No.1: Unwavering Resolve

Gasping desperately, a figure lay on his bed. His eyes were pried awake from sleep upon waking.

Calming down a bit soon after, he closed his eyes once more, steadying his breathing as a thought resonated in his mind.

‘Same nightmare, again.’

Having settled his nerves somewhat, he finally registered his surroundings.

Feeling the weight of two pairs of soft, tender mountains gently pressed against his body, his breathing slowly returned to normal.

Sandwiched between two ladies, one clinging tightly to his head while the other laid her head on his chest, Felix sighed in relief upon noticing he hadn’t accidentally woken them during his nightmare.

Already used to this, Felix gently wriggled himself free from their grasp, making sure not to wake them while doing so.

Managing to escape the cuddle of doom, Felix glanced once more at the young ladies on the bed, a gentle smile finding its way to his lips at the sight.

The ladies, one of whom sprawled across the bed, taking up most of the space, while the other gently hugged the pillow Felix had put in place of himself to keep her from waking up, continued sleeping quietly, unaware he was no longer beside them.

Taking in the sight a bit longer, Felix eventually left the small room.

Glancing at the clock upon reaching the living room, he realised it was still around 5 a.m.

Making his way to the kitchen, he decided to cook a bit to take his mind off things.

....

A while later, the two ladies eventually got up as well.

Drawn by the enticing aroma from the kitchen, they groggily made their way toward the living room.

Entering the kitchen, clearly still half-asleep as her eyes remained partly closed, one of them dragged her feet across the floor and gently hugged Felix from behind, while the other simply sat in the living room, yawning lightly.

“Morning, Fexy.”

His eyes twitching subtly on hearing this, Felix turned off the hotplate.

Gently freeing himself from her embrace, he lightly pinched her cheeks as he said,

“How many times do I have to tell you to address me properly?”

Despite saying this, a gentle smile remained on his face as he saw her helpless, pleading expression.

“I’m showy, bwig bwo. Pwees forgwive mwe.”

Muttering through Felix’s cheek pinches, she begged.

Giggling subtly at her sister’s plight, the young lady sitting in the living room greeted calmly.

“Morning, big bro. Hope you slept well.”

Glancing at her, Felix warmly replied,

“Ugh... Yeah. Thanks, Emi.” Returning his gaze to the pleading girl before him, he shook his head in resignation. “As for you, Zoey! You could learn a thing or two from your big sis.”

Managing to free herself from his grasp, Zoey scurried behind her sister.

“I take back my apology. Sorry. Not sorry, Fexy.”

Sticking out her tongue in adorable protest, she hid behind her elder sister, Emilia, using her as a shield against their older brother.

Chuckling at the sight, Felix couldn’t help but reminisce a little.

The trio had been living as a family for quite some time now. Though they weren’t blood-related, it didn’t stop them from deeply caring for each other and looking out for one another.

Having already lost everything once before, Felix deeply cherished his moments with his new family and would do anything to ensure they were safe and well provided for.

A smile appeared on his face at the thought, one that didn’t last long as his blood suddenly felt dry, cold sweat running down his spine.

His gaze, unfocused as he stared aimlessly, while his fingers subconsciously dug into his thigh.

Noticing the sudden change, Emilia immediately stood up and drew closer.

“Felix. Are you alright? Should I get the-”

Feeling a hand on her shoulder before she could finish, Emilia paused.

“I’m fine. I just zoned out for a bit, that’s all.”

Reassuring her, Felix gave a practiced smile as he waved off her suggestion.

Not convinced, Emilia glanced out the window.

Noticing it was still early in the morning, she enquired,

“You had a nightmare again, didn’t you? Maybe you really should get the help of a professional.”

Sighing at her persistence, Felix patted her shoulder.

“I’m telling you. I’m fine. Really! Not to mention, those so-called professionals just talk a bunch of weird stuff and throw a ton of bills at you, expecting you to resolve it yourself. Like, then what’s the point of billing me in the first place, right?”

Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Felix joked, ruffling his sister’s hair a little.

“Anyways, it’ll soon be time for school. So you two better get ready on time. Also, there’s some extra food in the fridge for when you get back. Since I’ll be working late today, I probably won’t be back until tomorrow.”

Not giving her time to protest, Felix immediately dashed for the bathroom, though not before planting a gentle kiss on the sisters’ heads.

Sighing in resignation, Emilia glanced toward the window, noticing it was still early.

“Liar! Who even goes to school this early?”

Smiling lightly as she muttered this, a worried look still crept onto her face as she stared at his receding figure.

.....

Standing behind a well-furnished coffee bar with a towel resting on his shoulder, Felix finally finished his daily cleaning routine before opening the shop.

Flipping the sign on the door to ‘Open’, he returned to the counter, awaiting customers.

Working as a barista was simply one of the jobs he took on to shoulder the bills for his sisters’ schooling and daily necessities.

At first, his sisters had been adamant about helping him with his jobs to ease the burden on his shoulders. But he had sternly refused, stating that their education was vital and that he wouldn’t tolerate anything that distracted them from their studies.

Which, considering he had to drop out of school at a certain point, made his argument somewhat questionable.

‘Ahh..! Story of my life.’

