《Inheritor》


 Chapter One - Assigned

    [System Initializing¡­]


    [System Access Granted]


    [Designation: Ren Ellis]


    [You have been Chosen!]


    [Updated Status: Assigned]


    [Assignment: Sentinel]


    [Skill Lock Removed]


    [Class Options Available]


    [Access List At Grantor Node And Make Your Selection, Sentinel.]


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± I gasp, inhaling the food I¡¯d been chewing on while daydreaming about scenarios where someone is a jerk and I¡¯m suddenly amazing at comebacks. Falling out of my chair as my feet tangle in my haste to stand up, I land straight on my back, the ball of rice dislodging from my esophagus in a violent expulsion of air and falling unceremoniously onto my cheek with a gross, wet splat.


    I had knocked the wind out of myself, luckily unseen by anyone else because I would have died immediately had anyone seen a single second of that, and was left heaving for air that didn¡¯t seem to want to enter my lungs.


    Thankfully, a few seconds of rolling around on the floor like a dying insect later I manage to draw in a breath, alleviating the burn from the lack of oxygen I¡¯d been afflicted with, and, after a second of furious internal shame, I wipe the wet glob of chewed food from my cheek onto the floor. I sit up, eyes wide as I stare at the bold, black, floating words taking up the majority of my field of view.


    ¡°Sentinel,¡± I read aloud, voice barely a whisper. I¡¯ve been Chosen. Chosen! Not only Chosen, but Assigned! If any of my family were home, I might have assumed they had somehow faked it. If I hadn¡¯t literally watched them leave the confines of Esh¡¯s walls, I would have been searching the house for the culprit of this frankly evil prank.


    No one¡¯s home, though.


    It¡¯s real. It¡¯s really real. I¡¯m a Chosen. Not only a Chosen, but a Sentinel. A member of one of the most sought after groups in all of Auron. Void, not only Auron, but every planet in our star system and beyond! If around five percent of the population is Chosen, then less than one percent is Assigned. I am part of that one percent now!


    ¡°What the hell am I still doing here?¡± I yell at myself, standing up as fast as I can and all but sprinting out the front door of my house. The Grantor Node. I have to get to the Grantor Node.


    I slow down a few seconds later when my logic catches up with my excitement. I¡¯m still in pajamas. I have none of my things packed. I have to tell Mom, too. I can¡¯t just go, can I? She would be devastated if she came back from Grel and I was just ¡­ gone. Even if I left a note, that wouldn¡¯t be much better.


    My brothers wouldn¡¯t be much happier.


    ¡°Void¡¯s wrath, this is such a terrible time for me to receive such amazing news,¡± I groan, running my hands down my face in frustration. ¡°They¡¯re not going to be back until Yeilight!¡±


    Looking up at the sky, my frustration mounts. Auron¡¯s two suns high in the sky, Yei¡ªthe dimmer, more distant sun¡ªslightly higher in the sky than Wei¡ªthe closer of the two; light brilliant and gold-hued, contrasting the blueish tint Yei gives off¡ªmarking it as being High Twinlight; Yeilight is several glasses away, yet, as Wei is only just reaching its peak.


    I feel like stomping my feet in frustration, though I manage to hold back from actually doing so. There are people outside, after all. I¡¯m no longer alone. Sentinel or not, if I embarrass myself¡ªand, by extension, my mother¡ªby acting childish in public, she¡¯d beat me bloody. I can see it, now, even.


    ¡°You¡¯ve not got your Class, yet, Ren!¡± She¡¯d growl, chasing me through the house with some random object raised with the intention of striking me with it. ¡°You¡¯re not a child and I won¡¯t have you acting like one while you¡¯re still attached to me, you hear?¡±


    Shaking my head, pulling my hair in frustration rather than any of the myriad ways I want to, I go back into the house and sit down at the table I¡¯d been eating at, once again picking up my spoon and returning to the now much less satisfying task of eating.


