Inside of the gate, the street was lined with golden brown bricks. The light that filtered through the colorful canopy of the forest made the path under our feet glow as we made our way deeper into the forest on foot.

“Oh wow.”, Kalliphae gasped, “That old hag really is a powerful enchanter.”

We had just emerged into the heart of the forest. The smells of a thousand flowers hit me first followed by the sight of flower fields stretching as far as the eye could see.

Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically and huffed, “That's what she wants you to think. Everything about her is an illusion. It’s not like she can cast anything useful like dark thunder.”

“Hush you”, Kalli commanded, spreading her arms joyfully and frolicking through the flower beds.

I had never seen her so joyful before. It made me happy. I looked around as we walked. There were flowers of every color imaginable. If this was an illusion it was very well done. A babbling brook meandered through the garden in a haphazard pattern. Looking further out, there was one thing that stood out in the distance. It was a tiny straw hut. The dull yellow color of the hut stuck out at a harsh contrast against the paradise it somehow found itself in the middle of.

I pointed it out to Kalli and we made our way in that direction. As we strolled along, I asked Eddie, “Didn’t you say you drove here? How did the car get through all the flowers?”

The kid deadpanned, “There flowers aren’t always here. There's usually a road. She’s just showing off today is all.”

The thing about the hut that surprised me the most was its size. It was no bigger than a one-room shack. I looked back at Eddie, “Are you sure this is it?”

He rolled his eyes again, “Just open the door. She knows we're here.”

I reached out to take the handle, but the door swung open on its own. The voice of the enchanter echoed from within, “Welcome to my humble home. Please step inside.”

Kalli peered into the darkness and asked, “Is there even room for all of us in there?”

I shrugged and took a step forward…into a palace. The darkness melted away into a well-lit foyer with several halls leading off in different directions and a grand staircase indicating that there was at least one additional floor above. Behind me, stained glass windows let in multicolored light from the second floor.

At the foot of the staircase stood the most exotic woman I had even laid eyes on. She had curly blond locks of hair that cascaded down her back, voluptuous curves in all the right places, and milky white skin that seemed completely flawless.

I gaped at the woman and asked Eddie, “This is what you called an old hag?”

Kalliphae gave me a disgusted look and muttered, “Boys”, before walking up to the enchanter and giving her a well-practiced curtsey.

The enchanter looked serenely down at Kalli and said, “Welcome traveler to our humble world. You may not be entirely aware, but you have been brought here for a reason. It is not the reason you think it is though the circumstances did delay a most dreadful fate. I humbly ask that you show the boy how to speak the ancient language as only you can.”

Kalli was very quiet as I made my way over to the unusually hot enchanter. The woman turned her attention to me as I approached, “Ah yes, the newly awakened one. You come into our world and the first thing you do is cast an impossible spell. All-seeing eyes spanning a thousand worlds are all waiting to see what you will do next. My name is Levander and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

I stood before the stunning enchantress with my jaw hanging open. Kalliphae stood beside me, staring incredulously at me, and stammered, “He just awakened? Doesn’t that usually begin at the onset of puberty?”

“Indeed it does”, Levander crooned, seeming to enjoy my discomfort at the topic.

I had to defend my honor so I blurted out, “Hey, I went through puberty a long time ago. Besides, Hasn’t Eddie been in training for years now? He’s only 10 years old.”

Lavender gave me a warm smile while educating me, “Awakening is what we call it when someone from an uninitiated family gains access to the system. Eddie was initiated at a young age by his family.”

Kalli decided to get the conversation back on track, “Eddie says you ghosted him because he tried to learn a spell called dark thunder. Is this true? Would it be possible for you to un-ghost him so that he can return to his family?”

For the first time, Lavender paid attention to Eddie. The kid was hiding behind a plant. She spoke in a soothing tone, though I was unsure if she was speaking words of command, “Come here my wayward apprentice. I am pleased to see that you’ve found your way back.”

I didn’t feel magically compelled to get any closer to the enchanter, though I did want to touch her to see if she was real. Eddie shuffled his feet as he slowly made his way over. He stopped just out of arms reach, yet still said nothing. Lavender asked the child, “Do we have anything to say for ourselves?”

He opened his mouth, looking surprised he could do so, and spoke, “I sorta ran away because I was worried that you would take my new class away.”

The woman walked around her apprentice, appraising him. She rubbed her chin, “Tell me, child, for what purpose do you wish to be a warlock?”

Eddie looked at his feet and muttered, “I wanted to be powerful.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Is such a class necessary to achieve power?”

“True power”, he exclaimed before seeing the look in his master’s eyes and thinking better of it.

Lavender nodded and asked him, “And what did I say when I took you on as my apprentice?”

“I have to work very hard. Harder than I’ve ever worked in my whole life”, he recited.

“And?”, Lavender raised an eyebrow.

Eddie scrunched up his face in thought and continued, “I must be a proper gentleman at all times.”

Lavender tutted at Eddie, stating, “You know what I am asking. What happens if you turn to evil?”

The kid began to shake and cried out, “You will end me.”

