Two beings of immense power, a living revenant and an immortal guide looked down upon a multitude of individuals from the white, semi-spherical room with a grid-like pattern. "If one were particularly perceptive, they would notice its similarity to the starting room known to the Visitors as ‘Guide Space’,

"Thoughts on the players so far?” Asked one individual, a man with curly black hair pulled into a single braid that reached his shoulder blades. A gilded diadem with an opalescent mana crystal rested upon his brow. Its beautiful craftsmanship was in discordance with the jeans and button-up T-shirt he wore.

The being beside him peered out at the multitude of people, all of them Visitors going through the introduction to New Horizon. They picked out gear, asked questions as they explored their environment, and in one strange case, fondled the mannequin of their own body in the Guide Space.

The being of wood and light looked at their companion, the man gazed back.

"This interface you have created with automated spell forms? It is possibly one of the most reprehensible things I have ever seen. Truly an unconscionable crime against the very essence of magic. I would say sacrilegious, but... but..." The being stated, their voice going from conversational to firm and descending slowly towards anger.

"You believe I’ve crippled them? You believe it is a crutch?" The man asked. The being was silent, observing the Visitors once more.

They watched in silence for a time as they observed the gamers logging in and being given a brief introduction to New Veil after having their mana awakened. Millions of people from around the world were learning about the interface, their attributes, and their potentials. The two Powers listened to the questions they asked and observed Visitors choosing their attire, speaking with the Guide, and being sent to the introduction sequence. Finally, the silence was broken.

"It is a crutch. It is a tragedy,” the being of wood and light spoke. “You hinder them before they have a chance to grow. You fallow the soil in which they are meant to plant their seed. You give power to those who have not earned it, to those who know not how to wield it, to those who have no understanding of it. By giving them a crutch, you cripple them."

“Cripple, really?” The man scoffed, the sound more curious than offended or defensive.

"Yes, cripple. You are carving channels into a river, building a dam where things should flow freely. You have worse than crippled them. These Visitors, should they use this system you've devised, will be like infants. Quadriplegic, deaf, dumb, and blind infants with the ability to throw around power in the onset of their path that would normally take weeks, months, years, and more to learn. They will have no control.

“They will leak power like they are incontinent, except even worse, they'll have no idea they are soiling themselves and spilling their waste everywhere."

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"You're not truly mad about that," said the one called Revenant. He looked at the one called the Guide. "You’re just salty they’re taking shortcuts on their ‘path to power’, and you won’t be able to repeat your experiment to see what becomes of them." The man smirked when his companion turned away, feigning nonchalance.

"Of course not. I merely state the truth," she said.

"The truth," he laughed. "The truth,” he crossed his arms. “The truth is that they need to learn and they need to learn fast. If I have to preload that learning into the little microchip that sits beside their brains, so be it. They don't get the luxury of experimentation, of playing. We have what, 10 years left, maybe?”

“It only took you seven.”

“It took me lifetimes! Lifetimes," the man roared. He grit his teeth, then took a deep breath, gaining back his composure. "And I had the benefit of stolen divinity.

“I can be their facilitator, their ally, but can’t be their saviour. I can't be everywhere at once, do everything at once, be what they’ll demand I be. I have the power, but not the capacity." He looked at the being of wood and light. "It's true. You know it's true. We need more." He gestured out towards the myriad people entering the game. “This was the fastest way.”

The one called Guide said nothing, looked at the one called Revenant, then looked back out at the people, many of whom were being sent into a time-dilated stasis so that every single visitor who logged on in the first minute of the game would arrive in Onzak at the same time.

"How are we to get someone who could even try to reach your level if you hinder them with such-" The one called Guide cut themselves off pressing their lips together hard.

"You said it yourself," Revenant spoke. "If they rely on the preset templates provided by the interface, yes, all they will ever achieve will be a suboptimal bastardization of the incredible potential of mana, and an unfortunate bottleneck to true power. That’s if they rely on the inlaid mechanics and treat New Veil as a simple game; press button, get outcome. If they stick to the mundane path that’s been laid out before them. Then, they would be nothing but fancy fodder to the true Powers. Yet that is only if.

“You forget that a crutch is meant to provide aid until it is no longer needed. Yes, I have given them a starting point that could stunt them, but I have also given them knowledge, opportunity, and any tool they need to succeed beyond what you believe them capable of.

“There will always be those who push the envelope, those who strive for more, those who seek and find. There will be those who use the settings and the presets and the rote formulas given to them to invent, transform, and discover and create. Don't forget, a crutch swung hard enough makes an excellent weapon. Dismantle it, melt it down, rework it, reframe it. You can make a tool or an accessory or something no one has ever thought to do before. We have to believe in humanity now.” The one called revenant faced the being of wood and light. “You underestimated humanity once. Are you truly willing to do so again?”

The being called Guide did not look away from the many images of the first wave of people to enter the game.

“I underestimated a human, not humanity,” the being said, a sad smile on their lips.

The two watched on for a while longer when the being froze for just one moment, and then a small smile blossomed on their face. The one called Guide’s hand formed a beckoning motion, enlarging the image of a young man, perhaps 16 or 17, looking very seriously at his own avatar.

"Perhaps you are correct about humanity” they said.

“If I’m not, then we are truly foolish to even hope,” he replied.

The young man disappeared from the room.