The first thing Finn felt was warmth. The second, was the unsettling sensation of being small—far too small. As he blinked awake, his vision blurry and unfocused, it took him a moment to process his surroundings.

He lay in a cot, swaddled in blankets that felt too large for him. The air smelled of wood and something faintly sweet, possibly the scent of bread baking in the distance.

He tried to sit up, only to feel his arms tremble under the weight of his body—no, not his body, at least, not the body he remembered. This one was smaller, weaker, like he’d been drained of years in a matter of moments. His muscles felt underused, foreign. He felt trapped in a trap of his own body..

This can’t be right, am I…a child?

His hands were small—too small. His legs felt like twigs, unsteady beneath him. He flexed his fingers experimentally, half-expecting to see them balloon out into their normal, adult size. But they didn’t. They remained tiny, fragile. His stomach churned, and a part of him wanted to panic, to yell out for help, but... what good would that do?

His mind felt sharp, too sharp for the small body he now inhabited. The strange weight of his limbs, the awkward proportions—he’d never felt this fragile. Memories of another life flickered in and out of focus, like images seen through a static tv screen. There had been a life before this, but the details were lost to him.

System Initializing…

The words materialized in his vision, hovering in the air as if written on an invisible screen.

Welcome, Finn. User Interface activated.

Finn blinked. A User Interface? What was this? Some kind of game?

You have been reincarnated.

The words hovered in front of his eyes, scrolling like a banner on some invisible screen. He blinked. “What...?” The text rewound and started again. You have been reincarnated. Finn squinted, feeling a headache coming on. “Uh... maybe not so fast?”

The text paused. Right... Slower then? This time, the letters blinked lazily across his vision. Finn sighed.

You have been reincarnated. In exchange for something you no longer need, the god of reincarnation has granted you a unique ability: the “User Interface.” This will assist in guiding you through your new life.

Finn frowned in thought. “Reincarnated…that means that I…died…but I don’t remember how.” At first, he had believed it to be a very lucid dream, but there was something far too real about everything he was feeling. His thoughts were too clear, the smell of bread wafting in, the blanket he had been swaddled in was softer than he had ever experienced.

Finn began muttering to himself. “So…I died. But I don’t remember how”. The thought gnawed at the edge of his consciousness, but it slipped away every time he tried to grasp it. “A past life… how do you move forward when you can’t even remember what you’ve left behind?”

Finn’s thoughts drifted back to the strange screen calling itself the User Interface. It felt oddly familiar, like a half-remembered promise from a forgotten life, but his memories were too hazy to grasp any details.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The words scrolled on.

You are currently three years old. It may take time to adjust to your new physical form, but don’t worry—you’ll grow into it.

Finn could practically feel a smirk behind those words.

“Great,” he muttered under his breath. “Can’t wait to hit puberty… again.”

No worries, mate.

Finn raised an eyebrow at the response, but looked down as a soft giggle caught his attention, and Finn looked around the room, finally realizing he wasn’t alone. A group of children, all around his apparent age, played nearby, their movements easy and carefree. Some of them were chasing each other in circles, while others seemed to be meditating as they sat with their legs crossed and a focused scrunch in their face.

Looking around, Finn noticed the room itself was large and cozy, with wooden beams running across the ceiling and stone walls that gave it a rustic, sturdy feel. The room was alive with the sound of laughter, mixed with the soft crackle of a distant hearth. A few candles flickered along the stone walls, casting long shadows that danced with the energy of the children.

Finn glanced down at the wooden floors beneath his bare feet, smooth and worn from years of tiny footsteps. It felt... lived-in. Safe, almost. Finn wondered what the place was called, and suddenly noticed the words “Hearthstone Orphanage” hovering at the top of his vision.

“Huh. So I can identify locations or something?”

User Interface allows you to identify certain items and locations, depending on your rank.

Race: Half-Elf

Current Rank: ???

Magic Affinity: ???

???

Quest added: “Find Your Place.” Objective: Explore the orphanage and learn more about your new home. Understanding your surroundings may be key to unlocking your magic potential.

No pressure.

“A quest?” Finn raised another eyebrow at the notification. “Okay, what’s my reward for that?”

Survival, maybe?

He snorted, despite himself. The UI had a bit of an attitude, but perhaps that was preferable to some dry, robotic voice. Although, that raised questions about the nature of the power.

As Finn cautiously swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the feeling of his new body settled in. He was small, yes, but his muscles still worked—just weaker than he was used to. He stood, wobbling for a moment, but soon found his balance. As he took a few steps forward, the strangeness faded slightly.

“I can work with this.” With each step, his muscles seemed to remember how to move, though there was an awkward lag between thought and action, and Finn suspected somehow the strange User Interface was to blame.

He wandered over to a window, straining to peer outside. Stone buildings, cobblestone streets, and in the distance, a massive, imposing structure that could only be described as a castle. This was no ordinary orphanage—it was settled in the heart of a city. Not that Finn recognized any of it, but the sight stirred giddiness inside him. Adventure. Opportunity. A new world to explore.

“Hey! You’re finally awake!” A cheerful voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a young boy rushing over, a wide grin plastered across his face. “I’m Cosmo! You must be new!”

Finn’s mind processed the greeting for a second too long, wondering how he understood the boy. “Uh, yeah. I guess I am.”

“You’ve been asleep forever!” Cosmo said with exasperation, plopping down next to him and crossing his legs casually. “They said it’s normal when people get… transferred, or whatever.”

“Transferred?”

“Yeah, y’know, new people end up here all the time. My parents were adventurers before they, um, didn’t come back. You?”

Finn blinked. The boy’s energy felt contagious, and Cosmo’s easy smile made it hard to feel awkward. “Uh… I think I’m in the same boat. I don’t really remember.”

“Me neither!” Cosmo didn’t seem fazed. “But it’s cool. We all get by.”

He gestured around the room where other children were gathering in small groups, some practicing what Finn could only assume was basic magic. Finn felt the urge to rush over and get a closer look, but contained himself for the moment.

Cosmo pointed to a girl sitting on the far end, her hands outstretched as she conjured small gusts of wind to hover a stick in the air. “That’s Nyx. She’s really good at wind magic, but she doesn’t talk much. Kinda spooky, actually.”

As if sensing Finn’s eyes on her, Nyx flashed a savage side glance, her sharp green eyes studying him in silence. Then, without a word, she went back to her practice.

“Well, that’s Nyx for you,” Cosmo said with a shrug. “But don’t worry. Everyone here’s pretty nice once you get to know them. Oh! And Alistair will be here soon.”

“Alistair?”

“Yeah! Alistair’s one of the best around,” Cosmo added, grinning. “He’s been teaching us all kinds of stuff—magic, sword fighting, how to survive outside the city. He’s a bit tough, though, so you’d better be ready.”

“I-I don’t really know anything about magic, or sword fighting” Finn said, unsure if his new body could even use magic.

Cosmo grinned, “Most of us don’t either! Welcome to the club. What’s your name?”

Finn rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, my name is Finn, I think? Honestly everything just feels really hazy. What does this Alistair guy teach?”

“He’ll be here soon, and trust me, when Alistair arrives, things get interesting around here.”