I eagerly await your response and beg you to accept. I swear on Mother and Father that the only purpose of this is to try and enlighten you on things that are absolutely necessary, things to important to include in any form of written communication. The eyes of the Watcher are upon us and we must conduct ourselves in a manner that won’t cross their strange arcane lines.

I quickly duck down an alley and start running, intent on losing any guards that may have been commanded to follow me. My parents may not have ordered them to detain me at the gate, a fact that mildly surprised me while passing through it, but it would be entirely within their personalities to assign one of the guards to shadow and keep an eye on me. Unfortunately for that poor guard, I have some plans for the next day, and they don’t include someone following me around.

Opening up my Passive Search, I expand the boundaries of my mind and guide the Skill as much as I can. Given the density of the city, and my current Skill limitation of two people at a time, I try as best I can to only spend a few seconds on each mind that I make contact with. Passive Search is a difficult Skill to control at the best of times and avoiding my probable detail while wandering through an unknown city is certainly not the best of times. Finally giving up and letting the Skill handle the comprehension, I begin to look at the city around me.

It’s obvious from a cursory glance that the manor my parents live in is the nicest building in the entire city. Back alleys, like the one I’m passing through, seem to either be filled with trash or lined with ramshackle buildings constructed from scavenged building materials.

The thought of the manor brings my focus back onto my parents, an almost overwhelming feeling of guilt arising within me as I finally get a quiet moment to think about what just happened. It pains me to lie to them but I’ve convinced myself that I am doing the right thing. Better to keep them in the dark in the hope of keeping them free from the backlash of the city finding out before I’ve completed my goals then have them be fully aware and culpable should the secret get out. I know I don’t have much time before the Hunters arrive back in Everwall, approximately two weeks from the rumors I managed to pick up while using Passive Search, but it should be just enough to see things through.

As I walk down the alley away from the manor, lost in my thoughts, I see a small girl, perhaps only six or seven years old, exit from one of these little shacks, which is built from a few cinder blocks and pieces of sheet metal. She wears an unwashed and tattered dress, obviously one of her prized possessions as it is covered in cartoon characters dancing around. Her hair is matted and greased, streaks of dirt cling to her face, and her knees look as if they’ve been skinned from a recent fall.

Despite all of this, she smiles as she exits the tiny shack, holding nothing more than an old teddy bear and a ball. As I’m inundated with feelings and memories of fear and uncertainty obtained from the citizens of the city, this little girl is able to shake off the enormity of her situation in order to do the most important thing she can; to be a kid. To have fun.

Raising my hands to show I’m not a threat, I step out from further down the alley and move towards her. Her initial reaction is one of suspicion, obviously having learned not to trust strangers early in life, and especially so in this new world. But I manage to ease her fears by crouching down a few feet away from her, keeping my hands open and within sight. Pointing at the ball in her hands, I mime the action of throwing it towards me, an over the top display that has her giggling at my silliness. I’ve always had a soft spot for kids. When I was younger I’d always asked for a younger sibling but that had never been an option for my parents.

It isn’t long before we are tossing the small ball between the two of us, a comfortable silence setting in. I hadn’t intended on spending my time doing this, but this little girl reminds me of what I’m trying to accomplish and what’s at stake if I fail. Genesis has all but ensured her life will be full of strife and conflict, but the Primus of Earth will be able to influence whether that conflict will lead to her growth or to her death. She represents the future of humanity, a generation that will live or die by the actions of their unchosen leader.

“My name’s Lily. What’s yours?” the girl asks suddenly as she throws the ball to me. With one of her small hands wrapped around the arm of her worn teddy bear, her smile is infectious and I find myself smiling back at her.

“I’m Cael. It’s nice to meet you, Lily. How long have you lived in Everwall?” I respond, throwing the ball back at her with an underhand toss. She misses it and is forced to walk further down the alley to pick it up. It’s only then that I realize she has tiny cuts on her legs that are beginning to scar.

Throwing the ball back in my direction, she looks down at her bear and smiles with naivety as she speaks. “Mommy and I came here … one, two, three, four … five days ago! We used to live on a farm but Mommy says it’s not good for us anymore. She told me Daddy stayed at the farm and is going on a long trip to get Jojo. Jojo is our dog, he’s a golden retriever. Mommy says he’s at another farm that’s far away and that’s why Daddy had to go get him.”

