Not yet ready

And just like that days passed and Davy gradually become accustomed to the virtual world and the Supremes. At this point, he wasn't only deceiving himself as if he truly became a part of this world.

"Look, Lyle should never be allowed in the kitchen. Do you think we're conducting some strange experiment here?" a loud voice complained.

Then a soft voice calmly responded. "Cooking is another type of experiment,"

"The fuck?" exclaimed the redhead, "but it should be edible, okay? Not some poisonous shit!"

"Stop complaining, I'm not even preparing it for you," the pretty blonde with emerald eyes said as he continued stirring some strange soup with suspicious colors.

"Oh, I won't taste even if--wait, who do you prepare it for? Don't tell me... it's for our sleeping beauty?" the one with explosive red hair exaggeratedly stared at him. Mouth gaping, seemingly stunned Someone's eyelids twitched as he listened to this conversation.

Lyle smiled as he nodded. "Of course,"

Draven then swallowed, his face pale, as he stared at the suspicious pot. "Say, are you trying to kill Dheivamani or what?"

Someone's temple was throbbing and he couldn't take it any longer. Davy turned to face the chaotic kitchen behind him, which was in stark contrast to Fallan's calm and clean kitchen.

"Can you fucking shut up, Draven? And just damn cook, will you?" Davy reprimanded, his thoughts interrupted by a glance at the soup Lyle was stirring. He gawked, unsure what to say.

"This... is for me?" his face trembled between forcing a smile and crying. He could now picture himself getting food poisoning from eating that, but he couldn't say it in front of Lyle! Davy would never hurt Lyle's feelings; that was an unforgivable sin!

Lyle's emerald eyes lit up and he nodded cutely. "Yup, I'm sure you'll like it," he said, and the soup began to bubble, resembling a poisonous concoction rather than food.

As he swallowed, blood drained from Davy's face, and his expression sank.

"Fuck, see? I'm trying to save you from possible murder!" Draven exclaimed, overcome with emotion. His finger pointed warily at the soup as if even looking at it disgusted him.

Lyle's hand stopped moving, and his soft and pretty face darkened in an instant. "I won't do that," he said sadly, and Davy's heart immediately softened.

He glared at Draven from the sidelines. "I already told you not to talk nonsense, right? You're not even helping and just look like some fucking judge on a cooking show," blaming Draven directly. Draven was always wrong, while Lyle was always correct.

Draven gaped, his finger slipping down his side. "Why is it me again? The issue is this motherfucking food, okay?" he exasperatedly protested, and veins appeared angrily. Even his hair color complements his expression.

Davy was speechless; well, he knew Lyle's soup was a little... not pleasant to the eye. He didn't want to eat it either. It was just that... Davy's heart always softened when he looked at Lyle. Draven's face was too thick, anyway.

A soft chuckle could be heard in the middle of their argument. The three of them fell silent instantly. Davy turned, his shoulders colliding with Fallan's powerful chest.

His gaze shifted from Davy to Draven and Lyle until it landed on the suspicious-looking soup. Fallan raised his brows and took the ladle from Lyle's grasp. Lyle was unable to protest and only pouted.

Fallan then stirred it himself in front of their watchful gazes, smelling and tasting it. They didn't dare to make a sound. No way, His Majesty Fallan, the truly overpowered final boss, was too intimidating.

His calm blue eyes lifted a few seconds later. "It's not poisonous," a paused before setting down the ladle. "That doesn't mean it's not disgusting, Lyle..." He called out, and Lyle immediately lifted his gaze with an anxious expression. "Dheivamani can't eat it," Fallan said with a smile.

Lyle's eyes dimmed, and his lips pursed. Davy was about to say something when he noticed Fallan raising his finger, clearly refusing to let anyone interrupt what he was about to say.

Draven mouthed, 'told you so,' which drew a glare from him, and the other only shrugged, suppressing a grin.

"However, since you made an effort, it would be cruel of me to tell you to throw it right?" Fallan then looked at Draven, who stood straight to the side. His blue eyes narrowed, and a playful glint flashed through them. "Everyone except Dheivamani will eat it; is that okay with you?"

Davy's lips parted at this unexpected turn of events, and Lyle nodded with a small smile on his lips. But Draven paused, his expression sinking as he looked at the soup.

"Fuck, couldn't you make a decision for me? I won't taste this disgusting shit! I stand by my principle, Lyle should be banned from the kitchen from now on! His floating island is there for a reason," he says arrogantly, crossing his arms across his chest. Davy had never seen him speak back to Fallan so bravely.

Would they fight? Davy noticed Lyle's expression, which was etched with sympathy but more anticipation. Lyle and his gaze met, and he smiled as he saw his confused expression.

"Just watch," Lyle mouthed, his pretty face beaming as if the food Draven described as disgusting had not been prepared by him. Davy couldn't understand where this excitement was coming from when the two were about to fight.

Nonetheless, he remained silent and obeyed Lyle.

Fallan's pupils constricted. The smile faded as he stared at Draven calmly. "Are you certain you won't?"

Davy shuddered, unsure why there was something wrong with the way he said it. Fallan wasn't even aiming at him, but... The danger was already creeping up on him.

Draven appears to hesitate but eventually responds. "Yes! I fucking won't? Do you really think you're the boss or something? Stop acting like my father, because you're not, and I have damn pride too."

"Really, huh?" The tone was dangerously calm. Tension was clearly visible now. Damn? Davy looked at Draven, who was obviously only acting brave at this point.

