The roar of the crowd was deafening, a tidal wave of cheers and flashing lights. Confetti rained down, sticking to Ryan's sweat-dampened hair, blurring his vision. His teammates were a blur of ecstatic shouts and back-pats, their faces flushed with victory.
They had done it. Against all odds, they had won the Kingdom Forge World Championship.
In his trembling hand, the Orb of Wishes pulsed with a soft, ethereal glow. It was smooth, cool, and impossibly heavy—not with physical weight, but with the crushing burden of every regret, every failure, every broken promise that had led him to this moment.
This wasn't just a prize; it was a desperate, final gamble.
His eyes, bloodshot from sleepless nights and endless grinding, scanned the jubilant faces around him. He saw their joy, their relief, their bright, unburdened faces stretching out before them. And then, his mind, cruel and relentless, dragged him back to the faces that weren't there.
His mother's tired smile, etched with worry lines he'd put there. His father's stoic silence, a mask for the crushing debt. Molly and Mia, their small, hopeful faces pressed against the grimy window of their apartment, their laughter too often replaced by quiet sobs he pretended not to hear.
He remembered the gnawing hunger in his own stomach, the nights he'd skipped meals so they could eat. The humiliation of pawning his last console, the bitter taste of charity, the endless cycle of barely surviving.
He remembered the corporate wolves, the ruthless takeover that had devoured his family's legacy, leaving them with nothing but shattered dreams and a mountain of debt.
He had played Kingdom Forge not for glory, but for survival. Every raid, every battle, every grueling hour was a desperate attempt to outrun the inevitable, to claw back a semblance of the life they'd lost. But it was never enough. The world, it seemed, was determined to keep him down, to watch his family crumble.
The Orb thrummed in his palm, a silent question. 'What do you wish for?'
His teammates were already making their frivolous requests—legendary gear, rare mounts, things that mattered only in the fleeting digital realm. But Ryan's gaze was fixed on something far beyond the game, far beyond this moment of fleeting triumph.
He closed his eyes, and the faces of his family, worn and weary, flashed behind his eyelids. He saw the path he'd walked, littered with mistakes, paved with missed opportunities. He saw the future, bleak and unforgiving, if he continued down this road.
A single, desperate plea escaped his lips, barely a whisper against the celebratory din.
"I wish I could start over."
The words were out. And then, the world cracked.
The Orb cracked.
Light burst from its core—violent, blinding. It didn't just yank Ryan out of the game. It followed him, bleeding into reality. The glow chased him from the virtual world, right through the pod, and wrapped around his entire body like a living flame. It moved like it had a will of its own.
Time stopped.
Then, like a video tape unspooling in reverse, the world began to rewind.
Scenes played out in fast-motion. Joy, pain, grief, hope. Over and over, the feelings returned, sharper each time.
The day he became the World's First Holy Paladin, that insane rush of pride. The years of grueling practice. The fear when he joined Crimson Wake, unsure if he'd made the right call. The betrayal. The manhunt. His parents' deaths, powerless to stop them. Building his first guild with friends who believed in him.
That first log-in, the thrill of a brand new world at his fingertips. His awkward college years. Middle school crushes, bittersweet and dumb but unforgettable.
Late nights staring at the ceiling, wondering if it all had a point. The day he pawned his last console just to keep the lights on. The day he skipped lunch so Molly and Mia could eat instead. The night he heard his mother sobbing through the walls, muffled behind closed doors.
It all flashed past, dragging him further and further back.
And then, the very beginning.
Newborn cries. A pair of strong arms cradling him, laughter echoing in the delivery room. Ryan didn't just see it—he felt it.
Tears slid from his eyes without warning. His body, finally free from the overwhelming force, trembled as time itself stopped once again.
He watched, stunned, as the nurse lifted the newborn him, and handed him to the woman on the bed.
A low rumble filled the air. Time, which had been moving backward, suddenly surged forward again, sweeping Ryan into its current like a leaf in a flood.
The story replayed itself.
He watched the baby wobble between his parents, giggling, babbling. He wanted to scream.
'Not this again.'
Elementary school. That fake-smile private middle school, bought with a favor. A half-assed entrance into the worst high school in town.
Three years of nothing. Partying, wasting time. A low-tier private college. Then the company collapse. His parents, proud and stubborn, slaughtered by corporate wolves.
Kingdom Forge became his only job. He played to pay debt, grinding in silence while the rest of the world looked away.
Crimson Wake hired him—but only because he worked for pennies. Their leader used to be one of his biggest rivals. That irony never stopped stinging.
Seeing all these, Ryan clenched his fists.
'No.'
That future, his future—wasn't happening again.
He watched the toddler version of himself learning to walk, toddling into preschool. It was unbearable.
"No! Not again!"
He screamed, punching the air, the ground, anything. The world felt like glass—just out of reach. But then, a ripple appeared.
Something reacted.
Maybe—maybe the universe heard him this time. In a half-dead orphanage, that little boy made a choice. He reached out and asked his parents to adopt two younger girls.
Ryan gasped at the sight.
The timeline shifted, the kid studied hard. He lived with those two little sisters, happy, together. High school—top of the class. Teachers praised him. Friends liked him. He was winning.
Tears streamed down Ryan's face again, but this time they were laced with joy.
But joy doesn't last.
The corporation struck again. Their family business got swallowed whole. Assets gone in an instant. His parents' faces darkened, their dreams collapsing.
The future had caught up.
Ryan collapsed to his knees with a hollow heart. The changes weren't enough.
"It's coming back," he muttered. "It's all happening again."
The helplessness was suffocating. He slammed his fists against the invisible walls around him. Over and over, desperate to crack the illusion. To reach that scared little boy and steer him just a little more off course.
Then, for the first time, the light dimmed.
Ryan's heart jumped. He pounded harder on the barrier, inciting brighter sparks. At that moment, a fracture appeared. A second later…
Smash.
The world shattered. A scream tore from his lungs as a force ripped him from the loop, flinging him into the unknown.
In the darkness, Ryan reopened his eyes.