    ¡°Gods above, to be so lucky yet so unlucky at the same time,¡± I shake my head. ¡°I mean, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I did almost just kill myself, after all. Glad no one else saw the future Sentinel almost taken out by a glob of half-chewed rice. Mortals'' sworn enemy, that.¡±


    ******** ********


    By the time it reaches Yeilight, I¡¯m almost bursting out of my skin in anticipation of my family¡ªMom and my three brothers, Ettin, Wayn, and Ade¡ªreturning. In fact, when I finally do hear the bur demons¡¯ almost avian trills marking their approach, I nearly fly out of the house to meet them at the gates.


    When the guards open the iron gates, I¡¯m already standing off to the side so as not to be trampled by the large, gray skinned, quadrupedal beasts of burden pulling the carriage¡ªthey aren¡¯t very smart, after all; who¡¯s to say they would notice a skinny ginger boy crunching like popped corn underfoot?¡ªand trying my very best not to jump into it the second I see the opening.


    ¡°Mom!¡± I yell out, cupping my hands over my mouth. ¡°Mom!¡± I yell again a second later, not even waiting for her to respond.


    There¡¯s a whistle that sounds from the driver, signaling the bur demons to stop their slow crawl forward, and three balls of red-headed chaos pour out of the side of the carriage, barreling toward me at top speed. I don¡¯t quite manage to maintain my footing, landing heavily on my back, though I laugh fiercely as I push the three adorable, identical, little demon-spawns I call brothers off me.


    ¡°Glad to see you, too,¡± I say, pushing myself to my feet, wrapping all three of them up in a hug and lifting them off the ground. They all squeal and squirm, small giggles emanating from each of them as they attempt to extricate themselves.


    ¡°Let go, you big pile of demon dung!¡± Wayn laughs, punching at my stomach futilely with what little room he has, arms trapped beneath my own as they are.


    ¡°Oh, well, if you insist,¡± I reply cheekily, smirking as I let them all go at the same time, all three of them crashing to the ground with little grunts of surprise.


    ¡°Again, again!¡± Ade insists, his arms raised high in askance, followed quickly by Ettin and Wayn.


    ¡°Boys, leave Ren alone. Can¡¯t you see he¡¯s almost soiling himself with anticipation? What¡¯s eating you?¡± Mom says, having finally exited the carriage and paid the four copper fee to the driver for the trip home. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised she¡¯d noticed my excitement, even amidst the antics of the boys¡¯ greeting, but I am, my eyebrows disappearing beneath my bangs.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Mom laughs, her hands now held out to each side so the boys can hold onto them. They immediately run over to her, Wayn and Ade each holding one of Mom¡¯s hands and Ettin holding onto Wayn¡¯s free hand. The triplets have a system of alternating positions so it¡¯s fair. They¡¯d even come up with it themselves, according to Mom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised, little bird. What kind of Mom¡¯d I be if I couldn¡¯t tell what you were feelin¡¯?¡± she says.


    Her accent seemed to come out more when she was displaying emotion of any kind, as if she were letting some walls down and the accent just slipped out. She¡¯s from Northern Anora, whereas Esh is located in the far south, and everyone down here has much softer sounding speech.


    Many find Mom intimidating, I¡¯ve noticed, simply because of that. It¡¯s less frequent now that she''s managed to tamp it down, but when she¡¯s angry it comes out in full force. She¡¯s cowed many a drunkard with that voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s really important, yeah,¡± I say, excitement and nerves twisting around each other in my stomach in anticipation of telling her the news. What will she say? How will she react? Will she be happy, sad, mad, scared? All of the above?


    I wring my hands to cope with the feeling, suddenly not quite sure what else to do with them. Mom¡¯s eyes search my face, and something she sees there causes her smile to drop and her expression to become serious. She nods once and turns around, walking with determination, triplets in tow, toward the house.


    ¡°Come on, boys. I bet Henry¡¯s rested enough for you to show him how to wrestle again.¡± It¡¯s obvious to me what she¡¯s doing¡ªcajoling the boys to go play outside with Henry, a large swine we¡¯d never mustered the heart to butcher, while she and I talk inside¡ªbut obviously not to the boys. Perhaps because they¡¯re barely seven years old.


    In any case, they start tugging at Mom¡¯s arms, jerking her forward in stuttering steps in an attempt to get to the house faster, screeching in delight about showing Henry some new moves they¡¯d learned from the other boys at school.


