[Individual system integration will begin in four minutes.]

Zane’s hands swept over the decrepit wall. The material felt and looked like stone but had a purple sheen to it. Parts of the wall crumbled at his touch, and he pulled away from it. He looked around a corner and spied a spiral staircase heading up.

The steps beckoned to him, inviting him deeper into the structure.

He hesitated and examined the materials carefully. Everything outside was decrepit and he didn't know if the stairs could hold his weight. He wasn't a fool. This was too realistic to be a dream, and even if it wasn't real, he was willing to pretend.

"What’s the individual system integration?” He spoke. "And while we're at it, what's the Observatory?”

There was a gnawing sensation at the back of his mind, like he should know about all this already.

A step creaked under his feet, and he paused. It was unsteady, but it could just barely hold his weight. He gripped the wall tightly as he passed the steps carefully, making sure to distribute his weight evenly so he didn't crash through them. The touch of his shoes caused parts of the stairs to dent.

The material looked like stone but wasn't as sturdy.

His ears strained as he listened out for any reactions to his intrusion. There was only silence. Above his head he could hear the pattering of rain onto the roof, his clothes still streaked in blood. Within his jacket pocket he could feel movement as Cheddar the mouse poked its head out, sniffing the air curiously.

[Individual system integration is the process of connecting individual people to the system network.]

[The Observatory is our civilization's greatest achievement, the hub of our world’s capital. Please feel free to explore our great city. Guides will be provided at your earliest convenience.]

Two blue boxes appeared in front of Zane, and he read through them carefully. There had been a delay between asking the questions and receiving answers, but he wasn't sure why. With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the screens, the action coming to him naturally.

“Not much of a great city you have here,” he grunted. His eyes wandered to the end of the stairway, and he spotted light sneaking in through a window. “Don't people usually bring out food for guests?”

That question got no response.

As he looked outside the window, he spotted something beyond the red liquid. The window was too blurred to make out the shape properly, but he saw a small tinge of white among a red expanse. Then it disappeared.

Had it moved? Or had he imagined something outside?

He bounded up the stairs and made his way into the corridor it opened into, making sure to check it was empty first. He placed his hand against another windowpane, its view obscured by crimson liquid. From here he had a proper view of the city around him.

There was no sign of any life within the bloody puddles. The buildings could have been a city, once upon a time. The area was decrepit and stripped to the bones. Whatever life had lived here before, it wasn't having a good time now.

A red sun hovered over the sky.

He could see the building beside the Observatory, a lot thinner than it had looked from the front. It was a clocktower. His foot tapped against the floor as adrenaline surged through his veins.

Despite everything, he could feel his lips parting into a smile. He'd never been the kind of person to shy away from danger, or exploration. His dreams had only spurred him on in that regard, giving him the incentive to explore the real world to the best of his abilities.

[Individual system integration will begin in two minutes.]

"You keep saying that, but I don't know what it—” he cut himself off. He didn't have time to argue, he needed to play this smart. “What do I need to prepare for system integration? Will there be a fight?”

[System integration is a peaceful process.]

The single line hovered in front of him, but no others followed it. He sighed in frustration. Whatever was responding to him was doing it automatically. Like a computer program. It couldn’t offer anything more than he was asking, and it wasn't picking up on the finer nuances of his sentences. He still had no idea what system integration was and judging from its words there was probably meant to be a living person here to tell him.

"I sincerely hope I didn't step through my guide when I was walking through those blood puddles to get here,” he mused aloud.

A flicker of excitement coursed through his heart as he continued down the corridor. He held his hands out in front of him defensively, prepared to strike out at anything that moved.

He'd always dreamt of things like this, but now he was living the reality.

The blood wasn't too unexpected. In his dreams he knew he'd seen a lot worse, even if he couldn't remember the exact details.

This wasn't Earth. The materials around him were too different, his foot pressing down on the rickety purple floor. The ruins of the city he’d seen were too grand and vast to be one of the bigger ones he’d visited before like New York or Tokyo. And most importantly the sun was yellow on Earth, not red.

"Or maybe that's just dust in the air?” He mused.

Compared to his nightmares this world was downright peaceful. Nothing haunted his every step, and he even had a companion. The mouse had been quiet, but he didn't know how loud they usually were. It helped that it had pigged out on his food recently.

