Theodore had finally come to grips with his change of identity. Which he found strange because he only had an instinctual understanding of this fact. He sat cross-legged on the featureless ground and looked out into the distance. He saw exactly what he’d been seeing, absolutely nothing. He had no idea how much time had actually passed since his conversation with the hidden presence had begun. But apparently, such concepts as time mattered little when said conversations took place inside your own mind.

*You may think you lack any aptitude but you'd be wrong. The genesis for all the power you will ever need already exists with you.*

He frowned in disbelief. *You obviously know something I don't.*

*I know a lot of things you don't,* the voice snarked back at Theodore’s obvious incredulity. *But that's neither here nor there. Your own innate skills combined with the abilities your new body already contains will assure your success.*

He barked a short bitter laugh at that. *Do you even believe the words you’re saying. If it was going to be that easy I wouldn’t be here.*

*I may have exaggerated a bit,* the voice finally said, grudgingly. *But I truly believe you have the necessary building blocks to eventually thrive in this new world. What you need to do now is further educate yourself.*

*That would be easier if you didn’t dance around every question I ask.*

The previously featureless void suddenly became dark and foreboding. *Do you think I enjoy speaking in riddles? Wait don’t answer that because I have a feeling your answer might force me to obliterate on reflex.*

*So noted,* Theodore answered quietly. He looked at his surroundings warily and swallowed in a suddenly dry throat. The less he said right now the better.

*I want you to listen to what I am about to tell you very carefully because this information will save your life.* The voice waited for a reply. When none was forthcoming it continued. *At all-times a balance must be maintained. Every action taken must be countered by its opposite. The stronger you are the more your actions affect the balance.*  

Thunder rolled in the distance, but only a small part of his conscience was aware of it. One thought, one question kept blaring in his mind. *If there’s an opposite to the presence that brought me here will I have to face it eventually?*

The sky cleared and the voice laughed shortly. *Not as long as I’m careful with what I tell you and when I tell it.*

*Understood,* he replied quickly. *You’ll get to further complaints from me.*

*Liar,* came the amused reply. *Don’t make promises you can’t keep.* The voice paused again. What few clouds that remained slowly dissipated. *We’ve gotten way off track. Did you have any other questions?* 

*Well I've got a good understanding of my own skills. Can you tell me what I can expect from my new body?*

That was a lie. The way his memories were selectively blocked made him wonder if he could trust what intact memories he had left and the skills that could be attached to them. But in the end, his gut told him that he was about to dive headfirst into so truly interesting waters and he needed as much new information as possible as soon as possible.

*Unfortunately I'm limited in what I can tell you now,* the presence replied apologetically. *Thankfully once you finally make the transition to your new body there will be someone who will find you eventually that will be able to tell you everything you need to know.*

Theodore scratched his chin absently. He was tempted to ask who this person was but he was almost positive he wouldn't be told who it was. *That's fine. What can you tell me?* If he thought about his current circumstances like a video game than the piecemeal way he was getting information made sense. 

*Your new body belonged to a high born male before one of his brothers tried to kill him.*

*Wait! What?! Why?*

*The usual reasons. You may as well get used to the idea that your life will always be in some form of danger. Society's upper crust is full of machinations of these cutthroat individuals, so these little power pays are par for the course.

*And my attempted murder was just another power play?*

*No,* the voice replied with contempt. *That was pure jealousy with an undercurrent of suppressed hate.*

From what he could recall of his past life was accurate this would be the first time he’d ever had siblings. Just his luck one of them wanted him dead. *Okay, how many siblings do I have?*

*Well you were, are the eldest member of a group of quadruplets, three brothers and one sister. I don't know the exact relationship dynamics that exist between you and your brothers, but I do know that your relationship with your mother and your and your sister is close.*

*Well considering one of my brothers tried to kill me, the relationship couldn’t have been that tight,* he quipped.

*That’s not necessarily true,* the mysterious voice corrected. *Intra-House conflict are very commonplace. It’s altogether possible that the conflict was initiated for purely monetary or succession reasons.*

Frustrated, Theodore pulled both hands through his hair. *Is that supposed to make me feel better...wait don’t answer that.* He realized too late how dumb that question was. There were far better questions he could be asking.  What he really wanted to know was what kind of world he would be reborn into. Depending on that answer his ability to protect himself could be severely hampered.  

