As up became down, the small clearing quickly fell away above her, revealing not a sprawling forest, but a small copse of trees surrounded by emptiness. Erin's mind reeled as the trees gave way to an endless void that encompassed everything; her reality was a tiny speck at the center of a pitch-black marble.
[Please remain calm. This won't take long.]
The voice echoed inside her mind, and Erin stiffened in surprise. "What the hell?!" Her words leapt readily into the surrounding void, vanishing so quickly she
barely heard herself. "Thetra?"
[No. I am your Liaison to the System.]
Clamping her eyes and mouth shut, trying to breathe through her nose. She tried to pretend she wasn't falling, reminding herself that she was already dead and probably couldn't die again. She cursed aloud at the absurdity of it all, her voice swallowed by the rushing wind as she continued to speed up. Though the unbroken darkness provided no reference, she sensed she was approaching something—a surface or boundary.Despite the Disorientation, the fear she had been clamping down on faded. Slowly slipping away in an experience too surreal to be taken seriously. As her heart rate slowed, she relaxed, instinctively gaining control of her fall.
A strange sensation stirred within her, starting in her stomach, and from there spreading to her limbs. Even this couldn’t reawaken her fear, and with the clarity being calm brings, she realized what the sensation was — Her fall was slowing. The whipping wind slowly died off and the gut-wrenching feeling of free fall subsided quickly until she stopped entirely, suspended motionless, adrift in the void.
[You have been chosen for the Tier 2 world: Jetriser.]
“Huh? What’s going on?” Thetra had mentioned Jetriser, hadn’t she? Erin tried to recall, but nothing specific came to mind. Already, her time spent in that forest clearing was becoming hazy. Thetra’s exaggerated beauty blurring in her memory. Though a few things remained crisp. She wasn’t here by accident. No, Thetra had pulled her from her ordinary life because she had a special soul. And- something else. She had said your soul isn’t the only reason, hadn’t she? This part had become fuzzy, and whatever else Thetra may have said about it was lost, it seemed.
[Jetriser is a 2nd Tier World. 2nd Tier refers to the existence plane. In simple terms, think of it as a pyramid where the 1st Tier is the top. You are being transitioned to the next plane. The next one down, in this example.]
“So the afterlife is a pyramid scheme?” Erin said, unable to help herself. Something about the voice was familiar.
[I was offering a limited example to help you conceptualize it. The truth is vastly more complicated.]
“I feel like that’s more evidence for the pyramid scheme. Oversimplifying the sales pitch.” Now Erin had a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. She could practically feel the voices bemusement inside her own mind.
Guess people in my position don’t make jokes, Erin thought, only for her eyes to widen in surprise as the Liason replied.
[I would assume not. People in your position should be wholly invested in learning everything they can about the reality they will soon inhabit.]
“You can read my thoughts?” Erin asked, bemused in her own turn.
[I’m in your head.]
The Liaison said, simply.
[Now if you’re amenable, we should move along. We can’t stay here forever and we have much to do.]
“Right,” Erin agreed slowly, vaguely uncomfortable at the idea that her thoughts were no longer private. “Where is here, anyway?” She asked, trying to distract herself.
[If we continue with the pyramid analogy, you are at present situated between bricks. Specifically, you are just within the magic boundary of Tier 2. Your soul is acclimating to the high concentration of magic as we speak.]
“Acclimating how?” Erin asked, trying to picture it in her mind. Seeing herself as a tiny insect, so small it could exist in the gap between two pieces of smooth stone, laid one atop the other.
[The first step is infusion. The higher concentration of magic present on this plane began pouring into the lower concentration that was your soul as soon as you arrived. When that process finished, your body, using your newly infused soul as a baseline, was created. Your mind interpreted this as the cessation of your fall. Now, we may begin your introduction to the system and prepare for you to be reincarnated.]
“Wait, new body?” Now the Liaison really did have her attention. “What was wrong with my old body?”
[Your original body remained behind on Earth before your encounter with the Tier 3 Acolyte Thetra. You have been existing as a pure soul since your car accident until just a few moments ago.]
“But I didn’t- How could I not even notice I don’t have a body?” Erin asked, somewhere between genuine confusion and a new sort of existential terror. She held her hands up to her face and saw nothing out of the ordinary. They were hands, eight fingers, and two thumbs. All the necessities accounted for, and yet… she brought her right hand closer to inspect it more thoroughly. A burn scar between the third and second knuckle on her ring finger was gone. A token of one of her first experiences cooking for herself. She’d brushed up against a hot burner with the back of her hand. She had been young, and the pain was intense enough to send her
howling from the kitchen. Her father had treated the burn himself, and for the rest of her life she had carried the scar as a memento, and now, like everything else from her old life, it was gone. The Liaison had clearly been following her thoughts, because she chose that moment to say.
