As the light hits my eyes I stretch and grab a handful of leaves. I feel disoriented for a moment until I realize I am not in my bed and yesterday wasn’t a dream. I sit up with a heavy sigh and look across the glade. The sun has just risen and a gentle wind stirs the grass and wild flowers gentle bob across the glade. Well what to do today? I frown at the pile of stones and branches I gathered yesterday. I frown deeper as I consider my failure with trying to use my Shaper ability yesterday. Maybe I was going about it all wrong. My ability indicates it uses mana, but while my Status panel indicates I have a mana pool but I don’t know how to access it. I will try to start working on that.

Well how would I try to if this wasn't a game, which really it isn't. I take a stick and draw a circle about the size of a basketball in the dirt and then sit down in front of it. I look at the circle and memorize its size and slightly irregular shape in the dirt. Closing my eyes, I try to relax and visualize the flow of chi in my body, since that's the closest I could think of to try to direct my mana. After sitting there just listening to wind blowing through the grass I thought I felt something. Every time I try to grasp it the feeling disappears. After the tenth time I switch to pushing instead of grasping and I feel a gentle heat flowing down my arms. I direct it into the circle before me on the ground. Suddenly, I feel like a dam opens and the mana starts draining quickly. I feel a sharp stab of pain in my head and my eyes involuntarily open. I found I cannot focus my eyes and start seeing bright flashes of light right before I pass out boneless to the dirt before my circle.

Sunlight pierces my eyelids as I groggily grab my head, which is throbbing mercilessly. "What happened?" I mutter to myself as I notice several notifications in the lower left of my vision flashing where I last minimized them. With a thought I expand them.

You have learned the skill Mana Manipulation, 20 XP awarded. Basic 1.

Warning: You have depleted mana to 0%, starting to drain health to complete ritual. Starter zone prevents hit point loss, terminating connection to Raw Mana Ward.

You have learned the ability Ritual Magic, 40 XP awarded. Basic 1.

You have learned the spell Ritual Ward, 10 XP awarded. Basic 1.

You have gained a point in Endurance.

I focus on my new skill and abilities to get more information.

Mana Manipulation, Basic Level 1 (0% progression to next level)

This skill increases the size of one's mana pool by +0.5% per skill level. Also increases mana regeneration rate by +0.25% per skill level.

Ritual Magic, Basic Level 1 (0% progression to next level)

This ability allows the user to create, maintain, and change rituals much more efficiently than usual. -0.5% mana and component cost used per ability level.

Ritual Wards, Basic Level 1 (0% progression to next level)

This spell creates, maintains, or changes a ward to protect a specified area, item, or person. Cost varies based on complexity and type of the ward, as well as, type of components used.

Current known wards are:

- Raw Mana Protection Ward, No components, Drawings: Simple Circle, min/max mana: 50/200 per 1’ diameter. Takes mana / 10 damage before collapsing. Duration: 1 hour per 10 mana.

Very cool, except for the splitting headache which is gradually getting better. I sit up and look at the glowing circle before me. I tentatively reach out to brush the ward with my hand but met resistance. I pick up a small pebble and throw it at the circle. There is a faint thump as the rock stops in mid-air and slides down the side of what must be an invisible dome. I mentally focus on the circle and a blue panel appears.

Raw Mana Protective Ward

Diameter: 1.3’

Health Points: 7/8

Duration: 7.5/8 hours

Do you wish to dismiss the ward? Accept or Cancel.

Not that impressive, but then this is a first attempt and I am guessing by the duration I must have passed out for about thirty minutes. Well Ritual Wards indicates I can charge a Ward so let’s try that and try not to pass out this time. As I sit in front of the circle again with my eyes closed I try to will just enough mana to full charge the ward and I receive a mental popup.

Attempt to Recharge Raw Mana Protective Ward

Cost: 10 mana (Min Cost: 50 mana)

Pay Mana Cost: Agree or Cancel?

It looks like I must pay the minimum even to maintain. I think Agree and I have just enough time to think not again when I pass out.

I once more wake up to shooting pain in my head. I slowly sit up clutching my head and focus on the ward again.

Raw Mana Protective Ward

Diameter: 1.3’

Health Points: 8/8

Duration: 7.5/8 hours

Do you wish to dismiss the ward? Accept or Cancel.

Well it looks like it recharges the Health, but I am right back where I was on the Duration. I wait about 30 minutes until my headache goes away and consider. I don’t get any notification this time, but I open my Ritual Magic and Ritual Wards again. Also, I am getting tired at looking at all this text so I try to get a short form of the information.

Skill: Mana Manipulation, Basic 1 (50%)

Ability: Ritual Magic, Basic 1 (25%)

Spell: Ritual Wards, Basic 1 (50%)

Ok it looks like all of them have increased, with Ritual Magic increasing about half of Ritual Wards increase. I grit my teeth and think no pain no gain. I cancel the ward and the glow disappears from the circle. I position myself in front of the circle and prepare to grind.

