I jumped awake and quickly scanned my surroundings. Daylight was filtering in through the cracks in the wood. "I must have gotten some sleep after all," I thought.

  I climbed out of bed and stretched before slipping on my moccasins and heading to the door. As I stepped outside, I saw Harald and his sons walking past to water the fields. Harald and Eldrick gave me a smile and a nod as they walked by. Jorik, however, kept his eyes fixed on the ground. I turned around to see him glancing back at me before continuing on his way.

  I knocked on the door and let myself in to find Alyndra and Lirael packing the last bit of vegetables into a large sack. "Perfect timing, Ryker," Alyndra said, struggling a bit to get the sack over her shoulder. I hurried over, took the sack from her, and placed it over mine.

  "I got it," I said.

  "You're such a gentleman. Thank you," she replied.

  I followed behind her and Lirael as we made our way toward the large castle wall. It took us about half an hour to arrive, but I didn’t mind. I had never seen the town before, and I enjoyed taking in all there was. We passed several small dwellings, all made of wood with thatched roofs, similar to Harald's place. People were going about their daily chores—washing clothes outside in a dirty bucket, children chasing each other around with sticks. Even one woman was milking a strange-looking animal that resembled a cow with a lion's mane and a rabbit's tail.

  I leaned toward Alyndra and whispered, "What the hell is that?"

  She laughed and whispered back, "That's a Marnifawn. It's what we had in our stew last night."

  "Ah, okay," I said as we continued walking.

  I did notice that I mostly saw women and very few men. The men I did see were much older, like they were at retirement age. I thought about it for a moment and decided they must be out hunting or members of the Emberguard.

  As we approached the gate, Alyndra slowed down to walk beside me and whispered, "Only the Emberguard are allowed to have weapons, so they are going to search you and the sack. Just keep your head down and let me do the talking."

  I nodded as we approached. There were two guards standing in front of the entrance beyond the wall. One of them raised his hand and said in a demanding voice, "State your business."

  Alyndra bowed her head and spoke, "Good morning, brave knights. We came hoping we could sell our wares in the market." She pointed to the sack on my shoulder. One of the guards looked at me and extended his hand. I handed him the sack, and he opened it, peeking inside.

  "We'll have to search you," the guard said, grabbing Alyndra more forcefully than I felt was necessary. He started at her feet and patted her down, working his way up to her head. When he reached her pelvic region, he began to slow down with his search. I looked at Alyndra, and she just closed her eyes. I watched as he continued, deliberately slowing in her personal areas. I felt anger beginning to build inside me.

  "Alright, your turn," he said. He yanked Lirael toward him and began the same process with her. Every fiber of my being screamed to lash out. I wanted to put these guards in their place. I glanced at Alyndra, and she subtly shook her head no.

  Then the other guard spoke. "You got a problem, boy?" He said, eyeing me. "You look like you want to say something to my partner over there." He kept glancing down at my waist, and I noticed my fists were balled. I immediately relaxed them. Alyndra spoke up.

  "No, sir. He just has a slight stomach ache, and it’s painful for him."

  The guard got right in my face and began patting me down. Each pat felt like a small punch. When he finished, he took a step back and spoke again.

  "You may enter, but make sure you get that stomach ache looked at. You don’t want it to cause you more problems in the future." He handed me the sack and kept his gaze on me until I entered through the gate.

  We walked until we were out of earshot of the guards and stopped. I began taking slow, deep breaths to calm the anger inside me. Alyndra just placed her hand on my shoulder and whispered, "choose your battles."

  I nodded, and slowly, my nerves began to ease. Alyndra and Lirael took the lead again, and I followed. The towers in the center seemed massive now that I could see them up close. We walked by the entrance to the main spire, which was by far the largest, and there was only a double set of doors with two guards standing in front. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a drawbridge. We made our way past, and there were several shops selling all sorts of things. Most were cuts of meat and fruits and vegetables I had never seen before. Some I recognized, like pears and oranges, but others seemed like strange hybrids of different fruits from Earth. One looked like a pineapple with cherries sticking out of the side. I had to stop myself from staring too long so Alyndra and Lirael wouldn’t get too far ahead of me. The area was much more crowded, and the people’s attire was much finer too. I wondered if I would stand out too much if I bought more comfortable clothing.

