It was a cloudy afternoon in New Roselee City, the coolness hitting the perfect temperature for a picnic. But that was as good as the day could get.

The yellow sun was blocked by abnormally thick clouds that seemed to contain their own thunderstorm, yet still cotton-white. They surfed the skies, casting moving shadows down on the city. Sunlight peaked through the gaps between them like curious children, illuminating the dried blood and corpses scattered on the city streets.

The dense black clouds formed by the mutated mosquitoes were smaller during daylight, seeming to dislike the sun. On the other hand, goblins terrorized the city’s inhabitants, ignorant of rest. As Tier Zero creatures, goblins needed rest as much as any living organism, yet nourished by nutritious meals and greedy for more flesh, they continued their hunt tirelessly.

*

In a mere two weeks, the underground storm shelter of the Blue Flame Stronghold had expanded above ground, with wood, metal constructs, and a thick barbed fence ten feet tall. The three-story building above the shelter was reinforced with metal and wood, and the balconies were converted into lookout posts. It was far from a pretty sight, made of rough uneven edges, mismatched shades, and scratched surfaces, but it was reassuring to the inhabitants.

Aesthetics didn’t matter when it came to safety.

Outside, there were deep ditches with repurposed spikes coated with poison to ward off intruders.

Just outside the base, in an open area to the southwest, several figures were practicing using their superpowers.

"If you're going to be a main attacker, you need to match my movements and attack when there's an opening,” the blue-haired lady instructed, brandishing a thin rapier. “You also wield a great sword, so you have to be careful of the delays while you swing. I don't specialize in them, but I'll write down a few guiding points for you to use when you practice."

Celes displayed a few attack patterns on a straw dummy. Gesturing ever so often to her sister.

"In a battle of life and death, you have to know your teammate's next move before they make them,” she continued, making swift swings and jabs as straw escaped their binds. “And as a front-line attacker, your body must move faster than you can think, so mastering that sword is your first job. Practice until it becomes second nature to swing in for the kill, watch the enemy's movements, be aware of your teammate's positions at all times..."

As Celes was lecturing Jasmine who now held a giant sword almost twice her size, Minnie walked over with a haggard look. Catching Minnie’s stink eye, Celes straightened up, nodding to Jasmine to continue her practice.

"New face?" she asked as she moved from Jasmine to Gilly and Priya who were also practicing their new powers.

"Don't ‘new face’ me,” Minnie hissed. “Your aunt is harassing me like a stalker. Let’s not even talk about how personal space doesn’t seem to exist for her.” She kicked a stone out of her way, before speaking in a mocking imitation of the woman. “‘Just to get a better card for my son and daughter,’ she says."

Celes sighed deeply. Why do people have to be so difficult? Even after experiencing them in her former life, they still irked her.

"She keeps demanding to see Celes. Celes will understand!” Minnie’s complaints continued to stream. “Celes wouldn't do this to her Aunt. Celes this, Celes that! The old bat heard you announce to everyone that I was second-in-command and in charge of the base's daily operations, but she calls for you when she can't handle the word no. She even wants the same natal card as your mom, and her stupid son deserves nothing less than your dad’s as he’s the man of her household now. Can you even believe that?!"

Sighing once more, Celes asked, “I hope they’re not bothering my parents too much, are they?”

"While they’ve stopped begging them to show their powers, the envy echos loudly. Although most are not as clingy as the old bat, they keep asking when it's their turn and what card level they would get. Since everyone now has room for comparison with your parents and three batches of awakened Card Masters, it’s harder to keep them in check."

Feeling she had vented enough, Minnie hugged Celes, running her fingers through the splendid blue. It was her natural stress reliever.

“Your hair is so pretty now… Why didn't I change so much?" Minnie muttered as she hung her head off Celes's shoulder, a natural lavender scent emanating from it. “I wish I was more powerful like you so they’d respect me down there…”

"Like I said, the card factor manifestation differs from person to person,” Celes explained, her hands by her sides while Minnie clung to her. She wasn’t one for hugs. “Natal cards become a part of us, so it's understandable that they affect the rest of our body in some ways once fused. Appearance changes are actually not that common. It comes with certain high-rank cards."

