Mari was pretty sure she was dreaming. First off she was flying, and that wasn't normal the last time she checked, also the glowing figure in front of her was out of the norm as well.
"Hello," She felt unusually calm and confident, when she was awake — assuming this was a dream — Mari was a stuttering mess of social anxiety, but currently she felt no fear, further validating that this was a dream.
"Hello, Mari. Welcome to the in-between." Their voice was an odd blend of male and female, young and old. It sounded like many voices layered on each other but didn't clash as she expected them to.
"What's the in-between?" She asked again feeling confused about the absence of her anxiety, also this was starting to be a bit too clear for a dream.
"The in-between is the place between different realities." Right, that didn't help much. Mari frowned and looked around, typically focusing on details in dreams would wake her up but she was surrounded by nothing but white her head was already clear and focused.
"Why am I here, also who are you? Is this a dream?" She asked.
"You are here because you are a candidate for the 'Guardian' Role. I am the Observer, and no, this is not a dream." It answered.
"Right," Mari paused and squinted, trying to better see the mysterious glowing being. "What is a guardian and why am I a candidate?"
"A 'Guardian' is a being tasked with protecting realms from the Void and raising warriors to fight against the Void's children." The being paused and waved a glowing hand.
"This," A dizzying amount of images and short videos flew by circling Mari. "Is why you are a candidate." Each one showcased a memory of her life, her volunteer hours at the library reading to children. The summers she spent at the hospital where her mother worked teaching the teens DnD and more recently her time at college as she worked towards her degree in game design.
"W-what? Have you been watching me my whole life?" She asked shocked.
"Indeed." It seemed to have no problem confessing that, but Mari was finally feeling like her normal emotions were returning, and she could feel herself shaking.
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"I noticed your potential at a young age but felt you were too young to properly take the role of 'Guardian'. Now, however, you are ready," Mari stared for a brief moment too confused to protest as the being began to sort through the images and videos.
"It is my understanding that you are a rather empathetic human, so I will show you the future of Earth if you do not become a 'Guardian'." A large black screen popped up inches from Mari's face and she jolted back.
The black faded, and New York lit up the screen. Not even a second later the sky above NY shattered and a black inky liquid dripped from the cracks forming monstrous creatures that attacked the city with horrific joy.
Mari gagged as she watched the slaughter and heard the screams of the people as they died by the thousands.
"Those are the Voidlings, the children of the Void. Their only purpose is to destroy." It paused, and the screen shrunk but didn't stop playing. The images it had been sorting before were enlarged instead, and Mari had to choke back a sob as she watched her 19th birthday party.
Her mother was walking out of the kitchen carrying a birthday cake with nine candles and a bright smile as she sang 'Happy Birthday' with her father who stood next to her.
Sitting next to her at the table was her younger brother, he held a poorly wrapped present and squirmed around in his chair eagerly awaiting his slice of cake, Mari remembered how he had tried to sing along but ended up humming most of it.
"If you become a 'Guardian' you will be able to save your reality, your Earth." The video of New York returned to its larger size but this time it competed for her attention with the memory of her family.
The sound of her family singing 'Happy Birthday' was marred by the screams of the dying and Mari shuddered, shutting her eyes, and squatting down she tried to block everything out.
After several moments of crying and hugging herself tightly, the sounds faded out and Mari squeezed her arms trying to calm herself.
"What - what happens to me if I become a 'Guardian'?" She asked hesitantly, still not looking up.
"As a 'Guardian,' you would be sent to a reality I believe will be targeted by the Void soon. I will give you ownership of a RealmForge and enough credits to get at least 2 floors created, as well as the basic blueprints of the realm that you are sent to. And then you will train the natives to become strong enough that they can defend themselves against the Voidlings." Mari looked up and frowned in thought.
It all sounded a bit fantastical really but there was no denying the truth anymore, this was not a dream. "Eventually you will grow enough that you will be able to reach through the in-between and reach other realities. If you can reach this reality fast enough you may be able to save it."
Mari stood up and wiped her face, there really weren't a lot of options. With one long look at her family as the memory started over she took a deep shuddering breath and looked right at the so-called 'Observer'.
"I'll do it."