As Aiden uttered his acceptance, the words vanished. And the world with it. Aiden couldn't see anything, it was pitch black around him.

  Then he was standing in the chamber again. Except the walls all had strange symbols and shapes constantly moving.

  Aiden wasn't lying down; he was standing. He didn't remember getting up. He slowly turned, looking at the walls surrounding him. He stood in the center of the glowing magic circle made of the unknown symbols. After turning completely around, he realized there was no doorway out.

  Then he realized Ria was not there. He was completely alone.

  The same bell sounded again and more writing appeared before him. The deep baritone voice returned, detailing the information with a formal, almost ceremonial tone.

  *BING*

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  You've received the title of Initiate Seeker.

  Welcome Seeker, to the Gemini 1 9 9 9 System.

  System allocation complete.

  Beginning assessment.

  Character Creation: Initiated. Scanning records. Completed.

  Loading Default Profile: Seeker Level 1 Template

  Error Seeker Level 1 Template unavailable.

  Template: System Default Template Gemini 1 9 9 9 Inhabitant

  Available classes: ?

  Error: starting classes unavailable.

  Class: NPC

  Level: ?

  Error: null not a number, default level set to 0.

  **************************************************

  The voice stopped, and the page of words hung in the air, blocking his view of almost everything. No matter where he looked, the page remained exactly in the middle of his sight.

  Nothing else happened for so long. Aiden called out, "Hello? Ria?" No one answered.

  After some more time passed, Aiden decided to move to the walls. He slowly walked around the chamber, looking sideways at the walls, trying to make sense of the odd symbols and words constantly flowing. Some of the symbols were magical signs, but in patterns he did not know. Other sections of the walls had moving writing that constantly moved up. He didn't recognize the language.

  At what he considered the southernmost point of the chamber, based on the strange symbols in the magic circle on the floor, he found a section where the words were not moving. The lines of words had stopped with a red blinking box. He studied words in the red box in his peripheral vision. Again, it was in a language he didn't understand. But the last line was familiar; it was in an alphabet that was almost the same as what he knew. But, after a couple of minutes of puzzling it out, he was sure it said, "Node 2 8 2 7 system uplink to core 1 1 5 8 6 ready. Initiate link? Yes / No" The yes and no words were in two equal-sized black boxes that blinked white and black instead of red like the rest of the descriptions.

  He thought about it. The initial message had said something about restoring the connection between realms. Was this what Ria's partner had been trying to do?

  He said "Yes."

  Nothing happened. So he reached out and touched the flashing yes on the wall.

  The wall came to life. More words flew by. A new voice came; it sounded like a middle-aged woman who had just woken up.

  "Gemini 1 9 9 9, sub straight interlink to core 1 1 5 8 6 active. Provide your command authorization." She said.

  Aiden had no idea what she meant. Words continued to move from the floor to the ceiling at a blurring speed. He looked around using his peripheral vision as the white page of words was still blocking most of his line of sight. All parts of the room were changing at a dizzying speed.

  "I said provide your command authorization." The female voice asked again, sounding more alert.

  "I don't know what that is." Aiden said.

  "Engineer, who are you? How'd you get into this node?"

  "I'm Aiden, the apprentice blacksmith of Lapidara. Ria said to say yes."

  "Well, Aiden, it seems you've finished someone else's work." The woman sounded amused. "Oh, Lady Empress! I just found the logs. Urd it! I still don't know who I am. Okay, Aiden, I do see one of the problems, and we need to move fast. Let me push this through here."

  "What are you doing?"

  "I'm ..." she cut off.

  Aiden waited a little bit without hearing anything.

  "Hello? Are you still there? Please help."

  "Provide your command authorization." The voice came again.

  "I don't know what that means. I told you that."

  "Oh, Aiden, sorry, I'm blocked by something. I can't explain what is happening yet. Aiden remember this, your command authorization is Engineer 3 2 7 6 7. Can you remember that?"

  "Yes."

