"What are you doing?"

Ichtvar looked over at Nathan, who was giving the phoenix an incredulous look. The phoenix had gotten bored watching Nathan repeat the enchantments for the fireball card that Ichtvar had taught him, and was, when Nathan finally realized the phoenix wasn't hovering in front of him, watching, floating in a corner of the room.

"Examining this corner."

"With your talons?"

"Yes."

"You know I can tell when someone's lying, right?"

"I'm aware," Ichtvar responded, flying back to Nathan and landing on the table. "Last night, why did you not perform intercourse with Samantha? You had plenty of time, yet you stuck to other things rather than simply inserting and fucking."

"While the risk is minimal," Nathan said. "I want to avoid any possible damage to my baby. That's why I want to get these cards finished."

Ichtvar debated telling Nathan that there was no risk as long as Nathan had the phoenix within him during sex. In the end, he decided to let the demigod do his own thing for the time being and ask something else.

"How are fireballs going to help?" Ichtvar asked as he noticed Nathan had already begun weighing down the fifty cards he had created. "Will you need more cards soon?"

"Yes," Nathan answered. "I already asked my father to send more."

"So how are fireballs going to help?"

As Nathan opened his mouth to answer, someone knocked on the door. He growled in frustration, then walked over to the door, which had a large partition resting next to it and in front of it, blocking off the view of the room.

"What?" He asked, finding Samantha on the other side. "Oh. Samantha. Hi."

"You seem frustrated?"

"No one's supposed to bother me when I'm in here," he said.

"There's a man named Gabriel Torzin here," she said, noting Nathan's amused look at the name. "Who says he's your martial arts instructor, and that expression says you knew he was coming."

"I invited him," Nathan told her. "They have some good teachers, but Master Torzin is pretty good. Give me a minute to grab my stuff. Have you met him yet?"

"No," she answered. "He's currently in the gym, he apparently has clearance to be here. I came to fetch you."

"Wait here," Nathan told her, then returned to the table.

Icthvar flew back into Nathan, and the senior pulled on his shirt, buttoned it up, then pulled on his tie and fixed it. After pulling on his blazer, Nathan grabbed his backpack and left the room, making sure to lock it behind them as they left.

On their way to the gym, the duo were joined by Keith, who was on his way to practice some martial arts, having missed training with Nathan that morning.

The trio entered the gym, finding a man who appeared around their age standing on the mats, sparring with Michael, who was soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. The man was unfamiliar to Keith and Samantha, though Nathan recognized the black-haired, green-eyed 'teen' as the person who he hired to train him after quitting at the dojo.

Nathan wasn't sure how old Master Torzin was, just that he was much older than he appeared and knew a wide variety of martial arts. He was the only person Nathan had ever lost against in a duel, too, his mentor always that much faster or stronger.

With his magic sight always active, Nathan was able to immediately notice the pure-white magic of his mentor. A demigod, just like him.

That might explain why he hasn't seemed to age these last four years.

Master Torzin swept Michael's feet out from under him, pinning him to the mats with his gaze fixed on the trio, who were impressed by his ability to keep up with Michael, despite the latter's System-enhanced speed and strength. The instructors so far had them practicing moves on each other, not on the instructors.

"What's that interested look for," Nathan asked as he approached the mats.

"I wasn't aware there were three of you," Master Torzin stood, walking over to them.

"Three of me?"

"No," Master Torzin shook his head. "I meant… on the phone, you said you wanted an instructor who could actually push your skills and teach you new things."

"Correct."

"Well, let's not get into that," Master Torzin said. "At least, not right now. One crafted soul is interesting enough, but before me are three."

The three of them and Michael gave Master Torzin befuddled looks, and he gestured for them to sit on the mats. They removed their shoes and sat on the mats, Master Torzin sitting across from them.

"Before we start," he looked at Nathan. "I assume, considering your magic is awakened, that you know what I am?"

"A demigod," Nathan nodded.

"Just like you," Master Torzin said. "However, we are not brothers, as my mother and your father are not relatives. We aren't related in any way, actually. Not unless you really want to look through the human genealogy. There might be me somewhere far, far back in your bloodline. A little bit of me is probably in everyone."

"How old are you?" Keith asked.

"Ancient," Master Torzin answered. "I may look like a normal human, but my genetics predate Earth's homo sapiens. I was around more than three hundred thousand years ago. However, due to my demigod status, I was taller and different from the rest. It's possible that demigods like me are the reason that some of the human evolutions occurred.

"But that's not the point," Master Torzin said. "I noticed you when you were fourteen, Nathan, and you happened to be looking for a martial arts instructor. I could tell you were a demigod, and I have trained every demigod that has come after me, many of whom have had their names forgotten to history.

"Before that, however," Master Torzin continued. "I noticed something odd about your soul."

"So they actually exist?" Michael asked.

"Yes," came the response. "And the same oddity in Nathan's soul is in the soul of these other two young adults."

"Samantha and Keith," Nathan said. "What oddities? Is it bad? Will it affect the baby?"

