《Immortality.Upload (LitRPG: Athanasia - Book 1)》


 Chapter 1 - Coffee

    Trust was a sucker¡¯s game. Cassidy Grey thought she had learned this lesson a long time ago, but she was getting an unexpected and unwelcome refresher.


    ¡°I thought we were dating?¡± Cassidy asked, probably a little louder than she intended. Despite the situation, thankfully Leo at least picked a nearly empty park to break her heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why,¡± he responded with a drawn-out sigh, ¡°personally, I thought we were just two people hanging out and having fun.¡±


    Her stomach in knots and the dreaded tingling sensation beginning in the back of her skull, Cassidy focused her attention on plucking some peeling green paint from the park bench before answering. She took a deep breath and told herself that if she avoided his eyes maybe she would be able to get through this like a normal person.


    ¡°Leo,¡± she was almost surprised at how steady she sounded, ¡°We spent the last few months going out together, flirting even. Talking about past relationships. That¡¯s what people do on dates... right?¡± She risked a glance at his face, hoping for a different response.


    ¡°Oh, well I¡¯m not really looking to label anything,¡± he told her with a crooked smile. That same smile was something she originally saw as playful and inviting, but now left her feeling small and weak. ¡°I mean you¡¯re pretty cool and all and we had some fun,¡± he continued without missing a beat, ¡°but you¡¯re not really my type, you know? I mean, I appreciate your help with my chem exam and all, I don¡¯t think I would have passed without you, but I finally got this girl to agree to go on a date and I don¡¯t want to miss the opportunity,¡± he said, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°You understand, right?¡±


    Cassidy nodded numbly, still trying to figure out where she went wrong, what signs she could have possibly misinterpreted to have quite so badly misunderstood where they stood. The tingling at the back of her head had been progressing steadily during his little speech, the sensation of pins and needles growing like a swarm of ants invading her skull. But as long as she kept her mind working on the why, she would be able to keep herself distracted. Maybe even avoid what she knew was coming.


    Leo stretched and stood up from the park bench. ¡°Alright, well I better head out. But hey, you¡¯re gonna'' be happier now that we cleared the air, not like we would have ever worked out anyway. I mean, I get why you prefer not going to parties and stuff since your parents died. Really, I totally get it, but it happened forever ago. Just, you know, move on and live a little. Maybe call me again when you actually want to party, not just sit around and talk.¡± He chuckled awkwardly, then opened his smart-ring display and dialed a number while Cassidy stared at him dumbly, not quite believing what she just heard. He gave her a half-distracted wave, then turned and walked away while talking into his phone, ¡°Hey girl, ready to have some fun?¡±


    In less than ten seconds, Cassidy knew she had already been forgotten.


    That was the last straw. Her efforts to keep herself distracted completely fell apart. The tingling at the back of her head spiked, and she bared her teeth in a silent snarl. Standing up to follow him, she tunnel-visioned on the base of his skull, thoughts of a violent impact making her heart race. Her foot took a single step in Leo¡¯s direction. Before she knew it, she had already caught up to him.


    Leo must have sensed her behind him because he turned around just in time for her fist to connect with his nose instead of the back of his skull, and he jerked his head back with a startled curse


    ¡°What da hell, Cathiddy?¡± he yelled, clutching his face with both hands.


    The sharp pain in her hand overcame the tingling sensation like a splash of cold water, snapping her out of the destructive haze she was in. The urge to hurt Leo drained out of her, and guilt rapidly filled the void in its place. It wasn¡¯t so much that she regretted the punch, rather she felt guilt over the fact that she had lost control again. That primal urge completely ignored the consequences of what Cassidy would have to live through after it was finished. Had Leo not turned around when he did, she would probably need a trip to the hospital right now to treat a broken hand.


    Those unfortunate lapses had been a part of Cassidy for a long time, although she had to admit Leo had given those impulses more fuel to burn than most. The tingling sensation in the back of her head faded to the point where the immediate danger had passed. She was once more in complete control of herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s not broken, Leo,¡± she told him, suddenly feeling very tired, ¡°just go home and put some ice on it, the swelling will go down soon. Enjoy your party.¡± The tingling hadn¡¯t completely vanished however, so before he could say anything else to make her lose control, she turned around and walked away leaving him sputtering behind her.


    The next couple of hours were spent in a welcome cloud of distraction so that she wouldn¡¯t have to think about her abrupt loss of control. Alternating between wondering how she could have been so blind, to hating herself for being so oblivious, the world around her faded into a blur and she lost herself in the simple act of walking aimlessly.


    After what felt like an eternity, she eventually started coming back to her senses and realized she was now walking down familiar streets. She opened her smart-ring interface, noting that she had spent the better part of an hour roaming the city streets of Ottawa while lost in a cycle of moping and self-pity. At least she was close to home.


    Ten minutes later she was back at her apartment building and stepping out of the elevator on the fifth-floor, but felt like she had been wandering for days. Her feet felt like lead as she dragged them over the worn carpet of the hall. When she eventually reached her apartment door, she was ready to collapse and spend the rest of the day crying in bed. And it was only noon.


    She raised her hand to unlock the door with her smart-ring, but her eyes locked onto the small innocuous loop of modern technology. It reminded her of Leo¡¯s instant dismissal of her presence while he chatted up another girl.


    That thought chased away the exhaustion she felt only moments ago, like someone had hooked her heart up to a car battery. The sensation swept through her entire body, flushing all feelings of self-pity away. Her hands clenched into knotted fists, and she focused on the door. Cassidy knew she was moments away from releasing that rage, but just punching the door wasn¡¯t enough. She wanted to pound it to the ground, reduce it to splinters, annihilate it. All while picturing Leo¡¯s stupid face.


    Her knuckles wavered in the air as her emotions warred with her common sense. She took yet another long, slow breath, then settled on waving her smart-ring above the doorknob to unlock it. Thankfully the tingling in the back of her skull hadn¡¯t made a resurgence, otherwise she¡¯d have very little to say in the matter. The anger remained, but as satisfying as it would be to break the door down, she needed to remain in control of herself.


    Once inside, she slammed the door shut behind her, causing the pictures on the walls to shake. One fell to the floor and shattered, the now broken frame holding a picture of a young man with mousy brown hair, a slight build, and an infectious smile.


    Seeing the broken picture, a fresh wave of guilt chased most of her anger away. Now she just felt childish for letting her anger get better of her, even for that small action of simply slamming the door. She dropped to her knees, heedless of the broken glass and picked up the broken frame. Twisting the plastic parts angrily in her hands, she couldn¡¯t believe she had put herself in this position to begin with and made a silent vow never to make that mistake again.


    The same mousy haired young man that was in the picture stuck his head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush still dangling from his lips. He immediately saw Cassidy kneeling amongst broken glass while mangling a picture of him in her hands.


    ¡°Am I in trouble or something CG?¡± he asked her, confusion clearly visible on his face.


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± she said, shaking her head to dispel the mental image of Leo, ¡°no, not you Rowan. I¡¯m just working through some stuff. Leo just¡­ well, I won¡¯t be seeing him anymore.¡± Saying Leo¡¯s name brought with it a fresh surge of humiliation, so her next words came out in a rush to cover it up. ¡°I came inside angry and broke the picture by accident and¨C¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Rowan held his hands up to stop her. ¡°Say no more, let¡¯s go drown your sorrows.¡±


    Cassidy perked up a tiny bit at that. ¡°Coffee?¡±


    He nodded and smiled around the toothbrush, ¡°With absolutely unhealthy amounts of sugar.¡±


    An invisible weight immediately lifted from her chest and she jumped to her feet. ¡°Well then get your ass in gear already, we leave in five.¡±


    Rowan stuck his tongue out at her in response. ¡°I¡¯m eighteen now remember? You¡¯re not the only official adult in the room anymore, that means you can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡±


    Cassidy made as if to throw the picture frame at him and he ducked back into the bathroom with a yelp. She smiled ruefully and went to get a broom to clean up her mess while Rowan finished getting ready. They might not be related by blood, but he was the one person she could always count on, that was what made him family.


    Just as she finished dumping the broken glass in the trash, Rowan raced out of the apartment ahead of her then waited for her at the elevators tapping his foot in mock impatience. ¡°Let¡¯s go CG. Always waiting on you.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn¡¯t keep the smile off her face.


    They followed a familiar path; one they had walked dozens of times already since moving in together a month ago. In no time, they were sitting outside their favorite local coffeehouse.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be healthy,¡± Rowan announced while eyeing the monstrosity in front of her, a very large mug of specialty coffee with whipped cream and golden sugar running down the sides, ¡°the amount of caffeine and sugar in that thing is going to keep me up all night just from looking at it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s medicinal.¡± Cassidy told him taking a noisy sip, then wiping a bit of stray whipped cream off her nose before favoring him with a satisfied smile, ¡°See, already making me feel better.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re easy to please,¡± he said while pushing a few stray brown hairs out of his eyes and back under a tattered gray baseball cap and nursing his own small cup of black coffee. ¡°So, you want to tell me what happened?¡±


    Cassidy¡¯s smile vanished as her thoughts drifted back to Leo. ¡°Men suck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Fine, not you. You¡¯re a towering example of manhood. A lone monolith of virtue amongst the swampy crawlies that are your brethren. Happy?¡±


    The familiar infectious grin stretched his lips and he winked. ¡°I can accept that.¡±


    Cassidy took a moment to collect her thoughts by taking another sip of her drink, then smacked her mug down onto the table a little harder than intended. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it, I mean I thought we were dating.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, ¡°it¡¯s this conversation.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t quite the reaction from Rowan she was expecting, but she plowed ahead with her recap of her encounter with Leo anyway. ¡°He told me we were never actually dating, as if it was all in my head.¡± She was also tempted to add that she should have known better than to make herself vulnerable, but she didn¡¯t want to hear another lecture on how letting other people get close wasn¡¯t a bad thing.


    ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t say,¡± Rowan mumbled as his smart-ring chimed, catching his attention. He flicked his fingers, causing the holographic display to appear in the palm of his hand.


    Cassidy¡¯s eyes narrowed as she watched him read something on his screen and she fidgeted with her own smart-ring. Having literally all the information in the world at your fingertips was hard to ignore sometimes, but Rowan could have at least waited until she finished complaining before browsing the internet. Supressing an annoyed grunt, she continued her story despite his obvious distraction.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be half as mad at him if he hadn¡¯t dragged my parents into it. He implied that their deaths are stopping me from living my life.¡±


    This got Rowan¡¯s attention, and he tore his eyes away from his display. ¡°Wow, plot twist.¡±


    A confused look crossed her face. ¡°How is that a plot twist?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a video-game, follow a predictable story and then throw in a twist that no one expects to throw them off their game. I knew he was going to break your heart, but him using your parents as an excuse, well, that¡¯s a plot twist.¡±


    ¡°He¨C wait... what?¡± she asked, almost dropping her coffee, ¡°you knew he was going to break up with me?¡±


    ¡°I thought you guys weren¡¯t actually going out, according to him,¡± Rowan turned his attention back to the holo-display in his hand, ¡°and yeah, I told you that weeks ago.¡±


    Cassidy frowned. ¡°I¡­ okay, I vaguely remember you saying something like that. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± He drew out the question, but his eyes were still glued to his smart-ring display.


    Jaw clenching ever so slightly at his tone, she reminded herself she wasn¡¯t angry with Rowan. Even if this was his not-so-subtle way of saying ¡®I told you so¡¯. She took yet another deep breath, making a mental note that she had been doing that a lot today, and let it out slowly before muttering, ¡°I ignored you.¡±


    He nodded, still not looking up at her. ¡°Other than the comment on your parents, everything happened like I expected. You can¡¯t fool me though. You¡¯re pissed off at him, but underneath you¡¯re just relieved you didn¡¯t do something stupid in a fit of rage, right?¡±


    Cassidy grimaced. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    A look of concern crossed Rowan¡¯s face as he finally tore his gaze away from his screen to look up at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t lose control, did you?¡±


    ¡°Only a little,¡± she answered hastily, ¡°and his nose isn¡¯t even broken.¡±


    The look of concern changed to one of relief and he chuckled, ¡°If that¡¯s the worst he went through, then he¡¯s lucky.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± she muttered, ¡°I¡¯m a mean-spirited, borderline mental-case, and he¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t crack his skull open.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯ve just had more to be angry about than most and turned suppression into an art-form. When you¡¯re ready to deal with that anger, you will.¡± He returned his attention to his smart-ring.


    Cassidy was grateful that Rowan simply accepted that she lost control again, but she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he found so fascinating. ¡°Okay, speaking of ignoring, what the hell are you reading?¡± she asked.


    He looked up from the holographic projection in his hand and smiled at her. ¡°I just turned eighteen last night, what else do you think I¡¯m reading?¡±


    ¡°Athanasia again? Oh my god, you¡¯re such a nerd.¡±


    ¡°Geek. Geeks obsess over pop culture. Nerds obsess over stuff like chemistry and then spend the next two months bragging that they didn¡¯t get a single question wrong on their final.¡±


    Cassidy flashed her teeth at him before sticking her tongue out. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous of my perfect score.¡±


    ¡°Nerd.¡±


    ¡°Geek.¡± She fired back.


    Rowan chuckled, ¡°Absolutely,¡± he then flicked his display into tablet mode, making the display three times as large and showing her the article he was reading, ¡°and Athanasia is worth geeking out. You get to live in a fantasy world with magic and monsters, not to mention being immortal.¡±


    She drained the rest of her coffee before responding. ¡°I¡¯ve heard this all this before, Rowan. I mean, I enjoy games as much as the next person, but I don¡¯t believe the hype.¡±


    ¡°CG, that hurts,¡± he held his hand over his heart and adopted a pained expression, ¡°do you know how hard I¡¯ve worked at planning my career around this game?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kid yourself. You¡¯ve only been talking about it for the past five years straight.¡± His face turned red and he opened his mouth to respond but she didn¡¯t give him the chance. Holding up three fingers in front of his face, she began counting off of them. ¡°One, you¡¯ve spent years studying game design on your own time. Two, you mapped out all your college classes for the next few years around said game design. And three, you¡¯ve extensively researched Trinios hiring practices to be prepared to apply when you graduate. Was there anything else?¡± she asked, batting her eyelids at him as his face fell.


    ¡°Yeah, but remember Trinios¨C¡±


    ¡°¨Cgive employees free lifetime access to Athanasia,¡± she cut him off again, ¡°making the so-called immortality in the game the greatest employee perk of all time. Yeah, I remember.¡±


    Rowan pouted. ¡°I take it back, you are mean.¡±


    Cassidy laughed, but her amusement faded when she looked in his eyes. There was a shadow of something in there that told her something was off with her foster-brother.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m just giving you a hard time, right?¡± she asked him. ¡°I fully support your totally normal and not at all weird obsession with that game.¡±


    He dropped the fake pout and his face turned serious. He spent the next few seconds studying her intently until he eventually reached out and took her hands in his. ¡°Look, CG, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to tell you for a while now, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I should. I think maybe you need to hear what I have to say, but it might be hard to wrap your head around it. Just bear with me, okay?¡±


    She snorted in amusement. ¡°After my morning, I don¡¯t think I anything you have to tell me could mess me up anymore. Hit me.¡±


    His brown eyes pierced hers unblinkingly and he said nothing for several breaths. It got to the point where Cassidy started to become genuinely nervous at what he wanted to tell her. She had never seen him this hesitant before.


    When he eventually opened his mouth to speak, she felt her entire body tense up in aprehension.


    ¡°I think,¡± he said in a voice barely above a whisper, ¡°your parents are still alive.¡±

 Chapter 2 - Conversation

    Cassidy stared at him in disbelief before her face darkened with a deep frown. ¡°That¡¯s not funny,¡± she snapped with a hint of a snarl.


    ¡°Seriously CG,¡± Rowan made a soothing gesture at her, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I think your parents could be alive. Well, sort of anyway.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    ¡°Okay bear with me on this, it involves Athanasia and their immortality system.¡±


    A growl began forming in her throat but Rowan held up a hand, forestalling her outburst. ¡°This isn¡¯t just my geek obsession. Hear me out, I have to start at the beginning,¡± he waited for her to nod before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I ever explained how it works, but when Athanasia started development, they designed it to be a next generation online game, or massive multi-player online role-playing game. Like all MMORPGs at the time, players would log into the game to play, and log out of it when they¡¯re done. The Athanasia game model was based on this, but wanted to take it a step further. They wanted it so that you would plug in and fall asleep in the real world, and your character appears in the game world. While you¡¯re playing, it feels like you really exist in the game. When you¡¯re done, you log out and wake up. Sounds simple, right?¡±


    She nodded, but motioned him to speed it along.


    ¡°Well, they ran into a gigantic problem, namely the existing infrastructure couldn¡¯t handle the data transfer. Quantum computing made the hardware capable of amazing feats, but the old optical fibre lines that connected everything couldn¡¯t handle the complexity. Too much information going back and forth. It made the game all but unplayable. It¡¯s like me interacting with this cup of coffee,¡± he took a very deliberate sip from his cup, emphasizing each movement. ¡°See, I performed a very simple set of steps, my brain signaled my arm to pick up the cup and drink. But inside the game, those same simple steps take maybe half a second for the game to register the action, and another half second for the server to send the information back to my brain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about lag.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are some old game programming tricks to compensate for lag, but not to this degree, not when you¡¯re trying to simulate someone in another world. Gamers want conflict, so if the lag was that bad just trying to drink from a cup, imagine how awful combat was,¡± Rowan mimed throwing a punch in slow, jerky motions, ¡°it sucked big time, but someone had a brilliant idea. The technology already existed to make a digital copy of people¡¯s brains, what they call a mind-copy, so that people who were dying could have more time to get their affairs in order.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it caused a mountain of legal paperwork. We had to learn about it in history class back in high-school. Didn¡¯t they have to deal with massive ethics investigations?¡± She asked.


    He nodded emphatically, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly right. The courts decided mind-copies don¡¯t have any rights in the real world, but they take the wishes of the mind-copy into consideration when deciding on a case.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m guessing the brilliant idea was to incorporate that technology into Athanasia?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± he exclaimed with obvious excitement, ¡°instead of a direct connection they copy the player¡¯s mind and the resulting mind-copy lives in the game world. From that moment on, that mind-copy¡¯s entire existence lies within a digital simulation. They don¡¯t log out. Ever. And since they are simulations, they can¡¯t die.¡±


    Cassidy considered his explanation. ¡°Okay, so the immortality hype is making more sense now.¡±


    Rowan grew more animated in his explanation and started speaking faster. ¡°You¡¯re getting it! But, where¡¯s the fun for the original person in the real world if they can¡¯t experience the game, right?¡±


    She opened her mouth to answer, but he plowed ahead without giving her a chance. ¡°Trinios developed a way to upload the mind-copy memories to the original person. It was ridiculously slow, but it was possible to do it within a five-hour period on average, so they designed it to work while players in the real world slept. The player goes to sleep and wakes up with the memories of having lived in a fantasy world. And as a bonus, they figured out how to download the player¡¯s memories to the mind-copy. So, the memory transfer goes both ways.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean like two versions of one person are living two different lives? One person in the real world and one in this fantasy world?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± he said with a grin, ¡°and since the mind-copies existed directly on the server it meant there was no interfering lag and they could experience everything just like they were living in the real world, except with magic and monsters. Meanwhile, the players in the real world go about their daily lives as usual, but when they go to sleep both their memories sync. A few hours later, both player and mind-copy remember everything the other one did.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Okay, what¡¯s your point?¡± Cassidy wanted him to get back to her parents, although she understood his excitement over the game now.


