“Honestly,” Jay said, looking from the video game-style notification to YoAnna, “I’m way too hammered to even take this seriously.” He held his hands a few inches apart. “This is me and my ability to handle big news right now.” He spread his arms wide. “My arms are too short to show you how big of a thing you’re telling me.”

“Oh, yes, of course, let me think on that for a second,” YoAnna said, turning away slightly to concentrate on the problem.

“Lilith, are you seeing a blue box with white text giving us an offer?” Mike asked his academic nemesis and peer.

“It has to be an array of holographic lasers displaying an augmented reality module that’s visible at specific angles,” Lilith announced. “The introduction of hallucinogens in our bodies is probably strengthening our visualization of the projection, which is impressively crystal clear for the targeted individual. Or at least from my viewing position. Of course, the best toys for the so-called Queen-Godling to better sell her fable.”

“What if,” Mike asked, “it’s not a fable?”

“Do not give way to lunacy, Michael Zhou,” Lilith scolded. “You’re better than that.”

“I’m also open to possibilities that haven’t been observed, tested, or cataloged by science due to our limited understanding of the universe at large,” Mike countered. “Which includes magic, Lilith Hernandez.”

The entire room became a whirlwind of shrieking gossip, contentious shouts, and loud arguments and analogies.

The Divine Four were instant believers of YoAnna since they had always been devout followers. The Junker Twins decried it as unbelievable and told a short story about street junkies claiming they were divine and in contact with aliens. The Superjock and Band Lead argued if YoAnna was the female Anti-Christ or a sent angel.

Everything was a mess fueled by alcohol and the good stuff put in the hookah, leaving Jay in a wild, out-of-body daze illuminated by the system notification of YoAnna’s weird offer.

“Magic!” Jay shouted over the clamor, pulling everyone’s scattered attention to him. “Magic,” he repeated calmly. “Show us magic, or superpowers, or whatever that’ll back up what you’re claiming.”

“Oh, yeah, I can do that now, can’t I?” YoAnna asked as if magic powers were easily forgettable things to have. Like having a good spaghetti recipe but forgetting to use it because it was usually a secret recipe. “I’ve been holding back so long, I forgot showing your power is better than telling sometimes.”

She pumped both fists with gusto, becoming more like the kid Jay had known back in daycare. “Here, an incantation that the [Medium] class is well known for. Be free of your woes, your burdens, your aches, and be hale once more.”

YoAnna raised her hand and emitted a yellow-white glow like a miniature sun on a cloudless day. A wave of light spread around the room, cascading over everyone, seeping into their bodies. Some of them freaked out. Others sat and waited in marvel.

Jay was the latter, feeling a benevolent power enter him like walking into a warm house to escape the cold outside. The glow over his body lingered a few seconds before fading.

The intoxication disappeared.

Hell, he felt healthier than he’d ever felt in a long time. Gone were the little aches in his ankles and knees from his favorite pastime, jumping rooftops and dancing randomly.

The silence afterward was deafening. Their sudden sobriety was driving home YoAnna’s mind-blowing revelation.

Jay walked away from her. He raised the window to taste the muggy Central Florida air and hear the cicadas sing, grasping for the familiar. From here, on the third floor of YoAnna’s giant house up on a slight hill, the window looked out to the city. It was mostly dark except for a few bars in Downtown.

He looked up at the leering half moon surrounded by stars. The mood to get on the rooftop came and lingered. Jay gripped the windowsill and stayed inside.

“Origin story,” he said, turning around to reface everyone. “Shoot.”

“I originated from another dimension,” YoAnna said.

She paced around slowly, receiving different reactions as she neared some of her audience. Worry. Worship. Disbelief. Curiosity. Hope. Frustration. Then she stopped beside Jay. He gave her a look of safety, wishing for her to explain herself without any harsh judgment from him.

“If I was still there, I would’ve been groomed as one of a dozen scions competing to take the throne leading my pantheon, the Protectorate. It would’ve been a hard competition, or so it says in the books and recordings given to me when I was shipped away. A forced exilement with a few guardians to escape the destruction of my home and the near-death of my Pantheon. I am all that is left of the Protectorate, and I come to your home dimension and universe for not only your aid to rebuild what is lost, but to help you protect yourselves from what is to come, a possible System Apocalypse.”

“This is a Superman origin story,” Mike said. “But with the multidimensional theory. The scope behind such concepts is vast and fascinating. If this is real, we’re taking part in the greatest scientific breakthrough ever.”

“One, this is a Supergirl origin story,” corrected Hailey, the Event Planner. “But yes, I concede with the multidimensional part, which only makes her more fabulous.”