    Mom laughs all the way, face red with the intensity of it, and doesn¡¯t stop until we¡¯re alone in the kitchen, seated across from each other at the table.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asks, her Mom-face in full effect.


    ¡°It ha¡ª¡± My voice catches. I clear my throat, suddenly too dry, before starting again. ¡°It happened,¡± I finish, eyes on hers. Her eyebrows furrow for the barest of seconds before understanding enters her eyes. Along with fear. A lot of fear.


    ¡°Ren,¡± she whispers, her hand over her mouth, shaking like a leaf after harvesting season.


    ¡°I was running over to Town Hall, barefoot, still in my night clothes, so ready to pick my Class and then I realized I couldn¡¯t just go. I couldn¡¯t just do that without talking to you first. So I waited,¡± I continue. I don¡¯t know exactly why that¡¯s what I choose to say, but that¡¯s what comes out of my mouth.


    ¡°You were Chosen?¡± She asks, as if she doesn¡¯t already know what I mean, as if needing to hear me say the words.


    ¡°Assigned,¡± I say after that.


    I knew, I suppose, that she was going to be upset. At least a bit. I mean, being Assigned means I have to leave. To go out into the universe and do Assigned things.


    She¡¯d always said she supported me in whatever I wanted, and had put me in all those training groups when I told her I wanted to be a Chosen someday¡ªshe¡¯d never once told me to give up on that dream even though we were all aware of the chances of this happening, and how much of a financial burden it put on her when she could have easily told me to stuff it where the suns don¡¯t shine¡ªbut she also knew the dangers. I knew the dangers. I know the dangers.


    But being a Chosen, much less an Assigned, is just too much station to truly ever discount the desire for entirely. You¡¯re the first line of defense against the Demons who pour through the Rifts, the ones who save cities from natural disasters, the ones who fight Dragons and delve Dungeons, the ones who travel space and visit other worlds and civilizations, the ones who learn magic! Real magic! You get a Class! Spells! Fighting!


    But¡­ you also have to actually fight. And kill. And die, if it comes to that. The strong are truly, truly strong¡ªthey have to be, to survive so damn long¡ªbut, well, most are not strong. Most don¡¯t have the power to fight with, the will to keep going, the strength to say goodbye to everything they know and continue to push, push, push until something eventually gets the better of them.


    Maybe Mom never truly thought I would get Chosen, and that¡¯s why she allowed me to pursue the dream I had, despite all the reasons she had to do otherwise. I don¡¯t blame her for that, not really. I mean, I never lost hope, or lost the drive to learn and grow to prepare for my eventual Choosing, but probably anyone else would have by now.


    Not that I¡¯ve been Chosen late, or anything. Most receive their Choosing¡ªI say most, but, again, very few people get Chosen at all, so ¡°most¡± in this case is relative¡ªbefore their 25th birthday, and I¡¯ve barely passed my 18th.


    For some reason, the thought that she never really had the same faith in my dreams coming true that I had hurts. Even though, logically, I know she still did all those other things to validate my feelings outwardly. I do my best to push it aside.


    ¡°Ren,¡± Mom says shakily. ¡°Honey, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know you probably never thought I would get Chosen, Mom. I know it. Everyone else thought I was crazy, but you always just¡­ believed. In me. Or at least, I thought you believed in me. Were you just lying? Did you do it all to humor me? Were you preparing yourself to just hug me one day and tell me it would all be okay because I have you and the boys and I could just take over the farm? Because I¡¯ve been Chosen, Mom, and that means now I get to go. I get to go and fight and learn magic and do things! Are you disappointed? Are you¡ª¡±


    She interrupts my rambling by pulling me into a crushing hug, and ¡­ she just cries. No words, no explanations, just this raw, unguarded sobbing. I¡¯ve never seen her like this. She¡¯s always been strong. Always the rock holding everything together after Dad died.


    She took over the farm without hesitation, dealt with the merchants, taught us how to do the work¡ªhell, she did most of the work herself over the years rather than hiring it out. She never broke down, never showed a crack in that armor. She just kept going. Working harder than anyone else, like she could will the world into submission through sheer grit.


