January 14, 2019, time unknown.

With the last vestiges of the announcement echoing through the air, I look around, wondering what we're going to do. I don't see ravenous monsters prowling at the edge of the circle, so when this invisible barrier drops, we'll probably still be safe for a while. But then what? Are we just going to stay here for thirty days? Probably not, given that I'm already starting to feel hungry and I doubt there's a single seven-11 in this entire valley.

Josh looks about as lost as I do. Which is kind of comforting.

Meanwhile, Beth is already surveying the surrounding forest. When she sees our friendly neighbourhood dinosaur, her eyes only pause for a second before she continues her scan. Maybe Beth has an idea? She seems to be searching for something specific.

My watching of Beth watching the world is interrupted by the old guy speaking again.

"Ah. If I may be so bold. I suggest you both allocate your attributes before this barrier drops and we're left defenseless. My notifications informed me that it takes 24 hours to get my class once I locked my attributes in. I don't know about you, but I'd rather face this world with whatever advantages that brings."

Solid advice in my opinion. But Beth doesn't seem ready to give up her scan of the area yet, her steely gaze still piercing through the trees. I'm not sure what she's looking for, but pajama-suit's comment has me wondering how much longer it’ll be for my class to finish.

Bracing myself, I reach for my interface. There's a small spike of pain behind my eyes but I’m otherwise okay. Focusing on my class, I can tell it's closer to completion, but my time sense must still be broken, as I only get the vague feeling that my class integration is about three quarters done. At least I know that breaking out of the time freeze didn't cost me my accelerated class integration. Or even worse, my class.

Now that I know my interface is working, I quickly check over my status to check my health.

ATTRIBUTE Value Adjust STRENGTH -20 (+/-) CONSTITUTION 00 (+/-) AGILITY 12 (+/-) ENDURANCE 05 (+/-) INTELLECT 73 (+/-) SPIRIT 55 (+/-) PERCEPTION 18 (+/-) RESOLVE 11 (+/-) Integration Points - Iron 1 RESOURCE CURRENT/MAX [EDGE] (REGEN) Health 0/30 [-3.2] (14, 0)/day Stamina 48/48 [1.9] (25)/day Mana 215/215 [21.6] (154)/day Focus 164/164 [11.1] (100)/day Matrix Facet 3/52 [4.9] (36)/hour

Exactly as I expected. It's down to zero. But my total health pool has more than doubled, so, yay?

While I'm checking my health, I realize my mana and focus pools are not only full, they've both substantially increased. I guess breaking out of my time freeze wasn't all bad.

Checking my attributes, I see that my intellect and spirit have both improved a lot, which explains the increase in both pools. I think they've both finished about 80% of their upgrade. It's also nice to see that my constitution has moved up to zero, leaving strength as my only negative attribute. I'm sorely tempted to put my sole integration point into strength, but I hold off for the moment.

I see that I've already regenerated three facet in the short time since I broke the time freeze. I decide I should see if I can access the pool, bracing for the pain. While reaching for the pool does cause a throbbing ache in my head, it's not enough to send me sprawling. While I knew from my interface that the pool wasn't empty, I can feel a difference when I reach for it. Since the pain isn't as bad as when I reached for my clock, I think I may even be able to use my facet. Once I've let enough regenerate I can accomplish something that is. The pain is also a factor. Maybe if I let it recover, it won't hurt as much once I do use it.

Having checked over my attributes, I turn to my notification log to see its take on recent events.

"Condition disrupted: Temporal Buffer."

"Spell discovered: Pierce."

"Skill increased: Temporal Manipulation (2)."

"Skill increased: Mana Manipulation (3)."

"Health reduced to zero by Temporal Tides.”

“Condition gained: Temporal Dissonance."

"Quest completed: Escape time-freeze. Reward one iron rank integration point."

"Condition gained: Forerunner's Survival Focus."

"Hidden Condition discovered: Forerunner's A Good Night's Rest."

Wow. That's a lot of notifications. I'm guessing the Temporal dissonance condition is what's preventing me from accessing my clock.

When I decide I want to check my conditions, a new page appears, and it's got more conditions than I expected.

Current Conditions Previous Conditions Temporal Dissonance Temporal Buffer System Class Integration Forerunner's Survival Focus. Forerunner's N.E.W.B. Protection Forerunner's A Good Night's Rest Well Rested

Not only does it have all my current conditions, it has the buffer which I dispelled. I think it's pretty clear that the buffer was protecting me from whatever temporal tides are.

