Nate and Yoli stepped out of the elevator into a vision of serene opulence. The floor beneath them was an immaculate spread of marble with large pristine tiles veined with gentle swirls of silver and ivory. Between each slab, thin lines of golden grout shone subtly in the light, guiding the eye across the expansive space. It was clear, by the continuous grain and hue, that the stone all came from the same colossal cut, an intentional display of wealth and artistry.

  The walls were almost entirely made of floor-to-ceiling windows allowing daylight to flood the room in soft, radiant sheets. Every now and then a structural pillar broke the glass continuity, these were covered by vertical wood boards all evenly spaced from each other as they wrapped the segment of wall. These rare breaks in the view served as canvases for breathtaking artwork. Abstract pieces in varying styles adorned the wood slats, each following a theme of geometric precision. Intersecting lines, parallel paths, some painted in vibrant contrasts, others subdued in elegant monochrome.

  Ahead, the reception desk stood as a statement of craftsmanship. A flowing blend of carved wood, polished white stone, and intricate gold inlay. Behind it rose a dramatic backdrop of ancient Greek-style columns, evoking an almost temple-like reverence. The desk itself was taller than expected, and the woman standing behind it was taller still.

  "Hello, I'm Dalma. Do you have an appointment with Mister Kalazan?" she asked with a poised smile.

  Her accent was unfamiliar to Nate, perhaps vaguely Middle Eastern, but it danced just outside his ability to place it. She was strikingly beautiful: deeply tanned skin, long silver and black hair woven into tiny and tight intricate braids, and eyes that seemed to read more than they let on.

  "Uh, no." Nate replied, craning his neck to meet her gaze. "We're from Earth. Newcomers. One of Hal’s daughters told us to come here for attunement services."

  "We can come back later if now’s not a good time." Yoli added quickly.

  Dalma’s smile softened, and she gave a slight shake of her head. "That won’t be necessary. Mister Kalazan always makes time for friends of Hal. As it happens, he’s available now. Please, have a seat. I’ll return shortly."

  With a graceful turn, Dalma walked toward a nearby doorway embedded in the wall to the side of the desk. The door split smoothly down the middle, its two halves gliding soundlessly apart. Beyond it lay nothing but a pitch black and depthless hallway. Without hesitation, she stepped into the void, and the door sealed behind her like it had never been there.

  Nate glanced around, wide-eyed. "This place looks… expensive."

  Yoli nodded, eyes still scanning the opulent surroundings. "Yeah, but if Hal, Peggy, and the rest of their family trust this guy, then I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. Would you?"

  Nate shook his head. "Not a chance."

  While Yoli got up and moved closer to one of the geometric paintings, tilting her head to study the intersecting lines, Nate sat back and unfolded his link to expand it into tablet mode, and he pulled up the Affinities tab in the Dex he’d been reading the night before.

  The screen loaded a clean diagram of the four affinities. Reaction, Connection, Life, and Void. Each glowed softly with its own signature color. All of them, except Void, had long lists of documented uses both in and out of combat. But even seeing the options laid out in front of him, Nate felt more uncertain than ever.

  This was it. The one and only time he could choose. A permanent decision about the kind of person, no, the kind of being he was going to become. The weight of it made his chest tighten. These were the moments that paralyzed him. Too many what-ifs. Too much pressure.

  Before he could spiral any further, the marble door slid open again. Dalma emerged with her calm expression unchanged.

  "Mister Kalazan will see you now."

  Nate and Yoli stood, sharing a quick glance, then stepped toward the doorway. The darkness beyond no longer felt ominous, just unknown. Together, they crossed the threshold.

  The moment Nate and Yoli passed through the marble doorway, the brightness of the lobby gave way to shadow. They walked down a short, dim hallway, its walls painted a deep, midnight blue. The air grew still and quiet. The passage opened into a richly adorned room, lit only by the soft crackle of a fire and faint pinpricks of ambient light coming from the ceiling.

