1 Tragic Fate

"They say that every person in the world has a correspondent star in the boundless galaxy, I wonder which one is mine..." muttered a thin, frail-looking teen that seemed to be less than 12 years old.

This teen that was currently seated on a chair for the disabled was looking at the limitless night sky above.

If one looked closely, then that person would be surprised to see that this teen's obsidian-colored eyes were dull and lifeless, akin to a dying star, lacking brightness and spirit.

Despite so, one couldn't help but be attracted to those eyes that seemed to have faded due to the passing of time. Behind those pair of eyes was a profound wisdom that one shouldn't possess at such a young age.

With his head tilted, gazing upward, the teen's eyes were as open as they could be. "They say that the starry night sky is one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world...beautiful...haha. Oh Allen, no matter what you do and say, only the ever-present pitch black darkness will welcome your vision." the teen mockingly said to himself.

Taking a deep breath, Allen closed his eyes and calmed his heart. "Since I was born, in my eyes the world has never changed and it will never change even if I die. So why was I born like this, barely alive in this cage?"

At that moment, Allen suddenly heard a voice from afar.

"Little Allen, good news, good news!"

As the hurried footsteps resounded in the quiet courtyard, a middle-aged nun could be seen speed walking towards the young teen.

Turning towards the direction of the voice, Allen called this person's name in his heart. "Mother Jane, is it that time again?"

Right behind the female nun was a luxuriously dressed couple that seemed to be in their early 30s. It could be seen that man was handsome and had a stalwartly built despite his loose clothes while the woman was beautiful with silky black hair that spread down to her waist. Of course, Allen couldn't see this.

The elegant lady couldn't help but marvel at the young teen's appearance as she muttered under her breath, "What a beautiful child."

Looking at Allen, she could sense a hint of ethereal feeling surrounding the young teen as he sat in his chair with a tranquil and serene expression. It was as if he wasn't suffering from such disabilities and illness, seemingly detached from the mortal world.

It was as if he was an enlightened sage that had seen through all mundane things—possessing incomparable wisdom. The lady lamented the fact that such a young child had developed such a trait and outlook on life.

The female nun took Allen's hands with enthusiasm as she introduced the husband and wife behind her. "Little Allen, this handsome and beautiful husband and wife are Mr. and Mrs. Cross—they will be your family from now on."

'As expected...' pursing his lips, Allen nodded his head and greeted his soon-to-be-new parent. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Cross it's nice to meet you both, my name is Allen, please take care of me."

Extending his hand, the handsome man chuckled. "Hello little Allen, my name is Edward and this is my wife, Lara. You'll be living with us from now one, please take care of us."

Hearing her husband's words, Lara also smiled warmly at Allen. There were no pity or regret in her eyes like how everyone else looked at Allen, only a firm determination. 'What this child lacks the most is love.' she thought.

Hearing their sincere words, Allen smiled. His marvelous smile was akin to the blooming of a flower as the surrounding suddenly felt more alive.

That night was the start of Allen's happy, albeit short, life.

**********

3 years later.

Cross Family Mansion.

Within the exquisite and deluxe designed mansion, two figures could be seen walking down from the grand-sized stairway, albeit slowly.

"Oh, be careful, be careful...here hold my hand," said Lara as she extended her hand towards Allen.

Looking at the milky-white hand that seemed to be carved from jade, Allen pursed his lips and shook his head. "No need mother, I can do it myse—"

Before he could finish his words, his legs suddenly trembled and slipped, his body plummeting down.

Fortunately, Lara's reaction was quick as she immediately caught Allen's little body. She then laughed. "I really don't know where your stubbornness comes from."

**********

4 years later.

January 1, 2060

Within the mansion's tranquil environment, a rapid amount of information was spat out by a newscaster before Allen changed the channel of the high-tech television.

When the new channel came up, he found out that it was also a news report. Just as he was about to change it once more, the announcer's words suddenly caught Allen's attention.

[Hello and welcome to all the fans that are currently watching this show right now! First and foremost we just want to thank you all for your support, or else we wouldn't be here without you! Second of all, happy new year to everyone, today is the first blank page of a 365-page book, write a good one!]

[Of course what would be the most suitable welcoming for the year 2060? Other than A.G. Group's most awaited and groundbreaking VRMMORPG—Everlasting Continent, what else would it be?]

"Everlasting Continent? VRMMORPG?" muttered Allen.

Seated on the large snow-white sofa that screamed "comfortable" was Allen and his foster father, Edward.

Inside the kitchen was Lara, who was currently preparing some snacks.

Hearing his son's whispers, Edward looked away from the laptop in his lap and glanced at Allen before looking towards the large screen.

[With the A.G. Group's guarantee of the game's 99% realism and its fully interactive system alongside its innovative and limitless world, it would be the first of its kind in the virtual reality industry—unprecedented! With the entry of the year 2060, Everlasting Continent has finally completed its 30-year development!]

