Blank jerked her hand back from Orson's grip like she'd been shocked, shooting Sienna a glare. "Don't be ridiculous."
"My brother's got one fatal flaw—he can't hide anything from people close to him. I know him way too well."
Sienna covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, her big eyes darting back and forth between them.
"It's that obvious?" Orson felt his face warm up, scratching his chin like he was deep in thought.
Beside him, Blank's cheeks were bright red. She couldn't even look Sienna in the eye, feeling embarrassingly guilty.
Sienna didn't let up, openly staring at Blank. Then she pouted and said in a playful whine, "Hmph, how did you two get so close so fast, without even telling me? I'm mad now."
She turned her head away, face flushed, and it didn't look like an act at all.
Three stress lines popped up on Orson's forehead. Was he supposed to submit a relationship report in advance for this?
Besides, even if he'd tried to predict it, there was no way he could have imagined getting jumped by Blank.
The mighty Archmage of Infinite Dimensions, taken down by a rogue in the dead of night—he'd basically been along for the ride the whole time. How could he have seen that coming?
He knew Sienna's temper well. She was the type who'd melt for gentle coaxing, not hard talk. So he just shook his head and said, "Alright, alright. Change your clothes already. You smell like hell."
He shoved a pile of fresh clothes into her arms.
Blank was pink to the ears, fidgeting in place like she didn't know whether to sit or stand. She wasn't a blockhead like Orson—she could see exactly what was going on. Sienna acted like she was complaining, but she was actually jealous.
That was what made Blank so uncomfortable. She'd promised herself to keep Sienna safe. But while the girl was still stuck in the game, she'd gone and claimed her brother.
Even if Sienna could see there was something between them, it wasn't just about love. The bond these two shared after all those years went deeper than that.
"World fusion still needs a bit more time. When we get back, I'll cook you a good meal. You need to build your strength."
Orson nodded solemnly. In his mind, ingredients were already lining up like soldiers. This time, he was determined to prove himself—and redeem the humiliations of his past life.
"What? I might be immune to poison now, but I'm not sure I could survive your cooking!"
Sienna jumped up with a gasp, her face draining of color. She shook her head wildly. "Come on, be human for once! Spare me!"
"You doubt my skills?"
Orson narrowed his eyes, giving her a look that made even Blank feel uneasy. "What's so scary about that?"
Sienna grabbed Blank's arm, lowering her voice to whisper, "My twelfth birthday—he cooked. Mushroom stew. We both landed in the hospital for five days. Five days in the ICU…"
"Fifteen, some classmates came over. He cooked again. Set the kitchen on fire. My friendships that day were forged in the flames."
"And then there was…"
Sienna rattled off story after story—each one a tragic scar on her soul.
Blank turned her head, staring at Orson in stunned silence. Hard to believe this dazed guy was some conceptual god. Even making a simple egg fried rice, he could trigger food poisoning, stomach troubles, or outright disasters.
Now it made sense why Sienna was such a good cook—pure survival instinct!
"Menu's ready. Come on, let's get moving!"
Orson declared with iron resolve.
Blank let out an awkward cough. "Let's skip it. Supplies are tight right now. It'd be too much trouble to go shopping—I'll have people handle it."
"That's true. They already started emergency controls. Probably nothing left in the supermarkets."
Orson paused, remembering yesterday's evacuation alert. Food and essentials were under strict control.
Though now that players had become adventurers, they could use their game inventories. Many life-skill players kept tons of Infinite Dimensions ingredients stocked up, so nobody was starving yet.
It wouldn't be until the Heaven Demons truly arrived and ravaged the fusion world that supplies would become desperately scarce—a single old cup of instant noodles could go for sky-high prices.
Before long, the three of them were out on a training field behind the hospital, with four armed helicopters circling overhead for security.
Sienna pumped her fist excitedly, wearing a little floral dress that made her look sweet and pure. The faint star mark on her forehead shimmered like she'd stepped right out of a rainbow sunrise.
Orson raised his hand. A rift tore open. "Rooooar!"
A dragon's roar burst out, making the medics and pilots nearby suck in sharp breaths.
Aeloria slashed her claws through the rift and stepped into reality.
Her eyes blazed like twin fires, exuding bottomless majesty and wisdom. Her towering figure was long and lithe, scales glittering with mysterious hues—gold here, silver there, dazzling in the sun.
She looked as if she were forged from living metal, radiating an imposing, unbreakable force.
Then a phoenix's cry rang out. Berenice appeared, riding Ignis, and immediately started bouncing on Orson's head. "Whoaaa, servant boy, where are we?"
"Whoa\\~\\~ it's the mighty barrier-busting master, Berenice!"
Sienna was over the moon, waving frantically as she reached up for Ignis. "And the little undying phoenix—I can't believe I get to see them in real life!"
"Little human, have you heard the legends of this dragon emperor?"
Berenice hopped onto Sienna's head, puffing up proudly. Sienna nodded so fast she looked like a pecking chick.
Berenice tried to act old and wise. "Then let this dragon emperor take you as my final disciple. With me, you could shatter a thousand magical truths. Want to learn?"
Sienna practically exploded with joy. Berenice was beyond smug, already planning how to scam her into being his human minion.
"You little bastard… get back here."
Orson's hand of doom reached out, grabbing the bouncing idiot and shoving him back into the spatial pouch.
Of course, the little moron ignored all spatial constraints, poking half his egg-shaped body out to grin. "Slice off that human's head and sign a contract. Easy."
"No way, you're terrible—take this!"
Sienna flipped in an instant, smacking Berenice back inside without mercy.
After that chaos, the three of them climbed onto Aeloria's back.
Her wings spread wide, wind howled, and the escort helicopters quickly pulled away.
The medics and soldiers behind the fences went pale. Even though many had been Infinite Dimensions players themselves, it was still staggering to see such a colossal creature in the flesh.
Just as they took off, Aeloria's tail whipped down with a crack, and she rocketed upward so fast Sienna had to cling desperately to the saddle, squealing, "This is amazing!!"
"Fly slower, damn it! In a hurry to reincarnate?!"
Orson clenched his teeth, thumping Aeloria's head twice.
But experiencing reality for the first time, the dragon couldn't care less. The city below blurred by, and she kept howling, soaring on.
Orson frowned. Was this dragon just way too excited?
"You reek of that woman's scent. I don't like it. I resisted the urge to eat her. You should thank me."
Aeloria's cold voice echoed in his mind.
Orson forgot all the curses he'd been about to spit. Great—two women and a dragon, none of them were going to make life easy for him. Now he even had cross-species jealousy to deal with?!
Thunder boomed. The sky, clear a second ago, turned dark as night, with heavy clouds so low you could almost touch them.
"It's starting." Orson's heart pounded. It was happening—whether he liked it or not.
He had no choice but to accept it, whispering to himself, "Hope everyone stays safe."
It took quite a while, but they finally returned to the mansion.
"I missed you so much, Sienna!"
"You're finally back—I'll get food!"
Ruby, Dancing Giant Boobs, and the others rushed over. Sienna gave them a warm smile. "Thanks for worrying about me—I'm fine now."
Everyone was already geared up in their Infinite Dimensions sets, exuding the sharp confidence of top players. Orson couldn't help smiling, though all this high-fantasy armor did clash hilariously with the sleek modern mansion.
"Hey, give me a hand with these bags. Move it."
A BMW 740 pulled into the drive just then. A silver-haired hulk got out, arms loaded with bags, calling out to them. A heavily pregnant beauty followed him.
"Who the hell is that?"
Madman squinted, scratching his head. The guy looked oddly familiar—he just couldn't remember from where.