"Wait. You said before that the darkest time of your life wasn't until later." A familiar voice cut across the fire, but I could not see their face.

"OH, that is indeed the truth. Both my brothers agreed that my life was harder than what they dealt with. The one time we met, that is. But, I didn't exist yet. For Hal and Instinct, that was the moment things changed. If Hal had investigated Instincts methods, he would have seen that change, and if Instinct had looked into why his brother was so impacted by the hardship, he would have noticed it as well." I could barely produce a voice to tell the story, but I continued.

"What was happening?" A second voice asked.

"As the two became more independent from each other, they lost parts of themselves to the other." I started my explanation, happy more than one of those across from me had taken an interest in what I had to say. "Hal lost some of his will to persevere through hardship, Instinct lost some of his emotional capacity. For them, this was something that would bring about hardship. For me, I received the refined version of what they had taken from each other. Hal was compassionate, empathetic, fair, good at understanding his and other's emotions. Instinct was logical, brutal, and unyielding, a master of getting what he wanted no matter the method he needed to use. They stood together, and it made them strong, but not strong enough." I hated this story, I hated having to bring to light my past, but they deserved to know. "I would say, the first real sign of the change, that another could notice, was after Hal turned nine and Instinct approached The Old Man without letting Hal know."

Instinct moved down the hall, silent as he could be. Getting out of bed without waking Hal had not been a difficult task. Instincts brother was a light sleeper. Usually capable of rising at the slightest thing, if he wanted to, that is. But with the right preparation, Instinct was able to pull enough control away from the sleeping Hal so that he wouldn't notice the little excursion that their shared body was being used for.

The goal for tonight was speaking to The Old Man, and the first stop to try and find him was his office. Hal had never seen The Old Man sleep, or enter a bedroom of any kind, so Instinct was working off limited information. Instinct hoped that even if he didn't find anyone in the office, he'd find some indication of where to look next, or at the very least a way to arrange a meeting the next night.

If by luck, or effort, Instinct reached the hall connected to the office without anything eventful occurring. To his relief, he could see the faint flicker of candlelight under the door. Even if the light hadn't been there, the smell would have given away that The Old Man was inside. The smell of old battlefields, wars long gone, the scent you can never really shake, a scent that coated The Old Man heavily. The smell wafted from the room, flooding Instinct's nose.

As Instinct raised his hand to knock on the door, feeling that entering without warning would prove dangerous, the door swung open without Instinct having made contact at all.

Inside the small office, sat The Old Man, alone, at his desk. There was no sign of how he'd opened the door and no way for the wind to blow it open. Instinct took this in stride, he knew The Old Man was dangerous, but not why, or to what degree. So the door could be attributed to that power, for now.

The Old Man was looking over various parchments, letters, documents, Instinct didn't know, but, clearly, The Old Man was working. Still, Instinct proceeded inwards to speak with him. If The Old Man had wanted to avoid conversing, he would have done so.

"What can I do for you," The Old Man looked up from his desk just long enough to see who had entered his office. "Instinct?"

Instinct saw little reason to bother with pleasantry or pageantry, so he voiced the information that brought him to The Old Man without either. "I believe that Hal will be unable to choose a class when he turns fifteen." Instinct said.

The quill in The Old Man's hand came to a halt, while the man holding it could only stare in shock at the words spoken by the child in front of him. Perhaps he couldn't comprehend what had been said, or the idea itself was so shocking that The Old Man needed a moment to collect himself. Whatever it was, The Old Man recovered quickly or at least attempted to look like he had. Taking only a moment to wipe the visible shock from his face, and restore the serious and calm expression he usually wore. The undivided attention he gave to Instinct, the shake of his eyes and the way he set down the quill in his hand, said that he may not be as calm as he wanted to appear.

"What makes you think so?" The Old Man asked, intending to find both the validity and the origin of Instincts words.

Instinct thought of how best to explain himself. He could dive into the evolution system. He could explain its similarity to the classes, or he could just show The Old Man what was wrong, which led him to believe what he said. Instinct pulled up the menu that even now requested he select an option, despite being unintelligible, and willed it to be visible for The Old Man.

Please Choose an evolution.

