(Friday. Date: 19-04-2463)

I got up as the door bell rang repeatedly. “Alright, alright; I’m coming,” I said aloud, then more quietly, “these stupid crutches.”

Hobbling to front door I unlocked and open it. “Sign here please,” came an automatous voice as a delivery droid practically tossed a screen in my face. I did as instructed, then the none-descript droid tossed an envelope down at my feet.

“Hey!” I said in surprise and looked up to see to a van floating up as it took off down the city. Closing the door, I looked to the packet, in scripted print blue text, that glimmered It read Peters and Holland. The font so flowery and artistic I expected to see a love heart after the name. “The bank, this can’t be good.” It wasn’t.

“Firstly, we would like to offer our condolences on the recent departure of Abigail Trent. We hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits under the Mothers ever watchful eye, and that blah, blah, de-blah.” I muttered scanning through the introductions and the usual jargon about the Celestials presence in our daily lives. it was all rhetoric bullshit, so I didn’t really care.

“It has be made aware and brought to our attentions that your current living arrangements, have not been kept up to the standard rental rates. Thus, we believe that you should thus far and going forward—who the fuck uses thus twice in the same sentence—be paying a rental fee of twenty-two hundred credits. As well as the back dated fees owed to one Landlord; Robert Elman of nineteen hundred credits. We would like to a set up a meeting to discuss a… Simple monthly payment plan from you and/or your parents trust fund to help facilitate these owed funds better. What. The fuck?” My eyebrows climbed, working my glasses up my nose in disbelief.

“Things can never just go my way, can they?” I asked to no one, and then laugh bitterly.

The meeting was to be held next week, Tuesday at 15:00pm. “So, we essentially owe 3100-credits. Something isn’t right here. And who the fuck is Robert Elman?”

~*~*~*~

Saturday came and found, Kayla and I along with a few family friends or neighbours who had survived the Red gate, at my mother’s burial. “We come in the Mothers light,” a priestess from the Mothers Embrace said. Kayla had wanted one to attend and speak the rights of passage. Who was I to argue with my little sister.

“To say farewell to our beloved Abigail, so that she might find peace and freedom within the Mothers holy garden. To know that her dreams may live on through each of us,” the priestess yammered on. She began a chant of magic which I knew was nothing more than a display than anything actually divine or a blessing.

Leaning against me; Kayla cried openly, a sight I hadn’t seen since Dad’s own funeral. I guessed it was finally hitting her, that we’re alone now, I thought.

There was a soft pop as the priestess finished her chant, to me and to other awakened or gifted who could see the actual magical Latticework spring into life as the spell activated. Golden sparkles glittered atop my mother’s coffin, just as they settled there they evaporated. The spell was commonly named as scatter-dust, helpful in detecting tripwires.

It was a big joke in the gifted community about how average-Joes fell for this sort of magic. Then the priestess chanted a levitation spell the framework springing to, like the gears and mechanism of a clock, each magic cycle within the latticework spun as she finish her chanting. Her murmuring grew shakier and I could see a slight tremor in her hands clasped before her face. A blue light surrounded the coffin and began to gently pulled my mother’s dead body into the earth.

There was a second as I heard a loud thump as the coffin hit the dirt roughly. Standing a fraction straighter, the priestess tussled out her robe. In a loud voice she proclaimed: “From the Earth we Awakened, to the Earth we Vanish,” all who followed the Mother mumbled a chorus of the phrase. One by one, people approached my mothers’ coffin to sprinkle a helping of dirt and mutter their goodbyes. Then they came and shook hands with us and to pass on their condolences and to let them know if we needed anything.

Lastly was a man in sharp dark grey suit and thin balding hair, he flicked in some dirt, brushed his hands and turned to me. I saw a guild ring on his right hand’s pinkie finger. The design, a black onyx serpent on a scarlet red background. Everything about the man screamed immaculate precision. On his dark navy-blue tie was a small silvery pin in the shape of a snake eating it’s own tail. Compared to my cheap 50cs suit, I looked more like the dirt being scattered on my mom’s coffin compare to him.

