“I don’t know what any of that means,” Juan Alvarez said with a wide-eyed look at his older brother, “but it sounds awesome.”
The answer was about what David had expected, he didn’t know what any of his Achievement rewards meant either. The puppy had explained, but you could only hear the words “mana” and “Trialbringer” so many times before it all started to blend into gibberish. The exhaustion of the earlier trial hadn’t gone away as the healing he’d received didn’t extend to his energy.
“It means your older brother is gonna be super strong!” The puppy exclaimed, “Do you see the Competition tab on your status?”
Juan nodded, “Yeah, it just says #1: Earth. Me and my friends couldn’t figure out what it meant.”
“It means you guys have a headstart…” David tuned out the explanation he’d already heard. The puppy was a bit too excitable, and would happily talk for minutes at a time after only the slightest prompting.
“So David’s like… Earth’s greatest mage now?” Juan’s eyes were steadily growing more wide, he apparently understood what was being said much better than David did.
“No,” David chimed in after his attention was drawn by his name, “I’m just lucky.”
“I’ve watched enough movies to know all of the greatest heroes are lucky,” Juan grinned at him, “Do you think that there wasn’t any luck involved in Rome going from a city to one of history’s greatest empires?”
“I… sure.” David sighed.
“This is so cool! You’ll have to take me to a few trials once I turn 18 in a few weeks.”
*****
David floated in the sky above New Chicago, staring out at hordes approaching the walls from every side. Beneath him stood hundreds of thousands of people who had heard the call put out by himself and a few other strong adventurers he’d brought to his side. For every person who had listened to their warnings about insufficient defenses and manpower, another ten had ignored them. The Arrival had begun eighty years ago, now, and people had grown used to it. They’d thought that the infrastructure they’d built over the past decades was enough.
They’d been wrong. And now David stood over what could be the last bastion of civilization in America, maybe across the entire world.
The enchantments on the walls would only hold for so long. David wrestled with the vast amounts of mana under his control. The city’s mana storage had been filled over the course of the past years, a stockpile built for this exact situation. There were too many monsters for David to fight alone, and his powers had never really leaned in the direction of mass destruction.
Now, he had no choice but to improve on the fly as more mana than a million Neophytes would produce in a week flooded into his Domain. The people on the ground were probably looking on in horror as his control began to slip, but he forced that thought from his mind as he focused solely on his task. This was his city, these people relied on him. They had followed him here, and now he needed to lead them.
Suddenly, he remembered something. A conversation with a man he had loved wholeheartedly. A man who had died decades before. The pain of the memory almost jolted him out of his focus, and then the insight that came with the recollection washed over him. The last piece of the puzzle formed, and David Inspired the world.
In the streets of New Chicago, the people watched as a new mana type was created. The brewing storm in the sky above seemed to vanish momentarily, and then a star hung itself in the lower atmosphere. The mana that had once threatened to overwhelm his control was marshaled without issue. A force of nature was Inspired to act according to David Alvarez’s whims.
No monsters within three miles survived.
*****
If I want to be an inspiration, I have to be great. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity, only through excellence can I bring up those around me.
When people see my power, they will be pushed to grow more powerful in turn.
*****
Alex Moore fought to keep his senses while he was assaulted by several visions at once. It felt like the increased mana around him had pushed his Attributes even higher than they were before, allowing him to take in multiple sources of information. It was like he was living through the formative experiences that led David to create his mana type.
It resonated with him, in an odd way. He witnessed David’s rise to greatness and knew that he wanted the same for himself. He wanted to build a legend out of his feats. He stopped struggling, letting the memories wash over him without complaint. This was power, who was he to deny it?
Even attributes couldn’t let him process everything that was happening. It wasn’t quite the same as his own experiences, but the memories were searing themselves into his mind. It felt like the man’s insight had grabbed a hold of him, and he was being force-fed the key to Inspire.
*****
David, Juan, and three of David’s friends stood outside a trial. They were all armed with metal implements that weren’t quite spears. They had tried to get better arms and armor, but the military had monopolized the sale of old-school weapons after it was revealed that clearing a trial with guns didn’t give any levels. They kept the trials and weapons for soldiers, trying to stay ahead of the curve so that less benevolent adventurers couldn’t drive the nation into anarchy.
David’s status as a Candidate made it impossible to keep him away from a trial for long, and that had allowed their team to be much more successful than most. David was level eight; Marcus, Stu, and Johnny were level five; and Juan was level four. They’d been initially hesitant but ramped up their delves in the past two weeks after Juan turned eighteen and joined the group.
