He opened his eyes slowly, as if from a dream. The sky was a soft, darkening blue above. There were a few trees scattered around him, but he was otherwise in a small field of grass. Alone. Stars above were beginning to twinkle with strength. The sun would be down soon... Krys looked around. Is there a sun? He couldn’t tell. Slowly he stood up, his body ached slightly, but nothing was broken. How? He felt more like an after exercise ache than a... just dropped thousands of feet to the earth ache. He blinked a few times, something was off. His vision was... pulsing. Like a pounding migraine without any pain... his vision was normal and then, pulse it was distorted for a second before back to normal. Trying to focus his vision on this odd sensation suddenly it was like mentally pressing a button and a new screen appeared.
#Status Update
[Congratulations on achieving your new class.
You have traveled between worlds and lived to tell the tale. You turned your back on impending
doom and kept your gaze upon the sky and stars whilst letting the very winds of the world carry you and your fate within its capricious clutches. You have acquired new titles:]
Rift-Walker
Your mind, body and soul have been reforged to traverse the inner spaces between universes.
Self-Destined
The road laid down by Fate is not one you have to walk. Instead there are less worn trails that you may choose to wander.
Sky-Chaser
One with the open expanse that is the sky, you are lighter when airborne.
Star-Gazer
There is mystery all around us but for you, not all unknowns must remain so. Not all secrets are out of reach. The celestial forms in the nighttime sky call out to you and offer you their aid and advice.
Wind-Weaver
The winds have held you and laughed with you. Your daring feats have earned a forever friend. You have gained a hidden perk.
What was all this? He didn’t realize he was scratching his head as he stared at the screen, watching as it faded away and another pulse manifested. He focused on it again, revealing another screen.
# Status Screen
Name: Krystofer Garcia
Alias Available
Race: Human (Evolved) Class: Angel
Level: 0
Health: 50/50 Mana: 0/0
Stamina: 15/15
Authority: Life
- Domain(s): Nature, Light Cards: 17
Home world: Earth/Current word: Ulom
Location: Unknown
Skill Points: 0
- Subterfuge: 0.1
- Defense: 0.0
- Offense: 0.1
Knowledge Points: 0
- Arcana: 0.3
- Bardic: 0.0
- Spirit: 0.8
Abilities: Flora Manipulation, Illuminated Mending, Wings of Light, Starlit Winds
Perks:
Racial: Human Adaptability, Logical Mind, Sense of Direction, Natural Charisma
Class: Rune Sense, Sanctity
World: Rift-Walker, Self-Destined, Sky-Chaser, Star-Gazer, Wind-Weaver
That was a whole lot. What was he looking at? What on... he couldn’t even finish the thought. According to the strange messages, he wasn’t on Earth anymore. He looked around the clearing and the further surrounding area. He only saw the green grass, the scattered trees and what appeared to be a normal outdoors environment. There were birds chirping in the distance, some bugs flitting around here and there. A patch of flowers a few yards away held the attention of a few exploring bees. He looked down at this body and that’s when it really hit him how much of a breeze he felt. All his clothes were gone, and besides that startling fact was the realization that his body wasn’t quite how he remembered it. His skin had a subtle glow, emitting faint traces of pulsating light. And his physique had also changed. His muscles were more defined, his posture more upright, and he could feel a newfound strength coursing through his veins. Examining his chest and torso he was startled to see a six pack. Something he never had before. This was definitely not his ordinary reality. As he tried to gather his thoughts, he noticed a shimmering holographic interface materialize before him.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
#Alert
[Wings of Light ability has been interrupted.]
Confused, he quickly scanned the holographic interface for more information about the interruption. At the same time, the glow of his skin lessened to a more normal appearance and his eyes caught something flickering behind him. Turning his head his eyes widened at the sight of large white wings attached to his back suddenly bursting into motes of light and vanishing.
#Alert
[Wings of Light ability on temporary cooldown.]
Baffled, he stared at the spot where his wings had vanished, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Looking inward and then finally outward he noticed something in the nearest tree. Up in a high branch, gazing down at him. He turned, curious and could see the creature looked, almost monkey like... though more squarish, with short arms and legs and a very long prehensile tail. It was a furry thing, a turquoise color with a few spots of lilac and white here and there. Its bright, intelligent eyes stared back at him, filled with both curiosity and mischief.
❧
Back in the room the bathroom door opened letting out a gentle wave of steam. Logan was whistling contentedly at his nice shower. Stress-free because he wouldn’t be late for class. He had brought a change of clothes this time so he was already dressed when he stepped out. His hair darker than usual due to the still soaking water. He abruptly went silent seeing the room abandoned.
He stepped closer to the desk that Krystofer Garcia had been sitting at previously. He saw a brightly colored vividly drawn picture book left open along with a purple bag tipped over on its side right next to it. The bag was open and something was poking out from inside. Unable to temper his curiosity, Logan grabbed the bag and pulled out a card. Hm. Blank on one side. What a weird card. Logan examined the card closely, turning it over in his hands before he moved it to one hand to grab hold of the bag with the other. He was about to put the card back when he caught movement on the bottom peripheral of his vision.
The book... it appeared to animate. The clouds moving slightly, all-too-realistically. His eyes widened as he leaned closer, blinking to make sure he wasn’t imagining things or dealing with some odd optical illusion. With a card in one hand and the bag in the other he continued to tilt forward until he... somehow... fell in.
His body tumbled through the illusionary veil that concealed the true nature of the book, and he found himself hurtling through a swirling vortex. Just before he could’ve sworn he heard someone call his name but now all attention was focused on the strange phenomena all around him. Floating in the chaotic vortex, he couldn't help but marvel at the vivid colors and unearthly shapes that engulfed him. Then in a blink of an eye it was over. He found himself standing in an unknown place. The ground beneath him was unfamiliar, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had truly left the ordinary world behind.
A screen appeared.
Welcome!
Welcome to the World of Ulom. Senior System Token Accepted. ...
Initializing Integration,
...
Foreign Items Converted for additional Customization Credits. ...
State your name.
He contemplated for a moment, savoring the excitement that surged through him. This was like a video game...
“Logan” he said proudly. “Logan Acklin”.
Acknowledged. Name registered.
Please answer the following question: Which is more important to you, the pursuit of selfish power or selfless power?
Logan paused, considering the weight of this question. “I-I’m not exactly sure...” he began, “I sort of feel like both but without context I would have to honestly lean towards selfish power. Once I had power like that I could choose to do selfless acts with it as well.” There was a moment of pause before the screen changed.
Thank you Logan.
Answer registered.
...
Senior System Tokens Detected. Analysis Complete. Customization Confirmed.
...
Class Confirmed.
Establishing Unique Status.
Establishing Tier.
...
Establishing Unique Token Deck... Insufficient Tokens Present.
...
Attempting Alternative Options. Establishing Unique Token Status.
...
Conversion Successful.
Ability One: Confirmed.
Ability Two: Confirmed.
Affinity Acquired: Water
Ability Three: Confirmed.
Affinity Acquired: Shadow
Hybrid Ability: Confirmed
Race: Evolution Confirmed and Successful. Racial Perks Confirmed.
Class Perks Confirmed.
...
...
That’s a lot. I almost don’t believe this is real.