Jayden chuckled innocently, trying to mask his true intentions. "Sorry.. I ant, what's your take on his personality?"
"Oh," Ava tilted her head, considering. "Well, he's cool. But not in the fun way." she chuckled.
Jayden smiled faintly. "You an he's reserved."
Ava nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah, very much so. But I don't bla him, I an... he's an old man with the most important job ever. Looking after an entire planet."
Jayden chuckled lightly. "Yeah. That job can be... a lot."
Then he lowered his voice, disguising his curiosity as casual. "But I'm sure he's doing fine. He's a strong and capable person with terrifying skills and.. abilities."
Ava furrowed her brows, genuinely thoughtful. "Actually, now that you ntion it... I've always wondered what his ability is. Even when I've seen him sparring, he never reveals it. It's like... he hides it on purpose."
Jayden nodded slowly. "It's not even on the internet. Every fight of his online is just him fighting barehanded. Nothing more."
She humd, nodding. "Then I guess it's a mystery."
Jayden nodded. "I guess it is."
Then he opened his mouth to press further, but Ava suddenly stood, brushing snow from her clothes. "Sorry, love. I need to head back to the outside world. I've got things to do."
Then she looked at him apologetically. "But we'll continue this conversation another ti. Does tomorrow sound good?"
Jayden nodded. "Sure. I'll be looking forward to it."
She smiled warmly. "Good. I had fun today though.. the fight, the talk. It was nice eting another supernatural being."
Jayden stood with her. "It was nice eting you too." Then he rembered sothing, eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait... you said you had lycan blood. What did you an by that?"
Ava smirked knowingly, turning away. "I'll let you figure it out before our next eting." She waved over her shoulder. "Bye, Jay. See you tomorrow."
Jayden chuckled softly, watching her retreat. He replayed every word in his head.. her knowledge of his family, of myth, of empires. She knew too much. He didn't know if he could trust her, but one thing was clear: she'd be useful in giving him information. And for now, he'd play along.
Then sothing struck him. "Wait!" he called. "How do we get out of the arena?"
Ava stopped mid-step. Slowly, she turned, her smirk sharp. "That's easy. I win."
Jayden blinked. "Huh?"
Before he could react, a thin beam of light shot from her fingers.. faster than he could perceive. It pierced his chest dead center, directly through his heart.
His eyes widened, breath hitching as he looked down at the hole glowing in his chest. Then up at Ava, who smiled sweetly and waved her fingers as his body began to disintegrate into streams of light.
Jayden chuckled bitterly, shaking his head as the world dissolved around him. Monts later, he was back in his lobby, standing in silence. He sighed, rubbing his face. That was his first defeat.
He glanced at his status screen to check his status on last ti. Then he logged out.
The pod hissed open and he stepped out into the real world, stretching his sore body.
Then a notification from the system flashed before him.
[ 700 EXP received]
Jayden's brow rose. He had counted all his fights. They were 35 wins in total. That ant he received 20 EXP per win. Twice the reward he got from the last ti he played the ga.
His lips pulled into a grin. Playing this ga was definitely worth it. And he would no doubt be visiting the pod den more often.
As he exited the building as summoned his bike, a grin lingered on his lips. He still had things to do. Including giving Jessica that massage she seed to want so much.
He hopped on the bike and flew off, heading straight ho.
....
Back in Aileen's room,
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of neon lines tracing across the walls and the massive holographic screen suspended in the air.
Aileen lounged lazily in her chair, controller in hand, eyes narrowed at the racing ga flashing before her. She leaned forward with a curse under her breath as her digital car slamd into a wall.
"Tch. Fucking mods," she muttered, tossing her joystick onto the bed beside her.
But before she could start another round, a faint beep chid from her holographic tablet on the desk across the room. The sound wasn't loud, but it was sharp.. urgent.
Aileen's expression shifted from boredom to alertness in an instant. She swung her legs off the chair and strode over, her bare feet making no sound against the polished floor.
A swipe of her hand activated the transmission… this ti a video call. The tablet's screen flickered, and a figure shimred into view.
A teenage girl. Sapphire eyes, hair as white as snow, beautiful face, and a mischievous smile.
"Hey, Ava," Aileen said, folding her arms. "So how'd it go?"
Ava's smirk greeted her imdiately. "Good. He accepted my request, and we had the most intense match ever." she said casually, twirling a lock of her hair. "I already sent you the clip of our fight. You'll love it."
The corner of Aileen's lips curved into the first smile she'd worn all evening. "Alright. Thanks, Ava. I appreciate it."
"You're welco," Ava said smoothly, her smirk widening. "But there's more."
That piqued Aileen's interest. She leaned closer to the hologram. "More?"
Ava nodded. "The guy… Orion. He's actually a werewolf."
Aileen blinked, her composure cracking. Not because of the word itself, but because of the revelation. Her voice dropped. "No way. How'd you know?"
Ava leaned back smugly. "I saw his eyes. And I felt his energy signature when he transford during our battle. Trust , he's no human."
For a mont, Aileen was silent. Processing. Then her lips curved again, this ti sharper. "Well, I guess that explains his insane strength." she said casually, as if the reality of the term "werewolf" was already a normal thing for her.
"Yeah, but guess what?" Ava held up a finger, eyes gleaming. "There's even more."
Aileen tilted her head, curiosity burning hotter. "Go on."
