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.
'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.
After all, he had lived all his life for twenty-five years so he could enjoy an "interesting life" for over sixty years.
However, for now, he wasn't motivated to try. All he wanted was sleep.
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 was silent, his head leaning tiredly against the wavy headrest.
"He wants me to become part of the company."
Halo leaned forward slightly and raised his brow.
"Well, I'm pretty sure Mr. Vale wasn't like 'be part of the company or get out of my house.' Your father is too kind to say such a thing."
Lucien raised his head and stared at Halo with a sharp expression.
"Kind?"
He scoffed and let his head fall back.
"Well, he said a lot of other things... but the bottom line was that he wants me to become useful to the family."
Halo leaned back, regarding his friend with a stern look.
"And what's so bad about that?"
"Everything, Harun. Everything."
Lucien was silent for a while, then raised his head again.
"I did everything he wanted me to do, and achieved three times what any normal person can—and as fast as I could. So I could eventually have the life I want for myself."
Halo looked at his friend with a blank expression. After a beat, he opened his mouth.
"Lucien, I have to say, if you think all your father asked you to do was just for the sake of doing, then you're pretty dumb. You're book smart, not actually smart."
Lucien frowned.
"You think I don't know that?"
A wide grin spread across Halo's face.
"So you're rebelling on purpose. I know why—because you don't want to take the position from Laziel."
A dark grimace shadowed Lucien's face.
"It's because it's too stressful."
Halo chuckled.
"Well, maybe it is. But I've known you for nine years. You care too much for the people around you, and you don't want to put them at risk in any way. So you don't mind denying yourself certain things, and you lie to yourself under the excuse that you don't have to do it, so why should you?"
Lucien hesitated.
"That's not a lie, though."
"What I'm saying is... why don't you step out of it and be bolder? You can't blame your father for wanting what's best for a company he spent his entire life building. Laziel is a hard worker, he's intelligent, he's good—but bro, you are a prodigy! Who enters university at thirteen? Your dad is probably dying to have you climb the ladder of his company and take over. You can't blame him for that. You just have to be more open about your position."
Lucien sighed and shook his head.
"Being open about it is an unnecessary call for attention. That's me acknowledging that I'm a threat to Laziel's position, which is straight-up disrespecting him. Choosing the job is a better option than that."
Halo scratched his cheek slowly.
"I guess it makes sense when you put it like that..."
Both were silent for a while.
Then Lucien sighed and interlocked his fingers.
"Harun. I'm a bit hungry. Please get me something to eat."
Halo stared at his friend with a blank expression. Then slowly leaned back into his seat and crossed his leg.
"Lucy..."
Lucien's face darkened.
"What?"
"Whose house do you live in?"
He hesitated but eventually responded.
"...Yours."
Halo nodded.
"So you need my help for shelter, don't you?"
Lucien nodded slightly.
Halo continued.
"Well, you have two choices. Number one—you get your own money and stock the house. Since I spend most of my time in Evo, I mostly buy NSI, and most of my money is in Evo. I have a big project going on there. So right now, the only thing I can offer you is this expensive, wavy roof."
He paused, a smile slowly breaking across his lips.
"Your second option—you can enter Evo. I have a couple of old model capsules you can borrow. You can sell your phone, get a cheaper one, and also get NSIs. If it's lazing around you want to do, you can laze around however you want. You can get a little farmhouse for a couple of gold coins and spend your time sleeping all day, all night. No one cares, no one will disturb you. I told you, right? Evolution Online is boundless and limitless."
His grin reached its peak.
"So... what's it gonna be, my friend?"