[Luke – 13 years]


    "Morning, Dad!"


    "Morning, Luke," Dad greets me. "No classes with Xander today."


    "So it did end up getting canceled?" I ask.


    "You thought it might?"


    "Ever since I fixed my mana," I explain. "My sense for electricity has gotten waaay stronger. I can feel the signals from Trey''s house, and I''m able to distinguish the ones in people I''m familiar with. I noticed Xander going straight to bed when he got home last night, then at about nine-thirty, when the thunder started, he went to Trey''s room. That confused the heck out of me! Especially since he stayed there after that, and Katie went in there, too. She and Trey left it a little bit ago, but Xander''s still in there so I think he''s still asleep."


    Xander''s way more scared of thunderstorms than he is of being hurt by Trey if that''s where goes during the storm, which I think means he''s comfortable with Trey now. That''s pretty awesome, even if he''s not comfortable with me.


    "Huh," Dad looks in the direction of Trey''s house, though he can''t see it since he''s in the kitchen and there''s quite a bit of stuff between here and there, including walls. He looks back at me. "Is Parker up?"


    Parker spent the night here last night. That''s not really all that unusual, even from before we stated helping with Xander''s lessons. Parker and I usually stay together at one of our homes when there''s no school the next day – or even if there is school the next day. We only don''t if Parker or I have business or work that evening or the following morning, or if our parents tell us that we aren''t having a sleepover that night.


    I''m so glad he''s over whatever mood he was in, getting to play video games with him for hours is so much fun and I missed doing it.


    "He said that if there''s not coffee when he comes down, he''s going back to bed," I say as my phone pings. "Oh! That''s probably him saying he''s on his way down."


    I pull my phone out and find a picture from Tyler instead. He''s in shorts, his floppy hair a darker shade of brown than normal due to the water that''s sticking it to his head, probably from a shower judging by the towel hanging around his neck. He''s giving the camera a peace sign, his blue eyes bright with energy.


    <u>[Tyler]</u>: Finally! Civilization again! Finally got to wash the gunk and grime off and feel like a human again!


    "Oh! It''s Tyler!" I say. "Looks like he''s returned to society!"


    <u>[Luke]</u>: And a good thing, too! You look great as a human! Probably not so much as a gunk monster.


    <u>[Luke]</u>: It''s not even seven yet! Did you get back last night?


    <u>[Tyler]</u>: Half an hour ago! Slept on the way so feel energized! Wanna hang out after your thing?


    That means he''s in the area!


    <u>[Luke]</u>: Canceled for today! We can hang out now! Wanna grab breakfast? Or come over for it? We just gotta get Parker some coffee and he''ll be good to go!


    <u>[Tyler]</u>: Lemme ask Dad!


    "I take it you''re arranging hanging out with him?" Dad asks.


    "Yup!" I look up. "He''s gonna ask his dad. We might grab something to eat so don''t start cooking yet."


    Dad looks at the food he''s cooking, then at me.


    "I''m sure you, Mom, and Gabe can eat all of that!" I tell him.


    "Why not us?" Parker grumbles as he approaches.


    "We might be going out to get something with Tyler!" I say. "He''s finally returned to civilization and wants to hang out with us!"


    "Uuugh!" Parker complains.


    "Stop that!" I lightly whack him in the back of the head. "You aren''t my only friend and I wanna hang out with both of you! So you''re getting coffee, you''re coming with us, and you''re going to enjoy it! Got it?"


    Parker just huffs and accepts the cup of coffee from Dad before adding stuff into it.


    "You know that being addicted to that will stunt your growth, right?" I ask.


    "You know that''s just a myth, right?"


    "It''s not healthy to be addicted to coffee at thirteen."


    "And who was it that was running around outside, trying to eat any lightning that went for his yard?"


    Last night''s storm was particularly bad and felt incredibly full of magic. Something about it was strange, but it definitely wasn''t caused by elementals so I''m going to chalk it up to some oddness with magic. That happens from time to time, and there was so much lightning.


    "LIGHTNING IS DELICIOUS!"


    "Calm down, Luke!" Dad laughs. "And you did stay in our yard this time, yes?"