  We soon arrived at an empty stall, and I dropped the sack next to it. Lirael began unpacking the vegetables, and Alyndra motioned for me to follow her. I walked by her side as she began explaining things to me. "I'm taking you to one of the smaller spires. It's a magic academy, mainly used for training the Emberguard in the ways of fire magic. When we get there, you need to walk in and tell them you have a message for Cedric." She paused as we passed a group of guards standing and talking nearby. Once we were past them, she continued. "If anyone gives you any trouble, tell them you're on strict orders to give the message to Cedric only. When Cedric arrives, you must say this exactly: 'From the shadows, I step into the light.'

  We arrived just outside the door to the spire, and Alyndra glanced around before continuing. "Tell him that exactly, then do what he says. He will know what you are. I have to get back before someone starts asking questions about what we're doing." She pulled me into a hug and smiled before turning and hurrying back in the direction we came.

  I took a deep breath, then turned to look at the giant spire with its small wooden door. I opened the door and stepped inside. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim interior, but once they did, I saw a small wooden desk with a candle on one end. A man in a comfortable-looking button-up shirt sat behind the desk, writing something in a book. He looked up at me and put his quill back in its ink jar. He stared for a moment, then shook his head. "Yes?"

  I immediately felt some anxiety and swallowed before speaking. "I have a message for Cedric, sir."

  He stuck his hand out, waiting for me to hand him something. "You can leave it here, and I'll be sure he gets it."

  I felt a slight panic and quickly said, "Uh, it's not written down. I'm just supposed to tell him."

  He pulled his hand back. "Okay, then what is it? I'll make sure he hears it."

  I quickly spoke again, "I was given orders, sir, to tell him myself."

  The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, Cedric isn’t here at the moment, so you can tell me the message, and I’ll let him know."

  I wasn’t sure what to say. My thoughts raced, and I considered leaving to find Alyndra and tell her the plan didn’t work. Then, for some reason, I thought about how the guards had treated them. My anxiety turned to anger, and my panic shifted to determination. I stood a little straighter, speaking more firmly this time.

  "I'm sorry to inconvenience you, sir, but I must see Cedric. This is a message of the utmost importance, so if you’ll please bring him here, I can tell him and be on my way. I have many pressing matters to attend to."

  He seemed a bit shocked at my change of tone, nodded, and headed up the staircase behind him. I only had to wait a few moments before an old man with white hair, wearing the same style of button-up shirt and pants, appeared at the entryway to the stairs.

  "What is this message you have, young man?" he asked. I began walking toward him and he raised his hand and added, "Young man, my hearing is just fine. I do believe you are close enough."

  I stopped and noticed his defensive stance. Looking around for a moment, I leaned in closer and whispered as loudly as I could, "From the shadows, I step into the light."

  He stared for a moment, his eyes widening. "Are you certain?"

  I nodded.

  He waved his hand, gesturing for me to follow, and started up the spiraling stairs. I followed, finding it a bit of a challenge to keep up with the old man. I wondered if he was using some type of magic to make himself move faster. We continued up and up, passing several closed doors that led to the center of the spire. We also passed small windows cut into the stone, and as we climbed higher, I could see more of the landscape surrounding the area. It was beautiful, with open plains and forests stretching out in all directions.

  Finally, we reached a door at the top of the staircase. Cedric opened it, and I quickly followed him inside. He closed the door behind us and locked it.

  "Tell me everything," he said, hurrying to a desk in the middle of the room and searching through the drawers.

  "Well, I am from a planet called Earth. I died, and when I was dead, I spoke to a being who told me I would be reincarnated into another world. I woke up here in the woods, made my way to a farm on the outskirts of the city, where I met some people who clothed me, fed me, and I helped them with their farming. I gained knowledge of farming that same day, as well as a little bit of fire magic. I was told that meant I was a—"

  "A chosen," he interrupted me, still searching through the drawers.

