© 2018 Mountaindale Press. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by US copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Acknowledgments
There are a ton of people who I should probably thank for their efforts, and I’m sure I will miss some people in this. Know that I’m still very appreciative of your influences in my life, I’m just terrible at expressing my appreciation.
First, I’d like to thank my family. My mother for forcing me to read as a child, my father for showing me the wonders of Science Fiction. My youngest sister for showing me online serials and being my editor and sounding board throughout the creation of the book. My dog Dewey, the best puppy in the world.
The teachers that told me to keep writing even when I stopped for a few decades: Mrs. Kelsch for telling me I could do better. Dr. Booth for making me read my poetry in front of 150 of my peers. Mr. Park for showing me that anyone could write a book. Mr. Tenny, for kindling a love of the written word in my young mind.
Last of all, I’d like to thank you. For giving me a chance.
Prologue
These are not the stories of the Hundred Heroes. This is from the time before, of the souls that laid a sure foundation upon which the Heroes built. These are the tales of the Advent itself, but a tale for the bright day, as the dark shadow stalks its margins and the Bright Corridor has stolen all but their names.
Taryn Hollingshead, Seer of the First Gate.
I have seen the creation, the first day of Advent. A voice with enough power to shake the sky, whispered, “Begin.” It commanded, and creation obeyed. People collapsed, praying to the forgotten god. Others froze as the world they had known crumbled into memory. This is the story of Drew Michalik, one of those who stood.
Chapter One — Tutorial
“Begin.” The word echoed throughout his skull. The large room, which had previously been lit by dozens of monitor screens and lights, went completely black. An image appeared before Drew, staying in the same place as he turned his head. New words scrolled underneath the first set after a short delay.
Mana accumulators have reached initialization charge.
Dimensional split commencing.
Dimensional split complete.
Operational capacity in 200(+/-15) local days.
Drew blinked the messages away. Had he fallen asleep? The room was completely black. He waited several heartbeats for the emergency lights to come on, waiting for the numerous fail-safes on the electronics in the room to energize.
“Fuuuu.” It wasn’t the complete blackness that scared him. It was the silence. The ventilation systems, uninterruptible power supplies, and fans had all stopped. The only sound to be heard was his pounding heartbeat. From the tests and drills, he knew it usually took about 2 or 3 seconds, tops.
Six seconds, ten, then twenty passed.
“What the actual f…” His words cut off as another line of blue text appeared in front of him, his entire body going rigid as an electric surge swept through his frame.
Citizen scan commencing.
Citizen scan complete.
Citizen status: Healthy.
Citizen Evaluation:
Physicaclass="underline" Common.
Resistance: Basic.
Pain Threshold: Intermediate.
Speed: Undeveloped.
Mentaclass="underline" Advanced.
Mana Receptivity: Intermediate.
Mana Discharge: Rare.
Mana Charge: Advanced.
Xatherite node potentiaclass="underline" 73.
Xatherite node Balance: 24 Red, 13 Orange, 14 Yellow, 4 Green, 6 Blue, 2 Indigo, 3 Violet, and 7 White.
Xatherite node Structure: Constellation.
Xatherite node Links: 68.
As soon as the scan was complete, his body unlocked from its rigid state, and he reflexively took a deep breath. “Well, that makes sense; whiskey tango foxtrot is going on?” He was 5 floors down in a bunker that apparently no longer had power, having video game style pop-ups appear in his vision. “This is just a dream. I must have fallen asleep.” It didn’t sound like him, but he couldn’t think of any other realistic options. The building had enough backup power options to survive pretty much anything but a direct blast.
There hadn’t been an explosion, no ground shaking, and no loud noises. Well, minus that voice saying, “Begin.” He reached for the landline that was used for emergencies like this. Even an EMP shouldn’t affect that line. He knew before he picked it up that it wouldn’t work, but it was just something he had to try.
He slapped his cheek, “Wake up Drew.” Nothing changed. He slapped himself again, harder this time. “Wake up.”
Citizen geolocation acquired.
*** Warning: citizen is in near proximity to primary nexus. ***
Citizen is awarded an additional 5 % (rounded down) of their total nodes in intermediate grade xatherite to assist in survival.
Citizen compatibility tool initialization.
Citizen is awarded 7 % (rounded down) of their total nodes in beginner grade xatherite as an initialization bonus.
Citizen compatibility assessment concluded. Available xatherite:
Red — Fireball (Intermediate)
Red — Storm (Intermediate)
Red — Cone of Frost (Intermediate)
Red — Minor Dancing Sword (Common)
Red — Major Spark (Basic)
Orange — Major Refresh (Basic)
Yellow — Major Mana Guard (Basic)
Red — Minor Acid Dart (Primitive)
Citizen, please slot at least one node to continue.
What followed was a map that appeared to be a large grouping of constellations. From the earlier messages, Drew assumed it was his xatherite node structure. There were many small multi-colored constellations ranging from two to six nodes each. Some were connected by thick lines and others by smaller lines. He assumed the larger connections were the node links mentioned in the assessment. Most of the slots were dimmed. However, a point near the bottom was pulsing white, and the nodes within 2 connections of it looked usable. In all, only three red nodes, two orange, and a yellow node looked to be available for immediate insertion.
“What’s going on?” Drew asked the darkness, his voice bordering on panic.
Warning: To facilitate an adequate survival rate, citizens will not drop xatherite for 100 days.
You have been selected to view the tutorial; you may view the tutorial prior to slotting a node.
“Okay, some answers.” He turned his head around to see if there wasn’t some small amount of light. “Well, I’m either crazy or it’s really happening… Either way, might as well get some information. Now, how do I start the tutorial?”
Saying that was enough to activate it. The darkness around him changed, shifting from absolute darkness to a deeper darkness, while simultaneously illuminating the nearest section, giving him the sense of vision. A moderately attractive woman appeared in front of him.
“Greetings, citizen. I am the artificial intelligence assigned as Earth-3’s Tutorial guide. You may call me Aevis. I am authorized to instruct you on basic system interface, xatherite, xatherite nodes, and your rights as a citizen of Earth-3 in a newly initialized system.”
“What’s going on?”
“Your system was claimed and settled by the Human Protectorate in galactic year 17,543. As such, mana accumulators and humankind were seeded on the third planet, designated Earth, in preparation for full citizenship integration when ambient mana reached sufficient levels to support full functionality. This is the third successful split in Earth spacetime. As such, your dimension has been designated Earth-3. During the activation process known as Advent, Earth-3 will undergo a series of radical shifts to bring it more in line with Protectorate development standards. Did that answer your question?”