Like any other planet with a sentient population, Earth went through the process of developing technology, conducting wars, and making loads of money off of people's existential crises. 

Earth was as typical a planet as any other, until the Library of the Multiverse opened its doors and spewed out its books containing the stories and adventures of heroes and villains from across the multiverse. 

Now, human beings have the chance to change their destiny by synchronizing with Multi Vs, the magic books that can give a person the power to exceed the normal and become the King or Queen of the Universe!

this is just a book im reading and need the audio function! so dont waste time here im already in chapte 55 or something

"Leanna . . ." Cain gazed at me, pupils dilating so much that it was out of place from his cold exterior.

I was nervous again.

"Y-yes?"

"There's something I need to buy at Strand's Books Store, do you want to come?"

I should have told him 'no,' but all I thought were the words Strand's Books Store.

Beloved and legendary, the iconic strand embodies downtown NYC's intellectual bona fide –– a bibliophiles' Oz., where generations of book lovers lose themselves for hours. (Lonely Planet)

Visiting this place is on my bucket list.

"I'll GO!"

----

As soon as we arrived in the iconic bookstore, my eyes twinkled. If it wasn't for the many people looking at us, specifically, looking at Cain, I had long jumped from excitement.

"You go and enjoy yourself. After I buy my book, I'll just be here." Cain pointed at an empty table.

"Mmmm . . ." I didn't get what he said as I ignored him and roam around. I wiped my drool and start from the very far end, determined not to leave any corners unscathed.

----

It was two in the afternoon when I finished my hunt. My hands were carrying piles and piles of books as I made my way towards the counter.

Before I could reach my destination, however, out from the corner of my eyes, I saw a group of beautiful, sexy women, surrounding a cold, indifferent man.

See! With these beauties around him all the time, how serious can he be?!

HMP!

I paid them no mind and made my way to the cashier. Halfway, I was startled by the appearance of large hands, and the piles of books I was carrying were now gone.

"I'll help you."

Before I could even protest, Cain was already in front of the cashier, paying for my books. I scrambled to my feet and stopped him, but the cashier already accepted his money.

"How much?" I said, not hiding my annoyance.

"My treat for you accompanying me here," he said and carried the tote bag full of my books. "You roam around some more. I'll carry this to the car." 

He then walked to the exit.

I quickly followed him. "No need, I've already bought everything I wanted." I glanced at him. "Where's your book?"

"Sold out."

". . ."

"Thank you," I said.

Thank you for taking me here and waited for four hours.

". . . My pleasure . . ." He didn't spare me a glance as he stared ahead. His expression a little softer.

----

Inside his car, I was engrossed in reading the books I hauled.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?" Cain asked while driving, eyes on the road.

"No, I want to go home and read," I replied, brushing him off. 

Since his confession, I had long erased the cordiality between us. Cain seemed not to mind and was even happy about it.

Instead of going back to my condo unit, he stopped his car near Central Park. My lips parted, going to ask him why he stopped when he spoke first.

"The air here is fresh, and there's a spot here near the lake where you can lay on the grass and read your books in silence."

I wanted to say 'no,' really, but my eyes kept shifting at the green lush and serene blue ponds.

I couldn't stop imagining myself laying on the soft grass under the shade of a willow tree while spring breeze blew my hair as the lake glittered under the sparkling sun.

". . ."

". . . Okay."

G E N R E: Fiction, Mature, Modern Romance, Reincarnation, New Adult


----


My life has no meaning.

I'm forty years old, a middle age woman. Some say I have a fulfilling life, an architect with a high salary, a one-bedroom condo unit and a face that, although not the most beautiful, certainly warrants a second look.

The only thing people criticize about me is the emptiness of my ring finger. 

I'm not married and don't have a family of my own. I don't feel anything about it. I don't need a man in my life, and I hate kids.

The only thing I regretted was how I lived my life. Half of it wasted in school and the other half wasted in work. Before I knew it, I'm already old and at my deaths bed - alone and dying. 







THEN I WOKE UP FROM THE DREAM.

