Chapter 23 - Chapter 23 - After the Fall

The forest felt alive with the echo of battle — shimmering particles drifting lazily where defeated spirits had vanished, the air thick with dust, sweat, and leftover adrenaline. For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then— CRACK— A branch snapped sharply as one of the two remaining members of Harry's squad tried to limp away, dragging his bruised wolf pup behind him. Aria cracked her knuckles. "Oh no you DON'T." She sprinted after him like an unhinged superhero. "NO WITNESSES!" she yelled. Dot leapt off her shoulder with a war cry made of angry clicking. The boy turned, tripped over a root, and Dot landed square on his chest. "ARGH—GET IT OFF ME—!" Aria skid to a stop."Say you surrender!" "SURRENDER!" he screamed instantly. Dot climbed off, disgusted. Aria smirked. "Thought so." He vanished — logged off or hit the forced respawn.Either way, he was out. That left one enemy still standing. And he was frozen in place. A beginner mage, trembling so hard his staff rattled. His spirit — a leafy Spriteling — hid behind his leg, shaking even worse. Sofia stepped forward slowly. "It's okay," she said gently. "We're not going to hurt you." His eyes darted between them, panicked.Riley could practically see the memory forming — this moment would live in his gameplay nightmares forever. Hayes sighed and lowered his sword."Just log out, mate. Or run. No one's stopping you." The mage nodded frantically —then sprinted away so fast he left dust clouds behind him. Aria cupped her hands around her mouth. "GOOD CHOICE! DRINK WATER! TOUCH GRASS!" Dot clicked in approval. Finally, all eyes turned to Harry. Because Harry hadn't respawned. Harry had collapsed onto a log, wheezing, covered in dust and pure humiliation. His dagger lay in the grass. His wolf pup spirit had already vanished — defeated by Echo and Dot minutes earlier. He glared up at Riley with pure hatred. "You… you think this MEANS something?" Harry spat. "You think this game belongs to you? You're a nobody. A loser." Riley didn't rise to it. He didn't need to. He simply leveled the bow at the ground near Harry's feet. The glowing arrow hummed. Lumi hopped onto Riley's shoulder, tail glowing brighter in response, tiny body ready to fight if needed. Harry swallowed. The others — Aria, Sofia, Hayes, Hayley — watched in silence. Riley's voice came out calm.Too calm. "You tried to steal from my sister," he said. "You threatened my family. You attacked people who did nothing to you." Harry opened his mouth, but Riley kept talking. "There's no excuse for that." Riley lowered the bow slightly. "We're not killing you. But you're going to leave. Right now. And don't ever come near us again." Harry sneered, trying to look unaffected.But his eyes flicked nervously between Riley, Aria's gauntlets, Dot's angry clicking, and Sofia's staff glowing faintly in warning. He spat at Riley's boots. Then logged out. His entire body shattered into pixels. The clearing finally… truly… fell silent. Aria raised her arms dramatically as golden particles drifted down. "LOOT! BABYYYY!" The system chimed: **SYSTEM — VICTORY REWARDPARTY BONUS ACTIVE 210 COINS Low-Tier Weapon (Random) 3x Spirit Shards Minor Potion Pack** **Extra bonus detected.Lumi's passive: +20% COINS applied. 42 additional coins.** Aria screamed. "LUMI IS GOD. I'M STARTING A RELIGION." Dot clicked violently, offended she wasn't included as a deity. Hayley's eyebrows shot up."Hold on—did the system just give you bonus coins?" Riley nodded, holding Lumi up carefully."This little guy increases drop rates and coin rewards." Hayes muttered, "Damn. That's… insanely good." Sofia giggled, cuddling Echo. "He saved us again." Riley stroked Lumi's head."You're a miracle." Lumi glowed with pride. Hayley plopped onto a fallen log, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Well," she said, "that was the most chaotic ten minutes of my life." Hayes leaned on his sword."Our cats MVP'd. Respect to your Echo — she's a real fighter." Echo wagged her tail proudly. Sofia blushed. "She's very brave." Aria flopped backward onto the grass. "BRUH. I'm tired. Dot is tired. The universe is tired." Dot crawled onto her stomach and collapsed dramatically. Hayley laughed."You guys are fun. And strong. Most newbies would've panicked fighting ten people." Riley shrugged. "We had good teamwork." Hayes pointed his sword at Aria."And crazy fists." Aria winked. "Violence is my love language." Sofia tugged her sleeve. "Please stop saying that." Hayley stood and dusted herself off. "We're heading back to the village, too. Safety in numbers?" Hayes nodded. "And… uh… thanks for the help. Would've been rough if Harry's group decided to turn on us too." Riley extended a hand."We help each other. Simple as that." Hayes shook it.Hayley did too. Aria jumped between them. "FRIENDS! FRIENDSHIP! PARTY EXPANSION PACK!" Riley whispered, "Aria… let me talk like a normal person…" "No." Sofia helped Echo gather fallen spirit shards.Her hands shook slightly — the post-fight adrenaline wearing off. Riley approached quietly. "You okay?" he asked softly. She nodded… but her eyes were damp."Y-yeah… I just… I was scared at first. But then Echo moved, and… I don't know. Something clicked." Riley placed a hand on her shoulder. "You were incredible," he said. "That Lumen Burst saved all of us." Sofia flushed bright pink."You… think so?" "I know so." Echo barked and nuzzled her leg. Aria stood over a defeated player's dropped weapon — a rusty knife — kicking it half-heartedly. Riley approached her too. "You were amazing," he said sincerely. Aria glanced sideways. "You think so?" "Yes." "Good." She cracked a grin. "Because I punched a guy so hard I think I levelled up emotionally." Dot clicked proudly. Riley sat on a nearby rock. Lumi hopped into his lap. The whelp's glow dimmed a little — exhaustion settling in. "You did great," Riley whispered. "Better than great." Lumi chirped softly, curling into a small, warm ball. For a brief second, Riley's heart squeezed painfully. He had never had this in his first life.Never had a Spirit who believed in him.Never had people who fought beside him.Never had family. Now?He had all three. He wouldn't lose them again. Hayley stretched. "Village?" Hayes nodded. "Definitely." Aria struck a pose. "To the shops! We have MONEY!" Sofia giggled. "We can finally buy gear." Riley rose to his feet, Lumi tucked against his chest. The forest path glowed warm with afternoon light. The danger had passed. Their pockets were full. Their spirits were stronger. Their group had grown. Riley looked over everyone — his sisters, their spirits, Hayes and Hayley — and felt something new settle inside him. A sense of team. Of belonging. Of a journey beginning properly. "Let's go," he said. Together, they walked toward the village.