the right mind would wear jeans and hoodie to an Army award ceremony? There were many big status individuals present today, including, the Head Secretary of Country Z. To be in casual clothing, it was basically disrespecting those with higher status. It was equivalent to spitting on their shoe.


    The young man in the black hoodie did not seem to care about the stares on him. He scrolled up to his name plaque placed on the table. Sitting down at the very table that held Gray and Sato, the young man did not say a word as he took out his phone from his pocket. This once again stumped everyone that could see what the young man was doing. From the way he held his phone, he was most definitely playing a game in the middle of the speech!


    Seeing this, Sato''s mouth was agape in how daring the young man was. From his standpoint, Sato could tell the young man was most definitely around his age. What position did he hold in the army, Sato could not tell. On his round table, there was only six spots, meaning, the mystery boy in black was the last person to get settled in.


    "I''m sure everyone would like the dinner course to begin," The professional emcee did not falter even after seeing such a spectacle offstage. He continued along his speech, "And so, let us commence the award ceremony! Lieutenant General Christopher Perkins could you please come on stage to give out the awards."


    Lieutenant General Christopher Perkins was the current Chief of Army in Country Z. He held the highest position in the military and so, it was without a doubt that he would be giving out the awards.


    "Firstly, we would be giving the ''Best Active Unit Award''." The emcee spoke eloquently, "The Best Active Unit Award goes to 7th Alpha Unit led under the wings of Major General Jack Sterling."


    The grumpy general immediately turned his frown upside down as he walked confidently on stage to receive his award. It was extremely obvious that the man was putting up a face in front of the cameras. Yet, there was nothing that the personnels could do.


    Coming off and heading back to his seat with the award in his hand, Jack gave Gray a meaningful smirk. It was like he was saying ''Heh, my active unit won the award. What about yours?''. Gray did not let such a move get to his head. Rather, that fleeting disappointment disappeared from his head almost immediately.


    To take part and attain a chance to qualify as the Best Active Unit, the Unit would have to participate in joint military competitions to test their teamwork and competency in combat. Unfortunately, the Secret Ops Unit that Gray was in charge of was deployed to attend to counter terrorism acts around the world. There wasn''t a chance for them to participate in the competition.


    The next few awards had nothing to do with Gray''s Formation. Only when it rolled down to the Army Innovation Award, was there hope for Gray''s Research and Development branch to win. Their branch''s latest creation was the Missile Defence System that could detect and neutralise aerial attacks within a 100 kilometre radius. Such a large technological advancement basically meant that the award was already in their hands.


    As expected, the emcee called out the awardee, "The Army Innovation Award this year goes to none other than to the Army Research And Development Branch, headed by Major General Gray Tobion."


    Gray straightened his suit as he stood up and headed to the stage. His form and stride was elegant and yet, very masculine at the same time. Many females in the hall could not take their eyes off the handsome general. It had always been this way for the devilishly handsome Gray. Over the years, he grew to be accustomed to such stares.


    "Congratulations, Gray. Country Z''s army deeply appreciates the contribution that you have brought to us ever since you took this position. Being the Head of Defence Base meant that you had to be diversely inclined in different fields. Indeed, replacing Jack for a youngling was the right move." As Gray accepted the award from the Lieutenant General, the man in his early 50s complimented the young general.


    It was as the Chief of Army had said, Gray was actually a risky move executed by the Lieutenant General himself. Many of the Heads in the Army objected Gray''s new appointment with the reason ''lack of experience''. In their mind, they thought that with age came wisdom and knowledge. For the position of Head of Defence base, the building housed three different branches that specialised in three different fields. Data Management, Reconnaissance and Neutralisation, and lastly, Research and Development. Each and every field was diverse and required years of experience and understanding to be able to lead a team well.


    However, Christopher, the chief had other plans. The sudden monetary influx given by the Tobion family, in addition to Gray''s extensive repertoire, were clear signs that Gray was someone with a significant background.


    Thus, Christopher swapped out Jack and placed Gray on the highest pedestal and left it all under his hand. To his belief, the Lieutenant General was not mistrusted, Gray had lead the R&D team to their new advancement in just one year.

 Chapter 147 - I Am Only Just A Boy From Humble Backgrounds

    As Gray got back to his seat, Sato gave him a meaningful smile and a word of congratulations. He was extremely proud of Gray. Living with him, Sato knew how much sleep Gray has given up for the results he had attained today. The number of meetings he had to attend both in-person and online was countless. And yet, even after all those, he managed to spend time with Sato.


    "I''m really proud of you." Sato spoke soft enough that only Gray could hear his words.


    "Shouldn''t you present me with a gift if you are proud of me?" Gray teased the young man. Obviously, Sato knew what the devilish man wanted.


    "W..Would you like me to kiss y..you right now?" Sato blushed immediately when he heard what Gray had said. He stuttered uncontrollably.


    "Let''s wait till we are home," Gray paused for a short moment before continuing his sentence in a more flirtatious tone, "In bed¡­"


    "¡­" Sato face was now as red as a tomato. The bystanders obviously knew nothing about it. And even if they had a slight inkling of what was going on, no one asked and that thought dispersed away quickly.


    "Now, let us proceed with the last award for tonight." The emcee''s tone lowered right after that. There was a sense of foreboding in the city hall. "The Medal Of Honour is given to the top soldier in the army that had served and fought valiantly for a rightful cause. The Medal Of Honour is the highest and most prestigious military decoration that is handed out to few candidates over the years. Today, there is one soldier that had met the criteria. Unfortunately, on his last overseas mission, he died fighting against terrorists in Country N. To save fifty men under him, he acted as a decoy against the oncoming attack. The soldier''s honourable name was Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei. After 20 successful covert ops missions, with zero casualty rates over the years, he had to leave this world before everyone else."


    As everyone in the hall heard the fallen soldier''s name, many of the officers could be seen with red eyes. Many had tears falling down their faces. It was evident that many of the personnel present today were close confidantes with Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei. To hear about his death, even for people that didn''t really know him, no one was happy.


    Sato heard the story. He reached out to hold onto Gray''s hand. He couldn''t help but think that the person that the emcee had just spoke about could''ve been Gray too. After all, war and conflicts were uncertain for the most part. One day Gray could be fine and dandy, but within the next second, he could be lying on the ground dead from an assassination attempt. That fear and panic struck Sato like lightning. Gray knew what the boy was thinking. He c.a.r.e.s.sed Sato''s hand with his thumb, trying to tell him that everything was okay.


    "Now, could the son of fallen soldier Brigadier General Ming come on stage to accept the Medal Of Honour in replacement of him." The emcee looked towards the table located at the front. There, sat the Sato and Gray group and a boy in his hoodie. The soldiers all followed the emcee''s gaze to realised who the son was. It turned out to be the young man that was poorly dressed for the occasion.


    The boy in the black hoodie did not show any emotion on his face. Rather, he remained quiet and still throughout the entire presentation on the General. The son of Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei was the twenty-three year old Ming Yue Guang. Only on the day he received a phone call from his mother saying to come home immediately, did he come to know of the truth. The truth about his father and his occupation.


    Yue Guang got back home to two military personnels dressed in their formal uniform. They were his father''s subordinates. Their faces were solemn and as they repeated the exact event that had killed his father, Yue Guang entered a state of denial. The father whom he got to know over the years, did he even truly know him?


    Suddenly, everything became clear in an instant. Yue Guang connected the dots in his head. The letters, the messages, the lengths of overseas work, it all made sense. His father had been working as a top-secret military agent. He obviously could not leak anything to his son. Even to his wife, all he could tell her was that he was a military official.


    That night, on the day of mourning and realisation, Melisa went to her son''s bedroom and came clean about her side of the story. Both her and Jiang Fei decided that it was best if they raised their child under the pretence that their family had a normal background. They did not want their son to be spoilt over social statuses and just wanted him to have a warm and happy childhood. Their original plan was to reveal Jiang Fei''s job when Yue Guang turned twenty-one and Jiang Fei could retire from the military that year.


    Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei may have had the status and wealth in the country. However, neither did he abuse his power, nor did he allow his son to be consumed over the social hierarchy. Ming Yue Guang took three days off school to process the information. In the end, he knew what his parents wanted from him. He was the culmination of his parent''s two decades of hard work and would never blame his parents for letting him have a peaceful childhood.


    ''After all, I am only just a boy from humble backgrounds.''

 Chapter 148 - I Am Only Just A Boy From Humble Backgrounds 2

    Ming Yue Guang stood up from his seat. He wasn''t planning to attend the event from the beginning. Yet, at the last minute, he realised that this was part of his father''s legacy. It was only right for Yue Guang to inherit the last remnants of his father. Melisa had also requested her son to go on behalf of her late husband. As such, Yue Guang came unprepared, wearing his normal casual attire to the formal event.


    "He is Old Ming''s son¡­" One of the older Brigadier General in the hall lamented. The old man was close friends with Ming Jiang Fei. In the past, they had went to war together and were sworn brothers after that experience. Only after three decades of knowing each other, the old brigadier general met his sworn brother''s son.


    Many of the military personnels that have known Ming Jiang Fei over the years had similar feelings as the General. Ming Jiang Fei kept his family history and background hidden from everyone. Only his superior, the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Christopher Perkins knew about his background. It was this that allowed Jiang Fei to serve through three different Chief of Army. The level of security given to the man was second only to the Chief.


    As Ming Yue Guang ascended the short steps, he got closer to the Lieutenant General. The 23 year old started to notice the atmosphere in the hall. Ever since the emcee had brought up his father, the entire room had become colder and stifling. He felt like it was hard to breathe. The place was filled with remorse. From that, Yue Guang realised how much his father''s death meant to others.


    To Yue Guang, Ming Jiang Fei was a busy father that tried his best to be there for his son whenever he could. Regardless of how busy he was, Jiang Fei would always remember to write a letter to his family. To Ming Jiang Fei''s old friends, the man was a friendly and humbling man. Regardless of the opposing person''s rank, he never made others cower before him. He treated everyone as an equal. To the military officials that have never met him before, Ming Jiang Fei was a patriotic and well-respected soldier. He gave his life for his fellow subordinates and died serving the nation.


    Everyone in City Hall was paying their respects to the passing of Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei.


    As Ming Yue Guang accepted the medallion from the Lieutenant General. Christopher Perkins gripped firmly onto Yue Guang''s hand and shook it with affirmation.


    "Your father, my subordinate, Brigadier General Ming Jiang Fei, was a loyal soldier. This was his last mission that he was planning to attend alongside his team." Christopher spoke in a grim tone, "I still remember how happy he looked when he realised that he would finally be able to spend quality time with his family. Yet, there was a deep pang was worry in his stomach. He was worried that you would not forgive him for lying to you over the years."


    Ming Yue Guang had his head lowered to the Lieutenant General.


    "It is very tough on both his family and himself. I am telling you now as a close friend to Jiang Fei. Everything that he had done was to protect you and his wife. He feared if there were ever a spy in his team, your lives would be in jeopardy. He may not have been there often in your childhood. However, I can assure you that whenever he is back in the country, Jiang Fei would be the happiest person on Earth."


    Ming Yue Guang''s eyes teared up as Christopher spoke about his father. Over the past week, Ming Yue Guang had been putting up a strong face in front of his mother. Although in his head, he was blaming his father for lying to him over the years, in his heart, Yue Guang knew he could never hold a grudge on his father, much less someone that wasn''t in this world anymore. Ming Yue Guang knew that his father would be watching over him no matter where he was in this world. And at this point, as he collected the Medal Of Honour, his father would be standing beside him with his hand on Yue Guang''s shoulder.


    Ming Yue Guang looked over his shoulder to look at his father. His old man had aged well over the years and had barely any wrinkles on his face. Jiang Fei smiled at his tearing son. With a comforting motion, he wipes Yue Guang''s tears away as if saying, "Don''t cry my son, don''t cry. You still have a long life ahead of you."


    Taking the medal, Ming Yue Guang left the stage, but did not proceed back to his seat. Rather, he left the hall straight after. As he walked by, onlookers stood up and gave a proper military salute. Such actions were not planned, but soon enough, everyone in the room, donning their finest suits, stood up and gave Ming Jiang Fei a proper farewell. Even those that were not part of the army stood up and bowed respectfully.

 Chapter 148 - The Promise Between Father And Son

    8.30pm. By now, the first course in the ten course meal had arrived on the tables of the military officials. Ming Yue Guang had left the venue with the medal of honour given to his father. He wasn''t hungry at the moment, moreover, there were a lot of things on his mind. It would be hard for any person to process that their whole life was a lie.


    Hands rested in the pocket of his hoodie jacket, the box that kept the medal rested under the light grip of Yue Guang''s right hand. The young man''s eyes were unfocused as he walked along the lit pavements of Glory Road. This was the same exact road where Sato walked down when he had gotten the notification that he was unable to continue university.


    The reason for people coming to Glory Road could be split into two categories.


    One, people come to Glory Road when they would like to explore or enjoy the ambiance of the Attraction. After all, the place was built to celebrate the achievements of the citizens in Country Z, the entire area was designed to be perfect for tourists or dates.


    Two, those that ever have something on their minds and needed a place to clear their thoughts, Glory Road would be the perfect place to do that. The road was one straight line along the river view in Country Z. The cool breeze at night, in addition to the night ambiance, allows anyone to clear their thoughts.


    Other than coming to Glory Road to clear his head, there was one more reason that led Ming Yue Guang here today. Right before the young man had left the stage, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Perkins had told Yue Guang to visit Glory Road when he was free. "Take a look at the monument in Glory Road."


    What monument was he talking about? There are so many monuments on Glory Road¡­ Ming Yue Guang was confused. He looked around the plaques and descriptions that showed who was on the monument. Only after walking about halfway through the scenic road, did he stop moving. His head raced as it brought back memories of the past when the boy was still young.


    it was a rare break given to Ming Jiang Fei from work. Jiang Fei decided that he wanted to bring his nine year old with him on a walk along Glory Road. Melisa did not tag along that day and so, it was one of those father and son bonding moments for the both of them.


    Holding the boy''s hand, Jiang Fei took Ming Guang on a walk along the new built Glory Road. The attraction was actually constructed post war between Country Z and Country N. At the beginning, the place was built to be a site to remember the fallen soldiers that had fought in the five year war with Country N. However, after a long debate, rather than making Glory Road a remembrance ground for the soldiers, the families of the soldiers preferred to make Glory Road into a place of celebration.


    "We celebrate and remember our achievements, so as to inspire future generations to come!" That was how Glory Road''s front entrance motto came about. Together as one collective unit, our achievements shall make Country Z the brightest star among hundreds of countries of the world.


    After finishing construction, the government only had time to install the first monument which was located in the middle of Glory Road. The monument was actually 10 giant plaques made out of the clearest white marble. It stood tall and proud, which would weather rain and storms for many years to come. On the plaque were the names of the fallen soldiers during the five year war. There were hundreds of thousands of deaths acc.u.mulated over time and so, the writings were very small.


    To the right of these plaques that remembered the fallen, there were another 10 giant plaques that had names of the soldiers that had survived the war and lived to tell the tale. The plaques that were made for the survivors were requested by the fallen victims families. They thought it was unfair that only those that had passed on would be remembered.


    Jiang Fei brought Yue Guang look through the names on the plaques. To the clueless nine year old, this place did not hold much meaning. However, to Ming Jiang Fei who had been through the war personally and had comrades that passed on for the sake of the country, he was here to pay respects to them. As Jiang Fei kneeled down and kowtowed to the fallen soldiers, his cute nine year old son followed along and kowtowed to the soldiers.


    The father and son eventually went to the plaques for the survivors. By right, Ming Jiang Fei''s name should''ve been carved on the front most plaque. That plaque was reserved for the soldiers that had great significance in the army. They were usually the strategist, generals or people that were the first one in and last one out of war. As a Secret Military Agent, Jiang Fei requested for him to be anonymous on the plaque.


    "Son, one day, we shall come back here together and I shall reveal a secret to you." Ming Jiang Fei turned to look at his son that was only up to his ribcage.


    "What secret? I want to know it now!" Yue Guang complained.


    "Hahahaha! One day, when you are finally at my height I will reveal it to you! So quickly grow up will you?"


    "Really? Do you promise?" Ming Yue Guang reached out his pinkie to his father.


    "Yes I promise." The father pinkie promised with his son.


    "Okay! I want to go back home now to drink milk!"


    "Hahahaha! Okay! Let us head back home!" Hand in hand, the father and son left back home.


    14 years later, Ming Yue Guang arrived at the white plaque where he and his father stood back then. He took out his phone and shone the flashlight on the names on the plaque. Over the years, the names engraved into the marble had deteriorate slightly, but there was one name that was more defined than others.


    Ming Jiang Fei.


    The humble boy dropped to his knees and cried one more time. After 14 years, the promise made between father and son was finally fulfilled.

 Chapter 149 - Where The Two Ends Meet 1

    Everyone has moments in their lives where you thought someone was the one, but then it turned out to be untrue. Whether it was a lover or simply just a friend, it hurts the most when that person suddenly leaves your life. Entirely or not, the feeling of separation never feels great. However, in times like these, the realisation that these people need to get in their heads is that it is not the end of the world. It never is. Unless natural disasters befall the entire planet and the Earth is split in half, such detachments from another human would never spell the end for your life.


    After Ming had the realisation that Sato was in love with another man, his heart was crushed and pummelled.


    Although he had never made a move on Sato, such a discovery was too sudden for the boy who always gave in to everything and everyone. From a family of four children and Ming being the oldest, the eldest sibling had to compromise and help his parents out at home. Ming''s full name is Li Ming. Li being his surname and Ming being his first name. Raised in such a household, Ming learned how to share from the young age of 7 when his first sibling was born. Then as he turned 12, his twin siblings came into his life. With both of his parents working a nine to five job, Ming was the caretaker of the family after he gets home from school.


    And so, when such a mindset, the young boy entered middle school, high school and finally university. Middle school and high school, Ming was not exactly the greatest time in the his life. He was part of the go-home-club as he had to take care of his two younger siblings. There wasn''t any time for him to make friends with his classmates and have outings. The only thing he could do at home was study. He buried himself in books throughout his uniform school life and in the end, his grades showed his efforts.


    Going into university, Ming finally got some time to himself. He was able to move out to live in the school dormitory and study under a full scholarship. However, even with the new found time, it was hard to make friends when others had profoundly different backgrounds from himself. Ming was also socially awkward and did not know how to make friends. In the end, it was only when Sato approached him and asked whether he would like to have lunch together, did Ming finally understood what friendship was.


    That friendship eventually bloomed into something more, a secret crush on his best friend. The passiveness from Ming made his feelings for Sato easily hidden. And so, years went by and eventually, Gray came back into Sato''s life. Everything came crashing down at that point and now, many weeks later, Ming stood still on the walking path by the highway. As cars drove by at high speeds, time felt extremely slow for the depressed young man.


    The weeks without interaction with Sato were far worse than any form of physical pain he could receive. He would rather get stabbed in the heart a hundred times over than experience what he felt that day in the amus.e.m.e.nt park. Now, after contemplating, Ming felt like he was better off not being in this world. To him, death was quick and easy. All he had to do was climb over the railing and jump off the highway into the water. The impact of the fall is strong enough to fracture and destroy Ming''s weak body, allowing him to stop feeling these extreme emotional pains.


    The first step was always the hardest as doc.u.mented by suicide survivors. When killing yourself, there is the need to first steel your resolve. You need to have the courage of a lion to push your body beyond the gates of life into death. Once you have that mindset and have taken the first step, every other step is simply just emptying the other thoughts in your head. The body would start to bring back memories of the past in attempts to stop you from killing yourself. If you are able to suppress such thoughts, all there was left was to just jump.


    "Goodbye mom, dad. I am a failure of a son for doing this, but I truly feel that I can no longer live in this world. Goodbye Li Xuan, Li Qian, Li Bing. My brother and sisters, do grow up to become more than what I was in my life. And finally, goodbye Sato. I know that when you hear this news sometime in the near future, you would be extremely devastated. However, I hope that you would move on from our friendship quickly enough. I was never worth your time and effort. Goodbye world¡­"

 Chapter 150 - Where The Two Ends Meet 2

    As Ming let go of the hand rail, he accepted his fate and relaxed his body. A hand swiftly approached Ming''s back and had grabbed onto his shirt. With a smooth motion, Ming was yanked backwards, preventing him from jumping off the edge. An arm coming from the same person wrapped around Ming''s neck, locking him place.


    "What the hell do you think you are doing?!?!" The person behind Ming shouted out vehemently. The male panted rapidly. Clearly, he had seen Ming from afar and had ran as fast as he could to catch up.


    "I..I.." Ming couldn''t answer, rather, he was struggling to ever breathe with such an arm lock on his neck.


    "Climb back over now!"


    "But.."


    "Now!" Ming could only listen to what the stranger was saying. After all, with such an arm lock, it would be impossible to jump even if he wanted to.


    Ming climbed back over the railing. His legs weakened and his entire body slumped to the ground. The stranger who was preventing him from suiciding was also resting on the ground. He must''ve ran a far bit of distance so as to stop him from jumping off the highway.


    "Why did you stop me?" Ming looked up with his spiritless eyes at the stranger.


    "Huh?" The noise from the highway was too loud that the stranger couldn''t pick up what Ming was saying.


    "Why did you stop me from jumping?" Ming repeated.


    "I did not want someone to die under my watch," The stranger finally caught his breath and continued with a follow-up question, "Moreover, what makes you think that suiciding was a good idea?"


    Ming would normally not speak much to people that he did not know. However, at this point, what did he have to lose by telling this stranger his situation. "I have no reason to live anymore. I never had a reason to be alive in the first place."


    "And what made you think that there was no reason for you to live?"


    "From young, I never had a purpose in life. I never experienced joy for the most part of my life. I was always a pushover in other''s eyes too. When I finally found colour in my black and white, I managed to lose it within seconds. I''m worthless and so, why not just end my life entirely?" Tears started to roll down Ming''s face as he told the stranger how he felt.


    "Then, why not prove those people that looked down on you wrong?" The stranger questioned. "What makes you think you would not be able to find colour in your life again? It is not the end in life until you yourself have given up on it!"


    The stranger came closer to Ming and pulled him into his embrace. Ming was given a hug by the man. It wasn''t the sort of hug that he was used to. Comfort. Warmth. Company. Those words entered his head as his weightless body felt something he lacked all these times.


    "Find that purpose in life. Never give up when the going gets tough. If you really did jump, do you know how many people in this life would be impacted? I was taught by my father to always be humble, honest, and never be selfish. Death in itself is extremely selfish. When you die, you inadvertently leave a permanent mark on those you had left an impact on before."


    "Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhh!" While the stranger spoke close to Ming''s ear, the twenty-one year old couldn''t help but start crying. The emotions which he had locked deep within his heart had been opened up with the key from the stranger.


    "There there¡­You must''ve been through a lot, but this is only just the beginning of your life. Cry it out. Cry out all of that emotions you had kept in yourself over the years." The stranger patted Ming''s back as he calmed him down over time.


    "Thank you for stopping me. Wh..what is your name?" Ming looked at the guy who looked around his age.


    "The name''s Yue Guang. Ming Yue Guang." Ming Yue Guang smiled, satisfied. "What is your name?"


    "My name is Li Ming, but others usually call me Ming."


    "Li Ming¡­ That is a nice name. Dawn of the day." Ming Yue Guang complimented.


    "You are saying my name is nice? Your name is the moonlight."


    The pair looked at each other and chuckled heartily together. Walking together along the highway, Ming and Yue Guang got to know each other better. Over time, the incident from before was put behind the both of them as they got to hear each other''s life.


    "You are saying that your father had been lying to you about his occupation his whole life?" Ming was surprised to hear such a story. This was normally seen only in books, but right now, there really was someone that was dealing with such a problem.


    "Yeah¡­" Yue Guang smiled acceptingly, "Although he had lied to me my whole life, I know that my father was only doing that to protect me and my mother."


    At the end of the highway, Ming and Yue Guang realised that they both studied in the same university. Yue Guang was currently doing his Masters in International Studies there. The two exchanged numbers after realising that they clicked rather well.


    "Go back home and wash up, Ming. Unpause your life and continue pushing upwards into the sky!" Ming Yue Guang pumped his hand up while parting ways with his junior.


    Ming watched as Yue Guang walked away from him. He smiled for the first time in many weeks. Right now, he was glad that Yue Guang was able to stop him from jumping. He was right. It was not the end of the world for him. He just needed to continue forward and not give up halfway.


    Looking at Yue Guang''s back, Ming shouted out, "Thank you for stopping me! Really, thank you!"


    Ming Yue Guang pumped his hand up cooly one more time, not looking back as he walked onwards too.


    Two individuals, both experiencing loss. One boy lost his father who had hidden the truth from his, so as to assure his son''s safety. The other had his heartbroken by his first love and was not able to recover from such a trauma. The physical loss and emotional loss were two opposing ends and yet, when put together, the two boys would be able to learn some things about one another. From that, they will grow together, and eventually, they can move on towards a brighter future.

 Chapter 151 - I Love You

    The award ceremony ended at around 11 at night. Sato and Gray left City Hall and headed back home. There was a sullen mood in the car, of which Gray knew that this was coming. Sato''s melancholy face started during the Medal of Honour ceremony. The Major General watched his expression throughout the dinner meal and it barely changed throughout the course.


    "Hey Sato, do you want to talk about what is on your head right now?"


    "I..I was just thinking," Sato turned to look into Gray''s beautiful eyes that exuded clarity, "That the next person that may be sacrificed for other''s wellbeing could be you. I..I do not like that thought at all¡­"


    As Sato mumbled out the last word, Gray had already moved closer to Sato and planted a kiss on his supple lips. His finger tilted Sato''s face slightly upwards, making him look especially vulnerable at this point.


    "Sato, I love you." Gray professed.


    "I love you too, Gray." Sato reciprocated. With a press of a button, Gray raised up the glass window to separate the front and back of the car, so as to give them some privacy.


    "There is nothing in this world that could stop my love from reaching you. Not even death is able to stop me from wanting to be with you forever. I cannot promise that I will not die before you. However, I can promise to love you endlessly until the day I disappear from this world."


    Hearing his words, Sato blushed bashfully. His heart beat faster and faster. Not thinking too much into it, Sato unbuckled his safety belt and made his move. Inching closer, his lips interlocked with Gray''s. Their bodies were locked together in an awkward position, while they were seated in a car. Gray pulled Sato''s white shirt out of his pants as he reached his arm behind and started c.a.r.e.s.s the back. The feeling of his warm hand on Sato''s cold skin sent tingles throughout his body.


    By the time five minutes had passed, Sato was panting deeply. It was as if Gray was trying to suck the soul out of Sato''s body. Even though Sato was tired, he did not stop there. He started to unbutton Gray''s shirt, but was slightly clumsy doing it. It made Gray laugh.


    As the final button was unbuttoned, Sato was welcomed by a god-given body. The well chiselled six pack body was slightly sweaty from the kissing.


    Sato slid one finger down Gray''s c.h.e.s.t. He had forgotten the feeling of Gray''s body from the past. Now, he was appreciating the masterpiece in front of him once again. Gray on the other hand couldn''t wait any longer. The tease was too much for him as he ripped Sato''s shirt apart. The buttons flew about everywhere and made Sato look even more vulnerable.


    "You.." Sato stumbled on his words.


    "I can''t wait any longer." Gray spoke the truth. He had been extremely patient with Sato and never once initiated on him. The testosterone-filled man had only been receiving kisses for months. Such suppression on him was essentially torture.


    Sato took off broken shirt swiftly and threw himself on Gray once more. A flurry of kisses landed on Sato''s pale body. The first on his neck, followed by his c.h.e.s.t, his stomach and going even lower, right up to his pants.


    By now, Sato was long turned on as his small mountain appeared to be covered by his pants. Gray did not proceed to help take off Sato''s pants. Rather, he started to use his hand to play with Sato''s manhood. Gray''s finger made circles around the head. Sensual m.o.a.ns came out of Sato as his lips quivered. He stopped rubbing just as he knew when Sato was about to climax.


    Since Sato hadn''t masturbated for a long time, it didn''t take long for him to feel aroused. From young, Sato''s hormones were never as fiery as Gray''s and so, he never had any s.e.x.u.a.l cravings before. Today, Sato was feeling like he was on the moon.


    "Hmph¡­" Sato pouted as he felt disappointed at how Gray had done him dirty.


    "Now''s not the right time for that," Gray whispered seductively, "Let me give you a proper treat when we reach home."


    "Okay." Sato blushed.


    At the front of the vehicle, Hank who was driving the vehicle knew what the glass screen meant. He had been working for Gray since the very beginning when he was trained to be a butler. No matter how important the call was, Gray had never once used the button to pull up the glass screen. Whoever that worked under Gray''s family had a thorough background check before they were hired. Even when discussing Top Secret information, Hank had the security clearance for that.


    "Hey Hank, why did you call?"


    "Um¡­ I do not know what is happening, but Master Gray had put up the glass screen in the back."


    "He what?!?!" Potter gulped his saliva. Both butlers were on the same page. Sato and Gray were definitely doing something in the back. And that something was simply too much information for the butlers.


    "I suggest that you leave the door open and ask the ladies to head into their rooms. Keep the lights in the house dim so as to make it more private." Hank discussed the game plan with Potter.


    "Okay, understood. How long do you have before you would reach the compound?"


    "Roughly ten minutes. So, make it quick."


    ¡­


    Turning into the driveway directly outside the Tobion mansion, Gray saw what his butlers had prepared for him. The front door of the house was open and Hank was not outside to get them. He smiled inwardly. Well done Potter and Hank. I will reward the two of you another day.


    "Let us carry on in the bedroom."


    "Huh? Ah!" Gray came closer to the young man and lifted him up like a princess as he stepped out of the car. Embarrassed, Sato hugged closer to Gray''s muscly c.h.e.s.t. He soon realised that there seems to be no one to welcome them at the door and was less bashful.


    Each step up the stairs was stable, which made it feel like Gray had been training for this moment from the very beginning. When they finally reached the room, Gray closed the door with his leg and the couple proceeded onto the bed.

 Chapter 152 - Hiatus

Hey guys, I have some stuff going on in my life at the moment. I will continue writing again once this passes. Sorry for the inconvenience.


    Sincerely,


    Over_The_Horizon

 Chapter 152 - Lover’s Night 1

    Two lovestruck individuals entered the bedroom with their shirts off. A mix of m.o.a.ns and kisses filled the four walls of the room. Gray pinned Sato to the bed before moving down to his pants. With a swift motion, he helped Sato undress his pants to reveal his black u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r. A light stain of pre-c.u.m could be seen on the cloth.


    Gray swallowed his saliva as if he was a predator watching over his prey. Although embarrassed, Sato removed the u.n.d.e.r.g.a.r.m.e.n.t himself to reveal his n.a.k.e.d body. He looked up at the handsome general. Nervously, he asked while sitting up, "Let me help you."


    "Mmm." Gray nodded. Sato unbuckled the belt from Gray''s pants before sliding his hand in to get a feel of his muscles. The young man''s hand eventually reached the front where he felt a stiff rod bent upwards from Gray''s u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r.


    It was Sato''s turn to gulp. He slowly revealed the prized possession. The beast hidden within Gray''s pants was unleashed. When compared to Sato''s hill, Gray was more like a mountain. To be frank, Sato wasn''t that surprised. He expected this testosterone-filled man to pack such a large junk.


    Naturally, Sato was attracted to this giant magnet. He wrapped around it using his right hand. Even before proceeding, Gray shivered, "Your hand is really cold, Sato."


    "Ahh! Sorry!" Sato blushed as he started to rub his hands together. He was truly embarrassed at how inexperienced he was.


    "It''s okay." Gray pushed Sato onto the bed as he climbed on top of him. Gray reached for Sato''s item as he gazed over his boyfriend''s cute features. Unlike the tease from before, Gray started to stroke Sato''s manhood. Without lying on top of Sato, Gray lips landed on Sato''s.


    The couple made out. Sato could barely contain himself with how good his entire body felt. There was definitely a sense of familiarity when it came to having intimate actions with Gray.


    "Gray... I..." Sato''s face cringed slightly.


    "Let it out," Gray whispered the words which Sato wanted to hear. With permission, Sato manhood released a spurt of white liquid upwards. Gray who was above Sato, had his lower body coated with the warm substance. Sato''s expression relaxed and he caught his breath.


    Gray c.a.r.e.s.sed Sato''s face. He was glad that his lover was able to release his tension. A push and a turn were exerted onto Gray. Before he knew it. It was Sato that was on top of Gray. Sato sat just below Gray''s towering mountain.


    "Let me help you now," Sato did not make the same mistake from before. After making sure his hand was warm, he reached for the trophy. With both hands on the handle, he started to stroke in a methodical motion.


    Sato was extremely focused, which made him have a serious expression. It made Gray smile and laugh with his arm covering his eye.


    "Huh? Why are you laughing?" Sato asked curiously, thinking he had done something wrong.


    "You look extremely cute with that serious expression on your face." Gray came clean.


    "Ah?" Sato blushed, "I was just concentrating because I want you to feel good too."


    Gray sat back up with Sato kneeling over his t.h.i.g.h. As Sato was busy with his manhood, Gray started to kiss Sato again. This time, he targetted the neck. "Continue. You are doing a good job."


    "O..Kay." With Gray kissing his weak point, Sato felt his body grow weak by the second. Yet, he did not want to lose to his boyfriend when it came to pleasuring. With renewed vigor, he moves his hands quickly.


    After a few more minutes, Gray finally relented as his mountain erupted with ferocity. When the couple was finally done, Gray and Sato left to take a nice warm shower together. They washed their sweat and juices off each other''s bodies.


    30 minutes after midnight, the both of them had already changed and entered a deep satisfied slumber in their lover''s embrace. That day had been an emotional ride for many. Those that made it through the day, marked the start of a new beginning for them.


    ...


    Monday, the couple headed downstairs for breakfast. They were welcomed with a nice bowl of hot soup and a plate of nicely toasted bread. Yesterday had been a wonderful experience for both males. One man had been containing his l.u.s.t for years on end, while the other had only just discovered a world filled with sensual d.e.s.i.r.es. The extremely physical interaction between the two may have been the first, but surely, it would not be the last.


    "I..I''m heading to school now. Goodbye, auntie." Sato blushed in embarrassment. During breakfast, Melanie could feel that something was different between the two boys. There was a slight awkwardness in the air that morning. Yet, a tacit understanding between Gray and Sato was clearly there. The older woman did not pry into the topic and simply smiled it off. Children these days. They sure grow big fast.


    In the car, Sato would sneak glances at the handsome man sitting in the driver''s seat. Gray caught onto it and started c.a.r.e.s.sing Sato''s hand. There wasn''t a trace of doubt in the couple''s heart that any of them did not love the other.


    Just like that, the second exam week went by in the blink of an eye. Sato finished his end-of-year examinations and was officially on holiday. The best thing that came out this week was surprisingly not what went down between Gray and himself. Rather, it related to Ming.


    On Wednesday, Ming had come to school for the Engineering paper. The complexion on Ming''s face had gotten better and he had even gone for a haircut to freshen up his looks. Ming approached Sato and did not avoid him one bit.

 Chapter 153 - Lover’s Night 2

    "Hey Sato," Ming had a guilty expression on his face as he spoke to the young man, "I would like to apologize for my reckless actions last week. It was uncalled for and I hope you can forgive me for all my past actions too."


    "There is no need to apologize for that, Ming." In Sato''s heart, he had long forgotten about the kissing situation between them. He was just glad that the Ming that he knew was finally back to himself. "I am happy enough that you are speaking to me again."


    "No." Ming shook his head. "I have not been completely honest with you this whole time and today, I want things to be properly straightened out."


    "Since the day that I got to know you, I had developed a strong liking to you. Rather than being truthful about my feelings, I chose to stay around you quietly and become your friend. When I found out about your relationship with Gray on the day that we went to the amus.e.m.e.nt park, I was devastated, but all of this was never your fault." Ming spoke from his heart.


    "You did not deserve any sort of pain that I had inflicted upon you. It was selfish of me to not consider the feelings of those around me and I deeply regret doing everything that I had done. So I am standing in front of you today to actually ask you to grant one more selfish favor of mine. It would be best if I do not interact with you for a while. After some time, when my thoughts have finally settled, could I go back to being your best friend? I know that my past behaviors are unbecoming and¡­"


    "Yes, yes. You can be my best friend again when you are ready." Sato interrupted Ming before he continued to put himself down. "I never thought of you as selfish. Anyone can catch feelings for anyone. You are also liable to that too and so, there is no need to apologize for that. Thank you for telling me all of this, Ming. I feel much much better than a week ago."


    Ming bit his lower lip. His eyes had gotten watery from how Sato reacted. What had he done to deserve such an understanding friend? Ming replied with a wavering voice, "Thank you and see you again soon Sato."


    "See you soon." Sato waved goodbye to his best friend. It was temporary and very much needed by Ming. Yet, it was still difficult for the young man to say those three words.


    On the weekend, Sato and Gray stayed at home and were sitting together by the couch. Gray''s mother was nowhere to be seen once again, but in the two boy''s hearts, they knew that the Female Head of the Tobion Family was doing something big behind the scenes. For the two of them, they were instead focused on something else. That something else was planning their holiday vacation.


    "I still think that we should just go to Country J for a fun winter trip. There is no need to go to Country M which is very expensive and hot during this time of year." Sato gave his opinion.


    "Country J is currently experiencing one of its coldest winters. What if you get sick during this trip?" Gray worried for his lover.


    "What do you mean?! I am a perfectly strong and abled man!" Sato straightened his head as he stopped leaning on Gray''s shoulder. He pouted, dissatisfied at how his boyfriend thought of him as a person.


    "That is not what I meant, Sato. I just do not want anything to happen to you. It is better for us to go to a warmer climate country as we are already in the cold every day in Country Z." Gray explained himself.


    "No! I want to go Country J!" Sato showed the General his child-like self. He pouted angrily.


    Unable to control himself anymore, Gray pulled Sato towards him as he planted a kiss on the boy''s forehead. "Ah¡­ When you act like this, how could I ever say no to you?"


    "Hehe, so can we go?"


    "Yes..Yes."


    "Yay! When can we go?" Sato looked at Gray with sparkling eyes.


    "Any day you like." Gray pecked his boyfriend another time.


    "You do not have work to finish up?"


    "Do you not take my word for it?" Gray pulled on Sato''s cheek, "I already cleared out any schedules for the next week. We should get some peace for a while."


    "Ouch.." Sato rubbed his cheek while smiling cheekily. "Thank you for being such a great boyfriend."


    "You are my world, Sato. I''d give you my life if you wanted it."


    "Nah¡­ what I want right now isn''t your life," Sato looked around the living room area for any signs of the housemaids or butlers before he whispered into Gray''s ear, "I want whatever you are hiding down there."


    "Oh? I didn''t know that you knew how to talk dirty young man." Gray smiled devilishly. His hand c.a.r.e.s.sed the hair behind Sato''s head as he made out with him steamily. As his tongue wrapped around Sato''s, the young man started to pant and gasp for air intermittently during their kissing session. Slowly, the lower parts of both men got hard. They couldn''t control themselves anymore and decided to take it to the bedroom.


    With a lift, Gray carried Sato up the stairs, while they continued to tease each other. When they got to the bedroom, Gray sat on the bed, with Sato on his l.a.p. Sato proceeded to remove Gray''s clothes. It revealed the wonderfully toned six-pack body hidden behind the simple black t-shirt. Sato''s hand moved down Gray''s abs as he made his way down to the pants. The young man was after the treasure hidden within the general''s pants. He wanted it badly.


    As the long and well-groomed tower peaked out of gray''s u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, Sato immediately gulped down his saliva. Half kneeling down, Sato proceeded to put Gray''s manhood in his mouth. This was Sato''s first time doing this, but he was feeling adventurous. Without hesitation, he kept going closer and closer to Gray''s genitals. When he felt that he was soon about to gag, the young man pulled out and went back in for more again. Gray, who was receiving it from Sato for the first time, had his eyes closed. He was enjoying the treat that his boyfriend was giving him.


    On Friday, when Sato had finished his final paper. The young man was bored at home and had decided to watch some A-rated films. He was s.e.x.u.a.lly curious and wanted more skinship with Gray. And so, he had learned of the blowjob just yesterday, and now, he was putting what he had learned to the test.


    The talented student remembered that the best way to make a man extremely aroused was to play with the mushroom cap of the manhood. Like a helicopter, Sato spun his tongue around the cap, while he tried his best to move his head back and forth. Gray, having felt this weird, but, satisfying experience for the first time, couldn''t help but groan sensually. He was having a good time thanks to his lover. After a few minutes, Sato started to get tired from blowing. Luckily, Gray wanted to climax and the tiring experience was over for Sato. The warm white load was expelled into Sato''s mouth. Sato had swallowed Gray''s liquid. The boy cringed visibly which made Gray laugh loudly.


    "Why did you swallow it?" Gray asked as he helped Sato up from his kneeling position.


    "I was curious about how it tasted like. I never knew it would taste so weird¡­" Curiosity had indeed killed the cat this time.


    "Are you very tired?"


    "Yes¡­" Sato nodded innocently, "I never knew that my neck could ache in such a way before."


    "Thank you for that experience." Gray kissed Sato on the nose before he climbed on top of Sato. "Now let me please you while you take a rest."

 Chapter 154 - Holiday 1

    A few days later on a Wednesday, Gray had tied up loose ends and had left with Sato to Country J for their much anticipated holiday. Back at Country Z, Ming was back at school doing revision in the University Library. Wearing a black hoodie and jogger pants, the second-year student looked ready to camp in school to study. This time''s examination was not particularly good for Ming. He had just gone through a tough period of realization and with no time to study in between, he was unable to perform to his likeness.


    The young man who had worn on his glasses to study looked like a calm prince that had a weak immune system. The boniness of his body, coupled with his snow-white skin, made this scene come to fruition. His plan for today was to fully familiarise himself with his previous units. He did not want to fall behind in class.


    As Ming, or what his teachers call him, Li Ming started studying, he soon entered a trance-like state where all surrounding movements or noises are canceled out. It was a skill that Sato had too that was able to block out any noise around him. One hour, two hours, three hours. It was soon the afternoon and now, Ming had taken out his lunchbox. In the University library, students were allowed to consume cold dry food and covered drinks. This allowed students to bring in meals so as to facilitate their studying. On the weekend, Ming had chopped up fresh vegetables to make himself salad for the week. It was economically cheap for the scholar that did not want to rely on his family''s low income.


    While he ate his meal, Li Ming was still reading through some of the correct workings from practice questions that he had gotten wrong before. Not once, did the boy ever put down his study notes. He was fully dedicated to boosting up his GPA in the next semester. While the young man was focusing on his studies and gnawing on chopped lettuce, another university student had sat down in the seat directly across Ming.


    The student was also dressed in similar attire as the second-year student. He wore a red university hoodie and jogger pants. His hair was short but neat. When the student sat down and looked up to see who was in front of him, his mouth opened wide in surprise. Immediately, the student reached over his hand and waved across Ming''s notes.


    "Hey hey. It''s you isn''t it?" The student whispered loudly. It wasn''t even the whispering that Ming''s attention. Rather, it was the hand movement that broke his concentration.


    "Huh? aghh.." Ming looked up and as he was about to speak, the lettuce got stuck in his throat, causing the boy to choke on his food.


    The student quickly stood up and ran behind Ming. With a swift movement, the student wrapped his arm around Ming''s stomach. A quick thrust to the abdomen had allowed for the lettuce to be dispelled from the throat.


    "Ah.. Thank you for saving me for the second time," Ming thanked the person who had used the Heimlich maneuver, "Yue Guang correct?"


    "You''re most welcome Ming. I am glad you have not forgotten my name." Ming Yue Guang was the University student that had saved Ming the other night on the bridge. He continued, "You seem to be looking much better now eh?"


    "Hahaha, yes thanks to you, I am trying to get back on schedule again. Ah.. What brings you here?"


    "What do you mean by what brings me here?" Yue Guang chuckled lightly, "Did you really not notice me taking the seat in front of you? You aren''t even listening to music."


    "No, not really. I tend to focus on my thoughts deeply and I wouldn''t notice my surroundings."


    "That''s incredible."


    "It isn''t really that incredible."


    "No, it really is incredible Ming," Yue Guang shook his head, disagreeing with what the second-year student had said. "I am diagnosed with ADHD and I have a hard time paying attention to things. If I had your skill, my life in university would be very much easier."


    "Wow, I didn''t know that. My apologies."


    "Haha, there is no need to apologize for that." Yue Guang went back to his seat. "It is the reason why I come to the library these days. Outside my house has ongoing construction and it made it very difficult to study at home."


    "Say, would you like to have dinner with me after we study for a bit? My treat." Ming Yue Guang invited.


    "I should be the one asking you instead. I have not paid back you for stopping me from jumping. Let me pay today''s dinner." Ming retorted.


    "That is not reasonable. I was the one who invited first so I should get to treat you. From your statement, I am inferring a yes right? Good good. Let us carry on with our studies."


    Being a scholar student in one of the top universities in the world, Ming was by no means an average student. Admittedly, Ming wasn''t at the level of Sato. Yet, he could comfortably hold his front when it came to understanding the content in his course. Ming would occasionally spin his pen in his hand out of habit. Ming Yue Guang looked up when taking a break. He smiled at Ming''s quirky habit. The student that was younger than him also had the habit of pulling his sideburn and frowning when he was unable to solve a question. When Ming is unable to solve it after approaching it from a different standpoint, he would subconsciously bite his nail. In Yue Guang''s eyes, his junior looked very innocent and cute.

 Chapter 155 - Holiday 2

    When it was around time for dinner, Ming Yue Guang was prepared to leave, while Ming was still in his own zone, studying intently. Yue Guang, however, did not interrupt Ming''s thoughts. He chose to wait and observe the pale looking scholar. It was a very peaceful setting. Ming''s hand support his unblemished face. His thin lips were squeezed on one side. A typical behaviour displayed by people who were thinking hard about something.


    It was interesting to Yue Guang that someone could stay so focused on studying for such a long period of time. The friends that he usually hung around were mostly like him and would usually take breaks in between study sessions. It was his first time ever observing such a studious university student. An hour soon passed before Ming finally exited from his deep thoughts. He raised up his head and was welcomed with the sight of Yue Guang looking at him with meticulous eyes.


    "A..Ah, why are you looking at me like that?" Ming asked confusingly.


    Ming Yue Guang chuckled lightly before giving him an answer, "You were so focused on your work that I felt bad breaking your thought process."


    "Huh?" Ming took a look at his phone. Realising that it was already 8 pm, he displayed a shock expression on his face, "Why didn''t you tell me to stop? Sorry, sorry."


    "Haha.. It''s alright Ming. It was interesting to see how concentrated you were on the equation. Did you solve it eventually?"


    "I..I managed to solve it in the end." Ming blushed hearing the other Ming''s compliment.


    "Well do you wanna go for dinner now?"


    "Sure." Ming packed up his stuff, while Yue Guang had long finished packing up his books. "Where are we going?"


    "Well, what do you feel like eating?"


    "You''re asking me? I am the last person you should ask when it comes to food."


    "Really? Do you not have a favourite food?" The pair left the library while talking.


    "No, not really. I grew up with four siblings and me being the oldest, I gave way to my siblings a lot."


    "What? Four siblings?! What is that like?"


    "It is very noisy at home. I don''t think there was ever a point ever since I was a teenager that my home was quiet. I would come home and my siblings would be quarrelling downstairs in the living room."


    "Hahaha, that sounds very lively. I wish my house was like that."


    "Do you have a sibling?"


    "No. I don''t have a sibling," Ming Yue Guang looked straight as he reminisced his past, "My father was never home because of his military job, while my mother worked in the local bakery on the weekdays. It is usually quiet at home especially before my mother comes home from work. When my father comes home during his vacation days, only then would my home be filled with noise and laughter."


    "Were your parents very in love with each other?" Ming asked curiously.


    "Yeah. My parents are the type to show their affection in front of me. They aren''t shy to proclaim their love for each other in public." Thinking back, Yue Guang remembered feeling extremely embarrassed whenever he left the house with his parents. Now, he knew that all his father wanted was to spend his precious off days without regrets. In his line of profession, every day on the field may be his last day in this world.


    "Really? That''s sweet¡­" Ming showed a thin smile. The attentive Yue Guang noticed that there was something up with the young man''s expression.


    He probed cautiously, "What about your parents?"


    The pale looking prince didn''t hide anything. He shook his head to indicate that his family wasn''t the same as Ming Yue Guang''s.


    "My parents were actually arranged to be married by my grandparents. They both came from traditional Chinese families and were forced to be together by their parents."


    "Oh¡­" Immediately, Yue Guang knew that he went too far, "Sorry about that."


    "No, it''s fine." Ming shook his head smilingly, "In the first year of their marriage, they were extremely unhappy being together. Both my parents worked 9 to 5 jobs and so, they never really had the time to get to know each other. It was only when they had me, did their life changed for the better."


    Ming remembered clearly, "My mother said this to me when I was seven. ''Ming, you are the blessing that mom and dad needed.'' Of course, I didn''t understand that statement when I was young. Only when I was older did I realised that I was essentially the first common factor in my mother and father''s lives. It was something that both of them shared and loved together. It was probably why they had my four other siblings."


    Yue Guang could see that Ming was genuinely happy for his parents. In Ming''s heart, he was glad that he was able to bring joy to his parent''s life. Then again, he suffered much in the years that his siblings were around. He was unable to receive the proper amount of attention from his parents, which resulted in a lot of pent up emotions and stress. It even almost killed the young man entirely.


    Ming looked over at the attentive senior that was listening to his family''s story. Never had he thought that he would be sharing something too personal with someone that he had only met for the second time? In typical Ming fashion, the boy would be reserved and worried that the other person is untrustworthy or up-to-no-good. Yet, towards the 23-year old that saved his life and had pulled him out of his lowest point, he was unrestrained and expressive. He was even more open about himself than when he was around his best friend, Sato. To Ming, there was really nothing to hide from Ming Yue Guang. It was liberating to the core and ther.a.p.eutic for the year two student.


    "You know, you look really handsome when you smile." Ming Yue Guang said to the smiley Ming.


    "H..Huh?" Confused, Ming looked away with a blush on his pale cheeks. His heart beated a little quicker after hearing what Yue Guang had said.


    "Oh, here we are." The two Mings stood outside a storehouse restaurant a kilometre away from the university. From its oriental store design, anyone could tell that the food was of Chinese origin. Yue Guang asked, "You''re okay with spicy food right?"

 Chapter 156 - A Hot HOT Meal Together 1

    "Oh, here we are." The two Mings stood outside a storehouse restaurant a kilometer away from the university. From its oriental store design, anyone could tell that the food was of Chinese origin. Yue Guang asked, "You''re okay with spicy food right?"


    "Yeah, I can eat spicy food just fine," Ming answered.


    "Just fine eh?" Hearing Ming''s reply, Yue Guang smirked.


    "What''s up with that facial expression of yours?"


    "Nothing much," Yue Guang changed the topic, "Let us head into the restaurant."


    Inside the storehouse, it was as expected. The restaurant was designed with a Sichuan style layout with wooden tables and stools. Lanterns hung across the wooden ceilings and there was an old lady sitting at the cashier counter at the front of the restaurant.


    "Welcome back little boy." The old lady spoke in Chinese to Ming Yue Guang.


    "Hello, Popo. I brought my friend with me this time." Ming Yue Guang replied back in Chinese. Popo was the Chinese term for grandma. It wasn''t that Yue Guang was actually addressing his real grandma, but was more of him being extremely close with the old lady.


    Ming understood Chinese as his family had forced him to take Chinese language lessons all the way till high school. He greeted the grandma respectfully before following Yue Guang to his usual seat. That day, there were many customers already having their meal. Yue Guang lead Ming upstairs. Right in front of the steps was a closed wooden door that Yue Guang opened and walked through. It was as if the boy had been here a thousand times and was fully familiar with the entire restaurant.


    When the pair walked through the door, they were on the balcony that overlooked the dark night skies. Above them were small little LED lights that lit up the balcony nicely.


    "Is this place typically available for guests to sit?" Ming realized that all of the top and bottom floor was taken by other people, only this table wasn''t taken.


    "Yeah, in the summer the table is open for customers to sit. However, it is so cold now that no one in the right mind would sit outside."


    "But we are sitting outside¡­" Ming knitted his eyebrows when hearing Yue Guang''s explanation.


    "Hahaha! It''s fine! I''ll just ask the Da Jie to bring out the portable heater for us." Yue Guang shouted out for Da Jie (AKA big sister in Chinese), who was the lady boss of the restaurant. When Yue Guang had called for her, a lady looking like she was in her early thirties appeared by the door. Her face looked extremely angry as she stormed towards Ming Yue Guang.


    "Did you just shout for me! Why do you sound so disrespectful ah?" The Da Jie pulled and pinched Yue Guang''s face angrily. When she turned her head around, she realized that there was a guest, she immediately toned down her attitude and greeted Ming, "Oh there was a guest here. Nice to meet you. You must be this little runt''s friend."


    "Ah haha. Yes, it is nice to meet you Da Jie. M..My name is Li Ming." Ming broke out a cold sweat after seeing how the Da Jie had treated his loud friend. He greeted her back even though he was scared of her.


    "Well, any friend of this little runt is a welcomed guest in my restaurant." The Da Jie smiled brightly in front of Ming. When she turns her head to look at Yue Guang, her expression changes into that of a devil. "What do you want to order? The usual?"


    "Yes please, Da Jie." Ming Yue Guang replied politely. His hand is still rubbing the spot of his face that the Da Jie had pinched and pulled.


    "Ah? Are you sure your friend over here will be able to eat your order?" The Da Jie question with a slightly shocked look.


    "Yes, yes. Can we please have more meat?"


    "Ya lah. Ya lah." The lady boss walked back into the warm storehouse, "The two of you can carry on talking."


    When she left, Ming turned to Yue Guang and asked suspiciously, "From what I can tell, it seems like you have ordered something very surprising."


    "What do you mean by that?" With cute innocent eyes, the older student tried to play it off.


    "Ah whatever¡­" Ming couldn''t be bothered to try questioning further. The boy was far too playful for him to get anything out of him. Rather, he asked something else.


    "Do you come to this restaurant very often?"


    "Nowadays, not really. I have been busy with exams and internsh.i.p.s. Back in last year, I used to come and eat in the restaurant every month." Yue Guang talked about his experiences in the restaurant. "However, I have known and frequented this restaurant ever since I was 14?"


    "You''ve come here since you were a teen?"


    "Yeah, haha. The story is actually interesting.." Ming Yue Guang went ahead to tell the young man the day that he first came to know about this restaurant.


    Back then and even till this day, Ming Yue Guang''s home was a bus stop away from the University Campus. The Middle School that Yue Guang attended was also around the University too. He would always walk past the restaurant as the bus stop was right beside the storehouse.


    One day, Yue Guang was extremely hungry as he had skipped his lunch because he had forgotten to bring his allowance to school that day. While walking to the bus stop, the boy smells the same delicious and addictive smell wafting from the Chinese restaurant. Unable to control himself, he stood by the entrance and started to take big sniffs of the aroma. It didn''t take long for the old grandma to spot a random little boy by the entrance.

