The town was busy, like every other morning. Cars zoomed by, their honking horns cutting through the air as people rushed to work or school. The sun had barely come up, and the sky was still a soft pink, but the noise from the streets filled the air. It was like a constant hum, like the world was already awake, but Zearon wasn’t ready to be part of it just yet.

He was still sleeping soundly in his bed, the blankets wrapped tightly around him. The cool air from the open window brushed his face, but he was so deep in sleep that he barely noticed. For once, he wasn’t thinking about school or the usual teasing. In his dreams, he could escape from everything. He wasn’t the quiet, skinny kid with glasses. He wasn’t the kid that everyone picked on.

“Zearon! Get up! You’re gonna be late for school!” his mom’s voice cut through the peaceful silence, making him groan.

Zearon buried his face deeper into his pillow, trying to block out the noise. “Five more minutes, Mom…” he mumbled.

“No more five minutes! You have to get up!” she called back, and Zearon could hear her footsteps as she walked toward his room.

Reluctantly, Zearon rolled over and sat up in bed. The warm covers were tempting, but there was no way out of it. He knew his mom wouldn’t let him sleep through the whole morning. With a groan, he rubbed his eyes and slowly got out of bed.

His mom came into the room, a bright smile on her face. “Happy birthday, Zearon!” she said cheerfully, handing him a packed lunch and his school bag.

“Yeah, yeah, happy birthday to me,” Zearon muttered, not feeling the excitement his mom was trying to share with him. Birthdays were just another day, anyway. He couldn’t even remember the last time his birthday had been something to look forward to.

He grabbed the lunch from his mom and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I’ll be ready in a minute," he said, already feeling the weight of another day at school pressing down on him.

As he went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast, he could hear his mom making a fuss in the kitchen. She was always the one to make sure everything was perfect, no matter how small the occasion. Zearon didn’t mind it, but sometimes, it felt like all the energy she had only made him feel even more tired.

His dad was already sitting at the table, sipping coffee. “Happy birthday, son,” he said with a warm smile.

Zearon forced a smile back. “Thanks, Dad.” It wasn’t like he was trying to be rude, but birthdays had stopped meaning much to him a long time ago.

He finished his breakfast in silence, grabbed his things, and headed out the door. The cool breeze outside hit him, and for a moment, he felt like he could breathe a little easier. But that feeling didn’t last. The walk to school was just as long as always, and as usual, Zearon’s mind kept returning to the same thought: how much he hated school.

When he arrived at the gates of his school, he was already starting to feel the anxiety creeping up. The same kids were gathered around, whispering, laughing. They had to be talking about him. The same group of bullies, led by Kyle, was waiting by the entrance. Kyle, with his smirk and his mean laugh, always seemed to find a way to make Zearon’s life miserable.

As Zearon tried to make his way past them, Kyle saw him and walked up, blocking his path.

“Hey, loser!” Kyle called out, his voice loud and taunting. “You still haven’t figured out how to fit in? You’re a joke, man.”

Before Zearon could respond, Kyle shoved him hard, sending him crashing to the ground. The rough concrete scraped his palms as he tried to catch himself. Laughter erupted from the group of kids behind Kyle. Zearon’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he quickly tried to get up, ignoring the sting of his scraped knees.

“Are you okay, freak?” Kyle asked, his voice dripping with mock concern. “You gonna cry or just lay there like a baby?”

Zearon gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the sting in his chest. “Just leave me alone, Kyle,” he muttered, pushing himself to his feet.

Kyle and his friends just laughed harder, and Zearon felt the weight of their laughter pressing down on him. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. The rest of the day passed in a blur. His classmates made fun of him when they thought he wasn’t paying attention, and the teachers barely noticed when he zoned out in class. Zearon couldn’t help but feel like he was invisible most of the time, and the moments when people did notice him were never good ones.

Finally, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Zearon quickly gathered his things and left, eager to get away from the school as fast as possible.

When he got home, his mom and dad were waiting for him. “Happy birthday, son!” they said in unison. Their faces were full of warmth, but Zearon couldn’t help but feel the distance between them. He knew they tried, but they didn’t really understand what he was going through.

“Thanks,” he replied, not really feeling the excitement. But at least they had promised to take him to his favorite restaurant. Maybe it would be a nice break from everything.

“We’re going to that new place you wanted to try tonight,” his dad said with a smile. “It’ll be fun!”

Zearon smiled faintly, appreciating their effort. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

The drive to the restaurant felt long, but in a way, it was nice to just be with his parents, even if it wasn’t the perfect celebration. Zearon stared out the window, watching the world go by.