    "Yep!" I answer.


    "Nope!" Parker answers. "He vaulted the fence and soared into Xander''s yard to nab a lightning bolt that was going for a peach tree."


    Dad gives me a reprimanding look as he goes to say something.


    "Do you have any idea how upset Xander would be if any of the peach trees were destroyed by lightning?" I ask. "And there''d be more than one due to proximity, too. And then I''d no longer be able to get peach pie that he bakes! It''s sometimes served as dessert after lunch! And he''d probably be all mopey, too, and that''s not a good look on him. Trust me, he looks way better when he''s happy."


    My phone pings again so I check it.


    <u>[Tyler]</u>: Dad said sure! We can be at your place in about fifteen minutes!


    "He''ll be here in fifteen!" I say. "Gotta go get dressed! Come on, Parker!"


    I lightning-charge my body and dash upstairs, then try to decide on what to wear. What would look best for hanging out with Tyler and Parker? I do like the jeans and polo outfit Xander suggested I switch to, but I''ll probably need more mobility than jeans today. They also get pretty warm outside due to the summer heat, so I''m kind of envious of Xander of being able to handle them.


    "Oh, my goodness," Parker says when he enters my bedroom. "You''re still not ready? Argh. Here."


    He grabs a pair of silvery shorts, then a yellow sleeveless, and throws them at me.


    "Wear those," he says. "You look great in them."


    I do?


    "Okay, then!"


    I change into them, then slip on my socks and shoes before heading downstairs with Parker. Tyler''s getting dropped off by his dad just as we reach the front door, and we immediately leave to get something to eat.


    "Parker, look at this picture!" I tell him as we eat a massive breakfast at the restaurant we picked out. "It''s so cool!"


    The picture is of Tyler sitting on the back of a massive horned wolf, which has a few injuries covering it. The wolf itself has deep orange fur with red and yellow streaks, and probably at least thirteen feet to its shoulders when standing. Scorch marks spread throughout the section of forest he''s in, some of the trees burnt to a crisp. All of the fires are gone, so Tyler and his dad must have hunted responsibly and took pictures after everything was done.


    It''s one of the beasts he and his dad hunted during their longer hunt and is a pretty impressive catch. According to Tyler, he fought the thing himself while his dad took on three more.


    Tyler himself is dressed in a pair of black shorts and a green sleeveless shirt with a black vest over it, boots on his feet. There are a few injuries on him, including some burns on his left arm which are no longer there, so he received quality medical treatment after the hunt.


    Despite being covered in blood, grime, and wounds, Tyler looks pretty happy, cheerful, and cute. I''m not surprised, though, as he generally seems upbeat to me.


    "Luke," Parker rolls his eyes. "He''s showing it to both of us."


    "Can I ask something?" Tyler suddenly turns serious.


    "This doesn''t sound good," I say. "But go ahead! If it''s bad, then you''ll just have to arm-wrestle me until you admit you''ve got no hope against my endless might!"


    "I have less than a hundredth of your mana," Tyler says. "Your body is ridiculously strong compared to mine. I''d have better luck finding a unicorn."


    "So you admit it before even starting, then!" I point my fork at him. "You''re going to ask me why Parker has awful tastes in clothes! Unfortunately, even the gods of clothing can''t fix his bad taste. That''s why he''s only allowed to go clothes shopping with me, so that someone with actual taste can make sure he doesn''t try to match something like a pink shirt with green leopard print with a pair of neon orange pants. And yes, he''s tried that before. And no, it does not look good."


    "You did what?" Tyler snickers.


    "What''s your question?" Parker asks, apparently not in the mood for the usual teasing.


    Is he still upset about me wanting to hang out with Tyler? I really don''t understand what the problem is.


    "Are you two dating?"


    What a weird question.


    "Why would we date?" I ask. "I mean, sure, he''s cute and cool and fun to hang around, but he''s a guy, too."


    Tyler seems bothered by that answer for some reason while Parker just sighs.


    "Two guys can''t date?" Tyler huffs.


    "How would that work?" I ask. "Isn''t the goal of dating to eventually marry and have babies?"