"No," Master Torzin answered.

"You mentioned crafted souls," Keith said. "Does that mean we're artificial people?"

"You are just as genuine as all of us," Master Torzin responded. "In fact, you are even more genuine."

"How so?" Nathan asked. "And how does that affect our souls?"

"There is a thing called the Well of Souls," Master Torzin began. "And it predates our very universe."

The four seniors listened as the ancient demigod began his explanation.

No one knew how the Well of Souls came to be, as even the gods themselves took a long time to notice its existence. It was outside of the universe and was the sole source of all souls that existed, even theirs.

From what they could tell, the soul had three compartments within it. One for the souls that were being sent into the universe anytime a new life was born, one where the souls of the deceased would enter, and one that was empty, as far as they could tell.

When the Well of Souls ran out of souls in the one sending them into the universe, something Master Torzin informed them only happened less than a decade prior, it began to produce new souls. It was an automatic generation, and all souls were identical.

"So it didn't start recycling the old souls?" Keith asked. "The ones that had already been used?"

"Correct," Master Torzin answered. "As far as we can tell, those are stored. It's possible that they won't be used again until the next universe after ours, if such a thing exists. No one really knows much about it."

He then explained that all souls that came from the Well of Souls, both from the compartment and generated, were identical. They only changed once they entered a creature of some sort, shifting to match that creature's way.

When they returned to the Well of Souls, they were completely stripped of all memories and knowledge and power, returning them to a blank slate.

"So in the end," Michael said. "We'll all be the same? It doesn't matter?"

"As far as can be determined," Master Torzin nodded.

"What about necromancers?" Keith asked. "They've communed with spirits and ghosts of people. Are those souls? Or are they something else?"

"They're souls," Master Torzin responded. "There are several realms to the universe, with ours made up of many dimensions. We exist in the mortal realm. The souls of the dead either go straight to the Well of Souls or to the realm of the deceased, where they linger for awhile until they move on to the Well of Souls. We're in a dimension where the souls to go the realm of the deceased."

"Purgatory," Nathan said. "So the gods have a realm?"

"Correct," Master Torzin answered. "And they're also the only beings who can move between the realms. However, that's a limited thing because of the amount of power involved and the chaos it can cause. Only a rare few gods have that honor."

"Like my father and your mother," Nathan said.

"Correct," Master Torzin nodded. "But even a god can die, and when they do, even their souls return to the Well of Souls, stripped of all things that make it different from other souls."

"So what's a crafted soul?" Nathan asked. "You said it makes us more genuine than the ones the Well of Souls generates."

"Because," Master Torzin nodded again. "A crafted soul is one the Well of Souls intentionally created and put into someone, rather than letting a standard soul out. There are several interesting things with crafted souls. I've met a few, and they essentially confirm a few things that are still suspicions."

A crafted soul was a soul designed for a purpose. With the Well of Soul's shaping, they had tendencies towards certain things. Keith's soul had an affinity for technology and magic, making him beyond a genius with them, especially where enchanting was concerned. Samantha's soul was crafted to have an affinity for combat.

Nathan's soul was a mix of those two, with an affinity for both magic and might, though lacking in the programming affinity. It had a leaning towards force magic and enchanting on the magical side of things, but all types of weapons seemed to be the soul's type.

In addition to that, Nathan's soul had several other things woven into its crafting. He had an easy time adjusting to killing things, making it so that he would never feel guilty or bad about killing someone. A side-effect of that made him a bit colder and more ruthless in some respects, especially as he also had a lack of issue with hurting others, another part of his crafting.

Then there was a strong protectiveness woven into him. The moment Nathan claimed someone or something as his, it was woe unto those who dared to harm them or steal it.

"That explains why he has more care for the baby than me," Samantha said. "I'm his girlfriend, but our baby was conceived by his own seed."

"Correct," Master Torzin nodded. "There are some other things, but those are the strongest ones. The three of you were crafted by the Well of Souls for a purpose, and the timing of it…"

"What do you mean?" Samantha asked.

"The game," Nathan frowned. "We were born in time for us to be initiated into the game."

"But why?" Michael asked. "The Well of Souls wanted you to be in the game? Why? That suggests it knew it was going to happen and that you three were put into it. Are the gods doing this?"

"No," Master Torzin shook his head, noticing Nathan entering deep into thought. "Though I think Nathan's formulating an idea. Anyway, the gods can't do such a thing, they are, well, let's just say they can't do such a thing. It's a complicated mess that you'll only have to worry about if you ever ascend to godhood. Nathan?"

"What?" Nathan looked at his instructor.

"What were you thinking?"

"The Well of Souls," Nathan said. "It wasn't sure if I'd enter the game or not. That's why it added in the protectiveness."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Michael told him.

"Because," Nathan's expression darkened. "As soon as I found out I was going to be a father, I decided to figure out how to kill the fuckers who made this game and destroy whatever power was behind it before my son was ever old enough to enter it. I don't like that I'm being guided because my soul was forged, but it's clear the Well of Souls doesn't want the game to exist. And I am going to make sure my son doesn't enter the game, no matter what it takes to put an end to the horror that it is."

