Chapter 4 : Rising TidesMorning arrived with a soft patter of rain against Eli's window, a rhythmic whisper that seemed to tap directly into his mind. He blinked awake, feeling the hum of energy just beneath his skin—a lingering echo of last night's Creativity Boost. His thoughts were clearer, sharper, more eager to leap onto the page before he even reached his keyboard.
The world outside was gray and blurred, city streets glossed with rainwater and car headlights smearing through the mist. The weather should've made him want to crawl back under the blankets, but instead, he felt something different: anticipation. As though the rain itself was nudging him forward.
He sat up, rubbed sleep from his eyes, and flipped open the laptop.
The golden system window appeared instantly, almost as if it had been waiting for him.
[Good morning, Writer Eli.]
[Daily Quest Available.]
[Task: Write a scene driven entirely by emotion rather than action. Reward: Emotional Depth Skill Boost.]
Eli narrowed his eyes. "Emotion-driven scene, huh? That sounds… intense."
The system pulsed warmly, as if amused.
[Tip: Emotion is the ink that binds readers to characters. Master it, and you master their hearts.]
He chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, coach. Let's give it a try."
But before he opened a new document, curiosity tugged him toward GoldNovel. He clicked the tab and refreshed the page.
His story had 42 reads.
Forty-two. Nearly double from last night.
He stared, blinking hard. That was more people than he'd spoken to in the last two months combined.
His comment section had grown too. A handful of new messages glowed beneath his story:
SkyPen:"Loved the atmosphere—your writing feels… honest."
ReaderTom:"Dude, the dialogue? So natural. Following for updates."
InklingGirl:"This made me smile this morning. Thank you."
Eli swallowed, warmth blooming in his chest. Thank you? People were thanking him—for a story? His story?
He typed thoughtful replies, fingers moving quicker and with more purpose than ever.
When he finished, the system chimed softly:
[Community Engagement XP +1]
[Confidence increased.]
He leaned back, letting the glow of praise settle around him like a warm blanket. Then he took a deep breath and shifted gears. It was time for the day's quest.
The Emotional SceneEli opened a fresh document and stared at the blank page. The cursor blinked like a heartbeat—steady, patient, challenging.
He began typing.
He wrote about a boy sitting on a rooftop with an unopened letter in his hands—its edges soft from all the times he'd carried it but never dared peel the seal. He described the tremor of the boy's fingers, the cold wind tugging at his hair, the ache of decisions lingering in the air like unshed tears.
He gave the boy fear. He gave him hope. He gave him a choice he wasn't brave enough to make.
And then Eli stopped, fingers hovering above the keys. He hadn't expected to feel so much himself—his own memories surfacing uninvited. Times he'd wanted to say something important but couldn't. Words he'd drafted and deleted and buried.
He swallowed hard and pushed through the feeling. He forced the boy to open the letter.
Inside were three simple words: Come home soon.
Eli didn't know who wrote it. He didn't know what home meant to the boy. He didn't need to. The emotion was the point.
He wrote until the rain softened into a drizzle and the city grew brighter. He wrote until his chest felt tighter but lighter at the same time.
When he finished, he submitted the scene to the system.
The response was immediate.
[Submission received. Analyzing…]
[Impressive emotional control. Emotional Depth Skill +4.]
[Physical Reward: Slight increase in respiratory stamina, improving calm during writing.]
Eli exhaled — slowly, steadily, as if the system had reached directly into his lungs and smoothed the rough edges inside them.
Then another prompt appeared:
[Bonus Challenge Unlocked: Write from a memory you usually avoid.]
[Reward: Insight Skill + Courage Boost.]
Eli froze.
"Oh… that's… bold," he murmured.
He wasn't sure he wanted to do that. Some memories were messy. Some were tangled. Some were best left alone, weren't they?
But the idea stuck in his mind, like a seed awaiting rain.
He saved the challenge for later.
Mara and MomentumEli's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen: Mara.
Mara:"HEY. Just woke up. Checked your story—why are you blowing up overnight??"
He snorted, typing back:
Eli:"I'm not blowing up. Forty reads isn't fame."
Her response was instant:
Mara:"It's forty strangers, Eli. And that's forty more than zero. Proud of you."
He felt his cheeks warm. His fingers hesitated for a moment before he typed:
Eli:"Actually… I feel proud too."
Dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then reappeared. A long message was clearly coming in.
Mara:
"GOOD! Now keep going. Ride the momentum. Readers are like birds—you feed them once, they'll come back for more. Starve them and they find a different hand. Also, I showed your first story to my writing group."
Eli blinked.
Eli:"YOU WHAT??"
Mara:"Relax! They loved it! One of them said your style reminds him of early stage contemporary lit fiction—whatever that means but it sounds fancy. They said if you keep posting, you'll definitely find an audience."
Eli stared at the message, heart drumming. People—real people—thought he had potential?
He pressed a hand to his chest, grounding himself.
"Mara… you're the best," he whispered under his breath.
The Writing Guild NotificationAs if sensing his emotional surge, the system's window bloomed again across his screen.
[New Feature Unlocked: Writing Guilds]
"What… like teams?"
The text expanded:
[Writers grow faster with peers. Writing Guilds allow collaboration, themed challenges, and communal feedback.]
[You have been invited to join: 'InkSpire Guild' — A beginner-friendly community ranked Bronze Tier.]
[Benefits: Group XP bonuses, weekly contests, shared resources.]
[Accept invitation?]
Eli blinked.
"InkSpire? That… actually sounds cool."
