Damien awoke feeling surprisingly good. Honestly, it had felt like hell itself had single-handedly come down on his entire body all at once, but it seemed that his Awakening had gone well. He opened his eyes, noticing the same kind of white marble ceiling he had seen in the Hall of Ceremonies. Good. He was still in the same building, then. Then he noticed that he was currently on a bed and covered lightly with a sheet. That... was good? He hoped it was good, because otherwise that would mean he had been in legitimate danger.

But even if I was, I came out the other side. And I feel great!

That was when he noticed a bunch of blinking circles to the side of his vision. Notifications. Hopefully, they would explain his situation. And they did. And Damien quickly realized just how close to the wire he had been.

[Ceremony of Awakening] has been initiated.

Affinity Test in progress...

WARNING! A high concentration of overcharged and unbalanced Mana has entered your body! If it is not removed immediately, death is imminent!

NOTICE! [Mark of the Night Wolf] has activated. Noctis has seen your plight and seen fit to assist you, just this once.

NOTICE! Your Affinity is: [Umbra]

NOTICE! Your race is evolving...

NOTICE! Your race has successfully evolved from [Traveler] to [Traveler of Umbra]

+5 to all Stats.

NOTICE! Trait: [Font of Possibilities (Common)] has evolved to [Spring of Dark Potential (Rare)]

NOTICE! Trait: [Mana Well (Common)] has evolved to [Umbra Basin (Rare)]

NOTICE! Trait: [Polyglot (Rare)] has evolved to [Universal Polyglot (Legendary)]

NOTICE! Traits: [Eyes of the Night Wolf (Ancient)], [Instincts of the Night Wolf (Ancient)] and [Mark of the Night Wolf (Legendary)] are no longer dormant.

NOTICE! You have gained the Trait: [Senses of the Night Wolf (Ancient)]

NOTICE! You have gained the Spell: [Shadow of the Night Wolf (Ancient)]

CONGRATULATIONS! Your [Ceremony of Awakening] is complete.

NOTICE! You have gained the Skill: [Identify (Common)]

In accordance with your [Umbra] Affinity, the following Spell and Ability have been granted to you upon completion of your [Ceremony of Awakening].

NOTICE! You have gained the Spell: [Shadowbolt (Common)]

NOTICE! You have gained the Ability: [Shade Sense (Uncommon)]

You have utilized [Way of the Night Wolf: Grandmaster Tome] in your Awakening. You will be granted appropriate Skills whose quality can be further refined at much faster rates than normal.

NOTICE! You have gained the Skill: [Swordsmanship (Common)]

NOTICE! You have gained the Skill: [Unarmed Combat (Common)]

“... holy fucking shit, I actually almost died.”

And that was a fact that he was going to have to process later. Not to mention the fact that so much information was basically just dumped on him, and he needed a way to fully center his thoughts. Without hesitation, Damien pulled up his Status, going through it line by line.

[Status]

Name: Damien Sinclair

Race: Traveler of Umbra (Male)

Age: 18

Class: Not Selected

Level: 0

XP: 0/0

Profession: Not Selected

Affinity: Umbra

Stats:

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 19

Intelligence: 19

Constitution: 15

Endurance: 15

Wisdom: 15

Vitality: 14

Vigor: 15

Willpower: 16

Reaction: 20

Stat Points: 0

[Spells]

| Shadowbolt (Common) | Shadow of the Night Wolf (Ancient)

[Abilities]

| Shade Sense (Uncommon)

[Skills]

| Identify (Common) | Swordsmanship (Common) | Unarmed Combat (Common)

It was all so... different. Especially since he now had Spell, Ability, and Skill lists. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t even a Traveler anymore! Or at least not a normal one. What had replaced his race sounded even more like a title than his old one had. Traveler of Umbra... ominous, but appropriate, given the sheer amount of pain he’d just gone through.

Even so, Damien felt like he was still adjusting to his own senses. He tried to focus on the room around him, only for that to make his head start hurting. Eventually, he managed to calm down, and consciously pulled up his Trait List, to put up a bit of a wall between himself and the rest of the world while his head calmed down. This list was still separate from his regular Status Screen, though he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because it had something to do with someone’s race and required different parameters to display?

