I explained everything to the group, and Jack who had once wanted to give himself wolf genetics changed his mind, learning that he could receive a curse for it instead. Nobody but him understood why he would want a curse instead of DNA or even a change to himself at all but it was up to him to choose.

Even I, who had originally planned on going for the god of magic, thought more highly of the god of craft. Even though in the eyes of everyone this person was weaker, somehow I felt a greater pull towards him than others.

Regardless, everyone looked over to the crowd that gathered and was murmuring around the fountain.

Damon turned around from his social group and waved me over. Everyone parted around him as a silence came down over the crowd. He scratched the back of his head as I drew near, “Listen…can you see the woman anywhere from their point of view currently?”

With a shrug I pulled up my watch and moved my finger towards the fountain.

Soon the display came to life above the watch, and through it I could see several people with their backs against each other looking around. As if for the fear of being caught from behind, people were safer than a wall.

Flipping between the views of the 6, the swordsman, the cryomancer, the abjurationist, the priest, the brute and the engineer. The power was fluctuating around them, the light eerily flickering back and forth and off and on. For some reason even though the power system was a mere 20 feet away the engineer wasn’t getting up to fix it. In fact it seemed like they were, waiting for something?

“Nothing so far…wait…the mirror” I could feel it, out of every corner of the room a particular corner that the engineer was looking at was beyond cold. This was more of a tingle sensation on the back of the neck, not temperature. Like when something evil was watching you, or that feeling when you were in bed as a kid and peered from afar into a dark closet.

 ‘Her’ eyes were on the engineer.

“The mirror…I feel her from there, can’t say more than that but it’s a gut feeling…like when I look through the engineers eyes, I feel watched too. Can we communicate with the people inside? Tell them?” I switched to a different view point of the swordsmen just to feel better.

Damon discussed some things with his group, and then all of them turned towards me.

“Listen…you can make a lot of money. We can’t let those people in there die, because they are the best of the best…we can’t let them die. There is a loophole indeed, that you kill up to the second boss and then leap into theirs at the equal level. However, to not have your flow of time the same as that outside, you can’t set it for us to watch. You would have to go through each level, up to a year by yourself. Alone…”

“I just got here? What makes you think I am that good because of some gut feelings, how in gods name could I compare to people like that?” I got what the group felt, desperation, and that was that none of them felt they could accomplish it and I was the one in the first place who could sense that malicious spirit, seeing her visage time to time. With my spirit, I was practically a common man with good wisdom and some skills. I didn’t train my spiritual energy. I didn’t specialize in Spirit vessel crafts like the Totem Caller or Spirit blade, the few I was even aware of.

“We can set you up to make it through it, we will use our own currency. These people are each the best currently of the players who have gone in, although most elite have died in there we can’t let them die. The…god of magic told us this before you arrived via imp messenger today. We don’t know why he is pushing for it…but a lot of the students who were under them are willing to help as well. We’re all in this together you see…” He wasn’t telling me something after his words ended. He was receiving something, they all were. I wasn’t just an escape goat, I was being targeted for a reason. No ‘magical book’ could ever give me the power needed in such a short time to fix problems like this.

Something else was afoot and damn it I didn’t like when the shoe dropped along with it. 

I took a step back and sat down on the edge of the fountain before lighting a smoke up. Solomon, Jack, Malcom, Ana, and especially Alexandra, were giving me looks that told me most certainly that they thought it was a bad idea. Concern for me was good, but why, so coincidentally I was chosen was my concern.

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Up in the mage tower, the same man who had greeted Jaeger and his friends was pacing back and forth.

“Your lordship…is it okay to push this mortal Jaeger into a mess like that? Just to get him under you?”

“You don’t understand young one…I sensed it the first time this man came around. That that old man had given him an ability…he doesn’t do that for no reason. He had been experimenting with people for quite a while, and finally it seemed one stuck…I have to push him, just as I must push the rest... however, for this one I want to make him my champion, and indirect contact may very well be the only way to lead him into that full heartedly.”

“Your lordship…you don’t happen to mean…the god Spectre… of powers?”

“I do indeed…I do indeed…he must have been working with Animus the god of spirit as well, only through him as it seems this jaeger has a spirit summons…could this be possible…he might very well have created a few other powers with the god Psyche of mind, and Corporis of body as well. I can’t be sure, but I am certain as to the fact a big push is coming…the city might very well get opened. I don’t know why we were all placed in this city, and not the countless others. To gather us all in one place...and not spread us out like before amongst the other cities…is hard to make sense of.”