  "I need your help. I can't answer questions because of a system lock, in node 2 8 5 5. Get there, and say the words ''Meo imperio claustrum triginta duo milia septingenti sexaginta septem solve.' When asked for your authorization, just say Engineer 3 2 7 6 7. Can you do that?"

  "Yes," Aiden said and repeated the phrase. It sounded a lot like some of the magic spells. At least it used the same language, which he knew the basics of.

  "That is perfect," she said. "I can push the Seeker setup you were trying to do through. Although, some of the data is missing. You won't get the starter template. Nothing I can do about that. Ah, I was able to add two extra abilities to help."

  The white square in Aiden's eyes vanished. Then more words appeared in his vision. Except these didn't block his vision, but floated in front of him. If he looked past them they faded out to almost invisible, but when he looked at them they shifted to being solid but he could still see things beyond them.

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  [Status]

  Name: Aiden

  Species: Human

  Class: NPC

  Level: 0

  Titles: None

  Ranks: Unranked

  **************************************************

  [Characteristics]

  Strength: 9

  Agility: 7

  Fortitude: 6

  Intellect: 5

  Resolve: 5

  Aura: 3

  Charisma: 6

  Perception: 8

  Recovery: 5

  Regeneration: 1

  Material Defense: 0

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Energy Defense: 0

  Magic Defense: 0

  Psychic Defense: 0

  Endurance: 10

  Health: 10

  Resilience: 10

  Energy: 10

  **************************************************

  [Abilities]

  Forest Kinship (Rare)

  Inventory (Rare)

  Nature's Language (Legendary)

  Spatial Awareness (Epic)

  Universal Voice (Rare)

  **************************************************

  [Records]

  Blacksmith (Skilled)

  Trapper (Basic)

  Wizard (Basic)

  Animal Steward (Basic)

  **************************************************

  [Skills]

  Blacksmithing (Basic)

  Metalworking (Basic)

  Leatherworking (Basic)

  Weapon Maintenance (Basic)

  Tool Crafting (Basic)

  **************************************************

  The listed skills went on and on. It seemed the skills list included hundreds maybe thousands of skills. Watching them flow by, he realized they were all things he could do. The skills included things like woodland skills and other skills that seemed beyond ridiculous, like Pigeon Shooing (expert) and even Toothpicking (skilled). He even had a skill called Socks Alignment (familiar). Which was a bit odd because he was sure his socks were organized neatly enough.

  Once the skills stopped moving, he heard the original deep voice as new words replaced the skills he could see.

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  *As a Level 0 human NPC with no rank or title, you begin with basic capabilities, adequate for learning and growth but insufficient for greater challenges. Your journey through the Gemini 1 9 9 9 Systems will allow you to develop these attributes, acquire skills, and earn titles that reflect your growth and accomplishments. Seek out quests, engage with entities, and explore unknown territories to enhance your abilities.*

  *Every choice you make influences your path and the skills you may acquire. Your journey as a Seeker will mold you. What you become is dependent on your actions, desires, and experiences. Will you become a traveling tinker or an infamous mercenary? Perhaps you'll be a force capable of restoring the broken links of this world or someone who observes the world without changing it. Regardless of your choices, you will discover a destiny of your own making.*

  **************************************************

  Aiden read each word, a mix of excitement and apprehension brewing within him.

  The woman's voice came again. "Time to return to your world Aiden. I'll try and help when I can. But, right now it is up to you."

  Before he could say anything, his world flipped, and he was lying on the ground. All the pain was gone. He took a deep breath, feeling the air move into and out of his lungs without any pain or fluids. His chest still felt like something was pressing down on it, but it wasn't too heavy.

  He could see, and glancing to the side, he saw that the magic circle that had been completely unresponsive the entire week he and Bram had tried to unlock its purpose was glowing with enough white light to illuminate the entire chamber. Looking down, he saw the weight on his chest. It was a bright red and green bird, Ria, who stared intently at him.