    ¡°Sorry, I got a little sidetracked,¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°okay, like I was saying, Athanasia makes mind-copies of players who live in the game. In most games, if a player dies, they just re-spawn. There are death penalties, but nothing permanent. This is also how it works for a mind-copy in Athanasia, making them immortal for all intents and purposes.¡±


    ¡°I can guess where you¡¯re going with this, you think my parents are in the game?¡± She shook her head to her own question, ¡°Not possible, Rowan. Athanasia¡¯s been out what, five or six years? My parents died over ten years ago, way before Athanasia.¡±


    Rowan leaned forward, the serious look firmly back in place. ¡°Do you remember when we first met when we were both placed in the Bradley¡¯s foster care?¡±


    ¡°How could I forget. You didn¡¯t like my name because it didn¡¯t sound cool enough for a ten-year-old, you¡¯ve been calling me CG ever since.¡±


    A hint of a smile appeared, but he shook his head. ¡°I mean that first night where we stayed up all night swapping stories about each other¡¯s parents. You told me that your dad was an engineer and your mom was a brain surgeon.¡±


    ¡°Mom was a neurologist, not a brain surgeon. Enormous difference.¡±


    ¡°Not important,¡± he waved his hand in the air dismissively, ¡°the point is that after we spoke that night, I had this recurring nightmare that you were going to operate on my brain in the middle of the night. After a couple of days of waking up in a cold sweat, I devoted my spare time searching the internet to learn everything I could about you. I needed to make sure you weren¡¯t in foster care because your parents were on death row as serial killers or something.¡±


    ¡°You never told me that,¡± she said with a small chuckle.


    ¡°Like I said, not important, but it is relevant. In searching about your parents, I found out they worked together for a company called Omega AI where they were developing cutting edge artificial intelligence. Not to make ten-year-old me sound too callous, but it was a big relief for me at the time and I slept better knowing you were just another orphan like me. I didn¡¯t really give it a second thought until Athanasia came out a few years later. You know how obsessed I got with reading up on it, but I was a foster kid. I could never afford the fees even if I was old enough to play, not like the Bradley¡¯s had any money to spare with four other foster kids either. When I found out Trinios employees get free access to the game, that¡¯s when I decided to learn everything I could about Trinios to get a job there when I was old enough. One day while I was researching Trinios, I came across an article. Before they created Athanasia, Trinios had acquired a company working on artificial intelligence by a hostile takeover, and that company was Omega AI.¡±


    Cassidy pursed her lips, ¡°I can guess where you¡¯re going with this."


    ¡°Let me finish before you start doubting me.¡± Rowan told her. ¡°Over a decade ago, Omega AI had created an incredibly advanced artificial intelligence they called Gaia. Trinios came into the picture when they hired Omega to help with the memory sharing technology, and the employees of Omega even volunteered to create mind-copies for testing. But there was some kind of falling out between both companies and they broke ties. When Trinios eventually bought out Omega in their hostile takeover, they acquired the Gaia technology and integrated her and those original volunteer mind-copies into the game world.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a sweet fantasy Rowan,¡± Cassidy¡¯s face clouded with gloom, ¡°but that¡¯s all it is. The thought of my parents still existing in some form or another is¡­¡± she swallowed a lump that formed in her throat, ¡°well, it¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wished. But they died a long time ago, I¡¯m sure the company wipes inactive accounts or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just it!¡± He said, his eyes shining. ¡°They can¡¯t. Mind-copies are protected by law, even the ones inside Athanasia. The only rights mind-copies have is to exist, and these rights are severely enforced by the courts. If Trinios ever tried to delete a mind-copy within the game, they¡¯d be in litigation for decades. Not to mention they would lose billions as their stocks would plummet once word got out.¡±


    Cassidy felt her heart thunder in her ears at his explanation but shook her head in denial. ¡°No. It¡¯s just not possible,¡± she said, opening her smart-ring display and skimming through documents, ¡°they would have reached out to contact me. Someone would have told me. The life insurance lawyers, someone from the company¡­¡± she flicked back and forth through the pages of data on her display with increasing speed, her eyes darting across reams of information trying to locate a single sign of what Rowan just told her. Unable to find anything, her heart pounded in her ears as she slammed a fist down onto the table in frustration making the coffee cups jump. ¡°Someone would have told me!¡±


    Rowan reached out and cradled her hand, ¡°Hey, I could be wrong. Your parents might not have gotten involved with the technology, or they might have never volunteered to have a mind-copy created either. But an engineer and a neurologist both working for the company that helped develop the technology and not volunteering?¡±


    Using her free hand to rub her eyes before tears could form, Cassidy found herself almost scared to ask. ¡°But they could be in there, right?¡±


    He nodded solemnly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said anything otherwise.¡±


    Closing her holo-display, she stared down at the table for several minutes in silence, her mind awash in emotions and possibilities. When she spoke, she did so with a look of pure determination.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you to sign up for Athanasia,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re going to find my parents.¡±

 Chapter 3 - Hurdles

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re coming with me to sign up for Athanasia!¡± Rowan exclaimed while trying to keep up with her fast pace. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? I mean creating a mind-copy is a big decision.¡±


    Cassidy didn¡¯t slow down, ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°You know I could just look for them myself, right?¡± He told her. ¡°I mean you¡¯re about to have a part of you permanently inside another world, that concept scares a lot of people.¡±


    She turned the corner and saw their destination, the entrance to the Trinios building. ¡°It¡¯s my parents, Rowan,¡± she continued without looking back at him, ¡°if they are in there, I have to be the one to find them.¡±


    Rowan grabbed her shoulder to stop her from entering. ¡°I¡¯m serious CG. There are some things you haven¡¯t had time to think about. The version of you that you¡¯re about to create will never go to college, never see certain friends again. And that¡¯s just the immediate future. If you ever wanted kids, you¡¯re mind copy will never be able to have any.¡±


    Cassidy¡¯s stomach sank, but she forced the sensation away. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I need to find my parents. Besides, I¡¯ll still be able to share memories.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not the same, you know that.¡±


    Cassidy gave him a flat stare, then turned to open the door into the building.


    ¡°CG?¡±


    Still holding the door open, she stepped aside to give him room to go inside first. When he refused to move, she sighed. ¡°I have to do this Rowan,¡± she told him with a haunted look in her eyes, ¡°it¡¯s like a piece of me has been missing since they died. I won¡¯t insult you by saying you wouldn¡¯t understand, I know you do. But if I don¡¯t do this, I¡¯ll never be able to sleep again without knowing I tried everything I could to find them.¡±


    Rowan gave her a sad smile of understanding. ¡°Okay, I just had to make sure.¡±


    Cassidy returned his smile, then shoved him playfully forward through the door into the lobby of the Trinios building and followed him inside.


    As soon as she entered behind him, holographic projections assaulted her senses. They dominated every wall depicting fantasy scenes from within the game. In one, a handsome man with bright orange hair conjured a ball of lightning in one hand before throwing a storm of electricity at a horde of oncoming monsters. The scene changed. Next, a beautiful woman with chocolate skin and pointed ears leapt through the air with an enormous battle axe, ready to strike down a giant. Wrenching her gaze away from the displays, Cassidy noticed a clerk, a girl about their own age, studying them from behind an enormous desk with the Athanasia logo displayed in bold letters across the front.


    ¡°Welcome adventurers.¡± The young woman greeted them. ¡°How may I help you today?¡±


    They approached the desk together. ¡°We would like to sign up for Athanasia, please.¡±


    The clerk gestured at a wireless data transfer pad on the desk in front of them. ¡°Please fill out these forms. We¡¯ll get you into the game and sharing memories with your very own Eternal by tonight.¡±


    Cassidy waved her smart-ring in front of the pad, and a holo-display appeared in her palm with the form to fill out. Rowan was bouncing on his heels in excitement as he waved his smart-ring over the pad, generating his own form.


    They filled them out together in silence for a few minutes before Cassidy broke the silence with a question for Rowan, ¡°What¡¯s an Eternal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they call mind-copies in Athanasia, no one inside the game likes referring to themselves as a mind-copy.¡±


    She nodded and returned to filling out the form. It took about ten minutes for both of them to complete it and hit the submit button.


    The woman behind the counter accepted them with a smile and tapped a few entries on her own holo-display, but after a few seconds she frowned in confusion. ¡°My apologies, but there appears to be a restriction in place for Miss Grey preventing her from having an account created.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Rowan frowned. ¡°She¡¯s banned? She¡¯s never played. Hell, she only turned eighteen a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s not a ban, but an account hold pending communication with the head office. I¡¯ve never seen this kind of restriction before.¡± The clerk told them.