    "Isn''t the point of it to be with someone you like and want to be closer to?" Tyler asks.


    "Isn''t that the same thing?" I ask.


    "It doesn''t have to be for baby-making," he says. "And we''re all going into the eighth grade. Pretty soon, high school. My dad says dating during this time is mostly to get a feel for what relationships are like, see what we like in them and are looking for, and give us experience so that when we reach the college years, we''re more prepared for proper, serious dating. Not that we have to date in middle and high school, just that if we do, that''s what it should be for. And if we find someone we end up with long-term, like, for life during this time… then we''re one of the very few. It can just be someone you like spending time with and get closer to them. Texting each other lots and just hanging out more often. And you and Parker… seem like that? Like, the way you bump into each other, always sit right next to each other, I keep expecting you two hold hands or kiss. You really seem like you like each other like that. So I figured you two were maybe together, with all of that in mind."


    "Two guys can date?"


    Since when? That''s a thing? But Tyler''s acting like it''s normal. I haven''t heard of this. I''ll need to consult someone and see where I''ve been wrong this whole time. Who do I know who can advise me about this? My parents? They''ll probably just think I''m wanting to date someone. Gabe? I don''t know if he really has any experience with dating.


    Hm… something to consider another time. For now, I should answer Tyler''s question. He''s not really been waiting that long since my mind operates much faster, but a prompt continuation from my question is better than letting me get lost in thought.


    "Don''t be mistaken," I shake my head. "Parker''s my best bud! That''s why I like hanging out with him. And I like hanging out with you because you''re cool and cute and smart and fun to be around! Plus, when we start talking about magic, it gets really neat because there aren''t too many people I can do that with even at the school we attend despite everyone there knowing at least some magic!"


    "O…kay," Tyler doesn''t seem to know what to say and looks at Parker. "Um… what are your thoughts?"


    "That Luke''s just an oblivious dolt," Parker answers. "And my parents said I''m not allowed to date because I struggle with managing and conveying my emotions and am therefore not emotionally mature enough to date even in the way that a middle-schooler would. Well, they used a whole lot more words than that, but that''s the short of it."


    "You''re awesome at managing your emotions!" I say. "Apart from your little hissy fit over the weekend, you''ve always been cool! Well, and I guess you struggled with what to do about those former friends of yours being assholes, but that''s okay!"


    "Not like-" Parker groans. "No, Luke. I… get jealous. Bad. I hate admitting it but I do and my parents said that until I can learn to deal with it in a healthy manner, I''m not allowed to date."


    "You should treat jealousy like coffee and kick it to the curb!" I say. "I get jealous of others all the time! Like, how can you go the park and hang out with complete strangers and not annoy them just by trying to chat? That makes me suuuuper jealous! Very envious. Well, I guess you do have trouble managing some emotions, but we''re eighth-graders, not thousand-year-sages. Like, I don''t get why you don''t like Tyler at all and being mad that I want to hang out with him when he''s here is annoying and all, but I still love you, you big goof! Even if you can get pissy! Like, I''m allowed to have more friends than you, you now!"


    "I know!" Parker snaps. "I just-argh! Just forget it."


    Parker shoves some more eggs into his mouth. Did I say something wrong?


    "Parker," I poke him in the side, but in a spot that won''t trigger his ticklishness. "Parker. Parker. Parker."


    "Stop!"


    "Did I say something wrong?" I ask. "If I did, I apologize. I love hanging out with you, even when you''re a little bit moody. Tyler''s not gonna replace you, I don''t replace friends, I just make new ones. Alright?"


    "Whatever," he mumbles, and I put an arm around him and pull him in. "Luuuuke!"


    "No frowns, only funs!" I say, then release him. "Oh! Hey! Let''s head to Whitemane Simulation Center! I wanna test some stuff out! And you two can show off your skills!"


    "I''m an odd duck for that…" Parker mumbles.


    "Nope!" I poke him in the side, causing him to squirm as I targeted a ticklish spot. "You''ve got some cool abilities, too! Let''s hurry up and finish our breakfast!"


