As I finished tracing the last line, I heard a quiet chirp, and my Menu sprang open in front of me. I could have cried! Kellmen, who had been deep asleep, instantly leaped to his feet, his eyes wide.

“Dude!” He shouted and clapped me on the shoulder.

I beamed.

“Look what I did,” I said proudly and then zeroed in on the interface before me. My Menu curved around my body like I had seen with the others. It seemed to be orientation-locked on the center of my chest because when I pivoted my body, it followed—but not when I moved my head.

Interesting.

“What’s the shape?” Kellmen asked, walking over and peering at my display over my shoulder. I sheepishly turned to him.

“Should you be looking at this stuff?” I asked, seeing his mouth moving slightly as he read the listings on my option wheel. He paused and narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t change the subject, Vale. What was your movement shape? Was it something inappropriate?”

I shook my head.

“No…” I said.

“Well, then what?”

I made the wiping away motion that I’d seen Kellmen and Anubis both do, and my display vanished. Then I used my right index finger to trace a shape in the air.

ろ

“What the hell is that?” Kellmen asked as my Menu sprang back into view.

“Japanese,” I said.

“Are you Japanese?” Kellmen asked.

“No. But it’s weird because this is my favorite Japanese hiragana character,” I said.

“Dude, are you a weeb?” Kellmen asked.

“What’s that?” I asked. It sounded offensive.

“It’s a term for people obsessed with Japanese culture. You know, reading manga, watching anime, and buying a bunch of katanas. Like, too many katanas.”

“Oh shit, I think so,” I said.

“That’s cool,” Kellmen said, “me too, sorta.”

How can someone not remember the world before, but know that terminology?

“Okay, shut up and let me look this over,” I said, and Kellmen dropped his hands in mock submission and nodded.

“You got it, Boss.”

Finally. This was what I was most looking forward to seeing. The Menu began as a stationary wheel. When I held my finger over the center of it, four options branched out immediately. They filled the area in front of me and curved around me in space. I gave them a quick review.

Status

Item Pouch

Journal

Map

I selected Status and felt the tactile rumble beneath my fingertip, confirming my choice. The other menus faded into transparency as the tab activated and expanded in front of me.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

My body surged with excitement. The first thing I noticed was a paper-doll version of myself—my alternate self—standing on the left side of the interface. The little Vale was green-skinned and had the same ashen locks I was still trying to get used to. The avatar was dressed like I was as well, with a pair of tattered pants, leather boots, a plain white shirt, and the jerkin that Berieal had given me. Mini-Vale was also holding the Shattered Wood. There were various empty slots around my character that had grayed-out images in them, and I recognized this as equipment placement. There were already four slots that had items in them: the feet, the legs, the torso, and a slot called “shirt.” They coincided with the apparel I had already donned. Under that was the section for “Main Hand,” and that’s where my weapon resided

This is so cool!

I hadn’t felt this feeling for a long time. Butterflies danced in my chest and stomach, and I could see my fingers trembling in the air in front of me as I looked over the options. It was just like those Christmases where I’d gotten the perfect gift, usually a video game, and the anticipation of the first few screens before seeing what the world inside was actually about. This was that sensation all over again. A mix of nostalgia and the unknown.

Above the little Vale avatar were a few informational stats.

Name: Vale

Title: None

Level: 1

Race: Sidhe

Base Class: Scamp

Order Class: None

Guild: None

Reputation: None

This seemed pretty standard so far. Though if given the option, maybe I’d have chosen a cooler name than my own. Vale likely wouldn’t strike fear or awe in the hearts of the other Players in the world. Though it was odd…Kellmen had indicated that there were hundreds of players here, so it was interesting that no one had selected the name Vale before I received it.

I took particular note of Reputation. Seeing that as an option got my blood pumping.

Was this a world where you could gain renown or notoriety through deeds or actions?

That would be something to ask Kellmen about once I was done.

