The sizzling of the oil roared out as the batter covered the surface of the pan, immediately beginning to heat it up and solidify it into the pancake it was supposed to be. ''Hey Suz! Food's almost done! Finish up what you're doing and then we'll eat, ok?'' Adam hollared out across the appartment.
''Ok dad! Just five minutes, ok?'' Susanne called back from her room on the other side of their home , clearly intensely focused on the game she was playing.
Adam smiled at the response before flipping the pancake, revealing the perfect golden crust on his creation. Pancakes were Suz's favourite, but not good enough to immediately tear her away from the new game she'd been playing these last few days. 'Hopefully schoolwork hasn't become a second priority to this.' He thought while piling the last pancake ontop of the others.
He turned off the stove and began setting the table, placing the steaming stack of pancakes in the center. Snowflakes fell slowly outside the window, drifting silently amidst the increasing bustle that the morning rush of Stockholm brought with it. He looked much like how he usually did in the mornings, with frizzled blonde hair and a slight stubble increasingly taking hold of his chin. Tearing his eyes away from the window and his reflection in it, he waited a minute in silence for Suz to finish her fight. The smell of butter and syrup soon filled the small apartment, mingling with the faint sounds of clicking buttons and quiet grunts coming from Susanne's room. Chuckling to himself, Adam couldn't help but think back to his own childhood when he'd gotten his first Game Boy system. Pokemon and Mario was all the rage back then, but he'd always had a greater love for the RPGs. Nothing was as intense as realizing that the fight you thought was going to be easy turned into something you'd have to spend hours upon hours to clear. Granted, a child does not make the most strategic choices when playing games like that.
''You done yet, Suz? It's starting to feel like you want me to eat all of these delicious and perfect pancakes at this point.'' Adam called out again as he poured a glass of juice and put it next to her plate before sitting down on his seat. Susanne didn't immediately respond, but the intensified sounds of clicking buttons betrayed the urgency she now felt.
''Leave her be, Adam. Just let her have her fun since she's off from school this week.'' Sanna's voice came from the head of the table, where she now sat with an empty plate before her. ''And I also asked you to stop doing this, Adam. There's no need to set the table for me.'' Her characteristically sweet smile clung to her lips, much like it always did through the days.
''I know, but I do it for her. She needs to at least know that you're here for her too.'' He answered her sugary sweet smile with a tug of his own lips, hiding the pain he always felt during moments like this.
''Is it mom? What's she saying?'' Suz peeked through the doorway with a wide grin plastered on her freckled face. Her bright red hair looked just like her mother's, falling in slight curls that ended at her shoulders. She definetly had inherited her mothers beauty and not much from him on that side, other than her intense love for the subjects she submerged herself in. Some might even call it obsessively to a point.
''She's telling me to be harder on you and make sure you do your homework before school starts next week.'' He teased, giving her a faux stern look while motioning over to the seat across from him. ''Now, let's eat so you got a full belly to study with!''
''Daad! I know that's not what she said. What did she really say?'' Susanne flopped down in her seat, immediately reaching for the stack of pancakes and throwing one on her plate before beginning to douse it in golden syrup.
''She's just wanting me to let you have as much fun as you can. But we all know you're already well on the way of doing just that.'' He chuckled in response while filling his own glass up with milk.
''Oh yeah! I almosht got the bossh thish ti-...'' Suz froze mid sentence, her mouth filled to the brim with food. The sudden silence shocked Adam as he tried to rise up and go over to her, fearing she got something stuck in her throat.
''This is not natural, Adam.'' Sanna's voice tore through the cloud of worry as he looked over to her. ''It's like time is standing still. I don't know what's going on.'' She pointed towards the window, hinting at him to look outside.
Snowflakes hung still in the frigid air outside, suspended as if caught in a photograph. Beyond the tiny specks of white, the world remained just as still. The usual hum of the city with its morning traffic and people going to work was gone, replaced by an eerie silence. With his heart stuck in his throat, Adam rose from his chair and walked up to the window to look out over the frozen city. Everything stood still.
''Welcome, Adam.'' A soft voice echoed from behind him, causing him to turn around in shocked surprise. His sparsely decorated kitchen was gone, replaced with two lounge chairs sat infront of a gently crackling fireplace centered by bookshelves that extended along the walls on both sides of the small room. Sat in one of the chairs was a woman clad in flowing, pale garments that clung to her form like woven moonlight, the fabric so light it seemed to shift with every flicker from the fireplace. Her face, unnaturally pale and unblemished, was framed by silken hair, white as snow, flowing down the sides of her cheeks and over her shoulders.
''What's going on? Who are you?'' Adam tentatively asked the strange woman, the words almost getting caught in his increasingly tightening throat. The unnerving feeling he got from her was making itself increasingly known to him. The pressure she exuded was monstrous in a way he'd never felt before. The feeling of being an insignificant insect in the face of the pressure took its hold in his gut, forcing him to focus everything on just standing straight in her presence.
''You're about to enter a trial, Adam. Your universe has just been absorbed into the multiverse and you're one of the many pioneers of this change.'' Her voice flowed forth like a gentle melody, soft yet unnaturally captivating. ''You're going to be given a choice here, Adam. You alone will decide your fate in the upcoming time.''
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''What do you mean?'' He stammered, confusion only growing. ''And where's Suz? Where's my daughter?''
''She's undergoing the exact same thing you are, Adam. And so is your late fiancée, Sanna.''
''What the hell do you mean? I have no fucking idea of what's going on! You're saying things about being a pioneer, a trial, the multiverse and now you're saying that my daughter and Sanna are undergoing the exact same thing as me? I've got no fucking idea of what this even is!''