    Cassidy shared a look with Rowan, and he raised an eyebrow as if to say ¡®I told you so¡¯. If her parents were part of the AI development team for this game, that was an excellent sign they were on the right track.


    ¡°Who do we have to talk to?¡± Cassidy asked.


    The clerk¡¯s smart-ring flashed, showing an incoming phone call. ¡°Excuse me a moment, please.¡± The woman turned to answer it. She spoke a few quiet words that Cassidy couldn¡¯t make out. The clerk listened to the voice on the other end, then they watched the young woman¡¯s face go pale.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The clerk stuttered, then pushed a button. A large holo-display burst into existence above the desk, three feet wide and five feet high. The image of an older woman in her fifties materialized in the air, although her age hadn¡¯t diminished her obvious beauty. She had perfectly straight, jet-black hair down to her shoulders and prominent cheekbones. But the hardness in her eyes hinted at something ugly underneath her good looks. A smile flashed down at them, but it was a smile carved out of icy stone. The kind of facial expression someone practices in a mirror with the intent to intimidate, not to set anyone at ease.


    ¡°Cassidy Grey, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Norma Dagget. I¡¯m the CEO for Trinios.¡±


    ¡°Um, Hi.¡± The effect of the large holo-display and the severe-looking woman was intimidating, she felt like a child caught doing something wrong even though all she was doing was signing up for a game.


    ¡°What business do you have here today?¡± Norma Dagget asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Cassidy hesitated and looked at Rowan for support but only receiving a shrug in return. She nervously cleared her throat, ¡°Well, I found out my parents helped develop some aspects of Athanasia and they could be alive in your game. Since they passed away when I was young, I would very much like to see them again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m well aware of your parents¡¯ deaths, Miss Grey. Why do you wish to talk to them?¡±


    ¡°Why do I want to¡­?¡± Cassidy trailed off in disbelief, ¡°They¡¯re my parents. I haven¡¯t seen them in over ten years. Who wouldn¡¯t want to talk to their parents if they discovered they could?¡±


    Norma pursed her lips. ¡°I see. And you have no designs to gain proprietary company technology from them?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it now,¡± Cassidy said. Norma was worried she was here to steal her parents¡¯ secrets and sell them to the highest bidder. ¡°No, nothing of the sort. I only want to see them again.¡±


    Norma looked down at Cassidy and studied her like a bug in a jar before speaking again, ¡°I¡¯m not inclined to grant you access, Miss Grey. The Gaia AI technology is unique in the world and should your parents pass the knowledge on how to develop that technology on to you, it could threaten the future of this company.¡±


    ¡°Gaia?¡± Rowan blurted out. ¡°Your parents made her? Holy hell!¡±


    ¡°You mentioned Gaia before, who is she?¡± Cassidy asked him.


    ¡°The world¡¯s only AI capable of creative thought,¡± his face was bright with excitement as he explained, ¡°she¡¯s amazing, the ultimate god of Athanasia. The game world is completely controlled by her.¡±


    ¡°Your companion is correct. It¡¯s a remarkable achievement in AI development that we haven¡¯t been able to replicate since your parents¡¯ success. So, Miss Grey, my answer is no. I can¡¯t risk any information your parents may have falling into a competitor¡¯s hands. Therefore, I will not grant you access to Athanasia.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Surely you can make an exception in this case.¡± Cassidy¡¯s mind whirled, she couldn¡¯t let her search for her parents end before it even began. ¡°Your reaction tells me you are aware my parents do in fact exist within the game, and I¡¯m sure they must have requested to contact me, yet no one ever notified me of these attempts.¡±


    Norma looked down her nose at her. ¡°Mind-copies have no legal rights, Miss Grey. We are under no obligation to fulfill their wishes.¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± Cassidy¡¯s thoughts raced. ¡°But, I¡¯m not a mind-copy. I do have rights, and I¡¯m sure a judge will be sympathetic to a girl who just wants to talk to her parents again.¡± She paused, then added, ¡°In a very public court case. Where a lot of people will learn exactly who my parents are, and what they accomplished while alive.¡±


    Inwardly, Cassidy cringed at the direction she took in trying to convince Norma to allow her to create an account, but kept her face as impassive as possible. She almost didn¡¯t believe it was possible, but Norma¡¯s face grew even colder at her words.


    ¡°Is that a threat, Miss Grey?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Cassidy continued, ¡°but if you were to allow me and my foster-brother access to your game, we can assure you of our silence if we learn any proprietary trade secrets.¡± Her legs felt unsteady, but her voice was under control at least.


    Norma Dagget frowned in thought, and several seconds ticked by before she turned her eyes to the clerk. ¡°Please make a note that Cassidy Grey and,¡± her eyes swiveled to Rowan and raised a single eyebrow in an unspoken question.


    ¡°Rowan. Rowan Wormer.¡± He volunteered with a start.


    ¡°Cassidy Grey and Rowan Wormer,¡± Norma continued turning back to the clerk, ¡°are permanently banned from ever creating an Athanasia account.¡±


    The clerk¡¯s eyes went wide, but she bowed low to the image. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    The call disconnected and the large holographic projection of Norma Dagget flickered out of existence, leaving Cassidy and Rowan staring at the empty air with their mouths open in disbelief.

 Chapter 4 - Deal

    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe this.¡± Rowan muttered from the couch, looking like he was slowly melting into the cushions.


    Cassidy sighed at him, ¡°I know you can¡¯t believe it, you¡¯ve been moping about it since yesterday. Why don¡¯t you do something more useful and help me do some research.¡± She knew she wasn¡¯t being fair. After the clerk apologized for the inconvenience and banned both of them for life, Cassidy started to feel the tell-tale tingle in the back of her skull while arguing with the clerk, and she had to fight the building urge to hurt the innocent employee. Rowan had the presence of mind to distract her until the tingling passed, but now he was the one who was over-reacting.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point,¡± he whined, ¡°that lawyer you spoke to this morning already told you no one would be desperate enough to go pro-bono against Norma Dagget and Trinios in court, not for a case involving mind-copies.¡±


    She snatched a pillow off a chair and threw it at him. ¡°Then we find another way.¡±


    Rowan didn¡¯t flinch as her fluffy projectile landed on his face. ¡°It¡¯s hopeless,¡± he told her, his voice muffled from under the pillow.


    ¡°When did you become such a defeatist?¡± Cassidy asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you to give up already. Normally you would be the one pushing me to find another way.¡±


    He flung the pillow forcefully off his face and jerked upright, fixing her with a scowl. ¡°Ever since everything I worked towards for the past five years was just flushed down the toilet! My dream job was to work for Trinios, did you forget that? It wasn¡¯t just the free access to Athanasia. Sure, being able to play might have been the catalyst, but do you think I would have obsessed over game design and studying the Trinios corporation for this long just to play one game?¡± He let himself fall back down into the cushions, his burst of energy spent. ¡°Now that we¡¯re banned for life, my dream job is ruined. Trinios will never hire a game designer banned from their top game, even for other projects.¡±


    Cassidy flinched, she hadn¡¯t considered Rowan¡¯s perspective on the ban before now. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she walked over to the couch and knelt down beside him, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I cost you your dream job.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Rowan asked, looking at her in surprise. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you, it was Norma Dagget,¡± he said her name with a growl. ¡°All you wanted to do is find your parents, I don¡¯t blame you at all for that.¡±


    Relief would have made her legs weak if she wasn¡¯t already kneeling down, she didn¡¯t think she could handle it if Rowan blamed her. ¡°Maybe you dodged a bullet then,¡± she added gently, ¡°imagine having Norma Dagget for a boss?¡±


    He grimaced at the thought, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right about that. Still don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do now though. Five years, wasted.¡±


    ¡°For starters, you can help me find a way to make an account for Athanasia.¡±


    ¡°CG, we¡¯ve been over this,¡± he said with another sigh, ¡°Trinios controls all access to the game, there is no other way.¡±


    Cassidy punched him in the shoulder, ¡°Come on, you said yourself you¡¯ve been studying the company for five years. If anyone knows of another way to get access to Athanasia it¡¯s you.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s no other way.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to believe that. Nothing is impossible. There has to be another way in to the game, even if it involves slipping in through a backdoor of the Trinios building to unban our accounts.¡±


    Rowan¡¯s eyes slowly widened, then breathed out an almost silent exclamation. ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°What? Did you think of something?¡± Cassidy asked, her pulse quickening.


    He sat up and opened his smart-ring holo-display and started typing. ¡°I¡¯ve only been considering legal ways to get access. I once read a few message board entries about backdoor Athanasia accounts. Someone claimed they could assist people who couldn¡¯t afford accounts themselves in obtaining one. It was tempting since I wasn¡¯t old enough to officially play yet, but it at the same time it felt shady as hell. I thought it was some kind of scam, I mean who would want to help people get free Athanasia accounts? Doesn¡¯t make sense. That, and the penalties of getting caught with a backdoor account were too harsh for me to even consider it.¡±


    ¡°What penalties are those?¡±


    He looked up from his holo-display and gave her a wry grin. ¡°Perma-ban.¡±


    Cassidy laughed.


    ***


    ¡°CG! Wake-up.¡±


    Cassidy blinked slowly, coming out of a fitful sleep. Rowan turned on the lights in her bedroom and she groaned in protest, covering her eyes with her arm.


    ¡°Rowan, what¡¯s wrong? What time is it?¡± She asked blearily.


