《Skill Eater | LitRPG Progression Fantasy》 Chapter 0: Collision Tara Perez leaned against the window, watching the colors of the Japanese countryside speed by as the sun reflected off of the snow. The light dappled her coffee colored skin through the double paned window of the train. Her skin, nearly completely covered, itched. Despite the cold outside, the itch that flared across her burns had nothing to do with the temperature. It had been almost three years since the fire. Three years of surgeries and agonizing physical therapy. This trip was supposed to mark the end of it all, a celebratory trip to visit the calm Japanese countryside, a trip to see her husband¡¯s family. It was supposed to be a way to finally close this chapter of their lives. To finally let go of the trauma of her burns and scars. As much as she wanted to feel excited, the cold air caused her skin grafts to tighten, and each movement seemed to pull and stretch in little uncomfortable places like a patchwork blanket of scars. Kenshiro Perez, her husband, sat beside her, scrolling on his phone. His eyes, occasionally glancing up with the kind, soft, attentive gaze she had fallen in love with years ago. He smiled at her, a small but encouraging smile, before flitting back to his phone, annoyed at something on it. Ken¡¯s hair was longer now, framing his face in gentle waves, and he had a habit of absentmindedly pushing it back when he was lost in thought. He was always thinking, always planning¡ªwhether it was a project at work, some coding problem, or some side hustle he was trying to make work. Since her accident Ken never sat still. Between medical bills, cooking, cleaning, making the house more comfortable, doctors visits, and working out, he was always on the move. Tara reached out and softly touched his hand, interrupting his scrolling. ¡°You okay?¡± she asked, her voice soft, but laced with concern. Kenshiro looked up, his thumb pausing mid-scroll. ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± he said with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his tired eyes. ¡°We didn¡¯t have to come in January, I just¡­ I want you to be able to relax.¡± he said, putting his hand sweetly on top of her wrist, avoiding the scars on her hand that were obviously irritating her. She chuckled, but it felt hollow. ¡°Stop. I¡¯m fine. The cold is just causing things to feel a bit tight. I¡¯ll be okay.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He squeezed her wrist, his grip warm and steady. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? I don¡¯t think either of us are over the jet lag and I know you need sleep.¡± The train rattled as it sped through another stretch between small neighborhood train stations. Tara shifted in her seat, trying to ignore that persistent itch crawling up her left leg. Her body was ¡®healed,¡¯ but it wasn¡¯t the same. The skin grafts across her body coated her leg and ankle, crawled their way up across her torso and covered her left arm. The web of tight skin was a constant reminder that her old self was long gone. She adjusted the miniature Gameboy keychain on her bag, an old relic from her time working as a graphic designer and a reminder of a life before everything changed. She tugged on her gloves, fidgeting. Ken leaned forward, popping a Mintia mint, his eyes scanning his phone as he translated the messages from his sister Aiko. Ken murmured, half to himself. ¡°Aiko says don¡¯t forget to text her before we hit Abiko, so she can be there to pick us up. The stations should have English above the kanji so even Tara should be able to read them.¡± ¡°Why does she say stuff like this?¡± He grumbled. ¡°She¡¯s making it sound like I can¡¯t even read. I¡¯ve been to the house, what? A hundred times? Just ¡®cause I didn¡¯t go to school here doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t navigate Osaka.¡± Ken muttered. Tara listened, letting the sound of the train and Ken¡¯s chatting distract her from the little pains and aches. She put her head on his shoulder as the train rumbled across the tracks. Trying to relax and rest. As the train clacked along she began to hear a small whistling or whirring sound. The sound was something between the metal on metal of the train tracks and something else that didn¡¯t quite fit, like a faint whistle or odd bottle rocket. She tried to push the thought away but something just didn¡¯t feel right. The train lurched slightly, just enough to make Tara sit up straight. She glanced around the car. A few older passengers exchanged nervous looks, their faces drawn tight with concern. The lights flickered again, this time dimming for several seconds before returning to their usual brightness. ¡°Ken¡­¡± she started, but he was already looking up, noticing the shift in atmosphere. The familiar hum of the train had changed. It was subtle, but there was a new tremor beneath the noise¡ªa vibration that rattled through her seat, the whole train, and into her bones. As the vibrations grew, the train jerked violently to the left, throwing passengers against their seats. Tara gripped the edge of her chair, her heart hammering in her chest. The world outside blurred as the train picked up speed and the flickering lights above them blinked erratically. ¡°Ken!