The ethereal woman's calm expression never wavered as Adam's frustration grew. She motioned for him to sit down in the seat across from her, her soft lips tugging into a slight smile in turn. ''Your confusion is not wholly unexpected Adam. Understanding the intentions of the system is not something just anyone can do, especially not someone just awakened as you are.''
Following her offer of sitting down, Adam made his way over to the chair and sat himself down in it. ''You're going to be suffering a lot from this point onwards, Adam. But you will always become stronger because of it. The journey to divinity is always lined with plenty of pain, it's just a matter of how you turn the pain into personal power.'' The flames crackled, throwing a few short lived embers out in the air inbetween them. ''I'm going to give you a few choices. Choose that which speaks to you the most.'' As she finished speaking, a box of text suddenly popped up right infront of Adam, covering most of his field of view in an instant. Startled by this sudden appearance, he instinctively jerked backwards, going deeper into the soft chair in the process.
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'You are able to choose between five archetypes based on your current life experiences. The choice will be permanent and will be the first step on your journey into the multiverse, so choose wisely.
Mage - (Combat)The mage is capable of using magic to achieve their goals. An archetype capable of incredible destruction while often lacking highly in defence.
Warrior - (Combat) The warrior is someone who embraces the physical side of combat and seeks to further their prowess in close quarters warfare. While capable of great feats of strength and defence, the warrior lacks in fighting at range or utilizing magic.
Healer - (Combat) The healer is someone who seeks to heal the wounded and protect their allies with magic.
Crafter - (Non-combat) The crafter is the backbone of any civilization. They are the people that create anything that others will either use or consume in their life.
Scholar - (Non-combat) The scholar serves to further their own as well as the knowledge of their peers to further levels.
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Adam read through the text, his mind racing with the implications of what he was seeing. This all reminded him so much of the games he'd used to play when he was younger, but it all felt too real to be some kind of messed up dream. ''What...'' He started, falling silent immediatey after the word had left his lips. If he was going to make a choice that apparently could not be undone, he'd make one that spoke to him the most.
''Why do I need to choose an 'archetype', and what does it mean in the end? Am I going to be able to do the things it's describing to me?'' He hesitated, realizing how fast he was buying into the lunacy.
''You'll be given the freedom to mold the classical archetypes into that which you wish to mold it into along your journey, Adam. As for what you'll be able to do, only you will be the deciding factor in that.'' The woman's words were soft, as if she was explaining things to a child.
''Will I have to fight things?''
''If you decide to choose one of the combat archetype, which I highly suggest you should, you will need to engage in combat. Any being that you kill or have participated in killing will give you a measure of energy to push yourself further.'' The woman answered with a slight chuckle.
''Killing things? I've never killed anything before.'' Adam's stomach twisted into tight knots, hesitation clear in his voice. ''Why do you want for me to pick a combat archetype then?''
''The ability to adapt is tantamount to survival, dear. As for why I suggest for you to choose that, it's based on the simple reason that the system believes you're more fit for such a role than any other. The archetypes you've been offered are ranked from best to least compatible for you.'' She smiled, her tone soft as she continued. ''Choosing mage will absolutely fit well with your soul mutation.''
''What do you mean by soul mutation?''
''The entire reason why you're even able to keep Sanna in your life still is because of that. I can not divulge too much information as the system will not allow me to, but just trust in the fact that it's something that will make you a force to be reckoned with in the future.''
Adam nodded in answer, remaining quiet as he thought the matter through. Whatever was going on, choosing something that had been basically screaming at him to be chosen from the start was something he felt inclined to do. Who didn't want to be a spellslinging mage in the end? As his thoughts lapsed, the text describing the rest of the choices disappeared, leaving only the description of the mage alone on the screen. Suddenly, a few more lines of text appeared.
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Mage - (Combat)The mage is capable of using magic to achieve their goals. An archetype capable of incredible destruction while often lacking highly in defence.
Every level gained as a mage will grant two points in the intelligence attribute as well as two points to allocate where you wish.
Do you wish to choose this archetype?
Yes/No
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He read through the new text before stopping on the last bit, hesitating ever so slightly before he locked in his choice. Focusing on the yes part of the text, he watched as the window of text infront of him suddenly shifted.
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Congratulations on choosing the mage archetype! You will be granted three abilites that form the very basics of the archetype.
Energy bolt (Common) - Concentrate raw mana into a bolt of pure energy, then release it toward your target.
Mana Sense (Common, Passive) - Your connection to mana allows you to passively perceive its presence in your surroundings.
Arcane Shield (Common) - Form a barrier of pure energy infront of you to block attacks before they reach you.
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Just as he finished reading the abilites, the wall of text once again shifted, this time showing something even more unexpected.
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Warning, the ability Mana Sense (Common, Passive) will be replaced with the ability Mutated Spirit Sense (Unique, Passive) due to present soul mutation in Adam Johnsson.
Mutated Spirit Sense (Unique, Passive) - Passively percieve the ambient mana as well as any spirits that may inhabit your surroundings.
Warning, due to Adam Johnssons mutated soul, another ability has been granted.
Mutated Spirit Storage (Unique, Active) - Adam Johnsson is able to store the spirit of anyone that perishes in his surroundings within his own soul. The number of spirits is directly correlated with the stage of his soul cultivation. Current capacity: 1/10
Warning, due to Adam Johnssons mutated soul, another ability has been granted.
Mutated Spirit Shape (Unique, Active) - Adam Johnsson is able to shape the spirits stored within his soul to his preference. Any changes made to spirits are permanent.
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