"Brat, still sleeping!"
"Smack—"
The pain in his backside forced Linton to open his eyes.
A simple fluorescent light hung from the pristine white ceiling, while all kinds of posters covered the wall by his bed—some about games, others about sports.
"What time is it, and you're still lying in bed? Look at the sun outside!"
The owner of the nagging voice yanked open the heavy blackout curtains, and brilliant sunlight immediately slanted in through the window, almost painfully bright.
"Get up already! Don't think you can skip meals just because it's the weekend!"
"Got it, Mom."
Linton slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes as he answered out of habit.
Wait. Mom?
Linton practically jumped out of bed.
The woman was startled and cursed, "What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me!"
She shoved Linton aside and began tidying the messy blankets on the bed. "All you do is eat and sleep, sleep and eat. You never know to read more or study properly. Every day of vacation, all you know is playing games, playing games. What'll you do when your dad and I die someday?"
"I know, I know. Don't worry, you two will definitely live to be a hundred."
Linton's mother smacked him on the backside and scolded with a smile, "You little brat, so you can live off us forever, huh?"
"I'm telling you, people still have to rely on themselves. Your father and I don't have relatives with this or that kind of connections like other people do. We can't take care of you for the rest of your life. You need to get into a good university, find a good job, and support yourself. When you get married someday, focus on your own family. We have pensions, so you won't need to worry about us."
Listening to the woman's endless nagging, Linton showed little impatience. Instead, the corners of his lips curled up slightly in a happy smile.
Perhaps the old him would have impatiently pulled a face, or stayed silent with a dark expression, but now, he would not.
His memories told him that Linton was only sixteen years old now. His parents were alive, healthy, and steadily employed.
Kingdom of Heavenly Principles had not yet been released. There were only a few rumors about it. The necromancer from his memories, Iris, the Truth Society—all of it felt like a virtual dream he had experienced. Perhaps he had simply been too immersed in it.
There was only one thing that was real.
He had been reborn!
After eating with his parents, Linton sat at his desk with his eyes closed in thought.
He recalled that in that long dream of the game world, Puppet Knight Iris, whom he had created, often proudly proclaimed herself a genius. But she did not know that Linton was one too.
It was just that Iris's talent was like the brightest star in the sky, accepted, adored, and cherished by everyone. Linton, however, had never been recognized.
—At least, not by his parents.
For many years, games had been the archenemy of children's parents. Even though esports had already matured, most parents were unwilling to let their children fight their way through countless competitors for that faint and uncertain chance to take the stage.
The old Linton had refused to obey his parents' arrangements. He had tried to use his own ability to fight for what he wanted. Unfortunately, under the pressure of financial difficulties, shady contracts, unfair competition, and countless other factors, he had failed to obtain the honors that should have been his. Nor had he left his own name on the competitive stage. Amid endless sighs, he had quietly retired.
Yet when he returned home, his parents, who looked far more haggard than before, still opened their arms to welcome him back.
Only then did Linton learn that they had encountered the same kind of troubles at work.
Looking around, the home that should once have been filled with happiness had fallen into ruin.
Lost in chaotic thoughts, Linton remained seated at his desk until the scent of dinner drifted into his room. Only when someone outside called, "Dinner!" did he slowly rise.
"Since I've been given another life, I should listen to Mom and Dad."
He would never touch games again.
Time was an incredibly mysterious unit of measurement. It had one obvious trait: without people realizing it, it quietly slipped through their fingers, taking away youth and dreams.
Iris carried vegetables she had bought for almost nothing as she walked along a country path. She softly hummed a song she had learned from the other children, her mood bright.
Three years had passed since they moved to Fraser.
Over those three years, Linton had left his mark in every corner of the small town through his wisdom and kindness.
Compared to her father and mother, Linton was a truly successful person who had earned wealth and fame through his own efforts. Though he held no noble title, everyone in town sincerely respected him. Iris had benefited from that as well and become rather popular locally.
During this time, Iris felt that every day had been more fulfilling than all the previous dozen years of her life combined. There was no sorrow and no trouble.
Well, there were still troubles, actually.
