After securing my unconscious cargo in a proper location (ok, so I dumped them in a nearby alley, I’m sure they’re fine), I let myself in the front door. It’s convenient having a safe house, isn’t it?

(Less talk, more feeding Philip,) my impatient Assistant answers.

Well, fine. Good news, he didn’t get out or anything, considering I can hear him hissing from here. But yeah, I get it.

I dump some kibble from the now-scratched-up bag in Sir Hiss-A-Lot’s dish and drifted back to my usual corner to let Philip eat and Nyx not be able to pet him.

(Ass.)

Hey, it’s true. Anyway, Classes! You’re not gonna try to talk me out of picking one now, are you?

(I might. Depends on how stupid your pick is.)

I sigh. I’m not going to let her crush my hope here, so here we go!

[New Classes are available! List options? Yes/No]

Yes.

[Apprentice Mechanic]

Ok, so considering how much time I’ve spent looking at literally unidentifiable – at least by me – tools and parts, I’m not that surprised I got offered this one. But no.

[Apprentice Pest Control]

Ok, haha, very funny. I thought you said that wasn’t a real Class?

She… is too busy rolling on the floor laughing to respond. Whatever.

[Apprentice Socialite]

Eh? Maybe I talk too much. I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s saying…

Aaaaand she’s laughing harder now.

[Apprentice Runesmith (Legacy)]

(Wh-what?)

So that’s enough to make you stop laughing?

(No, shut up for a minute. Why did you get offered a Legacy Class? I’m stuck in here because that’s how you became an ascendant. How in the hells did you inherit a Class?)

Dunno. What was your Class? Maybe it’s like why my lure looks like you.

(That… doesn’t make much sense. Anyway, I told you before, and obviously you weren’t listening. Runesinger. Grand Master.)

Is a Runesmith related to that?

(It’s the most common starter Class to get there.)

Huh. Well, there you go then. Anyway, NEXT!

[Apprentice Mage]

Yep. Generic.

[Apprentice Torturer]

That’s… actually…

(Don’t you dare. If any district or town or hells, wandering guard managed to identify your Class, you will immediately be asking to be attacked.)

As long as they aren’t stronger than me, I’m fine with that. I’ll happily convert them to experience and hunger-sating.

Nyx sighs, but I can kind of tell that she isn’t surprised. Maybe she’s disappointed that she isn’t surprised? No idea.

Anyway, I skip over a couple dozen other fairly generic Classes that don’t remotely hold my interest, until I find myself staring down one that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there when I was looking through the list at the Adventurer’s Guild.

[Adherent of Ananke (Initiate)]

The room goes silent – well, other than Philip trying to eat and hiss at me at the same time. It’s kind of humorous actually, but not enough to distract me from my confusion.

…What in the hells is that?

(Bad news, probably.)

Huh. Sure. How?

(Well… you have a Title about Fate, right?)

Yes. And?

(Ananke is proverbially the mother of Fate, at least by the pantheon’s structure.)

Oh. So, bad news. Wait, if Fate was making their move, wouldn’t it be a ‘Tool’ or something?

(If it was a ‘Tool’ you wouldn’t be able to see the rest of the name.)

Ha ha, very funny.

(Adherents are different from Devouts which are different from Acolytes, Priests, and so forth. The latter are all deliberately choosing to dedicate their actions to the will of their chosen god or goddess. Adherents meanwhile follow the same will, but without the dedication, or often even the intention of following it. There are plenty of records of Adherents who wanted nothing to do with the divine inheritance or opposing pantheonic wills that still followed their will or wills.)

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

So what you’re saying is taking the Class won’t bind me to this Ananke’s will?

(Ok, stop. Don’t say a god’s name unless you’re trying to get their attention. Some of them can sense that.)

Ooh, spooky. I’ve got an important question then… Does a god have to offer a Class like this, or does the Record just do that on its own?

(Uh… both. Depends. I don’t know?)

Alright, not helpful. But, all the other ones look like generic boring crap. Well other than the runesmith one, I could probably take that just to make you uncomfortable. Maybe do a terrible job so I can watch you cringe.

(Asshole.)

Hey, I’m not denying it. What’s the description for the Adherent thing like?

(And now you want my help.)

Please!

She sighs, but still answers. Probably the compulsion. (I can’t read it. There’s definitely something there, but it might not unlock unless it’s chosen.)

Well, nothing ventured nothing something something. Whatever. I choose the Adherent thing and immediately black out.

***

Darkness surrounds me, so dark that I can differentiate the swirling clouds of darkness suspended in the void. A wave of crushing pressure buffets me to the point that I wonder if I’m going to dissipate. I don’t remember if my Evolution had anything like this… I don’t think it did, but it’s hard to recall. My thoughts are sluggish, as though moving through thick oil. And then I feel the eyes, and hear the laughter.

And then, it’s gone. As if it had never been there.

