“What did I drink last night?’ Dean’s faint voice can be heard in his small apartment as he stirs from his uncomfortable position. Head pounding, a fog obscures his thoughts. Opening his eyes they slam shut a second later. A new spear of agony slices through his brain from the light. It takes a minute or two before he’s able to fully open his eyes and look around.

On his couch, he gets a good look at the TV. The opening screen for Dark Ages is there. The castle from the label is there and lightning flashes through the clouds above it. Not understanding why he’s laying on the couch Dean concentrates. His headache cranks up a little at the effort but something triggers a memory. On the TV under the title of the game it says Press Start.

As he stares at the fateful words on his TV the heavy clouds casting shadows on his thoughts clear. Memories of the night before come to the surface. Playing late into the night. Getting past the last puzzle room. Finishing the game and the extra puzzle at the end surfaces in his head last. As he remembers the result of the night and the odd events before he passed out he’s confused. “I must have been up way too late last night.”

Assuming the last part was just a dream, Dean gets up to take care of his morning routine. Being Sunday he doesn’t have work. Dean turned off the TV and sat on the couch, leaning back to relax. It must have been a dream he keeps telling himself. Thoughts swirling he just sits and lets the headache slowly subside, the aspirin beginning to work. It was a weird dream though.

Dean’s headache finally down to a low throb, he sits up. Looking around he realizes it’s already noon. Confirming the date on his phone tells him he has somewhere to be. His friend Sandra invited him to dinner for her birthday. That means Dean needs a gift. She was really there for him after his mother died when he was a senior in high school and deserves something thoughtful. With all the time he has been spending on Dark Ages he never went to get her a gift. He thought about it and knows what to get her though.

Leaving his home Dean takes a trip to the store. By the time he’s in the car and headed to the restaurant his headache has subsided. Pulling into the parking lot of the sports bar Dean takes a spot near the back. Sitting in the parking lot he opens everything he got during his recent trip. It only takes a few minutes to assemble the gift. A bag is unfolded and a blue dog, really a four armed alien experiment, is placed within. The plushy was expensive to get from the specialty store in the mall, but it was worth it.

The trash talking, left shoe stealing character was Sandra’s favorite when they were growing up and even still. She currently has a small keychain figurine hanging from the rearview mirror of her car. Dean couldn’t blame her for liking that troublemaking alien Elvis lover. His attitude and near invincibility always makes dean laugh. After the gift is in the bag, bright red tissue paper is packed around it. Finished with preparations Dean leaves his old 85 Camaro with the blue gift bag in hand.

It’s still hot outside at six in the afternoon, normal in Arizona during late June. It will get even hotter than the current 100 degrees before the summer is out. Walking quickly, Dean is soon in the air conditioned bar and grill. There is no host to take him to a seat so he looks around the rooms before spotting a balloon hovering over one of the bigger tables in the back. Being here for a birthday celebration Dean decides to check out if Sandra is there.

Approaching the table he recognizes two girls that are Sandra’s friends Tiffany and Karen. They’re sitting with a third person he doesn’t recognize at first. When she turns he is surprised by the beautiful face that looks right to him. In his surprise he stops walking and his jaw falls open. His surprise is not due to the stunning beauty that is starring him in the face. He is used to that by now. What catches him off guard is that he recognizes the face of the otherworldly vixen.

Having been friends with Sandra for years there is no way he wouldn’t know her, but there were some serious differences between now and the last time he saw her. Sandra’s normally blue eyes bare a striking resemblance to Morning Glories. He knows this because that is her favorite flower and she used to help he mother plant them in the shaded garden of their house. The centers of her eyes are white around the black pupil. The normally white sclera is a dark blue color to match that of a Morning Glory’s petals.

As much as that would make anyone pause, there are more differences. Her hair is a bright green color now that reminds Dean of the leaves of a plant. All of that can be explained with contacts and hair dye, but her skin is brown in color. Much darker than her normal pale white skin. It could be a dark tan but Dean had never seen her tan even a little, and this was a lot. With the hair and eyes Dean can’t help liken her appearance to a beautiful tree in bloom. The blindingly beautiful smile on her face fades a little as he doesn’t move and her head tilts to the side.

The general features are all that of his best friend’s, even the way she cocks her head in confusion. So how can she look so different? Tiffany and Karen both look the same as always. Maybe they had already seen the change before and that’s why they weren’t surprised by Sandra’s change. He had been pretty isolated since he started playing Dark Ages and hadn’t seen her in awhile. No, that can’t be it. The skin is just too unnatural…or too..nature-like to be real.

