The nothingness of death was strangely comforting. All of Lillian’s ephemeral worries bled away as her mind stilled like a placid lake. The sting of Eric’s betrayal slowly numbed, becoming muted; all it took was the end of existence for her to find inner peace. The external world quieted, and a place belonging entirely to her sprung forth in her mind. A serene lake, with water as dark as the night that rippled with every breath she took. The sandy shores were a pristine white. She marveled at her translucent reflection as she began to sink into its black depths.

  “Ahem”

  Lillian froze and began floundering in the lake. Her eye quested around the periphery of the lake until she noticed a strange, lizard-like creature seated in the lotus position on the shore. The luster of the creature’s glistening copper scales reflected off the lake as she approached the shore. It appeared humanoid, wearing a weathered blue set of armor. Her body moved through the lake as if it wasn't there, gliding through the water without any resistance. As her body rose from the darkness, the liquid slid from her body as if she had been doused with a hydrophobic spray. Try as they might, the inky droplets could not cling to her. She was nearly free from the dark pool when she looked down and noticed she was naked. Her pale cheeks flushed as she dove back into the water, keeping only her nose above the surface.

  “Lillian Reed, we are inside your mindscape. If you wish to be clothed, simply will it.” The reptile’s toothy maw chattered as it struggled to mouth the words. The act of speaking seemed quite difficult for the strange creature.

  In a blink, she was wearing her work clothes with her ratty sneakers like she had been before she died. “I’ve heard of your kind before. you must be one of those powerful elite guys…one of the Brothschilds…or maybe one of the Husks?” she asked.

  She felt far too comfortable in this place. She knew that this lizard was speaking English to her of all things, yet somehow the strangeness of the situation didn’t bother her. She felt like she could be her true self here, without all the walls she put up in society.

  The reptile bared its teeth as a throaty chuckle escaped it. “No. Well yes, but also no. You earthlings have the strangest ideas. I’m no Skinwalker masquerading as the global elite of Earth. I am one of the elites though, one who was sent to help facilitate the transition of your world. Also, as a small side note, you are not dead.”

  “I saw the bombs detonate. I couldn’t have been more than ten miles from the blast. I must be dead.” The strangeness of her current surroundings began to gnaw at her. This isn't what death should be like. “They blew everything up! Even if I’m somehow still alive, Earth is fucked for the foreseeable future.”

  “Watch your language,” commanded the lizard sternly. “Without our intervention, you would be correct. Luckily for you, we have returned to grant you Earthlings the opportunity to shed your mortal coils and enter the world of cultivation!”

  “Wait. Who are you, what are you? How do you know my name, how can you undo a nuclear catastrophe, and why do you want me to enter the world of farming?” A myriad of questions fell from her lips like an avalanche, and she would have continued, but the reptile raised one hand to stop the onslaught. His other hand beckoned her to leave the water and come to the shore near him.

  “I understand you have many questions, but time is short. We must get started soon if you want to survive what is coming. Your survival skills are sorely lacking, and you will need to bolster them as much as you are able.”

  The reptile’s eyes seemed to peer through her as she obediently left the water. Lillian felt as if she’d crossed some invisible boundary when her feet touched the sand. The calmness and control bled away. Somehow, she knew that the reptile was the master of the lands outside the boundary lake.

  “My name is Renaxxus, and I am a member of the Scale race. You may refer to me as a teacher or sensei.”

  “What is coming that has us in such a rush, teacher Rex?” she asked while giving a mock salute, “can I shorten that to T-Rex?”

  “I will explain as we go, if you are respectful.”

  Lillian managed not to roll her eye as she replied “Yes, Sensei.”

  “Very good. It is important to remember that we can only train your mind here; nothing that you do in this space will affect the real world for the duration of my visit here, and no amount of exercise will help you get in better shape. Think of this experience as building muscle memory. Now, as quickly as you can, assemble a dwelling,” he commanded.

  Renaxxus gave her no time to ask any more questions. With the snap of a finger, the landscape changed around her, and she was suddenly thrust into a dense forest.

  Lillian stared at her teacher as he basked on a rock, enjoying the warmth of the sun that shone through the trees.

  “What the fuck is all this, I’m not…” the words caught in her throat as howls sounded out off in the distance. Renaxxus said nothing and continued to sunbathe. The lizard proved much more difficult to deal with when she let her tongue loose.