  I cleared my throat and continued, "Yes, I was led here to you and was told you could help me understand what that means."

  He seemed to finally find what he was looking for and rushed over to me. He had a book in his hand and started flipping through the pages, mumbling something under his breath. He finally stopped at a page, read it briefly, and then handed the book to me.

  "Read this. It should help you."

  I looked down at the open book. It read: To find the path, look not to the sky, but to the shadows. Where time bends and light falters, there the spark lies—dormant, yet waiting. Speak the words that were forgotten, and you shall become what you were meant to be.

  I looked up at him, and he just stared at me intently. I started to speak.

  "Well i'm not sure—"

  Just then, a menu popped up in my vision. I focused for a second, and I felt Cedric take the book from my hands. The menu displayed a list of skills—hundreds of them: archery, lightning magic, earth magic, swordplay, stealth. Then I saw it: Farming. Underneath it, there was a small description: The ability to plow fields, plant crops, irrigate crops, and harvest fruits and vegetables. Current level: 3. To reach level 4, you must harvest 20 crops that you planted.

  "Wow," I said

  I scrolled until I found Strength, and it had a message underneath as well: Strength, The ability to exert force on objects or resist physical challenges, often measured by muscle power and endurance. Current level: 3. To reach level 4, you must defeat an enemy using only your hands.

  "Hmmm," I thought. I wondered if that meant beating someone in a fistfight or if I had to kill them with my fists. I kept scrolling until I found the Fire Magic skill. This one didn’t have a description underneath; it just had an experience bar that was half full. I wondered why this one didn’t have a specific task to complete.

  I started looking around, trying to make the menu go away, but it stayed. I tried focusing on Cedric between the lines of dialogue, but he remained blurry. I could just make out his outline.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "How do I turn this off?" I asked.

  He responded, "I have no idea what is happening to you. I just know this spell activates the chosen and guides them. I'm sorry, I have no more knowledge on the matter."

  I started to feel a bit panicked and scrolled through the menu, all the way to the bottom. I saw nothing but skills. I tried scrolling back to the top and saw a message in parentheses: To open and close the menu, blink 3 times in quick succession.

  I blinked three times, and the menu disappeared, bringing the world back into focus.

  "Thank you so much," I said, grabbing Cedric's hand and shaking it with both of mine. He gave me a slight smile and headed over to his desk, sitting down behind it. He pointed to a chair opposite him, and I walked over and sat down.

  "We have much to discuss," he said, grabbing a kettle from his desk. He carefully poured some of the liquid into two cups and handed one to me. I took a sip; it tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream.

  "Mmmm," I said, taking another sip before placing the cup on the coaster. "What is that?"

  Cedric was still sipping his tea and set his cup down as well. "Icycocoa tea. It helps clear the mind and aids focus."

  I looked at the cup and asked, "Is it a magical brew of some sort?"

  Cedric paused, "No, it's just heated water and leaves from the icycocoa plant."

  "Right," I said, looking away, hoping the awkwardness of my question would pass.

  "I need to make sure you understand what you are," Cedric continued. I focused my gaze back at him and listened intently.

  "The history of this land, as long as it has been documented, always speaks of a chosen one. There is always a chosen among the rest of us. He is gifted with abilities that, with the right training, can become godlike. The legends say that the chosen are gifted these abilities by Luxarion, the god of gifts. That’s who you met after you died in your previous life."

  I thought back to my meeting with the entity after I died. He specifically told me he was not a god. I decided to keep quiet about this to avoid complicating things.

  "When a chosen one comes here, they have the power to shape the land as they see fit. Upon arrival, they are at their most vulnerable. They are just normal people, but with training, they become very powerful, and none can stand against them. Some chosen ones have lived quiet lives, keeping to themselves."

  I smiled, liking the sound of this.

  "Most, however, find their way to becoming rulers. They use their powers to inspire others to be better and carve a path for greatness for their people. Or…" His face tensed a little before continuing. "They use fear and intimidation to rule and force everyone to bend to their will."