    We finish eating, then I pay and we leave. All three of us sit in the back of the car as Xavier drives us, with Parker forcing himself to sit in the middle instead of letting me. That''s strange since they''re both my friends and I''m his only one, but he did that on the way to the restaurant so I know he''ll refuse to answer on why.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Wait, really?" Tyler asks while we''re on the road between Dragon Falls and the city. "Adrian King''s really doing that?"


    I just told him and Parker about the devices for making mana crystals and how magic will start being taught more in North America. Nothing that I know is a secret, such as the seal on the soul cycle or how Adrian King is wanting to boost Earth''s baseline because of souls like mine and Xander''s, just the more public stuff.


    Definitely not my suspicions that Xander is some sort of experiment. If I start telling people that and I''m right, it only puts them at risk of getting put down, too.


    "It was officially announced while we were eating breakfast," I nod. "I just saw it on my news feed, look," I show the others the article on my phone. "Though I did kind of already know. He came to talk with me the other day and gave me one of the devices. That''s actually part of why I wanted to go to a simulation center – he helped me figure out what''s wrong with my mana and why I become so hyper and babbly, and I now have ridiculous control over my mana, so I don''t get that way anymore. Remember when we were discu-STOP THE CAR!"


    Xavier swerves onto the side of the road and parks, looking back at me. The road here passes through a grassy field, though it''s only grassy for about one thousand feet to either side. Then, it''s forest – a forest which is deliberately cleared this close to the road to give a clear view in case of a monster attack. There''s nothing visible in the fields, but that doesn''t fool me.


    Not since the very thing I was about to tell Tyler about.


    "Stay in here and put a barrier on Parker!" I order as I unbuckle and get out.


    There''s no way this is coincidence. Whoever left the golems here before, those were just a test, I''m sure of it. They must have a lot of funding, to be able to build more and place them here to wait for me to come this way again. These ones are likely a lot stronger than before, too.


    I close the door walk around the car and onto the road, looking around as I do. I can''t sense any other cars within range of us, which is part of what tipped me off that something was wrong. A barrier must have gone up after we went through that''s either holding others in place or causing them to turn around.


    Illegal, of course, but it seems these people really want me.


    "Hey," I call out, using magic to amplify my voice and spread it around. "I know you''re there. Are you controlling them remotely? I sense twenty-six… no, twenty-seven smaller ones and fourteen larger ones. I''ll give you one chance to surrender, or your golems will be surrendered to the government for inspection."


    I punch my right fist into my left palm.


    "You have ten seconds."


    The golems I sensed burst out of the woods from either side of the road, charging toward me. The smaller ones are a little bit faster than the larger ones, but not significantly. They''re probably more agile, though. Based on the particular hue of the metals the bodies of both golem types, they''re made of a lightning-resistant metal.


    Unfortunately for whoever these people are, actually finding materials which can withstand my level of power is difficult.


    Especially since we don''t actually publicize too well how strong I really am. In addition to that, I''ve actually grown more powerful since fixing my mana.


    Sparks flash across my body as my skin and hair begins to glow with a yellow light, and I float up into the air as a few larger sparks begin to dance off of my body. The golems don''t seem to be equipped with spells, which means they''re probably designed for physical combat, the majority of their expenses poured into improving their defensive capabilities.


    Though they probably do still have some ranged attacks. The controllers are probably waiting to see what I''m doing before activating those.


    "So," I say. "You''ve chosen to surrender your golems. They can withstand want, enough force and power equal to around 2,000 mana''s worth?"


    I scoff.


    "Not a bad idea," I say. "Attack by overwhelming. I shouldn''t be able to handle them as long as they maintain space like they''re doing.


    Small sparks shoot off of me, flashing to the golems. The moment they make contact with the golems, lightning explodes outward in spheres. Some of the golems attempt to evade the sparks, but my magic is much too fast.


    Thunder rolls out with each burst and the sound of glass shattering reaches my ears. That would be the windows to the car. Even with my improved control over lightning, I can''t stop the thunder itself unless I weaken my attacks to the point they can''t destroy the golems. There''s enough thunder, and from close enough, that the sheer force of it shatters that which is fragile.


