The feeling was indescribable, as Elijah’s body seemed to lose all semblance of form. He became dust on the wind, a part of the light as he moved, shifting through different planes of existence. Drifting through space he touched solar winds and gravitational waves. He shattered through the barrier between his universe and the next, falling for what felt like eternity, as time became meaningless.

 He came to, his body once again solid as abruptly as it had become an ethereal fog. A shiver ran up his newly reformed spine, grasping at the fading memories of his unfathomable journey dripping from his mind like water over a stone, just droplets left on the surface. 

“Wow.” was all he could muster, the profoundness of what he had just experienced not escaping him. 

“Wow?” a voice asked. Elijah turned toward the sound, realizing he had not yet opened his eyes as he was reliving what he could. They fluttered open, taking in a plain white room. Beneath him was a comfortable, white chair with an identical twin just a yard or two away from him, supporting a white mannequin. It had near human proportions, arms a little too long and head a little too small. No nose or ears adorned its face, just two black eyes and a black half circle for a mouth. Though he felt no ill will from the mannequin, Elijah still jumped back slightly in his chair. 

The mannequin tilted its head, before looking down at itself and shaking its head. It readjusted its seating position, crossing one leg over the other knee. As it did so, a ripple passed over it, transforming it as it went. It became a tall, androgynous human with long, slightly curly black hair and caramel skin. Along its body flowed white robes of no style that Elijah could identify.

“Is this better?” the once-mannequin asked “I apologize for my earlier form, I had not adjusted for this conversation. ” 

Elijah nodded, no words coming from his mouth though questions rocked his psyche. The once-mannequin shifted slightly, seeming to get comfortable in its new form before pulling a white scroll from the middle of the air. 

“I see we are from Earth, yes?” It looked up at him, waiting for him to confirm

“Um, yes, I am.” Elijah croaked, nearly choking on his words.

“Fantastic, we were wondering when you all would join us. Welcome, Pioneer Elijah Callahan, to the Ark System.” the once-mannequin spread its arms wide in a greeting manner.

“The Ark System?” Elijah asked

“Yes, the Ark System. Your world is currently undergoing rapid changes, ones that you humans are dearly unprepared for. The Ark Spirit swooped in, and grabbed you so we could prepare you before reintroducing you back to your planet.”

Elijah leaned forward, putting his chin between his hands as he digested this information. After a moment, he spoke up again.

“What sort of changes? And what caused them? And what is the Ark Spirit? On top of that, what is the Ark system?” He asked, questions pouring out of his mouth before he could stop them. The once-mannequin tilted its head as if listening to something up above it before nodding and looking back at Elijah.

“I can answer most of what you have asked, if not in large detail. Your world is experiencing something we call Rapid Mana Evolution. Your world, once very magical, had its mana, the source of magic, plugged up years ago. Not an uncommon thing on undeveloped magical worlds, someone always tends to screw with the source somehow. But someone plugged yours up entirely, with just a trickle coming through. The seal on that plug slowly wore away over thousands of years, before popping open and unleashing all that stored up mana onto the, now mana deprived, surface world. It will unleash monsters that would have reincarnated centuries ago, and cause most everything in the world to evolve to the influx of mana. Are you keeping up Mr. Callahan?” the once-mannequin stopped mid explanation, seeing Elijah shaking his head. 

“I am, yes, but this sounds crazy. Please continue…”Elijah stopped, realizing he did not know what to call the once-mannequin.

“Ah, my designation is Number A Four.”It gestured to its chest to where a silver name tag appeared, where NO. A4 inscribed itself. “But some choose to call me Noah.”

“Good to meet you Noah.”

“Likewise, Mr. Callahan. Anyhow, with the introduction of mana back into the ecosystem, everything on earth will begin to evolve. Plants, animals, even the geography will shift. Many will not survive such a violent transition, which is why the Ark System scooped up all the humans. The Ark System was created by the Ark Spirit eons ago, after seeing several such transitions like Earth’s. It would save the local sentient species, and offer them a much gentler transition than the one they would have experienced back home. In time, it began to intercede on many magically developed worlds, offering chances for easy growth and connectedness through the wider universe. As for what the Ark Spirit is, well, I cannot really say. But it is not a malevolent force, though not quite benevolent either. Connecting to developing worlds helps the System grow, which has resulted in several iterations of the System through the millenia.”