When our imminent doom was announced, the voice also mentioned that focus costs for learning survival skills would be reduced.

If focus allows me to learn survival skills, I wonder if I can use it to learn more from my interface as well. I focus on my Temporal Dissonance condition while watching my current focus. As the information about the status enters my mind, I pull from my focus, trying to increase the effect, causing my focus to decrease by an entire point. Focusing like this is way more expensive than practicing my runes was, but I receive a full description instead of just a vague feeling.

"Temporal Dissonance: interferes with natural connection to time. Inhibits abilities that rely on Temporal manipulation. Prevents regeneration of health. Condition persists until repaired. May have additional side effects."

Welp, that’s ominous.

Not only do I have crap health and health regen, now it’s at zero and it won’t regenerate. To say this isn’t an ideal situation is probably understating it a little. Not really sure what I can do about it though. How do you even go about fixing “Temporal Dissonance?”

I imagine that any repairs to my Temporal Dissonance are going to require facet, so while I wait for that to recharge, I decide to continue checking my other conditions. Since, I can guess what class integration and survival focus mean, I skip over those. Well-rested seems just as self-explanatory, which only leaves the Forerunner's N.E.W.B. Protection and A Good Night's Rest.

Once more, I focus, spending another point of my precious focus to see what being a newb means to me.

“Forerunner N.E.W.B. protection: protects newly enlightened worldwalker beings from critical injuries once per day. Charges remaining: 4/5.”

Holy crap. I haven’t even left the front lawn, but I’ve used a charge already. Plus, I’m afflicted by temporal dissonance to boot. How is temporal dissonance not a critical injury? Just how bad would it have been without this protection? Would I have been torn into little bits and pieces? Would I have been removed from time? I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

It appears that I still have protection remaining though, which I imagine extends to the others as well. Once per day implies that I should probably be extra careful until tomorrow. That said, I should continue to act like I don't have any protection in the first place. It clearly doesn't protect me from everything. Not sure how useful the health resource is yet either.

Hoping for some good news, I focus in on A Good Night's Rest then focus.

"Forerunner's A Good Night's Rest: Allows one night of protected rest for one creature within the Akilo Forerunner Transition Circle. This condition will not expire until used. This condition may be charged with 500 mana/charge. Charges remaining 1/5. Mana contributed to next charge 0/500."

Well, that's much more encouraging. I immediately try directing my mana into the condition, to see if I can charge it. When I do, I feel a tug at my... soul? It's coming from the standing stone to the south. The same standing stone I've spent hours studying. Looking towards the stone, I feel one of the runes near the base respond when I make eye contact.

The strength of the tug increases but it's gentle enough I can resist it. Deciding to see what happens I allow the tugging to continue. With my permission granted, I can almost see a connection form between me and the standing stone. The connection feels solid, like there's a wire running between me and the rune, free of gravity. I try sending a small amount of mana along the intangible wire. It's weird, normally I can't really quantify the amount of mana I'm handling or shaping, but when it enters the wire, I can intrinsically tell roughly how much mana translates to one unit. Once I've transferred across about five points of mana, I stop the flow and am rewarded with a new update.

"Mana contributed to next charge 5/500."

"Skill increased: Mana Manipulation (4)."

Okay. The condition appears to be linked to the standing stones, which I guess makes sense, since the protection is based off sleeping here. It's good to know that I can spend as little mana as I want, yet it'll still contribute to a safe night's rest. Hmm, I know I can still regenerate my focus and mana when I'm stuck in a time-freeze. Would I be able to spend my facet to freeze myself again? Even better, maybe I can find a way to use my facet to just regenerate my mana and focus without sticking myself in that boring state. My resources did regenerate as if I'd stayed in when I broke the barrier after all. But trying it might lead to something worse than my current temporal dissonance. Definitely a later project.

Putting that aside, I decide it's time to explore the notification about having a new spell. Having spells seems awesome. I try to bring up the spell menu, which rewards me with a new and welcome page. The interface reminds me of a combination of my journal and attributes. There is only one tab, but I get the impression more can be added. My current tab is labelled iron and has the rune of the bow and arrow construct I created drawn out with a table beneath it.

Iron Rank - Spell slots used/available= 1/3. Spell Name Scaling Effect Range Duration Affinity Pierce Yes Damages and breaks through a single barrier. Much more effective from a barrier’s weak side. Short Instant Mana

You know what? As cool as this interface is, the spell is actually kinda lame.