Now, they were arguing, “I still say that we should wait until we reach the level cap for Tier 0 before accepting the offer for increased difficulty,” Stu stated.
“Plato always says that the harder trials have increased rewards. It’s a bonus for David’s Achievement.” Juan argued, “We’re falling behind in levels.”
“So?” Stu asked, “It’s not a race. The puppy also says that getting good Achievements is important, and that takes time.”
“We’ve been fine, so far,” David noted, “We even managed to form our first Mana Bodies a few days ago. We can do this.”
Stu sighed, clearly still not happy with the idea, “We don’t need to rush…”
“This isn’t rushing. You all have Uncommon Achievements, and we’ve used them to grow more powerful.” David soothed, “This is just the next step.”
Stu didn’t disagree any further. David was their team’s most powerful warrior and their leader, he knew best.
*****
The streets of New Chicago were empty, near David’s home. Thousands were either on the walls or preparing for their turn in rotation. In the past months, all had accepted that there could be no such thing as a noncombatant when the hordes came. David had spent the past days in meditation, finally forming his twelfth aperture and pushing to level seventy-four. It wasn’t enough, for the monsters that were coming.
Imprinted monsters were intelligent, in a way that the lower tiers couldn’t hope to emulate. They were fully sapient and fully capable of working together with other Imprinted. After the first few monsters had led their hordes against the walls of New Chicago and failed, the attacks had stopped.
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Some had declared their success, thinking that they had done enough to hold out. The hordes that had taken down the other cities had fallen back. They would live.
The truth quickly followed. The monsters were uniting, building their forces into a massive collection of hordes prepared to take New Chicago down. Now, millions of monsters were prepared to assault the walls.
And David was still sitting on a meditation mat, concentrating furiously. His focus on the mana he was controlling in a complex pattern was so intense that he didn’t notice the door to his room opening.
“You’ll have to go out there soon,” His focus was broken by a familiar voice, and he looked up to meet the eyes of his mother.
“I know,” David’s exhaustion showed in his words, “I was hoping to make another improvement before I went. My Domain is still imperfect. I can brute force it with control, but it’s not enough to handle the mana I’m going to need to use.”
“I trust you, David,” Melanie Alvarez smiled down at her son, “You’ve overcome every trial you’ve faced, and I know you’ll destroy this horde as well.” They both knew it was a lie, that there was no reason to be confident in his success.
But it was what David needed to hear. Sometimes, a lie could do more good than the truth. It was a lesson he’d learned from her. Melanie Alvarez was never afraid to lie.
David took back control of his thoughts and smiled back at her, “I’ll do my best, Mother.”
As he made his way to the walls, he saw the hope that bloomed on the faces of all who saw him. He’d accepted increasing amounts of responsibility in the past years, but it had all come to a head now. The weight of the world rested on his shoulders and everyone looked to him for their last chance at survival.
David had always worked hard to learn from his mother.
An illusory face spoke falsehoods to all he passed. Promising a victory he didn’t know if he could deliver. For many, it was enough, and spirits rose in his wake. They trusted him. Perhaps because they needed to, perhaps because they believed he really could make a miracle happen.
Suddenly, he remembered something. A conversation with a man he had loved wholeheartedly. A man who had died decades before. His face went slack underneath the illusion, as the insight that came with the pain washed over him. It was a struggle to continue walking as an old wound was reopened. The pain had never grown less raw, he had just learned to ignore it over the years.
Juan had trusted his leadership, once.
He couldn’t fail again.
The second piece slotted into the puzzle.
*****
If I want to be an inspiration, I have to lead. Other people can not save themselves, the world is too dangerous for any but the strongest to lead.
I will bring my people the stability they need.
*****
The visions did not slow down, but now that he was letting them wash over him instead of struggling Alex did not feel as overwhelmed. The scenes were growing increasingly frantic. As if the visions were trying to show him something before they ran out of time. He watched scenes of David leading, the sacrifices he’d made, and the losses he’d suffered. The responsibility he’d shouldered again and again to make the world a safer place.
Alex started to struggle again.
It was too much. He had agreed with the man’s push for greatness, but this was more than he could bear. This burden wasn’t one he wanted. He wanted to adventure with his friends.
Leadership was a very odd thing. You were always told that you wanted it and that being a leader proved you were the best in your field. Alex had been given several chances to lead practice for younger students or take some authority at his gym job over the years.
It didn’t suit him. His path wasn’t one of bringing up others around him, no matter how awful it felt to reject such a selfless pursuit. He had his friends, and they were all going to keep up. They didn’t need his help, and that let him focus on refining himself.
He wanted to be free, but David’s path held no illusions of freedom. Inspire was a chain, a responsibility that Alex rejected wholeheartedly.
