[Congratulations, new user! You have been chosen to unlock the Spire System.]

[Please enter your desired display name: _____]

I flinched slightly in place, sitting nestled into the corner of one of two seats in my family’s carriage. The translucent black box and stark white text was floating in the space before me, about a foot away, at eye level. I had been staring boredly out of the closest window, watching the forest scenery pass by as the carriage jostled along, when the notification had suddenly appeared. Thankfully my reaction likely wasn’t all that noticeable. It would give me some time to try and figure out what the fuck was happening and what I should do about it.

I glanced back toward the interior of the carriage. Mother, father and my brother seemed to be deeply invested in a conversation about our destination; Count en Mawynhest was hosting an annual gathering, and we were expected to attend. It was to be a typical gathering of nobility, to celebrate a cause no one cared about while they gossiped and schemed.

At the present time, though, the games of etiquette and sleight that the nobility played felt small and insignificant. I ran my hands down the fabric of my dress to straighten any ruffles—a nervous habit—while I desperately tried to recall what I’d been taught about the Spire System. My father had once hired a Silver ranked adventurer to educate me on the matter, and I desperately tried to remember what he had said.

The day was a blur in my memory. My father had assured me that it was a required lesson for every child, despite the extremely low chance of it ever being relevant, but I had wanted to explore the forest surrounding our territory that day, so my attention had been elsewhere. The adventurer also seemed like he’d had better things to do than lecture an inattentive little girl, electing instead to recite the lesson to me by rote while I thought about literally anything else. Sure, it would have been nice to be selected, but I wasn’t delusional.

I cursed my past self for her lack of foresight, but I was able to remember a few points—mostly those that directly laid out my abysmal chance to become an Awakened, a user of the Spire System. How ironic, considering my current situation.

Approximately one in ten thousand were selected. The prerequisites for being selected were still uncertain, but there are similarities observed in many of those chosen. Most who were selected were between eighteen and twenty, with rare outliers. Most had an adventurous spirit. What concerned me the most, though…

“Father.” I spoke up, cutting into their conversation, “I believe we are in danger.”

… the system only appeared before those whose life was at risk.

My father stopped speaking immediately, cutting himself off mid sentence. His brown eyes narrowed at me, hands frozen in the middle of whatever gesture he had been making to emphasise his point. His gaze flickered toward the window I had been staring out of, and then back to me.

My father, Baron Marcus en Ryvaesen, was a stern, but rational man. He reasoned with logic, and I suspected he knew I would have preferred to stay quiet for the duration of the trip rather. For me to have said something, and interrupted their conversation to do it… I hoped he would take me seriously.

“Did you see something, Fable?” he asked calmly, though his hand moved to rest at the sword leaning against his legs—usually it was attached to his hip, but within the confines of the carriage, this was the most comfortable way to keep it close. It seemed he had decided my warning had creedence.

I looked toward my other family members, first to my mother who sat by my father’s side, across from me. Baroness Estella en Ryvaesen. Her sapphire eyes were concerned, framed by her wavy blond hair. She was beautiful in a way I could never hope to imitate. My mother was also a timid, kind woman. She rarely spoke up with her own desires, and instead worried about others.

Finally, my brother. Derek en Ryvaesen. His expression was… well, unsurprising, but a little disappointing. He had inherited our father’s brown hair and eyes—though where my Father was a man of logic and reason, Derek was a boy of pettiness and spite. He was also currently staring at me with thinly veiled derision.

“Probably saw her own reflection and thought it was a monster.” He said with a dismissive flippancy, “Best not to worry about it Father.”

I couldn’t help the sigh that slipped past my lips, frustrated and perhaps just a little bit hurt by his words. I turned back to the carriage window in an attempt to hide my face from my family, but my reflection in the glass tormented me in their stead. 

Violet eyes, sharp and intense, glared at me from a heart-shaped face. My hair was long and fell in waves, much like my mother’s… but that was where the similarity ended. I took a strand of it between my thumb and forefinger, twirling the dark wisp of hair pensively. This is why my brother teased me endlessly, why people kept their distance and whispered that I was cursed. My eyes were vivid, unnatural colours, and I looked nothing like my family. Unfortunately, I had the feeling that what I was about to say would only alienate me from them further. 

“More or less… I was selected—for the Spire System.” I said hesitantly. I refused to meet the gaze of my father. I wasn't sure if I would find support or condemnation in his eyes, and I found myself not wanting to find out.

However, I didn’t need to be looking at him to hear the way he straightened at that. Silence filled the carriage, only interrupted by the sound of hooves and turning wheels as they carried us forward across the worn dirt path through the forest.

“You- … you were selected?” He finally managed, voice clearly conveying his disbelief.

I shrugged in response, finally turning to look back at him. “That does appear to be the case.”

“Liar!” Derek yelled suddenly. I grimaced at the unpleasant volume—this brother of mine never had been fond of the term ‘inside voice’, “If there was danger, if one of us was going to be selected, it would be me, not you. You probably just want to get out of having to deal with suitors!” He scoffed, crossing his arms, “I can save you the hassle. You won’t get any.”

I simply turned to Derek with a disbelieving frown. I mean, he was partially correct—I was not looking forward to having to deal with potential suitors. Unfortunately, Father had made it very clear that I was to at least consider the young men who approached me, much to my vocal displeasure at the time. That being said, did my brother really think I would lie about something like this? Was jealousy that strong of a catalyst for delusion? Did he dislike me that much? Also… was it acceptable to punch him in the mouth?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Derek…” My father sighed, “Do quieten yourself—and Fable, I’m sure the guards can handle whatever it is.” He said, gesturing out the window in reference to the two guardsmen accompanying our carriage on horseback, one in front of the carriage and one behind.