“Does it take from the planets it connects to?” Elijah asked, worry creeping into his voice.

“Yes,” Noah said, “But it is not parasitic in the way you might be thinking. If anything, it is a symbiotic relationship, taking a small percentage of generated mana and introducing legacies from other universes, powers for the inhabitants of the world to access.”

“And this transition you mentioned,” Elijah started, “What exactly does that mean for us? And what about the humans left behind on Earth?” Noah raised an eyebrow at that, a small frown forming before it answered.

“Well, the transition will be placing Earth humans into a small pocket universe, having you develop in less violent, while not quite perfectly safe, conditions either. To do so, you will be granted an Ark Seed that will help you develop and connect to the system. As far as humans left behind on earth, we can promise you, there are none. There are almost no magical creatures left on Earth, and all non-sentient lifeforms were left behind as the System cannot connect to them.”

↞↠

 

Leto struggled to open his eyes, sunlight pouring between his eyelids and forcing him to close them again. Wincing, he grabbed his head. His heart beat loud within it, accompanying an awful ache. Supporting himself with his free hand, he pushed himself into a sitting position. Memories of a storm, of the world splitting apart, and people disappearing into golden light raced through his mind. The sudden memories forced his eyes open and he studied his surroundings. He could tell he was on a rocky beach, but most of his vision was obscured as he adjusted to the bright sunlight. 

His legs came into view first, tangled in a rope that was tied around his waist. Foot by foot, the area around him became clearer. Debris from the ship was scattered all around him, but nowhere within a yard of him. It looked as though it had avoided him, or as if he was the center of some wood and metal explosion that had rocked the beach. Apparently Elijah’s dad had managed to direct them to the island. 

“Oh shit.” Leto said, remembering he had not been alone in this accident. Stumbling, he rose to his feet, his headache receding every moment. His  heart beat quieting as he focused on his new objective. Pushing over large pieces of debris, he searched every inch of the beach. The whole time calling out to his only remaining companion. 

“Mister Callahan! Are you here?!” Leto’s voice rang out over the wet sand again and again, each time going unanswered. When his feet and arms began to ache from pushing large pieces of wrecked boat over, he settled against a rock up the beach facing out over the lake. 

Panting, Leto studied the distant shore. And distant it was, seeming much further away than it had been before. The shape of the crater seemed oblong now, much more a long oval than the rough circle it had once been. Bisecting the new perimeter was a gash, a tear into the earth on both sides. A new, deep canyon ran through, the river flowing through the once isolated lake. It was like someone had grabbed two sides of the crater and pulled, only stopping once it had split down the center. Baffled by the sight before him, Leto could only accept it for what it was without proper explanation. This was where he was now, and he could only move forward from there. While he rested, his body began to register the effects of all his strenuous movement from the storm until now. The pounding in his head returned with a whole body ache. Exhaustion swept over him like a weighted blanket as he tried to fight unconsciousness. 

Leto tried to force himself to his feet, a familiar feeling of the strange pressure in his body as he attempted to brute force himself into a standing position. Pressure built, layering atop his muscles again and again before his willpower gave and he collapsed back into a resting position. Remaining flows of pressure gathered inside his chest where another weightless object seemed to develop under his solar plexus. Unconsciousness took him, a thief stealing the last thoughts from his weary mind. 

↞↠

 

“Oh good,” said Elijah. “I was really worried. When I was taken, I didn’t see my friend or my dad coming with me.”

“Ah, yes, that happens.” Noah nodded, shifting in their seat. “Some people are less compatible with the Ark System and it takes it longer to transport them. Sadly, this does mean that we were unable to save many people who perished while the first changes to the geography were happening. We lost nearly…” Noah tapered off, tilting their head again to listen to something up above them, the Ark System, Elijah assumed. “Ah, only a small percentage. How good.” A smile graced Noah’s face, but something in that expression felt false to Elijah. 

“Now, we begin the final phase of our little introduction here.” Noah continued.

