You are at a crossroads.

Choose the item that will serve you best.

Two rectangles floated in front of Dallion. One had had a realistic picture of a short sword, the same the boy had seen upon waking up in this world. The other had a blacksmith’s anvil. From what Dallion’s grandfather had said, crafting skills were quite rare and among the most valued; getting one would set up a person for life. They opened the path to apprenticeship in any of the Service Guilds that inevitably lead to any of the big cities. The chances of getting crafting skills were one in a dozen, maybe more. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t serve him in battle.

“Why…” Dallion clenched his fists.

“What’s wrong?” Gloria moved closer to him, concern in her voice. “Didn’t you get a skill?”

“I got a skill…” Dallion said through his teeth. There was no point in sharing the entire picture. “I got Attack.”

Attack was without doubt the most common of all skills. From what Dallion’s mother and grandfather had said, half of all awakened started with that skill. And now he was forced to take it in the place of something valuable. Dallion tapped on the sword rectangle.

ATTACK skills obtained.

You have broken through your second barrier.

“You jerk.” Gloria frowned. “I was scared you hadn’t gotten anything. Attack’s just what you need. A bit of practice and you should be able to pass grandfather’s trial. After all, it can’t be as difficult as this.”

“Yes.” Dallion struggled to hide his disappointment. His entire being was shaking on the inside. “It can’t be as difficult as this…”

You are Level 2

Choose the focus you value the most so you can leave the Awakening shrine.

As before, the boy was given four statistics to choose from: Body, Mind, Reaction, and Perception. Interestingly enough, his Mind had increased by two without Dallion doing anything. Dallion felt an urge to increase it to six, or even increase his Reaction further. Thinking about it for a few moments he decided to go improve his perception. As Gloria had shown, the skill could be quite useful.

You have assisted GLORIA LUOR in her trial

GLORIA LUOR’s Level has increased to 4.

The desert disappeared in the blink of the eye, returning Dallion and Gloria back to the shrine cave. As if sensing their return, the altar faded out, plunging them into darkness. This time, Dallion found that he could see. It wasn’t much, barely the outlines of the cave entrance, but it was far more than he could before.

“Come on.” Gloria grabbed him by the hand. “We’re done.”

“Sure.” Dallion took a step forward. The sole of his foot was still burning, causing him to limp slightly.

The two walked in silence. Every now and again Gloria would stop for a few moments, so her companion could rest a bit, then continue on without a word.

Various thoughts kept spinning in Dallion’s mind. It was as if three different realities were fighting for space in his skull, trying to impose his dominance. A lot had happened in the last few days, but also nothing at all. Until a moment ago the boy thought he had grasped the basics of awakendness, along with all relative theories. His later experience had shown him how insignificant his knowledge was; not so much in terms of specific skills, but in terms of life in this world in general. This body’s past existence—for lack of a better word—had come with a set of vague memories, giving him the illusion he knew a little about everything. That might have been well true, but only for an uninquisitive mind.

Thinking back, Dallion knew quite a lot about the village, the people in it, especially his own family, and precious little else. Try as he might, he couldn’t even come up with the name of the village, let alone anything beyond. He knew there were cities in the country he was—by all indications a kingdom, or empire of sorts—filled with guilds and nobles, he knew there was a capital. There were indications that the country was, or had been, at war… so many questions Dallion had been comfortable not asking. Before his awakening there hadn’t been any point—he was going to live and likely die in the village, never knowing what lay in the world beyond.

“Gloria,” Dallion began once they left the cave. “Have you thought of leaving the village?”

“Get free of my grandfather?” The girl let out a sad laugh. “All the time. But I know it’s impossible.”

Dallion arched a brow.

“Even if he’d let me, what’s the point? Life always seems better out there, but is it? My father tried it once when he was young… he didn’t last a month.” There was a deep sigh.

“Is it so dangerous outside?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. However, it’s harsh to anyone with doubts. Look at my grandfather. He has skills, money, even connections with travelling merchants, and he has still chosen to remain here. At most he’d go to one of the nearby villages to discuss arranged marriages, then return.”

There was a long pause. The girl looked up at the night sky. Dallion noticed the minuscule signs of sadness on her face—turned down corners of her mouth, slight wincing of the eyes, and her breathing becoming slower and deeper than a moment ago. Had these indications always been there? Or was it his recently improved perception that had given him an edge?

“Grandfather went to a city once. It was long ago, before my father was born. He doesn’t talk about it, but when he has nightmares, he screams about it in his sleep. The others pretend it doesn’t happen. They can’t make out the screams, though. I could.” Gloria looked back at the boy. “The city changed him. I don’t know why or how, but it turned him into what he is now. One has to be crazy to go there. I know I won’t, and unless you want to become like him, or join the Order of the Seven Moons, you mustn’t either.”