  Three dark brown leather chairs formed a triangle at the room’s center with two of them facing one, all positioned atop a sprawling oriental rug. The rug’s intricate patterns and its red and gold threads brought life to the dark wooden floor beneath. The walls matched the hallway's blue color and were trimmed with carved wood molding that had a polish that reflected the light of the fire. On the far side of the room, the hearth framed the fire in an ornate woodwork of vines, constellations, and ancient symbols woven together with precision and care.

  Above the fireplace, four glass display cases rested on the mantle, each bathed in its own spotlight from the ceiling. Within each case sat a gem. Nate moved toward them, drawn like a moth to a light.

  Yoli stayed back, eyeing the seating arrangement. "I feel like I’m about to sit down for a therapy session." she murmured.

  "Perhaps, more like an interview." came a warm voice from the shadows.

  Both Nate and Yoli turned quickly.

  A tall figure emerged from a doorway in the corner, his presence was calm but commanding. Kalazan was broad-shouldered and stood even taller than Dalma with the same skin tone and the same accent that drifted somewhere between the deserts and the mountains. He wore loose flowing pants and a fitted tunic, both the same deep blue as the walls. Draped over his shoulders was a robe of the same color, but its trim was a bold, lustrous gold nearly two inches thick and embroidered with subtle geometric patterns.

  "Please have a seat." he said, his voice gentle and kind, but firm.

  Nate and Yoli obeyed, lowering themselves into the chairs facing him as he took the remaining seat with practiced grace.

  "So!" Kalazan began, eyes glinting with curiosity. "Dalma tells me Hal sent you. How is my old friend?"

  “He and Peggy have been so kind and accommodating. Especially during our tour. Especially when he was playing with his band last night.” Nate said as he got comfortable in the plush leather lounger chair.

  Kalazan let out a rich, genuine laugh. "Still giving tours and playing music with those old miscreants I see."

  “He was quiet, though, when Peggy mentioned Tonk.” Nate added.

  The laughter faded from Kalazan’s eyes and he slowly closed his lips together. He nodded, solemn. “I need to reach out to him. It's been too long since we’ve talked. I do love their visits.”

  Then, his tone shifted brighter again, attempting to change the mood. “Dalma also tells me you’re from Earth. It’s been quite a while since we’ve welcomed a new planet into the Union. Tell me, how are you adjusting? It’s a lot to take in, I imagine.”

  Yoli leaned forward. “For me, it was when we left the Nexus and saw the tree. The whole Hub stretched out from one base to another. That’s when it really hit.”

  “For me it was seeing the first footage of the gateway landing on Earth… And again, at the world leaders conference, when the ambassadors used magic.”

  Kalazan’s eyes twinkled. “That must’ve been something. I was born on a world already part of The Union. My family were explorers and treasure-hunters. Naturally, I followed suit. That’s how I met Hal. We went to contractor school together and adventured with the same team for many years.”

  “So why did you stop?” Nate asked.

  Kalazan grinned slyly, glancing toward the closed door. “Dalma, of course. It was Peggy for Hal. We’d both had our share of affairs and adventures, but Dalma… She was, and is, different. She held a kind of power over me that I couldn’t resist. Eventually, I settled down. Our children sail the stars now, and I live vicariously through them.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  He leaned back slightly, folding his hands together. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, your planet’s vote shouldn't be tallied for some time. Why come early?”

  “I’m a doctor back home. So the moment I saw what was possible here, I had to come. I thought maybe I could learn something and bring it back with me.”

  Kalazan nodded thoughtfully. “A noble motivation.”

  Yoli glanced toward Nate. “He wasn’t going to come, but… well, we pushed him through.”

  Kalazan tilted his head. “Why is that?”

  Nate hesitated. “I’m not the kind of person who… puts himself out there. This is all kind of… my first adventure.”

  Kalazan smiled. “A good place to start.”

  He looked between them. “So what do you know about attunement? About affinities?”

  “We took the free course at the Intelligence Consortium. And Nate’s been reading a lot on the Dex.”

  “Ah yes. The Intelligence Consortium is an invaluable part of our way of life. But tell me, what did they teach you about where gems come from?”

