Surrounded by darkness. A sole figure stood surrounded by a halo of dull light.
“Welcome. As this is your first time at the cross roads, please allow me to direct you.”
Four screens appeared around Rebecca, each containing a single Word. Housing, Dinning, Learning, Exit.
“Does your species require further explanation?” The disembodied voice rang out.
Rebecca expected some annoyance from the voice from the question alone, but there was none. It had asked her as if it wanted to know if she wanted a refill at a restaurant.
“No thanks.” Rebecca said as she tapped the screen indicating ‘Housing’, she understood that she could use it to go to anyone’s apartment. She just had to know the person, and they had to all visitors. Right now she just wanted to see her kids.
She hadn’t seen Mark and Haley since last night, when she put them to bed. If that even was last night. She suspected it had been much, much longer. A door silently slid up from the featureless darkened ground. It was a medieval style arched door, with a wrought iron ring for a handle. Opening the door, she noticed it swung silently open into the apartment. The front room was spacious, if bare. It had a couch that looked modern, and soft, with an off gray color. The coffee table was a dark maple with matching end tables. There were book shelves everywhere, she figured that you could get books from the library, and they were meant to be stored there. Walking around the apartment, she absent-mindedly ran her hands along a book shelf that lead to the back of the apartment.
A window popped up.
[ACCESS TO THE LIBRARY GRANTED]
PLEASE SELECT A TITLE OR SUBJECT YOU WISH TO STUDY.
A COPY OF THE BOOK WILL BE DEPOSIT AT YOUR RESIDENCE.
VERBAL, MENTAL, OR SYSTEM GUIDED SEARCHES ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR TRAINING GROUNDS.
Taking a moment to examine it, she did a quick mental search and requested a few books on basics. They instantly appeared on the shelves nearest her hands.
“Handy, at least...”
Continuing down the hall she found thee doors, one at the very end, and two across from each other half way down the hall. She thought it looked like a pretty standard layout back home, on Earth apartment. But she knew she was no longer home. No longer on Earth. The air felt different. It smelled different. Like how you got used to a smell after smelling it for so long, and then it was suddenly gone.
She could hear her daughter’s heavy breathing through the door on the right. Her heart leaped. For the first time in she knew not when, there was something normal. Fighting back the urge to rush in she stayed in the hallway. Leaning to one side as she sunk down, grabbing her knees she cried.
Everything was wrong. Ethan was gone, she was alone. She at least had the kids. She broke into a sobbing fit thinking of what it would be like for her if she and Ethan’s roles were reversed. She knew he had the focus to get to them. But she didn’t know how long she could keep it up.
“What the fuck is going on? Why did this happen to us?”
“It happened to everyone.”
Startled Rebecca let out a yelp. Backing away from where the voice came, she saw Mark peaking out of his new room.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, you just scared me. I thought I was alone.”
“It’s ok.” Mark said, in his soft, kind hearted way that made Rebecca’s heart melt.
“Come here baby, I need a hug.”
Mark quickly ran out of his room and dove into his mother’s arms. He was still young enough to do that without a care in the world, and she would soak that up as long as she could.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, I’ve just had a very long, and weird day. Are you okay? You aren’t hurt?”
Refusing to leave his mother’s arms he vigorously shook his head no.
“Ok, let me know if you’re hurt anywhere. Mommy’s got you.”
Several minutes went by before Mark pulled away from his mom. Haley still slept, Rebecca knew it’d take nothing short of a nuclear fall out to wake that child. Mark on the other hand, if someone thought of sunlight with a thousand miles of him, he was up, wanting to play.
“Mom… Where are we?”
Rebecca didn’t know how to answer that as she wasn’t quite sure where they were.
“We are… in our knew house. We are going to spend some time here, and then go back home. Are you okay with that?”
“Okay.”
“Baby, look at me.”
Mark avoided eye contact like his father. She always had to get him to focus extra hard when she wanted his attention.
“Are you okay with us living here for a bit?” Rebecca asked once more. Mark locked in on her like a laser.
“I am not happy about it.” Mark said, making a face that made his effort to make eye contact very apparent.
Smiling inside, Rebecca continued to question her son, “Did you want to tell me why?”
“Trains.”
“Right, I can’t image your trains made it in the move. I’ll tell you what. How about we get a snack, and then we can see if there are any Toys we can find?”
“There aren’t.”
Stunned for a second, Rebecca was worried Mark was about to get upset like Ethan when the world wasn’t the way only, he saw it.