In its place, I find myself floating in a space surrounded by four stars, forming a three-sided pyramid. They’re breathing – I can feel it. The eternal conversion of energy, the pattern, the Cycle. I feel thousands… no, millions… billions of souls? Living, dying, prospering, suffering. And, for a split second, I see the finger pushing them. Not all of them… but, some of them. I don’t recognize the pattern, how these insignificant sparks in the void are chosen… and find myself settling in my deepest core on the acceptance that it’s not my place to know, and may never be.

Concepts boil forth in the seat of my mind, gradually forming words.

THE DOOR CLOSES

AS THE HAND OPENS.

THE SHADOW CASTS SHADOWS

WHERE THE LIGHT BEARS NONE.

***

I blink my proverbial eyes, back in my… I… struggle to…

(Woah there pal, slow down.)

Huh?

(You stink of my sister’s mana right now. What did she do to you?)

I… don’t think she did anything? She was there, and then she was gone, and replaced by…

I describe my experience in the void that wasn’t void, the stars, the souls, so many souls, and the will or wills driving them. The pattern, the Cycle. How it was vital, is vital, and must be allowed to continue… for some version of continuing.

(That’s… wow. You? You got a vision?)

What does that mean?

(Well, if you were wondering if this Ananke was watching you, you’ve got your answer.)

…

(That means yes, stupid, they’re watching you.)

I know what you meant!

(Well, can you blame me for wanting to be sure?)

Just… Whatever, fine. This isn’t going to change anything. I need to eat, through no fault of my own, and getting stronger makes that easier. Ascendants taste better, so my eventual goal is to eat them.

I can’t help but feel like I’m forgetting something… Oh well. Can you read the description now at least?

(I can read part of it.)

And… what is it?

(‘The Cult of Ananke acts in support of the Domains of Control and Balance; Its members often find themselves conveniently in a position to push the direction of interplanar events, shifting them in support of maintaining and strengthening the Record. Will you join their number, oh Child of Darkness and Night?’ Yeah, seems pretty pretentious.)

Sounds serious too. But, I’m not buying what they’re selling. Not yet anyway. Ah, right! Messages!

[Class Change to: Adherent of Ananke (Initiate) Successful!]

[Charm has become Dominate!]

[Corporeal Form has become Verum Corpus!]

[Thought Projection has become Prophet’s Voice!]

[Available Skill: True Sense forcibly added to Skills!]

[Skill Mana Sight has been combined into True Sense!]

[Skill Spectral Sight has been combined into True Sense!]

[Skill Nightvision has been combined into True Sense!]

[Skill Mortal Sight has been combined into True Sense!]

[Skill Mortal Scent has been combined into True Sense!]

[Skill Mortal Hearing has been combined into True Sense!]

…

That’s a lot. I have several questions.

(Keep going, there’s more.)

She’s right, so I continue.

[Mana Thirst has become Soul Thirst!]

Uh.

(Yep, more.)

[Hidden Traits have been forcibly revealed due to divine interference!]

Hmmm. I’m not going to wait on Nyx to see what’s new on the list.

STATUS!

[Status]

[Name: Nemesis]

[Race: Dust Elemental (Infant, Spirit, Ephemeral)]

[SYSTEM: TYPE E – Level 11 – XP 1420/12000]

[Inherent Skills:]

[Consume 12]

[Mimic Lure 8]

[Planar Detachment 7]

[The Ravages of Time 4]

[Aura of the Unwound 0]

[Class: Adherent of Ananke (Initiate) – Level 0 – XP 0/1000]

[Class Skills:]

[Dominate 3]

[Prophet’s Voice 6]

[True Sense]

[Verum Corpus 6]

[General Skills:]

[Identify 3]

[Stealth 4]

[Language]

[Interplanar Common]

[Traits:]

[Brand of Darkness]

[Empty Vessel]

[Soul Thirst]

[Titles:]

[Autophagic Cannibal]

[Stigma of the End]

[Tool of the Origin]

Uh. Nyx? What the hells is a Brand of Darkness?

(Hang on, this is… a lot of information. I’m just gonna start from the top.) She takes a deep breath.

(Ok so, there’s still a lot of stuff I can’t see. But of what I can… Prophet’s voice, that one says ‘when one is destined to be heard, the soul itself will resonate where sound does not travel.’ Which, is about as pretentious as the Class description…)

Ok! Great! I have no idea what that means.

(I’m sure you’ll find out when you try to use it. Anyway, the next one I can read is Verum Corpus, and it’s short. ‘Manifest your true body.’)

Excellent! I understand that even less!

(Nothing else new has anything I can read… it just, looks like garbage. Noise. But I’m pretty sure that Brand of Darkness is… something my sister did to you. I don’t know… wait, did… that one just changed!)

What one?

(Tool. It’s still pretty glitchy… it looks like… something about a hand opening? Ah, it’s gone again.)

Cool.

Well, action can get me answers to some of this, so I’m going to put it to use. May as well go check on those ghost traps again… I bet Nerin will be happy to see me!