    At least I know that the three in the car are safe. Xavier will have put up the barrier I ordered him to.


    "Hello there," I fix my gaze on the sole surviving golem, a larger variety I didn''t send a spark to. "Care to talk about why you''re sending forces after me?"


    It answers by aiming a hand at me, revealing a cannon in the palm.


    "No?" I raise an eyebrow. "Very well, then."


    I extend a hand out toward the west and a little south and send a bolt of lightning in that direction. It travels almost two miles, then ceases traveling forward and turns into a pillar of crimson lightning.


    "It''s not that hard to properly do your research," I say. "Anyone who wants to kidnap me would know that I help rescue people trapped by disasters… and take on demons that the special magic forces can''t easily handle. I don''t know who you are or who you''re working for, but there''s a reason no one tries to kidnap a kid like me."


    I raise up my left hand in a ready-to-snap motion.


    "I''m just too powerful."


    I snap, and the golem collapses to the ground. No sparks, no lightning, nothing. Just a snap and a drop.


    Returning to the ground, I release my lightning-god mod and hurry to the car. The serious-and-pissed mode is off, now it''s time to be back to my normal self.


    "Parker!" I exclaim. "Are you okay? Xavier got the barrier up in time, right?"


    "Y-yeah," Parker says. "I knew you got stronger, Luke, but what the hell was that? I''ve never seen you use lightning magic like that before!"


    "That was me being a lightning god!" I boast.


    "More importantly," Tyler''s frowning and looking out the window. "What''s that pillar of red lightning for? That seems… random."


    "When I boost myself with lightning," I say. "My sense for a person''s electricity becomes massively boosted. It always kind of did that, but now it stretches miles. And I know there''s not supposed to be anything over there, so I figured that that''s where the golem''s controllers were located since I can sense a group of people and a bunch of devices. Especially since it seemed like the people there went into a panic after I took out most of the golems. The lightning is acting like a barrier, keeping them from escaping – and an alert to the military to send in the magic special forces.


    "Though this really sucks," I say. "I wanted you to see how awesome Parker is! Now we gotta deal with the military and stuff. Oh! We can do that here while we wait for them to show up! Hey, Parker! Wanna show off while we wait?"


    <hr>


    [Xander – 12 years]


    Something is wrong. This doesn''t feel like my bed or blanket, but these are my stuff animals around me and I''m snuggling the leviathan plushie I bought the other day. I like sleeping on my side, and I recently found out that some people have an easier time if they hug a pillow but I didn’t want to do that, so I bought a large leviathan plushie.


    It''s got a mix of green and blue for its fluffy body, is about a foot and a half in diameter, and about seven feet in length. My arms and legs are wrapped around it and it''s very comfortable, it''s head right up at my chest, which is covered rather than bare.


    That''s actually uncomfortable, feeling it on the other side of my shirt.


    Wait. I''m dressed in pajamas, not my new preferred sleepwear? Why?


    Oh. That''s right. I got really scared from the storm last night and came to Trey''s room, and he and Katie played Go Fish and talked with me until I fell asleep. He really let me come to him and didn''t hurt or abuse me or touch me bad when I got scared.


    I don''t really remember much from when the storm woke me up, but I remember that much. Trey and Katie helped me fall back asleep and didn''t hurt me.


    I return my stuffed animals to my room, realizing as I do that it''s past the time when I would normally be in classes. Even that was allowed today.


    When I head downstairs, Trenton held against my chest, I find Trey, Katie, and Ms. Johnson talking in the kitchen. Katie''s also cooking something, which is strange. It''s past nine in the morning


    "Morning, Xander," Trey says.


    "Good morning, Xander," Ms. Johnson says.


    "Hello," I say. "Sorry for bothering you last night, Trey."


    "You can always come to me if you''re scared," he smiles a little for some reason. "How do you feel now?"


    "Confused," I tell him. "But also calm and a little happy."


    "That''s good to hear," it is? "I decided to let you sleep in, so classes are canceled for today. I wanted to talk with you about them, too."


    "Now I''m feeling scared."


