Reality overload

Hestia knelt beside the unconscious man, her hand hovering over his chest. I stayed close to Charlie, fingers curled into her sleeve because my legs still felt shaky from everything that had just happened. Charlie kept one arm around my waist, which was a new sensation to me, but not a bad one.

The air warmed as Hestia’s power gathered, brushing against my skin like sunlight.

 I swallowed hard. “Is… is he going to be okay?”

 Hestia glanced back at me, her eyes softening in that way that made my chest tighten. “Yes, little one. He will wake in his own bed, unharmed, and none the wiser.”

 The man lifted gently from the ground, suspended in a cradle of golden light. I couldn’t look away. Hestia pressed two fingers to his forehead.

 A ripple of light spread outward — silent, but so deep it felt like it moved through me.

 And then he vanished.

 I let out a shaky breath. “That’s… that’s it? He’s gone?”

 “He is home,” Hestia said. “Where he belongs.”

 Then her expression shifted — ancient, heavy, like she was suddenly remembering she wasn’t just… her. She was a goddess.

 “My daughters,” she said, looking at both Charlie and me, “I must attend to matters that require a goddess’s hand. You two will return to the carriage. Stay together. Stay close to your companions. Grow stronger.”

 I blinked. “Daughters…?”

 Charlie’s chest puffed up with this warm, bright joy. “Yeah… looks like we’re sisters again!” Her grin was practically blinding.

 “Huh… what do you mean, Charlie? Of course we are…?” I almost said, sisters. Man, I let my guard down. Bad Kris do better.

 Hestia stepped forward and cupped my cheek with one warm palm. My breath caught. “You are mine, child. And so is she.” Her other hand brushed Charlie’s shoulder. “Family is chosen as much as born.”

 I leaned into her touch without meaning to.

My cheeks were frosting as I did so, and then she was gone. Like a flame being cupped by an unseen hand, disappearing into a fold of air that closed behind her.

 No flash. No sound. Just gone.

 I exhaled shakily. “I… I didn’t even feel her leave.”

 Charlie wrapped an arm around me. “Come on, squirt. Let’s get back before Riley starts pacing.”

 We turned toward the road, walking side by side. I leaned into her a little, needing the warmth, the reassurance.

 I didn’t notice the soft crunch of grass behind me.

 We kept walking, both of us still rattled. I kept glancing over my shoulder, but every time I looked, the path was empty.

 Charlie sighed. “Okay, seriously… where’d that necromancer girl go? She was right behind us.”

 I frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe she ran off? Or teleported? Or—”

 “Um.”

 We both jumped.

 She was standing directly behind us.

 Like. Right. There.

 I yelped and nearly tripped over my own feet. Charlie grabbed my arm, her heart practically slamming against my ribs through her grip.

 “WHAT— how long have you been—?!” Charlie sputtered.

 The girl blinked, confused. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

 I stared at her like she’d just materialized out of thin air. “No, you weren’t! I looked back like five times!”

 The girl shrugged, small and awkward. “You didn’t look low enough.”

 Charlie’s eyes widened. “Low enough—? Oh, right…she’s tiny.”

 “I’m not that tiny,” the girl muttered, hugging her satchel.

 I pressed a hand to my chest. “You can’t just— just appear behind people like that!”

 “I wasn’t trying to!” she protested. “You asked where I went, so I answered!”

 Charlie leaned toward me and whispered, “She’s like a horror movie toddler.”

 I whispered back, “She’s like if a jump scare was picking flowers.”

 The girl frowned. “I can hear you.”

 We froze.

 Then Charlie cleared her throat. “Right. Okay. Um. You… can walk with us. Just maybe… make noise?”

 The girl nodded earnestly. “Okay.”

 She took one step.

 It was somehow completely silent.

 Charlie and I exchanged a look of pure dread.

 “Oh gods,” I whispered. “She’s not going to try and kill us anymore...

 “That remains to be seen, I mean, she did see the rift and Hestia,” Charlie said

 “I’m not!” the girl insisted.

 But she was already drifting behind us again like a ghost with social anxiety.

 We walked a little faster.

 Charlie cleared her throat. “Sooo… ground rules.”

 The girl blinked up at her. “Ground… rules?” 

I nodded quickly, still clutching Charlie’s sleeve like the kid might explode. “Yeah. Just— basic stuff. Like… um…”

 Charlie jumped in. “Like no more trying to murder us with corpses.”

 The girl’s eyes went huge. “I wasn’t trying to murder… ummm…yeah, that’s fair… sorry.”

 “You sent a corpse sprinting at our carriage,” I said, my voice cracking halfway through.