I®å∑¬´®

ˆ˜ç®´åß´ µ¨ß笴 mass å˜∂ ∂´˜ßˆ†¥ åß ∑´¬¬ åß flexibility

„ˆ¬¬ ©®å˜† åçç´ß †ø †˙´ ∫ø∂¥'ß ßπˆ®ˆ† πøø¬.

¨˜¬øç˚´∂ ∫¥ ∂øˆ˜© å µˆ˜ø® åµø¨˜† øƒ µ¨ß笴 †®åˆ˜ˆ˜©.

WARNING

ç˙øø߈˜© †˙ˆß øπ†ˆø˜ ∑ˆ†˙ 種®´˜† ®åçˆå¬ 爮稵߆å˜ç´ß ˙åß å ˙ˆ©˙ ç˙å˜ç´ øƒ ®´ß¨¬†ˆ˜© ˆ˜ tumor growth ˆ˜ †˙´ µ¨ßç¬´ß å˜∂ †´˜∂ø˜ß. ˇ˙´ ∫ø∂¥ µå¥ ∫´ ®´˜∂´®´∂ ˆµµø∫ˆ¬´ ˆ˜ †˙´ ´√´˜† †˙å† †˙ˆß øç種ß.

͆¨∂´˜†

ˆ˜ç®´åß´ †˙´ å∫ˆ¬ˆ†¥ †ø ¬´å®˜ ∫¥ ˆ˜ç®´å߈˜© brain çøµπ¬´≈ˆ†¥. Îø´ß ˜ø† ©®å˜† å∂∂ˆ†ˆø˜å¬ ˚˜ø∑¬´∂©´≤ ø˜¬¥ †˙´ çåπå爆¥ †ø å眨ˆ®´ ˆ†.

„ˆ¬¬ ©®å˜† åçç´ß †ø †˙´ ∫ø∂¥'ß mana πøø¬

¨˜¬øç˚´∂ ∫¥ ¬´å®˜ˆ˜© ˚˜ø∑¬´∂©´ ∑ˆ†˙ø¨† åß߈߆å˜ç´ ƒ®øµ †˙´ ∫¬øø∂ µ´µø®ˆ´ß.

„剘ˆ˜˝

ç˙øø߈˜© †˙ˆß øπ†ˆø˜ ∑ˆ†˙ 種®´˜† ®åçˆå¬ 爮稵߆å˜ç´ß ˙åß å ˙ˆ©˙ ç˙å˜ç´ øƒ ®´ß¨¬†ˆ˜© ˆ˜ †ø†å¬ mental collapse. Ŭ¬ µ´˜†å¬ ƒå稬†ˆ´ß ∑ˆ¬¬ ∫´ rendered useless ˆ˜ †˙´ ´√´˜† †˙å† †˙ˆß øç種ß.

ͨ®√ˆ√ø®

Stomach çåπå爆¥ ˆß ˆ˜ç®´åß´∂≤ å˜∂ †ø¬´®å˜ç´ ƒø® poisonous ƒøø∂ ˆß ˆµπ®ø√´∂ µå®©ˆ˜å¬¬¥. Å∫ˆ¬ˆ†¥ †ø ¨†ˆ¬ˆω´ å√刬å∫¬´ ˜¨†®ˆ†ˆø˜ †ø ©®ø∑ ∑ˆ¬¬ ∫´ substantially ˆµπ®ø√´∂

„ˆ¬¬ ©®å˜† åçç´ß †ø πøˆßø˜ ®´ßˆß†å˜ç´.

¨˜¬øç˚´∂ ∫¥ ߨ®√ˆ√ˆ˜© ø˜ å minimal åµø¨˜† øƒ ƒøø∂ ƒø® å˜ ´≈†´˜∂´∂ π´®ˆø∂.

„剘ˆ˜˝

ç˙øø߈˜© †˙ˆß øπ†ˆø˜ ∑ˆ†˙ 種®´˜† racial circumstances ˙åß å ˙ˆ©˙ ç˙å˜ç´ øƒ ®´ß¨¬†ˆ˜© ˆ˜ å˜ ˆ˜å∫ˆ¬ˆ†¥ †ø ∂ˆ©´ß† ƒøø∂. δå†˙ ∫¥ starvation ˆß †˙´ only πøß߈∫¬´ result ˆ˜ †˙´ ´√´˜† †˙å† †˙ˆß øç種ß.