[Individual system integration will begin in thirty seconds. Please stand by.]

Zane stopped moving and glanced at his surroundings. The corridor had opened up into a single room, glowing with a faint light that had no source. Most of the forward wall was a window to the outside, providing a full view of the bloody fields, and he could see patterns carved into the glass. They glowed brightly, their light shimmering and diffusing into the air. He reached to hand out towards them instinctively and saw that the hairs on his body had risen.

It wasn't fear that caused his reaction. There was electricity in the air. It was a presence that disturbed the surroundings and as it descended onto him, he was swamped with a feeling of pressure. It was like someone had strapped an anvil onto his back.

[Individual system integration commencing.]

His knees hit the ground and he held himself up with his hands, forced into a bowing position. He grunted and raised himself up, one inch at a time, his every move resisted by the weight pushing on his body. He finally entered a cross-legged position.

He took a deep breath and focused on the blue boxes appearing in front of him.

[Congratulations, you are entering the system. Rejoice.]

“I'll save that for later, thanks,” Zane spoke through gritted teeth.

[You are the first of your race to unlock the system. As a forerunner of your kind please select one of the following options: +2 Strength, +2 Vitality, +2 Dexterity.]

The numbers meant something to him. He could feel a memory forcing itself onto the tip of his tongue. Before he could choose more blue boxes appeared.

[System Integration completed. Scanning body for—]

The message cut off abruptly.

[Potential school of magic detected: Osteomancy.]

"Osteomancy?” Zane tilted his head. “A bone magician.”

He said the words with certainty.

His eyes strayed over his body as the weight lifted slightly. There were waves of shimmering white light rising up from his pores and he could feel something different inside his body, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed.

"How do I unlock this magi— woah.”

Zane lurched forward as the pressure on his body increased. His hands grazed against empty waters as he found himself outside, his skin assaulted by a light wind. The walls of the Observatory had disappeared around him and in their place was a world of rocks and water.

[Hali. The home of the greatest osteomancers. Their world has studied the magic arts for countless years, allowing them to grow mighty cities unrivalled across the realms. You have been brought into their grand guild hall. Their guidance will allow you to unlock your school of magic.]

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The pressure released Zane from its grasp, and he stood up, water cascading down his legs.

"I think your description is a little outdated,” he looked around at the desolate area.

There were trees, although they were a lot fuzzier than the ones on Earth, and in the distance, he could see mountains. In front of him was a massive structure, unnaturally smooth and with a giant rune carved into the middle. He could see light emanating from it, and he felt a tug from inside his chest.

Whatever it was, he was reacting to it. The light shimmering off him grew brighter, and he gazed up at the rune in awe.

It towered over him, several stories tall. It wasn't a building but was clearly man-made. Aside from the undamaged surface he couldn't spot anything fancy about it.

"I don't think anyone's gonna be teaching me anything here,” Zane looked over his shoulder at the isolated surroundings. “Can you take me to another place?”

Zane lurched again, stabilising himself quickly. This time he found himself standing on a translucent crystal-like material. It almost looked like water, but it was rock hard and shimmered turquoise. He heard a squeak from his jacket and realised Cheddar was still with him, the mouse clinging tightly to his pocket as it poked its head out to look around.

He held his hands out to the side to steady himself as he felt his feet slipping on the material.

[Grana. The birthplace of osteomancy. A world rich in both culture and magic. Their mastery allowed them to cross the realms as helpers and provide guidance to others. Their knowledge has laid the paths that countless others follow. You are currently within their capital city. You will find yourself both welcome and aided by their ranks.]

Zane glanced at the decrepit area. All that surrounded him was turquoise stone. There wasn't a massive structure to guide him, or any people. There was a squeak from his pocket, and he saw Cheddar looking into the distance. Most of the area was covered in a thin mist.

He strode across the crystal floor carefully, making his way forward until he spotted what the mouse was gazing at.

It was a light.

In front of him was a giant spire of white material jutting from the ground. It was bone. The spire shot into the air, but at its foundation it was being consumed by the turquoise stone. At its tip was the light he had seen.

Next to the bone spire was a stone with another rune carved in it. He felt his emotions reacting to it, almost as though he was meeting a family member that he hadn't seen in a long time.