  With a huff, Lillian gathered loose branches and vines from the forest floor and attempted to cobble together a shelter. The howling steadily grew louder as the beasts approached, sending her anxiety skyrocketing. Alarm bells rang in her head as she fumbled her way around the ground. The patchwork hovel was incomplete, with a large opening still exposing her to the world, but she gave up trying to improve it and climbed inside. The moment she sat inside the stick teepee, the surroundings seemed to fast forward as clouds quickly rolled in which darkened. Her shoddy work did little to impede the downpour, and the winds chilled her to the bone. Before the thought of hypothermia could become a worry, the howling returned. Her little dwelling was not going to hide her from whatever was approaching. The sound of her heart thumping reverberated in her ears as the howls finally stopped, and the rancid fog from the wolf's breath billowed through the branches of her shelter. The terror she felt reached its peak, and she clenched her eye closed, refusing to look at the beast that would end her life. The expected pain never came as she opened her eye and appeared back in front of Renaxxus. The warm rays of sunlight were a welcome sight after the chill of the rain she had felt only moments before.

  “What have you learned?” asked the Scale as he rolled to his back to catch the sun’s rays at a better angle.

  What did I learn? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

  Her breath came in ragged bursts. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as fury boiled over fear. Anger at her own ineptitude coursed through Lillian. She wanted to lash out at the copper bastard and wanted to scream that this game wasn’t fun. The look in the reptile's eye told her that he would be happy to end things here if she didn’t want to continue. His gaze seemed so condescending, as if he was looking down at an ant.

  Lillian returned a smoldering glare.

  “My shelter was worthless. It did not protect me from the elements or the beasts that roamed the woods,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Renaxxus nodded and waved his hand for her to continue.

  “I should have found a better area to set up camp or found a cave.”

  Lillian blinked, and she was alone in the woods once more.

  He won't break me.

  She set to work searching the area for a place to build her shelter. Unlike the first attempt, she traveled all around the woods in search of the perfect spot. The trees were like a maze, and she was unable to navigate them. After an hour of wandering in the forest, she heard the howls in the distance again. She hadn't bothered setting up a worthless shelter this time and was completely unprepared for whatever was coming. Her search for a cave went unrewarded as the howling grew louder.

  The wolf pack moved through the trees and followed her scent until they rounded a tree in confusion. The pack howled in frustration before wandering off into the darkness in search of prey.

  Lillian watched them circle around the tree several times before she released the breath she had been holding. Fighting down the fear of the wolves, she prepared to begin the climb back down the tree when the branch she was gripping stared back at her. An emerald glint reflected off the snake's eyes as it wrapped her up and began constricting. She realized too late that the bark she’d been gripping onto for dear life was the camouflaged skin of the snake. It squeezed her tighter and tighter before its gaping maw unhinged and covered her head. Lillian clenched her eyes as the jaws of the snake tightened around her neck. The pressure disappeared again as her teacher’s annoyingly cheery voice tickled her ears again.

  “What have you learned?”

  The question hung in the air, the adrenaline coursing through her body was making it hard for her to think.

  “Lillian?”

  “Wolves and snakes are terrifying,” she replied after her frantic heartbeat calmed down.

  “Anything can be terrifying when you are ignorant and weak. Think harder.”

  Lillian thought about all the events of her last excursion and latched onto a key detail.

  “The wolves are only a threat because they are able to track me.”

  She could tell there was more to learn but couldn’t quite place a finger on what.

  “Climbing the trees to avoid the ground is only worth it if the trees are safe too.”

  Her teacher's eyes seemed to turn to crescents as he gave his signature toothy grin to her again.

  “You will come across a myriad of beasts and creatures that will all have different natures. It will be vital for you to use your brain first, then act. It is your greatest advantage over the beasts. You will rarely find yourself stronger or faster than a pack of wolves, but you can be smarter and prepare for them.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Lillian expected to appear back in the forest, but her teacher seemed to have more to say this time. I bet he is going to make me run through this forest until I give up.

  “No, only until you are ready, or until we run out of time.”

  Ice shot down her spine, and an overwhelming dread started to settle in its wake.

  “You can read my mind,” she whispered.

  Her body shuddered and reappeared back in the waters of her mindscape. The shoreline that demarcated the change of control was only a step away. Lillian materialized an armory of weapons that positioned themselves around her as she instinctively sought to defend herself. The various guns and swords hovered around the border of the lake as a look of what Lillian assumed was panic crossed Renaxxus’s face.

  “Please don’t do that,” he said, his claws held upright in a show of peace. “I am only able to intrude into your mindscape due to an artifact. If we become hostile towards one another, I will be banished from this place. If that happens, you will be deemed unworthy. I have skimmed through thousands of Earthling memories during this recruitment; it is how I learned your languages after all. This would not have been necessary if you were a cultivator, as we have much easier ways to communicate. Neither of us can afford you destroying this incarnation, so please calm yourself. I will refrain from reading your thoughts as much as I am able. It is a difficult thing when you are broadcasting them so openly.”

  The buildup of her mental arsenal continued. “Neither of us can afford you being churned into meat pulp because…?” She drew out the last syllable as she pressed the blades closer and closer to the Scale.

