(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Private Study Room)

Sophie sat down on a chair and waited patiently for her father to return. The study room was exactly as she remembered.

Rows upon rows of books lined the walls and a roaring fireplace crackled in the corner of the room.

The floor was covered in a luxurious carpet that made the atmosphere feel warm and cozy. This was the place where her father usually worked.

The plain wooden desk in the center of the room had a projector device installed in the center of its frame that could easily display holographic maps and images.

Sophie hummed softly as she absentmindedly played with the wrist communicator held loosely in her right palm.

She needed to talk to her friends.

Truthfully there was a small part of Sophie that wanted to keep everything hidden but it would be hard to hide what was happening to her.

Cleo had sent several messages already asking about her well-being and Sophie had yet to reply to a single one.

And there was the fact that she had missed the appointment to video-chat with Astrid and Qiana so there was no doubt that her friends were probably already suspicious.

Seeing those unopened messages in her inbox made Sophie feel a bit anxious and sick.

Those messages constantly surfaced at the back of her mind whenever she had time to think or relax.

Sophie ran her thumb over the smooth metalloid surface of her communicator while doing her best to calm down.

Deep breaths deep breaths in and out

The hybrid girl's chest gently rose and fell as she counted to one hundred in her mind. The door to the study room swung open and her father entered the room.

"Sorry sweetie I hope you didn't have to wait long," Duke Peterlor apologized softly. Sophie's father placed a warm hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"It's okay dad I was just thinking a bit," Sophie explained with a forced smile.

Duke Peterlor walked over to the desk and sat down on the chair with a heavy thud. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out two sealed glasses with each containing a clear liquid.

He placed one glass on the desk and handed the second glass to Sophie who accepted it gracefully.

She opened the seal, and the fruity aroma of fresh juice filled the air and entered her nostrils.

Sophie sipped the liquid as her father leaned back against his chair and began to talk in earnest.

"I have been doing a bit of thinking." Duke Peterlor spoke calmly as he made sure to maintain eye contact with his daughter.

"Right now, I don't think that it is the best thing for you to return to university immediately or at least not until you get into a better head space."

"I have talked to the university heads of departments and your position as one of the top students for the freshman year made them willing to consider alternatives."

"Virtual classes could be an option, but you would still have to return to campus at the end of the semester to undertake the final exams."

"How would that sound? If you don't want to then it is a simple matter for you to just repeat first year."

Sophie froze for a moment and considered her options carefully.

Zrudread University mainly focused on practical combat training and encouraged their students to take breaks to go on bounty hunting missions.

Sophie's double major was in poison and combat beast cultivation and only poison cultivation was highly technical and required a lot of theoretical knowledge.

With virtual classes, Sophie was confident that she would be able to catch up on the work that she had missed last semester.

It was even possible to get on track to enter second year with the rest of her friends.

The problem was her mental state. Sophie frowned slightly as she tapped her fingers against the corner of the chair.

What was the correct choice?

Her father would respect her decision either way. Sophie rubbed her temples and closed her eyes while going over the pros and cons.

She couldn't imagine spending several months in the mansion without something to do. It would drive her crazy.

Maybe virtual classes would help her to get back on schedule and return to a normal life following her experiences in the Unovan Syndicate.

"Dad I think I want to give it a try. If I don't think that I can do it anymore then I will let you know," Sophie answered firmly.

"Okay sweetie I will make the arrangements now," Duke Peterlor replied with a proud look in his eyes. He opened his communicator and typed out a few lines of text.

Sophie relaxed in her chair and continued to sip the sweet liquid inside the glass. The fruity scent filled her mouth and lifted her mood.

In a few minutes, her father would probably bring up the difficult part of the conversation.

Sophie was aware that her father had yet to bring up the matter of finding an appropriate psychologist.

Psychologist she needed to see one but

She really didn't want to.

Who wanted to bare their soul and insecurities in front of a random stranger to be judged?

To know that the only reason why you had to see one was because there was something inside you that was broken.

Broken

Sophie gripped her fingers tightly against the soft fleshy underbelly of her palm. The sudden jolt of pain was enough to distract her from those dark thoughts.

The logical part of her knew that this reaction was exactly why she needed to see a psychologist but emotionally.

It was hard to admit that she needed help.

Sophie let out a small sigh and waited for her father to finish typing on his communicator.

She did not need to wait long as the duke soon placed down his communicator and looked up at his daughter.

"Sophie I can tell that you are feeling a bit reluctant, but I want to be completely honest with you," Duke Peterlor spoke softly.

"No one is weak for trying to get help. It is impossible to be strong all the time and sometimes we need others to extend a helping hand to get us out of the darkness."

"I have made an appointment with Doctor Reynolds who has been my regular psychologist for a few years now."

"Your psychologist?!" Sophie exclaimed in shock. This was the first time that she was hearing about this.

"Yes. My psychologist sweetie after your mother I" Duke Peterlor paused for a second as a painful expression flashed across his face.

"Let's just say that I was not in the best state of mind after returning from the Insectoid Empire and you were just a little baby."

"I put aside my pride and got help. You needed a father who was able to take care of himself and there was so much that I had to learn."

The duke slowly got up from his chair and approached his daughter. He pulled Sophie into his arms and gave her a warm hug.

Tears welled up along the corners of Sophie's eyes as she hugged her father back. It was truly her blessing to have the greatest dad in the universe.

"We'll get through this I promise" Duke Peterlor whispered quietly.

"You aren't alone."