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise filled the air. Zearon’s heart stopped as the car swerved, and before he could even scream, there was a deafening crash.

Everything went dark.

---

Zearon awoke in a strange place, his body feeling... different. He blinked, trying to focus, but everything was blurry. There was no sign of his parents, no sign of the car, nothing familiar.

“Welcome, Lumikit,” a voice echoed in his mind, cool and calm.

Zearon looked down at himself, panic setting in as he realized he wasn’t human anymore. His arms were small and furry, covered in soft, light blue fur. His body felt light and small. “What happened? Where am I?!” Zearon shouted, his voice sounding high-pitched and squeaky.

“This is your new life,” the voice explained. “You’ve been reincarnated into a new world. You’re a Lumikit now.”

“A Lumikit? What is that? What am I supposed to do?” Zearon asked, completely confused.

“A Lumikit is a creature with the ability to shapeshift into anything you devour,” the voice continued. “You can gain the powers of whatever you eat. It’s your new gift!”

“Shapeshift?” Zearon echoed. He looked around, seeing nothing but trees and strange plants. “I don’t even know how to eat anything... What do I do now?”

“Noooooooo!” Zearon screamed as loud as his tiny, squeaky voice would let him. His furry little body bounced up and down in panic as he stared at his stubby blue paws. “This isn’t real! It can’t be real!” He began pacing in circles, his little tail swishing back and forth. “This is a dream, right? RIGHT?!”

Suddenly, the calm voice returned in his head, startling him. “I can assure you, this is not a dream.”

“Who said that? Who’s talking to me? Show yourself!” Zearon spun around wildly, looking for whoever—or whatever—was speaking. “Am I going crazy already?! It hasn’t even been a day in this place!”

“I am Ari,” the voice said smoothly. “Your system companion. I live in your brain.”

“In my what?” Zearon’s blue, fuzzy face froze in horror. “You live in my brain? That’s… that’s illegal!” He shook his head frantically as if trying to shake Ari out like water from his ears. “I didn’t agree to this! GET OUT!”

“Relax,” Ari replied, almost amused. “I’m here to help you. You’re in a new world, Zearon. This is your life now.”

“My life? What do you mean?!” Zearon shouted. “This is a bad joke, right? I’ll wake up, and I’ll be in my bed. Mom will yell at me to get ready for school, and Dad will sip his coffee like nothing happened. Right?!”

“Wrong,” Ari said simply. “When you died, your imagination and wishes took form. You wanted to escape your old life, and now you have a new one.”

Zearon froze. His mind started spinning as he remembered the accident—the loud crash, the screams, the darkness. “Wait… I died?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I actually died? But that’s not fair! I didn’t sign up for death! I didn’t even get to eat my birthday cake!” He sat down with a thump, staring blankly at the ground. “So this… this blue, fluffy body is my afterlife?”

Ari’s voice chimed in again. “Think of it as an upgrade. You are now a Lumikit, a creature with incredible abilities.”

Zearon looked down at himself again, his tiny paws and soft blue fur glowing slightly in the strange light around him. “I look like… a weird stuffed animal! Who’s going to take me seriously looking like this?!”

“Well, you’re adorable,” Ari said matter-of-factly.

“Adorable doesn’t win battles!” Zearon shot back, throwing his little paws in the air. But then he paused, looking at his reflection in a puddle. His big round eyes stared back at him, and his tail wiggled a little. “Okay… maybe a little adorable,” he mumbled.

Before he could argue any further, the ground beneath him suddenly began to rumble.

“Uh… what’s happening?” Zearon asked nervously.

The rumbling grew stronger. “Ari?” Zearon squeaked. “What’s going on?!”

“I would recommend moving—” Ari started, but it was too late.

The floor cracked open with a loud BOOM, and Zearon fell straight down, screaming all the way. “Why meeeee?!”

---

THUD!

Zearon landed hard on something squishy and slimy. “Ugh, gross! What is this?!” He scrambled up, shaking the goo off his fur as he looked around. He had fallen into a dark cave. Strange glowing rocks lit up parts of the walls, and eerie shadows danced around him. The air felt heavy, like something dangerous was nearby.

“Ari, where are we?” Zearon whispered. “Tell me this place isn’t haunted.”

“Based on my analysis, this is a cave,” Ari replied helpfully.

“Yeah, I got that part, genius,” Zearon muttered. He picked a direction and started walking, hoping to find a way out. Every sound made him jump—drips of water, the crunch of his tiny paws on the dirt floor, even the fluttering of wings far above him. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”

Suddenly, a deep screech echoed through the cave, and Zearon froze in place. “What… was that?” he whispered.

