“Where am I? What was that voice? What happened? Why do you sound vaguely British?” I question the voice in my head. I open my eyes to a cool darkness and a seraphic glowing ball of light with feathered wings to the side of it. A blue box slowly forms underneath the light and lines of text start to slowly wiggle and crawl into place.

  Let’s learn a little bit more about you, shall we? Please answer all the following questions and scenarios as honestly as you can to give us the most accurate information. We can tell if you lie to us by monitoring your heart rate, brain waves, and cortisol levels. This will not adversely affect you, but it will probably make getting the best class for you more difficult.

  “Why is the Thanatos Project Initiation happening? I was on a train just a few seconds ago.” I wonder aloud.

  Everything will be answered in time. Now please relax and proceed with the evaluation. As I ask questions, the reflections in the pond in front of you will form full images for you to see and react to so we can get a better perspective for who you are as a person.

  The scenery changes and before my eyes appears a pristine pond with a small Sakura Blossom Tree and raked gravel surrounding the water’s edge. I look down into the pond and see a clear reflection of myself.

  Scenario One: The Trial of Identity and Self Perception

  The pond that you see before you will show you three things. The image changes between the three rhythmically as long as you focus on what I tell you. The first thing you will see is who you believe yourself to be, the second is what you fear you might become, and the final is who you could become with power.

  Upon hearing the prompts from the Angelic Ball I notice the pristine water begin to slowly ripple and change the reflection in front of me. I look at the ball before it changes and open my mouth to ask a question that’s been on my mind since the beginning. “Who or what are you?” I ask slowly, the words forming cautiously on my tongue.

  I’ll answer your question with one of my own. What do you see of me? Some say I am an unfeeling voice that resonates with their very being. Others see shadows that flicker on the edge of their vision with a voice that feels like insects under their skin.

  “I see a floating tear drop shaped ball of soft golden light with a pair of feathered seraphic wings. Your voice is light and friendly like a morning breeze, but full of wisdom like the forest that the breeze is blowing through.” I state with a weird surety that I didn’t expect myself to have in this situation. “What should I call you?” I ask the Seraphic Ball.

  Some call me The System, others a god of an unknown sphere of influence, and others still refer to me as an unfeeling devil that prowls the fears in their minds. You may refer to me as however you see fit for it does not matter to me.

  “Well, I suck at naming schemes so due to your angelic-like appearance I’m going to call you Angela.” I say as my train of thought comes to an end.

  Acceptable, now let’s continue the evaluation. Think back to the first prompt again with the pond. When looking at the pond what do you see about the figure that represents you for who you believe yourself to be? What do they seem to value most by the look and demeanor they show?

  “She looks slightly tired from the light bags under her eyes, but confident and beautiful in whatever she’s doing.” I say with firm belief. “She has a glint of curiosity in her eyes and the half smile she sports makes me think that she’s hungry for the knowledge and answers she desires.” I postulate out loud, more to myself than for anyone else.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Good. Now about the second reflection. This is what you fear you may become. With their appearance and stance, what terrifies you about becoming powerful or influential? What differences do you notice in the two different images?

  The reflection shimmers and ripples until I’m standing there again, but now I’m hunched slightly with both arms raised and hands out as if I had claws. My clothing has become stained and ripped around the edges and I’m frozen with an angry glare and a snarl on my lips. I can see my front left canine protruding underneath my curled top lip and it seems to be sharper and more pronounced than I’ve ever seen. The muscle I can see in my arms and abs has become more compact and defined and there’s power in my stance as if I could rush forward at any moment. My eyes have changed from a silver with a blue tint to now having a reddish haze that runs through the iris. The only thing that moves and changes with the image is how the red clouded iris slowly swirls and crackles like a thundercloud leading before a storm front. “I look like a caged animal, not afraid, but ready with an air of ferocity in my stance. Small details have changed about me to make me more animalistic in nature like my protruding fang of a canine, the compacting and defining of my muscles, and how my entire frame seems more lithe and slightly elongated. Even my ears are slightly sharper and more attentive towards my surroundings. My clothing is torn and stained with a deep crimson and I’m standing like I’m about to jump forward onto a target or get ready to prowl into a shadow and disappear with unnatural speed and precision.” I state rhetorically.“Why do my eyes make me look hungry, but instead of knowledge it’s a deep hungering within my soul? And my iris changed to a clouded red haze like a thunderstorm, what’s with that?” I question, angrily gazing at Angela above the pond.