He smiled thinly and greeted only me, ignoring my sister completely. Now that he was closer; I could see eyes. Bright red shards crossed his viperous green iris’s forming an almost perfectly shaped triangle. “I’m sorry about your loss. I didn’t know Abigail personally, but I did do some business once with Devon, when he was alive,” the man said casually casting out my fathers’ name. Now here’s something you’ve to understand. My father was quite a secretive man, especially when it came to his past works and the like. I mean I didn’t even his name was Devon till I was 14 years old. I’d been falsely arrested, after some kids who I was hanging out with at the time, stole from a store. My father had to supply ID, which I knew from his expression at the time, he hadn’t wanted to do.

The man watched me neutrally for a second or two, as if to gauge if I was intrigued about my father’s past.

“Oh, Dad rarely talked about his past. Mr?”

“Hah, silly me. Robert Elman,” he replied. More like eel-man you slimy slippery twat, I thought instantly and struggled to keep my expression under control. I gave the face to a name a tight smile. Lets gage his own response shall we.

“Well it was good to meet you Mr. Eelman. Will you also be attending the bank meeting next Tuesday?” I asked politely. His venomous green and red flecked eyes blinked twice rapidly.

“We’ll see. Now I really must get going, it was a pleasure to meet you both. I look forward to seeing you again Rhys. Ta-ta for now,” he said and moved passed me, our shoulder brushing slightly.

“Rhys,” Kayla hissed from beside me, “who was that man?”

“That Kay. Is our apparent Landlord,” I answered and released my breath in an explosive sigh.

“His eyes...” Kayla muttered, her voice trailing off. For the first couple of months after the Red gate, she wouldn’t or couldn’t looked me directly in the eyes, as if they were a reminder of that day, of what we had lost.

They certainly were for me, even now. But life carry’s on.

Nodding I answered, “yeah, he was either there. Or at the start of the Red-7-gate,” I finished, concluding what she couldn’t. “Come on, let’s go say our farewells. Before the Mother task’s us with trimming her hedge or something.”

“Really?” Kayla hissed at me, in exasperation.

“Sorry. I’ll be good,” I said innocently. I stood off to one as Kayla made her farewells, instead of dirt, she gently placed down a white lily flower bulb, sobbed her goodbyes then turned and hugged me tightly. She stepped away from me afterwards.

Doing the same with my own, I stayed crouched over the grave awaiting to swallow Abigail Trent’s body. I took in a deep breath, and in a whisper, I talked to a body I couldn’t see, devoid of my mothers spirit and gentle warming smile. “I can’t help but feel as if I failed you mom,” I started; running a hand through my hair. “I know you would say I didn’t and that I shouldn’t keep cursing the Mother as I do. But I blame her as much as I blame myself, I couldn’t be there for you.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as my throat threaten to clench shut, to stop from speaking the words I felt so deeply. “I couldn’t be there, just like I couldn’t for dad. Even now so much is being stacked against me… And I don’t see a way out for me. But I promise you again; like I did all those years ago. That no matter how far I fall, I’ll protect Kayla in your place. Goodbye for now mom, I love and miss you, now and always.” I finished, half expecting to hear a beep as I finished.

“Pretty little speech,” a sweet melodic voice said from behind me. I went to turn, to look at who had spoken but I couldn’t, my entire body was as frozen as a statue. “At! Don’t. Move,” a finger came into view and pointed before me. There in the dirt the petals of mine and Kayla lily’s peeled back and bloomed.

“What the-” I said standing and moving away from the grave, “I can move. Who?” I said looking around, but no one was there, everyone had simply vanished, even Kayla was gone. “Kayla?” I asked loudly, I mind churning, were we vanishing again?

“Hush,” that same voice came again. When I turned this time, I found myself looking at a white-haired woman of about thirty, black pinpricks centred her white eyes. She wore a sheer green gown that exposed more than it concealed, it looked to be made of leaves and vines. Small berries dotted throughout the gown.