Trying to ignore it for now Dean resumes his walk until he’s next to the table. As he does, Sandra’s face lights up with her full smile once again and she calls to him. “Dean! I’m so glad you made it. I heard so little from you lately I thought there might have been something wrong.” Her concern lets him shake the last of his surprise and focus once again. It also helps distract him from the radical change in his best friend’s appearance.

“Hey Sandy. Yeah, I’ve been pretty distracted with stuff lately. That and Mary dumped me last week so I haven’t been very sociable.” A look of pity crosses her face at the mention of my relationship status. There is also another emotion reflected in her inhuman eyes. Their oddness makes it difficult to discern, but is it longing? Not wanting to dwell on it Dean hands over the gift he brought her. “Happy birthday Sandy.”

She quickly snags the bag from his hand and rummages through the tissue paper inside. Sandra has always been enthusiastic when it comes to presents. Something about her parents never really believing in giving them. A moment later she has found her prize and pulls it from within. Holding the foot tall plushy at arm's length she gets a good look. “It’s perfect” she calls out to him before squeezing the surprisingly soft gift to her chest.

As Dean takes an open seat next to his friend she throws her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. “I’ll think of you whenever I see him” she says into his shoulder. Then she shifts so her face is right next to his. Lowering her voice like she always does when she is teasing him in public she whispers into his ear. “I’ll even sleep with it.” Dean can feel his face get warm as he blushes a little, but there’s a spike of jealousy he quickly tamps down. It’s just a stuffed animal.

When Dean was a young boy his mother divorced his father. There may have been some abuse there because his mother had refused to ever talk about it. He was too young to really remember any of it either. What he did remember was a pair of pure blue eyes watching him intently. When they moved after the divorce it was next door to Sandra. One of the first memories he has is of her watching him as their parents introduced themselves to the new neighbors.

After that they played together outside. After a few years they were inseparable. Then, in junior high, Dean began to have different feelings for his friend. By freshman year in high school he knew he was in love with her. Not knowing what to say and a little embarrassed about how he felt caused him to refrain from telling Sandra. Then one day Sandra told him Mark from school asked her out and she said yes. It had nearly crushed him, but he never stopped having feelings for her.

What followed had been a string of relationships that were never serious for Dean. He always wondered if his continued love for his best friend was making it difficult to form any meaningful connections with another woman. But what could he do. Sandra had also had relationships but they didn’t seem to last long either. Once when they were both seeing other people Sandra told Dean that they could never go out. That it just couldn’t happen and might hurt their friendship. So important were they to each other that neither could fathom jeopardizing it.

Sandra was a mischievous soul though and often teased with innuendo to an impossible relationship. She said it was funny that he got so embarrassed. Sitting there with this ethereal and familiar beauty whispering into his ear he couldn’t help the blush though. Her familiar scent of fresh turned earth and wild flowers wafted into his nose and he took an involuntary deep breath. He loved the way she smelled. Once he asked her what her perfume was but she just laughed and changed the subject.

The moment seemed to pause for an eternity but then it was gone, Sandra leaning back with a glint of mischief in her eye. She chuckles at his flush cheeks before turning to Tiffany, who is asking a question. “Are we expecting anyone else?” Looking around Dean just sees the four of them as Sandra responds. “No, this is it. I just wanted to have a little fun with my close friends.” Dean notices, not for the first time, that Sandra doesn’t have any other friends who are male.

He thinks Sandra is amazing so Dean always thought it was weird none of her boyfriends hung around for long. He also admits that he is rather biased though, so he just stayed out of her relationships. The four sit around and have a dinner, all ordering different kinds of burgers, and hang out having a few drinks. Dean enjoys a local brewed amber colored beer and the three girls all enjoy some brightly colored drinks. As they drink they share subdued conversations, mainly about what’s new in their lives.

Finally Tiffany and Karen walk off to the bathroom together and Dean is left alone with Sandra. “Hey Sandy, I wanted to ask. When did you dye your hair and get contacts? The tan is new too.” At those words his closest friend freezes with her drink a few inches from her lips. After a confusing moment for Dean she tips the glass back, finishing her drink. Then she turns to him with uncharacteristic intensity.

Misunderstanding the look, Dean tries to assure her. “Don’t get me wrong” he quickly blurts out. “I think you look great. Amazing! Just different is all. I almost didn’t recognize you until I saw your face.” Dean shuts his mouth as her look continues to intensely regard him. Slowly she responds. “What do you mean? I haven’t changed anything about how I look.” Now he is really confused. Why would she lie? It’s obvious for anyone that looks at her how she changed her look.