 Chapter 157 - A Hot HOT Meal Together 2

    "Ay, what are you doing little boy?" The grandma asked in Chinese, obviously not knowing whether Yue Guang would understand.


    "I''m sorry. The smell from the restaurant is very addictive. I couldn''t stop myself." Luckily enough, Yue Guang knew how to speak the language. He apologises while wiping the drool on the corner of his mouth. His parents taught the boy to always be respectful to others and especially, the elderly.


    "If you like the smell so much, why not come in and have a meal." The grandma smiled kindly. She was very happy to see a little boy that knows how to speak Chinese.


    "I..I do not have any money on me¡­" The little boy admitted. His head drooped down.


    "I''m not asking you to pay lah. Grandma will treat you this meal."


    "Really?!" In an instant, Yue Guang looked up with sparkly eyes. Without thinking, he accepted the offer.


    "Ya lah. Come in and take a seat here."


    After leading the boy over to an empty table and chair, Grandma hollered out, "Lady boss! Could you ask the chef to prepare a Mala Tang set for this little boy!"


    "Huh? What boy?" Coming out of the kitchen was the same Da Jie that Ming Yue Guang had called earlier. If she were to compare her looks from the past until the present, it could be said that her looks had barely changed. It was as if she had done witchcraft on herself to let her retain her youth.


    "This poor little boy was standing outside and looking in at the restaurant. He looked like a poor thing, so I will help buy him a meal." The kind grandma explained the situation. The pair of females stood far enough so that Yue Guang couldn''t hear what they were saying.


    "What? How can you that for this stranger boy?" The Da Jie shook her head adamantly. She turned to look at Ming Yue Guang who had twinkling eyes that were long anticipating his meal. When she said that, her heart wavered a little too, but she went back to her usual self. She walked up to the 14-year-old as she spoke her terms to Yue Guang in English.


    "Ah little runt, sorry but there is no such thing as a free meal in this world. If you want to eat here, you need to have money." When the Da Jie spoke about money, Yue Guang''s eyes dimmed down.


    "However, if you promise to help wash some dishes in the restaurant, I will provide you this meal as a fair exchange." Hearing the other option, Yue Guang''s eyes lit up once again.


    "I will help to wash the dishes! I promise!" He replied enthusiastically.


    "Okay, good." The Da Jie smiled, knowing that she received something out of this. Going inside the kitchen, she asked the chef to whip up a Mala Tang set for the little teen.


    When the food was ready, she brought it out for Yue Guang to eat. Without seconds of the dish with the hot Mala soup being placed on the table, the teenager had picked up his chopsticks and spoon. He had taken a piece of marinated meat that was simmered in the mala soup and placed it on the spoonful of white rice. With a big open mouth, Yue Guang devoured the spoon. The meat came in contact with his tongue. The first thing that came to his mind was, "Delicious!"


    After the first addictive bite, Ming Yue Guang went back for more and more. Eventually, there was another thought in his head. How come his tongue felt numb? Not only that, there was a growing feeling of¡­


    "Spicy!!!" Ming Yue Guang exclaimed. His eyes darted around looking for the most precious commodity at the moment. Water.


    Seeing how funny the teenager was, the Da Jie, who was witnessing the whole scene unfold before her, laughed out loud. The grandma knew what she had done and had immediately gotten the boy a glass of water.


    "You asked the chef to make it very spicy didn''t you?" The Grandma looked at her playful lady boss.


    "Not really. I only asked him to make it medium spicy. It seems like this little runt can''t even take such a low level of spiciness." The Da Jie explained herself to Grandma.


    "Who says I cannot eat spicy!" Yue Guang heard what the Da Jie said and was offended by her words. Looking down at the bowl of Mala soup, he took a big gulp of saliva before diving back into the addictive and yet, painful meal.


    With every bite, Yue Guang was stuck between feeling pain and feeling satisfied by the taste. It was this addictive feeling that kept him wanting more. He didn''t stop eating until the entire dish was emptied out. The young teen was sweating profusely by the end of it. The lady boss couldn''t help but laugh once again. Ming Yue Guang looked like he had run a full marathon under the hot sun.


    "So what do you think of my restaurant Mala Tang?" The Da Jie asked the little boy.


    "I think.." Ming Yue Guang took another big gulp of water before continuing his sentence, "That it is extremely delicious!"


    "Is it too spicy for you?"


    "No!" The boy retorted.


    "Really?"


    "Yes!"


    "Can you go for a high spicy level then?"


    "I¡­" Yue Guang didn''t know how to reply to that. He knew it was a trap, but if he didn''t reply, it would be implying that he was incapable of eating spicy food.


    "Enough lah¡­ Stop teasing the little boy." The grandma intervened between the two of them.


    "You promised to help wash up some dishes right? Head to the back and you can begin immediately." The lady boss instructed the youth.


    "Okay." Disgruntled, Yue Guang still followed through with his promise.


    From that day on, Ming Yue Guang decided to come often after school to challenge the spicy level of the Mala Tang in the restaurant. He wouldn''t have to pay for it. Rather, he would wash the dishes as payment. Many years have passed and Ming Yue Guang''s spicy palate had obviously evolved over time.

 Chapter 158 - A Hot HOT Meal Together 3

    "That sounds like a lot of fun," Ming smiled after hearing the story. He also realised what was about to happen to him, based on the information that he could obtain from the story.


    "We are about to eat something very spicy, aren''t we?" Ming asked apprehensively.


    "What do you mean? Hehe." Ming Yue Guang feinted ignorance. "We are just having their famous Mala Tang set."


    "¡­"


    "Besides, you did say that you could handle spicy food."


    "Judging from what you told me, the spicy level wasn''t exactly what I was expecting."


    "Well, we shall see." Soon after Yue Guang had said that the waiter had brought out the portable heater for the boys. A large bowl of Mala Tang was served for the pair. Inside the red, oily, piping hot broth, were two big portions of meat given to them courtesy of the Da Jie. A strong spice aroma lingered and tickled Ming''s nose. Before, Ming could tell just from walking up the steps of the restaurant that the Mala soup speciality was no joke. Having the dish in front of him further reassured his claims.


    "Let''s dig in." Ming Yue Guang did not stand on ceremony and proceeded to scoop out a hot bowl of broth and meat. As he stirred the pot, a huge wave of vapour escaped from the layer of hot oil. The vapour soon entered Ming''s nose, to which he could feel his hair standing up throughout his body. The smell of the dried chilli used to boil in the Mala Tang was simply overwhelming.


    Ming picks up a small piece of meat from the big pot. He looked at the senior student sitting in front of him. Yue Guang looked more than ready to eat. Ming asked worriedly, "Are you sure this will not kill me?"


    "No, no. I''m sure you can handle it." Ming Yue Guang takes a big mouthful of meat and rice. His eyes closed, fully enjoying his meal just with his mouth. "Mmm¡­"


    While Yue Guang ate his food deliciously, Ming watched the young man eat. The way his saviour ate the food really resembled Sato. There was an inexplicable joy in these people when it came to eating delicious food. Ming wasn''t one to indulge himself in good food. He usually ate to get over hunger. Just watching Ming Yue Guang devour his entire bowl of Mala Tang meat made the young man gulp down his saliva. He wanted to try it out now.


    As soon as Ming place the meat in his mouth, a tsunami of umami and spice explodes throughout his mouth. A numbing feeling wraps around his tongue, incapacitating his sense of taste. There was only one feeling that he could process in his head there and then. He exclaimed, wide-eyed, "It''s so spicy! *coughs*"


    "Hahaha! Do you like it?" Yue Guang asked curiously. He was already sweating from the heat radiating from the chilli spice.


    "No! How do you even eat something this spicy? *Cough*" Ming took the glass of water and gulped it down quickly. There was still a weird feeling of numbness and the spiciness did not wane after drinking water.


    "I suggest you eat quickly and just focus on the taste of the food. The spiciness does not get better over time, Hahaha!" Yue Guang advised as he devoured his food, going back for another serving of meat and broth.


    "Fine!" The pale prince could only accept his fate. The saving about all of this was that the Mala Tang was actually tasty. There was also an addictive feeling that lingered in the back of Ming''s head. It was whispering to him, asking him to go back for more.


    With every additional bite, another strong wave of flavour and pain runs over Ming. He followed suit of Yue Guang and continued to eat the meat with rice. His head was soon covered in sweat, actual sweat. Who would''ve thought that he would be sweating out in the cold weather in December? Even the heater under the table felt excessive. Ming Yue Guang had even taken off his jacket to enjoy his meal in close to zero degrees weather.


    By the end of the meal, Ming was absolutely stuffed. He had drunk a whole jug of water by himself, while Yue Guang stayed strong and had only drunk his cup of water when finished with the food. The second-year student looked as if his soul had exited his body from the constant rush of pain, while the final year student looked energetic as ever and was ready to run a whole marathon.


    "So, how did you like the food?" Ming Yue Guang grinned while asking.


    "I hate you." Exhausted, Ming forced out the three words from his mouth.


    "Hahaha! You seem to be in a lot of pain."


    "What do you think.." While Ming laid his arm and head on the table, Ming Yue Guang took out a piece of tissue from his bag and proceeded to clean off the sweat from Ming''s head.


    "Don''t sit in the cold with a whole head of sweat. You will fall sick." The sweet act from Yue Guang made Ming blush. He quickly took the tissue from Yue Guang''s hand and cleaned it himself.


    "Th..Thank you." Ming said.


    When the pair was ready, they headed downstairs where Ming Yue Guang paid for the meal as promised. He even purposely went ahead so that he could foot the bill before Ming came down.


    "Little boy, why haven''t you come to visit the restaurant recently?" The grandma by the entrance missed Ming Yue Guang''s presence. He used to come here often and would chat with her.


    "Sorry, Grandma. There were many things going on this past year. I could only make time in the past few days to come here." The little boy in grandma''s heart explained honestly. He enjoyed the company and food in this restaurant. Yet, internsh.i.p.s, examinations and lastly, his father''s passing had delayed his visits.

 Chapter 159 - A Hot HOT Meal Together 4

    "If you didn''t have the heart to come to visit us, just say so.. No need to put it like that." The Da Jie peeked out of the kitchen as he heard Ming Yue Guang paying by the cashier.


    "It''s really not like that Da Jie. I really had no time!"


    "Ya lah, ya lah. Go back and study for your final exams. Don''t come back if you do not graduate with good grades." The Da Jie warned. From the way she spoke, anyone could tell that she was simply joking around with the little runt. She cared for him like he was her real brother.


    "I will not let your hopes down," Ming Yue Guang gave a smile to the older and younger lady before leaving the restaurant, "I''ll come back and visit another day."


    "Bye bye. Also, little Li Ming, do come back and visit for a less spicy meal next time." The Da Jie sent them off before winking at Ming. She could tell that the young man had suffered under the hands of the little runt.


    "Thank you," Ming bowed respectfully, before heading back to the University with Yue Guang.


    Standing outside the restaurant, the Da Jie had a loving smile hung on her face. "The little runt has really grown up after all these years. Right granny?"


    "Yes, indeed." Granny agreed with the lady boss.


    The two of them had watched Ming Yue Guang grow up. His personality hadn''t really changed over the years. Rather, his size had definitely gotten bigger and now, he was almost done with his schooling. To them, it was like he was their very own children and had watched him become an a.d.u.l.t.


    On the way back to the University, the two Mings walked along the pavement side by side. They continued conversing from where they had left off when they had entered the restaurant.


    "So are you going back home now? Or would you be studying in the library again?" Ming Yue Guang asked. His hands were hiding inside the pockets of his hoodie.


    Ming looked up at the starry night sky, before making a decision, "I''ll be pulling an all-nighter in the library today."


    "Hahaha! I expected that from you. Fine, fine.."


    "What are you going to do now?" Ming asked him back.


    "Mmm, what do you want me to do?" Yue Guang answered with another question.


    "Huh? Why would you ask me that?"


    "Well, do you want me to accompany you in the library or would you want like to study alone?"


    "Why are you asking me to choose though?"


    "Why shouldn''t I ask you to choose?"


    The both of them continued to answer each other with questions. A rather cute debate over nothing. In the end, Ming Yue Guang relented and answered his question, "Fine, I will stop disturbing you for now. I will walk with you to the school gate before heading home."


    "Alright," Ming laughed lightly. What an interesting fellow, he thought inwardly.


    The rest of the way, the pair didn''t really talk. They walked side by side, taking the cold chilly wind to the face together. There was an aura of comfort surrounding the pair. When they finally reached the gate and they had to part ways, there was a vague feeling of reluctance in the air.


    "Oh right," Ming Yue Guang took out his phone, realizing that he had almost forgotten something, "Could I get your number?"


    "No, you may not," Ming said jokingly, but still took the older boy''s phone and entered his phone number.


    "Hehe, thanks. I will bring you to eat Mala Tang again another day."


    "No! Next time I will order!" Ming retorted quickly.


    "Bye for now."


    "Bye."


    With a wave goodbye, the pair separated for the night. While walking back to the library, Ming''s phone vibrated. There was a mystery caller id giving him a call. Logically, there was only one person that could be calling him at that point.


    He answered, "Hello?"


    "Hey Ming." Not surprising at all, the caller was Yue Guang. "I forgot something."


    "What did you forget?" Ming tried to recall anything that Ming Yue Guang could''ve forgotten.


    "I forgot to say goodnight to you, so.. Goodnight Ming!" With that, the call ended and Ming stood still in the middle of the quiet school compound.


    "What a ridiculous fellow." Ming scoffed at the other Ming. In his heart, however, was a warm comforting feeling that he had not felt in a long time.


    In the library, Ming started to study once again. This time, his mind took a little while longer to get back in the zone. It wasn''t because of the mind-numbing and spicy dinner that resulted in him not being able to focus. Rather, the interactions with Ming Yue Guang today was one of the most fun and enjoyable time in his life. That warm and comfortable feeling lingered in his body throughout the night, keeping him all cozy in the library that had bad heating at night.


    After studying till seven in the morning, only then Ming feel a ripple of exhaustion spreading across his entire body. He had finished revising the entire syllabus for this semester. There was a lot more to do, but the scholar knew his boundaries. Studying any longer would just hurt his body further.


    Just then, Ming''s phone buzzed and lit up. The boy picked up his phone to check his notification. Low and behold, he had received a message 30 seconds ago from his cheeky senior.


    Ming Yue Guang texted, "Good morning, fellow Mingster. How was your overnight session in the library *Yawn Emoji*"


    "It was fine. *Smiling Emoji* How was your sleep?" Ming smiled while replying to Yue Guang. He had not texted anyone other than his family and Sato. Ming Yue Guang was the second person outside of his family.


    "Oh, it was alright. I wanted to sleep more but then I realized that you must not have eaten. So I bought breakfast for you." The next line did not come from the phone. It came from behind Ming.

 Chapter 160 - Soccer 1

    "Oh, it was alright. I wanted to sleep more but then I realized that you must not have eaten. So I bought breakfast for you."


    "Huh? What?!" Ming turned around and exclaimed with a surprised look on his face. Luckily it was still early in the morning and it was the holiday period now. If not, there would still be a bunch of crazy people like Ming that would study overnight in the library.


    "You look as if you had seen a ghost." Ming Yue Guang laughed.


    "Why did you come to school for?"


    "I told you before," Raising a plastic bag that contained a plastic container, Yue Guang replied, "I bought you breakfast."


    "You didn''t have to do that for me."


    "I didn''t have to, but I wanted to. Come on. Eat up." With a carefree attitude, Ming Yue Guang sat down in his seat from yesterday and opened up the breakfast that he had bought for Ming and himself. Inside the plastic container was a simple Asian noodle dish that contained minced meat, some fishballs, and fish cakes. "I bought us fishball noodles from my favorite breakfast stall."


    "But why are we eating here? Isn''t it not allowed?"


    "Well looking around, I do not see anyone. Even the librarian is taking a sweet nap by the counter. Let''s just eat secretly alright?" Ming Yue Guang stuck his tongue out playfully.


    As the older student dug into his meal, wolfing down the noodles deliciously, Ming continued to sit there with his chopsticks. In his heart, a sprout of doubt grew. The young man knew that he needed an answer now. If not, it may come and hurt him in the future.


    "Hey Yue Guang," He asked in a lowered tone.


    "Yeah," There were noodles in Yue Guang''s mouth. He looked up while chewing.


    "What is the motive behind you doing all of this for me?"


    "Motive?"


    "Yeah¡­" Ming bit his lower lip. Unwilling, he continued to speak, "Why are you being so nice and friendly to me? Are you doing this to mock me?"


    Ming Yue Guang knew that something wasn''t right. Swallowing his food quickly, he clarified, "No. I am not doing this to mock you, Ming. In fact, why would you ever think that?"


    "I¡­ I have been hurt before once in the past and I do not want that to happen again."


    "Would you share it with me?" With a serious look, Ming Yue Guang asked sincerely.


    Ming continued to bite his lower lip. Not knowing what to do, the pair of them sat there in silence. The noodles were getting cold over time.


    "It is okay if you do not want to tell me. However," Yue Guang stood up and reached across to pat Ming''s shoulder, "I am serious when I say that I am not playing with your feelings. I enjoy your company and if I have been intruding too much into your private space, I will respect your boundaries."


    Ming tilted his head up and looked into Ming Yue Guang''s hazel colored eyes. There was an aura of genuineness exuding Yue Guang''s words. It made Ming blush in embarrassment as he nodded in assurance.


    "Ah, the noodles have gotten cold. Quick eat, Ming. When it is cold and stiff, the food isn''t very nice." Ming Yue Guang knew that his words had gotten through to the boy. Whatever the reason for Ming to doubt him, he knew that it was gone now.


    "Okay," Picking up his chopsticks again, Ming ate a mouth. His eyes widen in surprise. The flavor was spectacular and the fishball was soft but bouncy. "This is delicious. Thank you for bringing me breakfast."


    "I''m glad you like it. If you enjoy it, I can tell you where it is. It is just a bus stop away from the campus."


    "How much is it?" Ming asked casually. In his heart, he was actually trying to get to know the price so that he could pay Yue Guang back for breakfast.


    Ming Yue Guang bit on the bait and did not know Ming''s motive, "It was 3 dollars for this big bowl of noodles."


    "Oh, it''s not that bad."


    "Yeah hehe. I''m pretty good at finding food spots right?" Yue Guang grinned. The two conversed while having their breakfast. Just as Yue Guang went to wash his hand, Ming slid a 10 dollar note into his jacket pocket. Acting like nothing had happened, he went back to his seat with a smile.


    When he got back, Yue Guang did not notice anything different. Instead, he asked Ming, "So, are you feeling tired?"


    "After eating breakfast, my fatigue seemed to have gone away."


    "Do you wanna go somewhere with me then?" Yue Guang proposed.


    "Where to?"


    "To the Sports Park. I was planning to go there after breakfast and thought that I should ask if you would like to go with me."


    "Are you going to be playing some sports there later?"


    "No and yes. I''m a little soccer league coach and my team of children will be playing their last friendly match before winter break."


    "A children''s soccer coach?"


    "Haha yeah. I played soccer back in elementary school and all the way up to University. My old head coach from high school has bad health and asked me to help him coach the children on the weekends. I guess I couldn''t say no as I have him to thank for getting me a scholarship into University Z."


    "That''s interesting. I didn''t know you play soccer?"


    "Yeah, I wouldn''t say that I am very good at soccer, but I was more of a semi-professional."


    "Semi-professional?" Ming was confused.


    "Yeah. I was in the Under.-.1.8 National Soccer Team for Country Z."


    "The National team? That is very impressive."


    "Thanks," Ming Yue Guang smiled, "I have to thank the Head Coach for giving me that opportunity during high school. So, would you like to watch the children''s last game with me?"

 Chapter 161 - Soccer 2

    "Mmm, alright. I need to digest my food anyways before I head back to the dormitory to take a nap." Ming accepted his invite. In his heart, he was curious to watch Ming Yue Guang coach little kids anyways.


    "Perfect. let us set off now." With a grin, Yue Guang gestured for Ming to follow him.


    The pair took the bus and headed off to the Sports Park.


    When they reached, Ming Yue Guang was already on the soccer pitch awaiting the arrival of his little juniors. He had been training them diligently for the past 6 months and today was the last game before his Head Coach comes back from his operation. It was a sad day for the children as seen from their faces.


    There is a saying that children are not born liars. It was evident that they were rather down and sad that Yue Guang would be leaving their side soon. Ever since the University student had joined their little league team as a coach, the practice sessions and drills were all filled with fun and laughter. Ming Yue Guang would try his best to interact with the children and make sure that everyone was cared for and included in every training. It wasn''t that the previous old coach was bad but more that the coach was in charge of multiple teams and wasn''t able to give his full attention to the children.


    "Coach Ming, can you please not go?" A little boy who had a cute bald head asked in a depressed tone. His nickname on the soccer team was Monkey. Usually, he was as playful and loud as a monkey, yet today, the boy wasn''t being himself. Many of the children here were the same as Monkey. They were all unwilling to part with their young coach.


    "Guys come on¡­" Ming Yue Guang looked at the group of children that had lost their spirit. They looked like they had lost the Little Leagues tournament. The young coach had to do something to bolster their morale. "It is not like I will be gone forever. Even when the old coach is back, I promise I will come back to visit, okay?"


    "But that is not the same anymore." One of the children complained.


    "Yeah, I know it is not the same. However, didn''t you boys say that you wanted to become like coach?"


    "Yes.." All of the children here aspired to become like Ming Yue Guang. They had seen his skills before and had tried to challenge him in a soccer 1 vs 1. Obviously, Yue Guang triumphed over them all.


    "Then do you remember what is the coach''s most important virtue?"


    "Honesty." Everyone said together in a low tone.


    "I can''t hear you!"


    "Honesty!!!"


    "Since you know that, has coach ever lie to you?"


    "No!"


    "Then why are all of you guys so unhappy?" Ming Yue Guang gave off a warm loving smile, "I already promised that I will come back to visit, didn''t I? Not only that, this being my last game, would you like to send me off with a smile or a frown?"


    "Smile!"


    "Then turn that frown upside down and head onto the field to do some warmup!" With quick wits and thinking, Ming Yue Guang was able to rally together the children and got them all hyped up for the match. Their frowns disappeared and they were more or less behaving like their usual selves."


    Ming had been watching the whole scene unfold before his eyes. His eyes never left Ming Yue Guang. There was a sort of magnetism in his voice that kept Ming attracted. The way he treated the children was extremely honest and real. There wasn''t any sugar coating. When Ming Yue Guang came back to the stands to drink water, he noticed that Ming''s gaze never really left him.


    "You saw everything that happened just now, didn''t you?" Yue Guang asked.


    "Yes. I can see that the children really love you."


    "Haha, really? I''m sure any coach would be able to attain their love if they put in more time and effort into getting to know them."


    "Maybe. Maybe not. You were the coach that gained their respect and gaining respect from children is already one of the biggest compliments anyone can attain." Ming watched as the little boys kick the balls from one side of the half-court field to the other.


    "Thank you for that comment, Ming. I just see myself in these children and would think to myself what would I have wanted as a kid." After drinking water, Ming Yue Guang ran off onto the field, "Hey, I''ll be leading the warm-up for 15 minutes. So you can just sit in the stands and wait for me to return."


    "Alright." Ming smiled and nodded. After the warmup, Ming Yue Guang blew his whistle to gather the children up. There were passion and vigor in his gestures. The aura of an inspiring leader. All of the children gave their undivided attention as they listened to his strategies and who would be playing in the first half of the game.


    When the match was about to start, the children who were not playing and Ming Yue Guang left the field, while the rest of the little league players were in position for the game. The referee blew his whistle and the match begin. Watching from the sidelines, Ming realized that he was the only one sitting down on the bench.


    All the children were standing up and screaming their lungs out, cheering for their soccer mates. On the other hand, Ming Yue Guang was gesturing and shouting out instructions for the players on the field. Only now did Ming realize that being a coach was just as tiring as being on the soccer field as a player. It was interesting to see Yue Guang run up and down by the sidelines so that the children could hear and understand his instructions clearly.


    "Guys¡­ There is no need to cry. Come here." With open arms, the children flocked into Yue Guang''s embrace. Ming watched as the big brother comforted all of his little brothers. Eventually, the crying had infected other children and even Yue Guang couldn''t help, but tear up a little. It was an emotional morning. On the way over to the Sports Park, Yue Guang had purchased a box of Jelly drinks for the children to drink on the way home. With one last sweet goodbye, Ming Yue Guang left the Little Leagues team. The young man came in as a coach but left as a big brother.

 Chapter 162 - Soccer 3

    "Sorry that you had to watch such an embarrassing scene." Till now, as they were leaving the Sports Park, Ming Yue Guang''s eyes were still red. He wasn''t planning to cry today and yet, he wasn''t able to control his emotions.


    "There is no need to apologize. It wasn''t embarrassing at all." Ming took out a tissue from his bag for his senior, "Here use it."


    "Thank you." Ming Yue Guang accepted it and used it to wipe his tears. He asked the other Ming, "Would you like to hear a story on the way back to University?"


    "A story about?"


    "A story about me," Ming Yue Guang looked forward as he walked together with Ming to the bus stop. "A story about soccer."


    "I have told you before that my father was a soldier and he was never really around in my life for the most part. For my birthday, he would normally buy me books from the different countries that he traveled to for his missions. However, that all started when I was 7. At age 6, my present from him was actually a soccer ball. It all started on that fateful day when my father and I had watched a soccer game together on television. I must''ve been extremely excited that day as my father had gotten me a soccer ball for my birthday."


    "And so, when I entered elementary school, I immediately joined the school''s soccer team. I was driven and ready to play the game. Sadly, things weren''t as easy as they seemed. I wasn''t very gifted with my legs and I would always fumble around with the ball. My coach at that time wasn''t the nicest of guys and would only favor the better players. I sat on the bench for the most part of my first and second year in elementary school. My passion for the ball slowly died down too."


    "It was around this period when my mother found out that I wasn''t really enjoying soccer and had informed my father who was back in the country from work. My father taught me many things on how to be a righteous and honest person. The other thing that he taught me a lot was to never give up. I still remember the day when I said I wanted to quit. He said to me, ''Giving up was for the weak-minded and perseverance will lead to success.'' That saying stuck with me from that day on."


    "That year when he was home, he would bring me downstairs our apartment and we would start practicing drills together. He had purchased cones for me to dribble around and got me training equipment to improve my dexterity. When my legs were sore, he would help massage my legs and apply ointment for me. I didn''t want to disappoint my father''s expectations of me and so, even after he left again for his job, I continued to persevere. In school, I would train silently and not care about the looks in other people''s eyes. At home, I would bring my equipment down and start training until my mother had to drag me upstairs to shower and have dinner." Ming Yue Guang smiled at the thought of his past.


    "Eventually¡­ Eventually, in my last year of Elementary school, I was drafted into the soccer team. I got lucky that day because the person I was substituting for was sick that day. I got to go on the field for the first time in six years. Six years! I was ecstatic! Overjoyed! I wanted to tell my father about this, but he wasn''t home yet at that point. On the day of the competition, I played and to no surprise, I still wasn''t good enough. Haha¡­"


    "You still weren''t good enough?" Ming was shocked by Yue Guang''s story.


    "Yeah. I wasn''t good enough and on my debut competition, I even almost let in an own goal, to which the coach wanted to gouge his eyes when watching my performance. At no point in time was I able to defend well enough as the team''s defender. My physique when I was young was, to be fair, smaller than average. I was pushed and shoved away by the bigger boys. No matter how good my dribbling skills were, my strength was not enough in the end."


    "But! It did turn for the better in middle school. At the age of 13, my body had started to go through a growth spurt and my height had spiked by a whole head. I was taller than most guys in my class and I started to eat more food. With that in mind, I tried for the school''s soccer team once again. And to my surprise, I made it into our school''s first team without any difficulty. I had practiced the basic skills my entire childhood that when I went into my teenage years, everything was muscle memory. It turned out I was more suited to be a Midfielder as my stamina was great and my spatial awareness, coupled with my height was suitable for aiding both defensive and offensive maneuvers."


    "So you became good alongside growing up?" Ming asked.


    "Yes. That seemed to be the limiting factor and my father knew about it all along. He had hinted at it when I was young, but obviously, a child doesn''t know better. And so, he simply said that I just needed more practice. When I went to high school, I entered the top school for soccer in Country Z and it was there the Old coach that I talked about before scouted me. He asked for me to join the Under.-.1.8 national team, to which I agreed. Soccer was genuinely a fun sport for me and being good at it was just a perk."


    "And so, as I was finishing up high school, my grades wasn''t exactly the best as I spent a lot of time practicing for competitions and mostly, for a lack of a better word, I was lazy to study. There was one university course that I really wanted to get into and that was International Studies. My father would always buy me books from different parts of the world and the literature from the different countries was very enriching. Sadly, my grades weren''t good enough to enroll in the course. The old coach had helped me out big time by writing a letter of recommendation into University Z and with that, I was able to enter the course under discretionary admission. From that point on, my soccer dreams slowly wained away and now, I am taking my Masters in International Relations."

 Chapter 163 - Soccer 4

    "But why did you stop pursuing soccer? Was it no longer something you love?" As Ming spoke about the university, he realized something was missing in the story. He only realized he was being too inquisitive after he had said it. "Sorry if I had asked too much."


    "Well, the answer to that question is a no and a yes. I do love soccer till this very day," Looking at Ming Yue Guang''s face, Ming noticed that there was pain hidden behind his senior as he spoke, "The reason why I had to stop playing soccer in University was that in my first year of university, I was actually inflicted with a severe injury on my knee. My ACL, also known as anterior cruciate ligament had ruptured when a player had slide tackled my leg during a match."


    Ming Yue Guang sat by the bus stop seats. He raised up his long pants to reveal up to his left knee where there was a long thin scar that spanned his entire knee. When Ming saw the scar, the boy''s eyes quivered as he realized why his senior wasn''t playing anymore, "I''m sorry to hear that¡­"


    "Haha, it''s fine. There''s no need to feel sorry for me." Ming Yue Guang patted his junior''s shoulder. "After the surgery and a year of rehab, I have more or less recovered all movement in my left leg. There is just a shadow that looms behind me now whenever I play soccer."


    The talented young man had developed a fear of soccer now. No matter how much he loved soccer, he could still remember the days when he wasn''t able to walk properly and had to make use of crutches to get around places. In his heart, he no longer dares to get on the field again professionally.


    "It was probably why the Old Coach had asked of me to coach the little children for him while he went for his surgery. He was probably hoping that I would get over my fear slowly as I coach soccer. Sadly, I still think it is for the best that I never overcome my fear."


    "Why do you think that?"


    "Hmm¡­" Yue Guang''s arms were placed behind the backrest as he watched the cars drive by, "You should know this well enough, the fear of letting people down. Anything that we humans do, there will always be expectations from others. The expectations may come from your parents, your peers, your teachers, your juniors. These are all external expectations that bring along external pressure. Right now, for me, going back to soccer once again would be about a tidal wave of pressure and expectations."


    Ming Yue Guang looked at the young man sitting beside him. Talking with Ming yesterday and today, made him realize that having a companion to share these with had helped him relieve some of the burden sitting on his shoulders. Yue Guang spoke from the heart, "Ming, I''m scared of letting down everyone around me."


    "Why should you be scared of these things, Yue Guang?" Ming looked into the fearful and worried man''s eyes. "Why should others'' expectations define who you are as a person? You are you and they are they."


    "You giving up on soccer would have nothing to do with those people''s expectations. You give up on soccer would be on YOU. You get to govern and dictate how you want to live your life. If you love soccer, why should other people''s opinions matter? If you said that you are fearful of letting yourself down, the steps you should take moving forward would be different. For your case, Yue Guang, do you have doubts about yourself?"


    "No, I do not doubt myself." Ming Yue Guang replied without hesitation. For his whole student life, he had practiced soccer non-stop, without rest. His grades faltered, but his soccer skills had never failed him.


    "If so, why should you care about what others would think about you?" Hearing what Yue Guang had said, Ming smiled proudly. He knew that he had gotten through to his senior.


    Before Ming could even react properly, Ming Yue Guang had turned his body and given the young man and a tight embrace. "Thank you."


    Ming was shocked for a short moment. He raised his arms and reciprocated the hug. He was glad that he was able to help his savior out. "It is my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e."


    On the way back to the University campus, Ming Yue Guang gave his Old Coach a call. His heart had been resolved and reassured by Ming. He was ready. "Hello, coach?"


    "Hello, Little Guang. How did the last match go for the children?" The Old Coach spoke with a slightly raspy voice. It had become this way from the decades of shouting on the soccer field.


    "It went great, coach. They won the game 4 nil."


    "That''s good to hear."


    "I am actually calling to tell you about something else." Ming Yue Guang took a glance at the young man sitting beside him. He spoke smilingly and confidently, "I would like to try my luck again on the soccer field."


    "Wait¡­ What did you say?"


    "I would like to try my luck again on the soccer field!" Ming Yue Guang enunciated his words for his Old Coach.


    "What? Re..Really? You are not pulling this old man''s leg, right? You''re really going to come back?"


    "Yeah, I will come back and try out my new knee cap. No promises though on whether I will be able to perform well."


    "No, no that''s good enough! I''m glad that you would like to give soccer another try again! Hahahaha!" The old coach was so loud that Ming could hear him laugh over the phone. Anyone could see that the old man had been waiting for a long time for Ming Yue Guang to come back.

 Chapter 164 - The Snow Villa

    After the call, Ming and Ming Yue Guang separated at the University gate. Ming was planning to head back to the dormitory to take a nap. The all nighter was slowly settling in on him. Ming Yue Guang was going to head to find his Old Coach who had asked him out for tea.


    "I''ll text you to go out another time, alright?" Ming Yue Guang promised.


    "Alright," Ming nodded in agreement.


    "Rest well Ming."


    "Have a good tea session with your coach."


    ¡­


    Two thousand kilometres away from the two Mings, a couple was currently enjoying their holiday in Country J. Yesterday, they had landed in one of the snowier provinces in Country J, before taking a private coach bus further into the snowy mountains. Before while they were in Country Z, they decided to stay in a mountain snow resort for the holidays. The couple was none other than Sato and Gray.


    When Sato arrived at the resort, he was immediately awestruck by the beauty and layout of the place. The mountain snow resort was actually Gray''s idea and he wasn''t allowed to know anything. The resort was named The Snow Villa and was deemed as one of the top ten most beautiful resorts in the world.


    Just based on the resort''s reception area, a portion of the mountain had been carved out so as to allow for a glass dome to be installed and nestled into the hole, while the other half of it would be wrapped around the mountain side. The glass dome was made to absorb sunlight, providing natural warmth in the cold snowy setting. Not only that, the view from the dome was spectacular. Sato could see a sea of white spread across the neighbouring mountains. The pine trees were all coated in specks of snows all year around, allowing for tourists to enjoy the taintless view everyday.


    The resort offers two types of living, one being a twenty story building that had been built into the mountain side and two was the private terraces that were strategically plotted around the quieter side of the mountain. The price difference between the two was basically heaven and earth. Just the regular room in the building was already enough to make middle-income earners think twice.


    Gray being himself had managed to use his connections to book the best terrace available in the Snow Villa. When they had arrived, a troop of uniformed service attendants were waiting for Sato and Gray at the entrance. They were welcomed with champagne and finger foods to which both of them declined. The menial luggage bag was immediately taken care off by the many baggage porters. The couple did not have to check in regularly like the normal tourists. They were led down a special corridor that was completely encased in the earth of the mountain. The end of the corridor was an escalator that has a glass tube around it.


    When they reached the level for the Terrace houses, they had to take a private elevator this time as they had booked the most special house of them all. There was only one of it in the entire Villa and it had a 360 view around the entire mountain and its surrounding. It was namely the Sky House as it was taller than the clouds and would make visitors feel like they were the sky themselves.


    "Ding." The elevator lead directly up and into the boy''s vacation home. As they exit the elevator, they were welcome with an open concept design. The Sky House was more of a dome than a terrace so as to allow the visitor to get a view point from anywhere in the room. The living room had a modern and yet cosy feel. There was even a unique cylinder-shaped glass fireplace that opened up to the outside. The kitchen was also open concept and had plenty of cooking space that could fit six full chefs without feeling cramp. Only the bedrooms and toilets were in a more secluded and private location. That wasn''t the end of it. For the entire stay, Sato and Gray would be given access to a full array of butlers and maids to aid in their daily necessities and activities. If they wanted to go somewhere or eat something, the butlers and maids would be able to aid them in their requests. Of course, if they wanted privacy, they could be dismissed for a period of time.


    "Gray this is crazy¡­" Sato was shocked beyond belief. This was nothing like he had expected. Obviously he knew Gray''s personality. However, he wasn''t sure to what extent could one live lavishly. Never would he have thought that he would one day get to experience living in a glass dome on top of a snowy mountain in Country J.


    "Do you like it?" Gray walked up and wrapped his arm around Sato''s shoulder.


    "No I do not just like it. I love it!" Sato turned to look at his loving boyfriend. He planted a kiss onto Gray''s cheek. "Thank you for the surprise."


    "Anything for you, Sato. Let us get settled in."


    "Okay! I''m starving¡­"


    The pair was given a tablet that had a digital menu to choose from. It wasn''t actually needed as the hotel actually had a variety of international chefs that would allow them to pick whatever they wanted to eat. Obviously, if it was an extremely rare ingredient, the dish would have to be pre-booked beforehand. They settled for Kaiseki, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner.

 Chapter 165 - Mobile ROL 1

    Tired from the travelling, the pair took a shower and changed into more comfortable sleep wear as they were not planning to go out tonight. Sato dried his hair in the living room. The sun had already started to set as they made their way into their villa. Now, the outside was just pitch black and only the dome''s ceiling lights and fire place was providing light to the room.


    Sitting down on the sofa by the fireplace, Sato got comfortable. In his hands was a tablet. The tablet looked extremely futuristic, which was the main selling point of its company. It was designed by SYMBOL, the creator of the Mark phones. Back then Sato had the Mark 3 which was an older model. The company was already on the Mark X5 which was already the sixth phone produced by them. In Sato''s hand was their latest prototype, a futuristic glass tablet that looked like the Mark phone''s design. It was decided that the product name would be Gateway, symbolising the multifunction applications in the tablet.


    In the 22nd century, most homes have been converted into SMART homes. Everything in the house could now be controlled and adjusted with an electronic device. The Gateway is not only powerful in that sense, but it has the capabilities to analyse and study your daily life patterns. It has an inbuilt self learning Central Processing Unit that can adjust and automate your daily needs. The latest bionic chip installed in the Gateway is able to compete with the latest gaming computers, allowing for smooth application usage and gaming capabilities.


    The reason why Sato has the latest tablet was because SYMBOL was actually a subsidiary company under the Tobion Foundations. As such, the young man was given early release access to the newest prototype that was going to enter the market in 2101.


    With facial recognition paired to Sato''s face, the young man opened up the Gateway and clicked an app on the home page. The application did not have a logo and was just a black square. When the application loaded up, three big font words appeared on the glass. "Ray Or Light"


    Sato was about to beta test GamingPro''s latest creation, the mobile ROL. It may be counter intuitive for a virtual game to have a 2D counterpart after its 3D counterpart had launched on the market. Yet, after doing countless market research and receiving consumer feedback, the company found that the people wanted a way for them to play the game even while being on the go. As such, Marion and his team of programmers spent 6 months to create a 2D game that ,as best as it could, rival the virtual Ray Of Light. The portable game at the moment has an astoundingly large file size of 200GB that was currently, the largest game file ever to exist. To make matters worse, the current tablets doesn''t have a good enough spec to allow the mobile ROL to be played at its maximum capacity.


    It was due to this reason where Marion had given Gray a call to ask about the Gateway and it''s gaming specifications. Thankfully, the Gateway''s current processor and internal ch.i.p.s were the latest of its time and was able to support the gameplay. Marion then request for Gray to provide him with two of the tablets so that he could install the game for Sato and him to try. Of course, the boyfriend lover could not say no to giving Sato the game. He gladly sent it over to Marion, before receiving it back a day before they left for Country J.


    On the plane flight to Country J, Sato could wait no longer and started to try the game out. Obviously, the boy was ecstatic that he was able to try out the latest mobile version. When he opened the application, the game used the Gateway''s front camera to scan Sato''s face. It was similar to the Gamingpod and Gaming Helmet''s log in function. With that, the application derived from its data base that it was Sato and he was able to enter the Ray Of Light world.


    The gaming experience using the Gateway could be described in one word. Surreal. Although the game was made to be 2-dimensional, the graphics in the game was an exact replica of the virtual world. Players would not lose out if they were to play it on the tablet. The only difference would be the physical experience when playing the game. There is even a voice function that is similar to how the actual game works.


    Ever since the day when Sato participated in the war between the Human and Undead faction, he hasn''t actually been online as much. There was a follow-up mission ''Escorting The Dragoon Head'' that Gray and Sato accepted after their victory against the Human faction.


    *Escorting The Dragoon Head


    *Help to escort the Head of the Dragoon Family to the Tutachi Desert Plains in the west.


    *Failure to complete the mission will result in - 2 player''s level. Trust level will lower from Trusting to Despised. (This does not apply to races in the Neutral factions)


    Unfortunately, on the day of the escort, Sato and Gray had sparred in the house. Sato had been knocked out by Gray. This resulted in the pair missing out on the mission and had lost 2 levels. As they were part of the Neutral faction, their Trust level wasn''t affected at all.


    The days after that were slow and easy, Gray and Sato slowly grind experience and did miscellaneous tasks in the Elven camps. They didn''t really want to spend time doing a Main Quest as Sato had examinations in those coming weeks. Now, during the holidays, Sato and Gray were finally free and ready to continue with their mission.


    Sato had managed to gain back enough experience to reach level 30 once again. His pet, Whitie had reached level 20 too. In addition, with the help of the Dark Knights Guild and Gray, Sato received the current best Lv30 equipments and weapons for his use. As such, he had received an overall upgrade in his stats.

 Chapter 166 - Mobile ROL 2

    *Name : Dawnlore


    *Lv30 : 90000 / 200000


    *Race : Elf


    *Job Class : Elven Assassin


    *Strength : 60 (+30) (+10)


    *Agility : 70 (+80) (+10)


    *Intelligence : 10 (+0) (+10)


    *Stamina : 50 (+40) (+10)


    *Health : 1000 / 1000


    *Mana : 200 / 200


    *Active Skills:


    Battle Mark


    When damaging the opening using this skill, (deals 100% physical damage) the enemy will be marked by you for 5 seconds. You will be able to teleport to the marked location during this time frame. (costs 20 mana)


    Goes invisble, where enemies cannot see or detect you beyond a 5 metre radius. Last for 5 minutes, unless broken earlier. (Cooldown: 2 minutes)


    Blink


    Dashes 5 metres forward in an instant. Gain 1 second of immunity to damage. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)


    Assassinate


    Instantly kills enemies that is infront of you. Must be under 20% of maxinum health (Cooldown: NA)


    Knee Strike


    Knees the enemy, stunning them for 1-3 seconds (depending on how low the player is). Deal 100% physical damage.


    Incorporeal Spirit (Unique Class Skill)


    Transform your body into an ethereal spirit of nature from that will last for 1 minute. Everytime you kill an enemy, increase duration by 30 seconds.


    Gain active skills Twin Leaf Storm and Treant Summon. Gain passive skill Nature''s Barrier.


    Twin Leaf Tornado: Creates two vortexes that strikes opponents in two directions. Each vortex deals 150% damage. Has chance of critical strike.


    Treant Summon: Gives souls to trees for the duration of your transformation, making them into treants that are under your command. Max summon: 3 (increases with progression of level)


    Nature''s Barrier: Forms a shield around you that negates 50% of all damage. Lasts for the duration of your transformation.


    *Passive Skills:


    Night Hunter


    Visibility on your character decreases by 50% in the dark (authors note: eg. If you use stealth on the enemy at night, you are able to reach within a 2.5m distance before being detected instead of the normal 5m.)


    Breath Of The Wild


    You have ''Perfect'' affinity with wild animals/beasts. They will no longer see you as an enemy. Killing any animals/beasts will give you no experience.


    You are now able to tame beasts and make them into your combat pet. (Only 1 pet is allowed)


    Wind Runner


    On open field terrains, gain 50% extra Agility


    Bounty Hunter


    Whenever you kill another human (especially coloured names), you gain experience points. (the higher the level gap or depending on the intensity of the colour of their name, the greater the multiplier in exp) You also will not gain a ''coloured'' name when killing people.


    Backstab


    Whenever you attack an enemy from behind, you will have a 50% chance of critical strike


    Queen''s Blessings


    Gain +10 for all stats.


    Visibility of Obstacles and players at night increased by 100%. (Author''s note: Basically it becomes as clear as day to Sato.)


    Bow and Dagger Mastery


    Allows player to use two types of weapons, the bow and the dagger interchangeably. Can be switched during combat.


    *Pets:


    *Name: Whitie (Roaring Wind Tiger)


    *Lv20


    *Strength : 20


    *Agility : 90


    *Intelligence : 10


    *Health : 300 / 300


    *Mana : 100 / 100


    *Active Skills:


    Wind''s Wrath


    The tiger''s roar calls upon the wind to slice five sharp gales onto it''s enemies. Deals 100% physical damage to enemies.


    Intimidate


    Releasing its beastial aura, enemies would be frozen in place for 1-3 seconds (Depending on the level difference between the pet and the enemy)


    *Passive Skills:


    One With The Wind


    *Equipments:


    1000 Disguised Mask


    Wind Whisperer Set [5/5]


    Purple Serpent''s Fang (primary weapon)


    Meek Wood Bow (primary weapon)


    Arrows Of Resistance X100


    Sato smiled to himself while appreciating his stats. In his heart, he knew that his character was actually super strong. Even though his level was very low compared to average players, his Dark Elf job, coupled with his Queen''s Blessings, gave him stats that were equivalent to players in the lv50s. This would mean that Sato could only get stronger and stronger over time. Eventually, he may even reach the realms of the top players in the game.


    "Hehehe," Sato sniggering in a slightly perverted manner, caught the eyes of the chefs making dinner for the guest. In their heads, they were thinking Sato looked and sounded crazy.


    "What are you up to?" Gray came out of the room with a towel around his neck. The chefs immediately focused back on the ingredients in front of them, for fear that the man with the intimidating aura would notice them looking. When comparing the two guests in the room, Sato was like a meek and gentle dear, where as Gray was like a slumbering asura that could strike at any moment.


    "I was just admiring my character''s stats." Sato looked up and smiled at his boyfriend. Gray walked up and rubbed the boy''s damp hair.


    "Look at you," Gray removed the towel from his neck and placed one knee on the sofa. While standing up, he proceeded to help dry Sato''s hair. "You have not even dried your hair properly and you ran off to play games. What if you fall sick?"


    "No need to worry about that! I rarely fall sick in my entire life, hehe." Sato stuck his tongue out.


    "You still act like a little boy."


    "Only around you." Sato smiled innocently.


    The chefs that were cooking intently had perked their ears up to listen in on their conversation. Unfortunately, the kitchen was too far away to understand what the couple was saying. Goddamit! They could only curse in their hearts.


    "Aren''t you going to play?" Sato asked Gray who was now sitting beside him with his phone out.


    "I''ll join you after dinner. Let me finish reading some emails." Although Gray had left on a holiday with Sato, the man was still a Major General of Country Z and had big responsibilities.


    "Oh, if there are many things you still have do, there is no need for you to join me in the game."


    "No. I want to spend my night hanging out with you, not with some old men that only know how to demand things from me."


    "Hahaha, thank you Gray," Sato gave Gray a peck on the cheek and leaned on his broad shoulder. The young man was playing his video game and the older man was working hard while in the comfort of his loved one. The scene was extremely beautiful and tranquil, even for the bystanders in the room.


    Within 15 minutes, the entree was served and the couple started to eat their first official meal in Country J. Every time something enters Sato''s mouth, it brings about a certain type of joy that was only achievable when tasting good food.


    "Mmm.." Sato m.o.a.n.e.d softly.


    "Is it to your liking, sirs?" The head chef asked respectfully.


    "Yes, it is delicious." Sato answered.


    "Thank you for the praise. Then, I shall serve up the second dish now." Bringing to the table a small plate that presented a bowl of soup prettily, the head chef went about explaining the cooking process once again, "The next course is a soup dish, named Matsutake Suimono. It is cooked with seasonal matsutake mushrooms, tofu and mitsuba herbs in a clear dashi broth. The soup was slow-cooked since the morning in the restaurant downstairs, allowing the flavours to concentrate even further. Enjoy."


    Without a doubt, the flavours of the Matsutake Suimono were something out of the ordinary. The ingredients were fresh and the clear broth had a unique umami that was only achievable if cooked for a prolonged period of time. Sato finished up the soup quickly, while Gray took his time to eat cleanly.


    After, the couple was served a sashimi course, followed by a steamed food course, a grilled fish course, a hot dish course, a rice course with side dishes and lastly, a dessert course. For Sato, his most favourite dish was the dessert, Japanese Pear Compote. The nice contrast of richness from the coconut milk and sourness of the snow berries helped to bring out the fragrance and sweetness of the Japanese pear. It was an absolute killer where Sato had even requested second servings from the chef. Of course, the chefs could not decline the guest and proceeded to make another for him.


    Seeing Sato enjoy the meal made Gray extremely satisfied. He was sure that Sato had not tried a Kaiseki before and so, he made it a point to request it on their first day. He had secretly planned every meal out for his lover and wanted Sato to enjoy every bit of their holiday in Country J.


    When the couple was done with their meal, Gray had them dismissed from duty and now, the boys had the whole house to themselves. Sitting on the couch, Sato and Gray logged in on their respective tablets. It was the first time for Gray. He had watch Sato try out the mobile game on the private jet and knew what it was like. However, when he started walking around the world, Gray realised his best friend had really outdone himself this time. The Mobile ROL actually looked like an exact replica in terms of detail. In addition, the gameplay and movements wasn''t janky, even though the reaction time of the player would definitely not be able to compare to the virtual game.


    "It''s good right?" Sato smiled cheerily.


    "Yeah. Marion is quite the genius." Gray agreed.


    "He really is! I studied a little on game development in my first year and I know for a fact something like this requires a lot of knowledge on coding translations."


    Both of them moved around the open terrain and experienced the world together. As they couldn''t gain any experience killing beasts, Sato suggested, "Why not we go find some players to try out the PK (Player Killing) experience on the tablet?"


    "Sure," Gray agreed. Alongside his boyfriend, they travelled to the Human City, Juraj. Juraj was another Human dwelling city near the borders of the wild plains. It was the easiest place to reach for Gray and Sato as they were in the forest beside the city. The reason why they decided to head to Juraj was to make use of the Battle Coliseum. Almost every city in the Human and Undead faction has a Battle Coliseum. There, people could PK each other without having any death penalties and not incur a killer status on their heads.


    As the couple had the 1000 Disguised Mask, they were able to morph their faces and race into the Human kind. So long as they do not use abilities relating to the Elf race, no one would be able to tell.


    "Im going to sign up for myself. Would you like to sign up too?" Sato asked Gray as he signed his in-game name on the sign-up sheet. In the Coliseum, many people are able to compete at the same time as each PK round is done in an isolated space. The isolated space isn''t just a typical sparing platform. Rather, the battle would take place in a randomly generated terrain in the world of Ronan. In addition, there was a weekly ranking that displays players PK ranking based on their wins.


    There are two categories of PK rankings, the first being Under Lvl50 and the second being Above Lvl50. This was to allow equal playing grounds for players. If the player does not want to be involved in the PK rankings, they could simply host a casual PK. Players can even pay extra to host a private match so as to ward of spectators in their match.


    For Sato''s case, the boy had signed up using "Dawnlore", instead of using HappyBoy123. HappyBoy123 was already seen as part of the Undead Faction (since the alias was used during the faction war) and so, using his original name was fine. Regardless, Sato wanted to try the PK rankings even though he was only lvl30 which was a far cry from lvl50.

 Chapter 167 - PK Battle 1

    "Sign me up too." Gray followed along. It was definitely more fun to take part in PKs than to watch them. As he wasn''t as active as Sato and he had loss 2 levels from the failed mission, Gray remained at Lvl40.


    "Alright, hehe." Sato sniggered a little before registering for Gray under a different alias. Gray also couldn''t use his original name DK Seven as anyone would be able to associate him easily with the Number 5 guild in the world, The Dark Knights. "Here you go."


    Taking the slip of paper, Gray saw what the cheeky boy had changed his name to. On it wrote, "Dawnlore''s Biggest Fan".


    "I actually quite like this name," It seemed that the plan to tease Gray didn''t come to fruition for Sato. The young man pouted seeing that Gray actually liked the name. Gray proceeded pull Sato in closer to his c.h.e.s.t and gave him a kiss on his head. "I will like any name you come up for me."


    "That''s not fun!"


    "Why is it not fun?"


    "Well, I won''t be able to tease you anymore¡­" Sato crossed his arms, disappointed.


    "Why can''t you tease me?"


    "You won''t get angry at me.."


    "Then, would you prefer if I get angry at you?" Gray pinched the cute boy''s face.


    "No¡­" Sato puffed up his cheeks, "But you have to learn to throw tantrums sometimes too, okay?"


    "Okay, okay." Gray relented.


    The two of them didn''t have to wait long before the NPC inform Sato and Gray that they had found them an opponent to PK. They wished each other all the best before focusing on their screens.


    For Sato, the disguised Dark Elf had spawned in the PK Ground. Sadly for him, the terrain he had spawned in was a plains biome that only had trees in the outer periphery. From the beginning Sato knew that he was at a disadvantage. To make matters worse, zooming in on his tablet, Sato realised that he was up against a man dressed in a fiery red robe that had fire sparks flickering around his character. In his hand, there was a wooden staff that was burnt black. The ember on the staff had not even been extinguished which made the weapon look even more imposing. Looking at the person''s level, it showed that he was lvl50. There was a 20 level gap.


    Yet, Sato wasn''t nervous and was simply excited to begin the PK. On the other hand, the Mage player, DrEpicsauce had came online that night and the NPC had sent him a message stating that there was a New Player PK chance for him at that moment. DrEpicsauce was actually the number 1 player on the PK leaderboards and would normally not receive PK chances such as this. Since he was the number 1 player, he could only receive battle invites from the 50 players below him. Things like New Player PK notifications would never pop up for DrEpicsauce as there wasn''t many newcomers that even had the stats or equipment to rival his.


    The player was a Mage specialising in Fire Magic and he was already using the Burning Magic Force equipment set that increases his Fire Magic power by 150%. In addition, his weapon that looked like a burnt stick was a unique grade weapon that he had attained by chance during a fortuitous encounter. The staff was named "Yggdrasil''s Torrefied Branch" which highlighted the significance on such a weapon. The most legendary tree in Ronan was made into a weapon and it was a weapon that grew with the player. Only DrEpicsauce had been recognised as it''s true owner, meaning no other player could steal it from him via nefarious means.


    Knowing that, most players that were familiar with PK rankings, would never accept a PK request with DrEpicsauce. As of 2 months ago since the player had joined the Under Lvl50 ranking, DrEpicsauce had not lost one match. He was the undefeated champion that sat comfortably on his throne.