Before Ari could answer, something huge dropped from the ceiling. Zearon looked up just in time to see a giant bat with glowing red eyes hovering in the air. Its wings were massive, and its fangs dripped with something fiery.

“A GIANT BAT?!” Zearon shouted, his eyes bulging. “Oh no, no, no—”

The bat opened its mouth, and with a loud whoosh, it spat a fireball straight at Zearon.

“MOVE!” Ari shouted.

Zearon yelped and jumped to the side just as the ground exploded where he’d been standing. “IT BREATHES FIRE?!” he screamed, running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

“Explosive flames,” Ari corrected calmly.

“Oh, sure, let’s be specific about it!” Zearon snapped as another fireball exploded behind him. “I’m being chased by a giant bat that throws exploding fireballs, but no big deal!”

He zigzagged through the cave, dodging blast after blast, but the bat was fast and angry. Its screeches echoed off the walls, shaking the ground. Zearon was sweating, his little legs starting to tire. “I can’t keep running! This bat’s going to roast me!”

“Find a way to fight back,” Ari said.

“How?! I don’t even know what I can do!” Zearon ducked behind a rock, panting heavily. The bat’s flames were lighting up the cave, casting scary shadows across the walls.

“Zearon, think. What are your abilities?” Ari asked calmly.

Zearon blinked. “Uh… something about eating? Wait…” His eyes lit up. “I can eat things, right? And gain their abilities?”

“Correct.”

Zearon peeked out from behind the rock. The bat was still searching for him, its red eyes glowing in the dark. He gulped. “Okay, okay, this is insane. I’m tiny, it’s HUGE, but… but I can do this!”

He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, “I’m not running anymore.”

With that, Zearon shot out from behind the rock and sprinted straight toward the bat.

The bat turned, screeching in surprise, and fired another ball of explosive flames at him. Zearon leaped to the side, barely avoiding it, and kept running. “Here goes nothing!” he shouted as he jumped right at the bat, his mouth wide open.

“AHHHH!” Zearon yelled as he chomped down on the bat’s wing.

The bat screeched, flapping wildly, but Zearon hung on for dear life. Suddenly, a strange warmth spread through his body, and the bat started to glow. Zearon’s eyes widened as the bat shrank, and he… swallowed it whole.

Gulp.

For a moment, everything was silent. Zearon sat there, stunned. “Did I… did I just eat that thing?” He smacked his lips. “It tasted like burnt marshmallows and old socks.”

Ari’s voice chimed in, “Congratulations, Zearon! You absorbed the bat’s abilities.”

Zearon blinked as his body started to glow. “Wait, what’s happening to me?!”

Suddenly, his body transformed. He felt himself grow larger. Wings burst from his back, and his vision became sharper. He looked down and gasped. “I… I turned into the bat?! This is AWESOME!” He flapped his wings a little, lifting himself off the ground. “I CAN FLY!”

“Yes,” Ari said. “You now possess the powers of the Flame Bat, which is in its first evolution. This creature has four evolutions in total.”

“FOUR evolutions?!” Zearon grinned, flapping higher into the air. “This isn’t so bad after all!” He did a loop in the air, laughing with excitement. “I mean, sure, I died and got turned into a weird furball, but if I get to do stuff like this? I’ll take it!”

Ari’s voice spoke calmly. “I told you this world was full of possibilities.”

Zearon grinned, soaring through the cave with his new wings. “Maybe this isn’t so bad,” he said to himself. “Maybe this new life will actually be… fun.”

For the first time, Zearon didn’t feel scared. He felt powerful.

Zearon stretched, looking down at his tiny blue paws. “Back to being fluffy, huh? Great. Just great.” He flicked his glowing tail in annoyance. “As if looking like a plush toy wasn’t bad enough, now I’m hungry too!”

His stomach growled, loud enough to echo through the cave. “Okay, Ari, I’m dying here. Where’s a cheeseburger when you need one?”

Ari’s calm voice chimed in, “Cheeseburgers are unavailable. However, I recommend searching for edible resources nearby.”

“Edible resources?” Zearon scoffed. “You mean food, Ari. Just say food.”

As he trudged forward, the cave’s eerie silence made him uneasy. But then, something magical happened. A scent hit his nose—warm, smoky, and mouthwateringly delicious.

“Wait a minute…” Zearon sniffed the air. “Is that… meat? Like actual, roasted meat?” His tail wagged furiously.

Without thinking, he followed the smell, darting through the cavern like a kid chasing an ice cream truck.

After twisting through dark tunnels, he skidded to a stop. His glowing blue eyes widened.

Before him was a massive feast—a mountain of roasted meat stacked high on a stone slab. Each piece sizzled lightly, releasing tantalizing aromas into the air.