ͬ奴®

ˆ˜ç®´åß´ß çøµ∫å† π®ø∑´ßß ∫¥ ˆµπ®ø√ˆ˜©≤ ˆ˜´†ˆç Vision, ®´©´˜´®å†ˆø˜≤ ç¬å∑ ∂¨®å∫ˆ¬ˆ†¥≤ †´´†˙ ß˙å®π˜´ßß≤ ˜ˆ©˙† √ˆßˆø˜≤ ßπˆ®ˆ† ¨ßå©´≤ µå˜å ¨ßå©´≤ å˜∂ µ¨ß笴 ∂´˜ßˆ†¥.

„ˆ¬¬ ©®å˜† åçç´ß †ø †˙´ ∫ø∂¥'ß µå˜å πøø¬≤ ßπˆ®ˆ† πøø¬≤ claw çø˜†®ø¬≤ å˜∂ teeth ®´©®ø∑†˙.

¨˜¬øç˚´∂ ∫¥ ∂´ƒ´å†ˆ˜© å˜ øππø˜´˜† ∫ø†˙ ¬å®©´® å˜∂ ø¬∂´® †˙å˜ ø˜´ß´¬ƒ.

„剘ˆ˜˝

Choosing †˙ˆß øπ†ˆø˜ ∑ˆ†˙ 種®´˜† ®åçˆå¬ 爮稵߆å˜ç´ß ˙åß å ˙ˆ©˙ ç˙å˜ç´ øƒ ®´ß¨¬†ˆ˜© ˆ˜ å˜ overload øƒ †˙´ ˜´®√ø¨ß ߥ߆´µ. Excruciating agony, πå®å¬¥ßˆß≤ å˜∂ ∂´å†˙ å®´ 嬬 πøß߈∫¬´ ˆ˜ †˙´ ´√´˜† †˙å† †˙ˆß øç種ß.

(This is what the menu says, but the characters don't know this.) Spoiler

Brawler

Increase muscle mass and density as well as flexibility

Will grant acces to the body's spirit pool.

Unlocked by doing a minor amount of muscle training.

WARNING

Choosing this option with current racial circumstances has a high chance of resulting in tumor growth in the muscles and tendons. The body may be rendered immobile in the event that this occurs.

Student

Increase the ability to learn by increasing brain complexity. Does not grant additional knowledge, only the capacity to acquire it.

Will grant acces to the body's mana pool

Unlocked by learning knowledge without assistance from the blood memories.

WARNING

Choosing this option with current racial circumstances has a high chance of resulting in total mental collapse. All mental faculties will be rendered useless in the event that this occurs.

Survivor

Stomach capacity is increased, and tolerance for poisonous food is improved marginally. Ability to utilize available nutrition to grow will be substantially improved

Will grant acces to poison resistance.

Unlocked by surviving on a minimal amount of food for an extended period.

WARNING

Choosing this option with current racial circumstances has a high chance of resulting in an inability to digest food. Death by starvation is the only possible result in the event that this occurs.

Slayer

Increases combat prowess by improving, Kinetic vision, regeneration, claw durability, teeth sharpness, night vision, spirit usage, mana usage, and muscle density.

Will grant acces to the body's mana pool, spirit pool, claw control, and teeth regrowth.

Unlocked by defeating an opponent both larger and older than oneself.

WARNING

Choosing this option with current racial circumstances has a high chance of resulting in an overload of the nervous system. Excruciating agony, paralysis, and death are all possible in the event that this occurs.

The Old Man looked over the menu, and as his eyes passed over the few legible words, horror slowly crept onto his face. He didn't speak until he'd finished reading, and when he did, it was not Instincts safety he asked about. "Does Hal know about this?" The Old Man asked, accurately guessing that Hal and Instinct did not share memories directly, nor was Hal awake to hear this conversation.

"No, I hid this from my brother as to avoid worrying him." Instinct did not let the level of his voice shift. If The Old Man's apparent higher concern for Hal had bothered him, he would never say.

"You don't have to take one, do you?" The Old Man asked, concerned that the evolution system would force Instinct to take one of the obscure and blatantly dangerous options. "Or can you avoid it like a class?" The Old Man knew of some who did not take a class, even if they didn't survive long.