The visions continued, Alex’s struggle hardly seeming to make a difference.
*****
David sat in front of a tombstone in his backyard. A tear trailed down his cheek as he paid his respects.
Next to him, Stu sat in silence. The two of them were both still struggling to get past the shock, even though it had been a few days since they’d suffered their first losses inside a trial. Their first few delves had gone so easily, even the first attempt at “Hard Mode” didn’t go too poorly. They’d suffered their first major injuries, with Marcus losing a finger and Juan getting bit in the stomach bad enough they’d lost a few weeks waiting for his recovery.
When they entered their next trial, it had been with pride and confidence. This would be the trial where David reached Tier 1, but none of the rest were upset. They would catch up by gaining levels from easier trials. The first Hard Mode trial had upgraded their Achievements to Rare and provided them with better equipment. Skill Guidances had been used to improve their ability with that equipment. They’d thought they were immortal.
When they left the trial, it was as a group of 3. Juan and Johnny both died fighting the boss. David held back a shudder as his mind returned to the moment. Juan had always been a bit too excited about the delving, it had been something David had told himself he would grow out of.
He’d jumped forward at the wrong time, trying to attack to cover Johnny after the man stumbled slightly. The boss had reacted instantly, swinging its mace and smashing Juan’s head in. Johnny froze at the sight and died nearly immediately after.
David blamed himself, and Marcus also blamed him. They’d lost the third member of their team after the trial when the man declared he would never enter a trial again.
Now, all that was left of their team was David and Stu.
“Marcus was wrong, you know,” Stu broke their silence, “It isn’t your fault that they died.”
David frowned, he knew what his friend was about to say. He had been the leader, but he hadn’t made them enter the trial. They had all wanted to delve together.
They had made the mistakes that got them killed. Not him.
He continued to stare at his brother’s tombstone instead of speaking. After a second he decided he disagreed.
It had been his fault because he hadn’t been strong enough to save them. A Unique Achievement, and he hadn’t been strong enough. What good was he?
Sitting in front of his brother’s grave, David swore an oath. He would get strong enough that no one under his care would ever die again.
Even as he made the promise, he knew it was a lie. An impossibility.
*****
The beginnings of a city council had formed around David in the past days, they were in the midst of a meeting to discuss the findings of the city’s best scout. Micah Carvalho was on the verge of Tier 3, and his stealth abilities allowed him to go unnoticed by the low-mid Tier 3 monsters that led the hordes.
The news wasn’t good. The hordes were coalescing into one massive group. The Tier 3 monsters had evidently agreed to get rid of the humans before they fought for territory among themselves.
Smaller hordes had been manageable. David could defeat a few Imprinted monsters with the city’s strongest Attuned supporting him and the walls allowing him to burn his mana on attack rituals.
A massive horde with dozens or even hundreds of Imprinted monsters would not be the same. And everyone knew it.
“Do you have a ritual capable of defending the city?” David was asked for what felt like the tenth time. He kept the worry he felt off his face, instead adopting a contemplative expression.
“I will have to work on designing one. With the mana we have stockpiled, I can work incredibly destructive magic.” Left unsaid was the reality that control good enough to back up his words was beyond even his standards.
The council didn’t seem overly confident in his word, and the bickering continued as their worry boiled over.
David sat at the front of the room, his mind whirring through runes and arrays that might be useful. He quickly came to the conclusion that he didn’t have anything that would do it.
Suddenly, he remembered something. A promise he’d made to a young man who had died decades before. Over the decades, he’d managed to keep his promise. Now, after all these years, it seemed he would be made a liar.
His perspective shifted slightly as insight was achieved through the pain. This was not a transformation, just the beginning of one. The first piece of a puzzle that he had no choice but to complete.
Even a liar had lines they couldn’t cross.
*****
If I want to be an Inspiration, I have to lie. No one is perfect, but the people need a perfect leader if they’re going to survive. They will see me and hope.
I’m sorry.
*****
Alex Moore tried as hard as he could to fight back against the visions, against the insight that seemed to be digging into his soul. He could tell that this mana type, this abomination was becoming his. He didn’t want it. David’s pain was not his. The man’s lies and failings wouldn’t be repeated. He could be better.
Perhaps, if he had resisted from the start, it would’ve been enough. The veneer of greatness had drawn him in, and now he was seeing the depths required for a mana type as exceptional as Inspire.
The fight continued even as the visions started to fade. He was Inspired, or maybe he was Inspire. He had gained insight. He didn’t want it.
While he fought for control of his own soul, runes began to form across Alex Moore’s body.