Damons opened the door with a tired gesture, his voice still full of enthusiasm despite the exhausting day:
"So, who wants to hug their favorite big brother… completely wiped out?"
Silence.
No answer.
Intrigued, he stepped into the living room. Then he froze, eyes wide open.
There, in front of him, his three little sisters were playing… with three little goblins and the rabbit!
Gobi was helping Lily prepare the kitchen.
Lola was engrossed in a console game with Gobo, both focused on the screen.
Léa was taking care of dolls with Goba, sitting on the floor.
As for the rabbit, settled on the couch, he was nibbling vegetables while watching videos on a phone, completely absorbed.
They laughed, had fun… as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Damons blinked, rubbed his face, then pinched himself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
"What the… heck is this mess?" he stammered, still incredulous.
[Three hours earlier]
Right after Damons left, the goblins explored the room, eyes full of wonder, curious about everything.
"Why is the bed so soft?" asked Gobi.
"What's that box that shows pictures?" asked Gobo, pointing at the TV.
"And why is water coming out of the wall?" wondered Goba, looking at the faucet.
The rabbit, clearly annoyed, answered them in a dry tone:
"Shut up, you ugly ones."
The shock was immediate.
"No way! We're not ugly, you giant rat!" shouted the goblins.
The rabbit, eyes glowing with anger, replied:
"Who's calling you rats, huh?"
And without warning, a fight broke out.
The noise was deafening.
Léa, awakened by the noise, opened her bedroom door and found herself face to face with the chaos: goblins and the rabbit were engaged in a wild fight.
She let out a piercing scream.
Hearing the noise, Lily and Lola rushed over. They were speechless at the surreal scene, then screamed in turn.
The goblins panicked.
The rabbit yelled:
"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!!"
It took all of Lily's patience and strength of character to bring calm back.
When silence returned, Gobo, Gobi, and Goba told their incredible story from the portal, their meeting with Damons, their pact with the system… and why they were there.
To everyone's surprise, the connection was immediate.
The sisters, touched by their story and by the grumpy but endearing little rabbit, accepted this strange blended family.
[Back to the present]
Damons, still in shock, watched the scene. A tired smile appeared on his lips.
"Well… at least I won't have to introduce the new ones."
Then, with a slightly mischievous look:
"But you'll have to share your beds."
Without hesitation, Lily, Lola, and Léa agreed.
Léa, mischievous, added:
"Big brother, you're going to have to share your bed with Misty!"
Damons blinked, surprised:
"Huh? Who's Misty?"
Léa pointed at the rabbit:
"He, Misty, is our new companion."
The rabbit jumped off the couch, outraged:
"HUH?! I NEVER agreed to that!"
Damons burst out laughing:
"Too late! I wasn't going to call you 'the rabbit' forever. Misty is perfect."
At that moment, the system activated.
[SYSTEM] CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE NAMED YOUR ROYAL GUARD: MISTY.
[REWARD: +50XP]
The rabbit, or rather Misty, saw the notification before his eyes. Furious, he jumped at Damons and gently scratched him with his little paws.
Damons, unable to hold back, burst out laughing and collapsed on the ground, laughing till tears.
Everyone around them laughed too.
It was a magical moment.
They spent the evening laughing, playing, having fun together.
They ended up falling asleep all cuddled up in the living room, goblins included.
[Three days later.]
Damons, his sisters, and the goblins anxiously awaited the answer from the Players Association.
In front of his computer, Damons opened his mailbox.
A new message blinked.
He read it aloud:
"Congratulations, you are accepted at rank F. Please come pick up your player card at the association headquarters."
A joyful shout echoed throughout the house.
Damons immediately left for the Association.
[HEADQUARTERS OF THE VELEDRIS PLAYERS ASSOCIATION]
There, he recognized Altair, Lucas, and Lindel — no surprise.
There were also several other candidates, but neither Rick nor Maximilien.
A friendly pat was felt on his back.
Turning around, he saw Rick and Maximilien, smiling.
"Hey! You got in too, huh? No surprise!" said Rick.
Damons replied, delighted:
"And you too! That's so cool!"
They picked up their player cards together.
The Association gave them a solemn speech about the duty of hunters and their responsibility.
Around them, guild hunters were looking to recruit the best.
As expected, they rushed mostly toward Altair, Lucas, and Lindel.
But no one came to Damons, Maximilien, or Rick.
Damons shrugged, smiling:
"No big deal, I didn't want to join a guild for now anyway."
"We'll try to pass the tests to join an F-rank guild," said Rick, adjusting his bag.
"It won't be easy, but we're ready," added Maximilien with a confident smile.
Damons nodded, a slight smile on his lips. He knew this was just a goodbye, not the end.
Damons extended his fist.
Maximilien did the same.
Rick joined them, and their fists met in a gesture of unity.
And all three said in unison, their voices full of promises:
"We'll see each other again. That's a certainty."
Happy, Damons went home to announce the good news to his sisters…
…and to look for Misty and the goblins to dive into a portal and start earning money!
The adventure was just beginning.