NOVEL NEXT PROLOGUE Dinner Celebration
August 2020
The Cosmos residence, a sprawling estate nestled in a quiet suburban enclave, was known for its grandeur. In the lavish dining room, with its polished mahogany table, crystal chandeliers, and heavy drapes, the family sat in anticipation. The table was set with fine china, the silverware gleaming under the soft, golden light. Outside, the summer breeze rustled the leaves of the tall oaks lining the driveway, but inside, the atmosphere was tense.
Tonight was meant to be a joyous occasion, a celebration of Keira and Selene’s upcoming graduation from medical school and the start of Adam’s medical career. Yet, what was supposed to be a night of pride and excitement had shifted dramatically, casting a dark shadow over the evening.
Adam had just announced a decision that sent shockwaves through the room.
“You want to throw away your future—a guaranteed position as a neurosurgeon in my hospital- to play video games?” Dr. Isaac Cosmos, patriarch of the family and renowned neurosurgeon, spoke with a quiet intensity. His voice remained controlled, but his piercing gaze betrayed the storm of anger building beneath the surface. His eyes bore into Adam as if searching for some sign that this was all a terrible joke.
Across the table, Cassandra, Adam’s mother, felt her heart seize. She glanced anxiously between her son and her husband. “Adam, my dear, this is a terrible joke,” she said, her voice trembling. “Surely you didn’t mean it. Apologize to your father.” There was desperation in her tone, a mother’s plea to restore the fragile peace. She had sensed Adam’s growing discontent in recent months, but she had prayed it would pass, that he would come to accept the path laid out for him.
Nathan, the eldest son, leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing in disdain. “You were a disappointment as a child, a headache when you were a teenager, and now you’re just a failure in life,” he sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. Nathan had always seen Adam as weak, an underachiever unworthy of the Cosmos name. Where Nathan had followed in their father’s footsteps with pride, Adam had always been an anomaly—withdrawn, quiet, and far too interested in video games for Nathan’s liking.
Keira and Selene, the twins, sat in silence. Their expressions were unreadable, though the tension was palpable. Neither had spoken since Adam’s announcement, but both could feel the shift in the room, the weight of the moment pressing down on them. They exchanged brief glances but remained motionless, unsure of how to navigate the brewing conflict.
As the family stared at Adam, expecting him to crumble under the weight of their disapproval, Adam remained unnervingly calm. His eyes never left his father’s as he spoke, his voice steady. “Yes, father. I don’t think a medical career is for me. I would rather pursue a path that I am truly passionate about.”
Tick-tock. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room echoed in the silence that followed.
Tick-tock. No one moved. No one spoke.
Tick-tock. The room was suspended in time, and each family member waited for someone else to break the tension.
Finally, Isaac spoke, his voice as cold as ice. “If you’re sure, then so be it.” There was no hesitation, no trace of emotion. The words were final, cutting through the air like a knife. “From now on, you’re no son of mine.”
The words reverberated through the room, hanging like a thick fog.
“Leave,” Isaac said, his voice low and unyielding. “Leave this house, and don’t come back.”
Cassandra gasped, her hand instinctively reaching for Adam, though it never made contact. Her heart raced as her husband’s words sunk in. This wasn’t a mere argument—it was a severing of ties. She looked at Adam, pleading silently for him to reconsider, to take it back before it was too late.
Nathan, meanwhile, smirked from his seat. To him, this was long overdue. Adam had always been the odd one out, and now, his weakness was on full display for the family to see.
Keira and Selene remained stone-faced, though Keira’s hand twitched ever so slightly, a sign of the unease that roiled within her. Selene, however, kept her gaze fixed on her plate, her thoughts hidden behind a mask of calm.
But Adam, the subject of their scrutiny, stood firm. His heart remained calm and steady, as though he had already made peace with his decision long before this confrontation. For years, he had followed the path his father had chosen for him, but with each step, he had felt himself slipping further away from who he truly was. Now, standing on the precipice at a second chance for his future, he felt a strange sense of liberation.
“Very well, father,” Adam said quietly. He pushed back his chair and stood, looking around the table. “I shall leave momentarily. But first—” he paused, glancing at the spread of food before him, “- may I finish this meal? After all, we are here to celebrate Keira and Selene’s graduation. You now have two new Cosmos doctors. And they have a brilliant career ahead of them.”
His smile was tight, his words laced with a biting sarcasm that stung the air. But no one responded. They were too stunned to react.
Adam turned to his sisters. “Congratulations, Keira, on becoming a neurosurgeon,” he said, his voice softening slightly. He then looked at Selene. “Congratulations, Selene, on becoming a neurosurgeon as well.”
Both women stared at him, their expressions blank, their thoughts locked behind a wall of silence.
Without waiting for a response, Adam resumed his meal, eating methodically as the rest of the family watched in stunned silence. The clinking of his fork against the plate was the only sound in the room. When he finished, he calmly wrapped some leftovers in foil and placed them in a bag. He did this all in plain view of everyone, but no one moved to stop him.
He stood once more, offering one final glance to his family. “Goodbye.”
It was Nathan who found his voice first. “What the fuck just happened?” he spat, his face contorted with disbelief.
Cassandra, her voice breaking with emotion, called out after her son. “Adam, come back here! Explain yourself!”
Ever the pragmatist, Keira turned to her father, attempting to defuse the situation. “Dad, don’t mind him. He’ll come to his senses. Just give him a few days.”
But Isaac was unmoved. His eyes remained locked on the door through which Adam had just exited, his fury simmering beneath the surface. “Fine!” he roared, his control slipping for the first time that night. “Then go! I don’t want to see or hear from you ever again!”
Selene, seated quietly beside her sister, allowed herself a small, almost imperceptible smile. Beneath her calm exterior was a flicker of pride—pride for her brother, who had dared to do what she had never had the courage to attempt. But she quickly hid the smile, lowering her gaze before anyone could see it.
The room remained frozen in the aftermath, the weight of the moment pressing down on the family. No one moved, no one spoke. The incident had escalated so quickly, so explosively, that none of them had the chance to process what had just occurred.
Isaac, Cassandra, Nathan, Keira, and Selene were left to replay the scene in their minds, trying to make sense of it all. How could Adam—quiet, shy Adam—have stood up to their father in such a brazen way? He had always been the obedient one, the son who followed the rules without question. This defiance was so unlike him.
And yet, he was gone.
Later that evening, Cassandra tried to call Adam’s phone, but it rang unanswered in the living room. He had left it behind in his rush to leave. They had no way to contact him, no way to know where he had gone or what he planned to do next.
As for Adam, as he walked away from the only life he had ever known, he didn’t dwell on his family’s reaction. It wasn’t that he didn’t care—he did. He loved them, despite their anger, despite their expectations.
But Adam knew something they didn’t. Something none of them could possibly understand.
In three years, everything would change. And the survival of humanity would rest not in the hands of doctors or surgeons—but in the virtual worlds that only he truly understood.