Hear my words and understand they are spoken with the frustrated love of an absent brother. You are not infallible. Your power will corrupt you if you don’t accept that. If you won’t accept my counsel then seek out those who will tell you when you are making a mistake. To do otherwise is to bring ruin to all that we built together.

I take a deep breath of the mountain air and smile. The wind is brisk and slightly chilly and as it travels across the landscape it rustles the grass beneath my feet and causes my hair to whip around. Tall trees dot the path on either side of me, their high reaching frames rising into the sky and creating long shadows in the early morning light. Snow covers the face of a cliff a few hundred feet above me and a blue sky frames the entire sight. It’s picturesque, like something that would be hanging on the wall in the lobby of a three star hotel for ambiance. I’ve probably seen dozens of variations of the scene. Hell I may have seen this exact cliff driving to class at some point in the past, before Genesis changed the landscape around me. But I never really noticed it, not like this.

The red sky of Helldarvin, while occasionally beautiful during a sunset, had always made me feel wistful, but had never been able to take my breath away like this. Perhaps it is this comparison that allows me to appreciate the beauty in a new way. You never truly understand what you have until it has been lost. Being able to recover this lost sight has set my heart soaring and I can’t keep myself from staring around in wonderment as I make my way to Everwall.

With the map Peter and Craig gave me stored in the heavy pack, a gift of food and clothing to help me reach Everwall, on my back, I jog over the mountain path with Fleet Feet of Air constantly active. The Motion taken from the air propels me forward at a pace that would exhaust most people but is easy for me to maintain. Each step brings me closer and closer to Everwall and, more importantly, to my parents.

I find myself reminiscing as I run, the simplistic motion becoming repetitive enough that I’m able to focus on other thoughts while still maintaining awareness of my surroundings. The memory of my first real bicycle ride, my dad holding my shoulders as I precariously tried to keep my balance without the training wheels. My mom giving me a hug and holding me after my first breakup, my younger self convinced that I would never find a love as deep as my fourth grade girlfriend. The countless memories of sitting at the dinner table and laughing over some bad joke that my dad had made or intensely debating some moral issue that had come up at moms work.

These and other memories flash in front of me, my increased Intelligence allowing me to remember them entirely, discovering aspects that had previously blurred into the forgetfulness of memory. The stress in their shoulders and tear marks on their faces as they tried to convince me that the miscarriage was normal and that they weren’t upset. The short period of separation when I was twelve, my hormonal arguing and raging creating rifts in their relationship that had taken years for them to repair.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, I had refused to let myself truly remember my parents on Helldarvin. I think the thought of going through the memories, like I am now, and then potentially dying before I was able to talk to them again would have been too much for me. Stress, while healthy in doses, can quickly overcome and become the cause of more problems.

It takes me an hour or two but I’m able to go through the memories and then regain control of myself. Any more thoughts of my parents would lead me back down the same path so I intentionally distract myself, bringing up my Way Page and looking at what is available to me.

Ways: Way of Latent Talent (100/???), Way of the Returned (0/350), Way of the Motionless (0/300), Way of the Gunslinger (0/250), Way of the Arcane Weapon (0/150), Way of Elemental Destruction (0/150), Way of Elemental Creation (0/150), Way of the Randomly Chosen (0/100), Way of Discovery (0/100), Way of the First Evolution (0/100), Way of the Traveler (0/50), Way of the Staff (0/25), Way of Intelligence (0/25)

I stare at my options and wonder what actions or Skills unlocked each of them. If I had a better understanding of how the Way System worked then I’d be able to better plan my investments but the lack of information keeps me blindly investing and crossing my fingers to hope it pays off. I need to find another teacher or a source of information that will expand my knowledge of Genesis if I want to have any hope of survival.

Shaking my head slightly, I focus in on the options and find my eyes drifting to Latent Talent. I know that the points I invest into it are somehow related to my future class, something that I imagine will present itself at level 50. Given that Latent Talent has served as the base of my consistent growth into different types of Skills, I invest another 100 points into it and watch as a notification appears in my vision.

The Potential of Talent within you begins to expand, spreading outwards in an endless series of possibilities. Options that once lay hidden become visible and classes that were out of reach now fall within the endless fluctuations of Potential. Let your actions, Skills, and Ways drive you forward onto your personal path of Power. Reward: Delayed.

I read the notification three times, developing a deeper understanding of my particular class and how it operates with the Way. If I’m correct, an assumption I’m not particularly convinced of, then investing more points into the Way increases the size, range, and power of what Genesis seems to be calling my ‘Potential of Talent’. If I had to hazard a guess, these three factors, when combined with my own actions and Skills, will offer me a class that is uniquely tailored to myself. What I’m not sure about is if I will receive multiple options or just a single one and if there are diminishing returns for the amount of points that I invest. Whether or not I invest all of my points on this Way or another is a difficult decision based on one simple idea.

Way Points are a scarcity. So far I’ve been able to unlock and learn all the Skills I’ve come across but I suspect that there will be an upper limit of the amount I’m able to learn. If there was no limit then every person in Genesis would just focus on learning every single Skill and leveling them up until it becomes difficult, gaining thousands upon thousands of Way Points to use on their actual build. This may be the case but, based on all my interactions, I highly doubt it. If I assume my theory is correct and that there is an upper limit of Skills that can be learned, perhaps derived from level or Attributes, then there is also an upper limit of possible Way Points. Is using them all right now on Latent Talent my best option?

