Light swallowed everything.
A rush of weightlessness flipped Riley's stomach—as if he'd been hurled sideways through a star.
Static fizzed across his tongue. His ears popped.
And then—
The world ignited.
He stood inside a cathedral carved from starlight.
Floating platforms of glowing glass formed concentric rings around a massive spiraled crystal at the center. Streams of light drifted through the air in slow, graceful arcs—comets suspended in honey.
Every step sent shimmering ripples across the surface beneath their feet.
The Spirit Hall.
Hundreds—maybe thousands—of floating Spirit Cores hovered on luminous pedestals. Each one pulsed with its own tiny heartbeat of light.
Aria spun in a complete circle, arms spread wide.
"OH MY GOD. THIS IS—THIS IS ILLEGAL LEVELS OF COOL."
Her voice echoed through the cathedral, earning a few amused glances.
Sofia hugged her hands together, eyes bright with wonder.
"It's like a dream. Everything feels alive."
Riley didn't answer.
His chest felt tight.
Because he remembered this place—not in detail, not in clarity, but in feeling.
In regret.
In all the mistakes he made from the very first step.
This Hall decided everything.
A thunder-deep voice resonated across the cathedral, rich and velvet:
WELCOME, WALKERS.
CHOOSE YOUR SPIRIT.
YOUR BOND WILL BE PERMANENT.
Aria jumped.
"Okay—whoever programmed that? Give them a raise."
Sofia giggled.
Riley didn't laugh.
He darted forward with a speed that made both of them stumble after him.
"Uh—Riley?" Aria called. "Why are you moving like there's a 90% off sale on winning?"
"Rare starters," Riley said briskly. "I want to check them before they're claimed."
"Rare?" Sofia breathed. "There are rare ones?"
"Yeah," Riley lied smoothly. "Some early guides mentioned it."
(Lies. None existed. He knew because he'd lived the patch cycle.)
He wove through clusters of players bonding with their new Spirits:
A fire wolf bursting from its Core in blazing sparks.
A stone cub rolling joyfully at its tamer's feet.
A giggling jelly-orb bouncing off a boy's head.
He ignored it all.
He was aiming for one thing:
Skyrazor Falcon.
Apex aerial Spirit.
Fast. Deadly. Meta-defining.
Unobtainable in his past life.
But now—
He reached the pedestal.
His breath crumpled in his throat.
The pedestal was empty.
A shimmer of fading feathers dissolved into the air.
Text pulsed above the stand:
SKYRAZOR FALCON — CLAIMED
NEXT RESPAWN IN: 59:13
Aria skidded beside him.
"Bruh… someone was that fast?"
Sofia frowned. "Who could reach it first?"
A crack of lightning exploded across the chamber.
A player stepped out of the glow—tall, calm, effortless.
A tiny lightning fox pup perched on his shoulder, tails sparking.
Aria groaned.
"Oh COME ON. Even in a fresh universe he gets something cool?! HOW?!"
Sofia whispered, awed:
"That's… Andy. From the arena."
Riley stared as Andy strode onward, unfazed, almost humble.
Aria cupped her hands and hollered after him, "BET YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS RARE, YOU CASUAL!"
Riley exhaled slowly.
Fine.
Whatever.
Skyrazor was gone.
He wouldn't crumble from one setback. Not this time.
"Alright," he said. "Let's look for the others."
They moved deeper.
Thunderclaw Cub — CLAIMED.
Flameforged Lynx — GONE.
Frosthorn Colt — CLAIMED.
Stormbreaker Hatchling — TAKEN.
All the flashy, meta picks vanished fast.
Aria slapped her cheeks.
"Bro… the good ones are ghosting you HARD."
Sofia touched his arm gently.
"There are still many left. You'll find the right one."
Riley nodded.
But he felt it—that creeping dread.
The one that had followed him through five years of mediocrity.
Falling behind.
Starting weak.
Starting average.
No.
Not again.
He scanned harder. Faster.
Earth bear.
Lightning otter.
Tree-snake.
Golem pebble.
Fire squirrel.
All decent.
None right.
Until—
A flicker of faint light caught his eye.
Hidden behind a wide archway, far from any crowd, sat a tiny pedestal.
A Spirit Core floated above it—so dim it was almost invisible.
Dust had gathered at its base.
Aria made a face.
"That one looks like the other eggs bullied it."
Sofia whispered, "It feels… abandoned."
Riley stepped closer.
The Core's heartbeat was fading, fluttering like a dying candle.
Why was it hidden?
Why was it ignored?
He felt something pull at him—a quiet tug, deep in his chest.
He reached out.
Aria grabbed his sleeve.
"Bro. Are we sure? That thing looks like the universe's runt."
He didn't answer.
His fingers touched the Core.
Warmth pulsed beneath his palm.
tump… tump… tump…
A heartbeat.
Stronger.
Clearer.
A crack split across the Core.
Aria yelped.
"That is DEFINITELY not normal!"
"No," Sofia breathed. "It's… awakening."
Light pulsed inside—weak, then stronger—
CRACK.
Another fissure.
Then—
The Spirit hatched.
Light burst outward—soft, warm, like a newborn star gently unfolding.
A tiny creature collapsed into Riley's hands.
He froze.
It was small—so small—barely the size of a kitten.
Its fur shimmered like moonlit snow.
Its eyes were huge, gentle, filled with drifting starlight.
A tiny horn peeked from its fluffy forehead.
Motes of pale light floated lazily around it like fireflies.
The creature blinked.
Chirped softly.
Riley forgot how to breathe.
"...hi," he whispered.
Sofia gasped, hand over her heart.
"It's beautiful."
Aria leaned in dramatically.
"Okay. THAT is stupid adorable. Like ILLEGAL adorable. I want seven."
The creature nuzzled Riley's palm, warm and trembling like a baby sun.
The Hall shook as the voice thundered:
SPIRIT BONDED.
LUMIN WHELP ACQUIRED.
EVOLUTION PATH — UNDEFINED.
"Undefined?" Sofia repeated. "Is that… allowed?"
Aria threw both hands in the air.
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Does it evolve into a dragon? A cosmic wolf? A toaster?! SOMEONE TELL ME."
But Riley barely heard them.
Because something inside him clicked the moment he held the Whelp.
Like everything in his first life had been misaligned—
and this tiny glowing creature fit perfectly in the missing space.
He hadn't gotten an apex predator.
He'd gotten something else.
Something rare.
Something forgotten.
Something… limitless.
He cradled the Whelp gently.
"I guess you're with me," he whispered.
The little creature chirped happily and curled against his chest, glowing brighter.
Sofia smiled softly.
"It really suits you."
Aria nodded.
"You look like a soft boy with a portable night-light. It works."
Before Riley could respond, the cathedral floor pulsed.
All pedestals dimmed.
Wind roared upward.
A final message echoed:
SPIRIT SELECTION COMPLETE.
INITIATING TRANSFER.
WELCOME TO THE STARTING VILLAGE.
Light shot upward.
The floor shattered into stars.
Riley clutched the Whelp close as he fell with Aria and Sofia—
A new beginning unfolding beneath them.
Together—
They entered their second chance.