[If it’s any consolation, your new body is far more potent than the old one.]
Erin wasn’t sure if she should be annoyed by the tone deaf attempt at comfort, or touched by the effort. After grappling with the sense of loss for a few moments longer, she felt herself settle. The turbulence of her emotions easing.
“More potent how?” She asked eventually.
[You are stronger, faster, more coordinated. You heal more quickly, your nervous system is considerably more robust, your bones more dense. The form created from a Tier 2 soul is saturated in magic.]
“So I’m kind of magical superhuman?” Erin asked.
[Yes. Relative to the standards of a Tier 1. You are also about 8 inches taller than before.]
Surprised, Erin looked down at herself. Her body was covered in what seemed like a dark robe at first glance, but as she looked, she realized it resembled nothing so much as a blanket made of darkness.
“Am I naked?” She asked, more curiosity than alarm. She knew they were alone here with a bone
deep certainty.
[No, that is a mirage wrap. Once you enter the physical plane properly, it will transition into region appropriate clothing.]
“Seems convenient.” Erin remarked. Not that she wanted to arrive in a strange place naked, but why should the universe bother with such a thing?
[The mirage wrap is a gift from your guide. It is customary for souls undergoing the transition to Tier 2 to receive one.]
“Thetra?” Erin asked, reaching out to touch the shadowy material, but finding her hand passed through it.
[That is correct. Tier 3 Acolyte Thetra gifted you with the Mirage Wrap, and your first boon.]
“Boon? What boon?” Erin asked.
[Me.]
Name: Erin Young
Class: Unranked Mage
Tier: 2
Soul: ERROR
Mind: Normal
Body: Normal
Spell Slots:
- Slot 1:
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 2:
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 3:
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 4:
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
Boons:
Liaison
“Wha– what the hell is this?” Erin asked, confused afresh. A bright blue window filled her vision. Her initial reaction, to lean back, and turn her head, trying to clear her vision. The frame moved with her, and after several seconds of trying fruitlessly to get away from it, she gave up.
[That is your System Status Display.]
Erin paused, green eyes sweeping up and down as she took it in.
“It’s a character sheet.” She said, one eyebrow raised, incredulous, and the Liaison was silent. Erin, still studying the sheet, eventually shrugged it off. Who was she to say what form magical reincarnation should take?
“Why does the Soul part say error?”
[I-] The Liaison hesitated, their cool, professional tone faltering for the first time. [I’m not sure. The System hasn’t provided me a reason.]
“The System?”
[Yes. Think of it like the laws of physics for magic, but significantly more complicated.]
The blue frame flickered, vanishing briefly before reappearing. The Soul category now read “Normal.”
[Ah, there we are.]
“So what’s this all about?” Erin asked, nodding toward the sheet, which bounced up and down with the movement of her head. “and can it stop doing that? You know that’s actually more annoying than helpful.”
[Of course.]
And then the page became still, no longer anchored directly to her head's movements. She could finally lean away and read it properly. Erin was a gamer, both video games and tabletops. It was, in fact, what she’d been going to school for, so she had more than a passing familiarity with the concept of a character sheet. So she knew when she looked at hers that it was bare.
“Not much to see there,” she muttered, before going “Unranked Mage?” She asked. “Did I miss class selection?”
[No. Jetriser doesn’t operate on a class system. All Tier 2s are Mages. Think of it more like an addendum to your species than as a class.]
“Right.” Erin said, not entirely sure what the Liaison meant, but she was running out of patience with the void of endless dark that surrounded her. “So what’s next?”
[Next, you must choose your first spell. All Mages are reborn with the ability to defend themselves.]
“Is that necessary? What will I be defending myself from?”
[The short version is that 2nd Tier worlds, due to their high concentration of magic, spawn monsters.]
“What, like they pop out of nowhere?”
[They manifest through the thinner parts of the reality membrane in areas with dense magic build up.]
“So yes?”
[Essentially, yes. Though, Jetriser has well-established rebirth points. You will be met by other Mages upon arrival. Shall we continue?]
Before Erin could reply, the window before her changed, to reflect four options. What she recognized as the classical elements.
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
She reached out her hand and tentatively pressed her fingertip to the word ‘Fire' and found that the screen was not solid, her finger passing through it. Despite that, it seemed to interpret her intent and the screen changed again.
Fire: Fireball
Tier: Bronze
Slot: Unassigned
Description: Enables the caster to summon and project spheres of fire at a target. Upon impact, these fireballs explode, causing damage to the area.
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Erin studied the brief message multiple times, then asked what seemed to her the obvious questions.
“So I’ll be able to cast fireballs? As a spell?”
[That is correct.]