I widened the aperture of my view by stretching my fingers over it, zooming in slightly. This was more just to test the capabilities of how it might function rather than for necessity. It worked beautifully, expanding and contracting with the flow of my gesture. I moved on to the next section with glee.

Vitals

HP: 50/50

Fey: 30/30

Stamina: 100/100

Experience: 538/1000 to Level 2

Attributes

Might: 1

Agility: 5

Endurance: 1

Resonance: 3

Intellect: 4

Charisma: 2

Offense

Attack: 2

Speed: 3

Damage Per Second: 2.02

Critical %: 0.02

Fey Damage: 3

Defense

Evasion %: 4

Health Regeneration: 0

Shield: 0

Fey Resistance: 5

So this is Level One, eh?

I would need to figure out what features, Skills, and Abilities affected me most in combat. I never wanted to be useless again if I could help it. I took a moment to drink in all of this new information. Still, I knew I’d have to give it a full dive to truly understand and deploy anything resembling expertise. I knew I’d be spending a lot of time pulling this apart and examining it closer, learning the nuances, and eventually—hopefully—attaining a mastery.

After switching to my Item Pouch, I found that other than my equipment, I only had one additional item.

??? [???]

Unknown Item

I selected the object, and a prompt appeared, asking if I’d like to examine it. After choosing in the affirmative, it materialized in front of me. A long stretch of woven cord limply hung from my open palm.

Anubis’ leash!

During all the chaos and commotion I had forgotten I still had his leash in my hand when I’d leaped into the rift. I wasn’t sure why, but that alone made me a little homesick.

I absently reached for the ring hanging around my neck and brought it up for inspection. My hands trembling, I examined it in the light. It hadn’t even been scuffed a bit by the events of the last twenty-four hours, and still gleamed immaculately.

Oh no!

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I quickly let the ring fall again, bouncing off of my tightening chest.

For the first time in a few hours, I remembered Lina and a sliver of pain slid into my gut. Hot shame crept over me in response, and I slumped where I stood. How could I have lost focus on the most premiere aspect of my waking life? None of this mattered if I couldn’t reach her. I’d been so preoccupied with this goddamned User Interface that it had distracted me from what was truly important.

Kellmen seemed to notice the change in my demeanor.

“You alright, Nub?” he asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said, waving away my Menu, “just a little tired.”

“Well, you’ve had a long day,” he said, motioning to one of the four beds in the room with a flourish, “why don’t you grab a nap? Anubis should be back shortly with some gear, and then we can eat some din-din.”

That seemed like a great idea. I was beginning to enjoy Kellmen’s casual style of speaking. Normally, when hearing things like that I would have cringed. But the Guildmaster’s cadence and timing just made it sound fun.

Maybe I should try to jazz up my own conversation with silly phrases?

I was noticing that my Stamina bar had been dropping a lot faster, even with menial tasks. Perhaps it was a failsafe to keep someone from grinding all night? Sleep was one thing that seemed to be the same in both this world and my old world.

I nodded at Kellmen and slunk down to the bed, kicking off my boots. I shrugged out of my jerkin and still in my shirt and pants, slid under the covers. Lastly, I hovered a finger over the leash, still dangling from my hand.

Would you like to name [Unknown Item]?

I smiled, and without a second thought, confirmed a new name for the item.

Walky Whip

[Junk Item]

Durability: 30/30

My stomach growled. I was so very hungry, but I knew with my exhaustion, I’d definitely be out like a light soon, so I didn’t mind.

Kellmen went back to the chair by the fire and opened his Menu up, and in a moment, a book appeared in his hand. He propped a knee up and rested the book against his leg, opening it to a spot in the middle.

The soft scratch of turning pages was a sleep aid. I felt my eyes getting heavy and suddenly caught myself with my eyes closed. I strained to stay awake. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I drifted off.

Will I still be here when I wake up?

My eyes were sandy, and they closed again. They fluttered back open for another moment, and I found myself thinking about the potential food I’d be consuming after a short rest. That was my last thought as I slipped into the dark caress of a dreamless sleep.