He hovered his cursor over Yes, wondering if he was ready for a group. But then he remembered Mara's encouragement, the readers' comments, and the thrill of last night's upload.
He clicked Accept.
The system chimed.
[You are now a member of InkSpire Guild!]
[Guild Perk: +3% XP from daily quests.]
[Guild Chat unlocked.]
A new window popped open — a chat channel buzzing with messages from writers he didn't know.
QuillQuest:"Welcome, new member! Introduce yourself!"
PageTurner22:"Yeah! What genre do you write?"
InkFox:"We're starting a micro-story challenge later. Join if you want!"
Eli hesitated, then typed:
NightScript:"Hi! I write… whatever I can right now. New to all this. Thanks for the welcome."
The guild immediately erupted:
QuillQuest:"We all start somewhere! Glad to have you."
InkFox:"NightScript is a cool name."
PageTurner22:"What are you working on today?"
Eli smiled. These people didn't know him, but they welcomed him anyway. The simple friendliness made the room feel warmer.
A Challenge AppearsA new prompt slid into the chat window:
InkSpire Admin:
"Guild members! Today's challenge: Write a 300-word scene about a character facing an unexpected situation. No action-heavy sequences—focus on emotional response. Winner gets Guild XP Bonus."
Eli's pulse quickened.
Emotion again. Perfect practice for today's quest. He typed:
NightScript:"I'm in."
A few others joined as well, excited messages rolling by in a colorful wave of usernames.
Eli opened a new document. He closed his eyes and let the rain outside guide him.
He wrote about a traveler finding an old friend's name carved into a train station bench—fresh, not faded, as though they'd been there only minutes ago. He described the shock, the sudden rush of hope, the confusion twisting into fear. No explosions, no chase scenes—just emotion tightening the character's throat.
When he finished, he pasted it into the guild chat.
Responses came quickly:
PageTurner22:"Dang. That hit hard."
InkFox:"The surprise is subtle but powerful. Good stuff, Night!"
QuillQuest:"Strong emotional pull. You have talent."
Eli sat stunned.
Talent. A stranger said he had talent.
Before he could process the warmth forming in his chest, the system chimed:
[Guild Challenge Complete!]
[Guild Ranking Vote: Winner — NightScript]
[Reward: +5 Guild XP, Emotional Resonance Skill +2]
Eli pressed a palm to his forehead. "I… won?"
He hadn't won anything writing-related since fourth grade, when his teacher accidentally entered his haiku into a school contest and he'd received a plastic trophy shaped like a pencil.
But now?
Now people who wrote seriously said his work was good.
His breath came uneven, but not from panic. From exhilaration.
Memory, UnlockedAs the adrenaline faded, the system flashed again.
[Bonus Challenge Reminder: Write from a memory you usually avoid.]
He swallowed.
He'd tried to ignore it earlier. But after today's emotional writing focus, and the guild praise, and the strange courage fluttering in his chest… maybe he could try.
He opened a new document.
The rain's rhythm grounded him.
He wrote about disappointment—the heavy, silent kind. He remembered a day when he'd shown a story draft to someone important, hoping for encouragement. Instead, they'd skimmed it for twenty seconds and said, "It's fine, I guess," before moving on.
He wrote what it felt like: the heat in his cheeks, the smallness twisting inside him, the slow extinction of a spark he didn't know how to protect back then.
He didn't go into harmful detail—just enough to face the moment without drowning in it.
When he finished, hands trembling slightly, he submitted the scene.
A long pause.
Then:
[Submission received. Analyzing…]
[Exceptional honesty. Insight Skill +3.]
[Courage Boost applied: Increased willingness to tackle emotionally difficult scenes.]
[Physical Reward: Slight improvement in breath control and stress regulation.]
The last line made sense—he felt steadier, as if something heavy inside him had been set down.
A Call from BenJust as he closed the document, his phone buzzed again. Ben this time:
Ben:"Got time to game tonight? We haven't played all week!"
Eli hesitated.
He glanced at his open tabs—GoldNovel, the Guild chat, his drafts. He didn't want to stop. Not yet.
But he also didn't want to ignore Ben.
Eli:"Maybe later? I'm writing right now."
A moment passed.
Ben:"Writing? Seriously?"
Eli:"Yeah. Posted something yesterday. People liked it."
Ben sent a long message filled with half-joking disbelief and half-earnest pride.
Ben:
"DUDE. You actually did it. That's awesome. I'll leave you to it then. But you gotta show me your story later."
Eli smiled softly.
Eli:"Deal."
Momentum BuildsEvening settled slowly, the rain tapering off into a quiet hush. The city lights flickered on outside like rows of tiny fireflies trapped behind glass.
Eli returned to GoldNovel, polished the first chapter of a new story idea born from today's exercises, and read it aloud. The words flowed better. His sentences carried more confidence.
He uploaded it.
Not out of fear. Not out of desperation.
But out of excitement.
When he hit Publish, the system's final message of the day drifted softly across the screen:
[Daily Summary: Quests completed. Skills improved. Courage strengthened. Guild joined. New story uploaded.]
[Writer Level Progress: 62% to Level 2.]
[Rest well, Writer Eli. Tomorrow's trials await, and you are growing.]
Eli exhaled slowly, smiling as he closed the laptop.
Today had changed him.
Not dramatically. Not magically.
But undeniably.
The tide had risen, carrying him just a little closer to the version of himself he'd always hoped he could be—a writer who didn't just dream, but acted.
A writer who belonged.
As he crawled into bed, the rain finally stopped. The world felt washed clean, ready for another page, another chapter, another story.
And so was