ã€ŠEra Shiftã€‹


 Chapter 1

    How do you know when the world changes? It has never indeed been an obvious thing. One day, a person is walking to his place of employment when they see a new contraption spewing smoke, making such a racket that their neighbor zooms on by almost as fast as a horse. They think to them-self; That thing¡¯s annoying before going on their merry day. A year later, the person has their own. The next, all the neighbors, and soon enough, they were moving across the country. Driving to places they never thought or cared to go.

    What about a day when someone hands a person their first cell phone? It¡¯s the size of a brick, but now they can talk to their friends anywhere. Well, as long as they happen to be home. They all would make fun of them for it for years. Soon enough, it becomes more of a fun prop. It was too big to carry around with them, the battery life was too short, and it was getting shorter. The signal isn¡¯t all that great. So they put it down and stop using it.

    Years later, they see an ad for another new cell phone, this one small and sleek. It had unlimited nights and weekends, a battery all day, and they¡¯d actually be able to carry it with them instead of leaving it in their car. They purchase the new sleek and stylish mobile phone. This time, instead of jokes, their friends look on in envy. Soon enough, they all have cell phones.

    As time passes, the little gadgets become more complex and become little computers able to play movies, games, and all types of entertainment. They give driving directions and have the entire collective of human knowledge right at the tips of their fingers.

    No one rightly knew that the world would change when these things happened. Sure, there were some who saw the potential, some who dreamed of what might be. Yet none truly knew. Most people saw the new-fangled thing, thought, "That¡¯s neat," and moved on¡ªall while it slowly became part of their lives and irrevocably changed the world.

    This has been true for much of humanity. And when the world truly changed, when it shifted in a way none could argue it had, it was not what they expected, nothing they could have expected. It was when they truly learned what it meant for an era to shift.

    Year 0 Month 0 Day 0

    -Click-tty clack clack click-

    -Hum Buzz click v-rip-

    -Br-Ring Br-Ring- ¡°Thank you for calling¡ª¡±

    The ambient sounds of an active office, the scent of fresh coffee wafting from the break room. All the signs of n active workplace, here a man sits as he tries to remember what he forgot.

    It was the damnedest thing for Zephyr. One moment, he was reading over the new procedure that would complicate his already tedious job and wondering if it was time to finally accept that the button digging into his gut meant it was time to size up again. He¡¯d been putting on the pounds ever since he got this job and he was just so tired he couldn¡¯t force himself to even go to the gym. All that was passing through his mind, making reading the procedure harder, when the strangest feeling passed over him. Like he had suddenly forgotten something¡ªsomething very important. Or possibly there was something he was supposed to do.

    He¡¯d been sitting there just staring at his screen for so long that his own little mug of coffee had long gone cold. His foot fidgeting up and down faster and faster

    Glug Bubble splash, Sip ¡°Ah¡±

    ¡°Hey Bob, how was your weekend?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good. Did nothing. Hey, was there a big meeting or something today? I feel like there was something important I forgot.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I was going to you. So we must have something going on today.¡±

    The inane chatter of the office broke through to Zephyr, making him wonder, ¡°Was that it?¡± He went through his emails and calendar, looking for something that might explain the feeling, only to find nothing. ¡°What am I forgetting?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what are you forgetting?¡±

    ¡°If I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be forgotten.¡± He looked up to see his coworker Dave in a bright neon orange tie. Sitting on his light blue button-down. ¡°Like you forgot your fashion sense.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget it. I just wanted to be able to be seen from space.¡±

    ¡°While I have many questions about your fashion choice today. Is something going on? I have the weirdest feeling something important is.¡± It was driving him nuts, making the day drag on as he became more aware of everything he was normally able to ignore. His shirt rested both too tight and loose. The collar rubbing against his neck was uncomfortable, and the textures all over him were just wrong.

    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know. But enough of us seem to think we forgot a meeting or something.¡±

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    ¡°Birthday? Some all-hands meeting.¡±

    Dave could only shrug.

    Zephyr let out a long sigh, ¡°I should probably actually do some work.¡±

    Dave nodded looking a bit lost himself before heading back to his desk.

    Alone again, Zephyr turned towards his computer. He really did have some work he needed to get done, enough for a full four hours if he pushed himself. Instead, he just found himself staring at the screen.

    Only seemingly interrupted when he heard someone else mention forgetting something. A few people even left early, afraid they may have left the stove on or a child''s event. It was a long strange day. For him and everyone else. As they all tried to remember something he never forgot.

    That was the only explanation, and it made no sense. Yet something told him that was right. It was sitting there in the back of his mind, just waiting for him to remember. It was just on the tip of his tongue right there for him to remember but it was like it wasn¡¯t the right place or time. It should have freaked him out and made him anxious, seeing as he and apparently most of the people in his office felt the same. For some reason, it didn¡¯t. It just felt so natural. It was so frustrating and distracting, and before he knew it, his day was over.

    #

    Zephyr stood in front of his front door. Whatever he''d forgotten was there just behind the door to his home. Somehow, he knew it was just waiting for him behind this door. His hand seemed to shake as he lifted his keys.

    Zip-Click. Jangle.

    The key slid in and he took a long breath.

    Whether fear or anticipation, he didn¡¯t know; all he knew was he would remember once he stepped inside. Opening the door into his house, just his normal house was a bit of a letdown. He had no idea what to expect or why there would be something there. He stepped inside and did his normal steps. He took off his shoes, tossed his keys in a bowl, and immediately went to his room to get out of his god-awful suit. Tossing it on the floor, before grabbing a nice pair of pajamas.

    Finally, he was able to relax. As he stepped into his living room, it finally clicked into place. He smiled, ¡°How could I forget this?¡± he let out a giggle, ¡°Right, I never knew.¡±

    Zephyr seemed to implode a sliver of liquid reality encompassing the spot where he¡¯d been before crystallizing and shattering into nothing. Leaving no trace of Zephyr behind. Unless you so happened to look at just the right angle, then one might see a prismatic scar the size of the man floating where he once stood.

    #

    A man sits at a desk as he energetically plays video games. He has a relatively small streaming audience and has found a real passion for it in the last year or so. Much more than his day job. Where they¡¯re just having him do what felt like the same experiment over and over. He would love to be able to stream as a full-time job, but so far, it wasn''t happening, and if he was honest with himself he¡¯d love to bring his research to his stream. Maybe become one of those science YouTubers. His work had given him the go-ahead to share on his channel but there really wasn¡¯t anything super exciting about his work.

    So, after work, the man would stream a game for a few hours and try to connect with his fans. Today, though, was different. As he wound down his stream, he could no longer ignore the pressure that had been building inside himself all day. By happenstance or a whim, he decided to keep the camera on.

    And somewhere, a viewer watches one of many. On their screen, a game shuts down the screen, jumping as the streamer fills the screen. A handsome man of average height with a stylish haircut, toned arms, and pale skin sits there with a big smile as he addresses his audience. ¡°Thank you all for joining me today! I hope you had a most pleasant time and can''t wait to see you all again.¡± The man said excitedly, as a small chat window constantly added commentary to his words, scrolled across the corner of the screen.

    ¡°But before I sign off, I should let you all know I''ve been feeling quite strange today. Like a feeling of anticipation building within me, and right now, I feel it about to pop. Why don''t you join me for logging whatever this is?¡± he says with a mischievous smile. The chat spams rolling eyes emojis. The man takes off his headphones and stands bent over, reaching for the camera.

    Tink-tink donk vroosh.

    He readjusted his camera, stepping to the middle of the room, and checking his monitor to make sure he was in the frame

    He cleared his throat before speaking. ¡°This is Doctor Timothy Walter. Yes, stream, you heard me. I''m a Doctor.¡± The chat exploded with accusations of lying and disbelief, but it was true. He was a research scientist at the local college, with a Ph.D. and everything.

    Ignoring the chat, he continued, ¡°The date is today, the time is late, and I am currently in my bedroom room in a location undisclosed for privacy reasons.¡± He said this with a flare of showmanship. He should really add a date for better logging and accuracy, which was why he had the time stamp running on his stream. He would never truly forgo proper procedure just for a bit of a show. That didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t play it up.

    ¡°I will now explain what I have been feeling.¡± His voice is switching from a peppy streamer to a more matter-of-fact one. ¡°There has been a building all day inside me. I don''t know what it means or how to accurately describe what I''ve been feeling, only able to ally it with pressure or a feeling of anticipation for something I forgot. I do not understand what this is but the feeling currently feels like it''s reaching some kind of critical mass. I also have no idea why I¡¯m not freaking out. At this moment, I feel like it is urging me to do something, and¡­¡± At that statement, Timothy seemed to completely freeze before slowly blinking, and tilting his head. ¡°Oh? That. What is that?¡± He looked confused right before he lifted his hand and was swallowed by a splash of reality. Leaving behind only a barely visible prismatic scar in the world.

    In a flash, Timothy was gone. If one were to slow down the video to the slowest possible speed, maybe a single frame or two would show a bright splashing of reality engulfing Timothy, distorting the world before shattering to nothing.

    The video continued uninterrupted for five minutes before Timothy appeared standing in his room. He looked completely lost and confused. Tears began to stream down his face, his eyes manic looking everywhere. He fell to a knee. ¡°Is¡­¡± he said, gasping between words. Is that all I am?¡±

    With that, he looked up, staring at the camera, tilting his head. He did not understand what it was doing until he began to remember. With an effort of will, he stood and walked over to it, tears falling freely.

    ¡°Hello, I¡­I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the right mind right now. The experience was¡­.a lot.¡± Timothy tried to smile, only coming off as grim, as he said, ¡°Please like and subscribe; I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t even know.¡± He trailed off, forgetting the camera before turning back and blinking. ¡°Like, subscribe; I already said that. I¡¯ll try to keep people updated. This¡­this is going to be a mess.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 2

    Year 0 Month 0 Day 0

    In a place between reality and dreams. Where memories lurk and shift in the impossibility of oneself. A place of revelation, anticipation, and dread. Here and now Zephyr learns who he was, is, and has ever been. His life laid out in front of him, complete and unvarnished, thrust upon his psyche. Everything he¡¯d ever done, thought and seen without that little filter inside of us all. No ego, no little white lie to make himself feel better.

    Every triumphed laid out before him, with all the adoration he felt. The looks of his friends, his family, and the downtrodden were defeated. The sometimes somber looks from his parents, buried beneath their cheering. Things he¡¯d never truly noticed before.

    With nothing hindering his small bubble of memory, he seemed to shift outside himself, taking in everything around him, forcing him to see how he affected the world, and not just himself.

    He watched and felt as he went to work day by day, having good and bad days. Watching as he rationalized doing the job over and over no matter how bad it got. Convincing him, it would get better. Like his job wasn''t that bad, other people had it worse, invaliding himself.

    Then there were the lies he told himself. The time he wasted in a job that he didn¡¯t want, in a place that he didn¡¯t like, and paid nowhere near what he should be making. All the time wasted from school, to now. The sunk cost of it all. For so long he¡¯d been battered, degraded, and overwhelmed for so long. It was like a twisted Stockholm syndrome.

