From the journal of Irsorth the Lightbringer

I find myself often thinking about my past, dwelling on it more than the present. Over a millennium has passed since I obtained my position and yet I still hide the truth. My friends are long dead, and I remain, but their voices still whisper in my ear. I hear Melisirth telling me to keep my secret hidden away while Orgoth yells at me to proclaim myself to the world. I do not know the right path and the indecision haunts me.

A quick check shows that I’ve used about a quarter of my Mana Well, hopefully leaving me more than enough to take out the remaining two warriors. The increased regeneration from Effortless Presence is extremely beneficial and gives me a lasting power that I imagine most Mana users are lacking.

With both of the Ungutarri running my direction, they easily dodge the fireballs launched at them. A quick nod passes between the two of them and they split up, the stocky one heading to my left while the small dagger wielder runs to my right.

Mind working on overdrive, I begin laying out possible battle plans. The stocky one will probably be slower but stronger, with a single attack from his axe most likely killing me. His pronounced muscles suggest he’s invested almost singularly in Strength and it might be enough to break through my Stone Armor, meaning that I cannot let him get within attacking range. I have to harass him from a distance and kill him before he can approach.

Meanwhile, the smaller Ungutarri is the opposite. His speed allows him to dodge ranged attacks with ease, which means I need to let him get close enough that he won’t have time to react to my Mana Skills. His daggers don’t have a massive range, but his fight with the giant suggested that he has pinpoint accuracy with them.

Taking him out as soon as he is within my range and then focusing on the stockier one is my best plan of action. Getting the timing right is also an important element, my Skills being better suited for a single opponent.

With my plan roughly sketched out, I recast Fleet Feet of Air and begin running towards the dagger-wielder, my entire focus spread out through my Field of Mana. Seeing my mad dash toward him, the smaller Ungutarri lets loose a primal cry and alters his circling path to instead meet me head on.

We reach each other in seconds and he quickly lunges forward, explosively shooting forward in an eruption of dirt. His daggers are held out in front of him, almost as if his body has become the spear and his weapons the point.

Saving my life yet again, the time-dilation effects of Effortless Presence allow me to quickly activate Mana Infusion and dodge underneath. My pants begin to get ripped up as I slide beneath him but I ignore it entirely, too focused on my counter-attack to spare any attention for saving my clothes. Five Mana Blades appear above his body and come slicing down like a guillotine.

With a grunt of effort, the dagger wielder is able to spin his body in the air to try and avoid the attack. Unfortunately for him, he is unable to dodge the two that I had focused on, infusing them with more Mana to increase their thickness and slicing power. The first Blade cuts down through the tendons in his hand, completely going through, while the second stabs into his leg, hamstringing him and greatly reducing his movement capabilities.

A scream erupts from both his mouths as he watches his dismembered hand fall to the ground, one of the two daggers still clutched within its now still fingers. He then tries to leap backwards and away from me, but the severed hamstring hampers his movement, causing him to continue his scream as he falls back and onto a knee.

It’s at this point that the stocky warrior finally manages to make his way over to us. While I’d wanted to finish the dagger wielder off first, a roar distracts me and I’m forced to dodge to the side in order to avoid a blow from his axe. Strangely enough, I notice a shimmering pattern accompanying the axe head.

With a leap of surprising speed, the axe wielder gets even closer and is now within my Field, the exact area I’d hoped to keep him away from. His shoulders turn and his axe sweeps horizontally across the area where my chest would have been had I not immediately jumped backwards.

Hoping to keep him at a distance, I cast Wall of Flame in his direction, watching as the flames increase in size and heat as they head towards him. Instead of dodging away, however, he swipes at the flames with his axe and I watch in complete shock as the axe head dispels the flames, causing them to break apart into little embers that dance away in the gentle breeze.

The Ungutarri then laughs, holding his axe towards me in a taunting gesture. “Do you see the power of our God? Genesis will smile upon us as we kill you, abomination!”

Launching himself forward, he flies toward me once again, his confidence overwhelming his fear of my Mana Skills. A scowl spreads over my face as I dodge backwards again, keeping a good amount of distance between the two of us. His ability to dispel my Mana is frustrating, and effectively ruins any plan I had to attack him from a distance. My only hope now is to get him close enough that the axe isn’t nearly as useful. Of course, I’ll die if he hits me a single time, so letting him get closer is a gamble.