“I’m going to put aside my inclinations that illusions, stage actors, and pheromones tricking our brains and bodies are involved to make this hocus pocus seem real and elevate your bold claims,” Lilith said. “Thus, I can ask a more pivotal question such as how you are able to cross dimensions since my peers are failing to use their critical thinking.”

“How do you deal with her?” Hailey asked Mike.

“You don’t, Third Nerd. Her tyranny is earned as First Nerd,” he answered with a heavy sigh, expressing his pain as the long-lived Second Nerd.

YoAnna chuckled. “Imagine dimensions as bubbles. Then consider that the walls of dimensional bubbles are both thicker than the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall and thinner than a single quark. When it’s thick, it makes it so that one dimension can’t intersect willy-nilly with another. But there is also the thin option. We merely find instruments, or powers, that help us attune with the thin option and pass through like its a curtain. That’s how things should proceed unless there are rips or intrusions. When my home was destroyed, my guardians didn’t have time to ship a proper course to a friendly, System-established dimension. So we came through a rip that led here, a Pre-System dimension with civilized worlds that haven’t harnessed magic at larger scales yet.”

“Did she just say civilized world with an s at the end?” Mike squawked. The three top-scoring nerds perked up.

“I’m sorry, can we go back to you being orphaned by the destruction of your people,” Band Lead Brit said. “No offense to our leading nerds, but that’s a bigger deal than this dimension mumbo jumbo, honey. Are you holding up okay?”

“I don’t know how to answer that. I am both happy and sad,” YoAnna said. “I’m happy to talk about this with you all since you’re my peers regardless of your mortal statuses. I’m also sad because it happened, and I must uphold duties I’m ill prepared for as the only divine teenager here.”

Jay frowned, but kept the pity to himself.

“Can a shopping trip help?” asked Macy, the Cabinet Financer. “Or is that too, uh, shallow? I’m way out of my element here, but I want to help somehow.”

“Maybe we can track down the bad guys who did this to you?” asked Emily, the Journalism President. “I’m number seven in academics, but I’m more focused on practicalities with people. Especially the bad ones. That’s in my element.”

“We’ll do whatever you request, Queen YoAnna,” backed Casey, the Cheerleading Captain.

YoAnna gave the girls an appreciative smile. “Thank you, but none of what you offer can be a concern right now. What you must understand is that my presence here is both boon and curse. Boon because I can help your dimension. Curse because my presence accelerates the plans of the System. A plot that’ll introduce you to the Multiverse in a rough manner known as System Apocalypses. If the Multiverse Protectorate Pantheon was at the height of its full power, we would be guiding you safely and competently through this huge change for your universe. Of course, it will not be free. We would have plans for resources, talents, and instrumental infrastructures both physical, magical, and conceptual. But it will reduce the loss of lives. Unfortunately, all that remains is me, and possibly you, through such a dangerous time.”

“Our universe is in danger?” Superjock Dennis asked slowly.

“And you’re asking for aid from us, a bunch of Central Florida teens, including boys with questionable morals, who are a few bad grades, tardies, and absences from getting expelled, who’ve also spent a few months in juvie?” asked Junker Rick. “Did I mention we’re Central Floridians, the hotbed of Florida Man incidents, and probably shouldn’t be handling big dimensional responsibilities even when we’re sober?”

“That’s crazy, yo,” Junker Tim added. “Who the hell would pick us to save the universe?”

“Me,” YoAnna said proudly.

“My superiors have tried to convince her to replace you all with trained agents from around the world,” the government spook, Frank, grouched from his spot on the wall. “Or at least from around America. But she wants you, kids, specifically, a bunch of small city civvies that fit her mysteriously unexplained metrics, and not other professionals like me.”

“I think people would like you more if you keep holding up the wall and brooding silently,” Jay said to Frank. Then he looked back at YoAnna. “What do we need to do?”

“First, you must accept the offer if you choose to be a Champion,” YoAnna explained. “Then I can proceed with facilitating your class selection since the System approves me to do so. Then we’ll use the few hours we have to gear you up, teach you the basics, put you in teams, and then send you out to face the first dungeon intrusions.”

YoAnna looked up in deep thought. “In three hours. That’s the time we have before monster-filled dungeons connect fully and test my leadership as your Multiverse System Guide. The limited dungeon break intrusions will be the least of our problems if the System and its Admins find me incomptent.”

“Then what?” Jay asked for everyone.

