A soft snap! echoed through the modern bedroom. Instantly, the warm rush of water cascaded down Adams' skin, the steam swirling around him as he freshened up. His hair, damp and slightly tousled, dried itself as he stepped out of the bathroom. Another flick of his fingers, and his clothes—sleek black slacks and a fitted dark blue shirt—shifted onto him, perfectly ironed as if he'd just picked them up from the dry cleaner.
With a quiet exhale, he walked out of his room and into the open-concept living space of the penthouse suite. Sunlight stread through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyline stretching far beyond. The city never slept, and even now, its pulse was felt—distant sirens, the occasional honk, the low hum of life moving forward.
Adams moved toward the refrigerator, his fingers curling around the neck of a wine bottle. He pulled it out smoothly, twisting off the cap with an effortless motion. As he poured himself a glass, his gaze flickered toward the living room.
Jack sat sprawled on the couch, controller in hand, completely imrsed in Black Myth: Wukong. His expression was serious, focused—but then, as expected, his usual snark kicked in.
"Pfft. This ain't right," Jack muttered, shaking his head as his character perford a flashy combo. "I could do that in my sleep. Hell, I'd make the real Wukong look like a side character."
Adams smirked, taking a slow sip of his wine. "Didn't know you had developer experience, Jack."
Jack scoffed, eyes still locked on the screen. "I'm just saying, if they're gonna make a ga about a monkey god, at least make him accurate. Dude's strong, but I could take him easy."
Adams chuckled. "You do realize it's just a ga, right?"
Jack tossed a peanut into his mouth. "A ga that gets it all wrong."
Adams shook his head, amused. He turned away, making his way to the sleek, dark-wood dining table. He set his glass down, pulling out his tablet. The screen lit up as he scrolled through various ideas, tapping his fingers idly against the table.
The building he acquired—it had potential. A tech company? That could work. Sothing revolutionary, maybe magic tech. He could introduce things to this world that no one had even thought of. Artificial intelligence infused with mana, self-repairing structures, advanced transportation fueled by energy beyond physics.
Or maybe… a ga.
Not just any ga. Sothing beyond anything in existence—a fully imrsive virtual reality, where magic and technology intertwined seamlessly. A world where players could step into an experience so real, it blurred the line between reality and fiction.
His mind spun with possibilities. He could shape this world in ways no one else could. The question was—which direction should he take first?
Ding-dong.
Adams didn't even glance at the door. With a flick of his wrist, it swung open on its own, revealing four familiar figures stepping inside.
Arianna. Elanor. Erren. Jason.
The door swung open on its own, and before Adams could even look up from his tablet—
"Adams!"
A blur of black hair and gold eyes shot across the room.
Arianna didn't just walk in—she launched herself forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and before Adams could react, she was hanging off him like a koala, her grip absurdly tight.
"You left behind!" she huffed, burying her face into his shoulder. "You ca all the way here with no intention of going back ho? No call? No visit? Nothing?"
Adams sighed, still holding his wine glass in one hand as if her sudden ambush was the most normal thing in the world. "Good morning to you too, Arianna."
She pulled back slightly, her golden eyes narrowing. "Don't 'good morning' like you're not guilty."
Erren was next. She didn't run—she sprinted. The mont she reached him, she tackled Adams in a full-force hug, nearly knocking over the glass still in his hand.
"Big brother!" Erren's voice was light, excited, full of warmth. "You didn't tell you were staying in a place like this! You should've called earlier!"
Adams let out a quiet chuckle, setting his wine down before both his arms were occupied by two overly enthusiastic siblings. "Seems like you and Arianna rehearsed this."
Jack, who had been playing his ga, didn't even glance up.
Jason stood at the entrance, arms crossed, watching Jack with a tired expression. He sighed. "I'm here too, by the way."
Jack's eyes remained glued to the screen. "That's cool."
Jason exhaled through his nose, walking toward his older brother. Still no reaction.
Elanor, anwhile, took his ti surveying the penthouse. His sharp, dark eyes traced over the massive glass windows, the high-end furniture, the sleek decor. He gave a small nod, his expression unreadable.
"Nice place." His deep voice cut through the chatter. "But it feels... different from you, Adams."
Adams finally freed himself from Arianna and Erren, picking up his wine again as he leaned against the table. "Oh?"
Elanor crossed his arms. "Doesn't feel like your style."
Adams smirked. "This was my dream before I died back then in this world."
Elanor glanced at the ga Jack was playing, then at Jack himself, who was still making zero effort to acknowledge Jason.
Jason, anwhile, had had enough.
He plopped down onto the couch beside Jack and nudged him.
No reaction.
Another nudge.
Jack sighed dramatically. "Dude, if you shake while I'm mid-combo, I will make your life miserable."
Jason rolled his eyes. "You're already doing that by ignoring ."
Jack finally paused the ga and looked at him. "Oh. You're still here?"
Jason's eye twitched. "We just got here."
Jack grinned. "Feels longer."
Adams, still leaning by the table, shook his head in amusent before turning his attention back to the rest. "So? What brings you all here?"
Arianna huffed, planting her hands on her hips. "Because you disappeared! Again! And soone had to co and check if you weren't causing unnecessary chaos."
Erren nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! And I wanted to see you!"
Elanor smirked slightly. "I just wanted to see how you were handling things here. I had a feeling you'd be up to sothing... interesting."
Jason sighed, still sitting next to Jack. "And I ca because—"
Jack cut in. "Because you missed ."
Jason made a face. "No. Absolutely not."
Jack clicked his tongue. "Denial is the first step."
Jason shot Adams a look. "Why do I deal with him?"
Adams took a sip of his wine, completely unbothered. "Because you're family."
Jason exhaled. "Unfortunate."
Jack cackled.
Elanor finally settled into one of the chairs, glancing at Adams' tablet. "So? What's on your mind? You wouldn't have bought this place if you didn't have sothing big planned."
Adams set his glass down, tapping a finger against the screen. "A few ideas."
Arianna leaned in. "Like?"
He smirked. "Revolutionizing the world."
A beat of silence.
Then—
Erren's eyes sparkled. "Ooooh. Now that sounds fun."
Arianna groaned. "You're being vague on purpose."
Elanor leaned forward slightly, interested. "Explain."
Adams flipped the tablet around, showing various projections, plans, and concepts. "Tech company. Magic-infused advancents. Or maybe a fully imrsive virtual reality world. Sothing that blurs the lines between reality and fiction." Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
Arianna raised an eyebrow. "That's... Easy for you."
Erren grinned. "I love it."
Jack, who had unpaused his ga, side-eyed Adams. "You an a ga where I actually get to break reality?"
Adams smirked. "Sothing like that."
Elanor nodded, eyes sharp. "You could do it."
Adams took another sip of wine, his gaze distant. He would do it.
Arianna sighed dramatically, flopping onto the couch. "Well, since we're here, you're stuck with us for a while."
Erren bead. "Yep! No escaping now!"
Jack side-eyed Adams. "You brought this upon yourself."
Adams exhaled, shaking his head. "I always do."
The morning carried on, the city alive beyond the glass windows. And inside, for all the chaos, it felt right.
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