    When guy who controls DrEpicsauce saw the player description of the new PK contestant that the NPC had assigned for him, his mouth went agape. What the hell is the NPC thinking?! It was already rare enough that the NPC had assigned him to PK someone through the New Player PK function. It was even rarer for him to fight against someone that was only level 30. Was there something special about this Dawnlore player? That was what DrEpicsauce wanted to know. The NPC would not do something for no reason.


    As such, the number one PK contestant had accepted the invitation and equipped his very best equipments and accessories. He entered his try hard zone as his eyes focused on Dawnlore. The instant the countdown for the battle finished, DrEpicsauce immediately swung Yggdrasil''s Torrefied Branch and from the sky came raining down flaming meteors. There was the rumbling of the earth as the meteors got closer to the ground.


    The strongest part about the Yggdrasil''s Torrefied Branch was the unique passive ability that was attached to the weapon. The ability was "Wordless Casting".


    *Wordless Casting


    *The player can use any spell without saying the spell incantations aloud.


    What Wordless Casting entails was that DrEpicsauce could use and fire off any spell with the thought of his head. Typically, a mage would be required to read out an incantation, which at best, would take 2 to 3 seconds if the mage was fluent with it. It is because of this limitation that resulted in almost no mages being in the top 20 rankings of both types of PK Rankings.


    It was this reason that no one dared to challenge DrEpicsauce. With no incantations, the man would be able to continuously use spells without break. It was akin to a grownup toying around with a little kid.

 Chapter 168 - PK Battle 2

    Sato didn''t know much about the PK Rankings and so, the name DrEpicsauce had not enter his ear until this day. He, however, realised something was up when the fire mage had casted a spell without reading incantations. He knew his first PK opponent was truly a formidable opponent. The meteor were all aggregated around Sato''s part of the plains. The Area of Effect was rather large and so, Sato did not want to take any chances. On the bottom right of Sato''s screens were the different abilities that Sato could use. Which a tap of the screen, Sato used Advanced Stealth, followed by Blink. The order of ability usage was purposeful so as to prevent DrEpicsauce from knowing which way he went.


    The flaming meteors land on the plains and DrEpicsauce hadn''t fire off another barrage of spells. He had seen Dawnlore disappearing using stealth. There was no point in him wasting mana on his powerful spells. Used to the Assassin role PKs, DrEpicsauce ran to the middle of the plains which was the best area for him. There wasn''t any place for assassin to hide and it will not be for long before he will have to appear.


    Flaming Seedlings. With a quick thought, DrEpicsauce swished his staff. Thousands and thousands of tiny flames slowly expanded and descended to the ground around him. The flames did not extinguish when touching the ground and continued to sit there in a well-behaved manner. Sato recognised the spell.


    *Flaming Seedlings


    *Plants mini flame bombs on the ground. When a players steps on it, deal 80% magic damage and has a 20% chance of blinding.


    This ability was essentially the bane of all assassins and many fire mages had spent big bucks to purchase the spell scroll to learn it. It was meant to cover up one the mage''s weakness which was defence. This, however, meant that the extremely powerful mage, DrEpicsauce was even more invincible.


    Sato took a minute to rack his brains for ideas. He needed to approach the match slowly and not be played into the hands of his opponent. The young man knew his abilities best. For now, he had no plans on summoning Whitie, his pet Roaring White Tiger. Whitie''s level was far too long to do anything and so, it would be pointless to use him. There were two ways that he could play it out. One, was to engage the fire mage head on and versus him with his Purple Serpent''s Fang. If he wasn''t a good match against him, he would then use Blink to escape safely. Two, was to engage in a ranged combat against DrEpicsauce. He had the passive ability "Bow and Dagger Mastery" which allows him to use two different primary weapons. The would allow him to attack from a safe distance. The best part was that the stealth would not be broken so long as his opponent could not find him or damage him. The range of Advanced Stealth is 5 metres. The distance between the centre of the plain to where he was in the trees was about 10 metres, making the second plan very much viable.


    As a result, Sato decided to follow through with the second plan. Switching out his weapon, Sato drew the bow until it was taut. With great precision, due to the aid of the tablet''s aiming functions, the arrow wizzed through the air and struck the mage squarely in the head. As the arrowhead came close to the hair of DrEpicsauce, there was a clashing noise and the next thing Sato knew, his arrow''s damage had been entirely negated.


    "He had casted fire barrier on himself.." Sato spoke under his breath, but Gray heard it.


    "Is your battle going well?" The general asked.


    "Not really. My opponent is extremely proficient in his flame magic. I don''t know if I will be able to defeat him." Sato spoke grimly. He had disabled the voice function before entering PK and could speak to Gray without worrying about his opponent hearing him.


    Gray looked away from his tablet to see what was going on at Sato''s side.


    "Ah? Aren''t you in your battle?" Sato sounded surprised.


    "Yeah, I just finished mine. Was toying around with my opponent." Gray answered with a dominating tone.


    "Really? What level was your opponent by the way?"


    "Lvl 40. He was the same as me." Gray took a look at the sight on Sato''s tablet. His face frowned immediately. "Why is your opponent 20 levels above you?"


    "That was what I wanted to ask actually. I thought everyone would be level 50¡­ AH shit!" Sato activated Blink. His opponent had started to cast a barrage of spells. Compared to before, it seems like DrEpicsauce was finally making his move. With Sato''s quick agility, the dark elf leaped from tree to tree, avoiding taking damage at all course. Before long, Sato had reached back to the part of the forest that was destroyed by the meteor.


    "You realise what this guy is doing right?" Gray asked worriedly.


    "Yeah. He is destroying all of my hiding spots." Sato answered with a slight frown. DrEpicsauce decided that it was best that he took the initiative to engage. Knowing that his opponent could use long ranged attack, the man knew that this assassin was far from the normal assassins he had faced. As such, it was best that he close off all exits at the expense of his mana. At this point, he knew that Dawnlore was dual weapon user and was extremely nimble when it came to dodging abilities.


    Just what else are you hiding, Dawnlore. DrEpicsauce''s heart started to beat quicker. He shouted out into the burning forest in an assertive tone, "Don''t disappoint me, Dawnlore! I have high expectations for this battle!"


    When Sato heard what his opponent had shouted, the young man smiled instead of cowering away in fear. He knew he had met a worthy opponent and was going to put his 100% in this battle now.


    "Hey Gray, I will be trying my very best now. My character would be exposed to the world with this battle. Are you okay with that?" Sato asked in a lowered voice. Of course, Gray didn''t have any doubts and simply rubbed the young man''s soft hair.


    "Why would I not be okay with it? Whatever you do, I will follow through with you."


    "Thank you, Gray." It was as if a switch had been flicked on in Sato''s head and now, he was in overdrive mode.

 Chapter 169 - PK Battle 3

    "Come on out!" DrEpicsauce taunted. Waving his staff around, he commanded fire balls to rain down on the outer perimeters of the battle zone.


    Unbeknownst to DrEpicsauce, Sato had already slowly crept up behind his enemy. Just outside of his enemy''s Flaming Seedlings, the Elven assassin drew his bow once again. This time, the arrow had a faint glow of white. Release.


    The arrow whizzes through the air. Just as before, the long range attack was negated by the Fire Barrier. Except, Sato had taken that into consideration. The glowing aura immediately disperses and wraps around DrEpicsauce.


    What is this? The fire mage frowned, not knowing what Dawnlore had applied on him. He checked his status bar which didn''t show any negative effects. Before the number one PK god is able to process what had happened, Sato made his move.


    "Teleport," Sato switched out his bow and equipped his Purple Serpent''s Fang, while his character disappears and appeared in front of DrEpicsauce. The assassin had used Battle Mark and applied it to his arrow. When coming in contact with the mage, the mark was transferred to the enemy.


    The Battle Mark allowed Sato to choose a location that he wished to teleport to. Normally, it would be best that Sato appears behind his enemy so as to try and inflict critical damage through Backstab. Yet, he had other plans.


    "Wha.." Before DrEpicsauce could react, the Dark Elf propelled into physical contact range. Raising his knee, Sato used Knee Strike. The active skill applied a stunned effect that would last for 1 second. The skill would inflicted a longer stunned effect if the enemy was lower in health. That, however, was enough for the assassin.


    The reason why Sato did not want to attack from the back directly was because of Flame Barrier that essentially didn''t have a cooldown as the spell only required the user to supply mana to have the shield activated continuously. In this case, only when the enemy was stunned, could Sato do damage with his weapon.


    The assassin nimbly swung his body to the back of the mage and quickly slashed out twice. There was even a lucky critical strike from Backstab. In the end, DrEpicsauce had his health reduced by 20%. It was a surprising feat to the Fire Mage. In his head, he was deeply shocked at how quick his opponent''s agility was. In a span of one second, he maximised his damage output. That shocked state didn''t last long and the experienced PK mage activated another spell of his once he was out of the stunned state.


    "Flame Circle!" The heart of the mage glowed brightly as the element of fire exploded outwards around his perimeter.


    Dawnlore staggered a little before using Blink to negate the Flame Circle''s damage. As Sato wasn''t very familiar yet with the tablet''s game control, he had activated Blink a second too late and had taken some damage.


    "I must say, that was a very impressive combo," DrEpicsauce praised his enemy, while his free hand and his staff was concentrating a large ball of flame in front of him. "However, you revealing yourself now means that you have spelled your own doom. Enhanced Fire Ball!"


    The large fire ball was released from the mage''s grasps. With it flying fast at Sato''s face, he quickly activated his unique skill, "Incorporeal Spirit."


    The Elven Assassin''s body glowed and his armour transformed into the light green robe that had a faint glow. The short hair grew into long silky silvery hair that floated around freely. The angelic warrior had once again appeared. With clear eyes, Sato activated the active skill "Twin Leaf Tornado". Two large wind vortexes blew towards the incoming Fire Ball. As both abilities came in contact with each other, a huge explosion occured and a smoke screen appeared from it.


    Sato took advantage of it and didn''t retreat into the burnt trees. Rather, he charged forward stealthily. With Enhanced Nightvision and Night Hunter, both abilities worked under the context of dark or foggy terrain. It allowed Sato to blend in with the fog. The explosion had also effectively gotten rid of the fire seedlings on the ground, allowing for Sato to charge up at record speed.


    "Fireball!" On the other hand, DrEpicsauce did not know what was happening and could only shoot his spells blindly. With Enhanced Nightvision, Sato was able to see where the fireballs was coming from. At times, he would side step and other times he would simply dug down for cover. It was like playing whack a mole, but the player was blindfolded and did not know what was happening.


    After 10 seconds, Sato''s Blink was up again. He activated it and instantly appeared in front of DrEpicsauce once again. Using Knee Strike, the Fire Mage was once again rendered in a stunned state. To capitalise on his Unique Skill, Sato didn''t use his blade to strike his opponent. Rather, he activated Twin Leaf Tornado. Taking the skill to the face, DrEpicsauce was knocked upwards into the vortex, taking critical strike damage at random intervals. Unfortunately, while in the vortex, the mage was unable to activate any abilities to block the tornado.


    When the tornado was over, DrEpicsauce was thrown up in the sky. He didn''t want to lose out too much in the trade and had used another Enhanced Fireball. He had the height advantage. Plus, with the large blast radius, the fire mage was finally able to land a crucial hit on the assassin. Thankfully, Incorporeal Spirit gave Sato Nature''s Barrier which granted a shield that negates 50% of all damage.


    When the unique skill ended, Sato didn''t have anymore mana after using Twin Leaf Tornado twice. He had distanced himself from his opponent and quickly ran behind the burnt tree. He activated Advanced Stealth that just had its cooldown refreshed. With quiet movements, he circled around his opponent.

 Chapter 170 - PK Battle 4

    DrEpicsauce wasn''t in a better state than Dawnlore. His mana was down to 20%. It had been a long time since he had reached this state in a PK. Now, he could only hope for his mana to passively regenerate quickly. Using his mana sparingly, he activated Flaming Seedlings again. His health was currently at 40%.


    Sato thought through the possible actions he could make, of which one of them stood out the most. I will have to count on you, Whitie. The young man thought to himself resolutely.


    After regenerating enough mana to use Battle Mark again on his arrow, Sato fired his shot. As DrEpicsauce had seen this trick once, he wouldn''t be fooled again. "Not this time, you sneaky brat."


    The arrow pierced through DrEpicsauce''s head. The head burst into flames. DrEpicsauce had used Elemental Substitute which created a fire body replacement for him. The battle mark had been extinguished with the substitute. This didn''t deter Sato one bit. The young man had already commanded his character to leap into the Flaming Seedlings. Just as the elf was about to land on the trap, he used Blink to make up the mistake between him and DrEpicsauce.


    "What¡­" The fire mage was surprised at how bold the assassin was. Using Blink now meant that Sato would not have any means of escape once he came in front of his enemy. This was of course taken into account by the young man already.


    Using Knee Strike, resulting in a 2 second stun duration, the Dark Elf immediately started to slash away on his enemy''s back. In the end, the health had dropped to 30%. The one-sided damage wasn''t over yet. With a quick summon, Whitie appeared in combat and the Beast Pet activated his newly attained move, Intimidate. By releasing its beastial aura, DrEpicsauce was rendered useless again for 1 second. Sato was then given enough time to gain another lucky critical strike, leaving his enemy with 20% health.


    "Thank you and goodbye." This was the first time Sato spoke in the battle. With his infamous Assassinate, Sato instantly kills off the lvl50 mage.


    "Victory!" The game status popped up on Sato''s screen which signalled the end of the game. Sato slumped his back on the sofa. He turned his head to look at Gray. There was a small gap between Gray''s lower and upper jaw. He was surprised by his boyfriend''s feat.


    "Good job. That was a hard battle." Gray praised as he rubbed the boy''s hair lovingly.


    "Yeah¡­ I''m exhausted." Sato smiled weakly. Both of them quickly received their PK token that showed their current ranking and had left the Battle Coliseum. As Sato had revealed his Unique Skill that was used during the war, he was afraid that his name would be recognised in public. He also couldn''t change his name while he was in such an open space. The couple rushed so much that Sato did not even take a look at his PK ranking yet.


    After the PK battle between Dawnlore and DrEpicsauce, the gaming world had underwent an uproar. As this was a public battle, this meant that many players had flocked to the Battle Coliseums in their respective cities to take a look at this duel. Like DrEpicsauce, almost all the players were surprised to see how a level 30 had won the number one player in the world. It was unheard of in any shape or form.


    "That Assassin was so nimble and quick even at such a low level. That fight was totally well-deserved." One of the spectators commented.


    "Yes. I agree with you. The player was definitely not an ordinary assassin. His damage output was honestly quite similar to a level 50''s damage output. This meant that the guy possesses very equipment." Another spectator tried to analyse Sato''s character.


    "Thats not true. If you take a look at his equipment, Dawnlore was only using the Wind Whisperer Set and Purple Serpent''s Fang. Even his bow are all typical top tier weapons available at lvl30. He did not possess a single Unique Item like DrEpicsauce. What this meant was that this Dawnlore guy has a Unique Job Class that differed from the typical Assassin path." A more detailed spectator joined in. The spectator was a assassin class himself and he knew for a fact that he would not be able to pull off such a feat if he was the one that was going up again the fire mage.


    "Wait a minute! He looks like HappyBoy123 from the Battle of Paleta City! His Unique Skills and ability really resemble that Undead Faction assassin!" A spectator that had participated in the war shouted out. It entered the ears of the passerby players and had raised a huge commotion everywhere.


    "Are HappyBoy123 and Dawnlore the same player?"


    "Is there a way to change your name in game? No right?"


    "No¡­ Unless you restart your account completely, a player is unable to change their name. I have played this game since the beginning and have not heard of a method to change your name. Besides, don''t HappyBoy123 and Dawnlore look different? It shouldn''t be possible to change your look too."


    "Then doesn''t that mean that both of these players have attained such a powerful assassin class? Which hole did these two players even come out from? When was it so easy for a Lvl30 player to defeat a Lvl50?"


    "It isn''t easy at all." The spectators that were debating turned around to take a look at who had joined in on their conversation. Their eyes opened widely in shock.


    "G..Guild Leader Tea..TeaseMePlease." One of the spectators stammered in surprise. He was shocked to find the number 1 player in the Over Lvl50 PK Rankings here too.


    "Watching this battle and recalling my battle with HappyBoy during the war, I know that a lot of dexterity and quick reactions is required to pull off such a win like them. I''m sure that HappyBoy123 and Dawnlore aren''t the same person. HappyBoy123''s gameplay is far more fluid and wouldn''t have dragged the fight out as much. Dawnlore, however, seemed to be more inexperienced. He was clumsy in certain situations and had to wait in the dark for defining moments." TeaseMePlease explained from his viewpoint.

 Chapter 171 - True Love 1

    TeaseMePlease spoke to his Vice leader that had watched the battle with him. His plans was to recruit DrEpicsauce today into his guild. Instead, he was given the chance to watch such a thrilling PK duel. He already knew that the Fire Mage was the most sought after player in the game. The Unique weapon in DrEpicsauce''s hand meant that his future would forever be bright and by being in their alliance, HellFire Guild, there may even be a chance for them to climb from 3rd to 1st in the world.


    The fight against that mysterious assassin, Dawnlore, had surprised TeaseMePlease greatly. He never knew that there would be two more powerful experts alongside DrEpicSauce. Since their skill set were the same for Dawnlore and HappyBoy123, the chances of both of them being in the Undead Faction was very high. They most likely knew each other too.


    The reason why TeaseMePlease misinterpreted Dawnlore and HappyBoy123 being two separated players was justified. When Sato was playing as HappyBoy123, he was using the GamingPod and was able to play the game like he was the assassin. Where as, when Sato was playing as Dawnlore, he was using an unfamiliar gaming setup and so, his movements were not as fluid. As a result, the leader had assumed that HappyBoy123 was just a better player.


    In fact, over the next few days when the leaders of the top alliances view such a viral battle, they would all come to similar conclusions as TeaseMePlease. None of them knew of any name/face changing equipment and so they simply thought that both of the players had gotten the same fortuitous encounter.


    When Sato was out and away from the Human Faction city, he changed his looks and name into a new one, so as to avoid being recognised. Only then did he take a breather and check out his given rank. To no surprise, Sato was given the biggest shock of his life. The number displayed on the PK Token was "1". It didn''t take a genius to realise what that meant.


    "Hey Gray," Sato called for his boyfriend.


    "Mmm?"


    "Ta..Take a look." Sato turned his tablet so that Gray could get a better look at his screen. When Gray saw the number displayed, his eyes widened and after, he started laughing heartily.


    "No wonder your opponent was so difficult." Gray smiled.


    "Did I really just beat the number one PKer in the game?"


    "Yeah, it seems so."


    "I..I don''t know what to say."


    "Well, congratulations." Gray gave Sato another kiss on his forehead. He was very proud of what his boyfriend had achieved.


    It took a while for Sato to get that information into his head. He was trying to process through what had happened. Till now, it was really hard to comprehend how his lvl30 character was able to win such a powerful fire mage. Sato had logged off and watched several of DrEpicsauce''s previous games. It wasn''t hard to find out that the mage had a unique weapon that could fire off spells without incantations.


    "Come on Sato. Let''s not stress about this anymore," Gray stood up from the sofa as he spoke with his charming voice. He reached his hand out to Sato who was deep in his thoughts.


    Obviously, the young man''s heart melted away when he sees Gray''s loving attitude. He was pulled up off the sofa, before being princess carried into their bedroom. As it was only just the two of them, Sato did not feel embarrassed to say the least. He pulled himself closer to Gray as he initiated a l.u.s.t-filled make out session. Their tongues intertwined as their lips connected.


    The two of them had only recently started on their s.e.x.u.a.l journey. Every time they did it, they find more and more intricacies hidden inside their significant other. Sato''s hairless body was a safe untouched haven for Gray. He found solace in feeling around Sato''s body. Gray laid Sato on the bed as he partially lifted up Sato''s shirt. It revealed two perky n.i.p.p.l.es that stood up from the slightly chilly room. It was perfect for what they were about to do next.


    With his skilful mouth, Gray licked and twirled his tongue around his boyfriend''s n.i.p.p.l.e. This was one of Sato''s weakness. His body got chills as his lower regions got harder and harder as time went on.


    Sato, on the other hand, had long reached out his hand and into Gray''s pants. The string pants was easy entry for the younger man. Stroking Gray''s manhood rhythmically, the beast hidden in his pants only grew stronger and stronger over time.


    "I¡­I want to try it today." The word ''it'' was more than enough to convey what was running through his head. When Gray heard what he had said, he confirmed with Sato first.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Ye..Yes. I want to try it out now." To prove to Gray that he was willing, Sato wrapped his arms around Gray, pulling the muscular close into his c.h.e.s.t. Sato''s erect manhood touched Gray''s as they kissed some more.


    Unable to control himself any longer, Gray took off his pants hurriedly. This was the first time the general had ever felt this way for anything. He felt like a kid in a candy store that was allowed to buy any sweets he wanted. With a kneeling position on the bed, Gray held onto his manhood which Sato had helped lubricate up. Out of embarrassment, Sato had turned his body and shoved his face into the pillow.


    "I''m entering now." Gray prepared Sato as best as he could. With a slow and steady motion, Gray''s manhood entered the hole prepared by his loved one. There were quiet grunts coming from Sato''s side. As it was his first time, the pain was there. Fortunately with the help of l.u.b.r.i.c.a.t.i.o.n and Gray''s gentle love and care, the pain was significantly reduced.


    Sato''s waist was raised up slightly, while Gray moved his waist back and forth into his hole. Like a well oiled train, Gray''s movement was in synced. The couple got into the groove and then Gray started to move faster. It wasn''t that Gray wanted to purposely inflict more pain onto his lover, but more that his body wanted to feel more. It was an involuntary action.

 Chapter 172 - True Love 2

    The first time for both Sato and Gray was unfamiliar and at the same time, felt very addicting. They were connected as one and their bond between the two of them grew stronger during the i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e. Soon enough, Gray finished and he proceeded to help Sato out with his own manhood. The two of them finished off the night with a warm shower and proceeded to bed with a relaxed body.


    In the morning, Sato tried to stand up and walk to his own. Yet, he realised his thin waist felt like it was about to break into pieces. It seemed that Gray''s increased thrusts per minute had probably overdid Sato''s body. Gray knew that he may have made a mistake and so, while Sato was in bed, he had got up early to request for the private chefs to make breakfast for them. With the delicious warm breakfast on a tray, Gray came in with a guilty look on his face.


    "I''m sorry for yesterday."


    Sato''s heart melted when seeing how guilty his boyfriend looked. He forgave in a heartbeat and proceeded to have breakfast in bed. Gray wanted to feed Sato, to which the young man agreed to it. It felt like the couple was currently on their honeymoon and the entire room was filled with love.


    When Sato finished breakfast, Gray brought in some painkillers to help with the pain. He carried the boy outside to the dome where they sat by the fireplace and rested in each other''s embrace. It was rare for the both of them to get to spend their time like this. Most of the time, they were either busy with school or work and even when they are sitting together, they would be working on something. Today, just for today, they planned to do nothing but talk about their feelings. It was a bonding experience just for the two of them.


    The clear cloudless blue sky was something that was never seen in Country Z and so, Sato''s eyes never left the outside even when talking to Gray. The General was playing with his boyfriend''s soft hair most of the time. He would twirl the hair around his finger or would gently massage Sato''s head.


    "Gray?"


    "Hmm?"


    "What do you like about me?" Sato wanted to hear this answer for the longest time. It was something that weighed on his head. "Every time I wake up, I would always think about what did I do to deserve such a loving and handsome guy like you."


    "I can say the same about you." Gray smiled as he answered truthfully from his heart, "I think the biggest reason why I fell in love with you in the first place was your passion. You''re driven and hardworking when it comes to work. You''re honest and caring to anyone and everyone. You never give up on things and would always try your best to look for solutions, even when the best solution at the time would be to just give up."


    "Did you memorise a template or something? How did everything come out so smoothly?" Sato was embarrassed as he quickly rebutted to cover up his emotions.


    "I think about you everyday. Even when I am unable to be with you, my head is constantly thinking about you. The reason why I can quickly say everything is because I have pictured lying down on a sofa with you in my embrace and am asked the exact question."


    "Really? Then what do you dislike about me?"


    "I dislike how selfless you are. How you would give yourself up physically or mentally to help make someone else''s day better. I never understood that part of you till this day and I probably never will."


    "Don''t you feel happy when you help out the people you care about?"


    "I do. If they require something out of me, I will gladly give it to them."


    "Then aren''t you as selfless as me? Why can you be selfless, while I can''t?"


    "The answer is simple," Gray reached his head out to look into Sato''s eyes, "I do not want you to get hurt."


    "Well, I do not want you to get hurt too."


    "Then it is agreeable that we will never change when it comes down to this aspect."


    "Yeah¡­" Sato raised his head to kiss Gray''s looming lips. With a sweet voice, Sato confessed, "I love you."


    "I love you too."


    ¡­


    In the past, when Gray and his grandfather lived together, the both of them would go on fishing trips together and talk about life. Although, it was more like Gray was listening and his grandfather, Byron Tobion was the one teaching life lessons. The young teenager did not mind it as he enjoyed listening to stories about his grandfather''s youthful escapades.


    The most memorable thing that Gray got out of it was when Byron talked about him meeting his wife. The way Byron spoke about his late grandmother was really sweet and it truly showed that true love existed in this world.


    "In life, there are many things that require great amounts of luck. When it comes to finding love, the amount of luck could be akin to striking a lottery. The likelihood is very small and so, if you were to ever find true love in life, make sure to not give it up. Seize the day and make the most of your life. Understand, little Gray?" Those were Byron''s words from the heart.


    "But how would I know that the person is my true love?" The clueless Gray asked his grandfather, to which he received an answer that all couples know and understand.


    "When your true love appears in front of you, your heart and soul will tell you. The thought of them would be embedded in every fibre of your being, making it infinitely worse when they are gone from your life."

 Chapter 173 - Coming Out 1

    In Country Z, during the first week of the school holidays, Ming had focused his efforts on revising through his past modules. He wanted to make sure these middle level modules, that eventually led to higher level modules, were fully grasped and understood in his head. Now, on the second week of his holiday, Li Ming had other plans. With a haversack slung around his shoulder, Ming took a bus out of the university grounds and headed into suburbs.


    Today, Ming was going back home.


    The ride back home was slow and required the young man to change buses multiple times. However, it was perfect for Ming. The ride gave him time to think back on how this semester had went for him. It was by far the most broken Ming had ever felt in a long time, but then again, it made him stronger than ever before. At the end, he had patched things up with his best friend and had even met a complete stranger who turned out to be a very interesting person.


    Now, there was something else that needed to be done. The trip home this year, was indeed different from last year. Typically, Ming would head back to the suburbs and pick up a part time job at the local stationary shop. The young man would spend Christmas with his family as it was considered one of the more important holidays for the Li Family.


    The Li''s were out and out a Christian family. Ming and his siblings were required to go for weekend church and say prayers around the table. It could be said that they took religion very serious in this aspect and that expected their children to follow suit. In the case of Ming, from a young age, he never found the appeal of church and the ideas of being bound by religion. He relied on science and never understood the reasonings behind the bible stories. Of course, he kept this in his heart and never shared it with his parents.


    The main agenda of Ming coming back home this Christmas was to break the news to his parents. It was time for him to tell his family that he was gay. Many around the world have troubles in this aspect and not just Ming. Especially when it came to breaking news about his homos.e.x.u.a.lity to his christian parents, Ming were pretty sure as to how they would react.


    The reason why his high school life was especially painful, was a result of his parents. When it came to being gay, Ming''s parents would give a synonymous answer on this topic.


    "Why are youths nowadays becoming more and more clouded by the idea of homos.e.x.u.a.lity? Can''t they see that it is fundamentally wrong and untrue?" Ming''s mother, Rong Xing complained as she watched the Gay Rights protest on the television screen. Such words were ingrained in the 15 year old''s head and were eating away on his heart ever since. Ming''s father, Li Fei would also occasionally bring up topics about being gay on the dinner.


    And so, coming out of the closet to his parents would be hundreds of times harder than to normal people.


    On the way home, Ming''s heart wavered a lot and many times, he would try to talk himself out of doing what he wanted to do.


    ''Ming, listen up. Remember that you must come out of the closet to your parents today! Don''t cower out! For many years, you have kept your thoughts locked in the deepest and darkest places in your heart. It is time for you to pick them up and share it to your parents! Don''t back down now!'' The righteous side of Ming screamed out of his lungs.


    ''No, Ming! If you do this, you are simply asking to be kicked out of the house! You know your parents well enough. They are the type of people that can''t understand what it means to be a homos.e.x.u.a.l! If you want to be in a happy family, don''t do this! It will be the end of everything! Trust me!" The scaredy side of Ming pleaded in the back.


    ''Shut up! It is not right that Ming has to bundle up all of his feelings and hide it from his parents! They are his parents for pete''s sake! If they cannot accept strangers being gay, they should at least try to see and accept their own son in a different light! And even if they don''t, Ming, I still think that it is best that you break such an important news to them. After all, hasn''t this been weighing you down all these times?''


    The last sentence spoken by his righteous self truly resonated with Ming. Ever since high school, him not telling his parents about his homos.e.x.u.a.lity had been an annoying thorn under his feet. Everyday as he moved about, there would be an underlying sharp pain that pinches him back to reality. No matter how he tried to mask it, the pain would always be there.


    And so now, after what had happened in university with Sato, Ming had finally decided to act on his thorn. It was time for him to pull out the splinter that had been causing much suffering all these years. It was time for him to come clean to his parents.


    As the bus arrived outside an apartment complex, Ming alighted with a not-as-heavy heart. He wanted to do it. He needed to do it.


    Ming''s family lived in the terrace house that was directly beside the apartment complex. Since Li Ming was born, he had lived in this terrace house. All of the memories of him keeping quiet about everything flooded back into his head. He still remembered vividly of the times where he came back from school, after being bombarded with gay insults, and having no one to talk to about it. Ming was never a big fan of sharing his thoughts on the internet. And so, he was truly alone all those times.

 Chapter 174 - Coming Out 2

    With a deep long breath out, Ming entered his family''s front gate. The slightly rusted black gate felt familiar to the young man. As he swung the gate open, a familiar screech sounded and a small head peaked out of the house. The young boy had similar features to Ming and when he saw who had come home, had shouted out in excitement.


    "Big brother!" As he shouted, the young boy ran and gave Ming a big hug.


    "Jun, have you been behaving yourself?" Ming smiled warmly after seeing his little brother.


    "Yes! I don''t fight with Jin anymore!" The young boy named Li Jun, said proudly.


    "Are you sure?" Ming asked again with a more serious expression.


    "Fine, maybe once or twice a month, but not more than that!" Jun came clean after seeing how Ming did not believe his words.


    "It''s okay to fight, but make sure to patch up with your brother afterwards."


    "Yes, hehe. We always do." Ming rubbed the cheeky boy''s head as he entered the house.


    Li Jun and Li Jin are the youngest twin brothers in the Li Family and were the biggest worry for Ming. From young, they were very mischievous and many times, Ming had to be the mediator between the two. Obviously, the two of the really looked up to their big brother and would listen to Ming most of the time.


    Within seconds of Ming entering the house, loud sounds of feet clambering down the stairs came around the corner. A boy that looked identical to Li Jun had ran up and gave Ming a hug.


    "Big brother, welcome home!" The boy was Li Jin. He smiled joyfully after seeing that his big brother was home.


    "Jin ah, you seem to have grown since I last saw you." Ming rubbed his other brother''s hair.


    "Hey big brother, why did you only say Jin had grown? I grew too!" Jun did not want to lose out on getting a compliment from his brother.


    "Yeah, you have grown taller too, Jun."


    "Hehe. Soon enough, Jin and I would be taller than you!" Jun wrapped his arm around Jin''s shoulder as he made his proclamation. As Ming was 182cm tall, the two 10 year olds had a long way to go from their height.


    "Okay, okay. Let me put down my bag in my room before I come down to prepare dinner for everyone." It was 5.30 pm and so, his parents were not home yet. Typically, Ming''s mother would get off work and reach home at 6 pm. She would immediately start cooking and If so, their dinner would normally be at 7 pm. As Ming had already told his parents that he would be coming home today, they knew that their oldest son would be preparing the family''s dinner.


    This was the norm in the Li Family when Ming was still in high school. Only as Ming had went on to University, did their family''s eating time become later.


    Ming headed upstairs where he realised that the room next to his, was closed. That could only mean one thing. With a nice sounding knock, he spoke, "Li Dong, I''m back."


    With Ming''s words, light foot steps could be heard approaching the door. As the door swung in, a boy that wore glasses and had slightly frizzled hair appeared in Ming''s sight. The boy named, Li Dong had just woken up from a nap and was looking all tired.


    "Welcome home, big bro." Li Dong yawned as he tried to energise himself up.


    "Haha, carry on with your nap then. I''ll be downstairs making dinner." Ming smiled as he realised that his 15 year old brother was still the same old sleepy boy.


    "Okay. Wake me up when it is time to eat."


    "Sure thing."


    With that, Li Dong closed his door and went back to sleep. Ming turned to his left to see that his little sister, Li Xin''s room door was open. It seemed that the 14 year old girl was not home yet.


    Ming placed down his haversack and proceeded to the first floor to start cooking. His twin younger brothers were already waiting for him with his signature blue apron that he wore in high school. It seems that the two boys wanted to be his sous chef for today.


    Looking in the fridge and remembering what his mother had told him about the ingredients that were about to turn bad, Li Ming decided on the menu for today''s dinner. It was a special day as he knew it in his heart and so, he wanted to make the best dishes possible.


    Although he hasn''t cooked in about a year, Ming''s hands moved with muscle memory as he recalled his signature dishes that he used to make for his family.


    He had asked his brothers to peel the fibres off the fresh spinach to make the texture less chewy. The first dish was the twin''s favourite, garlic saut¨¦ed spinach. The taste was subtle and addictive, meaning that Ming usually had to make double the portions as the boys would eat it non-stop.


    The second dish was a steamed whole fish, topped with ginger, scallions and chilli. The sauce used to simmer the fish was Ming''s custom sauce that was perfected after years of cooking. The secret ingredient was vinegar and provided an extra kick of sourness when a person bit into the soft white meat.


    The third dish was braised spare ribs that Ming chopped up skilfully with a butcher knife. The dark soy sauce gives a satisfying colour. Coupled with hoisin sauce that provided a strong salty, but sweet aftertaste, the spare ribs underwent a transformative change.


    With the Bok choy that is quite old, Ming swiftly chopped off the ends of the vegetable and left it to one side. For the fourth dish, he was going to cook up a typical chinese vegetable dish that made used oyster sauce as its main factor point. The authentic flavour shine through with little ingredients, only using garlic to stir fry up the vegetables. It was a simple, yet, delicious dish.

 Chapter 175 - Coming Out 3

    "Oh sweetie, welcome home." A warm and caring voice came from the living room. A lady wearing a flowery work dress walked into the kitchen with open arms.


    Ming walked towards her as he gave her a big warm hug. The lady was Ming''s mother, Rong Xing. Having birthed five children, the lady was still able to maintain her slim and graceful figure.


    Beside her was Ming''s father, Li Fei. He also came up and gave his son a hug. It was very much like his family to greet each other with a hug. After all, they hadn''t seen their son for a year. Ming didn''t want to come back during the other breaks and chose to study in school. It was also because he felt that such atmospheres at home wasn''t very comfortable to him and so, he only came back once a year.


    "Hey mom and dad." Ming smiled lightly.


    "Oh my goodness! You have slimmed down so much! Ming what happened to you!?" Rong Xing was startled from the sight of her child''s body state. Ming was skinny to the bone, almost anorexic. "Do you not have enough money to eat at school?"


    "No, no. I have more than enough from the scholarship funds," Ming shook his head, trying to not worry his parents too much. If they had known that he had turned this way because of a guy, there would surely be no end to their lecture, much less changing their opinion of gay people. Instead, Ming came up with an excuse, "I had fallen sick in the last month and had lost my appetite."


    "Ah, you should''ve called back and I would''ve brought you some herbal medicine from home! Li Ming¡­ There is no need to be so stubborn and not ask for help from your family. You must take care of yourself as the oldest in the family. Understand?"


    "Yes, mom. I understand." Ming could only nod in agreement.


    "Let us eat now then."


    "Oh, do we not need to wait for Li Xin?"


    "There is no need. Li Xin is at her friends house doing a video project. She said she would be back for dinner at 7.30. So let us just eat first."


    "Okay."


    Ming headed upstairs to take a shower and to wake up his younger brother. By the time he was ready, his family were already sitting by the dinner table and waiting for his arrival.


    "Now that Li Ming is here, let us say our prayers." Li Fei signalled. Habitually everyone reached out their hands and held the person''s hand that was beside them. Ming almost forgotten about their practice and quickly followed along.


    As Ming''s father, Li Fei, led the prayer, Ming closed his eyes and just followed along. In his head, there was only thing running through his mind. Come clean to your parents. Be honest with them. Do not shrink away. Tell them that you are gay.


    When the prayer was over, the family started to eat. To be expected, the Li Family oldest son''s cooking was superb. Every dish made today tasted extremely delicious and smiles were plastered across everyone''s face. Even the sleepy Li Dong felt energised after tasting such good food. Only Li Ming was eating with a spaced out expression.


    To no surprise, Ming''s mother caught onto her son''s bearings. Naturally enough, she brought it up at the dinner table.


    "Li Ming, are you okay? Are you still feeling unwell?" She asked worriedly.


    "Oh, no. I was just thinking about something." Ming answered.


    "If there is something that is hanging on your c.h.e.s.t, you can always talk to mom and dad. We are here to help you."


    When Rong Xing said that to her eldest son, Ming''s heart twitched slightly. If it was so easy, the young man would not be so troubled by it for so many years. Much less help him, his parents would probably hire a priest in hopes of exorcising his body. Maybe by some miracle, the priest could pray the gay away.


    "There is indeed something I would like to talk about in private with the two of you later." In the end, Ming decided to still follow through with his plan. He was going to get over it once and for all.


    Rong Xing and Li Fei both realised that what their son wanted to talk about was probably something serious and so, the following dinner conversation revolved around the other children. They left their eldest son alone for now.


    By the end of the meal, the younger siblings had helped out in cleaning up and washing the dishes. Ming and his parents headed into the master bedroom where Ming stood in front of both of his parents. The both of them didn''t know what the young man was about to say and could only wait for him to talk.


    Ming closed his eyes and breathed in and out a few times. Unfortunately, it was to no avail and his heart was still beating rapidly. The mood in the room was tense as both parties were at a standstill.


    "Mom and dad, I am going to say something that has been weighing me down for many years. It was something that I came to terms with when I was in high school. From that point on, I have hiding this something from you both for the longest of times." Ming looked into both of their eyes as he confessed resolutely, "I am gay."

 Chapter 176 - Coming Out 4

    I am gay. Those three words placed a great magnitude of pressure on Li Ming. The young man lived with those three words ever since he discovered his s.e.x.u.a.lity preference. It was something that a person should be proud of and yet, in Ming''s life, was one of the greatest boons of all time. The two people in his life that had cared for him the most, his parents, hated and dreaded to ever hear those three words come out of any of their children''s mouth.


    It could be said that it was like their greatest nightmare had come true when Ming came out of the closet to the both of them.


    "Wha..What did you say?" Rong Xing choked on her words as she asked.


    "I am gay." The words sounded louder this time in their master bedroom.


    This time, both of Ming''s parents heard him clearly. It was like a town bell, clanging sonorously. The sound of despair and hopelessness echoed in their ears. And then, tears started rolling down Rong Xing''s face. Her eyes never shunned away from Ming as she looked at the floor speechlessly. Ming''s father, Li Fei didn''t make a sound and just looked sternly at his son. Disappointment. Confusion. Unhappiness. Those three words were written on the two people that stood in front of Ming.


    Ming stood unmovingly as his hands were balled into fists tightly. The act of coming out to his parents had been weighing him down for the longest time. And today, even if it was for a brief moment, Ming felt the lightest he had even been. The weights that hunched him over for many years were lifted as he spoke those three words. It all came back again when Rong Xing went back to her usual self.


    "Sweetie, what if you are not gay and you are actually just confused?" Desperation. Recklessness. Foolhardiness. With Ming''s silence, Rong Xing was grasping on straws at this point. "Sweetie¡­You can''t do this to mom. You can''t!"


    "Mom, dad," Ming did not falter. After feeling that moment of bliss and relief, he knew better than to give up. "There is no mistake when I say that I am gay. I have realised I was like this ever since I was in high school. And many years after, my thoughts and feelings have not once changed!"


    "No! No! I don''t want to hear this!" Hysterical, Rong Xing covered her ears. She cowered backwards as Li Fei helped to support her.


    "Get out!" Li Fei sternly warned, "Go back to your room and reflect on yourself! What a disgrace!"


    Li Ming did not go against his father''s orders. Rather, there wasn''t anymore reason for him to be in front of his parents. He knew that nothing would enter his parent''s heads after he had dropped such a huge bomb on them.


    Outside, three boys were peaking over the corner. They had heard a general idea of what their older brother was. Li Dong, the second oldest, had also helped to explain to the younger twins as to what it meant. When Ming saw his three brothers, he smiled resignedly. At that moment, he couldn''t be bothered to know what his brothers thought of him. His mind was tired and now, all he wanted was to lie in bed and rest.


    As he was walking towards the stairs, Ming''s only sister, Li Xin, had arrived home. The 14 year old girl was glad to see his older brother and had given him a hug. However, with good intuition, she realised something was wrong.


    "What''s up, big brother? Why do you look so sad?" Li Xin asked curiously.


    "Ask Li Dong. He will explain to you. I am feeling tired so I will be heading to bed." Ming shook his head and gave a half-hearted smile.


    "Okay." As the middle child watched Ming go upstairs, Li Dong and the twins came up to her and explained what had happened. Without a doubt, Li Xin''s face formed a worried frown.


    In Ming''s bedroom, the placement of everything had remained the same since he was in high school. He used to come home every afternoon and immediately lie on the bed that was on the left of the door. He sure as hell wished that everything in life could disappear and dissipate once and for all. His life was colourless and everyday he was only living to get by. He studied because he had to study. He took care of his brothers and sisters because there was no one else that would. He lived for others and never for himself.


    Today, however, was different. Today, he had lived for himself. Today, his life finally had colour and meaning. He wasn''t living for others anymore. He wanted to live and experience life''s joy to its fullest. He had made friends along the way in university and they accept him for who he was. The bedroom that was once filled with despair and dullness, was now a regular bedroom that belonged to a regular young man that wanted to live life the way he wanted.


    After taking a shower, Ming slept early and woke up to the sunlight shining through the window. Looking around the room, he remembered the scene from yesterday and recognised that today was different. He was a new person. He was rebirth as the new Li Ming.


    The young man brushed his teeth and headed downstairs, where he was met with a pair of lackl.u.s.tre gazes. It seemed that his parents had both taken leave to stay at home to have a talk with him. His brothers and sisters had already left for school and so, they could now bring the talk to the living room.


    Li Ming didn''t say good morning to his parents and just sat in the single chair that was directly opposite of his parents. From his point of view, Ming could tell that his parents, especially his mother, had not gotten much sleep last night. They were perturbed by such a confession that it kept them awake the whole time. This morning, they had something to say to their son.

 Chapter 177 - Coming Out 5

    "Li Ming. You had the entire night to think about what you said to us yesterday. Are you certain about what you had said? That you are that ''thing''?" There was some hope in Rong Xing''s eyes when she asked Ming about his confession, but all of it was extinguished away when Ming opened his mouth.


    "Mom, I am not a ''thing''. I am gay. And yesterday night, I did not think about what I had said. Rather, I had one of the best rest in my life as I was finally able to tell the both of you about my homos.e.x.u.a.lity."


    "What if being gay is just some phase that you young people had made up? Yeah! It could all just be a mix up in your mind. You know how the media loves to corrupt little children''s minds nowadays."


    "I''m not a kid anymore, mom."


    "No! You are still my kid! You will forever be my little boy!" Rong Xing shouted out hysterically before speaking with her usual sweet tone. "Why not you follow me and go see a Christian therapist?"


    "A Christian therapist?"


    "Yes. The pastor in our church is also a therapist. Maybe he will be able to convince you that everything you said is wrong."


    "Huh.." Something clicked in Ming''s head that night when he slept. It was like a lightbulb that was left unlit his entire childhood, had suddenly turned on. Ever since he was a child, Li Ming was taught to respect and listen to his parent''s instructions. That was how his life worked.


    ''Everything I say to you is for your own good and if you did not listen, you are being unfilial.Listen to mom and not play in the park. Listen to mom and play the piano. Do not listen to pop music, it is all brainwashing music. Read the bible, it will help you in the future. You are now older and so please take care of your brothers and sister. Remember to study and get into a good university, only then will you have a future.''


    The advices from over the years had compounded into a giant snowball that came crashing down on Li Ming. His parents not being supportive of his homos.e.x.u.a.lity was the last straw that finally broke the camel''s back.


    "No." Ming looked up at his parents and stared directly into their eyes. This was the first time he had said no in regards to advices from his parents. When it came to what he did when he was younger, all the way to when he was selecting his university course, everything was decided by his parents. Just today, he was going to be unfilial. Just today, he wanted things to go his way.


    "Did you just say no?" This time, Ming''s father spoke. There was underlying anger in his words.


    "I will not go to this Christian therapist, much less a therapist." Ming spoke disappointedly.


    "We raised you into a fine young man and now, you would like to ruin your chances of going to heaven, just to be some gay?!" The underlying anger became an outright ragefest. "Get out of my house."


    "What?"


    "I said get out of my house! Take your filthy gay things and get out!" By now, Li Fei could see nothing, but red. He was like a raging bull that didn''t recognise his directions.


    "Okay, if that is what you want. I will gladly do so." Ming did not get angry from his father''s words. He had expected it. After all, his parents were the type that would never listen to their children''s feelings. To them, what they do is all for their children''s own good.


    Grabbing his haversack that was untouched from yesterday, Ming left the house without seeing his parents. Rong Xing had watched the back of her oldest son leave the gates of their house. Disappointed, she cried in the embrace of her husband.


    On the bus, Ming''s stomach growled in frustration. He had stormed off with grabbing some food and so now, there was a need to satiate his hunger. Knowing that there was a shophouse that sold breakfast on the next bus stop, Li Ming got off and bought himself a rice cake dish. As he ate his meal, Ming''s eyes were glued to his phone. His mind was elsewhere too, only his stomach was focused on the food.


    In his mind, there was someone that he really wanted to call, but he was afraid of being a bother to him. In the end, he decided to call him anyways. As the phone rang twice, on the third ring, the receiver picked up the call.


    "Hey Ming! why''d you call me on this fine and dandy morning?" The receiver''s voice was loud and chirpy. On the call screen, the name ''Yue Guang'' was displayed on it.


    "Hey Yue Guang, I am just calling you to tell you that I am gay. I like men." Ming came out to him.


    "Ah? You''re telling me this now? What is the point of that?" From his tone, it seems that Yue Guang already knew from the beginning.


    "Huh? You already knew that I was gay?"


    "Yeah! Dude! I saved you that night on the bridge, remember? You told me about how you saw your boy crush kissed another guy."


    "Uhhh¡­" Ming went speechless. In his heart, he was extremely embarrassed that he had forgotten what he had said before on the bridge.


    "Hahaha! Still, I appreciate that you are telling me this."


    "You''re welcome," Ming said his pleasantries to Yue Guang. His senior had started soccer practice yesterday and so far, his performance on the field has not deteriorated by much.


    "I will call you out for a meal in a few days time. Don''t say no, okay?" Ming Yue Guang declared cheekily.


    "Okay," Ming smiled, "Thank you for being here for me, Yue Guang."


    "Ah no problem, Mingster. I enjoy being there for you too. Don''t be too hard on yourself. Live happily and enjoy your winter break."


    "I will. Don''t worry." Ming was serious about that last sentence. This was the first holiday that he was able to live life the way he wanted.

 Chapter 178 - Private Opening 1

    2 months later¡­


    "In late January, a joint mission of the Land, Navy and Air Force reached a major breakthrough, where they discovered signs of the Drug Cartel, The Saints in Country Z. The Saints were a serious problem in Country Z back in 2096 as drug crimes soared exponentially and had wrecked havoc in public places. However, with the joint operation that year, the Saint''s Cartel had been weakened significantly and only now, were they able to become more rampant once again." The news anchor reported the news on the television.


    "Yesterday, a joint operation to eradicate The Saints from Country Z was undertaken and this time, they were successful. It was said that the mission leader this time was lead by Major General Gray Tobion. The Major General had already achieved a significant milestone last year, when he and his team developed a new and more effective Missile Defence System that helped to further reinforce our country''s defence line."


    "On a lighter note, the Copperfield Family that experienced major turbulences in their foundation had finally started to see better days. Last year, after a sudden back out of their potential investors, the real estate development company, Copperfield Foundations had no choice, but to file for bankruptcy."


    "Surprisingly, Copperstone Studios have announced that they would be releasing a sequel to their blockbuster film, Reignover. The main actors and actresses starred in the previous film had managed to negotiate record high salaries for the Reignover 2. If you would like to hear more about this, you can go on to our news website to find out further details."


    At the Copperfield family home, Caleb sat in his living room sofa, with a grim looking face as he watched television. The way things transpired in the entertainment industry did not go in the way of Caleb. No actors or actresses were willing to associate themselves with Copperstone Studios. This was very weird, even for the head of the family, Caleb Copperfield.


    Why would the actors and actresses not want to cooperate with an award winning film studio? Clearly, there was someone behind the scenes that was spreading rumours about their downfall. Regardless, Caleb had to bite the bullet and raise the proposed salaries of many of the actors and actresses. If he didn''t, was there even a chance for him to make a comeback in the entertainment business? Reignover 2 needed to be a great hit, thought Caleb resolutely.


    In regards to his son, Tyron Copperfield, the boy had seen better days. Only recently, was Tyron willing to go out for walks with his family. Very rarely, would Tyron leave the housing estate. Nowadays, he was ''taking'' classes online for university. However, anyone in the family could tell that the boy was not in the right mind to learn anything at the moment.


    "F.u.c.k¡­ All I can do at the moment is take things one step at a time. The person that is directing this play has yet to reveal themselves and I am not able to do anything about it." Caleb bit his lower lip in anger. He took a puff from his cigar and he looked up at his mansion ceiling. If Copperstone Studios really toppled too, this would essentially be the end of the Copperfield family. I would be reduced to being a commoner and this house would have to be sold for extra cash.


    Ever since Caleb had inherited the family business, he was able to make many folds of what his father and grandfather had made in the past. The reason for that was his great interpersonal skill that allowed him to develop his real estate business. He had even successfully introduced himself in the entertainment industry a decade after his takeover. Even till the end, he had not realise all of his problems began and transpired from his spoilt son.


    In Gray and Sato''s home, after celebrating Christmas in Country J, the couple made their way home and went back to their daily lives. Sato studied and revised on the last semester''s modules, while Gray had to get back to work.


    The General had been planning the Joint Military Operation in the army for several months now and seeing it come to fruition had made Gray very satisfied. This meant that the chances of Yroth launching his revenge strike on him had been significantly reduced.


    When university started, it was back to normal for Sato. Ming was still not back to talking to Sato conversationally, but would still greet each other when they meet in the hallway. As January went by in a blink of an eye, Gray''s mother, Melanie, had come to visit once again. This time, there was a purpose added on at the back.


    "The UHRP is soon going to be open to the public. The private opening will be done on March 1st and the official public opening will be on March 2nd." Melanie relayed the information to the two boys during dinner. The UHRP also known as the Underwater Highspeed Railway Project was the longest underwater railway that spanned between Country Y and Z. Sato had gotten a closer look on the design of the railway itself a few months back with Gray''s mother.


    "I heard that when the tickets for the opening day had went on sale, all of it were sold out in under 10 seconds." Sato was shocked by the public''s curiosity. He never knew how hard it was to get a ticket on an opening day.


    "Indeed, the server site for the Underwater Highspeed Railway recorded a total of a hundred thousand users being on simultaneously." Melanie nodded in agreement. She looked up and asked a followup question afterwards, "Speaking of which, are the two of you free on February 28? I have two extra tickets and can bring the two of you along."

 Chapter 179 - Private Opening 2

    Immediately as she said that, Sato''s eyes lit up like a lightbulb. Of course, the young man wanted to get a ride on the Underwater Railway. He turned to look at Gray with beaming eyes. The General laughed lightly as he spoke to his mother, "It seems like Sato is more than willing to go with you on the train. I sadly will not be able to make it on that day. There is an important meeting that will require my presence. Is father not going to take the railway that he spent millions of dollars on?"


    "He is. Your father will be taking the round trip back to Country Z and would be staying with us in the house." Melanie spoke carefully when talking about Gray''s father. She had heard about their disagreement on Gray''s relationship during her stay back in her own house. Till now, the pair of father and son had yet to speak to each other.


    "Oh? Father is willing to stay with me?" Gray scoffed derisively. "Did you put those words into his mouth, mother? Or did he actually say it himself?"


    "Well, what difference would it make if I said it or he said it. In the end, your father listens to my words and instructions. He doesn''t have a say in where he would like to stay." Melanie proudly declared.


    The whole time, Sato was sitting by the side, observing the way they spoke about their father and husband. It seemed that there was some conflicts that needed to be settled between Gray and his father. The worse part was, Sato would be meeting Gray''s father for the first time on the train. What is he like? Sato doesn''t know one bit. It seems that I would have to ask Gray about this tonight, thought Sato.


    At night, in the bed, Sato and Gray cuddled up in their warm quilt as they got ready for bed. Sato asked the question that had been weighing on him the whole dinner, "Hey Gray, is there something going on between you and your father?"


    "Yes, there is indeed a big disagreement between him and I," Gray did not hide anything from his lover, "My father disallows my relationship with you. He sees me as a homos.e.x.u.a.l as someone that was born with a defect. It''s disgusting and so, I simply ignore his existence."


    "Oh.." A sense of disappointment bloomed in Sato''s heart. He never thought that such a complication would occur in their relationship. Obviously, the boy would wish to have a pleasant relationship with both of Gray''s parents. Now, however, it seems that that wish would require Sato to put in more effort.


    "There is no need for you to feel sad," Gray gave the young man a kiss on his cheek to cheer him up, "It is his loss if he doesn''t want to accept you as his son-in-law."


    "So..n-in-law? Hmm when did I ever say that we would be getting married?" Sato stuttered as he tried to play it cool with his followup question.


    "Oh? You do not want to marry me? It seems like you still have the energy to joke around with me. Let us go one round in bed before sleeping." With that, Gray climbed on top of Sato, staring at him like he was looking at a delicious piece of meat.


    "Ah no!"


    On the day of the private opening for the UHRP, before Gray left for work, he got one last look at his boyfriend. In his heart, there was a sense of foreboding, just like in the past when Sato and Gray had been attack by the Saints. Of course, Gray had tried asking his mother as to whether he was allowed to place some bodyguard in the train with Sato. However, the private opening event would have many big officials present and having additional unknown bodyguards was not right.


    In the end, Gray could only get request for one person to follow along as Melanie had an additional ticket. The man chose none other than the leader of the Four Hors.e.m.e.n, Famine. The leader''s name was Madel. Having served in multiple secret operations missions and had even teamed up with Gray on a few missions before, the Major General trusted the girl''s judgement when it came to danger. She was specially requested for today''s protection task and was pulled away from the Armageddon project investigation led by her and her team.


