He opened his eyes to darkness. It was pitch black in every direction, and there were no sources of light. Yet, he could see himself clearly. If anything else were present, he knew he would be able to see it. But there were no smells, and nothing could be heard.
“Hello,” his voice echoed infinitely. “Anybody.”
The surface under his feet was perfectly leveled, covered in a thin layer of water that seemed to stretch across the space endlessly.
Despite the bizarre situation, he somehow remained calm.
He walked for a moment, but everything remained the same. At least now he had the sound of water rippling under his shoes.
Brian noticed that he wasn’t getting wet. He would have expected his boots to be soaked, but they were completely dry. How was that possible?
He looked around as best as he could, but it was futile. He was trapped in an open expanse, a maze without walls.
But what was he doing before he ended up here? He couldn't remember. What was his name? Yes, he was Brian Valtwood, an engineer. Was this a dream? He recalled fragments about himself and his past, but there were blanks.
"Maybe if I tried to visualize a door..." he mused, focusing intently on the space in front of him. Nothing materialized, though he smirked at the thought of what Mandrix would say if he saw him trying to conjure imaginary portals. Who is Mandrix?
A disembodied voice called out. “Welcome back!”
“Who are you?” Brian asked. “Where are you?”
"We are here." The voice was familiar, but he couldn't associate a face with it. There were still blanks.
A silhouette slowly emerged from the water before him. It was black, yet discernible against the surrounding darkness.
Brian couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. The silhouette had no distinguishable features, no hairline.
“Am I dead?”
"Your current state of being is not death," responded the silhouette.
“What am I doing here?”
“You are here to choose a path.”
At that moment, Brian started to lose his grip on the dark plane. It seemed as if the space was fracturing. He looked at his hands. He was still standing, but his body felt disoriented, as if it had been sliced into multiple pieces and they were reassembled without precision.
“Just walk, I can’t do this on my own,” a muffled voice said.
“You know what, it’ll be fine, take your time and choose wisely” the muffled voice added.
Then a loud ring brought him back to the black space. “Damn, I am here again?”
"We are here," said the silhouette.
“Where’s here?” Brian asked, frustration mounting.
“You are here to choose your path.”
“You already said that… oh, ok fine. What path?”
“That is for you to choose. Are you ready?” replied the silhouette.
“Godammit” Brian sat on the floor, leaning back and supporting himself with his hands. The water felt like water and it moved like water when he placed his hands on the floor, but he was still not getting wet. He found it odd, and he curiously lifted one hand, only to find out that it was completely dry. “That’s weird.”
“You know, I know what this is. I got poisoned from fighting a bunch of valtivenoms and now I am in the deepest corners of my mind struggling between life and death.”
“That is incorrect, you are within the Valtite System.”
“I guess my mind could say that too.”
“So this is either my trial or a dream. But in the end it doesn’t matter, I assume I have no choice but to play this out.”
The enigmatic room started to tremble and Brian’s body started fracturing again.
“We are almost there. Just relax, go back.”
This time the ring in his ears was more intense, deafening, and it gave him a brief headache.
“Welcome back!”
“"Back again?" Brian asked. "I'll admit, I'm starting to get a little tired of this game. So… What is the Valtite System?”
“That is for you to figure out,” stated the silhouette.
“You’ve been screwing with me all this time, and you are not even going to tell? You sadistic figment of my imagination–”
The silhouette didn’t move from its spot. Its feet seemed to be merged with the water, but the humanoid shape itself wasn’t made of water, it looked like a shadow. “You wanted to choose a path for your valtite, did you not?”
“I mean… What happens if I change my answer?”
“You will die.”
“Wait what, why? That is very rude.”
“You merely exist in Valteria to carry the Valtite System. Not embracing it means that you are not needed in Valteria.”
“Can you just like…” Brian wondered if his question would even matter. The silhouette has made it pretty clear that there was only one choice for him, one thing for him to do. “Send me back to Earth?”
“That is impossible at this point. No substance in the universe that holds ‘Earth’ possesses the necessary energy to transfer lifeform into it.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“OK, whatever. So can you give me a tip or something? Maybe a place to start?”
Brian felt a burning sensation in his throat, and suddenly he was unable to breathe. He winced. He dropped to the ground. Then his body fractured again.
“That is all I can do for now,” said a second muffled voice“I won’t accept that, do something else, right now!” yelled the muffled voice #1.
“Welcome back!” said the silhouette again.
Brian stretched his limbs. “About that tip?”
“So, will you embark on your path?”
“I said yes!” Brian stated firmly.
At that moment, the silhouette gracefully glided over to Brian. “I am here to make sure that you understand the system and guide you as you choose your path.”
“You say that, but then you respond to me like I am a jedi or something. How am I going to learn about the Valtite System, if you won’t tell me what it is?” Brian was looking for a way to circumvent the humanoid’s logic.
“What do you remember before you found yourself here?” The silhouette finally gave a semi-helpful response.
Brian looked down, trying to recall how he ended up in that mind prison. “Before collapsing, I accepted the option to choose a specilization through the valtite system… Also, I had more stats than before. Did I… do it? Did my valtite cross the threshold?
“That is correct,” the silhouette replied, emotionless as ever. “By the way, you better hurry, our time together is coming to an end. Here are the paths available to you.”
Phantom - Available to those with a Dominion or Alteration affinity. Phantoms master stealth, blending their dexterity and physical constitution allowing them to navigate unseen and strike from the shadows.
The current situation felt familiar to Brian, but there were still blanks in his mind. Alteration, Dominion? He remembered the Decimator Academy. He remembered choosing an affinity, Dominion, under similar conditions.
