Soon, it was time for Christmas Dinner. Everyone gathered around a large wooden table with several dozen plates neatly placed on top.
After the food arrived, the sound of forks clanging against the plate reverberated in the dining room.
Alice intentionally sat next to Luna, whispering to her about girl stuff. Luna listened closely while putting tiny pieces of turkey into her mouth.
Mariah and Isabella talked with each other.
"Bro." Marvin lowered his voice as he leaned toward Isaac.
Isaac was quietly eating until he got interrupted by his big brother.
"Yes?" His eyebrow rose as he turned around to look at Marvin.
"There is one girl in Lionel's dojo. Have you met her? Her name is Ava."
"Yeah, I know her," Isaac replied.
Marvin nodded and smirked, "One day, we went to visit Lionel in his dojo. Then, she came with a long wooden stick in her hand, trying to throw us out of the dojo. It was hilarious."
"And?" Isaac's mouth twitched.
"She was saying things like we are a bad influence on Lionel. We almost died of laughter, and then Lionel came and "saved" us." Marvin snickered like a child.
"Then, Ava became super embarrassed after we said everything she said to us to Lionel.
"We thought Lionel would join us and laugh, but surprisingly he only awkwardly scratched his head. It was bizarre, and then we learned that he is dating her!"
Isaac's mouth opened in shock, "Really? I thought they were only good friends."
"Apparently, their romance blossomed during December or some shit like that, and now Lionel doesn't even join us when we beat up some random gangs. What a simp."
"Beat up?" Isabella's cold voice came next to Marvin. He forgot that she was sitting beside him and forgot to keep his volume down.
Marvin's tightly shut his lips and continued eating in silence while feeling the sharp gaze of his mother.
Isaac's lips curved upward and continued eating.
Soon, everyone finished their dinner, and they left the dining table.
Marvin and Isaac plopped down on the living room's couch. As they watched the TV, Luna was dragged away by Alice.
Sophia continued talking with her grandmother, Madison. They surprisingly had a lot of things in common.
The young Mark talked with Malcolm, surprisingly curious about Malcolm's scars.
He had received several scars from his hunting trips, which were surprisingly interesting, according to Mark.
Malcolm told him stories about the scars with a calm smile. Each scar had its own unique story.
Isabella and Maxwell took care of the dishes.
While Isaac and Marvin talked, the TV screen suddenly brightened, and the Breaking News text popped up. It caught the attention of everyone in the living room.
The TV screen showed Arthur Welhenheim, the Creator of White Online surprisingly, sitting in his office with a solemn look.
[Arthur's Surprise Christmas Announcement - White Online Related?!]
Luna and Alice returned from upstairs and walked toward the living room because everyone had gathered there.
…
Arthur saw that the red light had come up. He quickly gathered his thoughts and calmed down his pounding heart.
Then, his mouth slowly opened, "Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas."
Arthur looked straight at the camera lens. He was sitting in the middle of his dimly lit office, alone. The whole Legacy Company was empty, except for Emilia, who was brewing coffee with a carefree attitude.
However, then, she received a notification on her phone. After taking a look, her eyes shook as they talked about Arthur's surprise announcement. She opened the live news and watched as Arthur talked.
"It has been over two months since White Online's release, and the world has changed drastically." Arthur's words were calm and brought a sense of serenity.
"I always knew that White Online would change the world, even twenty years ago when I first started planning about the game. There had been ups and downs. Several investors and sponsors betrayed me, leaving me alone, but I never stopped.
"After I finished creating the first playable version of White Online, I went to talk with the biggest families in the world.
"They all gave me similar reactions: disdain and distrust.
"No one believed in my creation, but then, I showed them that it isn't only a game. It's much more!
"With several top families, I visited the Moon. During the trip, they thought it was a waste of time and was planning a thousand ways of ending my career.
"However, after we reached the moon, everything changed because we met with Gods, the true White Online Gods.
"I know… It must be crazy talking about as if they are real…" Arthur chuckled and took a deep breath before revealing, "But, they are real… World of White is real!"
His voice echoed in the room, and he knew his words would get treated as crazy talk. Thus, he continued quickly.
"I know, sounds crazy, but it's true, and this is… The proof!" Arthur extended his hand, and a bright golden flame flickered on his palm, "Fellow Knight players must know what this is… The Flame of Knighthood—only available in White Online.
"Then, how can I use it in real life?" Arthur spun the golden flame around and smiled, "Most of you think that I am actually inside the game and that this whole room is actually a decoy."
"However… Is this fake?" Arthur pulled out a knife from the drawer and did a linear cut on his palm. He showed his bleeding palm to the camera, and the blood was dark red!
"The White Online is real! It's another world, and twenty years ago, I got contacted by Gaia, The Primordial Goddess. She told me to make this game and save humanity!
"The Gods, the air you guys breathe in, and even the so-called NPCs are real!"
Arthur breathed deeply and said with a softer tone, "Then, there are questions: why can't I use my abilities in real life?"
"It's simple… There are three steps to be able to use in real-life: The first is to have Mythical VR Helmet, the second is Legacy, and the third is to break chains…
"What chains? From tomorrow onward, there will be a written guide in the game, telling every step to breaking the chains. But, it isn't possible without Mythical VR Helmet and Legacy."
"Thus… Goodbye for now, and wait for my present." Arthur covered the lens with his bloody palm and shut off the camera
