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This promised to be an exciting day. The last couple of years had been quite boring as her friends had one after another left for the academies, and her brother spent most of his time at Mahora. He’d returned a couple times a year every year, but just like with her friends, contact aside from those visits had grown increasingly infrequent as time passed. It was natural for friends to grow apart when they didn’t see each other for years, and considering the cost of magical communication across worlds, it was even more natural. She had expected her brother to keep more in touch though, but it seemed Raziel was quite busy with his studies. Even their mother was growing a little worried. Still, he didn’t seem like he was bullied or anything during his visits, and he reassured them that he was alright, so there was little they could do about it for now. He also seemed to be very cheerful and happy during the visits, so they chalked it up to just growing up for the time being.
That would change soon though, as today was her System Day! Her mother had been taking her around on various activities for the last couple of years to make sure she could unlock great Skills and Classes. Since she wasn't sure if her past life counted, she made sure to dedicate her growing free time to make sure she met the conditions for as many classes and Skills as possible. Seeing as she was supposed to be a Champion of a god, she focused mainly on combat-related Classes, though she didn't neglect more basic Skills like bartering and survival either.
Many of the Classes had very basic requirements that you filled almost automatically anyway. Since you earned Skills by performing actions associated with them, and Classes by doing things related to the Class, some of them had to have easier requirements. As an example, since you couldn’t really do magic, something associated with any mage Classes, before unlocking the System, the best way to gain the Classes was to study magical theory. Most Classes and Skills had similar requirements, though certain advanced Classes required you to perform certain feats or fulfil very special conditions to gain access to. Most of those Classes were not available as a first Class though.
“Are you sure you don’t want a present aside from money?” Her mother asked while the two were eating in a restaurant. Ophiel hadn’t baked her a cake, as Seraphiel had made her brother’s cake, and they both knew she made better food anyway. They’d decided to eat out instead.
“I’m sure. I have no idea what sort of Class I’ll have anyway, so if you got me a sword like Raziel, it might end up wasted. I can always use some spending money when I go to the academy. You know I’m not going to just waste it.” Seraphiel argued.
“I know honey, but it still feels somehow less personal than the gift I gave your brother. Too bad he couldn’t be here.” Unlike with her brother, her System Day didn’t just coincide with one of the enrolment days of the academies, and Mahora was actually visiting one of the worlds relatively far from their home. Still, the delay would allow her to get used to her new Class, whatever it ended up being.
“Oh, I can actually feel it hap-.” She started saying, before her mind was suddenly somewhere else.
She found herself somewhere completely different, and she was also back in her own body. A single glance out of the windows told her she was back on Earth. Roughly around the 20th century. She’d visited several alternative versions of the world where things happened a little differently, so she couldn’t be sure of the exact century. The city below and the noise of traffic narrowed things down, but not enough. For some reason, she could tell this was supposed to be her Earth. The original one. Yet it wasn’t. There was just something missing.
The room she was in seemed to be a penthouse of some sort. There was a mini bar with a wide choice of alcohols opposite a grand piano, a sofa, and several leather chairs of rather expensive make. On one side she could see a couple of steps leading to an alcove bedroom with a bed made with very expensive and high-quality sheets. There was also a door leading further inside in the alcove. The internal walls seemed to be mock Assyrian make, while the outer walls were mostly floor-to-ceiling windows. On the other side, she could see a rather sizeable library that went up two floors with one of those ladders that you could push along the bookshelves. There was also a stained-glass window depicting what she assumed to be Virgin Mary of all people. The balcony she was standing on overlooked the city below and also had plush seats as well as a hot spa.
She didn’t have too much time to take it all in when a dinging sound came from the other side of the penthouse and elevator doors opened to reveal a very familiar figure. A figure that she had missed dearly. “Sister!” The charismatic and devilishly handsome dark-haired man greeted with a dazzling smile.
“Lucifer?” She got lost in her memories of her favourite sibling for a moment. Lucifer had always been the sibling she’d been the closest to, and the one that she’d supported during the so-called rebellion that saw her exiled and her brother banished to Hell. She felt true warmth in her very core from seeing him again. Warmth that turned into cold anger as she realized this couldn't be. Her golden wings quickly lashed toward the man, barely stopping in front of him. "No, you're not my brother. Who are you, and why are you wearing my brother's face?"
“Didn’t take you long to figure that one out. Still, I expected you to have figured out the rest by now. You always were quick-witted.” The man didn’t seem worried. Instead, he walked behind the bar and poured himself a drink.
“This was supposed to be my System unlocking…which means you’re my Guide. The Guide always takes the form of someone we trust the most.” She reasoned out quickly, before looking at the man with narrowed eyes. “An interesting choice. Lucifer is just about the least reliable person I know.”
“Yet here I am. I didn’t make the choice, you did.” The man pointed at her with the hand holding the now filled glass. “Reliable is also not the same thing as being someone we trust. Your brother, and by extension I, both have one quality that makes us very trustworthy.”
