“Once, when I was young, I watched my mother use her fingernails to engrave the image of a rose on an ornamental shield; the kind of thing people with too much money might hang as a ‘conversation piece’. There are endless anecdotes just like that; everyone has at least one, I am sure. The System, Builds, all of it… when you witness the marvelous ways these things change the world, how can you not be driven to learn all you can about them?

~Unknown

“Fudge. Buddy. Right now you are existing in Quantum Flux,” I called out to my closed bedroom door. Tina had gone to visit Zetta. As such, I had free rein of the house while Tulos was busy turning trees into stumps. That relative privacy was necessary, since I was occasionally forced to switch to English while spewing half-remembered scientific jargon to a dog.

Not a sentiment I ever thought would be relevant to my life, I reflected. The absurdity of my situation was difficult to ignore, given that it was inspired by - at best - duct-tape-reinforced speculation. I took solace in the sensation of speaking English. Tragically, the words felt clumsy coming out of my mouth; I was out of practice and speaking with an accent that didn’t feel like my own. I tried not to let it disrupt my focus, and Perseverance was more than capable of assisting.

‘Right now, you exist in a state of uncertainty from my perspective,” I continued in a lecturing tone. To further reinforce that fact, I actively tried to dull my sense of the Tamer Bond using a practice exercise Tina taught me as part of her ‘understand the bond’ curriculum. It was an uncomfortable sensation, like hiding under a blanket slightly too long and feeling a growing need to emerge for a breath of fresh air.

“I have hidden three of my old toys in the bedroom.” The toys in question were the crocheted animals that used to guard my crib. While they held some sentimental value, I felt risking them for the good of Fudge’s Advancement would be a worthy sacrifice. “When I open the door, you will be playing with one of them, all of them, some of them, or none of them. What is important is that reality will not be set until you make the choice and I act to observe it… I think.” If I were to be completely honest with myself, I was drawing on science fiction and pop-culture more than actual science for this activity.

Intent is important. Tina had her catchphrases about System Advancement, but I had also developed a few of my own. If my experiences with Recovery had taught me anything, it was that a baseline understanding could get your foot through the metaphorical door; mana could do the rest.

Obviously, I knew that Fudge wasn’t going to be consciously comprehending my instructions. That wasn’t the point. I was Fudge’s Tamer, I was guiding him through this Skill practice, and when the time came it would hopefully be enough to leverage him into some kind of Skill. If the Skill then began to impact Fudge’s physiology, and presumably it would, then perhaps he’d gain the ability to… honestly, I wasn’t sure. I was attempting to magically force the theoretical science behind Schrödinger's borderline-satirical experiment into practical applications.

“You get all that, Fudge?” No response. Which… yeah, I decided to take that as a positive thing, since I hadn’t thought through the silliness of my question before it left my mouth. For the sake of being thorough, I repeated my instructions a few more times before placing my hand on the door handle.

“There are many possible versions of Fudge behind this door. Based on his choices, I am about to observe one of those realities, but it was Fudge who decided which reality I get to observe.” Not willing to delay any further, I opened the door and stepped into the room.

Fudge had pushed himself flat to the floor and was sweeping the floor with his tail while watching the door. The steady sweeping turned into an excited thump when he saw me. The toys lay exactly where I’d planted them around the room, untouched by Fudge who instead decided to wait for my arrival.

Fucking adorable, I concluded. That just left me standing in a doorway staring down at a dog.

“Did… did that do anything?” I asked aloud, partly to include Fudge in the process as much as possible. There was no indication either way.

System? I don’t suppose you want to chime in here? No response. I felt my face scrunch up at the anticlimax of it all.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I do not know what I expected,” I eventually said with a sigh. “Good job, boy.” I gestured for Fudge to come over and he excitedly obliged. I found the spot behind his ear that set his back leg twitching and immediately cheered up at the sight.

Evidently, we wouldn’t find out if we were successful until it was time for Fudge’s Advancement.

Unless… With a quick mental command I called up my Taming [Dog] System window.

