Ethan finds himself sitting in an inner courtyard. He and a dozen other youngsters surround a tree. An elder woman sits at the base of the trunk, a tome in her hands.

As the first rays of sunlight filter through the leaves, the elder woman clears her throat gently. She opens the ancient tome, its pages yellowed with age. Her voice resonates as she begins to speak.

"In the beginning, there was only the Elder God, a vast and solitary consciousness. This being, neither kind nor cruel, existed alone in the boundless nothingness." Her eyes scan the group to ensure their attention.

"But the Elder God grew weary of solitude and sought to create. It flowed from the Elder God effortlessly at first. But everything acted as dictated, without deviation. There was harmony, but no true life, for true life requires the freedom to choose." Her voice fills with a somber note.

"Realizing this, the Elder God chose a path of unimaginable sacrifice. The Elder God shattered themselves, bestowing free will upon creation." The children lean closer, and so does Maelor.

"From the remnants of this primordial act, the gods were born. Each shard of the Elder God's essence became a deity with its own will." She points at illustrations in the tome that depict the gods.

Maelor, intrigued, raises his hand. "Did the Elder God disappear?"

The woman smiles at his question. "They did not disappear, young ones, but transformed. They now exist as the Ether that flows through each of us and the system."

A young girl, her brow furrowed in thought, timidly raises her hand. "What exactly is this 'system', and how does it work? Why can't we use it yet?"

The elder woman nods at the question. "The system, my dears, is a gift from the Elder God, a tool to guide you and to help you nurture your strengths as you grow. It appears on your thirteenth birthday and will guide you for all your life. Status." She shows her status to the kids, each marveling as they try to decipher the words.

Another child, leaning forward, asks, "And the Ether? How does that work?"

"Ah, the Ether," the woman says, her tone becoming reverent. "Ether is the life force that the Elder God infused into our world. It flows through everything. It feeds the abilities the system grants you and reveals the real world from another angle." She closes her tome, placing it to the side. "Close your eyes," she commands.

By shutting his eyes, Maelor can see the world through its Ether. A feat few of his age are capable of. As the other children close their eyes, the elder woman channels her Ether. A breeze of Ether brushes against their faces, making some children gasp.

"Now, I will show you a different form of Ether. This is light Ether, gifted to us by the god of light, one of the divine children of the Elder God. It is pure, healing, and protective." The Ether emanating from her transforms as she speaks.

The electrifying touch of Ether turns into warmth. Maelor feels a soft, radiant light bathe his skin. A knot in his heart loosens. Ethan hadn't noticed this pain until it disappeared; it was too close to how he feels every day.

"Ether manipulation leveled up."

Ethan comes back to the present, catching a workbench to avoid falling. Sylas rushes to his side to try to catch him. In reflex Ethan grabs Sylas forearm and twists it, forcing Sylas to the ground.

Sylas lets out a grunt as his face scrapes on the dust-covered floor. Ethan releases his grip. "Sorry," he apologizes, helping Sylas to his feet. Russ whines worriedly at Ethan.

Sylas dusts himself off. "What happened to you?" he asks.

Ethan leans back on the workbench. He hesitates, restarting his answer several times. "For the past week or so, I have suffered from a condition. Another man's soul, or what remained of it, invaded mine. I struggle to stay myself at times, and when certain triggers happen, I'm dragged into one of his memories. Just like now," he admits. 'The chances he can help me are low. But I can't go on like this,' he thinks as he waits for Sylas response.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Sylas thinks deeply, his expression a mix of concern and confusion. After a moment, he shakes his head. "I mean, I'm just a blacksmith. You need a priest for problems like that; too bad there isn't one in this village," he says.

Ethan's mind wanders to the memory of Lucien. 'A priest should be less vindictive than a paladin. This could be worth a shot,' Ethan thinks.

Sylas continues, "There's a sanctuary not far from here, half-way to the capital. Three or four days west if you're on foot."

Ethan picks up the distant sound of bells. Activating predator's sight, he hears a cacophony of panicked shouts and clanging bells. Women grab their children, dragging them into their homes. Men gather whatever weapons they can find—pitchforks, pickaxes, anything sharp or pointy. Among the chaos, Ethan hears a war horn away from the village.