    He watched all his highs and lows, his regrets and delights. Then there were the small things with the biggest effects¡ªthe small cruelties, the petty actions filled with excuses or schadenfreude that he believed were just how you survived. Now he saw the looks, the hurt, and the pain buried beneath them. Incidents long forgotten came to the front. Ancient traumas and scars reopened.

    His soul was wept, scoured for all its dark moments, as small acts of kindness bled through like tiny lights in the inky dark. Only for another small cruelty to cut him once more.

    He had watched everything, seen it all unvarnished, fresh, and devastating, from his embarrassing childhood, middle school, and high school to his now unfulfilling career,

    There was no time between traumatic events as he was forced from one moment to the next. He wanted to weep for everything of who he once was. For the first time in his existence, he truly felt he understood himself. Like the most intense form of unwanted therapy. Through it all he found himself wanting.

    Once the storm of life passed, Something seemed to take all that energy accumulated through his entire life, and it began to change. A warmth felt through his entire soul, caressing as it flooded his entire being, shifting it as something new began to form inside. He realized the purpose of the scouring he had just endured, as a piece of his soul could rise from long-forgotten depths. A piece of his soul returned, a long-forgotten desire to run.

    #

    A scar reopens replaced by Zephyr, a man raked through and in shock as everything he just experienced was to much.

    Thump. Thud.

    His knees hit the floor before he fell to his side and began to weep. His entire being felt raw and scrapped. To many harsh truths for him to handle. He was gasping as something in his mind finally began to move.

    ¡°I need¡ª¡± he could barely get the words out between breaths.

    ¡°I need to apologize to everyone.¡± Moving to stand, he found he just couldn¡¯t. The grief was too much. It was hours of gross sobbing, intermittent panic attacks, promises to do better, and failed attempts at moving out of the fetal position before he was finally able to even begin to piece himself back together. Only now, so many of the pieces had been shattered, rotted, and turned to ash. Leaving behind the gaping wound that was Zephyr.

    Someone he didn¡¯t know if he was ready to be. Ready to even recognize his new self. So he lay there on the carpet a few feet away from a soft couch, screaming for the lie of who he once was, sobbing for who he is, and fearful of what he might be. All he knew was that everything had changed.

    Year 0 Month 0 Day 1

    With his mind still pulling back the pieces of itself, Zpehyr finds himself searching for anything to feel normal. He knew that would be hard, if not impossible after what he experienced. At the moment he didn¡¯t care. Without much thought, he found himself on autopilot, moving through his normal morning routine, tossing himself into the shower, and grabbing a quick bite before putting on his suit from the day before. It was wrinkled and might have smelled a bit, but it was there and familiar.

    Before he knew it, he was already at his office, which was very dangerous seeing as he had driven there from home. He would later swear he didn¡¯t remember at all even getting in his car.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t until mid-morning that Zephyr realized he was in the office sitting in front of a his computer when suddenly, ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!¡± A scream of frustration and anguish came from somewhere in the office, snapping Zephyr to the present.

    ¡°Huh? Where what? Did I really go to work?¡± His heart started to beat faster. His breathing became erratic as he shoved himself away from the desk, grabbing onto the side of his desk to keep from collapsing, as tears began to fall again. What is wrong with me? I don¡¯t want to be here. A deep seat sense of disappointment permeated his being at this fact. I am falling a apart and I still came into work. Morbidly curious, at what he even could have been working on he took a deep breath and forced himself to turn and look. Three seconds in he let out a hysterical laugh. As a wave of relief washed over him. He had been typing up his letter of resignation. It was already done all he needed to do was hit send. I guess I¡¯m going through with it.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Hey, Zephyr.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    It took him a minute to register the other voice, and when he turned, His manager Jimmy, a man who had been grieving him since the first day he started as his manager. The fact his father got him the job did not endear him to anyone as well as the fact he loved to talk down to everyone. What was worse was he was fresh out of college, with a degree having nothing to do with this place, and he was convinced his micromanaging would save the company. Since taking over, they were behind on everything, and he blamed everyone but himself. The condescending puckering of his lips was ever-present, and even now, was no different as he clicked his tongue at Zephyr. Not even registering the snarl, nor the manic look in his eyes. ¡°You really should iron that. Appearances are important around here and isn¡¯t that the same suit from yesterday? What have you even been doing? I emailed you this morning, and nothing. This is not going to look good on your quarterly reviews.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you! Asshole!¡± He shouted at the top of his lungs.

    Jimmy¡¯s response was a self-satisfied smile as he asked calmly, ¡°What was that?¡±

    BAM! Zephyr slammed his chair into the wall behind him. His heart beat out of his chest as he let it all out. ¡°I don¡¯t need to listen to your narcissistic, gas-lighting ass, making me feel crazy, always dumping on me. Blaming me to management when you fuck up ¡®cause you don¡¯t even know how to do your own fucking job!¡±

    Slowly, Jimmy leaned back and shouted with a sneering laugh, enjoying every second of Zephyr¡¯s meltdown, ¡°Zephyr finally snapped!¡±

    Bam! He didn¡¯t even notice the fist. He was already on the floor with a broken nose. ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Zephyr stood over him, his hand shaking, ¡°You know you deserved that!¡± Finally, what he had done when he saw some of his other colleagues occurred to him. Some were horrified, the others seemed in a daze. Strangely it was only the younger co-workers who looked horrified. ¡°What the fuck am I doing here?¡± A co-worker he didn¡¯t recognize stepped in front of Jimmy''s hands close to Zephyr. He jumps back, avoiding him, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me!¡±

    He was slowly backing up as the man took another step towards him. He didn¡¯t know what the man was trying to do, nor did he hear what he was saying. The blood rushed to his ears, ¡°STAY AWAY!¡± The man lifted his hands and backed away

    Crash Shatter!

    The sound of breaking glass caused all their heads to turn to see an irate older woman, Becky. One of the nicest people in the entire office stomped away from the pain of shattered glass, an office chair stuck halfway through. ¡°AH!!!!¡± she screamed, running out of the office. It made sense to Zephyr that the company was big on nepotism, and more than once, she was forced to work overtime and skipped over promotions while constantly being threatened with her job.

    Then it was chaos as more desks and chairs began to be thrown around. Zephyr thought he saw people fighting each other but none of that registered. Just the gnawing guilt over punching his manager. The fear of what would happen, all of it hitting him. And all he knew at this moment was; he was fucked up. ¡°I need to leave

    He ran. Everything was too much. He was screaming as he ran, just trying to get home.

    He did not realize until later that he hadn¡¯t needed to type up his letter of resignation; he had delivered it himself with a five-finger punch, and that made him smile.

    #

    A giant of a man wearing a stylish set of purple robes, and a massive wizard hat sits in a large wooden chair, a fireplace lite behind him and a view of an open sky. With a set of books that look to small for the man in the video. He looks into the camera a kind smile on his face as he stands. ¡°Welcome back to Cultivating Magic, my little disciples. For those new, I am your most magical host Archmagus Tim.¡± The man takes of his hat and bows with a flourish, small sparks of flame dance around his hands, and a small bolt of lighting dancing in his eyes.

    ¡°It has been a long year, and I am more than grateful to you, my audience, and to the world we live in. But it is important to remember the beginning¡ªthe day everything changed and the people we lost.¡± Tim shakes his head tiredly, ¡°And I would like to personally out to rest certain¡ªrumors.¡±

    ¡°Let us look back at that first day.¡± The screen changed showing footage of people running through the street, people huddled in corners, attacks, and general chaos before cutting back to Tim. ¡°None of us knew what was happening or why. I was just a simple scientist-gamer, with only a few thousand subscribers. Then the awakening. It broke¡ª¡± His voice trailed of breaking slightly. ¡°Ehem. It broke so many of us. We saw who we were and so many could not handle what they saw.¡± His eyes went distant before continuing, ¡°Many simply gave up, letting themselves waste away or left the world behind. Many more went against the injustices they saw. Taking it upon themselves to rectify it.¡± He held up three fingers. ¡°I know at least three governments around the world were replaced in its entirety. Not to mention the many coup attempts.

    ¡°So many lives lost.¡± A slide showing a set of numbers appeared replaced Tim. ¡°It is estimated seventy-five percent of the population of seventy did not survive themselves. Twenty five percent between seventy and fifty, and five percent between forty and fifty and a two percent between twenty-six and these are just the numbers that we hope to curtail in the future as we get everyone the help they need as they awaken.¡±

    The camera cut back to Tim in the room,¡°It is good to remember these people as they were not as a number. This was the greatest tragic event our age has ever seen. And we still don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°But beyond the tragedy there is new beauty to be seen.¡± The image cuts to a woman blurring across a building, towards a man in a ski-mask. The video shifts to a package disappearing from a pedestal, and a to a man in martial arts robe running up a wall. The video cut back to Tim as he plays with a little flame as it danced around his fingers. ¡°And we are still learning of its pitfalls. Rifts and there like. How people changed after. ¡°

    ¡°We are all people, we grow, we love, we all make mistakes. And we all must give them time to piece themselves back together. Do no accuse them of being replaced. They are our friends and family who have just gone through a traumatic experience. Many are forever changed.¡±

    Tim bowed his head placing his hat over his heart. ¡°Today is a day of remembrance for the lives lost on the day of awakening. I am thankful for you all joining me in honoring the people who were lost.¡±

    Placing the hat back on he smiled, ¡°Now, something a bit different there has been a rumor going around that ever since the incident at my academy we¡¯ve been shut down by the government. That is in fact untrue. We¡¯ve been busy clearing up a lot of misunderstandings and untruths spread about us making it a bit harder to get these videos out to you. We are meticulous in ensuring our information is accurate, and we have the reproducible steps. And boy do we have some things for you. I am pleased and excited to say we got something big coming and so many more fascinating things coming! So don¡¯t forget to like and subscribe and don¡¯t forget that notification bell, for our latest videos. So we can keep bringing our content to you.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 3

    Year 0 Month 1 week 1

    -Beep-Boop-Clank-

    -Thump-Vr-Thump-

    -Heave-Huff-Puff-

    A man runs on a treadmill covered in all kinds of wire and a mask. All of them measure everything from his vitals to his oxygen intake, even sensors weighing and analyzing his sweat. They even had him in some kind of special white paper one-piece outfit they were to take and analyze after. A familiar scientist stands next to him with a clipboard. While another scientist led a group of five other individuals, Zephyr was informed that they were grad students monitoring the equipment and data.

    One month had passed since the awakening event, as people had started calling it. There was some discussion, or more arguing on what was actually happening to people; other terms thrown out were going through judgment, blossoming, experience their rapture¡ªwhich was popular among the more religious people¡ª, ignition, opening the third eye, none of which gained popularity, and before long everyone was already referring to it as an awakening or the awakening event. Except that was a misnomer, as people were still awakening all over the world. However, it had now slowed to a trickle, only a few thousand a day compared to the first day, when nearly seventy percent of the world experienced the event.

    While the world was still reeling from the chaos created, everything was different and, oddly, still the same. People had been scoured to their core, their personalities drastically changed, and then the world went on¡ªthe same yet changed. People still went to work; school had started back up for the children the week before.