"That old man Duru keeps trying to arrange a marriage for Linton. So annoying, so annoying! Does some measly viscount's daughter think she deserves to become my master's wife?"
"With that bastard's standards, anyone who wants to be his wife has to be prettier than me, have a better temper than me, be stronger than me, and have more knowledge than Vera. Hmm, the last requirement can be relaxed a tiny bit. There's probably no one in this world who knows more than Vera."
"Phew, come to think of it, I haven't seen Vera in so long. I wonder if she's forgotten me. I'll talk to him later. I want to go to Falasong and find her."
During her days in the Knights Order, Iris barely spoke with anyone. The sole exception was Miss Vera, whom she had met in the library of Falasong Magic Academy.
Miss Vera was kind and gentle. During Iris's bleak Knights Order life, filled with hostility, she was the only person who made Iris want to confide in someone. She was like the puppet girl's only light, keeping her fragile and constantly strained nerves from snapping.
Unfortunately, because of changes in her family, Iris had long lost contact with her. When she had first started following Linton, she often thought of Vera, but as time passed, she could only occasionally reminisce about her former life.
However, when Iris mentioned wanting to go to Falasong, the man shook his head and refused her.
"No."
"Why?"
Iris was deeply confused.
"Have you forgotten?" Linton said with a smile. "Although I haven't studied magic for a long time, my traits are still there. If I walk openly through the streets, people will inevitably notice me. And Falasong is the most important city in the Kingdom of Blossoms. If suspicious people appear on its streets, the consequences may not be very pleasant."
"So that's how it is." Iris was still somewhat unwilling. "Then can I go by myself?"
"That won't work either, but..."
Just as Iris's spirits sank to their lowest point, Linton changed the subject. "A letter arrived two days ago. It said someone wanted to visit Miss Lizer. The signature seemed to be Vera."
"Really?!"
The puppet girl's beautiful eyes immediately lit up again, filled with joy. "Vera came to see me?"
"That's right." Linton chuckled. "If I'm not mistaken, she should be here any moment now."
"Woof, woof—"
As Linton finished speaking, several barks suddenly sounded from the entrance. It seemed the little guard dog had encountered a stranger and refused to let her inside.
Overjoyed, Iris trotted outside and discovered that the person standing in the courtyard was indeed her closest friend.
"Vera!"
"Long time no see, Iris."
The girl in the courtyard seemed to be smiling. Yet although she stood beneath the sunlight, her entire body was buried in shadow, making her face impossible to see clearly.
Even so, Iris did not think she had mistaken her for someone else.
The shadow first looked around, then said softly, "I don't know why I met you in a dream, but seeing that you're safe makes this world feel a little less bleak."
"A dream? What dream? Bleak? Isn't the weather nice?"
Little question marks popped up over Iris's head.
Vera did not answer her questions. Instead, she looked toward the house. "Iris, it seems you really like it here?"
"Yes."
The corners of Iris's lips unconsciously lifted.
"This has been a happiness I've never experienced before."
"Happiness?" The shadowy figure gradually approached Iris, its voice gentle. "Then do you want to stay here forever?"
"I..."
Iris opened her mouth. The word "want" had only one syllable, yet she could not say it no matter what, as though someone were pulling her back with all their strength.
Don't say it! Don't say it!!
The other end of the girl's soul frantically warned her.
Once she said that word, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Vera's shadow grew dimmer and dimmer, and her voice gradually became ethereal. "Leave this place."
"But..." Iris turned back toward the house.
"Do you have something holding you here? Then... let me help you. Hm?" The shadow's body trembled, and her voice became slightly troubled. "I knew you were stubborn, but this isn't the time for you to be willful. Never mind, it's only a dream anyway. You probably won't remember afterward..."
"Then sorry, Iris."
The shadow seemed to raise a hand.
"What are you talking about? Why are you saying sor—"
The next second, the puppet girl's words came to an abrupt stop. The smile on her face suddenly froze, then shattered into countless fragments.
Before her eyes, the friend she had long awaited was tightly embracing the person who had brought her into this world once more. Their gazes were filled with affection, their soft lips pressed tightly together, and their heartbeats, beating at different rhythms, trembled and resonated through their thin clothes.
—The world collapsed with a thunderous crash.
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