As my body adjusts from the fear of the devil itself to the fear of falling for far longer than I ever have before, I start to adjust from a pencil dive to a more appropriate skydiving position. You want your body to be slightly convex, allowing the air to flow around as much surface area as possible, as evenly as possible. Favor one side over the other too much and you’ll spiral out of control going way too fast. After a few moments, I can no longer see anything but a swirling gray mist all around me. I can hear the wind rushing past me, and the constant roar of the waterfall, but there is no longer any visual indication that I am moving through space at all, which is incredibly disorienting. Slowly, little droplets of water start to match my falling speed. They accumulate around me, moving slightly up or down, but staying relatively in my vicinity... it would honestly be beautiful if everything wasn't so terrifying right now. As the droplets stick around for longer, I notice they are not just drops of water. They're like little stars, but looking at them conveys... a concept? The first one I focus on gives me visions of physical strength, the next gives the feeling of indomitability. The third feels like ever expanding knowledge... and another gives off the essence of quick and precise physical control.

Class selection? I focus on the concept of knowledge. It slowly expands and clarifies, both in my vision and in my mind's eye. There are more droplets hidden within the concept, focuses into particular applications. I scan through them: speed of learning, depth of learning, concept of knowledge, boundary of knowledge... they all seem to be things that would help with a particular aspect of intelligence. Learn faster, learn more... but despite my efforts, I get no more clarification than that when I focus on them. It seems I am required to take a bit of a leap of faith regarding which of these I choose.

I'm about to focus on the speed of learning concept, when a strange, colorful droplet emerges... as though pinched off from the “boundary of knowledge” droplet. Focusing on it fills me with a strange sense of nostalgia... and hope... but, unlike the others, it evokes no words to describe it.

I don't know exactly what it is, but I can feel, instinctively, that this is what I want.

I focus in on it, and a gut wrenching force takes me away.

----

I've always thought there was something more to the world... to people... than what was immediately apparent. A hidden power that exists in everyone, that no one really acknowledges, but is intensely human. People call it the “indomitable will”, the spark of madness, chi... it goes by many names. Though these are not all the same thing, I believe they stem from a common power. A power I call Energy. Energy is one of those things that you go through life wondering if it's really real or if you just want it to be real so badly that you see anything as evidence to support that wish. It's easy to brush off as 'feeling weird' or 'random sensations', with the point being that it's ultimately meaningless and begs no examination. Choose to examine it, and you start to see patterns. Your intuition gets sharper, things work out the way you want more... but, the best way I can describe it is 'applied will'. Your willingness and ability to see your desires exerted over the world, and for things to be the way you want them. But, it seems mostly to deal with people and their emotions, not the physical world. You don't will the rain into missing you so you don't get wet, you don't stop the wind... you make a loved one feel how deeply you care about them, or someone you hate feel their meaninglessness in your world.

…

It sounds crazy, doesn't it?

I honestly think so too. And it's... very strange having two warring perspectives in your mind: vicious rationality and hopeful dreaming. I believe such duality is necessary. Everyone is capable of more than they know, they just have to be stupid or prideful enough to believe they can do it.

And then hard reality hits, and I remember all the things I failed at. Competitions I wanted to win, but could not. I was not enough.

One side is too miserable.

The other, too hopeful.

And together, they make... a very confused person. The nostalgia I felt was reminiscent of the few times I've been sure in both my rational and hopeful minds that Energy is real. A temporary oneness in a divided mind.

With a mental shrug, I stop following the trail of musings I had been on and take stock of my surroundings. I'm a bit surprised by how much better my head feels. I have the feeling that time has passed, but, for the life of me, I can't say how much. It's like when you wake up from general anesthesia, and you know things happened, but they might as well be the wind for all you can grasp any of them. You just suddenly are again.

I've arrived, sitting, on a white floor in a slightly less white room that appears to have no walls. The floor appears to be tile, and there is no exit in sight.

I jump slightly as I notice a man sitting a few feet away from me, staring at me. Slightly unbalanced, I manage to swing my arms around a bit and come to rest in what would look like a “leaned back and relaxed” sitting position if not for my entirely unconvincing poise and the heat from my cheeks.

The man raises an eyebrow, a mixture of amusement and concern on his face.

Look, it's not my fault I'm not used to random, spooky dudes popping up in front of me, ok?

“Uhh...hi.” oh boy, starting off strong.

~ “Yo.” Surprisingly normal for an alien.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Get the basics out of the way, confirm abduction by aliens, get home-

~ “I'm the teacher you chose. You are in my classroom. I'll explain more after the lesson. So, shall we begin?” He gestures towards me, palm open.

I'm entirely sure I want no part of this. None of what's happening makes any sense.

“I want to leave.”

