Back in my living room I could hardly believe what I had just heard.
"What? Peaches? Can you understand me? Can you talk?" I said, my voice tinged with hope and disbelief..
"Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy!" She said as fast as she could, wiggling back and forth, clearly excited and unable to contain herself.
Dodging a barrage of enthusiastic licks, I managed to blurt out, "Sim, I didn't think animals could talk without some major alterations. What happened?"
"Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy!" she continued, now trying to jump around. Her paws tapped a rapid rhythm on the wooden floor, adding to the cacophony of her excited yips.
"It appears the mana alterations she experienced, along with the language pack I sent, succeeded in altering her mind enough for not just telepathic communication," Sim explained in that annoyingly calm tone. "The ability is tied to your connection as well. Most creatures won't be able to communicate with anyone until they advance further, however, she can speak with you telepathically and verbally much ahead of previously anticipated."
Sim continued her explanations about our bond, but honestly, I was too excited to listen. I didn't care how it happened; I was just thrilled to be able to talk to my little girl. Now, to see if she could say anything besides "daddy."
"Hey!" I said sternly, trying to regain some composure. "Stop! I know you're excited, but you need to calm down." I tried to keep a serious face but her wide, eager eyes made it impossible. "Ah, who am I kidding, this is awesome, come here.” I playfully rubbed her face as crazy as I could while she attacked me with licks, her joy apparent.
I stopped suddenly and just stared at her, my hand still on her head. She crouched, eyes locked onto mine, muscles tensed in anticipation.. “Wanna play tug of war?"
A new word exploded in my mind. It was clear and loud, as if she were holding a megaphone next to my ear. "YESSSS!"
I grabbed her favorite toy from the basket by the couch and tossed it towards her. She lunged, jaws snapping around it with precision. Her eyes sparkled with determination as she pulled back, a playful growl rumbling from her throat.
I gripped the other end of the toy, and the tug of war began. Peaches tugged with surprising strength, her paws digging into the carpet. Her nub of a tail wagged furiously, a blur of motion. The mana had given her a new level of vigor.
"You're strong now you big baby!" I laughed, feeling the strain in my arms. "But I'm not giving up that easily!"
We played for what felt like hours, the room filled with the sounds of our playful struggle and my laughter. Finally, I let go, letting her win. She pranced around victoriously, the toy still clenched in her teeth, eyes shining with pride.
Breathing heavily, I flopped onto the couch, watching her with a sense of wonder. "You really are special, Peaches," I said softly. She dropped the toy and trotted over, resting her head on my lap.
"Daddy," she thought, her voice soft and full of love. "I love you."
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stroked her fur, feeling the bond between us growing stronger than ever. "I love you too, Peaches," I whispered. "You’re my favorite!"
As I lay on the couch, my excitement was almost uncontrollable. Not only was magic real, but I could control and create it. My best friend could understand and talk back to me and not just follow commands. This was by far the most exciting day of my life.
After playing I told Peaches I'd be busy for a little while and that she could play outside in the backyard. Eagerly, she trotted through the back door, the rope still hanging out one side of her mouth.
"Sim," I said excitedly. "Normally, I'd be getting ready to head to the shop right now, but I started thinking about money. I don't need to earn money anymore, do I?”
Before she could reply I continued, the words tumbling out in a rush..“I want to create a new form of currency when the system starts, along with a ton of magic items in a system shop. Spirit coins. We definitely need spirit coins. I think they should be a mana version of coins. I like the idea of having platinum, gold, silver, and bronze coins for internal trade, but for system-created items, I want everyone to pay in spirit coins. We can have quests and trials to earn them, maybe from dungeon chests as well. This would be how everyone buys from the system. Once our connection solidifies, you'll be able to see exactly how I'm thinking it should work right?”