I feel a tightening in my chest as I realize that this poor girl’s father and dog are most likely dead. Her mother is obviously trying to keep her from the realization for as long as she can, a hard choice to make but one that makes me admire the woman. Only a strong person would be able to put on a brave face after the death of a spouse. She must have put her daughter’s survival over all other things in her life.

“Well, I bet Jojo will be happy to see you when your Dad brings him back,” I manage to respond, keeping the sadness and sympathy I feel for this little girl out of my voice. Telling her the truth is not my choice to make. My role is to create a world where she has the opportunity to grow on her own.

Before she can respond, I toss the ball back at her and smile. “It was very nice to meet you, Lily. I have to go now, but I may be in Everwall for a little longer. If you ever want to play, you can find me at the big house with the guards. Just ask for me, and if I’m there I’ll make sure to come out and toss the ball around with you.”

Her eyes widen as she realizes that I’m talking about the manor. “You live in Ms. King’s house? I wanted to play in the big tree in the yard but Mommy told me I’m not allowed to go near it. She said the guards won’t let me.”

I let out a little laugh and stand up, stretching my legs that are sore from squatting this whole time. Taking a step forward, I tussle her hair and respond, “Well don’t worry, if I’m there I’ll make sure you and your Mom can play in the tree. In fact, as a special treat for letting me play with the ball, I’ll talk to the guards tomorrow and tell them to make sure they let you through any time you want to play. How does that sound?”

Her smile breaks out even wider than before, a bright ray of hope and happiness in this bleak new world. “Yay! Thank you thank you! I’m going to go tell Mommy!”

Running back into the shack, I hear her wake up her mother, a quick and frantic voice ecstatically telling her about her new friend and how she can now play in the tree. Chuckling to myself, I walk down the alley, pleased that I was able to make someone’s day just a little bit brighter.

It isn’t long before I’ve left the alleys of the small and dilapidated residential neighborhood the manor belongs to and entered into the heart of the city, a large open space with the center taken over by a mountain of scaffolding. Southeast of the manor, the scaffolding rises up in the middle of the area, with hints of a tall obelisk barely visible within. Hundreds of people scurry around the scaffolding like ants around their hill, and voices clamor out from within. Each step gives me a brief glimpse at the monument within, an eighty foot tall pillar made of some type of grey stone. I manage to pick up enough thoughts from the workers to realize that this area will be used as a market square and meeting place once the construction is completed. I also manage to pick up more than a few feelings of frustration that their project is building the obelisk rather than repairing the surrounding buildings.

Walking around and looking at the buildings that surround the future market, I understand their frustration and sympathize with them. Most of the buildings, mainly residential homes with the occasional retail business among them, are completely or partially destroyed. Some appear to be missing large portions, causing the remaining sections to collapse inwards, while others appear to have been shaken and destroyed in the geographic shift, cracks and crumbling walls making them look as if they could fall down in a stiff wind. No wonder most people are living in poorly constructed shacks. Most, if not all, of the buildings will need to be torn down and built up again, too much damage making them impossible to repair.

It takes me a decent amount of time to get across the open space, the sight of the destruction caused by the geographic shift slowing me down as I’m forced to acknowledge the state of the world after Genesis. It wasn’t particularly evident out in the wilderness, with fallen trees and uprooted ground being the only examples, but the city is a different story. In one fell swoop, Genesis single-handedly destroyed hundreds of years of human progress. I can’t even imagine how the big cities like New York or Los Angeles fared. How many skyscrapers could have survived Genesis? How are such enormous populations continuing to feed themselves without the ability to import food? I’m not a religious person but I close my eyes for a second and pray that the unfortunate souls in these places don’t end up suffering too much.

Opening my eyes, I look back onto the workers in the scaffolding, noticing the haphazard nature of its construction. Each of them seem to be holding scavenged tools, but none of them hold anything requiring an electrical charge. After thinking about it for a second, it makes me realize why. Most, if not all, of the power plants and electrical grids were most likely destroyed or damaged by the shift. Backup generators may have lasted for a few days but this isn’t exactly an area filled with an abundance of gasoline. Most of it must have been used within the first few days.

This thought brings me to yet another question that has been bothering me since my return. Where are the guns? I’d gotten so used to medieval weapons while I was on Helldarvin that I didn’t even question their appearance upon returning to Earth. All the Hunters had wielded spears and knives, with Kat and a few others carrying bows around with them. I’d assumed it had been some sort of hunting preference, but that seems less likely now. Hell, even the guards had used swords to try and keep Octavian within the grounds of the manor. Why is no one using guns?