Taming [Dog] Level 5/10

Current proficiency points: 198/500

That’s a notable increase! The Skill was twelve points higher than it had been earlier in the day. It was by no means definitive, but to gain so many points, I had to believe that we’d accomplished something. Worst-case scenario, the act of deliberately trying to coach Fudge for Skill options was valuable in this instance, regardless of how successful we were.

I turned to guide Fudge outside to play as a reward for his efforts, but paused at the door.

Almost forgot… I stepped back into the room and quickly scooped up the crocheted animals, returning them to their proper place on my bed. ‘Baxter,’ the ironically named plush dog, sat in the center of the trio. Just because I was willing to risk them for Fudge didn’t mean they deserved to be mistreated, after all.

“Okay, Fudge! Let’s go outside!” The much-more-real pup didn’t need to be told twice as he bolted for the front door, prompting a giggle from me as I took off in pursuit. I decided to consider our efforts successful enough to warrant additional experiments. In the meantime, some exercise would do us both a world of good. I felt Recovery stir as we ran back into the fields, bolstered by Taming [Dog] as I threw a stick for Fudge to chase down. It was shaping up to be a good day.

***

Conventional thinking would dictate that my appreciation of a day would doom it to a sudden twist of misfortune. Such was the way of things. Disaster would strike like a hidden blade, then that too would twist as it inevitably conjured a depressing downpour as if to say ‘yes, things can, in fact, get worse.’

There’s a reason we think that way, a phenomenon with a name I once heard in passing but have long since forgotten. Was it some kind of bias? Probably. There were a lot of biases. This particular one is what made tragedy etch itself into our memories with a molten chisel. It is easier to remember the bad while we overlook the good.

Fudge noticed Tina’s return before I did, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he noticed Vigil’s return. A twitch of the ear and a sniff of the evening air set his tail to wagging. Tulos and I were inside preparing a meal when it happened, sharing in companionable silence. If I wanted conversation, he’d give it to me, but I never forced smalltalk upon him.

“Mum is home,” I noted cheerfully as Tulos handed me a container of vegetable scraps to deliver to our compost. Normally, Fudge’s alarm signaled they were a few minutes away from the house.

The front door slammed open, making me flinch.

That was fast. Too fast. Tulos looked similarly alarmed by the unexpected intensity of Tina’s arrival as she marched into the main room. Her breathing was steady, but the disarray of her hair and faint flush to her cheeks betrayed the speed she was moving at, even if it hadn’t tired her out.

Dreadful anticipation settled over my mind as conventional thinking reared its ugly head. Another day, another terrible tragedy, and all because I dared to enjoy the quiet before the storm. I felt my mana thrum to life, ready to draw on my Skills if need be.

“A rider came,” Tina said quickly, not waiting for us to ask about her urgency. “Zetta’s betrothed will arrive tomorrow!” Her wide eyes were not of panic, but excitement, of relief. She ran home not because of a crisis, but to ease our own concerns for the wellbeing of a family friend.

Tulos said something as he ran to pull Tina into an embrace, but I wasn’t paying attention as the sudden tension I’d allowed to come over me slowly bled away. Vigil slowly padded into the room, only to be greeted enthusiastically by Fudge who cared not for his sire’s recent exertion.

I was too stunned by my reaction to enjoy the moment, even as a wave of relief came over me. It was moments - reactions - like those that reminded me of the deeper issues I needed to work through. If I kept on anticipating the worst of the world, I would miss the best of it. Lionel’s ridiculous parabel came to mind, and I was momentarily annoyed that his advice was so regularly relevant. I pulled on Perseverance, just enough to help me regain my bearings.

One day at a time, I reminded myself before running to join my parents in their celebrations.

Lou’s impending arrival was good news, amazing, even. It meant the marriage ceremony would happen within the week, perhaps sooner. There would be a lot to do, but that could wait until tomorrow. As Tina pulled me into a hug, I let myself enjoy the moment for what it was. Not every day would be a good day, so I had to make them count.