  He paused and took another sip of his tea. I did the same.

  "Usually, there is only one chosen in all the land. However, when another chosen arrives, it always intersects with the previous one."

  I thought about this for a moment and asked, "Is there another chosen here?"

  Cedric nodded, and I felt a shock shoot through my body.

  "The Warden of Kaedras," he said.

  I leaned back in my chair, trying to absorb this. Cedric continued.

  "Based on history, the newly arriving chosen will rise up and try to take the previous chosen's place. This never goes smoothly and always starts a war. Whoever wins becomes or remains ruler. However, this is not the only option. There are records of the new and old chosen working together. Sometimes, the new chosen simply leaves the region, never to be heard from again."

  I just sat there, taking it all in. I felt a huge weight on my shoulders as he explained this to me.

  "It all depends on what the chosen ones decide to do. You must forge your own path and decide," he said.

  I stood up and walked to one of the windows. Cedric remained quiet, and I just stared at the landscape, taking it all in. It was all making sense now—the stories I’d heard of the Warden bringing the humans together and building this city. I could see why he would do that. However, I wondered why he would start a war with the elves. It must have been to protect his people.

  Maybe I should meet the Warden, I thought, but changed my mind when I recalled how Harald told me I would be executed if he found out who I was.

  "How long has the Warden been here?" I asked.

  "The Warden has ruled for the last 50 years," Cedric responded.

  He probably does have the power of a god at this point, I thought, feeling a bit of fear at this realization.

  I made my way back over to the desk and asked another question. "Why has the Warden declared war with the elves?"

  "For power," Cedric responded. "The elves guard power of the Essence of the Ancients. The Warden wants this power for himself. When the elves refused to give it to him, he began his campaign against them."

  I blinked three times, and my menu popped up. I started scrolling and found the skill called the Essence of the Ancients. I blinked three more times and closed the menu.

  "Can you tell me more about how this leveling system works?" I asked. Cedric paused to think for a moment.

  "I'm not sure what you mean?" I realized he probably had no idea what leveling meant, and I thought of the best way to explain my menu to him.

  "When I read the spell to aid the chosen, I could see all the skills I can learn. Farming, for example, has grown to level 3, and there's a description of what I need to do to make it grow. However, I learned a little fire magic, and it’s only at level one. It has no description, but there’s a meter that’s half full."

  Cedric took another sip of his tea, thinking for a moment. "All I know is that the chosen can learn things easily up to a point where a non-chosen person would be considered very knowledgeable. To exceed that, they must accomplish certain things to improve."

  I nodded, remembering how my farming skill had increased to level 3 in a single day. After that, a requirement appeared that I needed to fulfill to advance. That must mean I just needed to keep using fire magic until it reached level 3 then I would have a specific task to improve it.

  "I'm sorry I can't be of more help in that matter," Cedric said.

  "No, you’ve been a great help. You answered my question." I took another sip of my tea, which was growing cold at this point.

  "So, what do I need to do?" I asked.

  Cedric leaned back in his chair, relaxing a little as he thought. "My advice would be to try and increase your skills as soon as you can. Once you do that, the rest is up to you."

  I nodded, reflecting on what I'd seen so far—how the guards acted, and how Harald had mentioned being worried about the guards the previous night.

  "Do you think the Warden is a good leader?" I asked.

  Cedric's face turned tense. "I don’t want to influence you with my opinions, so I’ll simply give you the facts."

  He took another sip of his tea, sat up straighter, and continued. "When the Warden first arrived, there were several small villages scattered across this land. We worked together with the elves and even the stormkin, we lived simple lives. The previous Chosen would travel from village to village, helping people with whatever they needed. He would farm, hunt, fish, build, and train others. The Warden appeared and came to me, and I helped him on his path, just as I’m helping you now. The previous Chosen found the Warden and guided him as well. He took him on as an apprentice and helped him level up quickly. It seemed like their intentions were to work together. However…" He paused, taking another sip of tea, finishing the cup before filling it again. He topped off my cup as well before continuing.