“I am sure we can find something.” Rebecca said as she stood up, she remembered a door on the right as she came in, opposite the front room. She figured there had to be a kitchen in the apartment. If not, she at least knew where Haley was, and was confident she would sleep until woken, like Miri had said.
“We won’t. We have to make our own. I would like a steam train. I don’t like the noise the electric trains make, which is good since we don’t have electricity anymore.” Mark said, following his mother to the other side of the apartment.
“What? Who told you we don’t have electricity? See those lights, they’re on, so there has to be electricity.”
“Magic. Magic circuitry. Or runes.”
Halting mid step, Rebecca turned to Mark. How could he know that, Miri said she had to explain things to her kids. He shouldn’t have known magic was supposedly a thing now. Let alone how the lights work.
“How… How do you know that, Mark?”
“The Guide.”
“The Guide, what Mark? I need you to focus, and talk to me. I am a little worried.”
“The Guide said we don’t have toys here, we had to make our own. He said I had to wait for you to get home before I could leave me room. He said they didn’t have trains. Because they were innnifishyants. Innie-fishy. Inninfist-ist.”
“Inefficient.”
“Yeah that. I told him steam trains were the best. I told him I didn’t like the electric trains. Cause of the noise. He said we didn’t have electricity anymore. I asked how the lights were gonna turn on, and he said magic. Then he answered all my questions about magic. Mom. Can I make a magic train with Dad?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Rebecca felt the wave of anxiety rush up her throat. Someone, a guide no less was around her kids without her? This went against everything Miri had said about her role here.
“Yeah, I think we can get that done. I just gotta figure out how to do that first. Magic is new to me, so it might take some time.”
“It’s not new to Dad. Can he do it with me?”
“What? Baby, how do you know that? I haven’t even talked to your dad yet. I haven’t seen him since I woke up. How…”
“Did you check your screens?”
Rebecca realize he had access to the System notifications as well. But how did Mark know Ethan could use magic, quickly pulling up here status screen she almost cried again. He had found away to let her know he was alright.
DING
On top of all the other windows was a brand new notification.
[SUBJECT][ETHAN SOXE] WISHES TO ALLOW YOU TOTAL AND COMPLETE ACCESS TO HIS SOUL REALM.
[WARNING: ACCESSING SOMEONE'S SOUL REALM WILL OPEN THEMSELVES UP TO YOU. ALLOWING YOU TO NURTURE, OR DESTROY THAT PERSONS SOUL.]
DO YOU ACCEPT?
YES/NO
Without a second thought she accepted.
"Ethan? ETHAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Panicked Rebecca yelled into the apartment, not caring who heard.
"Mommy?" Mark had worry plastered on his small face.
A warm sensation washed over Rebecca. She knew it was whatever Ethan has done. She could sense him. He was annoyed. Scared. and most of all angry. Hoping it was a 2 way street, she pushed all of the love she could muster for him, at him. Where ever he was. Wanting the same connection he had with her more than anything.
DING
Startled, she opened her notifications again.
[SKILL DISCOVERED]
SOUL CONNECTION
YOUR INNATE KARMIC BOND WITH [SUBJECT] [ETHAN SOXE] HAS ALLOWED FOR THE DISCOVERY OF THE SKILL [SOUL CONNECTION].
AS THIS BOND GROWS SO DOES THE INFORMATION SHARED, OPENING ONES SOUL TO ANOTHER IS NEVER EASY. EXCEPT FOR YOU.
LEVEL 1
(Note: This skill passively grows over time, there is no evolution, only a stronger bond)
The notifications kept going off as tears rolled down her cheeks. He was okay.
"Mommy?"
Checking the other notifications. She noticed half of the previous warnings were now gone. He had finished whatever awakening was, he was alive.
"Mommy!" Mark on the verge of tears cried out.
Closing all her windows, Rebecca composed herself, "Sorry, mommy just got some really good news, and it made her happy cry."
"You scared me."
"I know baby, I'm sorry, it has just been a very long day."
"I'm hungry."
"Yeah, right. We were headed to get you a snack. I think I want something to eat too."
"Can I have mac n' cheese?"
"Baby, I don't know if we have any."
Starting for what she hope was the kitchen, she heard heavy foot steps come running down the hall.
Haley was running full sprint through the front room, terror on her face.
"MOM, WHERE'S DAD?"
----------------------------------------
It took a few days to get the kids to stop crying. After she told them that she didn't know for the thousandth time, they settled down, way down, and started crying. Rebecca cried herself to sleep a few times as well. Luckily both kids wanted to sleep with her the first few nights, so they cried together. Then, on the third day, they woke up, and accepted their new reality. Rebecca suspected some emotional manipulation from the System.
