The world blinked, and I ended up spitting curses somewhere else entirely. This was a setup! Something told me that in terms of my time, I was offered something like "Become the President of the United States, and then we'll talk." Specifically for my case: " Become the President of a country which you entered illegally as a refugee from some third world banana republic"! I've been tricked! Bamboozled! Who the hell needs ghosts from the past, who suddenly escaped the void? Nobody! Just like in my time... A fucking Ming Dynasty Vase. I wonder what we would have done with an army of Mongols if they came up to present-day Kyiv demanding their tribute? The government would probably just confine the shocked bastards to some reservation, and that’s the best-case scenario, maybe they'd be sent to the nuthouse... The Dead belongs with the Dead, sure, but it's still so damn sad.

I examined my surroundings; I was in some sort of basement or a dungeon. The walls were made of large stone blocks. No doors, no windows. In front of me, I saw a large mirror in a fancy bronze frame and a marble slab all covered in glowing runes.

Welcome to The Outlines of Equilibrium, The Game of infinite possibilities and endless adventures. Please choose your player's race. Warning! Your choice is limited by your amount of Imagination points. Current level: 87. Unlimited access.

And that's it! No menus, no buttons, nothing. A stepped closer to the mirror. So what do we have here? Starring back at me was a dark-haired, dark-eyed man with soft facial features, messed up hair topped with universal sadness in his eyes. Usually, people who look like this are armed with something extravagant, like an office knife or a red-hot iron. But I was dressed the same way as when I was "resurrected." So let's see what we can see...

"Elf."

My ears became longer and pointy-ended, my face became sharper and edgier, and my hair grew longer. Now I was presented with the reflection of a pretty man, so pretty in fact that I lost any sense of gender.

And the text on the marble plate changed: Elves, one of the most popular races in the Outlines Of Equilibrium. Bonuses to agility, observance, and intellect. Restrictions to Strength and HP – the more HP a character has, the sturdier his frame is. Racial bonuses and restrictions determine the development of the associated skills, as well as the speed of achieving gaming classes.

Well, being a pretty boy is great, and with all these perks -even profitable, But elves were mainstream four centuries ago.

"Orc!"

Again I started to change, I grew five inches in height, my muscles bloated, my face turned green, the lower jaw moved forward and sprouted two large fangs. I spent quite some time checking out this victim of testosterone overdose and went on to impersonate a freakish bodybuilder by hitting a few poses. My last side serratus left my now too small shirt torn all across the back. Yeah, this was an underfed endomorph's dream come true. If I had any complaints about my skinny former body, I would have gladly gone with the Orc. But in a few minutes, I noticed that something was terribly wrong with my salivation. I was beginning to drool all over! Disgusting!

"Ogre!"

The result grew in size even more! My skull shrank, now there were 4 fangs instead of two, the skin turned yellow. I tried to remember the symptoms of hepatitis C and any quick-fix cures but soon realized that the metamorphosis has cost me my pants and shoes. Then the real fun began.

I tried Dwarves, Hobbits, Pixies ( I spent an eternity getting out of my torn clothes). The system ignored my Dragon request. Angels had so many ideological restrictions, that no sane person would play as them, least of all me with my twisted sense of humor.

The Demon looked ugly, the Nick looked miserable. The elemental races obliterated what was left of the clothes. The scaly reptilian creatures gave me an insane itch without any chance of scratching it. The goblin cried out 'Life for Nerzuul!' in such a falsetto that I spent the next 10 minutes laughing aloud.

In the end, I went back to human form, all this shapeshifting left my skin begging to be scratched off... Well, no point in playing as a mortal because it's too damn boring... I'm dead, right? So it's time to party hard!

"Shapeshifter"

Nothing changed except the writings on the slab: One of the rarest races of the Outlines of Equilibrium. Shapeshifters - a human or other sentient being capable of taking on the form of an animal. Attention! Choose a secondary form.

"Eagle-owl."

Human Shapeshifter - eagle owl.

Racial bonuses: Enhanced regeneration (200% more than the average for this species).

Predator (Enhanced saturation by any type of meat, consuming live meat will give you the Blood hunt Bonus, Efficiency of all potions drawn from animals increased by 70%).

Partial Transformation (The ability to transform parts of your body into secondary form at will),

Sense of Nature (Bonuses to all skills when on\in a natural location).

Ability to see in the dark.

Sharp hearing.

The Beast Within (Enhanced agility, strength, endurance, speed)

Owl's Wisdom (Immunity to Mental charms like Deep sleep, Allurement, Submission, as well as enhanced wisdom and intuition).

Beastly Charm (Increased chance of success of seduction and\or intimidation).

Dimensional Pouch (upon transformation, your clothes and belongings are stored inside a dimensional pouch. It's size depends on the weight you can carry in your secondary form).

