James's mother left the room after untying him, leaving behind a silence that felt almost sacred.
James sat at the edge of his bed. The air was still thick. His wrists were red where the rope had rubbed raw. His mother's kiss lingered faintly on his forehead… but it was already fading—just like everything else.
Then—
DING
[Special Reward Unlocked:]
1x Special-Grade Wish
Golden light shimmered into existence—soft at first, then pulsing brighter. It twisted into a tall, faceless figure cloaked in white robes streaked with black. No eyes. No mouth. And yet, its voice echoed from deep inside his mind.
["Your pain was real.
Your fight was honest.
Where others begged, you endured.
Now, you've earned a decision."]
A glowing window hovered in midair, like the universe itself had paused to watch.
---
✧ SPECIAL-GRADE WISHES ✧
Choose one:
1. [Pleasure Purge]
Erase all memory of addictive pleasure.
No cravings. But no joy either. You won't remember why you ever cared.
2. [Permanent Cleanse]
Permanently remove your addiction.
Instant peace. But it won't feel like you beat it. Just that it vanished.
3. [Clean Slate: Empowered]
Activate 24-hour immunity to urges once a week. Stackable.
A buffer. A safety net. But you won't learn how to stand on your own.
4. [Mental Sanctuary]
Create a mental safe space to retreat to.
Peaceful. Numbing. But it won't help when life punches you in the mouth.
5. [Rewind Day: Last Light]
Rewind a full 24 hours the moment you hit irreversible failure or death.
Only you remember. One use. No take-backs.
---
James stared.
Each one seemed like a way out. Too easy, almost. Too clean.
But the last one...
It didn't promise peace.
It didn't promise healing.
It was brutal. Final. Real.
"I don't want a shortcut," he whispered. "That would make all the pain... pointless. I just want one chance—if it ever really comes down to it."
His hand trembled.
Then he tapped:
[✓ Rewind Day: Last Light]
---
A robed figure stepped forward.
"[Wish accepted.
You now carry a thread tied to time itself.
It will pull you back—only once—if everything falls apart.]"
A golden sigil flared on his chest, then sank into his skin like ink on parchment. It didn't hurt.
But something inside clenched.
[REWIND ABILITY GRANTED]
Condition: Death or irreversible failure
Effect: Turn back time by 24 hours
Memory: Retained by you alone
Limit: One use.
---
Additional Gains:
[Daily Mission Complete]
+5 Physical Points
+2 Mental Fortitude
+1 Willpower
+1 Emotional Clarity (12h Buff)
+Trait Unlocked: Conviction-Bound
---
The light faded. The figure vanished.
And James was alone.
No ropes. No voices.
Just a quiet tension in his chest. Like a loaded gun tucked behind his heart.
He stood and walked to the mirror.
Same swollen eyes. Same puffy face. Same soft body.
But the boy staring back... didn't feel quite as breakable.
"Let's hope I never need it," he said.
The words didn't echo confidence.
He already knew the truth.
He would.
Someday.
---
9:00 AM
James touched his glabella. The screen opened again.
[DAILY MISSIONS]
[ ] Eat 2000 calories
[ ] Jog 5 kilometers
[ ] Do 50 push-ups
[ ] Help your mother
[ ] Help your father clean the house
[ ] Help your siblings with their homework
[ ] Do not watch pornography
[ ] Do not touch yourself indecently
[ ] Pick up your siblings from school
[ ] Talk to Julia Heartfelia
[ ] Get a summer job
Failure to do so will result in your father losing his job.
James read through the list, muttering:
"It's mostly the same… but 'get a summer job'? Where am I supposed to find one?
And 'Talk to Julia'… I only approached her because I was looking for the twins. But I'll do it. I have to. I'm not letting Dad lose his job. He's the only one holding us together."
He stretched—and blinked.
He wasn't sore.
"The rewards… they strengthened me. Just a little. But enough.
Small steps, right?"
It was a new day.
New missions.
New resolve.
James opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"Let's do these missions."
The system didn't explain how to help Vanessa—it just expected him to. So James did what he could.
He found her hunched over the sink, sleeves rolled up, quietly scrubbing away at the dishes from breakfast.
"I'll do it," he said.
She turned, surprised. He didn't wait for a reply. He grabbed a towel and started drying as she washed.
She didn't say anything at first. Just passed him plate after plate. Her hands moved slower now, a little softer. Maybe she didn't know what to say. Maybe she was just letting herself believe—for a moment—that her son was changing.
James didn't eat. He was still limited to 2000 calories, and he'd already planned out his meals for lunch and dinner. Not out of fear, but strategy. Hunger gnawed at him, but he ignored it.
After drying the last plate, he quietly stepped outside.
DING.
[Mission Complete: Help Your Mother]
"One down," James muttered to himself, adjusting his shirt as the warm sun hit his skin.
It was 10 a.m.
He glanced at the cracked sidewalk and started walking. His brothers' summer class wouldn't end until noon, which gave him two hours—just enough time to try completing the hardest missions on the list: "Get a summer job" and "Talk to Julia."
He wasn't sure which would be harder.
---
The streets of his neighborhood were familiar—but only visually. Emotionally, they felt like foreign territory. His entire life had been lived behind his family's gate, indoors, shielded from the world by thick curtains and self-imposed isolation.
Now here he was, walking into it headfirst.
He passed bakery windows that smelled of yeast and sugar, small hardware stores cluttered with tools, and laundromats humming with dryers. These were family-run places, friendly and familiar to most. But not to him.
Every time he stepped into a shop, he was met with the same expression—puzzled, cautious politeness.
"Hi, I was wondering if you were hiring for the summer?"
Some shook their heads immediately. Others gave half-smiles, then asked, "What's your name again?"
"I'm James Draevin. Firstborn of Vanessa and Aaron. Julia's older brother."
Recognition rarely came. Just nods. Polite apologies. Gentle refusals.
He left each shop with a lower voice and heavier steps.
One older woman finally spoke plainly. "It's not that we're hiring or not hiring, sweetheart. It's just… we've never seen you before."
He forced a smile. "Yeah, I've lived here my whole life."
"That may be so, but the world doesn't stop by your gate."
James bowed his head and thanked her anyway.
By the fifth rejection, the shame had started pooling in his throat like bile. Not anger. Not bitterness. Just regret.
"Shit…" he muttered under his breath.
"Maybe it's my fault. I never talked to anyone. Never helped. Never even showed my face when I had the chance."
Now he was paying the price.
The streets around him buzzed with life, but he felt invisible.
He followed the familiar turns until he stood in front of Newman Elementary—his old school.
It looked smaller than he remembered. The bright yellow paint on the gate had faded, and the sign overhead had lost a few letters, making the word "Elementary" look crooked and broken.
Children's laughter echoed faintly from the back playground, and for a moment, James just stood there—frozen.
He was supposed to meet his brothers soon.
But before that... he still had one more thing to do.
His hands clenched.
"Talk to Julia…"
He swallowed hard.
He could walk away and do it later. Or he could stop running—from her, from them, from everything he'd ignored.