Opening her eyes, Rose was assaulted by a strange and melancholic stream of music. She found herself in the real world.
A gentle and warm stroke of light hit her face through the glass window. It was a little warm but nothing out of her comfort zone.
Looking at the source, it was Andrew who was gracefully playing the piano with extreme precision and skill to the point it was entrancing.
It seemed that he was reaching his crescendo before finishing it off before coming to an end. 'I didn't think that he was talented! 'Rose thought as her eyes looked at him behind the grand Black piano.
"I didn't think that you were actually good at playing the piano." Rose complemented as Andrew stood off from the mantle. His scrutinizing eyes scanned all over her body before resting on her desk.
It was now that she realized that her blazer was of her body and perfectly perched onto a stand. She didn't take it off so it was a clear indication that Andrew did. Leaving her with her pristine white shirt was slightly open with a couple of buttons loose.
But other than that, she seemed untouched. Andrew inched closer to her and before she knew it, he was standing over her in her fragile state.
'Why can't I move my body?' She contemplated as she found every single muscle in her body absolutely drained of any vitality. Considering her situation, she couldn't even call for help.
It was way too early for her secretary to clock in bot to mention with the solitude of the office, it was clear that it was easy for him to resort to other quirky acts.
"I know you are wondering why you can't move your body but it will wear off overtime. Here." He said as she heard a notification.
[{Ding: You have received a message from Hedon}]
Whether be it she could move or not. "Tell me when you're done." He said as he started to walk away from her.
*Whoosh*
A small crack on the plane of existence manifested itself like a black hole right behind him as he calmly walked in and vanished out of existence.
It was baffling as to how he had so many skills. 'What other skills did he have?' She thought as her mind started to formulate ideas on how to take advantage of it but for now, she had to wait till she regained control of her body.
*Ring-Ring-Ring*
A sharp ring rang across her ears. It was her secretary who had now just arrived talking to her over the intercoms. "Madame Rose. Your husband is here to see you."
Her soft and enchanting voice rang over before cutting off. It was her husband so he didn't usually need any form of approval whatsoever and charged into the office.
*Boom*
The doors boomed open as a sign of forceful intrusion. "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" An energetic and youthful voice rang in the air, it was her daughter, Mileda.
She had her mother's piercing red and fiery eyes and beauty, her father's ashen hair and adorned in a beautiful red satin dress. She hesitated no time before jumping into her mother's embrace. At twelve years old, she was a gem.
After her was his husband, Asher. A cold and domineering aura spoke volumes about his nature. He usually didn't allow any form of tomfoolery with his work but just like Rose, this nature would usually melt with the presence of their daughter.
"Hello, sweetie. How are you?" Rose asked but unfortunately, she still couldn't move her body as Mileda nestled on her lap looking at her mother with eager eyes.
She could only grit her teeth as her daughter sat on her lap. "I'm fine mom. Can you come with us and play. You can take a break from work." She said happily constantly shifting on her chair.
"I'm sorry but I have work to do. Maybe tomorrow." She proposed with her discomfort masked from her daughter but Asher was able to perceive it.
"Your mother is quite exhausted from work. How about you give her some time to rest and I'm sure that she'll be more than willing to play with you." Asher said trying to get Mileda off of Rose's lap.
"Um...why is it every single time that I want to play, she's so busy!" A visible pout was evident on her face. "I promise that I'll do whatever you want if you give mommy time to rest, okay?"
Rose tried to convince the little imp. Her body was screaming to get her off her lap with how she was constantly shifting but she endured it. "Ugh! Fine but you promised!"
Mileda said as she got off her lap and walked over to the piano. She was naturally drawn to the piece even though she could barely play it. As her attention was now shifted elsewhere, Asher took the initiative to ask a few questions.
"Knowing that you usually do office work, it doesn't explain on how you are so tired. Care to explain?" He asked softly as his eyes shifted from Mileda to Rose.
It didn't take a genius to realize that she was exhausted from the look on her face. It was as if she ran a fifty mile marathon nonstop. "Office work. It's quite exhausting." She jokingly played it off.
Asher didn't seem content with that response. "Really? I don't recall office work being so physically exhausting but that is the least of my concerns right now." His voice shifted, now more serious than earlier.
"Why? What happened?" She asked with a bad foreboding in her heart. "Asher who had been seating across from her stood up and walked over to her. She was astounded by how her shirt was loosely fastened but he ignored this.
He leaned in closer to her and whispered. "Because a lot of players are dead seemingly overnight both in the nefarious underworld and legally. Every single leader in the illegal side of the law has been killed and replaced all over the country."
"That and a lot of accounts from political leaders and powerful people have been flushed clean. Investigations are underway as we speak. As for now, few companies have remained untouched including your business."