    It was strange how normal everything was. The only difference was people now went through a rather forced and invasive therapy session with themselves, around the ages of twenty-five and twenty-seven, and could feel something deep within their souls, which has most popularly been called a skill. This was the exact reason Zephyr was there; at the moment, all he knew was his had something to do with running.

    Zephyr had done a lot of soul-searching after his little¡­episode, and he wanted to do something about it for once. Not just wait in the background while information trickled out. Not to mention, he suddenly had a lot of time; it turns out punching your boss, no matter how traumatic, makes finding a new job hard. Not to mention remembering that most scientific studies happen not at some shady off-grid building but at research colleges. He called around, and after a few administrators laughing in his face, he finally found himself on a treadmill hooked up to all these machines. All in the effort to see what his skill did before and after he leveled it.

    They were going all in on the game terms for now. Will it be Mana Core or something next week? Though he doubted it would change, as the lead scientist, Tim, explained, ¡°Skill makes the most sense so far. It¡¯s different for everyone and seems to also be triggered by different forms of stimuli. In your instance, running. Mine is meditation. As for the game terms, it''s simple: people easily have a frame of reference, it¡¯s easy to understand, and so far, there is a clear delineation between levels that we are able to quantify. That and we¡¯re all nerds, so why not?¡±

    The last portion made him laugh.

    ¡°How you holding up Zephyr?¡± Tim asked.

    He hated this portion it was taking everything to just keep breathing while running on the damn thing, ¡°Fine.¡± One-word answers so he wouldn¡¯t snap and could keep his breathing pattern, never mind the stitch in his side.

    ¡°Only thirty more seconds.¡± Tim tried to say reassuringly. Zephyr, for his part, was staring down at the countdown on the screen. He¡¯d been running for the last ten minutes. His body was not in shape for running that much.

    ¡°And time.¡± The sound of the treadmill slowed as Zephyr stumbled to a stop. Gulping deep breaths of air, all the grad students moved quickly, checking machines and removing all the tubes and wires. Another started to take more accurate readings, and another began to draw blood while he was still on the treadmill.

    ¡°This is getting us amazing data, Zephyr.¡± Zephyr looked up, blinking away the exhaustion. ¡°You are one of only a handful of people we could find that had not yet leveled or reentered their rift, or is its portal?¡± Tim turned to the other lead Scientist, who was looking over a screen. ¡°Jake, did we settle on whether we¡¯re referring to it as a rift or a portal?¡±

    The only reason Zephyr had actually been accepted into the study was he had yet to increase his skill level or body because, apparently, there was an option to level yourself up. Zephyr had been floored when he learned that. He just thought he would re-experience that horrible event, leaving him justifiably paranoid despite the fact that it seemed to be building like a building pressure in his stomach. The scientist, Tim, was extra excited about this pushing for him to get into testing as soon as possible.

    Jake stared at the screen as he answered, ¡°Right now, for people, we are calling them portals.¡±

    ¡°For people?¡± Zephyr asked, confused.

    ¡°Just a precaution for now.¡± Tim waved away the question.

    That did little to ease his worries. While he was waiting for the grad students and another scientist to get their data, ¡°So, I''ve been curious: what does my skill actually do? I mean, I know it¡¯s something with running, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel any different?¡±

    Zephyr shook his head. ¡°And the Internet is all over the place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about what we¡¯ve gotten from most people. So far, all we¡¯ve figured out is that each skill has more to do with breathing than whatever you think it is. Running, you breathe better, meditate, you breathe clearer; training, like Jake over there, you control your breathing better. It¡¯s just which activity you breathe better doing.¡±

    ¡°Breathing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very important to breathe right for extended physical activity. As to why? Still figuring that out.¡±

    ¡°Cultivation!¡± Jake yelled.

    Tim rolled his eyes, ¡°Magic!¡± He bit back.

    Turning back to Zephyr, Tim excitedly said, ¡°You are a rare specimen. You are the first one we have for a real baseline test. Before and after a skill level up.¡± He shook his head, ¡°I only wish we also had a baseline before the awakening. And ¡ªno offense¡ª with you being overweight, we can get more Data just on if skills will affect weight loss or leveling.¡±

    ¡°Tim!¡± Jake reprimanded.

    ¡°What?¡± He said, annoyed, ¡°It''s not going to affect his data. We aren¡¯t testing that with him.¡±

    Zephyr laughed. Obviously, he was overweight, and if it helped people, then that was even better. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I wasn¡¯t the only one who awakened. I thought I was going insane when it happened.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? I was streaming, so I knew people wouldn¡¯t fully think me insane. I just wish people would believe us. Hell, my own brother actually thinks this is some weird hoax or prank I¡¯m somehow playing on him. He¡¯s only twenty-three, so he doesn¡¯t get it yet. No matter how I try to explain it.¡±

    ¡°That has to be tough.¡±Zephyr commiserated.

    ¡°Well, what can you do? Now.¡± He said as the last of the equipment was taken off Zephyr. ¡°Now that we have all the baseline information, let¡¯s get you changed and put into your portal.¡±

    Zephyr felt a chill at the idea and thought the scientist was way too cheery for what was in the portal.

    #

    A video shows a man standing in a completely white room wearing a fresh white thin cloth outfit. With nothing else around. The screen shows only the man, who is standing there fidgeting nervously. The screen paused.

    From off-screen, Tim¡¯s voice said, ¡°He was unsurprisingly nervous for his first opening. But could you blame the guy? Oh, and yes, I got permission from the subject himself to post this. So don¡¯t worry.¡± After that comment, the video continued.

    -Click-¡°Please state your full name. Your current body level, skill level, and name, and what you¡¯re doing.¡± -Click- Tim¡¯s voice echoed in the room.

    ¡°My name is Zephyr Rye. Body and skill level one. Skill is running. I will be opening my portal, and instead of funneling the¡­¡± He turned directly towards the camera, ¡°Are we really calling it experience?¡±

    -Click-¡°For now. Energy is also accurate if you would prefer that.¡±-Click-

    Letting out a sigh, ¡°No. If we¡¯re going with game terms, then at least it¡¯s on theme. Ehem I will funnel experience into my skill instead of my body. Which I have been informed will be something I will instinctively know how to do?¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Zephyr stood there breathing shakily, ¡°You know I could be the one you test how long before we¡¯re forced to open the portal.¡±

    -Click-¡°Sorry, we have a different test group for that. But I imagine the pressure right now is pretty unbearable.¡±-Click-

    With one last big inhale, ¡°Opening portal in three, two, one.¡± A timer began as the portal engulfed, taking Zephyr with it. Leaving only a white room behind. The video paused again. ¡°This is just a bit of dead air here. And now.¡±

    The video resumed at normal speed as Zephyr Zephyr reappeared looking confused, with the timer stopped at exactly five minutes.

    ¡°Why is it always five minutes?¡± The off-screen voice of Tim commented. ¡°We have no idea.¡±

    #

    The video cuts to a new, less sterile room, looking more like an empty office with a table and two chairs. The camera focused on the table and empty chairs. A clipboard sitting in front of one of the chairs. Tim enters the frame, helping Zephyr into the room. Zephyr looked more annoyed than in pain. His feet seemed to stumble and fumble as he tried and failed to walk.

    Zephyr was no longer in the white paper onesie but now in a regular pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, as Tim was in his same lab coat and casual wear underneath.

    The two settled into the chairs, and Tim smiled, ¡°Thanks for your patience.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for letting me put my clothes back on.¡± Replied tiredly.

    ¡°All for the Data. Speaking of¡ªnow, it has been approximately five minutes since you have exited your portal. Would you please detail your inside experience?¡±

    ¡°That¡ªThat is a bit hard to explain.¡± Zephyr struggled, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know if it is possible to describe what it was like.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch- ¡°Please just do your best.¡± Tim replied, writing something down on his clipboard.

    Zephyr gathered his thoughts as he started slowly, ¡°When I entered my portal. I¡­Felt¡ªWell? Me.¡±

    Tim raised an eyebrow, ¡°You? You met yourself?¡± -Scritch-scratch-

    ¡°No¡ªYes? Kind of. Ok sorry. Let me start again. When I entered my portal, I felt like I was both inside of myself and outside. Like¡ªoh! I know. It was like a version of me was sitting there, and I was a ball of energy sitting inside, or maybe my consciousness was.¡± Zephyr shook his head. ¡°Either way doesn¡¯t matter. As that ball of energy, I felt I could either let myself expand¡ªNo. Saturate? Or maybe fill? The entire version of my body, or there was something there deeper inside, something much smaller.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch- ¡°And would you know where that might be located?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. It was all abstract, but¡­my best guess is somewhere around my belly button.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch- ¡°Thank you. Please go on.¡±

    ¡°Since I am focusing on the skill, not my body, I pushed, well more guided, the energy inside the skill. Then it got weird.¡±

    ¡°Weird?¡± The scratch of the pen stopped for the first time, ¡°Did you not experience your memories since you last entered?¡±

    ¡°No, I did. Except, it was like every memory was hyper-focused on running.¡±

    Tim leaned forward, an excited gleam in his eyes, ¡°Could you elaborate?¡±

    ¡°It was like¡­showing me how my every step was either right or wrong. How the step felt, from the way I bent my foot to how each toe curled, how high my legs lifted, to how and when I bent my knees. It even showed how my body itself moved, compensating, down to how I tensed or relaxed my muscles. Not to mention how, where, and when my eyes focused on something. Every little thing was about how I was running or walking. Everything.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch-scratch-scratch-Scritch- Tim frantically wrote on his clipboard before looking up. ¡°What about the things that had nothing to do with running over the last month? Like when you spoke with someone or lazed around the house?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where it gets odd. It was like the energy hyper-focused on running; the others were there but¡ªfaded.¡ªyes, faded or muted. Like they just weren¡¯t as important.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating. And you leveled your skill?¡±

    ¡°Yes, twice.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch-¡°And what was leveling like?¡±

    ¡°It was¡ª¡± Zephyr¡¯s voice trailed off as he struggled to explain, ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s start with imagining the skill as an orb inside. It was like¡­as I examined myself through the skill, the orb seemed to fill up with knowledge and energy. Until it popped or leveled, only to find the orb was also inside another orb. All the experience expanded into the new orb. At least, that¡¯s the closest example I can give. Then it repeated when I had enough to fill it again.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch- ¡°Now you said energy and knowledge?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was like the energy was only part of it; the closer I examined my movements, the denser my core became. Like I was priming the skill with energy, and then the knowledge was a multiplier¡ª no more like a catalyst? Or maybe the other way around? Honestly, Experience is probably the best description.¡±

    -Scritch-scratch- ¡°And if you had a bunch of energy but sat around for a month, do you think it might still level?¡±

    ¡°Maybe?¡± Zephyr sat there in quiet thought before, ¡°But I feel it would need to be a lot of energy. If at all.¡±

    Tap-Tap-Tap- The sound of the pen on the clipboard emphasized Tim¡¯s thoughtful look, ¡°With all that said, seeing as the memories were more focused, would you say that the same phenomenon of impartiality was there?¡±

    ¡°It was. It was like an intense study session that I now can¡¯t get out of my head. Now, I¡¯m having trouble moving because I can¡¯t stop thinking about every little thing I¡¯m doing wrong. I feel like if I were back in college, I could probably write an entire paper on what might make their perfect run¡­for me.¡± Realizing what he said, a look of horror passed over him. ¡°Please don¡¯t make me write that.¡±

    Tim laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t. Now we just need to run a few more tests.¡± -Scritch-scratch-

    The door opened as Jake walked in with a wheelchair. ¡°Figured you might need some help.¡±

    #

    The video cut to Zephyr rag-dolling off the treadmill again on the treadmill before getting helped back up. ¡°Maybe let¡¯s start a bit slower.¡±

    ¡°Just stop thinking about it.¡±

    I can¡¯t. It¡¯s like when someone points out there''s no comfortable place for your tongue to sit in your mouth. Suddenly, you can¡¯t stop noticing it.¡± Two of the grad students in the background visibly paused what they were doing. Their mouths moved like suddenly they noticed their own tongues. ¡°I just need to move; I¡¯ll get it in a minute.¡± Zephyr finished stumbling to stand back up.