¡± Tara shouted, her voice drowned out by the screech of metal grinding against metal. The train shuddered again, and this time it felt like the entire world tilted. Passengers screamed. Bags tumbled from overhead compartments. Kenshiro threw himself over her, his eyes locked on hers. ¡°Tara!¡± Then everything went white. Chapter 1: Ascension A flood of blinding light tore Tara¡¯s soul from her body. As the light enveloped her she sped upwards at impossible speeds. She flew up, through the roof of the old train, and into the sky. She was a shooting star of orange, green, and ultraviolet, ascending along the conduit of light that continued to hurtle her through the sky. As she shot from the surface of the earth she continued to pick up speed, ripping through the atmosphere, leaving all life behind. The longer she moved, the faster she seemed to go until she saw the earth behind her. She was in a tunnel of light now. Moving at impossible speeds, ever faster ever further. The scene around her began to look like the warp-speed effect from old sci-fi movies, with stars streaking by in endless streams. Silence enveloped her, yet the sheer intensity of the light overwhelmed her senses. If she focused hard enough, she could faintly make out the void that lay just beyond the radiance. ¡°Wha¡­¡± she attempted to say, only to be met with silence. In fact, She couldn¡¯t hear anything. There was no sound in the tunnel of light. Tara didn¡¯t know if it was the silence that shook her or the fact that she realized she could not speak, but she came to herself all at once. ¡°Where am I?¡± she thought to herself. Her vision moved across the tunnel of light speeding by her, to other strange colors. Floating orbs of fire and energy. Individual twinkling lights. These orbs were of a variety of different colors, unlike the pure white tunnel against the empty expanse. These orbs were what she imagined Will-o-wisps looked like as a little girl. Floating balls of faerie fire and magic. The lights seemed to float in place, each a different hue than the last. Each one softly bobbing up and down. Tara wished she could gasp, ¡°What are all these things? What is going on? Where am I?¡± Questions raced through her mind as she peered around the silent tunnel. ¡°What happened?¡± she thought, looking down at her¡­ She had no hands. She has no feet. Frantically, she looked down, around, and all about her. She hummed in frustration and confusion, her light pulsing. Wait. She hummed? She pulsed? Tara was a ball of light. She was floating. She was light and life itself. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted to cry from the fact that she was now a ball of light or simply shine in shock. All of this was so confusing. Was she dead? No, she was life. She was light. She was thinking. She was seeing things. She tried to steady her mind. It was beginning to spin. She was NOT dead though. She was alive and something she didn¡¯t understand was going on. She just had to figure it out. Around her, the other will-o-wisps floated¡ªthose who had also been on the train? If she was here and she was pulled from Earth, then maybe the other lights were like her. Or she was like them. Yes. Tara hovered closer to the other lights. She could feel them. Their warmth and their color. They were like her. Humans once. Lives. Though they lacked faces, she sensed their confusion, just as she felt her own. She tried to keep calm as the tunnel¡¯s speed seemed to increase, tilting on an axis she couldn¡¯t comprehend. If she still had a heart, it would have been lodged in her throat. She flitted around the two orbs next to her, trying to calm herself down. Her light shifted slightly purple and then green as she tried to soothe her worry and also communicate with the other wisps. She could tell they were afraid. She could feel it¡ªtheir emotions, like drops of color in a clear glass of water. Before she saw him, she felt him. Ken¡¯s wisp appeared beside her, his calm essence flickering softly as he drifted closer. She couldn¡¯t speak, everything remained silent, but his presence grounded her. It was him. She knew it. Ken. Her husband. Her best friend. Her lover, and confidant, and somehow, he was still here with her. They were together. He made her feel less alone, and her fear ebbed slightly. If they were about to face whatever lay beyond, she found comfort in knowing she would face it with the one person she knew better than anyone. The one she could trust. ¡°Ken.¡± She wished she could say. She wished she could touch him just a little bit, even if it hurt. She tried, but she had no real form to touch him with. Yet, she stayed close to him, searching for any way to connect with him. It was him. Those reds, yellows, and silvers in his light somehow felt right. He was this light. The tunnel seemed to pick up speed around them as they huddled close. Their lights flickering bright and soft, speeding through the tunnel of light toward an unknown destination, if there even was a destination. Maybe this tunnel was all that existed after life, but something in her gut told her otherwise. She felt them moving toward something, though she couldn¡¯t tell what it was. Then, the tunnel jolted, like hitting a bump on a road, sending a shock through her. Unease gripped her as a wisp farther back was destroyed, no, consumed, by a neon blackish-blue force.