The sky exploded in colors.
Red. Gold. Blue.
Fireworks bloomed endlessly above the city, lighting up the night like a celebration of hope. Laughter echoed through the streets, people shouting, counting down, welcoming the new year.
2100.
Inside a small, modest house, warmth replaced the cold of the outside world.
"Max! Come help us cut the cake!" a cheerful voice called.
Max froze.
That voice…
His breathing stopped.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head.
There she was. His mother, Standing in the kitchen, smiling gently, her eyes full of warmth despite the faint tiredness hidden behind them.
Alive.
"…Mom?" His voice trembled.
She tilted her head, confused. "What's wrong with you? Come here, everyone's waiting."
Max's heart slammed violently against his chest. This… this wasn't possible.
He staggered backward, his legs weak.
'Didn't she die… five years later?
Didn't I watch her suffer… powerless to do anything?'
A sharp pain stabbed through his mind
Blood.
Screams.
Betrayal.
"Max, trust us."
A blade piercing his chest.
Cold laughter.
"You were too naive."
"Ah—!"
Max gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"Max!" footsteps rushed toward him.
Two figures appeared beside him.
"Big brother, are you okay?" a soft voice said, filled with worry.
His little sister, Lily.
Still young. Still innocent.
On the other side
"Hey, don't scare us like that," another voice said, trying to sound strong.
Sophia.
His older sister.
Alive.
All of them…
Alive.
Max's vision blurred.
Tears streamed down his face without control.
He reached out, his hands shaking, and grabbed them.
They were warm.
'Real, Not a dream, Not an illusion.'
"…You're here…" he whispered, his voice breaking.
The room fell silent.
His family exchanged worried glances.
"Did something happen?" his father, Daniel, asked as he walked in, his expression serious but concerned.
Max looked at him.
Strong.
Alive.
Not the broken man he would become.
Not the man crushed by debt… by loss… by despair.
Something inside Max shattered.
He buried his face in his hands and cried.
Not quietly.
Not calmly.
But like someone who had lost everything… and suddenly got it all back.
"I'm sorry…" he choked. "I'm so sorry…"
They didn't understand.
They couldn't understand.
But his mother gently knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him.
"It's okay," she whispered softly. "Whatever it is… it's okay."
That warmth.That simple warmth. It broke him even more.
Minutes passed before Max finally calmed down. The fireworks continued outside, marking the beginning of a new year.
A new beginning.
Max sat silently at the table, staring at the cake, his mind racing.
'I died.I was betrayed. And now… I'm back.
Back to the night it all began.'
His fists slowly clenched under the table.
This is real. Not a dream. Not a hallucination.
A second chance.
His eyes darkened.
This time… everything will change.
Fragments of the future flashed through his mind.
A game.
No
Not just a game.
A revolution.
A world that would change everything.
Eternal Ascension Online.
At first, people thought it was just another virtual reality game.
They were wrong.
There was something different people could earn money through the game and it changed everything
Max knew it all.
Because he lived through it.
And died because of it.
His expression turned cold.
'I know where the opportunities are.'
'I know where the hidden items are.'
'I know who will betray me.'
A faint killing intent flickered in his eyes.
This time… I won't be the prey.
"Max?" Lily's voice pulled him back.
She smiled innocently. "Come on, make a wish before we cut the cake."
Max looked at her.
At all of them.
His family.
The only thing that ever mattered.
Slowly, he stood up.
He closed his eyes.
And made a silent vow.
'I will save Mom.I will protect my family. I will rise above everyone. And those who betrayed me…'
His eyes opened.
Cold.
Determined.
Dangerous.
I will make them regret ever being born.
The candles flickered.
"Happy New Year!" everyone shouted.
Max forced a small smile.
But deep inside
A storm had already begun.
This was not the beginning of a game.
This was the beginning of revenge.