Walking over to one of the guards surrounding the building site, I hunch over and try to walk with a limp. I wish I had some sort of cloak to throw over my shoulders, but I left my pack and staff at the manor, leaving in too much of a hurry to go back and grab my items. Just as I’m about to ask him something, an idea strikes me and I let a smile grow on my face. Activating Mental Illusion, I project the image of a more tired and worn out version of myself, making sure to change my hair and eye color so that any resemblance is faint. A quick check of my Mana and Stamina confirms that the simplistic illusion falls within the range of my regeneration, meaning I can keep it going for as long as I need.

Coughing slightly to try and introduce a rasp to my voice, I get the guards attention with the noise. I don’t imagine my identity has spread to the entire city guard yet, and given that I only left the house an hour or two ago, it is almost impossible they’ve all been informed to keep an eye out for me. Regardless, better safe than sorry. “Excuse me sir, I just got to the city and I was wondering something. Why do you and the other guards use swords? Wouldn’t guns be better for keeping order in the city?”

Snorting in amusement, the guard turns and gives me a look. I’m wearing some of the spare clothes given to me by the Hunters. Outfitted in a dusty shirt and green hiking pants, I hope I look like someone who just managed to make their way to Everwall. The illusion I created includes a few tears in the clothing, some scratches on my arms and face, and a few streaks of dirt similar to the ones I saw on Lily.

Lucky for me, it appears that my disguise works, as he turns back to look at the scaffolding and lets out a little chuckle. “Damn kid, you really are out of the loop. Where the hell have you been? Guns don’t work anymore. No one’s really sure why but hell, I guess that’s the world we live in now. No one knows shit about shit!”

He stops to spit to the side and I realize that he is chewing tobacco. Internally wincing, I am just thankful I never picked up that habit, as tobacco is about to become a limited commodity. Interpreting my silence as a response, he then continues, speaking slowly and saying, “As to whether guns would be better? I don’t know, kid.... I mean, it would be great if we had them, but then so would everyone else. Things are chaotic enough as it is, adding guns to the mix would make things a lot worse. A guard with a gun can stop a crime, but a damn criminal with a gun can create way more.”

I nod my head in response, the silent gesture hopefully emphasizing my road weary appearance.

Finally turning back towards me, I see sympathy in his eyes as he takes in the full sight of my illusion. “You look like shit, kid. Why don’t you head down to the docks? Tell Angie that Chris sent you. She’s the woman with the shrieking voice who’ll be making soup, she’ll give you a bowl on me. Don’t let her demeanor keep you away, she’s a big softie inside that prickly shell.”

Nodding my head, I give him my thanks and then begin walking in the direction he pointed out. His suggestion and sympathy catches me off guard. Despite the frustration, fear, anger, and sorrow that seem to permeate the thoughts in this city, it’s clear that people have come together around a central purpose. It is just another reminder of humanity’s resilience and good nature.

While I walk, I consider his other words, the almost casual revelation that guns no longer work. Obviously Genesis has been the cause of this change, but for the life of me, I don’t understand why. If I’m being honest with myself, apart from the almost fanatical devotion to growth, development, and evolution that both Faul and Albasalas seemed to possess, I have no idea why Genesis does anything. Hell, I’m still not even sure what it really is. While I may know more than most people on Earth, even the information I possess is nothing more than a drop of water in an ocean.

I quickly make it to the docks, pausing to look out over the lake that spreads for miles. The blue and green water is mildly choppy, small cresting waves formed by a brisk breeze that cools down the heat of the sun above. A host of watercraft spread out around the docks, a strange combination of wooden rowing boats, modern sailboats, and the occasional canoe or kayak tied up against the metal cleats.

Perhaps a mile or two south of the city lies a sight that, pre-Genesis, I never would have considered possible. In a large cluster that appear to be tied and anchored together, all of the large power boats and yachts that would have once taken all of the open docking slots are floating uselessly. Without the ridiculous amounts of gasoline required to operate them, they must have effectively become nothing more than useless pieces of floating carbon fiber. They can’t even be used as temporary homes as they have no means by which to maneuver in the water. An idea pops into my mind but I put it to the side, intent on bringing it up at tomorrow’s meeting. Perhaps I’ve found my first way to improve the lives of the cities inhabitants.