“This is paradise,” Zearon whispered, practically drooling. His stomach growled again, louder this time. “Okay, no time to think. Let’s eat!”

He pounced on the pile, grabbing a chunk of meat and shoving it into his mouth. The flavor exploded like fireworks. “Oh, this is so good!” he said, spraying crumbs everywhere. “Best day ever!”

But just as he was about to reach for another bite, the ground trembled.

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the cavern. Zearon froze mid-chew. “Uh… that doesn’t sound like indigestion.”

The shadows shifted as something massive moved in the darkness. Two glowing red eyes locked onto him.

“Who dares touch my food?” a voice boomed.

Zearon slowly turned around, still clutching a piece of meat. A colossal dragon stepped into the light, its black scales shimmering like polished obsidian. Its wings stretched wide, nearly filling the entire cavern.

“Oh no…” Zearon whispered. “Uh, nice dragon! I didn’t know this was your food!”

The dragon snarled, smoke curling from its nostrils. “You dare steal my meal, and now you seek my heart?”

“Your what?!” Zearon yelped, dropping the meat. “Why would I want your heart? I’m not a weirdo!”

The dragon narrowed its eyes. “You… aren’t here to kill me?”

“No!” Zearon said quickly, waving his tiny paws. “I was just hungry! I didn’t even know you were here!”

The dragon tilted its massive head, studying him. “Hmph. A Lumikit with manners? How peculiar.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I have manners exactly,” Zearon muttered. “But I’m definitely not trying to kill you!”

The dragon’s growl softened into a deep chuckle. “Then perhaps I misjudged you, little one.”

Zearon sighed in relief. “Phew. For a second there, I thought I was toast—literally.”

The dragon lay down, its massive body curling around the cavern like a living fortress. “Tell me, Lumikit, what brings you to my domain?”

Zearon scratched his head. “Uh, I fell through a hole in the ground, and now I’m stuck in this cave. That’s pretty much it.”

The dragon nodded thoughtfully. “A victim of fate, perhaps. Much like myself.”

“What do you mean?” Zearon asked.

The dragon’s eyes dimmed slightly, a hint of sadness in its voice. “Many centuries ago, I was a great and feared dragon. But the ancient gods, jealous of my power, sealed me in this wretched cave. I have been trapped here ever since.”

“That sucks,” Zearon said, genuinely sympathetic. “But, uh… if you’ve been stuck here all this time, who’s been delivering all this food?”

The dragon sighed. “I conjure it with the last of my magic. But my supplies are not infinite, as you so rudely discovered.”

Zearon rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. “Yeah… sorry about that.”

“Apology accepted,” the dragon said. “However, I have a request.”

“Uh-oh,” Zearon muttered. “What kind of request?”

The dragon leaned in, its red eyes glowing intensely. “There is an item of great power—an artifact known as the Epilim. It is surrounded by the energy of the True Blue Flames and is said to be the most powerful relic in the multiverse.”

Zearon blinked. “That’s… a lot of words. Can you dumb it down a little?”

The dragon sighed. “It’s a super-powerful item that can break my seal and restore me to my former glory.”

“Ohhh,” Zearon said, nodding. “Got it. So, uh… why are you telling me this?”

“Because you will retrieve it for me,” the dragon said.

“Me?!” Zearon squeaked, pointing to himself. “I’m like, two feet tall! You’ve got the wrong guy!”

The dragon chuckled. “Do not underestimate yourself, little one. You have great potential. And besides…” It smirked. “You owe me for eating my food.”

Zearon groaned. “I knew that was going to come back to bite me.”

“Do this for me, and I will help you escape this cave,” the dragon said.

Zearon hesitated. “Fine. But where do I even start?”

The dragon’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “One step at a time, Lumikit. First, you will replenish my supplies.”

Zearon’s jaw dropped. “You want me to get you more food?!”

“Correct,” the dragon said with a toothy grin.

Zearon threw his paws in the air. “Unbelievable. I’m supposed to be on some epic journey, not running errands for a dragon!”

“Consider it preparation,” the dragon said. “You will need strength for the challenges ahead.”

Zearon sighed. “Fine, fine. I’ll find you more food. But after that, we’re even!”

The dragon chuckled. “Very well. I look forward to our partnership.”

As Zearon left the cavern, grumbling to himself, Ari’s voice chimed in. “You handled that well.”

“Handled it?!” Zearon snapped. “I just got roped into a dragon’s treasure hunt and became his personal delivery boy! How is that handling it?”

“It could have been worse,” Ari said.

Zearon rolled his eyes. “Sure. I could’ve been eaten.”