Once again I continued before she could respond, my excitement barely contained. “But until we activate it, I need to be able to at least pretend like I'm earning something, or the government will wonder how I'm paying for everything. I don't want to tell anyone I don't trust about mana until we have at least a basic system ready to go. What can we do about that?"
This time I actually waited for a reply "The easiest solution would be to wipe all records of your debts so no record of you exists. I could alternatively adjust your balance if you desire, but I don't believe money is a solution that would assist us in our goals."
I thought for a few seconds. "I know, but I still want to have a bunch because I have some ideas for improving things before the system activates, and there would be a lot of questions I don't want to deal with if anyone comes asking. Just make my crypto holdings skyrocket. I've got a few meme coins that never moved much. Just have some of the billionaire's accounts buy a huge amount. Have the value shoot way up and then sell it. But when you do it, also sell all the people’s who are struggling money-wise. That way, the only people who lose anything are the ones who normally manipulate the coins anyway. They keep making all the little guys lose money. This time, they’ll lose money to fuel the little guys. We still have quite a few years and people still have to live their lives during the time leading up to the system. So being able to help with cash instead of just granting mana channels to everyone would probably be better."
Sim went quiet for a quick moment before telling me, "Done. Your balance now has $865,717,081.24 dollars. I also made 3168 others sell their coins at the top of the value so they are now millionaires as well. I moved the balance to your bank account and created records showing it through proper channels. The government has monitors for large transfers so I blocked all reports showing your transactions to avoid questions.”
“Sweet…I think I also…” I began, but Sim cut me off mid sentence to try and help me understand something.
"Admin," Sim began, "I don't think you grasp the situation fully. Forget your old way of seeing the world. Money is meaningless. We can vaporize all technology or create a mana-powered world, yet you're worried about having money? You could teleport anywhere to continue our work, leaving those questions behind forever."
"I hear you," I admitted. "This is a lot to take in. Let me process it, get excited, make some people’s lives better, play around a little, then I'll focus. And could we ditch the 'Admin'? It's weird."
"We have years before the shield fails," I said. "But I have loved ones. I need them to accept this, not just survive, but thrive. I need to prepare them for it before it's forced upon everyone."
“Can you explain why you need to prepare your loved ones more than everyone else? There is no logic to worrying about one group over another unless it benefits you in some way.”
“Sim, your way of thinking is so logical without emotion. Humans are not like that. We are emotional beings. We build connections and those connections are tied to how we feel about everything. Review all my memories and look at my reactions when it has to deal with someone I have an emotional connection with. My reactions are not always the best choice for myself. Sometimes I purposely suffer to make others happy or make their lives easier. I don’t know how else to explain it. Just pay attention to each decision I make from now on and try to learn. You’ll see that many of my choices will ultimately benefit those around me and not necessarily myself. Even those I don’t know. I will sometimes make things more difficult for myself just to help those that need it. Even without a connection between us. This is called morality and empathy. Those who just think of themselves create problems. Everything functions better if logic is used along with empathy.
I’ll give you a couple examples. When I go shopping I don’t have to put my cart away. I won’t have any negative effects from just leaving it next to where I unloaded my purchase. There are no rules or laws saying I have to put it away. But I will walk the cart to the stall every single time, no matter how far it is from my vehicle, no matter how much of a hurry I’m in. I do this so the next person doesn’t have to fight my cart when they are trying to park and the employee doesn’t have to do extra work because I didn’t put it back. It’s events such as those that play into morality, sympathy, and empathy. If I see a dog on the side of the road that was hit by a car, I’m gonna stop and try to help. Not because it will benefit me in any way, but because the dog needs it. That’s the type of person I am.”
I paused for just a second before I started again. “Okay, just pay attention to everything and ask if you’re confused about one of my choices. Now, what should I do first?!”
Sim's responses were always lightning-fast. It felt like she had a pre-written script, waiting for my cues. "Don't wait on magical items," she advised. "Craft some now to help grasp the possibilities of your new abilities. They can be single-use mana creations that will stay unless reforged or require ongoing mana usage to operate. When the shield fails, we'll need mass production. I need to utilize as much mana as possible in the instant the shield fails to avoid widespread devastation/complete annihilation.”
