"So let me get this straight," I said as I eyed him. "There are six base attributes in Dungeons and Dragons: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma."

"Exactly," he replied, a bit distracted as he kept glancing at the blonde girl next to him. "But whatever it is, I can't guarantee it will be anything like that."

"I know," I replied in a low, resigned voice. "But what else can I do?" My friends shrugged, then nodded, and sighed. "I still need to figure out what each of these things even means." I was distracted as I glanced around the courtyard. "I’m still not altogether sure if I understand it completely."

"Victoria, I think you will just have to rip the bandaid off, as it were," my best girl friend said as she looked me in the eyes. "It will be alright; we are here for you."

I shut my eyes, then with a deep breath, I looked at the prompt and thought, Yes. Then the world around me started changing. The air grew cold and crisp as reality began to warp around me. I started seeing lights flaring up around me. It looked like light was flowing up from the ground, and as it rose, it seemed to build a soaring structure that engulfed me. Thick pillars of light grew from the floor and into the sky. Within moments, they had risen forty or fifty feet into the air. The whole time I was moving my head left and right, watching as the magical structure grew around and encompassed me. My eyes grew wide as I looked around and realized.

"A library? I’m in a library," I said aloud, in wonder. I hoped I wasn’t making a fool out of myself as I looked around and talked to myself.

The ancient walls were lined with vast shelves, shelves filled with tomes, scrolls, and things I even lacked the knowledge to be able to describe. In the center, there was a great globe that stuck up from the floor, a ray of light shown down bathing the North American continent in light, and a brighter pinprick of light showed from the area of San Antonio.

"Victoria Vivian Leighton," a sonorous female voice whispered in my ears. "You are called to fulfill your family's ancient call of duty to the Akashic library." The world seemed to grow more solid and real at the words. "The energy where you are is strong enough for me to call you to me. Your world is in grave peril." The resonant feminine voice said.

"Where am I?" I asked the disembodied voice as the surroundings of the great, silent room filled me with wonder. My words echoed through the great halls.

"Welcome to the Akashic Library, Victoria Vivian Leighton," the same voice said, filling the room. "The energy drain is significant. Time is short, my words are most dire. The barrier that protects this dimension is failing, hastened by human science."

I was startled, and then I replied, "Where…" I started to ask as I looked around myself, the voice's dire words half-forgotten in my puzzlement. I even stood up from the bench and tried to look around the library to find the voice. "Are you?"

"The Akashic library is everywhere and nowhere. We live in each individual and encompass the tenth dimension," the voice said. My jaw dropped. What could happen next? Noah Wyle is an old suit?

"That is impossible," I stated, the feeling of panic welling up. I really was insane, I thought, just like Dorgan said.

"Only improbable," the voice said in what I thought of as a snide tone. "We do not have time. I must instruct you and give you your charge."

"Why am I here? I mean, why me?" A whiny cry came out of my mouth as I spun around looking at the library.

"The question is not why you. Instead, ask, why not you." At that note, I saw a glimmer on the globe and found myself in front of it. It was like a dream where you move around in brief flashes. "To answer that question, we must begin at the ending."

My eyes were drawn to a spot on the northeastern section of the African continent, a circle that looked like a target in the Sahara desert. "Long ago there was a land of knowledge, science, religion, faith, and magic that existed in a far offshore." An image welled up showing a walled city surrounded by water. The city grew into a great city, and then there was a flash as the buildings started to crumble, the people forced out and fleeing across the turbulent waters.

"The world was ruled by a system, designed to make the men and women of the world stronger. There were five great civilizations, the names now lost to your people's time and held only in my memory in these halls. In time, as happens, war broke out between these powers. The great thinkers of the city devised a plan. They created the Akashic library, housed between time, to harness the system to their will and whim." The voice paused. Before continuing. " They would allow the monsters to grow in the other civilizations, weakening them even as their own people grew strong."

"I sense a but…"

"They grew arrogant, prideful. In an attempt to gather greater power, they destroyed their own city. They extinguished their link to the great Akashic Library and to me. They and their descendants were spread across the world, the only ones able to gain power from fighting the monsters brought by the system."