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. That¡¯s when she learned she could indeed panic. Terror gripped her as she clung to Ken¡¯s flickering form, desperately tying herself to him, binding them together. He flashed back, holding on to her, as the dark force consumed another soul, its light snuffed out in an instant. As the entity crept closer, Tara spared a glance beyond the light. They were descending now, toward a world rippling with colors and patterns, just beyond the void. Turning back to the encroaching darkness, she tried to flee, but before she could fully commit to the movement, she was yanked backward. The bluish energy gripped Ken. She watched in horror as he struggled against the force, pulling and tugging, but it was no use. The bluish energy was stronger. The force grew and began to cover Ken¡¯s light. An emptiness threatened to ruin Ken as he flashed red and silver, fighting for his light not to fade against the oppressive force. But no matter how he struggled, the bluish energy grew, devouring him. He was going to die. He was going to die and all she could do was watch as this wicked energy devoured Ken before it consumed her too. She felt her connection to him weakening, his light flickering more frantically with every second. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°NO!¡± This disgusting energy wasn¡¯t going to take Ken. Not now. Not again. She had lost everything too many times without having a say. This time, if she was going to die, it would be on her terms. Tara hurled her light¡ªher life¡ªher soul at the dark energy, her light blazing with a ferocity fueled by determination. She was not going to let it take the one person who mattered most. Her feverish rage roared as she crashed into the blue and black energy. She sparked in her anger. Her distaste and frustration for her situation boiled over. Her desire to keep her husband from being consumed caused her to rage against the bluish light. She attacked, throwing herself at the energy, buffering against her own as she shone like a thousand lighthouses. The bluish energy recoiled as it came in contact with her brilliance, as if shocked by her attack. She didn¡¯t relent for a moment, bombarding the darkness with her rays until Ken finally tore free. His light was weakened but still intact. He flickered softly, his wisp a little less bright than before. ¡°KEN!¡± She cried silently. The blue light began to envelop them again, hungry. There had to be something that she could do. She stared into the void beyond and the new world below. They had to escape. ¡°Anywhere was safer than here,¡± She thought, hoping that she was right. Without wasting a second, she reached out to him, straining her illuminated form. Grasping him with all the power she had, she pushed him toward the world below, hopefully saving him. He disappeared from sight as she careened through the tunnel, into its walls as the momentum broke through and flung her into the void. --- Kenshiro Perez awoke with cold dirt pressed against his face. He coughed, pain shooting through his head and reverberating behind his eyes. As he pushed himself up, the rough stone floor grated against his face. He put his hands to his face, trying to clear his vision in the dim light. His nose filled with something acrid and rich, like soil and ammonia. His thoughts swirled, coming to him in fragmented pieces¡ªlights, a tunnel of light, and darkness. Bluish danger. Tara. ¡°Tara!¡± ¡°Where is Tara?¡± Kenshiro staggered to his feet, blood rushing to his head, making his vision swim. He steadied himself against a nearby shelf and groaned, ¡°Tara?¡± Concern coated his voice as he strained to right himself and get his bearings. He took a moment to gather himself. He had been on a train. Something happened¡ªlights. Already, the memories of what occurred between the crash and wherever he was now were slipping away like a dream fading after waking. Looking around, he tried to anchor himself in the present. He stood in a crowded room filled with barrels stacked two high along three of the walls, like an old distillery. Dim lanterns with bluish-green flames flickered in the corners, casting a sickly glow over the space. The air reeked of vinegar and alcohol, and the mustiness clung to his skin. The stone walls and floor seemed to be made of the same dark material. Tools and implements¡ªbrooms, rakes, even a fire poker¡ªlittered the room. Yet, it wasn¡¯t the smell of old whiskey or the damp air that jarred him. It was the sound of high-pitched muttering and flapping wings that snapped him from his daze. Ken¡¯s eyes darted to the door, where three strange bats hovered in the air. They weren¡¯t like any bats he¡¯d seen before. Their reddish, bulbous heads looked like demented dolls from a horror movie, and their lips smacked as if savoring something. They had small, extra sets of¡­ hands? Claws? As his eyes met theirs, the creatures screeched, a shrill cry filled with a bloodlust that chilled him to his core. ¡°HEEheheheHAH! Meat!