Nate’s body melted as his body was heated to incredible degrees, only to be molded and shaped into something new. The process went on for what felt like eternity, the sensation of his body being restructured more painful than anything he could ever imagine. New sensations came from his back, but through the pain Nate didn’t have a chance to focus on it.

As soon as it started, the process was done, and Nate sat up with a gasp. More out of habit than need, he breathed heavily, as if he had just run a marathon. Memories of being burned alive still vivid in his mind, he looked for anything to take his mind of it. Luckily, several screens had popped up in front of him, eager for his attention.

System notification:

Race change!

Your race has changed to that of the legendary Seraphim. You have gained the title Enochian. Level rewards have been altered.

Race: Seraphim

The Seraphim is an ancient race from a world long lost. Said to be the race that created the system, they are mighty warriors with weapons and magic alike. As immortal beings the race carries immense potential.

Title Received!

You have upheld the Oath of Mutilation, as acknowledged by the system. You have been given the title Oathkeeper. You have gained experience. Experience deferred until class selection.

Hidden Quest completed!

You have freed the Seraph Binah from its eternal role as The Librarian and Keeper of Knowledge. By taking the mantle onto yourself you have freed the ancient being and been granted the class Librarian of Imum. You have gained experience. Experience deferred until class selection.

Class selected!

You have gained the Legendary class Librarian of Imum. Class skills gained. You have been given the connected titles The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge.

Class: Librarian of Imum

The Librarian of Imum follows no direction but his own. The only true goal of the Librarian is to keep and protect the knowledge of the Library of Imum. Knowledge is power, and there are no lack of powers seeking the treasure hoard of knowledge hiding in the Library of the system itself. The class allows a direct connection to the Library, but the class-holder must also be able to bear it's weight.

All experience gained doubled. All skill and ability levels increase twice as fast. All skills and abilities learnable.

Deferred experience gained.

Level(s) gained! x17

Congratulations! You have reached level 17. Rewards have been given.

Nate screamed once again, as the system made seventeen levels worth of changes to his body. The pain couldn’t compare to that of his race-change and class, but pain will always be pain. Gritting his teeth, he tried to distract himself by focusing on how his body was being changed. His sudden need for knowledge opened the floodgates of the ability that was the Library of Imum. He could sense the ability was limited in its ability in his current state, but it still feed him some information about his current situation.

It seemed that while, at first glance, the System could be compared to RPGs and other games, there were some major differences. Levels were a thing, but the rewards gained were not as tangible. At least not in the way of attribute points and skill points. In fact, there were no attributes visible on any being's status screen. The System dealt in changes to magical energies and growth in the body, and these changes would always be somewhat tailored to the individual. If someone with a basic warrior class would aim to be a tank, someone focusing in taking damage so others wouldn’t have to, the leveling rewards would aim to make the person denser and tougher. Able to withstand more damage than others. You could say a class laid the foundation of a being's growth, but from there on the intention of the being itself were taken into consideration.

Nate, however, hadn’t really had any knowledge of how he wanted to grow. So, in his stead the system chose to even the rewards out across all platforms. His physical might and constitution seemed to already grow beyond superhuman. His capability for learning and memory would reach new heights. During his leveling he could feel the process of his body forming new muscle tissues and creating and connecting new synapses in his brain. His mind and body would also be prepared for the use of magic. His new racial instincts also made it feel like magic would come natural to him.

Even before the changes had set in, he could sense that he was different. He was a seraph now, but what that meant to him he would have to figure out. It felt as if he had been through a rebirth, moving away from his human past self. Was he even Nathan Thorne anymore? Nathan Thorne had been the one to accept his place as The Librarian and Keeper of Knowledge from Binah. Even though he was technically a new being, his name felt right. It felt as if, through the forge that was the race-change, he had earned his name. But that might just be him being weird. He concluded that yes, he was still Nathan Thorne, just a new and improved version. Evolved if you will.

Reading through his changes once again, he read through the class description twice. Those were some perks. They would help him plenty in getting stronger to be able to handle the weight of his class. He also had a feeling there was more to his race than the vague system description told him. He would have to search the Library for the information, but there was no time for that at the moment. He needed to get done with his notifications and move on.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Title: Enochian

You are Seraphim, you are Enochian. The language of the Ancient races flows through your soul.

Title: Oathkeeper

Not everyone can swear an Oath and follow through with keeping it. Sentient beings will find you easier to trust and future Oaths will bring double the rewards and/or consequences.

Title: The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge

This connected title increases learning speed by 25% per part, for a total 50%. Any knowledge the holder learns will be easier to reach in the Library of Imum.

Nate looked at the titles he had gained with a happy little smile. Not bad at all, he thought as he made the Oathkeeper title visible and pulling up his status screen.