"And this barrier?" I asked.

"The Akashic barrier divides the system of earth from an even greater system that rules the worlds of the wider cosmos." I felt a chill.

"How am I involved? How am I supposed to stop the fall of the barrier?" Oh, god, I thought, I can’t be the chosen one.

"The great city fell, its people were scattered in a great diaspora when there was a great inundation that sank the city," the library stated.

"Wait! Atlantis?" My mouth hung open, then I closed it as I continued to talk. "You’re talking about Atlantis?"

"Yes, that was the name given it by Plato. Though the city was lost over twelve thousand years ago. Today we are still faced with the consequences of that loss." The voice echoed. The last word was as it built into a crescendo. "The last great experiment opened cracks in the worlds reality. The surviving families bound they and their descendants to eradicating the evils and creatures of that alien system." The voice paused. "Recent experiments have opened cracks in the world wall; the outer system is flowing in, and the only ones who can combat it are few.

"I’m Atlantean?" I asked in a dull, shocked tone. "I’m a total freak and have to save the world? Wait, do like sea creatures come to my call?" I said jokingly. I thought, let this be a dream.

"Focus, human child. The scions are many things." A window opened before my eyes. I saw hundreds of figures there. "War wolves." A figure of a man stood there, a wide barrel chest, then he changed, and a beast stood there with the head of a wolf on two legs. Another figure stood, a young girl, fire flying from her hands. The forms grew and flowed before my eyes, showing all kinds of possibilities. Then they stopped dissolving into particles of light that reformed into an image. An image of me; dark hair, brown eyes, and an inner light I had never seen in myself. "The Akashic library is a part of the Akashic field, or that is to say we are the same."

"What is the Akashic field?" I asked as I stared at the light sculpture. I reached out a hand to touch the figure, and it moved to imitate my gesture and posture perfectly.

"It is known by many names: Magi sphere, Prana, Mana, the force across your world. There are over two hundred and fifty-two words that describe it in the known languages. Nearly three times that many if you factor in the dead languages of civilizations past. But it all comes down to one word. Magic."

I was confused. I whipped my head around, and my hair flew wildly around me. The image followed my movements faithfully. "No. No, no, no, you can’t do that. Magic isn’t real."

The voice snorted. "Magic is as real as your Santa Claus, just ask Virginia."

I definitely sensed amusement in the voice. "You, Victoria Vivian Leighton, have been called by your bloodline's oath. You are to take up the call and become a hunter on this the sixteenth year of your birth. And on your fourth birthday."

"Is my mom a hunter? My father? Is that what happened to him? He was hurt while hunting?" I demanded.

"Your biological parents were both hunters of the highest renown. They have fulfilled their oaths. Their passing was a great loss." The voice stated.

"Wait! What the heck!" I yelled. "My Biological parents? My parents are alive." The library was silent. "My parents are alive!" I felt something inside of me lurch, I started to feel sick to my stomach. Did this thing just tell me I was adopted? On my birthday?

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"No, we have the video of me being born." I said, my voice more confident as I remembered the stupid video. "You have the wrong person." I threw out in desperation. Then laughed. "I’m not who you want. I’m not a hunter."

"Victoria Vivian Leighton, do you believe an entity that is all and knows all would make an error as fundamental as mistaking you for another."

My world collapsed around me as my heart felt like it dropped. An entity that knew all and was all, the cosmic consciousness was telling me I wasn’t who I thought I was. That same voice was calling me to do battle and to save the world. "You have been separated from your people. Aid will be given to you."

I felt confused. Who was I? Who were my people? Shocked, I nodded vigorously. This couldn’t be real; I had to have had a mindbreak or something. "Yes, yes, I need help. Maybe a psychiatrist." I said to stop the incipient scream I felt waiting to come out and drag me into madness. A shadow grew quickly and then a figure took shape. It was small and looked female, about a foot tall. "How am I supposed to heal the system?" I begged.

"My servant will help guide you in your quest, child."

"Hi Victoria. I’m Lacie, and I’m here to help you through your first few days."

