“Should I assign my five points from level ten before looking at my class choices?” Olivia asked Alyss. They were sitting in Alyss’s office, which would have made a fully tenured Harvard professor envious. They sat near a wide bank of windows that overlooked the back gardens of the academy on two warmly upholstered sofas that faced each other. Built-in bookcases lined the walls, overflowing with leather-bound volumes and rolled scrolls. And that was just half of the office—a sizable shiny meeting table surrounded by chairs, a huge desk, and more bookcases filled the other half. The room was richly appointed with plush rugs, paintings in gold leaf frames, stained-glass lamps, and even little figurines of people and animals displayed on glass-shelved cases. Alyss had fancy tastes.

“It won’t make a difference; your choices are already set. Go ahead and pull up the menu and have a look,” Alyss replied, leaning forward on the edge of her seat, watching Olivia with her hands clasped on her knees.

“Alright, here goes.” Olivia pulled up her status menu and selected the option for class selection:

***Class selection option 1: Mage - Improved. Your intellect and strength of will make the shaping of Energy seem easy. This path will help you to further broaden and strengthen those abilities. Class attributes: Will and Intelligence.***

“Mage is my first choice; it says it’s improved.”

“Your first choice is improved? That’s good—you’re definitely getting above-average selections. Usually, students are offered a couple of basic classes before seeing an improved one. Keep going; tell me what your next offer is. I’m familiar with the mage class, and it’s not a bad option at all, but let’s see what else there is. Olivia nodded and touched the little symbol to move to the following option:

***Class selection option 2: Elementalist - Advanced. Prerequisite: Affinity with two or more elementally aligned Energies. Your affinities have shaped you and your abilities. Bending the elements to your will turns you into a veritable force of nature. Continue down this path to enhance your affinities and become further entwined with these primal forces. Class attributes: Will, Intelligence, and Vitality.***

“Elementalist, and it’s advanced.”

“Oh, fantastic! Hold on just a moment,” Alyss said, then stood and rummaged through a bookcase, pulling out a thin, red, leather-bound book. She sat down with it, flipping through the pages, then said, “Aha! Here we go.” She read for a few moments, then continued, “Elementalist has strong attribute benefits, and there are several known refinements at twenty that are quite intriguing.”

“You can see what refinements I’ll get?”

“Some of them. Let me see here.” Alyss read from the text she’d opened, then continued, “If you took Elementalist, improved your intelligence and will to more than one hundred, and learned a few spells using air-attuned Energy, you’d be offered a Stormcaster class. There are other refinements based on the other elements. I’d wager there would be more rare offerings if you met the requirements for more than one. Let’s keep going, though—see what your other options are.”

“Alright. It’s lucky for me that I have you to help me, Alyss. No one in my community has resources like that.” Olivia smiled at Alyss, then looked at her next option:

***Class selection option 3: Energy Weaver - Advanced. Energy and its peculiarities are second nature to you. Weaving new spells, manipulating natural forces, and dominating the will of lesser Weavers are your hallmarks. Class attributes: Intelligence and Will.***

“Energy Weaver, another advanced class. It sounds fascinating, though the Elementalist did, too. Is there any reason I would choose the Mage class over one of these advanced classes?”

“I’ve heard of that one! It’s very uncommon, Olivia! I’ll look it up; just a moment,” she stood and looked through her bookcase again but continued speaking, “As for why you’d want to choose an improved class over an advanced option, there are a few reasons: You might want to level more quickly—the higher-tier classes take more Energy to advance. You could probably hit level twenty in an improved class in the amount of time it took to get to level fourteen or fifteen in an advanced class. Another reason would be to aim for a certain class refinement. Some paths are well known, and to get to a certain known class refinement might mean starting with a basic or improved class. Finally, it might simply be the best fit for what you want. Just because a class is advanced or epic, even, doesn’t mean it’s what you want to do with your life. Hmm, aha!” She lifted out a thick, squat, black book and returned to her seat.

“So the benefits of advanced classes come with an increased cost in Energy.” Olivia nodded along, feeling like she had a pretty good grasp of things.

“Not exactly. I mean, yes, you have an increased cost in cultivation or earned Energy in order to level, but the cost of abilities or spells isn’t increased. Hmm, yep, here it is, Energy Weaver. ‘Known to require very high Energy Affinity.’ Mmhmm, ahh, ‘one of four known prerequisite classes to gain the Archmage refinement.’”

“Wow, sounds like a good option!” Olivia didn’t really know what an Archmage was, but it sounded good to her.

“Very good, but the Archmage refinement wouldn’t come at twenty. You’d need to refine into a more specialized class and then again at level thirty. If you did everything right, increased your attributes, and learned the right spells, you should be able to gain that refinement by level forty, and the number of people who reach tier 4 is vanishingly small.” She gave Olivia a long look, then said, “But I think you’ll do it, provided you get ahold of enough racial advancements. Any other options?”