    And I guess¡­ that strength rubbed off on me. It made me push myself. Study harder. Learn everything I could¡ªhistory, theory, languages, how to fight with my hands and a staff. I dove into everything about the System, the Chosen, the Assigned, the Sentinels, Voidwalkers, Denizens, the Guard, and the Ministry¡ªanything to feel like I was keeping up, like I was doing my part.


    But now, here she is. Holding me like I¡¯m the one keeping her together, and crying like the weight of everything she¡¯s carried is finally crushing her. And me? I have no idea what to do.


    Do I hug her back? Tell her it¡¯s okay? Would that make it worse? Would I just end up saying something stupid?


    In the end, I don¡¯t do anything. I just let her hug me, awkward as it feels, because I¡¯m afraid of making it worse. And because, deep down, I think maybe this is what she needs¡ªsomeone to just be here. Even if I don¡¯t know how to be that person. Not really.


    She cries for a little while longer before she eventually calms down.


    ¡°Ren. I¡¯ve always believed in you, honey. Maybe I didn¡¯t always believe it would actually happen, but I hoped. I saw how happy it made you¡ªlearning all that stuff. How alive you looked when you talked about it. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t take that away from you!¡±


    She pulls back then, her hands firm on my shoulders, her eyes locking onto mine.


    ¡°What kind of mom would I be if I ruined the magic of one of your dreams over something as silly as chance? What were the chances I¡¯d have four absolutely beautiful boys, huh? Or that I¡¯d become the foremost farmer in Southern Anora? Pretty slim, right? But I know what it¡¯s like¡ªhaving people tell you you¡¯re going to fail at something you want with all your heart. I couldn¡¯t do that to you. I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    My throat tightens, and I can feel my eyes sting. I don¡¯t say anything, though. The tears are totally manly. Definitely manly.


    ¡°So, no, Ren, I¡¯m not disappointed. I¡¯m so, so, so proud of you. You¡¯re getting to do what you¡¯ve wanted since your daddy was alive. And I know he¡¯d be proud of you too.¡± Her voice wavers, and her hands tremble just a little as they grip my shoulders.


    ¡°But I think I¡¯m also allowed to be sad, right? My baby bird¡¯s leaving the nest. You¡¯re going to go out there, fight bad guys, learn magic, do dangerous, crazy things. And I won¡¯t know about any of it because, of course, you¡¯re not going to call me. Nobody ever calls their mama,¡± she adds, her voice cracking as she tries to smile through it.


    This time, it¡¯s my turn to pull her into a hug. ¡°I will call you, Mom. Of course I will. I¡­ just don¡¯t know how the service will be out in space. Or what planet I¡¯ll be on. Or¡­ any of that stuff. But I¡¯ll call you as often as I can. I¡¯ll miss you! I love you, okay?¡±


    She scoffs, though she doesn¡¯t pull away, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tighter. ¡°You better, or so help me I¡¯ll spank the System¡¯s ass until it Assigns me just long enough to come beat your butt, you hear me?¡±


    I can¡¯t help but choke out a laugh even as my throat tightens a bit more in response. Then it grows freer when she says, ¡°I love you, too, brat.¡±

 Chapter Two— Grantor Node

    ¡°Do you really have to go?¡± Wayn asks, tugging at my wrist, tears in his eyes. Ade and Ettin nod their agreement with the question.


    I sigh, giving them a smile that is at once incredibly happy, incredibly understanding, and incredibly nervous. Rubbing the back of my neck to assuage some of the buildup of emotion there, I kneel down so I¡¯m more at their level. ¡°You guys remember all those stories we always heard about the great heroes, right? Thalivor, Tide, Aralyn, Eclipse, and other heroes like them?¡±


    They nod, though they look confused at the seemingly sudden segue. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been chosen to become like that. To get strong and save people like they do. To inspire people like they did. If I don¡¯t go, then none of the people I have the potential to save will be saved. So, yeah, I do have to go, guys.¡±