Those were thoughts for later. He pulled up his Traits and went through each one by one, descriptions and all.

[Traits]

| Spring of Dark Potential (Rare) | Umbra Basin (Rare) | Eyes of the Night Wolf (Ancient) | Instincts of the Night Wolf (Ancient) | Senses of the Night Wolf (Ancient) | Universal Polyglot (Legendary) | Mark of the Night Wolf (Legendary)

[Spring of Dark Potential]

Rarity: Rare

Description: because of your unique circumstances in coming to a new world, you are not bound to the predestined selections of a race. Your potential is truly boundless, only further supplemented by your natural connection to Umbra.

Effect: +2 Dexterity per Level, +2 Intelligence per Level, +2 Wisdom per Level, +2 Willpower per Level, +2 Reaction per Level, + 10 Stat Points per Level

[Umbra Basin]

Rarity: Rare

Description: due to your experiences within the Aether, your capacity for magic is greater than the average denizen of physical reality, only further supplemented by your natural connection to Umbra.

Effect: Due to the purity of the Umbra-Attuned Mana within you, your overall Mana Capacity has been permanently doubled.

[Eyes of the Night Wolf]

Rarity: Ancient

Description: Noctis, the fabled Night Wolf, has granted you the ability to see as he once did, as a mortal beast. Use this gift wisely.

Effect: Access to [Night Vision], [Magic Eyes], and [Soul Sight]

[Instincts of the Night Wolf]

Rarity: Ancient

Description: Noctis, the fabled Night Wolf, has granted you the ability to tap into instincts he once used to survive his mortal life. Use this gift wisely.

Effect: Access to [Danger Sense] and [Primeval Awareness]

[Senses of the Night Wolf]

Rarity: Ancient

Description: Noctis, the fabled Night Wolf, has granted you the ability to tap into senses that he once used to track and hunt his prey in his mortal life. Use this gift wisely.

Effect: Access to [Keen Hearing], [Sharp Eyes], [Beast Nose], [Fine Touch], and [Discerning Pallet]

[Universal Polyglot]

Rarity: Legendary

Description: due to your time in the Aether, the concept of language bends to your whims, allowing next to nothing to be kept from you.

Effect: Understanding of all non-encrypted languages of the universe.

[Mark of the Night Wolf]

Rarity: Legendary

Description: Noctis, the fabled Night Wolf, has seen fit to grant you his assistance, with no obligations or debts owed. This is not a favor. There are no favors among friends.

Effect: Grants the marked the [Eyes of the Night Wolf] Trait, the [Instincts of the Night Wolf] Trait, the [Senses of the Night Wolf] Trait, the [Shadow of the Night Wolf] Spell, and a stable [Umbra] Affinity.

Well... he’d certainly evolved, alright. Plus, unlike before, he could clearly see that all of his Traits were displayed with the same kind of purple text that his Night Wolf Traits had been, meaning that they had probably been affected by Noctis in some way. He’d even gained another Trait in Senses of the Night Wolf. Was that why he was feeling so disoriented? Because he was adjusting to new, more intense senses? That would make sense. Although, now that he thought back to his actual Status, and some of the messages that had filled his vision the moment he had woken up... his Stats had all increased by five points, bringing his lowest up to thirteen and his highest all the way up to twenty. That probably why he felt so good despite his disorientation.

Damien tried to focus on his breathing, to get this new Trait under control. He doubted that Noctis would have given something like this to him if he didn’t think he could handle it. He rubbed at the sheet covering him, feeling the thinness and the stiff nature of the thing. His took a breath through his nose, noting the clean air of the room in which he lay, the fact that it was almost scentless, save for a slight acridity of sterilization chemicals. Which seemed a bit odd, but maybe they had cleaning magic that left that kind of smell? Something to worry about later. He opened his eyes a second time, looking up at the ceiling, finding each minute vein in the marble and focusing on each one in turn, finding the contrast of dark and light fascinating to watch.

Then, with a blink, he felt... well, normal, for the most part. Damien doubted he had mastered everything that had just been unlocked; not by a long shot, but it seemed that he had at least found some kind of off switch. Then, with a thought, his senses increased in intensity, after which he immediately turned them back to normal. So, it seemed that he was currently unable to enhance his senses individually, and could only use them in this weird, all or nothing mode of sensation. It would definitely take some getting used to, that was for sure.