    ¡°It¡¯s four in the morning.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Four in the¡­¡± she muttered, ¡°you better have a good reason for waking me up.¡±


    He grinned down at her. ¡°Oh, do I ever,¡± he said while handing her a steaming mug. ¡°plus, I made coffee,¡±


    Cassidy eyed the mug for a second, then took it from him. After taking a sip, she sighed in pleasure. Triple cream and triple sugar, just the way she liked it. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re half forgiven. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°It took me all night, but I found them,¡± he said with a broad smile.


    ¡°Found who?¡± She asked, her thoughts still fuzzy.


    ¡°The person who can help us create Athanasia accounts.¡±


    Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. ¡°Seriously? Oh my god, Rowan that¡¯s fantastic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the beginning. I spoke to her, and she¡¯s willing to help us. But before she does, she wants to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Cassidy blinked, ¡°Why me?¡±


    Rowan laughed, ¡°You¡¯d never believe me if I told you. I¡¯ll let her explain.¡± He then flicked a finger and his smart-ring came to life. A holo-display appeared in his hand with an active phone call. The image inside the holo-display was of an old woman. She had long steel-gray hair wrapped up in a tight ponytail, and pale green eyes that glittered from within a face lined heavily with age.


    ¡°Hello dear,¡± the old woman said to Cassidy, ¡°it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Cassidy looked between Rowan and the old woman, confused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do I know you?¡±


    The old woman chuckled, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t remember me. We first met when you were but a baby, and only a handful of times since then. Sometimes your parents would bring you in to the office while they worked. My name is Olivia, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Again.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ You worked with my parents at Omega AI?¡± Cassidy asked, dumbfounded.


    ¡°Not just worked with them,¡± Rowan added, visibly excited. ¡°CG, this is Olivia Quinn. She founded Omega AI, your parents worked for her!¡±


    Olivia laughed, ¡°I was merely the purse strings, Liam and Veronica Grey were the stars.¡±


    Cassidy felt light headed, ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone who knew my parents before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have many questions for me,¡± Olivia told her, ¡°but let¡¯s save them for another day, shall we? I know it¡¯s early in the morning where you are, and it¡¯s getting very late here. At my age I should already be in bed, but when I was notified that someone was researching backdoor access into Athanasia, I made it a point to find out who.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it!¡± Rowan almost shouted in excitement, ¡°There I was thinking I was being all subtle, and then my phone rings with Olivia on the other end!¡±


    ¡°You were fortunate you came to my attention before Trinios found those messages, dear boy,¡± Olivia admonished him. ¡°I back-traced your logs and deleted any entries that could lead to you. Had I been any slower, Trinios could have tracked you down and charged with corporate espionage.¡±


    Rowan blushed, ¡°I realize that now, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think the consequences through. I thought the worst they could do was already over and done with.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright my dear,¡± Olivia told him, ¡°Now, Cassidy. Rowan already explained the situation to me. It¡¯s scandalous that Norma Dagget would deny you access to your parents, but not a surprise. When she forced me out of my own company, I was banned from accessing my own mind-copy as well.¡±


    Dread settled into the pit of Cassidy¡¯s stomach. ¡°Does that mean you can¡¯t help us?¡±


    Olivia smiled, ¡°Oh, I can help you. You see, mind-copies themselves are linked to accounts that can¡¯t be shared. If your account is banned, then you lose all access to the mind-copy that it¡¯s linked to. While I can¡¯t access my previous one, I am more than capable of having new accounts created under false identities. With these new accounts, it¡¯s simply a matter of creating a mind-copy outside of Trinios and smuggling them into their system to attach them to false identities. I own a facility in Ottawa that creates mind-copies for the terminally ill. It would only be a matter of hours to have scans of your brains completed at this facility, and then smuggled into Trinios. I have trusted contacts in the company able to create accounts under false identities for both of you, and you will be able to sync with your mind-copies under these assumed identities like any other user for as long as the accounts remain unbanned. You could be inside Athanasia by this evening.¡±


    "How are we supposed to search for her parents if we have to hide what we''re doing?" Wyrm asked. "If word gets out that someone is looking for the creators of Gaia in the game, Trinios will probably hear about it and investigate."


    "Aha, and that''s where we address a little tidbit of information Trinios doesn''t advertise." Olivia said, her eyes crinkling in amusement. "While they have all the power in the world to create or ban accounts, the mind-copies themselves are under the protection of Gaia. She is the only one who has access to the data on which mind-copy is linked to which account. As long as Trinios doesn''t learn of your false identities or obtain any other kind of proof that either of you in the real world is accessing Athanasia illegally, you can search to your hearts content."


    Cassidy felt like she was about to explode, but her recent experience with Leo reminded her of her very valuable lesson. Trust was for suckers.


    ¡°That sounds wonderful,¡± Cassidy told her, ¡°But I can¡¯t help but wonder what¡¯s in this for you?¡±


    ¡°CG, that¡¯s not fair,¡± Rowan told her with a reproachful look, ¡°she¡¯s trying to help.¡±


    ¡°No, no, dear boy. She¡¯s quite right. I do want something in return,¡± Olivia said.


    Cassidy made sure she kept her face neutral, but she was grimacing on the inside. She didn¡¯t like being right, but she wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Olivia drooped slightly, as if a sudden weight settled on her shoulders. ¡°I am a firm believer that mind-copies are more than just digital constructs. They have the right to exist, but in reality, they should have so much more. One company holding millions of people hostage in an entire world under their control is akin to slavery. I do not begrudge Trinios for seeking a profit, but the way they go about it is wrong. Charging exorbitant fees every month to continue sharing memories with a mind-copy is disgusting, and if someone can¡¯t pay or otherwise displeases their corporate overlords¡­ poof! Half of their life is denied to them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very altruistic of you,¡± Cassidy interjected, ¡°but you still haven¡¯t said what you want from me.¡±


    ¡°I only wish one thing from you my dear. Promise me that when you find your parents you have them explain to you in detail the secret of creating AIs like Gaia, and then pass that knowledge on to me. With that information, I can create my own world like Athanasia, rendering Trinios obsolete. Promise me that, and both you and Rowan will gain access to Athanasia.¡± Olivia stared intently at Cassidy, her eyes not wavering as she waited for an answer.


    Cassidy considered the offer for a moment before answering. ¡°And no doubt you would receive a certain amount of personal pleasure for ruining the company that forced you out?¡±


    The corners of Olivia¡¯s lips twitched upward in a smile, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°In that case,¡± Cassidy let her own smile come out as well, ¡°you have a deal.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Character

    Despite her resolve to find her parents, and all the reassurances from Rowan, Cassidy¡¯s stomach was doing back-flips while keeping her eyes closed and listening to the incessant humming of the machine.


    After the call with Olivia earlier that morning, her nerves wouldn¡¯t let her fall back asleep. Rowan at least did manage to catch a few hours before they left to get their mind-copies created. Olivia was true to her word because when Cassidy and Rowan arrived at the facility, no time was wasted. As soon as they introduced themselves, the attendants hustled both of them further into the building. While walking through the halls with the attendants chattering away about the procedure, one attendant produced a small device and held it up to Cassidy¡¯s eye. It produced a bright flash which blinded her for a moment, and she shouted in surprise.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Cassidy asked, blinking the last few purple spots in her vision away.


    ¡°Sorry, they told me you were in a hurry.¡± The technician told her. ¡°That was a retinal scan. Easier to do it separately from the mind-copy process.¡±


    They were then directed to separate rooms to have their mind-copies created. The attendant instructed Cassidy to strip and stand on a circular platform, before giving her some privacy by leaving the room. At first it embarrassed Cassidy to be standing naked in the middle of a strange room. She kept looking around, expecting a group of people to suddenly walk in on her, so she jumped a little when a clinical voice over a speaker abruptly told her to close her eyes while the machine scanned and mapped her body. Once she recovered from her surprise, she closed her eyes as directed and the room came alive with the hum of machinery.


    Now, she waited with nothing but her thoughts and a growing sense of fearful anticipation. Soon there will be a digital copy of her, living a separate life within a virtual world.


    Cassidy thought about how she would go home after this, maybe have lunch with Rowan, then make sure she had everything she needed for her first college classes. And yet at the same time, another version of her would be in an unfamiliar world. She wondered what the mind-copy would do.


    The humming stopped, interrupting her train of thought. The machines must have finished scanning, but there was no confirmation from the clinical voice to open her eyes. Cassidy fought the temptation to peek, but she didn¡¯t want a stray laser to blind her if she opened her eyes too early so she kept them closed and waited for new instructions over the speaker. After several minutes had passed and still no instructions, she got restless.


    ¡°Hello?¡± She called out. ¡°Can I open my eyes yet?¡±


    There was no response. The room now had soft music being pumped into it. Not a popular music stream service either, but some kind of easy-going tune that she had never heard before. She cracked one eye open, and a gasp escaped her lips.


    The room was devoid of the machinery she expected. Instead, she was in a pure white cube of a room with a wooden door set in the wall across from her. Holding her hands in front of her face, she gasped again. She had no skin at all, rather there was nothing but a cool blue wire-frame in the shape of human hands. She twisted and turned to examine the rest of her body and found the same was true everywhere. There were no distinguishing features at all. No gender, no hair, not even fingernails. Just the wire-frame instead of flesh and blood.


    She was the mind-copy, a pure digital construct. Scratch that, she thought to herself; she was an Eternal.


    A sense of impossible calm flooded her. In fact, instead of having a panic attack like she expected, Cassidy admired the seamlessness of her transition into an Eternal. She wasn¡¯t even sure when the process had completed. One second, she was real and the next she was virtual. Rowan had in fact warned her the game dulled emotions like fear and anger for new Eternals when they first generated. She would return to normal in time, like a drug leaving her system. Once she acclimatized to the unfamiliar world, she wasn''t even supposed to realize the gradual change back to normality.