“What? Are my tits not Saggy enough,” she said emphasising the word by groping her full chest through the gown, berries around the area burst is she gripped herself roughly. “Or does my hedge need a good trimming?” She said with a teasing smile around the word, though it looked more like a snarl to me.

Again, she emphasised her words, this time by moving the slit on the thigh of her gown to expose her hairless vagina. The pale pink slit open for the world to see and only me here to watch. “Is that not enough?” she asked playfully, still holding up her gown. I realised I was staring at her sex and quickly looked away with as I scratched at the back of my head as nonchalantly as I could. I caught the flash of a smirk on her face, and my mind raced to connect the facts.

“So, what can I do for you, Mother?” I asked, not looking at her. Damn if she wasn’t so oddly disturbing and weirdly sexy at the same time. Stop acting so casual, your talking to thee Goddess, I screamed from the depth of my mind.

“Oh, please I’m no ‘Goddess.’ I neglected my creations for so long that the instant I return, not one but two of the great Forerunners are assembling against the Deep One.” She said clearly reading my thoughts, fuck, is she rambling? “You are quite right, don’t tell anyone I said that by the way- the stuff about forerunners that is. Hate to vaporise you.” She shrugged, walking over towards and then past me, trailed her fingers against my chest, warmth spread from the touch and the grass lived and died in her wake.

“Did you know that you’ve cursed and blasphemed my name; this year alone more than anyone has in the last three. I mean some even shout Oh Mother! during sex,” she said throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation. “Which is disgusting, I have a name after-all, I just don’t share it with my peons.” She wiggled her fingers at peons.

“What about your worshippers?” I asked boldly.

She huffed, “they’re idiots, don’t even get me started on the churches.”

“Corrupt?” I guessed, she nodded.

“And then some.”

“Hah,” I said and breath a short laugh. She was terrifyingly powerful but also seemed weirdly grounded.

“Anyway, we’re getting side-tracked from why I’m here,” she said, and all sense of joviality were replaced by a stern firmness. “I want to make you a deal Rhys Xavier Trent, tallest of my smaller roots.”

I frowned at her words, “I’m listening.”

“I moved Terra here to the Janus system as you call it for a reason. To fight back against the invaders of my mine and my sibling’s Domains. The creatures of the abyssal plane will, in one years-time, make their first purposeful breach through the astral barrier. You won’t and don’t need to know what any of that means just yet. Suffice it to say, I need a monster of my own, someone capable and a suitable partner for the Alliance Rokkaia-” She abruptly cut herself off to glance fearfully skywards. “-Alliance he will make in response. Plus,” she purred at me. “It’ll be fun to watch you fall over all the corpses you’ll surround yourself with. It will be mildly amusing.”

“Till then, I’ll need a champion as it were. Someone who can act as my representative without all the flashy jewellery and banner’s proclaiming so,” she waved her hand about in a dismissive gesture. “You’ll need to fight and grow,” she growled as she danced around me. Her feet leaving dead trails of grass everywhere.

“So, you want me as your representative, to this… Rokkaia?” I started and cast a quick glance up at the sky, feeling a chill settle against my bones as I mentioned that name. “And to act as your champion, in your stead. But till then I’ll remain here and grow stronger and fight these abyssal creatures in one years time.” I finished summarising all the little snags of detail I could.

“Pretty much,” she said with a nod and spun about in place her gown spinning and lifting with her movements.

“Mother seriously?” I said as if chastising a child.

“Oh, sorry. Considering that you’re going to accept anyway and that we’ll be bound, call me Annaleigh. I much more prefer that name over Sal’re’al or Mother.”

“Okay... So, how do we go about this then?”

She stopped and turned to me once again; her playfulness now replaced by a mask of concentration. “You know your mind never really shuts up.”

“I… should hope not, I would hate to be dead.”