“Sorry,” Elijah interrupted, “One last question; where is everyone else?”

“Simple enough to answer,” Noah replied with a more genuine smile “They are each receiving similar orientations to this one. It is a nearly identical process for everyone, we explain their situation, allow them to calm themselves, and grant them an Ark Seed so they may move onto the ‘Tutorial Space’.” Noah reached into the air again, stashing its scroll it had referenced for Elijah’s information and pulling a plum-sized, golden orb. Within it spun geometric shapes and words in languages Elijah did not recognize. 

Noah leaned forward, placing the orb into Elijah’s palm. Elijah stared at it for a moment before looking back toward Noah. The once-mannequin, Elijah had almost forgot it wasn’t human at all, seemed to be waiting for Elijah to initiate any further.

“Are you going to tell me how to…I don’t know, bond with this thing?” Elijah asked. Noah shook its head.

“Sorry Mr. Callahan, no. From this point, it must be up to you. You must absorb it however it feels right, and must be open and consenting. I cannot instruct you any further.” Elijah nodded, pulling the Seed toward himself. His first instinct was to swallow it, but as he moved it up toward his mouth, he passed his solar plexus. When it passed by, it felt like a small pull was trying to grab onto it from inside himself. Pulling it back down, he began to hug it into himself. When he looked back at Noah, an excited smile was across its face. Elijah stopped, thinking for one more moment.

“Sorry, Noah, is it an option to not take the Seed?” He asked. Noah’s smile slipped, becoming a much more serious face. It uncrossed its legs and leaned towards him, about to place a hand on his knee before stopping midair and pulling back.

“Elijah,” It started, “There is always a choice. Remember that as you progress. But I cannot send you to the tutorial unless you absorb the Seed. If you do not, you would stay here until the tutorial is over and you would be sent back to Earth. That,” Noah nodded seriously, “Would be an extremely painful way to die.”

↞↠

 

Barks rang through the air, dragging Leto’s conscious mind back to the world. Eyes snapping open he saw a figure running in the distance, not quite clear against the bright background and the water. Leto came up to one knee and squinted his eyes, trying to get a clearer picture. When his view barely changed, he grew frustrated for a moment before one of the things below his solar plexus tightened, layering the strange pressure in his body over the back of his eyes in the same way it had when he was on the ship. His vision sharpened and did not quite zoom in, but somehow he was able to register things further away. The figure cleared, the form becoming Elijah’s father, hauling ass down the stone covered beach back toward the debris field. Behind him, four slavering, snarling dogs were snapping at his heels. 

Leto stood, waving his arms over his head while he yelled.

“Mister Callahan! Come this way!” Elijah’s father’s head snapped in his direction, and he changed course running straight for Leto. All the while, the dogs never lost step, trying to leap at his legs and bite down. But Mr. Callahan always stayed a step ahead of them, his long legs pumping and sweat running down his face. Leto clambered on top of the rock he had fallen asleep against, standing several feet up off the ground. When Mr. Callahan reached him, he lept, arms outstretched. Leto caught his hands, pulling and turning to the side so he could haul the larger man on top of their defensive structure. One of the dogs lept after, but Leto’s shoe caught it in the nose and sent it back toward the ground.

“Thank God Leto,” Mr. Callahan said, “ I thought I had lost you too. I was searching all around the island beaches when these dogs came out of the woods. Something is definitely wrong with them.” The two of them embraced, but quickly went back to back and the dogs snarled again. Leto saw what he had meant by something being wrong.

Each dog was a different breed, two large and hairy and the other two a little smaller. On the two larger, hairy ones, their fur seemed to be sloughing off in places,  revealing short black fur beneath it. The smaller ones were experiencing a similar change, but the muscles underneath their coats seemed gnarled, and dense beneath their skin. All of their teeth seemed to be too large for their mouths, stretching their gums and jaws uncomfortably large and wide. 

“What the hell did these things eat?” Leto asked, bringing a sharp laugh from Mr. Callahan behind me.

“Me, very nearly. But I’m not sure what’s  wrong with them. Did you manage to grab anything useful from the ship before we crashed?” 