Before Kalli or I could react, Lavender soothed the kid, “There there now. You haven’t gone and turned to evil. But you are still a child. When you ran away you left me with no choice but to ghost you. Now that you’re back we can see if you’re responsible enough to keep that class. Why don’t you go to your room until I call for you?”

Eddie bowed and said, “Yes, ma’am.”

We watched as the kid scampered off up the stairs until he disappeared around a corner on the second floor. I turned my attention back to Lavender and asked, “How did you deal with the police when they came looking for Eddie?”

She threw her head back and laughed, “Nobody can find this place unless I want them to. Besides, those parents of his know better than to send the uninitiated my way. That would be very bad business for them.”

The surrealism of the scene finally caught up with me and I asked, “How is any of this possible? There is no way all of this fits in that tiny hut. And those flowers. That field is bigger than the entire forest should be. I couldn’t see the end of it.”

Lavender put her hand over her mouth and laughed. It was a deep guttural laugh like she was just doing it to show off. She spread her arms around referring to the house, “This is my magic. The result is actually very similar to yours. I can make anything look and function like whatever I want it to.”

Kalliphae, who had been listening intently, asked, “What do you mean his magic is similar to yours? How is summoning like enchanting at all?”

The woman gave Kalli a knowing smile, “Melvin here is a special kind of summoner. He doesn’t just summon beautiful girls across dimensions, he can also summon items such as books and, with enough training, even something as glamorous as my humble abode.”

The redhead blushed at the compliment but didn’t say anything. Lavender warned us, “I am aware of the fact that you accepted this quest to rescue the boy from the news on the television, but I fear that you must not meet with that boy’s parents. It would be calamitous if that family were to become aware of either of your existences. Additionally, they never intended to pay that reward in the first place. If you returned that child to them, you would be accused of abducting him.”

“People who issue false quests are the worst”, Kalli complained, stomping her foot, “In my world, those who issue them are stripped of their rank.”

The enchanter sighed and explained, “Unfortunately, Melvin was right in this case. The television is controlled by the uninitiated. They don’t issue quests. At least not magical ones. Melvin is new to our world and has yet to get his hands on any of our toys just yet. Fear not though. You have done me a service and I intend to reward you greatly.”

I watched the corners of Kalli’s lips curl up in a smile at the mention of a reward. I smiled as well. Lavender beckoned for us to follow her into a hall. We marched past numerous rooms, each one a grand exaggerated version of what I expected to see. There was a music room that looked like a concert hall, a library that put the school library to shame, and a restroom with an olympic sized swimming pool for a bathtub.

Kalliphae saw the toilet raised on a dais and excused herself. As soon as she closed the door, Lavender pulled me into the library. She spoke suddenly and seriously, “Melvin, there are some things you need to know.”

I began, “I have some…”

She cut me off, “No. There will be plenty of time for that in the future. For now, you must listen. You were wise to hide the fact that you chose to be a manipulator. I must tell you. It is not too late to choose another class. Your life will be much simpler if you do.”

For some odd reason, I was very protective of my newfound class. I hadn’t experimented with it much yet, but the ability to edit anything and make it into anything else felt amazing like I could really be something for once. I asked, “Will I be able to change it later?”

Lavender thought for a moment and replied, “You are a unique young man. Having an unlocked class is unprecedented. You can seemingly assign yourself any class you choose whenever you choose. Other awakened are forced to fulfill conditions in order to unlock new classes. They also must have an affinity for the class they wish to choose. You, it seems, are bound by neither of those limitations. Manipulator is rare enough, but you may have access to hitherto unheard-of classes. The short answer to your question is, yes you can change it later. Bear in mind that when you change to a new class you will start over at level 1 and all that entails.”

The new knowledge was making me excited. I asked, “Is there a record of all available classes?”

Lavender gave me another of her trademark laughs and replied, “There is a different class for every potential profession under the sun. On top of the ones we know of, there are countless more waiting to be discovered. Tell me, are you truly planning on continuing as a manipulator?”

I silently nodded. The enchanter took a deep breath and continued, “Very well. The class you chose is both very powerful and very dangerous. Regardless of your intentions, when misused even basic edits can have catastrophic consequences. I must warn you that some will seek to use you if they find out what you are. A naive manipulator soon finds himself being manipulated. Keep this in mind at all times. When it comes to your core skills, trust no one. With this in mind, I will grant you your first quest reward now. Please give me your hand.”

LAVENDER WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE PARTY

I accepted and suddenly felt her presence standing next to me. I could tell that Kalli felt it too when I felt her aura flare from the other room. The feeling reminded me that I could still feel her since she was still in the group. Kalliphae responded to my probe by leaving the party. I felt disappointed and Lavender laughed at me, “Tsk tsk tsk. One shouldn’t focus on their group mates while they are going potty. Let’s call that group etiquette rule number one.”

I felt my face burning at the rebuke and nodded silently. She continued, “What I am going to do now is place an enchantment on you that will make all but the most gifted see you as nothing more than a summoner.”