After Atila left, Emma decided to take a break and close her eyes. There were many surprises and new things that she had to face, which made her quite stressed.
After falling asleep for 70 hours due to mental and physical exhaustion, she had to wake up to a completely different reality from what she usually experienced, and her life changed 180 degrees.
She was no longer on earth, the only home she had known for most of her life. All the people she knew were gone now. On this ship, she only knew Haoran, Therius, and Xion. Haoran was in a coma, Xion didn't care about her, and Therius was more like an enemy than a friend.
Emma felt completely alone. She felt like she went back to her old life, before she knew Haoran: alone and lonely. She used to feel like an alien on earth, and she only managed to adjust after a dozen years of living alone without her parents.
She could imagine, later in Akkadia, she would also become an alien. Even though her parents were from Akkadia, Emma was not raised there. Everything would feel foreign to her as she did not know their living system and their culture.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Ah ... at the very least, she would be able to meet her father, mother, and younger brother. And hopefully, one day, Haoran would wake up, and they could be together again.
She tried to focus only on the good things to cheer up her bad mood.
***
Emma got a two-hour study scheduled with each of her private teachers every day, which meant a total of six hours. She could spend the rest of the time walking around the ship, training, or doing whatever she wanted.
Emma planned to always start her day by visiting Haoran at the clinic for half an hour and talked to him about anything, to keep herself sane. Then she explored various places on the ship to familiarize herself with the ship. 
After that, she would come to the study and start learning with the teacher assigned to teach her. After getting rest and did some reading, she would spend another half hour with Haoran before going to bed. That's how she pictured her life for the next six months.
"Hmm ... my first teacher is Atila, the second one is Anddara, and finally, Therius," Emma muttered to herself as she walked towards the study room. "That's good. If Therius comes first, I will definitely feel so angry that I don't want to continue studying with the next teachers."
When Emma arrived in the study room, Atila was already waiting for her inside.
"Welcome, Miss ... You look fresh today," Atila said, smiling broadly.
"Thank you, Atila." Emma nodded. She was happy because Atila fulfilled her request not to call her princess or her highness.
"Today we will start with simple things," Atila said, pressing a small remote in her hand, and soon the wall next to her turned into a screen. "We will watch three short movies, and I will explain everything you'll see in them. After you can read in our language, I will give you lots of written material for you to study."
"Ah ... that's right," Emma said. She could not read books and various materials about Akkadia because she had never learned Akkadian written language. She only understood the spoken language when she heard her parents' converse when she was little. "In that case, shouldn't you teach me how to read first?"
Atila shook her head. "Mr. Therius himself will teach you how to read. The lesson will begin this afternoon."
"Oh ..." Emma frowned. 
She didn't think Therius would be the one to teach her reading. Even though she was an adult and a genius, Emma realized that teaching someone a new language was very difficult and tiring.
Why did Therius not leave this assignment to others?
"Why is your face contorted?" Atila asked with a smile. "Is something bothering you?"
"Hm ... nothing important. Let's start."
"OK."
Atila showed three half-hour videos and explained to Emma about their planet. The first video explained the size and geography of Akkadia. Planet Akkadia had a size slightly smaller than Earth and consisted of six regions or kingdoms. The biggest and most advanced was Akkadia, and they ruled over the five smaller kingdoms.
Their biggest colony was Thaesi, followed by Terren, Mireen, Sandsana, and Pallas. Planet Akkadia was very rich and the population was strictly controlled. 
They made sure the natural resources was enough to provide for all the humans and animals living there. Birth rate was controlled strictly and no child was born unwanted or by accident.
"In Akkadia, everyone must obtain state permission before they could procreate. People who are deemed physically and mentally unfit to care for children should not have children," Atila explained. "But if they are deemed capable, the state allows them to have as many children as they want."
Emma frowned at this. "This sounds good. But doesn't this mean that the state is too meddling in its citizens' private lives?"
"You could say that, depending on which side of the coin you are in. There will always be pros and cons to every decision. This policy had been implemented for the last two centuries and is working well. Previously, overpopulation and child abandonment were quite a big problem in our country. After the state established these new regulations, people become more responsible."
"Oh ... Then what about children born outside state approval?" asked Emma. "For example, some couples might get into pregnancy by accident. What will happen to their child? Or, what about rape victims?"
"Every couple who wants to get married must register with the state to get permission. Likewise, if they wanted to have children. Without this permission, the hospital and doctors wouldn't want to help in the delivery process. If couples got pregnant without the state's permission, then their child will be taken in by the state and raised by the state."
"Uhm ... what? Just because their parents don't have the state permission? What if they tried to apply for the permit after a pregnancy?"
"They can't. Their failure to take care of permission BEFORE pregnancy occurs shows that they are not responsible enough to be parents."
"Hmm ..." Emma began to feel that the Akkadia system was quite complicated. She did not know whether she would be able to live in such a place. Earth had many problems with overpopulation and high birth rates, but no country had interfered with their citizen's private lives to the point of being as controlling as the Akkadian government.
"Wouldn't it be detrimental to the child if they didn't live with their biological parents? No human is perfect, parents are also not perfect. Some people need a very long time to be able to become better parents for their children. If they are not given an opportunity, how can they show that they can improve themselves?"
"The thing is, Miss ... children are not meant for trial and error. If they really want to improve their parenting and get permission to have children, they can submit the permit application for the next child BEFORE they plan to get pregnant."
"Hmm ... that makes sense." Emma finally nodded in understanding. "So ... the children will be taken care of by the state?"
"That's right. Besides being taken care of by the state, they can also be taken care of by couples who want children but are unable to give birth naturally due to various infertility issues. These children will be raised by two fit and loving parents." Atila smiled as she continued her sentence. "I am one such child. My parents are not my biological parents. They love me very much, and they are great. I am very lucky."
Emma stared at Atila for a long time and then nodded. "You are."
On Earth, adoption was not uncommon, but she often read awful stories about children being abused in the foster care system and by adoptive parents who were just as unfit as the children's biological parents.
"People who break the rules, for example having children without a permit, in addition to their children being taken by the state, they will also get some penalty and it will affect their rights as the citizen. So... people try so hard not to break the rule."
"Hmm ..."
Atila explained a lot about the life system in Akkadia and Emma could only listen. There were too many things she needed to know and it seemed like six months would not be enough.
She tried to take notes about some things that she deemed important. Later, once she already learned the written language, she would search for more information and references from written materials. Atila told her that the ship had an astounding collection of books in its library.
"Sir Therius spent a lot of time in the library. We have digital books that could transform into paperback for reading pleasure. Some people still enjoyed paperback to this day and this technology was invented for such people. Sir Therius is one of them."
Emma remembered the few times she met Therius at the penthouse, he was always with some documents or books. She now kind of guess that the man was indeed a bookworm.
"That's interesting. I would love to see a digital book that could transform into paperback. I cannot imagine how it would look."
"Don't worry, you will study with him later in the library. He will show you those books."
Emma was excited about seeing the library, but she hated seeing Therius.


This novel has several male leads and they will shine in their own time.

"A man should have a bucket list, don't you think? It'd be nice to see 24 sunsets with you in one day." - Haoran Lee

"Do you want to see how I would light up the sky for you?" - Crown Prince Therius

"I will be there till the stars don't shine." - Xion Draconi the Time Master

>>>>>
Emma Stardust, who was abandoned in front of an orphanage when she was four years old, turns out to be the daughter of a runaway princess and a formidable general from Planet Akkadia. Her parents left her behind to save her from the pursuit of the Akkadian royal family.

The secret to her past was uncovered when she suddenly woke up at the top of the Eiffel Tower and realized that she could control fire, wind, and various other elements.

And the Crown Prince of Akkadia wanted Emma to become his wife? What happened to Emma's parents? Can Emma accept the prince's love? Will Emma's powers bring her companies ... or enemies?

Follow Emma's journey as she unravels the mystery surrounding her past and her future, and finds true love in the process.

If you like strong FL, space, astronomy, magic, science, and slice-of-life.. You will be spoiled by this book! 

Note: I'm also posting the free chapters in Royal Road under pen name "Xion Draconi"

>>>>>
Winner of the WPC #102 "Secretly Overpowered Daily Life"

My other novels:
* The Alchemists
* The Prince Who Cannot Fall In Love & The Missing Heiress
* Ludwina & Andrea: Till Death Do Us Part
* The Donor (And Other Stories)

Talk to me on:
Discord: #Missrealitybites#3499 
Instagram @Missrealitybites
Facebook Page "Missrealitybites"
Facebook Group "Missrealitybites Novels"