*Family is a very important facet in the world, and people will go through great lengths to protect it. The same goes for those that reside in the upper echelons of society. Unfortunately, their desire to protect their power perverts this natural impulse until it becomes acceptable to protect the family from any outside threat while at the same time not caring what cutthroat dealings took place within the family… within reason.*   

Theodore smiled thinly. *Hear me out. The situation you just described, that wouldn’t have any to do with the reason you sent me here, would it? And did these same dynamics almost get me killed? * It was as good of a guess as he could put together with such limited information.  

*Look who thinks they’re smart,* the presence replied primly. *He died. If I hadn't needed his body and cashed in a few favors to save it, he would be cold on a slab and every Noble House would be at each other's throats. As far as your first question…*

More painful silence, but this time Theodore understood the purpose behind it. Now he needed to alter the way he thought so that he could survive in his new world. He simply found the prospect crazy that, even if it wasn’t exactly acceptable it was at least it’s understandable for members of the same family to attempt to slaughter each other for fun and profit. 

Theodore shook his head, exasperated by what he was heard. This new world sounded like an amalgamation of some of the worst tropes in fiction. *Exactly what kind of world are you sending me to?* This new world sounded like a dangerous mix of modern sensibilities, Borgia family politics, and Machiavelli level machinations.

The further along in their conversations they got the longer it seemed to take the presence to answer his questions. This time it took several long seconds before an answer was finally forthcoming. *You’ve already made some reasonable assumptions so I would follow those and see where they take you. As far as any other specifics... let's just say it’s similar to the world you came from mixed with a little Black Jewels©️, some In Death©️ and a lot of the Gamer.*

*It sounds like there are some facets from the world of  Dune©️ in there too if the talk of House politics was any indication.* He noted absently.  And he’d be willing to bet that there were several other influences that he wasn't being told about that were just as prominent. That wasn’t a big deal. Figuring that out would give him something to do when he wasn’t dodging assassins. *So what's the next step?*

*The plan is to use the flexibility of your mind and combine that with a blend of powers you will receive before and after you leave here.*

*So what's the catch?* Theodore asked primly. There had to be a price to pay to counterbalance gaining so much power.

*There is no direct cost that I require from you. The cost will be paid through the act of survival.*

Theodore's mouth suddenly went dry and his eyes lost focus. He put his head in his lap and took several deep breaths. *What kind of hell hold are you sending me too?* He asked again. Every word was spoken slowly and he articulating every word. If it weren't for his passive skill God's Peace he would have crapped himself.

*Calm down,* the presence replied reassuringly. *Unfortunately I don't possess the power to pull you from one plane of existence and place you in another at full power.* 

Even though the result didn't benefit him, knowing that this mysterious presence actually had limitations made Theodore feel better. He took his head out of his lap and breathed a little easier.

*Anyway,* the voice continued sagely. *The plan is to use the skills you will gain and combine those with the untapped innate ability contained within your new body to methodically build your power.*

*To what end?* It was hard to discern it at first but the longer they spoke the easier it was to feel little eddies of suppressed emotion leaking from the connection he shared with the presence. The emotion he felt the strongest was resolve.

*To fuel your ascent,* came the reply.

*Assent towards what?* He asked.

*Power.*

Several seconds pass by quietly.

Theodore sat up straight and scratched his chin. He was sure there had to be more to it than that. Several more seconds passed by in silence before he finally had to ask. *That's it? My ultimate goal is power? That makes me sound like a dictator in training.*

*Don't overthink it.* The voice corrected him. *That sick level of ambition isn't in your nature. If it was you wouldn't be here.*

*Good to know.* What else could he say?

*As long as you complete your mission I don’t care what you do...within reason.* 

*I’m a little jealous,* he commented lightly. *The more we speak the more I feel like you know me better than I do now.*

*You’ll live,* the presence replied just as lightly. *Besides fairness is a subjective and highly overrated facet of life. And just so we’re clear, I have absolutely no intention of telling you who you used to be or any other details about your old life. Those answers will come to you in time anyway so asking now would be pointless.*

*And it would probably break some mystical rules that I'm not even aware of, right?* Theodore added smugly. 

*I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, let's get started.*

A message window that vaguely reminded him of the old command prompt interface appeared.

 

Suddenly Theodore felt a jolt of energy enter his body. The force of the impact knocked him on his back. Luckily since he was already on the ground he didn't have far to fall. 

*A little warning next time please.* He said as he sat back up, rubbing the back of his head in irritation.

*Sorry.* The presence replied, not sounding sorry at all. *Give me a moment to fix that.*

*Ding!*

This time the script ran correctly. Level one access, okay. He dismissed the window. *What's Next?*