“Can you not sense outside the city?...” The servant had forgotten to add ‘Your lordship’ but Enigma paid it no heed.

“Yes…unlike the other times where we prepared people, and then were sucked back away…this time, I feel we are being met with a large force. Why else would the portals of this city be far deadlier than before? That thing in the portal fountain…I don’t know why it is there. As I can sense what I can from the vagueness that death speaks, something must be done. Unlike before, this event may be to clean up the mistakes of all that is.”

The servant nodded, stopping himself from pacing back and forth long enough to look out the window.

“Now…now we must shove to make these people stronger, and it will start with someone like him…what hardships he will endure…for the sake of selfless sacrifice, and for the sake of his fellow mortals. Hmm. I wonder who the other gods will choose as I know they must too be aware. How many will I be able to help?"

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I looked amongst the crowd who seemed entranced by the idea to throw me into the lion’s den. I hadn’t even come to understand this new ‘way of life’ all that much before i was being shoved into danger. This was the same as sending a man who was at level one into a battlefield of giants.

‘Why.’

The God of Magic, Enigma, had recently offered me an audience. And now, with the push from the school that either worshipped him—or used him—I could see the correlation. Enigma wanted me to come to him, whether for guidance, power, or something else entirely. But even now, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tip that first domino.

What happens if I fail? Death? Disfigurement? Do I become an undead?
And what happens if I succeed?
What will I owe?

Thinking back, Enigma’s eagerness to grant me power or knowledge made more sense now. Maybe this push toward the survival portal wasn’t just about saving others—it was to prepare me. Maybe I was the lever to give him a boost. A pawn moving toward the inevitable.

Am I a hero? Just another bystander?
And if I do nothing… will it affect my friends?
The first two questions were moral.
The last one was the plot hook that truly snagged me.

I liked these people. Maybe I even truly loved Alexandra. And if stepping into hell alone meant giving them a better shot, then I’d do it…
But on my terms.

“I have several conditions,” I said aloud, turning toward the fountain, the smoke curling from my lungs as I measured each word.

Damon’s face remained neutral, but I could tell he expected it. Asking me to solo a year inside that place, maybe die in it—just to save six people vital to the sanctuary? Of course I’d ask for something.

“Speak them,” he said simply. “We’ll do our best.”

“First… pay for the lodgings of my friends.”
Jack and Solomon locked eyes with Damon, both wearing matching expressions that said if he refuses, he dies.

Damon raised his hands. “Easy.”

“Second... I’m heading to the crafting shop. I don’t want much—I’ll pick one item to take in with me. Tell me which skills would synergize with it. I’ll retrieve them myself before I go.”

Made sense. No one was arguing with someone wanting to go in equipped with what they knew.

“Alright?” I tilted my head.

Honestly, I think they expected something much worse.

“And lastly… give me a map to each of the sanctuaries.”

Now that made Damon pause.

“Uh... not a lot of us have actually left,” he said, shifting awkwardly. “This place is safe, and… well, the city’s dangerous. So… we don’t really have any maps of the other sanctuaries.”

I clicked my tongue. “Then bring me a list. Skills. Boons. Abilities. Anything I can acquire nearby.”

Damon nodded and turned to a thin young man. “Run to the mage tower. Ask Doru to bring the directory people have compiled so far.”

The thin man dashed off like the wind itself had picked him up—clearly an air mage type.

Damon turned back toward me. “Well… what now?”

Around him, the others leaned in slightly, eyes full of curiosity and tension. What would I ask for next? What would I do?

“Solomon was right,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at him. “I should train with what I’ve got… but there’s a reason Enigma wants me. You all pushed me toward that portal for a reason. There’s a purpose behind it. I’m going to see him.”

Damon looked puzzled, but Solomon and the others exchanged knowing nods.

I didn’t feel any real pull toward the elemental affinities—fire, water, air, or earth. Not like I did with metal and lightning. So why not trade them? As people said Enigma could. Trade them for something better. Something mine.

I lit the last cigarette from my pack, savoring the vanilla rush with a rare, quiet joy.

“If you find me another pack of vanilla-laced smokes,” I said with a half-smile, “I’ll owe you one.”

Damon raised an eyebrow but gave a small nod. The game was set. The first domino wobbled.