She held off the fact that this rarity and uniqueness of significant physical changes made people who had them a target as a commodity item in the slave trade. It was crazy how the future would both evolve and backslide to outdated practices.

“Wish I still had a little something different,” Minnie muttered.

"As for your troubles, how about I give you an advance? I have two talent and physique cards that are pretty good, so I'll give them to you to increase your power," Celes added with a smile. Having completely sorted all her current cards, she had organized her stock of cards quite well and had the leeway to distribute them.

"You don't have to do all that," Minnie gasped, straightening up immediately.

"You deserve it,” Celes reassured her, taking her hand. ”You’re right; as my second-in-command, you deserve to have enought power to command authority, especially when I’m not there."

Now and before, she would almost be helpless with Minnie's presence. Just thinking of all the stress and headaches she would have to endure alone sent shivers down her spine.

Unknown to them, Jasmine had been evesdropping. Now she sprung out, loudly whispering, "Hi, Celes!”

Celes frowned thoughtfully, sensing she was up to something. She had been good lately. Suspiciously obedient and quiet, staying out of trouble.

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“When are you gonna give me a card pet?” she asked with bright blue expectant eyes, sticking with the two as they began to walk. “If you’re giving Minnie two extra, can I at least get one more?”

With a low sigh, Celes replied, "Jasmine, like I said before, you can't have one right now. The activation requirements of most cards are too heavy at this stage for ordinary cards. We have to wait until ores and natural treasures start appearing, as well as farm-type monsters. There are only a set amount of cards we can actually use right now outside of those selected as natal cards. Even if you could use the pet card, you could never control it without it being your natal card. For the same reason, a Red Steel quality card outclasses a Grey Ash quality card."

"How do you know I can't control it?” Jasmine huffed. “You never know until you try." She had seen Celes use Sapphire to ward off several waves of goblins attacking their base and it had impressed her each time.

She wanted a beautiful and powerful pet as well!

“I know because I’ve lived through the apocalypse before, remember?” She could understand why Jasmine felt it was simple, but the card system was a complex one, and if Jasmine didn’t understand, it could cost her in the future. “Just like how a newly-hatched dragon and a newly-hatched ant cannot compare, your rank and the other batches with lower-ranked cards cannot compare. Your natal card has more potential to gain power because of its level, even if you feel a lower-ranked card is more powerful than you are right now. You starting at a lower level is very different from you having a lower level as your limit. Do you see it now?”

Jasmine nodded, enlightenment shining in her eyes.

Celes cracked a warming smile. "The Genesis Card Fall is humanity's chance. Without it, we would have to slowly evolve our natal cards over and over again until we were able to fight equally against alien races. Here and now is when the future leaders of humanity are born!"

Even with cards giving them the basic ability to fight against weaker creatures, when the stronger aliens started coming through portals and native monsters grew to greater heights, this level of strength would not have been enough to fight against them. Only with high quality natal cards were guardians of humanity born to protect their growth and lead them on the path of survival.

All these gifts from the Genesis Card Fall were beyond priceless.

In her past, Celes even heard of someone who was lucky enough to subdue a dragon as his natal card! He wasn't even a Blessed One, yet he managed to force the will of the dragon to submit. Of course, if he had tried this outside of the Genesis Card Fall, he would have never succeeded. That was how powerful the first card fall was.

It was a pity his overwhelming power threatened too many people. He was assassinated by some of his defeated generals, killed before he could grow into a true pillar for humanity.

"To use cards, you have to meet the activation requirements unless it's chosen as your natal card. Other cards need to be activated. These cards have beasts and phenomena that are mature and simply suppressed to the level of an infant. They won’t hesitate to fight against your orders if you’re inferior to them. Although I can forcefully activate the card once for you to use, as a tiny card apprentice attempting to control a Green Copper-grade being without its acknowledgment, it is practically a death wish. It can swiftly kill you in its resistance."

Jasmine felt cold air settle around her heart upon hearing this. Suddenly she wasn't so anxious to get a pet. She decided to wait patiently until she could handle such a beast, but her curiosity still burned.