I spend most of the rest of the day either passed out or with a headache, but at the end of the day I look at my notifications with some satisfaction.

You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation. Basic 2.

You have gained a level in Ritual Wards. Basic 2.

You have gained a point in Endurance.

You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation. Basic 3.

You have gained a level in Ritual Wards. Basic 3.

You have gained a point in Endurance.

You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation. Basic 4.

You have gained a level in Ritual Wards. Basic 4.

You have gained a level in Ritual Magic. Basic 2.

You have gained a point in Endurance.

I take I look at my increases as the sun starts to set with my new shortened form.

Skill: Mana Manipulation, Basic 4 (40%)

Ability: Ritual Magic, Basic 2 (20%)

Spell: Ritual Wards, Basic 4 (40%)

After I spend some time watching the night sky I get an interesting popup.

You inspect the Green Moon, Name: Vera, Attributes: unknown.

Interesting, I can get information from the System, just by focusing on something for a while.

I lean back and think about my plans for the next several days. I will continue grinding before attempting to use my Shaper ability again now that I know a little about how to use mana. I try to relax, because the next few days are guaranteed to be painful.

Over the next week I follow a steady pattern of waking early. Then spending most of the day creating and dismissing wards. While contemplating the stars before falling to sleep.

On the sixth day of my stay in the glade I hit the jackpot when a new notification pops up.

Congratulations

You have reached Novice rank in the Spell Ritual Wards. 25 XP awarded. Diameter doubled. Takes mana / 9 damage before collapsing.

You have reached Novice rank in the Skill Mana Manipulation. 100 XP awarded.

You have leveled up!!! You have one free stat point to allocated, choose wisely. For your actions during your level progression your reward is: +2 Intelligence and +1 to Wisdom.

You have exceeded 10 points in Endurance. This is quite the achievement as you cannot physically injure yourself in the Starter Glade. For pushing through the pain, you are awarded the skill Numbness. This skill cannot be leveled, but when activated once per day will allow you to ignore all pain modifiers for 1 minute. This will also delay being rendered unconscious if mana or health falls beneath 50% or 25% respectively and endurance is under 50.

Fame increased by 5.

Wow that is definitely worth it. I will have to get to an endurance of fifty to stop myself from passing out. I finish out the rest of the day grinding and look at my Status panel.

George Peterson Age: 16 Level: 2 XP to next Level: 200/300 Class: None Race: Harrow Titles: None Fame: 5 Str: 12 Melee Damage Modifier: +2 Agi: 12 Range Damage Modifier: +2 Dodge: 2% Con: 8 Health / Stamina: 40 / 40 Health / Stamina Regen: 8% per min End: 16 Pain Threshold: 6% Int: 19 Mana Pool: 95 Wis: 15 Mana Regen Rate: 3.75 per min Cha: 10 Trade Modifier: 0% Per: 16 Favor: 0 Abilities: Night Vision, Shaper, Ritual Magic (Basic 5, 75%) Skills: Inspect (Basic 7, 23%), Mana Manipulation (Novice 1, 50%), Numbness Spells: Ritual Ward (Basic 5, 75%) Type: Raw Mana Protective Ward Equipment: * Unallocated Status Points: 1

Awesome. I recline on my bed and excitedly think about tomorrow. I plan to use my Shaper Ability on a smooth fist size stone I retrieved from the stream bed. Hopefully, that is not too big to start with. Assuming it works I would like to create some stone daggers and a stone spearhead, but I will see how it goes tomorrow. My eyes drift shut as I contemplate Vera as she rises into the night sky.

When I fall asleep, another vivid dream sweeps me up into a deep dark void. Suddenly there is a flash of light that I intrinsically understand is the birth of the multi-verse. An infinite number of universes are given birth at the same time, all wrapped around a brilliant core of magic, which pervades each universe, but diminishes in intensity the further each universe is from that first universe. I move through the universes until I reach the one I was reborn into.

Suddenly I notice the universe I am in is becoming more structured, knowing that this is caused by the System, which governs the natural laws of each universe. New beings are created, more powerful than Gods. They roam the universe, sculpting whole worlds on which different races appear: Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Gnomes, Goblins, Gnolls, and a seeming endless number of others. As time passes these Elder Gods begin to shape these races to their own will instead of the System’s. The System is unable to stop the Elder Gods so it creates new Gods that are overall weaker and more controllable than the Elder Gods, but within their domains they are nearly as strong. A war starts between the Elder and new Gods which devastates the universe. Whole worlds are destroyed with races being extinguished forever.