And I was walking toward Enigma’s tower.

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The man at the desk was already waiting for me when I stepped into the entrance hall.

“Hello, young Jaeger… Ready to meet the Lord of Magic himself?” He smiled broadly. “His lordship’s name is Enigma, and just so you know… his words tend to be quite, well—enigmatic. Very befitting of his name.”

I smirked, holding back a chuckle.
A god, enigmatic? Oh go figure. No biblical book ever described them as vague, right?
Still, something felt off. Why did this god want something from me? I hadn’t even met him yet.

I stepped forward, planning to climb the stairs, but the man grinned. A portal shimmered into existence before me—opening into a wide room wrapped in circular windows. A fireplace crackled softly, and the air was thick with the smell of old paper, warm wood, and something sweet—like nostalgia.

“Come, come… it won’t kill you. See?” He stepped through first, proving the portal’s safety.

I didn’t hesitate. After everything I’d seen, a glowing doorway was just another Tuesday. I stepped in—and the moment I passed through, the world shifted.

The portal vanished behind me.

In its place was a deep chair, and in it sat an old man.

Way to be mysterious and flashy.

“Nice to finally meet you,” he said, smiling.

I gave him a nod in return. His voice wasn’t divine thunder or cosmic echo. It was pleasant—earthy, smooth. A wise baritone with a gentle bass beneath it. His posture was relaxed, yet disciplined enough to show attention and presence. This god—at least as he appeared—seemed… nice.

Was that a trick? Was this his magic? I didn’t know. But whatever it was, it loosened the tension in my back faster than a cigarette.

“So, uh…” I began, walking to the middle of the room. “How does this whole trade work? And—more importantly—why are you pushing me into that fountain portal? I mean, you can’t be lacking in people with potential. So either you know something about my power, or me… or there’s something going on I don’t understand. Future sight? Am I making a different choice than others would? What?”

Enigma raised an eyebrow—not at the questions, but at the questions I chose to ask. Good.

Most people would’ve fallen into the trap—thinking they were special, that this was fate or destiny. But I wasn’t most people, and I hoped he saw that.

He chuckled. “You caught me. There are many reasons—and yet, a few simple ones. Others will be given powers like yours… but I want you. Because you’re one of them. Your power—your unique combination of magic and mimicry—it’s proof.”

I nodded, walking over to the curved window. The city below shimmered with quiet movement. I could just make out the fountain, where people still gathered, murmuring about the portal and those inside.

“If I do manage to help them,” I said quietly, “it’s because I see potential in them. And we need people like that—people others can look up to. To show that it’s possible to grow stronger… that you don’t have to be afraid of the dark.”

I turned back to face Enigma. “That’s why I’ll try to save them. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want a… reward.”

“Mostly Altruistic… and practical,” Enigma mused. He tilted his head, smiling. “I heard from someone that you like vanilla smokes. How about one that never goes out?”

He waved his hand.

Energy formed in the air like fluid glass, condensing into a single, familiar shape—a cigarette, exactly like the one I’d just run out of. He held it out, and I stepped forward, taking it without hesitation.

I turned it over in my hand. “So it just… never burns out? What if it breaks? Does it just look lit but never really burns?”

“I could tell you…” Enigma said with a grin, “but it’s so profound your brain might explode.”

“Better way than most to go out,” I muttered, and lit it.

The flavor was familiar—vanilla, smooth—but cleaner. It didn’t carry the same toxic weight. There was smoke, but it felt right. Less like poison, more like essence.

I looked down at the ash slowly forming on the end.

“If it burns, how’s it immortal?”

“It burns. It fades. But within your hand… it remains.” Enigma leaned back, clearly pleased with himself. “And one day, it won’t be cancer that kills you.”

He laughed at his own parable like it was the cleverest thing in the world.

I stood quietly for a few minutes, finishing the smoke while he let me think. When I finally stubbed it out on the bottom of my boot, I glanced back at it—no ash. I looked at my hand.

The cigarette was whole again.

“...Fuck me,” I whispered, letting out a short breath. “Alright. Maybe it would explode.”