Leto took inventory quickly. His backpack was still strapped to his back, where he had stored the hatchet he found. This reminded him of the knife that was still buckled into the sheath at his waist. Pulling both out, he began to hand the larger weapon to Mr. Callahan, who pushed it back towards him and grabbed the knife. 

“I was in the military, son. I know my way around a knife. Besides, you could probably use something with a longer reach .” He winked at Leto, taking a stance with his knife. Leto shrugged the backpack back on, and held the hatchet tight in his hands. The two smaller dogs had tried to jump up a few times, not quite able to make it all the way up. One of the larger ones sauntered back, giving itself some room from the rock. Leto could swear he saw an intelligent look in its eye and a grin on its malformed snout before it charged, muscles tensing like a hunting dog and lept, clearing the several feet from the ground up to the top of the rock. 

Leto swung, trying to hit it in the air before it got to him. He nearly missed his swing, the flat side of the blade taking the dog on its jaw and knocking several teeth from its mouth before sending it back to the ground. The momentum of the swing and the transferred energy of the dog’s collision nearly sent Leto down to join the hunting pack. His feet slipped as he tried to step down and steady himself. When he realized he was not going to retain his high ground, panic took over. Something beneath his solar plexus triggered again, layering the pressure around his feet and legs, up his spine and down his arms, allowing him to right himself and keep his footing. He stepped back, feeling the sure solidity of Mr. Callahan's back against his. 

The dog he had hit pulled itself upright, snarling, drool leaking between the gaps where its teeth had been. Leto widened his stance, readying himself for another round against the canine.

↞↠

 

In a large white room, a massive golden orb of light spun. Millions upon millions of geometric shapes, words, and numbers flying in intricate patterns through it, obscuring anything within its depths. All around it, white mannequins worked on large magical projections, documenting and controlling information.

Report.

A voice resounded through the room, no emotion present, just even-keeled and powerful. It was not loud, just present everywhere, all at once. One mannequin looked up, speaking for the group.

“Lord Spirit, it seems most of the humans from the planet designated Earth have accepted the Ark Seeds and are entering the tutorial.”

Are there any that stand out in the reports? I noticed No.A4 personally greeted one. This is not a common directive for them.

The mannequin nodded. 

“There were quite a few, and yes No. A4’s Pioneer was one. There is a large amount of Fate affinity mana around him, though whether or not he was producing it remains to be seen. However, his identifiable affinities are Might, Space, and Time, which are notable. It seems the Pioneer, designation Elijah Callahan, was able to perceive the System transfer as it happened. Quite unusual for a Pioneer, but with their Affinities it makes much more sense.”

Fabulous. It seems we have potential from this one. Though we saw this coming, with the beings produced in its distant past. The harvested Legacies will add significant benefit to this excursion.

One of the other mannequins in the room that had not spoken leaned over the speaker and whispered something before returning to its seat. The speaker turned back to the Ark Spirit.

“Several of the Scout series homunculus were wondering, Lord Spirit, about the sentient humanoids left behind on the Planet.” 

 The information is an error No. G257. There are no sentient humanoids left on the surface. Initiate Transition Protocol and update me about the mana density and threat level of released entities from the Seal. 

“Yes Lord.”

↞↠

 

Leto pulled the hatchet from the dog’s skull, flinching as a spray of blood and brain matter came from it. He was panting, his earlier exhaustion back in nearly full force. Between himself and Mr. Callahan, they had managed to put down three of the dogs, wounding the fourth before it turned tail and ran into the woods. Leto set the back of the hatchet on his shoulder, and turned as Mr. Callahan approached him. He extended a fist which Leto weakly bumped, smiles crossing both of their faces.

“Good job son. Really had my back there.”

“Pft, had your back? I think I was the main contributor.” Leto said in a sarcastic tone and stuck his nose in the air. They both chuckled at this, as Mr. Callahan had truly done the majority of the fighting. Leto had kept the dogs from circling them whenever Mr. Callahan had locked one down. Whatever he had done on the ship, standing there holding all the ropes and keeping the ship together, he displayed once again. Once he had set his feet, the large man could not be moved unless he wanted to. An idea niggled at Leto, but he put it aside from now. 

“What now Mr. Callahan?” Leto asked and Elijah’s dad laughed again. 