¡± the creatures shrilled. Those weren¡¯t bats. --- Tara floated in darkness, no longer just a floating orb of light. She had arms and legs, though she still seemed to radiate some sort of glow. She alone was the only light in the inky blackness that stretched in every direction making her question whether her eyes were open or shut as she stared into the void. She drifted there, suspended in nothingness. Whether a minute passed or a hundred years, she couldn¡¯t tell. Time didn¡¯t seem to exist in the void. Every second stretched into eternity, yet it didn¡¯t frighten her. After the fire, She had been in a coma for four months. She didn¡¯t remember much from that time. To her, it had been a painful blur, a haze of anesthesia and medications meant to keep the pain at bay. She recalled only snippets¡ªfaces, sensations of agony¡ªall intertwined by a feeling of floating. An empty floating. A floating not unlike this. But unlike the coma, she remembered everything now. The tunnel, the light, the train. Pushing Ken to safety. ¡°Ken¡­¡± She searched the void for him, but found nothing. Just emptiness. Reaching out with her senses, she probed deeper¡ªinto her soul. That¡¯s when she felt it. Her connection to Ken. It was instictive. She pressed on it with her mind, as if gazing through a window. Her mind pulled the vision from her soul into her senses. With her power, she saw Ken. Covered in blood¡ªsome his, some tinged with sulfur¡ªas he fought for his life against three Lesser Infernal Imps. Chapter 2: Sparks As Tara watched Kenshiro and the three imps he was battling she was amazed at the sheer amount of information she suddenly, just, knew. The power of the imps, how much Vitality they had. What kind of element infused their mana, and in this particular case, the density of infernal mana coating the very air. It was dense, like a thick sulfuric humidity that floated on the oxygen in the small room. It was odd to have information about their level of Insight, Vitality, Karma, or Grace. Each of the aspects seemed to tint the world in a unique hue, the literal building blocks of everything. It was as if she was seeing everything with new eyes, everything in Kenshiro¡¯s general vicinity seemed to radiate information, bubbling into her mind. The imps weren¡¯t the only thing that seemed to radiate information though. Ken did as well. ¡°Ken¡± she spoke into the void, still wishing her voice could reach him. ¡°What is going on?¡± She whispered, confused as she pulled in information from him. Ken¡¯s Vitality, Insight, Grace, and even his Karma had manifested into quantifiable amounts. Each coloring him like a palette of unique watercolors. He was a mash of magics, aspects, and unique colors of mana. ¡°You aren¡¯t even human anymore¡­¡± which didn¡¯t surprise her, per se, but it was a bit of a revelation. ¡°That push must have messed with your spirit or something.¡± As she drank in the information, she looked at his soul and gasped. ¡°Oh Ken¡­¡± She said, her hand covering her mouth as she floated in the inky void. His soul was ravaged. Dim and fading. Like it had gone through the meat grinder and was barely holding itself together. Even looking at it made her wince. Unlike a physical wound a wound on the soul was like seeing a tragedy unfold in slow motion. It wasn¡¯t all bad though, she told herself, forcing optimism. ¡°He is alive. He¡¯s safe from that blue energy.¡± She stared into the mess of claws and teeth as Kenshiro fought, worry sinking into her heart. Her head swimming in this information, almost intoxicated by the sheer amount bombarding her mind. Her now expanded consciousness absorbed each little tidbit with perfect retention. She feasted on the information like she would have a wonderful meal; it empowered her, fueled her. She felt like a pool of water catching every falling leaf. She was calm. Yet, something was incomplete, wrong. Something in her now expansive mind had a hole in it. A tiny hole. Like a needle point in a vast lake of power and knowledge. Curious, she followed the leak. Calm beyond calm, Tara followed the small irritating drain on her mind¡¯s limits. It was odd though, her husband was under attack and yet she had the capacity to not only investigate this strange drain, but she could handle focusing on both her husband and this mysterious leak. ¡°What is this?¡± She studied the link in the void. It was an odd little link made of her soul, her Karmic and Graceful energy, which were slowly draining power from somewhere near the core of her being, sitting at the bottom of her pool of power. It seemed to be a link of sorts. She didn¡¯t know exactly what it was despite the steady current of information she was taking from Ken¡¯s situation, she seemed to know a lot of random information. She had no idea what that information could be used for. She did know, however, that the only thing that really mattered was that it was tied to Ken. ¡°This must be from when we were in the tunnel. The connection we made¡­¡± she thought. ¡°He must be using this to stay alive, otherwise his spirit would just corrode or something.