Animal Flair(You sense your enemy's weak spots, increased the chance of performing a critical strike).

Force of Evil (Damage taken by creatures of evil decreased by 50%, Lower level Beings do not attack you).

Racial penalties: Elemental Reject (access to all types of elemental magic is restricted).

Aura of the Beast (reputation among all races decreased to "Suspicion").

Vulnerability to Fire (fire damage increased by 200%).

Vulnerability to Light (light damage increased by 300%).

Animal Rage (when intimidated or forced to do something you fall into a feat of uncontrollable rage).

Crimson Veil (during the battle there is a chance that you won't be able to tell friend from foe, they will all be prey to you).

Force of Darkness (many will categorize you as an enemy once they find out your species, you will be hunted by many fractions, all offensive light spells cause severe damage).

Hunger (you must kill a sentient every 10 days).

Honor of the Beast (when a child of any race is threatened in front of you, you are compelled to intervene. Otherwise, all penalties will be increased by x3. Getting rid of the effects will require completing a special quest).

Creature of the Night (efficiency of all your bonuses is downsized to 50% during the day) Animal stench (access to ridden animals and animal companions is restricted).

Attention! Choosing this Race decreases Your Social value by 15 points!

Attention! Access to starting locations is restricted!

Attention! This race suits your psychological profile! All bonuses and abilities enhanced by 20%.

Daaaamn! So I'm mentally compatible with a man-eating psychopath! It looks like I lost my mind when I got three gunshot wounds in my chest... I wonder who wouldn't... from the look of these bonuses and penalties, I get to play as an in-game monstrosity! Well, what the hell!

I turned my attention back to the mirror, my reflection was different, my features were darker and more sinister than they already were, and there was a weird glow in the eyes! Whoa, mama! What a pair of peepers! A vast bright orange iris, the pitch-black pupils that with the proper lighting could just as well consume the eye entirely, My secondary form had a pretty diabolic glare. And how am I supposed to blend in looking like this?! I attempted to turn them back to normal. And succeeded! Ok, moving on...

"Display secondary form!"

My body started to change again, and it looked pretty creepy from where I was standing. I slowly shrink and twist, then with loud snaps, all my joints were turned backward. Feathers began to sprout all across my body. That hurt! I began to hate the idea that every transformation will be as painful, but was suddenly overwhelmed by critical levels of cuteness!

In the mirror stood a cute owlet, a large ball of thin feathers and fluff, it seemed as if my adult feathers haven't even shown yet... I hid my head under my wing. Unbearably Cute! Too bad that I’ve got a long way's to grow in this form.

"Return to primary form!" Instead of my voice, I heard a loud squeak, and then I started to change back.

'I accept this race!'

The room and the mirror disappeared, only the marble plate grew in size, and it showed a message:

Classes available for this race- Warrior, Ranger, Bandit, Mage.

Not much... So the first three are totally lame. I doubt that a strong warrior or a murderer can become a God, So I’m left with magic. But what the hell am I supposed to do with magic with all those penalties? I can’t throw Lightning bolts, hurl fireballs or whips of water and do all that other stuff that ignores the first Postulate of Thermodynamics... Well, we'll see.

"Mage!"

Magicians manipulate the very fabric of this world, it is said that the blood o the Gods flows through their veins.

Available Sub classes: Necromancer, Druid, Mentalist.

I don’t want to be a Necromancer, I'm already turning into a monster as it is. Screw Nature if I can’t use even half of the skills.

"Mentalist."

Mentalists specialize in all types of mind control. They draw their strength from the emotions of living beings and are the best negotiators and \or unmatched executioners. Representing the most ambiguous class in the Rings of Equilibrium, they can be worshiped by any Ruler. A high-level Mentalist can shift the balance of any deal, extract the darkest secrets from the depths of any mind, and submit an enemy to their will. However, nobody enjoys the company of a being who can read him or her like an open book, so magicians who choose this path are often pursued and persecuted. Upon finding out your class of choice, most NPC's will have a negative attitude towards you, so you will have to do your best to keep this secret. To become a court Mage, you will have to win over the Ruler's trust without ever meeting face to face. Otherwise, you will be accused of meddling with the minds of royalty, hence, provoking the wrath of the people. In many kingdoms, you will be regarded as a public enemy. Your selection of battle incantations is limited; your ability to loot dungeons and hunt monsters is doubtful. Mental magic is not taught in any schools of wizardry, so you will have to search for mentors, or master this art by yourself, and come up with your own incantations.

Do you accept?

Well, considering I just chose a hardcore race, why not settle for a hardcore class?! I have a feeling that these two will fit together perfectly! And my mind can hardly grasp my freedom of action!

"I accept!"