[From the announcement of the A.G. Group, there will be no alpha test or beta test since the game wouldn't need it at all! How bold am I right? And that's not all, what's really shocking was the company's statement, which I quote: 'Everlasting Continent will be unprecedented and unsurpassable for centuries to come!']

"Hoho, although arrogant, they are capable to be so." laughed Edward when he heard the announcer's spirited words.

Tilting his head, Allen glanced at his foster father. "How so? What is the difference between this game and its predecessors?"

"I heard that the game will be run by the world's leading super AI, Alpha. The super AI will basically have full control of the game with the A.G. Group supervising the whole thing. You can consider Alpha to be the 'real' god or the 'creator' of Everlasting Continent."

With his eyes closed, Allen's numbed heart, which had fairly improved all these years, started to beat rapidly. Without him noticing, a look of yearning had appeared on his face.

'99% realism, will I be able to see the world in that game... ?' he thought.

Seeing his son's expression, Edward smirked before opening his mouth. But before he could even say anything, his wife had already overtaken him.

With a plate full of sliced fruits, Lara came over to the duo. "Son, we already bought an Elite Gaming Capsule for you. It's the latest and currently the top gaming capsule in the industry, and is also extremely suited for Everlasting Continent."

With a wry smile on his face, Edward shook his head and chuckled.

Surprised at his foster mother's words, Allen was delighted. "Thank you, father, mother."

**********

A year later.

Global Alliance Medical Center.

In a VIP medical room, four figures could be seen.

"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Cross. Allen's body ailments, which was stable a few years ago, for some reason had become unstable, worsening his already weak physique." said the old doctor with a grave expression.

"The machines' previous examinations on Allen came out alright, albeit extremely weak, it wasn't as bad as it was now."

With their bodies already shaking, Edward and Lara's face became pale akin to a sheet of paper.

"In our past examinations, I've already said that although his body was incurable, he should still be able to live as long as he took the right treatment and medical care, but this is completely unexpected."

As if delivering them sentencing, the doctor's following words sent the husband and wife in despair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cross...I am afraid that your son doesn't have much time...Even with the best medicine and therapy, your son is highly unlikely to live beyond the age of twenty." said the doctor with his eyes closed and breathing ragged.

Putong!

With a face full of misery, Edward dropped on his knees as if he was electrocuted.

Meanwhile, Lara covered her mouth with her hands as tears fell from her face like a waterfall, her body trembling nonstop.

'Your son doesn't have much time...'

'Highly unlikely to live beyond the age of twenty...'

As the doctor's words resounded in their ears, the couple felt as if they descended into the brink of hell.

On the other hand, the 16-year old Allen who had heard the doctor's words was completely calm. His eyes were closed as he stood between his foster parents as composed as one could be.

His heart was akin to a calm ocean as the doctor's words hardly affected his will.

He had expected this ever since he was a child.

With a peaceful smile, he thought to himself. 'It seems that the grim reaper is closing in on me huh...'

Allen lifted his arms and patted both his parent's back, trying to calm them down. "Although my life before was indeed full of misery, it all changed the moment mother and father stepped into the orphanage."

"I can describe my life with father and mother these past few years with one word. Happiness. I've already lived a good life compared to other pitiful children in this world. By becoming your son, I'm already satisfied with this life."

Allen's words came from the bottom of his heart. Before he met the couple, his life, in a gist, was simply miserable.

From a young age, he had suffered endless illnesses and sickness while being unable to see anything except the omnipresent darkness. Being extremely young, poor, and weak, waking up every day in the morning was simply torture for him.

From one foster family to another, nearly all of them died due to some "unforeseen circumstances". However, Allen had a faint feeling that it was because of him, at least he thought so. And as he thought of this, all the kids on his age group and even the older ones thought so as well.

Afraid of even talking to him let alone having physical contact, none of them dared to bully him so they simply treated Allen like an outcast.

He was isolated from the world.

As Allen switched from one family to another, and after finding out his previous families' similar "experiences" and "circumstances" with death, they labeled the young Allen as a living and breathing harbinger of death.

With no one to rely on, Allen had to endure the seemingly endless loneliness and the ever-present darkness in his life, all by himself.

And as time passed, he had learned to look at the world with his heart, instead of his blind eyes.

With his eyes closed, only calmness and a peaceful smile could be seen on the young lad's face.

Seeing such reaction from Allen, the doctor admired the young man from the bottom of his heart. 'Such a strong-willed boy...Ay, why are the heavens so cruel to such a good kid..."

However, seeing such an expression on their son's face and hearing his words, it was as if blades had been stabbed into the hearts of the husband and wife.

Tears gushed out from their eyes as they wailed while hugging each other.

They could only hug their son, powerless to change his tragic fate.