The darkness fled as quickly as it had come, leaving Erik feeling as if he had blinked and found himself in a new place. While he didn’t stagger this time, he was still confused by the change in scenery.

  He stood in the middle of what appeared to be a studio apartment, eerily similar to one he had spent several years living in while at university. Directly in front of him, there was a small and uncomfortable looking bed, illuminated by rays of sunlight that streamed in from a skylight placed directly above it.

  Why the hell would you put a skylight over a bed? I thought that weird apartment was the only place in the world that would do something so dumb.

  He could see floating motes of dust in the light, and the room smelled as if it had been unused for some time.

  Glancing around, he spotted an open door in the corner that led into what was easily recognizable as a bathroom. A small shower occupied one side, with a sink and toilet on the other. While he didn’t see a kitchen anywhere, there was a simple looking desk and chair. Floor tiles colored a sickly brown and starkly white walls made the whole place seem dull.

  Altogether, the room was oddly mundane and familiar. The décor was all vaguely foreign, yet functionally recognizable.

  I guess this is my place now…

  Erik had no belongings to unpack, no change of clothes to put on. Now, alone for the first time since he had been abruptly awakened, he dropped onto the bed heavily.

  He realized, distantly, that this was probably the part where he was supposed to think about home.

  He pulled up the system interface without really meaning to.

  Origin World: Decommissioned

  That was it.

  Erik swallowed, then let the interface fade.

  “Okay,” he said quietly. Then again, “Okay.”

  Laying back on the bed, he closed his eyes and tried to wrap his mind around the enormity of the changes he was experiencing. A part of him still wondered if this was all a terrible dream, and if he would wake up to find himself back home.

  When he thought of home now it wasn’t his little apartment that came to mind. It was the sounds of too many dogs barking and the smell of home cooked food. His brother, his parents. Girlfriends, friends, and students. He could almost hear their voices. All of them were gone with no warning, and no purpose that he could see.

  Why couldn’t I just have won a normal lottery?

  Erik found himself swept up in the thought, and before he knew it, was quite asleep.

  An unknown amount of time later, Erik was awakened by a pinging noise. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, felt more than heard.

  Somehow, he knew.

  It’s the System. Did it just send me a… text?

  At the thought, the now familiar blue text box sprang to life in front of him, the oddly placed skylight still visible directly behind it. Somehow, these screens were simultaneously opaque and transparent.

  System Notification:

  Intake phase complete

  Report to core ignition center

  Time remaining: 10:00

  The words were accompanied by a strange tugging sensation. It wasn’t forceful, but it was annoyingly insistent in its pull towards the door. The timer had begun counting down, indicating that he had only ten minutes to get to the core ignition center.

  As he mentally took stock before leaving his room, he realized for the first time that he was barefoot and still wearing his pajamas. His shirt was the ugliest shade of yellow possible, so bright that it assailed the eyes. It was slightly tight, in a way that was unflattering. His black basketball shorts were worn, and the draw string had long been lost, leaving them loose around his waist.

  It’s no wonder it feels like people have been giving me weird looks. I look like an asshole.

  His face reddened at the thought of all the people he had been around and interacted with, all of whom probably thought this was how people from his planet normally dressed.

  He had no change of clothes, and the timer made it clear that delaying was not an option.

  Heaving a sigh, Erik rolled out of bed—which had turned out to be far more comfortable than its appearance suggested—and made his way to the door.

  As soon as he walked out into the hallway, the tugging direction pulled him to the left.

  Huh. Guess it updates directions in real time. How convenient.

  He followed the pull down a drab hallway and through another door into an empty rotunda. Much like his assigned quarters, the whole building felt like it was rarely, if ever, used.

  Not knowing what to expect, he mentally braced himself before stepping through a large door and onto dusty cobblestones.

  The sights and sounds were at once surprising and underwhelming. He stood in what looked to be the central plaza of a medieval fantasy town. The buildings were reminiscent of an old European style, with plaster and naked beams in the walls.

  Many of the buildings had glowing panels in a variety of colors on them. These looked almost like opaque neon signs, but were oddly placed and pulsed softly with gentle light, as if breathing.

  The contrast between technological artifice and simple building techniques created a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere. The town felt rustic and futuristic all at once.