"Keajaiban tiga undian berturut-turut, lututku sakit …"
"Sayang, keluar dan lihatlah Tuhan."
Han Xiao juga kaget. Dia hanya menempatkan tiga item ungu dalam batch ini, dan semuanya dibeli oleh orang yang sama—keberuntungannya luar biasa baik. Han Xiao hampir ingin menguliti Half A Cigarette When Lonely dan melihat apakah dia Bennett yang menyamar.
Manipulasi di balik layar? Tidak ada.
Half A Cigarette When Lonely benar-benar terpana. Kali ini, Sangat Miskin Cuma Punya Uang berjalan menghampirinya dengan kekaguman di wajahnya.
"Apa kamu memiliki teknik atau sesuatu? Tolong ajari aku. Aku bisa membayarmu." Mata Sangat Miskin Cuma Punya Uang berbinar.
"Teknik apa? Aku hanya beruntung." Half A Cigarette When Lonely mengibaskan tangannya dengan tergesa-gesa.
Visi King Of Single Draw menjadi hitam.
Semuanya omong kosong di depan keberuntungan.
Setelah selesai menjual kotak-kotak itu, Han Xiao pergi. Half A Cigarette When Lonely segera dikepung, para pemain semua menatapnya. Beberapa percaya bahwa ia memiliki teknik khusus untuk membuka kotak jarahan, sedangkan yang lain memiliki motif jahat. Namun, kota utama adalah zona aman, sehingga mereka tidak berani melakukan apa pun.
"Sobat, apa kamu menjual equip ungunya? Harganya bisa dinegosiasikan."
"Tidak untuk dijual," Half A Cigarette When Lonely menjawab tanpa sadar. Dia berbalik, dan orang yang berbicara dengannya adalah pemain pria. Half A Cigarette When Lonely melihat ID-nya dan menarik napas panjang.
Pemimpin Guild [Dinasti Kuno]—Morning Snow Twilight Frost!
Tiga nama terbesar dalam e-sports China adalah Kuil Dewa, Dinasti, dan Terong Goreng dengan Ikan. Dinasti Kuno adalah guild resmi Klub Esports Dinasti. Li Ge dari Kuil Dewa berada di peringkat kedua di China Pro Player Official Leaderboard, dan pemain yang berada di peringkat pertama adalah pemain terbaik di Dinasti. Dinasti kuno berbeda dari guild lain—mereka tidak terlalu mencolok—tetapi posisi mereka masih lebih tinggi, dan tidak ada yang bisa mengabaikan mereka.
"Aku mengerti …" Morning Snow Twilight Frost menggaruk dagunya dan berkata dengan santai, "Lalu, apakah kamu ingin bergabung dengan guild kami?"
Half A Cigarette When Lonely terkejut dan langsung setuju. Morning Snow Twilight Frost mengiriminya undangan di tempat, dan setelah Half A Cigarette When Lonely setuju, awalan guild muncul di antarmuka-nya. Persis seperti itu, Half A Cigarette When Lonely bergabung dengan guild terkenal, merasakan itu semua hanyalah mimpi.
Dia mengaku tidak menyukai guild karena guild yang dia minta untuk bergabung semua menolaknya, dan guild kecil ini tidak ada apa-apanya dibandingkan dengan Dinasti Kuno. Pemimpin guild sendiri telah mengundangnya untuk bergabung, jadi Half A Cigarette When Lonely merasa segar dan gembira segera.
'Guild memegang sumber daya, tapi undian semacam ini adalah peluang bagi kami pemain normal untuk naik. Ini adalah satu-satunya cara kami hanya bisa mendapatkan equip tingkat tinggi dengan sedikit biaya. Kotak Mesin Black Phantom benar-benar merupakan berkah.'
Half A Cigarette When Lonely puas.
….
Popularitas [Kotak Mesin Black Phantom] terus meningkat. Pemain menerbitkan semua jenis posting di forum. Beberapa posting yang menghitung kesempatan langka untuk kotak tersebut menyebutkan King Of Single Draw dan Sangat Miskin Cuma Punya Uang sebagai contoh negatif, menambah garam pada cedera mereka, terutama insiden Sangat Miskin Cuma Punya Uang hanya mendapatkan peralatan biru setelah membeli seratus kotak sekaligus.
Tarikan ajaib Half A Cigarette When Lonely juga disebutkan. Ketika dia membuka beberapa kotak lagi di kemudian hari, keberuntungannya tetap ada, dan dia mendapatkan dua euip ungu lagi, menyebabkan lebih banyak kejutan dan kecemburuan. Dengan begitu banyak equip ungu di tangan, kekuatannya pasti tidak akan lemah. Orang-orang juga memperhatikan bahwa dia telah bergabung dengan guild Dinasti Kuno, dan guild lainnya menyesali bagaimana mereka tidak mengambil kesempatan.
Han Xiao cukup tergoda untuk membawa Half A Cigarette When Lonely ke dalam timnya, tetapi dia menyerah setelah beberapa pertimbangan. Keberuntungan bukanlah sesuatu yang bisa diandalkan. Half A Cigarette When Lonely tidak memenuhi standar rekrutmennya, dan dibandingkan dengan keberuntungan, Han Xiao lebih percaya pada keterampilan sejati.
Di forum, beberapa orang menyusun daftar semua barang berguna yang diterima orang dari kotak, termasuk mesin, bahan berguna, dan suku cadang. Sejumlah besar jarahan bagus menarik lebih banyak pemain, dan pemain lain di seluruh benua semua iri dengan event jarahan di Sanctuary Three.
Lebih banyak pemain Benua Selatan datang setelah mereka mendengar tentang ini. Bahkan para pemain yang melakukan ekspedisi ingin kembali sekarang. Mereka mengira akan ada banyak misi dan peluang selama perang, tetapi siapa yang tahu situasinya akan berubah begitu cepat? Setelah Han Xiao mencuri rahasia Organisasi Germinal, mereka hampir tidak bisa berjuang, sehingga para pemain akhirnya hanya menonton.
Para pemain Benua Barat dan Benua Utara berharap mereka dilahirkan di Benua Selatan, bisa menumbuhkan sepasang sayap dan terbang ke Sanctuary Three. Sayangnya, karena perang, penerbangan antar benua ditutup sementara. Para pemain Andrea adalah kelompok yang paling tidak beruntung—mereka merasa seperti mereka belum mengalami hal yang baik sejak membuat karakter mereka.
Event kotak jarahan sukses besar. Han Xiao memulai satu lagi event baru untuk semakin memperkuat posisinya. Event kali ini menerbitkan jenis misi pengumpulan hadiah sebagai misi berulang lainnya di kota utama. Umpan baliknya juga cukup positif. Para pemain melihat lebih banyak manfaat, sekaligus meningkatkan beragam event di kota utama.
Han Xiao memberikan beberapa materi kepada Bun-hit-dog untuk episode selanjutnya dari eventnya. Dengan pengenalan yang lebih rinci tentang masa lalu dan pengalaman Han Xiao, lebih rinci daripada posting di forum, sekali lagi memperkuat kesan para pemain tentang dia, sekaligus mempromosikan Sanctuary Three.
