[One week later]
Sunlight filtered through unfamiliar windows, casting warm patterns across Vel's face. His eyelids fluttered open, consciousness seeping back like water through sand. Every muscle ached, but he could move—barely.
White walls. Empty shelves. A room he didn't recognize.
His throat felt dry, but he managed to call out instinctly. "Mom?"
A loud clang echoed from below, metal hitting wood. Rapid footsteps thundered up what must have been stairs, growing louder with each passing second.
Von burst through the doorway first, Mari right behind him. Their faces lit up with a mixture of worry and joy at seeing him awake.
"Vel! You're awake!" Mari's voice trembled as she rushed to his bedside, her hands hovering uncertainly over him as if afraid he might break.
Landre appeared in the doorframe, but something about her seemed off. Her usual warm presence felt distant, troubled. She lingered at the threshold before stepping inside with the others as they settled into chairs around his bed.
Vel's eyes darted between their faces, confusion evident in his expression. "Where are we, Mom?"
"We're home, sweetheart," Mari answered softly, reaching for his hand. "Our new home. Lady Halen gave us this house, just like she promised."
Vel's head throbbed as he tried to focus. Something strange caught his attention - translucent windows hovering above his family members' heads. He blinked hard, but the displays remained.
Above Von, a neat information panel floated:
Vonowen Novalance
HP: 75/75
Status: Normal
His eyes darted to Mari, seeing another window:
Marilene Novalance
HP: 50/50
Status: Normal
And finally, above Landre:
Landre Novalance
HP: 45/45
Status: Normal
"What..." Vel muttered, his voice barely a whisper. The interface was crystal clear - just like a game status window, but overlaid on reality itself.
He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the strange sight would vanish. When he opened them again, the windows remained, gently bobbing above each family member's head. The numbers glowed a reassuring green.
Vel's heart raced at the sight. Each neat row of numbers and text felt like a mockery of the genuine concern in their eyes. These weren't game characters - they were his family. Real people with real feelings, not lines of code to be measured and quantified.
"Go away..." he whispered, his fingers curling into the blanket.
He clenched his eyelids shut. A gentle chime rang through his thoughts, and the hovering windows disappeared in a flash. Vel started at how readily they'd obeyed his mental command. His family shared concerned looks as he acted so oddly.
"How... how long have I been sleeping?"
Mari's hand trembled as she smoothed his hair. "A week..."
"We thought you were..." Landre's voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence. She turned away, her shoulders tense.
The weight of their fear pressed against Vel's chest. A whole week of uncertainty, of watching and waiting, wondering if he'd ever wake up. No wonder they looked so exhausted, so changed.
YOU ARE READING
GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation
FantasyWhen renowned game developer Giri meets his untimely end, he awakens as twelve-year-old Vel in the magical realm of Aeonalus-his own creation. Five hundred years have passed since he crafted the world, and Vel finds himself in the village of Oakhave...