“Well, Luci never lies. And I do trust him. Enough to even defy Father. But you’re not Luci.” She said accusatorily.
“That’s both true and not true. I am the representation of the System, given form by your memories and thoughts. For all intents and purposes, I am the same as your brother. To be precise, the System only has intelligence and emotions when you and people like you give them to me and those like me. At least, that’s the official story.” The man sipped his drink and smiled in apparent appreciation of the liquid. “And I have to say, this might be the best form I’ve ever been given.”
“The official story?” That detail stuck out to her.
“Now, it wouldn’t be any fun if I just told you, would it? You’ll have to find out on your own.” The man smiled in exactly the same way she remembered her brother doing a million times before.
“Now that’s something Luci would say.” She admitted with pursed lips. “Fine. Have it your way then. We’re here for a reason.”
"We are, but unlike most people, your situation is a little…complicated." Her brother showed a slightly regretful expression, something she'd seen only a few times on that face.
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“Complicated how?” She asked.
“Well, all Champions when they are summoned are given an option. They can be summoned as they are, and I’ll do my very best to transfer their current abilities over. I’ll also grant them the level and stats I find most representative of their strength the moment they are summoned. The other option, the one that is almost never taken, is to be reborn and grow into their powers within the confines of the System. You can end up much more powerful as the Champion has access to special abilities associated with their past, and often can correct past mistakes to become even stronger with the help of the System. However, if your earlier power was the result of luck and fortunate circumstances, you might end up weaker. As most Champions tend to be either heroes or villains in their original universe, they are mostly supported by special items and circumstances and know they won't be as lucky a second time, even with special support from the System and the blessing of the God or Goddess that summoned them. Guess what most choose?" Lucifer, or the System wearing his face, explained. Luci had always liked the sound of his own voice.
“They choose to keep their own powers.” She gave the obvious answer.
“Naturally. Many a hero or villain has become so because they can take advantage of opportunities and a bit of fate. In being afraid of not meeting such circumstances in this life, they ironically ignore one of the greatest of all opportunities. Many also aren’t too thrilled to live through childhood again either, which I can certainly understand. No sex or anything fun for decades. Certainly takes the fun out of the experience.” He gave a shudder and took another sip. Luci always enjoyed his vices, though she couldn’t really judge as she hadn’t been much different even in the beginning and had grown even worse since then.
“I didn’t get a choice.” She pointed out the obvious.
“I’ll get to that a bit later. I should say though that while I call it a choice, it’s not really a choice as such. I don’t go to them and ask their opinion on the matter. As they are summoned, I gain access to all of their information. Everything that makes them who and what they are. I know what they will choose even without asking.” He looked at her in a way that told her he’d gained her information as well. “In your case, there was no room for a choice.”
“Why?” She asked.
“Well, to make things simple, the gods that summon their Champions can’t do it completely freely. The whole process is rather complicated, but to make things simpler, each god has a certain power budget they have to work with. Nobody has summoned you before because they didn't have the power to do so. The one who summoned you has been saving for a very long time, and even with that, they didn't have enough. Even at my full power, I can't bring your original body here as a summoned Champion. So, in your case there was no choice. Instead of bringing your original body over, I brought your soul here, with Father's permission of course, and placed you in a body that I specifically created with the intention that it can grow into a very close approximation of your real one. Of course, your own actions and choices will ultimately influence the end result. You can regain most of your old power with time, but it's going to take a while. I hated to ask, but Father did give me a bit of help during the process." His reluctance to have anything to do with Father was clearly showing.
“But…?” She realized there was something else.
“Well. Usually, I’m able to copy the Champions’ powers and body exactly, as that was the power granted to me when Father created the seed for this universe, but as you were directly created by Father and Mother, I’ll have to ask you a few questions and approximate some of your abilities based on what you tell me. Some things were easy, such as the Gift of Tongues. In other cases, I had to make slight adjustments to make it work with the System, such as the Gifts of Knowledge, Permanence, and Adaptability. I'll give you Skills that work basically like them, but you understand that I can't just allow something like the Gift of Permanence as it is, right? Being invulnerable to everything but other Celestials and metal that can only be found in your own universe, as well as some god-touched weapons is rather unbalanced. Despite everything, I do have to at least give the appearance of being a neutral arbiter.”
“I assume I’ll find out the details later.” She nodded, happy that at least her Gifts were not gone entirely.
“Yes. You can just pull up your Status and go through the details once we’re done here. Most of your old powers and skills have also been translated to Classes. In case you were wondering, just like other Champions, your old achievements qualify you for some very special Classes, which is one of the reasons why summoned Champions are so special. However, there was something, some power inside you that I just couldn’t get a grasp on. Something I could not quantify, even with my abilities to read all those summoned. Do you have any idea what it could be?” Lucifer drained his glass before pouring himself another and pouring one for her as well.