I struggle with this idea as I jog through the mountain path towards Everwall. The path chartered by Craig seemed to take a strange and circuitous route but Peter had assured me that it was the safest route, avoiding the dangers that they’ve been able to map out while fulfilling their contract. I’m not sure I believed his explanation but I trust him and I refuse to break my promise of not diving into his mind.

After a few moments I look back at the Way Screen and pick out the three options that I believe would be the best investment. The first is Elemental Destruction, the second Discovery, and the third Intelligence. Despite my hopes of becoming powerful enough to accomplish my goals without destroying the world around me, I understand that my ability to destroy my enemies will help accomplish my goals better than the ability to create. I wish it was the other way round but the new world that I am in is one of constant battle and evolution and to think otherwise would get me killed. Discovery, on the other hand, is a non-aggressive option that could hopefully allow me to break through on my next Higher Energy. I’d spent a good portion of those six months of training working on another form but I am lacking something integral to its creation. Perhaps Discovery could give me the means to finish it off. Finally, Intelligence is a cheap Way that will hopefully bolster one of my most important Attributes. The real decision comes down to whether or not I want Intelligence and Elemental Destruction or Intelligence and Discovery.

Taking a deep breath, I cross my fingers and invest in the Way of Intelligence, knowing that it was in both of my options.

You walk down a familiar path, following the steps of many before you. Millions walk beside you but you slowly begin to overtake them as you come to a crossing. One way leads to a gleaming city, a bastion of knowledge and learning. The other leads to an ancient ruin, a civilization long gone. What do you do? [Verbal Answer Required]

Well … this is interesting. The branching path is something I’ve seen before but this particular notification is more than that. I don’t know what either of the options represent but I can imagine the gleaming city is the path that most people pick. The ancient ruin could be empty or it could be filled with things I would be interested in, the unknown reward increasing the risk factor. However … the fact that I have been given carte blanche to respond suggests that I have more than just the two options.

I consider the dilemma for a few seconds and then smile, an idea coming into my mind. I may not be right but the investment of 25 points isn’t too much and, if I’m correct, the payoff could be worth much more.

I respond, “I keep walking forward”.

You ignore the two well-trod paths and keep walking straight. The benefits and knowledge contained within the two cities passes you buy and you strive forward, seeking knowledge far beyond most. A wise man once said, ‘Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change’. Where will this Way take you? Reward: INT +5, WIS +5, New Way

A quick glance at the Way Screen reveals the new option available to me, titled Way of Forgotten Knowledge (0/500). Before I can consider the implications of what this means, another notification appears.

WARNING: Unlocking this Way has attracted the attention of certain individuals. Further exploration of this Way will bring more scrutiny.

Goddamit. One step forward two steps backward.

I close my eyes and sigh in frustration, taking a few seconds to think about nothing but the repetitive motion of running. A minute passes before I let myself consider the important question. Whose attention did I just attract? Someone interested in my growth or someone interested in killing me before I can fully unlock this forgotten knowledge?

Just when I think I’m beginning to understand Genesis something new is thrown into the mix. How on earth does someone know when another person unlocks a Way? Are there Skills that interact with Genesis itself or is the system itself taking an active interest in this knowledge?

Frustration wells up within me. I let out a yell as I continue running, letting myself wallow in annoyance for a few moments and then brushing it aside. While it certainly makes me feel better, letting the annoyance control me won’t benefit me or help me succeed in my goals.

Considering my options, I pull up my Way Screen and invest 200 points into Latent Talent. While Elemental Destruction and Discovery could be extremely useful, they won’t matter at all if I come up against someone with the power to manipulate or interact with Genesis itself. Developing the thing that makes me unique, getting as rare, powerful, and versatile a class as possible, is the only thing that I can do at this moment.

The Potential within you blossoms, spreading throughout you and developing an understanding of all that makes you unique. It begins to map out your options and finds new things available, new choices becoming visible with greater understanding. Reward: Delayed

An iron will. The love of family. A burning endless curiosity. The drive to make the hard choices. These things settle themselves within the Potential and mix at the deepest level, intertwining themselves. Choices that were once available begin to disappear. Instead of spreading out and seeking new options, the Potential instead condenses and widens choices that match these new elements of itself. Reward: Delayed

Interesting. There is nothing I can do now except cross my fingers and hope that this massive investment will pay off when I finally get my class.

Opening my eyes, I stare at the path in front of me and re-cast Fleet Feet of Air, picking up my pace from a jog to a run. I’ve wasted enough time as is and I want to reach Everwall before the day is over. It has been over a year since I’ve seen my parents and I don’t want to wait another day.

On a planet separated by multiple waves and billions of miles, an older man sits on a chair, reading a book written by a dear friend and trying to ignore all the errors he sees within it. Precious few individuals are privy to the knowledge he has and this friend is not one of them.

A slight distraction causes the man to look up from his book and see a notification floating in his vision, letting him know that a young man in the 11th Wave just completed his first part of the induction requirements.

Closing the book, he sets it down on the table and pulls up the young man’s information, thick bushy eyebrows raising in amusement as he sees the same name on the rising talent’s list. He lets out a little laugh and flags the name for his associates, intending to keep an eye on this young man and see where his talents take him.