The servant approached with several parchment sheets in hand.
“You see,” he began, “affinities can be traded—or combined. Permanently. For instance, if you possess fire and water, you may merge them into ‘firewater,’ boiling liquid, steam, or even molecular manipulation by accelerating or decelerating vibrations. Water and fire, oddly enough, share the closest physical kinship of all elemental pairs. You are no mage however, it’s a shame. You can access things to change your body through materials, which inherently is related to magic though, so we do have something to work with”

I hummed, clicking my tongue. “I want a higher-tier outcome. I’ll trade away my fire, water, earth, and air affinities or access to using those elements I absorb—all four. I know there are those born with combinations that let them do things no one else can. Specifically Spatial Manipulation. Especially those of the Magician Craft.”

Hopefully Enigma didn’t realize just how much of my life I had spent obsessively studying powers, crafting theories, dissecting character sheets, and writing thesis-length breakdowns of systems. Rent was always paid, but every coin after that had gone toward books. I was self-taught, yes—but I was no novice. My geekdom had teeth.

“Oh?” the servant raised a brow. “That’s a significant trade, but the value of such a return... yes, it would be exponentially more powerful. It’s not as simple as 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 equals 4 though again you do not have access to the formula or magical techniques to cast such spells. You will need a medium.”

“Exactly. The more elements you combine, the greater the yield. Fire alone is powerful. But combine fire with, say, ice or vibration, and its destructive potential rises into another tier altogether. Maybe you can make it so I can do something greater with what I have. We call this combinance theory. You teach it in your schools, right?”

With a wave of his hand, a pair of chairs fell through a portal. He gestured for me to sit. Only after I did, did he take a seat himself.

Enigma stroked his goatee, lost in some curious thought. “You seem to have something specific in mind,” he mused. “I doubt it’s one of the Prime elements, considering you’re willing to relinquish all four. Do you even know what those four can create together?”

“Well, it’s not hard to imagine,” I replied. “If you think about magic scientifically—about matter and energy—it’s fairly straightforward. Fire is vibration, meaning it controls molecular motion. Accelerate molecules, and you create heat—flame. Earth represents density, mass, gravity. Air is pressure and flow. Water is cohesion, flux. There’s so much more to each than just their base forms and yet I’m stuck with turning to stone or becoming lighter. I will die if I weigh like a feather or can get broken to bits by a monster strong enough to shatter stone.”

Enigma’s eyes glinted, and I instinctively leaned back. There was something behind that gaze—an awareness. As if he knew I wasn’t intending for a lot of this to be to a specific end. I was choosing what I did because it was on my list of ‘If I could do 5 things what would they be’. He was the God of Magic, after all. He knew what was possible.

The servant chuckled. “You’re one of those closet geeks, aren’t you? Books, scrolls, obscure theorycraft? A thousand books isn’t a thousand miles…”

I grinned. “Yeah. Grew up in a city full of powered people, mages. Who wouldn’t wonder how it all worked? Most Spiritual Magic was shunned, sure—but that only made me want some avenue to explore. I didn’t always have a teacher, but I had time and curiosity. I’ve faced more than a few powered folks who underestimated me.”

Enigma leaned forward, intrigued. Intelligence—not strength—was what he sought. And in that, I began to understand why I liked him.

“So,” Enigma asked, “what do you seek?”

“I want an ability tied to space itself,” I answered plainly. “I’ve read that when the four basic elements are united, spatial manipulation becomes possible. Only a rare few, born with those affinities, can train into it.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed... each element holds dominion over a sliver of space. Vibration, density, motion, cohesion—they all interact with the spatial fabric. But there are many forms of spatial magic. Portals. Teleportation. Compression. Expansion. Folding. Freezing time. Accelerating it. You can’t have them all—you must train within a specific path. These are what we call the Higher Dao for cultivators and the Higher Understanding for Mages. Enlightenment for those of the spirit.”

“I want a bit of everything, honestly.” I shrugged.

Both Enigma and the servant blinked at me.

“What?” they said in baffled unison.

I burst out laughing, not from mockery—but from the look on Enigma’s face. Priceless.

“Of course there would be limitations,” I said between chuckles, “but I want to earn them. To attain them all in time. That’s what I want... as your chosen.”

Enigma gave me a stern look. “And what exactly do you mean to start with?”

I looked up at the domed windows above. “Could you... open a window? Make it rain?”

He raised a brow, then sighed. With a wave of his hand, the windows of the tower opened. Cold air drifted in as the sky darkened. Thunder clapped. Rain poured. And then—that smell. The petrichor. That dense, misted scent of water striking hot stone.

I smiled, eyes closed for a moment. Not because I was trying to be poetic—but because that was home. Where most saw the rain as misery, I had always found comfort in it. Internally my heart was beating a mile a minute and though the rain didn’t make that feeling vanish it at least center me.