The other seniors stared at Nathan, though Keith had already figured that part out. The Well of Souls designed Nathan specifically to destroy the game. A warrior who could fight in an almost inhuman way with an affinity for magic?

If the Well of Souls could decide to do that, then could it not decide who the parents were? It chose Nathan specifically because of the godly father he would have. That would make him stronger and faster naturally, and grant him immense mana reserves and healing speed.

"But why us?" Samantha asked.

"Backup," Keith answered, and Samantha and Michael looked at him. "We were crafted as supporters for Nathan. The three of us were born within a month of each other, in the same city, and we both bear some of the soul traits that he does. The two of us were meant to be his partners in the quest."

"But how would the Well of Souls have known that Nathan would not want his kid to be in the game?" Michael asked. "I mean, that's a given, but this is operating under the assumption that Nathan would have found out about the game, had a kid, and decided to destroy it on the chance that his son might be forced into it."

"Because," Master Torzin cleared his throat. "When the game reaches a world, at least based on how it's acted in other dimensions, within fifteen of the world's years of the first incident, nearly the entire population is forced to undergo it at adulthood for their world. For Earth, that's eighteen. It is a guarantee that in fifteen years, every single person who reaches eighteen will be forced to go through the game. It starts off with groupings, but later, a 'standard' facility for the Tutorial appears, and it doesn't matter how far apart people are, several instances of it happening a day to suck in everyone on their adulthood birthdays."

Which meant that three years before Nathan's son was an adult, it would be obvious he'd be forced to go through it. And with the protectiveness woven into his very soul, that would guarantee that Nathan, magical and combat prodigy by soul, would seek to destroy the game to prevent his son from entering it, even knowing he was being manipulated by the Well of Souls to do his bidding.

"Several questions," Nathan said. "First one: how would the Well of Soul have known it was going to happen in time for me to figure out how to destroy this?"

"I don't know that," Master Torzin answered. "I assume it has some way. It's the first time I've ever heard of an account of the Well of Souls taking an interest in things, so something must have happened for it to notice and want the destruction of the game."

"Second," Nathan said. "You mentioned other dimensions have been through this. You are able to travel into other dimensions?"

"If you live long enough," Master Torzin said. "You may one day possess enough power to use the pathways of the universe as well. Opening a gateway into them takes roughly six times as much mana as you currently possess, if my assessment is correct. Traveling between worlds in a dimension is much easier, regardless of the distance. You actually possess enough mana to pass through the entire dimension, to the furthest planet from us. The only thing you're lacking is magical power and training. And the knowledge of how."

"Is this the first instance of the game in our dimension?"

"That I'm aware of," Master Torzin nodded.

"Are there clues in other dimensions?"

"None I have found," Master Torzin responded. "The worlds where the game arrives become focused on training people to survive it. Projectile weapons are pointless as they run out of ammo quickly, so everyone focuses on learning magic and more melee combat. While enchanted weapons are useful, the game's weapons, upgraded several times over, seem to always outweigh weapons from outside of the game. Life becomes about being able to survive the game. They tend to become dark worlds, as it often results in the deaths of even those who produce goods – including food.

"People have searched for thousands, possibly millions of years, and found no clues. I'm not sure how you're supposed to, but the Well of Souls is confident that you'll destroy it, I'm sure. It's possible it's even counting on your protectiveness to drive a righteous fury into you if your son entered the game or was killed by it."

"What kind of magic do you know?"

"My mother," Master Torzin stood, the four seniors standing as well. "Is a goddess of combat. I specialize in combat magics on that side, so I cannot help you with enchanting, though I can help you with force magics."

"I already have a teacher for that," Nathan said. "A phoenix named Ichtvar, my familiar."

Master Torzin gave him an amused look.

"I take it you know him," Nathan said. "Do you know how old he is?"

"Thirty thousand or so," Master Torzin answered.

"Definitely younger than the two hundred millions he told me," Nathan muttered, and Master Torzin exploded into laughter.

"He still does that?" Master Torzin said after calming down. "No, he's only around thirty thousand years old. I'd know, considering I was there when he hatched."

"What kind of familiar do you have?" Nathan asked. "Or familiars, if you're that powerful."

"Demigods don't actually need familiars," Master Torzin responded. "As our bodies are descended of gods, we don't have the mortal limitations on what we can handle unaided. I had one when I was younger, though, but currently do not. Speaking of him, be forewarned that you'll likely find yourself approached by a unicorn in the next few years. There's one that goes around and temporarily contracts itself to every demigod."

"The same one who contracted with Merlin?" Nathan asked.

"The one and the same," Master Torzin snorted, then looked as if he was going to say something before deciding against it. "So do expect that. He's… an odd one. Most ancient magical creatures are."

"Alright," Nathan said. "What are your thoughts on taming a dragon?"