Please choose your source of power. Available sources: Negative emotions (Fear, Hatred, Pain, etc.) Positive emotions (Happiness, Humour, Pleasure, etc.).

I won’t even think twice.

"Negative."

You have earned Personal Bonuses. These are determined by your non-game activities, but can later on by received for completing in-game achievements. Available Bonuses:

Bookworm (Awarded to players who spend no less than three hours a day reading for five years straight). +1 available incantation slot for every 3 levels, increased reading speed, Bonuses received from books increased by 50%

Knife fighter (Awarded to players who spent time practicing the art of Knife fighting during the term of three years). You can now use any short blade, independent of your current level, and have a higher chance of performing critical strikes while using short blades(daggers, knives, claws, spikes).

Empathy (Accessed by players who have a natural inclination to sense the feelings of nearby people). You sense the feelings of players and NPC's.

Basic Knowledge of Physiology (Accessible by players who have studied physiology). You possess keen knowledge over the basic organic functions and structures of sentient beings (undead are an exception). The chance of performing a critical strike increased, all medical effects applied by you are 10% more effective.

Do you accept?

"Yes!"

Well wasn't that a blast from the past... What does this mean? It means that players with experience in life get more perks than the kids who just reached the joystick. Just like in real life.

Unlocked 2 Incantations, Would you like to choose one or to create a new one? Creating incantations is available only if your imagination value is over 70. Current value: 87. Restrictions are disabled.

"Create."

State the desired effect.

"Submission of a sentient being for as long as possible."

Generating incantation. Please wait. Successful. Incantation "Will of the forest bird" generated. Effect: Submission. Duration of effect: 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the level of the victim (minimum duration of 40 seconds). Conditions of infliction: a touch to the head or to whatever resembles it, the victim must have a living physical form, activation runes on the back of your hands (will be added upon learning this incantation).

Cost of casting: 50 manna points

The spell can be broken by any Purification spell. Upon release from the effects, the victim will have no memory of the time spent in submission. Players can have protection against this spell, in which case using it will be regarded as an act of aggression. Attention this is not a battle spell so it can be used in peaceful locations.

Would you like to learn this spell?

"Yes!"

Choose or create a spell?

"Create"

After quite some time of explaining and elaborating what I want, the system finally generated my spell.

Incantation generated: Predators Glare, Effect - Fear, Conditions of inflicting: Changing eyes into secondary form, eye contact with the victim. Duration of effect: As long as sustained by the character.

Cost: 5 manna points per second.

Warning: if sustained for longer than 9 seconds effects may change into Panic (For characters and creatures 5 levels lower than you), Rage (For characters and creatures 15 levels higher than you), Stupor (in all other cases).Attention! Players can have protection against this spell, in which case using it will be regarded as an act of aggression. Attention: this is not a battle incantation. It can be used in peaceful locations.

Would you like to learn this spell?

"Yes"

Choose your difficulty level: Easy...

I didn't bother with that impossible amount of letters.

"Maximum difficulty!"

Warning! All physiological processes of your body will be simulated!

Warning! The amount of pain you receive will set to Ultra High!

Warning! Level of Detail and gore will be the set to Ultra High!

Warning! This Difficulty level is unlocked upon reaching adulthood. Current biological age: 25, Restrictions disabled.

Attainable XP increased by 25 %

Do you accept?

"Yes!"

Time to walk the walk. I wasn't going to forget about things like hunger, pain, and exhaustion during my time in the game. I've got a feeling that it'll take years to reach my objective. And how would I return t the real world if I forget how to use the toilet!? Or forget what pain is?! Nobody in their right mind would permit me to come back.

Fill in your character’s name.

"What the hell? Fillin."

Player Name - Fillin Race - Shapeshifter (eagle Owl) Class -Mentalist

Basic parameters: HP 160 Mana 200

Strength 8 (5+3 for The Beast within)

Agility 9 (5+4 for The Beast within)

Endurance 6 (5+1 for The Beast within)

Speed 8 (5+3 for The Beast within)

Intelligence 10 (5+5 for the choice of class)

Wisdom 13 (5+5 for the chosen class +3 for Owl's Wisdom)

Intuition 8 (5+3 for Owl's Wisdom)

Charisma 5

Luck 5

Basic chance of critical strike 20% (infliction of critical effects)

Basic attack (fists) 8-10

Basic attack (claws) 32-45

Undistributed characteristic points: 10.

I invested all of the free points into Speed. Am I a beast or what?! And I'm sure that I've got a lot of running ahead of me.

Choose the starting location. Warning! Ability to choose starting locations is Blocked. You will spawn in the vicinity of Gorring Castle, Territory of the Free Baronies, Continent of Ascondia.

Do you wish to start?

"Yes!"

Welcome to the Outlines of Equilibrium! We hope you enjoy your unique gaming experience!

The world was consumed by darkness.