“My failure could lead to full on apocalypse, an event that’ll help nobody but those who can help themselves,” YoAnna said. “The provisions to give preference toward young, old, and feeble are still waiting for revision since being brought to the administration’s attention a billion years ago. Since it’s highly unlikely that’ll come to pass by the time the apocalypse hits your universe, your world will most likely suffer extremely high mortality rates before humanity is forced to adapt.”

“I’m going to need a drink,” Jay said. “That’s heavy, YoAnna. Can you tell us that the magic and fantasy stuff is fun?”

“Oh, heck yes,” YoAnna said, switching to a more bubbly mood. “The System brings you levels and attributes, Skills and Titles and all sorts of nifty powers and loot. Especially at Rank 1. That’s the rank when you run full-tilt with magical potential of what you could become! If things go well enough, we’ll be seeing other proper dimensions soon. Then we can embark on all sorts of things I’ve planned and devised and, and, and….”

YoAnna sighed, loosing her good mood. It felt wrong to see a divine girl lose confidence and fall sullen.

“Please, accept. I know this is a lot. And it’s last minute. And I’ve manipulated you all unfairly. But I believe deep down it will work out because you will be the best. I know it deep in my heart.”

There was a moment of silence before the first person to break it was the outsider, Frank. “I had to work myself close to death to get here. I’m not turning this down. But if any of you decide to say no, that’ll be welcomed. There are more deserving agents waiting to take your spots.”

“We’ve accepted because we’ll be happy to serve, Queen,” said Captain Casey, speaking for the rest of the Divine Four. Planner Hailey, J-Prez Emily, and Financer Macy nodded in approval.

“Tim, brother, I do believe she said something about loot,” Junker Rick said. “Magic loot, in fact. Which sounds like mullah.”

“Magic bitches,” Junker Tim replied.

“Magic loot and magic wenches do go well together,” Rick added. “It’ll be foolish to not say yes.”

“Damn straight, we’re in,” Tim finished.

“But I got football practice,” Superjock Dennis said. “I can’t skip out or my dad will kill me.”

“Hell naw, child, you’re not gonna let your dad choose your whole life for you,” Band Lead Brit interjected. “Come on, Dennis. Don’t you got a bit of nerd spirit in you? I heard you hollering over there about that anime stuff, and this is the real deal. Be all Saiyan or something.”

“Well, if you put it that way, maybe I can give it a try. As long as I can leave afterward if I don’t like it, okay?” Dennis asked.

“Yes,” YoAnna answered. “But you will not be given another offer after leaving.”

“Okay, I’ll check it out and see where it goes,” Dennis said.

“And it’s about time I change up my life,” Brit said. “Lord knows I put enough of myself in the band. It’ll do me good to go hopping around dimensions and seeing the whole Multiverse. I’ll have the best souvenirs to bring back to the family.”

“Were there any assassination attempts on our lives?” Lilith asked.

Jay imagined a record scratch. Nearly everyone flinched at the blunt and scary question from the First Nerd.

“Yes,” both YoAnna and Frank answered at the same time. They glanced at each other before Frank nodded his head at the Godling.

“I’ve dealt with those who’ve attempted,” YoAnna finished. “But I shouldn’t need to step in against systemless attackers after you all come back from your first dungeon crawls. You’ll be strong enough to make mundane mortals fear you as a peak Rank 1 or as a new Rank 2.”

“But our lives are in danger, nonetheless, because you’ve made it known we’re you’re chosen without asking us,” Lilith said.

YoAnna fidgeted. She took a deep breath and looked the First Nerd in the eyes. “Yes.”

“When I say this, this will be harsh for your own good. But it must be said that you are a fool of a deity as you are now,” Lilith said, holding the room’s attention with a vice grip. Everybody understood the weight of Lilith’s willingness to push the boundaries, even if it was in the face of almighty power. Even the Divine Four kept their mouths shut as they visibly shook with anger from seeing their Queen get criticized harshly.

The room suddenly warmed up.

The air wavered angrily around YoAnna for a minute. Then the air gradually became still before settling down. The divine girl nodded stiffly.

“This is criticism I will accept,” YoAnna said.

Jay wished he could praise YoAnna openly for checking her own ego. That must’ve hurt, especially when getting looked down upon by First Nerd. But that was the price YoAnna was willing to pay to acquire Lilith, the smartest of them all.

Lilith powered forward. “As for these secret assassination attempts, I’m sure it’ll be less problematic if I point my finger at our nation’s rivals. But I’m more inclined to think attempts to foul YoAnna’s most chosen came down from in-house. I’m well aware of the immoral proclivities of our so-called nation of freedom. Thus, I will accept this position as a Champion of your court, diety. It’ll serve to both rob the power-hungry governments this chance to weaponize more of their agents and give myself more power.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask what you’ll do with that power,” Mike said.