Erin wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Of course, she’d daydreamed about magic. What nerd didn’t? But this was far from ideal circumstances to be indulging in living out a fantasy.
[If you want my advice.]
Erin frowned at the reminder that her thoughts were not private, but nodded.
[Now is the perfect time to indulge in living out a fantasy.]
“How do you figure?” Erin asked, scoffing the words.
[Because this fantasy will be your reality, and you should make the most of it. Eventually, everyone ends up where you are now. You should embrace the journey you’re about to set out on.]
“So I should just forget I left my family and friends behind to be here?” Erin asked, without heat. Something about the void she floated in might have been muting her emotions, because she only felt curious about what her Liaison might say.
[Forget them? No. I would never suggest such a thing. Only that you should focus on the here and now. This is the situation you are in, and you should make the most of it.]
Erin considered it. She considered it for what felt like a long time, the description of the fireball spell floating before her.
“You know,” she whispered into the silence, “my mom says stuff like that. When she dropped me off at my first day of school, she gave me an entire speech. I think she was just as nervous as I was.”
[And what would she tell you to do now?]
“Well, mom probably didn’t have a speech prepared for me, if I ever had to try and save the world ya’know.” Erin laughed with just an edge of sadness at the sound. “But I imagine she’d tell me to get on with it. She had zero patience for putting off things that needed to get done, my mom” Then, with a rush of clarity, she added. “I pick Fireball.” Several seconds of silence followed this statement before the voice in her head spoke again.
[Don’t you want to look at the other options?]
“Sure, but I’m still going to pick Fireball.”
[That seems… impulsive.]
“Yeah,” Erin said with a shrug. “I always wanted to be a fire mage, and I’ve decided to take your advice and embrace my journey.”
[Right, well, let's take a look before you finalize your selection.]
Water: Water Jet
Tier: Bronze
Slot: Unassigned
Description: Conjures water as a highly pressurized stream.
Air: Air Scythe
Tier: Bronze
Slot: Unassigned
Description: Conjures and discharges a thin blade of compressed air.
Earth: Earth Lance
Tier: Bronze
Slot: Unassigned
Description: Summons a sharpened projectile of earth that erupts from the ground towards a target.
“Why are all these spells labeled as Bronze?” Erin asked.
[The 'bronze' label denotes the initial rank of the spell, which in this case is the lowest. Magic on Jetriser is sorted into ranks, beginning with Bronze as the weakest, going into Silver, Gold, Platinum, Ruby, and then Diamond as the strongest tier.]
Erin nodded, taking in the information, then shifted her attention to another curiosity.
"And what's with all these unassigned slots?" She asked.
[Spell slots 1, 2, and 3 are each tied to your Soul, Mind, and Body attributes, respectively. Each confers a different bonus to the spell in its assigned slot. The rank of the spell in that slot determines the rank of the attribute itself.]
"So what happens when my mind attribute goes from Normal to Bronze? How does that effect me?"
[When the Mind attribute transitions from Normal to Bronze, it represents a significant enhancement in your mental faculties. This encompasses focus, concentration, perception of magic, and spell channeling efficiency. The outcome of this advancement is twofold: an increase in energy efficiency when casting spells, and heightened mental clarity that bolsters your ability to perceive magical phenomena.]
“Well that’s a lot to take in.” Erin said with a shake of her head. “So what about Body and Soul?”
[The Body attribute, once enhanced to Bronze, will confer increased physical endurance and adaptability, providing you with greater stamina for spell casting and combat. This enhancement directly translates to an increase in your energy pool, allowing you to cast more spells before experiencing fatigue.The Soul attribute, when elevated to Bronze, amplifies your innate magical sensitivity and adaptability, allowing for stronger connections with magic at you command. In a practical sense, it improves the potency of your spells, making them more effective.]
“Right, well… we’ll have to come back to that.” She said, feeling a little overwhelmed by the deluge of information. Instead, she elected to focus on what seemed a simpler element of the sheet.
"Does that mean they're marked as 'normal' because no spells have been assigned yet?"
[Correct. Once you've assigned a spell to a slot, the attribute classification will alter accordingly.]
“Wouldn’t ‘unranked’ make more sense?” She asked.
[If you would prefer that.]
The Liaison said, as the character sheet shifted before her eyes, to reflect the requested changes.
Name: Erin Young
Class: Unranked Mage
Tier: 2
Soul: Unranked
Mind: Unranked
Body: Unranked
Spell Slots:
- Slot 1 (Soul):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 2 (Mind):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 3 (Body):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 4 (Special):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
Boons:
Liaison
???
???
???
???
???
“Just like that, huh?”
[So long as the presentation remains accurate, I can relay information to you from the System with a fair amount of freedom.]