“Touché, now. I, Sal’re’al. Domain leader of Sol, Janus and watcher of Leathanria, so offer and do offer Bzzt! my gift.” A sound like static rang in my ears as my entire being clenched in place. A feeling I couldn’t describe but what felt like pressure overwhelmed my mind and heart in a crushing wave of force. The rest of her announcement was drowned out as the feeling grew and intensified, and I drowned in the energy overcoming my senses.

Then it all suddenly pulled away, leaving me gasping and curling up on the grass besides my mother’s grave. “Do you accept?” Mother - Sal’re’al - Annaleigh’s voice snapped through me like a car crash.

“Yes,” I said with a gasp.

“Do you accept?” she asked again.

“YES! I shouted my voice growing heated.

“Do you accept?” My heart bounded against the confines of my ribcage; my veins bulged as my throat contracted as if I was asphyxiating on my very words.

“Yeesss!” I shouted in loud hiss, my head vibrating violently as my heart promptly exploded. With wide eyes I looked up at the sky as Annaleigh floated over on a cushion of force and air. She said something to me, but I heard nothing. You fucking killed me, was all I could think at her in response.

She reached down towards me, in her outstretched hand floated a cube of neon blue light. It was segmented and divided like an old Earths Rubik’s cube. Small lines of blue glowing light zigzagged and spread out like the coppery pathway patterns on a circuit board.

I could hear nothing, and only thing I could see was Annaleigh concentrating as she did something to me, reached into me, filling the space where my heart had beat its final, moments ago. A few minutes later her hand came away bloody, she made a whistling gesture and wiped the back of her bloody hand across her forehead.

Nothing happened for several seconds; then I felt it, as what I could only assume were those same line’s I saw bleeding through the cube, spread throughout my body.

My whole being itched and shook violently with a spasm, though I felt no pain, just a mild discomfort at all the rattling and wiggling going on inside me. I’m going to have a terrible headache once this over, came an errant thought. Then everything came alive as a tingling sensation one of lightness filled my lungs. I know this feeling, I thought as stark clarity washed over me. Then a chill of coldness enough to make me shiver and cause some mild shrinkage, started at the top of my head then knifed down through my brain. My vision swam a bright blue, when it had gone red before, the only other time I had felt this way.

I screamed intelligently, my mind flashing back to when I had Awakened the first time. Watching helplessly as my father died as I underwent this process. Being trapped in my own body shouting internally as grey-skinned lizardmen dragged him across the ground, where they then broke each limb and finally removed his head.

Then I was brought back to the present as it all drained away and I could move once again. Sitting upright I immediately slammed a hand into my chest. It was unblemished, no scar or crater where my heart had literally exploded like a damn Xenomorph popping out of me. There was nothing at all, and I saw that I was completely nude.

“You know for a skinny runt, your carrying quite the weapon there,” I heard Annaleigh’s voice tittered at me.

Staying seated I panted as the adrenaline wore off. “What. The. Fuck. Annaleigh,” I growled in disbelief.

“What?” she asked, sounding legitimately confused, still floated around on her cushion of air.

“Whadda ya mean, What?” I said making a poor impersonation of her voice, “You fucking killed me,” I hissed the words out angrily.

“Bzzt! You will not take that tone with me again,” she said, commanding me and I obeyed immediately. “Yes Mother,” I replied with a sarcastic roll of my eyes

She took a deep breath as her face went scarlet; then she breathed it out, instead of chewing me out. “Sorry,” she said with a small shrug, her shoulders slumping.

Breathing out all my anger and annoyance in a sigh, “well. What did you do to me then?” I asked as a way to change the subject, though not by much.

She grinned, “I Awakened you,” she started.

“But I already was,” I said interrupting her. She gave me that look I knew so well, and I promptly shut my trap.

“Yes. I Awakened you a second time, so an Awake-awakened,” She explained, and I blinked.

holy fuck! my brain screamed at me.

My mouth though offered, “double-awakening?” Annaleigh shook her head; white shoulder length hair flinging about as she did so.

“Reawakening,” she countered, and this time I shook my head.

“How about… ‘Woke.’”

“seriously?”

“What? Sounds cool,” she rolled her eyes which looked quite hard to do, considering they were almost completely white and all.