  People—many of which were clearly not human—moved about the plaza, all seeming intent on reaching their destinations. It felt like being downtown in the morning rush hour, with everyone running just a bit late with much to do.

  Erik tried not to stare at the ten or so non-humans he could see walking around, and instead focused on the pulling feeling in his chest. It directed him straight across the plaza and through the crowd. As he began walking, he took a moment to look back at his building—so he could find it once he was done with whatever the System wanted from him. It was built in the same style as the other buildings, but it was one of the few single-story buildings on the plaza. The one he was heading towards also appeared to be only one floor, and it was overshadowed by a large cylindrical building behind and to the left of it.

  I still need to finish that nap. That’s twice now the System has rudely awakened me, I really hope this isn’t going to be a thing.

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  A half-smile at the absurdity of that thought was on his face as he crossed the threshold of what was clearly an administrative building. It had the same feeling as the two other System-run buildings Erik had been into so far—all three seemed to have been designed with a strictly utilitarian lens. He walked forward in a long, wide hall until he stood at an intersection. There was a directory for the building directly there, much like one might find in a shopping mall back home.

  Despite having a clear signal that he needed to go to the right, he glanced at the directory. There were only seven entries listed, and their names all suggested this was the bureaucratic hub of this town.

  A small map showed that the building was simply a rectangle that had been divided into four spaces by two large halls that intersected where Erik stood. The map indicated that the “Ignition Center” was to the right, across from the “Interdistrict Coordination Center”. The hall he had walked down terminated at the entrance to the “Transport Hub”, and Erik could see a pair of double doors that had a bored looking guard standing in front of them.

  The timer was steadily ticking down, so he decided to press on. The guard seemed to be the only other person here. Turning to the right, Erik made his way to the ignition center. The walls were undecorated, simply white plaster, and the floor was made of some sort of reflective black stone. He reached a door in the wall that had a small sign next to it, and knew he was in the right place.

  For a moment, Erik considered knocking. He quickly discarded the idea and opened the door and walked in with a confidence he didn’t fully feel.

  Another waiting room, really?

  It was clearly recognizable as such, and the System’s tugging ended at the only empty seat in the room. The others were already occupied by somewhat familiar faces. Erik’s chair placed him between a beautiful blue demon woman with bright red hair and some sort of squid person. It had a large oblong head and huge black eyes, as well as strange tentacles on its face that writhed slowly, giving it the appearance of a moving beard. Its pale grey flesh reflected the harsh lighting dully.

  Across the room, Erik spotted a face he definitely remembered.

  Oh, it’s that jerk that was shooting me dirty looks at the orientation!

  Recognizing that there was too much going on in his life for him to risk making enemies over a trivial slight, Erik nodded at the man in what he hoped was a friendly way when they made eye contact. The youth clearly recognized him, too. Erik’s polite nod was met with a sneer.

  “You again. Why don’t you put some damn clothes on? Have you no shame?”

  Erik’s face heated as he once again became aware of his appearance.

  Self-consciously running a hand through hair he was sure looked terrible, he replied in his driest tone, “I don’t exactly have any other clothes. The System didn’t give me time to pack before kidnapping me and bringing me here. Anyways, I think all my clothes are… gone, now.”

  As he said the last part he stumbled when briefly confronted with the memory of why that was, before he managed to suppress it.

  Rather than evoking empathy or ending the conversation, however, this seemed to spark the interest of most of the room’s occupants. He saw several eyes widen, and people turned to look at Erik.

  His face reddened even further.

  “You’re a lottery survivor?” Asked another human sitting next to the rude one.

  Erik nodded before continuing, “Yeah. Still trying to figure everything out; haven’t had a chance to get new clothes yet.”

  The young man stared hard at Erik, as if trying to see through him. He looked almost skeptical. Then he laughed, harshly.

  “Well, you’re screwed.”

  A couple of people chuckled lightly, and the squid creature made a weird burbling sound. The blue demon woman had frowned slightly at the statement, though she remained quiet.

  Okay, yeah—I don’t like this dude.

  Erik felt immediately and immensely irritated with the rude man. All he said, however, was, “We’ll see.”

  Of course, his response sounded far more confident than he felt, as he still didn’t know anything about this new world he found himself in.

  The conversation was cut off from continuing further as an older looking man walked into the room from another door.

  He stopped and appeared to quickly count the number of people sitting down. A clipboard with a tiny pencil was clutched in his left hand, though he didn’t consult it before nodding to himself.