I have the ability to use magic and my only spell is specialized in piercing barriers. Which by itself wouldn't be so bad but… I'm limited to only three spells. Which means I've wasted one of my spell slots and inflicted a permanent condition on myself because I was bored and wasn't cautious. The sudden wrenching feeling that appears in my gut is almost as bad as yesterday, when I found out my mother had stolen my savings.

Again.

And again, this is all my fault. Because I should have known better. There was obviously a good reason I was forced into the time-freeze. But no. Just because I had a quest, I thought that meant success would be like in a game, automatic and without consequence.

I mean, I know there are games that aren't like that, but that doesn't change the fact that I wish I wasn’t using a spell slot for a spell like pierce.

How often will this even be useful?

Continuing to ignore the world around me, I decide to focus on this spell that's using up one of my three, just three, valuable spell slots. If I'm stuck with it, I should learn everything I can about it. However, the only information I receive when I focus on the spell is everything that I went through to create it.

As I focus on it though, the rune appears before me in my mindspace, the bow and arrow pulled taut, ready to fire. It's filled with the intent to break through barriers.

None of this is new to me, but as I inspect the rune, I'm fascinated by how it appears more solid, more real, than when I used it the first time. I guess it’s improved somehow. Calling up my mana, I push it into the formation. Unlike during my time-freeze, this time the mana flows into the rune with no hesitation. The transition is instant, as far as I can tell. There's no need for me to push my mana into the arrow, then create the bow. It simply comes into being.

With the spell held ready, due to my investigation, and curious to see if there’s a physical manifestation, I point my finger out across our grassy field, above the tallest standing stone on the North side. I can feel the mana flow down my arm and wait beneath my finger. There is a feeling of sharpness, like having the edge of a needle pressing against, but not breaking through, my skin. As I release the spell, the pressure releases. There’s a nearly invisible distortion. It travels about five meters before it loses cohesion and disappears. It was so faint and clear that I wouldn’t have seen it if I wasn’t staring right at it, waiting for it.

However, Beth apparently saw it too. Or least I'm guessing that's why she's turned towards me, raising a questioning eyebrow, her emerald eyes bearing down on my soul.

Feeling the need to defend myself, I stutter out, “Uh-Uhm. It’s my first spell. It’s called peh-pierce.” Even as I’m gaining confidence in my words, prepared to continue, the old man can’t help but interrupt.

“Oh really, and how did you form this spell?” he asks raising his voice while judging me with his eyes. "What does it do? How did you use your mana? Do you know any other spells?" He fires his questions off at me, his arms waving back and forth as he approaches where I'm still sprawled on the lawn.

As I try to process all his questions, whatever I was going to share about casting my spell is lost. I’m preparing to scoot behind Beth to put her between us when, unexpectedly, a curtain of pink steps into view, blocking him from sight.

“Yo, leave her alone. Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable,” Josh interjects, as he stands between us, facing the old guy down.

I watch Josh's robe sway, momentarily marveling at the lack of grass stains, while the old guy sputters in the background, “What?! All I'm doing is asking her questions young man. Why would that make her uncomfortable? Clearly, we’re in this together. And she’s discovered how to use magic. Magic that might get us home. Magic that could allow us to survive these next thirty days. I don’t know about you, but I very much intend to survive.” All very reasonable points. His method of approach is still triggering my anxiety though.

Josh doesn’t say anything. But he doesn’t move either. A silent shield.

When I think about it, he’s kinda always been that way. Ever since mom and I moved into our little apartment across from him, just after the ugly tree incident. He's lived in our little four storey apartment building longer than we have. He's been there for half my life, yet I don't know him that well.

Which is kind of obvious, considering how surprised I was when I saw his robe. I'm sure, thinking back, that he's never had a roommate. I mean, I know he's had the occasional visitor, but I'm reasonably sure he's been living on his own the whole time we've lived across the hall.

While he’s always been brusque and short with me, he's never hostile. Instead he’s been there when I needed him. More than once. For example, there used to be this creepy guy who hung around our building and pestered me every day. The first time Josh saw this, the very first time, he walked up to the guy then just talked to him. I couldn't hear what was said, but when he was done, the guy stood up, walked away and disappeared from our lives. I never saw the guy again. When I asked Josh about it, he just shrugged, then walked inside.

He's also always helped us out with little things like fixing the sink or carrying the groceries up. But I figured that mom was paying him or something. But maybe that's his way. Funny how I'm only figuring this out now. I guess I can be fairly oblivious sometimes.