    "Gray, I''ll be fine with auntie and Ms. Madel. Just go on and have a wonderful time in your meeting with those oldies in the army." Sato winked and pushed Gray out of the front door.


    "At any point in time, remember to not put your life at risk, okay? Promise me that." Gray looked at Sato seriously.


    "Yes, I promise¡­"


    "Okay, give me a kiss."


    "Here," Sato was more than willing to show some affection to his lover who cares for him so deeply. A kiss on the lips, a wave goodbye and that was all Gray got before he had to head off for work.


    In the afternoon, the trio set out for the railway station where there were many paparazzis that were squeezing in to take a photo of the officials that were present in today''s event. The prime minister, followed along with the Foreign affairs advisor were the most high-profiled guests for today. Only they were allowed to have an arsenal of bodyguards that protected them during their trip to Country Y. As this was a bi-country agreement, there was a need for the heads of the respective countries to come along and officiate the railway station.


    Sato, Melanie and Madel slipped in earlier than the rest and were already seated in the lush VIP cabin on the train. Sato''s eyes were focused on outside as he watched many of the sponsors arrive on time. When everyone was on board, an announcement was made that the trip to Country Y would take them a total of 2 hours, which meant that the train would be travelling at a record high speed of 500 km per hour. It was a feat to behold.


    As the moved out of the station and sped towards Country Y, Melanie was briefing her plans to Sato.


    "Later, when we arrive at Country Y, my husband would be awaiting for us at the station. There will be a ceremonial handshake between both of the prime ministers of Country Y and Z, followed by a lunch reception for the guests."


    "Okay." Sato nodded with understanding. This was an important milestone in building relations between Country Y and Z. When he had reached the railway station, he noticed the number of militants present, coupled with the personal bodyguards that were here to advocate safety. Gray''s worries may have truly been unwarranted.

 Chapter 180 - Private Opening 3

    To the boy''s left, Madel was on her computer typing something at rapid speed. Her action felt like the movie scenes where the elite hackers were trying to hack into the main data system and steal important information from the rich corrupt tycoons. Sato asked, "Hey Ms. Madel, what are you doing right now?"


    "I''m ensuring your safety." The leader of the Hors.e.m.e.n''s answer was simple.


    "Uh, okay." With that, Sato didn''t really know what to say after. The lady clearly seemed like she did not want to disclose any information.


    "Haha, just relax Sato. There is no need to fidget around too much. Madel is highly proficient in reconnaissance. The security system for the UHRP was actually devised by her and a team of experts." Melanie explained what the bodyguard was doing in a more discreet way. After all, there were many high profiled personnels in their surroundings.


    If broken down, Melanie was telling Sato that Madel was entering the UHRP database via a backdoor through the security system that she had created herself. With this, the leader of the Hors.e.m.e.n was currently looking through all of the personnels that were at the party today. If there were any suspicious people, she would do further investigation and highlight them as a potential threat.


    Sato understood the underlying statement and chose to not disturb the lady anymore. For the next two hours, the boy conversed with Melanie on several other topics. It was a comfortable ride that soon came to a smooth stop with the train reaching the station at Country Y.


    When they alighted, a man dressed in a clean black suit with neatly combed hair was waiting for them. Although there were signs of wrinkled on the older looking man, he was definitely one of the most charming males that Sato had ever seen. There was even a strong resemblance to Gray. It didn''t take Sato very much to realise that the man was Gray''s father, Alex Tobion.


    "Hello dear," Melanie saw her husband waiting for her in the sidelines and immediately walked up to give him a kiss. Even after being married for many years, the couple was still very much in love.


    "Hello," Alex smiled lovingly, "How was the ride?"


    "It was smooth and enjoyable. Sato was there to keep me company the whole time."


    "Oh? Him?" There was a trace of spite in his words which Sato caught on to pretty easily. However, the young man did not let it get to him and chose to great Gray''s father respectfully.


    "It is nice to finally meet you, Mr Tobion." Sato bowed.


    "Mmm." Alex grunted in acknowledgement, to which Melanie elbowed his waist, signalling him to be well mannered. The wife lover could only just greet back in obedience, "Nice to meet you too."


    "Well, let''s not stand around here for too long. We should head to where the ceremony would take place." Melanie interjected, ending the awkward atmosphere.


    "Uhh, I need to go to the bathroom, so please head over there first without me." Sato dismissed himself.


    "Okay, we will be waiting at the back."


    Sato left the couple and followed the signs to the bathroom. Of course, Madel followed closely behind. It felt really weird that there was a person trailing him around. Normally, the bodyguards that Gray had hired would hide in the shadows and not show their presence in front of the young man. This time, he didn''t really have a choice as those bodyguards could not come along.


    As they arrived at the male bathroom, Madel went in first to survey the area. Inside, there was an old man dressed in a worker''s uniform. He was wiping the glass clean at a very slow and steady pace.


    "Excuse me, but my client would like to use the bathroom. Could you please vacate this area for now?" The words that came out of Madel were borderline respectful, but anyone could tell that was a bit of pressure from her tone.


    "Ah, what?" The old man turned to reveal his wrinkled and haggled face. He seemed to be unable to hear what Madel had said.


    "I said.."


    "It''s okay, Ms Madel. Let the old man finish cleaning the window. I can go to the bathroom without him leaving." Sato watched the scene uneasily and decided to intervene. There really was no need to do such a thing.


    "Fine," With that, Madel went to stand outside. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the wall.


    Sato sighed out in relief, before proceeding to the urinal. After peeing, just as he was about to zip up his pant, he felt a sharp pain on his neck and soon enough, the world around him seemed to spin. Blackout. A person caught his falling body from behind. The person was the old man who was in the bathroom with Sato. There was a dart that stuck to Sato''s neck. The old man removed the needle and swiftly lifted Sato into the cleaning cart that barely had enough space to store the young man. When he was done hiding Sato''s body, he slowly proceeded to the door and left the bathroom. Madel watched the old man turn the corner. Her face had a frown of confusion. There was something that did not add up. There wasn''t any cleaners on the database list that she had gathered up.


    Realising that Sato had not come out of the toilet after a while, nor was there any noise from the bathroom, Madel stormed in to see that Sato was missing. She quickly turned the corner of the hallway and ran forward, trying to catch up to the culprit. Running as quickly as she could she did not realise there was a person awaiting for her at another bent. With a strong blunt strike to Madel''s forehead, the lady was knocked to the ground by the ''old'' man. Madel''s willpower was rather strong and she tried to get up on her feet once again. Before she was able to, she had to dodge the attacker''s move. Leaning against the wall, she retrieved the pocket knife from her sock area as unsheathed her blade.


    With great focus, she got into her fighting stance. Madel rushed in with adrenaline pumping throughout her body. With lightning fast slashes, the pocket knife aimed at the culprit''s face, to which the guy quickly tries to parry her attack. Even when there were times when the rod had hit her arm, she did not care for her injury. Rather, she was trying to inflict a wound on her enemy. Since she was a passenger, the very most Madel could sneak on the train was a pocket knife. If only she had her gun.


    Just as the ''old'' man thought that he had managed to parry one of Madel''s strike, the blade was actually retrieved and the bodyguard relaunched a strike towards the neck. It was the most effective place to strike an enemy as within seconds of the neck cut, the person could bleed to death.


    The ''old'' man noticed what was happening and without thinking too much, dug his head downwards, protecting his neck from injury. This, however, lead to the blade slashing diagonally across his ''wrinkled'' face. With the slash, the ''wrinkled'' mask was peeling off, revealing a smoother complexion that now had a long red cut on it.


    "Ah! F.u.c.k!" The man toppled to the ground. He cried out in pain as he held onto his face.


    Seeing that the attack was effective, Madel wanted to end it once and for all. Just as she was about to strike one last time, another heavy blow was administered to the back of the head. This time, it was from a fire hydrant and the leader was unable to recover from the blow.


    "What took you so long, you f.u.c.k.i.n.g moron?!" The man on the ground shouted out hysterically. One of his hand was still pressing on his bleeding wound.


    "I''m sorry, boss." The bigger looking man bowed apologetically.


    "When I am back, you will receive a punishment from me."


    "Okay¡­"


    "Let us go now. Push this kart quickly." With that, Madel was left lying on the ground unconsciously. Only 10 minutes later, did some of the security guards find the lady by herself.

 Chapter 181 - Captivity 1

    The place smelled like trash, which was evident from all the random litter and takeaway boxes on the floor. The ceiling lights in the room had been broken for who knows how long. The only saving grace was the sole make-shift light bulb that dangled dangerously from the ceiling. It was clear that this place was not inhabited for a long time.


    Sato sat in a rustic wooden chair that looked like it was going to break anytime. His head leaned naturally to the right, his long fringe covered his closed eyes. After an unknown amount of time, Sato finally woke up. He was welcomed with a splitting headache that hammered down on his weak body.


    Only after withstanding the pain for a whole minute did Sato get his bearings together. Where am I? Sato thought without much of a clue. He looked around the garbage-filled room to only feel disgusted by his environment. There were many small insects, c.o.c.kroaches living in the empty cupnoodle cups, maggots wriggling around on the chipped wooden floors.


    Even back when he had stayed in a cheap one room flat, Sato would always take care of his hygiene and the state of his house. From a glance, he was able to tell that the place was definitely uninhabited beforehand. No one with a right mind, would be able to bear living in an insect infested hell hole.


    "So, you have finally awaken from your beauty sleep, young Sato." A voice loomed from behind. A man dressed in black stood still by the door frame.


    "What do you want?" Sato spoke, unafraid of what the kidnapper could do to him.


    "Oh? What do I want?" The kidnapped repeated Sato''s question. He walked closer to the tied up young man, leaning in before peeping over at Sato. "What do you think I want!?!?"


    When the culprit revealed his face to Sato, the person had short neon green hair and thin snake eyes. He had a bloody red bandage diagonally across his face, with a very skinny jawline. Sato recognised the man''s look within seconds.


    "Yroth?" Sato called out apprehensively.


    "Oh? So you do recognise me?" Yroth''s voice became soft, before he starting shouting out hysterically again, "Then what the f.u.c.k do you think I want?!"


    The shouting from Yroth would have normally jolted any civilian that was in the same situation as Sato. However, to the young man who had undergone special training with Gray, Sato was unfazed.


    Yroth walked around the chair to finally come eye to eye with Sato. Throughout, he spoke out with anger and frustration. "Do you have any idea how much shit I had to go through thanks to that f.u.c.k.i.n.g boyfriend of yours?!?! The amount of setbacks I had, the amount of money I lost, the amount of customers I have chasing after me?!?!"


    "Look at my face right now! You see that bandage that runs across my handsome face?" Yroth squeezed Sato''s cheeks tightly as he lifted the boy''s face to make him look right into his eyes. With his other free hand, Yroth removed the bandage roughly. The movement had agitated the fresh wound, causing a few of the stitches to break. A rough stream of red flowed down Yroth''s face.


    On the day of the private opening, Yroth had disguised himself as a cleaner man for the station and had purposely waited for Sato''s arrival. He had one of his underlings work as a security guard and so, he had perfect intel when it came to Sato''s every movement. Although he had many plans as to how to kidnap Sato, the toilet one was used in the end. The bloody red cut was given to him by Madel, who mercilessly slashed across his face.


    "This cut was given to me by that son of a bitch Gray! And now, my face is forever ruined because of that f.u.c.k.i.n.g bastard!!" Yroth''s eyes were red and strained from the emotional and physical pain that he felt.


    Sato had not lose eye contact with the devilish man from the very beginning. In fact, his mind was devoid of fear at this moment. Sato chuckled, his laughter stifled due to Yroth''s grip on his cheeks. Seeing this, it made the cartel leader more enraged.


    "Why are you laughing huh? Do you think I''m joking around?!" Yroth let go of Sato''s face. He followed up with a tight slap that slammed like a truck on the young man''s left cheek. The momentum of the slap had knocked him over sideways. His face and body flew into the pile of trash and insects that laid everywhere.


    "Pick him up!" Yroth shouted out for his lackeys to get him off the ground. Within second, Sato was back to his original position, except now, he had a bruised left cheek and a few maggots lying atop his head. Even with that, Sato did not get scared or anxious, rather, he stared daggers at Yroth.


    "You truly are one feisty youngling, I tell ya..." Yroth gave Sato three light taps on his bruised cheek. He was starting to like how stubborn his victim was. "Don''t worry, Sato. I shall make sure that your death is worthwhile. Every move I make on you shall be used to inflict harm on that beloved boyfriend of yours. Even with your death, I shall not hesitate to send him your dismembered corpse for him to keep!"


    That statement he spoke at last finally struck a chord in Sato''s heart.


    Sato was never worried about dying in the hands of Yroth. However, what he was afraid of was how Gray would react to it. Nevermind dying, knowing the amount of mental trauma Gray would go through, started to affect the young man''s mental state.


    "Hoho... I see you are finally giving me some reactions."


    Yroth was like a greyhound when it came to sniffing out a person''s deepest fears. For Sato, it was Gray.


    "Now it looks like I am truly in for a treat!" Yroth rubbed his hands together. He walked out of the room, leaving one last sentence for the immobilised boy. "Rest well, young man. For tommorow, there will be a great lineup for you!"

 Chapter 182 - Captivity 2

    WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO BE TRAUMATISED. I WROTE THIS CHAPTER AS A WAY TO DESCRIBE THE MAIN CHARACTER''S PAIN AND SUFFERING. TLDR: HE WILL BE TORTURED, R.A.P.ED AND WILL RECEIVE AN UNEXPLAINABLE AMOUNT OF TRAUMA.


    The next day when Sato was pulled out of his "sleep", the boy already had not eaten for two whole days and was only given a small amount of water to sustain his body. Yesterday, Sato was completely stripped off his clothes and was forced to sit in a room filled with maggots, c.o.c.kroaches and other file insects. The room was dark and smelly. To add on, deafeningly loud heavy metal music was blasted from the corners of the room. All of his senses were heightened to the max and being terrorised by his surroundings.


    He was already extremely vulnerable and so, when he was thrown on the ground, outside of the dark room, Sato was unable to adjust to the bright light and did not have the energy to move about.


    "Oh ho? How are you feeling today, young Sato?" The familiar voice came from Yroth who was sitting on his chair, sipping a nice cup of tea.


    "It seems like you do not even have the energy to talk today," Yroth continued to mock, "I guess in order to hear your beautiful voice, I would have to inflict some pain onto you eh."


    Nothing was really entering Sato''s head. His body''s systems had become numb from the entire night and so now, he was in a stoned position.


    "I brought several of my friends over. They were friends that I made in the time that I stayed in prison. Let me assure you that they are VERY nice people. So much so that they will take good care of their new boy toy." As Yroth said that, five men of varying sizes entered the room. They looked down at the n.a.k.e.d young man with l.u.s.tful eyes. Gradually, mountains and hills could be appearing on the surface of the horny men''s pants.


    "I will leave you guys to it. Please remember to return him back to me in one piece. Bye bye." Yroth stood up and left the room with his two side kicks. All that was left was Sato and the five other strangers.


    Within Yroth gone, the five guys proceeded to take off their pants in front of the stoned boy. Crouching closer, they grabbed onto Sato''s arms and legs as they moved him into a receiving position. The boy didn''t resist. His mind was elsewhere, imagining the fun times he had with Gray.


    However, he was soon brought back to earth, when a large tower rammed straight into him. Sato shouted out in pain. The penetration was truly forceful and the pain resonated throughout his body. With the entrance, the man who was now inside Sato, started to move with a fast rhythm. There wasn''t a care in the world as to whether Sato was in pain or not. All he wanted to do was to feel the rush of s.e.x.


    Not long after he came in Sato''s anal cavity, the next man took over and started to pummel Sato once again. The people were taking turns to get a ride on Sato. Two of them could not wait any longer and chose to masturbate on the sidelines first. When they came, it would always be on the their boy toy. Sato who became conscious of their actions, could only helplessly scream. He lacked the energy to resist. Eventually, he even leaked himself as a puddle of yellow liquid formed on the ground. It was a filthy mess, but to the five men, it felt just like prison when a new inmate arrives in their cell.


    The pain, the humiliation, the mortification. All these emotions flushed through Sato''s body. How could he ever face Gray again? He was defiled multiple times by criminals. Who knew how many S.e.x.u.a.lly Transmitted Diseases he would have gotten by the end of it. I am sorry. I am very sorry, Gray. Sato''s last bit of morality screamed out in desperation before dying in his deepest darkest parts of his soul.


    The s.e.x train continued for hours. Sato had even started bleeding from his bottom when everything was over. He laid sprawl on the ground with white liquid on parts of his body, particularly his lower regions. His eyes were lifeless, his jaw shaking uncontrollably from the pain.


    When Yroth came back, he started laughing as he played a video on his phone. He placed the screen in front of Sato''s dead eyes. The video was of him being gang r.a.p.ed and the sounds of his screams sounded from the speaker.


    "So this was where your voice went to? You wanted to save your energy to scream from having s.e.x?" Yroth laughed maniacally, "You''re truly one horny pervert bahahahaha! Bahahahaha!"


    "What would Gray think if I sent this video to him huh? How would he feel after seeing his boyfriend getting manhandled by five guys?"


    The word Gray echoed in Sato''s empty head. He didn''t hear the other parts. Only the name of his lover was able to be heard. Seeing that Sato was not giving him any reaction, Yroth scoffed in disappointment. He ordered, "Take him back to his dark room and feed him some grub."


    "Tomorrow, I will make you feel another form of pain."

 Chapter 183 - The Rescue 1

    TLDR: Sato was tortured, gang-r.a.p.ed, and had received an unexplainable amount of trauma.


    The day Gray received a call during his meeting about Sato''s kidnapping, the Major General dropped everything and immediately flew off to Country Y. On the way, he was briefed by Madel who had regained consciousness after a while. Even in that state, she continued to do her debrief and in her heart, she was disappointed in herself. If she had realised something was wrong sooner, Sato would not have been in danger.


    "Family head, family matriarch," Facing the two heads of the Tobion family, Madel kneeled down on one knee as she apologised, "I would like to resign from my post as one of the Four Hors.e.m.e.n."


    The decision made by Madel was expected by Alex and Melanie. This time, it was indeed a result of her lapse in judgement. With her mistake, the life of Sato Takahashi, one of the most important person in the Tobion family circle, was endangered. Alex walked forward and told her to stand up.


    "There is no need for you to resign. This time, the enemy had truly infiltrated deeply into our territory. Since I had let such a situation happen, it was really my mistake." Alex took the blame. Even though he did not like the idea of Gray having a boyfriend, the fact that he allowed for Yroth to enter Country Y without a problem, was embarrassing on his part. After all, Country Y was truly under the Tobion family''s control. It wasn''t an understatement to say that the Prime minister of Country Y was truly a pawn on his chess set.


    "Tell Gray that the Hors.e.m.e.n, Conquest will be under his command for this rescue. Use any resource that is required to save Sato Takahashi. Failure is not an option."


    "Understood," Madel turned around to leave, passing on the message to Gray.


    Alex turned around to leave with a grim expression. The loving husband notices that his wife was also shaken by the kidnapping.


    "What if something were to happen to Sato? You don''t know how devastating this news would be to your son." Melanie held a strong front in the public, but when she was alone with her husband, her most vulnerable side was revealed.


    "Nothing will happen to Sato. We will have to believe in Gray''s ability as a leader. He will find his lover and seek revenge for him. All we can do is carve a starting path for him." Alex pulled his wife into his embrace, "Now, we wait."


    After receiving the news about his father giving him full authorisation to the Conquest team, Gray promptly dropped a call on the leader. The Conquest leader was Jun Kobe. The leader who came from Country J was trained and raised as a child assassin. Attaining an amazing kill record ever since he was young, he was given chase and was wanted by many countries around the world, before accepting refuge in the Tobion family. Normally, Jun Kobe would not be activated as he was technically not allowed to step foot in a majority of the highly developed countries, this time, Sato was actually kidnapped and confined in Country Y. The mission location could not have been any better.


    When Gray arrived in the military camp that was under the jurisdiction of Jun Kobe, the man was already in the midst of scanning through surveillance cameras around the entire country. Jun''s recognisance skills was undoubtably number one in the Four Hors.e.m.e.n. Unfortunately, he had encountered a huge hurdle.


    "There seems to be a mole in the country''s surveillance team. The country''s video records for the entire hour after the kidnapping had started, was wiped off cleanly. They did not even leave me a opening to retrieve the data." Jun Kobe briefed the young master of the Tobion family.


    Till this day of being alive, Jun rarely felt intimidated by anyone. However, when he spoke to Gray for the first time today, there was an inexplicable feeling of pressure. He was briefed on how the person that was kidnapped was his young master''s lover. Never in his life did he realise how powerful love was. The ability to transform Gray into a devil, was astounding. Gray hearing that the investigation on Sato''s location would require more time, caused the general to feel panic. This panic was something he had never felt before as all the times before, the man was still somehow able to control the outcome of the narrative. This time, there was nothing he could do, but await good news from his subordinates.


    "Start to track the vehicles that were parked or situated around the railway station from a day back. If there isn''t any relevant leads, backtrack even further." Gray instructed.


    "I have already instructed my team to begin on the investigation." Jun was already on the same page as his young master.


    On the first day, the Conquest team had narrowed the vehicles down to 10 potential suspects. On the second day, the team had managed to track down all of their locations and had dropped Yroth''s potential hideouts to three places. The reason for that was because Yroth had sent out cars to different parts of Country Y. This confusion tactic was extremely successful as this meant that if Gray wanted to rescue Sato, there would be a need to have three teams move out at once.


    Gray still remember the call he received from Yroth. The laughter he heard from his speaker further fuelled his frustration and anger.


    "Oh you should hear the screams from your boyfriend, Gray. It was simply exquisite." Yroth taunted the Major General. He did not receive a response back from Gray, but the drug cartel leader knew that his words must have hit a nerve on his arch enemy. "How is your investigation on my location? You know that the longer you take to make a decision, the more your little sweetheart will be tortured under my hand. Tik tok, tik tok¡­"


    The decision that Yroth was talking about was actually a negotiation made under Yroth''s terms. The thing he wanted in exchange for Sato''s life was for Gray to kill himself.

 Chapter 184 - Clarifications (READ THIS)

    To the readers that have not dropped this book,


    I am writing to everyone here for one reason and one reason only. The **** scene was COMPLETELY INTENTIONAL. There is no way that I would change such a scene as a whole. One reader had already pointed out that **** is indeed a common occurrence in jails. I did not write this book to be PG rated. Frankly, this book was for me to highlight the cruelties in life and that sometimes you do not everything that you want. Of course, there are times where the book is still hopeful and that the main characters have plot armour.


    However, what makes a good book bad? The answer is a pointless chapter. If Sato were to be easily rescued by Gray, what would that mean about my villains?? Do you expect them to be nice angels that collect ransom?? Especially when it came down to Yroth who was a ruthless drug cartel leader. Does this man sound like a reasonable person?


    I have written this book for over two years and honestly, every year, my thoughts would vary and change in terms of how I write my book. In the beginning I wrote chapters on a day to day basis and I tried to cater to my readers. After a year, I came back from a hiatus and I decided that I should be more independent and only change the plot a little if my readers wanted it. Now? Well, now I simply write for myself and myself only. I publish my book because there are loyal readers that have yet to drop this book. If there were none, I would still be writing my book because I do so for my own enjoyment. I don''t get any profits from writing this novel and I do not intend to get any.


    Let me tell the readers that have read up to this point that there is still one major arc left. The story is not over and so, if you would like to continue, I would gladly welcome you with open arms. Comment on my chapters as per normal as I love to see what you think would happen next. To those that read the chapter even after my WARNING, then Rest In Peace I guess lol.


    Sincerely,


    Over_The_Horizon

 Chapter 185 - The Rescue 2

    In a secret military location in Country Y, a man who had an extremely dark expression was finalising plans on the mission. The man was Gray and currently, he looked like the reincarnation of the devil. It had been three days since Gray had gotten a wince of sleep. His mind was entirely focused on one objective. Save Sato. The negotiation made under Yroth''s terms had fell through in a second. There was no way Gray would trust that crazy person''s words. He much rather focus on the mission plan that he devised overnight.


    The plan was to launch a simultaneous covert attack on the three locations. There would be three teams lead by Gray, Jun and Conquest''s co-leader, Kilroy, respectively. The priority of the mission was to rescue the civilian, Sato Takahashi from the drug cartel. Any potential enemies was shoot to kill. Leave no one alive, even the leader, Yroth will not be spared this time around.


    "We will move out at 0200 hours. Dismiss." Gray finished his briefing at midnight, leaving him and his team two hours to prepare for the raid.


    "Be careful, Gray." Melanie had dropped a call to check on Gray. Knowing how his son was, she warned her son as a worried mother.


    "I cannot promise that mother. Sato is putting his life on the line. I can''t just sit back and do nothing." Gray knew where his mother was coming from.


    "I know, but still¡­ You are my dearest son."


    "I will come back in one piece and Sato will be with me too." He reassured.


    "Okay."


    Gray hung up and started his own preparation. Warming himself up for potential combat, Gray entered a trance-like zone. His mind was entirely focus on one thing. Kill. Spare no one that stands in your way. Kill or be killed. This was the mentality the Major General had whenever he went on his special operations missions. It had eventually become a fight or flight response for him.


    Looking around in the military camp''s weapons arsenal, the ex-active soldier chose his comfort pick. It was an MK24 Mod 0 SCAR, the assault rifle that had accompanied him for many years on the open field. Gray also chose a Karambit knife and a GLOCK pistol to be equipped as his side arms. There wasn''t anything else that Gray would carry on him, in addition to his bullet proof vest.


    As he checked through his designated weapons for defects, Jun Kobe and his co-leader Kilroy were also doing their final checks. The three of them were definitely powerhouses when it came to infiltration tactics. However, due to their circ.u.mstances, they are required to split into three teams. Even with the additional manpower given by Alex Tobion, the family could not afford to deploy another Hors.e.m.e.n team to this mission. They were all busy and required absolute attention in their task.


    "Let us set off now." Gray spoke through his communication device.


    "Copy." The other two leaders of their teams replied.


    At 0200 hrs sharp, the three teams set off in their respective directions. When the teams, arrived 2 kilometres away from the target location, the soldier alighted and proceeded covertly towards the final destination.


    Gray and his team had to hike up a mountain as this was one of the prospective locations when tracked by the recognisance team. Moving slowly in the darkness, Gray''s team relied on the moonlight to trek upwards. They were not able to use their flashlights as it may signal to the enemy that they were approaching. In Gray''s heart, the man was honestly hoping that Sato''s location was not his. The mountain terrain was not the best place to launch an infiltration attack as the enemy had the height advantage. If they were not careful with their movements, they may get caught by the enemy. Regardless, Gray was dead-set on rescuing Sato. There was no doubt in that statement.


    With slow, but quiet movements, the three teams were able to reach their potential bases in under two hours. By now, it was dead silent in the night and even the enemy guards at the bases were all feeling sleepy. Gray signalled to begin their attacks and so, the infiltration began.


    "Bang, bang, bang!" With the sounds of gunshots echoing throughout the mountain, Gray and his team of soldiers swiftly made their way through the concrete three-story base. From the first floor and moving upwards, the veteran soldiers made good progress, making sure to check corners and potential hiding spots.


    Eventually, the team had managed to kill onto the second floor. There seemed to be signs of Sato''s captivity as there was a room to the corner where heavy metal music was blaring. An empty chair that had dried blood stains on it made it pretty clear to Gray that Sato was here. The Major General frown at the sight, but quickly focused up again.


    He made the choice to continue upwards cautiously as that was most likely where Yroth and Sato was. His intuition was spot on. When Gray made it to the top floor with his team, Yroth was standing out in the open with two guards standing beside him. From his surveillance camera, the guard''s guns were pointing at a lifeless body on the ground. That person was none other than Sato. The only thing that seperated Gray from the crazy drug cartel leader was a thick concrete wall.


    "Oh how nice it is to finally see you again, Gray. How long has it been? Four, five years?" Yroth spoke to Gray who was hiding behind the wall. "You have no idea how much I miss seeing your face. That handsome face that will soon be lying dead on the ground."


    Gray did not speak up.


    "You have exactly thirty seconds to make a decision. Either you come out and let me shoot that handsome face of yours. Or this boyfriend of yours will die in my hands. He had experienced a lot this past two days. I was even planning to send you some of his fingernails tomorrow morning, but your appearance foiled my plans. Anyways! Let us begin the countdown."


    Gray looked at his team and nodded to them knowingly. The Major General was going to appear in front of Yroth. There was nothing those soldier could do or say to change that fact. As the seconds tick by, Sato was seated on the ground n.a.k.e.d with dead lifeless eyes. Nothing entered his head at this point as the boy''s soul was out of this world.


    When the time was almost up, Gray appeared from the corner. He had already placed his weapons down. As he raised his arms in the air as a sign of him surrendering, Yroth started laughing like a maniac.


    "HAhahaahaha! Never would I have thought that this day would come. The day that the talented Gray Tobion would appear in front of me and willingly let me take his life away. All just for an exchange of his little boyfriend''s life! That..That is simply hilarious!" Yroths covered half of his face with his hand while he was laughing. His other hand held a pistol to which he soon pointed at Gray. "Goodbye Gray. Let me send you a gift too while I''m at it. Guards kill Sato."


    "NO!!!" As Gray shouted, both of his hands formed a fist. This was a signal. A very special signal that was only recognisable to a drone that was being piloted outside. The drone was one of the latest military technology that had a built in weaponry function.


    Gray had positioned two of these drones outside during their infiltration into the enemy base and now, it was aiming through the open window at the heads of the enemy. Only Gray was omitted as he was recognised by the drone via facial recognition. With Gray forming two fists, the drones immediately fired it''s bullets at the enemy targets. Before Yroth and his gang could pull their trigger, a face filled with shock appeared on Yroth. The drug cartel leader felt powerless as his brain shut down from the bullet shot. In fact, each drone was installed with two guns and so, two of the guns were specially used to target Yroth.


    With that, marked the end of Yroth''s tyranny.

 Chapter 186 - Aftermath 1

    The rescue mission ended successfully for all three teams. Only two soldiers were injured under enemy fire, the rest didn''t even suffer a scratch. It was all thanks to Gray''s and the other two leader''s exceptional leadership skills. The execution could be said to be flawless on Gray''s part as Yroth and his two other sidekicks were killed before they could cause any harm. Yroth''s head was a mangled mess from the drone''s fire, although no one particularly cared about him.


    When the drones had taken its shot, Gray, without hesitation, ran towards Sato. The Major General''s face was ashen. His lips felt dry for the first time in his life. His eyes, watery as it fogged up his vision.


    "Sato.. Sato.." Apprehensively, Gray called out to the young man who was n.a.k.e.d on the ground.


    There was no response. Quick-minded, Gray ordered the soldiers that were led by him to open up a pathway for him. As he had neutralised the entire enemy ground, he asked for his subordinate to call for air support. There was no time to waste. Gray noticed the bruise marks on Sato''s body. Bloodstains could be seen around his arms, lips and lower regions. It was painful for Gray to even watch, much less experience it. Taking off his layer of camouflage uniform, Gray wrapped Sato up carefully.


    As they waited for the helicopter to arrive, Gray never once left Sato''s side. This time, nothing would ever separate him and his lover again. Even if there was an earthquake, he would hang on to Sato for dear life, never to leave his side. From time to time, Gray would call out to Sato. The emptiness in his eyes was forever present. Nothing came through.


    Still, Gray never gave up on the boy. Even on the helicopter, he believed in Sato''s willpower. He believed that one day he will wake up from this nightmare. And that one day, Gray would be by his side to welcome him back. He would stay by him until that day comes.


    When Sato arrived at the nearest hospital and was sent into the operation theatre for surgery, Gray never left the waiting area. He waited. And waited. And waited. Of course, the man did drop a message to his parents for good measure. However, even after not getting proper sleep for three straight days, he wanted to confirm that Sato was safe.


    Potter arrived to provide his master some food and drinks. The loyal butler waited together with his young master for news to come. After four slow hours, the head surgeon came out of the operating theatre.


    With his deepest assurance, he said, "The surgery was successful. I had managed to stitch up the anal laceration, altogether with his anus. Unfortunately, this meant that a colostomy surgery had to be done, where we created a stoma on the abdominal wall of the large intestine. This is to allow for a pouch for collecting faeces to be attached. In terms of the physical aspect, all I can do now is prescribe antibiotics to combat potential s.e.x.u.a.lly transmitted diseases. In regards to the mental trauma brought on the patient, I am sorry to say that I am unable to help with the situation. Our hospital''s psychiatrists could advice you after the patient receives his much needed rest."


    "Thank you, doctor." Gray bowed slightly. Soon, Sato was wheeled out of the operating theatre. The boy''s face was pale. His lips had scabs and his cheeks were bruised blue-black. It was a tough position to be in, but in Gray''s head, it will only get better. He believed in his lover wholeheartedly.


    That night, after Sato was admitted into the hospital''s presidential suite, Gray watched over the young man while he rested. It was only after his mother persuaded him in person to get some rest on the sofa, did Gray finally get some sleep. It had been a long week for the General too.


    After 14 hours of post-operation recovery, Sato finally woke up. Even though he was awake, he wasn''t truly awake. His eyes were open. However, everyone knew that Sato''s mind wasn''t there. He was diagnosed as being in a Vegetative State. Even if he could open his eyes, have basic reflexes like waking up, Sato''s was unable to react or make a conscious decision. Seeing this, Gray''s heart was wrenched once again.


    The only thing he could do as suggest by the doctors was to give the patient some sensory stimulation. It may be visual stimulation where he could show Sato photos of his friends and family, or even his favourite film. Or hearing stimulation where Gray converses with him or plays a song that Sato likes. There was smelling and touch stimulation that Gray could try. Other than that, the rest of the methods as of today, required Sato to undergo surgery. It was not recommended usually as there was a chance that the patient''s vegetative state would worsen.


    And so, Gray began his week of experimentation of trying to help Sato recover. The General applied for leave of absence during this period. He first called up and informed the university of Sato''s indefinite medical leave and would return once he recovers. He also informed Sato''s family and even Ming, his best friend. Of course, Gray offered to fly Mahiro and Geraldine down to Country Y to visit his son for the week. Afterwards, they would be heading back to Country Z if the doctors permits his discharge.


    For Ming''s case, the young man was extremely worried for his best friend and was lost for several days. Gray had already informed him that he could visit the boy when he was back in Country Z. Luckily, Ming Yue Guang was by his side during his down moments. He accompanied him throughout the days and was extremely helpful in keeping him motivated to carry on with life. After all, the last thing Sato wants was to drag people down with him. Ming knew that and so, he tried his best to live his everyday for his best friend.

 Chapter 187 - Aftermath 2

    On the day that Gray had informed Sato''s parents, the husband and wife rushed down on his private jet to see their son. When they arrived, Geraldine could not help but cry in this situation. Mahiro was standing by her side, quietly watching over his son who was bedridden.


    "Mr and Mrs Takahashi, I am sorry for not taking care of your son properly." Gray apologised while bowing in a ninety-degree angle. There was deep remorse in Gray''s tone. Even when Mahiro was fuming deep in his heart, he could not bear to vent his anger on Sato''s boyfriend. After all, there was not much that Gray could do during that situation. His son was an a.d.u.l.t and he had made the decision on his own accord.


    Mahiro walked forward to the still bowing Gray. With a firm hand, he patted the General''s back. "If you must, go ahead and leave my son to carry on living your life."


    "No." Gray declined firmly. There was not a trace of doubt in his word.


    "You would not mind taking care of my son, even if it meant that his chances of recovery was in the 1 percents?" Mahiro questioned doubtingly. He had asked the doctors from before about the possibility of Sato recovering and from the looks of it, it was slim.


    "Yes. In this life, I will only take your son, Sato Takahashi as my lover." Gray proclaimed in front of Sato''s parents. When Mahiro and Geraldine saw what kind of person their son had gotten as a boyfriend, the both of them smiled mellowly.


    Such love between two people was truly hard to come by and now, life was playing tricks on them. Sato was bedridden possibly for life, while Gray was forced to painfully watch his lover be in this state.


    "If one day, your word does not hold true. I will not blame you, Gray Tobion. Two-way Love is strong, but a one sided love is a torture in itself." Regardless, Mahiro gave the General a way out of this situation. After all, the only one that was truly liable to Sato''s situation was his parents. Even though they did not want to give up on hope, their heads were already set on having to take care of their son until the day he recovers.


    "It was never a one sided love and it never will be." Gray declined Sato''s fathers notion as his gaze fell on the sleeping young man on the hospital bed. "The fact that Sato is still alive at this juncture, means that he himself has been holding on for dear life. He wants to recover and he will do it not only for me, but for the both of you. All we have to do is give him time¡­"


    For two weeks, Sato stayed in the hospital in Country Y. Luckily enough, after the antibiotics were administered into Sato, no STDs were found in the young man''s body. It was then the family had received permission from the doctors that Sato could finally head back to Country Z. Mahiro and Geraldine were reluctant to part with the two boys, but they knew that Sato would get better treatment if he followed Gray. Regardless, they could visit their son at any point in time without prior notice.


    The day that Sato reached back to the mansion, the room that was used before by Gray and Sato had been fully refurbished and changed into what seemed to be an upgraded hospital ward. While there are life support equipments, the room still resembled and gave off a homely vibe. The modern day design remain, yet the room''s walls gave off warm vibes. In addition, Gray had teared down the back wall that separate his and Sato''s room. This meant that now there was even more moving space. A sitting area was created to accommodate guests and even an additional bed was placed for Gray to sleep on. The bathroom was also expanded and remodelled so as to allow Sato to be easily transported to and fro.


    Overall, the treatment care was topnotch. So now all they had to do was get Sato to recover back to normal. That weight and pressure naturally fell on Gray''s shoulder. Rather, he wanted to be the one that holds responsibility in taking care of Sato. Ever since that day when Gray had rescued Sato from Yroth, there was a psychological change in the Major General. His protective instincts had heightened and so now, if possible, he would never want to leave Sato''s side. Even when it came to work, Gray would carry out work calls and meetings from home. At this point, he had made it clear in the army that if anyone were unhappy with his decisions of working from home, the man would resign from his position in the military. There was nothing in the world that could stop him, not even a natural disaster that could tear down this house.


    The only people that are allowed to take care of Sato were naturally the oldest caretakers and butlers in the house. Newcomers were not allowed to even come close to the second floor of the mansion. Any gossips about Sato was prohibited. Although, most of the time it was Gray that would take care of the young man. Gray would wipe the boy''s body clean every night before bedtime. He would take care of his bodily wastes and help replenish his nutrients bag.

 Chapter 188 - Memories

    "Hey Sato, I am sure you remember the ski trip that we went on recently," Gray held the boy''s small hands gently as he spoke to Sato, "That day''s weather was perfect to learn how to ski. We were at the gentle slopes together as the instructor taught you how to ski properly."


    "I remember how you struggled to keep your skis closer. Your legs would get further and further apart. It was like you were trying to do a split." Gray chuckled a little as he recalled the day''s event.


    "Of course, you eventually got the hang of it and the rest was natural for you." Gray took out his phone as he showed Sato whose eyes were open. Gray had opened up his photo gallery and started showing pictures of their ski trip. The snow white mountains that stretched far out was captured in the photo. In addition, there was even one of Sato and Gray standing side by side. Seeing Sato''s smile in the photo, Gray turned to look at the boy in the hospital bed. Much has changed in a span of 3 months.


    "When you recover, I will take you anywhere you''d like to go. If you do not want to do something, you do not have to. If you want something, you can have it. All I want is for you to show me that smile once again." Gray kissed Sato''s hand as he looked into the boy''s apathetic eyes. There was no response, but Gray did not stop there.


    He continued to show photos of their holiday in Country J. The couple had went to the star observatory at night to look at the night sky. The place was normally not accessible to the public as this was where renowned astronomers study planets, comets, stars and other astronomical objects in space. For Gray, it was easily achievable.


    The young master of the Tobion family was even able to get one of the visiting astronomers to be their guide in the galaxy for that night. As he explained to the pair what they were about to see, Sato and Gray were able to see it firsthand through the Terrahand Telescope. This was already the second best telescope to be built on earth.


    The couple even got to operate the Terrahand Telescope under the supervision of the astronomer. It was a unique date that not many in their lifetime could experience. Sato eventually finds a dwarf planet, namely Gliese 682.


    "Gliese 682, a red dwarf planet that is approximately 16 light years away from the Earth. The planet is located in the constellation of Scorpius." The guide explained to the couple.


    The sky was cloudless that night and so it was the perfect moment to observe planets. Sato who was especially intrigued did not forget to take photos as reminiscence. Gray swiped to the photo of which Sato had taken. It was the photo of Gliese 682.


    "You remember how excited you were when you discovered a red circle in space? You were so ecstatic like a little boy getting to eat some candy."


    The couple also had a cheese fondue machine set up for dinner that night in the observatory. They sat on the floor, picnic style. Above them was a clear glass dome similar to their hotel room. As they had their dinner, they were able to enjoy the night sky as dessert. Gray took a sneaky photo of Sato who was stuffing his mouth with potatoes. His eyes was focus on the stars, which was the reason why he did not realise Gray was taking a photo of him.


    Seeing that photo now, Gray could not help, but cry. The innocence in the photo was really contagious. Tears were coming out of his eyes without his permission. It was the first time Gray had cried after the kidnapping. He had been able to stay strong in front of Sato''s parents. Only now was Gray''s emotions released.


    The General c.a.r.e.s.sed Sato''s hand as he looked at the photos he had taken secretly. Although Sato was currently in a vegetative state, those photos were meant for himself and himself only. Gray loved Sato''s clumsy and whimsical moments. It was that part of Sato that especially attracted him. And now, all of that was gone and he was left with a shell. Oh how he wished he was the one in that state instead of Sato.


    Enough of that, Gray stood up from his seat and left to the balcony. He needed some fresh air. The weather had gradually gotten warmer as spring was starting soon. Gray took out his phone as he checked his messages. There were messages coming in from different people, asking about Sato. People like Pete Kouglas and Marion Lee, who were close friends of Gray. They had heard about it from their parents and wanted to check in with Gray. It had been two weeks since he last checked his messages and so only now did he reply. There wasn''t much to it except, "Sato is in a vegetative state and would stay like this for an indefinite period of time."


    Another person that had messaged Gray was Ming. The young man who has or had feelings for Sato was truly worried about him. Knowing that Ming was someone of great importance in Sato''s life, Gray told the boy that he was allowed to visit Sato when he liked. Of course, when Ming got the message, he asked if he could go visit today. Gray accepted the request and had sent Hank to pick him up from the University.

 Chapter 189 - Take Care Of Him

    After hearing that Sato was back in Country Z, Ming came to visit in the afternoon. As he entered the room where Sato was, the young man was disconsolate. The always happy and positive best friend of his was now left with an expressionless body. Ming walked slowly towards Sato''s bed side as he eventually stood still. He did not move one bit from his position.


    "Gray, can I have some time alone with Sato?" Ming knew that Gray was standing behind him. He asked in a melancholy tone. Obligingly, Gray left the room. That was the least he could do after leaving someone''s best friend in this state.


    When the door closed, only then did Ming sit down on the chair. He tucked his chair closer to Sato as he stared at Sato''s empty eyes. Everyone always looked at his eyes in the first place. Before he began speaking, Ming''s facial expression changes to one that''s smiling.


    "Hey Sato, why are you looking so down?" Ming asked. "This isn''t the you that I remember vividly in my head."


    "You know that school is still ongoing right? If you do not recover soon enough, you would have to retake the school year. That isn''t what you want, correct?"


    "To me, you are the type of person that had the most positive outlook on life. No matter what life threw at you, you would always bounce back stronger. You never gave up and would always do your best in anything you had set out to achieve. So, what are you doing right now in this bed?"


    There was no reply nor an emotional changes from Sato.


    "Sato, I believe that you can snap out of this. What you had been through over the years cannot be compared to what you had experienced recently. However, you have to believe in yourself. Believe that you will make it through this tough times." Ming tightly held onto Sato''s hand. It lacked warmth.


    "Even more so, there are people that are eagerly waiting for your recover. Your parents, Gray, your friends that you have made on Ray Of Light, me¡­ We all want you back in our lives. So do not give up. That is all I ask for. Do not give up alright?" Ming held back his tears, biting onto his lower lip as he tried to control his emotions. His head was looking at the floor.


    "Back then, when I had confessed to you in the most cowardly way possible, I had hurt you not only as a person, but also as a best friend. Till this day, I have been feeling extremely remorseful for my actions and I had been thinking about how I could make amends to you."


    "If you do not wake up, how am I suppose to do that? Do you want me to feel guilty for the rest of my life? I want to make things right between you and I. I want to go back to the days where we would study together in the university library or how we would play ROL together. I want you to be you¡­"


    "So, do not give up hope," Ming look up again at Sato. "Alright?"


    When Ming was done with his one man speech, the young man left the room quietly. Gray was waiting for him outside. The both of them did not look at each other as they went down stairs together. Hank was already waiting outside for Ming. As the young man was getting in the car and Gray was watching him leave, Ming said with clarity.


    "Take care of him for me, will you?"


    "I will." Gray replied assuringly. The car drove out of the mansion compound and Gray walked back into the house.


    What Ming had said to him was interpreted by Gray as a warning. A boy who had no power in this world had daringly given the young master of the Tobion Family a warning. As Sato''s feelings was rightfully presented to Gray, the Major General was entirely responsible for Sato''s wellbeing. Unfortunately, this time around, Gray had failed miserably to protect his loved one and Ming was sharp enough to catch onto that. Ming who was unafraid of the lion had proclaimed to Gray that if he were to fail at taking care of Sato once again, he would not let this go.


    Gray headed back upstairs. He arrived in his usual seat, sitting back down by the side of Sato. His eyes fell on his lover to which turned into shock and surprise. From Sato''s right eye, a tear had rolled down to his cheek. When Gray noticed this, he immediately called in the doctor. After doing a few preliminary checks, it seemed that the tears from Sato did not show any improvements whatsoever to his vegetative state. In addition, the doctor told Gray that such actions like shedding tears could happen without any apparent external stimulus. Sato''s eyes could''ve just been tired and so his eyes teared up.


    Such news did not put Gray down. Instead, Gray still held onto the belief that if he continued to talk and interact with his lover, Sato would one day wake up from his stupor.


    ¡­


    In Country Y, the main house of the Tobion Family, a lady dressed in a beautiful black dress had entered their home. The way she walked exuded elegance. Her looks were refined, leaving bystanders a lasting impression in their head.


    "Hello, auntie." The lady greeted Melanie when she ended the house.


    Melanie was already awaiting her arrival. When she saw that her guest had arrived, she greeted back, "Hello, Delilah. It has been a long time since we last met."


    "It has indeed been a long time," The lady that had visited the Tobion household was Delilah Kouglas, the twin sister of Pete Kouglas. She recently came back from Country U after quitting Bapple.

 Chapter 190 - Delilah’s Plan

    "How long were you in Country U? Five, six years?" Melanie asked while pouring tea for the guest.


    "Mmm, six years. I have been so caught up in work during that period and hadn''t found the time to come back to visit auntie." Delilah replied with a courteous tone.


    "It really has been a long time since I have last seen you," Melanie got a good look at the girl who was the same age as her son. "You have gotten prettier over the years, Delilah."


    It was as Melanie had said, during the past six years, other than working on the software development project at Bapple, Delilah had spent her rest time in the gym and perfecting the art of cooking. It was her way of de-stressing which as a result, allowed her to maintain a slender and fit figure.


    "Thank you for the compliments auntie. You look like you have not aged one bit too."


    "Oh stop it.." Melanie said embarrassingly.


    "Its the truth auntie. When have I lied to you?"


    The pair of ladies made small talk and got to hear about what they had been up to in the past few years. Delilah''s trip to Country Y was actually coincidental. Other than wanting to meet up with Gray''s mother, she had plans to take the Underwater railway to Country Z. That was where her true final destination was.


    "So, why did you quit your job? Was the work too stressful?" Melanie asked curiously.


    "No, work was fine before I planned to leave," Delilah shook her head, "I guess I simply wanted a new perspective? I want to start a new chapter in my life."


    "Mmm. And that is?"


    "I want to get married, auntie." The 29 year old was straightforward when she spoke to Melanie.


    "Oh? Do you have a potential suitor in Country Z?" This got the older lady curious.


    "No, but I am interested in your oldest son, Gray." Delilah did not mince the words that came out of her mouth.


    "Delilah," Hearing her answer, Melanie knew that she had to interject in on her plans, "You should know that my son, Gray is gay right?"


    "I do."


    "Then you should also know that Gray has a boyfriend that he deeply cares about."


    "I do."


    "Then why do you want to waste your youth chasing after my son?" Melanie was confused about this point. Someone as talented and beautiful as Delilah could get any well-to-do men to fall head over heels for her. And yet, she had set her eyes on an impossible target.


    "Auntie.." Delilah set her cup of tea down after sipping on it. She explained to Melanie with a reminiscing expression, "I treat and respect you like you are my real mother. You have watched me grow up together with Gray. You must''ve already known that back then, I have liked Gray. My feelings have not changed since the past and it hasn''t change ever after knowing that he has a boyfriend. I want to give it a shot, at least for my own sake."


    "You know how Gray is as a person. If he wants something, he would do whatever it takes to get it. The same goes for loving someone. Gray would and has placed all of his love into Sato. Currently, his boyfriend is in a bad predicament and even if you tried to make a move now, it would surely yield no results." Melanie tried to reason with the stubborn girl.


    "Maybe it won''t. However, at this point in time, all I want to do is spend more time with Gray. I wasn''t able to do so in the last decade or so. If it yields no results, I will back off, but for now, I would like to try."


    "Haiz¡­" Gray''s mother shook her head. What did his son do to enchant such a capable woman?


    "I know my limits, auntie. Besides, " Delilah stood up from the sofa as she placed a hand on Melanie''s shoulder, "I have other things I need to settle when I am in Country Z."


    There seemed to be something that Delilah was hiding from Gray''s mother, something that was troubling her. However, the independent young lady did not request for her help and so Melanie did not pry into it further.


    "Alright, if there is anything that you need my help, don''t hesitate to ask. I''m only a call away." Melanie watched as the Delilah went into the car.


    "Thank you auntie for your warnings."


    In the car, on the way to the Underwater Railway Station, Delilah''s eyes were focused elsewhere. She wasn''t lying about her wanting to get married. It was a part of the story that she wanted to tell. The other part was relating to her carrier. She wanted revenge. Payback to those that got in her way.


    Back at Bapple, Delilah Kouglas was a computer science prodigy that graduated early and had entered their company as a software developer. In a short two years, she eventually became the Head Developer for their latest AI system and was improving their system by miles every year. However, nearing the end of last year, she realised that the team she had lead over the years were gradually being replaced with new staff. The team she had built up by herself had eventually become a shell for the company. Delilah had also overheard a conversation between another Head Developer and the CEO of Bapple. Their conversation was basically undermining Delilah''s work and how they thought that her time in the company was up.


    In the end, after overhearing such a shocking conversation, Delilah sent in her resignation letter and left first. In Bapple, s.e.xism ran deep in the company''s headquarters. This was not the first time something like this had happened. It was just that the young lady chose to ignore it for her team''s sake. The people who she had worked with over the past six years had brought her vision life. An autonomous artificial intelligence system that was able to rival a human''s intuition and spontaneity was the ultimate goal for Delilah. She had thought that Bapple was the place that could let her flourish and grow her ideas. Yet, that place turned out of be a backstabbing pit of doom.

 Chapter 191 - True Motive

    When Delilah reached Country Z via the underwater railway, the poised lady was picked up by a private chauffeur. The car headed off in the direction that wasn''t Gray and Sato''s home. Instead, it was driving towards the Central of the country, where large conglomerates have set up their headquarters here.


    Delilah''s true motive in Country Z was slowly being revealed. As the car finally came to a stop outside of a modern glass building, Delilah was welcomed into the building by the ground staff. She was guided around by a young lady who seemed to be an assistant. The beautiful and talented lady was brought to the top floor, taking a private elevator that could only be used by executives.


    The elevator opened to reveal a long and large meeting room table. Around the table sat seven individuals, all dressed up in formal attire. The lighting in the room mainly came from the glass windows that refract light into the space. As the weather today in Country Z was gloomy, the room was dimly lit, almost suggesting ominous energy in the room. However, the situation was not exactly that case.


    "Welcome to Country Z, Ms Kouglas." The man sitting at the very end of the table stood up and walked towards Delilah. He was very respectful to the 29 year old in front of him.


    "Thank you, Justin. There is no need to be so formal. It is not like we have not met before." Delilah smiled as she shook the man named Justin''s hand.


    "Alright, alright. I was just kidding. Take a seat Delilah."


    "Mm." The both of them took their seats, sitting directly opposite of each other.


    "So, the Executives and I have read the proposal you have given to us. The things written in it seemed to favour us far too much, leaving you with nothing. Was there a reason behind you creating such a proposal?" Justin casually flipped through a file that had several pages in it. The file was the proposal that Delilah had proposed to him.


    "Yes, there is a reason behind it." Delilah hid nothing from him.


    "Oh? Go on."


    "As stated in my proposal, I would like to join your company as the Co-Head Developer of your AI system in SYMBOL. You should know that I was the one that created Bapple''s latest AI system and had been perfecting it over the years. So, me jumping to your company now could be seen as an anomaly. That was why I suggested a proposal that is favoured to you." Delilah continued, "The reason behind me changing companies is even simpler. I want to seek revenge."


    "Revenge?"


    "Yes," Delilah sat straighter than she was before, "I want to completely blow Bapple''s AI system out of the park. For everything they had done to my team and I, I would like to destroy them with my own hands."


    "And for this revenge, you really thought that suggesting such a favourable proposal to our company would mean that we would hire you for sure?"


    "Is that a no?" Delilah''s facial expression became more complicated, before easing up again when Justin spoke.


    "Yes, of course it is a no! How could we accept to only hire you as a part-time contract? Moreover, you are not even asking for a flipping salary? Delilah, what you are suggesting is that we commit robbery on you!" The Executives in the room laughed politely to the side. They were indeed shocked at how naive the lady''s way of thinking was. Delilah too, blushed in embarrassment.


    "Delilah.. What I am saying is that our company is more than willing to hire you, not just as a Co-head Developer for our AI System, but as our sole Head Developer for our AI System."


    "But what about the current Head Developer?"


    "Ah, that old man was ecstatic to give up his position to work his last remaining years under your guidance." Justin shooed away such empty problems. He continued to knock some sense into Delilah, "You have to realise that you should never lower yourself below your own self-worth. It is not only an insult to you, but to the company that is hiring you. In regards to you wanting to hire your entire old team from Bapple, I will leave it up to your ability to call them over to SYMBOL. If the pay needs to be raised, just submit the quote to the finance department."


    Hearing these words come out of Justin''s mouth, the lady could not fathom how uncorrupt such a huge conglomerate was. The proposal previously given to them by Delilah would have immediately been accepted by other technological companies. Almost everyone would not deny the opportunity to gain such a huge profit.