Reaksi para pemain sangat penting bagi Han Xiao, yang menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya untuk melihat-lihat forum, yang tampak seperti menatap kegelapan bagi Hila dan yang lainnya.
"Galaxy Times mengeluarkan episode baru, subtitlenya adalah Perang Planet Aquamarine? Galaxy Times benar-benar menggunakan satu planet sebagai judul mereka, namun mereka berfokus pada Planet Aquamarine kali ini. Aku tidak ingat episode ini dari kehidupan sebelumnya …."
Mata Han Xiao berbinar, dan dia mengklik ke video.
"Halo para pemain," host pria, Spring, menyapa. "Ini Galaxy Times, yang didedikasikan untuk berbagi informasi game tangan pertama. Karir gaming Anda adalah prioritas utama kami."
"Spring, aku baru saja belajar instrumen."
"Benarkah? Instrumen apa yang kamu pelajari, Autumn?"
"Aku akan tampil untukmu, dan kamu harus menebak."
Host perempuan mengambil gitar dan memainkan irama yang akrab. Setelah selesai, dia bertanya, "Spring, bisa tebak apa yang kumainkan?"
"Kamu main gitar."
"…." 
Lelucon pembuka terasa canggung seperti biasanya.
Setelah mengalami bagian itu, mereka akhirnya mulai berbicara tentang masalah serius. Host pertama-tama mulai berbicara tentang hal-hal yang terjadi di kancah pro, masalah yang para pemain temui, kemudian mengubah topik menjadi tema mereka untuk episode ini.
"… Baru-baru ini, banyak hal telah terjadi di Planet Aquamarine. Perang antara Enam Negara dan Organisasi Germinal pecah, dan itu mempengaruhi seluruh planet. Para pemain mengalami peristiwa ini. Tanpa diragukan lagi, ini jelas merupakan salah satu alur cerita utama dari planet ini, dan dibandingkan dengan planet lain, alur cerita utama di Planet Aquamarine paling awal. Oleh karena itu, ini sangat penting. Dalam episode hari ini, kita akan menganalisis alur cerita utama perang di Planet Aquamarine, menyimpulkan karakteristik dari peristiwa alur cerita utama, dan memprediksi pengaruhnya di masa depan."
Setelah mendengar ini, Han Xiao akhirnya mengerti mengapa episode ini muncul. Di bawah pengaruhnya, alur cerita utama perang antara Enam Negara dan Organisasi Germinal telah pecah satu tahun sebelumnya, dan para pemain masih dalam tahap awal saat ini. Sebagian besar alur cerita utama di planet pemula masih berkembang; oleh karena itu, perang global di Planet Aquamarine menarik banyak perhatian. Itu adalah bahan yang sangat bagus untuk sebuah episode.
Kedua host memperkenalkan latar belakang planet Planet Aquamarine dulu, kemudian mulai menganalisis situasinya.
"Perang telah berlangsung hampir dua bulan dan sekarang telah memasuki tahap akhir. Organisasi Germinal berada di ujung kekalahan. Perang juga membuat dampak yang sangat jelas pada struktur planet. Organisasi besar untuk para pemain, [Organisasi Germinal] sekarang menghadapi akhir mereka. Para pemain milik Organisasi Germinal berada dalam situasi yang sangat buruk, tidak tahu ke mana harus pergi setelah perang. Ada beberapa kemungkinan, menjadi sisa-sisa Organisasi Germinal, bergabung dengan Enam Negara, atau mungkin menjadi pengembara."
"Dari event ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa salah satu karakteristik dari alur cerita utama adalah bahwa itu akan memiliki dampak besar, menimbulkan perubahan drastis, berskala besar, dan sebagainya."
"Namun, meskipun para pemain Planet Aquamarine berpartisipasi dalam alur cerita utama perang, mereka tidak membuat banyak dampak. Mereka hanya prajurit biasa dan memiliki efek terbatas pada gambaran besar. Tentu saja, kami juga melihat banyak kemungkinan dari ini. pemain sekarang memiliki level rata-rata yang agak rendah, dan pasti berbeda setelah level mereka lebih tinggi. Oleh karena itu, pemain dari planet lain, nantikan event alur cerita utama Anda sendiri.
"Karena tingkat partisipasi para pemain tidak tinggi, kita dapat menyimpulkan bahwa alur cerita utama Planet Aquamarine mungkin sangat tergesa-gesa. Ini lebih seperti alur cerita cutscene dalam perspektif para pemain. Dengan pemikiran ini, tim kami mengatur data dari para pemain di forum dan memperhatikan sesuatu yang sangat menarik. Silakan lihat di bawah. Ini adalah dua skenario yang mungkin dari alur cerita utama Planet Aquamarine yang disimpulkan oleh saluran kami."
Kali ini, dua tabel muncul di layar dengan konten yang berbeda, menggambarkan peristiwa revolusioner sebelum dimulainya perang ekspedisi.
Han Xiao mengangkat alisnya. Salah satu tabel termasuk hal-hal yang telah dia lakukan, seperti melarikan diri dari Organisasi Germinal, mengekspos intelijen yang menyebabkan penghancuran basis Organisasi Germinal, dan sebagainya. Itu semua alur cerita saat ini—dia mengekspos identitasnya, dan data ini diberikan kepada para pemain melalui berbagai sumber juga. Perbuatannya di tabel semuanya ditandai merah.
Tabel lain meninggalkan hal-hal yang telah ia lakukan, dan hasil yang didapat benar-benar berbeda. Diasumsikan bahwa konflik antara Enam Negara dan Organisasi Germinal akan dimulai dari pangkalan di berbagai benua, di mana semua pemain dapat ambil bagian. Para pemain kemudian akan tumbuh melalui peluang ini, perang hanya akan terjadi ketika level para pemain jauh lebih tinggi, dan itu akan bertahan beberapa kali lebih lama dari sekarang.
Ini menarik perhatian Han Xiao, dan dia terus menonton. 'Menarik, ini sangat mirip dengan jalan cerita kehidupanku sebelumnya. Logika dan pengamatan mereka harus benar-benar terperinci untuk dapat memperhatikan hal ini. Lagi pula ada talenta tersembunyi di para pemain.'
"… Seperti yang dapat dilihat oleh semua orang," host pria melanjutkan, "hasil turunan dari dua tabel ini sangat berbeda. Salah satunya adalah alur cerita saat ini, dan yang lain adalah alur cerita turunan. Namun, alur cerita turunan tampaknya memiliki lebih banyak karakteristik tentang bagaimana alur cerita utama seharusnya, jadi apa yang menyebabkan perbedaan dalam hasil?"
Itu benar, peristiwa-peristiwa yang ditandai dengan warna merah ini memang merupakan titik balik utama di balik pecahnya perang di awal, dan kunci untuk ini adalah seseorang yang sangat akrab dengan para pemain Planet Aquamarine—Black Phantom, Zero, Han Xiao!"