    The video cuts to Zephyr barely walking before freezing. ¡°It took us almost ten minutes of constant attempts for him to be able to walk again barely. Running was even worse. It was not what any of us expected, but that¡¯s what makes great science.¡± Tim¡¯s voice came from off-screen.

    The video began to play again, ¡°Time.¡± Everyone in the room moved, unhooking Zephyr. He looked more frazzled and disheveled than he had after his first run.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the diagnosis, doc? Will I have to relearn to walk every time I level my skill?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but it is possible.¡± The smile on Zephyr¡¯s face turned to concern as Tim continued, ¡°I think there will be a bit of adjustment, but we don''t believe so. Since you will be building off this.¡± Tim turned to Zephyr. I¡¯m no expert at the proper form for running, but I could tell you everything about your walk and your failed running attempt. I believe once you¡¯re able to get your feet under you, you might even be faster and more efficient.

    ¡°Neat. Any idea¡¯s how much faster?¡±

    ¡°All depends on you. Like everything, it will require practice, but if you do, I imagine that what you described is accurate. It will be like your training with the most dedicated Olympic coach.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool and all, but¡­why? What¡¯s the point of being able to run better.¡±

    ¡°No idea. We still don¡¯t know why this is happening. We may never know. Right now, we¡¯re just trying to get on top of the changes.¡± Tim looked at Jake before leaning in with a smile, ¡°But I should also tell you, other than your weight, it actually looks like you''re healthier than when you went in. Although it is very minor and will need further verification. But otherwise, very promising.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Zephyr replied sarcastically.

    Missing the sarcasm, ¡°Exactly! This is going to revolutionize¡ªprobably the wrong term¡ª everything. If the growing pattern continues, people will live longer, healthier lives. It¡¯s amazing!¡±

    The video seemed to fast forward as Tim¡¯s voice came from offscreen, ¡°Ok, this is just a lot of questions and answers and other information. But really exciting, right? What other kinds of benefits are we getting? ¡± The video zoomed through, showing the two conversing as Zephyr was fully unhooked. The two laugh and are deep in discussion. ¡°I should just cut to the next portion, but this is more fun.¡± The video slowed after blood was taken from Zephyr, ¡°That better not get me demonetized.¡± Finally, the video started back up with only Tim and Zephyr left.

    ¡°Now for this study.¡± Tape Tim began. ¡°Please do not open the portal until you come in for more testing next week. Go about your day like normal, and jog for at least¡­¡± He paused to look at his clipboard. ¡°Thirty minutes a day. Do you think you can do that?

    ¡°Is it ok if I do more?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. Just at least thirty minutes. Now for my new favorite part.¡± Tims''s hand seemed to warp reality as his hand moved, prismatic energy dancing along his fingers before a small crystal formed in his hand.

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Zephyr was wide-eyed as he stared at the crystal.

    ¡°Let me give you a quest,¡± he said, slightly out of breath, his hand a little shaky as he held it toward Zephyr with a smug smile.

    Tentatively, he reached out and touched it. Zephyr seemed to freeze, his eyes growing even more expansive. Then, the gem floated out of his hand and into the air behind him. Zephyr stood and fumbled, moving around as the crystal followed. ¡°Holy shit.¡±

    Tim laughed, ¡°Yeah, I thought the same; we stumble on it. Just strongly desire whatever you need to be done, and then reach out. I know it doesn''t make much sense until it does.¡± He said cryptically before the video cut to Tim alone in his lab coat, with a sizeable floppy wizard hat on his head and standing in an office.

    ¡°That was quite fascinating, wasn¡¯t it? This was the first-ever video record of what leveling a skill was really like. I forgot how much we recorded; now I¡®m sure many of you lovely people are wondering what that little bit at the end was, and others may already know.

    ¡°Now, I thought about making another video solely on quests, but we have so little information that I thought it would be good to recap here, and I¡¯ll split this section for all you lovely people curious about quests.¡± He pulled out a little box with three little clear crystals lying in a box. Pulling one out and looking through it.

    ¡°See, right now, you may see a friend or family member with a little gem,¡± The camera cut to focus on the crystal. ¡°much like this, floating behind them. Maybe it glows, or maybe it doesn¡¯t. See, when a quest crystal is created by the desire of the quest giver, the gem itself is inactive. That is until you accept the task.¡± The crystal floated out of his hand and began to float behind him.

    ¡°Now, how might one know what the task is? Simple. The goal or task appears in the recipient''s mind when you grab a crystal. As impressions of the giver¡¯s desire. So they will always know the quest is.¡±

    The camera zoomed on his face as he exclaimed, ¡°AMAZING! Isn¡¯t it? Although I personally would like a nice tidy screen explaining it, it¡¯s still fascinating. And here¡¯s the kicker. Unawakened people can accept them, too. A bit of magical proof.¡± The video cuts to him sitting seriously in his office chair. ¡°Now we don¡¯t know the effect on unawakened. So please be careful giving quests to those unawakened until we have more information. As for awakened, when completed, they glow and can be broken. When they do, they transfer a bit of energy to them. Which we believe can be used to level up. Just like a video game.¡±

    He turned serious again, ¡°There is one side effect that we can confirm for the quest giver: it hits like a mule. Costing your own energy, you feel very drained for a few minutes afterward, like recovering after a fast sprint. We can confirm there are no short-term detriments or benefits from giving them. Please proceed with caution.¡±

    Tim bowed with a sweeping flourish of his hat. ¡°With that, I would like to thank you for joining us today, and I hope you¡¯ll join us as we explore our new magical world. +So please like and subscribe and hit that notification bell for the latest and greatest of Cultivating Magic.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 4

    Year 0 Month 2 Week 1

    -Tap-Tap-Thunk-

    Zephyr was standing before a whiteboard, tapping his marker and, occasionally, his forehead up against it. A feeling of frustration bubbled up inside as he looked at the board again.

    #

    <ol>

    <li>Somehow, get in on the ground floor of this new change.</li>

    </ol>

    -Try calling research colleges

    -Figure out on own

    - ???

    <ol start="2">

    <li>Find new job -- somehow make it connected to running</li>

    </ol>

    2.1 figure out how to get money from running.

    -Gig Delivery job? -To far apart and sporadic, will not be able to run fast enough

    -sponsor?

    #

    -Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-

    Zephyr banged his head more on the board, ¡°Now, how do I actually get a sponsor?¡±

    He looked down at himself, taking in his rotund form. Would anyone sponsor me for running?

    Google had been no help. The only things that popped up were things like dog runner, running concierge¡ªwhich seemed made up¡ªand other things that sounded only running adjacent like a coach or racing director, which again felt made up.

    It had been a month since Zephyr had become a test subject, and his skill quickly reached level six. Once he got his feet under him, Zephyr found Tim had been right. He could run, not jog, not fast walk; he could run for a straight thirty minutes without stopping, and he was already at an eight-minute mile run. This was terrific for a normal person, let alone someone overweight.

    Tim and his team were still trying to determine if Zephyr was leveling at an expected rate. They didn¡¯t know he was already the highest skill leveled person in the study, but when he hit level five, he¡¯d slowed down by a lot; in fact, Zephyr barely reached level six. It was only thanks to the extra boost from his weekly quests; it was like he was already at the pinnacle of his current experiences.

    Despite all his accomplishments, he was running into a real issue. Zephyr was still nowhere near finding a new job. He¡¯d thought people might have been more sympathetic about it being this awakening day. He was distraught, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter.

    Zephyr had been able to stay afloat thanks to the pay from the tests and a few gig jobs. In the meantime, he was focusing everything on advancing, and Tim had given him a bit of homework. Homework he had barely started; he was given a list of videos and books on everything about running, from breathing patterns to other techniques. Even books on the biology of running, diets for marathoners, and even a few running magazines. In order to get his mind off everything, he dove into the books.

    And found he could barely concentrate despite how interesting it was. He couldn''t focus for more than a few paragraphs before his mind wandered back to the whiteboard. And eventually, he gave up.

    ¡°I need to get out of here.¡±

    #

    Not twenty minutes later, Zephyr found himself at his local park decked out for a run. Loose t-shirt, a new set of running shorts he was deeply regretting, and a nice pair of running shoes he was not. His pale legs felt wrong, unused to the feeling of air or sun. Despite that, he still felt good about getting out.

    At that moment, something about the world around him felt right, except for the shorts. Why did I put the shorts on?

    It was the perfect thing to get his mind off of job hunting. Instead of getting in his head about it, he put a pair of headphones in and started to jog down the trail. An audiobook kept him company. Music had been his first choice but found books really kept his focus, and he wasn¡¯t bored running the same route over and over.

    Today, he was just running to not think, so with one foot in front of the other, Zephyr made his way around the trail, stopping halfway nearly two miles from the start, stopping at a ¡®You Are Here¡¯ Signpost that showed all the trails. two miles, and I¡¯m barely winded.

    he reveled in how little it affected him when, just a month before, he would have been heaving on the ground. Now, he was just breathing heavily. And a month before that he would be breathing just as bad walking the trail. Checking his phone he smirked, seventeen minutes. What will I be after a year?

    It was a long way away, yet so close; they were barely scratching the surface of everything, and new discoveries were happening daily. I wonder if it will be called the Age of Discovery. Now I just need a damn job. ¡°Grah!¡± he yelled in frustration. He had just gotten his mind off being unemployed.

    Feeling reckless, Zephyr took one last look at the sign. Seeing the one that would add five miles to his run, Without a second to think, he took off, pushing himself beyond what he¡¯d ever run before. His feet barely even touched the ground before he pushed off again.

    -Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-

    Despite the beautiful words and lovely prose playing in his ears, Zephyr did not hear a word, with his entire mind focused on running, fighting hard to take in air and not trip over his feet. Or run into another parkgoer.

    -Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-

    His legs moved faster, his stride widening, and the world began to disappear. Before awakening, Zephyr never knew running could be like this; he felt like he was flying across the ground.

