Asher's eyes fluttered open, revealing the familiar ceiling of his room. The light coming from outside seemed to be just enough to make the room bright, but not glaring. He turned around to see if anyone else was there, but found no one beside him.
With a yawn and a stretch of his arms, he rose from the bed and quickly checked himself. He was wearing comfortable, loose-fitting gray pajamas.
'Another vivid dream,' he thought, remembering the events that transpired during his last encounter with the thugs.
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got off the bed. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he walked in front of the mirror to take a look at himself. He still had the same appearance as last night. Black hair, blue eyes, a toned figure, and a handsome face. Nothing seemed to have changed, yet somehow everything felt like it was a dream.
'I am still Asher Blake. Sigh... Every time I wake up, why does it feel as though I am still living a dream that will end when I open my eyes?' Asher thought, staring at his reflection with a defeated expression, before he shrugged his shoulders. 'Well, as they say, don't wish for too much. Whatever comes is better than having nothing at all.'
Soon, a smile formed on his lips as he thought about all the women who cared about him.
'At least, I know for sure that these people truly love me, no matter how unreal the circumstances may be sometimes.' He smiled softly at the thought, thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful individuals after suffering so much loneliness for so long.
'Speaking of people, I wonder what everyone else is doing right now...'
Without wasting any more time, Asher decided to take a quick shower.
He went straight towards the bathroom, where he stripped off his clothes. He took note of the fact that his muscles seemed tighter and larger than before. There was more definition, too. His entire body felt stronger than ever before, and his movements had become smoother and lighter.
Once fully nude, he entered the shower stall, closing the glass door behind himself. The hot water cascaded down his firm body, washing away any traces of sweat that had accumulated overnight.
After washing himself thoroughly, Asher stepped out of the bath, drying himself before getting in front of the wardrobe.
Inside were several sets of outfits for various occasions. Most were suits or casual wear that suited him. He rummaged through his collection until he finally picked out what to wear.
Since he would start his journey for the Twilight Sect while going through the Black Forest, he chose a black shirt with matching trousers and a white jacket that went well with the theme. As he wore the outfit, it fit perfectly on his figure, as if tailored specifically for him.
He then put on a pair of boots that went well with his pants. He also picked up a luxurious watch from the drawers and placed it on his left wrist.
After doing so, he gave himself another once-over in the full-length mirror standing beside the large window overlooking the garden and deemed that he was ready to begin the day.
"I should go down to meet everyone," he mumbled under his breath.
Asher opened the door leading to the corridor and headed downstairs into the dining hall. Once there, he saw that almost every seat was full except for his chair near his mother.
Everyone seemed to be busy discussing something in small groups while waiting for him. He wondered why there was so much commotion this morning.
Everyone stopped talking when they noticed him walking towards them and looked at him with a surprised expression.
They stared intently at him with wide eyes while admiring his looks, which seemed to radiate charm and attractiveness.
"Honey, you look really amazing today." Aria complimented her son with a loving smile.
"Thanks, mom, you look as stunning as ever," Asher said in a flattered tone.
Aria chuckled lightly and replied back, "You're too kind, honey."
"Big brother Ash..." Lily came running and hugged his waist while gazing at him innocently.
"Hm? What's wrong, little angel?" He asked as he picked her up.
"Heehee, big brother Ash looks really handsome today." Lily giggled at him and asked. "Are you going somewhere?"
Asher smiled at his cute little sister and responded, "Yeah, I'm actually going to start training outside. Since I plan on setting off soon, I want to spend as much time as possible with you guys first before leaving."
Hearing this, Lily's face became gloomy, and her eyebrows furrowed together slightly. "Does this mean you won't be coming home anymore?"
"Of course not!" Asher exclaimed and patted her head while reassuring her. "I'll be returning frequently since this will just be part of my daily routine."
Lily's expression brightened up once again before hugging Asher's neck and saying, "Yay! Then I'll wait for big brother Ash to come back! You promised to play with me a lot, so don't break it."
"I won't. Don't worry, I'll definitely keep my word." He stroked the little girl's silky black locks.
After putting down his adorable little sister on the chair, he sat beside Aria on the dining chair.
"So, did anything interesting happen while I was away?"
"Nothing much happened besides Lysandra looking as if something special happened," Aria giggled, remembering Lysandra's giddy mood since she saw her this morning.
Lysandra cleared her throat when she heard Aria bring this up and tried to cover up her embarrassment by coughing again.
She avoided Aria's knowing gaze by pretending to have something stuck in her throat, which earned some odd glances from the others at the table.
Aria grinned widely at Lysandra and teased her, "Did you perhaps drink something that hurt you? Do you want some water, Sis? Maybe that'll loosen up whatever sticky stuff is stuck there."
Lysandra shot her a sharp glare but couldn't utter a comeback since she really couldn't blame her. After all, she literally went wild yesterday.
"Lyssa, why are you behaving suspiciously?" Olivia looked at her with curiosity. "Did something happen that you're trying to hide?"
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Lysandra didn't back away and right away replied with a smug face, "Humph... What is there to hide? I just became Little Ash's woman and slept with him last night. Nothing's weird about that."