The strange situation puts him off the conversation, but he has always told Sandra everything. Well, most everything. “Your hair. You changed it to green and your eyes are obviously some kind of contact, being all blue like they are. It’s obvious to anyone who looks.” As he speaks her eyes get bigger and bigger. By the time he mentions that her tan is much darker than he has ever seen he is worried her eyes will fall out. Then she yells at him. “What did you do?”

Not understanding the question he just looks at her. Staring back at him with that intensity from before she eventually relents. Her shoulders slump in a resigned way before she looks around. Dean does as well and spots the other two women making their way back to the table. Quickly Sandra turns back to him. “I’ll meet back at your apartment after this.” Then she turns back to the two who are rejoining their table. Not sure what to say he just remains quiet. Dean trusts Sandra more than anyone else in the world and if she wants to wait for privacy he trusts her judgment.

The next hour really tries Dean’s patience as the odd reaction his best friend exhibited makes him anxious to get answers. An hour and another drink around the table and Sandra starts saying goodbyes. When she leans in and gives him a hug she whispers in his ear again. This time doesn’t elicit a blush, just relief that he will soon get some answers. “Say your goodbyes to Karen and Tiffany and take your time getting home. I’m going to stop and get us something to drink. I’m pretty sure I’ll need it.” Then she breaks the embrace and walks out of the restaurant.

His curiosity growing, Dean takes a minute to finish his beer and says goodbye. In the parking lot he is nearly running as he makes his way to the Camaro. Behind the wheel of the old car with the faded black paint he takes a moment to calm himself. She said to take his time so there was no rush. It’s not like he is going to miss her. If she said she would see him at his apartment then she would. Starting the car he pulls onto the street and turns toward his apartment. The whole way home his mind goes over the events of the night, trying to figure out what upset his best friend.

When Dean arrives at his destination Sandra is already there. Just getting out of her little blue Prius she waves him over. Upon his arrival next to her car she hands him a twelve pack of red ale to carry. Retrieving a brown bag from the car next she shuts the door to her car. Without saying a word she just leads Dean to his apartment and waits for him to open the door. Once inside she puts everything in the fridge and pops the tops of a couple beers. Handing one to Dean she stops any questions with a look and sits down on his small couch.

“Sit.” That’s the first thing she has said since she left the little party. Dean follows her instructions and takes the seat next to her on the couch where she was patting the cushion. Taking a big swig from her beer she looks to Dean. “OK Dean. We will figure this out together. First thing is that what you see me as now is what I truly look like.” At my raised eyebrow she elaborates. “I couldn’t tell you before because it was dangerous for you to know. I’m not human, I’m a Dryad. My people can use glamour to trick the mind. It makes everyone think I look like a normal human.”

I don’t know what gets into me at that moment but the absurdity or her trying to go unnoticed seems humorous. I snort slightly and blurt out “A normal supermodel human maybe.” Realizing what he said Dean can feel his cheeks warming once again. She only chuckles in return, placing a reassuring hand on my knee before continuing. “In order for people to see through that like you are now they need the True Sight ability. Anyone inducted into the System starts with this and can improve it. This is automatic for nonhumans but few humans are able to integrate with the System. What I want to know is when and how you were integrated?”

A little worried that this is some kind of practical joke Dean takes a moment to shake off the doubts. No matter what, this was Sandra he was talking to. “I’m not sure what to tell you. I don’t know what you are talking about.” Sandra frowns at him. Then she starts a friendly interrogation. “When did you start seeing odd things?” Dean quickly answers. “You are the first thing that seemed odd. I haven’t been going out much since I was involved in an old game I was playing, but I’ve still been going to work and nothing stands out.

The next question from his childhood friend is “Did anything strange happen to you, like falling in radioactive waste or loosing time?” Dean glares at her. “I know I can be a little clumsy at times but I don’t hang around dumps playing hopscotch on toxic waste barrels.” She waves off his indignation. “I know. Now what about anything else?” Dean thinks for a moment when his little morning episode comes to mind. “I did fall asleep last night playing that game I mentioned. Woke up with a really bad headache too. At first I thought that I drank too much, but I didn’t drink at all last night.”

My mention of the game again seems to pique her interest. “Tell me about this game.” So I do. The whole time I talk about the odd puzzles that challenged me throughout the game Sandra looks exceptionally interested. “So I was working on the castle that I think is the end of the game last night. I must have fallen asleep though because I remember clearing it and then getting a bonus puzzle. This one felt like it was in my head and on the screen at the same time. Crazy right?”