“Fine. I ‘Woke’ you,” she said, making air quotations around the word from her cushion of air.

Hah, I am so not funny.

“Yes, so I did that. I guess you’re now twice better than an average Awakened now,” she said considering. “If an E-rank Gifted is four times stronger than you- sorry- and you were the weakest. The Reawakening would have you at the highest peak of an Awakened, and then some, putting your awakened-reawakened-woke self on par with a low E-rank gifted. Then add the fact that I gifted you,” she said but I interrupted her with a hand wave.

“Wait, hold up. You gifted me?” I asked my voice going up an octave.

“Yes,” she replied with a frown. Before I even knew what; I was doing and to whom, I wrapped Annaleigh, the All Mother, Goddess and creator of my world in a tight hug and spun about laughing as she squawked indignantly. “Rhys! What’re you doing?” she yelled, fighting against me.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much- how much this means to me,” I said my voice catching. Then I felt her thin arms close around my neck and return my embrace briefly. Her scent was that of a fresh spring day and excited me with happiness.

“You’re welcome, now put me down before I have to command you to,” she said.

“Yes Mother,” I answered with a grin.

“Right as I was saying… I gifted you, onto top of Reawakening you. No,” she held up her hand as what was the start of a bajillions questions tried to spill from my mouth. “Let me say this and get it out of the way. Our contract means I hold your true name. You will never have to fear someone else finding it as my presence will shield it for you.” I guessed that had to do with weird static I heard. “Seriously stop with all the kinky ideas flooding through you gutter of a mind,” she said a touch annoyed, as a flash of all the potential things she could force me to do to her.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “So, what gift do I have then, and are we still at my mom’s funeral?” I asked as the sudden realisation hit me.

“Firstly, Yes to the latter. I made a field of mana and slowed down the time for all within. As to the former that’ll be difficult to explain, because… it’s mildly broken, in the overpowered way,” she explained cryptically. “I gifted with the Gamer class,” she said with some finality I didn’t understand. I’m pretty sure I heard a few crickets chirping away in the silence.

“Huh?” I replied dumbly. With a sigh Annaleigh settled herself more comfortably and with a wave of her hand a magical latticework sprung and activated in an instant. It was so fast and completely devoid of a chant that as soon as I even registered that it happened, it was over. I blinked and the spell was done. Her cushion spreading out and becoming a mattress for which; she laid down on her side facing me.

“The gift I granted you is called: Gamer. It’s a tool of growth, think levelling up in games, gaining experience and inventory’s. It’ll activate tomorrow after the Mana cube system I planted in you has finished acclimating to your body,” she explained.

I reached up to my chest and felt at my heart? Which was apparently a Mana cube system. It at least beat like a normal one did. “Okay, firstly, that’s sound cool as shit, my title could be something like the Gifted Gamer, or whatever. Secondly what do you mean Mana cube system cause I don’t think I quite understand what that means.” I said as my hand moved down to my burn scar to thumb nervously at it, except it wasn’t there. “What the hell? Did you take my scar away as well as my heart.”

“That sounds oddly romantic,” She replied with a cocked eyebrow, “and yes I got rid of the ugly thing. It was a mar on my project. Besides you’ve basically been reborn again… for the third time, what do you think happens when someone Awakens dummy,” Annaleigh said with a tight smile.

“Oh, oh... yeah, I get it now.”

“The mana cube system is essentially a condensed version of what I did with the Mana domes. I just squished it down into a shape, used a little something to keep it self-sustaining, then linked it to a storage I set up to allow better growth and utilisation of Mana. And get this, you’ll be able use spells without chants and outside of the Mana fields as you’re basically your own Mana dome. Though the use of your Mana will quicken your fatigue, but you’ll have time to explore that come tomorrow. Just think of your life as a game going forward, except without any respawns,” she finished quietly, almost in a murmur. “I really do hope you’ll pass the coming trials and quests. I’ll try to pop in from time to time, see how your doing. But I do need to go, running late as is. Got an extremely powerful being to make a deal with and a son to feed my blood to. Oh, and one last thing, sorry about your eyes, its completely unavoidable. They may just give you away and try tell anyone about your gift without having them sign a contract with me first.” She snapped her fingers gave me a wink, “ciao!” and vanished.