    -Clack-clack-thump-bump-clack-clack-thump-bump-clack-

    His body heated up as his heart drummed in his ears. Something he should be concerned about. Something that should indicate that maybe he should slow down. Yet he could only smile as he pushed even harder a smile blazing across his face.

    -Clack-clack-thump-bump-wheeze-chuff-clack-clack-thump-bump-wheeze-chuff-clack-clack-

    His lungs burned, his mouth dripping saliva, and his muscles grew tight, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care as he wheezed and kept going as blackness slowly crept at the edge of his vision. The limit, it was the first time he ever touched it, maybe he was edging past it. Even with all the warning signs, he kept creeping forward as he learned just how far he could go.

    -Clack-clack-thump-bump-wheeze-chuff-clack-clack-thump-bump-wheeze-chuff-clack-clack-Crash-

    A misstep, and he found himself falling into the grass off the side of the trail. Fighting to breathe. Everything felt like it was burning, and he could barely get enough air. Now that he wasn¡¯t running, he could feel the difference in how he breathed. Despite feeling like death, he couldn¡¯t stop grinning. Slowly the blackness receded, and he could make out his audiobook.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°The girl fought, and every time she turned around, another Worker, another friend, was dying.¡±

    A face appeared in front of him. It took him a minute to focus when he heard what she was saying. ¡°Are you Ok?¡±

    It took a minute for Zephyr to remember he was in a park, a place with other people. An attractive older woman with gray hair, crow¡¯s feet, and great shape stared down at him. He caught himself taking in her form-fitting workout clothes.

    The woman was talking, but he could barely hear her over the blood rushing to his ears and his headphones. ¡°Eight Workers came with her. The rest lay silent¡ª ¡± Zephyr paused the book, realizing he had missed a lot. I¡¯ll go back later.

    Realizing he already forgot what she asked, ¡°Oh, Sorry. What was that?¡± he said, pointing to his earbuds.

    ¡°Are you ok? You were running like a bat out of hell. Thought something might be chasing you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I''m fine.¡± He replied, forcing himself to stand, only wobbling slightly, ¡°Just testing myself. You know, since the change.¡±

    ¡°Well damn, you moved pretty fast.¡±

    ¡°Thanks?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± The woman laughed. ¡°You trying to level your ability then?¡±

    ¡°Ability?¡± Zephyr¡¯s mind was still oxygen-deprived, so it took him a second, ¡°Oh! I mean, maybe? Might also be trying to get my mind off job hunting.¡± He said sheepishly. Why am I telling her this?

    ¡°Yeesh, bad awakening?¡± Zephyr nodded as she reached out to steady him. ¡°Had a friend have the same issue, has been having a hell of a time finding work.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it?¡± Tired, exhausted, and now starting to feel awkward, as he didn¡¯t know how to get out of the conversation.

    The woman turned thoughtful, ¡°You know. You could always lean into the change. That¡¯s what some others and I are doing. There¡¯s no money yet, but if it works out. It will be amazing. So we¡¯re excited just to give it a try.¡±

    Zephyr only shook his head, ¡°What would I even do?¡±

    The woman shrugged, ¡°Well, whatever you end up doing, good luck.¡± She said before waving as she jogged off. Zephyr¡¯s eyes followed her as she left. As he did, he noticed a man on a bike with a bunch of large bags hanging on the back. ¡®Express Courier¡¯ on the bags.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He got an idea. Before pulling up his phone and Googling it to ensure it was feasible. ¡°Maybe¡­¡±

    #

    ¡°Thanks for this meeting on such a short notice,¡± Zephyr said nervously.

    Not even two hours after Googleing his idea, Zephyr stood in front of a potential investor feeling way out of his depth. What am I even doing? He was smiling but felt incredibly ridiculous.

    Zephyr had taken that random woman¡¯s advice and possibly leaned too hard into the change. He was wearing a Renaissance festival outfit he had gotten last year. A thankfully breathable, loose-fitting gray outfit with an oversized poncho and a gray messenger boy''s hat, a pair of loose trousers with ties around his calves, and a nice pair of modern sneakers. Zephyr had a nice set of boots that matched but would have been hell to run in, so he made a little compromise with himself. Not to mention the handcrafted canvas messenger bag. All that he would not tell anyone exactly how much he paid for them.

    Despite how sharp he knew he looked, his confidence in his plan fell with every step into the office building.

    The man sitting behind the desk, Killian Eduard, was smiling as he took Zephyr in. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for something new since awakening. And I tend to strike while the iron¡¯s hot. And it¡¯s not every day I get a call like this. Let¡¯s just say I was very intrigued.¡±

    Killian had been the only one. It hadn¡¯t helped that Zephyr stumbled over himself over the phone with practically all of the people he called. Nor was he really able to answer basic questions. Hell, he was shocked he was still there but was doing his best to project an air of confidence.

    ¡°So the idea¡ªleaning on your firm for the start¡ªis to create an in-house courier service. With how many cases your firm does a day, we could easily get our name out to your clients and other firms around the inner city.¡±

    ¡°Inner City? Why just there? We have plenty of clients from other cities and counties.¡±

    ¡°Prestige!¡± He said excitedly.

    ¡°Not following.¡±

    ¡°As you can see what I¡¯m wearing, we lean into the change hard. We mix in a bunch of magical-sounding names. Instead of cars, we run around the city in outfits like mine. We require a quest crystal for each delivery, people see us trailing them. They wonder what that is. As we go on, more and more people will get curious.¡±

    Killian stared, looking thoughtful, as the silence dragged on.

    Feeling he was losing Killian, Zephyr continued, ¡°We make it a more prestigious, magical, mysterious thing. Delivery by hand right to the client, while ¡ªfor example¡ª I run the entire distance, floating quests crystals floating behind me twinkling, catching every eye as I pass. I run into an office magic floating behind me. The package is delivered, and a crystal floating behind me begins to glow. Then off I go back into the ether. Everyone gets a story. Some wonder if what they saw was even real.¡±

    Killian smiled, leaning back in his chair, ¡°And what do you need me for?¡±

    ¡°Contacts, ideas, overall a partner. There wouldn¡¯t be much upfront cost. Maybe a day or two of making calls. We could even do a trial basis.¡± Wow, my pitch is terrible.

    Zephyr was one hundred percent certain Killian would reject him. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Zephyr was already planning his next pitch when he got rejected. ¡°You know what. I¡¯m in, and no, we are going to go all in on this.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Just like that.¡± Killian stood holding his hand out as Zephyr shook it disbelievingly.

    ¡°Great!¡±

    ¡°I bet you¡¯re wondering why I agreed after that terrible pitch.¡±

    Zephyr winced, ¡°Crossed my mind.¡±

    ¡°See, I recently learned a lot about myself. I was always paranoid and a skinflint, yet what did I do with that money? Become more paranoid that someone would take it away when I saw that I didn¡¯t like it and needed to change. Now, I have a lot more free time, and this is so outside my normal wheelhouse. I think it would be fun.¡±

    ¡°I bet it will!¡±

    ¡°Now.¡± Killian was walking around Zephyr, hand on chin, looking him up and down. ¡°If we¡¯re leaning into this, let¡¯s go a bit further.¡±

    ¡°Further?¡±

    ¡°Off the top of my head. We give the couriers names of divine messengers Gabriel, Micheal, Hermes, mercury, and Ratatoskr. Hmm, maybe not the angel names; might ruffle some feathers.¡±

    He was familiar with all but one ¡°Ratatoskr?¡±

    ¡°Norse messenger squirrel sends insults up and down Yggdrasil. That would be perfect for you.¡± Zephyr looked at himself, wondering how he looked like a squirrel. ¡°It''s little known and just vague enough to get people curious. Not to mention, the name sounds exotic. People with money love that shit.¡±

    Feeling like he had completely lost control, Zephyr could only listen, uncertain but excited as Killian continued.

    ¡°And we can call it¡ª Wait, do you already have a name?¡±

    Zephyr shook his head.

    ¡°Good then, how about. Divine Messengers Courier service. No, too long, Divine Couriers? Mythic Messengers? Yes, that. We¡¯ll need to get you something to state that¡±, he looks down at the messenger bag. Zephyr, feeling concerned, said, ¡°Ah, yes, that could work. I¡¯ll have to get you to my tailor.¡±

    Over the next couple of hours, the two had shaken out the idea. Writing up paperwork and setting up subsidiary accounts for the business. Everything Zephyr wouldn¡¯t have even thought of or had looked into at all. It shocked him how much paperwork there was.

    They¡¯d settled on a fifty-fifty partnership; Zephyr would take the name Ratatoskr on deliveries. They¡¯d be called Mythic Messengers, and Killian would handle hiring other runners. It was all happening so fast that Zephyr¡¯s head was spinning by the end of it all. When he asked.

    ¡°Whats next?¡±

    #

    On a screen somewhere, a commercial begins. Zephyr is standing awkwardly in his gray courier outfit, looking straight at the camera.

    ¡°Has this ever happened to you?¡± He yelled, his voice stilted and monotone.

    The camera cuts to Killian holding a giant, oversized manila envelope overflowing with papers, with fake concern all over his face. ¡°Oh no! These last-minute documents need to be downtown now!¡± Killian was hamming it up hard. ¡°And I can¡¯t get there in time. What Ever can I do?¡±

    ¡ªBoom¡ª

    An obvious fake green screen explosion appeared on-screen, revealing Zephyr posing uncomfortably. A short pause before he speaks, ¡°Ne-Never Fear! Let Mythic Deliveries take care of that for you!¡±

    It cuts to a little old lady holding an accordion folder in front of an apartment building. ¡°What about my very important documents?¡±

    The camera cuts back to Zephyr, giving a big thumbs up, and smiling, ¡°I can deliver!¡±

    Shows a kid wearing a backpack shyly holding up a note. ¡°This ¡®Do you like me¡¯ note?¡±

    Shows Zephyr jumping in excitement, ¡°Of Course!¡±

    The camera cuts to an annoyed teen girl, ¡°This note checked, no?¡±

    Zephyr winces, ¡°Ouch, but yes!¡±

    Cuts to a construction worker: ¡°What about my blueprints?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Cuts to a farmer standing in front of a pumpkin taller than himself. ¡°What about my pumpkin to the state fair?¡±

    Zephyr scratches the back of his head, ¡°Might be a bit too heavy for me.¡±

    Cuts back to an annoyed farmer, ¡°Then what about my paperwork for the courthouse?¡±

    ¡°Weird, that was your second choice, but sure! With only minimal judgment.¡± Zephyr gets low into a sprinter pose, squirrel ears and a tail photo-shopped on him, as a number to call appears at the bottom of the screen, ¡°Call and get your package delivered today by our highly skilled messengers!¡±

    A voice comes from off camera, ¡°Times and estimations may be subject to change.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 5

    Year 0 Month 2 Week 1

    ¡°Mythic Messengers Courier service.¡± A man in a nicely fitted, loose gray medieval-style outfit with a large poncho held up a small package. ¡°I am courier Rata-Rata-Rat.a.toskr the messenger squirrel.¡± He stuttered, having trouble saying the name. Nerves hitting him hard. -ehem- He cleared his throat, ¡°I¡¯d deliver an insult, but all I have is a delivery for .¡±

    The receptionist sitting at the front desk was holding back a laugh, ¡°They make you say that?¡±

    Zephyr¡¯s face heated, ¡°We¡¯re still work-shopping it. How was it?¡±

    She shrugged.

