MTL - Pleasing Start-Over - Chapter 10

“Aria,” he said softly. “Today is your birthday.”It wasn't a question, but I nodded nevertheless.“The moon is full tonight,” he added, his voice quiet. “You will attend the ceremony.”“Of course, Elder,” I replied, puzzled. All eighteen-year-olds attended the ceremony. It was essential.He leaned in, smelling gently. “You already feel it, don't you? ”The change.My heartbeat skipped. “What change?”Elder Malin's eyes narrowed. Interesting. “Very interesting.” He reached inside his pocket and retrieved a little pouch. “Wear this tonight.”I accepted it hesitantly. Inside was a simple moonstone pendant with a leather cord.“But this is for—”“Wear it,” he interjected. “Hide it under your clothes if you must, but wear it.”Moonstones were precious. They aided our connection to the Moon Goddess during ceremonies. However, they were only given to wolves from influential families (Alphas and Betas). Not Omegas like me.“Why?” I questioned.Elder Malin glanced at Mira before returning his attention to me. “Because someone is harboring secrets about you, child. And tonight, those secrets may be revealed.”I never mattered in our pack. Omegas like me serve, submit, and survive. We don't dream of love. We don't dream of power.She was the future Luna. I was just the girl who watched from the shadows.But everything changed on my 18th birthday.I felt the bond. I met my mate.One of the Alpha's sons.But the Alpha has triplets, and I felt the mate bond with all three and it seems the three of them felt it too — three perfect warriors, three powerful Alphas, three secrets buried beneath the surface.One of them is my destiny.One of them is lying.And one of them might be the death of me.The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes... but this time, I think she might've given me too much to handle.

Regret filled Valyr as he witnessed Earth before him crumble into nothingness. Although he and the others had done everything they could, their efforts were all for naught as they stood powerless to stop the inevitable, causing billions upon billions of innocent lives to perish in the cold and unwelcoming darkness of space.

Indignant at the outcome, Valyr asked the heavens above to give him a second chance, a chance wherein he would make sure the inevitable didn’t happen. Though he knew that the likelihood of it happening was slim to none, surprisingly…

The heavens answered.

Opening his eyes, he swiftly found out his wish had been granted, in more ways than one at that. Not only was he brought back to the time where everything had yet to unfold, he was also reborn as an NPC in the game where everything started and everything ended.

The True Immersion VRMMORPG, Greater Beyond.

Utilizing his newfound advantages, in conjunction with his knowledge of the game and its various versions from his previous life, Valyr was going to make sure that what happened before wouldn’t happen again. And all of that began…

With him picking up the Blacksmith class.

You’d think seeing the future would give me a head start on surviving the apocalypse. I had it all planned—until everything I knew shattered when my husband sacrificed himself to save me and our son. Now it’s just me, my three-year-old son Leo, and my cursed gift of foresight that only seems to kick in when it’s nearly too late.I’m doing my best to keep us safe, to find food, to make some kind of plan—“Mommy?”I glance down, trying to ignore the tug on my pant leg as I focus on our supplies. “Not now, Leo. Mommy’s thinking.”“Mommy!”I sigh and finally look down. My three-year-old is standing there, clutching… I blink. “Leo, where did you get a knife?”He shrugs, grinning like it’s the most natural thing in the world.My heart stutters. “No, really. Where did you find that?”I try not to laugh. I mean, he’s three. Maybe he just—found it somewhere? But the next day, it’s a water bottle. Then, a tiny flashlight, somehow with batteries still inside.I don’t even know what else; he’s pulling things out one by one with the pleased grin of a kid who’s just figured out his favorite game.Well, we may just survive this mess after all.Now, if only the universe could have spared me from him. I don’t even know his name, but I know his type: tall, broad, and annoyingly handsome, with an air of calm control that’s out of place in this chaos. Ex-military, if I had to guess, with a voice that’s just as infuriating as his smirk. The man has a habit of showing up at the worst—or best—possible times, with a gun at the ready and secrets buried as deep as those bright green eyes.I mean, he’s probably useful, but I’m trying to keep my eyes on the prize here: survival.For Leo and me.Because, foresight or no foresight, nothing is guaranteed in this new world—except the fact that people like him are trouble.

In a dilapidated temple, a young man receives an outdoor webcast system, and thus, his webcast journey begins. He easily finds lingzhi worth thousands of dollars, keeps a falcon as his pet, and displays skills that leave his audience in awe. When he turns his head around, he discovers that the whole world is watching him.

When he joins a show, everyone asks, “Is this webcaster cultivating to be a deity?”

Someone exclaims, “This isn’t an adventure, this is a vacation!”

A reporter asks him, “Your fans claim that you know martial arts. Is that true?”

He answers, “Not true.”

Yet, in the next moment, when a little red bird flies past him, he takes a leap from a tall platform before jumping down…