She felt it as well. It was odd, any time she started to feel down or depressed, thinking of Ethan missing, a wave of warmth would envelope her. Not physically, but mentally. She caught looks from Haley when it happened. Rebecca knew her daughter felt it too. They both kept their mouths shut about it. Mark on the other hand, didn't give a hint at anything.
If anything he seemed more focused. He had claimed a walled book shelf to himself. It was full of books. Which was odd because he was 5, he could barely read. He was still working on Hop on Pop before the System arrived.
"Hey Mark?" Rebecca called from the Kitchen.
Turns out they did in fact have Mac n' Cheese. And a whole kitchen. It was weird, because food was already prepared and waiting for them everything she went into the kitchen. She asked Miri about it once, and said it was a "feature to facilitate an efficient learning experience". Rebecca put a stop to that, she needed something to do other than study the magic of her new reality. And cooking was the perfect way to forget her new reality.
"YEAH, Mom?"
"Come here for a second, please?"
"Okay!" She could hear Mark getting up. Tip toeing around his pile of books. Her hearing had improved along with every other sense. It was taking some effort to adjust.
"What do you need mom?"
"I was hoping you'd set the table while I finish up dinner. And then tell me what you've been reading?"
"Can you see what I'm reading?"
It was another weird 'feature' of this new world. Every book on the shelves was blank for anyone except the one holding it, then it would be the book you wanted to read.
"Constructs."
"And what is that?" It was a dangerous game Rebecca was playing, she knew it was a gamble asking Mark questions about topics he enjoyed. If he hated it, all she got in return was an 'i don't know, it's dumb'. If he loved it, she had to strap in, cause it was gonna be a doozy of a lecture.
"Constructs are the solid forms of Attributeless or Aspectless magic. They have nothing but raw magic. But they are solid like the floor. But you can add Aspects to them, like FIRE!" mark said with a huge grin.
He joy made Rebecca happy.
"Mom! Can you imagine!?! A Train MADE. OF. FIIIRE!" Mar danced with excitement as he went around the table setting it.
"Wow, that would be pretty cool. Maybe if you work hard at it you can show your Dad when he comes and gets us."
They had all seen the notifications, they were the family of the [End], whatever that meant. They also all felt the stat increases. Day by day they grew stronger because of Ethan. But they weren't slacking either, they had discovered that the more they read, the more their own stats increased as well. Rebecca had plateaued. She knew she had reached her limits. It was time for her to do some actual training. She hope Casey was feeling up to it. She didn't know anyone else. Well there was Miri, but Miri had made it clear she could not help Rebecca, other than answer questions.
Haley on the other hand, was distancing herself more and more. Rebecca worried a bit, but she knew her daughter. She was going through something traumatic, and she needed her space to process it all.
"Hey Mark, can you ask your sister if she wants to join us?"
"Okay."
Before Mark could even turn around, Haley burst through the kitchen door.
"Mom! CHECK THIS OUT!!" Haley practically shouted as from her body, bathing the kitchen in radiant, hot, blinding, light exploded.
What happened next freaked Rebecca out even more, if that were possible.
"TOO BRIGHT!" Mark screamed as thrust his hands out towards his sister.
Two bright blue walls shot forward bending and warping to cover his sister. Fully encasing her in what amounted to a cube.
"Hey, dick! I was showing my mom my new magic skill! Let me go!"
"Your a dick!" Mark shouted back.
"BOTH OF YOU STOP IT CALLING EACH OTHER DICKS RIGHT NOW." Rebecca was once again on mental overload.
"What the hell was that both of you?"
"Magic"
"Magic"
They said in unison.
"Am I the only one who hasn't been practicing their skills, around here? First it was your dad and his stupid feelings soul magic, now Haley you are freaking light house, and YOU Mark, do you just have Cage Magic?"
"I'm not a light house, how rude. It's a beacon, so Dad can find us, no matter how far away he is." Tears started rolling down Haley's cheeks.
"And mine's not Cage Mage. That's weird. It's Constructs. I wanted a train, remember mom?" Mark on the verge of tears as well, continued, "I wanted to show Dad my train when came for us."
Rebecca swept up her kids, and they cried together once more. She felt stupid thinking they had moved on. They all felt the System descend on them, and as one they forced it away. They needed to cry it out.
DING
They all heard the notification, but kept crying. She was so proud of them. They all found the same faith in Ethan, and all missed him in their own way.
Rebecca resolved herself to catch up. To catch up to her children, and Ethan.
Sending her love and hope through the link like she did everyday, she held her children and cried with them.
Ding
Ding
Ding