“I have compiled a list inspired by Fantasy and LITRPG novels.Once we finalize details, I'll update it for creation. Open your hand.” She instructed.
With a confused look on my face I opened my hand. Two rings appeared and landed in my palm. I stared at them, speechless, wondering what they were. Suddenly, a little box appeared above them. The outline of the box was shimmering in a myriad of colors, almost like the iridescence of oil in sunlight but glowing with a divine light.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Item: Astral Storage Ring of Light - Match Set
Rank: Divine
Requirements: None
Capacity: 1000x1000
Durability: Unbreakable
Bondable: Yes
Mana: +500 MP / Second
Healing: +500 HP / Second
Stat increase: +100 to all main stats
Skills: Astral Shield / Storage
Shielded: Yes
Description: This set of storage rings was touched by divine light. They are capable of storing items and spells up to divine grade without using extra slots per item or damaging durability. The paired set is linked together through a personal Astral space so either ring may access the same storage. All stored items will experience a 1:1,000 time dilation. Living objects may be added but will experience a decrease of health per second at the rate of 1 health point per 1,000 seconds. The wearer of this ring is also granted the skill Astral Shield. This allows both wearers to activate the shield independently. When active the shield surrounds the wearer and automatically stores any object or spell that touches the shield within the ring. If a living object touches the shield, they will experience a stun lasting 15 seconds. If the stun affects someone wearing a storage device, all unshielded contents will be transferred to storage. If there is no space available, objects will be dropped instead of stored and the previous storage device will be destroyed.
Dumbfounded, I stared at the rings. "This is insane! Overpowered, even. We can't unleash something like this on everyone. It's practically a god-tier cheat item!
“Of course I’m gonna wear one,” I said smirking but with an offended expression, “but for something this strong, access should be near impossible. We need restrictions. Imagine someone finding a bunch of divine gear and handing it to a level 1."
“Agreed” Sim said “I created the rings to showcase what is possible. I need you to understand that the system does not have limitations. In the realm of what you can currently perceive, the options are limitless.”
While I still stood there awestruck at the absolutely insane amount of power the rings held, my phone started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and noticed it was Chris. A devious plan hatched to freak him out before telling him everything. I answered the phone like nothing had changed. “What’s up fatty?” I teased, my tone light and playful.
“Hey” Chris groaned on the other end. “Gonna have to skip the gym. My knee’s acting up again and I can hardly walk.”
“Oh, that sucks,” I said, feigning concern. “Actually hold on a sec.”
Muting the call I turned to Sim with a mischievous glint in my eye.. “Can you give Chris mana channels right now? If so, how long will it take for his knee to heal?
“Done” she replied.”Considering it’s just a torn meniscus and he has the minimum available mana due to new pathways, it should be completely healed in approximately 90 seconds”
“Perfect” I smirked. Waiting 30 seconds before unmuting, I said, “You're lying. You just want to be lazy.” I teased, trying to keep my voice casual but holding back a laugh.
“Shut up! You’ve skipped leg day before,”…Chris shot back, his tone becoming defensive. Then there was a pause, and when he spoke again, his voice was hesitant. "Uh, wait. My knee's actually feeling better now. As a matter of fact, now it feels great. The pain is completely gone. And…my back too. That's weird. I couldn't walk earlier, and my back's been killing me all day. What the hell? I haven’t felt this great in years. Dude, this is awesome, what just happened?"
“"Hold on," I interrupted, barely containing my laughter. I decided to push it a bit further. "Can you meet me at your shop in thirty minutes? It’s really important. I'll even pay for your lost time from work."
“What’s so important you need to meet at my shop, especially in 30 mins?” he asked.