Apa yang kamu lakukan ketika bangun dan menemukan dirimu berada di dalam game yang kamu sukai? 

Apa yang kamu lakukan ketika kamu sadar bahwa kamu tidak hanya menjadi NPC - kamu bahkan dilempar kembali ke masa sebelum game diluncurkan! 

Apa yang akan terjadi ketika dua realitas protagonis kita bertepatan?
 
Han Xiao adalah seorang power leveler profesional sebelum transmigrasinya. Menggunakan pengetahuan kehidupan masa lalunya, Han Xiao menyapu alam semesta sembari ia mempersiapkan kedatangan para pemain. Ini jelas bukan novel transmigrasi-mu yang biasa. 

"Miracle three single draws in a row, my knees hurt…"
"Baby, come out and look at God."
Han Xiao was shocked, too. He had only placed three purple items in this batch, and they had all been bought by the same person—his luck was unbelievably good. Han Xiao almost wanted to skin Half A Cigarette When Lonely and see if he was Bennett in disguise.
Manipulation behind the scenes? Non-existent.
Half A Cigarette When Lonely was completely stunned. This time, So Poor I Only Have Money Left walked over to him with admiration on his face.
"Do you have any technique or something? Please teach me. I can pay you." So Poor I Only Have Money Left's eyes sparkled.
"What technique? I'm just lucky." Half A Cigarette When Lonely waved his hand hastily.
King Of Single Draw's vision turned black.
Everything was bullsh*t in front of luck.
After he finished selling the boxes, Han Xiao left. Half A Cigarette When Lonely immediately got surrounded, the players all looking at him. Some believed that he had a special technique to opening loot boxes, whereas others had malicious motives. However, the main city was a safe zone, so they did not dare do anything.
"Friend, are you selling the purple equipment? The price can be negotiated."
"Not for sale," Half A Cigarette When Lonely answered subconsciously. He turned around, and the person who had spoken to him was a male player. Half A Cigarette When Lonely looked at his ID and took a deep inhale.
[Ancient Dynasty] Guild Leader—Morning Snow Twilight Frost!
The three biggest names in China's e-sports were the Temple of God, Dynasty, and Fried Eggplants with Fish. Ancient Dynasty was the official guild of the Dynasty E-sports Club. Li Ge from Temple of God was ranked second in the China Pro Player Official Leaderboard, and the player that ranked first was the best player in Dynasty. Ancient Dynasty was different from other guilds—they kept a very low profile—but their position was still superior, and no one could ignore them.
"I see…" Morning Snow Twilight Frost scratched his chin and said casually, "Then, do you want to join our guild?"
Half A Cigarette When Lonely was surprised and agreed immediately. Morning Snow Twilight Frost sent him the invitation on the spot, and after Half A Cigarette When Lonely agreed, the guild prefix appeared on his interface. Just like that, Half A Cigarette When Lonely joined the renowned guild, feeling it was all a dream.
He claimed to dislike guilds because the guilds that he had requested to join all rejected him, and these small guilds were nothing compared to the Ancient Dynasty. The guild leader himself had invited him to join, so Half A Cigarette When Lonely felt refreshed and jubilant immediately.
The guilds hold onto the resources, but this kind of lucky draw is the chances for us normal players to rise. This is the only way we can only get high-level equipment with little cost. Black Phantom's Machinery Box is really a blessing.
Half A Cigarette When Lonely was content.
…
[Black Phantom's Machinery Box]'s popularity continued to grow. Players published all kinds of posts in the forums. Some posts that calculated the rarity chance for the box mentioned King Of Single Draw and So Poor I Only Have Money Left as negative examples, adding salt to their injury, especially So Poor I Only Have Money Left's incident of getting just blue equipment after buying a hundred boxes at once.
Half A Cigarette When Lonely's miracle draws were also mentioned. When he opened a few more boxes later on, his lucked remained, and he got two more purple equipment, causing more surprise and jealousy. With so many pieces of purple equipment in hand, his strength would definitely not be weak. The people also noticed that he had joined the Ancient Dynasty guild, and the other guilds regretted how they did not grab the opportunity.
Han Xiao was quite tempted to bring Half A Cigarette When Lonely into his team, but he gave the idea up after some considerations. Luck was not something one could depend on. Half A Cigarette When Lonely's skills were not up to his recruitment standard, and compared to luck, Han Xiao trusted more in true skills.
On the forums, some people compiled lists of all the useful items people received from the boxes, including machinery, useful materials, and parts. The large amount of good loot attracted more players, and the other players across the continents were all jealous of the loot box event in Sanctuary Three.
More Southern Continent players came after they heard about this. Even the players that went on the expedition wanted to return right now. They had thought that there would be a lot of missions and opportunities during the war, but who knew the situation would change so fast? After Han Xiao stole the secrets of the Germinal Organization, they could barely even struggle, so the players ended up only watching.
The Western Continent and Northern Continent players wished they had been born in the Southern Continent, that they could just grow a pair of wings and fly to Sanctuary Three. Unfortunately, due to the war, inter-continent flights were closed temporarily. The Andrea players were the unluckiest bunch—they felt like they had not experienced anything good since creating their characters.
The loot box event was a huge success. Han Xiao started one more new event to further strengthen his position. The event this time was publishing a type of prize pool mission as another recurring mission in the main city. The feedback was quite positive as well. The players saw more benefits, at the same time increasing the variety of events in the main city.
Han Xiao gave some material to Bun-hit-dog for the next episode of his show. With a more detailed introduction of Han Xiao's past and experience, more detailed than the post in the forums, it once again strengthened the players' impression of him, at the same time promoting Sanctuary Three.
The players' reaction was very important to Han Xiao, who spent most of his time to look through the forums, which looked like he was staring into the black to Hila and the rest.
"Galaxy Times published a new episode, the subtitle is Planet Aquamarine War? The Galaxy Times really used a single planet as their title, yet they are focusing on Planet Aquamarine this time. I don't remember this episode from my previous life…"
Han Xiao's eyes sparkled, and he clicked into the video.
"Hello players," the male host, Spring, greeted. "This is Galaxy Times, dedicated to sharing first-hand game information. Your gaming career is our top priority."
"Spring, I have been learning an instrument recently."
"Really? What instrument did you learn, Autumn?"
"I'll perform for you, and you have to guess."
The female host took out a guitar and played a familiar rhythm. After she finished, she asked, "Spring, can you guess what did I play?"
"You're playing the guitar."
"…"
The opening joke was as awkward as always.
After enduring that part, they finally started talking about serious matters. The hosts first started talking about the things happening in the pro scene, the problems that the players met, then changed the topic to their theme for this episode.
"… Recently, many things have happened in Planet Aquamarine. The war between Six Nations and the Germinal Organization broke out, and it affected the entire planet. Players were experiencing this event. Without a doubt, this is definitely one of the main storylines of the planet, and compared to other planets, the main storyline in Planet Aquamarine broke out the earliest. Therefore, it is of significance. In today's episode, we will be analyzing the main storyline war on Planet Aquamarine, concluding the characteristics of main storyline events, and predicting its influence in the future."
After hearing this, Han Xiao finally understood why this episode appeared. Under his influence, the war main storyline between the Six Nations and the Germinal Organization had broken out a year in advance, and the players were still in the early stages at the moment. Most of the main storyline on the novice planets were still brewing; therefore, the global war on Planet Aquamarine attracted the most attention. It was a very good material for an episode.
The two hosts first introduced the planet background of Planet Aquamarine, then started to analyze the situation.
"The war has lasted close to two months and has now entered its final stage. The Germinal Organization is at the edge of defeat. The war also made a very obvious impact on the planet's structure. A big organization for the players, [Germinal Organization] is now facing their end. The players belonging to the Germinal Organization are in a very bad situation, not knowing where to go after the war. There will most likely be a few possibilities, becoming the remnants of the Germinal Organization, joining the Six Nations, or maybe becoming wanderers."
"From this event, it can be concluded that one of the characteristics of the main storyline is that it will have a huge impact, pose a drastic change, have a large scale, and so on."
"However, although the Planet Aquamarine players participated in the war main storyline, they did not make much of an impact. They were just normal soldiers and had limited effects on the big picture. Of course, we also saw many possibilities from this. The players now have a rather low average level, and it should be different once their level is higher. Therefore, players from other planets, look forward to your own main storyline events."
"As the participation level of the players was not high, we can conclude that the Planet Aquamarine main storyline might very well be rushed. It's more like a cutscene plotline in the players' perspective. With this thought in mind, our teams arranged the data from the players in the forums and noticed something very interesting. Please look below. These are the two possible scenarios of the Planet Aquamarine main storyline that our channel deduced."
This time, two tables appeared on the screen with different content, describing a revolutionary event before the start of the expedition war.
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows. One of the tables included the things that he had done, such as escaping from the Germinal Organization, exposing intelligence that caused the destruction of Germinal Organization bases, and so on. That was all the current storyline—he exposed his identity, and this data was given to the players through different sources as well. His deeds in the table were all marked red.
Another table took away the things he had done, and the derived result was completely different. It was assumed that the conflict between the Six Nations and the Germinal Organization would start from the bases in various continents, which all the players would be able to take part in. The players would then grow through these opportunities, the war would only happen when the level of the players was much higher, and it would last many times longer than now.
This caught Han Xiao's attention, and he continued to watch. Interesting, this is very similar to the storyline of my previous life. Their logic and observations must be really detailed to be able to notice this. There are hidden talents in the players after all.
"… As everyone can see," the male host continued, "the derived result of these two tables is completely different. One of them is the current storyline, and another is a derived storyline. However, the derived storyline seems to have more characteristics of how the main storyline should be, so what led to the difference in the results?"
"That's right, these events marked in red are indeed the key turning points behind the war breaking out in advance, and the key to this is someone that the Planet Aquamarine players are all very familiar with—Black Phantom, Zero, Han Xiao!"