"Y-Yes," Draven stuttered, his mind finally processing what was going on.

Fallan's smile faded, and he fixed his gaze on Draven. His head tilts as he smirks menacingly. "Hmm... someone needed to be reminded again," blue eyes flared, "since it had been a long time... he misbehaved."

Wait... His thoughts raced and he appeared to grasp the situation. Fallan gives Davy a quick glance and says, "Sorry, we'll eat another time; I need to... talk to Draven, seriously." His voice was so deep.

Davy hadn't responded yet, and as Fallan grabbed the terrified Draven, they vanished from Davy's view. Draven's plea could even be heard in the distance. His eyes blinked as he processed what he had just seen. Could someone please explain to him what the fuck was going on?

A soft laugh jolted Davy awake, and he turned to face Lyle. Lyle was laughing so hard that his eyes were moistening. His hands reached out and dried the corner of his eyes.

Lyle licked his lips, amusement in his eyes. "Would you like to watch with me?" his innocent soft tone seems to ask... Not so innocent this time. Davy had a bad feeling because the pretty face appeared to be deceiving.

Davy shook his head as he swallowed his words. "I... I don't think I can watch," he says, his hands trembling.

Lyle smiled, his emerald eyes sparkling. "Well, yeah... it could be pretty intense sometimes," he nodded, "so you can just go back to your room first, and I'll watch the show." His face lit up and he laughed again.

Seriously, he almost didn't recognize this Lyle, he was too happy as if reveling in Draven's misfortune.

"Then... would Draven be okay?" Davy had to ask, his heart already pounding. He wasn't worried about Draven or anything, but... Fallan had that look of not showing mercy.

"Don't worry... Draven could recover," Lyle said with a smile.

Davy was forced to lean against the table, fuck... Would he light a candle for Draven now?

***

In a rare moment of solitude, Davy realized how he had grown accustomed to being with the Supremes. He was always with the three of them during his two weeks in the virtual world. Somehow, he almost forgot that this was not his reality and that this was all not real.

Draven's loud voice, Lyle's soft clingy personality, or Fallan's calm yet reassuring presence. They were all made up for some reason that Davy had no idea about.

He was lying on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. Davy had only recently discovered how deafening silence could be, and he had grown accustomed to the Supreme's presence.

While Fallan was punishing Draven, Lyle went to observe them. His lips arched up as he remembered this. However, it faded away after a few minutes. His eyes were dead set on the ceiling.

This was one of the main reasons Davy began to doubt his reality over time. Draven, Lyle, and Fallan appear so real that Davy has trouble distinguishing them as NPCs. They were just... too real. And he felt the comfort they provided him.

In fact, Davy had forgotten who he was. He hates to admit it, but his life in this virtual world was more relaxing and enjoyable than his life in the real world, where he lived for 24 years.

At the very least, there were people here who admired and loved him. It may be a program, but the feeling is the same! His real world consists primarily of him fighting every day and working to survive in a never-ending cycle.

He laughed and shook his head, finally understanding why so many people wanted to live in the virtual world and escape reality. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best option for them in any case. A decision they make specifically for themselves.

Davy, on the other hand, had no say in the matter. He grew accustomed to the virtual world over time. He wondered if he had the option, would he choose to live in the virtual again? He didn't know the answer.

In the first place, no one would know what would happen unless you experienced it firsthand. Davy imagined the faces of the three as he bit his lower lip. Was he truly attached to them, or was it just his character?

"System," he called out of nowhere, his mind especially calm and sober. Without any hesitation.

[Yes, Your Highness.]

A gender-neutral voice echoed in his mind. Unlike before, Davy didn't feel annoyed as though he was only talking to some acquaintances. To be honest, he never despised the system. Perhaps he was angry because hearing this voice reminded him that nothing was real and that everything was an illusion created by someone.

He also didn't trust the system very much. Davy had that familiar feeling when he was talking with it, just like he did with the Supremes. As if he was conversing with a relative. Which was ridiculous, so he was always wary and never summoned it again.

"Is there really a mission?" he asked bluntly, expressing his reservations.

[Does His Highness have doubts about his mission? Your Highness, the mission is real.]

Davy would be irritated if this happened earlier. Perhaps he became numb to it after accepting his fate.

He sarcastically laughed, "Why me? Who are you? What game is this? What is your purpose?" He fired up the questions, no longer playing with the system.

He only had the thought of... What if none of this was a coincidence? Only thing was, he never looked into it because he downloaded it on his own accord, right?

Davy wasn't sure if his questions were too many for the system to process quickly or if it was also taken aback.

[ Do you trust me, Your Highness?]

Davy froze, then shook his head. "I don't," he replied honestly. It was expected that the system would not respond to his questions. Perhaps the system had some limitations as well.

[I knew you didn't, Your Highness.] The system paused.

The silence lingered as strings of jumbled letters appeared in Davy's vision as if the system were broken before the voice spoke once more. Tone with a more emotional undertone.

[It's not the time, yet. His Highness is not ready... he—]

Davy sat up straight, his brow furrowed. Confusion was written all over his face. As his hand trembled, he couldn't understand the text or the words because they were jumbled and incomprehensible, preventing him from clearly hearing or reading them. Then there was silence.

"System?" he exclaimed. However, the system did not respond, leaving Davy stunned. What the hell? Davy's heartbeats became more rapid. It was not the time yet? Then... when?