The Five Kings: First Step

Hopian 98 Part 1 - Every Day, Can't Catch a Break

In the second part of last chapter, Elio and his family went to their nextdoor neighbours apartment to visit with them. It turned out that just like the vast amount of the population, they also were extremely obese- and prefer to live their life through a simulated lens. This infuriated Elio when he meets with the family's son who talks about his video game simulations, who he ends up making cry from his brutal- and perhaps undeserved words...

Elio's P.O.V.

"What in the hell was that you two?! Are you trying to ruin our connections with the few people we ever get to commerce with?!" Mom shouts at me and my brother Xalen right after we shut- or dad slams the door to our apartment.

"Mom I didn't do anything it was Eli-"

"Shut it." Dad says as he grits his teeth... I mean... should I stand up for him? I'm probably going to get punished anyways, but I wouldn't want Xalen to get in trouble for no reason... then again, they would never listen to me right now. Or at all probably...

"Do you two really get your entertainment from forcing your own views onto others? Did you not learn in, I don't know haha, preschool- that there's something called "empathy" in this world? Those people- or no our neighbours like many others are- they're raised into those conditions you know? Some people can't afford to buy their own houses here, and so they have no choice but to live inside of these government issued apartments. Some people with criminal records PRAY to get the lives the "trapped" people living in "simulated" happiness get..." Dad scolds us as he walks back and forth in front of me and Xalen who's head is drooped down. I have SO many things I want to say back to the garbage he's spewing.

Mainly that- if you swapped "can't afford to buy their own houses" with "can't afford to buy their own freedom", there would be little to no difference. Because the apartment's are completely free- the people give up their rights to the government entirely, so much so that each apartment has camera's set up in them for "research" that the higher authorities can access any time they want to.

"Are you even listening to him, Elio?! ...What, do you have something you want to say? In fact- tell me, why do you care so much about all of this stuff in the first place? Are you not busy enough with your tests coming up soon?" Mom shouts as she slaps my forehead with the back of her hand, I guess she noticed my gritted teeth but... after she says that I calm down a bit... why do I care so much about the lives those registered people live now?

I blamed it on the Aliez's son Uleas saying my life was sad but... I don't think think that was quite it.

"I don't know. It came to me." I mumble out to buy me some time... maybe it has to do with me just being stressed? Yeah, but there's more than that isn't there...

"Is that so? No, I think you may be hiding something you've been doing like your brother was with that damaging vlog channel he had. If you two tell us now, we won't have to search your rooms- but there's no time for goofing around here." Dad says as he crosses his arms over his chest with a huff- oh God, shit I underestimated them, I have to say something now...  that's it.

"It's everything." I say, without much thought but, honestly... I think that is it... I-I don't know.

"What? Everything? What does that mean?" Mom asks as she furrows her brow.

"It's, I don't know... this continent. It's so- so dark and depressing all the time.. and we chose not to give our lives up to the government to keep our freedom, but even then... it feels like it's... like that was pointless either way now. I haven't seen the real world's sky even once, we hardly go outside the apartment... yeah." I say but luckily stop myself from going too overboard, although I ended a bit informally there. Hopefully they won't get too mad about that.