"He claims to be a Lunaria," Ava revealed.
That made Aileen straighten, her brows raised. "Lunaria? As in, the royal family?"
"Yes," Ava confird. "He calls himself Jay Lunaria."
Aileen's brow furrowed. "Huh. I've never heard of a Lunaria nad Jay."
" neither," Ava replied without hesitation.
"You think he's lying?" Aileen asked, her tone flat, probing.
"About being a Lunaria? Maybe," Ava admitted with a shrug. "But he's definitely a werewolf, that's for sure."
Aileen tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… actually, I just realized sothing. There shouldn't be any werewolves on Earth. Or on any of the human planets, for that matter—except for the Lunarias."
"So what are you saying?" Ava asked, eyes narrowing.
"I'm saying, maybe he's telling the truth about being a Lunaria," Aileen said slowly, a knowing chuckle slipping out. "After all, their family tree does spread far."
Ava humd, half-convinced. "Maybe you're right. But Jay, if that's even his real na.. he seed curious."
"About what?" Aileen pressed.
"About the gods. About the Valkyries. About everything," Ava explained. "It's like he had no idea the myths were real. Like as if he'd…"
"Been on Earth his whole life," Aileen finished for her. "Living like a normal human until he found out what he really was."
"Exactly," Ava said, nodding. "Maybe he's actually a Lunaria. But one the Lunarias themselves don't know about. Or perhaps one they… kicked out."
Aileen's brows shot up. "Kicked out? Like out of the pack? Is that even possible?"
"I don't know," Ava admitted. "My father once told that a mber of the royal family could leave and create a sub-pack when they start their own family. Or they could be kicked out and turned into an oga."
Aileen's hand rose to her chin, thoughtful. "So maybe our friend Jay has a dad or mom who's a direct descendant of the Queen or her brothers."
"Precisely," Ava said, eyes narrowing. "Or he could just be an oga without a pack."
"Interesting," Aileen murmured, gaze distant. Then her tone sharpened again. "I wonder where he lives. Did you get that info?"
Ava chuckled slyly. "No, love. We didn't get that far. But maybe I can ask him tomorrow when we et again."
Aileen giggled unexpectedly. "Wait. Really? So you two like… buddies now?"
Ava humd, lips curling. "Well, I find him hilarious and… intriguing. And it also wouldn't hurt to get to know him a little better."
Aileen laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, sure. I'm not even surprised you think so. Just rember.. we need to know who he really is and what his motives are before you get… too close. It's not every day you see a werewolf playing an mmo ga you created."
"Oh, sparky," Ava teased with a grin. "Do you ever not get paranoid?"
"No," Aileen shot back instantly. "And it's the only reason you and I have stayed alive and managed to keep our true identities hidden these past few years on this planet."
Ava giggled. "Relax. I'm sure he's just a totally normal Lycan boy."
Aileen scoffed. "Yeah, right. Isn't that what you said about that vampire."
"Okay, that was like two decades ago," Ava retorted. "And how was I supposed to know he was a godslayer's apprentice obsessed with killing you?"
Aileen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know what? Just forget it. But please tell you didn't tell Jay that you're a Valkyrie."
Ava froze. Then gave a guilty little smile. "…Well, about that…"
"Are you kidding , Ava?" Aileen's voice sharpened. "Why would you do that?"
"I don't know, I just didn't think it was a bad idea at the ti," Ava said defensively, holding up her hands.
"You're unbelievable," Aileen muttered.
"And you're adorable when you're upset," Ava chuckled.
Aileen exhaled heavily. "Just make sure to be cautious the next ti you et. I don't want you slipping away information you're not supposed to slip away."
"Roger that, ma'am," Ava said playfully, mock-saluting. "Now, may I be excused?"
"Yeah, sure," Aileen replied, waving her off. Then her lips curled. "But wait though… you do realize that if Jay is truly a Lunaria… that ans you're sorta, kinda.. his family."
Ava groaned. "Yes, Aileen, I'm aware of that. Now drop it and stop acting like my mum."
Aileen chuckled. "I was just making sure you didn't forget. We don't want you doing things that you might later regret, now do we?"
Ava scoffed. "Haha, very funny, sparky. I'm going to hang up now."
Aileen burst into laughter. "Aw, did I upset you, your highness?" she teased.
Instead of being offended, Ava smirked wickedly. "You know, sotis I think about tying you up and teasing you down there until you beg for a release. But I won't let you have it. Instead, I'll keep teasing you… until the point where—" she leaned closer to the cara, eyes glinting. "…you explode."
For a mont, Aileen was completely still, brain frozen, mouth slightly open. Finally, she managed to speak.
"You know what, Ava… I think you have serious issues. Get out of my face." She chuckled despite herself.
Ava's laughter rang out bright and sharp. "Hahaha! I swear to the gods you looked so terrified. But alright, I'll leave you alone.. for now." she muttered with a mischievous smirk. "Bye, sparky. I hope to see you soon."
Aileen rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I hope not."
"Yeah, sure," Ava said with a giggle. Then, just as she was about to end the transmission, she snapped her fingers. "Oh, and one more thing."
Aileen raised a brow. "What is it?"
"Orion… well, Jay," Ava said. "He seed a lot interested in Castor Lunaria."
Aileen tilted her head, her brows knitting. "Hmm. That's interesting. What did he ask about?"
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