Thankfully, with Josh keeping himself interposed between us, the old guy gives up, walking away while muttering to himself.

"He does have a point friends, magic might be useful," Beth whispers softly, keeping her brilliant eyes fixed outwards. I hadn't noticed her move closer, but she's now crouched in the grass next to us.

Josh turns towards her, keeping himself between me and the other guy as he responds. "Maybe. Only if Lex wants to." He glances at me, making sure he makes eye contact before he moves his eyes towards our fourth lawn dweller, who even now appears to be losing his mind, muttering and waving his arms about wildly.

My tongue is still feeling heavy, so I shake my head while pointing at my mouth under Josh's friendly gaze. "Wuh-words are huh-hard," I stutter out. Then I point at the pillar and mumble "stuh-studied ruh-runes."

Josh accepts my response with a nod and the word, "Okay." He doesn't move from his spot, shifting to keep himself between me and the old man who appears to be having a fit. Probably trying to figure out magic.

While Beth keeps looking out into the trees, she takes a moment to turn to me, ruffling my hair as she speaks, "Fair enough kid. We’ll be okay."

Well, I tried to tell them. If I'm honest with myself, part of me didn't want to share my newfound ability to use magic with anyone, not just the old man. It's not very team spirit of me, but I know I'm going to be horrible at this survival thing. Me and the outdoors have an understanding. I stay inside, it stays outside. Done.

Being the only one with magic is about the only thing I can think of that will ensure I stay valuable right now. Clearly, the others are more comfortable out here. Josh has always been doing survival stuff and Beth clearly knows how to dress when going into the wild.

I know Beth and Josh appear to be looking out for me, which is great. But my mom has taught me that just because you should be able to trust someone, doesn't mean you can. And good intentions aren't worth the paper they're written on. Also, gingerbread and icing are the ultimate holiday building materials.

But that seems less relevant at the moment.

Still it's only a small part of me. Talking really is hard right now.

Beth interrupts my thoughts as she whispers to Josh and I, "You know friends, I think I've figured out a little magic of my own."

With those words, I watch as she furrows her brow then starts drawing a shape with her hands. As I sit there watching, I see her trace a faint outline with her finger. Even as she's tracing this pattern, I see her flicking her gaze up into the forest, paying attention to our surroundings. After about a minute, I can tell that the outline resembles a rifle of some sort. As Beth continues, I realize that even in my games, I've never seen one this complex. Nor rarely so large. If the rifle was solid, I'm sure it would weigh at least ten kilos, easy.

As if reading my mind, she ads details, the rifle getting more tangible, like I could reach out and grab it.

It takes at least ten minutes for Beth to finish. But when she does there's a soft click, then the massive rifle materializes. The rifle's smooth, black finish now appears as real as the grass we're sitting in. Perhaps more real.

Even though I watched as closely as I could, shifting back and forth throughout the process, I didn't see her use a single rune. I was able to see her mana flowing into the rifle easily enough, yet not one rune appeared. It would seem there's more than one way to harness the magic of our new world.

"Oof. Well, that certainly cost a lot of Umbra. Mana and Focus too, looks like. Worth it though." Beth states, raising her new rifle up before scanning through the scope, out through the trees.

"Umbra?" Josh asks, more shocked by the final appearance of the rifle than he was by my ability to cast a spell. Then again, it's an absolutely monstrous weapon. A rifle like Beth's is clearly meant to use powerful munitions. The barrel is nearly as thick as my wrist. I don't really know much about guns, but I'm going to guess that bigger bullets equal more damage. This thing could probably punch through a house and keep on going. Or….

"Duh-did you get that gun for thu-the dinosaur?" I ask, suddenly worried for the five-story behemoth, who has been leaving us alone as she gets her daily dietary fibre. I mean, we'd have enough meat for the next month. But the idea of killing her, especially just for meat, seems wrong.

Chuckling at my worried tone, Beth just shakes her head then replies, "No Alexis. I wanted it for the one we haven't seen. The one that gave our friend there her scars."

Scars? What scars?

Looking over to our friendly neighbourhood dinosaur, I inspect her plumage until I find the breaks in her feather pattern. There, along the right side of her neck, are jagged areas where the feathers don't match up properly. They must be a meter apart and at least three meters long. Whatever gave her those scars is no lightweight.

Suddenly, Beth's vigilance makes more sense. And her massive rifle feels much more comforting. But my magic? My magic feels less solid than a breath of fresh air.

Time to fix that.