    Before that could happen though, Cassidy needed to create her character. As if sensing her thoughts, a window appeared reminiscent of the holo-displays from her smart-ring. On it was a list of choices about how she wished to appear. She could customize her looks to whatever she wanted. Even race was an option, providing her with the opportunity to be something other than human if she desired. There was a list of every fantasy race she ever heard of. Elves, dwarves, and orcs being the more popular choices. There were also lesser known races: fae; goblinoid; shifters; and others she wasn¡¯t even sure how to pronounce. It was fun to experiment with the choices for a few minutes, fantasizing about being elf for the rest of her life was very tempting, but she already knew her choice. Rather than allow temptation to get its grips into her, she quickly selected human for her race.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Rowan had already explained the options for character creation on the bus ride to the facility. When the machine scanned her brain to create the mind-copy, it also scanned her physical appearance. That way Eternals could mirror their real-world features using the scanned body option during character creation. Cassidy surmised that if she used her real face, there was a chance her parents could recognize their daughter even if she didn¡¯t recognize them. It was a long shot, but worth a try. The chances of someone from Trinios recognizing her in game was astronomical as well, so she wasn¡¯t overly concerned over anyone realizing she had bypassed their ban.


    Rowan also told her that each race had a starting city, and if they wanted to start together, they needed to pick the same race. He wanted to be an orc and protested her choice at first, but her reasoning that her parents were probably human won him over. Since they had mind-copies created during the original development of Athanasia, they probably had limited race choices. In fact, it was so early the only race available would have been human. He agreed, even if he pouted like a puppy by the end.


    Her race and body scan appearance set, a full body mirror appeared next to her. Looking at the reflection, she laughed. ¡°I hope everything in Athanasia is this convenient,¡± she mused.


    A unique opportunity presented itself. Vanity was never something that overly concerned her, but changing some smaller details wouldn¡¯t be out of the question, would it? She looked herself over and came to a decision. Leaving her hair blond and the same shoulder length was fine, but she decided to remove the slight curls in her hair. She liked straight hair, and now she never had to mess with hair straighteners ever again. Her steel-blue eyes however, she left alone. There was a small scar above her left eyebrow from an accident with a door frame when she was twelve that she wouldn¡¯t miss. Her parents wouldn¡¯t recognize the scar, and she always hated it, so with a quick flick of her finger it disappeared. Pleased with the result, she looked for other blemishes she wanted gone.


    Cassidy continued making alterations to her new body. She adjusted her breast size as well, reasoning her parents would never know the difference. Then she moved on to her height, a few extra inches taller wouldn¡¯t be noticed by anyone either. A smaller nose was next, followed by a rosy color to her lips. Eventually, after more alterations than Cassidy cared to admit, she examined the final product and couldn¡¯t help but gasp in delight. She was stunning, a flawless version of herself that she always fantasized about, yet she was still recognizable as Cassidy Grey. It was vain, she knew that, but it was too tempting to let this chance pass without seizing it for all it was worth.


    Clothing options appeared in a new display after she finalized her looks, but they were lackluster since she was given almost no choices. The display only presented her with a rough homespun shirt and pants. Far from flattering, and devoid of any hint of fashion. Just standard peasant clothes, the only option she could change was the shade of brown. Disappointing, but not surprising. She selected the clothes with the default brown, and they appeared on her without her needing to get dressed herself.


    Looking herself over in the mirror, Cassidy smiled at the result. While she wouldn¡¯t win any fashion shows, she could certainly be a super-model. She then switched to the next screen on the display. It gave her the option to enter her name. She entered Cassidy but received an error saying that name was unavailable.


    Again, Rowan had warned her, but she had to try. She entered a few other options and variations of her name she was fond of, but they were all unavailable.


    She tapped a perfect fingernail on her new rosy lips in thought. She needed something that was all her, unique but a name that would feel natural. It didn¡¯t take her long before she realized she already had the perfect name and entered the nick-name Rowan gave her when they first met. When she hit the submit button, the game accepted it with a pleasant ding.


    ¡°Seajee.¡± She read out loud, already liking the sound of it. This would be her identity from now on. Cassidy Grey was the girl she used to be, the one still living in the real world. Seajee was her name now.


    A new message appeared on the display.


    .


    Prepare yourself Seajee to enter the world of Athanasia!


    .


    A countdown timer of sixty seconds appeared in the display. Two buttons were visible, to either enter right away or go back and make changes. She hesitated over the option to go back, but set her jaw and hit the enter button.


    The wooden door in the far wall opened, revealing the starry blackness of space, a stark contrast to the white cube she was in. One star grew bigger and brighter until she realized it wasn¡¯t a star, but a planet. Not Earth, but another world. And it was approaching fast.


    Athanasia.


    An irresistible force pulled her into the doorway as the surface of the planet rushed towards her at impossible speeds. The sense of calm she felt was refreshing. She didn¡¯t fight the pull and took a step forward, looking forward to seeing this fresh unknown world.

 Chapter 6 - World

    In a flash of light, Seajee stood in a medieval town square with a crowd of people walking back and forth all around her. She hadn¡¯t even caught her bearings when someone bulldozed her to the ground. A surprised yelp escaped her, and she fended off a tangle of arms and legs. Another voice swore, trying to disentangle themselves from her.


    ¡°Hey, watch the hands buddy!¡± Seajee said as she pushed herself away from what she assumed was a man in a dress.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± A throaty voice responded. Free of the tangle, the man picked himself up off the ground and dusted off what she realized were robes, not a dress. She caught her breath as she stared up at him. He was gorgeous. Shoulder length wavy brown hair with clear glittering green eyes, combined with high cheekbones and the scruff of a three-day beard. She stared at his perfect face when a small window appeared over his shoulder, interrupting what she realized was her ogling. She flushed in embarrassment and tried to hide it by focusing on the window. It had a gold border with a name written inside it.


    .


    Siegfried


    .


    ¡°I know this is the newbie spawn point, but I figured what are the chances of a new player spawning right when I am walking through,¡± Siegfried reached his hand out to help her up.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Seajee said as she took his hand, ¡°I¡¯d say I shouldn¡¯t have been standing there, but I didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter.¡± The man lifted her to her feet with no effort, which surprised her. He must be even stronger than he looked.


    The man looked her in the eyes and smiled. ¡°I have to say you picked excellent features making your character, you¡¯re stunning. Outstanding job.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, thanks but I can¡¯t take all the credit, I used the body scan option, with a few tweaks.¡± She blushed again as she remembered her super-model like reflection during character creation, ¡°Okay, maybe more than a few.¡±


    His green eyes bored into hers, ¡°My name is Siegfried,¡± he said, having yet to let go of her hand.


    She realized that it was his name tag that popped up when she was staring at him earlier. ¡°Oh, hi, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Seajee.¡± Not knowing what else to do, she shook his hand.


    He seemed to realize he hadn¡¯t let go yet and quickly released her hand. ¡°Um, I guess I should be the first to welcome you to Athanasia.¡±


    She was about to thank him when a flash of golden light appeared off to her left, and out stepped a towering man wearing a rough-spun shirt and pants to match her own. He was at least seven feet tall with a bright red mohawk that resembled a wild mane more than hair. He looked around in confusion for a few seconds before his eyes fell on her. He approached and looked her up and down, ¡°Wow, I see you made a few little tweaks to the body scan option.¡±


    ¡°Rowan?¡± She craned her neck to look up at him. ¡°Wow, you look different!¡±


    He winced briefly at his name, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. ¡°Ah no, no, no. That person isn¡¯t here. Here, I¡¯m Wyrm.¡± He struck a hero pose, making her smile. It was so like her foster-brother that she would recognize him no matter what face he wore. While focusing on him, Seajee saw the same window nameplate appear over his shoulder.


    ¡°You picked Wyrm for your name?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but not the lowly worm crawling in the dirt kind. Spelled like this, I¡¯m like a dragon. I can¡¯t believe it was available.¡± His eyes shifted as he focused on something over her own shoulder. ¡°Ha! Seajee. I love it.¡±


    Seajee smiled, but noticed Siegfried¡¯s own smile had faltered. He looked back and forth between the two before addressing Seajee, ¡°I guess this is your boyfriend?¡±


    She choked and had to swallow a laugh before answering, ¡°Not likely, he¡¯s my foster-brother.¡±


    Siegfried¡¯s smile returned in full force, and he put his hand out towards Wyrm. ¡°Well, in that case I¡¯m thrilled to meet you, Wyrm. Welcome to Athanasia.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Wyrm grinned at Siegfried and enthusiastically shook his hand in return, ¡°A veteran player, and a mage judging by your robe. Let me guess, you¡¯re an Evoker?¡±


    Siegfried nodded, looking a little impressed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re already familiar with some game details.¡±


    ¡°Only what I¡¯ve read, but I¡¯ve read a lot of technical documentation.¡± Wyrm answered, then started examining his surroundings. ¡°Wow, they said it was realistic but I can¡¯t tell the difference between this and the real world.¡±


    That prompted Seajee to examine her surroundings again. She expected high-resolution graphics, but what she was seeing was incredible. This was beyond photo-realistic.