¡± Well, that is just fine. A pinprick drain in a pool this vast didn''t really matter. Not to mention, it was Ken. For him she would drain her pool dry if it meant keeping him alive. ¡°That¡¯s just what you do for those that matter.¡± They had been through so much together. From the fire to his mental health. From his father passing away to all the physical therapy and trauma that came from being a burn victim. They had gone through fire and death and come out the other side. ¡°We¡¯ll make it through this too.¡± She reassured herself. Turning her attention back to Ken¡¯s fight against the imps, feeling helpless. All she could do was watch Ken fight worlds away. ¡ªThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Kenshiro swatted at the bat-like creatures as they swarmed his head, biting and scratching his forearms. He tried to move and get away, but in the crowded room he couldn¡¯t navigate very well. He scrambled around the barrels and shelves to escape their beating wings and muttering voices. Head still pounding, Ken flailed his arms until he finally connected with one of the weird bat-like creatures. It fell to the ground hard. Ken stepped on its head, half on accident, and with a screech and a crack, it died. The sound of the cracking bones and the acrid smell of sulfur assaulting his nose like smelling salts pushed the headache away and the pain started to bring him into focus. As if on cue, his instincts took over from years in the boxing gym with his father. He even heard the familiar voice of his old man in his head, ¡°C¨²brete mijo! Cover up.¡± Covering his head, with both arms took his head ¡®offline¡¯ and became a moving target. A hard-to-hit to hit target. Kenshiro took a step back as the remaining two things rounded on him. The first one latched onto his side, and as he tried to rip it off of his torso, a flash of reddish light followed by a smokey smell hit his senses. He knew that smell. It was the smell of fire. The flying creature had shot off a little ball of fire, singing his hoodie. Again, the voice of his father rang clear. ¡°Ahora! Counter, counter punch!¡± Obediently, Ken whipped his right arm out, still defending with his left. He felt his knuckles rake against the skin of the creatures. ¡°One, two, mijo! Come on Chispas. Ahora, go now!¡± Ken followed up the first punch with a combination he¡¯d practiced a thousand times: 1, 2, cross, cross, left hook. It was the left hook that caught the second creature in the small gut. Connecting, Kenshiro felt its little ribs give way under the leathery skin, snapping like broken pencils. ¡°Die!¡± The remaining imp giggled with profane laughter and a snort as it tore into his side, ¡°hehehehaaHAHA¡± Kenshiro¡¯s eyes went wide as he felt the burn and tasted the singed cotton in the air. His eyes narrowed as his father¡¯s voice seemed to drift into his mind, ¡°Make him pay for that Chispas.¡± Kenshiro nodded to himself and tried to slow his breathing which was already coming in ragged bursts. ¡°Come here.¡± He said before gripping the nasty creature with both hands, tearing it off of his side before ramming its head into a cabinet, breaking its little neck. As the last of whatever those bat things were, went limp in his hands, he stopped to catch his breath. Forcing himself to breathe through his nose, he regulated his heartbeat though adrenaline still pumped through his veins and brought everything into focus. Kenshiro used to hate this feeling. The sensation when all the suffering settles in his stomach. It was like his mind was offering him a choice: Keep going or embrace the suck. Yet as he had gotten older, he just started living in the suck. Embracing it. Letting it consume all the extra. All the anxiety. All the ¡®voices¡¯ that bugged him. Not that he heard voices, no, he just felt that there was so much to do and so many things that needed him that the quiet simple suffering made all of that go away. Maybe that was why he had gotten so into his health these past five years. From biking and hiking to weightlifting, boxing, and looking after Tara he had been running for a hot minute. Every day since she had gotten hurt he had run headlong into embracing the suck. Not to mention extra shifts at work and it was a miracle he had time for anything else. Just before he¡¯d left, he had turned their garage into a small home gym and literally moved his desk from their office into the garage so he could get in some kettlebell swings between stupid meetings with UX designers and caring for her¡­ He snorted, not allowing the suck to fade out. He stopped, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. He couldn''t just bury himself in something to avoid what was actually going on here. A slippery slope if ever there was one. ¡°What happened?¡± He thought, leaning against the cabinet. ¡°There was a crash and then¡­ something¡­ then I was here on the floor with a headache. Then those nasty things attacked me. Shooting fire and whatever else. God.