“You awake, kid?”

Damien turned his head to the left, noticing Corbyn entering the room, the door clicking closed behind him softly. The Canis looked... well, tired, for one thing, but also relieved to see that he was, in fact, conscious.

“Yeah. Did something... happen? I think I almost died.”

“Well... yes. You nearly did.”

The casual admittance gave their conversation a slight pause before Corbyn continued on. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. You were meant to remain conscious the entire time while your body filtered a balanced amount of Mana from the full spectrum of Affinities into your body until your natural Affinity awoke and converted all the excess energy to that Affinity, and Awakening you as a result. Unfortunately, the officiator of your Awakening was threatened into charging the Mana Crystals with more power than someone like you could have handled. You would have died if it hadn’t been for that mark on your hand.”

“... how long was I out?”

“About three hours. And given the fact that you’re not writhing around on the ground in pain, I’m guessing that whatever Noctis did to help you did the trick?”

Damien nodded, rubbing at the wolf’s head symbol on his back of his right hand. “Yeah. Um... are there usually so many messages right after an Awakening? I got over a dozen of them when I woke up.”

“There tend to be messages, but not so many at once. Why?”

“I... think he may have done a bit more than save my life. I’m not... a Traveler, anymore. At least, not a normal one.”

Corbyn’s brow raised at the admittance. “That’s strange. I’ve heard of race evolutions before, but those tend to happen when you’re recovering from a particularly heated fight or when you’re heading up a tier. Even then, it’s a pretty rare thing. This... this seems a bit weird. But just to make sure everything else went smoothly, you got a Spell and Ability from your Awakening, right? And the Swordsmanship and Unarmed Combat Skills too?”

“Yeah, they’re all right here,” Damien said, lightly knocking his knuckles against the side of his forehead. “Don’t really know what they do, though. I’ve got, Shadowbolt for the Spell and Shade Sense for the Ability. Are they any good?”

“Well, they’re not outstandingly powerful, but they are solid foundations for your arsenal,” Corbyn explained. “You should pull up the descriptions to get a better look at them, but other than some of the finer details, they’re pretty self-explanatory. I’d hold off on using them until you understand the full basics of magic and Affinities, though.”

Damien quickly did as his mentor asked, pulling up the descriptions for both Shadowbolt and Shade Sense to get a feel for what exactly they would allow him to do.

[Shadowbolt]

Rarity: Common

Spell Type: Attack

Description: though the darkness may seem docile, and almost serene in its nature, that does not mean that the shadows are not dangerous.

Effect: gather a small sphere of Umbra-Attuned Mana in your hand that can be fired at will, dealing a small amount of Umbra damage to the target.

Range: 20 meters

Cost: Extremely Low Mana per Cast

Cast Time: 0.5 seconds

Cooldown: None

[Shade Sense]

Rarity: Uncommon

Ability Type: Utility

Description: the shadows hide many secrets, and this new sense will allow you to peer into but a few of the many that are held within.

Effect: sense the location and contents of shadows with complete accuracy.

Range: 5 meter radius

Cost: Extremely Low Stamina over time

Activation Time: 0.2 seconds

Cooldown: None

Shadowbolt was the most straightforward of what he had gained from his Awakening, and would be solid as an attack Spell that he could fall back on if things went rough for him, and they undoubtedly would. Shade Sense was less obvious, especially since it seemed slightly redundant. Eyes of the Night Wolf already gave him Night Vision. Still, that was no reason to judge a book by its cover. It was Uncommon, after all, so maybe it had other uses that he didn’t know about yet?

But the descriptions he was looking at now reminded him of another, slightly more ominous Spell he had. It wasn’t like looking at it would hurt him. Plus, it had come from Noctis, courtesy of his mark. It couldn’t be bad for him. So, without hesitating, Damien closed out the other Spells and pulled up his only high-level Spell.

[Shadow of the Night Wolf]

Rarity: Ancient

Spell Type: Familiar Summoning

Description: though the Night Wolf looms large and powerful over many worlds in the known universe, he cannot be everywhere at once. Thusly, his shadows roam far and wide, accomplishing tasks on their creator’s behalf and, on occasion, bonding to a mortal favored by their maker.