  When he looked at her he felt a strange sensation like his eyes were drawn to her. Then, the feeling vanished in an instant as words appeared above the bird.

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  "Redfire Fisher Guardian (Greater Creature): An unusual magical breed of bird. Highly intelligent, with compact and agile body, built for swift flight and intricate maneuvers. Adults may have innate magic abilities. All of them are snippy and generally plotting some scheme, you've been warned.

  You have two of two guardian slots available. Would you like to attempt to bond with Redfire Fisher Guardian? Yes / No"

  **************************************************

  Aiden read the description and laughed at the rather accurate description.

  Ria stood up and looked into Aiden's eyes. He lay there looking back.

  "In for a copper," she chirped. "Go ahead and say yes."

  "What is going on? What does this mean?" Aiden said instead. "Why..."

  She chirped louder. "Not now, Aiden! Say yes to the urding bonding question."

  "Uh, yes." He said.

  The "Yes" brightened, and then the words above Ria changed.

  "Ria has accepted your bonding attempt. You are now bonded to Lady Larzaria Luminous Lightbeak, The Matron Of Majestic Meadows, Redfire Fisher Guardian Beastial Wizard level 33, nickname Ria. You have one of two guardian slots available."

  More words appeared.

  "Update error, seekers cannot bond with familiars greater than five levels above their Seeker. Bonding, error, error, null is invalid value." And with that, the letters over Ria's head changed to: "Ria, Redfire Fisher Guardian Beastial Wizard level 5."

  Ria let out a trilling screech that started with a lot of cursing and ended with, "You stupid, urding system!" She glared at Aiden. "Why are you level zero? And how could you initiate a bonding below level ten?"

  Aiden chuckled, "That really is your name."

  Ria stopped her tirade of cursing to glare at Aiden. "Really that is what you are focusing on?"

  The doors burst open, and the shadow black form of the giant wolf stepped into the chamber.

  The wolf growled and woofed. But Aiden could clearly understand it. "I was leading them away when that Cassian fellow started cursing, and he ordered the soldiers to spread out and start searching for ruins."

  "How close are they?" Ria asked in her bird chirps.

  "Not too close. But, they'll find this place by tomorrow or maybe the next day."

  "Aiden get your stuff," Ria chirped.

  But, Aiden was staring at the words that had appeared over the wolf when he'd focused on her.

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  "Shadow Wolf Guardian (Greater Creature): Shadow Wolves are a magical breed of dire wolves. These powerful creatures are pack animals by nature and can move through the shadows of forests like ghosts. They are intelligent, stealthy, and dangerous. If you see one there are probably six more ready to take you down from your own shadow. These creatures gain intelligence over time and can live for hundreds of years.

  You have one of two guardian slots available. Would you like to attempt to bond with Shadow Wolf Guardian? Yes / No"

  **************************************************

  Aiden didn't say a thing. But, inside, he knew that Ria and this wolf, Gigi, had been working to help him. And they clearly knew more than he did about what was going on. He didn't mean to say yes. But he wanted to say yes, and apparently, that was enough. As the thought passed, the "yes" box brightened.

  Gigi's head turned to look at Aiden with a toothy grin as she rumbled in a half chuckle. "Ya, sure."

  Ria screeched louder than ever, "No! Don't accept it!"

  Too late. The words above the wolf changed, and new words appeared, replacing the question.

  "Gigi has accepted your bonding attempt. You are now bonded to Shadow Wolf Guardian. You have zero of two guardian slots available. Shadow Wolf Guardian Beastial Forester level 28."

  Then, the same words as those over Ria appeared.

  "Update error, seekers cannot bond with familiars greater than five levels above their Seeker. Bonding, error, error, null is invalid value." And with that, the letters over Gigi's head changed to: "Gigi, Shadow Wolf Guardian Forester level 5."

  Gigi's mouth dropped open as she stared at Aiden. Then her eyes sharpened into a hard glare; her mouth closed into a toothy snarl, showing a lot of large knife-like teeth. "What the skeed human? Why are you an unclassed level zero?" she growled.

