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Patch 2.0 - Soft Launch

The year changed without much fanfare.

No fireworks. No big party. Just the gentle thud of midnight passing, and Jace sitting on the floor of his bedroom, cross-legged, with a half-finished sketchbook open in his lap.

He didn't make resolutions. That felt like setting himself up to fail. Instead, he jotted down a heading at the top of the next page:

Patch Notes – 2026.01

Underneath, he scribbled:

Better sleep (lol)

Try a new art style

Be braver with people

Start that mini game idea??

Don't shrink

Not promises. Just possibilities.

The first week of January passed in a blur of lazy mornings and half-dressed afternoons. Jace stayed in his hoodie. Played indie games. Drew without pressure. Talked to Robin almost every day – just casual, easy texts and late-night memes, but it was enough to feel real.

Rachel barged into his room one afternoon, holding two mugs of hot chocolate.

"You haven't left this room since the calendar changed," she said, setting one down on his desk.

"I've left. I went to the kitchen."

"You need fresh air. Sunlight. Vitamin D. Human contact."

"I talk to people."

"You talk to Robin."

"Exactly."

Rachel rolled her eyes but smirked. "Still. Me and your Dad are going to the park tomorrow. Ollie is coming with us, spend some time with him. Come with us. It's a nice day. We'll get chips after."

Jace hesitated. "I don't know."

Rachel looked at him – not annoyed, just knowing. "You don't have to be ready. You just have to come. That's it."

"Okay," he said. "Yeah. I'll come."

The next day, the three of them walked through the crisp January air. Jace watched Ollie chase pigeons like it was a boss battle, shrieking and laughing with every flap.

Rachel nudged him gently with her elbow.

"I'm proud of you, you know."

"For walking outside?"

"For... doing it anyway. Even when you're not sure."

Jace smiled. "I'm trying."

"I know."

That night, he sat at his desk again and opened a new page in his sketchbook. He drew a small pixel version of himself, standing beside his Mam and Dad and Ollie, wrapped in scarves and badly drawn gloves.

Underneath it, he wrote:

Loading New World – Community Event Active

Left the house

Didn't panic

Still tired, but trying

Family counts, too