    ¡°That bad?¡±

    ¡°What was with the insult line?¡±

    ¡°Ratatoskr, mythological squirrel delivered insults. We¡¯re going back and forth on whether or not to add an insult with every delivery, hence the cheesy line.¡± It was an argument he went back and forth with Killian about. It sounded like fun to him but then what would the other messengers ¡ªwhen they actually hire some¡ª do? Would the angel names give bible verses? Get the Hermes messenger to sing on a lute; would that even make sense? How many people even know Hermes supposedly created the lute for Apollo?

    ¡°Fun. Did you chicken out ¡®cause that wasn¡¯t actually an insult?¡±

    ¡°Ehh.¡± He had, in fact, chickened out, but it was more due to the fact he completely blanked on figuring out an insult that was not simply cruel, crude, or seriously offensive. ¡°Would you have been insulted if I did an actual insult?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Through one at me.¡±

    Zephyr had to think, searching for something that wouldn¡¯t get him thrown out, it was hard to think of something on the spot when a simple idea hit him, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should. Especially if I have to ask if you can take an insult.¡±

    The receptionist stared at him for a minute, taking it in before letting out a tiny chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s kind of mild. If I didn¡¯t know what was going on, I¡¯d probably think you¡¯re being a dick or completely miss it altogether. Make it more obvious.¡±

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll keep working on it.¡± He held up his parcel, ¡°I still have a package to deliver.¡±

    The woman stood reaching out. ¡°Sorry, you can leave it here.¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± pulling the package back. ¡°Part of the contract states I have to deliver in person.¡±

    ¡°One sec.¡± She sat back down and pulled out her phone, ¡°Who is it to?¡±

    ¡°Sabeen Salha¡±

    The receptionist dialed a number, ¡°Sabeen, I got a Mythic Messenger here for you. Uh-huh. I¡¯ll send him right up.¡± She stood with a camera in hand.

    -Click-

    -whir-buzz-whir-

    The printer kicked out a cheap piece of paper with his face on it. She grabbed a clip, attached it to the paper badge, and handed it to Zephyr, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve been cleared. Here is your visitor badge. She¡¯s on the ninth floor.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Before he knew it, Zephyr stood in front of a really nice monogrammed office, ¡°Sabeen Salha,¡± in bold lettering on the door.

    -Knock-Knock-

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    Stepping inside, Zephyr stood straight and spoke while walking up to the woman''s desk, ¡°Mythic Messengers Courier service. I am Courier Ra-ta-Toskr.¡± He slowed down to make sure he pronounced it right, ¡°The messenger squirrel. Climbing the branches of Yggdrasil to deliver your package.¡± It was another line they were trying, saying aloud Zephyr thought it was one of the better ones. He¡¯d add an insult, but he couldn¡¯t think of any. Instead, he simply presented Sabeen with the package. As soon as she took it, the quest crystal trailing behind him began to glow, showing it was complete.

    ¡°Ah, just like I imagined it,¡± Zephyr said with a massive smile.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this was just like I hoped.¡±

    Sabeen beamed as she began to perk up excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m Sabeen.¡± She held out her hand to shake as she set the package down. ¡°This courier service is such a brilliant idea; half the firms in the city are annoyed they didn¡¯t think of it first.¡±

    ¡°Thanks?¡±

    She laughed, ¡°Oh, we are all on board here. Half the firms are already working with Killian. We realized it would be a great way for all of us to capitalize on these new powers. So far, you¡¯re the first, but mind you, there will be more soon enough, but we will be first.¡± She walked around Zephyr, eyeing him up and down; for his part, he just stood there confused. ¡°Couriers dressed like this. Ah, it is so perfect.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already working with Killian? We just set everything up yesterday.¡±

    ¡°We move fast, and a lot of us are looking for something¡ª¡± She pointed at Zephyr ¡°like this. And we all want to be a part of the future, and we¡¯re all excited to see the future in action.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Thanks.¡± Zephyr was already feeling out of his depth and shocked at how much support he received and how forceful lawyers were.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised if you get more work than you can handle; you are the original, the trendsetter, the first! When the copycats come, you¡¯ll know you started it all.¡±

    Before he knew it, Zephyr was ushered out of the office after Sabeen went off praising him. He stood on the street, unsure how to feel about what happened. Though the hundred-dollar tip in his pocket definitely helped.

    #

    After a long day of meeting other rather enthusiastic lawyers, half of whom claimed they had given Killian the idea for the service. Zephyr was ready to just relax at home and count the shockingly generous tips he¡¯d received. So it was when he was grabbing a drink when he saw it, it was out of his kitchen window, something new. Something that would make his night a bit longer.

    In the middle of his backyard, inset inside his favorite climbing tree, a glowing scar nearly six feet tall stormed and pulsed silver. This concerned Zephyr for many reasons: the tree was one of the favorite features of his house, his own bodhi tree. Something he had to look up what it was after he bought the place. He only actually cared that it was perfect for climbing, each branch at the perfect height for him to reach.

    The second reason was that as he looked into the silver light, he felt something tugging him towards it.

    I should make a call.

    Not an hour later, two large white vans pulled up in front of Zephyr''s house. He watched through the window as two men ran from each van and frantically grabbed various equipment before rushing through Zephyr''s fence and into his backyard. They seem excited. Zephyr laughed as he went to meet them.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Before he knew it, Zephyr was standing in his backyard, staring at two scientists who had yet to notice him. At first, he just stood there and watched them setting up equipment moving back and forth. Then, he became curious as to how long it would take them to notice him standing there.

    Tim, the scientist, turned towards his associate, Jake, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we have a fresh one!¡±

    Jake was setting up large tripods, ¡°I know they won¡¯t let me near the portal team.¡±

    They moved off into their own little world, moving equipment and writing down information on their clipboards. Moving around with machines Zephyr couldn¡¯t even guess at.

    With curiosity finally getting the best of him, ¡°Tim! Jake!¡±

    Neither of the scientists heard him as Jake set up a camera and Tim straightened up his lab coat.

    ¡°Jake! This is so exciting! We¡¯re going to see this first hand.¡±

    ¡°Are we sure we want to? I mean, it is literally pulling me towards it. We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be bad. I¡¯ve heard the others went in fine.¡±

    ¡°Ok. But it still is weird and a bit unsettling.¡±

    Tim looked towards the rift inside the tree curiously, but his smile never left his face. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Now, are we ready?¡±

    After checking the camera again, he ¡°Ok and 3. 2¡ª¡± he trailed off, finishing counting down with his fingers.

    Jake smiled wide, ¡°Hello, students; this is your glorious headmaster, Archmagus Tim. And we¡¯re here for¡ª¡± Tim¡¯s voice trailed off as he finally noticed, ¡°Zephyr! You¡¯re just in time, and really in the spirit of things I see.¡±

    Confused by the nonsensical statement, he looked at himself, realizing he was still in his courier uniform. Oh. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± It slowly dawned on him, as in disbelief he asked, ¡°Are you making a YouTube video?¡±

    #

    A self-proclaimed Archmage and a confused messenger stand in front of a tree. A tree that one might wonder why it had a massive crack that pulsated silver, or why the messenger was wearing a strange outfit, or why, if he was an Archmage, he was wearing a lab coat. Other observers might completely ignore them as their sight drew towards the silver, as it beautifully pulsed and rippled, the edges slowly splintering reality infinitesimally. A doorway to an unknown world waiting for someone.

    It looked like it would hum or spark or something. But there was nothing, only a pulsating light as the video continued, and the two stood there waiting.

    Jack¡¯s voice from off-screen spoke, ¡°Ok, in three, two¡­¡±

    Zephyr looked over at Tim under his breath, barely audible to the audience, ¡°Why am I doing this?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Tim replied as he quickly shifted to the camera, exuding excitement, ¡°Hello, students! This is your glorious headmaster, Archmage Tim. And this¡ª¡± He gestured to Zephyr in his full messenger outfit, ¡°Is messenger Ratotskr the squirrel. Who else but a squirrel should guide us into the soul of a tree?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are these doors into their souls?¡± Zephyr¡¯s voice filled with trepidation as he looked into the rift.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know!¡± Tim excitedly answered. ¡°It might be. It might not. But what we do know is it¡¯s like memory.¡±

    ¡°Memory? How so?¡±

    ¡°You and our lovely batch of students will soon find out because today. We have something very exciting. The first ever ¡ªat least at this time¡ª journey into a portal or rift. One not from a human but from a tree. A tree sitting in a squirrel¡¯s backyard.¡± He said with a laugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s nuts,¡± Zephyr replied deadpan.

    ¡°Ha. Why don¡¯t you tell us when did this appear?¡±

    ¡°Today, I think. Not sure what time, though.¡±

    ¡°While I wish you had a time, it¡¯s still amazing! A fresh rift, and he called us in. Now I¡¯m dying to know, have you gone in?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Zephyr stared behind them into the portal, ¡°Kind of afraid to see what¡¯s in it.¡±

    ¡°I understand your apprehension. Will you be joining us inside? I mean, it is your tree, after all.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I just don¡¯t like how it looks at me; it¡¯s always asking me to leaf.¡±

    ¡°Wooooowww.¡± Jake¡¯s voice from off-screen came as Zephyr smirked.

    Tim paused before blinking at the pun. ¡°Nice.¡± Tim turned back towards the camera, ¡°Now, students, there is still a lot we don¡¯t know. We think this is safe¡ªbacked up by some other data I¡¯ve been privy to¡ª and it¡¯s asking us for help. This rift radiates a request for assistance, like a tugging at the back of your mind as though you¡¯ve forgotten someone you were supposed to help. I will say this now.¡± Tim¡¯s tone became serious, ¡°This is a risk, probably one we shouldn¡¯t take. We here at the academy do not condone the following behavior of entering stray rifts. Or following alien feelings. Yet we know many of you are curious and will do it anyway. We show you this in hopes of keeping those unfortunate enough to stumble in something like this to remain safe.¡±

    The camera cuts to a mobile view, approaching the two and the rift. Tim beckoned the audience to follow, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go in.¡± The smile belaying any of the previous ominous warnings.

    The screen goes bright white for a few seconds as the world lights up to a sunny afternoon. The light balance off, and the focus blurred. Slowly, everything adjusts and corrects as it comes into proper focus¡ªa seemingly endless expanse of grass. The cameraman pans around, showing Zephyr and Tim wide-eyed as the cameraman pans around, only showing grass until it focuses back on the tree¡¯s trunk, which they had just stepped into and out of. Looking nearly identical down to the rift in its trunk.

    Everything seemed normal, at least until the camera began to pan higher. What should have been a tree with a reasonable amount of branches and leaves, the canopy lovely, letting a bit of light through, and branches thick and sturdy. Instead of what the viewers saw as clusters of thin and thick branches sticking out at every angle with so many leaves, the canopy looked more like a furry, matted mess. It was like a tree with matted fur.