"No. I am not aware of any direct consequences that avoiding my evolution would bring about. If one exists, I doubt someone has lived long enough to see it." Instinct hid a half-truth in his words. Fully aware that, without evolving, his lifespan would typically be limited without the added time granted by an evolution.

"So, you believe Hal will encounter something similar when he gains acces to his class selection menu?" Asked The Old Man. It was visible, even to Instinct, that the situation had unnerved The Old Man, His hand taping at his desk like he wanted to fight the concept itself. But that was not an option.

"Yes." Instinct said flatly. If he was wrong, then the world would have been kind, but Instinct knew the world was not so forgiving, nor would it ever be. "I suspect the issue is derived from the two systems being incompatible with one another. So any issue faced in one will be mirrored in the other."

"Let me think." The Old Man said, Putting his hands to his temples. Instinct was willing to wait, He hoped that someone with different knowledge than himself would come to a different conclusion than he had. Unfortunately, The Old Man voiced precisely the same thought Instinct had arrived at. "Even if Hal can't read what class he is taking, would taking an unknown class, have such dangerous consequences?" The Old Man asked a rhetorical question before continuing. "We can only see a few dangers on your menu, but they are all tied to your body. A class might not have such dire consequences, if any, at all. Hal could be perfectly fine if a bit unable to predict what path he is choosing in life." The Old Man Turned a pair of quizzical eys to Instinct, waiting for his input.

Instinct didn't miss that even those eyes knew that what had been said, wasn't viable. "I came across the same line of thought. Unfortunately, it could never be that easy." Instinct was intentionally blunt, knowing that they needed to avoid this line of thought if they were to find a path forward. "A class is tied to the soul. Hal shares a piece of his soul with me. My understanding is that, should a soul be damaged directly, the result will be worse than death. I will not risk my brother mutating into a monster. Not when he still has the chance of being near defenseless by taking the risk."

"You're right." The Old Man said. Maybe he'd hoped Instinct was unaware of the risk, or he just wanted time to think, but his idea had left instinct believing that The Old Man would be of little use when it came to finding a better path forward.

"You know as well as I, that We cannot survive out in the world without one of the systems working. The only way I see to forward is for me to die so that Hal can survive." Instinct said what he believed to be true.

The horrified look returned to The Old Man's face. "There has to be another way." The Old man said, but before he could continue, Instinct interrupted him.

"ANOTHER WAY" Instinct raised his voice in a rare display of anger. "What, could we do? We survive now because of you. Without your protection, the world will hunt us." Instinct said coldly, aware of the church's reaction to halfbreeds. "Hal can survive without me. I owe him my life, and I will give it so that he can survive." Instinct let his shoulders drop before he continued speaking. "I don't know of a way to die without hurting Hal. I hold a piece of Hal's soul, and I don't know how to return it. I need you to find a way to kill me without harming Hal, a way to return the piece soul heald by me, to my brother. If you do that, I suspect that He will be able to take a class without any issue. That without a connection to his goblin blood, he will be recognized as fully human by the class system." Instinct spoke his mind, fully expecting The Old Man to fight him on the subject for longer. But The Old Man didn't say anything else, only nodded his head in what resembled agreement. The Look on his face said he had so much more to say, but he did not open his mouth, nor did he stop Instinct from leaving.

With nothing left to say, and no other tasks he needed to complete, Instinct returned to the room His brother had been assigned.

"You see, Instinct always had trouble believing that any method other than his own was worth pursuing. The Old Man saw that instantly and avoided saying anything further." I reached forward and stoked to fire, more out of a need to move my hands than a need to tend the flames. "Instinct believed himself weak, and you'd never convince him otherwise. But that was only partially true. You see, The evolution system was also supposed to act as a stop-gap on something called blood memories. With his broke, Instinct had unrestricted acces to those memories and the useful knowledge they heald." I leaned back to stare at the sky, but the tree's blocked the stars. "Some of the information hidden from goblin children was hidden because no one knew how to find it. Including the method to use everything, a goblin body was capable of, without having to evolve the method to its use. But, Instinct failed to notice this. He always thought he knew best, so he never got a second opinion on things like that." I looked across the fire to the souls of those who listened to me and saw realization flash through them. Seeing this, I had to restrain a chuckle before I continued my story.