That was a relief. Now I could learn my class without fear of somebody noticing me. Feeling my emotions, Lavender added, “This doesn’t mean that you can practice your art with reckless abandon. The items you put out into the world with your world editor skill will not be hidden by my magic. You need to choose what you edit carefully. An item edited by you falling into the wrong hands would be like a signal flare pointing straight back to you. Have you edited anything so far that you didn’t change back or dispose of?”

I racked my brain in an attempt to determine if I had edited anything and given it away. I thought about the hundred-dollar bill of Eddie’s that I had un-ghosted, but that wasn't really edited. I had technically unedited it by removing Lavender’s curse. Then I remembered the paperclip I had turned to gum. I asked Lavender, “If I eat something that I edited will my you know what be edited?”

The woman chuckled at me for a moment before replying, “No. I think you’re safe there. It seems that your beautiful friend is waiting for us in the hall.”

She led me back out to the hallway where a very angry-looking Kalliphae stood waiting, “It took you long enough. I finished ages ago.”

“I’m very sorry honey”, Lavender said sweetly, “I just needed a moment with your boyfriend.”

Kalli stomped her foot in outrage, “How many times do I have to tell people. He is not my boyfriend.”

I frowned at her. Does she have to be so adamant about it?

Lavender gave Kalliphae a knowing smile, “Understood, dear. Now, if we are all done with the restroom, please follow me.”

I hesitated. It had been a long day after all.

10 Minutes Later.

I washed my hands and made my way out to the hallway. Lavender and Kalliphae were nowhere to be seen. Recalling where she had taken me, I made my way to the library. Inside the open door, I saw the two of them speaking. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Kalli was blushing profusely. I cleared my throat to let them know I was there. Kalliphae jumped while Lavender just smiled serenely and gave me a sidelong glance.

I smiled and announced, “I’m all done. What were the two of you talking about?"

Kalli turned away and stammered, “Absolutely nothing.”

Lavender winked at me and said, “Just girl talk. Nothing you’d find interesting.”

I was pretty sure I’d find all of it interesting, but I didn’t pry. Lavender beckoned to both of us and walked over to a staircase that led down, “Come you two. I’ve got quest rewards for the both of you.”

We followed her down to the basement to a study where she had two treasure chests sitting on pedestals. It felt like we had just cleared a boss level in a video game and were about to receive our loot. Kalli asked, “Which one is mine?”

Lavender smirked at the girl, “Pick one. If I did my job right then the one you open will be the one that was meant for you.”

Kalli appeared to hesitate, so I walked past her and opened the one on the left. Inside, I discovered a series of books and a fanny pack. I picked up the fanny back and raised an eyebrow at the enchanter, “Really? A fanny pack? You expect me to wear this?”

She laughed and said, “You wanted one. Open it.”

I unzipped the pouch and looked inside. As the light from the basement permeated the darkness in the bag I noticed that it was the size of a warehouse in there. Lavender explained, “It’s an enchanted bag. If will hold whatever you put in it and the bag will still weigh nothing. When you want to take an item out, just think its name and it will appear in your hand. The only limitation is that you have to be able to fit the item into the opening. The best part is that once you equip that as a belt, nobody can access it but you. That means anything you put in your pack, the bullies will have no access to.”

Kalliphae raised an eyebrow at me at the mention of bullies but otherwise said nothing.

I looked down at the fanny pack with newfound respect. The books were equally exciting.

1001 Simple tricks to simplify editing

How to make weapons and armor complete with stats

Magical Appliances and Gadgets Weekly

Gates: How to open a door to another world

I stuffed the books into the fanny pack and attached it to my waist and then turned to see what was in Kalli’s chest. She was holding up a pink Asian-looking dress with a flaming red bird wrapped around the outside of it. She smiled at Lavender and asked, “Is there a place where I can try it on?”

Lavender returned the smile and told her, “Actually, that enchantment is one of my fancier ones. Just think about wearing it and it will put itself on you.”

Kalli frowned down at the gown and glared at me, “Turn around.”

Lavender shook her head, “Not necessary. You won’t be exposed. I call it equipping magic.”

She looked uncertain, but she took Lavender’s word for it and held up the dress. It shimmered for a moment before wrapping itself around her. The material fit the girl's form perfectly, showcasing her beauty. I wasn’t sure where mom’s old dress went, but the new dress replaced it perfectly.

Lavender appraised the dress, instructing the girl, “Just think of the shape you want or the color you want and the material will make it happen. Don’t just think about it fitting. Think about wanting it to be a dress, or a skirt, or a pair of shorts. Oh and be sure to think you want a matching shirt if necessary or you might have a wardrobe malfunction.”

Kalli thought for a moment then the dress suddenly loosened up, looking more like the robes I had summoned her in. She smiled for a second and then modified it again until it was blue and looked a lot like the old dress she borrowed from my mom. Strangely, the flaming bird appeared on every design.

When she finished modifying it, Lavender whispered something in her ear. Kalli audibly gasped and stepped away from the enchanter, saying, “Really? There is no way I could accept that. It’s too valuable.”

Lavender waved her off, “Nonsense. How else are you two going to get home?”