Empty Cradle

In the basement of Jest's lavish mansion at the heart of NQSC, behind several layers of armored alloy and defended by a cutting-edge spelltech defense system, lay a square chamber with video walls that displayed a beautiful panoramic view of Rivergate.

There were two sleeping pods installed there side by side — once luxurious and expensive, but now old and obsolete. Jest and his wife had used them once, but since both of them were Masters now and did not venture into the Dream Realm in their sleep, the sleeping pods had just been gathering dust for the last few years. 

Not that they were really dusty. The entire mansion was spotlessly clean, both due to robotic cleaners and mundane staff. 

But today, one of the pods had an occupant.

Jest's older son was laying there, sleeping peacefully, while Jest himself was sitting on a folding chair nearby and watching him with an expressionless face. 

He had been sitting there for two days without moving.