    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Tim¡¯s voice snapped the cameraman back to Tim and Zephyr, who stared at the branches.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a quest, but everywhere. Do we help it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tim finally seemed to notice the camera and remembered what he was doing. ¡°Students! It appears once you enter a rift, much like a quest, a task will be given to you. And in this case, what is being asked is to help this poor tree. We need to help clear out the memories of old leaves and branches that are choking this portion of the tree. It¡¯s fascinating.¡±

    ¡°You know.¡± Zephyr smiled, ¡°If we¡¯re still doing game terms. It would be like an area quest; one that read something like: Clear the excess leaves and branches. So the tree can get the proper sunlight and nutrition.¡±

    ¡°A bit simplified but not inaccurate. Now Mr Squirrel¡±

    ¡°Please Ratotskr. My father wasn¡¯t a squirrel.¡± He answered playfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to climb.¡±

    Zephyr looked at the tree and shrugged, ¡°I mean, I can try.¡±

    #

    -Crackle-

    -Snap-

    -Thud-

    ¡°Ow¡±

    As it quickly turned out, the squirrel could not, in fact, climb the tree, as witnessed by whoever happened to watch the video. He stumbled over himself, grabbing loose branches or leaves. He could pull himself up on a single branch before learning it wasn''t attached to the tree as it slid out, and he fell to the ground as a pile of branches fell on top of him, leaving little scrapes and branches in his hair. The branches and leaves vanished the moment they touched the ground.

    The video began to cut through his many attempts and failures. Fall after fall. Frustration and annoyance were clear on his face when eventually Zephyr tossed his hands in the air. ¡°I can¡¯t climb; we need to clear it out first.¡±

    Tim was busy writing on a clipboard when the camera panned to him, ¡°If you say so.¡±

    -Tap-Tap-

    Tim thought, then smiled, ¡°Now, how about a bit of a run?¡±

    Zephyr looked confused before the video cut to Zephyr running across the grass plains out into the unknown.

    With the camera focused on Zephyr, a much clearer voice-over began. ¡°Instead of simply showing you all the long boring tests Ratatoskr did for us. This one was probably the most important.¡± Zephyr quickly disappeared into the distance. The video began to fast forward as the voice continued. ¡°See, the rifts somehow warp the space around it.¡± Suddenly the camera was pointing in the opposite direction as a spec of a person appeared running towards the tree, ¡°And there he is. From the completely opposite directions. Trippy, and amazing.¡±

    The video cuts from Tim¡¯s awed reaction to three people, Tim, Jake, and Zephyr, with rakes and long poles knocking down branches and leaves. ¡°Now I know all of you are dying to know what happens when you clear a rift. Well, we did that, too.¡±

    Everything shifted to random moments of everyone using rakes and other tools to shake and remove limbs and leaves. Every time a leaf or branch touched the ground, it would dissolve into dust. ¡°Ahhh!¡± A massive branch barely misses Tim and disintegrates.

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Zephyr said, looking chagrined, hanging upside down on a limb.

    Another scene shows Zephyr hanging from the rake stuck in the tree. ¡°COME ON! GET OUT!¡± A single leaf fell as the rake was freed, and he hit the ground. -thud- ¡°Seriously.¡±

    The rest was a sped-up effort by Tim, Zephyr, and even Jake, who were all running around and cleaning up the tree.

    Soon enough, the final leaf fell, and they were finished. How did they know this? As soon as the final leaf hit, the ground went white. As the scene shifted to the outside, the three suddenly stood right in front of the tree with the rift gone.

    For their, part, the three looked confused before the camera cut to Tim alone inside what looked to be a lab. He was wearing a different lab coat and a nice big wizard hat.

    ¡°Wow, we looked confused, didn¡¯t we? I mean suddenly being moved into a different place and being flooded with energy will do that to you.¡± Tim laughed. ¡°Yes, just like a video game, we completed the quest and got experience as a reward. See, like quests, rifts also seem to give a large burst of energy when you complete them. That is not to say we didn¡¯t experience anything while clearing.¡± The image cut to a collage of leaves and branches dissolving, ¡°See, we felt a much minor version of energy like a trickle every time one of the leaves or branches was removed.¡±

    The screen was back on Tim, now sitting at his desk in the lab. ¡°Our current theory is that this is like a symbiotic relationship or incentive to help the tree and clear the rifts. A fascinating field of study, one we have almost no information on, and I will be at the forefront with all of you, my lovely students! Don¡¯t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell, and never miss the latest and greatest lessons. See you next class.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 6

    Year 0 Month 2 Week 2

    -Wheeze-thud-thud-wheeze-huff-puff-

    -Wheeze-thud-thud- ¡°Hey, watch where you¡¯re going!¡± a man yelled as a courier slid by him, nearly running into the pedestrian.

    Why did I agree to this? A thought Zephyr had many times this day, especially during the long runs when he was fighting to breathe. Despite being in much better shape and now having impeccable running form. That was not to say he was in enough shape to run over thirty miles in a day and not feel like dying shape, especially on their first official delivery day.

    His legs, hips, calves, back, everything was hurting, and his lungs were on fire. There is no way this is healthy.

    It had only been a week since he¡¯d started to really research into how to best improve. Many of Tim¡¯s resources helped, but Zephyr had gone a bit obsessive looking into everything. Running techniques, stretching, breathing exercises, and the fact he could tangibly see the results really helped with his motivation. And before he knew it, he gained two levels in a week, level eight if he counted them right.

    During his little investigation, he got curious and found himself going down a list of things that might happen from constantly running: shin splints, heel pain, knee pain, insomnia, and blisters. At that point, he stopped not wanting to create a self-favoring prophecy. Luckily, he¡¯d yet to have any issues, except a blister or two, but those quickly cleared up when he bought the correct running shoes. Not to mention, he¡¯d been buying the wrong size for years, a half size up, and now, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the difference.

    As for the rest, Tim believed: ¡°Must be a minor underlying healing when we enter the portals.¡± During their weekly check-ins.

    -Wheeze-thud-thud-wheeze-huff-puff-

    I never should have told them I could do an 8-minute mile. I should have known they would expect that at all times.

    It was a mistake, but he had been excited about hitting the milestone. Now, he was pushing himself farther and harder than ever before. His feet felt like they were gliding across the pavement as a sparkling trail of crystals floated behind him, shimmering and glowing in the afternoon sun. Pulling eyes everywhere he went, none noticed the sweat and matted hair under his hat.

    One delivery, one quest. That was the policy they landed on and what Zephyr pushed hard for. He imagined a massive cloud of crystals trailing behind him for every delivery. Sure, collecting enough crystals might take a few weeks, but he had been prepared for the long haul. He had not expected the amount of deliveries he¡¯d have on his first day or how popular he would be in the city, especially with the more affluent.

    ¡°Hey, stop that!¡± Zephyr yelled at another group of teens, grasping at his cloud of crystals. They danced just outside their reach, leaving the group of kids angry. Just like the other groups he¡¯d passed.

    ¡°Come on! Give us one to prove it¡¯s real!¡± one of the kids yelled at his back as Zephyr continued.

    People were still people, and it sucked. Sure, they were just more introspective. Or they had been for a month or two. Most still were, in a sense, and for a rather large portion of the populace¡ªnamely, people under twenty-seven¡ª their worlds were completely upended, and they didn¡¯t know why.

    -Clank-

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    -Clink-Shatter-

    A glass bottle hit him and shattered, making him stumble. When he looked over to see who had the bottle, he found a different group of teens glaring at him. Ready with more cans and bottles to throw. They were yelling something at him, but he didn''t stop; he knew only trouble lay down that road. This was the second that had actually thrown something at him. Besides, he wasn¡¯t dumb enough to stop and talk to an angry mob. Especially teenagers. So he pushed harder when he turned a corner, and ¡°AHHH!¡±

    Looking at the source of pain, a massive dog latched onto Zephyr¡¯s arm, crushing it and shaking it with all its worth. ¡°THE FUCK!¡± Instinctively, he swung his arm and, subsequently, the dog at a pole.

    -Yelp-

    The teeth let go as the dog hit the ground, seemingly dazed. Not wanting to repeat the incident that put his arm in a lot of pain, he ran even faster. Little did he know the animal was not alone.

    #

    #

    -Beep-Beep-Beep-

    -Clickity-clack-clack-click-

    The distant sounds of two arguing anchors barely audible drifting through the door,

    ¡°How can you say it¡¯s like a drug?¡±

    ¡°When they enter it, people''s personalities tend to drastically shift; People are chasing these levels and quests. All saying how good they feel. When you stop, you go through withdrawal. We don¡¯t even know what the long-term effects are. Tell me, how is that not a drug?¡±

    ¡°Just cause you haven¡¯t gone through it¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to do Hermione to understand or empathize. Maybe if I did LSD, I¡¯d know exactly what it was like. Maybe that¡¯s what awakening is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡±

    -Click-

    The sounds of the hospital cut off as a doctor enters the room and sits next to a courier. The

    -Sh-rip-ting-tink-

    He opens up a packet of surgical tools and begins to stitch the messenger¡¯s torn arm and hand.

    Zephyr had been lucky; the first few bites from the pack of dogs merely crushed his arm; then his luck ran out as one latched onto his arm, taring his clothes like paper. After a few good kicks and slamming, the animal attached to his arm on the ground. The pack gave up, whining as they ran. He did not appreciate the sneering looks from the kids and teens laughing. Like he had got what he deserved. He flipped them off as he ran, finishing his final delivery, before heading straight to the hospital.

    Why did I not just go right here first? The adrenaline had long worn off, and everything hurt except the numb portion of his hand getting stitched up. The rest of his muscles burned, and it hurt even to move. We got to do shorter routes. Or maybe stretch after?

    ¡°So, did you get bit at a Renaissance festival? Didn¡¯t think we had one this time of year?¡± The doctor asked.

    ¡°Nope. Uniform. Was running in the streets when pack of wild dogs decided they were hungry.¡±

    The doctor paused, raising an eyebrow and a bit of condescension, ¡°So that''s your uniform?¡±

    Zephyr rolled his eyes, ¡°We¡¯re leaning heavily into the change going on.¡±

    The doctor raised an eyebrow, His tone filled with judgment, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s discourteous about what people are going through?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? The world is changing, and this is how we¡¯re going forward.¡±

    ¡°And this led you to being chased by a pack of dogs?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. My job is running packages. And a pack of dogs took umbrage with it.¡±

    The doctor sighed as he tied another stitch off. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t do anything to antagonize them?¡±

    ¡°Not if simply running through a busy city with a lot of people is antagonistic. Am I being accused of something?¡± He replied, irritated. Getting tired of the doctor¡¯s attitude toward him.

    ¡°No. You aren¡¯t the first, or even the dozenth person to come in, where a pack of animals attacked them. This month.¡± -Sh-rip- the doctor opened another pack of sterilized tools. ¡°Though yours might be one of the worst cases."