 “To be fair, I told it to knock first!” the girl said.

 Charlie stared. “Knock? With what, its face?”

 The girl wilted. “I don’t have many options! They don’t have hands sometimes…or brains!”

 I made a strangled noise. “Oh gods, that makes it worse.”

 The girl hugged her satchel tighter, looking genuinely ashamed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought it was a duel!”

 Charlie blinked. “A duel?”

 “Yeah!” the girl said, defensive and embarrassed. “You were players! I was a player! You were in my quest zone! That’s how PvP works!”

 She wrung her hands. “I didn’t know the game wasn’t a game. I didn’t know this was… real‑real.”

 I softened a little. “Okay. That’s… actually fair.”

 Charlie sighed. “Still terrifying, but fair.”

 The girl looked up at us, eyes huge. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t want to hurt you for real. I just thought you were strong players and I wanted to test myself.”

 I blinked. “You thought we were strong?”

 The girl nodded. “You were glowing. And you had an aura. And you didn’t scream when the corpse charged you.”

 I muttered, “I screamed internally.”

 Charlie muttered, “I screamed externally.”

 The girl nodded solemnly. “I know.”

 We froze.

 Charlie: “Wait— you heard that?”

 The girl nodded miserably. “Yes.”

 Charlie softened immediately. “Okay, okay, hey— we’re not mad. Just… startled. Very startled.”

 I nodded. “Like, heart‑attack startled.”

 The girl winced. “Sorry.”

 She wrung her hands again. “But I won’t attack you again. I promise. No corpses. No spells. No PvP.”

 Charlie crouched a little to meet her eyes. “You can come with us. Really. Just no corpse‑attacks. Even accidental ones.”

 The girl nodded vigorously. “No corpses. Promise.”

 I exhaled in relief. “Thank you.”

 Then the girl added, very quietly, “Unless you need them.”

 We froze.

 Charlie: “We won’t.”

 Me: “Well… maybe sometimes

 Charlie gave me a look that could melt fire.

 The girl nodded again, still looking unsure.

 The three of us continued toward the carriage — me and Charlie walking stiffly forward, and the necromancer girl trailing behind us like the world’s most polite, most terrifying duckling.

 The carriage came into view through the trees — Riley pacing beside it, Lucas sitting on the wheel, Nate checking the reins like they might explode.

 Riley spotted Charlie and me first.

 “There you are! Do you have ANY idea how—”

 Then she saw the necromancer girl.

 Standing politely behind them.

 Hands folded.

 Like a child waiting to be introduced to someone’s parents.

 Riley drew her daggers, crouching low, tail bristling.

 Lucas slid off the wheel, reaching for his shield.

 Nate dropped the reins and promptly dropped his staff. It clattered to the ground.

 I lifted both hands. “Okay, okay, before anyone freaks out—”

 Riley pointed. “WHY IS THE CUTE MURDER CHILD HERE?”

 The necromancer girl flinched. “I’m not a murder child…”

 “I beg to differ…”Riley hissed.

 Charlie stepped forward. “She’s not trying to kill us anymore.”

 Lucas blinked. “ANYMORE?”

 Nate whispered, “Oh my God, she’s so small. Why is the tiny one the scary one?”

 The girl hugged her satchel tighter. “I didn’t know the game wasn’t a game! I thought you were players! PvP is allowed in contested zones!”

 Riley stared at her like she’d just confessed to arson. “You SENT A CORPSE THROUGH OUR WINDOW.”

 The girl winced. “I thought it was fun.”

 I choked “FUN!?”

 The girl shrank. “In a game way! Not a real way! I didn’t know the game wasn’t a game.”

 Charlie rubbed her face. “We’ve been over this. She’s sorry.”

 Riley crossed her arms. “Sorry doesn’t un‑throw a corpse.”

 The girl whispered, “I can make it bring you flowers…”

 Everyone…”NO!”

 The girl nodded quickly. “Okay. No corpses. No flowers. No corpse‑flowers.”

 Lucas whispered to Nate, “What the hell is a corpse‑flower?”

 Nate whispered back, “I don’t want to know.”

 Before I could even process that, a small voice behind them said, “I can show you one if you want.”

 Lucas and Nate levitated off the ground in pure terror.

Lucas grabbed Nate’s arm. “WHAT— HOW— WHY ARE YOU—”

 Nate pointed at her like she was a cryptid. “Were you just— standing there? The whole time?”

The necromancer girl blinked, confused. “Yes. You were talking about corpse‑flowers.”

 Lucas sputtered, “We were whispering!”

