The late afternoon sun painted Dawnview Village in warm gold as the three siblings stood near the grassy clearing where they'd spent most of the day grinding. The glowing creature pressed against Riley's leg, its tiny horn flickering like a half-used candle. The fox curled its tail proudly around Sofia's ankles, and the tarantula scuttled up Aria's boot, clicking sharply as if demanding a post-battle snack.
Aria rolled her shoulders with an exaggerated groan.
"Okay, Riley. What now? Another mushroom swarm? A wolf? A goblin? Maybe a secret boss? C'mon, hit me with something dramatic. My spider's hungry."
Sofia tugged gently on her sleeve. "We're level three. Please don't ask for things that can actually kill us."
"That's half the fun!"
Riley chuckled under his breath. Some things never changed: Aria had always been chaos incarnate, Sofia had always been soft and sensible, and he had always stood somewhere between them — hopeful, protective, and trying to keep the peace.
Except now… now he had the knowledge of five years in the future sitting quietly in the back of his mind.
He cleared his throat.
"There is somewhere we could go."
The twins froze mid-bicker.
Riley lowered his voice, scanning the area to make sure no one else was close enough to overhear. His tone dropped to that low, conspiratorial whisper that instantly captured his sisters' attention.
"I remember reading something on a forum once. Like… back before all the patches and updates. Before the balancing changes. Someone claimed there's a hidden chest near the starting area."
Sofia clasped her hands. "A hidden chest? With real loot?"
Aria's eyes sparkled like she'd just been handed a flamethrower. "How much loot?"
Riley gave an innocent shrug, even though his pulse quickened just thinking about it.
"If the rumour was true? I think they said something about a rare staff. And maybe… I don't know… maybe around five hundred coins."
Sofia gasped.
Aria grabbed Riley by both shoulders, shaking him violently.
"You mean I've been killing level-two mushrooms when there's FIVE. HUNDRED. COINS—"
"Aria—!"
The tarantula clung harder to her boot to avoid being flung off.
Riley pried her hands away. "It might not even exist. It was a really old forum post."
Aria turned dramatically toward Sofia.
"We have to go tomorrow. We HAVE to. Five hundred coins is practically a fortune. I could buy daggers. Multiple daggers. A whole dagger wardrobe!"
Sofia nodded, hopeful. "And if the staff is real… I'd like that."
Riley hid his smile. If all went the way it had last time he'd lived this day… she'd get that staff. She'd glow with it. She'd feel confident. Strong. Not overshadowed by her sister's wild energy.
He turned toward the forest edge.
The cave wasn't far — about thirty minutes' walk — but monsters got mean after sunset.
"Let's log out now," Riley said. "We'll head out early when everything's lighter."
Aria sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if the chest is empty tomorrow, I'm suing you."
"On what grounds?" Sofia asked.
"Emotional damage."
Riley snorted. "Just get to the crystal."
They walked together toward the village logout stone. Other players passed by — beginners with mismatched armour, someone chasing a slippery chicken monster, a guy complaining loudly about drop rates.
Sofia giggled. "We actually did pretty well today, didn't we?"
"Better than well," Aria bragged. "We dominated. The fox did flips. The spider bit a mushroom in half. Riley did… whatever Riley does."
The glowing creature let out a tired squeak.
Riley laughed. "Yeah. We did good."
And for a moment, he felt it — the warmth of something he used to love before life had pulled him too far away from it.
"Ready?" he asked.
The twins nodded and placed their hands against the logout crystal.
LOGGING OUT…
The world dissolved into soft white light.
The VR pods opened with a soft hiss. Riley stretched, blinking as the dim glow of their shared gaming room came back into focus. Sofia quietly climbed out of her pod while Aria nearly tripped over her own headset cord.
"Graceful," Riley said.
"Shut up," Aria replied, immediately tripping again and proving his point.
Their mum's voice floated up from downstairs.
"Dinner's ready!"
Aria bolted like she'd been shot from a cannon. Sofia followed at a gentler pace. Riley paused for a moment, breathing in the familiar smell of home — laundry detergent, the faint hint of sage from Mum's cooking, the quiet hum of the house.
He never realised how much he'd missed this.
He headed downstairs.
Their mum had made lasagna. Aria was already halfway through her first plate. Sofia sat quietly with perfect posture, though her eyes were bright with the excitement she hadn't spoken aloud yet.
"So," Mum said as she scooped vegetables onto Riley's plate, "how was your first proper day in the game?"
Aria nearly exploded.
"MUM—MUM—listen—our spider tackled a mushroom the size of a small child!"
Sofia jumped in. "And the fox glows when it sprints! And I think it might like me!"
Mum smiled. "Of course it likes you."
Riley poured water into three glasses, quietly enjoying the chaos.
"And what are their names?" Mum asked.
Forks froze.
Riley looked at Aria.
Aria looked at Sofia.
Sofia looked at Riley.
"…we didn't name them," Sofia whispered.
Mum stared in disbelief. "You didn't NAME them? You've had them all day!"
"We were BUSY!" Aria shouted. "There were giant bugs and wolves and mushrooms trying to commit assault!"
Sofia hid behind her glass. "We'll name them tomorrow."
Mum sighed lovingly. "Please do. They're part of your team."
Riley watched his sisters argue over who had the cutest creature. Aria was adamant it was the tarantula. Sofia looked horrified at that claim.
For a moment, a deep ache tugged at Riley's chest.
In his other life…
He barely saw them anymore by this age.
He'd chosen the game over his family far too often.
Not this time.
This time, they'd play together.
After dinner, Aria sprawled on the living room floor drawing horrible stick-figure versions of the monsters they'd fought.
Sofia organised notes on resource types, trying to guess what potions they might craft someday.
Riley leaned against the wall, watching them, and felt something loosen inside him — grief, guilt, fear — replaced by something hopeful.
"So," Mum said as she cleaned up, "you're going treasure hunting tomorrow?"
Riley grinned. "Yeah. We're going to check out a rumour."
"Well," she said with a smirk, "don't stay up too late. You can't adventure if you're half-asleep."
Aria made finger-guns. "We're gonna be RICH."
Sofia nodded. "And maybe I'll get a staff…"
Riley hid his smile.
"Oh, I think tomorrow is going to be a good day."
Back in his room, he held the strange gem — the one that rewinded his entire life — between his fingers.
A hidden chest.
Five hundred coins.
A rare staff.
The first real step toward the future he'd refused to lose again.
He set the gem gently on his nightstand.
"Tomorrow," he whispered.
And for the first time in years, he fell asleep with a smile.