“Our time is running out,” said the silhouette.
Brian focused on the description, he remembered he had built his constitution quite a lot and that he had invested into dexterity. The Phantom's blend of stealth and agility resonated with his preference for strategy over brute force. Striking unseen aligned well with his calculated approach to problems. He envisioned slipping through the shadows and outmaneuvering foes and thought that it aligned well with his build.
Curator - Available to those with a Dominion or Equilibrium affinity. Curators utilize constitution and wisdom to heal and protect. They are spiritual guides, maintaining balance and offering succor to those in need.
The Curator's focus on healing held little appeal. Brian desired a more active role in confronting threats, not merely mitigating the aftermath. He quickly dismissed this one. Healing, protection, guidance; they were all noble, but not his style.
Binder - Available to those with a Genesis or Dominion affinity. Binders fuse intelligence and stamina allowing them to form pacts with otherworldly entities. They navigate the boundaries of realms, drawing power from the unknown.
Becoming a binder was also appealing to him. Although he found the descriptions in general to be vague, this one resonated with him more, reminding him of his Dominion affinity.
“Can I get more information about each of these?” Brian asked.
“These paths are merely a seed. The branches are almost endless and there isn’t enough time.”
Titan - Available to those with a Dominion or Amplification affinity. Titans embody their constitution and strength, unleashing primal fury. They harness gravity and force, becoming whirlwinds of destruction.
Titans embodied raw destruction, but such primal fury countered Brian's temperament. It reminded him of Mandrix. That name again. He refocused on the task, preferring balanced talents over shallow might, and then moved on.
Echoist - Available to those with a Dominion or Command affinity. Echoists blend constitution and endurance, using musical valtite. Through performance, they weave spells that heal, buff, or debuff, resonating with the world's melody.
Serdna! He remembered that name. Brian recalled fighting the grivaxians. Thinking about Serdna as an echoist almost made him choose that option, but thinking logically, he didn’t see that specialization synergizing with his current capabilities.
“Ok, so yes or no questions are useless.” Brian felt the pressure of his tutorial coming to an end and not having learned anything. He tried to recall what all the stats that he saw were. “I thought my affinity was dominion, why did get options for every other affinity?”
“Everyone has potential for every affinity. Dominion is simply your strongest trait.”
“Ok, I see. Kind of how some people are naturally fast or strong.”
“Physical strength is enhanced by developing your amplification affinity, speed is a combination of your amplification and alteration affinities. I can explain the principles behind every affinity.”
“That wasn’t a question, I kinda figured that out by myself, but thanks.” Brian exhaled.
“I will warn you that your allotted time is about to expire. Shall I continue?"
“No, no, no, that is fine. I get the point.”
Brian screamed in pain as a jolt of electricity coursed through his entire body. The dark room distorted and his body fractured, just as it had before. This time, it was more intense. The entire room, including the silhouette, seemed to be distorting all at once.
“He’ll be fine. It’s pure luck that I happened to make my way through Havenstone. You should rest now. I promise that he will be with us soon,” a new muffled voice said.“Thank you, thank –” the first muffled voice cut off mid-sentence.
“Hey, watch out!” The newest muffled voice said in a panic." “Don’t worry, just rest. I’ll take it from here.”
Brian’s eyes fluttered open. He was resting atop the dehydrated water.
“Welcome back! Your time is nearly up.”
“Ok, ok. What’s a specialization?” Brian was in a hurry. He had realized that his time was indeed limited, and this silhouette could provide vital information.
“Which specialization will you choose–”
Brian didn’t let the silhouette finish. “What can I do in Valteria with the Valtite System?”
“The Valtite System is the key to Valteria, and it grants you access to places within Valteria that very few lifeforms–”
“That is enough. What is all the information that is available to me with the Valtite System?”
“It is better if you see for yourself.”
Brian’s mind was bombarded with screens over screens of information, ranging from stats to all of his abilities, energy ranks, and even some panels that he had not seen before. But the sensory overload proved too much, he couldn’t focus on any single piece of information. “Stop, Stop.” The information stopped appearing, and the last panel that sat atop all the other ones read ‘Catastrophic Event - The Calamity’. “What is The Calamity?”
Tracked Event: ‘The Calamity’
Time Until Event Starts: 2 Cycles, 5 Lums, 19 Sols, 40 Minutiae, and 46 Nivosecs
Chance of Occurrence: 73%
“Our time has come to an end–”
“Phantom!” I choose Phantom!” Brian hoped that his attempt to gather extra information didn’t ruin his chance to choose a specialization.
The silhouette gradually merged with the water, and the entire chamber started trembling. Brian lost his balance, and a hole opened up under his feet. He started to fall through it but was quick to hold on to the edge. The water was constantly draining through the hole, suffocating him. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. His grip faltered, and he fell into the dark pit.
Specialization Initiated: Phantom - You have embraced the path of stealth, blending your constitution and dexterity to become unseen and strike from the shadows.
Specialization Effect: Phantom - Constitution & Dexterity Boost. As a result of the Phantom specialization, your constitution and dexterity are heightened, enhancing your agility and physical prowess. Experience an increase of +5% Constitution, +5% Dexterity. You have gained +500 to your Valtite reserves.
Specialization Effect: Phantom - Valtite Density Reduction. You can reduce your Valtite density to become nearly undetectable, moving without a trace, and striking when least expected.
‘DING’ Your valtite energy grows to level 21, empowering your stats and increasing your potential. +3 to each stat and +3 untrained points.