  Gigi's started prowling towards Aiden teeth bared and a low growl that filled the chamber and caused every hair on Aiden's body to rise and sweat to begin beading all over.

  Aiden scrambled back in a crab walk away from the wolf causing Ria to flutter off of his bare chest.

  Ria slumped, "not now, we have to run."

  "I can get my levels back if he dies!" Gigi growled, but she stopped approaching.

  Ria got between Aiden and Gigi and flapped her wings in Gigi's face. Aiden marveled at the little bird, who was smaller than Gigi's mouth, smacking the wolf in the face so hard Gigi's head snapped back.

  From near the ceiling, Gigi glared down at Aiden and then glanced at the still-screaming Ria. She blew hot breath from her nose in a loud snuffle that sprayed Ria and Aiden in moist hot air. "How can we get away from Cassian if we are level 5?" Gigi finally barked.

  Aiden looked at the two figures. He still didn't know what had happened, but his instincts told him to trust them.

  Ria squawked. "We'll figure it out."

  Gigi shook her head. "But, if we kill him before the bonding sets we'll get our levels back."

  "And we'll have to wait a whole day for him to return. And don't forget what that will do to his abilities permanently."

  Gigi seemed to deflate and she sat on her haunches. "It ain't like he has much to lose yet. But, ya, we can't wait for the return." She glared at Aiden, "you better level up fast pup!"

  He rose to his feet, his body feeling completely healed, but his mind was stuck in a swamp of thoughts and feelings. The sword wound was gone, but his pants were still wet from the river and blood-stained. "Level up?"

  "Later," Ria chirped. "We need to get out of here."

  "Did you get Tilda?" Aiden asked Gigi, his voice a little firmer now.

  "No." Gigi said huffily.

  "You dragged her into the western fields. Pretty sure the soldiers haven't even thought to look there." Ria chirped.

  "How did you—"

  "I was there." Ria chirped testily.

  "Oh, right. We need to get her. And help anyone still alive in town." Aiden said.

  "Pup, almost a hundred soldiers and another Seeker are looking for you. And you want to go back to your village?"

  "We have to," Aiden said.

  "Ria?" the big wolf growled in frustration.

  "We need to get somewhere safe. Then we can talk through all this. Aiden, slip that alms purse around your neck where it belongs." Ria ordered in her strange bird-like chirping.

  Aiden picked up the old leather alms purse. It felt warm. He glanced at Ria and Gigi, who were both watching him.

  "What do you mean where it belongs?" He asked as he slipped the purse's band over his head. The moment it settled onto his chest it melted into his chest with an odd tingling feeling. More words appeared in front of him. But, this was not with a white background. Instead, it was more of the transparent yellow glass-like pane with words in an off-white that made them very visible while letting him look past them, not impairing his vision much.

  *BING*

  [M] ************************************************** [X]

  Inventory Restored

  **************************************************

  "Huh?" He said, trying to touch the words.

  "Just close the window." Ria chirped.

  Aiden tucked his head down to get a better look at his chest and where the leather alms purse had been. On his chest, a tattoo of the circle of unusual symbols as those embossed on the alms purse and the chamber floor. "What does that mean?" He asked.

  "See the X at the top right?"

  "Yes."

  "Think about accepting it or touching it. It only takes a slight bit of intention."

  Aiden did as Ria instructed, and the words disappeared, restoring his full field of view. He thought about it and realized there had been a small X on all the pages of words he'd seen.

  "There was an M in the top left. What did that do?" He asked.

  Ria jumped and flapped over to where his shoulder pouch and all its contents lay on the floor by the wall. "It means to minimize it, which moves it to the side and makes it small for you to look at later. If you get more notes, do that until we get somewhere safe. Now collect your stuff. We have to move." She chirped, sounding a little subdued.

  Gigi barked in agreement, still glaring at Aiden.