The Wolf’s Child

Kael didn't wake up all at once.

At first, it felt like floating—like when you're underwater and the light comes through in soft, wavy lines. He was warm. The blankets were soft. Somewhere far off, he could hear the sound of footsteps, maybe voices, but they didn't matter yet.

He vaguely remembered something from before. The last thing he recalled before everything went black was meeting a strange figure—a godlike presence—who told him something about a gift before he lost consciousness. At the time, Kael had thought that the baby wolves he was found with were the gift, especially the one he had named Lyra. But now, looking at this glowing screen floating in front of him, he started to wonder if this system might be what the figure meant.

Then something clicked.

A little tone rang in his ears—ding—soft but clear, like the start of a video game.

His eyes opened.

And in front of him, floating in the air, was a screen. Bright blue, slightly transparent, with glowing letters.

SYSTEM BOOT COMPLETE

Welcome, Kael

Identity Sync: SUCCESSFUL

Personality Core: ONLINE

World Integration: ACTIVE

Beginner Tutorial Ready

Kael blinked.

He rubbed his eyes with his fists like a sleepy toddler. The screen didn't disappear.

"Huh?"

He sat up, confused but not scared. Not exactly. It felt weird… but also kind of right.

"Okay. Either I'm dreaming, or I'm in one of those fanfics now," he muttered.

He reached out and poked the screen. It felt cool, like glass. The text shifted.

Tutorial Activated

You have been granted access to the Adaptive Integration System: Westeros Edition.

This system is designed to assist survival, development, and influence in high-risk environments.

A new menu appeared, showing the system interface:

INTERFACE

Status

Inventory

Missions (1)

Shop

Settings

Kael tapped on Status.

The screen updated:

Name: Kael Snow

Age: 4

Race: Human (Modified)

Title: None

Affiliation: None

Strength: 3

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 10

Charisma: 4

Perception: 6

Willpower: 9

Luck: 4

Kael frowned slightly.

"Is this… normal?" he asked aloud, then tapped Settings.

A pop-up explained:

Average adult stat = 5

Child baseline = 1–3

Intelligence enhanced due to Soul Integration and Past-Life Memory Retention

Luck can fluctuate; you currently have a slightly above-average value for a child

Kael nodded slowly.

He tapped Status again, then selected More Info.

The system displayed:

Stat Cap: 20

Humans can only increase stats up to this maximum.

Higher than 15 means exceptional, usually only achievable with system assistance.

You start at Level 1; as you use skills and build items, you earn experience points (EXP) to level up and unlock new abilities and items.

He tapped Missions (1), curious.

DAILY MISSION

Objective: Greet 5 people politely today

Reward: +0.1 Charisma Point

Kael chuckled. "So… just having basic manners actually helps me level up? That's kinda easy."

He tapped on Shop.

The screen split into categories:

Blueprints

Wooden Pulley System – 10 Points

Distillation Setup – 12 Points

Crafting Recipes

Basic Soap Recipe – 2 Points

Basic Rouge Recipe – 2 Points

Survival Tools

Firestarter Kit (Improvised) – 5 Points

Combat Skills (Locked)

Language Packs (Locked)

Mystery Boxes (???)

Kael leaned closer, eyes wide.

"I can actually learn to make soap? Or rouge?" he whispered. "That might impress Catelyn."

He smiled, thinking about how these simple things might build relationships.

The system added a note at the bottom:

As you complete missions and craft items for the first time, you earn EXP and can level up. Leveling unlocks new, more advanced items and skills.

Extra points may be awarded for excellent work or reaching milestones.

Kael looked down at his sleeping wolf pup, Lyra, then back at the screen.

"This is just the start," he whispered. "I'm gonna use this. I'm gonna make stuff no one's ever seen in this world."