Day Nineteen..

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Nathan just stood frozen in his spot. He was flustered to see how Abigail's character moved on the laptop screen. He felt like he had already seen this fighting style before.

Nathan's eyes never left Abigail's monitor screen. He continued watching her as his mind wandered off somewhere. He remembered Monica. He could see Monica in her.

It was several years ago when he last saw this fighting style. Though Monica stopped playing online games when they finally met, he would never forget her character's movements and fighting style.

Surprisingly, Abigail was moving her character similar to Monica. What a great coincidence was this?

Nathan's heart suddenly clenched inside his chest. He felt the longing as he continued watching Abigail. She reminded him of Monica when she was still playing this game as Shining Star.

He seized this moment, not interrupting the two. He was like a spectator at the back, silently observing the game. Nathan kept reliving the memories he had of Monica.

Meanwhile, Abigail and Ethan were almost done clearing the mission. But the enemies got stronger than before. They were now battling against the two elite men of the Mafia Boss.

Abigail and Ethan were having a hard time fighting the two. They were losing their HP.

"Miss Abi, don't cover me. I will just drag you down. I'm sorry I'm not good enough as your partner. Just focus on your enemy. If you keep covering me, you will end up dying," Ethan said, feeling disheartened. He felt like he was the one who would cause their defeats.

"It's alright, Ethan. Win or Lose, we will fight them together. I am here as your partner. It's my responsibility to help and support you. I don't mind even if we lose today. We can still try and do it again tomorrow," Abigail softly mumbled, encouraging Ethan. She wanted to cheer him up so that he wouldn't lose his fighting spirit.

Ethan just bobbed his head. He acknowledged that he still couldn't compare to his Dad's ability. His father, Nathan, was a great gamer! If he was the one playing right now, they could win this battle.

Meanwhile, Abigail continued protecting Ethan's character. She was taking the bullet for him. She was almost using her HP. But their enemies were still at 80% HP.

'If it was you, what would you do in this hopeless situation?' Abigail kept thinking about her online friend who was also an expert gamer.

Abigail recalled that it was her friend who always covered up for her. Then they would come up with a great combo attack, finishing off their opponents in just one critical hit.

As Abigail and Ethan got in trouble, the spectator at the back could no longer stand still. He couldn't watch them anymore as both their characters received severe hits from their opponents' attacks.

Nathan moved closer to Ethan and tapped his shoulder, "Let me," he said in a low voice, asking Ethan to let him play the game on behalf of him.

Ethan's eyes lit up as soon as he saw his father standing next to him. He immediately stood up and offered the seat to his father.

Abigail, who was so focused on her laptop screen, didn't notice that her partner had already changed. Nathan was now playing Ethan's character.

In that crucial moment wherein Abigail's character, Cliste, was almost dying, a hero came to save the day! Nathan expertly handled Ethan's character, Tegesu, protecting Abigail from the bullet fired by the enemy.

A loud tap-tap sound of the keyboard could be heard. Nathan's fingers moved so fast at incredible speed. Tegesu fired bullets at their enemies at a very fast pace, hitting them at their vital points.

Abigail was surprised to see Ethan's character improved so much with his shooting accuracy and speed.

"Nice, Ethan. You just saved me!" Abigail praised him as she turned in his direction. But she was surprised when an adult version of Ethan was sitting on his chair.

p Abigail almost dropped her mouse when she saw Nathan sitting next to her!

'Damn! When did he arrive? He suddenly showed up from out of nowhere!' Abigail gasped inwardly.

"Focus. The enemy is after you." Nathan nonchalantly said when he noticed that Abigail's character stopped moving. Though his eyes were fixed on the desktop monitor, he sensed that Abigail was looking at him. She already found out that Ethan was not the one playing.

"Miss Abi, watch out!" Ethan warned her when an opponent charged in her direction, attacking her character using a sharp object.

Abigail shifted her attention back to the game. Nathan was now the one backing her up. He blocked the enemy's attack to save and protect Abigail's character that had a low HP.

"Move to my back.. and defend my rear. Let me attack the enemy," Nathan instructed her.

Abigail didn't expect that Nathan would be good at this. His words sounded reassuring. She obeyed and followed his instructions. She was surprised that Nathan had this wonderful tactic that lured their enemies into a trap.

'Damn! He is good!' Abigail complimented Nathan in her mind.

"I think I'm dying," Abigail blurted out as she checked her remaining HP. Just one shot from her enemy and she would be dead.

Even if she survived this, she thought she would die as soon as they moved to the next level, facing the Mafia Boss.

"Just keep playing. I will not let you die. You have me on your side," Nathan mumbled.

Abigail was put in a daze when she heard his last remarks. He sounded like him. Someone said those same words to her before and she felt secure in his presence.

This reminded her of the feeling she had when she was playing this game together with her gaming buddy.. her friend. He was always saying he had her back so she just had to focus on her task and not worry about something else.

After ten minutes, they finally cleared the challenge, defeating their two strong opponents.

"Wow. Dad! Miss Abi! Keep going! You only have to defeat the Mafia Boss to complete this mission!" Ethan cheered on them. He enjoyed watching them as they fought together.

He didn't expect that Abigail and Nathan would have this good teamwork. Their fighting styles and tactics complimented each other's skills. They were both moving in sync!

The two had become engrossed in the game as they began to fight the Mafia Boss. The atmosphere turned serious and heavy tension surrounded them. Both of them were very competitive. They didn't want to lose even though this was just a game.

'Why do I feel like his fighting style is similar to someone I knew?' Abigail also noticed something as she fought along with Nathan.

Nathan showed his expertise in this kind of game. He managed to protect Abigail as he landed critical hits against the Mafia Boss. Now the two of them were attacking simultaneously, targeting the Mafia Boss.

Ethan was amazed to see them cornering the Mafia Boss. They were both in low HP but they managed to match the strength of the Mafia Boss.

"I will create an opening! Kill him with one shot!" Nathan instructed her once again.

Abigail's palm was already sweating but her focus intensified further. Trusting Nathan's words, Abigail launched an attack, hitting the Mafia Boss.

Ding!

*Game Over*

[ You won against the Mafia Boss. Congratulations on completing your mission! ]

Nathan put on a satisfied smile as he let go of his mouse. On the other hand, Abigail felt so elated that they won despite their low HP. She stood up and held Ethan's hands.

"We won! We won!" She said joyfully. She looked like a child rejoicing.

Ethan also joined her as he jumped while congratulating Abigail. Nathan could only smile as he watched the two. They looked so happy as if they won a jackpot!

'So Abigail has this childish side too,' Nathan thought to himself.

He stood up and was about to inform Abigail of the reason why he came when Abigail suddenly pounced on him, hugging him. Nathan froze in his spot once again because of that hug.The primary upload of this chapter happened on N0v3l/B1n.

"Thanks, Nate! You are amazing!" Abigail praised him as she tightened her grip on his body. She couldn't hide her excitement. It had been so long since the last time she felt this thrill of playing this game. It brought back memories and familiar feelings!

Nathan didn't push her away. He just gently patted her back, allowing her to hug him. He just found himself smiling back.