(VRMMORPG) Fallen Realm Online: Rebirth of The Strongest Demon

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'What's come over Brother today?' Aurelia pondered silently as she observed Xylen revel in uncontrollable laughter, radiating pure, unrestrained delight.

His actions were so erratic and absurd that he resembled someone who had been miraculously granted another chance at existence.

Moments earlier, he had been wracked with a high fever, his condition so dire that she had abandoned everything to tend to him.

Then next, he behaved oddly, acting as though battling some invisible force. And now... he seemed to have completely lost his sanity.

Her anxiety deepened, and, unable to stay silent any longer, she called out softly;

"Brother..."

Her words startled Xylen instantly, pulling him out of his ecstatic state and making him aware of how far he had lost his composure.

He attempted to conceal his overwhelming joy immediately, but his efforts were futile.

His eyes still sparkled with happiness, and the grin on his face was impossibly wide as he focused his gaze on Aurelia.

If he could, he would have embraced her tightly—so tightly that it would have felt as though he wanted to become one with her.

But, confined by his broken body, all he could do was grin foolishly on the worn-out mat.

The anguish and despair he had endured after grieving Aurelia's death had been immeasurable.

He had almost surrendered to the depths of hopelessness countless times, contemplating dying alongside her because he had believed life without her was inconceivable. And now… after three years of silent tears, an unimaginable miracle had occurred.

How could he not be overwhelmed with joy? How could his happiness have any bounds? Xylen nearly blurted out the truth on the spot. Yet, he instinctively knew this wasn't something to share.

It wasn't a matter of distrust in Aurelia. No. She was the one person he trusted above all else in this lifetime.

Finally, he managed to quell his excitement barely.

"Yes?" Xylen finally replied, his voice trembling slightly.

Still gazing at him in bewilderment, Aurelia questioned, "What could be possibly making you this overjoyed? Have you perhaps won a jackpot you haven't informed me about?"

"This…"

Xylen was caught off guard.

'Did she really think my excitement was because of a jackpot?' he wondered, torn between laughing and crying.

What is a jackpot compared to what had just happened?

But how could he explain to her that he had lost her once before?

That he had even taken his own life after losing everything?

Xylen's teeth clenched before he could stop himself, his eyes turning red as suppressed emotions surged, causing Aurelia to feel like pulling out her hair in exasperation.

"Brother…" she said helplessly, "why are you crying now? You're frightening me."

In response, Xylen simply smiled.

"Don't worry, Sister," he assured her suddenly. "From this moment forward, you won't be frightened anymore. I will protect you with my life and ensure you have nothing but the best." He made the vow from the depths of his heart.

Hearing this, Aurelia froze.

Not to lie, his promise tugged at her heartstrings because this was the first time Xylen had ever done something like this.

She almost instantly lost herself to excitement, but then she recalled their current circumstances.

She rolled her eyes playfully and stood.

"Now that I'm sure you're alright, I'll fetch some water to clean you up and get you ready for the night. Your fever was so intense today that you wouldn't stop sweating," she said, and Xylen, still gathering his thoughts, simply nodded.

He knew Aurelia's thoughts, but his action would change her mind.

Without convincing her, Xylen watched as the stunningly beautiful Aurelia, dressed in a faded, patched gown, stood up, turned, and left the underground garage, her petite, fragile figure making his heart tighten.

Finally, the sob Xylen had been holding back escaped, leaving him deeply emotional.

"You devoted your life to looking after me and bearing burdens that weren't yours to begin with, in our previous lifetime, never sparing a thought for yourself," he muttered, guilt washing over him as he recalled how

Aurelia had always made him feel whole. "Now that I've returned, it's time for us to switch roles."

Mumbling this emotionally, Xylen sighed.

At this point in the past, he hadn't truly appreciated Aurelia, instead, he had even taken her for granted. But after her death… everything changed and he finally realized her value.

Although someone else had taken her place then, no one could ever replace Aurelia—not even remotely.

Speaking of the person who had taken Aurelia's role after her demise...

Xylen's face suddenly darkened in an instant, his gaze turning venomous and hateful.

Before he could stop himself:

"Eris," he growled under his breath, the sheer intensity of his hatred lowering the room's temperature.

This was the person who had driven him to despair and, ultimately, to his death.

That's right.

Xylen had met her a few days after Aurelia's demise and she had done everything to become close to him, helping him even despite his hopeless state.

As for how she had contributed to his death; Xavier's obsession with healing had grown stronger than ever before, after Aurelia's death.

Desperately seeking a cure for his crippled body, he eventually discovered a potential treatment. However, the price for it had been far beyond his means, leaving him hopeless once again.

That, however, had been until one day, Eris suggested he buy a game cabin for Fallen Realm Online, explaining that he could earn real-life currency through the game to pay for his treatment.

As Eris had taken over Aurelia's role as his caretaker, Xylen had chosen to trust her, using every last cent of his savings to purchase the gaming pod, and from that point on, he immersed himself in the game, grinding endlessly in hopes of salvation.

Initially, his progress had been insignificant.

But then, a mission appeared—one with a reward so lucrative it could secure a lifetime of comfort for anybody and be enough to get his treatment, Xylen, driven by desperation had chosen to pursue the mission, though, never really expecting success.

Yet, against all odds, he uncovered the mission's hidden location—something countless players had failed to achieve.

Despite knowing that the secret shouldn't be shared, he still chose to confide in Eris, believing it was through her fate had finally granted him mercy.

That day, Eris had celebrated with him, giving him the encouragement he desperately needed. From then on, Xylen had lost himself in the game, battling the mission over and over for more than a hundred in-game days until he successfully took down the boss.

But then, the unthinkable happened.

Eris, the person he had trusted and relied on, had betrayed him.

That's right.

It wasn't just that she had come to claim the reward. She had arrived with his most despised enemies—his half-brothers and sisters.

Together, they had seized the reward before his eyes, ridiculing his naivety.

They then taunted the dumbstruck Xylen, revealing to him that Eris had been deliberately placed in his life to earn his trust, give him false hope of healing, and ultimately use him to complete the game's mission, after which he would be broken and tormented.

Their plan had succeeded. But even then, Xylen had wondered why.

And the answer?

It had stemmed from their desire to prevent him from inheriting any share of their father's fortune. At the same time, to give him just the needed hope to push him into completing the game mission which had promised to bring them immense wealth and a life-changing reputation.

He had almost lost his sanity after this revelation, as he had never been after his father's inheritance to begin with.

Instead, completing the mission had been his sole purpose in life—a desperate attempt to achieve healing. However, before he could fully comprehend the betrayal, he had been killed in the game.

As he was forced to log out, however, two final revelations broke him completely:

They had drugged Aurelia and planned to hand her over to a powerful young master in exchange for a reward. Unable to endure the humiliation, Aurelia had taken her own life. They had even colluded with the hospital to provide Xylen with a falsified autopsy report.

They had also revealed to him, just before his consciousness returned to his body that his mother's death hadn't been a mere coincidence as he had always foolishly thought

….

This sequence of betrayals, loss, and bad luck was what had left Xylen utterly broken, leading him to end his life, and now that he recalled those events, his eyes burned with unyielding resolve, his killing intent palpable.

"Eris, my dear half siblings—you guys would have never seen this coming, did you?" he muttered, his voice venomous.

With a chilling laugh that seemed to echo through the room, he added, "Hehehe!"

But before he could lose himself in his darkness, a startled voice interrupted him.

"Brother, what's gotten into you?" Aurelia's bewildered tone brought Xylen back to his senses.

He instantly turned to her, smiling sheepishly. "You... you're back already, sister?" he stuttered.