The meadow outside the Starting Village was serene—sunlit grass swaying gently, flower petals drifting like lazy snow, tiny critters hopping between shrubs.
Peaceful.
Until Aria yelled:
"RILEY! THERE! HIT THE PINK THING!"
Riley fired.
His arrow bounced off the small round critter's rubbery body with a pathetic thunk.
Aria collapsed laughing.
"You MISSED!"
Sofia sighed. "Aria… please try kindness."
Riley clenched his jaw.
Beside him, the Lumin Whelp tilted its tiny head, glowing softly, waiting for direction.
"Alright, little guy." Riley pointed at the pink critter. "Let's… try this."
The creature blinked at them.
The Whelp puffed up its chest.
Riley attempted: "Use—uh—anything. Attack?"
The Whelp charged.
Sort of.
It waddled.
Like a baby chick learning to walk.
Then it bumped into the critter with the force of a gentle sneeze.
boop.
The critter stared…
…then headbutted it.
The Whelp squeaked, rolled backward, flipped twice, and ended up on its back with its legs in the air.
Aria dropped to her knees, wheezing.
"OH MY GOD. Did you adopt a depressed marshmallow?!"
Sofia gasped and scooped the Whelp up.
"Oh sweetie… are you okay?"
The tiny Spirit whimpered, glowing faintly.
Riley's heart sank.
Frustration clawed at him—unfair, unreasonable, but real.
"This can't be its only move," he muttered. "It can't be this weak."
Sofia stroked the Whelp's head. "Maybe it just needs training."
Aria wiped tears.
"Or therapy."
The Whelp squeaked tragically.
Riley opened the ability screen.
A glowing interface hovered.
He scanned it—
—and froze.
LUMIN WHELP — SKILLS:
• Tackle
That was it.
Just Tackle.
Riley pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You've got to be kidding."
Aria leaned over.
"Bro, my spider has two moves. TWO. And she looks like she could bench-press a rhino."
Her Venom Webling scuttled over and body-checked a training dummy so hard it toppled.
"That's… actually terrifying," Riley admitted.
Aria grinned.
"She has Tackle AND Body Slam. She is elegance. She is chaos. She will destroy kingdoms."
The Webling hissed in agreement.
Sofia lifted her Lumen Pup proudly.
"Mine has Quick Attack and Tackle."
The fox-shaped Spirit darted forward in a golden streak, landing gracefully and wagging its glowing tail.
Riley stared at their Spirits… then at his.
The Whelp blinked, glowing weakly.
Riley sighed and crouched.
He held out his hands.
The Whelp shuffled into them, trembling, tiny, hopeful.
"Okay," Riley whispered. "We'll figure it out."
Sofia placed a hand on his arm.
"It's alright to be frustrated."
He swallowed hard.
He wouldn't take it out on the Whelp.
It was trying.
It was his.
"No trading," he murmured. "No re-rolling. We stick together."
The Whelp chirped and nuzzled him.
Aria pointed triumphantly.
"That's the spirit! Literally."
Riley stood.
"Let's train."
---
Training… goes badly
The meadow critters were harmless, perfect for beginners.
Perfect for everyone—except Riley's Whelp.
Aria's Webling blitzed through anything that moved.
"BOOM! SMACK! YEET! AND YOU!"
The spider hit a puffball so hard it vanished into a bush.
Sofia's Lumen Pup danced gracefully, tapping enemies with soft bursts of light.
"Beautiful," Sofia murmured, stroking it lovingly.
Meanwhile…
"Okay, little guy," Riley said, pointing at a tiny beetle. "Give it your best shot."
The Whelp charged.
Tripped.
Got up.
Hit the beetle with an apologetic bump.
The beetle stared.
Then body-checked him flat.
The Whelp faceplanted.
Riley dragged a hand down his face.
"Oh my god…"
Aria was howling.
"This is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE."
Sofia scooped up the Whelp, hugging him protectively.
"You're trying your hardest. Don't listen to Aria."
Riley felt disappointment sting—sharper than he wanted to admit.
This wasn't how his reset was supposed to start.
He had knowledge.
An advantage.
He wanted momentum.
Instead, he had…
a baby flashlight losing to beetles.
He looked out over the meadow—players cheering as their Spirits won battles.
He wasn't jealous.
Not exactly.
But he felt that old familiar pull:
If only…
And then—
A memory hit him
Hard.
A secret.
A hidden location.
A chest.
A weapon no beginner ever found.
His breath caught.
"I know where to go," Riley said suddenly.
Aria spun.
"What, to find a Spirit that isn't allergic to wind?"
"No." Riley's eyes sharpened. "To get a better weapon."
Sofia tilted her head.
"A… weapon?"
Riley nodded, heart pounding.
"I remember something. A hidden chest. A spot nobody checks on day one."
He held the small glowing Whelp against his chest.
"If I get that weapon… everything changes."
The Whelp chirped hopefully.
Aria threw an arm over Riley's shoulders.
"HELL YES. Lead the way!"
Sofia smiled quietly.
"We're with you."
Riley turned toward the treeline—toward destiny.
This was it.
The moment everything in this new life began to shift.
No Andy.
No guilds.
No failures.
Just Riley.
His sisters.
And a tiny Spirit that everyone underestimated.
This time—
nothing would stop him.