Victor noticed his hair...
It was no longer fully black.
A large portion of it—roughly half—had turned white.
Not a dull grey, not a faded silver, but a bright, ethereal white.
"What the..." he muttered while turning his head slowly from side to side.
His reflection stared back at him with the same confusion.
It wasn't just the color. It was longer too. At least a couple of inches. Had he somehow grown it during the bloodline awakening? In the real world?
Victor leaned closer. His eyes were still the same but something in them felt deeper. Like he was staring through a different lens now.
He reached for it, half-dazed, and noticed a couple of missed messages. One from Amara, checking in on him. One from Jake, ranting about the entrance exam prank at Velcrest. And a group message from Max saying they had a few new ideas for tomorrow's videos.
Victor rubbed his eyes and then chuckled. "Back to the real world, huh?"
He had spent days playing without really tending to real world matters except for routine checkups.
The just realised that he spent around thirteen days in game but in reality it had only been about three days.
"Okay… real world responsibilities first. Food. Water. Mom."
He tossed his hoodie over the strange new hair and walked toward the door. But just before he stepped out, he turned to look at the mirror one last time.
Half black, half white.
Victor groaned with a slightly disgruntled look before stepping out of his room.
The world felt lighter beneath his feet, as though gravity had slightly loosened its grip.
From the moment, he noticed the change in his hair color, he already knew that he could use the Void Emperor Bloodline in real life as well... even if it was a fraction.
He could hear the low sound of their refrigerator from across the house and
smell the faint spice of garlic frying in the
His mother was already up and moving
around. Her hands expertly flipped onions in
the pan while humming an old tune.
Victor stretched out his hand towards the broom that was more than twelve feet away.
A soft whisper of qi enveloped the broom as it swept across the floor seemingly of its own accord.
He guided it lazily with a finger, smirking to
himself at how effortlessly it responded.
Next, he waved a hand and sent dust into a
bin without lifting a foot.
His mom peeked from the kitchen doorway and raised a brow. "You know, I don't mind you helping around here, but must you do it like a ghost sweeping through the
Victor grinned. "Efficiency, mom. Time is money."
She rolled her eyes, though her smile gave
her away. "Right, right. But next thing I know, you'll be floating through walls.
He chuckled and joined her in the kitchen.
"I thought you were going to keep playing until you turned into a statue," she joked while flipping over a fried dumpling.
Victor chuckled before taking a seat. "Figured I should breathe actual air before I forget what it tastes like."
But before the conversation could continue, her eyed narrowed in suspicion as she gave him a scrutinizing look. "What happened to your hair?"
Victor blinked. "My...hair?"
Then he remembered—his reflection in the mirror. Black hair now streaked with white and brushing his shoulders.
Before he could answer, a loud series of knocks sounded at the door.
Victor turned to look at her. "You expecting someone?"
She shook her head while Victor moved to open the door.
A second later, Max, Jake, and Danny stormed into the house like a pack of unannounced hyenas. Max immediately pointed at Victor's head.
"Yo! When did you go all anime protagonist on us?"
Jake laughed before clapping Victor on the back. "Bro looks like he's one brooding moment away from leveling a city."
"I was just asking him the same thing," Victor's mom said from behind while chuckling as she waved them in. "You boys want breakfast? You're just in time."
The boys didn't need to be told twice.
Soon they were all huddled around the table, cracking jokes over scrambled eggs and rice, gulping down soy milk and throwing crumpled napkins at each other.
Max grinned as he shoved another dumpling into his mouth. "So, Vic… planning to woo Amara with that new look?"
Danny whistled. "The brooding look always works, I'm just saying."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Can you guys go five minutes without messing around?"
Jake leaned back with a smirk. "Absolutely not."
After breakfast, the four of them headed out together.
Jake had the camcorder slung over his shoulder as always while Victor kept scrolling through his phone as they walked.
He sighed. "Fifty thousand views. That's all."
"Still not bad," Max voiced with a tone of encouragement. "You'll get there."
Danny suddenly displayed a mischievous grinned. "You know what will get views? Underground fight club footage!"
Victor nearly choked on air. "What?!"
"Yeah!" Max nodded. "We got solid shots. I mean, the angle I got when you kicked Titan X across the cage was just chef's kiss."
Jake frowned immediately. "No. Absolutely not. Do you want to get Victor arrested?"
Victor raised a brow. "You recorded the fight?!"
Danny held up his hands. "Technically, Max did."
Victor just shook his head. "We're not posting it. End of story."
As they continued walking and arguing about what kind of videos they should try filming next, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a loud alarm sound and the whirring of an engine.
Victor's eyes darted up just in time to see a hover minibus streaking down the nearby road. It's hazard lights flashed red as it swerved erratically. Clearly out of control.
Victor's gaze dropped to the sidewalk up ahead where a group of kids were playing, laughing and chasing a ball into the street.
"Move!" someone yelled.
But the kids didn't notice in time.
Victor's body moved before his brain could finish the thought.
Wind circulated around him as he activated Wind Dash and vanished in a blur.
In the span of a heartbeat, he materialized between the kids and the incoming hoverbus. With his enhanced strength, he slammed his palm into the side of the bus, redirecting it off course before it could crush the children.
The bus swerved violently, smashing through a low fence and crashing into the side of a residential building causing bricks to fly like confetti.
The children screamed and scattered in fear.
Victor's eyes immediately tracked the vehicle as it kept shooting forward with speed—still not stopping.