  Nate spoke up. “They’re the result of some kind of event, right? Like, Reaction gems come from natural phenomena. Life gems from plants, and so on.”

  Kalazan nodded. “True, that's how they physically manifest. But what about why? Why do they appear at all? Have you thought about that, Nathan?”

  Nate blinked. “No… I guess not.”

  Kalazan’s gaze grew distant. “The Intelligence Consortium is vital, but it struggles with the questions that sit just beyond science. Questions of meaning. Of origin.”

  “You mean like religion?” Yoli asked.

  “In a way. Religion is one lens through which we try to explain the cosmos. I believe there’s a point somewhere in the unknown where religion, spiritual study, and science converge. One day, wherever your path takes you, you’ll stop and ask: Why can I do this? Where does it come from?”

  He paused, letting the silence sink in.

  “I’ve spent my life chasing those questions. And while I don’t claim to have found all the answers, I’ve learned one thing above all: never take these blessings for granted.”

  He leaned forward slightly, his voice a whisper now. “You will have fun. No doubt. But promise me, both of you, when you wield your abilities, do so with a measure of reverence. From time to time remember this conversation. Respect what you've been given and you’ll find your bond with your affinity only grows stronger.”

  Then, with a clap of his hands that echoed in the fire lit room, he brightened once more. “Now! Let’s get to the fun part.”

  He stepped closer, and the firelight caught the gold trim of his robe. “Now. Here’s how this will work.”

  “I will tell you what I sense your affinity should be, based on what I know and what I’ve felt from your presence. You can either accept it… or choose another. The choice is always yours.”

  Nate and Yoli both nodded slowly.

  “Once you’ve chosen, I will hand you an affinity gem, you’ll then press it to your chest and after a few seconds the gem and your chest will begin to glow. Then, the gem will melt into your body and disappear. Now at this level of resonance you develop two abilities, so after you attune we will go to the training room to test them out.”

  “Resonance?” Nate asked, frowning slightly. “No one’s explained that to us yet.”

  Kalazan blinked, surprised. “Oh my word. No one?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Alright, let’s fix that.”

  He folded his hands and spoke with the calm certainty of a lifelong teacher.

  “Think of your attunement like a new muscle that your body and soul are developing together. Your soul houses the attunement. Your body expresses it through the abilities you manifest. And just like any other muscle it grows stronger the more you use it.”

  Yoli leaned forward slightly. “So the more we use our abilities, the more we evolve?”

  “Kind of." Kalazan said, pleased. “Over time, as your strength increases, you’ll go through what's called a resonance event, but only if you want to. When you complete a resonance event you manifest a new ability and your current ones evolve. Your body also goes through a change. Your life span will increase, your physical form will reach peak levels and even exceed what your species is naturally capable of. The Union and the Intelligence Consortium have carefully tracked this, categorized it, and measured it. You’ll find all of it in the Codex.”

  He waved his hand as if brushing aside bureaucratic clutter. “It’s not vital now. But I recommend you read up on it later.”

  Nate’s brow furrowed. “You said… evolve to a higher state of being?”

  Kalazan’s smile softened, and there was something ancient in his eyes as he nodded.

  “You are fundamentally altering the nature of your soul and your body. You’re allowing the power of the cosmos to take root within you. To become part of you. You’ll still be you, Nathan. But as that power grows, your form and your potential will grow with it.”

  Nate was quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded. The fire crackled behind Kalazan, casting flickering shadows across the walls as the moment settled in.

  “Are you ready?” Kalazan asked.

  Kalazan rose from his chair and stepped toward the mantle. He ran his hand across the surface, then turned with a soft smile.

  “Yoli, my dear. It seems clear to me that you have a choice ahead of you.”

  She straightened slightly, listening.

  “I believe Life is the right fit for you. You are grounded in your determination to learn, to adapt, to explore this new reality the cosmos has thrown your way. You were a healer on your homeworld; your passion for helping others shines through you. I see no reason to guide you away from that.”

  He glanced at the small case on the mantle.