    Ettin throws himself at me, suddenly, wrapping his little arms around my neck and burying his face in my chest. I freeze in surprise for a second before relaxing, wrapping him up in a hug with one arm and pulling the other two in with the other arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, okay?¡± Ettin whispers, the sound muffled by my tunic. I chuckle, the sound getting caught in my throat.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I say, immediately throwing my chances of remaining alive for longer than a few years straight into the gutter. Still, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself if I made them worry like that. ¡°I love you guys; you know that? I¡¯ll see you all again real soon, and you¡¯ll get to hear all about my awesome adventures. So hold your heads high and tell everyone about your big bro being a hero, yeah? I don¡¯t know what my Class or Skill will be yet, so it¡¯s too early to come up with hero names, but I expect at least ten good options by the time I see you again, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Probably Major Doodoo Head is the top one,¡± Ade giggles through his own tears. I laugh, holding onto them a bit tighter for a second before letting go and standing up. I give Mom another long hug, as we already said our goodbyes, and then, with an exhilarating, scary finality, I turn around and begin the simultaneously too short and too long journey to the Council building. To the Grantor Node.


    The streets are strangely quiet as I walk through town. Not eerie or unsettling, just¡­ empty. I half-expected to get stopped at every corner by someone wanting to say goodbye or give me advice¡ªor at least shove a loaf of bread or an old charm into my hands. But there¡¯s no one. Not a single familiar face.


    I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that. Part of me is relieved. No awkward hugs, no teary speeches, no moments where I¡¯d have to fight to keep it together. But there¡¯s also this hollow ache in my chest, like I was counting on those interruptions to make all of this feel real. To give me one last connection to this place before I leave it behind.


    When I was a kid, I used to picture this moment differently. I¡¯d imagine a grand send-off, something straight out of one of those old heroic tales. A parade through the town square, maybe, with Mom crying and the triplets clinging to me like I was the last piece of home they¡¯d ever have. Friends and neighbors cheering me on, calling my name as I marched into the Council building, where I¡¯d get my Class and Skill, and then¡­


    Then I¡¯d be whisked through the teleportation gate. A flash of light, a rush of energy, and I¡¯d find myself on another world, surrounded by strangers and destiny. Illari, or Del, or Estona I¡ªone of the countless planets designated for the Chosen.


    But reality is a little less cinematic. No parade, no cheering crowd. Just me, walking alone through a relatively quiet farm town with an oversized knapsack, while I try to decide what exactly this feeling is welling up inside me.


    Still, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m necessarily surprised about the lack of fanfare. As awesome and relatively rare to the average person being Chosen is, there are billions and billions of them throughout the Universe. The System assigns them to the nearest compatible Class trainer, wherever that happens to be. It¡¯s efficient, impersonal, and somehow both more and less scary than being Assigned.


    Less because you¡¯re just another face in the crowd, one of hundreds of thousands under a Class trainer unless you can stand out somehow. It is more scary, though, because you don¡¯t have the community in the same way that Assigned do, even if being Assigned is ultimately more dangerous, in the end.


    Assigned are different. We¡¯re rare enough to be a huge deal, even in the scope of the Universe. There are billions of us, too, but spread out through the five factions and their respective planets. Instead of being shuffled off to some random planet that fits our training needs, we¡¯re sent to specific locations designed for our exact roles. No guesswork, less scrambling. Just direction and a purpose.


    As an Assigned Sentinel, I¡¯ll be transported to Illari.


    Even just thinking about it makes my chest tighten, like I¡¯m standing on the edge of something vast and unknowable. Illari isn¡¯t just a planet¡ªit¡¯s a supermassive world, teeming with danger and opportunity by design. Hundreds of Dungeons, sprawling forests filled with Mana Beasts, Demons, Devils, and resources I can¡¯t even begin to name.


    Everything there is designed to shape Sentinels into what we¡¯re meant to be: protectors, warriors, and problem-solvers. The front line when shit hits the fan.


    Chosen end up on Illari too, sometimes, but they¡¯re not part of the Sentinel factions. They¡¯re¡­ visitors, I guess. Guests. Drifting through the system, learning what they can before they move on to wherever they¡¯re needed.