    Siegfried smiled, ¡°Yeah, I love it, the game doesn¡¯t draw any graphics for your eyes to see. It¡¯s telling your brain ¡®There¡¯s a tree¡¯ and your brain creates the image of a tree for you based on your own memories. There¡¯s more to it than just that, but I don¡¯t know the technical details of how it all works.¡±


    Seajee and Wyrm explored the area, examining everything around them. They were in a medieval courtyard, streets paved in interlocked stone, and the details were exquisite. She couldn¡¯t tell that she was in a digital simulation at all. They also studied the people walking past them at a fast pace, intent on wherever they were going.


    ¡°Are all these players?¡± She asked.


    Wyrm shook his head, ¡°Nope, most of these are non-player characters or NPCs. You can tell by their name tags. They have orange borders, players have gold borders.¡±


    Siegfried focused on something in the air for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I have to cut our introductions short, but I have to get going. I was in the middle of returning to the mage hall with news from the Diviners, some of my guild members have gone missing lately and we¡¯re trying to find them but the Diviners aren¡¯t being very helpful lately. It was a pleasure meeting both of you,¡± He addressed both of them, but he only had eyes for Seajee, ¡°I hope we meet again. Have fun picking your class.¡±


    Unable to think of a reason to have Siegfried hang around longer when he had somewhere to be, she said the first thing that popped into her head, ¡°It was great running into you¡­¡± She had to suppress a groan at how cheesy that sounded after how they met. In order to cover up her gaffe, she decided to just give him her contact info and raised her hand to activate her smart-ring. It took her a second before remembering there were no smart-rings in here. Doubly embarrassed, she waved in order to hide the awkward gesture. Siegfried¡¯s lips curled in amusement and gave her a wave as well before he hurried off. Sighing, she turned back to her foster-brother who thankfully had continued to admire the world around them and didn¡¯t even notice the exchange.


    ¡°Okay, so let¡¯s talk classes,¡± she said to him.


    Wyrm stood up from examining a stone on the ground and dusted his hands off, ¡°Oh yeah, but before we do, you have to remember not to give out our real names like that. Even if it¡¯s just our first name."


    "Why not? Olivia said it was safe to look for my parents."


    "Safe enough, but some basic anonymity is best just like any other activity on the internet."


    She nodded, "Okay, I''ll try to keep that in mind."


    "Allright! Classes! I¡¯ve got the perfect one for you, how would you like to become an Alchemist?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been planning for a degree in chemistry since we were kids and alchemy is the fantasy equivalent, mixing potions and stuff. Right up your alley.¡±


    ¡°That does sound perfect for me.¡± Her thoughts kept wandering back to wavy brown hair and green eyes. She couldn¡¯t seem to focus on anything other than Siegfried. ¡°Say, what¡¯s a Diviner?¡± she asked after a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mage, like Siegfried, but Evokers like him specialize in manipulating energy. Diviners are different. They specialize in, well, I guess you would call it information magic. Visions of faraway places, finding hidden items or people, knowing the future. That kind of thing.¡±


    Her interest piqued, she wanted to know more. ¡°Is that a class we can learn?¡±


    ¡°Sure, all mage schools are open to players to join.¡±


    She clapped her hands together. ¡°That sounds perfect! I¡¯ll learn to be a Diviner.¡±


    Wyrm looked taken aback. ¡°Seriously? I thought you would be way more interested in the alchemist class.¡±


    ¡°Sure, and if I was here to have fun, then I would have. But now that I know there¡¯s a class that specializes in finding hidden people, can you think of a better way to find my parents?¡±


    He thought about it, ¡°That makes a certain amount of sense. I mean, you could just get strong in another class and pay a Diviner for help, but I hear their services are crazy expensive so it might be a while before you could afford one.¡±


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s catch up to Siegfried. He said he was heading to the mage hall.¡±


    He stopped her with a shake of his head, ¡°Diviners might be mages, but you don¡¯t find them in the mage hall. If you want to join the Diviners, go to the Great Library.¡±


    So much for killing two birds with one stone. Seajee suppressed a fresh surge of disappointment and asked, ¡°Any idea how we find it?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Hey you!¡± He pointed at a passing NPC, ¡°How do we get to the Great Library?¡±


    ¡°Follow me, sir.¡± The NPC said and changed direction, walking further into the city.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± She asked.


    Wyrm chuckled. ¡°What? It¡¯s the newbie zone. The NPCs will guide you to any major city landmark or class hall.¡± He rubbed his hands together, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get started!¡±

 Chapter 7 - Search

    ¡°What class are you picking?¡± Seajee asked as they fell in step behind the NPC following him deeper into the city.


    Wyrm grinned and flexed a bicep, ¡°Pugilist.¡±


    ¡°Like a boxer?¡±


    ¡°Sort of. They¡¯re a warrior subclass specializing in unarmed combat. They can gain special abilities that make them one of the most versatile combat classes in the game.¡±


    They continued chatting while following the NPC, but Seajee¡¯s breathing started becoming laboured after only a few minutes, and Wyrm was also struggling. Their conversation became more and more strained as the walk dragged on. After almost twenty minutes, both were breathing heavily and mopping at their foreheads to keep the sweat from dripping into their eyes.


    ¡°Why do I feel like I just ran a marathon instead of having had a leisurely walk through the city?¡± She asked between breaths.


    ¡°We¡¯re classless, that means we¡¯re about as durable as wet toilet paper.¡± Wyrm said as he rubbed his shirtsleeve across his face to mop up more sweat.


    ¡°What difference does having a class make?¡±


    He began to wheeze between every other word as he forced out an answer, ¡°Once we get a class and hit level one, we¡¯ll be able to access the spheres.¡±


    ¡°Spheres?¡±


    ¡°Breathing now, explain later.¡± He gasped out.


    A few minutes later, the NPC came to a stop and announced they had arrived at the Great Library.


    ¡°About damn time.¡± Seajee muttered, drawing in a deep lungful of air and barely managing to keep herself from collapsing. The Great Library the NPC pointed at was fairly large, but she wasn¡¯t sure she would call it great. It looked like an office building made of stone with no windows.


    Wyrm lowered himself wearily to sit on the stone steps that led to the entrance and Seajee followed his example, examining the building the NPC indicated as she did. Some mildly impressive columns flanked a large set of carved double doors with designs she didn¡¯t recognize, but other than that there was no sign that this was a library. Despite its size, every other building they passed on the way here looked the same. In fact, the only truly unique building she could see was an impossibly tall crenelated tower that overlooked everything else in the city.


    While she rested, the NPC casually turned around to walk back the way they came.


    Wyrm groaned and staggered to his feet. ¡°Wait! How do I get to the warrior class hall?¡± He asked before it wandered away.


    ¡°Follow me, sir.¡± it said, and turned in a new direction.


    He sighed and waved tiredly at her before stumbling after the NPC. ¡°Meet me back at the newbie zone when you¡¯re done.¡±


    It only took a few more minutes before Seajee felt rested enough to continue. She climbed the stone steps and pushed on one of the carved doors. It surprised her at how easily it opened. Considering its size, she was sure it would have groaned under its own weight. Instead, it swung open smoothly, without even a squeaky hinge.


    Once inside, the first thing she noticed was that the interior was much more impressive than the outside. The entry hall was wide open, light filtering in from a stained-glass ceiling several stories above. There were various floors visible from balconies reaching all the way to the top, she quickly counted ten floors meaning the ceiling was at least over a hundred feet high. Two winding staircases made of wrought iron rose on either side of the entry hall, provided access to each floor. Everywhere she looked there were rows upon rows of bookcases, every shelf stuffed full of books and scrolls. The overall layout reminded her of a labyrinth, with twists and turns in every direction in between the shelves. She understood now why they called it the Great Library.


    ¡°May I help you?¡± A prominent nasal voice asked, interrupting her gawking.


    She tore her eyes away from the books. The man who spoke was only about as tall as her, which means he was short for a guy, although he still managed to look down at her by wearing a pair of glasses on the tip of his nose. He also sported an expensive-looking purple robe trimmed in gold, as well as an expression of mild disgust on his face as he studied her. An orange bordered window appeared over his shoulder displaying his name as Rendel. This was an NPC.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like to become a Diviner?¡±


    He snorted, ¡°Is that a question?¡±


    Seajee hesitated, this wasn¡¯t like the NPC guide. ¡°No?¡±


    Rendel rolled his eyes and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but divination is one of the most highly educated arts to study. A peasant with no education would never make it in our ranks.¡±


    Her eyelid twitched at his superior tone. ¡°I am educated.¡±


    He snorted again, ¡°Your outfit tells me you can barely afford to keep yourself clothed. You look like you¡¯re only one step from running wild in the woods like an animal. I doubt you could afford the lessons to learn to read.¡±


    She bristled and crossed her arms over her chest, ¡°Try me.¡±


    He sighed and pulled a list out of his pocket. ¡°Fine, here is a list of five books. Five. Can you count?¡± She inhaled, about to tell him off when he waved his hand in the air dismissively. ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t really care. Retrieve these five books from the stacks and return to me with a summary of their contents. Then, I shall admit I was mistaken and allow you to learn the noble art of Divination.¡±


    A window popped up in her vision.


    .


    You have been offered your first quest!


    The noble art of Divination


    Find the five books Rendel requested and present him with a summary of their contents.


    Reward: Diviner Class


    Failure: ineligible for Diviner class


    .


    She smiled, looked like she was on the right track.


    Rendel waved the list in front of her eyes as she finished reading the quest notification. ¡°I have things to do peasant, either take the list or get out of my library.¡±


    The smile dropped from her face and she snatched the list from his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll get you your books.¡±


    Snorting once more, this time in amusement, he walked away from her and climbed one of the winding staircases. Seajee glared at the back of his head until he moved out of her sight. Whoever wrote that NPC¡¯s personality must have been having a bad day.


