Riley woke to the smell of coffee.
Coffee meant Mum was trying to cope with stress.
He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the faint echo of Dawnview's lantern glow lingering like a dream behind his eyelids. Aria's snoring vibrated through the walls. Someone — probably Sofia — was humming softly in the hallway.
But underneath it all…
…something buzzed.
Not in the house.
In his phone.
Twenty-five notifications.
Fourteen friend requests.
Two unread emails from Realm Walker.
And—
Aria screamed from her room:
"OH MY GOD RILEY, WE'RE TRENDING!"
He blinked. "What."
Sofia's door opened. "What?"
Aria burst out of her room wearing mismatched socks and panic-hair, waving her tablet like it was a holy relic.
"LOOK."
She shoved the screen into his face.
There it was.
A clip of Dawnforged standing in Dawnview plaza, holding the eggs, Aria shouting "BEHOLD MY CHILD," Dot facepalming in shame.
50 thousand likes.
10 thousand comments.
Caption: FIRST-EVER PRIMORDIAL EGG PARTY — DAWNVIEW'S HEROES GO VIRAL
Riley groaned. "Oh no."
Sofia blinked. "Oh yes."
Aria jumped onto the sofa like a caffeinated frog.
"We're FAMOUS. People are arguing about our genders, our builds, our strategies, my CLEAR psychosis, everything!"
"Makes sense," Sofia said mildly. "You do radiate chaos."
Aria accepted this as a compliment.
Then the kitchen door opened.
Mum stepped in with her mug and frowned at the three of them.
"Why are you screaming at seven in the morning?"
Aria turned the tablet toward her.
Mum blinked.
"Are those… your characters?"
"Yes," Riley said.
"And those are… glowing eggs?"
"Yes."
"And someone in the comments is trying to adopt your spider?"
Dot, from her position in Aria's hair, waved politely.
Mum sighed. "I will never understand your generation."
But she smiled a little.
Which made Riley feel like maybe the weight in his chest loosened a bit.
They ate breakfast — cereal for Aria, toast for Sofia, and last-night's leftovers for Riley.
Mum was scrolling on her phone when she froze.
"Um."
She turned the screen toward him.
Riley's stomach sank.
A corporate email.
Subject line: Opportunity for Partnership — Immediate.
"Riley… they're already contacting you?"
Aria spat cereal everywhere. "ALREADY?!"
Sofia frowned. "That's… fast."
Riley stared at the sender.
Silverleaf Interactive.
In his last life, Silverleaf was the company that treated its "sponsored streamers" like indentured servants — restrictive contracts, impossible hours, forced appearances, mandatory content quotas.
They destroyed careers.
And here they were.
Offering him a contract.
Immediately.
Mum cleared her throat.
"Sweetheart… they're offering—" she paused, voice shaking, "—a signing advance that would clear our arrears. All of it. Today."
Aria nearly fell out of her chair.
Sofia gasped.
Riley's chest felt tight.
He remembered the first timeline:
The house lost.
The stress.
Mum crying quietly in the kitchen.
Aria pretending she didn't hear.
Him feeling helpless.
Now, salvation was sitting in his inbox.
One signature.
One contract.
One future he already knew was poisoned.
He stood up silently.
Aria whispered, "Riley…"
He walked to the sink, bracing his hands against the counter.
Sofia approached him gently. "You don't have to decide right now."
Mum put her mug down, eyes soft, but worried.
"Riley… I know you want to help. But don't throw your future away to fix mine."
He swallowed hard.
"I'm not signing," he whispered.
Aria blinked. "You're WHAT?"
Riley turned.
"If they're the first ones to contact us, it's because they're the most desperate. And the most exploitative."
Mum frowned. "Is it that bad?"
"I've seen what they did to other players" Then Riley caught himself "in other games I mean" They take everything. Time. Privacy. Control. They'd use the eggs as leverage. They'd make us perform like circus animals."
Aria nodded fiercely. "Yeah, okay, ew."
Sofia touched his arm. "We'll find another way."
Mum stared at him — long, searching.
Then she stepped forward and hugged him tight.
"You're a good kid," she whispered. "Whatever we face, we face it together. You don't owe me a miracle."
Riley closed his eyes.
But he did.
And he would find one.
Just not from Silverleaf.
The three logged in at 9am.
Dawnview materialised around them — peaceful, bright, a contrast to their buzzing real-world nerves.
As soon as their avatars appeared, a message popped up.
> 21 New Member Requests Pending
Village interest: HIGH
And directly below it—
> [Guild Chat — 142 messages]
Aria groaned. "Oh no, we created a monster."
Sofia laughed. "Let's… go see what the damage is."
They walked to the workshop where the rest of Dawnforged was already gathered.
Hayes, Hayley, Jonathan, Rezion, Kalyani, Mira, Kipp, the four alchemists, three crafters, two spirit handlers, and a mossling who had apparently appointed himself "morale manager."
Kipp was standing on a crate.
"ATTENTION, EGG-HAVING HEROES!" he shouted before immediately losing his balance and face-planting.
Mira didn't even look up from polishing a tool. "He's fine."
Hayes raised a hand. "Guild business. We've got twenty-one join requests. Mostly low-level, but eager."
Jonathan shrugged. "If they can survive the road to Emberton, they deserve a spot."
Rezion said nervously, "Do… do we have enough room?"
Aria waved him off. "We're a walking circus. The more weirdos, the merrier."
Dot tapped her in agreement.
Riley stepped forward.
"We'll accept all twenty-one," he said. "But they travel with us. If anyone can't handle the road or the ambushes, we'll help them find another guild."
Hayley grinned. "Caravan of chaos. I like it."
Kalyani cracked her knuckles. "Ambushes won't know what hit them."
Mira scribbled notes aggressively. "I'm bringing prototypes."
Kipp raised a hand from the floor. "I volunteer to be moral support—AND BAIT—"
"No bait," everyone responded automatically.
Riley surveyed them all — eggs in warming crates, spirits sharpening claws and blades, players checking armour and potions.
This wasn't just a team anymore.
It was a caravan.
A movement.
A future.
"Alright," he said softly.
"Dawnforged marches in two days."
Arcial growled with excitement.
Lumi chimed brightly.
The eggs pulsed in unison.
Sofia smiled.
Aria fist-pumped.
Hayes nodded.
Rezion tried not to faint.
Kipp fainted anyway.
Mira stepped on him.
Riley looked toward Emberton — not visible yet, but already pulling him forward.
We're coming, he thought.
And we're ready.