Next day.
In the hotel where Silas and his family were staying.
Silas remained inside his room. He had not eaten anything. He had not stepped outside. He sat on his bed all night, thinking about his father who was no longer here.
The same with his sister and mother. They sat on the sofa in the hall, unmoving.
Then suddenly, his phone alarm rang. It pulled his attention.
He reached out and turned it off.
The alarm was a reminder he had set yesterday—to go to Central Academy—when he was still happy and had not yet heard about his father's death.
He stood up. He had to go to Central Academy. His father was gone. He could not change that. Though his heart was still broken, he thought of his mother and sister. That helped settle his thoughts a little. He could still protect his remaining family. And for that, he had to get stronger.
Stronger than anyone else. Make sure his family never lost another member. Find the person behind that accident and kill them.
The person who took his father from him. The person who gave his mother and sister tears. The person who stripped away his protective shield.
He would take revenge.
So now he had to go to Central Academy. Learn cultivation. Become strong.
Silas had decided to walk on this path!
He had think about his future path yesterday's night. Taking everything he can think of into his plans. Making sure, he doesn't forget anything. And now the result was clear.
His path is clear!
He then stepped out of his room first and saw his mother and sister still sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.
He ordered food for himself and for them. He had not eaten either. He could not go to Central Academy on an empty stomach—it would leave him low on energy.
While waiting for the food, he gently woke his mother and sister.
Not from sleep. They had not slept all night, just like him.
He pulled them out of their trance. It took sometime for them to woke up. But they woke up.
Then He told them to freshen up. The food was coming. They should eat properly.
His mother and sister said nothing more. They simply got up and left. He went back to his room to freshen up too.
After freshening up, he waited for the food. His sister and mother waited quietly as well. The atmosphere stayed silent.
Then the bell rang.
A voice came from outside. "Sir, food service."
Silas stood up and opened the door. A table slowly rolled inside on quiet wheels.
The waiter followed, carrying a warm smile at first. But the moment he saw the faces inside—hollow eyes, pale skin, heavy silence—he quickly schooled his expression. The air felt thick with sorrow. He said nothing, just moved quietly to place the food on the room's table.
Silas watched him in silence. His mother and sister kept their heads down, staring at the floor. They did not even notice the waiter enter.
When the waiter finished setting everything, he bowed slightly and left without a word.
After he was gone, Silas and his family began eating.
Even swallowing felt painful. Each bite took all their strength. They forced it down anyway, not wanting to worry the others more.
They finished in quiet. Silas called the waiter back to clear the dirty plates.
Once the plates were gone, Silas looked at his mother and sister.
"Mom, Sis," he said softly. "I'm going to Central Academy. I won't be able to come back for half a day, I guess. So remember to eat properly and take care of yourselves. I don't want you to stay like this all the time. You understand?"
His mother and sister nodded slowly.
His mother forced a small smile. "Silas, you take care of yourself in the academy too."
Mary added quietly, without much expression, "Take care, Silas."
Silas nodded back with a faint smile and left the room.
He returned to his own room and logged into the game.
He appeared in his player lobby. He opened his status window, ready to head to Central Academy. But his eyes drifted to his father's player ID in the friend list.
His eyes reddened involuntarily. He clenched his jaw and forced the tears back. Then he shifted his gaze to the notification panel.
A highlighted message waited there.
"REQUEST TO ENTER CENTRAL ACADEMY?"
Entering the academy required a formal request. Students—or anyone—had to ask for approval. The same rule applied to Concords. They were professional institutions, not private property.
But the process was quick—only 2 to 5 seconds—so no one found it annoying.
When Silas saw the notification, he tapped it without hesitation. The only option appeared: "Yes."
He clicked it.
Silas waited in the lobby, the loading swirl turning slowly around him. But while he waited, his thoughts drifted back to his father—specifically to his father's player ID still sitting quietly in his friend list.
He stared at it again. A quiet murmur escaped his lips.
"We haven't given Father a funeral. His body vanished in that fire… but his game character inside Eternal Ascendancy didn't die. It didn't vanish. So… can we give a funeral to that game character? Because the game character is like a second body."
"But how?" he whispered. "I can't access my father's player lobby. I can't take out his character body. So how…?"
Just then, the request approval came through. A soft chime sounded.
His surroundings began to fade—the plain lobby dissolving like mist. New colors and shapes formed around him.
As the transition finished, Silas murmured with a fragile thread of hope, "If I ask the game company… will they let me access his lobby…?"
He did not truly believe in miracles. Yet a small part of him still clung to the possibility. He decided he would contact them later—through the official channel on E.A. Network. There was a feature there for player complaints and reports. Only one old complaint existed in the entire system, because the game almost never had issues.
That single complaint was old now, irrelevant: something about player Roxa allegedly hacking days ago.
Silas pushed the thought aside. He would handle it later.
For now, he had to focus on Central Academy.
He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped forward into the academy grounds.