“Yes, one second,” Olivia replied, advancing the selection screen to the next option:

***Class selection option 4: Elemental Archon - Epic. You’ve entwined your spirit with a being born of the elements. Elemental Energies are your lifeblood, part of your being as much as your mortal flesh. Nurture this side of yourself, building your elemental abilities to suit your design. Class attributes: Intelligence, Will, Unbound.***

“Umm, it’s an ‘epic’ class,” Olivia paused as Alyss leaned forward to grab her hands.

“What is it?” Her eyes were wide open, staring at Olivia in earnest excitement.

“Elemental Archon?” Olivia couldn’t help how she answered with her voice rising in a question.

“What exactly does it say?” Alyss didn’t betray any emotion other than pure interest, so Olivia read her the full description.

“Ancestors! I knew that gem would influence your class choice, but I didn’t imagine something like this! Are there any more options?”

“No, that’s the last one,” Olivia replied.

“Alright, alright. Hmm, let’s think about this. Let me see.” Alyss thumbed through the thick black book again but then set it down and returned to her bookcase. Olivia sat, part of her mind watching Alyss, but part of it racing through the mental images her class choices evoked. She read through the description of Elemental Archon again and felt warring emotions clash within her. She was excited by the prospect, but part of her was afraid. It said that elemental Energies would be her “lifeblood,” that she’d nurture that part of her that was elemental. Did it mean she’d lose some of her humanity?

“What does it mean when it says ‘unbound’ after class attributes?” Olivia asked Alyss while she rummaged through another bookcase.

“Some very rare classes give you attribute points to distribute as you level, just like you were given when you didn’t have a class. Let me stress: it’s very uncommon at level ten.” Alyss huffed in frustration and moved to another bookcase.

“Do you think that epic class will change me? I mean, who I am? It says I’ll be nurturing the elemental part of me.” Alyss had given Olivia good advice up to now, and she felt she could trust her, so she decided just to voice her concern. The professor stopped rooting around for books, looked at Olivia gravely, and then responded.

“Olivia, I really don’t know. I don’t think so, but I can’t promise that. Most classes, when they grant abilities beyond what someone can do naturally, offer them as something the person can control, like activating a spell. I have heard stories of people changing drastically as they gain powers or spells that encourage certain behavior. Necromancers communing with the dead is an example, or Blood Ragers seeking fights and gaining power through the carnage. I’m not sure what this Elemental Archon class will inspire in you, but I feel like you wouldn’t have this option if it weren’t already part of you in some way. It might just bring forth certain aspects of your personality or physicality that are dormant or quiet now.” She turned back to the bookcase, “I’m trying to find some information for you, though. Give me a couple of minutes.”

“Alright, thanks, Alyss.” Olivia’s impulse, strangely, was to select the simple Elementalist class. When she examined that urge, she realized she was responding out of fear. Something about the Elemental Archon class and the fact that it was “epic” made her feel pressured, and her instinct was to balk. She’d never enjoyed classes in school when she didn’t choose them. Of course, no one was telling her to pick the Elemental Archon class; it was just an imagined pressure—the idea that everyone would think she was stupid if she didn’t choose it. Alyss tossed down another book and moved to the bookcases behind her desk. “Alyss,” Olivia said, though the woman didn’t seem to hear. “Alyss!”

“Hmm?” Alyss paused and looked back at her.

“I’m going to pick the Elemental Archon,” Olivia said firmly.

“Are you sure? If I can’t find any information in my books, I’ll go ask some of my colleagues. Odds are we can find something.”

“I’m sure. I feel like I want to pick it based on my feelings, not because you find some information that makes it the ‘smart’ choice. I know that sounds ridiculous, but...” Olivia trailed off, and Alyss walked back toward her.

“It doesn’t sound ridiculous, Olivia. You’re gifted, and I think you feel pushed into things because of your talents and what people expect of you. If you feel like you want to do this without someone telling you it’s the right thing to do, then I can respect that. I’ll be here to help. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of your choices.” She sat down across from Olivia and smiled warmly. “Take your time. Think it through, and make your choice. You’ll be fine.”

Olivia nodded and closed her eyes, really thinking about her feelings. If she chose the improved class, she could level quickly and get a different refinement at twenty. One of the advanced options would be a nice middle ground, allowing her to level more easily than the epic class but giving her a good start on gaining power, leading to some interesting refinement options. The epic class, however, scared her. She’d level more slowly; she might lose something of herself as she grew in power as an “Elemental Archon,” whatever that was exactly. That fear, though, that fear made her want to choose it. Was that childish? Or was it her listening to her instincts and not crumbling to do what everyone else would call “smart?”

