The world went awash with blinding white, and the fluttering of paper. As my eyes adjusted I could see several black lines swirling around me in an all encompassing sphere. Then, as if it noticed my awareness, everything came to stand still, and the black lines I had seen before came into better view.
"Are those....cards?" I tried to voice, but nothing truly left my throat.
I didn't feel my body for that matter. Before I could begin to fall into a panic attack again, a flash of light grabs my attention.
Congratulations Awakener!
You have Awakened as a Card Cultivator. Cultivators are those that have to be the most patient. The world is your deck to master, but be warned, with great opportunities come great risks, so plan wisely.
Awakener Skills Unlocked:
Heart Binder: The crux of your existence and the guiding record of your journey.
-All cards acquired will go into the Heart Binder if placed inside. No more than 3 copies of a card can be stored. (Rarity differences are calculated in.)
Heart Deck: The means in which you interact with the world through your cards.
-Create a Deck with a maximum of 20 cards plus your soul card, minimum Deck requirement is 5 cards. As you rise in Tier and Rank, your maximum number of Decks go up allowing for variations on the fly.
Receive starter pack? Y/N
"What the hell....Did I drink too much at a party or something, and it flavored my dreams?" I grumbled to myself.
"At least if it's not a dream, it can't be any worse than a shotty 9-5 at 7 Star Mart," I sighed and mentally affirmed yes.
Consent acknowledged! Beginning transfer of resources!
-System reward: Starter pack.
-Starter pack: A beginning offering from the system, to start every Deck Cultivator's journey. Guaranteed to give 5 Cards with a small chance of some of these cards being a part of a set. (No set can be obtained in this pack to guarantee a minimum deck). The card you receive will be random based on luck and your Affinities. Good luck!
Rarity Attainment Chance: Common 45%, Uncommon 30%, Rare 15%, High Rare 10%, Legendary 5%.
"Okay, so I could get something great, or something awful, and it's all based on luck." I sighed.
"...and affinities? What are those supposed to be?"
Before I could finish my thought, the world seemed to shake and all the cards around me turned at once to show me their blank side. Suddenly, a cacophony of noise flooded my world leaving me reeling, the only line still present;
"...Find us, awaken us.."
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Before the world was flooded by a blinding red and kaleidoscopic cadence that lasted but a moment, the faint whisper of words barely audible as the world faded to black. "....nc...vat.....wai...!!!!" And all was dark.
_______________________________________
I awoke with a start, slamming my head against the ceiling.
"Ow...what the hell," I said as I rubbed my forehead, confused and in pain.
"The last time this happened was before I moved out of the boys home 6 years ago..." I groaned, only just starting to take in my surroundings as the grogginess beganto fade.
I was on the top bunk of my shared bed at the boys home. The one I lived with from early toddler life all the way until I became an Adult at 16, and had to find my own way. To stop mooching off of Brimiri who had always been like a mother to me.
I remember moving into the boys home a few months after I turned 3, my parents were out on a dig site somewhere in the world, and they'd been gone for about a week, leaving me with a paid babysitter. On the day they were supposed to return home, Brimiri arrived having already learned of my parents passing. She gave me the news with much regret, and offered me a home at St. Perri.
Everything was as I remembered just before my 12th birthday, the old bookshelves by the door, the basics of both cultivation on the wall to inspire us, the smell of Brimiri cooking breakfast in the Cathedral kitchen before first service.
‘Wait, cultivation?’ It crossed my mind, but I shrugged it off because that thought didn't matter.
It all brought a tear to my eye, these were the easier times in my life, before everything seemed to truly start to fall apart for me. Here I had a loving family that I neglected after I moved out, too caught up in trying to make all these get-rich-quick schemes, and never really settling down.
"It sure would be great if this wasn't a dre...." I paused as I took a second to notice my hands, they were smaller, less rough from years, tough jobs, and a music career that never took off.
"Shit, guess there are a few downsides, but I can make this work probably..." I wasn't sure yet.
"That dream before though, how do I see my status scr-"
I was drawn short as a screen took over the entirety of my view.
Name: Syilten Flykra.
Race: Human
Cultivation Path: Card Cultivator, (Error!)
Level:0
Tier:0
Affinities: Ice, Space/Error! (Temporarily sealed by the system.)
Soul Card: Currently unstable and unformed.
Binder: 0/0
Deck 1: N/A
Inventory: 1/10.
Starter Pack, Open? Y/N.
--Further Information locked until creation of first deck--
I scratched my head and crawled out of bed, thankfully I was alone in my room.
“Well, here's hoping I'm not crazy, so let's get started. Then I can get to those errors and locked messages in my status sheet."
I held my breath and hit Yes to open the Starter Pack, and the world was filled with dazzling light. As it fades, 5 balls of light floated before me. Before I could even begin to interact, a pain ripped through my being and merged with the lights in front of me, almost causing me to blackout, but I held on. Something was telling me how important it was that I stay awake.
After what felt like eternity but was most likely only a few minutes, the pain subsided and the orbs of light were irreparably different from how they appeared before. When the orbs appeared, they were blank white orbs surrounded by a color. Now they seemed to contain sharp hints of blues and purples? It was hard to tell with energy seeming to be constantly in motion.
"Wow..." was all that escaped my lips as I felt drawn to touch the cards.
3 had this almost Rusty color surrounding them, 1 had a light going into a dark green ring surrounding it, and the final orb was the most eye-catching. It had a ring of the softest pink, yet radiated energy as if it was far different from those that arrived before it.
"I wonder what the colors mean. That pink seems a bit ominous, but those rust colored ones seem underwhelming. Hmmm..." I scratched my chin trying to remember things about card games I'd seen.
"Is it like a power scale? Maybe the rarity scaling of a gacha game? Guess I have to do something to see what these are gonna be, huh?"
With a surprising lack of hesitation, I reached out to make contact with my first Card, or at least that is what I was sure I'd be doing.
"yolo.."
As my finger brushed the first orb of rust color, a small flash of light blinded me, and what felt like a pulse of energy rippled out in the world. What replaced the orb was a card about 1.82 inches wide and about 3.5 inches tall.
Before I could even inspect my first Card, a System notification took my view.
--System Achievement reached–
-Journey’s start: a title Achievement all awakeners get upon getting their first Cards or first Essence.
--Effect: You are now seen as beginning your steps to Adulthood in the eyes of the citizens Detlmar. You now have access to System Shops and Even Shops that appear randomly in the Spires, Dungeons, or more rarely, in the wilds. Able to earn Cards through quests. Unlock the trading system at your next milestone. (Growth title)
Caught off guard, I dismissed the notification after reading it through a few times.
"Guess I just grew up..." I chuckled and brought my attention back to the Card and 4 floating orbs.
“Hopefully no more interruptions till I see all my cards and Binder them..."
Suddenly, the door burst open with a rush of air that ran through the room as if the window had been open. Brimiri was standing there panting, eyes wide, and a hint of irritation speckled on what is normally a consistently jovial air. But that's not what surprised me the most.