The lights surrounding him grew brighter, and he could visibly see specks of it exiting his body and floating across his skin lazily.

"These worlds all have systems in them?" Zane asked.

[Yes.]

He stared at the empty landscape and shuddered.

‘Is this going to happen to Earth?’ He thought to himself. ‘Or has something else gone wrong?’

He was tempted to ask the system to take him back to Earth, but he wasn't sure what he might be missing out on. If this was a dream, he would forget it once he woke up, and if it wasn't then he didn't know if he could visit these places again.

There was always the possibility that he was surrounded by alien creatures that he couldn't see, or maybe this turquoise crystal was the material they used to build their constructs and he was standing in the middle of a city without realising it.

"Can you bring me to a new place that you know is populated by creatures similar to me? Preferably humanoids with structures made of stone and wood and people that can help me learn.” He made his request as specific as possible.

He kept his eyes open, and he saw the world shimmer around him, transforming and warping with bright light.

The crystals were replaced by green rocks that wove together to form a beachhead. There were strands of glowing red lights peeking out from the stones and he saw another rune carved into a smooth stone.

His attention was drawn to the sky, dark and overdrawn.

A single piercing green light breaking through the clouds. It looked like a crack in a television screen, spewing forth sickly light across the surroundings.

[Falparino. A race of humanoids with a structure nearly identical to your world. You have been placed in their capital city. The elemental magicians of old crossed the starry skies, bringing—]

Zane cut the message off, already knowing that the information provided was inaccurate. This wasn't a thriving world filled with life and magic.

Everything around him was dead.

The rocks were lifeless, and the red lights that lined them made him feel uneasy as he was assaulted by their rays. There were no buildings, but in the distance, he could see a couple of decrepit structures that were rotting as the waves of the ocean slammed against them.

Whatever magic he was supposed to find here couldn't be learnt. Or at the very least he would have to do it himself.

“How do I learn osteomancy? Can you teach me?” He asked.

He wasn't sure if he was talking to the Observatory, or the system itself.

[Osteomancy is the manipulation of bones using the caster’s mana.]

"That helps,” he hoped the system could tell he was being sarcastic. "Can you take me back to the—”

Before the words were out of his mouth he was back in the Observatory.

“Can you read my mind? I feel like that's something you have to tell me.” His eyebrows furrowed together. “Back me up here, Cheddar.”

Cheddar nodded its head in response.

The system didn't reply.

Slosh.

Zane opened his mouth to retort at the system again when a sound fluttered into his ears. There was something moving downstairs. It sloshed across the ground, the sound of rain was filtered out as he grew quiet and focused on the intruder.

The sloshing was soft, and he couldn't pinpoint its exact location. As he strained his ears he heard a single splash of liquid, too loud to be rain.

He was sure it was coming from downstairs. A quick glance over his shoulder showed an empty room around him. Cheddar could sense his unease and looked around from his pocket.

Creak.

A single note of protest shrieked into the air as the stairs were assaulted, sending a shiver down his spine.

He spotted something dragging itself up the stairs. A single white tentacle rose over the steps and into the entrance of the room. Then another. And another. Each one was as thick as his arm and wriggled across the ground vibrantly.

Zane took a step back, holding his hands out in front of him. The tendrils flexed in the air, wounds revealing pink flesh and splotches of colour appearing on the pale skin as the creature’s body shifted in the light of the room. It rose from the ground, lifting itself up with his tendrils.

It looked like a squid. Or whatever monstrosity was created when a squid mixed with a skull and radioactive mutations.

He couldn't see any eyes on the thing, and from the way it was acting he didn't think it had a way to smell him. He took another step back and as his foot touched the floor its body arched and its tendrils spreading out wide.

It could hear him. Or at least sense the vibrations of his movements.

‘Crap.’ He cursed at the thing in his mind.

He didn't have enough information. He didn't want to be the first man to attack a friendly alien, but he wasn't going to let himself get eaten by a hostile one.

His fingers curled into fists as he prepared for a fight.

‘Inaction is only going to get me in trouble.’ Zane could see it drawing closer to him.

He moved back, creating distance between the creature and himself. Each step treaded carefully to avoid making sound, and he didn't see it react to his movements. It continued sliding forward steadily.

“Is this a native person coming to greet me?”