He said with caution laced within his words. "What is weird about all of this is that they were all attack led by those...those creatures but it all seems so organized." He finished it off. Rose was astounded by this piece of information.
'He was serious. But how did he do it. He was with me in the game.' She thought before realizing that she had passed out much later on. 'But that was way later on. He wouldn't have enough time to do all that.'
Contrary to her thoughts, after she collapsed, he never logged out of the game until she was about to wake up. He had his puppets do all the work for him within the game. As a matter of tracing, he was confident that they wouldn't even find a single breathe of hope in finding him.
'Does this mean that he can control those creatures as well or if a strange coincidence it was?' She contemplated but the more she looked at it, it seemed organized rather than random.
The higher ups of nearly all the companies in the country and some abroad which had connections to those present here were dead. Mutilated and devoured by those abominations.
"I'm relieved that you're okay!" He said as he went in for a hug which had more damage rather than offering a comforting experience. It felt like a near infinite needles were pricking her skin with each touch of his and she couldn't even push him back.
"Argghh!" A small groan if pain escaped her lips with her face wincing and grimacing in pain. Asher instantly backed off from her but luckily Mileda hadn't heard it.
"Are you okay?" He asked with a worried look on his face. Rose tried to regain her composure but it fell short. "I'm simply exhausted, that's all. I just want to go home for a bath. That's all." She said as her eyes were almost closed.
"Okay, let's go then." Asher said but Rose didn't move from her seat, remaining rooted. "Can you carry me?" She asked sheepishly. Asher was astounded by her proposal but he laughed it off. "Very well." He then proceeded to carry her in a princess like manner out if her chair.
"Ahhh!" Mileda exclaimed witnessing the sight. Rose flushed but with an embarrassment but she brushed it off. Luckily there is a personal lift for her taking her to her car saving her the embarrassment.
The trio proceeded to head home with a little bit of the pain wearing off but the greater majority was still there. 'Why didn't he tell me that it would take this long?' She thought as she had tried to use painkillers but nothing worked.
Shortly after, she was seeing her familiar mansion row estate. For the upper echelon of society which was located deeper into the city. With the position of Asher, the senator of this state and her, an important player in the underworld, securing such assets were easy.
Though his husband had tried to convince her to quit and join her, she preferred this as she had more control. At least she was able to blow off authority off her operations but that didn't mean that she was invincible.
She still had to operate with caution especially out if the state and on foreign matters. It wasn't long before they came to their grand and opulent mansion. Brimming with all kinds of expensive items by a sheer look on the outside and more so inside, it clearly showed their position in society.
It wasn't long before she was in a bath, alone as she soaked in the comfort of it all. She could feel the pain wash off which tempted her to stay longer in the tub.
'Wait. The notification!' She seemed to recall the notification from Andrew. She easily accessed it and read it slowly and carefully before coming to a close. The contents, they baffled her but she regained from her shock and excitement.
[{Rose, feel free to put the price to your liking but ensure that there is a limit to it in the conversion of real world currency to heloid coins. Also the option to consider me as a gun for hire is on the plate but this offer won't last long.}]
[{But of course I just can't give all of this to you for free. I'm short of a few servants at my residence. Make sure that they fit the criteria. Any ideas or acts of treachery will be heavily repaid not in death nor acquisition of your position but much worse.}]
There was an address to his residence after that message. 'Why is it all the way out there?' She mused realizing that it was somehow distant from the city.
She decided to ignore that and looked at her stats in the game. She had passed out with the numerous notifications she was assaulted with.
[{Name: Dark Rose}]
[{Level 132}]
[{1,538,720 heloid coins}]
[{Speed: 89}]
[{Agility: 90}]
[{Strength: 88}]
[{Defense: 87}]
[{Skills: Appraisal foresight
[{Artifacts: Red Draconic Fans (
Looking at this stats, she wondered whether it was hers or not. The last time she checked, she was level 85 before passing out. She was glad that she happened to run into a person like Andrew but a small issue presented itself.
She had high stats, sure but she didn't possess any useful skills. As for Appraisal, she recalled it being one of the system's skills which was awarded to every player so she didn't have skills of her own.
[{Andrew: For skills take it that you shouldn't have a problem finding them within the game}]
A message prompted thrusting her out of her delusions. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for what he had done but it seemed that she wanted him to give him everything. 'He would serve me as my servant.'
She thought but if only she knew that her vision was about to be shattered. After soaking a ridding herself of all the fatigue that plagued her body, she got out of the bath, with her skin glistening with the beads of water on it.
She inspected herself in the mirror. 'Did I suddenly de-age or what?' She mused looking at her own reflection as if it wasn't hers. She felt her own body brimming with energy. 'Young and fresh.' She mused as she recalled looking like herself in her middle twenties.