I relaxed back into my seat with a huff, deciding to trust my fathers words. They were well trained guards, that much was true. It was likely they could handle whatever had provoked the Spire System message.

Speaking of which… I moved my gaze to focus on the black, floating window before me. It seemed to increase in opacity now that my attention had returned. How did it know I was looking at the window? How did the system know I was in danger? Why did it choose me? I wish I had paid more attention in that lesson…

Could I ignore it? Hope to continue my life as it had been without ostracising myself further than my appearance already had? Probably not. I would always be wondering ‘what if’... and having this floating window follow me everywhere would quickly get annoying, I suspected.

If I accepted this… what would change? Most importantly, I would gain Skills. A Class. Stories of those chosen that I had read when I was younger filled my mind—they were all fanciful tales of magic and wonder and intrigue. I was obsessed with them for a period of time back then, deluded into thinking anyone could become Awakened if they hoped hard enough. The stories were always short on the details of the system, but my imagination had filled those in. Unfortunately, that obsession quickly turned to despair when I became old enough to realise I would likely never be chosen. Despair turned to loathing, until at some point I simply didn’t want to be chosen anymore.

But, thinking back on it, remembering how the stories made me feel, some of that childish wonder had come back to me. I would be able to attend the Awakened Academy in the royal capital. I could become an adventurer. I sat up a little straighter at that—both options would take me away from my family. I loved my parents—my mother was distant sometimes, in her own little world, but she was kind. My father was stoic, but I knew he loved me in his own way. I would miss them dearly, but at the same time, the life of nobility was not one I was suited to. Plus, I wouldn’t have to see Derek again if I did not wish too, and truthfully, that alone was enough reason to accept the Spire System.

I entered in my name… or, at least, I tried to figure out how to do so. I didn’t want to lift my hands and try to interact with the window physically—I could already imagine the looks my family would give me and I could very much do without those. The window did seem to react when I looked at it, so I tried to work with that, looking at the blank space and thinking of my name. Fable.

[Please enter your desired display name: Fable]

[ERROR: Desired display name is already in use.]

[Please enter your desired display name: _____]

What the fuck? My name was already taken? There was an Awakened out there named Fable? Damnit… well, at least I knew how to interact with the system now. I closed my eyes, trying to think of a name that represented me. Something that was likely to be unique…

I didn't get very far on my thought process before the carriage came to a sudden stop. Distracted as I was, I nearly slipped forward from my seat and onto the floor, only managing to stop myself by bracing a foot against the wall.

“Halt! Who dares bar the way? Name yourself!” The masculine shout came, presumably from the guard in the front of their carriage. Their voice was muffled, both by the walls of the carriage and by whatever helmet they were wearing.

There was no reply, or if there was, it was quiet enough that I heard nothing.

Father stood quickly, looking at Mother, then Derek, and then me. “Stay here.” He said sternly, grabbing his sheathed sword and opening the door of the carriage. He paused to survey whatever was happening, then stepped down. His broad back prevented me from getting any kind of view of what he could see before he shut the carriage door behind him.

Derek, of course, immediately disobeyed Father’s single command, pulling a knife from his boot and moving to the carriage door. He paused to wait, listening, as I did, to Father’s receding footsteps.

“Derek…” Mother pleaded, reaching for him, her eyes begging with him to stay here, to stay safe.

“Mother—Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.” He said proudly, and before she could stop him, opened the door just enough to slip through.

I watched the woman that was my mother deflate, her husband and child both potentially heading out into danger. Her blue eyes turned to me, and a half-smile formed on her lips—an attempt to be reassuring?

“It’ll be okay, Fay. They’ll come back.” She said softly. Oh dear, she was trying to reassure me. 

“I know.” I said, returning the smile with a little difficulty. Father often travelled east to the border of our territory, where it met with the Wastes, to help cull the weaker magical beasts that constantly spilled over into the kingdom. He could handle himself. Derek… Well, I’d been in enough fights with him to know he wasn’t a pushover—just an asshole.

Suddenly, shouts came from all around us, at least four or five separate voices. My father’s call pierced through them. “Bandits! Defend the carriage!”

My blood froze. I hadn’t truly been taking everything seriously since the System window appeared. It had all been surreal, dreamlike. The knowledge that a very real, very present and very dangerous threat was just outside the carriage, that my father and brother were about to fight… it shattered that hazy, distant state I was in and brought me back into the ice-cold reality.

I had stalled too long. I wasn’t ready. Name. Name. Fuck. I got to my feet while I thought, stumbling toward the carriage door, but my dress snagged on something and I could progress no further.

I looked back to see what I had gotten caught on, but my mother’s forlorn gaze was what met me, the dark fabric of my garment held between her fingers.

“Fay… don’t go.” She whispered, tears in the corner of her eyes. She must have felt like her world was balancing on a precipice.

“Mother… I must.” I tried to reason, “The System. I can help!”

A sudden clack of steel against steel sounded from just outside the carriage, and I knew each second was a measure of lifetimes. My mother knew it too, and with a pained expression, she reluctantly retracted her hand, folding it in her lap with the other and resigning herself to whatever fate befell her family.

I felt my heart ache with the need to reassure her, but there would be time for that after. I needed a name. I turned to the carriage door while I thought, setting my hand on the handle. The visage I had seen staring back from the window moved through my mind. Those purple eyes, uniquely mine. Eyes that held beauty and promised death. A flower came to mind, one that was equal parts elegant and lethal. One I had come across many times in my forays through the forest surrounding our family’s home. One that I had been warned away from.

[Please enter your desired display name: Belladonna]

[Congratulations! Welcome to the Spire System.]

[Beginning Tutorial… Please await teleportation to the tutorial zone.]

“Wait, what?”