Halo's engine roared like trapped thunder before gasping to silence as he parked.
He stopped and tapped the sleek steering wheel with a wide grin.
"We're home!"
Lucien, who had been lost in thought, slowly regained focus and stepped out of the car. He raised his eyes and frowned as he scanned the exterior of Halo's apartment.
"This is..."
He paused, still turning around.
The house rose like a wave caught mid-motion—graceful, weightless, impossibly still. It didn't just sit on the land. It hovered, curved, and flowed as though shaped by wind itself.
Its sweeping white form curled from ground to sky, as if it had grown from some alien seed rather than blueprints. A single arch stretched out like a giant's limb, shielding the driveway and casting long shadows over pale stone. Beneath it sat Halo's car.
The entire front wall was glass. Through it, Lucien glimpsed curved staircases, golden light spilling across floors, and a chandelier like frozen lightning. From every angle, the structure whispered movement—no harsh lines, only smooth, seamless flow. It looked like something meant for the future, somehow left behind in the present.
"Isn't this Aether Curve, designed by Mira Ellion in 2033?"
Halo nodded eagerly.
"I knew you'd recognize it! As expected of rich kids!"
Lucien frowned slightly.
"You got the fortune to build a gem like this... from gaming?"
"I already told you, Lucy. People are literally moving their lives from reality into Evo. Do you know that Mira Ellion and I are buddies in Evo? Thanks to me, she recently completed the requirements for a rare Evolution race. She's an established builder in Evo—people pay her fortunes to design their Clan Territories and personal homes."
Lucien frowned. Confusion rattled him to the core, and he found it harder to digest with each passing second.
He had degrees in Architecture—bachelor's and master's. While he'd lost interest and didn't pursue his doctorate, Mira had gone further. She was the second-best student in his generation. After he abandoned his path, she naturally became the world's best architect.
And she moved her entire life into a game?
It sounded absurd.
Yet... interesting. He was starting to understand why his father would even care about it.
'Really, how intriguing could a game be?'
Lucien wasn't particularly bothered or concerned, but it sounded interesting. And interesting things were quite irresistible to anyone.
Especially if this interesting thing has his father's competitor doing ten times better in gross profit.
The idea of entering it simply to spite his father was beginning to sound tempting.
Halo tilted his head, grinning at his friend and rubbing his palms together.
"What do you say, friend... wanna check it out?"
Lucien gave him a flat look.
"Bro... no. I wanna sleep. Show me the way."
He walked past Halo, along the pathway that led to the glass door.
As Lucien stepped toward the front door, the golden light reflecting inside the house suddenly dimmed. Immediately, Halo ran forward with Lucien's luggage and stepped closer to the door, making the light brighten again. The glass door slowly slid apart for them to enter.
Halo glanced back at Lucien with a smug grin.
The interior was as stunning as the exterior. The living room felt like walking into an art museum that still knew what comfort meant.
Halo walked easily to the center of the plain parlor and slid his hand low across the air. Slowly, a modular sofa began rising from the floor—waves of brown marble molded by unseen forces.
Lucien dropped onto the sofa and exhaled tiredly.
Halo sat on another sofa and studied the young man for a moment. Then he spoke.
"So... wanna talk now?"
Lucien sat in silence, his head resting against the worn headrest. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"That… Evolution Online."
Halo's brows knitted together slightly.
"Yes? What about it?"
"The Balerons created it, didn't they?"
Halo paused for a moment.
"Well, it's not that simple, but yeah, I guess you could say that. Why?"
Lucien's voice came out flat, drained.
"He wants me to join and dig up information for him."
Halo's eyebrow shot up. The silence stretched between them.
"Oh…"
He hesitated before speaking carefully.
"And… that's bad?"
Lucien turned to him, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
"He said, 'Lucien, this is a great course. You have big brains. Doing this will make you a great physicist—I did.' Then he said, 'Lucien, I found an appealing course for you in business administration. Usually, you'd need to finish one degree before starting another, but you've got the brains to juggle both, right?' So yes, I did… I accepted every single one even though none of them sparked anything in me. My own passion, my drive—I lost it all because I was too busy following his orders. My only hope was finishing as fast as I could and slapping all those degrees in his face.
"I worked so hard to earn the right to break free from his control. So yes, it was beyond bad, Harun."
Halo let out a dry, nervous chuckle.
"Alright, alright, I get it. But what do you want to do now? I mean, you're welcome to stay, but is rebellion really the way forward? Won't that make your father even angrier? You know, to a man like him, I don't mean anything. He could erase me with a snap of his fingers once he finds out I'm sheltering you."
Lucien's eyes narrowed as understanding dawned on him. A subtle frown creased his brow.
"You know what… you're right."
Halo smiled.
"I know, right? I'm usually right."
Lucien cut him off before he could finish.
"I should enter the game and slack off just to spite him. You know, I can show him that I'll do whatever I want without his support."
Halo stared at him, blinking slowly.
"Lucy, that wasn't what I meant. But forget that—if you want to spite him, why would you go there just to slack off?"
Lucien shrugged.
"To crush his ego."
Halo frowned, confusion written across his face.
"Wouldn't the proper way to do that be to actually play the game?"
"Well, it could work, but I don't really need to go that far. I know my father—simply being in that game and doing nothing is enough to get under his skin."
Halo shook his head, still puzzled.
"I guess it makes sense. The dynamic in your family is strange, after all."
He exhaled and scratched his head.
"Oh well, if you want to enter the game, I guess I can help. However… there are a few problems."