LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 27: A Game Within a Game
A Game Within a Game
1. The Wheel's Final Hand
Tom could feel the fabric of the casino breaking. The Wheel pulsed in his palm, its golden energy burning hotter than ever before. The Croupier was losing—but not in the way Tom expected.
Their form flickered, unraveling at the edges, as if they were being pulled apart by forces beyond their control.
"You shouldn't have been able to do that," the Croupier murmured, staring at Tom. Their voice wasn't angry, nor afraid—just curious. "You're rewriting the game faster than we anticipated."
Tom gritted his teeth. "Then maybe you should've picked a better dealer."
He stepped forward, the air around him warping with each movement. The casino floor was collapsing into the void. The tables, the dice, the hovering symbols—all disintegrating.
The Croupier chuckled, even as their body continued to flicker. "You still think you've won, don't you?"
Tom narrowed his eyes. "Haven't I?"
The Croupier smiled.
And then the Wheel stopped spinning.
Not by Tom's will. Not by the universe's.
Something else had intervened.
A sound echoed through the collapsing realm. Not a warning. Not a threat.
A lullaby.
Soft. Gentle. Familiar.
Tom's breath hitched.
He knew that song.
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2. A Familiar Tune
The world shifted. Not in the chaotic, violent way the Wheel usually reshaped probability. This was… different.
The colors around him blurred. The collapsing casino faded into the background, the void swirling into something softer.
A warm breeze.
A blue sky.
Tom felt grass beneath his feet.
The Croupier was gone.
The Wheel was gone.
And in their place—
A house.
His house.
Tom froze.
It wasn't possible. It couldn't be.
But there it was—the old, two-story home where he had grown up. The front porch was slightly crooked, the paint chipped in places. The wind chime his mom had always meant to fix still hung from the awning, its soft tink-tink sound stirring something deep in his chest.
His feet moved on their own.
The front door was open.
He stepped inside.
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3. Home
The scent of freshly cooked food drifted through the air. Something savory—stir-fried vegetables, maybe? He followed the smell into the kitchen, his heart pounding.
And there she was.
His mother.
Diane Peters stood at the stove, humming softly, her back turned to him.
Tom opened his mouth—but his voice caught in his throat.
She turned, smiling. "Oh, Tom, you're back early. Dinner's almost ready."
His vision swam.
No. This isn't real. It can't be real.
But it felt real.
Diane looked just like he remembered—no cosmic power in her gaze, no impossible energy swirling around her. Just… his mom.
Before she had rewritten reality.
Before she had erased him.
Tom took a step back. "What is this?"
Diane blinked. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"
His hands shook. Think. He had just been in the casino. He had just been fighting the Croupier.
This was wrong.
"Where's Stacy?" Tom asked carefully.
Diane smiled. "She's at school, of course."
A chill ran through him.
That's not right. That's not right.
Tom turned and bolted for the front door.
But when he opened it—
He wasn't outside.
He was standing in a classroom.
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4. The First Crack
Chalk dust filled the air. Rows of desks stretched out before him. A blackboard. A teacher scribbling notes. The hum of a school day in full swing.
Tom's head spun.
"Mr. Peters," the teacher's voice cut through the fog. "Are you planning to sit down, or are you just going to stand there?"
Tom turned slowly.
The class was staring at him.
Students. Teenagers his age. Some faces he recognized, others he didn't. But they were all looking at him like this was normal.
Like he had always been here.
He swallowed hard. No. No, this isn't right.
He gripped the edge of the desk nearest to him, grounding himself. The world still felt real.
Too real.
But he remembered. He had been fighting. He had been in the Nexus. He had been—
A note landed on his desk.
Tom flinched.
Slowly, he unfolded it.
"Stop acting weird. You know this is your Awakening Day."
His heart nearly stopped.
No.
He looked up. Stacy sat two rows ahead, grinning, excited.
"Come on, Tom!" she whispered. "It's almost time!"
Tom couldn't breathe.
He turned to the window.
Outside, banners stretched across the school courtyard.
"Class of 2025: Awakening Ceremony—Power Unleashed!"
And for the first time—
Tom felt something slip.
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5. A World That Makes Sense
Tom sat frozen as the ceremony continued. The teacher was explaining something about Awakenings, about how every senior would finally receive their innate ability today.
Excited murmurs filled the air.
Tom barely heard any of it.
His pulse was racing.
It was too perfect.
The moment he thought of Stacy, she had appeared.
The moment he questioned where he should be, the world gave him an answer.
The Loom hadn't erased him.
It had caged him.
Not with chains.
With comfort.
A perfect dream.
And the worst part?
A part of him—some small, traitorous part—wanted to believe it.
Wanted to stay.
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6. And So It Begins…
"Alright, class," the teacher clapped his hands. "Let's begin the Awakening Ceremony."
Students murmured with excitement.
Stacy nearly vibrated in her seat. "I hope I get something good!"
Tom swallowed.
His vision blurred slightly as the Wheel inside him flickered—just for a moment.
The illusion tightened its grip.
The teacher smiled. "Tom Peters. You're up first."
The class cheered.
Stacy elbowed him. "Go on, dummy! This is gonna be amazing!"
Tom rose slowly.
His feet carried him forward.
And for the first time in a long time—
He was afraid.
Because deep down, a thought whispered.
What if this is real?
And for the first time—
He wanted it to be.
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