Suddenly, an idea strikes me, one that diverts my original plan and morphs it into something else. Obviously, the best plan in any battle is to ensure that I don’t get hit. My original plan was to keep him out of range in order to accomplish this, but perhaps the best way to do that is by making sure my opponent has no idea where I am.

Instead of retreating from his attacks yet again, I activate Mental Illusion, one of my few non-Mana based Skills, and fill his mind with a dozen perfect copies of myself at different intervals. His axe swings at an illusion close to him, and I let a predatory smile appear on my face as the copy completely ignores the attack. He falls into a defensive position and spins around, eyes darting between the illusions as he looks for the real one.

Instead of giving him time to figure out the illusion, I conjure a dozen Mana Bullets above me, wincing as the Mana flows through my body and out into the air above me. Comprised of nearly one third of my entire Mana Well, I know that I won’t be able to repeat this attack more than once should it fail.

The illusions follow suit, conjuring their own faux Mana Bullets to match my own. His eyes watch all of us and he waits for the attack, his ax held tightly in preparation. Instead of waiting for his back to be turned to me, as I imagine he’s waiting for, I wait until he stares right at me before firing the Mana Bullets. It’s a gamble, but all he’s seen me do so far is fight with guile and at a distance. Changing those tactics mid-battle to attack him directly would seem unlikely.

Just as I suspected, he turns around quickly and swipes his axe in a defensive arc towards the illusionary bullets fired from the illusion behind him, incorrectly assuming that I was waiting to attack him from behind. I’m not able to see his face but I watch as the twelve Bullets rip into his body, small explosions going off at mildly different intervals depending on where they made contact. His body spasms as he is hit with the full damage of the attack, falling to his knees and dropping the axe to the ground.

His body is mauled beyond comprehension, a dozen piercing bullet wounds dotting his torso and secondary explosions most likely causing incomprehensible internal damage. The axe lies on the ground below him and his arms hang down by his side while his head looks up at the sky above.

Keeping a healthy amount of distance between the two of us, I walk in a circle around the Ungutarri until I’m able to see his face. To my surprise, I see red tears fall down his face, his eyes looking up at the sky and whispering for his god. He’s obviously on the border of death and I find myself feeling a strange amount of admiration for him.

I, better than anyone else, understand what it is like to be taken to a different planet and forced to fight for your survival. He might have believed that this was a holy obligation to his god, but the circumstances are similar enough to my own to evoke a reaction in me.

Walking closer, I pick up the axe, grunting from how heavy it is. His eyes look at me, conflicted between the rage that I would dare to pick up his ancestors weapon and the gratitude of not using Mana. Holding the edge of the blade against his neck, I nod my head at him and activate Mana Infusion, pulling it back for a massive swing.

The air slices around the head of the axe and then the sharp blade rips through his neck, instantly decapitating him. His body collapses onto the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

Throwing the strange weapon to the side, already feeling it interfere with my Mana, I turn back to the dagger wielding Ungutarri and find him staring at me from nearly fifty feet away. It’s clear that the previous attacks have damaged his body to the point of barely being able to fight, as he limps toward me at a tenth of his previous speed.

“Do you yield?” I yell out at him as he slowly approaches me. He has to know that he can’t win in his current state, his body unable to keep up with the rigors of battle. Instead of answering, however, I see a look of disgust cross his face and he keeps limping towards me, refusing to even answer.

So be it. A quick check of my Mana Well shows that I have just enough for a finishing attack. I send a Chilling Wind at him to slow him down further, not wanting to risk any surprises, and then begin walking towards him.

We reach each other after a few seconds and stop about ten feet away. Snarling in disgust, he spits at me and then begins limping towards me at a fraction of his prior speed. Shaking my head at his refusal to yield, I conjure a Mana Bullet above my head and another in my hand, hidden from his sight as I line it up along my wrist.

I then fire the one above me and watch as it rips into his good leg, causing him to fall to the ground and drop his weapons. The daggers bounce a few feet in front of him and I walk forward to kick them away.