¡± ¡°First things first. I need to figure out where I am and where Tara is.¡± He stated to himself frankly. Kenshiro approached the first creature he punched. Looking at it on the ground, he was taken aback at its actual frame. It was a murky reddish and black thing with bat-like wings and a small body like a doll. Except the doll was ugly as sin and had two little horns on its head, which reminded him of a cheesy cartoon devil. Its leathery skin was covered in little scars, and its body oozed greenish-blue blood. Ken poked it with his foot, happy it was dead. ¡°The actual Hell¡­¡± ¡ª Tara pumped her fist and yelled. ¡°Let¡¯s go Chispas!¡± Cheering him on even though he could not hear her. The praise just fell into the empty void. Despite this, she relished the little victory even though she felt a little goofy using the nickname Ken¡¯s dad, Jose, had used for him. She usually stuck to calling him Ken. Tara felt a small sense of relief. Ken was safe, at least for now. A little cut up, but those Lesser Infernal Imps were basically the strength of feral cats¡­that could shoot fire. They had no real Vitality and barely any Insight either. Which was why their Embolts were so weak. Then the exhilaration passed, and her excitement died, the moment of relief faded, as a new worry imposed itself on her expansive mind. The defuse Infernal Mana had not faded after the fight. There was something more dangerous there. Something stronger and deadlier than those imps. The mana in the air, the infernal energy that infused the atmosphere should have faded with the death of the creatures. Yet the thick grease that was the infernal mana hung heavily on the air. Whatever was producing this pressure, this infernal mana, had enough to permeate the area with infernal power from a distance. She had initially thought it was the ambient mana from the imps, but looking closer, those things were nothing but specks. As she watched the mana floating about the chamber she became more sure of it. There was something close, and it was powerful and dangerous. She had to find a way to help Ken.
Chapter 3: Blessings ¡°Why can¡¯t you hear me, you freckled goof!¡± Tara yelled at her husband, wishing Ken could hear. Tara hovered in the void, searching desperately for a way to communicate with Ken and warn him of the impending danger. She tugged on their connection, but nothing happened. Pulling harder might sever the bond, leaving his wounded soul to recover on its own¡ªa risk she couldn¡¯t take. She tried sending pulses of energy, like Morse code, even surging power through the link to jolt him to the knowledge of her existence. No response. She had even resorted to shouting in vain when¡­a door opened. In the infinite blackness, a doorway appeared. A portal, slicing through the void like a blade of light. A perfect rectangle, carved into the emptiness. But it wasn¡¯t the doorway that made Tara shrink back¡ªit was the figure standing within it that commanded her fear and awe. The being that entered defied easy definition. Their form was human-like but impossibly perfect. Their marble skin seemed to glow with an inner light, and their eyes were deep, endless black voids, absorbing everything around them. Hair cascaded down to their waist, each strand alive with every color imaginable¡ªshifting from the deepest ocean blues to neon browns and everything in between. There was an androgynous beauty to them, which is maybe why Tara couldn¡¯t tell if it was a female or male god. For that¡¯s what it was: a god. The deity moved with an elegance that radiated an unparalleled grace. Each step heavy with unspoken power, and Tara could only stare in reverence as their presence settled on her like a hurricane. ¡°So, this is what¡¯s tethered to the little outworlder,¡± the being said, their voice simultaneously powerful enough to shatter mountains yet gentle enough to soothe a child. It reminded Tara of a concerned mother. ¡°A venerated spirit, hmm? Hello, dear. What are you doing out here, lingering in the Blind Nothing?¡± Tara struggled to speak, stunned by the god¡¯s presence. ¡°I was about to bless the baby traveler when I noticed your curious little link,¡± the being continued, their tone as smooth as silk. ¡°I just had to see what caused such a strange connection.¡± They pressed a hand to their head and smiled¡ªa radiant smile that felt like the warmth of the sun. The being examined her with a sense of wonder. ¡°Turns out, it¡¯s love. A venerated spirit tethered by love. Who would have guessed?¡± Tara, still in awe, managed to mumble: ¡°My husband¡­he¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That explains it. You interfered with that little lichling¡¯s summoning ritual, didn¡¯t you? Poor thing didn¡¯t stand a chance. But that¡¯s what you get when you try to use sacrifices that don¡¯t belong to you. Well, it can''t be helped now.¡± The god mused. As the god spoke to her, Tara began to tremble. ¡°So dear, are you planning to bless him, or are you planning on becoming a wraith?¡± ¡°Wraith?¡± she managed to say, but it came out as more of a squeak than a question. She was barely able to voice her question under the god¡¯s immense power. The being¡¯s presence felt like the pressure at the bottom of the ocean. ¡°Yes, a wraith.