    The young lady of the Kouglas Family did not want to rely on the Tobion Family to get into their subsidiary companies. She had her own face to save and was independent ever since she was young. Till now, she had yet to use a single cent from her family ever since she started university. She had built her own empire up using her own prowess and determination.


    Today, Delilah realised how great the Tobion family was in regards to choosing successors in businesses. A CEO like Justin Fate was extremely hard to come by, much less a group of Executives that did not scheme against each other. They were all working towards a collective goal in bettering the company''s mission.


    "Thank you for all of this, Justin." Delilah was touched from the bottom of her heart.


    "It really is nothing, Delilah. Rather, I should be thanking you for choosing to hop to our company. From today onwards, our company''s growth will be exponential and soon enough, we will crush Bapple in its core."


    That last statement was not an over-exaggeration by any chance. What Justin had said was an accurate prediction of future events.

 Chapter 192 - Trapped

    Two Months later¡­


    In the most ill.u.s.trious and expensive housing estate in Country Z, there was a mansion that was built atop a hill that had the most spectacular view of the city. A man that looked like he was personally sculpted by god was pushing a wheelchair that sat a pale young man. The large contrast in body size was evident, but that did not ruin the tranquil atmosphere that the couple was in.


    After a month on IV drips and other nutrients that enter his body indirectly, Sato started showing the ability to eat food directly through his mouth. This was spectacular news to Gray who had taken care of his lover ever since the day of Sato''s rescue. It also meant that now, Gray could take Sato on walks outside. The weather was now breezy, but not that cold anymore. To be safe, Gray wrapped the boy in a nice warm scarf and a helped him wear on a thin jacket.


    The couple would do walks as a routine every day. When the weather was warmer in the afternoon, the caretakers and butlers could see the two boys out in the garden. Gray had specially built a wheelchair pathway to push Sato around. Currently, they were sitting by the highest peak in their estate compound. There was a tree that was atop the point and it provided shade for Gray and Sato. Gray sat on the wooden bench as he turned to look at the young man beside him.


    It had been a long time since Gray had seen his lover''s smile. Internally, he struggled with that fact every now and then, but that thought would disperse without problem. After all, Sato was improving day by day.


    "Back then, we never got to come to this peak together as we were always busy with work and schooling. Yet now, I really wished that we came up here in the past." Gray spoke to himself, reminiscing the past.


    "You told me before that this city view was by far your most favourite scenic point. And so, I promise that we will come here together every time we have the opportunity to. Even if you were to stay in this state until we are both old and haggled, I will continue to push you to this very peak and we would enjoy this view together."


    "I love you, Sato. As payback, when you recover, I would like to hear it from you too. Alright?" Gray peaked over from the side with his signature loving smile. There was not a trace of remorse whenever he did that. There was only affection and blind trust in the young man. He believed that Sato would one day be back to normal. And that day would be the happiest that Gray had ever been.


    Tears started falling down from the side of Sato''s eyes. Unsure about what that meant, Gray simply thought that the boy''s eyes were getting irritated from the wind. As he wiped away the tears for Sato, he said, "Let us go back in then. The weather may still be too cold for you to stay outside for a long period of time."


    ¡­


    In Sato''s mind, ever since the surgery in Country Y, the young man had actually regained consciousness. When he woke up that day and realised that Gray was beside him, Sato cried out inwardly. He had full belief that Gray would save him from Yroth and all of this would be over. He was right. However, there was a huge problem. It seemed that no matter how Sato called out, his body would not listen to his instructions.


    Sato''s mind was essentially detached from his body and so now, he was living inside a shell that used to belong to him. Everyday, he would try to call out for his lover. Everyday, he would fail. Sato never gave up. He continued to do so and tried his very best to control his own body. Even something as simple as moving a finger, was impossible when he tried.


    And so, the days went by and soon, it turned into weeks, which turned into months. It was basically another form of torture for the young man. Sato watched Gray take care of him everyday for the past 3 months. There was not even a single sound of complaint. In fact, Gray never once went without a day of talking to him. He was always there to keep Sato company and that in itself made Sato''s days of silent torture less miserable.


    The hopeful part was that although he was unable to control anything, Sato''s body was gradually regaining body control, like it was relearning how to move. The process of recovery was slow, but small things like being able to eat again was a win for the young man. The days that Gray brought him outside for walks was definitely more pleasant than sitting on the bed.


    When Gray had brought him to the hilltop to look at his favourite city view, Sato felt at ease. The day that Gray spoke about growing old together, Sato was touched inwardly. He was so touched that he actually cried again that day. He cried for Gray as he pitied his lover. He pitied how such a loving and caring man had to take care of vegetable like him. He pitied how no matter what he said Gray never received a reply back. He pitied Gray for choosing such an incompetent boyfriend as his lover. And for once, the tears that came out of Sato''s face were truly from him.

 Chapter 193 - A Blood Clot (End Of Arc 2)

    It had now been 5 months since the kidnapping, by now, doctors that had taken a look at Sato were giving mixed opinions. Some were saying that Sato would most likely not be able to recover from this state anymore. Others were more hopeful and thought that Sato, being able to ingest food from the mouth was a good sign of progress. However, the both opinions came crashing down when Sato started seizing up one night.


    Hearing shaking noises, Gray immediately woke up and called in the doctor. After 5 minutes, the seizures finally stopped. Seeing the situation, the doctor advised that Sato was to be sent to the nearest hospital for an MRI. The MRI had revealed a blood clot in Sato''s left hemisphere of the brain.


    As the location of the blood clot was completely blocking an artery in Sato''s brain, the doctor suggested that he should undergo surgery. Sato''s parents were also called up to the hospital that night and they decided that the young man should undergo the surgery. Gray agreed with their decision and told the doctors to follow through on their plan.


    By 3 am, Sato was in the operating room and underwent the procedure. In less than an hour, the boy was out of the surgery. There wasn''t a need to shave the boy''s hair as it was minimally invasive. Gray and Sato''s parents spent the night in the hospital.


    As the morning came quickly, the group was in for a big surprise. When the doctors had come to check on Sato''s condition, the young man''s eyes seemed to be moving about in a controlled manner. Noticing that this was very much different from his usual behaviour, they immediately called out to the boy.


    "Mr. Sato, can you hear me? Blink twice if it is a yes." The neurosurgeon who conducted the surgery snapped his fingers to get the young man''s attention.


    It took a short moment for Sato to process the doctor''s statement, but soon enough, the young man proceeded to blink twice. Sato was finally able to respond!


    "Ah! He responded! My son responded didn''t he?" Mahiro confirmed with the doctor and nurses that stood beside him. He was ecstatic beyond belief. Geraldine was unable to hold herself back as she started to cry in relief. Gray too stood by the side in shock.


    To everyone''s surprise, Sato turned his head to Gray. The young man opened his mouth, but no words came out. It seemed that he was trying to say something to Gray.


    "There is no need to force yourself, Mr Sato. You had not used your vocal cords for five months. The organ has weakened over time and would require some practice to get used to it again." The doctor explained to Sato and his family.


    Yet, Sato continued to try his best. There was something that he needed to say to Gray. If he did not say it now while he could, he was afraid that he may not get the chance tomorrow.


    "Ah..Ah..I.." In a soft airy voice, Sato whispered. Gray realised that the young man wanted to say something to him. He came closer to Sato''s mouth as he heard the rest of the line. "Lu..Love..Y..You."


    When the General heard what Sato had said to him, the grown man could not help, but break down in tears. He was overjoyed and emotional that his lover said ''I love you'' to him. It was the simplest of things that touch the young master of the Tobion Family. He could request anything in life, except for the love from his love ones. Only that was something that needed to be earned.


    "I love you too." Gray gave a kiss on Sato''s forehead. It was then Sato finally smiled for the first time in five months. These past five months truly felt like a recurring nightmare to Sato. It was a nightmare that he could never escape out of. And only after going through with a surgery, was he able to control his body once again.


    It was also this that made the doctors realise that probably, the underlying cause of Sato''s vegetative state was the blood tumour in his left hemisphere of the brain. It seemed that the last time when Sato was in the hospital, the blood clot had been unnoticed on the MRI. Only after a few months of moving around did the blood clot becoming more evident.


    For Sato and the people around him, they were all just thankful that he had recovered from the vegetative state that he was in for five months. This was five months of worry for everyone. Things like post-vegetative state recovery were things for the future. For now, Sato was happy that he had full autonomy of his body.


    After a week of staying in the hospital and the removal of his faeces pouch, Sato was finally discharged from the hospital. The young man would now undergo physical therapy at home under the guidances of the Tobion Family''s private hires. There were Occupational therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech therapists, Behavioral therapists that came in everyday to help the boy integrate back to society.


    Sato gladly accepted the help that was given to him by Gray. The boyfriend of his had been through everything with him and had seen his worse of times. If Sato ever had any doubts on Gray before the kidnapping, he was now clear of all of it now. From the day that he regained autonomy of his body, Sato had felt that this life of his now rightfully belonged to Gray. If he wanted him to jump off a building, the boy would not hesitate to do so. After all that he had done for him, the young man owed everything to him.

 Chapter 194 - Ming’s Decision

    In University Z, Li Ming and Ming Yue Guang were having lunch together. Today, Li Ming gave off a very different vibe from the usual. Ming Yue Guang noticed this and asked, "Did something good happen today?"


    "Not today. Yesterday night, Sato finally recovered from his vegetative state." Ming smiled in delight. Yesterday when Sato had messaged him saying that he able to move around again, Ming was relieved and glad that the boy was finally back to himself again. It would be a while before he comes back to school, but for now, such news was good enough for him.


    "Really? I''m glad to hear that." Ming Yue Guang was happy for him. Seeing that his junior had cheered up substantially, Yue Guang knew that Sato was really important in Ming''s life.


    "Oh? I forgot to ask. What was the news that you wanted to share with me?" Li Ming remembered the purpose of today''s lunch.


    "Well this Friday will be my first Nationals soccer game. I was wondering if you would like to come and watch?" Ming Yue Guang invited nervously. He was more nervous telling this to Ming than to anyone else.


    "Of course, I am more than willing to come." Ming did not disappoint. Although the price of the ticket would be something to worry about, he still had some savings to spare a soccer game. Though, that worry was unfounded.


    "Thats perfect. I have a ticket for you, so there is no need for you to buy one."


    "Really? Aren''t tickets expensive to buy? You do not have to give it to me, you know."


    Ming Yue Guang shook his head, "The players of the match get tickets for free so this costed me nothing."


    "Alright, I''ll take this opportunity to watch your game then." Ming didn''t continue to squabble about it.


    "Sweet," Ming Yue Guang smiled gleefully.


    After five months of on-site training and various in-house matches, the Head Coach deemed Ming Yue Guang ready for the international stage now. The match on Friday was going to be Yue Guang''s resumption in Country Z''s national soccer team. It was all thanks to Ming''s words of encouragement that got him back into the sport that he loved. And so, it was nerve-racking to invite his junior to the match.


    For Ming, after the boy came out to his family, he had stopped all forms of contact with his parents. His siblings, however, continued to keep in touch with their older brother. After all, the one that had taken care of them all those years was Li Ming and not very much their parents. Unlike Rong Xing and Li Fei, the siblings were more open on the concept of Ming being gay. In their hearts, all they cared about was their brother''s wellbeing.


    Many times they tried to ask Ming to reconcile with their parents, but the eldest declined such requests. Ming knew that there was nothing that he could say that would change his parent''s minds. Only time will tell his tale. If both of his parents were unable to see past this, Ming would continue to live in solitary.


    Without the financial help of his parents, Ming became more reliant on his scholarship. The money given to him every month was just enough to get him through his university life. There was no need to tap into his savings. In addition, Ming applied for a different financial aid and had gotten in via discretionary admission as the deadline had been overdue. The financial aid did request that Li Ming has to partake in an overseas exchange program with a partner university in Country U. The exchange program was 16 months long, stretching all the way to the end of his four year degree.


    It was a hard decision to make, but Ming chose to follow through with it. The financial aid offered was by a benefactor named Liam Payne. He was the founder of the Space Exploratory Program, The Black Box and had been finding notable students to take under his wing. Li Ming had written an email under his scholar''s program and was able to score an E-interview with Mr Payne. Although there was a slight upset in Ming''s GPA last year for university, he had explained to the founder about his situation during that period.


    To his surprise, the man was touched by his honesty and seeing how Ming''s GPA was normally exceptional, he allowed the boy to enter his financial aid program. Everything in his studies was paid for and when he had finished his studies, depending on whether Ming continued to do a Masters or pHd, he would then enter The Black Box space program as a full time employee for a bonded 5 years.


    The reason why Ming had entered as a Mechanical Engineer in the first place was his interest in the space exploration industry. He had debated on whether studying Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering would be a better idea. In the end, he chose the latter as his parents thought that it was a suitable course.


    The young man was scheduled to leave for Country U''s notable university, Muller''s Institute of Sciences and Technology (MIST) on the coming Sunday. It was lucky that Ming Yue Guang''s soccer match was held before his flight. The problem Ming was facing now was how should he tell his close friends. Both Sato and Ming Yue Guang had very deep impressions on Li Ming and one of them had just recovered from his health condition, while the other was extremely busy with his soccer preparations.


    In the end, Ming decided to wait to tell Ming Yue Guang after his game, while for Sato, he would break the news to him when he visited him the next day.


    "So, I will see you then alright?" Ming Yue Guang placed the ticket beside Li Ming''s food tray as he stood up to leave. "I will be heading for soccer practice again. Bye!"


    "Goodbye." Ming waved as his heart felt heavy again, just right after Sato''s health incident.

 Chapter 195 - The GREEN Suburb Movement 1

    At home, Sato had just finished physical therapy with the physiotherapist and went to take a shower. Being back in his own body felt very refreshing and weird for the boy. He felt weak in every way and sense. His appetite had shrunk and his muscles had weakened. Compared to the boy who had done physical activities for months prior, it was an eye opening experience.


    Now, the boy had to sit on a chair to take a shower. His body has not gotten used to standing yet. If it weren''t for Sato strongly denying Gray''s offer of asking the helpers to wash his body, the General would have already implemented it. To the young man who had been trapped in his own body, unable to move for five whole months, now that he had freedom, he wanted to do everything himself.


    Sato reached his hand to his back, scrubbing himself slowly. As he slowly reached his bottom, a slight chill ran up the young man''s spine. The scenes from the kidnapping flashed through Sato''s head as his body involuntarily started to shake. The hot shower continued to pour onto Sato''s pale white skin. He tried his best to focus back onto the sound of the water. Pitter patter, pitter patter. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.


    Only after a good few minutes did Sato finally calm down. Every time he took a shower, if he did not take his medication to calm his nerves down, the painful memories would come back to him. The injury in his bottom regions had already healed as time passed. Now, all that was left behind was a thin scar from the torture he had experienced back then.


    Sato left the shower room and dried himself outside. Slowly, he made it to the bed. He covered his eyes with his thin bony arm, tired from all of the moving around. It was already dinner time and Gray had arrived home from work on time. After Sato had recovered, Gray could finally resume his normal work schedule. Still, he made sure to never work overtime. The loving General wanted to spend more time with Sato.


    The door handle made a sound which signalled that Gray was home. The young man saw the familiar broad shouldered man. He smiled and whispered, "Welcome home."


    "Thank you. How was your day?" The past few days, Gray tried his best to listen carefully since Sato''s voice was still not back yet. He could only whisper out words airily.


    "I just took a shower." Gray came up and gave Sato a peck on the head. He could visibly see how tired the boy was.


    "Mm, you smell nice." Gray praised.


    "Go take a shower too. I''ll wait for you for dinner."


    "Alright." Gray removed his clothes in the same room and entered the bathroom n.a.k.e.d. Sato was already used to Gray''s clothes-less tendencies. He reached out to the side table to take his new Mark X5 phone and surfed the internet. In the past few days, Sato had been surfing the internet to look at the current affairs. Many things have changed in the political world, but none of it interested the young man. Rather, a particular news regarding Country Z''s suburbs that started a month ago, had caught his eye.


    "Hayfield Limited Group plans to build a new GREEN suburb alongside the National Housing Board. The plan coincided with the country''s Green Movement started early January this year. The GREEN Suburb Movement will require the relocation of a huge majority of citizens so as to build more eco-friendly and green housing. The citizens that are relocated, after the buildings have been completed, will be given back their old homes for a small purchase fee. The housing that are being constructed was a recently developed infrastructure termed as E-homes, Electric homes for short. E-homes come equipped with solar panels that help generate electricity renewably and has SMART home technology that makes the lives of Country Z citizens easier. The SMART home technology allows for home appliances to be controlled digitally and remotely. It also helps to determine the most optimal use of electricity and water at home. Those families that are living in relative poverty will be given financial aid to help alleviate the cost of the E-homes. In general, the step moving forward is a step closer to full environmental sustainability in Country Z."


    Sato was surprised by the joint collaboration of both private and public sector companies. After all, private sector companies, like Hayfield Limited Group usually go for profits, while the National Housing Board focuses on bettering the country''s development. By working with a public sector company, this meant that Hayfield Limited Group will be lowering their profits to a marginally low level. The boy couldn''t understand why this was the case.


    When Gray came out of the shower, he saw what Sato was reading up on and gave the young man a new perspective on things.


    "Hayfield Limited Group is owned by our family. My parents wanted to help develop my grandfather''s nation. The plan was agreed upon by the government without much difficulty too."


    Previously, Gray had already told Sato about his grandfather being one of the founders of Country Z. Although, the Hayfield Limited Group being owned by the Tobion Family was something not told before to Sato. The boy did however forgot the fact that the compound he was living in right now, Royal Hills was owned by the Tobion Family, while was managed by Hayfield Limited Group. If he had connected the dots, such news wouldn''t have been that shocking otherwise.


    "That is nice of auntie and uncle." Sato nodded understandingly.


    "Mm. It was my grandfather''s 80th birthday a month ago. My parents decided that it would be the most suitable present to him."


    "Ah¡­ You missed your grandfather''s birthday, didn''t you?" As Sato was aware of everything around him. He knew that Gray was with him all this time.


    "Yes. I am planning a trip back to Country Y soon to make it up to him."

 Chapter 196 - The GREEN Suburb Movement 2

    "Yes. I am planning a trip back to Country Y soon to make it up to him." Gray answered.


    "That would be good," Sato agreed with his plans. Byron Tobion was after all one of Gray''s favourite people in his life. The old man had cared for his grandson for his entire life. Gray was basically spoiled by his grandfather ever since he was young.


    Gray had told Sato before that on Gray''s 16th birthday, the teenager was given his own private island in the mediterranean. Byron actually had a house built on the island for the young teenager so that he could bring his close friends over during the summer. Of course, Gray complied and had brought Marion, Peter and Delilah over to the island that summer. Though, from that point on, the General never really used that island anymore and was now more of the Tobion Family''s exclusive retreat.


    "Would you like to come along to see my grandfather?" Gray asked the young man that was leaning on the bed frame.


    "With my voice, I may come off as rude to him," Sato worried about his predicament, "Maybe it would be best if you went by yourself this time, Gray."


    "We do not have to go now. We can just go when your voice has come back." He shook his head, giving Sato a solution to his problem.


    "Are you sure that your grandfather.." Before Sato could finish saying ''would not mind me being there?'', Gray had already known what the boy wanted to say.


    "He would be happier if you come with me to visit him." Rubbing Sato''s hair, he continued, "Don''t speak too much right now. Your vocal cords are still weak."


    Sato nodded as Gray reached his muscly arms around the boy''s legs and back. He lifted up the light body without any difficulty, carrying his lover downstairs to have dinner together. Today, the house keepers had prepared traditional Chinese herbal dishes that targetted in boosting Sato''s immune system. The meal wasn''t the most delicious, but it was still very edible.


    Knowing that Sato would like to talk, but he couldn''t, Gray decided to share some of the stories that he had heard about the GREEN Suburb Movement introduced by the government and the Tobion Family. Within the first two weeks of the movement being introduced, the households that were going to get their houses demolished had all been relocated to a temporary housing facility. The SMART home that the Tobion Family had invested a huge sum of money to research and developed was a unit house that was able to be mass created and moved portably to whichever location that was required. The houses were geometrically shaped using the idea of shipping containers and were combined to give the house the different rooms. These ''containers'' had pre-installed tech-ware that allowed for SMART functions to occur around the house. It only simply required construction workers to assemble these compartments together to form a proper house.


    As these houses were assemble-ready, they were also stackable in the sense that apartment complexes could be easily created using such SMART homes. The only thing that was required was a separate space to install elevators and emergency exits and that was it. Such houses were not only efficient when it came to construction, but it also allows for a synonymous design throughout the entire country. As Country Z was special in a sense that it only had one city, it was very easy to create a cohesive identity as there was only one parliamentary party.


    Sato loved such an idea as he himself had stayed in the slums of Country Z in the past. It was not exactly the most welcoming place, especially when tourists explore the city and they discover the dark side of town. The young man thought that giving everyone a place to call home was the first step to eliminating poverty in their country. The boy remember staying in his dingy one room apartment in his first year, so as to save money. It wasn''t a very nice part of his university life, but that was what people needed to do to survive.


    "I''m happy to see that you like such a project." Gray smiled, "It was something planned by my family for five years. Even though my grandfather does not say this, but everyone knew that he cared about Country Z as much as the other founders of the country. To them, this country was their baby. And seeing that the city wasn''t exactly the most pleasant looking in the suburbs and how many had to live in dingy old apartments, it made my grandfather rather displeased."


    "Only with good living conditions could people start working on themselves." Sato summarised the point that everyone was thinking about. If people had not met their basic necessities, they would not be able to pursue other aspects that could potentially earn them a higher income. Poverty was a vicious cycle and in order to break that, there needs to be a decisive action made by the government.


    After dinner, the couple went back to their room, where Gray helped set up a comfortable desk area for Sato to use. The one thing that Sato wanted to get back on track most, was his university studies. Not studying for five whole months had truly put a stop on the young man''s education journey. It was going to be difficult for Sato to catch up, as now, Sato''s university mates were beginning their third year of education. For the young man, under discretionary agreement by the college professors that had taught Sato during these two years, they were willing to help Sato get back on track. After all, the young man was definitely one of the brightest students they had taught over their decades of teaching. It would be a waste to see the boy repeat a whole year of education.


    As such, Sato would now study the second year curriculum under his own timeframe at home, since he was unable to attend school normally. In addition, should he have any queries, the boy could simply call up a teacher during their available slots and they would gladly give him a hand on explaining.

 Chapter 197 - Sato’s Personal Butler

    The next day came in the blink of an eye for everyone. Today, Sato woke up earlier to finish his rehabilitation workout. He was expecting a visitor in the afternoon and wanted to get it out of the way before he came. Showering off the sweat, Sato requested for the aid of one of the butlers to help him down the steps. Some point last week, Gray had even requested for an elevator to be built to give Sato easy access downstairs. However, Sato declined such offer. Climbing up and down steps were a good workout in itself for the weak young man. As of now, all he required was someone to help support him on the steps.


    A knock on Sato''s door and instead of Potter or Hank coming to his aid, a lady dressed in a formal black suit, that was representative of the Tobion family''s butlers, stood by the exit respectfully. She spoke in a respectful tone, "Nice to meet you again, Mr Sato. I, Madel, shall be your personal butler throughout your daily life."


    "Ms Madel? What are you doing here?" Sato was surprised that one of the leaders of the four hors.e.m.e.n was saying that she had become his personal butler.


    "In alignment with my near fatal mistake during the trip to the Underwater Railway Station, I choose to repent for my blunder by serving under your authority." Madel got down on one knee, her head faced the ground. Sato was not able to see her facial expression, but he knew that the lady was serious about her decision.


    "There is no need to become my personal butler, Ms Madel." Sato tried to project his voice due to the seriousness of the situation, but it was to no avail. "Whatever happened in the toilet was a result of me telling you to omit the checks."


    "Regardless, I failed to protect you," Madel looked up at the young man who was seated on the bed. Retrieving a pistol from her holster that hid under her arm, she walked forward and placed the cold gun by Sato''s side, heading back to her original half-kneeling position. "If Mr Sato is not willing to take me as a personal butler, you may do the honours of ending my life."


    "Huh?" Out of shock, Sato was able to project his voice for the first time in weeks. Soon after, his voice went back to the soft quiet tone, "There is no need for that right?"


    "Before your recovery, I had been prepared for my life to be ended by the Head of the Tobion family. However, the Head said to me that if I wanted to repent for my own mistakes, I should serve unconditionally under Mr Sato''s care. If I am not needed then, should I ever consider ending my life." Madel explained herself.


    She was unafraid of such a grim outcome. Ever since she was born, she had been abandoned as an orphan and was raised to be a cold-hearted killer. Only after being accepted into the Tobion Family did she know what companionship was. In the family which she called home, she had committed a grave crime that warranted a death punishment. If Sato had died, she would not have been alive in the first place.


    Sato was rendered speechless by what he had heard. Death punishment? Was it really that serious? In order to rescue me, Madel had ever sustained a head injury that left a permanent scar on her forehead. Now, she has no choice, but to follow me?


    "Okay," Sato sighed helplessly. He quickly gestured to the lady, "Put your gun away, Ms Madel. There is no need for that."


    "Understood, Master Sato. Also, you should call me by my name. There is no need to say ''ms''."


    "Ah that would be inappropriate."


    "No, as Master Sato''s personal butler, I will always be a tier below you. Please do it for my sake as I will feel uncomfortable serving under you if you continue to call me ''ms''."


    "Then can you not call me Master? I feel uncomfortable too."


    "That is not allowed, Master Sato. I am obligated to call you my master." Madel strongly declined such a request.


    "¡­" Sato could only sigh one more time, before relenting to his new personal butler, "Alright then. Madel, could you help me down the stairs? I have a friend coming over to visit in the afternoon."


    "Understood, Master Sato." Madel quickly got back up on her feet as she retrieved her gun and started to help the young man down the stairs.


    Most of the time, Madel gently aided in Sato''s balance, while the boy tried his best to walk down the steps independently. His muscles were wobbly, but he still pushed through to the very end. When he reached down to the ground floor, the boy was already sweating again. Madel retrieved a handkerchief and helped to clean the boy''s sweat off his face.


    "Thank you." Sato said gratefully.


    "It is to be expected that I aid you in your everyday task." Madel replied respectfully. During Sato''s five month vegetative state, Madel had attended the prestigious Butler School in Country K. She had graduated just in time when Sato had awoken. She was now equipped with all of the relevant skills to aid Sato in his daily life.

 Chapter 198 - A Temporary Goodbye

    During noon, Ming came to visit as promised. Over the past five months, Sato and Ming seemed to have switched positions when it came to physique. Sato was now the skinny and sickly boy, while Ming had gotten fitter from picking up running as a pastime. To be safe, Madel had conducted a full body pat down of Ming''s body, even though Sato had already said that she could fully trust the young man that was coming to visit him.


    "Hello, Sato." Written all over Ming''s face was the word ''glad''. His heart had always been restless every time he thought back to his best friend that was stuck in bed. Seeing Sato in person now had relieved him from all the worries that piled on his shoulders.


    "Hey, Ming. You look great." Sato smiled as he gave out a light laugh. He was extremely happy that he was able to speak to his best friend again.


    "Thank you. How is your body?"


    "It''s taking some time to get used to again. I''ve been doing rehabilitation treatment these days. My voice will come back sooner or later too."


    "I see¡­ I wish that you would recover faster then."


    "Haha, thank you for your wishes." Sato''s smile never left his face when speaking to Ming. He been wanting to speak to his best friend for the longest of times. "How have you been?"


    "Life has taken a turn for the better for me¡­" Ming proceeded to recall the past five month''s major events for Sato. He told the boy about him coming out to his family and as a result, was kicked out of the house. He told Sato about how he had become friends with his interesting boy that was now a national soccer player for Country Z. He told Sato about his living condition and his predicament. That last statement soon led to Ming''s second purpose for visiting Sato today.


    "The reason why I visited today was not just to check on you," There was a sense of longing in Ming''s voice as he spoke to his best friend, "I came today to tell you that I had received the Black Box Financial Aid Program."


    "The Black Box Financial Aid Program? Are you talking about the Black Box Space Program? The company you had been thinking about working as a mechanical engineer ever since you had entered university?" Sato couldn''t be happier for his best friend, yet he felt that Ming was still hiding something from him. It all became clear soon after.


    "Yeah, the Black Box Space Program had accepted my application.." Ming paused in his thoughts. He took in a deep breath as he broke the news to the young man. "The financial aid scheme is a joint program that requires me to continue my studies in Muller''s Institute of Sciences and Technology. As you know, that University is in Country U. This means that this would be the last time I would be seeing you in a long time."


    "Oh, when are you leaving?" Sato''s voice became bleak.


    "This coming Sunday."


    "This really is the last time I will be seeing you¡­" Sato''s eyes turned watery involuntarily. Wanting to hide his tears, he was not even able to look at Ming and was just looking down at his legs.


    "That is not true, Sato. We could always call each other, right?" Ming knew that Sato was crying. He had observed the boy''s mannerisms for a whole year and knew what Sato was doing. Pulling Sato into his embrace, Ming gave the boy a warm hug. Compared to the past him, the Li Ming now just wanted to comfort his best friend. "I will always be there for you when you need me. Just drop me a call and I will help you as best as I could over the phone."


    Hearing Ming''s m.a.t.u.r.e thought process, Sato quickly wiped his tears away. With the technology of today, it was indeed not hard to keep in contact with his best friend.


    "Alright. You promise that you will pick up your phone when I call you?" Sato pulled himself away as he looked at Ming in the eye.


    "Of course, I promise to pick up the phone when you call." Ming smiled back warmheartedly.


    "That''s fine then. You can go overseas and get that dream job of yours." Sato was happy for his best friend. He was truly happy for all that Ming had achieved using his own efforts. "What will you be doing until you leave for Country U?"


    "I have to break the news to my new friend." Ming''s face had a complicated expression that Sato could not understand. Since Ming did not want to share further, Sato chose to just support him unconditionally.


    "Have some confidence in yourself. You already broke the news to me. So it should not be so hard to tell this friend of yours."


    "Haha. He is very stubborn, so it would probably be much harder to tell him."


    "Really? I feel like I am a pretty stubborn person too."


    "Nah, you''re not too much yourself." The pair of boys laughed ceremoniously together, already forgetting about the sad news that they shared between the both of them. The two of them reminisced about the past and how they had met. They had come so far as individuals and eventually, started walking down their own path of life. Thinking back, the game that had brought the both of them closer, Ray of Light, was not played by either of them at the moment.


    "A temporary goodbye, Sato." Heading back home, Ming turned around at the door to look at Sato who was supporting himself up. "A temporary goodbye¡­"

 Chapter 199 - Ming’s Confession 1

    During the next few days, Ming was finalising his student Visa and coordinating paper work in for his admission in MIST. His head was also always visualising how he would break the news to Ming Yue Guang. To the boy, if Sato was his first light in his life, Ming Yue Guang was his second light. This first light symbolised hope in disparity. The second light symbolised growth that came with time.


    His relationship with Ming Yue Guang grew stronger with time. The senior Ming would always make the effort to ask Li Ming to come out for meals. Most of the time, the pair would enjoy meals in the cafeteria as the second year student did not have much money. However, sometimes, Ming Yue Guang would take him out for a simple delicious meal outside of school. Compared to his time with Sato, Ming did not start of his friendship with Ming Yue Guang with a secret love scenario.


    Instead, with time, his friendship with Ming Yue Guang grew into something else. The senior helped him relieve the pains that he felt in the past. Although, he would never be able to forget about his first love, Ming Yue Guang''s ever bright smile would help keep his emotions in track. Even on days when he would worry about Sato''s health, the older student would cheer Ming up with jokes or tell stories to keep him entertained.


    Ming never really knew where this friendship between him and Yue Guang would end up. He simply took things one step at a time and five months later, when he had finally reached a standstill point, he noticed how far he came in his life. These five months had been an extremely crucial part in Li Ming''s life. He had learnt how to be independent and make his own decisions without consulting his controlling parents. He had learnt when to be dependent on others around him. He had learnt how to be a human.


    One part of being a human was learning and understanding the feelings that one has for others. The feeling could vary from person to person. Most of the time these feelings would not surmount to anything important. However, for certain individuals, the feelings would deepen and grow into something he or she would care about. For Li Ming, he realised on the day that he had to tell Ming Yue Guang that he was leaving, that he had developed a liking for the older boy.


    Ming Yue Guang had saved front row seats for his mother and Li Ming. On the day of the soccer match, Li Ming sat beside Ming Yue Guang''s mother, Melisa. She was a sweetheart that truly cared for her son''s well-being. The whole time, Melisa would be worried that Yue Guang would get injured once again. Her hands were clasped together like she was praying. During half times, Melisa would get a breather and converse with Ming.


    She knew that her son had made a ''close'' friend in the past few months and that person was Li Ming. From observations at home, in her heart, she knew that there was something going on between the two Mings. Even though neither of them wanted to make a move, she could tell that there was compatibility in both of them.


    "Little Ming, what do you think of my son?" Melisa asked in a normal voice. Even though the surrounding atmosphere in the stadium was rather loud, Ming had heard her question clearly.


    In his head, he did not know how he should answer.


    "You can tell me your honest opinion. There is no need to hide anything." Seeing Melisa''s carefree expression, Ming decided that it was fine to not have any barrier ups around him.


    "I think Yue Guang is a sweet and funny friend. He helped me out of my darkest moments in life and allowed me to grow as a person."


    "Do you like my son?" Melisa asked straightforwardly, which stumped the young man.


    "I..I do like your son."


    "Good."


    "Good?"


    "Yes hahaha," Melisa laughed wholeheartedly. She felt relieved after hearing that confession from Li Ming, "I as a mother was worried that my son would forever not have anyone in his life."


    "But.. I have not told my feelings to Yue Guang yet. How do you know that he would accept me?"


    "Mmm¡­ A mother''s intuition." Melisa winked cheekily. How could a mother not know what their son was thinking deep down.


    "Auntie, I do have a problem though¡­" Li Ming did not hide his plans on moving to Country U for his studies. In the end, Melisa laughed lightly at the problem that the boy had told her.


    "There is no need to worry too much about long distance, little Ming. Yue Guang''s father and I were also separated by distance for many months on end and till this day, even after he left this world, my heart still belonged to him. If the both of you truly enjoy each other''s company, there will be no need to split up just because of the distance." That was what Ming Yue Guang''s mother thought about love.


    "Love will travel as far as you let it. There is no limits should you let yourself love your significant other as much as you can. That was why our bond never grew weaker over the years."


    Hearing what Melisa had said, Li Ming''s head was preoccupied by her advice for the rest of the game. In the end, on Ming Yue Guang''s debut match, the talented young man had scored two goals that secured victory of 3 - 2. It was a sensational match that allowed Yue Guang to integrate into the team properly. The fans were happy to see a newcomer perform well on his first day and Ming Yue Guang himself was glad that his mother and Li Ming was able to watch his game in person.


    Looking up into the crowd, Ming Yue Guang saw Li Ming who was staring absentmindedly at the field. Waving about, he caught the attention of the young man. Even though Li Ming smiled back lightheartedly, Yue Guang felt a sense of foreboding.

 Chapter 200 - Ming’s Confession 2

    When Ming Yue Guang had changed and finished the debrief with his team, the boy went to look for his mother and friend, Li Ming. The mother and friend duo were waiting for Yue Guang in the stadium''s cafe. The pair were chatting about Ming''s future plans, to which he told her that he planned to work for a space program company. When Yue Guang arrived, he asked cheerfully, "What were you two talking about?"


    "Nothing much son," Melisa stop up and gave her son a nice loving hug. In her heart, she was hoping that the news that Li Ming was about to tell her son, would not break him. "Congratulations on your debut match."


    "Thank you mother."


    "I will be heading off first. You can talk more with Little Ming. Come home when you are free, okay?"


    "Yeah, yeah. I will. Love you!"


    "Love you too." Melisa smiled as she turned around and left solemnly. Now, it was all up to the two boys to settle their own differences.


    At the cafe, Ming Yue Guang got himself a cup of coffee. Sitting down with Li Ming, the two started talking. As usual, Ming Yue Guang did most of the speaking, while Li Ming listened and threw in side comments whenever he felt like it.


    "So just now, when the ball came into my possession. I felt like I was in a state of nirvana. Everything around me felt like it was slow motion and I could see the balls trajectory to the goal. I kicked! And goal! It curved around the dude that was blocking me and it went in!" Ming Yue Guang commented on his last goal that secured the match. To be more low-key, the young man wore sunglasses and his hood up. Since he was a new rookie, no one knew of his voice and so, they did not know that the person was Ming Yue Guang.


    "That sounds pretty good." Li Ming gave a perfunctory reply. His head was focused on a different topic.


    "Sounds? Whats wrong today, Ming?" Ming Yue Guang picked it up easily as he took off his sunglasses to get a closer look at the young man in front of him. He could see that something was bothering him and that premonition from before was accurate.


    "I¡­" Ming bite his lower lip. With a conflicting gaze, he told the truth to Ming Yue Guang, "I will actually be leaving Country Z on Sunday to Country U."


    "You''re leaving? What for? How Long?"


    "I''ll be studying at Muller''s Institute of Sciences and Technology under a financial aid program for 2 years, before starting work in Country U. It was something I had considered on doing for two years. I got the opportunity this year under discretionary application."


    "You don''t know how long you will be gone for?"


    "I do not."


    "Huh¡­" There was rarely a time where Ming would see the senior in front of him look lost. Ming Yue Guang was an honest person that knew how to follow him own feelings. Once he settle on his decision, he would not regret it and so, he lived everyday to its fullest. Knowing that, Ming Yue Guang''s current expression showed that he did not know what he should do or say.


    "Hey Yue Guang," Li Ming spoke, snapping the soccer player out of his stupor, "Come with me somewhere."


    Ming Yue Guang nodded. As Li Ming reached out and held his hand, the young man pulled the taller and well-built soccer players along with him into a cab. The boy was making an exception today as he wanted to bring this special someone to a special location.


    As Li Ming had called the taxi using his phone, Ming Yue Guang could only guess where they were heading to. At first, he did not know where the final destination was, but after seeing the general direction, he recalled where he was. The taxi soon came to a stop 15 minutes from the sports stadium. It was by the side of a road that was relatively close to a bridge. This bridge was none other than the place where Li Ming and Ming Yue Guang had met for the first time. It was this place that had changed both of their lives altogether.


    When they got off the taxi, Li Ming pulled Ming Yue Guang along with him again as they finally stood still at the very spot that Yue Guang had saved the boy''s live.


    "Ming Yue Guang, I brought you here today because I wanted to tell you that you were the reason why I am still alive today, both physically and mentally. You had shaped me into a better person and gave me a new purpose in living my life. You taught me how to be my own person and how to rely on others when I need help. You changed me for the better." Li Ming grasped his c.h.e.s.t as he came out clean to Ming Yue Guang. These were things that he needed to let out before he left. If not, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    "Ming Yue Guang, during the first few months of knowing you, I treated you as my closest confidante. When my best friend was sick, you were there for me and you helped cheer me up. In the end, with your constant support and care, I had started developing feelings for you. And so now, me having to leave you for my dream is certainly tough and painful."


    When Ming Yue Guang heard what Li Ming had confessed to him, the senior''s heart started beating quicker as his eyes widened in surprise. "You..You like me?"


    "Yes, yes I do." Li Ming smiled with carefree expression. Within a second after he had said that, Ming Yue Guang had dashed up onto Ming and wrapped his arm around him.

 Chapter 201 - Ming’s Confession 3

    That day when Ming Yue Guang had met Li Ming for the first time, the man was also in an emotional mess. Yue Guang did not have many people in his life whom he would say he was close with, much less someone he could share his everything with. That night, he had saved a total stranger who had listened to his story and he had realised how cute that stranger was.


    That stranger had also just went through a terrible love confession and was emotional. Yet, at that point, when he was most vulnerable, Ming Yue Guang felt for the first time that he wanted to protect that stranger. It was a weird feeling considering how they had never met before until that night. However, that was what was running through his head at that time.


    When he realised that Li Ming was actually a university student and studied in the same school as him, it gave Ming Yue Guang even more purpose to interact with him. And so, he did just that. This was the first time Ming Yue Guang had liked anyone before and so, all he knew what to do was to be by his side. To Yue Guang, Li Ming had the perfect amount of quirkiness and seriousness. He would only talk when he felt like it was needed. It was a very soothing atmosphere when they were together.


    Five month into Ming Yue Guang''s weird pursuit, the senior did not know exactly how he should confess to Li Ming. He had many opportunities to do so, but after all, it was his first time ever liking someone, much less a boy. He had search the internet, but most of the time, the situation was targetted at someone of the opposite s.e.x.


    And so, Ming Yue Guang decided that after his debut match, he would confess to Ming that he liked him. Who knew that the plan was thrown straight out of the window when Li Ming had told him that he would be leaving the country in two days time. Ming Yue Guang was truly stumped at that point. He had been so dead set on confessing that when his plan had been ruined, he did not know how to function properly.


    It was only when Li Ming initiated and confessed first, did Ming Yue Guang see light at the end of the tunnel. The boy broke out of his stupor and confessed too.


    "I like you too. I have liked you ever since I had met you that very day on the bridge." Ming Yue Guang spoke directly into Ming''s ear.


    "Huh? Yo..You do too?"


    "Of course, I have liked you since I met you!"


    "Wh..What?" Li Ming blushed at such a straightforward comment. Ming Yue Guang could not be bothered by secondhand embarrassment and just grinned brightly.


    "Li Ming, thank you for liking me back."


    "Ah? thank you too?" What came next for the both of them was just painfully awkward. For the two Mings, this was the first time either of them had received a confession from anyone. They did not know what to do. Rather, they decided to walk it off as they headed down the familiar road that they had walked together before.


    "You are fully certain that you going to Country U is the right thing?" Ming Yue Guang asked the question that was burning in him since they were at the stadium.


    "Yes, I am certain." Li Ming did not hesitate.


    "How will our relationship work then?"


    "I..I don''t know."


    "Do you want to be together even though you are going to be in Country U for a long time?"


    "I¡­"


    "It''s okay if you do not want it. Long distance is never easy." Ming Yue Guang looked ahead as he tried to smile it off. "I watched as my mother wait for my father to come back from his missions for months on end. She had done this for many years and till this day, I do not know how she does it."


    While Ming Yue Guang spoke, Li Ming courageously held his senior''s hand once again. This time, it was because he wanted to genuinely connect with Yue Guang. "I want to try long distance with you, Yue Guang."


    Ming Yue Guang heart started beating faster when Li Ming held his hand. "You believe that we can work this out?"


    "I believe so." Li Ming nodded, "Your mother told me this just now. That love will travel as far as you let it. There is no limits should you let yourself love your significant other as much as you can."


    "My mother told you that?"


    "Yeah," The two looked at each other and laughed knowingly. The older lady was clearly trying to set it up for the both of them.


    "I will come visit you whenever I can then." Ming Yue Guang decided.


    "You do not have to do that."


    "I do not have to, but I want to." The senior was especially good with words. It was one of the reasons why Li Ming liked him so much. Since their hands were locked together, Ming Yue Guang started moving his newly found boyfriend along. "Let us not waste anymore time and go have some fun together."


    "Alright," Ming agreed.


    The new couple decided to go watch a movie together that night, followed by gazing at the night sky by a riverside. The next day, they headed to Grand Theme Park together. The last time Ming was there was when he found out about Gray and Sato''s relationship. This time, it was a whole another sensation. They laughed and enjoyed each other''s company to the fullest and made sure to take many photos together. By Sunday, there was reluctance written all over the couple''s faces. However, at the end of the day, it was for the best.


    "See you in a few months time," Ming Yue Guang announced to Li Ming who stood by the airport check-in entrance. A hug, a kiss and a temporary wave goodbye. That was Li Ming''s end of one life chapter, but also, the start of another.

 Chapter 202 - Gray and Sato’s Visit

    A month after Ming had left for his exchange program in Country U, Sato had finally recovered his voice back. His body was still weak, but now, he was able to climb down steps on his own. This now meant that his muscles were gradually getting used to moving around. Soon enough, the young man would be able to integrate properly into daily work again. The one problem that wasn''t able to be fixed much of was his mental scar. The events from that day had left a lasting imprint in the boy''s mind. Some nights, Sato would wake up from his nightmare that relived those terrifying days. Gray would have trouble coaxing the poor boy and would result to giving him some melatonin to go back to sleep.


    There wasn''t much they could do except let Sato go through the motions of life and speak to a therapist from time to time. For the young man, he was honestly quite tired of being cooped up at home all the time. Though, at this point, he would much prefer to not interact with anyone that he was unfamiliar with. There was a looming shadow of discomfort when he meets strangers.


    And so, Gray''s solution to that was to bring the young man overseas. They had already planned to go to Country Y to visit Gray''s grandfather. Since Sato''s voice had more or less recovered, they decided this was a good time to take Sato out to see the outside world again. Moreover, they were only heading to Gray''s family''s private residences. The people there were all trustworthy and have been working under the Tobion family house for decades.


    Sato was grateful for all that Gray had done for him. Countless times, he had compromised to help Sato feel better. And countless times, Sato felt like he could never repay his lover back. The evening before their flights to Country Y, the couple sat together at the peak of their compound hill and watched the sun set over the city horizon. It was a beautiful sight as Sato laid his head comfortably on Gray''s shoulder.


    "Every time I come here with you, I would feel extremely lucky." Sato expressed his honest feelings to Gray.


    "I feel extremely lucky too." Gray turned his head and planted a kiss on Sato''s head.


    "Can you believe that it is almost been a year since we first met in your work place?" Sato reminisced the past. At that time, the boy had been kicked out of University due to his lack of financial funds. In the end, he had applied for a job application as an assistant in the Military. There, he met his past lover Gray whom he did not recognise at the beginning. It was there that he began his crazy one year of drama and conflicts, most of which were things that he could never have imagined would happen.


    "A lot of things have happened." Gray said what Sato was thinking in his head.


    "Indeed. Now, all I want in life is to live comfortably and peacefully with you." Sato turned to look at Gray with an adoring gaze.


    "You can, but knowing you?" Gray smirked as he pinched the young man''s cheek, "I know you will somehow get yourself into some situation."


    "Yeah¡­ I truly am unlucky eh?"


    "You may be unlucky on the outside, but to me, you are the greatest and luckiest thing I could receive in my lifetime."


    "I could say the same for you too. You are also my luckiest thing I had received in this lifetime." The pair of lovers continued flirting between each other until the sun finally set for the day.


    The weather was getting cooler now that autumn was around the corner. Gray and Sato decided to have dinner outside by their convertible veranda that was able to be made into an outdoor or an indoor space. That night, they had a delicious steak for dinner that made Sato m.o.a.n unconsciously. After all, how bad could an A5 wagyu steak be?


    The next day, Sato and Gray departed for Country Z''s private airport terminal where the Tobion family''s private jet awaited for their arrival. Sato had taken this plane before during their trip to Country J. Even though it was his second time on a private jet, it still felt very surreal for the young man. Madel and Potter had followed along with the couple on this trip back to Country Y. They sat in the back quietly while Sato and Gray did their own businesses. Gray had work to do during this time, while Sato made sure to not waste any opportunity to catch up on his studies.


    He had been making great progress in his second year modules, though he was learning two major at once. The young man never complained once and instead, loved the challenge in trying to catch up with his peers. Such challenge was something he could do everyday, but that would mean he would have to face crazy predicaments that would force Sato to delay his studies. Wishing such things upon himself would simply be crazy.


    The distance between Country Y and Z was only about 1000km and so, within an hour or so, the plane had already landed in the private airport terminal. On arrival, the couple and their butlers were welcomed with a red carpet that eventually led to a black bullet-proof car. It was a crazy experience for a commoner like Sato, yet, for Gray who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, this was just a normal trip back home.

 Chapter 203 - The Tobion Family Compound

    On the way, Sato got the chance to look out and see the well-developed Country Y. The country had a long-established history of different racial settlers. Eventually, 300 years ago, the country decided to form one cohesive identity. The people from the different races had co-existed ever since. As such, the country was just like country Z, where the level of racism was low and other problems like income inequality was more significant. It could be said that Country Z emulated the government system in Country Y, considering how 3 out of 5 of the founders had originated from Country Y.


    Sato noticed that the country also had an underlying problem of income inequality. The suburbs that he drove through was very similar to that of Country Z. However, just like their new GREEN Movement, Country Y could be seen to be in the midst of solving such problems too. Construction work was being undergone in the direction that Sato was looking at. There was definitely a link between Country Z''s initiative alongside with Country Y. From the outside, even normal civilians could tell that their international ties with their neighbouring country was very amiable.


    The car that drove Gray and Sato did not proceed to enter the city center of Country Y''s capital city. Instead, it turned to the left, exiting the highway to enter a forest zone in the city. There were rarely any cars the deeper they drove into the forest, mainly because the area ahead was prohibited to enter by the public. As stated at the earlier guardhouse, the entire forest zone ahead was private property. This was more than enough to show the prowess of the Tobion Family. To be able to own a major plot of lane in the Capital City in one of the most developed countries in the world, was something normal rich family could only dream of. Money was not the only thing needed. Connections was more important when a family wants to procure huge amounts of land in a country.


    Eventually, the car soon reached the last gate in their journey and they entered the Tobion family''s compound. Compared to Sato''s current home, this place was equivalent to half of the entire Royal Hills compound. The place was massive and had numerous private sports facilities that Royal Hills similarly had. To say the least, the Tobion family house wasn''t just one building on its own. According to Gray, there was one mansion built for each of Byron Tobion''s sons. There was a guest house that wasn''t much smaller than the rest, totalling up to 4 mansions in this giant land space. The craziest part about all of these was that the landscape of the family compound was far more exquisite than the Royal Hill''s layout. There were well-shaped bushes and numerous exquisitely sculpted fountains along the roads. Right before they reach the main house, there was a giant roundabout that featured an enormously detailed roman-inspired fountain sculpture. Knowing Sato, the young man was amazed to bits when they were turning around the roundabout.


    Even as they reached their final destination, if Gray had not broken Sato''s train of though, the boy would''ve continued to sit in the car and stared out in the open.


    "We have arrived Sato. You can continue to admire this later," Gray reminded the cute young man.


    "Oh whoops." Sato blushed before getting out of the vehicle with the help of Gray. To his surprise, there was an entourage of house servants and butlers awaiting their arrival. The number of people was shocking, but the boy contained his emotions inside of him. It wasn''t right to show how much of a country bumpkin he was.


    "Young master Gray and young master Sato, the patriarch and matriarch are awaiting your arrival in the house." A well-groomed man who seemed to be the head butler in the house stood forward to inform the couple.


    "Alright," Gray turned to look at Sato. Reaching for his boyfriend''s hand, he assisted him up the steps. "Let''s go."


    "Mm." Sato nodded resolutely. He was slightly nervous, but with his lover beside him, the young man was willing to face anything.


    The steps into the mansion was as exaggerated as their own home. The design of the home had probably originated from the main house, thought Sato. This was a good prediction. After all, all of the houses that Sato had seen or lived in were all designed by the same architect. The doors of the mansion swung open automatically, welcoming the boys with a white open space concept. All of the four walls were clean of any dust and colour, showcasing the pure design. There was what seemed to be a huge crystal chandelier hanging above the pair, but after confirmation from Gray, it turned out to be made entirely out of diamond.


    As Gray and Sato both slowly made their way through the hallway, they were soon welcomed with a slightly warmer atmosphere. There were two elderly people sitting on individual seats by the glass window that showcased a wonderful view outside. The elderly couple turned their heads up and squinted to see who had entered through the hallway.


    "Oh if it isn''t my sweet grandson, Gray." The old lady immediately recognised her grandson and stood up to give him a hug. Of course, Gray reciprocated welcomely.


    "How are you, grandmother? Are you feeling better recently?" Gray replied with a warm tone that he only used with his family.


    "I am good. I am good. There is no need to worry about grandmother''s health." Gray''s grandmother smiled lovingly. She turned her head to see the shorter man that stood beside her grandson. Similarly, she spoke to Sato. "Oh is this your boyfriend that you said was coming along with you, little Gray?"


    "It is nice to meet you, Madam." Sato greeted rather stiffly due to nervousness. Such way of greeting her, made Gray''s grandmother laugh lightly.


    "Oh there is no need to be so formal. Just call me, grandmother, like how little Gray does too."

 Chapter 204 - Gray’s Grandmother

    While Gray''s grandmother greeted the two boys, the older looking man stood up from his seat and headed towards the group. The man who was Gray''s grandfather, Byron Tobion, had a slightly hunched body. Even though he was aged 80, the man still had boundless vitality and did not have much wrinkles on his forehead. The only giveaway feature would be his silver white hair that was neatly combed back.


    Gray watched as his grandfather got closer to them. He greeted first, "Hello grandfather. How have you been lately?"


    "I have been doing just fine, but now that you are back to visit, I feel even better! Hahaha!" Byron laughed heartily. Truly, even Sato who had met Byron for the first time, could not tell that the loud old man was 80 years old this year.


    "It is nice to meet you too, sir." Sato could not help, but be slightly nervous again when meeting Gray''s grandfather. After all, he was the one that created all of what they had now.


    "Hahaha! If it isn''t the youngling, Sato Takahashi. There is no need to be so formal like how Gray''s grandmother had said. Just call me, grandfather."


    "O..Okay" Sato looked at Gray for confirmation. His boyfriend gave him a knowing smile.


    "Well, don''t just stand around. We have plenty of seats in the living room. I heard that Sato''s body has yet to recover. Let''s not overexert his body." Gray''s grandmother quickly gestured for everyone to take a seat. Although she was normally not involved in any of the work matters in the family, relationship news like Sato would always enter her ears. After all, what was a lady if she was not allowed to gossip.


    Gray had given a short introduction on his grandmother to Sato. Most of the time, the stories that were told to Sato were usually related to Byron, Gray''s grandfather. In terms of his grandmother, Gray never really got the chance to talk about her. Gray''s grandmother''s name was Sarah Upstill. She had met her husband in university. She was the undisputed campus belle at that time and Byron did not lose out on looks or talent either. With his quick wits, he had managed to get Sarah to fall in love with him. Till this day, they were still the same lovey-dovey couple from 60 years back.


    At that time, Byron promised Sarah that she would not have to suffer for the rest of her life. She was allowed to focus on her art and Byron, her husband, would help make her the most famous artist of their time. And the man really did follow through with his promise.


    When Sato went online to search up Gray''s grandmother''s name, the young man''s eyes almost popped out when he saw her artwork. Sarah Upstill was one of the most highly sought after contemporary artist 21st century. Her art pieces were minimally sold at the price of 50-60 million dollars. Her most expensive piece, La Disparit¨¦ Des Revenus, was a sculpture that represented the growing income disparity between the rich and poor. It was sold to a billionaire in Country R for over 350 million dollars.


    The boy never really looked into modern artists and was more of a fan renaissance art. However, it was common knowledge that most painter''s artwork were only worth a lot after he or she passes away. Gray''s grandmother defied all logic and had climbed to the pinnacle of contemporary art with the help of Byron''s connections. Obviously, Sarah''s art pieces had to truly be worth that sort of money. Sato got a closer glimpse on La Disparit¨¦ Des Revenus and the young man was in awe at how much detail, Gray''s grandmother, who at that point in time was 60 years old, was able to squeeze into one sculpture. With age, Sarah took longer periods of time to create her work. It was with reason as to why that art piece was sold at such a high price.