  “You will need me to teach you if you wish to survive. I need to have pupils survive and join the sect to earn contribution points from this mission.” steam blew from his nostrils as he spit out his response. His response made some sense, but Lillian felt like there was another reason buried below the shallow reason Renaxxus gave.

  She was unable to get an accurate read on the Scale. The task was a tall one when everything about the creature was foreign.

  “What sect?”

  “The Eternal Sect. The only sect for humanoids in this part of the galaxy.”

  Renaxxus continued from where he left off once Lillian stowed the arsenal she had summoned. It wasn’t gone, only hidden below the dark waters.

  He ran her through hundreds of scenarios and environments, all the while helping her glean ways to identify threats and the tried and tested ways to survive. She learned how to make ropes, nets, and rudimentary clothes. Beyond basic survival skills, he beat into her a will to survive regardless of how stacked the odds against her became. She dressed burns with fish skins and ate rabbits raw. He beat the weakness from her by slowly ramping up the difficulty of each scenario and reviewing her mistakes with her.

  The tests continued for weeks. She had a suspicion that her teacher made it impossible to ever be completely safe, no matter how well she did, but she didn’t dare voice the thought anymore.

  The time she spent in each iteration of the woods grew longer and longer as the weeks went by. Lillian would spend days in muddy dens living off the land while avoiding the predators that stalked the trees relentlessly. After what must have been months, Renaxxus returned her to the boundary of her mindscape and told her that their time together had come to an end.

  “Can you answer some of my questions now?” she pleaded. Over the weeks, Lillian had truly grown to see the reptile as a teacher. His methods were crude, and he made her figure everything out on her own, but she felt as if she could thrive in a forest now.

  “I will answer a few due to your effort and good behavior, though I wish you would stop cursing.”

  She glowered at Renaxxus for a moment before remembering her built-up question pile that had only grown as she struggled to survive his tests.

  “So how am I still alive? Why didn’t the bombs kill me?”

  Renaxxus grinned before humoring her.

  “Earth’s nuclear crisis was averted by one of the sect artifacts,” answered the Scale.

  “Worldwide nuclear annihilation was stopped by an artifact and thousands of bombs suddenly didn’t release a metric fuckton of destruction and poison onto the planet?”

  “Language, Lillian. If that was their desire, yes, they could’ve stopped the bombs from detonating. Instead, they used those bombs as catalysts to terraform Earth into a planet suitable for cultivation.”

  “Even if I believed all that, how could you have the time to do this with thousands of us? It has been a month or two at most since the bombs went off, there is no way you could have been through that many of us that quickly.”

  Renaxxus’s grin widened even further, his drawn-back lips revealing rows of sharp teeth.

  “Not very many of you humans focus on that detail. There are several things you are unaware of; allow me to illuminate where the faults in your reasoning lie. First, and most importantly, you are not on Earth at the moment. Humans with the potential for cultivation were moved to stasis pods that keep them alive while Earth undergoes its metamorphosis. Those too young are in learning facilities until they grow old enough to cultivate. Second, the time since the bombs detonated has long passed. Finally, I have the time to work so long with you, and so many others, because this avatar is only one fragment of my consciousness. I am working with thousands of you Earthlings simultaneously.”

  Lillian's gut told her that the Scale had been playing a game with her all this time. He allowed her to feel like she was in control on her side of the mental boundary, but he could crush her like a bug with a thought if he chose to. She believed his claims. The implications of such a being made her realize that the stalwart mental defenses she had manifested would do little to protect her. She was only alive because Renaxxus allowed her to remain.

  “Your little club can stop a nuclear catastrophe, save humanity from its own destruction, and invade the minds of all us mortals while reading them like an open book while you're at it.” Her words hung in the air as a realization dawned upon her. “Your Gods.”

  The Scale laughed heartily at that proclamation. “Compared to you, I could be considered as such to some minor degree, but I've seen things that you could only attribute to the Divine. The Chinese have, well, had, a wonderful proverb that seems to aptly apply here.” The jovial grin faded as he became serious. “You Earthlings are frogs in a well. You gaze up from the bottom thinking you know how large the sky is, but what you can see is only a small part of what is really there. We can enhance ourselves through cultivation to become more than you can imagine. I was once in a situation much like you find yourself in today. I was a powerless Scale: a mortal. My fate was not within my hands, and I was subject to the greater whims of my people. They too chose destruction, much like you humans did, though the method was different."

  Renxauss seemed to get lost in thought before he continued. "We, in our insatiable greed, brought an asteroid closer to our planet hoping to mine the resources off of it. Our lords were so pleased with the new addition to their horde that they brought more and more until they brought one a little too close. The heavenly body fell and entered our atmosphere, threatening to destroy us. The sect came for us then, like we come for you now. If you are willing to work for it, you can grasp your fate and rise.”