Sylas looks through a window. His face darkens as he sees the chaos forming outside. "What's happening?" he asks.

"A raid party is about to descend on your village," Ethan answers. Focusing on the war horn, he sees the figures of twenty bulky individuals. Their biology is different from that of humans. They are thicker, with overdeveloped muscles and bigger organs. Their heads are squarer, sporting tusks that protrude from their lower jaw. He notices a few of them in the village, lurking between houses.

"What's your plan?" Sylas asks. As he turns to Ethan, he doesn't see him. Ethan disappeared without a sound.

Avoiding the skulking creatures, Ethan makes his way out of the village with Russ on his heels. "Three days west," Ethan murmurs to his dog. "Let's hope it won't rain."

A woman screams a dozen meters away. She stumbled onto one of the infiltrated monsters. The creature swings a crude and oversized dagger at her throat. Ethan's body moves outside of his control, and his sword deflects the creature's attack. With a thrust, Ethan pierces his heart, following by a slash at the throat. He falls backward, holding his gaping wounds with both hands.

An arrow whistles and misses Ethan by a hair. One of the creatures on the hill arms another shot. Ethan drags the woman out of the line of sight, placing her behind cover.

Ethan dashes into a nearby large bush. He pulls out his SCAR-H and aims at the hill. The creatures are running towards the village. He aims at one of the archers and pulls the trigger. The bullet pierces the creature's head, killing him on the spot. Before they enter the village, he's able to take out six of them.

"You leveled up."

A shiver runs down his spine as he smells something behind him. He rolls to the side, avoiding a blow from a creature bigger than the others. He wears leather armor and a hooded black coat. Predator's sight failed to warn Ethan of his presence. "That's a weird crossbow you have, humie," the creature growls.

Ethan fires a round at him, but he has already moved. Ethan parries a sword blow with the body of his rifle, but it throws him backward tens of meters. Russ rushes to his side as Ethan lands on his back. 'Insight,' Ethan thinks.

Grom Drakka

Lv.20/20 (Assassin) Orc

Strength: 26 Charisma: 4

Dexterity: 21 Perception: 15

Constitution: 20 Willpower: 19

Intelligence: 9

Titles

Dungeon conqueror (E)

Dungeon conqueror (F)

Goblin hunter

Human hunter

Kin slayer

Orc hunter

Wolf hunter

Warg hunter

Abilities

Anonymity (F)

Critical sight (F)

Shadow Blend (F)

Silent Steps (F)

Veil (F)

'Here's what you get for playing hero, you stupid priest!' Ethan yells in his head. He jumps to his feet, unable to find Grom anywhere. Bracing his rifle, he realizes that the blow bent it beyond repair.

"Heel," Ethan commands. Under the stress of the situation, Russ's body swells, his muscles bulging as he uses Growth. He lets out a thunderous bark as the smell comes back.

From the corner of his eye, Ethan spots Grom lunging. The orc's movements are a blur. Ethan reacts instinctively, his blade meeting Grom's with a resonating clang. The orc's overwhelming power forces him to take a step back.

'Strengthening,' Ethan thinks, channeling as much Ether as he can muster. His body heats up, turning the orc's unbearable strength into a light push.

Grom's arm gives in, giving Ethan the opportunity to slash at his legs. Russ sinks his teeth into Grom's calf. The orc growls in pain, shattering Ethan's hearing.

In a brutal motion, Grom punches Russ, sending the dog tumbling away. Ethan's blade slices through Grom's armor, leaving a deep gash across the orc's chest.

Grom staggers back, clutching at his wounded chest. "Good, humie. Got some fight in you," he grunts. His pupils dilate, and he grasps his head, staggering as if disoriented. He glares down at his injured calf and then at Russ, bellowing in a mix of pain and fury, "I'll eat you, you stupid wolf!"

Seizing the moment of Grom's distraction, Ethan casts Debilitating Hex. Black tendrils of smoke spiral of from his hand, wrapping around Grom's limbs. The hex forces the orc's massive body to bend, bringing him to his knees with a grunt of resistance.

Russ hurls his jaws around Grom's throat, his teeth digging deep into the orc's flesh. Grom's hands claw at Russ, trying to pry him off, but the hex holds long enough for Russ to secure his grip.

"Russ leveled up," the voice announces.