“Son, just call me Tim. We shed blood together, can’t have you treating me with any more formality.” He extended his fist again, and this time Leto put much more force into the bump, happiness overriding the weakness he felt. He turned, studying their little battlefield. 

“What do we do now?” He asked Tim. 

“We rest, recuperate, and prepare. I have a feeling that the dog will be coming back eventually, and we need to be in a better position than we are if he doesn’t come back alone.” Leto nodded, and Tim slapped him on the shoulder. Turning toward the beach, they started inspecting the wreckage of the boat. 

“That was some impressive footwork back there. I thought you were going to fall a couple times.”

“So did I. I think…Tim, when you were up on that rock, and back on the ship, did you do something? You were solid, like a stone, like nothing could move you.”

Tim stroked his chin, thinking back to those moments. 

“I guess, I’m not sure. Did you feel that thing when the storm started? It felt like I was being filled with water, but it didn’t weigh me down at all.” Leto nodded excitedly, relieved that he was not going crazy. 

“I felt it too!”

“Well, yeah when I was on the ship, I remember thinking to myself that if I could just hold on, everything would be ok. When I finally pushed myself as far as I could go, it was like I used whatever that was to solidify myself. I felt anchored. Back on the rock, I felt the same way. You had my back and I needed to have yours. It felt like a reflex, the stuff knew what I wanted and reacted.”

“Thank god dude. I really didn’t know what to make of it. For me, it allows me to see further and keep my feet. I think there is another one as well, but I don’t really know what it does.”

“Well, then I have a question for you too. Do you feel any of the stuff right now inside you? I feel like I used it all up during that fight back there.”

Leto frowned at this, closing his eyes and focusing on his body. He had gotten so used to having the pressure in his body that he did not think about it much anymore, but it did feel like there was barely any left inside him. Opening his eyes, he locked gazes with Tim.

“I think we have a limited amount of whatever it is. Every time we use one of those abilities, it must consume a little to accomplish it.” 

Silence stretched for a few moments as they searched through wreckage. Leto found one of the bags they had packed the day before, and Tim salvaged about a hundred yards of usable rope. Following the beach,they came upon what remained of the cabin, most of its walls were intact, though the door was wedged shut. Climbing in the large hole in one of the walls, they settled down, helping each other wrap scratches and bites. The sun was falling over the edge of the crater, the sunset a strange reprieve from all the bizarreness they had experienced recently. Tim threw Leto a granola bar, taking the hatchet and settling down by the exposed entrance to the cabin.

“Settle down for the night, Leto. Gotta keep you at full charge.” Leto smirked, swallowing the last bits of the bar. 

“Full charge, I like that…”as he drifted off to sleep.

↞↠

 

The transfer this time was instantaneous, disappearing from the white orientation space and reappearing here. Like taking a step, it was seamless going from the hard floor to soft grass underfoot. Elijah took stock of himself and his surroundings, feeling the need to be as prepared as possible. All around were redwood-like trees  that stretched way up, maybe even higher than those back home in Oregon. The treeline was several dozen yards from him, ringing a strangely square clearing. The sunlight  shone from straight above, giving him no indication of direction, but he assumed it was noon wherever he now stood. He felt heavier and realized it was a byproduct of still having the pack on his back. Feeling strange that he had not had it when he was in the orientation space, he began taking inventory. Rifling through the contents of his supplies. The foodstuffs were there, as well as the extra change of clothes and jacket, which he took out as there was a slight chill in the air. Definitely not indicative of the weather he had just come from. When he threw it around his shoulders a soft woosh of air came from behind him. Turning, he saw Sara standing perfectly still. She murmured something to herself, her eyes focusing and taking on a slight golden glint as though she were looking at a setting sun in the distance. When the glint disappeared, she turned in a wide arc, scanning her surroundings. Upon seeing him, she grinned and ran over. 

“Have you checked it yet? It’s like we are in a game dude!” The words poured out of her mouth, causing him to sigh. Sara was a hardcore gamer and had been infecting his little sister for the last year or two. It was no surprise to him that she was excited about their new predicament. 