  "The Warden and the previous Chosen had an argument one evening. The next morning, they left a village, destined for another one that requested aid. The Warden was the only one who arrived and the previous chosen was never seen again. He started making laws and enforcing them. He gathered builders and constructed Kaedras, forcing everyone to move to this area and establishing the Emberguard to enforce his laws and protect the people."

  He paused again before continuing. "Anyone who disobeys his laws is executed. He claims he is chosen by the god Luxarion, and anyone who goes against a god or a god’s chosen messiah deserves to have their privilege of life taken from them."

  I felt anger building inside me as Cedric spoke. "Everyone has their place, and in order for us to grow and be great in Luxarion’s eyes, we must obey the Warden and do our part in his grand plan."

  I looked away for a moment, reflecting on how similar this sounded to organizations on Earth. The ones that used fear of divine punishment to manipulate people into acting as they pleased. I remembered the guard who had picked me up on my first day, mentioning the word "Gods" when we spoke.

  "Are there other gods?" I asked.

  "There were," Cedric said. "I fear they have abandoned us now."

  "What happened to them?" I asked.

  "We used to honor all the gods—Aelora, the Goddess of Light and Renewal; Vaelun, the Goddess of Justice and Order; Ilithara, the Goddess of Love and Passion. There were several, and we used to pray and pay tribute to all of them. However, the Warden assured us these gods were false, and that he was the physical embodiment of the one true god."

  I stood up, beginning to pace back and forth, trying to remain calm as I listened to this history. Cedric spoke again.

  "I’ve helped you as much as I can. I wish you well on your path, and I pray you forge a path that you find just."

  I stopped pacing and looked at him. "A path that I find just," I thought. In that moment, I knew what I had to do.

  Cedric bowed his head slightly. "Forgive me, but I must return to my duties. Please make haste and leave this place. It’s not safe for you here."

  I nodded, making my way down the stairs and to the base of the tower. I exited carefully, ensuring there were no prying eyes, and made my way back to Alyndra’s market stall. She and Lirael were waiting. Lirael held the sack that was now empty, and Alyndra held a small sack of coins on her hip. As I approached, they both smiled, and Alyndra pulled me in for a hug. Lirael joined in, and I felt relieved to be back with them.

  "How did it go?" Alyndra asked.

  I just smiled and said, "It went really well. I know what I have to do."

  She nodded. "Let's hurry home."

  I followed them, and as we approached the gate, the guards stopped us again.

  "Let’s see what we got," one of the guards said, and Alyndra handed him the coin purse. The guard dumped the contents into his hand—a small pile of gold coins. He started counting them and stopped when he reached 20. He put two of them back into the leather pouch and handed it back to Alyndra before dumping the rest into his own pouch, attached to his hip. He motioned for us to continue, and we started making our way back home.

  "What was that about?" I asked.

  "The Warden calls them taxes. He says that our lives are a gift from Luxarion, that we are here to serve him, and one of the ways we do that is by donating 90% of everything back to him."

  I just shook my head, feeling the familiar stirrings of anger. "Let me guess," I said, "All these donations go to the Warden, and he makes sure Luxarion knows what a good follower you are."

  Alyndra looked back at me and just nodded.

  "This is beyond corrupt," I said, and Alyndra quickly spoke.

  "Hush," she said. "People have been executed for less."

  I kept my mouth shut and just thought about everything I had learned as we walked. Whoever the Warden was, he clearly sounded like he was from Earth and was using religion to control people. I wondered if all the Chosen were from Earth or if he was the only one.

  Soon, we arrived back at the farm, and Harald was waiting outside, smoking. When he saw us, he smiled and hurried over, hugging Alyndra and Lirael.

  "It’s so good to have you back. I love you both so much."

  Alyndra and Lirael responded, "I love you too," as they made their way into the house to prepare dinner.

  I noticed the crops we planted just yesterday already looked like they were halfway grown. I looked at Harald, confused.