¡± the being explained, their black pupilless eyes studying her closely. ¡°That¡¯s what happens to venerated spirits, like yourself, who don¡¯t gather enough life energy, that is energy of all four aspects, the combination of all eight sacred attributes. They become forces of disruption, the cause of many temporal and natural disasters.¡± Concern and curiosity now overwhelmed her awe. ¡°Then¡­how do I gather life energy?¡± Tara asked, almost desperately. The god smiled again, their androgynous beauty softening for a moment. ¡°Simple, my dear. You must ascend. Stagnation leads to death¡ªor worse, for you. To gather life energy, you must gain believers who will channel their energy to you through sacrifice or piety. You can collect temples or edifices that sit on leylines of natural energy. Or, if you¡¯re feeling adventurous, you could make a pact, though most gods frown on that practice.¡± They paused, grinning. ¡°My personal favorite, however, is gambling on mortals.¡± The god¡¯s warmth enveloped Tara as they stepped closer. ¡°Take your husband, for example. He¡¯s the only one in Nowhere who believes in you. He has a zealot¡¯s faith though, a rare find.¡± The god gestured toward the connection between Tara and Ken. ¡°I¡¯m going to bless him, imbuing him with a fraction of my power. Every time he uses my gift, I¡¯ll receive a small return¡ªan investment that should pay off over time, assuming he doesn¡¯t die soon. Devils nearby, you know. Excitable creatures, those,¡± the god giggled. Tara watched in awe as the god made her investment. The god pulled on all eight of the sacred attributes, but mostly the aspect Karma. No, she pulled Luck, one of Karma¡¯s attributes, and then altered it. Allowing just a touch of their power to seep into Ken¡¯s makeup. It was like watching fireflies weave through the connection, embedding themselves in Ken¡¯s being. His very essence shifted as the god¡¯s power took root in his DNA. ¡°There are four types of blessings.¡± the god explained as they invested in Ken ¡°Classes, that determine how they grow in power. Skills, that grant unique abilities, but must be attached to a sacred attribute. And titles, which passively influence their fate. And lastly, traits, minor helps that are simply part of their being. I am imbuing him with two traits. An ability to navigate Nowhere and another to understand his surroundings.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The god regarded Tara with a matronly smile. ¡°If you wish to survive, dear, you¡¯ll need to gamble wisely. But be careful¡ªbig blessings come with big sacrifices. And if you give too much, you could run dry, or worse, the other godlings could come after you.¡± Their gaze lingered on her. ¡°Remember, if Ken dies while still linked to you, you¡¯ll most likely perish as well.¡± The god laughed again, like the jingling of the universe¡¯s most perfect bells. With that, the god turned and began to walk toward the doorway, their departure as sudden as their arrival. ¡°Wait,¡± Tara called out, summoning all her strength. ¡°Who¡­who are you? Why are you helping me?¡± The god paused at the threshold, glancing back over their shoulder. ¡°Yoki, Mother of Chaos, Grand Goddess of Luck, Matriarch of the Shyft,¡± she said, her voice filled with mischief. ¡°As for why I¡¯m helping you? I help because I wish to. Besides, I find your chaos quite amusing.¡± With a wink that spelled trouble for all of creation, Yoki vanished, the door closing behind her. Tara stood there, reeling from the encounter. She had met a god¡ªa being of unimaginable power¡ªand not only that, Yoki had blessed Ken and answered her questions. The whole experience left her dumbfounded. But Yoki¡­Goddess of Chaos? Grand Goddess of Luck? Deep in her core sirens were going off. Big red flags. Who and what did this Yoki being want? Though she was grateful, something didn¡¯t sit right, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. Tara floated in the void for a while, trying to gather her thoughts. After what felt like hours, Tara decided that her and Ken¡¯s survival depended on her figuring out how to bless him. She knew little about this world, but Ken needed her to help him survive¡ªand she needed him to gather life energy for both of them. She had to give him a blessing, something that could guide them through the challenges ahead, so they would both be okay. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s see,¡± Tara said, rolling up her metaphorical sleeves. ¡°Where to start? Hmmm¡­ Maybe Yoki¡¯s blessing can give me an idea.¡± Tara peered into Kenshiro¡¯s make up. She spied the first attribute in his Karma aspect, intricately woven like a clean seam into his soul. ¡®Fellowship,¡¯ a simple power that worked basically like a translator. More simply, it was Google Translate for his eyes and ears. The other was Identify. A simple, yet elegant skill that allows the user to gather information about a target, for up to five seconds. Ken could study a person, beast, or object and learn useful details¡ªenough to make smarter decisions in battle or exploration. It was a way for him to navigate the world in the simplest of terms. ¡°It¡¯s not like my sight, though¡­¡± Tara thought. Unlike Ken, she could instantly discern the makeup of affinities, aspects, and mana flows, but it was perfect for Ken. It required no mana and offered just enough insight to help him survive. Yoki¡¯s brilliance was in the balance¡ªKen could keep himself alive, and in doing so, Yoki would reap the benefits. ¡°Brilliant.