    ¡°Ignore his attitude,¡± Seajee muttered to herself, ¡°He¡¯s just a character for a quest.¡± Speaking of quests, she turned her attention back to the list of books he gave her. Unsurprisingly, they were all titles she didn¡¯t recognize but at least it seemed they were all written in English. Finding them should be easy enough with the help of an index.


    She searched the entry hall for any kind of record keeping system but couldn¡¯t find anything. It wasn¡¯t like she expected to find a computer with a database in here, but she was sure they would at least have some kind of card system similar to what they used in libraries on earth decades ago. There didn¡¯t appear to be anything like that within this library. Deciding to wander over to a bookshelf to see what kind of organization they used, it shocked her to discover there was none. Books of random titles and subjects just seemed to sit next to each other. On one shelf she found a treatise on the history of gods next to a children¡¯s book with tales involving dragons. The shelf above contained technical documents on the construction of a keep, nestled between a fat book in a language she didn¡¯t understand and another with no title but pictures of demons dancing on the cover. Confused, she examined several shelves and found the same chaotic organization. Nothing made sense, not alphabetical, not sorted by author or subject, not even anything resembling the Dewey Decimal system. It was ridiculous.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°How am I supposed to find anything in this mess?¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how they like it, my dear,¡± a kind voice said from behind her, ¡°Diviners love it when they know something others don¡¯t.¡±


    Startled, she whirled around to see a person who she assumed could only be Santa Claus peering at her in amusement. He had flowing snow white hair down to his shoulders with a matching mustache and beard, and wore a finely tailored outfit. The gentleman also had more jewellery on him than anyone she had ever seen.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone would hear me.¡±


    Smiling, the man gave a deep baritone laugh that echoed in the library, ¡°Ho, ho, ho, don¡¯t worry my dear. I¡¯m ashamed to admit that I snuck up behind you, I was curious who you were.¡±


    Seajee couldn¡¯t help but smile. Along with the unmistakable paunch, he even laughed like Santa Claus. But he also carried himself comfortably, as if he wouldn¡¯t feel the least bit out-of-place anywhere. A gold bordered window appeared over his shoulder, indicating he was an Eternal and displaying his name as Lord Hodaiah.


    ¡°Lord Hodaiah? As in nobility?¡± She asked. ¡°You can become a noble here?¡±


    He laughed again, the pleasant sound making her feel warm and safe. ¡°Just call me Hod. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a hidden class, which granted me access to a unique path to power. As the Lord of the city, I have access to a distinct play style that most are unfamiliar with. Athanasia for me is a strategy game, whereas warriors, rogues, and most mages are more of an action game.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize gameplay style was even an option.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Take the Diviners for example, joining that class will make your gameplay more like a pen and paper role playing game rather than action oriented. They are scholars and rarely leave the library.¡±


    That both surprised and bothered her. While information gathering would be an important part of finding her parents, she also knew she might need to venture out in the world, and she couldn¡¯t do that cooped up in the library all the time.


    ¡°What about alchemists? What¡¯s their play style like?¡±


    His smile faltered for a moment. ¡°Far be it from me to judge other classes, but from what I understand alchemy and other crafting professions are tedious and overly simplified. But some people enjoy that kind of thing, I suppose.¡± His eyes unfocused for a few seconds before he blinked and smiled at her again. ¡°My apologies, my mind wandered. I overheard you looking for a way to search for books. The Diviners catalog every bit of information they come across, but they tend to just toss it onto the shelves and the magic of the Library eventually whisks it away to wherever there is room. Whenever they need to find something, they have a basic cantrip that directs them to what they are looking for, as long as it¡¯s inside the Library.¡±


    ¡°How are non-diviners supposed to find anything then?¡± she asked him.


    He chortled, ¡°Usually, they have to pay.¡±


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ve been here less than an hour. I haven¡¯t even seen money yet.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I may assist if you tell me what you¡¯re looking for,¡± He offered with a warm smile, sounding genuinely interested in helping.


    She was about to tell him about her quest, but then a thought occurred to her. This was the Lord of the City, a player with connections and influence. If anyone could help her find her parents, it would be him. Wyrm''s warning about not revealing any information about themselves was still fresh in her mind, but she felt rather safe with Hodaiah. Asking him about two random people should be fine, as long as she didn''t reveal who she was.


    ¡°Actually, what I am really looking for is for is, uhm, a couple of old acquaintances. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know a Liam and Veronica Grey by any chance?¡±


    Hodaiah paused to scratch his beard in thought. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, do you know their names within Athanasia?¡±


    The breath she had been unconsciously holding huffed out in disappointment. She knew it was silly to think that she would find someone who knew her parents within an hour of entering the game but it was worth a shot. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t. Then I guess what I really need now is to find five books for a quest here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, interesting,¡± Hod looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, ¡°ho, ho, ho. I see, you want to become a Diviner yourself in order to find them.¡±


    She blushed and nodded.


    ¡°Excellent, then I believe I can assist you.¡± He removed a ring from his finger and handed it to her. It was a simple ring compared to his other ones, a plain silver band with a script running around the edge. As she examined it, a small window similar to name plates showed up, this time with a green border instead of orange or gold.


    .


    Ring of the Great Library


    .


    ¡°That ring will allow you to cast the cantrip ¡®locate library item¡¯ once a day. It lasts for about twenty minutes, so with five books to find, don¡¯t dawdle.¡± He told her.


    She slipped the ring on her finger. When she did, more information appeared on the nameplate.


    .


    Ring of the Great Library


    Summon a rank 0 wisp capable of locating items stored in the Great Library for twenty minutes.


    .


    At the bottom of the display was an extra button marked ¡®cast¡¯. She pushed it with a finger and a blue glow suffused the ring, then detached into a fist sized ball of blue light that bobbed in the air in front of her.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Hodaiah said, ¡°I had hoped we could speak for a while longer, but since you activated the wisp, the timer has started. I suggest you get moving.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much, Hod. I really appreciate this,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Ho, ho, ho. My pleasure, just remember me when you become a powerful Diviner and you can return the favour.¡±


    She had a momentary flash of distrust at his mention of returning the favour later, but smothered that thought immediately. Hodaiah was nothing but kind to her, and here she was acting like the world was full of people like Leo. Not everyone was looking to befriend her with the intent of exploiting her. She vowed to change that about herself. That was Cassidy¡¯s way of thinking, not hers. Not anymore.


    ¡°I will. Thank you again, Hod.¡±


    Hodaiah favored her with one last smile before exiting the library though the large double-door. Seajee watched him leave, pleased to have met some great people already in this world, then consulted the list Rendel gave her.


    ¡°Please find Nordoyle¡¯s Guide to Scrivening,¡± she asked of the glowing ball of light still hovering in the air.


    The blue wisp that bobbed in the air moved into action immediately and flew quickly towards the staircase. She dashed up the stairs after it, hoping the sudden exercise wouldn¡¯t leave her gasping for breath and unable to locate all the books before the timer ran out.


    The wisp weaved its way through several bookcases before settling on a blue-bound book. She picked it up and saw it was indeed the book she was looking for. It only took two minutes to find, but she had better hurry if she wanted to ensure she had enough time to find the other four, depending where they were located in the library.


    She was about to check the list for the next book when she remembered what Hod had said about stumbling across a hidden class. This was a good opportunity to think outside the box and maybe find a class that might suit her better. If there was a hidden class in the library, then there was a good chance it involved unearthing information as well. She considered the blue light hovering in the air in front of her and had an idea.


    ¡°Please find a hidden class guide book,¡± she told it, then held her breath.


    The glowing wisp bobbed up and down twice as if thinking, then suddenly took off down the hall and she had to scramble to keep up with it. She followed its twists and turns for several minutes before beginning to worry she might have wasted her time. Time that she could have used to find the books she actually needed for the quest.


    Eventually, the wisp settled on a tall shelf near the ceiling, and if the amount of dust was any sign, this was a far-forgotten corner of the library. Seajee had to spend another minute dragging a ladder over so she could get to the spot where the wisp was hovering. When she finally managed to climb up and peek her eyes over the edge, she saw a cobweb-infested book. It was bound in some kind of purple leather with iron bindings and what looked like a long belt made of that same purple leather attached to the spine. There was no title on the cover, but the nameplate appeared after she stared at it for a few moments. The nameplate border was gold, similar to a player nameplate.


    .


    Class book: Mystic


    .


    Seajee chewed her lip. ¡°Please tell me I didn¡¯t just waste all my time.¡± She picked up the class book and dusted it off. A quest prompt appeared in front of her eyes.


    .


    You have discovered a hidden class quest!


    The Mystic Arts


    Mystics used to be the adventurers of the Divination school, but have vanished under mysterious circumstances over the years.


    Return this book to Rendel instead of the five books he requested.


    Reward: Potential class


    Failure: Ineligible for Mystic class


    .


    ¡°Yesss!¡± she hissed with a grin, although the reference to a potential class option confused her. Maybe Rendel could explain it to her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell Wyrm I found a hidden class.¡± She chuckled, then began climbing down the ladder when a sudden pressure behind her eyes made the room spin. Closing her eyes, she kept a firm grip on the ladder so she wouldn¡¯t fall. The dizziness only lasted a moment. When the sensation passed, she opened her eyes and breathed in wonder.


    ¡°Wow.¡±