[There are no other people within the Observatory.]

The moment his words touched the air the creature screeched, raising its tentacles and revealing a hole where its mouth should be.

Then it leapt at him.

"You're an ugly bastard,” Zane jumped out of the way, tentacles splattering onto the ground he'd been standing on.

His lips parted into a smile, and he raised his hands in the air.

"System, can you get me out of he—”

A stray tendril whipped out from behind the creature, cutting off his words. It wrapped around his arm and pulled. He stumbled forward and more tendrils shot out, two wrapping around his arm and waist.

A third tendril shot out beside his head, sickly white and thinner than the others.

It slapped onto his shoulder, and he shivered as it crawled towards his ear. The flesh at the tip of the tendril opened up, revealing rows of needle-like teeth. They shot out towards the side of his head—

The creature shrieked and jolted back as a ball of white flew into its tentacle. Cheddar the mouse bit deeply into the thin tendril, waves of purple liquid washing out of the squirming appendage.

‘It's soft,’ Zane noted with interest.

Cheddar’s victory lasted a single moment before the mouse’s body was wrapped up by another tendril and a panicked squeak bloomed into the air.

"No you don't,” Zane gripped the tendril holding Cheddar and dug his fingers into the pale flesh.

His nails dug into the skin easily, and the creature's grip loosened. With a rapid movement he kicked it's center and the tentacles slid off him as it went flying towards the stairs. He winced as his foot shook with pain. The creature was heavier than he’d thought.

The moment it touched the stairs he drew himself back into a fighting stance. It wasn't necessary.

The stairs gave way under it and with a crash that boomed across his ears the structure collapsed under the creature, purple materials falling to the ground in a heap over its body.

A blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, but he ignored it as a strange sound floated into his ears.

Outside the giant window he could see the bloody puddles. Something had changed. As the sound of the stairs collapsing reached the world outside the crimson liquid began to wriggle and writhe. From the depths emerged countless shapes, blood dripping off the bodies to reveal pale appendages and tentacles.

There were thousands of them.

“If you send me to another world, will I have to come back to the Observatory to get back to Earth or can I go back from the next location?” He drew in a haggard breath and stepped back from the windows.

[You must return to the Observatory.]

"Can you teleport me to that other building?” He looked at the neighbouring building.

[The Clocktower is off-limits until you are ready to select your first class.]

Downstairs he heard something crash and a shiver ran down his spine. He didn't want to risk moving into the distant city, and if he travelled somewhere else then he could find himself trapped as the creatures overwhelmed the Observatory.

Outside in the puddles larger figures began to emerge, tendrils rising into the air. The sound of dozens of bodies moving across the floor below him helped him reach his decision quickly.

“Get us out of here and bring us back home!”

His voice bellowed across the room, and he saw the lights brighten. In an instant the world shifted around him, the purple stones and ocean of blood and tentacles replaced by plaster walls and books.

He was back in his childhood room.

“Cheddar?”

He heard a squeak at his side and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think you saved my life there,” he reached up to his shoulder and the mouse walked onto his hand.

It looked shaken, but not harmed. None of the tentacles or teeth had breached its skin. He lowered the mouse onto his desk and pulled out the chair, collapsing into it.

"Okay, first of all, what the hell was that? Second of all, what the hell was that?” Zane ran his fingers through the silver streak in his hair. “Okay. This is silly. I'm not going to get anywhere talking to a mouse.”

Cheddar didn't mind his comment, pawing at the nearest object curiously.

"No, don't touch that,” Zane pulled his diary away from the mouse. The adrenaline in his body was causing his fingers to shake uncontrollably, his mind racing even after the threat was over.

His eyes froze on the pages of his book. It was still open to the final entry, the words written in crimson mocking him. He could see now that they were scrawled in blood.

[The system is real.]

It wasn't a dream. He still had drops of blood dripping down his jacket and clinging to his hair, and he could feel a bruise forming on his arm where the creature had grabbed him.

His heartbeat rose as he gazed at the diary, the events he'd just gone through flashing in his mind. His dreams that had haunted him for the last ten years could be prophetic.

He had to know if they were.

“Tell me about the system integration.” He spoke into the empty air. "How long is left?”

A single blue box filled his vision.

[System integration for your world will begin in 9 days.]