When she’d been young, Olivia had wanted to explore space. The idea was fascinating to her but also terrifying. Despite the more scary aspects, she’d always had that goal in her mind when planning and going through with her education, earning degrees in engineering and biology and then doctorates in math and physics. When she’d had the idea that led to her perfecting the cryo-tech that made interstellar travel possible, she’d wondered if she’d have to give up her dream; her research and development took more time than she could spare. Only when she’d gained enough clout through her shares in Vynatek had she been able to dictate her terms—she wanted aboard one of the Pilgrim missions.

Now, as she reminisced about those times, she asked herself what was the point? Why had her mind gone there? Then she remembered the teachers and family members that laughed when she shared her dreams. Slight, smart, pretty Olivia, exploring the solar system? What a joke. But she’d never seen it as a joke, and she’d never listened to even one of them. She’d known what she wanted, and she’d made it happen, despite her fear and despite what others thought she should do.

Now she sat there contemplating a decision that was potentially just as impactful as anything she’d ever decided. She was scared, but she was also fascinated by the idea. So, she decided to, once again, move into her fear. She flipped through the menu to the Elemental Archon page and touched the button that selected it.

***Congratulations! You’ve gained your first Class: Elemental Archon. Class skill gained: Elemental Form - Basic.***

***Congratulations! World-first Elemental Archon! Feat awarded.***

***First Elemental Archon: Feat granted: Elemental Resistance - the basic elements are a part of you, and thus, you resist their extremes far more easily than others of your race.***

***Elemental Form - Basic: You are able to take on some of the physical attributes of specific primal elemental beings. Energy cost: 500 Cooldown: Long.***

***Congratulations! You’ve achieved level 11 Elemental Archon. You have gained 10 Intelligence, 10 Will, and have 13 points to distribute.***

***Congratulations! You’ve achieved level 12 Elemental Archon. You have gained 10 Intelligence, 10 Will, and have 21 points to distribute.***

Olivia sat back on the couch, reading through and then dismissing each of the notifications that she’d gotten. “Well, I get ten will and intelligence per level and eight free points. I’m sitting on twenty-one points now.”

“Do you feel any different?” Alyss asked quietly. Something about her voice made Olivia look at her more closely, and she saw Alyss’s carefully neutral expression.

“I feel fine.” When Alyss didn’t say anything, she said, “What?”

“Your, um, your eyes are smoldering again, though it’s a bit different this time—like the flames are inside your irises, and they’re kind of blue and white. Here,” she said, pulling a small mirror out of a dimensional container and holding it out to Olivia. Olivia took the polished wooden handle and held the mirror in front of her face, bracing herself for what she’d see. She sighed with relief when she saw herself. Her eyes still looked like eyes, but they were luminescent with flickering silvery-blue flames where her irises used to be. Gingerly, she held her eyelids open with one hand and touched her eye with her other hand. It felt the same as ever, and she blinked rapidly to restore moisture.

“Whatever it is, it’s on the inside.”

“Olivia, can you summon your orbs again?” Alyss asked, leaning even more toward her.

“Yeah, just a sec.” Olivia held out her hand, and, just as she had in the auditorium, she built her four meta-elements and channeled them into her Orb Manipulation spell. It was easier than before, and not just because she’d done it once—her ability to hold the meta-elements as she quickly created them all seemed almost effortless, and she was much faster about it. The orbs sprang to life, and Olivia felt warm and strong, and she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her.

“Ancestors!” Alyss exclaimed, standing up and taking a step back. Olivia looked at her, a question behind her eyes. Alyss smiled, stepped closer, and then reached out a hand, touching Olivia on the shoulder. “It’s not hot.” Olivia didn’t know what she was talking about, so she looked down at her shoulder and was startled to see blue, flickering flames lining her shoulder. She picked up the mirror from her lap and angled it to see her profile. An aura of blue flames was flickering along her shoulders and head like she was a living butane torch. She stood up, allowing her orbs to continue rotating around each other over her outstretched hand.

“It feels good, and this spell is a lot easier now.”

“Well, once you create a spell, it’s always easier, but I bet your connection to the elemental essences has improved your ability even more. That’s a fascinating effect, Olivia. One day, I’m going to be writing a textbook about you, I’m sure.”

“Thank you, Alyss. Thank you for your kindness and your support. I can’t wait to see what comes next in my education here.” Olivia allowed her orbs to wink out, watching as the flames limning her head and shoulders flickered and faded.

“Well, I have some news in that regard, Olivia. Before we left the auditorium, Professor Oylla-dak let me know that she was very impressed by you and wanted me to set up a meeting between you two. I think she might have a special opportunity for you.”