Darkness swallowed everything.
No sound.
No sensation.
No weight.
Just drifting.
Riley wasn't sure if he was asleep, unconscious, or having the weirdest dream his brain had ever produced. There was no floor beneath him. No ceiling above him. No sense of direction at all.
He floated.
For how long?
Seconds?
Minutes?
Possibly the rest of eternity, which would honestly be pretty inconvenient.
Then—
thump.
A tiny pulse of white light flickered somewhere far away.
thump.
It beat again, slow and steady, like a heart.
Riley frowned. "That's… new."
Each pulse tugged gently at his chest, as if something were calling to him. The light grew brighter with every beat, drifting closer through the endless dark.
thump—
Memory rushed back all at once.
The fractured gem.
The blinding flash.
The static screaming through his headset.
And then—nothing.
The light swelled until it filled his vision.
A soft voice whispered, warm and oddly familiar.
"Return…"
Riley gasped—
—
And bolted upright in bed.
His lungs burned as he sucked in air. Sheets tangled around his legs. His heart hammered so hard he was half-convinced it was trying to escape.
"Okay," he panted. "Okay. That was… vivid."
He blinked, eyes darting around.
This wasn't the VR booth.
It wasn't his cramped apartment near the city.
It wasn't the tournament facility.
This was—
His bedroom.
His old bedroom.
Blue walls plastered with faded posters of early Realmwalker concept art. The cheap wooden desk with the lamp that flickered if you bumped it wrong. The curtains his mum had refused to replace because they were "perfectly fine."
Riley's breath caught.
"No way…"
He swung his legs out of bed and immediately froze.
His feet hit the floor too easily.
His body felt lighter.
Smaller.
He stared down at his hands.
Smooth.
Unscarred.
No calluses from years of grinding dungeon raids with haptic gloves.
"These are…" His voice wobbled. "These are my high school hands."
That sentence alone should not have made sense.
He stumbled to the mirror on the closet door.
A younger version of himself stared back.
Sixteen years old.
Messy hair.
Clear eyes that hadn't yet learned what sleep deprivation felt like.
Riley poked his cheek.
"Ow."
He blinked.
"…Okay, so either I'm awake," he muttered, "or this is the most realistic dream in human history."
His gaze snapped to the calendar pinned to the wall.
Launch Day
Realmwalker Online goes live — 6:00 PM
Monday, April 4th
Riley's brain shut down for a full three seconds.
Then—
"Oh my god."
He slapped a hand over his mouth.
"I'm back."
He spun toward the bed.
And there it was.
Resting on his pillow.
The gem.
Except it wasn't cracked anymore.
Its fractures had sealed into smooth crystal lines. Its glow was steady and warm, like sunlight caught in glass.
Riley approached it cautiously, half-expecting it to vanish.
It didn't.
When his fingers brushed the surface, a pleasant shiver ran up his arm.
Not painful.
Not shocking.
Just… familiar.
Like it recognized him.
"…What are you?" he whispered.
The gem pulsed once.
Then, without warning, rolled slightly and bumped into his wrist.
"Hey—!"
It stopped.
Riley stared.
"…Did you just move?"
The gem pulsed again.
He laughed — sharp, breathless, disbelieving.
"Okay. Great. I time-traveled and picked up a weird rock with opinions."
He sat down heavily on the bed, clutching the crystal to his chest.
Shock hit first.
Then disbelief.
Then relief so intense it made his chest ache.
And finally—joy.
Real, uncontrollable joy.
"I'm back," he whispered, grinning like an idiot. "I actually get another shot."
He remembered the humiliation.
Andy's calm defeat.
Harry's mockery.
The guild kicking him out like dead weight.
None of that existed yet.
He had time.
He had knowledge.
He had—
—
BANG BANG BANG
His door flew open so hard it rattled the hinges.
"RILEY!" a familiar voice shrieked. "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING? IT'S—"
Aria froze mid-rant.
She stood in the doorway in pajama shorts and a shirt with a cartoon bat on it, hair frizzed in every direction rats neat coming to mind.
Sofia peeked out from behind her, glasses crooked, eyes wide.
They were both—
Small.
Younger.
Alive.
Riley's breath hitched.
They were fifteen again.
Bright.
Annoying.
Perfect.
"You okay?" Aria squinted. "You look like you watched a horror movie and then cried about it."
Sofia tilted her head. "You do look… emotional."
Riley stood so fast they both jumped.
Then he wrapped his arms around them.
Aria stiffened like she'd been electrocuted.
"WHAT—HEY—NO—ABSOLUTELY NOT—"
Sofia squeaked. "R-Riley? Are you… hugging us?"
He held them tighter.
They were warm.
Real.
"I'm just glad to see you," he said quietly.
Aria shoved him back with horror. "What is wrong with you?! Did someone dump you?"
Sofia blinked. "Dumped? He doesn't even talk to girls."
"HEY."
Aria gasped loudly. "OH MY GOD. HE'S CRYING. SOFIA, GET THE CAMERA—"
"I'M NOT CRYING," Riley said, scrubbing his eyes.
"You totally are."
"Bro's having a whole emotional arc," Aria declared.
Sofia studied him carefully. "You're… different today."
Riley swallowed.
Aria crossed her arms. "Are you sick? Are you dying? Are you in love? WAIT—do you have a crush? WHO IS SHE?"
"I'm fine," Riley said quickly. "Really."
Aria narrowed her eyes.
Then she noticed the gem.
"…What's that?"
Riley hesitated. "…I don't know."
Sofia stepped closer, mesmerized. "It's beautiful."
Aria poked it. "Are you sure it's not radioactive?"
"It's fine," Riley said, pulling it away.
"You're weird."
"And you're loud."
She grinned. "There he is."
Sofia glanced at the calendar. "Realmwalker launches in six hours…"
Aria groaned. "Don't remind him. He's been obsessed for months."
Riley smiled.
He wouldn't lose this again.
"Actually," he said, voice steady, "I need to talk to you both."
"For what?" Aria asked suspiciously.
Riley looked at the gem.
Then the calendar.
Then his sisters.
"For our future," he said.
The gem pulsed.
And for just a second—
A tiny line of text shimmered across its surface.
SYNC COMPLETE
Riley stared.
"…That definitely wasn't there last time."