    He watched as another needle pierced his numb arm, ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and not just dogs. Cat scratches, deep ones, have been growing, too. A few elderly people have fallen from suddenly energetic animals.¡± The doctor chuckled, ¡°It''s funny; there have been more injuries from people over sixty from simply trying to be more mobile than their bodies are ready for. Just because they feel younger doesn¡¯t mean they are.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Fascinating. I did not know that, and I¡¯m currently working with one of the research teams looking into everything.¡±

    The doctor paused in his stitching, ¡°I thought you were a courier?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a volunteer test subject.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± The doctor said it, like everything made complete sense, and that did not feel good to Zephyr.

    ¡°As for the job. I got running when I awakened. I got an idea for a business, called around, and got in touch with my partner¡ªwho''s a lawyer, by the way. He thought it was a great idea. See, they use couriers to send documents all around downtown, and before I knew it, we were delivering. Well, I was¡ªam? We¡¯re working on hiring right now.¡± Zephyr was rambling; he knew it, but the doctor''s dry condescension was getting under his skin.

    ¡°Makes plenty of sense.¡± He replied flatly, ¡°There we go. You¡¯re all stitched up. You''re going to need to change those bandages a couple of times to prevent infection, and you can pick up your prescription at the pharmacy you gave us.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, doc.¡±

    ¡°The Nurse at the desk will get you checked out.¡± And the doctor practically hurried him out the door to the nurses.

    By the time he was making his way to the elevator, he was exhausted in pain, and the numbing on his hand was running out. So when the elevator stopped on the wrong floor, he was already across the hall when he noticed he was standing right in front of a door. Why am I here?

    He felt like he was supposed to be there. Like a task was sitting right behind it. Why is this feeling familiar? The image of a tree in his backyard flashed in his mind. What?

    His curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the door. To find a man lying in a hospital bed, with a rift glowing up and down his torso. It was both horrifying and mesmerizing, and before Zephyr even realized it, his fingers brushed up against the rift, pulling him inside.

    #

    Everywhere and nowhere, silent darkness surrounded him. For a moment, it was like being back inside his portal, except he felt another, not himself. Then, all at once, he was standing somewhere surrounded by waves of gray, and clouds of darkness sat all around him. Only the glowing crystals trailing him gave any illumination.

    Zephyr reached out a hand, touching the frozen fog; fragments of a dream touched the back of his mind. Memories.

    His eyes widened as he took in the endless frozen ephemeral moments of time surrounding him. A deep desire echoed through this foreign land. Screaming hoarsely, desperate for anyone to hear. So much like his tree and not. It¡¯s so much more complex. A life dimmed and shattered.

    It called to Zephyr, reverberating everywhere, a desperate plea, calling him deeper into the endless dark filled with tiredness so deep Zephyr felt it resonate with his own deep weariness. More than anything, he wanted to rest. His eyes slowly blurred, his mind drifted, and the world around¡ªin the manner of dreams¡ªbegan to take shape. Showing what this place was. His hand fell, slapping his thigh, and burning pain shot through him, bringing him to full wakefulness as his heart began to beat a mile a minute at what nearly happened. Don¡¯t fall asleep; that¡¯s not a good idea.

    He had no idea what might happen if he had given in. He might have laid down and joined the man in the darkness forever, or maybe he would have had a nice nap, though he doubted the latter.

    After that, he might have turned around and left, except there was no shining exit like the tree. Only more darkness. It could have been right behind him or miles away. Except he couldn¡¯t turn away. So he moved, one foot after the other, deeper into the dark.

    Every step traversed gave the fog more substance, small crystal lights giving Zephyr glimpses into a life not his own, images, emotions, and feelings shimmering, given new life by a cloud of tiny lights.

    He passed a child high on a swing set, frozen in a moment of pure joy. The edges of the memory blurred like and transparent, and so many other tiny moments of fleeting joy.

    Deeper and deeper into the veil of the heart¡¯s shadow. Walking through another cloud, a first victory, a race won, a kiss stolen beneath the bleacher, a dance, and a song reverberating before becoming nothing once more.

    Deeper: a friendship deepened.

    Deeper: a heart broken.

    Deeper: a betrayal of a friend.

    Deeper into memories, moments, tiny things, and large. All the while, the Courier followed his bone-deep exhaustion, tiny stars illuminating his way in this darkened world.

    #

    ¡ªSilence¡ª

    How is silence audible? A strange passing thought, in between each memory, was a palpable quiet, a stranger event than that of even the memories themselves. It was completely wrong.

    Or maybe it¡¯s just the pain meds. His hand was still hot and sore; Zephyr was getting confused every time he passed through memory as they jumbled up his mind. More than once, he found himself laughing or crying as he passed through a cloud, unsure who he was. It was like being slowly twisted as emotions stormed through him. The mists wrung him dry, the desperate call pulling him ever deeper, the only guide in this frozen maelstrom.

    As he followed, he realized the pull was similar to the one when he looked at the tree¡¯s rift in his backyard. Am I going to find a deeper rift? He had no idea, this was all he knew, and instead of feeling scared, he was excited, or as much as he could, with his emotions all out of wack, especially as he drew closer. Something resonated inside him the closer he got; unfortunately, it was exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to lay down in the nice dark space and was a hundred percent certain if he did, he wouldn¡¯t get back up.

    ¡ªBang¡ª

    ¡°Fuck!¡± He shouted as he hit his hand again to force himself to keep his eyes open. Zephyr did not like this trick. So when he suddenly found his eyes blurring on a solitary patch of color, it took him a long moment to realize it was some hallucination.

    ¡ªBang¡ª

    ¡°GAH!!¡± He inhaled deeply, ¡°Why was that so much worse!¡± It was like a bolt of electric fire shooting through him. Bringing his eyes and mind back into focus.

    A memory, the man¡¯s last. An explosion of light, frozen in a moment of impact, metal and rubber all around. A car accident. It was such a benign thing; it hadn¡¯t even occurred to Zephyr to wonder what happened to be put in such a state.

    Now what? He stood there, the soft light of his crystals slowly drifting around him. The longer he stood, the more it seemed to come into focus. Wait? Zephyr lifted his hand as a glowing quest floated into it. An idea was percolating in his tired brain, and he held the crystal up to the memory. Color began to bleed through the image until he pulled the crystal away, the image maintaining the new color, and the shining gem seemed dimmer. Fascinating.

    Huh? What if I¡ª?¡± Without thought for the consequences, he shoved his hand inside the memory, automatically crushing the crystal, as an immense feeling of fear, shock, and pain shot through him. The world around him¡ªjust for a second¡ª moved like the man turned over in his bed. Everything was just a little less dark. Things seemed to be moving in the depths before slowing back down to stillness.

    Zephyr finally realized he had been knocked flat as he stared at his cloud of glowing quest. Do I have enough?

    It was just an idle thought, one that he might have thought about for more than a second if he was anywhere else or in the right mind. But he was curious and a bit impulsive as all his crystals floated into a ball right before him. Then he clapped, and the world exploded in color just as his arm burst into pain.

    ¡°AAAHHH!!¡± Zephyr found himself suddenly back in the hospital, a scream involuntarily pulled from his lips¡ªa prismatic scar sitting in the exact spot where a man in a coma once stood.

    ¡ªBEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP¡ª

    Alarms were going off in the room.

    ¡ªSlam¡ª

    A nurse bursts into the room and sees the scar and Zephyr lying on the ground, ¡°The hell is going on in here!?¡± Wires swinging from the hospital bed.

    #

    Two men sit inside an office, one a familiar archmage and the other a man with his face blurred out. The censored man''s hand moves away from a button on the desk as Tim looks towards the camera, confused.

    ¡°Sorry about this, new policy. We have to record these sessions now.¡± The blurred man said as he pulled out a manila folder. -ehem- the man cleared his throat. ¡°How have you been, Tim?¡±

    Tim turned hesitant towards the man, ¡°Good, great even. We¡¯ve been getting amazing data. Based on everything, if patterns continue, I think we might be seeing superhuman abilities. I mean, just leveling to two, I¡¯ve never been healthier.¡±

    ¡°That is good. The future is looking to be¡­interesting.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I agree.¡±

    A heavy silence between the two slowly grew, Tim fidgeting nervously.

    The blurred man sighed long, and Tim¡¯s face dropped. ¡°It¡¯s your channel, Tim.¡±

    ¡°But I only talk about things we¡¯ve already sent in press releases or are readily available to everyone. Not to mention, I did have permission from the college to talk about research.¡±

    The other man leaned forward, ¡°That was for a specific event and also expired the day after you posted it. If it had done well, we would have re-evaluated where you stood. But that¡¯s not the real reason.¡±

    ¡°Then what is the real reason?¡±

    The man behind the desk sat back as silence grew between them. After a long pause, ¡°What happens when you level?¡±

    Tim looked on, confused, narrowing his eyes, ¡°Intense retrospection when awakening, which is currently referred to as level one. Level two gunk seems to be removed from the body. I think they are still analyzing what it is. Three¡­I¡¯m not sure; nothing has happened to me yet, but it was yesterday. Further levels¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯ve finished analyzing it.¡± His voice filled with false cheer, ¡°It¡¯s very promising we found traces of various toxins, artery plaque, kidney stones, tar, lead, what appear to be cancerous cells, really any foreign entity at all.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be good?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Really think about it.¡± He said, tapping his head. ¡°Any foreign entity.¡±

    A dawning look of horror passed over Tim¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yes, exactly. So far, we''ve confirmed pacemakers, replacement hips, stents, and surgical screws. With you and your channel being out there, giving advice even, we can¡¯t be associated with you anymore.¡±

    Tim slumped into his chair, ¡°Ooh.¡±

    ¡°And with your videos already out? They offered you a generous severance package, Tim.¡± He slid a packet over to Tim.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t I just take the videos down?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, the videos are already out, and the controversial subject¡ªI¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ve already received a few complaints.¡±

    ¡°Controversial? It¡¯s just how life is now. People are going to level. It¡¯s natural now. Even if people do nothing, they¡¯ll eventually level up.¡± Tim said, hand hovering over the packet and looking in disbelief.

    The man shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s still Controversial; half the students here don''t even believe any of this or think people are playing it up. So many people have died. Your videos¡ªand while I don¡¯t agree with the sentiment¡ª seem to glorify it, and the board is trying to get ahead of this.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Tim stood angry, ¡°This is the dawning of a new era. How...no. no.¡± Tim forced himself to be calm. ¡°I¡¯ll accept the severance. But this is fucking bullshit.¡±

    The blurred man shrugged.

    ¡°What about the research? Whose taking over?¡±

    ¡°There is officially a freeze on all of it.¡±

    ¡°What!? But this is the perfect time for it. We may never get data like this again. It¡¯s the perfect window!¡± He practically shouted at the man.

    ¡°I know. But with so many subjects already dropping out, scientists who quit, died, or just don¡¯t care anymore.¡± The man put his hands over his face, ¡°We don''t have the manpower anymore and no longer have enough reliable subjects. So it¡¯s not your problem anymore.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll make it my problem.¡± Standing with the packet, Tim narrowed his eyes, ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll need a copy of this recording.¡±

    * * *

 Chapter 7

Year 0 Month 2 Week 3

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 Chapter 8

Year 0 Month 3 Week 2

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 Chapter 9

Year 0 Month 3 Week 3

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 Chapter 10

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