    "You''re not in trouble," he chuckles, patting one of the stools at the counter, and I walk over and sit on it, making sure to grip it properly so I don''t spin, and I put Trenton on the one next to me. "Tiffany and I were just discussing your classes. Based on your progress so far, you won''t be ready for eighth grade in time for the school year to start unless we up your lessons by a lot."


    "So we''re doing that?" I ask. "Two more in the afternoon?"


    "Let me finish," he grabs a box that was sitting to the side and gestures towards Trenton. Is he offering to let Trenton sit on it so he can watch Katie cook, too? I pick up Trenton and Trey puts the box on the seat, then I put Trenton on the box. There, now he can watch Katie cook. "What we were discussing is to cancel the summer lessons altogether and have you be home-schooled this next school year. It''s not normally allowed for foster kids, especially ones as far behind as you are. However, since I''d be hiring professionally-licensed teachers for it, Tiffany said that an exception can be made. This would allow you to have an entire school year to gain the basics and catch up to the bare minimum needed for ninth grade."


    "So I''d have another year before having to go to school again and get made fun of for being dumb?"


    "You''d have another year to catch up on your classes so you can be ready to enter school again," Trey says. "How does that sound to you?"


    "But then it''d just be me and the instructor, right?" I ask. "Not me and other kids?"


    "You don''t have to do this if you don''t want to," Trey tells me. "We just felt it might make things easier for you, so that you''re not on a time crunch to try and catch up."


    "Oh."


    So if I do this, then the summer lessons end, but if I don''t do that, then the summer lessons will get more intense.


    "If you''re thinking what I''m thinking you''re thinking," Trey says. "The summer lessons are independent. We can continue them if you''d like, but if you go with getting home-schooled for eighth grade, then there''s no reason for you to continue them."


    "But I still need to get healthier," I lift up my shirt. "See? I don''t have abs yet, only traces of abs."


    "We can still continue them if you want," Trey tells me. "And you don''t need to make a decision today. Just think about it and let me know what you decide, alright?"


    I have time to think about it?


    "Okay," I say. "Is it okay to ask why Katie''s making something? It''s not breakfast time or lunch time. And that looks like breakfast to me."


    "One of the guards in the guards'' guest room let us know you were moving around," Trey tells me. "So we figured you''d be coming down and that you''d be a little hungry. She''s fixing your breakfast."


    "Oh," I say. "Thanks. Also, hello, Ms. Johnson. I don''t remember if I greeted you."


    "You said ''hello'' to all of us," she smiles. "I''m glad to see you''re still doing well. I heard you went to a youth group to hang out last night?"


    "Yeah," I nod.


    "How was it?"


    "Awesome!" I answer. "So they have this giant room where some of the playing was in, and dinner was mainly pizza, but they had other stuff as well, and dessert was a ''you can bring some if you want'' sort of deal so there was a big variety to choose from, and…"


    <hr>


    [Sig – 13 years]


    "Hello, everyone!" I greet my viewers. "Here is the promised Thursday stream, where I experience World of Myst for the first time! I''ll be playing on a server my aunt is hosting, where she''ll be running me through some of the basics! I''ve only briefly heard of the game before and don''t really know much about it. Sandboxes aren''t quite my type of thing, but I want to play a game with my aunt, so here we are! Time to load in!"


    I join the server and when my character loads, Aunt Rachel''s got her avatar right in front of me. Her skin is designed to be wearing a pair of cargo pants, some boots, and a beige vest with pockets over a green t-shirt. Mine is a matching skin, with shorts instead of pants and no shirt, just the vest.


    "Hi, Aunt Rachel!" I say. "Long time, no see!"


    "You just saw me five minutes ago," she''s definitely rolling her eyes. "One thing I forgot to mention, but worlds have a randomly-generated seed, which is used to determine its layout. Where the biomes and challenges are, where structures spawn and which structures they are, and so on. You can find everything in the world, but you might need to explore a bit to find some things."


    "That''s cool as long as it''s fun!" I look around. "So we''ve got grassy fields and some trees?"