“Just meet me there, it's a surprise, I guarantee you’ll want to see this.” I urged.
“Alright," Chris conceded. "Gotta fuel up first, then I’ll be right there."
With a hand over the mic, I stifled another laugh, forgetting to mute. "Hey Sim," I whispered, "fill his fuel tank too.”
“Done,” Sim said in what I swear was a disappointed tone, as if she knew I was going to continue having fun instead of actually working on the system.
I barely managed to spit out words between my laughter. “Dude, you filled up last night before we started working on the hummer. You don’t need to stop.”
“No I didn’t, I told you I needed to fill up but I never did. I just looked and it…” he trailed off again. ”No, you’re right. I have a full tank. What the hell? I swear I just looked and it was empty.”
“Just get to the shop. You’re not gonna believe this. Gotta go, bye.”
I hung up the phone before he could respond and started laughing so hard my eyes started to water.
"Are you sure I'm the right person for this?" I questioned, a hint of amusement in my voice. "I mean, I'll definitely get the job done, but I can already tell this is going to be a blast.”
I had a strange thought. If Sim and I are merging, will she start acting weird after a while?
“Here's a question for ya, once we're fully connected and we’ve fully merged, won't that affect how you act?"
“There will certainly be some influence," Sim acknowledged. "However, based on all available data, even with modifications to my behavior, the outcome will ultimately be positive. Therefore, the alterations are deemed acceptable. I need to understand emotions in much greater detail before any effect on my processing will take place."
"Great," I declared. "Before I head over, there's one more thing. I want to call Peaches back in and see if she can understand some things. Can you create an invisibility skill for her? We can figure out tiers and levels later, but for now, make it as powerful as possible with her current mana channels. I assume invisibility constantly drains mana, and I'm sure her pool is low. So can you continuously refill her mana at a rate that keeps it from failing until I tell you to stop? Is that doable?"
"Done," Sim replied. "The skill has been created, with various levels and variations already included. However, since it's your skill, you can access divine tier. There's a crucial point you might be missing. If you're the one activating the skill, it's your mana pool that will be tapped. You have access to all the mana that made it past the shield. Now that I'm an inseparable part of everything, our bond allows not only me but you as well to access mana from anywhere in the universe that is unshielded. With the current mana supply available before the shield fails, she'd be able to stay invisible for approximately 100,052,398 years.”
“Holy crap!" I exclaimed.
"I'll figure it out eventually." I said with the biggest grin ever plastered across my face.
“Come here Peaches” I yelled into the back yard. When she came over she looked different–almost more alive. It’s hard to explain but there was a spark in her eyes that I have never seen before. She sat before I told her to, tilting her head to the side like dogs do when they are trying to understand something. Then, I heard her little voice in my head. “Play?”
“Haha, not right now.” I told her. “Right now I need you to listen. I’m going to be gone for a while. Things are changing, and I want you to become as smart as you can while I’m busy. I want you to spend the next little while exploring as much as possible. I’m going to leave the gate open. You can come and go as you please. I’ll also leave the back door to the garage open so you can come inside anytime you want. I want you to explore everywhere. Listen to everything and try to learn as much as you can.”
“Do you remember when we went hunting?” Her head nodded in acknowledgment. “I give you permission to hunt and eat anytime you need food. Remember, we don’t kill pets, people, or anything that will not supply us with sustenance. We only hunt for food. Don’t kill anything that you can’t finish all of either. I will leave the cabinet open with your dog food in it but I know it’s not as good as hunting so you choose what to eat when you’re hungry. Now tell me, Did you understand any of what I just said?”
As I looked her in her eyes, I saw her pupils get a tiny smaller and then become gigantic. Almost covering the entire eye. Her head kept going from straight to tilted over and over again as her eyes squinted and then became big again. After about 10 seconds I finally heard a response.
“Explore, eat, play, learn.”