¡± Tara admired how clever that was. It sparked an idea. She needed something equally ingenious¡ªsomething that would let her guide Ken while giving him an edge. Like ¡®Identify,¡¯ it had to be flexible enough to allow Ken to adapt to the situations he found himself in. Something that could help both of them navigate the world¡¯s dangers and complexities while gaming the system. The solution had to be simple yet powerful. It had to tap into what Ken knew best. ¡°Boxing?¡± She mused. She considered giving him a boxing skill¡ªsomething physical he could easily master. ¡°No.¡± that wouldn¡¯t be enough. Ken didn¡¯t love boxing; it was just another workout for him, a way to connect with his late father. ¡°If I could make something where he could use his knowledge of beer or Magic The Gathering, we would be set. That isn¡¯t going to help either¡­¡± She almost laughed at the thought of creating some convoluted magic deck for him to wield in battle. No, she needed something more intuitive, not a silly trading card game proxy. Something that fit Ken perfectly. Something that would let him game the system. Then it hit her. A literal game system. Ken worked in programming, he understood systems, mechanics, and how to optimize them. If she could turn his career into something tangible, something he could use in this world¡­ ¡°That could work. I could hijack Yoki¡¯s blessing by creating an overlay of sorts¡ªsomething that would give Ken control over his fate. Use the very method to teach him about his surroundings to communicate with him via a system of some sort. A system that would also allow me to interact with what he sees and comes in contact with.¡± Tara paced back and forth, conjuring ideas of what this could actually do. Through this system, she could issue Ken quests, each task a small investment of her life energy. If she was smart, she could direct him to do things that would return knowledge and life energy to her. It would be a continuous loop of growth, survival, and replenishment. The best part? It was scalable. The first quest might be small, but over time, they could build a cycle of investment and return that would strengthen them both. ¡°So what am I going to build? Super-Identify?¡± She stopped in her tracks, pausing in the nothingness that was the void. ¡°Ken is going to need more than just quests. Something beyond the traditional paths mortals followed in this world,¡± she thought. The forces at work were such that people living in this world would undoubtedly be inundated with the aspects. Instead, she decided to design a system that allowed him to take the skills of creatures he defeated, like the imps. By absorbing the abilities of his enemies, Ken wouldn¡¯t be locked into one class or a set of abilities. He could mix and match, becoming more flexible and adaptable than anyone else. Dealing with imps? Defeat them, take their skills like that nasty little intelligence attuned Embolt, and attach them to his Intelligence attribute. Fight in the dark? take the imp¡¯s Diresight, and assign it to Will. He could adapt to any situation, assuming he survived it first. However, this approach would have some big risks. By giving Ken this freedom, she would have to untether him from the natural impact of mana and aspects. Where others could grow by doing things, training, or getting in touch with the aspects, Ken¡¯s power would be sporadic, based on what he could take from his enemies, and maybe willing creatures, just in case. Another worry was that he could become incredibly strong in some areas while leaving others vulnerable, making his growth uneven. That could be dangerous. Then again, this was all dangerous. Moreover, if she gave Ken both the quest system and the ability to absorb skills, she would be risking a lot. It was a dangerous gamble. Not only did Yoki say that too much power too quickly could attract unwanted attention from godlings or other powerful beings, Tara also had no idea how much of her own energy she needed to invest to do this. The more she invested in Ken, the more vulnerable she would become. If something went wrong, if Ken failed, if their connection broke, they would both inevitably die. ¡°Doing nothing is just as fatal. Without a way to help Ken grow, we both die,¡± she said resolutely. This was the only way forward. Tara focused her energy, envisioning the system she would create for Ken. It wouldn¡¯t be perfect, but it would be enough to give him a fighting chance. She prepared the framework, weaving her power into it, making the necessary investments. She replicated what she saw Yoki do; seeing something once was all she needed. She pulled on her power, organized the sacred aspects, and made her first investment.