Effect: Summon a Shadow Wolf Familiar. This Familiar is capable of speech. This is a Battle Type Familiar. This Familiar can be subsumed into the Summoner’s shadow while inactive.

Range: 100 meters from Summoner

Cost: Extremely High Mana, 5 Umbra Crystals

Cast Time: 30 Seconds

Cooldown: 12 hours

Well... that was definitely something. He wasn’t sure what a Shadow Wolf was, though if it was anything like Noctis, then he had a fairly decent idea of what it might look like.

“So, uh... those weren’t the only things I got from the Awakening,” Damien began. “Do you think we can get another room for this? One for summoning a familiar?”

“Yeah, sure,” Corbyn replied, giving Damien an odd look. “So... what else did you get? I’m guessing it was something related to Noctis?”

“Let’s... call it a gift from a friend.”

A few minutes later, Damien and Corbyn had left the sterile Recovery Room, which was a designated space within the Hall of Ceremonies for when Awakenings or Rituals went particularly roughly. Once Damien had finished explaining the parameters they would need for the Summon, Corbyn had fully explained what had gone wrong with his Awakening, and exactly who had done it.

“But he couldn’t have done something like that on a whim,” Damien said, his mind racing over several details from just before the ritual. “It can’t have been a coincidence that we ran into Eric right before my ritual. It was like he... wanted you to know it was him.”

“That sounds like Eric, alright,” Corbyn sighed. “I’m sorry for getting you mixed up in my business. Honestly, I should’ve realized something was wrong the moment he came up to us like that. It wasn’t like he had any business to attend to.”

“It’s fine! It’s not like I actually died. Plus, it sounds like he got worse than he gave, and then some.”

“He got no more than he deserved,” the Canis said, his voice cold. “Honestly, something like this was a long time coming. Didn’t expect it to come from one of the damn Primordial Spirits, but it was still a possibility. If a very, very small one.”

“... what happened between you two?”

Corbyn sighed, long and deep. He looked suddenly tired as he answered Damien, like even speaking of it drained him of energy. “Nothing good, kid. Nothing good.

“Anyway, before we get started with your Summoning... it might be prudent to officially make you my apprentice. Get those Quests out of the way and actually give you your first taste of what Leveling feels like.”

“Sure. So, is there something that we need to sign or-”

Corbyn simply held out his hand as it glowed with strange runes that Damien’s mind translated into individual letters. It was a strange thing to see, but it also seemed that the Mentor System was a bit simpler than he had first thought it was. He took the Canis’ hand, the letters expanding to surround both of their hands as a screen appeared in front of him.

You have been offered a Mentorship Contract for the [Shade Hunter] Class.

[Shade Hunter]

Description: you have chosen to serve among those who fight monsters in all their forms: the Hunters. The first to take up arms against evil, and perhaps some of the greatest warriors to ever live. Rise, young Hunter, and live up to the legacy placed upon you.

Stat Gains: +3 Dexterity per Level, +3 Intelligence per Level, +2 Constitution per Level, +2 Endurance per Level, +2 Vigor per Level, +4 Reaction per Level, +2 Stat Points per Level

NOTICE! Under the rules of a standard Mentorship Contract, you will be bound to [Corbyn Evershade] until the completion of the contract at Level 10. If it is broken before that time, all Stat, Spell, Ability, and Skill gains made during that time will be lost.

Accept Class and Mentorship Contract?

Yes | No

Damien selected yes, and immediately felt something change within his body. It wasn’t as intense as the combination of his Awakening and race change, but something that he had more of a frame of reference for. His movements felt smoother, his mind sharper, and his thoughts came clearer. Then, he opened his eyes, and smiled at the messages that greeted him.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have accepted the [Shade Hunter] Class. You are now in a Mentorship Contract with [Corbyn Evershade]. Learn well, and happy hunting!

LEVEL UP!

You are now Level 1!

Stats Successfully Distributed.

You have [12] Stat Points remaining.

CONGRATULATIONS! Quest [Awakening] Complete!

+350 XP

CONGRATULATIONS! Quest [Find Your Mentor] Complete!

+500 XP

Without hesitation, Damien immediately pulled up his Status, eager to see what had become of his gains.