What do you do when you wake up and find yourself inside the very game that you love? 
What do you do when you realize you that you have not only become an NPC - you have even been thrown back in time to before the game even launched! 
What will happen when our protagonist's two realities coincide? 
Han Xiao was a professional power leveler before his transmigration. Using his past life's knowledge, Han Xiao sweeps through the universe as he prepares for the arrival of the players. This is definitely not your typical transmigration novel.

Nathalia Avra 


Today, Mr Faelliyo has asked us to visit his mansion at the foot of Vestorwinds Hills for a brief luncheon. I excitedly waited for the end of today's session as the library in the Faelliyo mansion has always been one of my favourite places to hang out. I love to look over the books, to feel them, and one day, it's my dream to read every single one of them.


"Bye Britty, see you tomorrow." I hug my best friend, Brittany, as we make our way out of the college doors and part our ways.


Brittany has been my bestie since ninth grade. She was beautiful in her own way. Dark skinned, curly black locks, like a clown's wig (she doesn't like me calling her hair that) and her beautiful dark brown eyes always with a smiling glint should obviously indicate that we would be best friends forever. She was taller than me and she was fit (she does go to the gym, unlike me). Today, she wore a white crop top with blue jeans and a small blue ribbon on her hair and her trusty black flip flops.


I wore a simple purple T-shirt and paired it with my light blue jeans (which I pair everything with), a blue hoodie and black sneakers. I tied my long black hair in a ponytail.  The look always looked dorky on me and people assume I am a dork. Well, I don't care because the outfit always was comfortable and practical.


"Hello, sugarpie. How was your day?" Dad smiles as I take the front seat.


"It was great. Can't wait to get to the mansion." I squeal.


"I need my ears for the conference, so go low with the shrieking, will ya?" Dad ruffled my hair as I nodded yes.


Eric Avra is a businessman and he is my sweet loving father. He is in his forties. His hair has been neatly combed to one side. If you look closely, you can make out white hair strands peeking through his black hair like specs of snow. He has a trimmed beard and a bushy moustache. He always wears his black-rimmed rectangular spectacles over his dark hazel eyes. Today he wore a black suit, with a white shirt and my favourite maroon tie( I gave on his birthday). 


Dad works at Aeronauticorps where they manufacture parts for aircraft. He always encourages me for what I love and care for and I really love the idea of following his footsteps. That is one reason why I took up aeronautical engineering as my major!


So back to the car ride towards Faelliyo mansion. We made a pit stop to pick mom up from our humble abode.


Our house was a one storey building with a small vegetable garden in the backyard and a garage on the left side of the house. It is painted white and the whole front porch wall was decorated with knick-knacks and origami. My parents can get a bit creative sometimes.


Tongo, our beautiful beagle was lying in his kennel at the far right corner of our house.

In our home in India, Tongo was not allowed inside our house( Most of the pet dogs in Kerala were just for guarding the house). Even coming to England didn't change his fate.


Mom was also excited but the fact that dad was not attending because of a boring yet important conference is sad.


Anyway, we reached home to find mom smiling like a hundred-watt flashlight.


"Hello, pyarijan! Hope on." Dad tries to sound romantic.


Mom giggles a bit as she gets inside the car.


"Drive away." She says trying to sound like dad.


Dad chuckles as he hits the gas pedals.


Vanessa Avra is a charming woman in her late thirties. She wore her red sari (she hates wearing 'foreign clothes' and avoids it as much as possible). She tied her black hair in a waterfall braid and fastened a silver leaf-shaped brooch on the braid. As usual, she looked beautiful. She wore a gold bracelet on her left hand and her black flat heels.


She is actually my moral support and the nightingale of our home. Her presence makes the air around our house float peacefully. But mom really feels a little lonely as she has never come into terms with staying in England. Well, we were migrants from India. Professor and dad had co-founded the company and they started their first branch in England.


Dad pulls over the car as we near the vast intricately laid down marbled steps of the Faelliyo mansion.



The Faelliyo mansion is two-storied, built in the style of medieval Italian architecture and almost entirely out of wood. The big oak doors marked Professor Faelliyo's taste for old buildings and the interiors were rather simple compared to the grand exterior. People might mistake it for a museum if they didn't read the large sign board saying FAELLIYO MANSION. I personally like the design but it's too luxurious for an old man and his housekeeper.


"Good luck with your big meeting, dad." I chime as we get out of the car. 


"Goodbye darlings and enjoy." His raspy voice calls out as he starts the engine again and drives off down the road. 


Mom and I turned away, heading for the vast marble staircase.


No sooner did we reach the threshold, the doors swing open as Professor Faelliyo stands, hands wide open, ready to welcome us in.


"Good evening Mrs and Miss Avra. Glad you came." He spoke rather formally. I always felt that Professor's voice had lost all the joy of his yesteryears.


