Chapter 2: Denial

"Dad..! Let me go..!"

"I won't! You'll just run upstairs again and request for your food to be send in front your room"

"huh?! I won't do that..!"

"you already done it for last 2 weeks! I won't let you not eat with us tonight!"

"that's because I was busy catching up with my quota.."

The two keeps on bonding as they were walking down the stairs as they were greeted by Ellie, waiting for them just on the base of the staircase.

"Papa! Bro! Hurry up, the foods going to get cold..!"

Ellie exclaimed followed with a cross armed pose and an adorable pout. The two noticed her right away and let go of each other to pick up the pace on walking down the stairs.

"Ellie, Dad's just being so cuddly for some reason.."

Alice said, looking at his Dad with stern eyes.

"It's your fault for not having dinner with us this two weeks! right Ellie?"

Their Dad said, smiling as he patted Ellie's head softly, followed by Ellie's nod of agreement to her Dad's claim.

"mhm! It's Bro's fault..!"

Ellie and Dad then stands in front of Alice which is feeling crushed in the argument right now. Dad was smirking Beside Ellie while she's glaring Daggers at her Brother.

Alice who couldn't take the commotion anymore, sighed in defeat and bows his head a bit.

"I'm sorry, I'll eat with dinner with you tonight"

Ellie and their Dad smiled softly as they heard Alice apologize.

"geez, this brat... You have nothing to apologize for!"

Their Dad said patting him on the back softly while Ellie hold on to her Brother's right hand.

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"I'm so hungry!.. Let's eat already!"

Ellie yelled in an impatient tone as she pulled her Brother towards the table.

"Yes Yes~.. I'm also hungry from all the muscle work in the site..!"

Their Dad added as he started gently pushing Alice towards the dining table with a bright smile.

"Wait..! Stop dragging me..! I can walk on my own..!"

Alice exclaimed as he was dragged on the dining table.

And so they've eaten dinner together, but after that, Alice was forced to hang out with his family a little longer. Though it was stressful for him, he had a lot of fun that night.

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" ugh... I'm so tired...."

Alice muffled under his exhausted sigh, laying down the bed with his face first, burying his face on the pillow.

"I'm so tired, I'm feeling drowsy... I should've refused when they invite me to do that dancing game, my body couldn't handle it.."

Alice then turned around, putting his back against the bed and staring at the dimmed ceiling followed by a soft smile.

" No.. It's fine... I did have fun... Plus.. "

The image of his Dad and Ellie, having so much fun dancing together with him flashed in his mind, making his smile appear a bit more obvious.

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Alice then rolled to right side of the bed, laying sideways which made him see his phone flickering.

" hmm..?"

He was extremely drowsy, but he still reached for his phone to see what's with the light. he looked at the screen but can't made up what's written on it, even when squinting. After a few moments, he fell asleep without even knowing.

That night, Alice had the most peaceful and relaxing sleep he's ever had since he started to write novels.

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Eight o' clock in the morning, Alice was sitting on his bed, staring into oblivion, typical reaction of someone who never got such relaxing rest since childhood.

"oh man.. I slept for 10 hours...."

Alice said before a yawn, he slowly stands up from the bed and stretched his arms upward, alongside his torso.

"hnggghh..!! Whew~.."

After that, Alice went ahead to the toilet, grabbing his towel on the way.

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On his way, He ran into Ellie who also just woken up, still rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, Ellie.."

Alice greeted as he pets her sister on the head softly.

"good morning.. Yawnn~.. Big bro.."

Ellie replied, smiling at him followed by a tug on Alice's shirt, saying..

"Bro let's brush our teeth together, just like the old times. ..!"

"why are you talking like you're forty years old who want to relive her childhood days?.."

Alice replied, followed by a chuckle, which was also followed with Ellie's giggle.

"ehehe~... I just missed our daily routines when mom was here..."

Alice's expression suddenly turn a bit sad. Remembing their late mother who passed away. The two of them were encouraged to brush their teeth together by their mom. They stopped it when she passes away at the hospital, no more like, they forgot about it.

Moments had passed, Ellie noticed the sudden silence of Alice and got concerned about him.

"bro..?"

She asked as she tug on her Bro's shirt. Alice who snapped out of deep thought then proceed to brush through his sister's hair and smiled at her.

"sure! Let's go brush teeth together~!"

Ellie who heard that is overjoyed and nods in Glee, holding on Alice's left palm with both hands.

"Mhm!!"

The two siblings then proceeds and brushed their teeth together in complete synchronisation in front of the mirror.

