“It’s...over?” she asked suspiciously, fearing that his words were yet another trick—but he nodded, and pulled her to standing.

“I am Gomi,” he told her. “I have been tasked by the Fates to read your fortune and guide you through your trait selection. Will you have your fate read now and continue on to trait selection, or would you like to be tested again?”

“A-Again?” she stammered, then shook her head quickly. “No. No. I will have my fate read now—please!”

Some people would go through that more than once? She wondered, but then her logic backtracked. Anyone who took the test more than once would be more prepared for it, and would likely get more desirable results. Still. Whoever goes through that more than once must be a masochist.

The fox man laughed and nodded. “Very well. Then behold, child, as I draw your choices.

“All choices are given to you based on the results of the tests you have just undergone,” he told her. “These selections are based not only on your answers but your feelings—what was in your heart when the test was taken. Think not that you could fool fate with honorable answers if your heart held no such intent.

“First, is clan selection.” The fox man waved his hand, and three person-sized cards appeared before her in licks of blue fire. “You may choose from three of eight possible options.

“The first is the Treasure Clan,” The fox man walked over to a card depicting an image of a hammer and a blade over a gold coin. “The Treasure clan specializes in the crafts of treasure-making and treasure-seeking.

“They are great artists, and combined with their moderate magical talent, are known for their craftsmanship. This clan has a thin connection with the Veil, allowing them to get special materials and enchantments for their use.

“Members of the Treasure Clan are rich and skillful, with high dexterity and creativity. They care little for politics and warfare, instead seeking only to perfect their crafts. Classes possessed by members of the Treasure clan are almost always related to their chosen trades.”

Gomi then moved to a card that was less of a sigil and more of an optical illusion of mists and things hidden within them.

“Next is the Mist Clan,” he said. “The Mist Clan has strong connections to the spirit world. They are often associated with the Veil and are one of the few clans that hold power over it.

“Those from the Mist Clan tend to be physically weaker than members of other clans. Mist Clan classes are fairly balanced, with their spiritual abilities making up for their physical weaknesses. Classes available to those of the Mist are highly intertwined with the Veil.”

The last card depicted the image of a noblewoman, all in purple, silver, and mink. She clutched a glowing scepter made of gold and lapis lazuli.

Gomi pointed to the card and said, “Last is the Noble Clan. Those of the Noble Clan are people of brilliance and political mastery. This clan rules all other clans. As such, they tend to be arrogant and disliked by the common people.

“They are geniuses when it comes to magic. They excel at whatever magical endeavor they pursue, but are generally physically weak.

"Rich in gold, finery, and education, and compensate for their weaknesses with other sources of power or resources. Classes of the Noble clan are lofty and connected to the Imperial Court.”

Returning to the center, Gomi stood in front of her with his hands behind his back. “Which clan’s fate shall be interwoven with yours?”

Dassah grinned like a fool. She had been offered the one option she really wanted, though she hadn’t dared to hope for it. She did consider the Treasure Clan—she did like crafting—but the allure of spirits was too great.

“I want to be part of the Mist Clan!” she told him.

Gomi gave her a crooked grin and asked, “You do not wish to give it more thought?”

“No,” she answered. “I foster a connection to the spirits!”

The spirits in the Veil had intrigued her since she’d heard about them in the media. She had always believed in ghosts and faeries and creatures of the night, and she longed to be able to see them.

In TheirWorld, she could do just that.

“Very well.”

The man sent the two unchosen cards up in flames. Two other cards appeared in their places, plus one more.

Standing to the side, he explained, “The next choice is your origin. You may choose between three of seven options.

“First: a large town.” He went over to a card that depicted a bustling market with a simple skyline. People at the market were dressed simply and seemed to be buying basic goods. “Each kingdom has several medium-sized towns within their borders. These small towns exist mostly for defense and trade, and to support the rural outreaches. These towns attract travelers and mercenaries, traders, and tradesmen.

“Second: a City.” He pointed to a card that showed a grand city leaning against a mountain. “There are eight major cities in Uldarin—one capital for each of the main kingdoms. These are the homes of the royals, the nobility, and the scholars, and military forces. They are centers of trade, religion, and foreign attention. The cities have both the richest, and the poorest, populations of each kingdom.

“Third: a rural town.” He walked over to another card, this one showing a solitary cottage sitting quietly between a vast forest and a wheat field. “Rural communities produce the food and trade goods for the kingdoms. Mostly farmers and simple tradespeople, they are skilled but poor and uneducated, and can struggle in their daily lives. However, these people are kind and have strong hearts.” He walked over to the other side of the cards and said, “Choose.”

Dassah did think about this one for a moment longer, but her gut instinct won. “The rural town. I like quiet and simplicity.”

The man nodded and sent those cards away, only for a series of smaller, hand-sized cards to replace them in flickers of fire. Each depicted various people; more than a few seemed to be inhuman.

“Next you must choose your parentage. A father to provide the seed, and a mother to bear you.” The fox-eared man said without further explanation.

Dassah looked over her choices. Putting together Guin’s character in her head, she picked [Parent is a Spirit], then settled on [Parent is a Knight] for her second choice. She plucked the cards from the air and handed them over to him. With a woosh, the other cards disappeared as he gave her selections a once-over.

Gomi looked thoughtfully at the two cards for a moment, and the wind came and circled them. Dassah tried to hear their exchange, but heard only whispers. For some reason Gomi looked terribly amused.

When their conversation was finished, he announced, “Let it be known: you were born in the Spring, under an eight-color rainbow. Your mother was a knight. Your father was a spirit—a fox spirit, in fact. Now it's up to you how these things will affect the person you are destined to become.”