[Status]

Name: Damien Sinclair

Race: Traveler of Umbra (Male)

Age: 18

Class: Shade Hunter

Level: 1

XP: 850/1,000

Profession: Not Selected

Affinity: Umbra

Stats:

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 24

Intelligence: 24

Constitution: 17

Endurance: 17

Wisdom: 17

Vitality: 14

Vigor: 17

Willpower: 18

Reaction: 26

Stat Points: 12 (71:59:54)

[Spells]

| Shadowbolt (Common) | Shadow of the Night Wolf (Ancient)

[Abilities]

| Shade Sense (Uncommon)

[Skills]

| Identify (Common) | Swordsmanship (Common) | Unarmed Combat (Common)

He couldn’t help but smile at everything he had just earned. His Stats didn’t seem to be all that high, especially if things like this were common among people with Classes in this world, but his race change, and the five points in all Stats that had come with it, had significantly shortened the gap. At least he hoped it had. It wasn’t like he had much of a metric to compare his starting Stats to other people’s. But as he went over his Stats one more time, he noticed something rather… unusual.

“Uh… why is there a timer next to my Stat Points?”

“Oh, that’s normal,” Corbyn said. “Essentially, you can only hold power like that in reserve for so long. If you wait longer than three days to distribute them, you’ll just lose the opportunity to choose where they go.”

“Wait, can I lose Stat Points?!” Damien exclaimed in a panic. His mentor just laughed at his distress, which really wasn’t helping Damien’s current dilemma.

“No, kid; Spirits no. They’ll just dump into your lowest level Stats until there are no more Stat Points left to spend. I suggest you distribute them before you don’t get a choice in the matter.”

Damien nodded, calming from his panic to absorb the information that Corbyn had just given him. It was a good thing, too, because the timer appearing in his Status without context wasn’t exactly a calming sight.

“Well, other than my freak out at the timer, that was surprisingly simple,” Damien said to Corbyn. “I expected that to take longer.”

“Nah. Mentorship Contracts can be pretty informal, if you’re not a stick in the mud who loves loopholes. Still, with my help, you should get to level ten within a matter of months, if everything goes smoothly.”

“Let’s hope it does,” the Traveler said with a laugh.

After that, he turned back to the main reason they had come to that room in the first place. The Summoning Circle wasn’t quite as large as the one that had been used for his Awakening a few hours ago, but it was still large, two-meter diameter with various runes and geometric patterns to stabilize Mana flow for the purpose of granting one’s Familiar a physical shell to inhabit. At the edge of the circle were five, perfectly round stones primarily composed of a dark stone and veined through with violet streaks, like one of the stones that had been used in Damien’s Awakening. They were the Umbra Crystals that made up the physical cost of the summoning ritual.

With a deep breath, he approached the circle, held out his right hand, and began to chant the incantation. Though it was in a runic, smooth language that Damien could not identify, he could understand the words perfectly. They had been engraved onto his very soul when he had received the spell.

“Come to me, shadow of the great wolf. You who search. You who remain steadfast. You who slay that which brings discord, chaos, and strife upon the living. I beseech your help in a time of need, and ask naught but one thing of you. Hunt with me. Hunt... and bring death upon the wicked and depraved.”

With the incantation complete, strings of violet energy began to float towards the center of the circle from the large Umbra Crystals, quickly dissipating into pure Umbra-Attuned Mana as it all coalesced into a large, violet sphere of energy. The circle then started pulling from Damien’s own Mana capacity, draining him of power in quick succession, causing a slight bout of exhaustion to almost overtake him, making him dizzy. Somehow, he managed to remain standing, though he had stumbled several steps back from the summoning circle. The energy he had gathered began to morph, floating back towards the ground as it to on a quadrupedal shape.

Then, in a purple flash of light, the Familiar made itself fully solid. When the slight sheen of dust cleared away, a dark wolf was left standing in the center of the circle. It took after its creator in many ways, from the wolf’s body being made of flickering shadows to the pointed ears and the fangs lining its mouth. But the most striking resemblance to its prospective maker was the piercing, amethyst eyes that glowed like a pair of young stars.

“So,” he said, its voice deep and slightly bestial, with something of a charming cockiness just beneath it. “You’re one of his marked? Well, glad you finally summoned me. Now then... who am I hunting?”