 She tilted her head. “I have good ears.”

 Nate stared at her as if she’d just announced she eats sunlight. “Good ears? GOOD EARS? You answered a whisper from twenty feet away!”

 The girl shrugged. “You weren’t that quiet.”

 Lucas looked at me and Charlie like we were supposed to explain her existence.

 I threw my hands up. “Don’t look at me! She keeps doing that!”

 Charlie nodded aggressively. “She’s like a stealth toddler!”

 The girl frowned. “I’m not a toddler!!!”

 Lucas whispered to Nate again, “So, she’s ok now?”

 The girl said, “Yes.”

 Lucas and Nate: “AHHH—”

 She blinked, genuinely confused as to why everyone kept screaming.

 I stepped forward, protective despite being terrified. “Look. She’s scared. She saw the tear and Hestia. She saw the real world. She didn’t run. She followed us. She wants to help, it seems I don’t know really…”

 The necromancer girl nodded, eyes huge. “I don’t know what’s happening. But you’re the only ones who didn’t try to kill me back.”

 Riley blinked. “We didn’t try to kill you because we were too busy screaming.”

 I whispered to Charlie. “It was pure nightmare fuel.”

 The girl nodded. “I know.”

 Charlie and I froze.

 Charlie whispered, “She heard that.”

 I whispered back, “She hears everything.”

 The girl: “I do.”

 Everyone: AHHH—

 Riley threw her hands up. “Fine! FINE. She can come. But if even ONE corpse twitches near this carriage—”

 The girl raised a hand. “I promise. No corpses. Unless you ask.”

 Everyone. “WE WON’T.”

 The girl nodded, satisfied.

 And just like that, we had gained a tiny, traumatized, socially awkward necromancer who tried to kill us and now followed like a stray cat that accidentally learned morality.

 We finally settled enough to start climbing back into the carriage. Riley got in first, still glaring suspiciously at the necromancer girl like she expected a skeleton to pop out of her pockets.

 Charlie nudged Riley. “Okay. Be nice. She’s trying.”

 Riley nodded. “I am being nice. I haven’t screamed in like… five minutes.”

 Charlie patted her shoulder. “Proud of you.”

 Behind them, the necromancer girl hovered at the carriage step, staring at it like it was a puzzle she’d never seen before.

 Lucas leaned out. “Uh… you getting in?”

 The girl nodded. “Yes. I just… don’t usually sit in these things.”

 Nate blinked. “What do you mean you don’t sit in these things?”

 “I usually stand,” she said simply. “Or crouch. Or perch.”

 Riley muttered, “Perch? Like a crow?”

 The girl nodded excitedly. “Yes, like a cool villain.”

 Everyone stared.

 Charlie whispered, “Oh my God, she’s feral.”

 I whispered back, “She’s like a baby owl.”

 The girl put one foot on the carriage step.

 It made no sound.

 None.

 Not even the wood creaked.

 Riley’s eye twitched. “How are you doing that?”

 “I don’t know,” the girl said honestly.

 She climbed inside — or rather, she slid inside, like gravity didn’t apply to her the same way it applied to everyone else. She ended up perched on the edge of the seat, knees tucked up, hands folded, staring straight ahead like a haunted Victorian child in a portrait.

 Charlie leaned toward me. “Tell her to sit normally.”

 I shook my head. “You tell her.”

 Charlie shook her head harder. “You’re the one she likes…ice princess.”

 I groaned and turned to the girl. “Hey… uh… You can sit. Like, with your legs down. You don’t have to… bird‑perch.”

 The girl blinked. “Oh.”

 She slowly lowered her legs.

 They dangled.

 She looked down at them like she wasn’t sure they belonged to her.

 Then she scooted back until she was sitting properly, spine straight, hands in her lap.

 Everyone relaxed a little.

 Then the girl said, very quietly:

 “I’ve never sat with this many people before.”

 My heart cracked.

 Charlie’s did too.

 Riley’s glare softened by 2%.

 Lucas whispered, “Oh no, she’s tragic.”

 Nate whispered, “What are we adopting her. He looked at us and paled when he saw our expressions. “We are, aren’t we?”

 Riley sighed. “Yeah. Probably.”

 The necromancer girl looked between them, confused but hopeful.

 And for the first time since they met her, she didn’t look like a threat.

 She looked like a kid.

 A lonely one.

 Trying very, very hard to be normal.

 The carriage jolted slightly as everyone settled in. The necromancer girl sat stiffly on the edge of the seat, hands folded, staring straight ahead like she was afraid to blink wrong.

 Riley, still positioned between the girl and me, like a guard dog with trust issues, and narrowed her eyes.