  “Ok, looks like you’re all here. Let’s go.”

  The man turned and walked back through the same door he had come from, and people stood and followed without complaint or comment. Erik and his situation seemed instantly forgotten.

  Erik fell in line with the others and soon found himself in a moderately sized room. It was completely empty, save for the dozens of pedestals that lined the room, around four feet from the wall. At the man's direction, each person had come to a stop in front of one, and stood facing it.

  The guide had walked into the center of the room, and was slowly circling, seeing that everyone was positioned properly. Many pedestals remained empty.

  “Now, I’m sure you’re all aware of why we’re here. It’s time to spark you all.”

  An excited murmur ran through the room, and Erik felt the blood that had been leaving his face abruptly begin to rush back as his anxiety kicked in.

  That doesn’t sound… pleasant.

  “The process is simple. You’ll place your hand on the pedestal in front of you, and the System will ignite your core by forcibly beginning your mana circulation. Most of you probably have some mana already in your core, but the System will run you through a full cycle of drawing and venting to kick start your cultivation as a Seed.”

  None of that sounded remotely simple to Erik, and he was afraid it was obvious to everyone around him. The rude guy from before was staring smugly at Erik, as if daring him to ask a question.

  Giving into his pride, Erik locked his jaw and said nothing. He would go with the flow and copy what his neighbors did, just like so many of his students tended to do.

  The pedestals began to hum softly.

  It does sound simple enough, to be fair. I just don’t know what any of it means. I’ve played games before, I know about mana. Can’t be that complicated, right?

  “If there are no questions, we’ll get going.” The guide’s tone made it clear that questions would be unexpected and unwelcome.

  When no one said anything, he nodded to himself and continued, “Go ahead and put a hand on the pedestal. The System will take care of the rest. When we’re done, I’ll be giving you all a quick lesson on a basic drawing and venting technique.”

  The room was quiet, and everyone moved almost as one to put a hand, tentacle, or paw, on their pedestal.

  As soon as Erik’s hand touched the cold stone, he felt his core for the first time since it had been formed. There, in the middle of his chest, floated a fist-sized ball. It was black and lifeless, utterly motionless. It felt present, yet not physically so.

  Without warning, something—mana—shot up through his hand and towards his core. It felt like a bolt of lightning, though it didn’t hurt. Rather than striking the core, it was absorbed by it. The mana accumulated in the core, and before long it began to glow a brilliant white. A liquid white light seemed to spread throughout his body, traveling along the channels that had been carved into him during the torturous transport not so long ago.

  A network of mana circulation was revealed, with the core acting much like his heart. Mana circulated through his core and out towards his hands, feet, and head in a looping pattern.

  The mana continued to pour in through his hand, until the core began to feel strained and pressure grew in his chest. Before it could move beyond uncomfortable tightness, however, the mana injection ended. Just as suddenly as it had begun pumping him full of mana, the pedestal began to drain him.

  Erik watched as his core became duller and duller, and mana flowed out through his right hand. Drawing his attention away from the metaphysical world, he noticed his hand was glowing faintly.

  The draining stopped after a few moments, and Erik was fascinated to see that the mana in his body continued to circulate. His core was a soft white now, and spun lazily in its place. He could see everything clearly in his mind.

  His hand fell away from the now warm stone and he looked around, eyes wide. The guide’s back was turned to Erik, and it seemed everyone else was still doing the… spark thing.

  I have mana now… I will be able to do magic. You’re a wizard, Erik.

  A disbelieving glee rose in his chest, rivaled only by his anxiety and uncertainty about his rapidly changing world.

  Mana continued to circulate through his body, as if it had always been there. Erik barely had time to consider the thought before the now familiar blue screen sprang into existence in front of him.

  SYSTEM STATUS — INITIAL REGISTRATION

  Name: Erik Carlson

  Age: 33

  Custodian [Legacy]

  Origin:

  Void-Origin Sapient: Human

  (Source World: Decommissioned)

  Cultivation:

  Tier: Seed

  Core State: Active

  Intake Pattern: Unstable

  Regulation: Absent

  Unregulated core detected

  [Classification: Non-compliant cultivation architecture]

  [Initiating enforcement review…]

  [Review suspended: Legacy override]

  [Monitoring flag applied]