Sighing at his shortcomings, Felix’s attention was suddenly drawn to the video streaming on the floating holographic screen behind the coffee bar.

Playing on it, the image of a suited figure facing a grotesque giant monster came into view, eventually standing atop the creature’s dead body after defeating it.

As multiple comments poured through the channel:

@StarGooner- <<I can’t believe she actually defeated it. @LadyBeast is really built different. As expected of an upcoming top Streamer.>>

@HiddenPerve- <<Damn it! It should’ve been me. What I wouldn’t give to be stepped on by those legs.>>

@SilentHitler- <<The comment above mine really needs to chill. Bro’s practically simping at this point.>>

@LadyBeast#1Simp- <<Bro might be a bit outta line, but I can definitely relate.>>

@OtakuSupreme- <<I was about to question your reasoning @LadyBeast#1Simp. Then I saw your username. Then it all made sense.>>

@AnonymousHero- <<Hello, everyone. I’m currently sleeping under the stars and haven’t eaten in days. Kindly help save a soul. My account number is....>>

The comments went on and on, some even straying away from the contents of the video.

Though one might be inclined to believe the footage was fake or merely staged.

It was, in fact, real.

******

Years ago, the world was suddenly invaded by Trolls. Huge, grotesque monsters capable of mass devastation while being nearly impervious to heavy artillery.

Flooding through the internet, the Trolls used it as a bridge to travel into the world. Passing through any device capable of accessing the internet, they soon overran multiple countries and continents.

At the brink of destruction, humanity finally gained access to a technology capable of blocking the Trolls from infiltrating their internet servers.

From this technology also came the creation of a device capable of Astral Projection. Which in turn resulted in Streamers; those who survived the perils of the other world while gaining the support of mysterious entities known as Zenith, enabling them to gain astronomical powers they could bring back to their world upon reaching a certain level.

Streamers were more than celebrities; they were beacons of hope for humanity against the endless onslaught of Trolls.

Yet, even with Streamers now added to the mix, the best humanity achieved was a stalemate and a semblance of peace, with neither side able to truly rid themselves of the other.

But Felix didn’t believe this peace would last. Especially with the rate at which stronger Trolls were emerging, it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart again.

******

Drawn by the sudden ring of the doorbell, indicating a customer had arrived, Felix snapped back to reality.

With a practiced smile, he welcomed the customer. A smile that soon withered upon recognising who had entered.

“Welcome to the Golden Café, the best place in the city to satiate your caffeine needs. How ma-... Oh! It’s just you. What’d you want this time?”

Wincing comically on hearing this, the figure retorted,

“Ouch! That hurts. And here I was about to finally order a coffee.”

A smirk creeping onto his face, the smile leaning more toward mischief than warmth, Felix raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really!? I guess that’s good, ’cause the boss said to kick you out and place a ban on you should you ever return without ordering something.”

Hearing this, Dom raised his hands in defeat, shifting the topic elsewhere.

“Ugh...! I guess at this point, my luck is nonexistent.”

Slumping against the chair, Dom sighed in frustration.

“Judging by your usual self-pity, I take it you weren’t able to recruit any Streamer to your imaginary ‘company’, this time as well?”

“It’s not imaginary. I just haven’t had the funds to start it yet. But that’ll all change once I sign my first Streamer.”

Shaking his head in resignation upon hearing Dom’s reply, Felix didn’t bother adding anything further.

The duo had been friends for a while now, and during Felix’s time hanging around Dom, he realised the latter had always been adamant about sponsoring his own Streamer, in turn creating a renowned company housing multiple top Streamers. But with the growing rate at which influential Companies, Agencies and Platforms signed Streamers, it was nearly impossible for a no-name company like his to sign even a weak Streamer, much less a potential Star Streamer.

Which Felix found odd, considering Dom was already the son of a wealthy man. It was strange for him to want to start from scratch when he already had a path laid out for him.

Though Dom’s dad wasn’t filthy rich, he was still well-off nonetheless, yet Dom preferred to be independent.

The duo kept chatting a while longer until customers eventually started coming in.

.....

Laying on the couch with a peculiar helmet in his grasp, Felix exhaled as he briefly stared at it.

Upon completing his shift for the day at the café, Felix came to Dom’s apartment.

Sitting opposite him on a different chair, Dom inquired, slightly hesitant.

“Are you sure about this? Though it’s not your first time doing this, are you really going to go through with it? I’m more concerned about myself though. ’Cause if Emilia ever found out I had a hand in something that might get you hurt, or worse, I fear she’d probably kill me in my sleep.”

Chuckling at the thought and wondering why Dom would feel that way, considering Emi was the calmer and more composed of his sisters, Felix replied, his voice uncertain.

“I’m not going to lie. I’m still a bit scared about the whole thing. And since life’s already good at the moment, there’s really not much reason to take such risks anymore.” Pausing briefly, his tone shifted into resolve. “But I’m done waiting and hoping things don’t just fall apart. I’m not going to stand by helplessly and watch as I lose everything I care about.”

‘Never again!’

Determined to follow through with his decision, Felix no longer hesitated as he wore the peculiar helmet.

Immediately upon doing so, a translucent screen appeared before him.

[Astral Link Helm has been equipped]

[Initiating Astral Projection...]

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.