I blinked, disorientated as I found myself back where I was, crouched over by my mom’s grave, the lilies were still spread wide to the sun in full bloom.

“Rhys?” I heard Kayla’s concerned voice say my name, smiling sadly I stood as Kayla came to my side. “Where are your glasses? Did you drop them?”

Blinking I looked at my sister and then to my surroundings, realising I could see perfectly fine. Going to need some non-prescription glasses going forward. Don’t want to draw too much attention, I thought with a mental nod. “Wait Rhys,” Kayla said halting me from moving. “Your eyes... they’re blue. like- really blue.”

We rang a taxi after I said for the fortieth time that I would explain everything when I could. We drove about the lower district of New Eden where we lived. As traffic was abysmal with the collective gathering for the memorial of the Red gate.

New Eden was basically split in such a way that everything catered more to the gifted and wealthy than to the Awakened and Humans. It was all towering buildings and cramped technically advance spaces the further towards the centre of New Eden.

The higher your status in society was, the higher up you lived, the more power you wielded.

The claustrophobic living conditions and the tightness everyone felt living towards the outer rim of the city got better the further in you went. We lived in the outer ring of the lower districts. After the entirety of our neighbourhood was decimated with the Red gate.

The government moved those left homeless and alive to an apartment tower which Kayla had been staying in alone for the past two years. There was an uneasy alliance between the city government and the G.A, the Gifted-Association. G.A owned the majority of all guilds within New Eden City. The competition was all mainly profit based, buying up the rights to gateways. Or buying entire neighbourhoods and plots of lands where access to a gateway was most likely.

I, myself freelanced for both; being just a simple carrier as no one could really solo a gateway, unless they were b-rank and above. The difference between the G.A and E.N.G, Eden’s New government, was one of guilds and gifted.

G.A had more guilds, where the E.N.G had the most powerful gifted, a White and black rank. The highest the guild association had rank wise, was a few S-ranks.

Then there were the underground guilds, smaller established guilds and groups that grew too tired of all the politicking. The third major faction likely held the most power in the city, The churches of the Mother and the celestials. Though the church never publicly debated with the government or the association. They were still shady and corrupt, information right from the horses mouth. Mother’s mouth… Annaleigh’s’ mouth. You get it.

“One big floater stew, awaiting the flush,” I said looking out over the dense congestion of hover-cars and bikes. “Hey. Want to go somewhere and eat out?” I asked the distractedly quiet Kayla. Mourning for mom was done quickly for us both. We were upset and saddened at the lost, but in truth the outcome was inevitable. Really, we had mourned her death months ago, when I found out that the new trial being tested for comatose patient’s would cost me 63,000cs a month. I couldn’t even take out a loan that big. Then there the odd offer to hand moms vegetated state over to a private firm called Augur. A shady company owned by a far larger shady corporation. That was working via private contract with the Eden’s New Government.

“Yeah, that’s sounds nice. We should also pick you up a pair of glasses as well. “Driver,” I called to the driverless taxi cab. “Yes sir,” came the automatic response. “Correct route to the Outer Rim market district please.” There was a sound like a cha-ching as I was immediately priced for the new route, my bank card firmly wedge within card machine. It wouldn’t be released until payments were finalised.

The rest of the day was spent shopping, dining and avoiding entrances down to the ground level of the outer rim. Simply moving throughout the outer city district was dangerous, which is why most moved in crowds or stuck to busy areas. The worse then, was simply having your pockets cleaned out.

As we moved, I caught sight of several gifted patrolling in their well-equipped groups. Each group composed themselves as weapons masters, rangers, clerics, magicians, monks, fighters, barbarians and knights. Each title class had sub classes, like a weapons masters would become a swords master after mastering bladed weapons. A ranger could become a rogue and utilised traps and disarmament. So, on and so forth.