    But me? I won''t just be passing through. Illari is my destination, my training ground, my proving ground. Everything about it will push me to my limits, test me in ways I can¡¯t even imagine yet.


    Even just this morning, before being Assigned, I had been dreaming of at least being Chosen. Chosen would have been more than okay with me, even with all those downsides relative to being Assigned. I would have had power. I would have had something. Now, though? Now that I saw that Assignment? Things are different. More. Better. Deeper.


    And even though I¡¯m nervous as hell, there¡¯s a spark of something deep in my chest that I can finally put a name to. Anticipation. More than that, though, vindication.


    This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for, dreaming of, working toward. This is what I had wanted in my heart of hearts since my Dad used to tell me stories of the greats every night before he passed away. Since I told myself I would make him proud, even from the afterlife.


    I will become something. I will be someone that he can be proud of, that I can be proud of, I think to myself as I finally make it to my destination.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    From the outside, the Council Building is the closest thing our little farming town has to a statement piece. It¡¯s bigger than most of the other buildings¡ªthree stories high with a peaked roof that gives it just a hint of grandeur, even if the paint is faded and the shingles look like they¡¯ve seen one too many storms. The wood siding is clean but worn, patched in places with planks that don¡¯t quite match the original color. It¡¯s not grand by any means, but it¡¯s solid, dependable¡ªlike everything else in town. Like my life here was, even if I was always wishing to escape to something grander.


    The front doors are heavy oak, darkened from years of hands pulling them open. Above them, a simple metal sign reads ¡°Council Hall¡± in a blocky script, the kind that¡¯s practical and easy to read even for folks with only a little schooling.


    When I push the doors open, the smell of old wood and faintly burnt oil hits me. The foyer is wide and plain, with scuffed wooden floors that have been polished so many times they practically glow. The walls are lined with shelves holding records and maps, and there¡¯s a long counter where a few clerks are busy flipping through papers or scribbling notes. As magical as many other planets are, Auron doesn¡¯t have any dedicated Chosen or Assigned presence to maintain any type of mana technology, so it¡¯s all paper, outdated technology, and regular people running things.


    A young woman at the counter¡ªprobably just a few years older than me¡ªlooks up as I step inside, her face brightening with recognition. Her name is Allise. An old babysitter of mine who¡¯d managed to get a job pushing papers here when she finished her own schooling. She seems happy.


    ¡°Ren! It¡¯s a bit late, but we¡¯re not closed up, yet, so you¡¯re just in time. What can I do for you, today?¡± she asks, setting her pen down and leaning over the counter to give me her full attention. She¡¯s dressed in simple but clean robes, the kind that mark her as a town official without making her look too gaudy. It suits her.


    ¡°Hi, Allis.¡± I give her a nervous smile, my chest pounding in my ribcage at the thought of getting to say the next sentence. ¡°I¡¯m here for the Grantor Node.¡±


    Her eyes widen in recognition, shock, and excitement. She all but crawls over the counter in her haste to get to me, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet like a kid in a candy shop. ¡°Oh wow, Ren, were you Chosen? You got Chosen?!¡±


    Her voice is loud enough in the relatively empty building that it draws the similarly shocked and excited gazes of the others that were working behind the counter with Allise, though they maintain their distance, which I am grateful for.


    Allise¡¯s reaction gives me a bit of that feeling I was looking for earlier. That feeling of wonder and excitement for my own situation. An egoistic sense of accomplishment, as if I had won this by my own efforts rather than chance. It¡¯s¡­ nice.


    So my smile widens so much it hurts and I nod my head. ¡°I¡¯m Assigned! Sentinel!¡±


    She gasps, her hands flying to her mouth before they grab mine. She spins us both around, squealing with even more delight. It¡¯s a bit much for a nearly thirty year old woman to be doing, but I don¡¯t mind it. It makes me happy. So I let it happen.


    When she finally calms down, she starts leading me toward the back. I follow her down a narrow hallway, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the quiet. The walls here are bare except for a few framed certificates and one faded painting of the town as it looked in its earlier days¡ªless farmland, more forest.