“So basically I need to choose one of these element type spells, and assign it to a slot. Is that right?”
[That is correct, yes.]
“Is that permanent?”
[Not typically. It is possible to change the spells you have slotted, though it requires time and focus.]
“Not typically?”
[Certain spells will require permanency to function properly.]
The character sheet had more updates than Erin initially noticed. Besides the attribute classifications now showing as 'Unranked,' each of the spell slots had been annotated with their corresponding attribute, apart from the fourth one which bore the label 'Special.'
"What's this 'Special' slot about?" Erin asked, indicating the label on the screen.
[The fourth slot operates a bit differently,] the Liaison replied. [It's not tied to any attribute and remains inaccessible until the first three slots are filled. Once it's unlocked, any spell slotted there will have its effectiveness enhanced.]
“So now that I know what those are all about, I guess it’s time to learn that fireball spell.”
[Perhaps you should give them one more review? The Earth Lance spell-]
“Whoever heard of an Earth Mage with red hair?” Erin said with a scoff, “No, It’s got to be fire.”
[When I advised you to embrace the journey, I didn’t mean that you should sacrifice reason to aesthetics.]
“We’ll that’s on you. You’re in my head, you should know better than to give that kind of advice to someone like me.”
[Okay,] The Liaison said, losing some of her formal hauteur. [In my defense, I’m only aware of the thoughts you’re actively thinking. I don’t have a personality profile on your or anything.]
“Well then think of this as a learning experience. Don’t tell me to just go with it, because I will.”
[Right, well… if you’re certain.]
“I am”
[Where would you like to assign your Fireball rune?]
"Does it make a difference?" Erin asked, her green eyes studying Fireballs spell screen again.
[Each rune slot carries a unique bonus effect. While these effects can vary among spells, they consistently relate to the attribute from which they originate. For Fireball, a Mind assignment decreases the recharge time, Soul enhances its augmentations, and Body reduces the spell cost.]
"Hold on, what are 'augmentations'?"
[Augmentations are subsidiary runes that can modify the characteristics of a spell.]
“So they’re power-ups? That kind of thing?”
[Some are. Others will be more utilitarian in nature. There is quite a lot of variety.]
“So no augmentations as part of the rebirth process?” She asked, frowning.
[I’m afraid not.]
Erin paused, her decision hovering in the liminal space between haste and consideration. Choosing the ‘Mind’ slot felt instinctively right, yet she couldn't help but second-guess the ease of her decision. It reminded her of the times she had to make snap judgments during her gaming marathons with friends—where a quick decision could mean victory or defeat. The stakes were higher now, infinitely so, but the rush felt eerily similar. Early on, a lower cooldown would be more beneficial, she reasoned, trying to anchor her decision in logic rather than the giddy thrill of newfound power.
“Mind” she said aloud, to no one's benefit but her own, as the process of acquiring the spell had already begun. The letters on the screen turned a brilliant gold, and quickly became distorted, like wax figures melting under intense heat. The light's golden hue shifted into amber, then deepened to orange, and then the now molten symbols coalesced into a large, spinning ring suspended in front of her. Unfamiliar glyphs on the borders, their colors flickering and changing, like a flame dancing in the wind.
Before her eyes, the burning rune shattered, morphing into slender, orange tendrils of light that spiraled around her outstretched arm, adhering to her skin. A profound understanding settled within her, as if the fibers of magic were imbuing her with their essence. It felt as though they continued to move and intertwine beneath her skin. “I can do magic,” she said, breathless and wide eyed. Then, the blue light of her character sheet pulsed brightly, before winking out. Leaving her skin glowing with living, molten tattoos that slowly faded. First to alien symbols in shiny black ink, and then they vanished entirely into her skin. Like dolphins slipping beneath the ocean's surface.
Name: Erin Young
Class: Unranked Mage
Tier: 2
Attributes:
Soul: Unranked
Mind: Bronze
Body: Unranked
Spell Slots:
- Slot 1 (Soul):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 2 (Mind): Fireball
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 3 (Body):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
- Slot 4 (Special):
- Augment 1:
- Augment 2:
Boons:
Liaison
[It is time to begin your Rebirth.]
"Yeah, let’s do it. She agreed, not that she didn't have reservations about diving into a new world, but she had the feeling she'd already lingered in this void space for too long. It was time to move on. Her first sign of transition was a subtle sense of motion, as if she were falling once more.
Gradually, the sensation of weight overtook her, pulling her into a silent and solitary descent, absent of any wind or noise. Then, as she picked up speed, everything jolted abruptly. As if she had collided with some unseen barrier, though only for a moment — a sensation brimming with discomfort and wrongness, it had not been enough to halt her fall. As the darkness around her began to fracture, Erin screamed.