Not being gifted myself I didn’t know or understand how someone could rank up in their respective classes, where some others would spend years doing the same thing and achieve nothing.

“Rhys,” Kayla said from ahead of me; breaking through my thoughts. “Stop staring at them. There’s an opticians other there, let’s go.”

“I wasn’t staring. Just thinking,” I grumbled at her back, and passed an unusual patrol of security droids. The noise of the market district so loud that I would’ve been surprised if a gunshot could be heard over the din.

Security droids were New Eden’s brand spanking new policing force. Brought in privately by the governing body.

Moving with the crowd we crossed an intersection and came to a stop in front of Farias Sightless Eyes. “This looks... intriguing,” I mumbled under my breath. The store was squat in comparison to the two-clothing stores, on either side of the shop. It practically went unnoticed.

It was a dull white building with dark windows at the front. From what I could see peering Inside, were aisles filled with shelving and several different assortments. What Kayla had taken for an opticians was in fact an unlisted magical goods store owned by a gifted, “a witch if I had to guess.”

“Come on,” Kayla grumped at me. “Hey, wait -” I started intending to stop her. But she was already walking inside, and the door dinged as it opened. The scent of dust and magic hit me, almost making me flinch. Rushing in behind Kayla, I stepped inside only for the entire place to brighten immediately at my entrance.

“Magically shielded and suited to the Awakened and gifted if I don’t miss my guess, then how the hell did Kayla…?” I started but shook my head.

The store was far larger on the inside and ranged back quite a ways, packed to the brim in magical goods. “Oooh what’re these,” Kayla said in an excited tone. She picked a pair of bronze goggles named Tarik’s Vein Sight, the label marking them as a blue class rare magical item. “Hey don’t-” I started.

“Huh, well that’s crappy. I can’t even see out of them,” Kayla huffed. Placing the 83,000credit item down on its stand a tad too roughly for my liking.

“Of course, you won’t silly. They’re for gifted, not even I’ll be able to see through them,” I explained. Kayla then looked at me thoughtfully, more so at my eyes. My ‘Woke’ eyes, yeah that sounds cool.

Quirking an eyebrow at me, she turned and moved further within the store. I didn’t see a store clerk or the owner at all, in fact I’m pretty sure that as we moved; the store just kept elongating. Like we were moving on a treadmill. Then something caught my attention on a separate aisle. Looking to Kayla I saw that she was fingering through a selection of green item tiered jackets that were still way out of our price range.

Moving over the aisle I came to a vertical glass case with a staff resting against on a dark red velvet cloth. The wood of the staff was a darker brown to the point of black; two golden rings adorned either end, a scrolling script of what I could only describe as flowing glyphs ran it’s whole length. At either end I noticed there was a clear partition in the wood running about foot from the end towards the centre, “maybe the creator intended to add blades at either end,” I suggested to no one. Looking at the label, I read aloud, “unidentified item. Reserved,” nodded thoughtfully and went to re-join Kayla.

“Oh! Rhys check this out,” she started, jumping slightly as I came to stand beside her. She pointed at a pair of floating orbs in a gilded cage similar to a birds cage. The orbs spun lazily around one another, one a sky blue with what looked to be actual clouds floating across it’s surface. The other was a darker blue and I thought I caught movement within the orb; as what could only be the outline of a fish ghosted in its murky depth.

I moved my finger over to tap at the cage. But as my hand came closer the orbs stopped floating and immediately smacked against the bars of their cage loudly.

Kayla and I jumped at the clanking noise it generated, and as I withdrew my hand the orbs resumed their listless spin. “Well that was interesting,” I muttered. The label simply read “Magnonous’s Orbs of Effect,” in purple writing. “An epic class item,” I mumbled; shocked that this store have an epic item.

Epic items were usually hung on to as they were obviously powerful. Not as much as say an Orange- a relic or a Magenta- a legendary, but powerful still. “Who ever sold these, either made a killing or got terribly ripped off,” I said having seeing the price-tag. 4500,000-credits, the fact that these are left out on display means either the owner of the store isn’t worried about thieves or they’re incredibly powerful themselves.