    "Plains," she says. "And you can see a mountain over there and an ocean over there. This is a seed with a decent start, provided by one of my viewers. I opted for that instead of a random one, to make things easier for your start. Before doing anything, though, join the voice group. That way, if we get separated, we can still talk."


    "Okay!"


    Aunt Rachel teaches me how to access the voice group, which I join.


    "Rachel," I deepen my voice. "Your time has come… I am your nephew!"


    She''s probably rolling her eyes again, though maybe she''s saying something to her chat as well as her in-game microphone icon just got a slash through it.


    "Okay, Sig," she comes back. "The first thing we should do is get some tools. There are a few different ways you can do this. The first is by breaking some trees and crafting wooden tools, which you can then use to mine stone to make stone tools with. Or you can check out a village or other structure if there''s one nearby and see what they have. There can also be buried treasure and shipwrecks in water which might have ingots. You only have a limited amount of oxygen when swimming but if you see bubbles coming from something, you can go into them to regain some. If your oxygen reaches zero, you''ll start taking damage every second while still underwater."


    "Okay," I look around. "Oh! I see something in the distance over there! But the water''s closer! I wanna look pirate corpses!"


    "Alright!" Aunt Rachel laughs as I take off toward the water. "Though I don''t think those are pirate ships!"


    "Psh! They are now!"


    I reach the water and start swimming. I can see the wreckage of a ship not far away, half-buried on a sandy shore a little to the side. I probably could''ve just walked over to it, but why walk when I can swim?


    Upon reaching the shipwreck, I start looking for chests. There are sevenin total: one with metals and other ores; one with gems; one with foods; one with paper goods, ink, quills, books, and a map; one with potions; one with some leather armor; and a hidden one with a spell scroll in it.


    "Hey, Aunt Rachel!" I exclaim. "I found a spell scroll! Oh, using it taught me a spell! I now know [Arcane Blade]! Oh, cool, it breaks the blocks instantly! That was fun! Let''s go loot the village!"


    "Slow down, Sig!" She laughs. "You haven''t even made tools with your stuff yet. What did you get from the ores chest?"


    I pop out of the water and back onto the ground, then open my inventory up.


    "Fourteen iron ingots," I say. "Twenty-eight iron nuggets, twelve gold ingots, six gold nuggies, nineteen carbon chunks, thirty-four bronze ingots, and something called ''mystic essence''."


    "Not a bad haul," she says. "I did ask for an easy-start seed for your first play and they really went in on finding me one. I can see another shipwreck over there. Let me go loot it real quick. Stay right here."


    I follow her to the other shipwreck and watch as she loots it, then we loot a third one that''s a little bit further into the water than the first two. Once all three are looted, we return to shore and she grabs some wood from the half-beached shipwreck, then teaches me about making a crafting grid and using it to make gear.


    "But don’t make anything yet," she says. "You can make steel, which is the fifth level of gear. It goes wooden or leather, copper, bronze, iron, steel. If we make a furnace, we can smelt the iron and carbon into steel ingots. The mystic essence can be used to enhance it, though we don''t have the stuff to do enhancements yet."


    "Okay!"


    We get to work on making a furnace, then on smelting some steel to make a full steel armor set for me to wear. There''s a setting which lets me show or hide the gear while it''s on my body, and I have it set to hide so that my skin is visible. The outfit is just too cute to cover up!


    Aunt Rachel says I should take all of the armor for now and she''ll get some on her own later. She also gives me a pickaxe, a sword, and a shield, as well as some food items.


    "Just in case," she says. "I want to loot the village, but you can do some exploring. If you go mining, you''ll be able to find some ores and stuff underground. Also, take this spell scroll. It gives you [Barrier], which enhances your body''s toughness. Your spells are only Level 1 right now but the more you use them, the more Experience they''ll gain and they''ll go up, improving in strength and lowering in cost. If you find Skill Cores, you can use those to improve the Levels, by spending as much as the next Level. So to reach Level 2, it''s two Skills Cores."


    "Got it!" I say. "I''m gonna mine! Go have fun looting the village! Leave no villager with stuff of their own!"


    "Keep an eye on your hunger as well," she tells me. "If it starts getting low and you''re out of food, come back up to the village. I''ll have food from there and a small farm set up by the time you get bored."


