An excerpt from a children’s training manual on Equinox, Member Planet of the 2nd Wave

There is nothing in life more important than struggle. Struggle is the means by which the weak are removed and the strong gain power. This fundamental rule will guide and shape your future. Either you will be one of the few to survive this process and grasp power or you will die as a weakling. Our planet has no use for weaklings. We must ever strive forward with the knowledge of what awaits us.

I wake up with a large gasp, air flooding into my lungs and filling me with the feeling of life. This is followed by a coughing attack as my body is barely able to handle the sudden influx of oxygen. I paw around at my pockets for my inhaler, feeling the panic rise within me as I can’t seem to – my hand hits my back pocket and feels the familiar hardness of the plastic shell. My crazed panic subsides as I pull the inhaler out of my back pocket and shake it slightly, raising it to my mouth. I’ve always hated how reliant I am on the drug, needing to carry it around with me in case of a random attack, but given that there is no cure for asthma I can’t do anything about it. Just after I squeeze down and release the steroid that allows me to breathe I finally look around and comprehend what I’m seeing. The inhaler falls out of my hand and my mouth opens wide in complete shock.

Large coniferous trees surround me, stretching a few hundred feet up towards the sky. The biggest shock, however, is not that fact that I am suddenly in a forest but that the trees are purple! Grabbing my inhaler off the ground, barely noticing the proliferation of purple pines that coat the dirt beneath me, I run towards to the tree and stare at it in complete fascination. The bark in front of me is violet, the branches a slightly lighter shade, and the leaves or pines a relaxing shade of lilac. I reach out to the tree with slight hesitation and run my hand over the base, feeling the familiar grinding of coarse bark against skin. My eyes follow the rising tree and that is when I notice the sky.

The sky above me is … red! A deep and morose red, filling me with the feeling of oppression and helplessness. Dark red clouds float across the sky and, after a few seconds of searching, I can see a red sun sinking into the mountains out on the horizon. I stare at the beautiful yet depressing sunset for a few minutes before a now familiar ping grabs my attention.

Initiating return requirements. Requirement parameters determined. To return to Earth you must complete one of the following:

Defeat 3 Zone Leaders Kill 1000 creatures above level 35 Perform a (Uncommon) Ranked Achievement

Failure to perform any of the requirements within 500 days will result in permanent placement on Helldarvin. Welcome to Genesis.

I stare at the words in my vision and I can’t help myself from shaking as comprehension begins to set in. The way I see it, two possibilities exist. The first is that I’ve had some sort of mental breakdown, perhaps induced by my countless hours of study, and my mind has created this strange scenario as a coping mechanism. Even as I think it, however, I realize that this possibility is extremely unlikely. I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination but there is no way that my mind would ever be able to create the sheer oppressiveness of this strange world and the way that the color seems to destroy hope and radiate fear.

That leaves the second possibility. Some sort of entity, apparently named Genesis, has transported me to this world and instructed me to perform some of tasks for it. I feel the panic beginning to set in, my body shaking and cold sweats breaking out over my skin. Luckily this isn’t the first time I’ve had a panic attack and I know how to handle them.

I sit down on a bed of those strange purple pines and close my eyes, focusing on breathing in and out. Thoughts fly at me from all directions, trying to inspire panic and fear, but I let flow through me and onwards, refusing to let them make an impact. My familiar mantra begins to grace this new planet.

“Fear and anxiety do not control me. I am the master of my mind. Fear and anxiety do not control me. I am the master of my mind …”

The now familiar ping tries to interrupt my thoughts but, like my fears and worries, I let it flow through me. After roughly 10 minutes of this, I feel myself fully in control of my mind again. Worrying and whining will be no benefit here. Letting out my breath, I open my eyes to finally see the reason for the pings.

You have discovered the Skill Meditation Lvl 1.

Meditation has reached Lvl’s 2, 3, 4…8.

The second my eyes finish reading I feel the intrusion of new information flow into my mind. New thoughts and patterns begin to form as I develop a very basic understanding of correct breathing patterns, body position, and calming mantras. My understanding of Meditation itself seems to increase.

“Holy crap”, I manage to whisper as the full realization of what just happened begins to dawn on me. Somehow, without studying or being taught, I was able to learn, retain, and understand new information that I had never seen before. That is … amazing! Before I begin Meditating on this new information, I tap the skill in front of me and a formalized definition appears.

Meditation: Calm your mind and let emotions flow away, increasing the flow of mana through your body. Increased skill level allows for greater range of activities. Mana regeneration is doubled.

The concept now bouncing around my mind, I sit back down on the ground and focus on my breathing and body posture. I’m able to improve my posture by straightening my back, which in turn allows my lungs to increase their capacity. Sinking deeper into a meditative state, I begin to lay out all that I know about my situation and my goals.

Observation 1: I am in an unfamiliar region with a red sky and purple trees. The system, this strange thing that calls itself Genesis, has stated that I am on a separate planet. Until this can be confirmed I will assume that it is true.

Observation 2: Wherever I am, I seem to be able to gain abilities called Skills. Perhaps Meditation is an outlier but that seems unlikely given the other messages. This all suggests that there are other skills that I can learn and that leveling them up will improve my knowledge of them.

Observation 3: Something called Mana exists on this world and, if Meditation is to be believed, naturally regenerates. I do not know what shape or form it will take.

Observation 4: Genesis gave me a list of things to accomplish that will get me back to Earth. My end goal should be the accomplishment of one or all of these goals.

Having laid out my thoughts and observations in a logical manner, I decide that my next step must be to have a series of short and long term goals. My short term goals are survival and knowledge. In order to survive on this world I have to understand the system that seems to control it. Most importantly, I need to understand what Skills are and what Mana is. Not only that, I also need food and water so that I don’t die immediately. Once I’ve satisfied these short term goals I will then focus on my long term goals, namely the completion of the tasks given to me by Genesis.

With my will resolved to complete my plans, I stand up out of the meditative state and am greeted by another series of system messages.

You have discovered the Skill Planning Lvl 1.

Planning has reached Lvl … 4

Meditation has reached Lvl … 10.

By reaching Lvl 10 in Meditation, you have taken the first step to becoming a more enlightened individual. You are now able to achieve a meditative state while engaging in simple tasks. Mana Regeneration is tripled.

Similar to the last time, the second I finish reading the system messages I feel a flow of information into my mind and I suddenly understand Meditation and Planning on a deeper level. A smile breaks out on my face as I once again consider the implications and possibilities that are now open to me.