A part of me stares down at the warrior in front of me and wants nothing more than to give him a second chance, to offer him another opportunity to yield and return to his people, while another part yells at me to take his life, to answer his disrespect with death. The conflicting ideologies battle out in my heart as I stare down at him, his weakened body gasping for air as he loses even more blood.

Am I the honorable defender of Everwall or am I the rabid beast of Helldarvin? The two voices fight for a few moments before I realize the truth of the situation. I am both. I am more than one aspect, defined by both my past and my present.

Bowing my head in respect, I hold my hand out against the final Ungutarri and will the Mana Bullet to fire, watching as it hits his head and ends his life in an instant. A wave of exhaustion overcomes me and I nearly fall to the ground, compromising by taking a knee to catch my breath after the most difficult fight I’ve ever experienced.

The silence of the empty battlefield is then overwhelmed by the sound of raucous cheering from the guards as they realize I’ve removed the invaders without a single civilian casualty. Turning my head to stare at them, I’m able to see admiration, as well as a healthy dose of fear, in their eyes as they celebrate the victory.

A notification then appears in my vision, and presumably in the vision of all other citizens of Everwall as well, as the cheering dies down for a few seconds.

The City of Everwall is the 3rd City to complete the Trial of Defense. [Cael King] was the primary contestant and shall be the contestant of Everwall moving forward.

The next Trial is the Trial of Leadership and will take place in [One] Earth Month. Prepare yourself and others accordingly. Only those who cultivate true talent and skill will survive.

I stare at the notification for a few seconds, trying to decipher their meaning. Of course I’ll be asking Octavian about it, but my immediate thought is that this Trial will revolve around some sort of team based competition. Perhaps the meaning that Genesis is trying to impart is that leaders aren’t just the strongest combatants available, but they are also those who know how to foster and grow the talents of others.

My thoughts on the nature of the upcoming Trial are interrupted as the guards begin chanting my name. I turn to them and begin walking to the walls, ignoring my body’s exhaustion and holding myself tall. A deep breath goes through my whole body as I reach a crossroads of sorts. My parents, Julian, and I had planned for this moment, laying out exactly what I needed to say and how I needed to say it, but that practice pales in comparison to the true moment.

I stand at the metaphorical precipice, looking at the cheering citizens and knowing what I must do.

Using Sound Mana to amplify my voice, I yell out at the guards and the quickly gathering crowds of citizens. “People of Everwall! You may not know me, but my name is Cael King and yes, I am the son of your leader, Mary King.” The loud noise of the cheering forces me to pause for a second as I wait for it to die down.

“I plan on becoming Primus, making Everwall the shining city that represents the absolute best of humanity. We will become the center of a new Earth and create opportunity outside of conflict, a world where conflict and battle isn’t the only way to succeed. However, I must confess something to all of you, something that I’ve hidden from everyone since I arrived in Everwall. I was a randomly selected.”

The cheers instantly die down, the looks of admiration replaced with fear and confusion. Parents grab their children and pull them closer, suddenly afraid of what I represent. I know that their reaction is extreme and unfounded, the actions of a single person coloring their entire perception of a group of people, but I don’t look down upon them for it. In the chaos of this new world, their anger, indignation, and persecution needed an outlet and they were given an easy target.

However, I will change that.

“I know you are feeling afraid and angry right now. Some of you are even looking at me as if I’m some demon hell-bent on your death and destruction. But ask yourself this. Why would I defend Everwall if I had these bad intentions? Why would I risk my life for thousands of people I’ve never met just to turn around and hurt you?”

“None of you know the truth of what it was to be randomly selected. I was thrown into another world, a different planet where time passed much faster and I had to fight for my survival for over a year. The only reason I didn’t become as warped as the man that killed the Hero of Everwall was because of those who I loved, those who I wanted to protect. The thoughts of my parents, my family, and my friends kept me going until I had the power to return home.”

“And what did I do as soon as I returned? I came to Everwall and dedicated myself to protecting all of you, to help all of you create lives where you are able to decide where your own life takes you. I want to empower all of you to make the human race better than it was.”

I pause for a few seconds, letting them all think about my words before I continue. I’d initially complained about the content of the speech, feeling that it was far too melodramatic, but my mother had corrected me. According to her, people needed me to be larger than life, to be motivated by higher ideals. They needed me to become an icon, not just another flawed person trying his best.