Status:

Name: Nathan Thorne

Level: 17

Race: Seraphim

Titles: Visible: Oathswearer

Hidden: Oathkeeper, Enochian, The Librarian - Keeper of Knowledge

Class: Librarian of Imum

Abilities: Library of Imum I, Languages of Imum I, Mask of Imum I, Storage I

Skills: N/A

For a couple of hours in… somewhere else, that sure as hell seemed like a good deal. Well, he did also make up for it in intense pain. Nate closed his screens and looked around for the first time since he had woken up. He found himself back in his apartment, but his rundown studio apartment wasn’t just rundown anymore, it was absolutely thrashed. His bed had broken down, his wooden flooring was cracked and there was a human sized hole in his northern wall. That had been his favorite wall! What the fuck had happened while he was out?

Walking through the apartment he suddenly caught sight of something moving right past him. He jumped back, his wings jumping forward into a protective embrace. Nate might have been embarrassed by the fact that he had jumped like a cat away from the cracked mirror, if he weren’t completely enamored with his new wings. Hundreds of feathers, each black as the darkest night made up the pair. Each wing was the same length as his own six feet. A small golden glow shone from the feathers. As he thought about it, the glow brightened. As he willed it, the glow dimmed. It was fucking awesome; the wings came out through his jacket as if it weren’t even there. Remembering Binah's wings, he willed his own wings into his body. They retracted quickly and quietly through his jacket, to god knows where, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

As the wings disappeared Nate got a good look at himself. It felt like he had gained a couple of kilos all in muscle and height. He wasn’t shaped like a brute, but seemed more slim, more athletic. His hair had gained the same color as his wings, the darkest black. But what really stood out was his skin and eyes. His skin was inhuman, an ivory white with no markings whatsoever. It was as if someone had painted him and forgotten to add in the little details that would make him look real. And his eyes shone with the same golden color his feathers did. Willing them to stop did nothing in this case. He seemed to be stuck with this new color.

While he found his appearance to his taste, he wasn’t sure how other people would react to how he looked now. He would have to search the library for a solution to this question as well. So much to learn, he thought with a satisfied grin. This situation was perfect for him. Which stopped him dead in his tracks. Could the system have made this happen on purpose?

Before he could follow that thought process far enough to induce a panic attack, a high-pitched scream came from the man-sized hole in his wall. The scream sounded far from human. Peeking outside his broken wall, to the streets below, he saw two humanoid beings fighting amongst the wreckage of what seemed to be the St. George he knew and… well, liked. It seemed he had been with Binah for longer than he had known. The city streets were broken and filled with wreckages of cars. Nature seemed to have reclaimed the land as tall grass grew up and through pavement and metal alike. The beings had no consideration for Nate’s musings as they continued with their high-pitched challenges. Their grey skin lay on their bodies as if it were a bit too large for their skeletons and sagged as they circled each other. Their unnaturally long forearms ended in sharp claws double the length of a normal hand. But it was their faces that brought fear to Nate’s heart. Their faces were nothing but a round mouth, filled with teeth, teeth and a tongue tipped with more teeth. All of them looking as sharp as a razor.

It didn’t take long for Nate to realize that he wasn’t ready for a real fight yet. Watching the bloody fight between the two beings, he didn’t even pause to consider how good his eyesight was. The fight went on for a while until the one closest to Nate managed to lunge and pierce his right claw through the tooth filled face of the other. As the loser fell to the ground, the victor screeched into the heavens. Its victory was short lived however, as a louder screech came from above. A featherless bird-creature the size of a minibus snapped the being up and was gone again before Nate could begin to understand what had happened. Nate’s heart was beating so hard he was afraid the bird-creature would swoop down and catch him too. But it wasn’t just fear pumping through his blood, nor adrenaline. Excitement had shaken him too his core. Nate had watched the beings fight and some part of his new brain had thought one thing. Prey. These beings were nothing. Nothing but toddlers compared to what he was. Why wasn’t he able to destroy them with a snap of his finger. It was his right. He needed the power his kind were meant to wield, and he would take it. Nothing would stop him. Nothing could stop him. Luckily, such primal thoughts didn’t mean Nate was an idiot. He was aware of the reach of his fighting abilities. They were non-existent. But he could learn, and he had the perfect tools for doing just that.

Quickly he searched through the apartment for anything worth keeping and piled it up next to the door. Once he was sure he got everything, he exited the apartment. The hallway outside looked as deserted as the rest of the city. Quickly, but quietly he went over to the apartment of his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Chang. Mrs. Chang had been a sweet old chinese lady that would sometimes bring leftovers across the hall for Nate. Trying the door and finding it unlocked, Nate entered. Mrs. Chang’s apartment had survived the System’s arrival better than his own. While more than a little broken down, all its walls were intact and most of the furniture seemed to be at least somewhat stable. The three-room apartment had flaky maroon paint, and the same wooden floor as his own. Two doors leading to the bathroom and bedroom stood on the right side, while the main room opened into a living room and kitchen area.

Dumping his pile of clothing and personal effects on the couch in the living room, Nate looked over everything. He had found some clothes that didn’t look like old rags that he could keep. Nate sat down on the worn-out carpet in a comfortable position and began to meditate.