“No Sar, I haven’t checked it yet. I was making sure everything around was safe and that I still had supplies.” He desperately tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice, but it was too powerful. She frowned, punching him in the shoulder.

“Don’t ruin this for me man. North told me that the tutorial doesn’t start until everyone gets here. Besides, have you never seen a starting zone before? If this isn’t one, I’ll eat my shoe.”

“North?” 

“Oh did you not have them? I guess there are probably different ones for everyone. My orientation dude was Number R Seventy Four. I called him North, classic leet speech. I love this place.” Elijah shook his head at this again, a little tired of her underplaying the severity of the situation. 

“Sooooo..” she started “Did you check yours yet?”

“I was just about to. Just doing self and surrounding checks first like dad taught me.”

“Well dude, this is part of self checks now. Come onnnn, pull it up.” Elijah sighed and whispered “Status.” 

Appearing in front of his eyes were several huge golden screens. They seemed holographic, and he could see straight through them. In fact, if he wasn’t paying direct attention, they would fade into nothing. He read through several of the smaller screens first. 

Welcome Pioneer! The Ark System greets you, and wishes you quick advancement. 

 

He swiped this one away, moving onto the next.

 

Entering Tutorial Space in slot 1 of (....)! Achievement: First Into The Brink!

 

“This really is like a video game.” He murmured, swiping through this one and moved on to the last and largest.

 

Status// Elijah Callahan

Designation: Pioneer

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 7

Constitution: 4

Intelligence: 8

Wisdom: 8

Charisma: 5

 

Skills: N/A

Affinities: Unregistered(...)

 

Achievements: [First Into the Brink!]

“What the hell is an affinity?” Elijah said quietly. Sara got really excited again, quickly spilling into an explanation.

“I was wondering the same thing! Here, focus on it and watch what happens.” Elijah frowned, refocusing on his screen. He squinted at the Affinities category, and another screen popped up.

 

Affinities Registered! Current affinities identified as;

-Might

-Space

-Time

 

-Might Affinity: Grants 25% bonus to Str and Con growth. Any related abilities will experience a 25% boost to power. User will find it easier to learn related abilities. 

 

-Space Affinity: Grants 10% bonus to Wis and Int growth. User will find it easier to learn Spatial abilities. Will ease movement through Spatial abilities and System Transfers. Any related abilities will experience a 25% boost to power.

 

-Time Affinity: Grants 10% bonus to Wis and Int growth. User will find it easier to learn Time abilities. Backlash of Time abilities reduced. Any related abilities will experience a 25% boost to power.

 

“Woah, these seem intense.” 

“What did you get?!” Sara seemed to practically drool in expectation.

“I got Might, Space, and Time.” 

“Woahhhh you got three? Maaan, they seem like cool ones too. I only got two.” A pout appeared on her face and she crossed her arms.

“What did you get?” Elijah asked, hoping to head off any sort of tantrum. Sara opened her mouth to answer, before closing it with a thoughtful look and unfocused her eyes. The gold glint reappeared and a few seconds later, he received a new screen. 

Pioneer Sara shares her [Affinities] Screen with you. 

Affinities: 

-Spirit(...)

-Spark(...)

 

“I’m not really sure what spirit abilities are, but Spark gives me a boost to learning fire skills.” she said, her nose turning up a little. “I am going to become the Crimson Queen bahahahahaha.” Her arms raised above her head as if she was going to mow him down with a powerful fire spell. Elijah snorted, preparing to reply as several familiar whooses of displaced air popped up around them. First, a tall, thin man appeared at the far edge of the clearing, and then a lean woman appeared a few yards away from them. One by one, people began to appear, scattered here and there around their ‘Starting Area’ as Sara had called it. Only a few seconds passed before Emilee and their mother appeared not a few feet away. 

“Mom! Em! Thank god!” The three of them rushed at each other, holding tightly. Sara joined them shortly after, letting the terror of what they had experienced together, what seemed like merely an hour before, fall on her shoulders. As they talked quietly among themselves, Elijah lifted his head, easily peering over the three women around him. Other Pioneers appeared around, one after another. Minutes passed, the clearing slowly filling, physically and with sounds of conversation as people found friends and family. 

Never once did Leto or his father appear.