"Good evening Professor! Glad you invited us." I say pleasantly.


Professor cocks a smile.


"Ladies this way to the dining hall." He leads us through the drawing-room and into the dining hall. It has been a thousand times we have visited but he still keeps his "host mode" on.


A kind old man in his fifties, Professor Faelliyo has dedicated his whole life to learning. He had the palest silver blond hair which is combed backwards neatly. He wore soda glass spectacles and wore a crisp white shirt and black pants. His blue eyes always looked sad. Even though he most likely has tonnes of information stored away in his brain, he's not the kind of person who bores us with unending tales of hardships and bravery peppered with strange facts. Rather, all his dealings seemed to be tinged with a shade of melancholy. Which wasn't much more than we could expect, especially not from a man whose wife passed and son had gone missing. 


Tommy Faelliyo was like fifteen when he vanished, causing his mother's death and his father's depression. As the Professor says, he was a charming young boy who shared his father's enthusiasm for learning. 


Anyway, as we proceeded to the dining hall, the housekeeper, Mrs Ahima greeted us with a warm smile. 


She was an old lady in her sixties and had probably been working at the mansion since the Professor was a kid. She had brown hair with a few white fibres popping at random places and it was tied in an intricate bun. She wore a black frock with a white apron tied around her waist (which really gave a very English housekeeper impression to me). Despite her age, she was still graceful and carried the spirit of a young maiden.


"Good evening, Miss and Mrs Avra," she greeted us pleasantly. 


"Good evening, Mrs Ahima," I say politely. "You look beautiful."


She blushes a bit, and on seeing the Professor quickly asks us to be seated. We do, and she serves our meal, preceded by a short grace from my mother. I help myself to Mrs Ahima's delicious spaghetti, chilled carrot juice and blueberry pudding. 


The dining hall was a beautiful large hall. The walls were brown, complementing the wooden floor. Several paintings hung around the hall. On the centre wall, above the large french window, was a portrait of the last supper. The table was a large round glass table with eight chairs around it. The table and its chairs were the only pieces of furniture in that room.



My mouth was like an orchestra playing a delicious harmony and the smooth blasts of joyful tastiness were mostly interrupted by mom and Professor discussing social issues. 


Since I don't lend my ears to such boring topics, I was busy thinking about the library. My mind is on one of the bookshelves - the only one I haven't looked at yet. All-day, I'd been wondering what on earth could be on that shelf, though realistically it was probably just old non - fiction and fiction books like the rest of the library. 


 But you know the saying, one could still dream! 


"Look, I swear that if I could possibly find another planet that can house human life, their planet would eventually be like this one. Polluted," the Professor remarks, pulling me out of my reverie.

 

"But, Professor, that doesn't make sense," I blurted without thinking. "It's not like there's been any planet other than Earth that can support life."


"I said possibly, not that it was definite." The Professor dabs at his mouth with a napkin. "It's human nature to be curious. I suppose that's what destroys our planet in the first place."


I tilt my head. "I thought scientists always say curiosity is the most important?" 


There is an icy chill in the air and Professor's glare really bore a hole through me. I felt like I offended him and needless to say, the rest of the meal was spent in silence. 


The minute I was excused, I rushed to the library, heading straight for that shelf. 


The library was as large as the dining hall. It had bookshelves across the four walls and some bookshelves arranged in a sort of maze-like fashion. There was a huge round wooden table and some benches in the centre of the room, like a final round patch in the maze of books. I really liked the design. It always made the saying, lost in the world of books, quite literal. There was a huge French window on the far left wall and a window seat with comfortable pillows arranged, so one can snuggle under a blanket and sip a cup of coffee while enjoying a book and look outside to see a beautiful garden. The garden also had a chair and table with an umbrella over the table, so if you want some fresh air, you can always hop out of the window and go sit there. But I always preferred to sit on the wet lawn grass. 


The garden was beautiful and it was filled with all sorts of orchids, tulips, roses and some varieties of bougainvillea. The table was situated in the middle and the plain white paint seemed to contrast with the colourful flowers around. 


There was a coffee counter on the right side of the room(outside the bookshelf maze) and it had a dozen mugs and a wide variety of coffee and tea powders. There was also a small doorway that leads to the kitchen. So, one could easily reach the kitchen to grab a snack.


The first floor was just a drawing-room that leads to the library on the right and the dining hall to the left with the kitchen connecting both the rooms. I think the second floor housed the bedrooms and Professor Faelliyo's office.


There was also a small washroom at the side of the large French window. I could always spend a whole weekend in this place and I wouldn't feel like I missed going out. 


Where was I? Oh, the mysterious bookshelf at the end of the maze-like- bookshelf-cluster. The bookshelf oddly stood out. Probably the first one ever to be in this room. It was covered by old wooden doors, but there was no lock, so I reached to open it. 



Some books must have fallen out of the shelf and had been leaning against the door, because the moment I open them several heavy books crash to the floor, barely missing me. I jumped away, tripping over a stool as I did.


"Nathalia, are you all right?" 


I look up to see the Professor standing over me, looking concerned. He must have heard the noise and ran to check that nothing or no one had been seriously damaged. But I must remark, man that was fast!


"I'm fine," I say, standing and dusting myself off. 


He glances behind me, at the fallen books and the open shelf. "I thought I warned you against opening this shelf?" He gives me a shrewd look. 


"I-I'm sorry," I lie. "It's been a while since you told me. I just totally forgot I wasn't supposed to open it."


"Well, I'm telling you now. It's just old research books in there, ones that I don't want to be damaged, although you might have done your job on some of them." He nods towards the books on the floor. "I'd prefer it if you don't open this again. Do you understand me?" 


"I understand," I say, swallowing. 


"Browse anything else you'd like. I'll get Mrs Ahima to clean this up."


"No, it's fine!" I say quickly. "She's probably too busy to bother with this. I can do it. It's no problem, really."


Professor exhales. "Fine. Just call Ahima if you need anything."


I nod and fake an innocent smile. "Sure. Thanks, Professor."


With that, the Professor walked away again, suspiciously. After making sure I was alone, I turned to look at the stack of books.  A smaller one at the top of the pile catches my eye, and I pick it up. 


It's a diary. But instead of normal "Dear Diary" entries, it's filled with jargon and calculations, and even a diagram of some kind of spaceship on one page. It is streamlined, and the angles are outlined and circled so many times that I figured they must be important. Measurements are marked neatly in the Professor's handwriting, which I have to admit is so beautiful.


I put the diary back on the shelf and opened what looks like a photo album. The pictures were all of a boy around fifteen or sixteen, which I immediately deduce to be Tommy Faelliyo. I flipped through page after page, photo after photo of this boy's life. Occasionally, the Professor and his wife will show up on the pages. It's like holding fragments of memories in my hands. 

Memories, and for some reason, a spaceship. 