I plunge down onto one of the worlds that is shaped like a huge disk. I arrive on a plain below where hundreds of Gods face off against three Elder Gods. The Gods working in groups, channel their power into a single God or Goddess who fires massive golden bolts at the Elder Gods. These bolts strike a barrier which absorbs the resulting explosion with hardly a ripple. One group stops firing as their leader calls a halt. I could hear her clearly over the noise of the fierce battle.

“These three Elder Gods should not be able to stop this much fire.” Vera says, while planting her battle spear in the ground in front of her. “These are the last three we need to capture to end the war, but instead of fleeing they decide to make a stand here. Yorg, you can detect energy the best. Can you sense where they are getting the energy to support the barrier?”

Yorg carefully examines the barrier detecting faint streamers of energy leading back to the center Elder God. “The center one is actually supporting the barrier by himself.”

Everyone gasped in disbelief. “How is that possible?” Vera quickly calls a halt to the bombardment. The bolts finally stop firing as she informs the battle group of their findings. Muttering could be heard among the groups before the center Elder God speaks.

“I see you have figured it out. A pity I thought you would all drain yourselves dry before figuring something was up. You see I, Helthos, have harnessed a Star Stone.” Helthos pulls his hand from behind his back to reveal a smokey blue stone nearly one foot across, which still looks small in his giant hand as he stood twenty-five foot tall.

I know a Star Stone could only be found at the heart of a star. It allows the star to convert the massive heat at the center of the star into mana, which then floods out of the star with the solar winds, keeping a low level of ambient mana available everywhere. With the Star Stone somehow removed, the star would become unstable and explode. Nearly every God suddenly looks up at the star overhead and then at Helthos as he laughs. “That’s right this stone belongs to this star, which will soon explode taking you all with it.” Vera sees Shaf, God of Space, try to open a portal, which immediately collapses. “If he is failing we are not getting out of here.” She mutters. Vera turns to look at Helthos and watches him enjoying how the Gods and Goddesses are starting to panic.

Vera calls for silence. “We are not getting out of here, but we need to make sure they can’t either. Make your peace with that. When the star starts to collapse, there will be an energy wave, which will feed the stone. It will also destabilize it for a short time. The energy wave will still block us from opening portals, but the barrier should also drop for a short time. We need to get up and personal with them, before that barrier comes back up. Are we of one mind?”

“YES!!!” comes roaring out of hundreds of throats.

I could see the confusion on Helthos’s face. He could not hear the speech shared among the Gods like I could, but their sudden lack of panic was unnerving him I could tell. The sky darkens and then brightens as the bright orange sun dims and then flares as it shrinks in size.

Vera commands. “Overcharge your weapons, the wave should hit any minute.”

Across the field, all the weapons of the Gods and Goddesses begin to glow with a golden light, which grows brighter each second.

A sudden flash passes over the plain and Vera yells. “CHARGE!!”

Helthos is clutching the Star Stone in both hands focusing on it, while the other two Elder Gods begin to hurl bolts of green energy at the approaching mass of divine beings. I could see why so many Gods are needed to bring down three Elder Gods. When each bolt of green energy hits a God or Goddess they are either killed or severely injured. Despite that, dozens cross the barrier to discharge mighty spells and arcs of golden energy, as they clash with the Elder Gods. Even with Helthos distracted, he would fire a wave of orange energy that disintegrates any God that gets close.

Vera has a plan though. “Uom, can you sneak attack him?” Uom is the Goddess of Trickery, so if anyone could sneak up on an Elder God it is her.

“Helthos won’t know what hit him.” Uom cries as she vanishes. A moment later, Uom’s daggers plunge into Helthos’ back even as his power incinerates Uom. Vera has all the Gods nearby channel power into her. Vera directs the energy, not at Helthos in his moment of distraction, but instead at the Star Stone, which cracks under the blow. Helthos lets lose a scream of both rage and fear. He tries to contain the now out of control stone, which continues to crack further. Vera and the remaining Gods withdraw and erect a shield under which they prepare to travel. As the stone destabilizes further, Shaf successfully opens a portal that they could flee through. Vera is the last to leave and witnesses the other two Elder Gods fleeing while Helthos remains with his hands glued to the splintering Star Stone. The stone glows so bright now that Vera could see his bones through his hands as she enters the portal which closes behind her.

They all receive a System notification of Helthos’s death, which is one of the few times an Elder God has been killed in this war. I follow them through the portal where they now gather to pursue the remaining two Elder Gods. Their number is now half what it was. I seem to float up into space, knowing that the Elder Gods are forced back into a corner of the universe where the System seals them off. Many of the new Gods and Goddesses are killed in this war. The remaining are each given a world to govern and nurture. I find myself floating above the world of Burra.

A beautiful middle age woman with deep emerald eyes, long brunette hair bound in a clasp of gold and emeralds appears floating above the world of Burra. Emerald and gold patterns thread through her long white dress. This is Vera who picks this world as her domain. Just looking at her calms me as I fall into a deeper dreamless slumber.