The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow over the breakfast table.
For the first time in weeks, the entire family was seated together—Leo nursing a cup of coffee, Luna stirring her yogurt half-heartedly, and Nina quietly buttering her toast while trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
Their mother clapped her hands together with a satisfied sigh.
"Look at this! All of you, at the same table. It's like a dream come true."
Leo gave a small smile and nodded politely. Luna gave a vague grunt of acknowledgment.
Nina offered a quiet "mm-hmm" and focused on slicing her eggs.
Their mother beamed.
"This is all I needed. My children, healthy and whole, together again. Which is why I've decided to book us a vacation out of town!""
She continued, far too casually.
Utensils clinked against plates. Three pairs of eyes froze mid-motion.
Nina's butter knife hovered midair.
"You… what?"
"A vacation. Just us. No hunters, no dungeons, no obligations. I've already booked the place, and I expect all of you to be there."
Their mother repeated cheerfully.
Nina's Patron whispered in her mind with the seriousness of a war general.
[It's not too late to run. Say you've decided to devote yourself to school. Become a model student. Change your name if you must.]
Nina didn't respond out loud, but her expression screamed agreement.
She had vivid memories of past "vacations"—the cramped cabins, forced family bonding games, no cell reception, and her mother's insistence on interpretive nature walks.
Luna was the first to act. She set down her spoon with elegant finality.
"Mother, I would love to join, but I have some very important life-saving assignments. I simply can't delay them."
Leo, ever the opportunist, followed without missing a beat.
"I've got dungeon duty. Scheduled weeks in advance. Canceling could literally endanger lives."
Her mother's smile faltered, just a touch.
"Really? Both of you?"
Before she could protest, Luna stood, stretching exaggeratedly.
"Welp, time to save the world." And she was gone.
Leo shoved the last of his toast into his mouth.
"Love you, Mom. Gotta run—safety checks, you know how it is."
He said through a full mouth.
And then he vanished like smoke, leaving only the echo of his betrayal behind.
Nina stared at the empty seats.
"Traitors."
She muttered under her breath.
The silence left behind felt like a trap, and she knew it. Slowly, cautiously, she turned her head—and met her mother's eyes.
The Look.
Big, hopeful, heartbreakingly earnest.
"Nina…Will you come with me? Just for a few days? I don't want to go alone…"
Her mother said softly.
Nina's Patron made a strangled sound in her mind.
[Don't do it. Resist. She's weaponizing her maternal aura.]
But Nina was already done for.
Her shoulders slumped.
"Okay, fine. I'll go"
She said quietly.
Her mother lit up, face radiant with joy.
"Wonderful! I knew I could count on you. We'll have such a good time!"
[You're too soft-hearted.]
Her Patron grumbled, sounding deeply betrayed.
"I know."
Nina whispered back under her breath.
She pushed her food around on her plate and tried to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable horrors: group hikes, awkward selfies, watching her mother barter with local vendors over dried fruit.
She had once watched a raccoon steal her sandwich during one of these family bonding trips, and she had a feeling that raccoon would be waiting for her again.
As her mother started listing itinerary plans—sunrise walks, local food tours, a pottery workshop—Nina began to quietly mourn the quiet, drama-free weekend she could have had at home.
But despite it all—despite the guilt-tripping, the abandoned daughter role, and her Patron's ongoing commentary about escaping through the bathroom window—Nina saw how genuinely happy her mother looked.
And somehow, that made it all worth it.
Kind of. Almost.
Probably.
'I'm sure things would be just fine…this time.'
Nina felt her impending doom looming like a raincloud ready to pour existential dread over her head.
Her fork hovered above her scrambled eggs as her mother continued to hum cheerfully, probably visualizing matching hiking boots and sunrise yoga poses.
She chewed slowly, her soul shrinking with every second.
But just as she was about to surrender herself fully to her fate, a spark of hope flickered in her mind.
"Wait…"I don't have that many vacation days left. If I miss a whole week of school, I might get held back."
She said, straightening a little.
It was a long shot, but one worth taking.
Her mother didn't even blink.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I've already called your school. You've been excused."
Nina stared.
"What?"
"Yes. I explained that it's a family emergency. Your principal was very understanding."
Her Patron's voice echoed solemnly in her head.
[I recommend we do not ask what kind of persuasive tactics were used. Some truths are better left unknown.]
Nina lowered her head in defeat.
"I tried."
She muttered.
[Not hard enough.]
Her Patron mumbled back.
Feeling her fate was sealed, she got up from the table and trudged off to school like a soldier marching to war.
Classes passed in a blur, and by lunchtime, she had almost convinced herself that things couldn't get worse—until she was summoned to the principal's office.
The principal, a kind man who always smelled faintly of coffee and chalk, greeted her with a small smile.
"Nina. Your mother called earlier today. She explained everything, and we've marked next week as a family emergency in the system. It won't impact your attendance record."
Nina blinked, stunned.
"Just like that?"
"She was… very persuasive."
The principal said, a little too vaguely.
[Again, we should not seek answers we are unprepared to receive.]
Her Patron whispered.
Nina nodded slowly.
"Thank you, sir."
She walked back toward her classroom, feeling both impressed and vaguely unsettled. Whatever spell her mother had cast, it had worked. Too well.
By the time she returned to her desk, frustration was starting to bubble in her chest.
She pulled out her phone and decided to do what she did best when annoyed—complain to her brother.
She furiously typed out
[#1 Hunter Nero]: "I hope you're happy. Thanks to you, I'm going to be stuck in City C next week. I'll be climbing questionable hills and eating trail mix for seven straight days. This is 100% your fault and I will never forgive you."
She hit send with more force than necessary and sighed. Petty satisfaction achieved.
Until she looked at the top of her screen.
And realized she'd just posted the message into the Top 50 Hunters Official Chat Room.
Not a private message. Not even a family group.
The system-wide elite chat room.
Where rankers exchanged intel and coordinated dungeon strategies. The one where people only spoke if it was absolutely necessary.
The silence that followed felt louder than a thousand notifications.
Her Patron made a choking sound.
[Nina. What… what have you done.]
"I— I didn't mean to—"
[You sent a personal meltdown into the highest-level communication channel for the continent's most powerful humans.]
"Maybe no one saw—"
That was a wish, but unfortunately, it was not going to be fulfilled. Those who should not have seen the message had already seen it by now anyway.