Instead of just laughing off his crazy dream like he expected, his best friend just puts her face in her hands and shakes it back and forth. Soon she comes back up for air. “I can’t believe that is possible. How come I’ve never heard of this before?” It doesn’t seem like she is talking to him but Dean answers anyway. “The guy I bought the game from at the store said it has never been beaten according to rumor.” Her head snaps to him at the end. Her eyes then glaze over as she speaks the next words. “An experiment maybe?”

As Sandra sits there immersed in her thoughts Dean starts to get impatient again. “Sandra, what is going on?” Coming back to herself she sighs. “Okay. Let’s start from the beginning then. My real name is actually Sa’dra, but please keep calling me Sandy.” I can see a slight darkening to her cheeks at the end and I wonder if that is her version of blushing. She quickly continues though so I focus in. “You have been inducted into the System, capitol S. Many of the stories and myths from the past were a result of people who were a part of the System. This includes magic and mythical creatures.”

“What? Seriously?” Dean’s shout startles Sandra. When she recovers she remembers all their games when they were children. The kind of characters Dean always liked to play in the video games they shared came back to her. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little at his enthusiasm. “Yes. Magic is real. You may even have a talent for it.” Then her voice gets serious again. “The reason that I never told you about any of this is that it’s dangerous for you. Few humans ever get inducted and many nonhumans guard the secret jealously. There is some history behind this, but in general most humans that know about or are inducted to the System get hunted down and killed.

Sa’dra pauses for a moment to make sure her best friend is really taking this seriously. “Humans that haven’t been killed off are either discreet, hiding, or too powerful to take on easily.” The look on Dean’s face tells Sa’dra that he is taking this serious and suitably worried. “What should I do then?” Approving of his attitude Sa’dra takes a moment to think. “We should do all of it. Make sure you stay unknown to any other nonhumans and get you started on building your power. First, drinks. Then a little about the System itself.”

She gets up and he follows along. Being his best friend she comes by often so she is familiar with where everything is. Opening a cabinet, a couple shot glasses are withdrawn and set on the counter. Then she reaches into the fridge again and pulls the brown bag out along with two more beers. She finishes her beer and motions for Dean to do the same. Tossing the empty beers she pops the caps on the new ones. Next is the bottle in the bag. Tequila, Cazadores, comes out and both shot glasses get filled.

After a shot and beer chaser to steel the nerves Dean’s best friend begins to lecture. “The System is much like a lot of the games we used to play, particularly RPGs. It has been speculated that some of the first RPG video games and even tabletop games like D&D were started by people in the know. After that most agree that others just ran with it. As some background you should also know why non-humans usually kill human inductees. In the past there were those that tried to hunt down any System users.”

At this point Dean stops her with a raised hand. This all sounded familiar to him. “Witch hunters, the crusades and monster hunters before that? Did organized religions also try to eradicate System inducted people and creatures?” The surprise is obvious on the woman’s face. “How did you know that?” Dean just shakes his head before answering. “I think we can confirm that at least one game was created by a System inducted individual. That is the basic plot behind the Dark Ages game I told you about.”

Dean took a moment to wonder what this meant. Had the game he played been an attempt to introduce the System to a large population? If it was, then it failed if Sandy didn’t know of its existence. Or it could have been covered up, left to rot in a world of ever advancing technology and stimuli. “The goal was to start a magocracy that would allow magic to flourish in the face of the growing stigma against magic users and other powerful beings.”

Sa’dra frowns at the news before continuing. “I don’t know what that could mean exactly. We will need to think on it more in the future. Maybe look up the company that produced the game. For now we should have you try to access your status. Now close your eyes and then think about yourself. Clear away everything else in your mind and just focus on you with a desire for more.” It sounded weird but what hasn’t so far in this conversation.

Making a serious effort to do as she asked he closed his eyes and focused. After a few tries Dean was able to clear away most of the superfluous thoughts invading his mind. Focusing inward he could tell that something was different than he remembered of himself. Even that he put out of his mind and just focused on himself and the desire for more. What seemed like a lifetime passed, and just when he was about to say that it wasn’t working, information seemed to just appear at the forefront of his thoughts.

System Message: You have been successfully inducted into the System. You are automatically awarded the Ability True Sight. You can select one Special Skill as a new inductee. Select Special Skills to view the available list. Choose your path wisely, for the powerful rule the weak.

Status

Name: Dean Parker

Age: 22

Level: 1

Class: None

HP: 40

MP: 60 (Locked)

STR: 4

AGI: 5

VIT: 4

PER: 4

INT: 6

WIS: 7

Available Points: 0

Special Skills: None

Skills: None

Abilities: True Sight lvl 1