    Gray told Sato that when he was a young boy, he would always sit in his grandmother''s art room and accompany her. The atmosphere in there was slow and tranquil. Gray would usually do his own things by the sofa chair, while Sarah would be working on that same sculpture. The human in the sculpture was perfected over 2 painstaking years. Gray watched it become more and more life-like. When his grandmother had finished the art piece, Gray was absolutely in awe. At one point, he had even asked his grandmother as to whether they could just keep such a beautiful sculpture at home.


    However, what his grandmother said afterwards had truly stumped the little boy. "The art pieces I make has underlying meanings and issues that people in this world need to know about. Me keeping this sculpture in the confines of our home would not help raise awareness to others."


    The 10 year old Gray was a smart little boy. Understanding that his grandmother was trying to make the world a better place, he accepted her decision respectfully. Till this day, after painting and sculpting her whole life, Sarah had only kept one art work that she had created at home. That art work was a painting. A painting that captured the Tobion''s family when Gray, his brother and his cousins were still little children. It was a detailed family portrait that was hung up in the living room space and remained unmoving ever since then.


    Sato turned to look at the right wall of the living room. It was as Gray had said. There was a large rectangular painting of his family. Sato could tell the little boy with a melancholy cool looking face was Gray. Even in the painting, Sarah managed to capture the suaveness of Gray as a little child.

 Chapter 205 - Chess

    "So tell me a bit more about yourself, Sato." The housekeeper had served up some tea for Gray and Sato. Sarah decided to inquire about the youngling that Gray was dating. Of course, Byron was also curious about it. It was common knowledge that the patriarch and matriarch of the Tobion family could easily dig up Sato''s background information. However, where was the fun in doing that?


    Sato was slightly nervous in the beginning, however, whenever he felt like he did not know how to continue, Gray would help the young man out and aid him in his introduction. It had turned out fine and in the end, Byron and Sarah had gotten a better understanding on Gray''s boyfriend. The pair of oldies had watched their oldest grandson grow up personally. They had never heard Gray ever talk about any girls or boys in their time. Seeing that their grandson had chosen Sato, the both of them were naturally curious. What exactly did the boy have that others didn''t?


    In the end, they had come to the conclusion that they were simply just like the both of them. At night, the old husband and wife were talking in bed. Seeing Sato and Gray being all sweet and loving had allowed the couple to relive their past. Back when they had gotten married at a young age and had yet to have children, the couple had an entire house to themselves, where they gradually learnt to love or accept each other''s shortcomings. It was a time of realisation that was both scary and exciting.


    Obviously, Sato had very redeeming traits like him being a very hardworking individual that loved to care for others. He was also quite stubborn when it came to doing the right thing, though that was something that Gray had to accept gradually. He couldn''t put a leash on his boyfriend and neither could he stop Sato from living his life. Henceforth, Gray knew that the only thing he could do was take things one step at a time with his lover. Enjoy life to its fullest and live without regrets. After all, who knew when their last day together would be?


    After Sato had given a long introduction about himself, the boy decided it was a good time to get on with his agenda. "Grandfather, I had come today with Gray because I felt guilty that Gray had to miss your 80th birthday due to my sickness. Please accept this small gift that Gray and I had shopped for together. I would also like to thank you for rescuing me from my kidnapper."


    "Hahaha! There is no need to be guilty about it, little Sato. I am just glad that you were able to recover in the end. This old man cannot do much, except deploy a few of our soldiers to do some dirty work." Byron shook his hand, trying to stop Sato from feeling remorseful. "Age is just a number. Who said that I placed any importance on my birthday? Hahaha!"


    Hearing Byron''s comforting words, Sato smiled lightly. The old man then turned to the present that was given to him by his grandson and his boyfriend. Opening up the solid square gift, Byron''s eye widened as if he was a little child getting presents for Christmas. "A chess set?"


    "I heard from Gray that grandfather likes to play chess. And so, Gray and I managed to source for one of the original 500 Staunton chess sets and had purchased it for you." Opening up present, revealed the original Staunton chess set, all well varnished and polished to perfection. There was an-aged feel for every wooden chess piece.


    "This¡­ How did you find this?" Anyone in the room could tell how excited Byron was. Things like the original Staunton chess set required not only money, but exceptionally good luck. Normally, the collectors of such works would never sell such a set away. However, one of the set was actually owned by a high profile politician in Country Z and Gray had saved his life before. Hence, with due favour, Gray had purchased off him at an exorbitant price.


    "Grandfather, would you like to play a round of chess with Sato? I must say that he is really good at the game." Gray suggested to the old man.


    "Hahaha! Yes, of course! I do want to get a feel of this chess set." Byron was re-energised and ready to play the game of chess. Sato was nudged forward by Gray to play a match with his grandfather.


    "Be careful, Sato. My grandfather had a National Master rating in chess." Gray warned the boy cheekily. Byron''s National Master rating was by no means a fluke. In the past, when Byron was working primarily in Country U, he had played under the United States Chess Federation Rating System. There, he had climbed up the ranking ladder rather smoothly, before stopping in middle range of National Master. This was already the second highest class in the world.


    "Hahaha! Do you need me to go easy on you, little one?" Byron taunted teasingly. On the side, seeing how childish his husband was, Sarah shook her head.


    "No, it is okay. I should be fine." Sato remained unperturbed. Although he had not played the game in two years, Sato had acc.u.mulated vast amounts of experience in his youth.


    The game began and Byron started the match as he was white. The two of them played different openings and eventually, they started exchanging chess pieces. The match looked to be in Byron''s favour at the start as Sato had lost his Bishop in a series of exchanges. However, what seemed to be a fluke had actually been a trap made by the boy. In the end, Sato had board control and won the old man in the subsequent six moves.


    "Again." Refusing to believe that he had lost, Byron asked for a rematch again. Sato turned to look at Gray for permission, to which the General acknowledged.


    In the end, the old and young pair played the entire afternoon with Sato winning six matches and Byron winning zero.

 Chapter 206 - Dinner

    When the sixth round had finished with Byron''s defeat, the old man looked at the young man in front of him with approval. The elder wasn''t angry, rather, he had been forced to accept his complete defeat. "What rank were you in the past?"


    Sato realised that Byron did not want to play anymore for now. Thinking back to the past, he answered, "I used to play online blitz a lot and back then, my highest rating was around 3000?"


    "3000?!" Byron had played blitz before, but the result was basically the same as regular chess. This meant that his opponent for the past six games was around 700 points above him. Such a large point gap had truly shocked the old man. Even Sarah was laughing at the sight of his stunned husband.


    "Yes," Sato smiled awkwardly. It was Gray''s idea to not tell Byron that he was a pretty good chess player. In the past, before ROL came out, chess was his primary game for escape. It was a simple strategy game that did not require high graphics and was playable through his shitty computer. When Sato met Gray in the past, the General had witnessed Sato''s prowess every time they had played chess together. Gray''s chess gameplay could be said to be just below Byron''s. Yet against his boyfriend, he was essentially being toyed around.


    "Have you tried playing online chess recently?" Byron asked curiously.


    "No. This was the first time I had played in two years." Sato answered honestly. Such an answer was scary in Byron''s eyes as the old man had never really stopped playing chess ever since his younger days. This meant that his skills hadn''t been forgotten. Still, Gray''s boyfriend was still able to win him without practice.


    "You should try playing online chess now then. There are.."


    "Okay, Mr Tobion. Enough talks about chess. Dinner is ready. You can talk more about it after you eat." Sarah interrupted Byron in the midst of his conversation. She urged the trio to head over to the dining table to eat. "The whole family should be coming over for dinner soon."


    "The whole family?" Gray and Sato was confused.


    "Yes. Your parents and your uncle''s family should be here anytime now." Gray''s grandmother broke the news to the couple. This had made Sato rather nervous almost instantly. Much less talking to Gray''s father, he had never met before Gray''s uncle and his family.


    Byron noticed Sato''s complicated expression. Before Gray could try to pacify the situation, the old patriarch intervene and helped out. "Come sit beside me, little Sato. I still have a lot to ask you about chess. Hehe."


    "Okay." Sato accepted his invitation and so the young man sat in the seat right beside the end of the long dining table. Gray sat beside his boyfriend and patted Sato''s t.h.i.g.h reassuringly. He did not want Sato to panic during such a spontaneous occasion.


    Within five minutes of sitting down, the entire Tobion family had arrived. The people that Sato knew Melanie and Alex, who were Gray''s parents had entered the dining hall first. Following which was Alex''s younger brother, Michael Tobion and his family. His wife, Hailey Thompson had three children, Gabriel, James and Mia. The three children were 21, 16 and 11 respectively. That day, Gray''s brother, Noah Tobion was on an overseas trip and could not make it.


    Gray did his best to explain to Sato about his family. He himself was not prepared for this and could only let Sato greet them individually as Gray introduced to them his boyfriend. By now, word had already spread to everyone in the Tobion family loop that Gray was gay. There were obviously some disagreements like Gray''s father, but on Michael Tobion''s side of the family, they did not particularly care about Gray''s homos.e.x.u.a.lity.


    "Well, my family is happy to finally meet you, Sato." With a welcoming tone, Michael spoke on behalf of his family. His three children sat at the table, well-behaved. The oldest son, Gabriel had gotten a closer look at Sato who was the same age as him. He smiled warmly as he could tell that Sato was nervous to be around so many people.


    "It is nice to meet you and your family, uncle." Sato greeted back as he should.


    "How are you, Sato? Are you feeling better now?" Melanie asked with a concerned look.


    "I am able to speak better now. Walking long distances is still tiring though." Sato came clean about his condition. It was certain that everyone around the dining table had heard about his kidnapping.


    "That is good then. Later come over to our home. Auntie brewed some herbal medicine that will help to boost your muscle weakness."


    "Thank you, auntie."


    "Okay, let us begin eating. I am sure everyone has better things to do than sit around the dining table." Byron stopped everyone''s pleasantries. The family began their dinner meal together.


    Throughout the meal, Byron was conversing with Sato about chess knowledge. Very rarely at home would the old man have someone to talk to about his hobby. This was right up Sato''s alleyway as he was still feeling nervous about having so many people over at the Tobion house. In the end, the other family members started talking amongst themselves and did not have the chance to ask much about Sato.


    By the end of the meal, everyone said their goodbyes while Sato was asked by Byron to stay behind to play some chess. The young man obliged since he actually enjoyed interacting with Gray''s grandfather. Gray, on the other hand, was happy to see that his grandparents were happy to interact with his boyfriend. His head was moody whenever he thought back to his father who quietly ate his meal on the other side of the table.

 Chapter 207 - Worldchess 1

    "Come try out this website, worldchess.net." Byron invited the boy over to the television/monitor screen that displayed the website that he was talking about.


    The old man wanted to get Sato involved immediately in the world of online chess.


    "This was the website I used back then." Sato sat down beside Byron as his eyes was curious as to how much the online server had changed.


    "If you have not played on Worldchess since two years back, then there are some pretty big changes to the game that I should inform you about," Byron remembered the biggest change that had happened, not only in the website, but the entire chess community. "The website, Worldchess had been officially recognised as the new rating system for the professional chess community."


    "It has been recognised?" Sato was surprised by what Byron had said. After all, in the past, Worldchess was more of a play zone for casual to pro level players. It was not hailed as a proper rating system. So, although Sato had been rated 3000 by Worldchess, back then, he was still not counted as anything.


    "Yes, indeed. The Worldchess rating is now globally recognised and is able to accurately rank every player that comes in touch with the game."


    "Has the rating system for Worldchess change then?"


    "Mm, it has changed to be more comprehensive as a whole. Just talking beyond 2000 points, going up by 200 increments, the ranks are as seen here," Byron clicked into the global ranking leaderboards, showing Sato the types of ranks available now.


    From 2000 to 2199, the rank ''Expert'' was given to the players. From 2200 to 2399, the rank ''National Master'' was given to the players. From 2400 to 2599, the rank ''Senior Master'' was given to the players. From 2600 to 2799, the rank ''International Master'' was given to the players. From 2800 to 2999, the rank ''Grandmaster'' was given to the players. Lastly, from 3000 and beyond, the rank ''Grand Champion'' was given to the players.


    "Grand Champion¡­ Wow." Sato was indeed surprised that the world had finally created a common rating system. They had even introduced a new tier of chess players. He was sure that his old 3000 point rating was definitely not accurate anymore. Since most pro chess players now use Worldchess as their main platform to climb the chess ladder, there could not be a single fluke in any of the games.


    "Worldchess now has two types of rank modes to differentiate casual and professional players. The first rank mode is where anyone can test out their rating. The games played in this mode is not regulated and so, people can help others play on their account. The second rank mode is called Challenger Grounds, where only players above the Expert rank can pit themselves against other professional chess players. In these places, the AI system of Worldchess must be given rights to monitor your computer so as to prevent cheating."


    "Interesting. So does this mean that official tournaments could now be held online?"


    "You are correct, little Sato. For the past two years, ever since the introduction of the new system, the players that are rated Grandmaster rank and above are able to take part in official tournaments to earn titles and cash prizes." Byron was especially enthusiastic when talking about his favourite hobby, "So, doesn''t this make you want to play chess again?"


    "It does, though I do not think I will as good as previous rating."


    "I do not believe so. Little Sato, when I played with you, my sixth sense tells me that there is more to unearth in you than meets the eye. If you were to give the game a try again, I am sure you will go far." When it came to Byron''s sixth sense, the old man was never wrong. He had an uncanny ability to predict situations and its likelihood on success. It was thanks to his innate skill that allowed him to build his family up from scratch into the empire that it was today.


    Sato did not take long to think about it. He was going to be visiting Country Y for at least a week. Seeing that Gray''s grandfather was super enthusiastic about him playing chess, he decided he could just pick up this game again just for the old man''s enjoyment. "Alright then, I guess I will give it a shot."


    "Perfect! Let''s play some rank games now."


    "Now?"


    "Why not? I have a perfectly great setup for you to start your climb today." Byron got up on his feet and moved to grab a remote control. With the press of a button, the main living room table had started transforming. The top surface of the table was replaced with a different surface. On it, was a unique looking chess set. The chess board itself seemed to have numerous wires that led under the table and into the ground. The pieces of the board was made of metal, a unique design different from the normal wooden feel.


    "What is this?" Sato asked with a curious expression.


    "This is the virtual chess board," Byron clicked the remote, which lifted the table surface up and towards Sato. "Any move made on this board will be reflected on the screen. The same will go for the opponent''s moves. The board will move the opponent''s pieces for you."


    "Wow, that is fascinating."


    "This board was actually produced by the Worldchess company. At any high tournament setting, all players are required to use a virtual chess board so as to prevent cheating."


    Indeed, as Byron had said, the virtual chess board prevents the players from using any external software to make moves or even third party assistance. The chess board has numerous sensors, such as visual, audio, temperature and several other useful applications that monitor and keep track of the player''s surroundings.


    "So, do you remember your ID?"

 Chapter 208 - Worldchess 2

    Sato logged into his account from when he was 19. Due to inactivity, the account''s rating had indeed dropped and was now only 1500. This wasn''t a problem for Sato as he was only planning to play for fun.


    "Let us join a game then." Byron helped Sato start his matchmaking. Byron had selected ''Blitz'', which was fast paced chess where players play with a timer. Within 3 seconds, his opponent was found and it had a rating of 1550.


    As Sato was black, he was to move second. The metal pieces on the board started to change and show colour. The black pieces appeared on Sato''s side of the table. When his opponent made a move, the white piece followed.


    "What is your plan for this game?" Byron asked curiously. Since the rank mode was not monitored, Byron was allowed to be in the room and could interact with Sato.


    "I don''t really have one." Sato thought about it. Seeing that his opponent went for a normal pawn to E4, he decided to move pawn to c5.


    "Sicilian Defense?" Byron recognised the opening move that Sato played.


    "Yes. It is one of my more favourite responses."


    Sato played the game out systematically and easily enough, due to time constraints, he had forced his opponent to make many blunders. The game was won and Sato''s rating had increased by 10 points.


    "Is the rating adjustment system still in the website?" Sato decided to ask after seeing how his rating had increased by a measly amount.


    "Oh yes, the rating adjustment system is still available." Byron understood what the young lad was talking about. He proceeded to help Sato around the new website interface.


    "Could you help me change the rating point system to +50 please?" What Sato was suggesting was that the matches that he wanted to play in would be able to warrant him 50 points gain if he won. However, should he lose, the points loss will be correspondingly higher. 50 points was already the maximum number of points anyone could gain at once.


    "Here you go, little Sato. Go all out!" Byron laughed excitedly. He enjoyed watching his grandson''s boyfriend play. There was something interesting when it came to Sato''s spontaneity in his games. The boy rarely had any plans and just played clean perfect games. It was a refreshing sight for the old man.


    What followed after the adjustment was nothing but shocking. In a span from 6 to 8 pm, Sato had played a total of 12 games. All 12 games he had completely stomped his opponents. With that, Sato was now 2110 and was an Expert ranked player.


    "Grandfather, it is getting late already. I will be taking Sato with me now." Gray had came out of one of the study rooms, finishing up his conference call successfully.


    "What? It is only 8 and you are already heading off? Why not you and little Sato stay in our guest room?" Byron complained.


    "Mother had already boiled herbal medicine for Sato. Besides, Sato''s body is quite frail and needs to rest more." Gray had to try his best to convince his grandfather.


    "Ah fine, fine." Byron grumpily agreed to let the young man go. While they left through the hallway, Byron shouted out, "Come back another day and keep this old man company, alright?"


    Hearing this, Sato and Gray could not help but let out a smile. Sato agreed amiably, "I will, grandfather."


    With that, Gray and Sato left the main mansion of the Tobion compound. Although there was a distance of 200 meters from Gray''s parent''s home, the couple wanted to walk and enjoy the nice weather. The pathway was well lit up. Gray and Sato held hands as they walked slowly around the roundabout and turned right towards a different path. This was a scenic pathway that Gray wanted to bring Sato earlier in the evening when there was still light. However, he wasn''t able to pry his boyfriend away from his grandfather. And so, only now was the couple able to enjoy it together.


    "I still cannot believe that this entire compound belongs to your family." Sato shook his head in denial.


    "Sometimes I too think that my family is rather affluent." Gray commented in an interesting way.


    "Only sometimes? We are literally walking through a garden that has a greenhouse that contains the rarest Da Hong Pao tree in the world."


    "Hahaha, yes sometimes." Gray looked above at the stars, "Although my family is monetarily rich, we still try our best to behave as a normal family. Every Friday and Sunday, they would have a meal together at my grandparent''s home. In addition, even though we do business all over the world, my parents and uncle chose to stay in the same compound as my grandparents. After all, if we were all separated around the world, what even is a family anymore?"


    "True. I should visit my parents more eh?" Sato thought back to his own family.


    "Why not let your parents move in with us?" Gray suggested casually.


    "You don''t mind them moving in?"


    "I don''t mind at all, my love." Gray kissed Sato''s forehead. "I have been meaning to ask you if you wanted such arrangements or not."


    "I would have to ask my parents first, but I would love that. Thank you Gray."


    "My family is your family. The same goes for me and your parents too. In the future, they will be my father and mother in law."


    "Haha that would be nice. Though, I will have to try to properly convince your father otherwise." Sato was hopeful for a moment before thinking back to his biggest obstacle. No matter how much Gray told him to not care so much about his father, Alex, Sato did not want things to be sour between any of Gray''s family. He knew that if he could prove his worth to Alex, then maybe, just maybe, he could be seen as a potential candidate for his son.

 Chapter 209 - The Marriage Partnership

    When Gray and Sato finished walking the garden path, they arrived at Gray''s parents home. Melanie headed downstairs to welcome the two. The first thing she did was to ask the care takers to heat up the herbal medicine for Sato. Today had been a long and tiring day for the young man. Sato took the time to rest by leaning on Gray''s shoulder. The atmosphere in the living room was quiet, but cozy.


    Knowing to not disturb the mood in the room, she went back upstairs to talk with her husband. Alex''s study room was in the rightmost room on the second floor. She headed inside to see Alex busy working on his computer. Regardless of that, she asked her husband, "So when are you going to start interacting with your future son in law?"


    Alex knew that this question was going to come out of his wife''s mouth any day. He had been hoping that such a topic would never come along. Just thinking about it already made the middle aged man''s head hurt. "Can I just never talk to him?"


    "Alex¡­ Dear¡­" Moving around the work desk and standing behind her husband, Melanie gave him a shoulder message. "What is stopping you from accepting Sato as Gray''s lover?"


    "Many things."


    "What things?"


    "Just¡­Thinking that my oldest son is gay, it just doesn''t fit right with me." The excuse that Alex gave sounded very forced.


    "Huh?" Melanie quickly picked up on it, "Alex Tobion. I have been married with you for over three decades. Do you think I cannot pick up when you are lying straight at my face?"


    "I¡­"


    "Spit it out."


    Alex sighed before telling the truth, "Do you remember the World Meeting that was organised five years back?"


    "Yes. The one where the leaders of every country had gathered for a meeting? You had went to the meeting too correct?"


    "Yes. I had went to that meeting. The major powerhouses of every industry had went to the meeting too, including the two big family."


    "That is expected. After all, just like us, they control many industries around the world."


    "So, five years ago, the Lee family''s head had approached me for a meeting. Of course, there was no way I could say no to that."


    "What happened then?" Melanie had a frown on her face. Alex had not once told her that he had a meeting with one of the big two before.


    "The Lees suggested a partnership with our family. The partnership was under the terms that Gray had to marry their daughter who was of similar age to our son."


    "A partnership.."


    "Yes. As you know, our Hayfield Limited group and Gale Foundation are coincidentally competitors with the Lee Family''s companies. Their Zhong Xing Housing Group and TJR Mobile are 2nd in the Real Estate industry and 3rd in the Car industry. Comparably, Hayfield is now 5th in Real Estate and Gale is 1st for Cars. If we were to have a successful merger, both of our family''s power will grow significantly."


    Melanie listened to Alex''s proposal with a frown on her face. Indeed, as her husband had suggested, such a partnership between them and the Lee Family would indeed benefit the both of them. As they were both powerhouses, they were bound to clash eventually on the stock market. However, now that they were suggesting a merger, such a problem would disappear and both sides will mutually gain benefits. The only problem now was¡­


    "Is that why you were so adamant on Gray not being together with Sato?"


    "Yes." Since everything was out there for Melanie to see, Alex had nothing to hide anymore.


    "And you are willing to use your son as a pawn in your business tactics? Your very own son?" Melanie''s tone was angry.


    "If that is what it takes to run a whole industry¡­"


    "Alex¡­ Think this through properly. You are staking all of this on the fact that Gray would be willing to marry into their family. Not only that, when has our family ever been so money hungry? We are financially stable and sufficient. What we have now can support this family for many generations to come, much less ours."


    Alex did not reply and just listened to what his wife had said. He had obviously considered this already, but moreover, there was something else that was causing his grievance. "When the Lee head proposed to me this partnership, he had given me five years to think about it. His daughter was receiving her pHd this year and so, now was the perfect time for her to consider having a family. What the Lee head had said to me was, ''If you do not take up this partnership, you have to understand that there is one other family that has equal standings to the both of us. You should know what I mean by that, correct?''"


    "Isn''t this more of a blackmail than it is a proposal?" Melanie''s face darkened. Anyone could see that the Lee family was saying that if the Tobion family did not accept their marriage partnership, they would suggest a partnership with the Tabola family, who has the same standing as the both of them. This would mean that the one on the losing end would obviously be the Tobion family.


    "This is why I am so adamant about Gray being together with that boy. It is not because that I hate that young man. I had search up his background and academic track record and from what I can see, Sato Takahashi is definitely a once in a century genius. He also had never done anything shady and has a great likeable personality. If I was not forced into such a situation by the goddamn Lee''s, I would be more than happy for my son and him to be together." Alex said his honest opinion to Melanie.


    Hearing all of this, the middle-aged lady knew that what her husband was saying was true. If the Lee and Tabola family had a partnership, the industries that they were in control of would strengthen deeply. After all, their financial pool would have increased significantly.

 Chapter 210 - Gray’s Decision 1

    Back in the early 2000s, the was the East Asian Economic Crisis that devastated many countries. There was, however, one genius at that time that rose above the rest and rode the wave to success. It was the Lee Family''s founder. The man had accurately predicted the stock trends and made smart calculated risks to purchase the majority shares of companies. He then, after acquiring majority ownership, started developing the companies into powerhouses in their industries. As such, almost a hundred years has passed and the Lee Family has grown in leaps and bounds, spreading their surname throughout the world. Their home country, Country C, had grown proportionately to their family''s growth, making them one of the top three countries in the world for GDP.


    On the other hand, the Tabola family was originally royalty in Country A that eventually adapted to modern times. The family had ancient history that dated back thousands of years ago. With their acc.u.mulated family wealth and their abundant natural resources in their home country, they were able to grow and develop significantly after dropping their Royalty role in their country. Now, country A, was a communistic country that was rules by the Tabola family. They were the only powerhouse family in the world that had full control over a country.


    As known from before, in the beginning of the 2000s, there were only two powerhouse families. The Tobion family was the last to rise up to their name. It was a culmination of hard work and talent that brought them up on par with the other two families. In addition, only the Tobion family patriarch had started his climb with nothing. Till this day, the Tobion family has yet to reveal their true identity to the world and if possible, they planned to do so for the rest of time. There was one external factor that came to play and had pushed the Tobion family up to where they were today. It was all due to the marriage of Alex Tobion and Melanie Hanlon.


    Although the Hanlon Family are not on par with the Lee and Tabola family, they are still the major powerhouse family in Country Y. They were also royalty that eventually converted into a normal family in a democratic country. Still, their roots were deeply seeded in Country Y and it was thanks to the marriage partnership between the Tobion and Hanlon family that created such a powerful disguised empire.


    Byron Tobion, the founder had moved to Country Y after the falling out with his close friend in Country Z. There, he and his son built up their businesses using their''s and Hanlon family''s resources. It was also this reason that they were able to acquire such a huge plot of forest land in Country Y''s capital city.


    Of course, such a marriage partnership between Alex Tobion and Melanie Hanlon was truly rare. They were not many cases where two individuals from powerful backgrounds had coincidentally fallen in love for each other. The gain in power for the Tobion family could be seen as a side benefit, for the two had married for love.


    Now, in the study room of the couple''s house, Alex and Melanie were deep in discussion over their next course of action. In the end, they had decided to ask for Gray''s presence and opinion. After all, the both of them could not do much if Gray did not agree to the marriage partnership.


    When Sato had finished up with his herbal medicine, the pair had left for their bedroom. Sato went to take a shower, while Gray was called up by Potter to head to the study room. The General followed through and headed there with a calm expression. Seeing that both of his parents were inside the study room, the man knew that something was going on.


    "Tell me what you are thinking." Gray was very straightforward, which was very like him.


    Alex complied and started to tell the backstory from the very beginning. As the story progressed on, Gray''s facial expression did not change at all. He was still calm and poised. This greatly surprised his parents as they thought that their son would enter a vortex of rage. Alex finished telling the story, while Gray continued to sit there with his eyes closed.


    The son of the Tobion family opened his eyes after giving it some thought through. Gray said, "Father, mother, I will not agree to such a marriage proposal."


    "Is that your final decision?" Alex asked. His voice was low but clear.


    "Yes."


    "Is love more important than your family''s safety?"


    "No."


    "Then why do you not want to follow through with the marriage? You should know what strength the Lee and the Tabola Family possesses. If they came together to go against our family, we would surely lose. It is simple addition." If outsiders were to hear the family head''s tone, they would definitely be intimidated. However, for Gray who was used to his father''s demeanour, it had no effect on him whatsoever.


    "The reason is simple."


    "Huh?" Alex and Melanie did not know where their son was going with this. What they heard next truly stumped the both of them.


    "I believe that love and family would be able to solve the eminent issues at hand."


    "Love and family? What are you on about?" Alex scoffed, hearing the somewhat childish notions of his son.

 Chapter 211 - Gray’s Decision 2

    "There is no universe where I would be willing to give myself away as a chess piece for my family. It is disgusting that you had even considered such an option." Gray started off strong with a blow onto his father''s back. The older man frowned at his son''s rude behaviour. Before Alex could say anything, Gray continued speaking, "And the reason why I would not be willing to give myself away is not just because of love. I am not willing to sacrifice myself because I believe I have more worth than just being a trophy that sits on a wall. In addition, my lover, Sato is by no means an idiot. He is the smartest and most talented individual I know. You of all people must''ve searched up on him. You do realise that Sato''s IQ score is more than double an average human''s IQ right?"


    Hearing Gray''s words, Alex and Melanie remained silent as he listened to their son''s point.


    "In this world, a person is never alone. They have family and loved ones behind them that would help them along the way. Just like how father had grandfather to help you in the business line. Just like how Noah has you as a mentor. I may have not been in the picture these few years, but I am also a Tobion. Why are you being so selfish and are only thinking about it from your own perspective?"


    The last sentence from Gray finally concluded the Tobion head''s doubts. The middle-aged man had been pondering on this issue for many years by himself. He had never considered asking for other''s opinions on the subject matter. All along, the man had been standing in the darkness, when all along, there was a lamppost beside him that would''ve shone light on him.


    Alex turned to look at his wife. Melanie nodded, seeing that her son had really grown up and knew how to bear some responsibility in the family. With tired eyes, Alex wanted to clear his final doubts with his son, "Gray, can you, with absolute certainty, say that Sato will be willing to fight to the death with us against the two largest powerhouses in this world?"


    "I know he will." Gray did not hesitate with his answer. He knew his lover best.


    "Alright. Could the two of you go back to your room? I would like to have a word with Sato this time." Alex answered exhaustedly.


    Gray nodded and left the room to call for Sato. Melanie placed a hand on Alex''s shoulder. It was her sign of showing that she wished for her husband to be less stressed out. "Don''t stay up too late, alright?"


    "I won''t. Good night, dear."


    In the case of Sato, the young man had already changed into his pyjamas and was ready for bed. When Gray got back to the room, the General had a smile on his tired face. Clearly, that talk with his father just now had truly put a toll on his mental stamina too.


    "My father would like to speak to you. Are you fine with that?" Gray sat on Sato''s side of the bed as he leaned his head on Sato''s head. The boy''s hair smelled like passion fruit.


    "Yeah, I am okay with it. I do need to change right?" Sato didn''t know what was up, but seeing how his boyfriend was this tired, he knew that what Gray''s father was about to tell him was very important.


    "It is fine. I think my father would not mind seeing this cute side of yours." Gray smiled playfully.


    "Gosh, you''re so cheeky." Sato slowly stood up and went ahead to change into something more presentable. He left the room after a short while.


    Gray had already told him where his father''s study room was and so, Sato, with heavy feet, made his way over. Taking a deep breath in and out, he knocked on the door and entered the room to see the older man. Alex had his eyes closes with one hand rubbing the temples on his head.


    "Come take a seat." Alex said after opening his eyes. Sato obliged.


    "What were you looking for me for, sir?" Sato automatically went back to being polite.


    "It should''ve been quite obvious that I was being very rude with you, correct? Every time Gray had spoken about me, I am sure it was never anything good." Alex did not mince his words. This made Sato laugh nervously as he did not know how to reply to such a question. In the end, Alex continued speaking, making the atmosphere less awkward. "Don''t worry. That was a rhetorical question. Although I am more leaning towards Gray having a traditional family, I am usually open to modern concepts of same-s.e.x marriage. However, a few years ago, I had encountered a problem that stumped me for a good period of time and only now, did my vision become clear again."


    For the third time, Alex explained the story again. Sato, being a complete outsider, was actually quite familiar with the world trends. The Lee and Tabola family were families known by everyone in the world. Just that, now, the Tobion family was added into the mix. Hearing that Gray had declined the marriage between him and a lady from the Lee Family, it made Sato very flattered.


    "You should be able to see what I problem I am facing now correct?"


    Sato nodded. With his high IQ, Sato could see what problem the Tobion family head was currently facing.


    "If you decline their proposal, this would mean that the Tobion family business would most definitely be facing pressure on all sides by the two other families."


    "Correct." Alex nodded, knowing that the boy was indeed very bright. "Just now, Gray had already declined the marriage proposal adamantly and with it, he had proposed a new plan."


    Looking up at Sato, he did not hide anything from the young man. "Gray had told me that you would be willing to help us, the Tobion family out of this predicament."


    "Me? Wh..What can I do to help?" Sato pointed at himself cluelessly. Seeing Sato''s humble nature, it reassured Alex more so that Gray''s proposal was possible.

 Chapter 212 - Sato’s Response

    "Sato. You are a very bright and talented individual. Although you do not think so yourself most of the time, others around you must''ve pointed out that you are a rare genius in the era of Artificial Intelligence." Alex praised Sato.


    "I am flattered to hear such compliments, but I am sure that there are many others that are smarter than me." Sato shook his head.


    "There is no need to be humble about it. Although you have not done much during your time in University, it only because you have yet to discover what you would like to do in the future, correct?"


    "How did you¡­" Before Sato could say ''know'', Alex continued speaking.


    "I have connections in University Z and so finding out a student''s background information is not exactly difficult. Seeing the way you reacted, I am guessing that you still have yet to figure out your path."


    "Yes. I have not gotten a chance to think about what I would like to do in the future." Seeing that he could not hide anything from the man in front of him, Sato came clean. He had never realised how fickle the word ''privacy'' was until he had entered Gray''s family and came to know what was true power. Things that are shared to others no matter how confidential, would always be more unsafe than keeping the secret in yourself.


    "Well, you not knowing what you would like to do in the future is fine at this point. However," The mood got more serious than it already was. "Gray had chosen you over the safer and more secure path in this family. He had chosen love over power. I hope that my son''s decision was not wrong. A few years from now, our family would be entering a lightning storm. I hope that you would become a formidable person by that time that would aid our family in the struggle for power."


    Hearing what Alex had to say about him, Sato knew that the family head had done everything for his family. Most of the time, he would never rely on others to help in their business. Yet, now, Alex had chosen to trust his son''s instincts and had decided to put some faith into Sato. All being well, the Tobion family would be able to face the Lee''s and the Tabola''s head on.


    "I won''t let you down, sir." Sato said resolutely. There was a rush of vigour that was injected into Sato''s body. For the first time, there was great expectations hanging over Sato. The young man had been able to live a carefree life for the past two decades. Even Gray had hoped that Sato would not have to go through anymore sufferings. However, it was the cruel fate of the young man. His life would inevitably be filled with struggles. Now, coupled with expectations looming over him, Sato had to choose how he wanted to go forward with his life.


    "Call me uncle. We are family now." Alex smiled marginally. It was the first time that Sato had seen the middle-aged man show any form of expression other than anger. He knew that his words from before had lessened the weight on Alex''s shoulders by a bit. How Sato carried on in the future would determine how much weight he would be able to bear in respects to Alex.


    When Sato left back to the room, Gray was already waiting for the boy in bed. The General asked inquisitively, wanting to find out if his father had mistreated or spelt trouble for his lover. After hearing whatever transpired in the room, it was surprising for Gray to find out that his father had chosen to believe in him and Sato this time.


    "Gray.." Sato spoke in a quieter voice. He was drained of energy at this point.


    "Mm?"


    "What do you say I am good at?"


    "You are good at anything you put your heart into."


    "Thats too vague¡­" Sato said helplessly.


    "It isn''t really," Gray kissed Sato''s forehead sweetly, "You are able to enter any industry and take it by a storm. And no matter what you choose in the end, you need to remember that I will always have your back."


    "Okay." Sato smiled, with his eyes closed. He was very tired. Within seconds after Gray''s words, the young man fell asleep.


    "Evening sir, what did you call me for?" The person in the call was Colonel John, the Head of the OPS Division in the Army. Gray was in charge of three units and one of them was the OPS Division that was in-charge of reconnaissance and field combat. Before being promoted to Major General, Gray was in the Secret Operations team in the OPS Division.


    "Do you remember the plan I had discussed with you before seven months?"


    "What plan?"


    "The plan in regards to reconnaissance operations within Country C and Country A?"


    "Ah yes. I remember it now." Colonel John opened up the file that he had taken down minutes for that day. He refreshed his memory on what had been discussed. "You were saying that you had plans to send in a covert team into the countries so as to spy on the major two families."


    "Correct." Gray said.


    "Sir, if I may ask, what is the underlying reason for doing this? The Lee and Tabola has not done anything noteworthy in Country Z so far. Their potential threat is rather low at this point."


    Gray thought about it and decided that it was best to tell half of the truth to his subordinate. After all, only when there was an agenda would there be greater motivation in completing the task successfully.


    "I received trustworthy intel that the two major families of the world would be having a dynamic growth in power in the next few years. Such cases would result in the destabilisation in our country''s economy."

 Chapter 213 - Ming Yue Guang’s Maternal Family 1

    "What?" Hearing such news had formed a frown on Colonel John''s face. If what his superior had said was true, then this meant that it would definitely be best that the Secret operations teams were able to get important information on the families.


    "That is why we have to send in our forces before the wave hits." What Gray meant by that was it was easier to send in the spies before the Lee and Tabola family had gained power. By then, with their new found status, it would be harder to even crack into their stronghold.


    John and Gray discussed about the plan moving forward. Two hours after midnight, the pair finally came out with a detailed plan of action.


    The first step was to recruit a two small teams of five. As they had to be away from their family for a minimum of two years, this was a declinable mission. The second step was to create a new identity for these soldiers. It was normal for special operations personnels to have multiple identities, but this time, as they were going up against the two major families, their character had to be fool proof.


    The third step was infiltration, where the soldiers would integrate into the life in Country C and A. Under their new cover, they will attempt to enter the family''s system. This kind of infiltration was blunt and usually not effective as the two families would never divulge their internal secrets to people that they do not know for a long period of time. However, such reconnaissance was the only way forward as other methods would be easily discovered by the families. All Gray and his team could hope for was that they would get lucky enough to acquire information on the side.


    The plan had been simplified down into three steps, even though the actual execution had many more nitty gritty aspects to it. Within two short months, the two teams of five had left for their respective countries and started their mission.


    The next day after Gray and his subordinate had finished drafting up a plan, Sato had woken up early as he did his morning stretches quietly. He did not want to wake up Gray who was sleeping soundlessly by his side. In the end, he had failed as Gray''s ears were very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to sound.


    "How was your sleep?" Gray asked with his eyes closed slightly. He had not gotten enough sleep, but such days were normal for him.


    "It was very good. I slept like a log." Sato grinned.


    "Come. Give me a kiss to wake me up."


    "Alright." Sato obliged as he walked up and bent over to give Gray a smooch on his lips.


    "Ah, I feel better already."


    "Haha."


    The couple went downstairs together to enjoy a nice breakfast with Gray''s parents. The atmosphere in the room had become less tense overnight and now, it felt more like a cohesive family. Though Sato was still slightly awkward around Alex, he still spoke when asked. In the afternoon, Byron called over to his older son''s house, he was looking for the young Sato. Hearing that Gray''s grandfather wanted company again, Sato did not decline the request. It was fun for him anyways and he got to bond with the old man over chess.


    Gray brought the boy over and he himself went to work in a study room. He had other agendas relating to the infiltration that needed to be sorted out. As such, he left his lover in the hands of his grandfather.


    On the other hand, in Country Z, a family of two was having a casual lunch at home. They were Ming Yue Guang and his mother, Melisa. After Ming Yue Guang had started soccer practice again, he had been staying in the National Soccer Team''s dormitory and only came home to visit once a week. It was tough balancing school and soccer training, but the young man enjoyed the busy lifestyle. It was a good distraction for him because now, he did not have any time to spend with Li Ming anyways. His mother was the only family he had left in Country Z and so, he tried his best to see his mother more often.


    "Da Guang ah, do you feel lonely nowadays?" His mother, Melisa spoke with an uncertain tone.


    "Mm, I feel fine, mom. How about you?" Ming Yue Guang answered his mother. Being able to still talk to Li Ming over the phone had made his days better.


    "I..I have something that I want to ask you."


    "What is it?"


    "Do you want to know more about your family?"


    "My family?"


    "Isn''t father''s parents all gone from this world and he was the only child? And for you, your parents had disapproved of your marriage with father and so, you had cut off all contacts with them?" Saying out all of this, Ming Yue Guang frowned and asked his mother, "Were all of this a lie?"


    "No. They were not a lie." Melisa shook her head. "Recently, my older sister had manage to find my number and she had contacted me."


    "She found you? Didn''t you migrate from Country Y to Z? How did she even acquire your contact number?"


    "Da Guang, your auntie isn''t exactly an ordinary person. Much less her, if my family wanted to find my location, it wouldn''t be hard for them in the first place."


    "Huh? What are they? A private investigation agency?" Ming Yue Guang was confused by his mother.


    "My surname is not Han."


    "It isn''t?"


    "No. It is Hanlon. I had it changed when I migrated to Country Z."


    "Hanlon¡­ Hanlon¡­ THAT HANLON?!" Ming Yue Guang was chewing on his food, before spitting it out inadvertently.


    "Yes.. That Hanlon." Melisa sighed inwardly.

 Chapter 214 - Ming Yue Guang’s Maternal Family 2

    Twenty five years ago, Melisa was a twenty two year old fresh graduate from the Technological Institute of Country Y. She came from the prestigious Hanlon Family that had absolute power in Country Y. Melisa had two siblings. Her oldest sister was Melanie Hanlon, her second oldest sister was Mary Hanlon and she was the youngest, Melisa Hanlon. From the beginning of her life, she was born with a silver spoon and never had to undergo any sufferings. Her parents never really dictated any part of her life.


    One night, she had went out with plans to meet up with her friends to drink. To be safe, she would usually have two bodyguards nearby to protect her if need be. However, that night, the bodyguards had left her side for a moment and it was then a depraved man had approached Melisa with a knife. It was later known to her this man had been hired to kidnap Melisa so as to hold ransom against the Hanlon family.


    Seeing the knife in his hand, Melisa could only concede herself. She was asked to keep silent and to follow him out of the bar quietly. Obediently, she obey. Unbeknownst to her, a man had caught his eye on Melisa ever since she had entered the bar. The man was Ming Jiang Fei and at that time, he had just completed a mission and was scheduled to leave back to Country Z the next day. Taking that off time to go drinking, he noticed the young lady being approached by a suspicious man. Watching Melisa leave while the suspicious individual stood close behind her, Ming Jiang Fei knew from experience that something was up. He stealthily followed behind, keeping track of the person''s movements.


    Hiding in the corner, Jiang Fei noticed that they were entering an alleyway. At the end of it, there was a van. Connecting the dots, the young lady was either about to be kidnapped or r.a.p.ed in a inconspicuous location. The fit soldier quietly approached from behind as he reached his arm around the bad person''s neck. With a quick flick, he flung the man to the side as his shoulder hit the brick wall. Noticing that the suspicious man had a knife in his hand, Ming Jiang Fei kicked the weapon accurate out of his hand, before knocking out his opponent.


    The suspicious man had assailants that were sitting in the van. Seeing how things had transpired, the pair of assailants came out of the vehicle with guns. Ming Jiang Fei was in his civilian clothes and did not carry around his own weapon. Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, he quickly held onto Melisa''s hand as he brought her away. When the bodyguards had realised that their lady had been compromised, they had also ran out of the bar and had bumped into Ming Jiang Fei and Melisa. In the end, Jiang Fei explained to the armed bodyguards that the assailants was on their way over and with the element of surprise, they had managed to neutralise the threat.


    It was during that event that Ming Jiang Fei had caught the eyes of Melisa. The way the man protected her was extremely touching, after all, they had only just met. The both of them exchanged contacts that night and Melisa went back home for the night. For Ming Jiang Fei had changed his flight, requesting for vacation period. In that time, the two of them went for dates and got to know each other better.The young soldier was slightly shy in the beginning, but by the end of Jiang Fei''s vacation, they mutually fell in love.


    The pair then decided that they should do long distance for a while as Jiang Fei had to go back to Country Z for his job. After six months, Melisa could no longer take being apart from her lover. She had asked for her parents consent to allow her to fly to Country Z to be with Ming Jiang Fei. However, after seeing how the young man had no particularly redeeming qualities, Melisa''s parents disallowed the both of them being together and if she did, they would disown her. In a fit of anger, the lady said that she was breaking off all contact with her family and that was the last time she spoke with any of them. Even with her two sisters that she was close with, Melisa did not interact with them anymore.


    A year after marrying Jiang Fei, Melisa had gotten pregnant with the now, Ming Yue Guang. She never once regretted her decision after she left the Hanlon family for she knew that her husband was truly the right person for her.


    In the present, Ming Yue Guang was rubbing his temples from the story that his mother had just told him. It was truly a fairytale story, but it was just how his parents had met each other. He asked, "So, why did your family contact you again?"


    "Your auntie found out recently through the army network that your father passed away. She contacted me to ask if we needed any help."


    "We do not." Ming Yue Guang was adamant on that belief. Considering how none of her mother''s family had tried to reconcile with her over the past 20 odd years, Yue Guang believed it wasn''t right for them to do so now.


    "Da Guang¡­" Hearing from his mother''s pleading tone of voice, he knew that his mother wanted a different answer from him.


    "What? You want to reconcile with this vermin of a family?"


    "Your aunt is not a vermin."


    "Then why did she not try to contact you over the years?"


    "I was the one that told my sisters to not contact me. I had broken off contact with my parents, but my sisters never wanted me to leave. They respected my decision for love. Since I was going to leave the Hanlon family, I decided to just cut off all ties.

 Chapter 215 - Update On My State Of Writing

    Hi readers,


    This is the author speaking. I am here to give a heart to heart talk to everyone here. For the past month, I have not actually been writing my novel whatsoever. It has all been coming from my stockpile of chapters and overtime, it has been whittling down to almost none. Unfortunately, I ''m slowly burning out and my motivation and drive to finish this novel is dying out too. It would not be for long before I stop writing again. However, I will try my best to write as much as I can in this week. You will soon realise that I am rushing my novel and plot. It isn''t as slow as what I had written before (*cough *cough 1 year in 200 chapters), but rather a true and proper time skip. This is entirely on purpose even though it isn''t really like me to do so. I have been working on myself more these past few weeks as I prepare for university. That in itself is my fault as I set a ridiculous goal to finish this light novel before I enter university. And so, when reading the novel a few chapters from today, you will start seeing noticeable changes and I would have to plead you all to adapt to the changes. There will be many plot points where I could''ve expanded on (such as the gaming aspect, or the chess aspect, or the side character aspects). However, my apologies in advance, my writing onwards solely focused on completing the novel. Maybe in the future, I would launch an version two of Oh Mr General!, but for now, the up and coming arc will have to do.


    Thank you for your understanding,


    Over_The_Horizon

 Chapter 216 - Ming Yue Guang’s Maternal Family 3

    "All I am asking is for you to go with me to see your auntie for one lunch. She had asked to meet her nephew." Melisa asked nicely.


    "But mom¡­"


    "Please. Just do this for your mother."


    "Ugh¡­ Fine."


    "Thank you." Ming Yue Guang''s mother had a smile of approval. If she did not have her son by her side after her husband had passed on, the lady would not have known what to do with herself. Ming Yue Guang was everything to his parents. "Let me message her back then."


    The young man could tell that her mother missed her sister a lot. It must''ve been extremely tough on Melisa''s part. After all, she had not them for twenty odd years, much less talk to them. Ming Yue Guang knew that his mother wanted his company and had said that his aunt had asked to meet him. That was why he had agreed to it in the first place. The boy did not have a good impression on his mother''s side of the family and so, why should he give them face in the first place.


    In the Tobion house, Melanie face lit up when she read the message that her sister, Melisa had sent her. A few months back, Melanie had heard from news that Ming Jiang Fei had passed away. At first, Gray''s mother did not know why she felt that the name was so familiar. It was only after she had went back to visit her own family, did she recall her youngest sister''s husband''s name. Realising that her man had passed on, Melanie immediately started to investigate for Melisa''s number. She had to check in on her own dear sister, even though Melisa had explicitly said that she had wanted to live a simple life.


    "What is it?" Alex asked. He noticed a change in his wife''s emotion.


    "I will be meeting up with my sister in two days time."


    "Why are you this happy over meeting up with Mary? Don''t you see her like once or twice a week?"


    "No dear, I am meeting up with Melisa. You do remember I have two sisters right?"


    "What? Melisa? Didn''t she say that she was going to cut off all contact with your family?"


    "Yes. Her husband passed away a few months ago and only recently did I find out about it. That was why I approached her to see if she was alright."


    Although there was a small hint of sadness, Alex''s face did not show much change. He did not particularly care about anything outside of his family. "Well, did you tell Mary?"


    "I did. She agreed to come along with me to Country Z for a day trip."


    "Have fun then."


    "I will."


    ¡­


    For the entire afternoon, Sato had been teaching and refreshing his memory on chess with Byron. The old man was like a child that had many questions ready for Sato to answer. The boy''s photographic memory was powerful in a way that he could remember everything from his past clearly. All the books and videos he had watched on chess came back to him very easily. The knowledge were as if it had been simply kept away in the drawer and all Sato needed to do was take it out of there.


    The boy''s ranking had spiked again, going beyond 3000 points rating. He was now a Grand Champion rank in the casual Blitz games. This was a crazy feat, since the young man had not lost a single game since he started playing with Byron by his side. Most of the time when his opponent was thinking, he would even take the opportunity to explain to Byron his course of action. It was essentially a casual session of chess to the young man. However, to the multitudes of players spectating Sato''s games, the young man was an anomaly.


    Not know to the old and young duo, Sato''s crazy win streak had caught the eyes of players in the higher ranks. A dark horse had entered the top 0.01% world ranking and became a Grand Champion. His games were always played differently and there were close to zero mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes were actually traps used to regain the center field of the board and as a result, generate him enough tempo to win his opponents.


    People on social media had started calling Sato, a Boa Constrictor. Once the young man grabbed onto his opponent, he would never let go until his opponent ran out of oxygen. It was a scary name for all players that encounter Sato. Although most of the time, people do not really care about the casual player ranking, this did not mean that reaching Grand Champion was an easy feat. It wasn''t as professional players also play casually and so those non-professional players would have to eventually play against the pros.


    For Sato''s case, Byron had pointed out that his last opponent, before he had made it into the Grand Champion ranking, was the 10th in the world, Jovia Binks, the number one player in Country S. Sato was happy to see that he would finally be playing against a profession player. He focused his hardest out of the twenty odd games that he had played so far. In the end, in Sato fashion, he won in the last thirty seconds of the timer. The time pressure had added onto his opponent and eventually, Jovia made a mistake that Sato immediately capitalised on.


    At the end of the game, Jovia Binks had messaged Sato personally to ask if he himself was a professional player that had created a new chess account. The young man replied humbly that he had only just yesterday gotten back into chess. Of course, the truth was jaw dropping for the number ten player in the world. Jovia had even asked why Sato was not playing in competitive, to which the boy said in the most speechless way possible.


    "I was only playing chess to accompany my grandfather."

 Chapter 217 - Sato’s Interest

    Byron laughed loudly when reading the reactions online about Sato. They were all mostly calling the young man a fraud, saying how there was definitely a real professional Grand Champion playing the game for him. Sato never really cared about such rumours. He just continued to play chess after dinner with Byron.


    It was mostly fun and games, except when Sato decided to ask about something that has been stumping him for a long time to the wise old man. "Grandfather, can I you a question?"


    "Go for it." Byron stopped focusing on the game as he gave his attention to the young man.


    "How did you realised that the stock exchange and investment was your interest?"


    "Oh, that''s a good question," Byron leaned back on his chair as he placed his hand on his chin. Thinking about it, he answered as best as he could, "For me, my interest was never the stock exchange or investment. Rather, I loved the feeling of taking risks."


    "Taking risks?"


    "Yes. The best way to describe how I had lived my life for many decades was that I enjoyed staking everything I had on the line. I am a thrill seeker and I never stop taking risks even after receiving large profits. That was especially true when I was a young man around your age. This was why I had thought that playing in the stock exchange market was the best place for me as money comes and goes very quickly over there. It was exhilarating. However, as I grew older and I had more and more people that relied on me, I had to tone down such risks and set aside some backup plans."


    "I see¡­" Sato entered a deep thought stage. The young man knew in himself that he did not have a specific interest in any industry. People like Marion Lee who had devoted their entire youth to wanting to create the best video game or Pete Kouglas who knew that fashion was their calling. Sato was not like them and more like Tobion Patriarch.


    "What is your interest, young lad?" Byron asked curiously.


    "I have been stuck on this question for the longest time. Hearing your story, I came to realise that maybe I don''t just have to limit myself to one industry."


    "That is correct."


    "I..I would like to leave a lasting impact on this world." Sato dug deep and knew that this was what he truly wanted ever since he entered university. His greatest role models were the people that invented ground breaking technologies that help improve and better society as a whole. It was the reason why he had chosen Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science as a double degree. Hearing Byron''s story had just greater solidified the plan in his head. "Does that count as an interest?"


    "Of course it does. Who is to say that this is something that you cannot work towards? You dictate your own life and only you can decide what path you would like to head down on."


    "Thank you, grandfather."


    "Anytime, little Sato."


    Back in the bedroom, Sato was lying on the bed, currently, using the Gateway tablet to do some research. He was in the midst of reading up current world problems that have been daunting on humanity. That was the best place he could start in figuring out what industry he should tackle first. The most striking problem in the 22nd century would definitely be the gradual depletion of natural resources, like precious metals. Over the past hundred years, humanity as a whole had advanced rapidly towards a technologically advanced society. This advancement required copious amounts of rare and expensive metals and as a result, the exhaustion of large mines around the world.


    If Sato wanted to solve such an issue, how should he go about tackling it? The young man can''t just create material out of air. This went beyond the laws of physics. He needed to acquire the metal from somewhere. Somewhere that mankind has been unable to figure out a way of retrieving such metals and transporting it back to the earth surface.


    "Wait a minute. Earth surface? Earth?" Sato muttered to himself. In his thoughts, he realised that he had been thinking too much in the box. What makes him think that precious metals were only available on Earth? Why not just transport precious metals from other planets and use those to our advantage?


    The young man proceeded to do some research using his university research database. Searching up about the current state of Space Mining, Sato noticed that many countries around the world had been conducting research on this topic for decades on end. Reading up on the more notable papers, Sato realised that, till this day, there has not been one successful invention of a sustainable and energy efficient space mining machine, much less a viable transportation solution.


    "What are you looking at?" Gray asked. He had just finished showering and entered the bed with Sato.


    "I am looking at my future." Sato smiled with anticipation.


    "Space mining? You are thinking of entering this field of study?"


    "Yes. This seems fun and interesting."


    "Well, if you are up for it, I will be there to support you along the way." Gray said it with confidence. Anyone could tell that something like Space Mining expeditions would most definitely be equivalent to a black hole. No matter how much money someone places into the research, there never seems to be an end in sight. However, when it came down to believing Sato, Gray had full faith in his lover that he would be able to do it right. All they needed now, was time.

 Chapter 218 - The Sibling Meeting 1

    On the Friday of the week that Sato and Gray came to visit, Melanie left her home and headed over to Country Z with her sister, Mary. The pair of sisters had not met up with their youngest sibling for over two decades. Now, knowing that they had the chance now to see her again, both of them cancelled their schedules for the day.