My thoughts are interrupted by a shrieking voice loudly proclaiming that the line is open. Turning to see where the voice is coming from, my eyes widen as I watch hundreds of people appear of seemingly nowhere. Comprised of men, women, and children, the crowds stream down the streets and get into lines. Following the lines, I see that they end in an assembly line of feeding. Tensions are obviously high and I watch as a few fights break out, igniting over little more than heated words and the occasional jostle. The guards quickly break up the fighters but the tension remains.

Dozens of gigantic pots appear to contain the soup that Chris mentioned, and a few men and women pour them into bowls for the people in exchange for some sort of yellow token. A woman I can only presume is Angie walks up and down the line, yelling loudly in a nasally tone.

Bone thin and with hawkish features, I can see why Chris warned me about her so called ‘prickly’ exterior. Her eyes seem to burn with intensity as she corrals people into line and stops others from sneaking back in for seconds. However, she seems to visibly soften whenever she sees small children holding onto the hands of their parents, ruffling their hair and handing them little pieces of something that, judging by the way their faces light up, is some sort of candy.

Walking over to her, her steely eyes turn towards me and I almost take a step back as the intensity is focused entirely on me. Raising my hands in supplication, I quickly say, “Chris sent me! He said I’d be able to get some food.”

Her face softens at the mention of Chris but the intensity never seems to die down. Her eyes drift over my face for a few seconds and some sort of emotion seems to instantly flash over her face, disappearing almost as soon as it appeared. Turning to a woman who must be an assistant, she whispers something and then turns back to me, speaking for the first time.

“Well, good for that rascal to help out another stray. I’ll make a good man out of him yet. Come with me, I’ll get you a bowl of the good stuff,” she says, turning around and walking away from the crowds and towards a building in decent condition.

If it weren’t for the quick flash of unknown emotion, I would probably have followed her without any reservation, intent as I was to better understand the city and its inhabitants. Unfortunately for her though, I managed to spot it.

Reaching out towards her mind with Active Search, I focus intently on myself and her thoughts regarding the last minute or two. Pulling the bundle of information away from her mind and into mine, I quickly process the thoughts and a wave of disappointment washes over me. Angie had recognized me for who I was, apparently seeing traces of my mother in my eyes and my father’s nose, and used her assistant to send a message to a man who had put out a reward for me. She apparently owed some people a massive favor and believed that pawning me off could pay it.

Ending Active Search, I realize that she’d managed to make it nearly twenty feet away while I found and processed the memories and thoughts. Wincing, I jog forward until I catch up with her. Active Search is extremely powerful but the fact that I basically remain still and defenseless while I use it is something that I need to overcome. I’m positive that I’ll eventually be able to use it as deftly as Albasalas, but I just haven’t had the time to train recently.

Following Angie into the building, I look at her back with disappointment. Everyone has their own angle and this is just another reminder of that disappointing fact of life. Although, I also have my own angle, so I’m not exactly exempt from that.

Finally in the building, Angie lights a candle with a match. We make conversation for a few moments, her asking questions about where I’d been before Everwall. Knowing that she’s stalling for time, I make up stories in response, waiting to see who responds to her alert. Just as it is getting to the point where I feel I have to ask her where the soup is, intending on maintaining my naive appearance, the doors to the building shut and she turns to look at me with regret clear on her face.

“I’m sorry kiddo, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Someone’s gotta feed these people.” She then disappears into the back of the building, most likely taking some sort of back door and returning to her role as if nothing has changed.

Two large men with brass knuckles on their hands and a short but well-groomed and well-dressed man replace her. The two enforcers, their brass knuckles giving away their role, stand on either side of the short man whose eyes look at me as if I am some sort of prize that he just won.

Taking a handkerchief out his suit pocket, the man dabs away a few beads of sweat on his forehead as he begins to speak. “You know, when Angie’s little assistant told me that Queen King’s son was down on the docks unprotected, I really didn’t believe her. Mary’s too smart of a girl to let her son out unprotected I thought to myself. Especially one who just managed to return this very day”

Putting the handkerchief back, an almost reptilian smile breaks out on his face. “Imagine my surprise when, deciding to check on the little report, I find it to be true. Try to consider things from my perspective. The un-bribable, blackmail proof leader of this little city of mine suddenly has a weakness. Today just appears to be my lucky day”

Pretending to be nervous, I swallow deeply. I can tell this guy is the sort of person who enjoys having power over others. Perhaps I’ll be able to get a little more information out of him before I go deep diving through his mind. Knowing whether or not he knows anything will make things go by much quicker.