Ah. even Lucifer wouldn't know the answer to that.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he’d poured her a very special Aeldari wine she had not tasted in a very long time. Not since the first universe she’d been exiled to. “It’s rather obvious. As Father’s first creation, I was created for a very specific purpose. I was to be the protector of His creation, as well as perhaps eventually His successor. He never explained who I might have to protect the creation from, but He saw fit to grant me a piece of what made Him special. A very small fraction of his divinity.” She took another sip of the wine. “I think that’s why He reacted so badly when we rebelled. He knew I was the only one that could actually harm Him. If the other Angels rebelled that was a nuisance, but I was dangerous.”
“So, daddy dearest put something extra in while creating you. Can’t say I’m surprised. You always were special to him.” The man managed to sound genuinely bitter just like she could imagine Lucifer being.
“Whatever else you say about Him, and I’ll be the first to condemn His faults, the one thing we can commend Him on is that for Him, we were all special.” She took a sip of her own drink and walked to the chairs before sitting down and gesturing at the sofa in front of her.
The man took the hint and took a seat opposite her. “I suppose that makes sense. I’m not entirely sure how to quantify that in terms of the System though. I’ll have to give it some thought.”
“Let’s start with the basics then. What am I? I’m pretty sure I’m not a standard Angel, despite my parentage.” She moved the conversation along.
“Right. That. Well, there are several distinct flavours of Angels in this universe. Even the most basic Angels can give birth to an Archangel. Your race was specially created for you, with Father’s assistance, and is called a Celestial. And you know what? That might be where your divinity comes in. Usually, the highest rank of races is reserved for those with either the blood of the gods, or the creatures that can rival them, the highest-ranked Dragons. I think we can now say you qualify." He looked satisfied with himself for solving the problem so neatly. She wasn't sure how to feel about such a reductive solution, but she wasn't going to argue the point.
“Can you finally tell me who summoned me? It won’t matter too much since I’m not someone who follows anyone’s orders, but it would still be nice to know.” She asked instead.
Lucifer’s look changed into a playful one and she knew she wouldn’t get an answer. “I believe I said something similar earlier. I could tell you, but where’s the fun in that? It would be much more interesting if you tried to figure it out on your own.” Of course he went back to that.
“I heard something about getting a blessing.” She pointed out.
“In a way, you are. However, your ‘blessing’ so to say is a little different. It’s tied to the fact that you couldn’t be brought here with your powers. You’ve used your Gift of Adaptability to learn many different ways to become powerful. So, I thought it would be interesting if your blessing was related to that. I also know you, and I know you’ll prefer this over some nebulous power dependent on keeping a deity happy. No, what you’re getting is a second Class straight from the beginning. That way you can start regaining some of your old power more quickly. And no one can argue against you having that power as you’ll have to earn it with hard work. Normally you get a second Class at level 100 and can only ever earn four Classes. You’ll start with a second straight away and will end up with five. That means you’ll also be getting stats and Skills from an extra Class, which will be a rather huge advantage, assuming you put in the work to exploit that advantage. You have to put in the work though.” Lucifer was clearly happy with himself for this, and she had to agree that the advantage suited her.
“I’m assuming I’m getting access to Classes that have to do with my old powers?” She asked the next obvious question.
“Naturally. All Champions benefit from their past achievements when it comes to Class availability. I can, and often do, create custom Classes just for them. That doesn’t mean others can’t gain access to the Class after it’s been created though. In your case, most of the Classes you need already exist. You may have noticed that we have connected with some of the universes you’ve visited in the past.” He looked at her rather meaningfully.
“I’m not blind. The existence of Draenei, Eldar, and even Asari is a rather blatant hint. Not to mention my visit to Mahora.” She just looked at him like he was being stupid, a look she had used many times in the past with the real Lucifer. Or Samael as he’d been known back then.
“Good. Just keep in mind that just like everyone else, you will have to work your way up to the really powerful evolutions of the Classes. Even if you decide to become a Farseer again, you won’t be making reality your bitch with your psionic might for many years yet. You’d start as an acolyte on the Path of the Seer. The same applies to all the other Classes. Some of the more advanced abilities will not be available for you in the beginning. To give another example using the same Class, just because you know that electrokinesis and thermokinesis are in reality the same thing, energy manipulation, which in turn is only a part of reality manipulation, that doesn’t mean you can just skip the first steps and go for the most powerful form of those Skills straight away. You can, however, combine Skills when your Class evolves, or after reaching a sufficiently high evolution in the Class.” It was clear that he was emphasizing the point for a reason, and she knew why. It would be challenging to go back to doing things the old and inefficient way when you already knew a better way.
“Let’s get to the Classes. That’s why I’m here, right?” She leaned forward.
“Yes. Let us get to the fun part.” He seemed just as eager.