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Chapter 24: The Pebble Knight
"Alright, Pebble Jr., listen up."
Elric stood in front of his mossy golem with a stick in one hand and a pan lid in the other.
"You want to be a knight, right?"
Pebble Jr. stared blankly. Then burped a small rock.
"…Close enough."
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Behind Elric, his sisters sat on a log, giggling.
"Big brother's talking to a rock again," Luma whispered.
"I think he's teaching it sword fighting," said Yui, munching on a cookie.
"Should we help?"
"No. This is funnier."
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Elric cleared his throat and pointed at the wooden dummy across the yard.
"Your target is that!" he declared heroically.
Pebble Jr. waddled forward.
Then tripped.
Then rolled.
Right into the dummy.
The dummy wobbled. Then fell.
Elric blinked. "…Flawless technique. Ten out of ten."
> New Skill Potential: Golem Roll (Locked)
Keep training for full unlock.
His system chimed again.
> Would you like to name your combat style?
Elric grinned.
"Yes. I call it… 'Stumble and Smash.'"
> Registered.
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Later that day, the village gathered for the annual Mossberry Pie Contest. It was a serious event.
Elric's mom baked three pies.
Boneclaw stole one.
Twig ate the second.
The third… won first place. No one asked what it was made of. It sparkled slightly.
Grandpa Riven sat on a bench, sipping warm broth, watching the crowd laugh and dance.
Elric sat beside him, dirty, scraped, and happy.
"Grandpa?"
"Hm?"
"If the world ends tomorrow… will we still have pie?"
Riven smiled faintly.
"Only if we make it ourselves."
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That night, Elric tucked in his sisters and patted Boneclaw goodnight. Pebble Jr. slept in a barrel. The Sprite snored like a flute.
Outside, the wind was calm.
But somewhere far, far away—another shard lit up.
And a red moon blinked open in a sky that wasn't their own.
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