    "Aye aye, Captain!"


    I start digging down, eventually coming into a giant cavern. My descent takes me down into one of its walls, so I don''t fall… but that makes me realize that I should start doing a spiral just in case fall damage is nasty in this game.


    "But at this point," I keep digging down, my mic muted so I can talk with my chat without bothering Aunt Rachel''s, and I think she''s doing the same. "I just wanna see how far down I go! It''s gotta have the better stuff lower down, right? Though maybe the monsters will get stronger the further down? But the ores… THE ORES! They''re guaranteed to be better!"


    Eventually, I reach another cavern, this one illuminated by braziers with blue flames flickering in them. The circle is about a hundred blocks in diameter, and there are some chests set up at the other end, to either side of a stone pedestal with a small statue on it.


    "This. Is. AWESOME!"


    I start entering the circle of braziers, noticing as I do that my chat is telling me to run away.


    "Run away?" I ask. "Why-WHAT IS THAT?"


    The moment I entered the circle, the chests and pedestal vanished, the flames in the braziers grew bigger, and a monster appeared. This one has stone plates protecting some of its fleshy bits, and also some tentacles and horns. It looks horrifying and there''s an HP bar at the top of my screen, calling it the Lord of the Phantasm Cavern.


    Then it attacks me and takes out most of my HP.


    "Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!"


    I can''t leave the circle, either! There''s some sort of invisible barrier!


    "Crap! Operation Survival! Operation Survival! Dodge! Dodge! Ha! How do you like that? Can''t take me out when I dance like that! Oh, crap, you can dodge, too? Hey! No dodging! That''s my thing!"


    The next time I feel like I''m going to miss dodging an attack, I use [Barrier], my HP already recovered thanks to passive regeneration and one of the potions from the shipwreck. It only reduces the damage by 5%, but that''s still a significant amount for something that can nearly one-shot me.


    Between [Barrier] and [Arcane Blade], I quickly run low on mana and I decided to only use [Barrier] as it recovers.


    My sword and armor eventually break and I manage to craft a new sword without getting hit. I don''t have enough steel for a new full armor set and I think missing even one piece means an instant death for me if I get hit, even with [Barrier]. Because of that, I switch to using [Arcane Blade] and my fists (once the second sword breaks).


    "No, no, no, no, no!" I exclaim. "Bad Phantasm! Bad! Let. This. Be. The. Fi. Nal. Blow. How. A. Bout. This. One? No? Come. On. And. Die. Al. Rea. Dy! May. Be. This. One. Will. Be. The. Fi. Nal. Blow. You. Must. IT DIED!"


    I lean back in my chair and let out a big breath of relief.


    "That was so intense!" I say. "Almost like when I fight against some pretty high-tier gamers in an FPS! I guess if I went in there with gear that was better than steel, it wouldn''t have taken me an hour and seventeen minutes, huh? Lemme check the loot!"


    I gather up the loot from the boss, then open up the chests that reappeared and loot the statue from the pedestal. The statue looks like a dragon, and I wanna put that in my house on here to represent Xander. I''m gonna have little things for all of my friends in my base in this game for sure!


    "Sig?" Aunt Rachel asks as I''m collecting my loot.


    "I just fought a really tough monster!" I say. "It probably would''ve been a lot easier if I had proper gear rather than just steel. It broke my armor and I broke my first sword, so I had to make a new one and-"


    "Sig," Aunt Rachel interrupts me, laughing a little. "I know. My chatters let me know you found a Lord of the Phantasm Cavern. The one who recommended this seed apologized and said she didn''t think we''d find that so fast."


    "It was super fun to fight!" I say. "Though I should probably go back up to sort out all of this loot before coming back down and looking for ores. I want to see how deep I can go and-"


    "Sig," Aunt Rachel says. "That''s an end mid-game mini-boss. I don''t think you''re supposed to be able to beat it while naked with just a steel sword and a couple of basic, Level 1 spells."


    "Really?" I ask. "Well, you know what they say! Ain''t nothing breaching this bastion! Lemme get back up there and you can tell me what the loot is!"