Drawing my attention away from the label I looked down the aisle to see a woman standing with her hands folded in front of her behind a desk and a store terminal. She smiled politely when she saw me look her way. “Well that isn’t discomforting at all.” Kayla dallied along, as I moved passed her and towards the woman. As I got closer; I saw just how strikingly beautiful the woman was.

Dark wavy hair spilled over one shoulder exposing her perfectly angular high cheekbones and pale face. She wore black lipstick to match her dark brown eyes hooded by a flush of black eyeshadow. To compliment her looks and to complete the gothic-witch ensemble. She wore a black sundress that hugged tightly to her petite figure, highlighting her perky chest and flaring out at the hips. Around her waist was a black ribbon tied into a bow behind her back.

“Welcome to Farias Sightless Eyes, may I help you with anything?” the petite woman asked as I neared. Her voice was sweet and soothing to the point of gentle.

“I. Uhhh...” I began intelligently. Unsure how to probably phrase my request, or to even bother.

“Yes,” she prompted me, her head tilting slightly in a curious way as she stared and waited for me.

She not gifted with eyes like those that’s for sure... Wait, “I need something to hide and conceal Awakened eye colour. Don’t suppose- you have any?”

She blinked owlishly at me and then gave a small nod. “That we do sir, may I ask your preference?” she asked me, and I nodded.

“Sure. Glasses preferably,” I replied. She turned from me and started tapping away at the terminal, feeling awkward I looked over my shoulder to see Kayla wondering about the aisles. I blinked surprised as I saw that the room had shrunken, and the store entrance was now on the opposite side from me.

“Will they need to be prescription lenses?”

“No,” I answered, “just something to play the part,” I added needlessly.

“May I ask what specific colour is to be concealed?” she asked.

I frowned unsure, “blue?” I questioned, though who I wasn’t sure. The woman turned away from the terminal and looked at me in obvious confusion. Well I guess the Reds still there then, “-and Red,” I added lamely. To add to my nervousness, I ran a hand through my hair, as her head tilted again.

“I’m… not sure I understand. Sir,” she replied slowly.

We’re leaving! I screamed in my skull and smiled at the woman. “That’s quite alright, I need to be going anyway. Thanks for your help,” I spat rapidly, turning away from her with a small wave. “Ah wait sir you’ve-”

“Kayla we’re going,” I called ahead at my sister.

“Kaaay,” she answered happily. Then all of a sudden, a vibration roared up my spine demanding my attention with a warning of danger. Without a seconds hesitation I felt myself slip into the sensation as my body moved with a graceful fluidity I had never known. My legs slid backwards slowly as I twisted to my right. My right arm felt as if it was unfurling from my side, and I caught the glint of a glass dagger as I reached out and slowly snatched it out of the air. My hand flipping the dagger between my fingers for a second then carrying the momentum of the thrown weapon upwards to bury itself in the ceiling.

I stared up as an eerie quiet settled over my heart. Looking from the glass dagger lodged in the ceiling to my hand, I gave a small shake of my head. With a shivering spine of something I had never felt before, I looked to the witchy-looking woman and frowned. “Well,” I started; my voice conversational and odd to my own ears. “That was hardly called for, don’t you agree?”

The woman had frozen in her tracks, half-way out from behind the desk, “y-yes,” she answered, her voice shaky with obvious surprise. “I... Apologies sir,” her sweet voice was small now. Whatever she saw in me, frightened her.

“Well, sorry about the ceiling and all that,” I said in a friendly apologetic manner, gesturing up the hanging dagger. Her eyes followed my hand up towards. “I really do need to be going,” I said and started to turn away.

“Wait,” she called after me as I walked towards the exit. “What’s your names,” once at the door I looked at her and saw that she closing the distance. She stopped though when I glanced back. With a smile and small shake of my head I left Farias Sightless Eyes store behind.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]