“Are you okay with him spending his precious time in some game?” Nataly asked as they were walking down the corridor towards the cancer ward.

Suzane stopped in her tracks, “Every day I wake up, wishing the last three months be a dream.” She said, staring straight into her eyes, and Nataly regretted asking the question.

“But it is not one. I can’t imagine what Phill must be feeling, knowing he doesn’t have long to live. If that virtual world helps him escape the cruel reality, I am more than okay with it.”

It wasn't Nataly's intention to upset Suzane, but she had inadvertently done it. They spoke no more words only clacking of their heels conversed until they reached Phill’s room. Suzane knocked on the white door, and a boy replied from inside the room, “You don’t have to knock Su.”

Phill’s room was like a sweet in a resort. 2000sqft all to himself, decorated with green plants and the view of the city from the 140th floor was breathtaking.

“And you don’t have to be so on time. Your in-game progress would be hindered if you kept leaving so frequently,” said Suzane as they let themselves in.

“A fake world is nothing compared to the time I get to spend with my sister.” The smile on Phill’s face heavied Suzane’s heart.

Nataly saw Suzane's beautiful face being taken by a gloom so she barged into the conversation, “Phil, you are getting hotter by the day. What are you doing in the game?” She said, giving a mean look to Phill.

“Nataly, find another guy. You aren’t his type. How many times do I have to tell you this, huh?” Suzane finally recollected herself.

“I wouldn’t mind taking her out,” Phill replied, making Nataly blush and her sister giggle.

“Ata boy,” Suzane said. Nataly knew how to turn the atmosphere jovial. Neither she nor Phill was serious. She shrugged and leaned on the big matte black capsule. Its sleek design was remnants of a millennia-old supercar.

Suzane also sat on a chair laid beside Phill’s bed. She picked up an apple along with a knife. And asked while peeling it, “So what adventure are you on these days? Slaying dragons!”

Phill gave a bitter smile to her question.

Approaching 26, Suzane was five years older than Phill. She wore a white shirt and a typical black office skirt. From the moment she entered the room, her actions sported etiquette and nothing else. Hard or not, but it was obvious she was doing everything for her brother. Money wasn’t a problem, but it was his incurable condition. The woman who lived in the realistic world, who only had a short-lived relationship with the fantasy, that too, when she was in her early teens. Now the same person was asking him about the lore and adventures of some unreal world. It filled Phill with complicated emotions along with Nataly, who had seen Suzane bossing around employees of their company as an ice queen.

“Dragons! Aren’t you overestimating me? And it feels to me like there are no Dragons in Ulteria. Anyways, adventuring is fun. Unlike other games, this one is volatile.” Phill recalled his last quest. He continued, “The same volatility had turned me into a Mage.”

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“Mage!” Nataly’s ears perked up at the word Mage, “Weren’t you playing as an assassin? Your build fits that class.” she asked because Suzane was as distant to games as Pluto to the Sun.

“True, if we only consider my real-world appearance. Regardless of this, I customized my character to be an assassin in Ulteria to exploit the agility and nimbleness of the class while exploring. But a recent quest provided me with lots of intelligence stats and now I am an assassin with a mana pool that will make any Mage in the game jealous.”

Nataly jumped up from where she was. The capsule would’ve flipped if not for the fact that it was fixed in its place and couldn’t be moved.

“Hey! Hey, that capsule took more time to design than ordering it. Be careful with it.” Phill whined.

Nataly shrugged as she shook her hands, disregarding his worries, and asked in excitement, “How many intelligence stats do you have? Surely it wouldn’t be more than Vish, the first on Mage rankings.”

While Nataly was almost on top of Phill, Suzane stared daggers at her. The aura she was emitting right now was of Nataly’s boss, and for the first time, she was making her realize that she was her boss.

But Nataly was too focused on getting an answer out of her brother, so Suzane had to call, “Nataly.”

“Cough cough.” Nataly saw her posture and paled. Her face was almost touching Phill’s, and one of her knees was on the bed while her hands were on either side of the poor guy’s shoulder. Her actions were at the point of an assault. “Sorry, I got a little bit too excited.”

“It’s okay! I guess you like Mages that much.” Phill was all red from what just happened. Nataly was a beauty with ebony hair and sharp features emphasized by her fair wheat skin and pure black eyes. Despite not having anything for her, Phill had unwittingly stared at her. She had been too close.

Nataly nodded, and Phill finally replied to her question, “I am sure I have more stats than Vish.”

Nataly was inwardly shocked but didn’t let it out this time. Alas, Suzane already knew. The question Nataly had asked in the corridor was a jab for her, for not playing Ulteria. Suzane felt left out, and Nataly sensed it. If given the choice, she would rather hunt a lion with a butterfly net. Instead of asking her friend first and boss later to play Ulteria. But Phill was there, and she leveraged the fact as she opened her mouth, “Suzane, why don’t you enter Ulteria for once? I am sure you will have fun.”

Suzane sliced the apple in half with a swift sound, and Nataly felt that knife just sliced through her neck.

“I will think about it.” She handed the plate with peeled apple slices to Phill. The answer was unexpected.

“Su, you should really try it. I would like to spend more time with you,” Phill said and crunched on an apple slice, and so did Nataly. She had been the one to pick the first slice and now looked expectantly at Suzane while pursing her lips on the fruit.

“I will surely make an account. Just not now.” She replied with firm eyes and picked one slice.

Every time she sees her brother's state, her heart hurts. Despite their funny mood, none of them were oblivious to it. The boy with pale skin and a fragile body had a bald head due to chemo. Phill would’ve been a charmer with that cute face and sharp jaw. But there he was, stuck in a room.

“Anyways, it’s time, little one. We need to go.” Suzane looked at the wristwatch just to confirm her words.

“I promise I will join the game.”

Both Suzane and Nataly walked towards the gate while Phill stood up and approached the capsule. He gave one last look to the duo when he saw Nataly winking at her as a goodbye. He just smiled and lay in the capsule. And Trino once again returned to Ulteria.