The fox-eared man smirked, and put the small parent cards alongside the larger cards she had chosen. He conjured up the cards associated with his dictation and set them in the line.

Turning back to her, he asked, “Are you ready for the final step?”

“I am.”

Two dozen cards popped up around her, each detailing a character trait.

Bowing, Gomi said, “This is where I leave you. Pick among these traits as you will, to a total point value of fifty. Positive traits will take away points from your total, while negative traits give you more points to spend. Everything you choose here shall help and hinder you during your journey. You have unlimited time to choose your traits, but choose as efficiently as possible, for time and fate wait for no one!”

With that, he disappeared in a flicker of blue flame just as his cards had.

Looking at the cards, Dassah scratched her head. Having so many to choose from was a bit overwhelming.

“If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me!” came a small, familiar voice.

Dassah turned to see that Biku-Biku had reappeared, bobbing up and down in the air quite close to her face.

“Thank you!” Dassah said with a smile.

It didn’t take her as long as she thought to settle on her traits. Though she struggled a little with the point of total restraint, she managed to get most of the traits that she wanted.

She chose [Veil Walker], which allowed her to interact with the spirit world, [Gifts of the Other Realm], which boosted her stats and gave her the ability [Spirit Armor], and the actual trait [Child of the Fox Spirit].

To get the [Child of the Fox Spirit] trait she’d had to take quite a few extra negative traits, but it was worth it.

[Child of the Fox Spirit] was a powerful beginning trait that boosted magic resistance and her Fox Spirit reputation, gave her an innate charismatic skill, the shape-shifting ability [Fox Form], and 10% life steal on all damage dealt.

Dassah tried as hard as she could to make her character’s traits as relatable to her personality as possible, but she was unsure of the effects of traits like [Haunted] and [Superstitious].

From what she learned, most negative traits functioned as nuisances at worst, quirky character details at best. They had been designed to guide people to choose classes that suited them based on personality, rather than mere desire.

Because who wouldn’t want to be an archmage or raging death god if they had the chance?

Dassah also took a gamble and chose the trait [Fear of Humanoids], which decreased her stats by 5 percent around people. This trait was rumored to only function in the physical realm and not the spirit realm, meaning that if the humanoid was a spirit, it didn’t count. It was also a trait that had been confirmed to be removable when the proper requirements were met.

Eventually, she ended up with something that looked like:

🔳

Guin Grey ⬧ Level 0 ⬧ No Profession

Human - Mist ⬧ Clan - Rural

Mother: Knight ⬧ Father: Spirit

⬘

◚◚◚

◊ Body - 3

◊ Endurance - 5

◊ Resilience - 1

◊ Reflexes - 7

◊ Intellect - 4

◊ Spirit - 15

◊ Presence - 2

◊ Resolve - 2

◊ Perception - 8

◊ Fate - 12

◛◛◛

Health: 165 ⬧ Mana: 270 ⬧ Defense: 1.75% ⬧ Power: 5.25%

Tutorial Tokens: 0 ⬧ 0c, 0s, 0g, 0p

🔳

🔳

DETAILS

⬙

FACTIONS

[Mist] 1500

[Spirit] 1000

[Fox] 500

⬙

SKILLS

[Charismatic] Beginner

[Beguiling] Intermediate

[Hunting] Beginner

[Animal Handling] Beginner

⬙

ABILITIES

[Fox Form]

[Spirit Armor]

[Veil Phase]

⬙

RESISTANCES

[Nature] 2%

[Magic] 2%

[Spiritual] 2%

⬙

POSITIVE TRAITS

⬧[Veil Walker] ◊

⬧[Gifts of the Other Realm] ◊

⬧[Lucky] ◊

⬧[Spirit Blood] ◊

⬧[Favored of the Fates] ◊

⬧[Child of the Fox Spirit] ◊

⬧[Hunter] ◊

⬧[Veil Sight] ◊

⬙

NEGATIVE TRAITS

⬧[Haunted] ◊

⬧[Superstitious] ◊

⬧[Ordinary] ◊

⬧[Hatred of Dolls] ◊

⬧[Hatred of the Dark] ◊

⬧[Fear of the Depths] ◊

⬧[Fear of Humanoids] ◊

⬧[Anxious] ◊

🔳

“Is this correct?” Biku Biku asked her to confirm. “Be advised that once you confirm, you will be born into the world, and you can never come back.”

Dassah gave a strong nod. “I am ready!”

“Very well,” came the soft voice of the wind as the presence of the Fates returned. “Listen, human: You were born into the small rural village of Bade. Your mother was a knight of the Imperial Army who retired from the battlefront to look after her sick mother. She fell in love with a spirit of the forest—a handsome Fox Spirit. After their union, however, your father was not heard from again.

“You were born in the Spring, with the blossoms in bloom, and a rainbow over your head. Afterward, your mother raised you with the support of the village. As you have come of age, your spirit power is blossoming. Thus your story begins.

“Go now into the world,” the Fate said. “Go and learn; experience everything you can that you might have a thousand stories to tell. This is your task.”

Ting!

🔳

Congratulations! You have begun a great quest to discover your world! You will now enter the tutorial phase.

🔳

You have received a quest!

⬘<Tutorial: The Power of Learning>

⬙

Your soul has been crafted, and now you must learn to nurture it.

Your task is to learn about the world and gain insight into the game and your personal playstyle. Once you have completed your education you will be given further instructions.

This quest is REQUIRED.

While this quest is active, your character’s rate for learning skills and abilities doubles.

While this quest is active, your character will not gain experience points.

⬦ Difficulty: E

⬦ XP Reward: N/A

🔳

With a smile and a wave of the hand, Dassah sent the message away. The fog became thicker, and Dassah—now officially Guin Grey—was enveloped in white.

And so it begins.