"You’re a pixie." I stated and eyed the creature growing horror. The small woman just smiled and cocked her head. I examined the creature carefully; short with a short pixie-cut blond hair bob. The small creature wore a green dress that sparked a memory. "Wait a second, you look like Tinker Bell..."

"Yep, that’s me." She said brightly as she put her hands together and pushed her arms out and down while laughing. "Now let us take a look at your statistics and see how many points you may have to work with."

"I really hope I’m going insane," I said.

"Oh, you're not insane. Unless an insane person’s invisible constructs can talk to them." Again, the small, Tinker Bell-like form laughed; its wings beating to keep it in the air. "Let me display your stats here." A list came up, and I looked at a numerical representation of my mind, body, and seemingly my entire life.

Statistics

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 15

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 18

Charisma: 10

Luck: 18

Extra Stat Points: 5

"Wow, that’s actually very impressive. Well, except for your charisma. Did your parents have to put a pork chop around your neck to play with the dog?" The Pixie that claimed to be Tinker Bell said cruelly.

"What do all the stats mean?" I asked, as I looked at them in confusion. Surely, I was better than a ten out of twenty. I thought. I came to a realization. I didn’t know why, but I really hated the pixie. Maybe it was the year of intensive therapy I had been put through after the fairy had shown up. Maybe it was the relentless teasing I had been put through by other kids when I talked about it. So I was a little conflicted, and then for it to come out of wherever and instantly be mean to me, it was a little much for my overstressed nerves.

The pixie, Lacie, was chuckling as she began. “The statistics or attributes describe a particular natural or inborn characteristic. It allows the system to generalize and adapt individuals to itself.” She smiled and continued. “We will start off with strength; Strength shows how much a person can carry, but it also shows your physical power and can reflect the damage you can do with a weapon. It also affects your life rating.”

I bit my lip; I narrowed my eyes. I wanted to yell and scream at the foot-tall harpy that was in front of me. “For a human, you have only average strength. But the good news is you can build your physical strength up over time.”

“I need to go to the gym?” I said flatly.

“Yes, you can start there. Then there is your Constitution. It reflects your overall health and stamina it also reflects your body’s ability to fight off disease.” The pixie continued to lecture. A series of daggers appeared in the creature’s hands, and she started to juggle them as she talked. “The Dexterity attribute reflects your body’s ability to move with grace and precision. It also aids in your ability to avoid danger. Your dexterity is slightly above average, but you are no cheerleader.” The pixie said as she released the daggers in the air. And they began to fall before disappearing once again.

“Are you the real Tinker Bell?” I asked.

“No,” The little creature said. “I’m usually called Lacie.”

“Then we come to the statistics you have that are the highest. Intelligence, it’s a measure of your ability to apply reason, logic, rationality, and memory. You have near-perfect recall. Like the other stats, you can build them up over time and with usage. However, the higher your stats are, the harder it is to increase them through effort. While Wisdom, another high attribute score, influences so many things. It affects your ability to learn and apply what you already know. It also aids in your body’s Mana regeneration rates.”

“So I’m smart and wise?” I asked. I couldn’t recall anyone ever calling me that, and I had never really felt wise. “What does being wise even mean?”

“Oh no, Wisdom doesn’t mean you are wise; it just means you can use the knowledge you have. The statistics are only a general indicator of where you are at. There are aspects that cannot be quantified.” The small woman seemed to smirk at her. Victoria felt that she was obviously missing something but didn’t know what it could be. “Then we come to Charisma; Something you really need to work on, by the way.” This was said in a sly, snide way. “This encompasses so many things, personal grooming, emotional intelligence, social expressiveness, and the ability to read cues from others.”

“Abilities you feel I lack?”

“Oh, there is no feeling to it at all. Let me give you a prime example. Luke has been pining for you for years.” She drew out the last syllable in years to emphasize the boy’s desire. “And what do you do?’ Michael, Michael, Michael!”

“Wait, Luke what?” I said in surprise.

“You missed every social cue that boy ever gave you.” The hateful little creature said laughing at my distress. “And now he has a date for the formal with your best friend.” Shocked into silence I sat staring at the pixie that stood there with a smirk on her face. I felt myself growing defensive and then wondered why. I had no interest in Luke. The more I thought about it, though, the more confused about my feeling I became. I felt myself shutting down as I tried to analyze what was going through my mind. Luke? Was interested in me? I felt something wrap on my forehead.