 “Alright,” she said, arms crossed. “If you’re coming with us, we need to know your name.”

 The girl blinked.

 “My… name?”

 “Yes,” Riley said slowly. “The thing people call you. The thing you introduce yourself with. The thing you write on forms.”

 The girl tilted her head. “Forms?”

 Charlie whispered, “Oh no.”

 I whispered back, “She doesn’t have a name, does she?”

 The girl fidgeted with her satchel strap. “I mean… I have one. I just… don’t use it much.”

 Riley leaned forward. “And that name is…?”

 The girl hesitated.

 Everyone leaned in.

 Finally, she whispered:

 “…Reia.”

 Kris smiled. “Reia. That’s a pretty name.”

 Reia immediately looked down, cheeks pink. “It’s short for something.”

 Charlie perked up. “Oh? Short for what?”

 Reia’s face went pale. “I don’t… want to say.”

 Riley raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

 Reia mumbled something unintelligible.

 “What?” Charlie asked gently.

Reia took a deep breath.

 “It’s short for… Reia‑of‑the‑Seventh‑Crypt‑Who‑Walks‑Between‑the‑Veils‑and‑Speaks‑to‑the‑Quiet‑Ones.”

 Everyone stared.

 Lucas mouthed, “What the hell?”

 Nate whispered, “That’s not a name, that’s a threat.”

 I blinked. “That’s… a lot.”

 Reia shrank. “It’s a family thing.”

 Riley rubbed her temples. “Okay. We’re calling you Reia.”

 She nodded quickly. “Yes. Please.”

Charlie smiled warmly. “Well, Reia… welcome.”

 Reia looked up at her, eyes wide and unsure. “You’re… not scared of me anymore?”

 I answered before Charlie could.

 “Oh no, we’re still terrified.”

 Charlie nodded. “Absolutely.”

 Riley added, “But you’re our terrifying child now.”

 Riea blinked.

 Then, for the first time, she smiled.

 A tiny, awkward, crooked smile.

 And it made her look less like a crypt haunting nightmare and more like a kid who’d never been welcomed anywhere before.

 The walls of Cordova rose in the distance, lanterns glowing warm and golden. The closer they got, the more the tension in the carriage eased — except for Reia, who sat stiff as a board, staring at the approaching town like it might bite her.

 I nudged her gently. “Hey. You okay?”

 Reia nodded too fast. “Yes. I’m fine. I’m normal. This is normal.”

 Charlie whispered, “She’s absolutely not fine.”

 Riley leaned forward. “Okay, before we get inside, we should probably add her to the party so the guards don’t freak out.”

Lucas opened his menu. “Yeah, and friend her so she can see our pings.” 

Nate grinned. “Welcome to the squad, Reia.” 

She blinked. “Squad?” 

Then—

PING.

PING.

PING.

PING.

PING.

Five friend requests.

Five party invites.

All at once. 

 She stared at the notifications like they were written in an alien language.

I smiled. “It’s okay. You can accept them.” 

Reia didn’t move. 

Charlie leaned in. “Reia? You good?”

She swallowed hard. “I… I’ve never… had one of these before.” 

Riley frowned. “A friend request?”

Reia shook her head. “A friend.”

The carriage went silent.

My heart cracked. Charlie’s did too. Even Lucas stopped breathing for a second.

Nate whispered, “Oh no, she’s being tragic again.”

Reia stared at the glowing requests, hands trembling. “People don’t… invite me. They avoid me. Or fight me. Or run.”

Charlie gently placed her hand over Reia’s. “We’re not running.” 

Inodded. “We’re not fighting you either.”

Riley sighed. “And we’re definitely not avoiding you.” 

Lucas added, “We’re stuck with you now.”

Nate grinned. “Welcome to the party, Reia‑of‑the‑Seventh‑Crypt‑etcetera.” 

Reia’s face went red. “Please don’t say the whole thing…Just Reia.”

I nodded. “Well, in any case, it seems Riley has warmed up to you pretty quickly.”

 “Hey, I’m allowed a change of mind, ok…” Riley smiled at Reia.

 She smiled back, and with a tiny, shaky breath, she tapped ACCEPT.

All five requests lit up green. 

[The party list has been updated.]

Reia

Level 7 Necromancer

Status: Nervous but trying 

Reia stared at her name in the party window like she couldn’t believe it was real.

 “I’m… in a group,” she whispered. “With people.”

Charlie smiled. “With friends.”

Reia’s eyes shimmered.

And for the first time since they met her, she didn’t look haunted.

She looked hopeful.