“Can I at least see what a summon-type card looks like so I can look forward to it?” she quietly asked.

Celes nodded with a small smile. There was no harm in looking.

The summon she displayed was a beautiful horse, its ruby eyes matching the flaming mane and tail. Its hoofs were emboldened with an eternal flame and its muscular body was smooth and handsome, its untamed power glaring like a wildfire.

As for using cards, Celes had already detailed the steps for their knowledge. Firstly was the activation of the cards. The second step was to gain their acknowledgment or improve their favorability through communication and repeated use. The third step involved constantly nourishing them with card essence, gradually refining the cards, and making them more compatible with the card master. Last of all was growing in skill level, which was a measure of how adept one was at using the full abilities of magic cards.

Using the magical cards was far from simple.

Finally getting a chance to shift the topic, Minnie asked, “Can I see the two cards you have for me?”

“They’re both talent cards, the most special among those with no activation requirements,” Celes explained, bringing out blue and green cards, “partly due to their nature in being...well, talents. Not skills or abilities, just talents. After you use them, you gain a new talent as if you were born with it. They are one of the most valuable cards in existence as it pertains to the Card Master themselves. Like natal cards, the energy consumption is usually low.”

Holding up the blue-glowing one, she said, “This is Baseless Intuition, a Blue Stone card. It’s not very reliable, but it's helpful in the mental domain, for those focusing on the spirit or soul. I’m not sure how, exactly, but it should allow you to sense random things like danger or presence. It's passive, so you can’t activate it. It…also rarely activates.”

Minnie’s hands were already at her hips, giving her the ‘seriously?’ look.

“But hey, it’s a talent card,” Celes shrugged, holding up the card. It depicted a weirdly shaped head with an antenna, colored in a blue shadow. “Maybe we simply haven’t found the best application for it.”

“Sounds useless to me,” Jasmine commented.

Minnie bit her tongue from saying the same, but since it was being given to her freely, she couldn’t complain. Besides, she trusted Celes…even when the leader in question didn’t seem too sure about the card.

Celes held up the second card. “Now, this one other one is Spiritual Resistance. It increases your spirit’s resistance by strengthening your defenses against non-physical acts of the spirit and soul, which are hard to guard against. Seeing as it does this by strengthening your spirit and forming a thick barrier within your spirit, it's pretty invaluable and has universal applications and uses. It’s much more valuable than the physical resistance card or some of the elemental resistances. It even helps in detecting races without physical bodies, like the Rumiyons.”

Celes failed to mention something else. Resistance cards were talent cards in most cases, but not all resistances were talent cards. Not wanting to overcomplicate things with too much information, she refrained from including this aspect.

Celes handed both cards over to Minnie, urging her to activate them.

“Just treat them the same as your natal card. Oh, and be careful not to socket them. If the lights above your aperture begin to attract them, cut off the attraction by denying it as strongly as you can.”

Minnie did as she was told. The cards faded from her hands like ashes blown away in the breeze.

“Well, I can feel my mind becoming clearer and more active, but that’s about it.” She looked to Celes.

“It’s natural. They aren’t the type of cards that cause recognizable changes. They come into play in certain scenarios.” Celes nodded, expecting as much. “Other than the Eagle Eye talent card I gave Priya as our long-range attacker, those were the only talent cards in the entire batch, so it will be a while before we see any more. Use them well.”

Minnie nodded before adding with a weary sigh. “I’ll head back to base and see how things are going.”

“Okay, let’s continue our training, Jasmine,” Celes said once Minnie started leaving, turning back to the training area. “Once we have the basics of acting together as a team, we can start clearing out the monsters in the...”

Jasmine looked back enviously with a pout, drowning out her sister’s voice. But she knew her limits. She could only get so much special treatment as Celes’s only sister. If she were to ask for more, she would seem annoying and alienate the rest of the team with such actions. So, she remained silent, even though she wanted a talent card as well.

She glared at Minnie before catching herself doing it, fixing her face immediately before Celes would notice.

Something had awoken in her heart.