  You seem to have strong instincts and a fantastical approach. Most see themselves alone or dying, despairing about what could have been. You seem to see yourself instead as the cause of loneliness and despair in others. A force of wrath and malice. The red eye tinting refers to the loss of control in specific species. A very unique trait that many will never see or hear about but in legends and folktales. Through all of this though you seem to have taken more control and refuse to give up that control. Interesting indeed.

  Angela flutters slowly upward almost as if they are thinking and processing my remarks and their own postulations about my descriptions.

  Finally, onto the third prompt. In this image you will see a perfected version of yourself. Who you can become with power like the second image, but with perfect control of yourself and your surroundings. If you notice any flaws, what are they? Do you see a ruler among their people, or a monastic nomad with wisdom and knowledge that few have come to?

  As the water ripples and contorts the image shows me in a calm nondescript eastern style robe. I sit cross legged in a Sukhasana pose with my arms resting on my knees and my palms upward with my thumb and index fingertips touching forming an easy circle. I’m meditating with my eyes closed and there’s a breeze blowing through my hair. Instead of a neat ponytail like I currently have it or the dirty long hair over my shoulders like in the last image, it currently sits in a tight intricate braid with jewelry woven in that I don’t recognize. There seems to be small intricate designs in the threads that make up the fabric of my robe and swirl freely inside the gems in the jewelry I’m wearing. There’s a small smile sitting on my face and I have two small crescent earrings with a light blue gem in each piece. A long black leather cord holds an intricate silver metal pendant around my neck with a deep purple gem of some kind in the center. All my muscles are still compact and defined, but there is a tranquility in my body language and frame that I’ve never seen in myself before. I have leather bracers with braided cords of the same black leather from my necklace woven into them. All of the fabric and clothing seems simple yet elegant, but the jewelry seems intricate and slightly too gaudy for my tastes. I’m sitting at the same pond that I’m at now except instead of a single Sakura Blossom Tree, there are lots of trees in the forest surrounding me and the Sakura tree itself seems bigger and more lively than in my current area.

  “I didn’t notice any flaws per say, but this version of me seems much more gaudy than I think I would be.” I respond after staring intently at the scene. “I seem to be more of a free spirit than a ruler and overall, I seem calmer and cleaner than I am now.” I theorize in Angela’s general direction. “Are you able to see the images how I do?” I question suddenly.

  Of course. I am the progenitor of this realm after all. I could just read your thoughts and intentions on each image, but your postulations and thought process behind each prompt is valuable intel. Besides. It’s much more interesting and novel to interact with someone.

  “Why are you asking me these questions again?” I inquire curiously.

  The answers and insights I gain into your character will provide me with a better connection to your race and class that you will gain in this new world.

  “Wait why can’t I just choose everything for myself? I don’t remember the project working like this.” I ask.

  Because I will give you a much better answer than what you could choose, and everyone has no control over their starting circumstances in their normal lives. Especially in this new realm you find yourself in. So why should you gain an unreasonable advantage over others?

  “You really don’t like giving up control or seeming not all powerful and mysterious don’t you?” I query towards Angela. A bit of sass flaring up in my response.

  No, I don’t. Now onto the next Scenario!

  The world fades away to blackness again and I can already feel a headache slowly building behind my eyes. This is probably going to be a pretty annoying existence if this thing is my only company for a while…