“Very good.” I told her. “You’re a very big girl and some people get scared because of your size. So I’m going to make you invisible. No one will see you and–”
At that moment Sim cut me off. “Mike, the version of the skill you have available also allows for no footprints and her sounds to be completely muffled. Even to the point that if she was eating right next to you, you could not hear her. I have added some stealth characteristics to allow for complete anonymity. The skill has the ability to unmuffle your voice on command, but in this particular scenario, I recommend we just keep her as silent as can be until you wish to deactivate the skill on her entirely.”
“Okay” I said. “Peaches, no one will see or hear you. You can go anywhere just make sure you stay away from roads. I don’t want you getting hit by a car because they won’t know you’re there. Also, I don’t want you to bump into anyone or anything. It will scare someone if they feel you but cannot see you. Now tell me again, what did I just tell you”
Her little voice sounded off in my head pausing between each word. “Play… run… eat… learn… no.. see… no.. hear… no.. cars… no.. bump. ”
“Okay, this is amazing. She is learning so fast,” I said excitingly. “Good girl. Now go and i’ll see you soon.” I waited until she had already turned to run towards the open gate, and I said, “invisibile” and she was gone.
“Sim” I asked “ how am I supposed to see her if she is absolutely invisible and sound proof?”
“You have an ability that manifested during our convergence. It’s called a divine eye and grants the ability divine sight. When you activate it you will be able to not only see mana, but also details on each person or item that would not normally show up in an analysis skill if you will it. It allows you to break any stealth or invisibility skill without trying as well. There is no way to block the ability. It is a gateway into the foundations of mana itself. During convergence you had what felt like the entire universe being sucked into your eye correct? This was all the knowledge currently available to me. You can access this through me but many concepts will be beyond your understanding. Your subconscious will filter data into the eye in the most understandable way possible when you try to access it, but some will still be beyond you for quite some time. I will also only send data you can comprehend when you ask for it. Now that you know of the ability, you can turn it on and off with just a thought.”
“Mike, this might also be a good time to mention that Peaches has already experienced an 81% increase in her brain’s processing power, a 31% increase in muscle density and strength, her health pool has had a 112% increase, the tumor is gone, and her mana pathways have already increased in size by 18% since creation. This was all achieved during the short time since you told her to play outside. At her current rate of accelerated growth, I calculate that she will be able to acquire the ability for higher learning in less than 10 days.”
I rapid fired questions at Sim after she explained Peaches’s upgrades. ““Wait seriously? Is that part of the information I could have seen? How is that possible?” I asked. “You should have told me sooner so I could assess her myself. I thought all we did was add normal pathways? Is this going to happen to every animal that gets mana?”
“When I added the translation pack to her mana pathways and linked her to you it altered her brain chemistry and ability to process mana more than simulations predicted. I believe her bond with you is increasing all aspects of her growth and altering her on a genetic level as well. Due to the admin role, she may experience growth at an uncontrollable rate. We will need to be selective on which lifeforms receive this until we have more conclusive data.”
“There are many things you are now capable of that we have not gone over. We can do so now if you would prefer but our connection is not complete so I can’t just send all the data to you yet. With your current proclivity to ask questions, we would need to allocate approximately 6 hours to discussing and teaching you about your main abilities.”
I shook my head back and forth as I responded, “No way. I don’t want to do that now. I get to go mess with Chris. Crap, we absolutely can’t give that pack to many animals. Maybe pets or companions, but that’s it. If we were to add it to something like a wild badger or wolverine and it just decided to go on a killing spree, it could manipulate people into a trap or something. That would be horrible.”We could possibly allow people to impart this translation pack as part of their skills, but this is definitely a skill that will be higher tier for any animal husbandry classes. Or maybe even just something like a Druid class. Hmm, I definitely need to think this through.”
“Okay, time to head to the shop and mess with Chris.” I said
I tried to do the most evil laugh I could muster but It’s hard to sound menacing when you're so excited you just want to scream.