    The meeting was held in one of the most prominent hotels in Country Z. Geneva Hotel, owned by Geneva Financial Corps, was a world recognised five star hotel. Their in-hotel restaurant, had a tea special that was especially hard to get a reservation. As of now, they were already booked full till next year January. For Melanie''s case, it was not hard to tap into her connections so as to get them a private room.


    When Ming Yue Guang arrived at the front of the Geneva Hotel, the simple man gulped in shock. Though he knew the existence of the powerful Hanlon family, it was still hard for him to process that his mother was actually part of this family. That afternoon, Melisa wore a simple cardigan and a suede skirt. It was the nicest apparel she owned which was still not truly up to the fine dining standards. It was unfathomable to Yue Guang that his plainly dressed mother was once the young miss of a renown family.


    The pair entered the hotel and heading to the second floor where the in-house restaurant was located. Before they had even stepped into the restaurant, gazes from onlookers were already on them. Their simple dress up stuck out like a sore thumb, which made Yue Guang feel slightly awkward. The young man had already tried his best to look clean and pristine with his plain black jeans and a denim jacket. The staff weren''t receptive of the mother and son duo, but after stating their reservation under Melanie''s name, they were welcomed gracefully into their private room. Such a transformation in attitude was very interesting in the eyes of Yue Guang. Indeed, wealth was power in this world.


    The room they were welcomed into was very spacious and had a clear view of the pier harbour of Country Z. In the center was a round table that could easily fit ten people. The floor of the room was carpeted and the ambience felt very clean. Ming Yue Guang admired the view and took a few photos to share with Li Ming. He then went to sit by his mother, awaiting the arrival of his aunts.


    "You used to eat like this all the time?" Ming Yue Guang couldn''t help, but ask.


    "Yes. The meals were never simple." Melisa thought back to her youth. Her parents were deeply fond of fine dining experiences and would always take them around Country Y to world renowned restaurants to taste their food.


    "Wow, then how did your palate even adjust to the food we eat everyday?"


    "I honestly prefer eating the food we normally eat."


    "Really?"


    "Yes. Eating fine dining everyday requires you to pay attention to table etiquette and knowing you, you probably know none of it." Melisa smirked at her own son.


    "Hey! I know how to use a fork and knife okay?"


    "Hahaha, it is not that simple you brat. There are a lot more to fine dining than meets the eye." Indeed, Ming Yue Guang was clueless. He was raised in a normal dual-income household and the most expensive thing he had eaten was a buffet style meal for his birthday.


    Ten minutes passed and the door into the private room was opened. There, revealed two middle-aged lady that had some resemblance to Melisa. They were dressed more properly than Melisa, but in their heads, the three woman did not care about it. All they were thinking of was that the three Hanlon sisters were finally together again.


    "Melisa." Walking up with hurried steps, Melanie and Mary called out for their youngest. Melisa also stood up and approached the pair. When they were finally close enough, the group gave each other a hug. Mary had even started to tear up after seeing her sister.


    "How are you?" Mary asked with red eyes.


    "I am good, I am good." Melisa replied, assuring her two sisters.


    "You still look as pretty as when you were younger." Melanie complimented honestly. It was not an over exaggeration to say that Melisa still retained the beauty from her younger days. The middle aged lady would still take good care of her skin even though she had not gone for any skin treatment in the past two decades.


    "Both of you look very young too." Melisa said happily. Hearing the compliments from her sister made her day.


    "Ah? Is this your.. son?" Mary tilted her head to see the awkward boy standing behind Melisa.


    "Yes. Yue Guang," Melisa turned around to look at her son, "Come and say hello to your aunties. This is Auntie Melanie and this is Auntie Mary."


    "Hello, auntie." Ming Yue Guang could only give in to his mother and greet the two ladies.


    "Hello, my nephew. It is good to see you finally." The group of four exchanged pleasantries before sitting down in a small quadrant of the table. The sisters had many things to catch up on and Ming Yue Guang was just there to support his mother.


    "So, how old is your son this year?" Mary asked inquisitively.


    "He is 23 this year. He''s doing his Masters in University Z at the moment." Knowing that her son wouldn''t want to talk much, Melisa answered for him.


    "Oh? Yue Guang is as old as my daughter. She is currently doing her Masters too."


    "How many children do you have?"


    "Just two. Both daughters. Just managing the two of them is already stressful enough." Mary answered back.


    "How about you, big sis?" The question was now targetted at Melanie.


    "Still two for me." When Melisa was still part of the family, Gray was only 6 years old, while Noah was only 4 years old. Thus, she knew of the two young boys.

 Chapter 219 - The Sibling Meeting 2 (End Of Bridging Arc)

    "It is Gray and Noah correct? The older one being Gray." Melisa confirmed with her sister.


    "Yes. In fact, Gray is now working in country Z as a Major General in the army, while Noah is learning under the ropes of his father to take over the family business."


    "Oh wow, that is interesting." Melisa was not that surprised that her oldest sister''s sons would become successful people in the future. After all, back when the Tobion family wasn''t as big as they were now, they were still considered a rising powerhouse. Since both her sister and husband were very smart individuals, how could their children fair any less.


    Talking amongst themselves, the three sisters eventually started to talk about their children''s relationsh.i.p.s. Sharing first, Melanie spoke as her gaze fell on Yue Guang who was quietly eating the delicious tea break.


    "Actually, my son, Gray is now currently dating someone from University Z. I do not know if your son has heard of him before." Yue Guang looked up at her aunt, interestingly.


    "Him?" The young man asked curiously. Could his cousin who he never met be gay too?


    "Yes. My son, Gray is gay." Melanie did not feel embarrassed about it. Over the months, she had fully accepted her son for who he was.


    "Oh wow, that is another interesting turn of events. My son is also seeing a guy too." Melisa naturally did not hide anything from her sisters. Ming Yue Guang, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable to hear his mother talk about him.


    "What? What a coincidence!" Melanie was surprised to hear about this. She turned to ask her nephew, "Have you heard of a young man named Sato?"


    "Huh? Sato?" That name instantly rang a bell in the young man''s head. It was a name that Yue Guang would not forget. "Sato as in the Sato that studies in Mechanical Engineering?"


    "So you do know him!"


    "Wait a minute. So Sato is dating your son, Gray¡­" Everything started to link and connect together in Ming Yue Guang''s head. How Li Ming had watched his best friend kiss another man in a theme park. How Li Ming said that his best friend was in good hands when Sato was in a coma.


    "Yes. Is there a problem?" Melanie noticed something was up with her nephew.


    "Ah no, not really. It is just that there is a very large coincidence in this matter¡­" Ming Yue Guang spoke slowly as his head was still processing the realisation in front of him.


    "What''s wrong, Da Guang?" Now, even Melisa was waiting for a response from her son.


    "My boyfriend is actually best friends with Sato."


    "What? Really?" Everyone in the room was surprised by the huge turn of events. Ming Yue Guang skipped the emotional parts of the story between Sato and Li Ming, but he did fill in the rest of the context in for the three ladies. At the end of the gossip, everyone was satisfied.


    "I cannot believe that such fated events could occur." Melanie breathed out.


    "Indeed."


    By the end of the meal, everyone caught up with each other on the family aspect. Of course, Melisa was still adamant on not coming back to the Hanlon family. Just as Melisa had said, "I very much enjoy my life as a commoner. If I do go back to the Hanlon family, it wouldn''t feel the same anymore."


    Melanie and Mary respected their youngest sister''s decision. The only thing that had changed now was that the three sisters would still meet up time and time again. They couldn''t bear to be separated anymore after this meetup. For the case of Ming Yue Guang, Melanie extended her hand as the eldest of the Hanlon family and also has the female head of the Tobion family.


    "If you ever face any problem, call my number. Auntie will try her best to help you out, okay?" Melanie handed the young man her name card. Ming Yue Guang turned to look at his mother, who nodded for him to take it. And so, the young man did not declined her aunt''s promise.


    After all of this was over, Melanie and Mary both gave their sister a hug goodbye and headed to the private airports to get on the flight back to Country Y. Melisa and Ming Yue Guang both went home by taking the train. On the way back, Melisa gave her son a better back story on the Tobion family. When the Yue Guang heard about his aunt''s husband''s prowess, the boy''s mouth went agape. Looking at Melanie''s name card, he realised what this number meant in this world.


    Back when he heard about Li Ming almost killing himself over his best friend, there was a small seed of hate for Sato that bloomed that day. After all, his actions had almost resulted in Ming''s death. Though it wasn''t Sato''s fault, it was still because of him. However, now seeing that this young man was not only able to catch the eye of his boyfriend, but also an extremely large fish from the Tobion family, Yue Guang felt that Sato was an interesting fellow. If he could, Ming Yue Guang would like to speak with him one day.


    When the week ended, Sato and Gray went back to Country Z. The old man, Byron was very reluctant to see Sato go, but he knew that the young man was itching to get back and start studying. There was a growing fire within him that wanted to escape and burn freely. In that one week, Sato had played a lot of chess and had only lost games when he was up against the top ten players in the world. The craze of the mysterious dark horse in chess came and would soon disappear without a trace. As of now, the young man had not thought about pursuing chess as an occupation. Even as a hobby, he felt like he did not have any time to play things anymore. Even for his favourite game, Ray Of Light, the young man decided that it would be best if he did not touch the game. If achieving his goals in life required him to not enter the ROL for many years, Sato would do it. What was a game when the responsibility in bearing some of the Tobion family''s eminent issue was on him?

 Chapter 220 - Four Years Later

    Four years later¡­


    In the ever bustling Country Z, located in the heart of the city, was a tall skyscr.a.p.er that tower over all other buildings in the area. Its highest floor was 180. The building was home to many of the most powerful conglomerates in the world. The richer a company was, the higher the floor they would purchase, or more so, the greater the number of floors they would purchase. This building was named The Peak and till this day, even after ten years of establishment, it was still the tallest building in the world. The Peak was 999 meters tall and many of the floors were able to see views beyond the clouds.


    In the 180th floor in The Peak, a young man was busying himself with something. He wore glasses that reflected the digital image in front of him. The man was currently in the midst of drawing on a giant tablet with a holographic image in front of him. He would occasionally look up and fidget around with the interactive holographic model. The level of technology in the room would surely shock top engineers around the world. After all, such progressive softwares and hardwares that were able to project a movable image were still in testing phase. However, the young man was able to put it to good use and experiment with it for himself.


    Taking a break, the young man untied his rubber band from his stylistic long hair. He reached out for his phone and called a person labelled ''My Love''. Anyone could tell that whomever he was calling meant the world to him. Three rings and the video call went through.


    "Hey hot stuff, how is your work?" The young man with long hair spoke flirtatiously with the man in the video. The person in the video had neat short hair. Coupled with his devilishly handsome facial features, the m.a.t.u.r.e looking man was a lady and man killer.


    "Its has been stressful, my love. How about you?" The handsome man reciprocated with his own nickname for his lover.


    "I think the deployment factor that I had been muddling my head on for the past week had finally been solved. With this, I should be able to send my first prototype into space."


    "Really? That''s wonderful!"


    "Right?" The young man grinned, making his small eyes even smaller. "Can I come over and share it with Professor Thomas and ask for his insights on my prototype?"


    "Yeah, just drive down. I''ll get Siara to pick you up from the carpark."


    "Sure! See you soon, babe." With that, the couple ended their call.


    The young man who wore glasses was Sato Takahashi. Now, age 25, Sato was very close to reaching the goal he had set for himself four years ago. At age 21, he had completed his double degree early by one year and applied for early graduation. After his trip in Country Y, the couple went back to Country Z and got busy with their lives. Sato allocated all of his time to completing his degrees. Everyday, he would study eat and sleep, never leaving the house for anything. With his high IQ and impeccable memory, the knowledge continued to add up and the young man never faltered. He had cramped two and a half years of studies into one which was unprecedented in this day and age. Such news would''ve usually garnered world-wide attention, but it was kept under wraps by the orders of Sato and the Tobion family. As so, the name of Sato gradually disappeared from university. Rather than continuing on with his studies, the young man felt that it would be more worth while for him to just begin on his project. After all, there was not much time for the boy to become a relevant asset.


    Though such a term may be crude, Sato truly wanted to be able to contribute to the Tobion family, who had given him everything in this life. If it weren''t for them, he would not be here today, literally. News from the infiltrated spies suggested that the eldest young miss from the Lee Family was seeing the eldest young master from the Tabola Family. Although they were not together, there were talks that they had settled on a wedding date three to four years from then. And as expected, when Sato, age 24, was in the midst of creating his prototype, the news regarding the marriage of the two most powerful families, had been shared to the world. Their marriage would be held in on 6th of June and the wedding would be broadcasted from Country A to the whole world. Such an event was a must watch for many people around the world and it was truly an eye opening sight. The wedding venue was spectacular, coupled with the many intricacies and dazzling performances, the wedding between the two families was said to be the greatest wedding of all time.


    That day, Sato and Gray had watched it in bed and were talking about a wedding themselves too.


    "Would you like a wedding like theirs?" Gray asked with a curious expression.


    "Hell no!" Sato declined in a heartbeat.


    "Hahaha, what''s wrong?"


    "Do you like it when billions of people watch you kiss each other? Doesn''t that feel extremely creepy? I would feel like an animal in an exhibit." Sato irked when he thought about it.


    "Then how about a wedding as big as theirs, but without the publicity?"


    "No, no, no. I would like it to be a simple and beautiful wedding that didn''t have the elephants or or thousands of guests. Also, I know you very well, my love. Even you wouldn''t want something as big as theirs." Sato sniggered.


    "Indeed, you know me best." Gray smiled adoringly at his boyfriend. He then popped a question that he had been eager to know the answer to. "Then when would you like to get married?"


    "Well.." Sato gave it some thought and did not say an answer immediately. After a good five seconds, he replied, "It really depends on you, I guess. I would like my future husband to propose to me when he feels like it is the right time."


    "How about now?" Gray was serious about it.

 Chapter 221 - The Wedding 1

    "Ar..Are you serious about this?" Sato stuttered when he heard what Gray had said.


    "I am being completely serious," Getting out of bed in his pyjamas, Gray head for the drawer that had a passcode lock on it. Typing in the password, he opened it up and retrieved a black velvet box, the General came back to the stunted young man who was also in his pyjamas. Kneeling on one knee and with the ring box opened, Gray looked into Sato''s eyes lovingly. He said, "Sato Takahashi, will you marry me?"


    "Ye..Yes. I would love to." Sato''s eyes got watery over Gray''s proposal. There wasn''t an ounce of hesitation when he answered. Although he was nervous, the young man was just deeply in love with Gray.


    Gray had prepared a beautiful platinum ring of the highest quality for Sato and himself. There were slightly differing matters, where Sato had an S on the inner ring, while Gray had a G on his. Gray helped Sato put on his ring on his trembling hand. Sato reciprocated and helped Gray to wear his one on. To be honest, Sato did not know whether he should laugh or cry. Who in the world proposes when they were in pyjamas?


    The young man knew that Gray was most definitely just anxious and too exhilarated that he had said yes to letting Gray decide when to propose. As such, the normally extremely romantic General simply chose to propose there and then. Although it was not as Sato had imagined, such a proposal was one that would go down in his memory lane as one of his best moments in life.


    The next day, Sato and Gray went downstairs, hand in hand, and told Sato''s parents, who were now staying together with the couple, that there were engaged. They then also gave a call to both Gray''s parents and grandparents. All three older couples were extremely happy with the both of them. Even Alex had a slight smile on his face to see that his eldest son was in a loving relationship.


    Within two months, the couple held a wedding where they only invited their family and closest friends. For Gray, his three closest friends, Marion Lee, Pete and Delilah Kouglas were invited. For Sato, Li Ming was his only friend whom he invited. Of course, after hearing about the news, Ming did not hesitate and had booked a ticket and came back from Country U. That day, it was a refreshing sight to see Ming Yue Guang appear not only as a plus one, but technically, as a cousin to Gray.


    The wedding was held in Country Z, on a cliff side clearing that had a spectacular view of the ocean. The entire atmosphere was very unlike what a powerful family was supposed to have. It was low key and closed in, just the way the coupled liked it to be. Gray and Sato chose to wear two different coloured suits that day. For the smaller statured young man, the wedding designer had chose to make for him a beige coloured tuxedo. While the larger built Gray, he was given a nice black tuxedo. The contrast in colour fitted perfectly with couple. Even for the family and friends, they were very surprised as to see the two men look superb together.


    Sato and Gray did not want to go through the hassle of asking their friends to be their best man. However, they did hire an officiate to help conduct the wedding for them. As Sato and Gray stood by the wedding pedestal, the officiate asked for the couple to say their respective vows to each other.


    Gray started first with his speech. "Sato, I love you. You are my best friend. From the beginning when we first met, I had fallen head over heels for you. There was not once when my heart wavered when I was with you. I was always sure that you would be the one that I would marry. Regardless of how many obstacles we had or would face, I promise to always be by your side and protect you from the bad times. I promise to unconditionally love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard. I pr..promise to cherish you and to always ho..hold you in the highest regard. The..These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life."


    As Gray said his vow, the General could not help his eyes becoming watery. Hearing his words, Sato also started to tear up. It took a good thirty seconds for Sato to calm down and start to say his vow. Unlike Gray, Sato decided that he wanted this vow to be more special.


    "Gray, ever since I met you, I knew that you were the one and only person that I would love in my entire life. It was fate that we could meet each other when we were younger. However, knowing how terrible my luck is, we were separated from each other for a good few years. It was only through fate that we managed to meet each other again and even till this day, I couldn''t believe how lucky I was that day. I still remember how we met again. That day, I had chased down a thief that stole your phone and funnily enough, it was you who had to save me in the end."


    At that part, many of the witnesses laughed lightly at Sato''s interesting story. Then again, as he continued on with his speech, the tears soon came back.


    "Time and time again, you would sa..save me from the multitudes of sticky situations I had gotten in. Ti..Time and time again, you would tolerate my stubbornness and flaws. I am thankful for everything you had done for me and so now, I would like to pro..promise you what you were already doing for me. Before these witnesses, I promise to love you and ca..care of you as long as we both live. I promise to help you when you need he..help and I will turn to you when I need help. I choose you, Gray Tobion as the person I will spend the rest of my life with."

 Chapter 222 - The Wedding 2

    "I now pronounce you husband and husband." Sato and Gray planted their lips together as they sealed their fate together as a married couple. Everyone at the marriage were clapping and whistling for newly married couple. The day was filled with bliss and happiness.


    Even Delilah, who still had some feelings, truly wished eternal happiness to her close friend. On a normal day a few years ago, Delilah asked to meet up with Gray for old times sake. The independent lady was a very straightforward person and would never beat around the bush. Seeing Gray in front of her, she came out with her feelings, without fear of consequences. As expected, she received a straight rejection from her crush.


    The words that Gray spoke to her that day resonated with Delilah even till this day. "Delilah, you do not truly like me. You do not know what it means to love someone until one day when you realise that without that person in your life, it is pointless for you to live on. I respect you as a close friend of mine. I even treat you as my big sister. I wish for you to find that special someone one day."


    Hearing that from Gray who rarely spoke much, Delilah knew that he was being serious about it. Delilah knew in herself that what the General had said was most likely true. It wasn''t that Delilah loved Gray. Rather, she never explored her options or placed herself out there for the world to see. To her, the pursue of the ultimate Article Intelligence had been her goal in life all this time. When she achieved this goal, would Delilah begin her search for true love. Though, it may mean that she would be an old hag by the time she was finished.


    Sitting in the second row of seats was Li Ming and his boyfriend, Ming Yue Guang. This was the first time Yue Guang had seen the other parts of his family, Gray included. Ming Yue Guang whispered into Li Ming''s ear worriedly, "Are you okay?"


    Knowing that his boyfriend was trying to care for his feelings, Li Ming nodded gently as his eyes never left the couple that stood on the pedestal. "I am okay. I am just happy for Sato. I am happy for Gray too. They make a great couple together."


    Li Ming then felt a warm touch around his hand. It was Ming Yue Guang wrapping his hand around his. With assurance, Yue Guang spoke, "We make a great couple too."


    "Gosh, you''re so silly." Li Ming commented at Yue Guang''s cheesiness. It was crazy how his life had changed so dramatically from the past. Ever since he had started accepting himself as a person, Li Ming felt that there was so much in this world to enjoy. Everything fell in place naturally. Even though his parents were no longer a part of his life, there were many new things that had entered his line of sight. The Black Box company which he was working in now was a dream come true from the young man. His lover, Ming Yue Guang would take trips down to Country U to spend some time together with him. His brother, Li Dong, had also started University and was on a scholarship in the Muller''s Institute of Sciences and Technology. There, he secretly chose to stay in the same apartment as his older brother. At this point, Li Ming was contented.


    Fast forward back to the present, Sato was heading over to Gray''s work place. Although Sato had gotten his own driver''s license a few years back, he was still chauffeured around by his personal butler, Madel. The lady bodyguard was also by the young man''s side. Wherever Sato went, she would follow him obediently.


    Over the years, Sato had grown more reclusive as an individual. The kidnapping had left a deep stain in his heart, which made him wary of people that he had never met before. Luckily, it wasn''t so much of a problem as the young man never really required much help when creating his prototype. And even when he needed help, Sato had connections with people that he trusted. Those people, like Dr Thomas Yuji, were more than competent enough to help the young man in his problems.


    Looking at his ring finger, Sato would admire his ring that was custom made for him by Gray. Even after knowing Gray for so long and being married to Gray for a year, Sato still felt like there were butterflies in his stomach whenever he was going to see his lover. Everyday felt like it was the first time they had gotten together as a couple.


    Soon, Sato''s vehicle arrived at the carpark. Siara Kenstone, Gray''s personal assistant, was already awaiting the young man''s arrival. After giving birth to a cute baby boy, a year later, Siara had a baby girl. Now, the two children were old enough to speak properly.


    "Mr Sato. Boss told me to pass you this entry card so that you can now enter the building premises without supervision." Siara handed the access card to Sato.


    "Thanks, Ms Siara. Could you wait for Madel to park the vehicle then bring her up? I have to meeting with Doc right now." Sato tapped open the gantry, while speaking to Siara.


    "Noted."


    The young man was too excited to wait any longer. He was very close in achieving the first step to his goal.

 Chapter 223 - The Prototype

    In the Research and Development Branch in the Central Defence Base, Sato was in a heated discussion with Thomas Yuji, the Head of the R&D Branch. Showing the middle-aged man his prototype piece which he had devised, Thomas had his hand on his chin. He was deep in thought while looking at the component that Sato had just created. In his heart, Thomas was shocked. "Sato, this invention of yours is truly a stroke of genius!"


    "Really, hehe." Sato felt embarrassed by the sudden praise.


    "No, I am serious. This component would fully solve the overheating problem that would arise when the machine is falling back down from space."


    "So those that mean it is viable?"


    "What I am saying is that this prototype of yours is not only viable, but that it would definitely work! Congratulations, Mr Sato! You did it!"


    "I..I did?!"


    "Yes!"


    "Hahahaha!" Sato laughed heartily. The pressure he had been putting on himself over the years were finally paying off. Even the honeymoon for him and Gray had been delayed as the young man was extremely determined in completing this prototype. With this completed, it meant that Sato would be able to start proper experimentation in outer space. "I''m gonna go find Gray now. Thanks for your time, Doc."


    "Anytime, Mr Sato. I am honoured that you would come to me for advice." To Thomas, a person who had been awarded the Nobel Prize of Science, the man felt like he was watching a younger and more talented-self grow into an unimaginable strength in this world.


    Alongside Madel, Sato left the R&D Branch and headed to Gray''s office. The two bodyguards by the door did not obstruct the young man from entering. After knocking, Sato entered the room, while Madel chose to stay outside. Inside, Siara was talking to Gray. When the General turned his head to see who it was, he did not hesitate to ask Siara to head off first for now.


    "So, how was it?" Gray asked with a smiling face. The Major General had neatly gelled hair and devilish looks that never decrease with age. Rather, Sato felt like his husband had only gotten more handsome with time.


    "It was a success! I finally did it, Gray!" Sato ran up and stuck the USB stick into Gray''s computer terminal. With it, the blueprint was uploaded to the desktop and Sato opened the file with excitement. Still, he couldn''t help, but be nervous in front of his lover. After all, this project had significantly reduced the couple''s time together. Many times, Sato would choose to sleepover in the office space. It would even come to the point that the young man had a bed on the 180th floor.


    Gray pushed his chair in closer to the table as he got a closer look at the changes that Sato had done to the final prototype. After a few minutes of Sato''s explanation, Gray stood up and pulled Sato into him. He gave the young man a great big hug. It was one that was filled with love and encouragement. "I''m proud of you, my love."


    "Thank you." Sato took the opportunity to give the nice smelling man a deep loving kiss on the lips. Before it turned into a full on make out session, Sato broke it off timely. Of course, Gray was reluctant to do so. Sato could only choose to pacify the big baby, "We can continue at home, alright?"


    "Okay, let me finish up some work first before we head out to celebrate."


    "Sure!" Sato proceeded to sit on the couch that he had slept on in the past when the two first met in Country Z. Gray called in Siara and continued on with his work. Sato did not disturb his husband, while he decided to check on Li Ming.


    Although the two best friends were separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean, they would still keep in contact and ask about their progress in their work. Coincidentally, both of them were working on space-related projects, resulting in the both of them having many common things to talk about.


    Hearing that Sato had just completed his prototype, Ming was extremely proud of his best friend. It was safe to say that he wasn''t as talented as Sato. After all, Li Ming was constantly surrounded by aerospace technicians and engineers that were about to value add on each other. However, in Sato''s case, the young man decided to learn everything by himself and create an entirely new invention from scratch. As it was an idea that never had any breakthroughs before, Sato had to brainstorm potential ideas and experiment around with it for a good number of years. Watching Sato''s every step and process, Ming knew that the reason Sato was able to come so far was because of hard work and dedication. The young man worked even harder and crazily than he did.


    "So what is your plan moving forward?" Li Ming inquired over text.


    "It is simple," Sato smiled while texting his plan. This was something that he had been wanting to do for over a year. "I am going on my honeymoon!"


    "Hahaha!" Li Ming shook his head in real life. His best friend was truly peculiar, but that was what made Sato so special.


    "Okay, but speaking seriously, I will probably be heading down to Country U soon."


    "Ah," Ming knew what Sato was talking about. "You have already chosen which space program company you would like to work with?"


    "Of course! Didn''t I tell you that I will be working with The Black Box space program?"


    "Oh? That wasn''t a joke?"


    "Hell no! I get to work alongside my best friend! Where else would I get such an opportunity?" Sato spoke amicably with Ming.

 Chapter 224 - The New House

    The days in Country Z went by in a blink of an eye, Sato arrived in Country U alongside Gray, in hopes of starting a new journey here. The couple did not bring anything over except for a few spare clothing. The home was already furnished and food was stocked to the brim by their helpers. The bungalow that they had purchased for double the price had a beautiful pond that covered the entire front porch. A staggered platform was built across it using clean white stone that contrasted with the bright red koi fishes in the pond. As the pair entered the house, the house walls on all sides were completely glass. Natural light poured in and gave a cozy vibe throughout the living space. The glass walls was a special SMART material that could adjust its opacity according to the light from the outside. This meant that the residents of the home could see what was happening outside, but onlookers would not be able to see inside.


    "You sure you will be fine by yourself?" Gray asked with a worried tone. Although he was the one that was telling Sato to chase after his dreams and ambitions, the man was still distressed of their scenario.


    "I won''t be alone, Gray. Madel is here, alongside a few of the house helpers." Sato nodded. Holding onto Gray''s shoulders, he pushed his husband out of the house. "Alright, you have seen the house. It is time for you to head back to Country Z. If you do not leave now, you will be late for that meeting."


    "So be it." Gray didn''t care about it.


    "If you did not follow me to Country U, you would not have to sit on the plane for another 12 hours." As Sato had said, Gray wanted to accompany Sato to Country U for protective reasons. In the end, it would require Gray to take a round day trip to get back to work.


    "It was worth it." Gray pulled his cute lover in as he planted his lips on his. It was the last kiss he would be getting from Sato for a week. After that, he would have time to come down to Country U for a good month.


    "Safe flight, hot stuff."


    "Be safe, Sato."


    "I will¡­"


    After settling in relatively well in the new house, Sato started to prepare for the big day tomorrow. All the work he had been putting in were all for this purpose. He was going to create a revolution in the space industry. This revolution would be propelled forward in conjunction with the Black Box space program.


    The next morning, Sato got up early and wore the suit that Gray had prepared for him. Cleaning himself up, Sato styled up his long hair purposefully, a rare occurrence for the young man. Finishing up his breakfast, Madel and Sato left for the Black Box research site. There, many renowned engineers were working around the clock to perfect and create the most efficient rocket. One particular engineer was none other than Sato''s best friend, Ming, whom he had not seen in person since his wedding.


    "I''ll be reaching the entrance in five minutes." Sato was video calling Ming at the moment.


    "Alright," Ming replied easily, "I''ll wait for you at the front reception."


    "Sounds good."


    As planned, the car entered without any problems and Madel made her way to the reception building used to welcome guests. Li Ming was already waiting for Sato. The pair gave each other a nice warm hug before entering the building together. Over the two years of working at the Black Box, Ming was able to prove himself worthy of the financial aid program. He had quickly climbed up the ranks and was now the Assistant Lead Engineer in the Materials Development Branch. This was coincidentally in conjunction with Sato''s project objective. As such, the pair had been talking about Sato''s invention enthusiastically for the past few years.


    "Sato, I won''t be attending the meeting with you," Li Ming spoke apprehensively to his best friend, "Will you be fine?"


    Seeing Ming being so worried for him, it reminded him of his husband who was also just like him. Sato chuckled lightheartedly as he placed a hand on Ming''s shoulder. He said, "I''ll be fine, Ming. Just wait to hear good news about the project."


    "Okay." Ming nodded. Seeing that Sato was this confident, the young man was no longer too worried.


    After being guided to the door of the meeting room, the young man realized that he was about to enter a very secure room. Seeing the construction of room, he knew that the thickness and material of the walls were comparable to bomb shelter rooms. It was sound proof and perfect for important classified meetings. Taking in a deep breath, Sato placed his hand on the hand recognition system. He had already been inputted into the system and so, the heavy door swung inwards to reveal the large meeting room.


    In the room, there were five people sitting around the large meeting table. There were name tags that described what each and every one of those people did. The people present in today''s meeting were the Head engineer of the Materials Development Branch, Head engineer of the Rocket Development and Test Facility, Head Engineer of the Satellite Facility, Head of Finance and lastly, the founder of the Black Box program.


    "On behalf of my team, I welcome Mr Takahashi to the Black Box space program." The founder, Liam Payne initiated first. He stood up and walked to Sato and gave the boy a handshake.


    "Mm, nice to meet you."


    Although Sato didn''t decline the handshake, his demeanor was unlike what it used to be. After going through everything during the kidnapping, the young man had hardened his guard against others whom he wasn''t close or familiar to. He wasn''t the old cheerful, happy go lucky fellow anymore. To strangers, he would be afraid to open up now. Just like the Tobion family''s cold demeanor, Sato had developed him own style.


    "Uh¡­ So shall we begin, Mr Takahashi?" Liam felt slightly awkward when speaking to the young man in front of him. Hearing that the person was actually one of Li Ming''s close friends, he thought that the reception from Sato would be better. Yet, he was duly wrong.

 Chapter 225 - The Meeting

    During the meeting, Sato went about explaining his creation in detail to his partners in the space program project. As it went on, the eyes on the people in the room started bulge out in surprise. Madman! What an absolute madman! How was the young man in front of them able to create something that was completely out of the league of any space program company.


    The idea that Sato had expanded and proposed a solution on was a plan to excavate and conduct space mining on neighboring astronomical bodies like the moon. Currently, there has not been one successful invention of a sustainable and energy efficient space mining machine, much less a viable transportation solution. Sato spent four years, working on the end goal of creating a machine that could effectively deploy itself to-and-fro from the Earth to the moon and then back.


    He had expanded from the idea of using a parachute device that could potentially slow down the impact of the machine when travelling back to Earth. He had considered the large weight that needed to be borne when transporting the materials back to Earth. The main solution that resulted in the Head''s eyes bulging out was when Sato proposed using a large pool of water to neutralize the huge force that would come crashing onto the ground. Not only was this not thought of before, but the idea itself was extremely innovative.


    By using water as a neutralizing factor, the transport machine would be able to enter a hyper cool state, allowing the ores collected to be preserved in its normal form. Water is also extremely cost effective and doesn''t require any maintenance. All the Black Box company has to do is undergo a massive excavation and remove a large enough space for the transport machine. What better company to ask than a space program company that owns several hundred kilometers of land?


    In terms of the machine that would be doing the majority of the work of mining and transportation, Sato had already coded and programmed an intuitive Artificial Intelligence (AI) that could calculate and adjust minor arrangements in a matter of microseconds. It was the blood sweat and tears in his four years of creation. Many times Sato would stay up to finish a crucial aspect of the AI. He would then head over to the state of the art super computer that was owned by the army and used by the Research and Development Unit that was under Gray''s jurisdiction.


    "I have already created the prototype for the first flight into space. If you would like, you can check over the mathematics and see whether its fully suitable for operation." Sato neared the end of his presentation. Throughout his presentation, the five representatives of the Black Box program were clueless on many aspects of Sato''s coding. The young man had entirely create his own third party program that was specifically used to deliver responses to different scenarios. If not read and analyzed slowly, people would slowly enter a spiral of confusion. Such a case was happening in the meeting room at that moment. Sato never once slowed down to answer any questions and just spoke his words naturally and fluently. This was his life for the past four years and his prized baby too. If people loved cars, Sato loved his program and invention.


    "Um¡­" Seeing how he was only able to talk now, Liam quickly interjected in. "Yes please. Our team would love to get a closer look into your machine. However, it is not because we do not trust you, rather the program and machine you have created would probably require quite a few days to analyze and understand."


    "Okay. That is fine." Sato wasn''t bothered by that. His presentation was finished and all that was left was to sign a contract to legally bind the Black box and Sato''s company together. Though, at the moment, Sato had yet to set up his own company yet. It was indeed weird that Sato had come up with the product first before creating a company name for himself. Usually, there would be a need for a company as there is a need for financial capital and the business department would have to do their part in acquiring capital for research and development. However, for Sato''s case, the Tobion family was his financial backing and so, there was actually no need for him to do so until now. In addition, the young man basically did the entire prototyping and coding by himself. There was no need for subordinates to help him. Rather, he preferred his alone time, especially after experiencing such a traumatic experience.


    "Could we reintervene in a week''s time? I will get my assistant to message the timing to you." Liam proposed. He knew that there wasn''t much they could do at this very moment. First, their side needed to be able to understand Sato''s blueprint and design structure. Second, Sato also needed to establish his own company. Coming back on a later date was the best option at that moment.


    "Alright. I shall come back another day." Sato nodded and stood up from his seat. He left the room without any further instructions or guidance. Rather, he did so in such a quick orderly fashion that the five guys were not able to react in time.


    When the young man left the room, only could the five of them release a deep breath from within. It was a very exhausting experience for those in the meeting. Never had they ever experienced not being able to speak for three whole hours without any breaks in the between. Other than taking quick sips in between, Sato never once stopped speaking. Every word he had spoken was relating to the machinery he had created and every part of it was described to the tee. If it weren''t for the fact that the meeting was recorded for their private viewing, the five of them would''ve definitely required more than one meeting to clarify with Sato on certain aspects. However, now, they could do it under their own discretion.

 Chapter 226 - Ramen Bar

    After Sato had finished up with his meeting, he dropped a message to Li Ming telling him that he would be leaving for the day. Li Ming saw the message and acknowledged it. Ming knew that the meeting must''ve been taxing on his best friend''s body. Indeed, Ming''s thought process was spot on. Talking for 3 whole hours was comparatively more tiring for the speaker than the listeners. Right now, all Sato wants to do is to head back home and take a good rest.


    Before then, Sato directed Madel who was driving the car. "Let''s go for lunch. I''m craving some Ramen."


    "Where would you like to go for Ramen, Master Sato?" Madel asked. She too was new to Country U and did not know of many places in their current city.


    "Mm, one moment. Hey Link, could you recommend me some places near me that sells delicious ramen?" Sato called out to his Mark phone and the Artificial Intelligence in the phone, named Link, lit up to listen to its owner''s request.


    Within a few seconds, the AI on the phone had already popped up several recommendations. "The closest location that sells ramen has a 5-star rating online. The price range is between 20 to 30 dollars."


    "Sure. Transfer the location to the car''s GPS." As instructed, the Mark X5 had the location transferred onto their car. Such seamless actions were perfected between the two companies, SYMBOL and Gale Foundations. The Gale cars all now have pairable functions that work in tandem with the electronics made in SYMBOL. This was the power of having owned two companies of high influence. If combined, such bonus perks would attract a larger number of users and consumers.


    Sato did not think twice when it came to spending money. He wasn''t one that was too subconscious about money. Over the years, he had become more or less accustomed to this lifestyle. So long as he did not overstep his boundaries and spent mindlessly, the young man would enjoy his life for what it was worth.


    "I will head over there now, Master Sato. I suggest that you should take a break. The drive over would take 30 minutes approximately." Even though Sato had search for a ramen bar near him, the distance was still far as the Black Box company was located near the outskirts of the city. Most of the things around there were industrial companies and so, the food was subpar.


    "Alright." Sato did not stand on ceremony and proceeded to take a nap. Within a minute, the young man knocked out. He did not sleep particularly well last night and today''s meeting had drained his remaining energy.


    Madel tried her best to drive at a fast, but constant speed. She wanted what was best for her master. Over the past four years, she had watched Sato pull off impossible hours on creating his product. She, herself, tried her best to keep up with the young man and many times, even the war-experienced veteran was unable to curb her tiredness. Sometimes, Sato would just ask her to sleep first as he would only be working for an hour more. However, that hour would turn from one to a whole another day. When Gray had asked her about Sato''s well-being, the lady had no choice and had come clean to Gray that Sato had been working non-stop for three days. It was then Gray would step in and try to pacify his husband to take some breaks. If he wouldn''t listen, Gray would pop by and force him to sleep by his side.


    During this time, Madel''s respect for her master had slowly risen to the point of reverence. At first, when she was tasked with protecting Sato during the UHRP event, all she thought of Sato was that he was weak and had managed to grab ahold of the young master of the Tobion Family. Yet, that notion was duly wrong as she witnessed Sato''s prowess when it came to working. The man was an outright workaholic that surpassed Gray and anyone she had ever met before. To make things crazier, the young man was basically self-taught in many aspects and he had achieved greater heights without much guidance.


    Now, all Madel wanted to do was to protect and aid her master as best as she could. She herself wanted to see how far Sato could go and it would be an honor for her to serve by his side.


    As predicted by the GPS, the car arrived at the Ramen bar in thirty minutes. Madel woke up her employer as she asked respectfully, "Master Sato, would you like for me to order takeaway for you?"


    Sato looked outside and saw how authentic the store was. The walls were wooden that extended inwards. There was linen cloth that hung from the ceiling down that covered half of the entrance. On the top of the Ramen bar, a large wood piece had the words "Yokohama" written in Japanese. Clearly, it was written as the place of origin for this ramen store. Immediately, Sato was entranced by the aesthetic and was reminded on the time when he and Gray were in Country J together. The Ramen bar in Country U was very similar to what he had experienced in Country J. Thinking about it, he decided, "Let''s just have our meal inside."


    "Understood, let me proceed inside first to check out the restaurant." Madel suggested, to which Sato did not declined her gesture.


    The lady dressed in her business suit walked in confidently and gave off an air of coldness. As she got closer to the ramen bar, the delicious strong-smelling broth entered her nose and she was surprisingly stirred up by the aroma. Outside of the store, Madel noticed that there was a young girl that was standing outside and peaking inside. The young girl''s mouth was watering. Her eyes were closed as she continued to sniff in the deep smelling aroma from the broth.

 Chapter 227 - The Little Girl 1

    Ignoring the little girl for now, Madel headed into the bar and checked around for potential threats first. It was already nearing the end of the lunch crowd and so there were only a few customers sitting by the bar top. She assessed everyone there as she came to the conclusion that it should most likely be safe. Heading out, she realized the little girl was still standing absentmindedly by the door. In the end, she didn''t pay anymore attention to her as Madel went ahead to open the door for Sato.


    Sato who rarely came out for anything, was as pale as paper. Working constantly in the building had truly turned him into the looks of a weak pale prince. With his tie slightly loosen and suit off, Sato was every female teen''s dream crush. Over the years, Sato''s facial features had m.a.t.u.r.ed quickly and turned him from the innocent young man into a charming prince.


    The young man squinted his eyes slightly as he walked under the hot sun. As he arrived near the Ramen Bar, he and Madel quickly noticed that there was a staff that was working in the ramen bar, trying to chase away a little girl. Sato asked rhetorically, "What''s going on?"


    "The little girl had been standing outside the bar for some time and so now, they must be trying to chase her away." Madel explained with what she got out of the situation.


    "I see. She must be hungry." Although Sato rarely interacted with others, he still had a sore spot for children. Even after his incident and his mountain of work, he would still make it a habit to visit the Sunflower Orphanage every quarter of a year. Approaching the employee, Sato spoke out, "Stop right there. The little girl is with me."


    The little girl turned her head to look at Sato. There was a slight air of apprehensiveness surrounding the little girl. Sato could see that she herself wasn''t very comfortable with such an offer. He quickly tried to remedy it. "Come in to the restaurant. I will buy you a meal. You do not have to sit with me if you do not want to."


    Seeing how Sato had a reassuring smile, the little girl nodded her head absentmindedly. The employee also apologized as he brought the trio into the ramen bar. As promised, Sato did not force the girl to sit with them. She chose to sit in the table beside them. She would take quick peaks at Sato and whenever Sato and her eye''s met, the young man would smile sweetly at her.


    Sato helped to order the most famous ramen bowl for the three of them. When it arrived, Sato could see the sparkle in the little girl''s eyes as she was wowed by the ramen. Not standing on ceremony, the girl dug into her meal. Wolfing it down, it looked like she was truly hungry and it wasn''t a lie. Though, what Sato did not understand was why a young girl of age five to six was out on the streets by herself. Where were her parents?


    The young man decided that he should ask her after the meal. It would be a better time then anyways. When the girl was done with the meal, there was a smile of satisfaction on her face. It was very cute for Sato the onlooker. He was glad that he could make a young one happy.


    "Hey, now that you ate the food, could you help big brother answer some questions?" Sato spoke across the table in a soothing voice.


    The little girl hesitated at Sato''s words, but eventually nodded her head in agreement.


    "Are you lost from your parents?"


    "N..No." The little girl stuttered when answering.


    "How come you are out by yourself? It is very dangerous, you know." Sato probed further, but was met with silence. However, he could see that something was up with the way the girl was acting. One of her hand was grasping her other arm tightly. It was like she was afraid.


    "Did you run away from home?" Sato guessed, to which the girl turned to look up in surprise. It was as he had suspected. The little girl had indeed ran out of home. From the way she was dressed, the girl did not have time to change and had no choice, but to wear her pajamas and slippers.


    "Can you tell me why did you run from home?" The girl was still apprehensive as Sato tried to pry deeper. He tried his best to reassure her. "I may be able to help you out, you know? Big brother helped to buy you ramen, correct?"


    With that, the little girl was more convinced by Sato. She looked down at her feet that hung in the air while she was seated. She spoke slowly in an afraid manner, "I scared of mommy and daddy."


    "You are scared? How come?"


    "Mommy and daddy would hit me when angry." As she said that, Her left hand was still tightly grasping onto her right arm that was covered by her long sleeve.


    Sato noticed this. He asked nicely, "Can big brother take a look at your arm?"


    The little girl nodded. Sato came over to sit in the space between Madel and the girl. With a gentle motion, he pushed up the sleeve. Sato''s face revealed an expression of shock. All across the little girl''s right arm were many spots of blue and black. Anyone could see that she had been involved in physical abuse. Sato asked with a pained face, "Is there anywhere else on your body that is pain?"


    The girl nodded as she pointed at her legs too.


    "Could you let big brother see your legs?" The girl pulled up her long pants obediently as it revealed more bruises. There were even scabbed wounds on parts of her leg. This made the young man extremely furious. There weren''t many times in life where Sato felt like this. Now, seeing how a helpless little girl was beaten till such a stage, it made Sato want to help her out even more.


    "Could you tell big brother your name?"


    "Le..Leah."

 Chapter 228 - The Little Girl 2

    Four years ago, a little girl in Country Z was adopted by an affluent family in Country U. At that time, the little girl, Leah was three years old. She was a cute little sack of joy. Through the connections of the Miracle Foundation, the Macy Family, was able to adopt Leah into their family. In the beginning two years, the Macy Family truly treated the little girl as one of their own. They were originally a family of two children, one girl and one boy, but they wanted one more to round out their family. In the end, they agreed that adopting Leah would be a good option.


    The family head, Mark Macy ran a construction company and was able to generate large profits every year. Leah, being added into their family equation would not have made any difference in their financial pool. Everyone lived a happy and peaceful life. Until¡­


    "A large fire broke out in the Westham District. A construction building was sighted to have combusted in flames due to an employee''s mishap. The employee had not extinguish the cigarette b.u.t.t properly and as a result, the materials room had caught on fire." The news had reported on the Macy family''s construction company. The accident had not only resulted in significant financial damages that were not fully coverable by their insurance, but they had to reimburse customers for not being able to meet the deadline on projects. Costs started adding up and within a year, their startup had failed and the Macy family had declared bankruptcy.


    When news of such a magnitude reached the ears of the relatives in the Macy Family, no one was willing to lend a hand to help them out. The Macy Family was one that truly embraced the notion of ''blood is thicker than water'', yet when they needed help from their family, they were ruthlessly rejected and ignored. It not only broke down Mark Macy, but also the family mistress, Jocelyn Macy. Even the two teenager children, Jack and Jane were unable to get used to their new lifestyle.


    The trauma had driven the four of them into a corner and Leah bore the brunt of their wrath. In their heads, why were they freely raising this little girl when they themselves were not able to live properly anymore? As a result, Leah, at the age of six, had taken on the responsibility of doing many house chores and also became the punching bag of the family. Whenever they felt aggrieved by their situation, they would vent it on Leah. The girl suffered many bruises on her arms and legs, though they made it a habit to not overly injure her to prevent her from doing her house chores.


    A year passed like so and the abuse never stopped. Leah grew more sensible in that one year, more so than any young child her age. Although her adoptive parents never sent her to school, she learnt English from secretly watching television in the corner of room. It was also from television where she learnt about the act of running away from home. The idea was daunting for Leah as she had never really left the house premise in the past two years. As such, to escape from their current housing apartment, the little girl planned out the best time to run was when Mark and her siblings were not home and Jocelyn was taking her afternoon nap.


    When the time came, Leah sneakily entered her abusive parent''s bedroom and took out the keys from Jocelyn''s bag. Thankfully enough, the mother was a deep sleeper and was aware of Leah''s action. With the key she had gotten from the bag, Leah quietly tried out the different keys and managed to unlock the doors. In her pajamas and slippers, she left the house quickly. Without any thoughts of coming back, she never turned around.


    Eventually, Leah got hungry from the many hours of walking. She had reached the Ramen Bar where the smell of the food was extremely tantalizing to the seven-year-old child, much less a girl who never really got to eat breakfast at home. The offer from Sato had made the girl apprehensive at first, but her hungry eventually got the better of her. Now, after Sato had seen the bruises and wounds on Leah''s body, he gotten a better grasp of the situation.


    The young man was furious and extremely livid. When he turned his eyes to look at Leah, his eyes started watering in pity. What did a seven-year-old do to deserve such a beating? There was no scenario where he could imagine a child warranting such a punishment.


    "Big brother will call the police for you, okay?" Sato spoke reassuringly.


    "No, no. Police scary." Leah panicked. Any time she watched the television, the police would always arrest people and she thought that it would happen to her too.


    "Then, what would you like to do?" Sato compromised.


    "No police. No police." Leah repeated herself. The child didn''t know better either.


    Sato was lost as to what he should do. It was then Madel stepped in and tried to help out. "Master Sato, why not ask if she would like to follow you back? You can then ask for help when she is with you."


    Sato understood what Madel was suggesting in terms of help. And so, in a calm voice, Sato offered, "Would you like to follow big brother then? I will protect you."


    Leah looked into Sato''s eyes closely. It was at this moment where the saying ''the eyes are the windows to the soul'' was especially true. It was like Leah was peeking deep into Sato''s soul and trying to see into his personality. The girl had been through a lot and being able to read a person''s personality was one of the key skills she had developed. After a few short seconds, Leah nodded and agreed to Sato''s suggestion.

 Chapter 229 - The Little Girl 3

    Standing up on his feet, Sato gave the little girl a big warm smile. He reached out his hand and offered, "Well, come on then. Let''s go."


    Leah did not reject the big brother''s offer. After looking into Sato''s eyes, it was as if she had fully put her trust into him. If Leah from before looked very apprehensive, the current little girl had faith that the man that had bought her to Ramen would not mistreat her one bit.


    Walking outside, Sato and Leah awaited for Madel to drive the car to the store front. Leah wasn''t very tall and was around Sato''s waist line. Standing beside the handsome young man, the little girl further complemented the aesthetic of a young father accompanying his young daughter. Trying his best, Sato asked questions to assure her. "I''ll bring you back to my home and get someone to help you take a shower, alright?"


    "I can shower myself." Leah''s independence shone through at this point. Sato could tell that the girl had been through a lot. He had already asked for Madel to call up a private investigator that worked alongside the police for Leah. The investigator would be coming over later to help out.


    On the car, Leah''s head was turned to face the window. It wasn''t that she was shy or anything, but that it had been a long time since she had sat in a car. Being trapped in the house for close to two years, this was a rare moment for the little girl to see the world moving at high speeds. As they headed more towards the suburbs, there were more sightings of greenery and the ride became more pleasant for the little girl.


    Thinking about what he was missing at home, Sato asked Madel to stop by a store house that looked like it sold children''s clothes. It was needed if he wanted the little girl to be clean. When they came to a stop, Madel went in and bought three sets of clothing of different designs. All of it were about the size of Leah. When she was done, they headed out more into the suburbs again.


    After a while, Sato turned and gave Leah a quick warning, "We will be reaching my home soon."


    Leah nodded, understanding what he had said. She then went back to enjoying the view, which was a rather interesting sight for Sato. What a strong little girl.


    As the car turned into the automatic gates of the home, the beautiful bungalow revealed itself to Leah whose mouth was slightly agape. It was no exaggeration that this modern house was clean and aesthetically pleasing for any visitor. Even to children, seeing a bungalow that has chromatic glass covering all sides of the home, made the home seem very cool.


    "Well, come on in." Sato held onto Leah''s hand as he helped her across the pond area in front of the house. When they entered the house, he brought Leah upstairs to his bathroom. The girl''s pants were rather dirty as they were too long and had been dragging on the streets. "Let''s get you cleaned up first."


    On the way upstairs, the head helper in the bungalow, Beth, had bumped into Sato and the little girl. Seeing how cute she was, Beth could not help but ask who she was. Sato replied, "She''s a little child I found lost on the streets. I was planning to let her take a shower."


    "Oh, let me help then." Beth suggested.


    "No, I can shower myself." Leah interjected. Although Sato knew that she probably could shower by herself, he was still worried for her. And so, he tried his best to compromise with her.


    "How about you let, Auntie Beth over here watch over you in case you do not know where is the soap?" Sato looked at her pleadingly.


    "Alright," In the end, Leah gave in.


    With a sigh of relief, Sato instructed Beth to watch over the little girl closely and to look carefully at Leah''s injuries. The young man was worried for open wounds that could potentially be fatal.


    "Understood." Beth bowed slightly and left with the little girl into the bathroom.


    Inside, Leah took off her pajamas and headed into the shower area. Helper Beth told her how to operate the hot water and which was the right soap to use. In addition, she kept an eye for what her master wanted to know. As her eyes darted about, all Beth saw was skin and bones. There were bruises all over, but mostly, were concentrated around the arms and legs. Scratch marks could be seen on the arms and there was an especially long shallow wound on her back, like she had been pushed over on to the ground and had skidded across something sharp. It was painful to just think about what the seven-year-old had to go through.


    It was she had said before, Leah could clean herself up independently. Occasionally, when she washed soap across a wound that hadn''t patched up, her face would cringe in an almost unnoticeable way. She was used to the pain and now, wounds were second nature.


    As she cleaned herself up, Beth came and gave her a fresh set of long-sleeved clothing that fitted her better than those large worn-out pajamas. Outside, Sato was awaiting by the sofa in his bedroom. He sat there looking all smart and sleek. When he saw that the little girl was out, he gave her a warm smile that signified to her that everything was going to be okay.

 Chapter 230 - Private Investigator

    "Come on," Sato gestured with his hand as he stood up from the sofa, "You want to take a look at the house, correct?"


    Leah nodded cutely. Shuffling her feet shyly, she followed Sato out of the room. Sato led her downstairs to the kitchen to introduce the helpers in the house. He had brought two helpers, Beth, who Leah had met before and Gwen, who was the youngest helper from his previous house. He then properly introduced Madel to Leah. "If you need anything, just ask any of them or ask me."


    Leah nodded again.


    The little girl followed Sato around obediently and did not wander around. She, however, was mesmerized by the aesthetic of the entire house. The place was clean and simple. Modern furniture was laid across the entire house and the air in the house was fresh and unpolluted. Compared to what she was forced to live in for the past two years, Sato''s home was basically heaven. Back in her house, she slept in the kitchen storage room that barely fitted her with her body fully stretched. If she grew any taller, she would have to bend her legs.


    As they ended their tour at the front pond, Sato gave the little girl some fish food and allowed her to feed the koi fish. To children, this was an extremely pleasant pastime. Sato did not stop her as she allowed her to roam free. While she was busy with that, he called for Madel and Beth to come over for a talk.


    "So how was it, Beth?" Sato asked with a pained expression which he never showed in front of the little girl.


    "To Master Sato, little girl Leah had many bruises along her arms and legs. There were numerous cuts on her limbs and one long shallow cut on her back. Thankfully, none were particularly deep wounds." Beth reported as she had seen, though her voice gave away that she was also feeling bad for Leah.


    "Okay. How about you, Madel?" Sato had tasked her earlier to call up the private investigator and to get her to come down to his house.


    "Ms Moo said she would be coming down 10 minutes ago. So, she should be here anytime now."


    "Okay, thanks for your help, the both of you." Sato looked towards Leah who was happily feeding the koi fish. There wasn''t any bit of discomfort in her facial expression. It must''ve become the norm for the girl and now, she did not know better.


    In a short while, as Madel had predicted, the private investigator, Jessi Moo had arrived at the house. She wasn''t wearing her formal dress attire and chose to come in casual wear. From what she had gathered from Madel, Jessi knew that she was dealing with a young child. Being dressed in too formal of an occasion, would not have been ideal when it came to getting information out of her.


    When Leah saw that Sato had let in a new lady into the house, the little girl was apprehensive at first, but Sato quickly introduced to the young girl that Jessi was a close friend of his and that she was trustworthy. Since Leah had already place her faith in the older man, she would naturally believe what Sato said about the new woman.