  "How long does it take for food to grow here?" I asked.

  He turned and looked at his crops before answering.

  "Well, it depends on the crops, but usually a few days to a week."

  "Wow," I said. "That’s really fast."

  He looked at me, puzzled, and asked, "How long does it take where you're from?"

  I thought for a moment, realizing I didn’t know much about farming on Earth. "I think around 30 to 45 days, but it depends on what’s growing."

  His head jerked back a little, and he shook his head. "That seems like a long time."

  I nodded, then an idea came to me. I looked at Harald and said. "I need to help Alyndra and Lirael cook. I’d like to start building my skills."

  Harald just smiled and patted my back. "Yes, please, go ahead," he said, motioning his hand toward the house.

  I spent the evening absorbing everything Alyndra and Lirael could tell me about cooking and baking, as well as helping to make a delicious cut of meat that resembled steak, with mixed vegetables. I learned that the meat came from the Marrifawn, the weird cow with a lion’s mane and bunny tail. It was just a different cut.

  "It must be this world’s version of a cow," I thought.

  After hours of prepping, seasoning, and cooking, it was finally time to eat. I had worked up quite an appetite at this point, and we all sat down to the delicious spread. I jumped a little when a notification appeared in my vision:

  Cooking increased to level 3.

  It faded away, and I smiled a bit. We all ate, and I devoured the meal. With my cooking skill increased, I could really appreciate the different flavors. I now knew that these cuts of meat were cooked to a medium temperature, which was ideal for this type of meat, and the vegetables were steamed—just enough so they weren’t too soft. We drank mead made from red berries, which seemed to cleanse the palate so that every bite of meat tasted like the first.

  Once we finished eating, Harald motioned for me to go outside with him, which was becoming our custom. He handed me a cigarette and got one for himself. I lit my cigarette, and almost immediately, another notification popped up:

  Fire magic increased to level 2.

  I took a drag from my cigarette, and for some reason, I felt an urge to open my hand and push it in a motion. I stepped away from the house and pushed my hand open to the sky. A giant flame shot out and into the air, similar to what a flamethrower looked like on Earth.

  Harald quickly grabbed my arm and closed my fist, stopping the fire.

  "What are ye doing?" he said, his voice laced with concern. I felt shocked. He just stared at me, his eyes full of worry.

  "I-I'm sorry," I said, and he released his grip on me.

  "Ye have to be careful. Only the Emberguard use fire magic. What would happen if someone saw a random farm boy shooting flames into the air?"

  He had a point. I took another drag from my cigarette, then a realization hit me.

  "How do you know fire magic if they only teach it to the guards?" I asked.

  Harald seemed to pause mid-drag of his cigarette. He looked at the ground for a moment, then began speaking.

  "I used to be part of the Emberguard."

  "Really?" I said. "What happened?"

  He continued, "I was forced to do something I did not agree with. I had no choice but to carry out my orders. What I did never sat well with me and still haunts me to this day." He took a drag of his cigarette before continuing, "I asked to leave and was told no. I kept insisting, and was finally allowed to leave on the condition that me and my family move to the very outskirts of the city. We had to farm and still contribute, but we are considered lesser.."

  I remembered back to the day the guard found me and called me a "lesser" as well. Harald continued, "Lesser’s are everyone who lives outside the walls. We don’t have the protection of Luxarion, and if we’re ever invaded by an army, or any kind of famine strikes, or any problem, really, we’re the ones who will be sacrificed in order for the ones inside the walls to be protected."

  I just shook my head. "That is seriously messed up."

  Harald kept looking down and continued, "The Warden decides who is lesser and who isn’t. They usually consist of people he believes cannot contribute that much to Luxarion, therefore they don’t receive his protection."

  I just kept shaking my head at this madness.

  "Well," I said, "I need to train and raise my skills as much as I can. The sooner I can do that, the sooner I can possibly change things around here."

  Harald looked up at me, and I could see hope glimmer in his eyes.

  "I will help ye as much as I can," he said, finishing his cigarette. "Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start your training."