    ¡°Ren, I am so, so, so happy for you! It feels like yesterday that you were the kid who was pretending to fly around your backyard and fighting the stalks of corn. And now look at you! Assigned! I can¡¯t believe it!¡± She babbles, her voice echoing even more in the quiet of the halls than the clack of her heavy shoes.


    The hallway opens up into a room that feels completely out of place in a building this plain. It¡¯s circular, with high ceilings and a skylight that lets in beams of sunlight, illuminating the space in a way that feels almost sacred. In the center of the room is the Node¡ªa translucent, crystalline pillar about as tall as I am, glowing faintly with an almost azure inner light that seems to pulse in time with my own heartbeat the closer I get to it.


    The floor around the Node is carved stone, etched with intricate patterns that I don¡¯t recognize. It¡¯s the only part of the entire building¡ªhell, the whole of Esh¡ª that looks like it belongs to another world, something ancient and powerful placed in the middle of an otherwise ordinary location.


    As if sensing my awe and overwhelm, Allise quiets down, gives me an almost motherly smile that contrasts her earlier actions and gestures toward the Node, her voice soft but steady. ¡°Just place your hand on it when you¡¯re ready. It¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    As I step closer to the Node, a strange sensation washes over me. It¡¯s like the air thickens, vibrating faintly against my skin, humming with a warmth that seeps into my bones. My heartbeat quickens even further, but it¡¯s not from fear¡ªit feels like the Node is calling to me, resonating in a way that feels deeply personal, as though it already knows me. Perhaps it does, even.


    When I finally place my hand on the crystalline surface, it¡¯s cool to the touch. The moment my palm meets it, a rush of energy surges through me. It¡¯s not painful, but it¡¯s overwhelming, like standing in a river¡¯s current, the water billowing past your legs, trying to pull you under if you¡¯re not strong enough to stay grounded. For a heartbeat, I feel weightless, like I¡¯ve been unmoored from the world, suspended in something greater than myself.


    And then I am no longer touching the Node.


    Or, more accurately, I probably still am, but the world around me looks completely white for as far as the eye can see. Plain, featureless, endless.


    I¡¯ve heard of this. It¡¯s called System Space. An area outside time and space. A liminal one. I could be in here for subjective eternity but no time would have passed on the outside when I returned to my body. Or my consciousness? I¡¯m not exactly sure on the mechanics. I don¡¯t necessarily have to be. Only the System and the Ascenders can really do this, after all.


    My thoughts snap back to this liminal version of my body and the space around me as the large, black lettering, more solid than they ever had been before¡ªso much so that it appeared as if I could climb them if I tried to¡ªfilled my field of view.


    [Greetings, Sentinel Ren.]


    [You Have Been Chosen. You Have Been Assigned.]


    [Now, You Must Choose Your Class And Receive Your Skill.]


    [Please wait¡­]


    [...Just Kidding <3]


    [You, Ren Ellis, Are Special.]


    [More Special Than You Could Know.]


    [You Will Not Choose A Class.]


    [You Already Possess One.]


    [Class: Inheritor]


    [You Will Now Receive An Evolution.]


    [Prepare Yourself, Ren Ellis.]


    ¡°Wait, hold on! What the hell does that mean? I don¡¯t get to choose? But I¡¯ve been Chosen! I get to pick a Class! Answer me, damn it!¡± I yell futilely to the white void around the very panic-and-confusion inducing message I¡¯ve just been given.


    Everyone who is Chosen gets to choose their Class. You get three choices based on a bunch of different factors from things like temperament, probable aptitudes, and accomplishments. Of course, it isn¡¯t that simple. Or, at least, we¡¯re told it isn¡¯t as simple as that, anyway. No other option, really, than to accept that as fact when there isn¡¯t really any evidence to the contrary.


    Unfortunately, I don¡¯t get an answer from the System directly. Just a sense of something building, and then I am convulsing on the ground of this never-ending expanse of white, blinded by a pain so great I cannot hold back the screams.


    As blinding pain subsumes my mind, the only thing I can think before I lose awareness of everything going on beyond that pain¡ªthe last thing I truly hear myself say¡ªis, ¡°What the fuck?¡±