    The private investigator was led into the living room space where she was seated down opposite Sato and Leah. The helpers had already prepared home-made cookies to help lighten the mode more. Leah did not stand on ceremony and was long nibbling on the chocolate chip cookies. Sato could not help but admire how cute Leah looked eating.


    Seeing that she was now more comfortable, Jessi proceeded on to the next step of the investigation. She had already briefed Sato that he should be the one asking as he was a much better fit in this case. And so, Sato started off with an easy question, "So Leah, could you tell me what is your full name?"


    "Leah J. Macy." The little girl was cooperative with Sato.


    "Could you tell big brother what your daddy and mommy''s names are?"


    "Leah, you have to believe in big brother. I will not let your daddy and mommy hit you anymore. Big brother will protect you, alright?"


    Hearing Sato''s words, Leah thought for a short moment and nodded understandingly. "My daddy''s name is Mark. My mommy''s name is Jocelyn."


    Jessi wrote down the names and immediately got down to cracking the case of Leah''s family identity. With this, it was usually more than enough information to figure out the identities of the culprits. The police records tapped into the country''s database of citizens and with that, they would be able to narrow it down based on family relations. Surely enough, there would not many families that had the same names. The next question that Sato was tasked to ask was more related to context.


    "Could you tell big brother about your bruises?" With this question, Leah tried her best to explain in her context. She spoke about how she would be hit whenever her father was angry about work, or how if she did her chores too slow, her mother would hit her. Even her siblings, who Jessi noted down too, would take turns to tease and bully the girl.


    After about ten minutes, Jessi who had been searching up the country''s internal database, narrowed down the targets to one family. The Macy family who had fallen into bankruptcy in the past two years came to light to Sato. The adoptive child, Leah J. Macy, rang a bell in the young man''s head.

 Chapter 231 - Orphan

    "Little Leah¡­" When Sato took a look at the information on Leah, the young man''s heart trembled. Sato had a form of photographic memory which allowed him to remember faces and occasions easily. The particular girl in front of him rang his bell many times. The Sunflower Orphanage, where Sato used to visit. The young man, in the past, used to play around with her in the playground and tell her stories. He had helped the sisters in the orphanage to get her to sleep. He had fed her before too when she was a little baby.


    "Big brother tell me what ''orphan'' means?" Leah asked with a confused expression. "Everyone in family calls me an orphan. Mummy and daddy say they are not my real mummy and daddy."


    "I¡­" Sato felt pained when he heard what Leah was asking. It was true that she was an orphan and that the Macy family were not truly her real biological family. However, to spring such a topic on a seven-year-old, isn''t that just plain heartless? Seeing that Leah wasn''t particular distorted by the words of her adoptive family, Sato decided to come clean. "How about big brother tell you a story about an orphan? From there you will understand what it means."


    Sato recalled a book that was in the Sunflower Orphanage library. Going onto the Gateway tablet, he found and purchased the electronic book off the online bookstore. The name of the book was ''Where is mummy and daddy?'' and told the story of a little tadpole that was lost from its parents. The little tadpole had no choice, but to explore the outside world by itself and along the way, it made friends with insects and it would always ask the question, ''Where is mummy and daddy?''. The friends would follow along with the tadpole and eventually, the tadpole grew up into a little frog. The little frog was then able to explore different ponds and finally, it found its parents again after many years.


    Although this book didn''t exactly paint the correct truth about being an orphan. However, it did explain the gist of things that the child did not have parents around them. Little Leah was more enlightened after hearing the story, "So my real mummy and daddy cannot find me?"


    "Yes." Sato nodded.


    "How can I find my mummy and daddy?" Leah asked Sato with hope in her eyes.


    "Well, you first have to grow up just like the little tadpole. Only when you are older, would you be able to find them, correct?" Sato smiled back. He c.a.r.e.s.sed the little girl''s head sweetly.


    "Okay. I will grow up."


    "Leah, do you want to draw or watch television?"


    "Watch television!"


    "Okay, let me help you on the television." Sato pressed the controller and switched to a kids channel for Leah. With that, Sato was free for the moment and went ahead to speak with Jessi who was busy typing something on her computer. "So what stage are we at now?"


    "I am preparing to set up a court case with the Family Court now. They will be prosecuted properly over there. I will be needing photo-doc.u.mentation so as to appeal greatly to case. Could you get that ready for the court case, Mr Sato?" Jessi briefed Sato as to what he should do in the meantime. Within the next few days, a letter for court appearance would be sent to the Macy family. They would then be prosecuted in the Family Court and be charged for child abuse. Sato had two choices now. One, he could either hand Little Leah over to the child protection services and they would handle her accordingly. Two, Sato could take care of Leah and care for her needs. The second option was usually not available for normal family, but in the case of Sato, where his husband''s family connections ran deep, he had more choices than others.


    Turning to look at the seven-year-old watching television, her engrossed expression felt extremely cute and adoring for Sato. In his heart, the second decision was more right for him as he did not want to leave it to chance again for the little girl. Who was to say that there would not be a second time for Leah and she would be subjected to child abuse once again? Moreover, it could be said to be fate that Sato had coincidentally bumped into this little girl again after four years. If that was how it was going to be, Sato was willing to raise her himself. Though, that would be subjective to the opinion of Leah. If Leah was willing to follow him and his ways of life, Sato would welcome her with open arms. If she wasn''t, then Sato would try his best to find for her a suitable family himself. The first option would never be considered.


    "I will go with the second option, Ms Jessi. Thank you for your time today." Sato thanked the private investigator.


    "Noted. I will prepare the paperwork for that by tomorrow and will ask my assistant to send it to your house for you to sign. I will see you again another time, Mr Sato." Sato sent her out of the house gratefully. The private investigator was truly good at her job. Everything went smoothly and there wasn''t much that Sato needed to do himself. Indeed, the list of names of people that Gray had sent over to him were not a joke. The loving husband had prepared different contact numbers for Sato to call if he were to ever encounter a problem in Country U. There were numbers for lawyers, private investigator, insect extermination services, a bodyguard company, a private chef, and many more. Speaking of his husband, Sato needed to call and give Gray a heads up of his decision in taking in Leah.

 Chapter 232 - Dinner

    Sato''s phone rang three times before the call went through. He spoke in an endearing voice, "Hey Gray, are you free right now to video call?"


    "Yes." The couple switched to the video function on the application. Gray was in his army uniform, looking all smart and handsome. Sato smiled lovingly as they made a little bit of small talk. He eventually got down to business as he explained the circ.u.mstances of Little Leah to his husband. When Gray heard what had happened, the Major General frowned deeply. He too, was saddened by what the little girl had to go through. It wasn''t new information to either of them to hear about domestic abuse. However, to think that the little girl was someone that they both had known before, it made the situation graver.


    "Are you okay if Leah stayed at our place for now? I would like to try to foster her as best as I can." Sato asked worriedly.


    "You can do anything you want, dear. If you are up for it, who am I to stop you?" Gray replied with an assuring gaze, "Do you need more helpers in the house? I can transfer a few over."


    "No, there''s no need for more. Two is more than enough." Sato shook his head as he rejected his husband''s kind offer. "Come visit when you are freer, alright?"


    "I will. Remember to take care of yourself too. Don''t just put your attention on the child."


    "I won''t." The couple gave each other a virtual kiss before ending their call on a sweet note. Sato left the bedroom and headed downstairs to see Leah still watching television.


    The young man made an effort to ask the girl what she was watching. Leah answered him back and explained the story as best as she could. Seeing this, Sato knew that one of his main goals would be to catch the little one up to speed with her language capabilities. For a seven-year-old, she was on the slower side when it came to her language vocabulary and grammar. However, this wasn''t something that was hard to fix and would only require a little bit of Sato''s time to guide her on the right path. For someone that had managed to pick up English from watching tv shows, Leah was surely a bright child.


    "What would you like for dinner? Auntie Beth and Auntie Gwen will be making dinner soon." Sato asked the little girl.


    "I no have to make dinner?" Leah asked back, confused.


    "You make dinner yourself at home?"


    Leah nodded to Sato''s question. This made Sato more furious than he already was. What kind of family makes a seven-year-old do such dangerous tasks? What if she gets hurt? Asking Leah what she cooks for herself normally, the little girl answered back that she would normally cook an egg or two or a bit of leftover vegetable that was left to her own doing by the family. Basically, she ate to get by in the past two years and never really got a choice as to what she gets to eat.


    "In this house, you will never have to make dinner if you do not want to." Sato explained to her the way it worked here. Leah was a bit confused as to the treatment she was getting. However, knowing that Sato was trustworthy, she did not doubt it. Sato, too, wanted what was best for her and so, he asked the helpers to create a wide variety of dishes for Leah to try.


    Dinner time, Sato and Leah sat opposite of each other. The little girl was tucked closer into the table with the help of Beth. Her eyes were dazzling when she saw the amount of food on the table. The tantalizing smell of the food wafted into her nostril as her mouth watered involuntarily. Sato chuckled, seeing how happy the little girl was from all of the food. He told her that everything was for her to eat. There was no need to hold back.


    It was only then Leah started to eat her second meal of the day. With every bite, Sato could see a little bit of vitality had came back to the little girl. She had been malnourished for the past two years and Sato wanted to change that too. It would be the last time that the girl would be left hungry. With him, Sato hoped that she would not have to experience such a life anymore.


    "How is the food? Do you like it?" It was an obvious answer, but Sato wanted confirmation just in case. Leah nodded as she never stopped munching on the chicken wing. "Eat slowly. No one will take the food away from you."


    Leah nodded again, understanding what Sato had said. Still, she ate so quickly and messily that the clothes she was wearing had food stains on it. Remembering that the little girl only had two sets of clothes, Sato made a memo to bring her out for shopping the next day for the essentials. Just like that, Leah once again took a shower on her own and wore a new set of clothes.


    At night, Sato asked her, "Are you okay to sleep on your own?"


    Leah nodded yes. As expected, the girl did not really speak much when she didn''t have to. She was still used to her old lifestyle where she did not receive any attention from her adoptive parents. Seeing that she was okay with sleeping alone, Sato led her into the guest bedroom which he had the ladies set up for Leah. The sheets and pillow case were all white in color and the bed was a good queen size, big enough for the small little girl.


    Sato proceeded to take out his phone and started to read to Leah a bed time story. Books are the best way to teach a child how to read and speak. If and when possible, he would make it a point to read Leah a story before she went to bed. After a quick story, Leah was visibly tired. Afterall, the little girl had been through a lot today. Sato pulled up the quilt to cover the little girl who was curled up cutely in a cocoon. Offing the night light, he left the bedroom silently.

 Chapter 233 - Nightmare

    In the middle of the night, Leah was cold sweating in her sleep. Her eyebrows were furrowed and eyes closed tightly. In her dream, she was back in her home with the Macy family. Her adoptive father, Mark, had asked for her to grab a bear for him. As she made her way over, the old man was angry at how long it took her to fetch a beer to him. He walked up and snatched the can out of Leah''s hand as he pushed her out of the way.


    "You wastrel! What did we raise you up for?" The old man shouted at the little girl as he pulled out the belt which he was wearing along his waist. "I see that you had the guts to run away from home, eh? It seems like you are asking for another beating!"


    As the belt came down towards Leah''s leg, the little girl woke up from shock. Her head was covered in sweat as she panted loudly. Tears started to roll down from her face. Crying was her way of solace. Whenever she was in pain, she would cry as it was the only way of expressing herself. However, unlike children her age, Leah never cried out loud. In her house, if any of her family heard her cry, they would get annoyed and it would incur more beatings on her. As a result, Leah cried silently. She cried in her own comfort.


    Coming back to reality, Leah realized that she had already made the daring move of leaving the place she had called home for as long as she could remember. There was no going back as that would only spell beating, just like her dream. Her eyes were red as she opened the door and walked out into the hallway. It was around three in the morning and there was one light source that was still on at that timing. Sato''s door was closed, but the light for the room was still seen from the cracks under the door.


    The little girl recognized that the big brother that had taken her in was still awake. Yet, she did not open the door and go in. Rather, she did not want to disturb him, for she was scared that Sato would find her annoying. It wasn''t true that Sato would ever feel this way, but the girl did not know better. Instead, she headed downstairs to the living room and towards the front door. She wanted to see the fishes in the pond. Such an activity was calming for her.


    Before she made it to the door, due to the dim lighting of the home, Leah had accidentally bumped into a table top.


    "Thud. Clang!" There was a glass vase sitting atop the table. It came crashing down onto the floor as the vase broke into smithereens. The noise had woken up the entire house. In a state of panic, Leah moved backwards and her feet had stepped onto the glass shards. The first one to arrive at the first floor was Sato.


    With the lights on, he saw a little girl standing amongst the shattered glass. There was a small pool of red on the floor and Leah''s face was pale white. Instinctively, he called out, "Don''t move, Leah."


    The little girl listened to the man''s words. Sato was wearing house slippers and so, he easily made it across the floor of glass and lifted the girl out of the precarious predicament. With the helpers and Madel waking up, Sato instructed Madel to find the first aid kit for him. Gwen was instructed to bring a small pail of water, while Beth cleaned up the mess on the ground. Leah sat on the sofa, dazed and guilty over what she had done. Sato could tell what was going through her head and did what he thought was best.


    Seeing that the bleeding was still continuing, he quickly grabbed some tissue from the living room table and applied pressure on the wound. He waited for Madel and Gwen to come over with the required items and when ready, he helped to wash the wound. Thankfully, Madel knew basic first aid skills and could tell that the two cuts on her feet did not require stitches. She applied disinfectant and bandaged up the injury with quick efficiency.


    Throughout the process, Leah was still out of it and did not react much to the pain. With the feet treated, Sato moved closer as he gave the little girl a warm hug. With that, Leah had awoken from her still state. Sato spoke in a worried tone, "It''s okay, Leah. It''s okay. I am here for you."


    "Big brother, sorry. Sorry." Leah repeatedly apologized.


    Sato shook his head even whilst hugging her. "It is not your fault. You did nothing wrong."


    "Leah broke vase. Sorry, sorry. I am wastrel." Leah repeated what her father would normally call her. Her eyes started to produce tears as it rolled down her face.


    "No, you are not a wastrel," Sato looked at the little girl crying. Using his skinny hands, he wiped away the tears for Leah. He spoke his thoughts, hoping the girl would calm down. "I am more worried if you get injured. The vase means nothing to me. Does it hurt a lot? Is that why you are crying?"


    "Not pain." Leah replied. Cuts were very common to the seven-year-old.


    "Then there is no need to cry. Big brother is not angry at you." Sato smiled warmly.


    Dismissing everyone to bed, he lifted the little girl in his arm as he carried her upstairs.

 Chapter 234 - Checkup

    In his room, Sato asked about why Leah was downstairs in the middle of the night. The little girl came clean about how she had wanted to take a look at the koi fish as she dreamt of her father beating her for running away. With this, Sato could tell that the girl was worried that he would abandon her if she had misbehaved. He had miscalculated how deep mistrust went inside of her. Now, Sato knew that he needed to do something about it.


    Tucking her inside of his bed, Sato knew that Leah was far too vulnerable at the moment to sleep by herself. "Come on, close your eyes. Big brother will be by your side while you sleep."


    "Mm.." Leah nodded her head as she closed her eyes obediently.


    With a smooth gentle motion, the experience man who had tucked in tens of children for bed, stroked the little girl''s head as he spoke a few words of assurance. "Big brother promises to never let you go back to your old family. I will protect you from everything, so all you have to do is be happy for me. Grow up to be a happy and sweet girl, my little Leah."


    Singing the lullaby which he knew by heart, Leah soon entered the sleep land once again. This time, Sato made sure she was comfortable first before proceeding to fall asleep himself. His bed was a king-sized mattress and so, there was plenty of room to go around for a little girl and a skinny man. Sato had stayed up to do some paper work when it came to setting up his business. He was engrossed in it and only became tired after seeing Leah getting injured. It seemed that he needed to pay more attention to the physical and mental wellbeing of the child. He did not want her to experience anymore pain.


    In the morning, little girl Leah woke up before Sato. The girl did not leave the bed, rather, she turned herself to take a look at the handsome young man sleeping soundly beside her. Sato''s face naturally never bore pimples and so, the unblemished face grew more attractive as the years went by. After an hour or so, Sato finally woke up at 9 in the morning. Opening up his eyes, he was welcomed with the wide-open eyes of Leah. It was innocent and cute.


    "Good morning Leah, how was your sleep this time?"


    Leah nodded sideway, replying back to Sato. "Good."


    Seeing that Leah was in a better mood than yesterday, Sato was glad and went ahead to help the girl clean herself up before heading downstairs for breakfast. Since Leah''s feet were bandaged up, Sato carried the light weighted girl into the toilet. Placing one of his legs on a stool in his toilet, he placed Leah on his t.h.i.g.h as he asked her to brush his teeth. He did not want her to put any pressure on her legs.


    Even after she had gone to the toilet to pee, Sato came back in and carried her out, not allowing her to stand up by herself. In his eyes, Leah was his princess. Holding her in his right arm, Sato headed downstairs with a jolly vibe. "Let''s go and enjoy our breakfast."


    "Mm!" Leah was hungry. Whether it was yesterday or today, a growing child would always welcome food, regardless of circ.u.mstances.


    When they were finished with their meal, Sato had originally planned to go out shopping in the morning with Leah. However, they made a slight detour and headed off to the hospital first. Just in case, he wanted to get a doctor to check on her feet, while also getting a professional opinion on Leah''s bodily injuries.


    With a full stomach, Sato, Leah and Madel drove off to the private hospital in the city. He had Madel to make some prior arrangements in the morning and so, when they had reached the front door, there was a secretary awaiting their arrival. A wheelchair was brought out for Leah to sit on as soon as she came out of the car. Sato did not know what Madel had arranged for, though it wasn''t like he didn''t enjoy such a treatment. The faster he could get Leah sorted out, the less worried he would become.


    As the secretary brought them up a private elevator and onto the VIP floor, he knew that Madel must''ve pulled out the Tobion connections and gotten them fast access to the doctors and treatment facilities. Within thirty minutes, Leah had already received a full body checkup and now, she was about to enter the MRI room to check whether there was internal bleeding. Sato prepared her as he knew the noise from the machine could be daunting for a little child. Yet, he had forgotten once again that Leah wasn''t an ordinary girl and had been through trauma much worse than loud noise. She took it like a champ and did not misbehave.


    In the end, the results came in and thankfully, there was no internal bleeding and the bruises on her body would just take a week or two to fully recover and disappear. In regards to her feet, the doctor got a closer look and it was as they had discovered yesterday, that the wounds were not too deep and would not require stitches. Everything was going smoothly and now, before leaving to the shopping mall, Sato bought the little girl an ice cream as a treat for being so well-behaved. Seeing Leah''s face light up over sweet stuff, made Sato''s face light up too.

 Chapter 235 - Shopping 1

    The largest shopping mall in the city was owned by the Geneva Corporation. The Grand Pinnacle was a towering 20 floor building that contained over 2300 shops. The higher one went, the more expensive the products were. It was fairly impossible for there to not have a shop that a consumer wanted. As such, Sato requested for Madel to drive him and Leah to the Grand Pinnacle for a much-needed shopping trip. Sato wasn''t one that enjoyed shopping. It could be said that ever since he stepped into the Tobion family, he never really needed to purchase his own clothes. His husband enjoyed dressing him up and so, most of the time, Sato focused on his own project.


    For him to come out and buy something for himself, it could be considered a crazy feat. Since it was to buy for the cute little girl by his side, Sato planned to splurge on her. After just one day of being together, the young man could have said to have formed a special connection with Leah. He saw a lot of him inside of the seven-year-old and that in itself was not good. His life was tough and arduous, where his only true light source was his lover, Gray. For Leah, Sato planned to be her light source. At least, until she grew up and found herself her own light source.


    When they entered the Grand Pinnacle, Sato pushed Leah in her wheelchair and headed towards the elevator. Within the 20 floors, there were some floors that were categorically sorted for different age groups and genders. In this case, Sato chose to head for the 18th floor, which was for the higher end branded clothes for children. For the little girl, Leah followed quietly alongside Sato. She did not react to any of the clothing that were displayed at the storefront, which made Sato realized that the girl was essentially the little him. She wasn''t interested in clothes!


    Seeing that his first plan of buying whatever Leah wanted had failed, Sato decided he should ask Madel what she would purchase for the little girl. That plan, however, backfired on itself, since Madel also didn''t understand fashion. The personal butler worked as a military soldier for the most of her life and so, she herself could not be counted as a normal female.


    Sighing to himself, Sato squatted down as he spoke to Leah, "Hey Leah, why not you put to any of these shops around here? We will go in together and take a look."


    Leah turned her head around in a circle and decided on the Rylee + Cru shop that sold artistic clothing wear for children. Sato loved the choice by Leah as the clothing were very simple and the colors were bombastic. It felt like she had chosen this store just to fit with Sato''s aesthetic.


    "Come on, let''s go in." Sato pushed her into the store and Madel chose to stand outside the store.


    When the store attendants saw the old and young pair walk into the store, the female attendant immediately walked up with a smile to welcome them. "Welcome customer, how may I help you?"


    "Can I trust in your taste of clothes?" Sato sprung a question on the attendant.


    "Ah, yes. If I may ask, are you purchasing for the young lady beside you?" The female attendant answered confidently.


    "Yes. Could you pick five to ten sets that you think would fit her for me please?"


    "Any restrictions? Would you like them to be a top, bottom, dress or pajamas?"


    "No restrictions, so long as they look good on her." Sato shook his head.


    "I will go ahead and look for the set of clothes now. You may take a seat in the meantime." The attendant bowed her head and headed off to look for clothing that fit the little girl.


    When the clothes arrived, there were a total of 10 sets of clothing. Four were a top and bottom set, three were dresses and three were pajamas. Seeing it for himself, Sato could tell that the attendant knew what she was doing. There wasn''t a need for measurements as the clothes seemed to fit Leah''s body size very well. In addition, the designs weren''t very high-sounding.


    "Do you want to try them on?" Sato asked Leah who was looking at the clothes in front of her with not much enthusiasm.


    Leah shook her head. It was a no and so, Sato did not force her to try it on. Turning to look at the attendant, he gave her the go ahead. "I would like to buy everything you had suggested."


    "Ah? O..Okay." The attendant stuttered slightly in shock. She did not realise that the customer would be buying everything without even trying on the clothes. What if it did not actually look good on the little girl? It seemed that the man was just buying clothes for her on a whim. Totaling up the price, the attendant spoke to Sato, "That would be $700. How would you like to pay?"


    "Credit card." Sato took out his black label credit card that left the attendant utterly speechless. The Black Label Capital Card was said to be the most elite and high-end credit card that was available in the world. The credit card was created by the World Capital Company. Originating from Country U, the WCC was the first private financial service company in the country. With its rich history and skilled personnel, the company immediately rose in the ranks and became the most influential financial service company in the world. The Black Label Capital Card does not have a monetary limit on its customers and the only way you can acquire the Black Label card was through invitation by the World Capital Company.


    As the female attendant helped Sato out with the credit card purchase, her hand shook and trembled when seeing this legendary card. This was the first time she had ever seen a person that owned the Black Label Capital Card. Expectingly, the purchase went through without any difficulties. Sato held onto the two bag of clothing and walked towards Leah. He asked of her to change into one of the sets of top and bottoms as she was still wearing the pajamas from yesterday. Leah obediently followed through and wore a cute sweater top and grey long pants. Sato''s smile beamed happily, seeing how adorable Leah looked.


    "Let''s continue shopping."

 Chapter 236 - Shopping 2

    The group of three continued their shopping spree for another hour. This could be considered to be a very short amount of time, yet, the number of clothes that Sato had purchased for Leah was eye-widening. There were at least 5 to 6 sets of clothes for every occasion. Every time the pair entered a store, they would leave for one or two bags. Sato would ask for the advice of one of the attendants in the store and would purchase anything they had suggested. Each time, the attendant would be surprised and speechless at the lack of care when it came to money. By the end, Madel was helping Sato carry over twelve bags of clothes.


    "Well, do you want to shop for anything else?" Sato asked Leah sweetly. He himself did not know what he was missing when it came to raising a child. He regretted not doing more research yesterday night as to how he should raise a seven-year-old.


    Sato noticed that Leah had not answer his question, but was focused on a particular store in the corner of the floor. The store was namely FAO Schwarz, and from the storefront Sato could tell that it sold an assortment of soft toys. Soft toys of different animals, shapes and sizes. The one that Leah was staring at was a huge fluffy bear that was around the height of Sato. Seeing that the little girl wanted to get a closer look, Sato pushed her along as they stayed by the storefront and admired this child attention-grabbing masterpiece.


    Sato took a look from the outside and it seemed to be that the giant bear was not for sale. Yet, this did not really pose much of a problem to him. He asked for Madel to push Leah around the store, while Sato headed off to the counter in search of the manager.


    The manager came out of the back room and heard Sato''s question of whether the bear was for sale. At first, the lady manager was receptive to Sato''s question. However, when Sato took out his black label card, her attitude had a 180-degree switch. The manager gave a call to headquarters at once and got the go ahead to allow Sato purchase the bear. In addition, Sato would be getting the bear delivered to his house that very day. The process didn''t take very long and within 10 minutes, he was back with Leah and Madel.


    "Would you like to purchase a few soft toys for yourself?" Sato asked smilingly.


    This time, Leah nodded yes. She had not done so for any of the stores and never really showed that she wanted anything. For her to say yes to soft toys, it made Sato remember that Leah was just like any other kid. They love to play and things like clothes wasn''t exactly fun to them.


    "Alright pick however many you want."


    Hearing this, Leah''s face brightened up like a light bulb as she was wheeled around to find her favorite soft toys. At first, the little girl only dared to choose two medium-sized bears, but with Sato''s persuasion, she picked out two more larger bears and one small bear. In particular, Leah loved the small bear. It fit perfectly in her embrace and she was not willing to let it go even during payment. Seeing this, Sato allowed her to carry it home by herself, while the other four bears would follow along with the delivery truck that would bring the giant bear to their home.


    As Sato was settling the bill for the bears, Leah sat patiently by a sitting station in the store. Madel was standing outside of the store at that moment and so, it was just Leah by herself. A lady dressed in a flowery dress could be seen walking at a rapid pace towards the little girl. Leah looked up and realized that there was a woman coming closer to her. With a closer look, Leah''s facial expression changed.


    "Mu..Mummy." Leah trembled with her words, her face paled.


    "You little wrench! I cannot believe I managed to find you here!" The lady of the Macy Family, Jocelyn shouted furiously. Her hand reached out as she grabbed ahold of Leah''s skinny arm tightly. "You''re coming home with me right now!"


    "Stop!" Behind her, shouted an angry voice just like hers. Jocelyn turned around to see a pale prince that was normally seen in movies. That prince was Sato. The young man''s face was as angry, if not, more furious than Jocelyn. Seeing how she was holding onto Leah, Sato did not hesitation to walk up and used force to remove the lady''s hand from Leah''s arm.


    With a push, Jocelyn was shoved back and Leah quickly hugged Sato''s leg. Leah''s body was trembling from the assault from Jocelyn.


    "Step away from my daughter! Who gave you the rights to meddle in my family''s business!?" Jocelyn pointed at Sato. By now, there was a crowd of onlookers trying to get ahold of what was happening. Her plan now was to defame Sato as Leah was technically her adoptive daughter. "I can take legal action with you for trying to kidnap her from her family!"


    Sadly, the person whom she was fighting with was totally out of her league. Not fl.u.s.tered, Sato replied nonchalantly. "Go ahead. I''ll be seeing you in court soon anyways. Are you okay, Leah?"


    "You!"


    "Are you okay, Leah?" Sato did not heed the crowd nor Jocelyn anymore. He proceeded to walk off without a care for what other thought of him. Seeing that the little girl was about to leave with him, Jocelyn started panicking. This little girl was essentially a ticking timebomb for her family. If she did not get Leah back at this moment, their family may truly enter an even deeper rut than they were already in.


    Running up cynically, Jocelyn reached out her hand in attempts to take Leah out of Sato''s arm. She shouted, "Give her back!"

 Chapter 237 - Name Of Company

    Before the crazy lady could even approach Leah, Madel had already arrived behind the young and old pair and obstructed Jocelyn''s progress. The bodyguard/butler had Jocelyn''s arms fully restrained and shoved against the shopping mall pillar.


    "Ah! Get your hands off of me!" Jocelyn shouted hysterically.


    Madel warned, "If you resist anymore, I will dislocate your shoulder."


    At that point, Jocelyn finally gave up and was let loose by Madel. Sato and Leah had already walked off a considerable distance. Seeing that her situation was as hopeless as it originally was, Jocelyn collapsed on the ground, her knees were weak. The onlookers did not know what they should do as they could not tell who was right or wrong.


    After a few short minutes, the trio had gotten back to their car with the bulk load of clothes for Leah. Sato sat in the back with Leah. He was gently c.a.r.e.s.sing the little girl''s hair. He reassured her the whole time, "Everything is okay. Everything is okay."


    Visibly, Leah had calmed down and started to take a nap in Sato''s arm. The young man could finally calm down and focus back on the situation at hand. He said to Madel, "Tell the investigator to speed up the court case."


    "Noted." Madel replied.


    It could be seen that Sato wanted this thorn inside of Leah to be removed as soon as possible. He wanted her to be her better self and not someone that was filled with bad memories.


    When they got home, Sato carried her out of the car and into his bedroom so as to let her carry on with her sleep. The little girl was clearly still tired from yesterday''s debacle and today made her even more exhausted. With the cute teddy bear in her arms, the girl slept soundly while Sato sat quietly by her side. Messaging Gray, he kept his lover up to date with Leah''s health and what they had done today.


    "It was a good idea to push forward the court case." Gray messaged Sato back. He too agreed that the faster they got rid of the Macy''s family''s grasp on the little girl, the faster she could recover from her trauma.


    "When would you be coming to Country U?" Sato asked curiously.


    "Probably next Monday. After the event this weekend, I would be able to stay with the two of you for a good month."


    "That''s great!" Sato was happy to hear that news. Though he was already used to not being with Gray everyday ¨C since he was used to working in his office space for days straight ¨C he was always more than happy to spend time and see his husband.


    In the evening, Sato woke up Leah for dinner. He did not want her to sleep too much as this may result in her not being to sleep much at night. Leah woke up with some of her hair raised up from the static. She rubbed her eyes from the tiredness and yawned soundlessly. The entire series of actions was extremely adorable in Sato''s eyes. He couldn''t help but squeal inwardly.


    With an easy lift, Sato carried Leah downstairs to have her meal. Today, was a western meal and the food was as delicious as yesterday. Leah ate it up quickly. After resting for a little while, Sato asked Beth to help the little girl take a bath. Sato was scared that the wound on Leah''s feet would be too much pain for the little girl. With a sweet pleading voice, Leah relented to Sato''s request.


    Through the help of Beth, Leah finished her bath and came out in her newly washed and dried pajamas and was ready for the night. The girl loved television and so, Sato allowed her to watch downstairs. With that, the young man proceeded to carry on with his work beside her. After long completing the legislative procedures and patent for the space mining machine, he was in the midst of trying to create his new company''s name and was stuck on this step. Sato did not want a plain name, but he himself did not know what was not a cringey name.


    Unable to think of a name, Sato watch the television alongside Leah. At the moment, the television was currently playing an animation. Its name was Space Warriors. The narrator spoke in a deep calming voice, "The heroes of tomorrow headed off into the horizon. A new era begins!"


    "Era¡­ That''s it! Era!" Sato exclaimed happily. The name was simple and yet it held a lot of meaning in the context of things. It was true that Sato''s machine was the beginning of a whole new industry. That would mean that it was also a beginning of a new era for mankind.


    With this step finished, Sato completed the other steps smoothly in the next two days and officially, Sato had set up his first company, Era. In these two days, the court preparation process had been completed and the case in regards to Leah was brought forward to the coming Friday. Gray arrived on that week''s Monday and together as a couple, they went down and fought for Leah''s case and rights.


    In the end, the Macy Family head and female head were both convicted with assault and were both charged with five years of imprisonment. Their two children would be both sent to a youth detention center and undergo rehabilitation for six months. Leah, on the other hand, was officially adopted by the Sato and Gray.


    Everything was coming into place and so was the case for the Tobion family''s competitors. The Tabola and Lee Family had finalized their merger between their subsidiary companies and comparatively, their power in the industries had strengthened considerably.

 Chapter 238 - The World Economy

    Within a year of moving to Country U, the world''s economy had undergone a seismic shift. Since the two most powerful families in the world had a world-renown marriage that was broadcasted to the world, the merger between the Lee Family''s Car company, TJR Mobile and Tabola Family''s Car company, Jaxus was a well-predicted move by business analysts. TJR Mobile had taken in Jaxus and retained its name. With this move, their rankings had stabilized in 2nd place in the world, just below Gale Foundations, that was owned by the Tobion Family. The gap between the two companies was infinitesimally small. Especially after the newly merged TJR Mobile had announced their latest car model release, the Voyager.


    The Voyager had the latest state of the art self-driving state of the art technology that was comparable to the Gale X driverless car made by the Gale Foundations. In addition, the price of the vehicle was shockingly two thirds of the price offered by Gale. This meant that the car was more accessible to the general public and now upper middle-class consumers would be able to purchase the vehicle. This did not spell good news for the Tobion family, but such news had already been predicted by Alex Tobion. He long had the foresight to see that the combination of technological research between the two huge conglomerates would spell disaster for their company.


    In terms of good news for the Tobion Family, 6 months ago, Sato''s company, Era, had been released onto the international market. The collaboration between Era and the Black Box Space Program was a well-known topic within the Aerospace Industry. Since Era was registered as the first space mining company in the world, new government sanctions had to be created so as to allow Era to mine resources in outer space. As it was acquiring materials from outside of Earth''s boundary, the best part was that Sato was not bound by taxation laws. Such profitable prospects resulted in an uptick of share prices. The space mining industry was a hundred percent a bullish market, where Era was the sole monopoly in the world. Within 2 months of registration as a company, the company''s net worth had already exceeded 200 billion dollars.


    Usually, such prospects of space mining would be low and shareholders would not hold much hope that space mining was possible. Yet, for Era, Sato and his business department had released its patent to renowned engineers and scientists around the world and asked for their predictions on whether Sato''s invention would be viable for space mining. Of course, the results came back to be extremely positive amongst everyone and the prospects became very good.


    The first official space mining machine after the prototype was built finished within the six months of Sato being in Country U. Every few days, Sato would pop by the Black Box facility and inspect the machinery. Everything went smoothly on the technical and business aspect. Sato had the first machine named as Leah, since the little girl at home wanted the machine to be named after her. By March of year 2107, the first ever space mining machine, Leah was launched into space through Black Box''s rocket. Everyone that day was nervous, even Sato could not help but hold his breath as the rocket flew out of the Earth''s stratosphere. Eventually, Sato could finally relax as the machine started to fly through space according to the flight path. Two days later, the rocket landed on the moon and the space mining journey officially begun. Sato monitored the progress of Leah and the ores that were obtained on the mission. As it dug downwards, the biggest profit was when the machine struck a platinum lode that was estimated to be worth 200 million dollars.


    After a month of mining, the precious metals that were compiled by the machine was scheduled for return in a few days. The parachute machine was attached to the materials and was propelled off the moon''s surface. Sato once again awaited nervous on earth for the return of the material pouch. Even though he had tested it out in simulation thousands of times over, there was still a chance whereby the returning machine would deviate from its trajectory. Though, such worries were all for naught as the counter measures performed on the machine resulted in its safe return to earth. On early April, the first ever space mining mission had concluded successfully and the materials had accurately crashed into the large pool of water in the backyard of the Black Box Space Center. The metals were retrieved the next day and sent for refining. In the end, the total profits from just this mining trip were around a billion dollars. Since Leah was still going to be on the moon and would be able to carry on mining for another three trips, the estimated profits after taking away the initial setup cost would be 3 billion dollars. To earn 3 billion dollars within four months of its first space trip, Era had easily become the most profitable company in the world.


    In terms of whether Sato was happy with such results, the young man was glad that he was finally able to contribute to his family''s business conflicts. His first business had finally started to take off in the right direction. In his free time when he was not monitoring the space mining machine, the 27-year-old man would spend his time with the other Leah. The Leah on Earth was now essentially his blood and soul. Everyday, without fail, the man would spend at least an hour with the little girl, nurturing her to become a happier person. Today, marked the first year anniversary since Leah was adopted into the Tobion family household.

 Chapter 239 - Barbeque

    In the backyard of the Tobion house in Country U, a couple was in the midst of a heated barbeque session.


    "Hey, go play with Leah. I''ll do the cooking." Gray said to Sato who was busy barbequing beside him.


    "You just came back home. Why not you spend some time with your daughter? Shoo shoo." Sato shoved his b.u.t.t into Gray as he tried to push the muscular man away from the grill.


    "Master Sato, master Gray. May I help with the cooking? There is no need for the both of you to do such a small job." The helper, Beth interjected awkwardly.


    "No!" The couple shouted out together. It seemed that both of them wanted to cook the meat and allow for their significant other to rest on the side.


    "I want to cook with Papa and Daddy!" Just then, Leah pulled on the pants of Gray and Sato. She wanted to join in on the fun.


    "Alright, hup!" Gray lifted the little girl easily into his arm. His face was joyful as he laughed warmly, "Oh? Did my little girl grow heavier in the one month that I have not seen you?"


    "Hmph! I did not, Papa!" Leah puffed her cheeks angrily.


    "Okay, Papa believes you. You want to help flip the chicken wings?" Gray asked sweetly.


    "Yes!" Leah took the tongs from Gray''s hand. Reaching forward, she flips the furthest piece of chicken wing from the fire.


    "Good job. Now do this one." Gray pointed to the other chicken wing and allowed Leah to flip another.


    "Hot hot!" Leah felt the heat and backed off a little.


    "Be careful. It is very hot in the middle." Sato smiled as he continued to put more meat on the grill. The heat did not get to him one bit, which made Leah open her mouth in awe.


    "Daddy, be careful. The fire is very strong."


    "It''s okay. Daddy can take the heat." Sato said proudly.


    "Yeah, your daddy is like the fire queen in Glow. He is not scared of the fire." Gray referenced the latest cartoon movie they had watched together online. (Authors Note: Its like Frozen, but the fire rendition)


    "Yeah!"


    The small family of three were blissful and happy in their own world. Even though they had helpers that would help to cook for them, Sato and Gray enjoyed cooking in their off days. Seeing them, Leah would want to help the couple cook too. It was a favorite pastime for the family.


    Within a week after Leah was adopted into Sato and Gray''s household, the little girl had quickly adjusted to the family dynamic. Gray was extremely receptive and warm when it came to interacting with Leah. Sato was just being the same as he was before Leah was adopted. In the end, rather than just being a guardian in name for her, Leah had decided that she wanted to address the both of them as parent figures. The little girl decided for the both of them that Sato would be Daddy and Gray would be Papa. It was an extremely sweet moment for both of the guys. Sato even teared up and it was a sweet emotional mess.


    In the first year of their parenthood, Sato was primarily always there for Leah as Gray would have to go back for work every month. Sometimes, he would have to stay in Country Z for extended periods of time and it couldn''t be helped. However, Gray would always video call and interact with Leah. One of their most favorite things to do together was watch movies, which was what Leah liked from the beginning. Most of the time, at night, they would stream a movie over the internet and watch it together before bed. Sato would join in if he did not have work to finish. If not, it was a Papa and daughter moment in the Tobion household.


    The main aspect Sato focused on other than work was on keeping Leah up to date with her education in different subject matters. Due to her earlier upbringings, Sato decided that it was best if he could find a good tutor that would help guide her in all aspects. He did not want to send the little girl into a public or private school at the moment as he was afraid that she would not be able to fit in. And so, through recommendations, he managed to hire a world-renowned tutor that would come down and home-school Leah in the weekdays. Now, after close to a year of teaching, Leah could be said to have caught up and was ahead of the normal school streaming.


    The little girl wasn''t bad at studying at any point and was actually very happy to pick up learning. She was a bright one and her personality had become bubblier over time. As such, a month ago, Sato asked whether Leah would like to go to school with other children her age and she had accepted it right away. On Monday, the little girl would be starting school in a private academy that was specially built for children that came from affluent backgrounds.


    Especially Gray, the General was very detailed when it came to where they would be sending his child for education. He did not want anything to happen to the little girl and had even sent over a butler for Leah too. The female butler, Alexa, had worked under the Tobion family for five years as one of the Hors.e.m.e.n''s soldiers and had recently been transferred out due to a permanent injury on her ankle. With the butler, Gray felt more at ease as both of his sweethearts had someone by their side wherever they went.

 Chapter 240 - EVI

    The first round of meat had finished cooking and the family of three sat down to eat the food. The helpers took over in the meantime. In the case of Leah, the little girl was in the midst of cutting her steak.


    "Come, give me your plate. Papa will help cut your steak." Gray reaches out his hand as he offered Leah aid. However, his offer was rejected resolutely by the little girl.


    "No! I want to learn how to cut properly!" Puffing up her cheeks, Leah focus on cutting her meat. Although it was slightly messy, she was able to do so in the end. "I did it!"


    "Good job," Sato smiled while he watched on the side-lines. Seeing how independent Leah was made him extremely proud to be her father. Within a year, Leah had metamorphosised and became an improved version of her past self. She had kept many of her outstanding traits and had gotten rid of her bad habits. She was definitely bubblier and acted more like a child her age should.


    "You''re growing up so fast." Gray complimented with a tear in his eye.


    "I want to grow up faster to be like Papa and Daddy!" Leah giggled gleefully.


    It was these moments where Gray wished that he did not have to go back too Country Z so often. Seeing how Leah would learn something new every time he came back to Country U, Gray would feel very depressed that he could not witness it in person.


    "Are you sure you would like to go to school?" Gray asked the question that was burning inside of him all this time.


    "Yes! I want to have classmates and friends like the movies!" Leah''s eyes sparkled as she thought back to her favourite movie, High School Musical Re-edition. It seemed that home schooling her had made her lonely.


    "You will have to tell Papa and Daddy if anyone were to bully you in school, okay?" Gray asked.


    "Okay¡­" Leah sighed as she replied. This wasn''t the first time she heard this from her overprotective fathers.


    "Do you promise?"


    "I promise!"


    "Okay¡­" This time it was Gray''s turn to sigh. It seemed that Leah was really sure of it this time. Sato noticed this.


    Placing a hand on Gray''s t.h.i.g.h, he said in a comforting voice. "We can''t keep our little chick trapped in a cage forever."


    "Yeah, the chicklet has grown up so fast." Gray agreed in the end.


    "Hey I''m not a chicklet!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    ¡­


    At night, after tucking the little girl in for bed, Gray and Sato sat in bed together, discussing current topics.


    "How are things on the end for father and your brother?" Sato was worried in regards to the business pressures on the Tobion family. With the merger in the car industry and the strengthening of shares in the Lee''s and Tabola''s subsidiary companies, the Tobion family was facing a barrage of attacks on all fronts.


    "Not looking too good. The shares for Gale Foundations, Hayfield Limited, SYMBOL were hit the worse out of our subsidiary companies." Gray did not hide anything from Sato. Although the situation wasn''t exactly going well for them, the General did drop some good news at the end. "Though, this does not mean that we would be sitting duck. I heard from Noah that SYMBOL and Gale Foundations had a counter-attack planned."


    "Oh?" Noah was Gray''s younger brother and he had inherited the family business, since his older brother wasn''t interested in the business sector. Noah, luckily, had a keen and sharp eye just like his father and grandfather. Being able to nit pick talent from a crowd of individuals was the reason why Gale Foundations rapidly rose to success in the past 10 years.


    "It seemed that Noah had been keeping a close eye on the car industry for the past 5 years ever since father gave him a warning about a potential merger between the Lee and Tabola family." Since Gale Foundation was in the car industry that both the Lee and Tabola family dabbled in together, it was easy to tell which company of the Tobion family would be hit the hardest. In this case, Noah and Alex had been afraid that their number one spot in the car industry would be taken away behind their backs.


    "You''re saying that your brother had been babysitting their progress all these times?"


    "Yes." Gray nodded, "In regards to SYMBOL, the timely arrival of Delilah had allowed for new heights to be broken in our phone''s Artificial Intelligence Department."


    "Right¡­ How is she doing?" Sato had heard from Gray that the woman had once confessed to Gray about her feelings for him, but had been thoroughly rejected from the get go. Even after that, the lady held no grudges and proceeded to pour her heart and soul into developing her prize baby, EVI. EVI was the Artificial Intelligence that was created by Delilah and it was nothing short of genius.


    Even though EVI was an AI that was created in the five years of Delilah''s recruitment into SYMBOL and did not have an extensive century of history like the Bapple company''s AI, Sear, Delilah had essentially perfected and picked out every strong suit of Bapple''s AI and installed it into EVI. The best part was that such an approach was not be legally binding to SYMBOL as they did not exactly copy any aspect. They simply had the once head developer of Bapple redesign and improve on their old AI.


    "The AI is in the final testing phase and if nothing major pops up, the new line of phones would be released." As Gray had said, Delilah had managed to complete the EVI''s final phase half a year ago and now, EVI was undergoing the strictest of quality controls. SYMBOL and Delilah wanted EVI to be perfect as they were competing not just with the number one technology company in the world, Bapple, but also with the second-place company, HuaMei, which was owned by the Lee Family. It was time for SYMBOL, who was now third in the rankings, to rise above the two mega technological giants and with the help of EVI, the goal was finally in their grasp.

 Chapter 241 - Breakfast In Bed

    "Delilah is really impressive," Sato was wowed by Gray''s childhood friend. Indeed, her talent was only seen once in a century. It was hard enough to be create a receptive Artificial Intelligence system and yet, her end goal wasn''t just to be good, but to be the best in the world.


    "She is very talented. Though, you are more talented." Gray seized the opportunity to praise his lover.


    "No, her feat is way harder than mine. To create a unique AI that circ.u.mvented patented techniques and used new methods of data entry, it was not something that I could do anytime soon."


    "Well, you are putting your achievements down, Sato. You have to realize that you pioneered a whole new industry. Give yourself some credit." Giving his lover a peck on the forehead, Gray got out of bed and took off his shirt. Even though the Major General was almost 35 years of age, the man still managed to have a muscled body.


    "Why are you taunting me right now?" Sato blushed. Even though he said that, his eyes never once left sight of Gray''s body.


    "What? I''m just feeling very hot at the moment." Gray smirked, while taking off his long pants too that revealed the animal hiding within. "It''s been a month since I last slept in bed with you."


    Getting on the bed, Gray helped to de-clothe Sato that revealed his pale and supple skin. As Sato aged, he himself started to have more meat on his body. He slowly became a more succulent meat for the devilish Gray. Getting in the mood, Sato and Gray exchanged greetings with their lips. A tornado of l.u.s.t and love swirled around the married couple. Sato''s hands could not help, but grope Gray''s well managed c.h.e.s.t muscles. It his favorite part to touch even after all those years.


    It had taken Sato a good four years of work before the man was integrated back to his usual s.e.x.u.a.l life with his husband. Gray was patient and slow at the beginning. Whenever Sato was having panic attacks and hesitations, the General would stop any form of advancements and care for him. What was s.e.x if one of the parties was unable to enjoy it? And so, Gray would never force himself onto his lover and would always wait for Sato to give the go ahead. In the end, the fruits of his labor finally paid off and they were back to their usual love acts.


    With a casual lift, Sato''s body was carried up and onto Gray''s l.a.p. The mountain attached to Gray was poking Sato''s lower regions as if it was teasing the man. The handsome Asian man was aroused. Gray slowly slid a finger into his lover''s b.u.t.t, feeling around the wet surface. Sato could not help but m.o.a.n sensually. With Gray''s expert finger movements, Sato was quickly weakened. The man laid on the bed obediently as the General slowly inserted his p.e.n.i.s into his husband. With rhythmic thrusts, Sato was rendered useless. He was at the mercy of the handsome man and it wasn''t that Sato did not enjoy it. He loved such powerful actions made by Gray.


    Eventually both Gray and Sato came from their intimate actions. Cleaning up in the shower, they fell asleep in each other''s arms peacefully.


    In the morning, Sato was woken up with breakfast in bed, just like the old days, except the person that brought the food up this time was the cute Leah. Her long hair was well-combed and she still wore her pajamas from yesterday. Gray accompanied her in the back for he was afraid that Leah''s shaky hands would spill the fruit juice.


    "Daddy, Papa said you were not feeling well, so we made breakfast together for you." Leah said sweetly, with her shaky hands, she somehow managed to bring the tray of food to Sato, who was lying in bed.


    "Aww, thanks sweetie. Yes, Daddy isn''t feeling too well at the moment," Sato glared at Gray while saying that, before looking back at his sweetheart. "But now that you brought me breakfast, I feel a lot better."


    "Really?" Leah''s eyes beamed happily.


    "Yes. Do you want to have some of the watermelon?"


    "Yes!" Without standing on ceremony, Leah climbed in bed and took the sliced watermelon from the plate of fruits. She nibbled like a rabbit.


    Gray also came and sat down in bed as the family spent their morning in the bedroom together. While eating, Sato realized there was something he had forgotten to tell Gray yesterday. "Hey hotshot, there is a celebration party for Era this coming Friday. Would you like to come along with me?"


    "Sure." Gray did not hesitate and accept the invitation.


    Leah, on the other hand, looked at her Daddy with her sweet eyes. "Can I come too?"


    "No, sweetie. This is a celebration for a.d.u.l.ts." Sato declined as nice as he could.


    "Please please please. I wanna go to the celebration with Daddy and Papa." As though Leah could not get any cuter, the little girl''s eyes got wider and glistened from tears in her eyes. This was her special killer move.


    "I..." Sato looked at Gray, hoping that he could give him some help. However, what he did not expect was to see Gray''s relented face. The man straight up abandoned his husband for his beloved daughter. What a betrayal! In the end, Sato tried his last-ditch effort to convince his daughter, "You know it will be boring at the celebration, right?"


    "Papa and Daddy is there, so it will not be boring." Leah denied the attempt easily.


    "Ah... Fine. Come along then." With that, Sato gave up in convincing the little girl. Seeing that it made Leah''s smile widely, it made the man feel good spoiling her.

 Chapter 242 - First Day Of School

    Monday, it was finally Leah''s first day of school. Although it was already the start of October and school had already been in progress for a month, Leah was enrolled in successfully without difficulties. Now, it was all up to whether she could handle the new environment by herself.


    On the way to Leah''s private school, Royal Institute of Adelaide, Leah''s new personal butler, Alexa, was driving the vehicle, while Gray, Sato and Leah sat at the back of the car.


    "You sure you will be fine, sweety?" Sato asked again worriedly. At the beginning, he tried to act as the cooler parent that would let his child do whatever she wanted. Yet, He never knew how much a parent worried until he became one himself.


    "Yes, Daddy. I will be fine." In the end, Leah was the one that was doing the comforting. The little bird wanted to leave the nest and yet, the parent bird was afraid that it would not be able to fly and fall. Leah turned to look at Gray who was sitting stiffly by her side. With a light pat on Gray''s arm, she comforted her other father too, "Papa, don''t worry."


    Of course, after seeing how relaxed his daughter was, Gray''s body untensed naturally on its own. "You little one. Okay, Papa will not worry for your sake. Go make some friends and enjoy school."


    The Royal Institute of Adelaide was a branch of private schools that originated from Country S. Country S was ruled by a Royal Family, Adelaide. In the past, the king of the country wanted to establish a world renown education institute that was centered around high running officials. The private school would be a safe haven for the officials to send their children off to school and in that sense, provide the parents security for their children. As centuries went by, the Royal Institute of Adelaide opened other branches in other countries and it housed many famous alumni all over the world. Country U''s Royal Institute of Adelaide was the first branch that opened outside of Country S and its long-standing history of good education and school security led to Gray and Sato choosing this school for Leah.


    After a thirty-minute drive, the car came to a stop outside of the main gate of the institute. The security at the front gate scanned their verification pass that helps determine whether they were allowed to enter the school premises. Seeing that their verification pass was legitimate, the gates were open for them to enter.


    The campus was nothing out of the ordinary for the Tobion family. It could be said that the campus was around the same size as the Tobion Family Compound in Country Y. Even then, the aesthetics wasn''t even on par with their house gardens. Still, it was an impressive school that had a myriad of amenities and school clubs for students to participate in. Arriving at the main school building, the family of three got out of the car together.


    In the principal''s officer, cold sweat started forming slowly on the principal''s forehead when he was in the presence of Gray and Sato. It wasn''t that they did not want to be warmer in terms of reception, but the fact was that they were very unwilling to let go of their beloved daughter.


    "Mr and Mr Tobion, please be reassured that the safety of your daughter is in good hands in our institute." Gerald tried his best to pacify the situation.


    In the end, Sato was the first to relax his expression. He turned and looked at Leah who was dangling her feet off the sofa innocently. They were this far in already and the decision had been made. With a calm, but assertive voice, Sato spoke for him and his husband, "We shall put our trust in your school''s security and education system. If I were to ever hear about anyone bullying my daughter in this institute, you can say goodbye to your job. Understood?"


    "Un..Understood." This time Gerald''s face broke into cold sweat. He could not help, but stutter at such claims. If the Tobion family truly wanted to remove him from his position, it was as easy as swatting a fly. Pressing the intermission that lead to his assistant''s office, Gerald spoke in a slightly hurried voice, "Could you s..send in Ms Taylor to my office? The new student is ready to be taken to class."


    Arriving in the officer soon after the call was Ms Taylor, the new form teacher of Leah. The teacher was a young female teacher that had slightly chubby cheeks. Her friendly aura exuded positivity in the air and that in itself allowed for Gray and Sato to ease their nervousness by a bit.


    "Mr and Mr Tobion, it is nice to meet you. My name is Olivia Taylor and I will be your daughter''s form teacher for the year." Ms Taylor shook their hands confidently. Unlike the principal who knew of their identities, the form teacher knew nothing about them except for the fact that she would be having another student in her class.


    "I will be leaving Leah in your care." Gray spoke calmly. His hand was gently rubbing the top of Leah''s head.


    "Do not worry. It is my job to make sure that Leah is well-integrated into the classroom. If there is nothing else, I will be taking her with me now to her new classroom, alright?"


    "Mmm," Gray acknowledged her question. Leah turned her body and gave her two fathers a hug over their legs. Sato and Gray reciprocated and gave her a hug back, "Go on and enjoy school. Alexa will be waiting for your after school."


    "Okay." With a simple wave goodbye, Leah left the room holding hands with her new form teacher. In regards to Sato and Gray, the couple left the school premises right after seeing her off. Only then, could the principal finally release his breath.

 Chapter 243 - Going On A Hiatus

    Hey Guys,


    I have to break some bad news to y''all. I will be going on an indefinite hiatus from this point on. I have reached a point where I feel burnt out when it comes to writing this book. Over the past week, I have tried to play games and do other things to get rid of it, but it is not doing any good. So, after thinking long and hard, I''ll be taking a break from this novel and will be writing other stories for now. The novel is called Listless: The Story on Non-Productivity and I will be publishing it on WebNovel too. So if you enjoy slice of life content that is similar on the level of Oh Mr General!, you can go and give it a try.


    My Apologies,


    Over_The_Horizon