“Some of you might not trust me and that is fine. I hope that I’ll be able to win your trust over time. All I ask is that you continue to support this city to the best of your ability, to improve your Skills no matter what they are, and to contribute to the greater good so that we can all thrive together. That is what I plan to do and I hope you will follow my lead in this endeavour.”

With my speech finished, I walk back into the city through the front gate, ignoring the silence and confused looks. Right as I’m crossing the threshold of the gate, I hear a noise break through the quiet and turn to see Chris, the guard from my first night in the city, winking at me and clapping his hands. Almost reluctantly, most of the guards follow suit, clapping at my arrival into the city. Their faces are filled with an almost reluctant admiration but they accept me as one of their own, even if a few look at me fearfully.

Placed within the crowd, and told to do whatever she can to help sway opinion, Angie begins clapping as well, a fake but convincing smile plastered on her face. The original plan was for her to begin influencing the public opinion with a similar gesture, but Chris seems to have taken that particular task away from her. The clapping soon turns to muted cheering and spreads among most of those gathered, although some small pockets refrain and instead stare at me in confusion. I’m not particularly worried, however, as I’ve got a month until the next Trial and I know my mother will have a host of different ideas to help sway public opinion in my favor during that time. Say what you will about the woman, she knows how to influence people.

Sheepishly smiling at the cheering, I continue walking through the city and past the crowds, reaching empty streets quite quickly. A quick turn into an alley brings me the privacy I’ve been seeking and I collapse onto the ground, leaning against the wall in exhaustion. I may have been able to hide it from the citizens, but I’m exhausted and mentally drained from the fight.

I stare at the wall for a few seconds before I notice a blinking box in my lower left-hand vision, indicating a notification that I had suppressed. Taking a deep sigh, I acknowledge it and watch as it appears in my vision. Shock permeates me, however, as I realize how important this notification truly is.

You have reached Lvl 50, 51! The Temporary Class within you opens up, expanding upon itself to reveal your developed Latent Talent. The following Classes are available for selection:

Forger of Mana Constructs (R-7): Few are those who are able to reach your level of connectivity with Mana itself. Harnessing this connection, the Forger is able to create the highly flexible and customizable ‘Mana Construct’. Autonomous to their creator, Constructs are powerful and rare creations with boundless possibilities. Rumored to be the only Class with the potential for creating intelligence itself, the Forger is derived from your creativity, curiosity, and your race’s propensity for creation.

Per Level: +6 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +8 Wisdom

Skills Gained: Mana Construct, Alter Mana Construct

Remnant of a Lost Universe (R-9): Your choice of Higher Energies shows that you refuse to forget the physical laws of Universe 61321SX, using your understanding of ‘physics’ to fuel the growth of your strength. Your Latent Talent derives power from this refusal to forget, transforming it into a wholly unique Class. As a Remnant, you would derive extra power from manipulating the physical laws of your old Universe. Specific Higher Energies and Universal Constants would be easier to grasp and manipulate, while others will become more difficult. The Remnant is derived from your drive for learning, your intuitive grasp on science, and your desire to remember your old world.

Per Level: +6 Intelligence, + 6 Wisdom, +4 Willpower

Skills Gained: None

Mind of Mana (R-8): As the first of your species to develop a Telepathic Mind, your Latent Talent has discovered a way to combine your use of Mana with this unique Skill. By permanently infusing your mind with Mana, your speed of thought and Telepathic capabilities can be increased dramatically. Your mind will draw upon your Mana Well to increase functionality, but will slow down without the infusion, withdrawing upon itself and leaving your capabilities dramatically diminished. The Mind of Mana is derived from your unique Skill, your obsession with Mana, and your innate intelligence.

Per Level: +2 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom, +10 Willpower

Skills Gained: Mana Infused Mind, Mana Telepathy

My eyes read each option multiple times, weighing out the pros and cons for each decision. Perhaps the worst part about the decision is that each one has incredible potential. It takes several minutes of consideration, but I finally believe I know which path best suits me. Closing my eyes and praying I’ve made the right decision, I raise my finger and select my Class.