~ “Once the lesson is over.” His hand remains outstretched. Nothing about this guy jumps out at me... he seems like the most average person I could imagine. Like someone took a character generator for an open world RPG and averaged every measurement across the normal human range. He is entirely unremarkable...and might not be a “he”, now that I look harder. The being doesn't react to my scrutiny.

“What... exactly... does this lesson entail?”

~ “First, present the gift”

“The...what?”

The being simply points at my chest and makes a small 'hurry up' motion. Oh. Right.

I remove the shiny rock from its pocket and hold it up.

~ “This is Power. It's in its solid form right now, and such physical collections of it are very rare, but very powerful. This particular sample is actually artificially enlarged to make it easier for even the less observant sentients to spot it. Power forms the basis for all things in the trial ahead; it influences the world, its creatures... everything. With this-” he walks over and breaks the rock in half, like it's a loaf of bread- “we will each grow a little more.” The being walks back to its original position, still carrying the half it ripped off, and sits. Snapping out of my stupor at seeing a rock ripped in half, I'm suddenly agitated.

“It's useful, and it's mine. All of it."

With a slight smirk, the first expression it's made so far, it simply states: “Everything has a price. You would not know what to do with such a thing, yes?”

Ok. Fine. I'm being cheated, but I'm getting something out of it.

I try to tear the rock like the being had, but find my efforts summarily resisted, with not even a faint wobble to indicate I was even close. I look back at the being, squinting. “Alright, how do I use this?”

~ “This training was only open to you in the first place because of what you know of... you call it 'Energy'. Fill the Power with your Energy, and it will become yours to do with as you please.”

The idea of moving Energy around is something I've played with a bit. It feels a bit like creating voids or surpluses around your body to cause flowing towards or away from an area... but that had always taken the form of weird warm sensations in my body. Frankly, it didn't make any sense to try and move Energy outside my body; it would just resist.

But hey, if my alien guru tells me my crazy musings are real, who am I to argue?

I shift into a more comfortable sitting position and hold the half rock between my hands. I close my eyes and visualize my energy, a stream of light, coursing through my body.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

In my minds eye, I see the light flowing steadily alongside my blood. It's probably just a mind trick, but I feel slightly stronger and more confident whenever I do this. Like the light supports me, lends extra strength and durability by reinforcing my normal movements. But it doesn't. I focus specifically on the flow going to each of my hands, and the void that the rock represents. I visualize a void in my left hand, and an immense surplus in my right, increasing the difference with every beat of my heart.

My right hand grows warmer.

My left, colder.

The difference increases, the flow of Energy becomes erratic as it tries to reach equilibrium despite the obstruction. A small stream flows back through my arms, handicapping my efforts, but I refuse to let up.

A minuscule spring of light bridges the distance between my hands. As soon as one side is connected to the other, the Energy surplus roars over the new channel to fill the void, and the channel grows to accommodate. As though it recognizes the continuous material, my Energy begins suffusing the entire rock, spreading like a spiderweb before creating a blindingly bright bar of light in my mind.

Just like that, the glow disappears, and my hands clap together. The rock is missing. Momentarily startled, I open my eyes and look around, only to be immediately distracted with... what would be best described as a pop-up in my vision.

[Congratulations! You learned the secondary skill: Energy Control (Passive). Energy Control: 1] [Congratulations! You learned the secondary skill: Imbue Energy (Active). Imbue Energy: 1]

Immediately after I finish reading this pop-up, it is replaced with a second:

[Congratulations! You found the Secret: Origin Bonus. Power increased] [User assimilated extra Power without external aid. Power conversion efficiency heightened!] [+250 Power (250)]

…

I stare, dumbstruck for a moment. Notifications? You’ve got to be-

“No, I'm fucking done. Tell me what the fuck is happening, right now! What is this shit!? A game? Start fucking talking!”

The being merely stares.

“What, are you deaf all of a sudden? Talk!”

Silence.

“This is insane! I had a life before this, where did that go? What is this? Where in the everloving hell are we?! I-” a wave of exhaustion hits me.

“I just-” I know I'm panicking but I can't stop.

Somewhere along the line, I had gotten in the guru’s face.

“Please...”

My anger fades along with my voice. I crumple back to the ground in front of it, shins stinging from the impact.

“...What happened?”

The guru says nothing for a time, merely watching. The silence stretches, as though it’s letting me compose myself slightly and wipe away the frustrated tears that had come unbidden.

~ “Your people always wondered if they were alone in the universe. You are not, and this is merely the manifestation of that fact. You, and all of your kind, will be tested and judged. You no longer compete on the stage of your world alone, but all worlds. This is your trial. Your first step in that competition. Who and what you were before matters little now, and you will find the specifics of those you knew have been suppressed in your memory. They are unimportant. After our training is done, you will go on a long, terrible journey, and you will prove yourself worthy. Or not.”