"Most of you," Nathan said into the microphones once he stepped up to it, utilizing a technique Ichtvar told him demigods possessed to allow anyone who heard his voice to understand him in their native tongue, even through a recording. Even if the announcement was technically only being broadcast to the US, they knew that the rest of the world was watching and would be watching, streaming it on their own. "Are probably wondering 'what is going on' after you saw Endariv, the dragon, fly overhead. After he did that, creatures from myth and legend have begun coming out of the woodwork.

"The simple truth is," Nathan said. "For more than a thousand years, the various mythical creatures have kept a low profile. Governments across the globe have bribed them into hiding, and the creatures benefited from this arrangement because no one hunted them. After all, not many were known about, and the population of mages in the world is extremely small.

"However," he said. "The bribes came at a steep price. More than half of the US national budget went to it, and most nations of the world contributed to bribing Endariv, that dragon you saw, to keep him from doing as he pleased. It worked, however, until circumstances changed. Circumstances beyond the control of any government.

"Nearly a year ago," Nathan told the world. "Laboor High School suffered a tragedy. Nearly everyone there who was eighteen died, leaving less than five alive. Their bodies were cremated under the statement that the biological weapon that attacked them needed it. The rooms their blood was shed in were sanitized thoroughly, and a mysterious enemy was at large, a group which targeted schools all over the world, no matter the status of the country. No one knew who it was, but their attacks only struck those who were eighteen. The survivors were taken to secure facilities to ensure they did not possess any contagions and have been monitored since to ensure no other fallout occurs.

"At least," he said. "That was the official statement released. In truth, what was occurring was rather simple. Schools which, on the day of targeting, had a number of eighteen-year-olds present equaling a power of two and numbering at least sixty-four were targeted. It was otherwise random.

"The victims," Nathan told the world, and images on the screen began to appear, a profile image of each victim of the attacks, starting with those who died in the Tutorials. "Were placed into a dimensional space created through magic, then forced to fight monsters and each other for survival in a cruel series of death games. Time was halted outside of the dimension for the rest of the universe.

"This," he said, the images continuing, only eight taking up the screen at a time before starting a new batch, remaining on the screen for two seconds total. "Was perpetrated by an outside force from another world. From another dimension. It is not something unique to Earth, but something that is occurring across the mortal realm. Due to how it was begun and how long it took the gods to realize what was going on, the gods themselves are not capable of stopping it.

"Back in April," Nathan said. "My high school underwent the Tutorial. We were the first to have eight make it out, and it was how we discovered something important. Only eight could leave, but the Final Challenge was so brutal that it took several runs before a group managed to have even that many.

"After completing the Tutorial," Nathan told everyone. "Survivors are forced to perform more Challenges again and again. They first have one month before the next required one, then two, then three, then every six from then on. They can enter the other dimension at will and train, undergoing optional challenges.

"Ever since this began millions of years ago," Nathan stated. "Many mages, demigods, warriors, and inventors have attempted to find a way to stop this. They have failed. In fact, they didn't even know the background behind it. That information came to light recently. Another species is using everyone to fix issues of their own dimension, of the aftermath of a foul disease that wiped out most life there, leaving behind only foul monsters and making it inhospitable for them on any world.

"There is a group of us," he said. "Who are working to stop this. We know more about the background than we can share, and the Overseers, the beings who created the game, believe we will fail. However, they're scared of the efforts we have made. They've realized that for the first time, there is a tangible threat to their system.

"Two days ago," Nathan said. "My company, Hunter-Ingram Magitech, a company specializing in enchantments and magitech, created the first permanent two-way gate to another world that doesn't drain resources. The previous version, which was used to access a barren world used to harvest the resources used to bribe Endarive, cost billions of dollars per year to maintain. Hunter-Ingram Magitech's gate cost a few thousand dollars, and won't cost much more than that to maintain per year, if even that much. Before we get back to things, I do want to mention that using the gates will come at a fee.

"The plan," Nathan told everyone. "Was to use the gate to access another world in order to receive information from someone who had researched the System. It was also a preliminary run of the gate to make sure it worked. We are in the process of constructing more, leading into various worlds and dimensions. Ultimately, we were planning on turning Earth into a hub for sharing knowledge across the entire universe for the sole purpose of increasing our own research to better enable us to take down the System for good.

"Keith Ingram, my friend and business partner, another survivor from the Tutorial run of my high school," Nathan said. "And I are the leading force in challenging the System. The Overseers are scared of us because we have produced tangible results. We have ripped holes in their dimensions, located the source of power that fuels the System and their temporary dimensions resulting in them needing to hide it better and perform some patches to make it more difficult to enter, and have caused other problems for them.

"Today," Nathan said. "My girlfriend went into the game to advance her pregnancy with our triplet sons to the point where she could give birth soon after leaving it. This can be done utilizing a safe type of Challenge that we've run plenty of times before. The Overseers decided to send a warning to me, and they killed her while she was inside of it.

"Now," Nathan said. "What does that have to do with Endariv deciding to break his oath? In about fourteen years, everyone who turns eighteen will go through the Tutorial Challenges on their eighteenth birthday. The laws of secrecy would become impossible to keep.