“W-who are you?”, I ask nervously.

The two enforcers let out low little laughs while the short man begins to walk around the room, inspecting it with a sneer on his face.

“Let’s just say I’m a business owner in this city and your mother hasn’t exactly been the friendliest. Me and some of friends have been looking for ways to make her more … amenable. Then you fall into our laps. It’s like a dream come true.”

The first fully processed thoughts from my Passive Search on the two goons begin to come back. The information from the one that stood to my left is interesting but useless in this current situation. Comprised of his strangely deeply musings on his Skills, I now understand that he is Lvl 8 and mainly relies on his Skill Brawling, which I imagine is the bare fisted version of a weapon mastery.

The information from the second goon, however, is much more interesting. Apparently, he is taking gear and food tokens from the guards to report on his boss, who is an important lieutenant in the tiny underbelly of crime that Everwall has. More importantly, it appears the boss, whose name is Adrian, is currently moonlighting for some group called the Fishers.

Now all I have to do is decide how I want to handle this next part. An idea flashes through my mind and I let myself smile, the quick change in visible emotion making Adrian pause and look at me in mild confusion.

Sinking into Effortless Presence, I bring all my focus to bear and project a Mental Illusion into the minds of the guards. To them, Adrian appears to turn around and tell them to leave me alone with him. Before either of them can ask a question, my illusionary Adrian barks at them to leave quickly. Turning around with confusion clear on their face, but not willing to disobey an order from their boss, they begin walking towards the exit in the back of the building.

Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure that I can block any words that the real Adrian would say. Before he has the chance to react and question their actions, I activate the last Skill I created before I left Helldarvin. I’ve avoided using it due to its enormous Mana cost, requiring a full 1000 Mana and 200 Stamina per use, but I don’t see any other way of keeping him silent.

My mind goes through the process of casting Instant Acceleration (R-3) right as he begins to look at the goons in confusion. Drawing forth a little over 50% of my entire Mana Well, I instantly convert it entirely into Motion Mana and then spread it over my entire body.

Everything around me suddenly slows down as the rate at which my body and mind work are increased to superhuman levels. To the best of my estimates, the effects only last for three to four seconds in real time but it feels as if it is thirty or forty in the sped up version. The speed granted to me by the Skill is almost overwhelming but so too are the consequences. Not only does it cost over 50% of my entire Mana Well, but my body is obviously not strong enough to handle the speeds at which I move and the speeds at which my mind operates. Muscle aches, headaches, and a decreased stamina regeneration for two hours follow any use.

In this case, however, I didn’t have any other option of silencing Adrian without revealing my ability to use Mana. My speed can be explained in any number of ways, ranging from high Dexterity to some sort of Skill, but once I reveal Mana Skills then I will be able to surprise people with them. Better to have others underestimate me for as long as I can.

Moving quicker than he can see, I bound over to Adrian and clasp my hand over his mouth, gripping tightly to ensure that he doesn’t get any words out. Dragging him to the side of the building, I toss him to the ground, ensuring he doesn’t get too bruised. The next part is a gamble but there are no other options that I can think of.

Bringing my fist to his forehead at a painfully slow pace, I gently punch him in the head and watch as he is knocked unconscious. Despite the slow speed that I used, the speed dilation makes it hard to judge how quickly I’m moving and thus decide on the appropriate force to knock someone unconscious.

I wish I could question him while conscious but I have no way of keeping him quiet or restraining him without revealing things I intend to keep secret for now. That’s where the gamble comes in. I’ve never tried searching an intelligent being that was unconscious but I’m hoping that it will work. If not, Plan B is to sneak him out of the city and question him out in the wilderness.

Watching his head fly away and his eyes roll back into his head, I stumble and fall to the ground as the effects of the Skill end. Gritting my teeth, I hold by a pained gasp as the muscle aches and headache all appear simultaneously. Instant Acceleration is definitely powerful but I need to figure out some way to reduce the negative side effects or I’ll only be able to use it as a last resort.

Trying my best to shake away the effects, I reach out with my mind, pulsing in dull pain, and manage to connect with Adrian’s.

I’d originally set out with the goal of finding information that will help me in tomorrow’s meeting, especially considering the rather tense exit I had from the manor. I’ve found a little bit that may help my position, but not enough. Not yet. Falling onto the ground, I lean up against the wall and prepare myself to search for anything and everything I’ll need to know.

I’m not going to be caught off guard again.