Enigma tilted his head slightly. He didn’t ask, but I could tell he wondered about something.

Not because I was special. Probably just curious. Passionate. Persuasive. Hell, maybe it was because I was just that damn handsome. As well as humble, let’s not forget humble.

When I opened my eyes, the gleam in them was clear.

“Shock me,” I said, holding out my hand.

The servant blinked. “Shock you? Well, I could critique your outdated wardrobe…”

“Eat me, prick.”

I laid it all out for them—my abilities, how they worked, what I theorized. Enigma seemed stunned. Whatever he’d assumed, I shattered it.

“Each one of these,” he finally said, “isn’t strange on its own. But together…? This kind of ability is rare. Exceptionally rare. In the right conditions, with the right materials—you could be monstrous. Though having such materials would not be easy to find. Interesting indeed. You should have gone to your nearest hall of materials and bought one of everything you fool.”

I nodded. “I’m giving up four affinities. But there are still countless things in this world I can pull into myself.”

Enigma grinned. “Alright, alright. Tell me what you want!”

With a snap of his fingers, a bolt of lightning arced toward me. I didn’t convulse, but three glowing lines appeared across my palm—lightning runes, fully charged. I inhaled, my thoughts whirling, then steadied my mind.

“First, I want the ability to teleport—but only short distances. The three lines on my hand will represent three full jumps at max range. What’s the smallest I could set a jump?”

Enigma’s eyes flashed with ancient knowledge, hundreds of runes flickering through them.

“150 feet,” he said.

“Good. Then I’d like the jumps to be scalable. A 10-foot jump costs only a fifteenth of a line. Which gives me... forty-five 10-foot jumps in total.”

“Hmm...” Runes spun again in his eyes. “Yes, yes, quite possible. Most teleporters, after years of training, can cross planets. But keeping your version grounded like this... that makes it compatible with other gifts. You really do want a bit of everything, don’t you?”

“Exactly. Secondly—I want time manipulation. Three minutes in total. One minute per line.”

Enigma lifted a hand to stop me. “Don’t. You already have lightning. And lightning... is speed. Once you move fast enough, time itself slows for you. Time is incorporeal—it cannot be touched, only measured. You want control? Focus on speed. Not illusion.”

I fell silent, then nodded. “Alright. What do you suggest?”

“Invest deeper in lightning and metal. Lightning will give you the illusion of time control. It will serve you far better. And costs less.”

“Fair. Then what other spatial abilities might I gain?”

Enigma stood slowly and began to list:

“Create. Destroy. Manipulate. These are the three great genres. Portals. Compression. Duplication. Displacement. Dimensional shifting. Rift generation. Spatial constructs. Pocket worlds. Black holes. Walls. Banishment. Folding space like paper.”

His words piled up until I had to shut my eyes just to stay focused.

I opened them again and grinned. “I never realized how deep this went. I used to think these feats came easily. But to do it magically? There’s so much nuance. I praise you, Enigma.”

He smiled softly. “Thanks, kiddo. That means more than you know.”

“One more thing. My frog spirit—it consumes materials and mimics them. Can I link a pocket dimension into it? Something I can store objects in—or even people?”

Light flashed in his eyes. “Yes. With its nature, yes. However it too will have to be a medium as you are a Spiritualist.”

He leaned forward. “But it will hurt. Deeply. It’s tied to your soul. The teleportation ability—that will be etched into your bones. No closer medium then that. You will feel it when you draw on that power. You will feel it when you move.”

I nodded slowly, stepping to the open window. The rain kissed my hand, soft and cold.

“Knowledge will take time. Possibility takes sacrifice. And I’m okay with that. This pain... it’s not for me. It’s to protect my friends. My girlfriend. Sometimes, to protect what matters, you have to bleed first.”

Enigma nodded solemnly. “Then I’ll give you a gift. One more. And just so you know…”

He smiled darkly.

“This is going to hurt more than you think.”

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Outside, the storm screamed. From the tower, cries of agony echoed. Everyone below looked up.

Alexandra tried to rush the tower steps, only for several mages to raise barriers of shimmering force.

Solomon nearly tore through them—but Jack placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and held him back.

“No god,” Jack murmured, “kills a man he needs.”

And with that, he walked to Alexandra and simply held her, as the force walls slowly fell.