"So a few weeks ago," Nathan continued. "I went to Endariv with a deal. I promised him better enchantments made by myself and Keith in exchange for him keeping the secret and staying put. I informed him about the game, and we came to a deal that he would not have to hide himself any longer two years from now, after the governments were prepared for the world to have magic as a common thing once more. Hunter-Ingram Magitech is in the process of producing equipment for them to help deal with the magical creatures that may cause chaos, and they are enlisting the help of mages and survivors of the System.

"The reason that he broke the oath early," Nathan explained. "Was because he found out I was planning on going to another dimension and wanted to offer to take care of my son, who I had with my girlfriend."

Nathan took a deep breath, doing his best to hide the rage he felt while keeping his expression serious.

"That honesty makes things a lot easier for me," he said. "As my son likes to use magic, even at only a few weeks old. As the son of a demigod, he was born with it awakened, already able to use it, and he does so quiet often. In fact, we have him over there-"

Nathan pointed towards Keith, who was out of sight of the cameras. The infant was sitting in his baby car seat beside Keith, who had wrapped it in a barrier of purple force magic.

"-wrapped up in a barrier to keep his spells from flying into view of the cameras," Nathan said. "It would be problematic to take him out in public if we had to worry about his tendency to summon orbs of light and hit me with them.

"A selfish reason," Nathan said. "But I care about him more than anyone else in the world. I want to destroy the System and the Overseers to ensure my son doesn't have to go through this. And now, they attacked my girlfriend to send a message to me. That has only made my determination to end this stronger.

"So for those of you," Nathan said. "Who have teens who might be caught up in the game soon, do not worry to much. While I cannot promise progress immediately, my goal is to eliminate the System entirely by the end of the year.

"However," Nathan continued. "There is now the issue of the world being aware of magic, that magical creatures are loose among you. Hunter-Ingram Magitech is working to ensure that the governments of the world will be able to deal with any problems that arise even after we remove the System from existence. We are also working to produce items which improve the lives of even ordinary people. Some of these will be hitting shelves soon.

"We do apologize," Nathan told the world. "For the reveal happening not by government choice but by Endariv deciding to be an uncle to my son. There might be some small bits of chaos as things settle down due to lack of preparation, but the governments of the world will do their best to maintain order.

"Thank you," he said. "And this concludes my time."

Nathan stepped away from the podium and walked over to Keith, who released the barrier around Cyrus. Nathan pulled his son out of the carrier, and was promptly met by a white orb of light to the face.

They waited as the Director of the Department of Magical Affairs informed everyone of resources they could go to if there was an issue of magical nature, as well as a few new laws that were being put into place to adjust for the now-public nature of magic.

Once that concluded, Nathan and Keith were met by the director, who thanked Nathan for the speech and commented on Nathan's lack of swearing and rage.

"Keith was keeping me calm," Nathan stated. "Ichtvar insisted on it."

The phoenix insisted that Nathan and Keith perform a mental link again so that the psychic could stabilize Nathan's emotions during the speech, to avoid the demigod going on a rage-fueled, expletive-laden rant on international television.

"Ah, yes," the director said. "The ancient phoenix who has proved quite… interesting. Is he with you?"

"I sent him out on a mission earlier," Nathan stated, only to feel Ichtvar's presence back on Earth. "Though it seems he's returned. We should get going, I want to find out why he's back."

"I'll see you around," the director said.

Nathan and Keith left the conference center the announcement was made in, then drove back to the factory, where several more machines had been built, another four gates nearly constructed. The phoenix was sitting on the table used for meals, and standing beside him was a girl who looked to be only eighteen or nineteen.

She had the same platinum-blond hair as Nathan, as well as similar, deep blue eyes, her own flecked with gold. Her body possessed curves that would ordinarily make Nathan interested, but he failed to notice them as he looked at the young woman with her magical aura suppressed. He did not find her attractive, but instead, felt a brotherly bond to her, one he had only felt before with his own twin, years ago. That told him all he needed to know about her.

"Huh," Keith said. "She looks like she could be your sister, Nathan."

"That's because I am," the girl stepped forward. "My name is Tilara, and like Nathan, I am a child of Ulmant, god of sex. Your familiar here found me earlier and informed me that one of my brothers was looking for a demigod necromancer with a forged soul. Even if we've never met, we're still siblings. I'd like to help you out any way I can."

"You know," Ichtvar told Nathan. "I actually knew her, two universes ago. Well, her incarnation then. I was surprised to find soul on my search for someone meeting your requirements. Had to do a triple-take on her soul just to make sure I was reading it right, too. She's affiliated with necromancy, so she meets your requirements to a great degree."

"Ichtvar has explained the situation," Tilara told Nathan. "You wish for me to pull your girlfriend's soul out of the Soul Engine, so that she may pass on in peace and not suffer."

"I don't want her to suffer," Nathan told Tilara, a low growl in his throat as he spoke. "But before you rescue her, I need you to help me with something else first."

"What is more important than pulling Samantha out of the Soul Engine?" Keith asked him in shock.

"Come on," Nathan told Tilara. "Let's go to Master Torzin's forge. He called me a bit ago and said he had the things I requested there."

"The forge?" Keith asked. "Nathan, you're not going to play with her blood, are you?"

"No," Nathan said. "But I need something else done before we summon Samantha's soul out of the Soul Engine. Which is why we're going now, so that we can get her out sooner. Let's go."