“Hey, stop thinking about it you’ll do yourself a mischief.” The tiny pixie said as it hovered in front of me.

My eyes bore into the little monster. I wondered if I could hurt the little beast. “The last statistic is Luck.” Again the pixie mimicked an action, that of throwing dice. “Luck is neither inherently good nor bad, but having a higher luck statistic means you will tend to see the extreme probabilities.”

“Such as?” I mumbled.

“If you gamble, you will tend to win big or lose big. You may see your weapons hit a particularly weak point on your prey.” Lacie stopped rolling the dice, then looked at me as I continued to think. “What are you thinking, Victoria?” She asked.

“So my luck is very high?”

“It’s incredibly high for one so young. It is the only attribute that you cannot change on your own or add points to. That being said, registration is your one opportunity to increase it.”

“How do I do that?” I asked. As I took a deep breath. I knew I was going to have to work with Lacie, and it would be better if we were on good terms with what was essentially my companion.

“That’s the last part we will get to. You have five unassigned attribute points. You will receive an additional statistics point every fifth level. But you can build up your points between levels.”

So I can assign these points I get to start with?” Lacie nodded her affirmative. “Then if I start working out I can build up my strength?”

“Essentially? Yes. But it is very difficult.” I chewed on my lip as I continued to think. “Once I assign my points what happens then?”

“Then you can choose a class.” The pixie said as she fluttered around.

“Can I assign points to help me get to a preferred class?”

“You can,” Lacie said. “Is there a class you would prefer?”

“I don’t even know what classes are available,” I mused. “This sounds more and more like dungeons and dragons. The way Luke described it.”

“Oh, it is. Where do you think Gary got the idea from?” The Pixie said with a smile and flutter of her eyebrows. “He knew several hunters in school and used what they told him to develop his game.”

“So what’s this leveling about? Why not start everyone off with lots of power and wipe out the monsters quickly?” I asked.

“The human mind and body are not equipped to deal with a sudden increase in power and ability. Again, the levels are normalized. Everyone’s leveling is going to be different. Your bodies have to acclimate to the power and knowledge that you absorb from the Akashic fields around you. Too much power, too quickly, and your bodies suffer grievously.”

“Suffer grievously?”

“It depends, body swelling and popping like a balloon, muscles atrophy, or petrify, your brain literally turning to mush.” The Pixie said deadpan.

“Okay, so slow and steady power increases. But I still want to know about my family. Obviously, there is a mistake somewhere.” The pixie shrugged her shoulders and fluttered her wings, the motions only feeding my frustrations.

“Let’s get this over with.” I said staring balefully at the numbers before me. “What are the statistics I can grow on my own?”

“The easiest to increase are Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Wisdom comes from learning how to apply the knowledge you already have. Charisma and Constitution are the hardest to increase over time.” Lacie replied.

“How would I gain Charisma?”

“Showing moral fortitude. Exercising, people are more apt to follow or listen to a fit person unless it’s in medieval times than they listened to fat burghers.” She continued speaking. “Learn nonverbal cues and know when to use appropriate humor. Dress better.” She said reaching out and fingering the school uniform I wore.

“Okay, let me put two points into Wisdom and three points into Charisma.” I watched as the statistics changed and felt a swelling in my head and body that I could not explain.

Statistics

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 15

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 20

Charisma: 13

Luck: 18

Extra Stat Points: 0

“I’m surprised,” Lacie said. “Most hunters put a few extra points into luck when they get started. Why aren’t you?” She questioned.

“My dad always said that luck is a lie. You can grow to count on it too much. Good luck is being prepared to take advantage of an opportunity when it comes your way.”

“And bad luck?” Lacie asked.

“That’s just inadequate preparation,” I replied.

The Akashic library spoke. “Victoria Vivian Leighton you have changed your statistics. Do you accept them and wish to move on to accept a class?”

“Yes.” I stammered.” But I will need some help to understand what a class is.”

“Oh, the class is easy,” Lacie said yawning as she started to explain.