“Whatever I want that’s within YoAnna’s degrees of acceptance since the only power above me will be her.” Lilith flashed a mean smile. “I won’t hide that I do not have much altruism to me, but if this is all real, then the benefits outweigh the responsibilities I’ll be assigned under this patron-champion relationship. It’ll be nice extending myself as one who can step on others who cross me intentionally.”

“You are one scary girl, Lilith.” Mike sighed and shared a glance with Jay.

Then he looked YoAnna in the eyes.

“You know I can’t say no,” Mike said. “Once in a lifetime opportunity. The ultimate dream of a nerd. Magic. Gamer system with levels. Access to other dimensions, worlds, and all sorts of fantasy made real. I’ll be crazy to turn that down even if fighting assassins and an apocalypse is beyond my bandwidth as a teenager from Central Florida.”

YoAnna nodded. Mostly everyone had made their choice, accepted her offer, and gave their reasons. All that remained was Jay, who held out in the end just to see the look of desperate anticipation on YoAnna’s face. He didn’t stretch it out for long. Her heavy look of want didn’t compare to her brilliant smile of pure and utter joy.

You’ve accepted YoAnna Sainte-Rhythm’s offer.

Establishing System link through your Multiverse System Guide.

Accounting for complications. Rerouting. Generating profile with partially proficient identification.

Auditing Jay Luckrun for affinities, statuses, attributes, skills, talents, titles, and more.

Congrats, you are now a Champion of the Godling of Challenge and Change. You are also one of twelve System users, precursors before the full system launch on your home dimension. Serving under a Patron who is both head of a pantheon and the sole system guide comes with great benefits, such as being among the first in your dimension to level up, explore far beyond your origins, and gain powers ahead of other mortals before System release. Beware! With power comes responsibility in the service of your Patron!

Please request your Patron’s guidance in selecting your class before you can view your system profile.

“Wow, this isn’t stopping any time soon,” Jay said. “Definitely not a dream, right, Mike?”

“Not a dream,” Mike answered. “I’m very ready to see the Class Options.”

“Soon,” YoAnna said. “It’s best we do it at the other location.”

“Finally,” Frank huffed. “Can we get going? The SUVs are waiting out front.”

“You ordered us a gang of Ubers?” Dennis asked the Spook.

“No,” Frank muttered. “My agency and a few others from the home team are the main contacts with YoAnna and the rest of us. While they’re setting up around the anomalies, we’re going to YoAnna’s true home base where the gear waits.”

“It’s my second mansion a little further outside of the city,” YoAnna said. “Do not fret about your parents or guardians, I have that taken care of so you can be away for a few hours without too much trouble.”

“Eh, my mom would probably be fine with me hanging out all weekend,” Jay said nonchalantly.

“That isn’t the case for everyone,” YoAnna replied. “Now, come along, everyone. Since I’m not proficient at short-distance teleportation magic yet, it’s best we take our more mortal rides.”

“You’re really harping on the mortal thing,” Jay said with a smirk. He fell in step with YoAnna as she ushered everyone out like herding bewildered cats.

“I am divine,” she answered. “Though the meaning behind that is a conversation for a later time.”

“Cool, cool,” Jay said.

“I appreciate you for taking this well,” YoAnna said. “It’s been so long since we’ve talked. I’ve missed this a lot, but I’ve worried I’d ruin things and scare you away.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m probably going to lose my shit later, but I got this knack for playing cool and tricking myself.” Jay tapped his head. “Can’t go crazy if I fight crazy with crazy.”

YoAnna laughed like a cute piglet, a sound he hadn’t heard since she was a bratty little kid with a big forehead. She was far from little and more well developed now, but Jay felt more at ease with her when the inner goofball came out. It helped Jay have a jolly time leaving the mansion where four huge SUVs with very tinted windows waited on the street. They hadn’t been there before and must’ve pulled up a few minutes ago.

Without having to say it, YoAnna had the lead vehicle for herself and her childhood friends. Mike and Lilith ogled the fine leathery interior and smart touchscreen displays hooked to a boss sound system. Jay found a small cabinet with a little bottle of rum inside. The temptation to have a sip was huge, but he backed off. He didn’t want to choose his Class while under the influence.

That would come afterward.

Beside, he had a dazzling beauty right in front of him that was part goddess, part teenage savior of their universe. He could endure being sober a few moments longer and learn a little more about this whole Multiverse shenanigan.