  The words tickled the back of Lillian’s mind as she mulled over the scenario Renaxxus presented. “That’s kind of like how the dinosaurs went extinct on Earth. Some big meteor came and killed them off.”

  She conjured an image of Earth being hit by a meteor, vaporizing the dinosaurs as a massive cloud of debris covered the planet and blotted out the sun.

  The shoreline darkened as if the mental world they were sharing was going to become a black hole. Renaxxus seemed to lose himself for a second before the shore returned to its original pristine white.

  “Please don’t compare the Scale to those antiquated savages. It is a great insult, as if we called you hairless apes or monkeys. I will allow you that transgression as you were ignorant, but now that you know, do show some discretion. Not all Scale are as magnanimous as I.”

  “Point taken… So, Earth has been a host planet for many different sentient species that all eventually destroy themselves, and your sect comes in and recruits them before resetting the board?” The conjured planet went through several iterations of population bloom and destruction. “Why bother with all this?"

  “There are some things I cannot divulge, and this is one of them. There are many things that would make it easier for you to survive, but that is not the intention of the Sect. The higher ups do not want flowers raised in a greenhouse that will wilt under the pressure of the wind and rains. They want hardy and tested sprouts that have stood against the storm while remaining unbroken.”

  The displeasure must have shown on Lillian’s face, because Renaxxus’s magnanimity faded away after that explanation.

  “Don't forget, the sect could have done nothing and watched all of you kill yourselves. Instead, you received some basic training from me and at least have a chance to live, if you are willing to grasp it.”

  Lillian paused as she considered the implications of that statement. We did this to ourselves. The thought stuck in her head as she once again cursed the so-called leaders of humanity that decided death was the best option for the planet.

  “If cultivators are gods who can live forever and have such strength, why is there a need to recruit at all?”

  Renaxxus dropped his relaxed demeanor and sternly said “War. The Eternal Sect has been at war since before the Scale were inducted and will likely continue to be at war long after whatever race comes along after humanity.”

  The cultivators fight in a never-ending battle while mortals continue a cycle of exponential growth and annihilation.

  “Can you at least explain what cultivation is?”

  “All I can tell you is that if you make it far enough, we will meet again. At that time, I will be able to guide you properly. The beginning of every cultivation journey is unique, and there is little I can advise you on beyond the basics contained in the Sect Primer. All I will say is that you will bleed for every step you take on your path to power.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Lillian replied as she blanched at the prospect.

  “Cultivation is painful. The great powers we wield are earned through blood, sweat, and death. No one can force you to go down this path, but the alternative is not one I would recommend.”

  “What is the alternative?” she asked pensively.

  “I will be blunt; those who refuse the sect’s invitation are sent to a world where there is no mana and they work as slaves whose only purpose is mining resources. They live hard, short existences. To the sect, sparing your lives is not a gift freely given, but one that they expect a return on. The time of your betters and the resources needed to rise through the ranks are all valuable commodities. If you do not get in line, they will bleed you for every drop of blood you have and toss your corpse to the dogs.”

  “Sounds lovely, where do I sign up?”

  A scroll blinked into existence above her and fell into her hands.

  “Unfortunately, the Sect has graded you as a sub-par prospect due to the damaged mana vein in your head. Those considered good seedlings are taken to a training facility where they undergo body tempering with the guidance of trainers. Some are given techniques and treasures to aid them and protect them during the dangerous times ahead. Unfortunately, you will have to figure it out as you go along with that scroll as a reference.”

  Lillian felt her eye patch as a cold reluctance gripped her. “This worthless eye has hurt my job prospects for my entire life, I don’t know why I thought things would be different now.”

  “It is less than ideal but do keep your spirits up. There have been many changes to Earth as mana alters the nature of most things, and in great quantities, the change is qualitative. There will be many natural treasures and mysterious beasts that could hold the key to repairing that damaged circulatory system of yours. Even I had to regrow a limb while I was going through my initiation.”

  Lillian deadpanned as she growled out “Reptiles can normally regrow limbs!”

  Renaxxus chuckled as he began to fade from view.

  “Good luck, Lillian Reed.”

  As the Scale faded, a small paper ball bounced off her forehead. She opened the crumpled paper before freezing.

  “Cultivation will require you to take. Take as much as you can from as many as you can. If you need a better location to cultivate, take it! If you need a better weapon, take it! If your mana veins are damaged and you need a new eye…”

  The paper burst into flames and disappeared as Lillian’s back straightened. A chance to regain her sight had appeared! The cultivation world might be cutthroat, but the light of hope it held drew her in like a moth to a flame.