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After seeing off Ellie to her room, Alice returned in his own bedroom, noticing his phone.

"come to think of it.. What's with my phone last night..? Was it a notif..? I shouldn't get any though, I turned off all notifications except for calls and SMS.."

As he reached to his phone, turning it on, a notification bubble appear on top of his screen.

" so it was an SMS.. huh?.. "

Alice's eyes widen as he reads on the message he got.

[Congratulations! You were chosen to be one of the first 100 people to beta test Arsenal Online! Testing Schedule and Venue will be sent after you confirmed the message. To confirm the message, click on the link below.]

"I was chosen.. I'm part of the Beta testing.."

Moments after being dumbfounded, Alice starts to get hyped. He jumped into the bed and started rolling in excitement.

"wait, I shouldn't get my hopes up yet, the fact that this might be a scam is still up there.. First I should get permission from Dad when he get home.."

And so, Alice's day started..

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Later that night..

"I'm home~..."

Dad said quite exhausted from all the work.

"Papa, welcome home! ~"

Ellie Greeted as she run towards their Dad on the front door.

"oh! Ellie, did you behave while I'm at work? ~"

Replied by their Dad in a cheerful tone. Alice then also come to take their Father's luggage and say..

"Dinner's already ready so take a sit on the table after you wash yourself"

Then Alice put away all his Dad' belongings in the right place.

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After Dad took a shower, he went ahead straight to the dining table and takes a seat with his shower towel still hanging on his shoulders.

"Ohh? Beef Stew, huh~ it looks tasty, I won't lose in cooking, Alice!"

Dad said with a bright smile as he took a peek inside the pot which the dish is in.

"This Dad.. Just eat already! We don't need to compete on cooking too!"

Alice exclaimed as he hands his father a serving of the stew, alongside a small serving of white rice.

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While they were eating, their Dad suddenly asked a question.

"Alice, How's your novel going? Last time we check it was around 900 chapters right?"

"It's in 1532 chapters now"

Alice quickly replied as he put a spoonful of the stew in his mouth, though his eyes were paying attention to his Dad.

"oh! It's still going strong? As expected of my son!"

His dad replied, followed by a mighty laugh.

"it's already finished though.."

Alice added under his breath, looking at his father's reaction as he sips on the soup on his spoon. His dad was dumbfounded.

"eh?.. Ellie, the phone!"

Dad suddenly asked for his Daughter's phone and Ellie got what he meant right away. She opened the app at which his brother wrote his novel, and check it themselves.

Seeing that the first novel ever created by her Big Brother, Ellie was amazed.

" woah.. Bro's first Novel is finished"

As for their Dad, he's still looking at the phone, but then a single strand of water run down through his cheek. Dad started crying, he stands up and hugs Alice from the side.

"hng..! Sniff..! My Son can finally.. rest.. Sniff.."

"Dad, why you got to make it sound like I died..?"

Alice replied followed by an awkward chuckle.

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After the situation calmed down, his Dad took a sit in front him. As for his Little Sister, Ellie already went upstairs in her room to play games on her iPad.

" So? What's your plan now? You would write a new series? You should Atleast take some time off that stressful stuff, you know?.. Your sister always talks about how much she missed hanging out with you.."

Their Dad said in a worried tone of voice, drinking some water in the end of the sentence.

Alice started fidgeting his thumbs together as he holds a glass of water with both hands, fingers intertwined with each other. He looks down the water in the glass and looks at his dim reflection on it. He then moves his hands slightly, making the water inside the glass to form a ripple as he looks straight to his Dad's eyes.

"Dad... What would you say if I said I wanted to play online games..?"

His Dad who's confused on what his son was so scared about replied instantly.

"I would let you play.. you never got the chance to play some games since middle school right? Why are you being so hesitant?"

Alice then looks away a bit as his father tilts his head. He then replied...

"The thing is, I've found a game that piqued my interest.. And I got picked to be one of the hundred people who will beta test it..."

"isn't that a good thing? The opportunity to play comes right to you.."

His Dad replied back, still in confusion of why the topic is games but yet the atmosphere is heavy.

"It's a full - sense dive game.."

"full-sense what..? Sorry, I don't understand modern haikus Alice, can you explain?"

Dad filled his cup with another glass of water and drinks it while waiting for Alice's reply.

"it's that type of game that requires me to lay down and have something attached to my head...to transfer my senses.. in... Game..."

Alice slowly looks at the face of his father. The expression and the aura around their Dad changed significantly.. He's extremely furious.

"I will not let you play a game like that.. Over my dead body..."

TO BE CONTINUED