I hear a mock cough behind me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turn, scared that it was the Professor, but relaxed once I saw who it was. 


"Hi, Mrs Ahima. Sorry for the mess, I was just, uh . . ." 


"It's no problem," she says, waving my apologies away. "I was going to reorganize this shelf anyway, at least, if the Professor would let me."


She turns to leave, but I stop her. "Mrs Ahima, can I ask you something?" 


She nods. "Anything you need, dear."


"Well, you know, um . . ." I decide to stop beating around the bush and get to the question. "How did Tommy disappear?" 


Mrs Ahima was not expecting that. She just turned pale! Slowly, she replies, "Did you read any of the journals?" 


"I - I just saw some albums and notes." I stammer. 


She sighs and sits down on a nearby chair. "I suppose you should know."


I sit down beside her as she starts to tell the story.


"The Professor and his wife loved Tommy very much, Nathalia. He was a very energetic boy - naughty, sometimes, too, but I loved him for it."


"I saw a spaceship in one of the Professor's notes," I venture. "Does that have anything to do with it?" 


"The spaceship is what the Professor worked six long years to build. He was determined to explore space, and he knew the only way to do it was to make a vehicle to do so. I don't know all the technicalities, I'm not a scientist. On the day before the first launch, both the spaceship and Tommy simply vanished into thin air. Mrs Faelliyo was devastated and fell deathly sick. She passed away a week later."


"I'm sorry." 


Mrs Ahima nods then gets up from her chair. "I wouldn't tell the Professor that I've told you. It's still a sensitive subject for him. Let's pick up these books."


I smile assuringly as we both set to clean the mess I made. I slipped the notebook under my sweater. Just borrowing without noticing!


* * * 

That night, I couldn't sleep. I keep reading and rereading the notes, just trying to figure out what this all meant. 


I have several theories, all of them seeming to be nothing more than ideas. Could Tommy have launched the spaceship himself? Maybe he accidentally went out into space and died there. Or the spaceship crashed somewhere else in the world. 


That's stupid, I chide myself. A 15-year-old boy can't pilot a spaceship. He couldn't get to outer space, that's for sure. 


It also struck me as strange that the two things stolen from Professor Faelliyo were his most important possessions; his son and his life's work. Perhaps someone had been out to get him? If so, they'd certainly succeed.


But why?


And who?


Eventually, my frenzied train of thoughts began to dwindle, and finally, I found myself drifting into sleep. 

It was just a usual day in Nathalia Avra's busy life. Being a student in the most famous engineering college available in her locality; the early morning alarms, Tongo's bark, the newspaper and the milk on her doorstep, Mrs Avra's charming song was the most usual morning rushes in the Avra family.


She wouldn't have wondered, not even in her wildest dreams that one curious question that ran into her would change her busy life, at least for a few mesmerizing years.


 What question, you might ask? 

Well, what if the Earth was the other way…?

Eric spent more time on his hair Friday afternoon than he would ever admit to anyone. In the end, he was satisfied with the way it didn't look like he'd spent two hours working on it. 
Then on the off chance that this really was a date and that Trinity might want to come up to his apartment for some reason that he couldn't, at the moment, all himself to dwell on, he cleaned. When the dishes were done and the dirty clothes were in the washer and he had managed to spray himself in the chest with Windex. He looked at the clock and ran to find another shirt to wear.
Fifteen minutes later, he had just found one and buttoned it up, when Trinity rang his doorbell.
Eric dashed to the door. And there she stood, the sexiest woman he'd ever known.
Of course, he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He grabbed the bouquet from the counter and handed it to her. She smiled. Then he knelt to pet Ed Hermann and followed her out to her car.
"Now," she said, sliding in behind the wheel, "I haven't been to this place yet, so if the food is terrible—"
"Then I'll take you out for burgers and milkshakes," he said.
The food was amazing, and despite the cheesy décor, the restaurant was cozy and the table narrow enough that he could accidentally brush her hand when she reached for the wicker basket of naan.
"I have to know what sparked this sudden desire," she said.
"What?" Eric asked, his mouth going dry. He wanted to say, it's not sudden, I have always wanted you, but more than one date in college had taught him not to blurt out what he was thinking at any given minute.
"To move to Burundi," Trinity said. "To disappear to the other side of the world, leaving everything behind. What are you going to do with your apartment? You know it's going to take some serious machinery to transport all your books, right?"
Eric took a deep breath. Thank you, Gloria Winters, for dumping me sophomore year when I told you that I could never marry a girl who didn't love Star Trek. Thank you, Danielle James, for scowling at me repeatedly during our Maymester Greek class, until I learned that women don't enjoy jokes about sexual positions and clown fetishes. Thank every one of you who taught me to clarify before saying something embarrassing.
"It's not sudden," he said. "I have wanted to travel for as long as I can remember. My parents used to lose me in the library and find me in the nonfiction stacks, surrounded by atlases and Lonely Planet guides. Anyway, everything here is ready. I'm renting my apartment, furnished. My parents are taking care of it while I'm gone. And yes, so instead of renting a forklift, we're just going to set my office on fire and watch it all burn."
"God, no," she said with a laugh. "You have a first edition of Tess of the D'Urbervilles in there."
"Not to mention some early X-Men comic books."
"You're really going," she said, shaking her head. "I can't imagine the university without you."
Eric took her hand then, never mind that it was nowhere near the naan. 
"Do you think," she said, then paused as though wondering if she really wanted to ask the question. "Do you think you'll…want to come back?"
He wanted to say, part of me already does. "I don't know," he said instead. "But I don't have any plans to."
"Never?"
"I...I don't know."
The corner of her mouth twitched down. "What about—"
Eric held up the hand that wasn't holding hers. "I have gone through all the 'what abouts' with my sister. It may not be the sensible thing to do, but I have to. I think I would hate myself if I didn't, now that I finally have the chance."
Trinity watched him for a moment, then nodded and pulled her hand away from his. "So tell me more about Burundi and Amnesty International and your writing gig."
He did. And as he told her about the contacts he'd already made and the research he'd already started, he forgot that this was Trinity he was talking to because this, being out in the world, making a difference, this was what mattered, not his dream girl, not his sensible, stable life. He was good with languages. That was a gift he didn't intend to waste.
And she watched him as though she understood and admired that fire in him, even though Eric couldn't quite believe she did. Trinity never seemed to want anything.
She drove him home late that night and came up to his apartment when he offered her a cup of coffee. They maneuvered around stacks of boxes to the kitchen, where they drank their coffee, the whole pot. Then she took his hand, and they made jittery love on his king-sized bed. She wrapped her legs tight around him and urged him on, and the sound of her breathless voice separated his brain from his body in the most wonderful way.
Afterward, she lay with him for a minute, then slid into her clothes. She kissed him on the cheek before she left.

Amaya has a secret, but she has it under control. Almost. Everything is fine. Everyone is safe. As long as no one touches her skin.

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