  “Now... Connection is an alternative. It would allow you to create healing mechanisms, constructs, tools, and devices but it lacks the precision, the raw life-giving purity, that Life provides.”

  Kalazan opened the case and carefully removed two stones, cradling them in his palm. He returned to his seat, though he remained standing beside it.

  "Life sounds right to me too." Yoli said softly.

  She stepped forward and took the stone from his hand. Kalazan gestured to the hearth.

  “Stand in front of the fire.” he said gently, stepping aside. “When you’re ready, child.”

  Yoli moved to the fireplace, the stone resting in her open palm. She looked down at it for a long moment, then pressed it to her chest. Her eyes closed. The room went still.

  After a heartbeat, the gem began to glow bright, warm, and white, like sunlight through spring leaves. Then it vanished, dissolving into her. Her chest glowed faintly for a second longer, then faded.

  “How do you feel?” Nate asked, sitting on the edge of his seat with his eyes locked on his sister.

  Yoli blinked, her voice distant but steady. “Like… like my blood just warmed up. And my skin it’s like I’m being poked by a million tiny needles, but softly.”

  Nate squinted. “Your skin is sparkling. Like… like a vampire.”

  “WHAT?!” Yoli snapped.

  Nate burst out laughing. “You have the skin of a killer now Yoli!”

  "Turd." she muttered, swatting at him as she walked past. Kalazan chuckled quietly.

  Yoli threw one last playful glare at Nate before settling back down.

  Kalazan turned to him now, his tone shifting, soft but weightier.

  “Now, Nathan… you’re a tougher egg to crack.”

  Nate tilted his head.

  “I don’t think it's a chance we met today. I believe… some part of the cosmos has been arranging things. The events of the past few weeks, months, the choices you've made, they led you here for a reason. You say you don't put yourself out there, you go with the flow, you don't adventure, you do what’s safe, measured, guaranteed.”

  He walked back to the mantle to a display case sitting on the end. Kalazan opened the case and held it carefully, almost reverently.

  “I’m sure in your brief research, you came across something about the Void affinity.”

  Nate nodded. “Yeah. It’s… rare.”

  “More than rare.” Kalazan said, meeting his eyes. “It’s dangerous and costly to come by.”

  He stepped closer. “You’ve heard of the Vortani during your Intelligence Consortium lessons, yes?”

  “Of course. They’ve come up a lot as we’ve been learning about the Union and the Hub.”

  “I imagine they have." Kalazan said. “When a celestial body is destroyed like a star or a planet, a Void gem may form. The only other time one has ever appeared and was documented was from the death of a Vortani.”

  He paused, letting that weight sink in.

  “Normally, when living creatures die, they leave behind Life gems. But the Vortani were different. With them gone, we’ve never been able to study their gems again. This," he said, holding it up, “is priceless.”

  He looked at it, then back at Nate.

  “I could give this to the child of some wealthy family and retire. Live out my days in comfort.”

  “But I won’t.”

  He extended the gem out to Nate.

  “I’m giving it to you. Because I believe, no, I know that we were meant to cross paths today. That I was meant to hold this stone, and that you were meant to receive it.”

  Nate stood and stepped forward. He took the stone from Kalazan’s hand, cradling it like the priceless artifact that it is.

  “How do I pay you for this?” he asked.

  Kalazan laughed softly, gesturing around the room. “Look at my robes. My lobby. I have more money than I know what to do with. This isn’t a transaction, Nathan. It’s a gift.”

  He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

  “All I ask is that you don’t squander it. Show us what the Void affinity can do. Teach us. Ascend to a higher state of being.”

  His tone darkened slightly.

  “People won’t understand you. Many will fear you. The government will question you. The Intelligence Consortium will want to dissect you.”

  Kalazan placed a hand on Nate’s shoulder.

  “Don’t ever hide what you can do.”

  Nate nodded, then raised the stone to his chest.

  The room dimmed, as if the fire had shrunk back. The Void stone shimmered with an impossible darkness, all the light sources in the room sucked their brightness in on themselves. Then, in a pulse, it disappeared into him as he attuned.