Ch 1.7: Awakening

“User Analysis: Complete. Class Assignment: Complete.”

Elaina’s mind filled with information, all of it processed in an instant. She couldn’t hear the words out loud, couldn’t see the words written out, but she understood them all the same.

System Hierarchy: [Admin]

Class: Masochist Mage

Level: 1

Aspects:

[Restraint] - {Environmental Targeting}

User Skills:

[Humiliation Factor] - Rank 1 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all aspects relative to the User’s current state of embarrassment.

[Personal Restraint] - Rank 1 - Active: Expands [Restraint] to {Self and Environmental Targeting}. {Self Targeting} is compulsory, and the User receives a power bonus of {x2} to all aspects.

[Pain Response] - Rank 1 - Passive: Converts a {small} amount of pain to arousal.

The pain in Elaina’s leg disappeared, replaced by an instant sense of pleasure. She let out a moan in surprise, clutching her hands between her legs.

The disembodied voice, what Elaina now realized was coming from a round crystal atop the rock she’d tried pulling herself up with, continued, “Due to the length of time since last initialization, it is assumed all prior System Users are deceased. Pursuant to Protocol: Rebuild, [Admin] status has been granted to the current System User.”

Arousal would have to wait. Elaina managed to push herself up to her feet. The pain in her ankle was gone, and that wasn’t all. She’d just been granted a class. There hadn’t been someone with a class since the Night Wars themselves, since—

“Nine hundred years ago,” she muttered.

“Correct. This System has been dormant for approximately nine hundred celestial years.”

Elaina was in a small cave, nothing in it out of the ordinary except the speaking orb in front of her, a perfectly spherical crystal that illuminated the opening she’d fallen into. Inside it spun the same facsimile of a storm that the Awakening crystal had in the center, though this one radiated a soft light throughout the entire hollow. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I am the System.”

Helpful. “What does that mean?”

“I am responsible for bestowing classes to verified System Users and overseeing their training, progression, and missions.”

“Are- are you an Awakening crystal?”

“Incorrect. I am the System, though one of my many functions is to awaken individuals.”

“Then, did I just awaken?”

“Yes.”

“Am I dreaming?” It was a good one if she was. First being stripped near nude by Prisma, then this? Elaina could think of worse dreams.

“No. If you were dreaming, it would be an attractive human woman giving you your class, not an orb.”

Elaina stared at device. “Was that… A joke?”

“Do you have further questions regarding System functionality?”

It was a joke. Of course the magical class bestowing artifact she found would make fun of her. “Okay, uhm, can you explain my class?”

“Please be more specific. Your class details have already been provided.”

Elaina focused again on the information that she’d been given earlier, all of it still firmly imprinted in her mind. She had a class name, and then her aspect. The aspect was normal, and she knew of classes, but there was more that she didn’t fully understand.

“Okay… What’s a level? And what’s a skill?”

“Levels are a metric to measure your class progression. You can attain higher levels by accomplishing missions, and in rare cases by training, if deemed appropriate by the System. Skills are modifiers to your aspects, and sometimes other skills as well. They, like your class, are chosen based on the fate assigned to you by the stars.” So it wasn’t a coincidence that Elaina had gotten… Those types of skills, that type of class. She brought up her skills again in her mind.

[Humiliation Factor] was first. Thinking of it consciously made her aware once more of her state of dress, and at that awareness she could feel the skill working. If she tried to use her aspect now, which she vaguely felt she could do, it would be stronger. Because I’m embarrassed about being stripped to my underwear… There was a level of practicality that was lacking, as stripping to her underwear in class wasn’t really an option she thought she had, at least without risking getting expelled for indecency. She moved to her other two skills.

[Pain Response] was self explanatory, at least with the involuntary demonstration she’d been given with regard to her sprained ankle earlier, that mild sense of arousal still lingering, but the remaining skill was an enigma to her. “I don’t really get [Personal Restraint]. Like, can you tell me what that means?”

“Certainly. First, attempt to activate your aspect, [Restraint].”

“How do I do that.”

“First, attempt to activate your aspect, [Restraint].”

Helpful, again. Elaina took in a deep breath then “attempted to activate it.” It worked, surprisingly. In front of her manifested a coil of rope, floating in the air. It was coarse, thick rope, as real as any she’d made when she was first learning to weave. She could tell instinctively that this wasn’t the only thing her aspect could do, but it was the first thing that came to mind, the default.

“Excellent work. Second, attempt to activate your skill, [Personal Restraint].”

Elaina knew better than to ask how. She focused on the skill, and she was instantly frozen in place again, just as she had been when Waine had used [Control] on her. But that wasn’t all. The rope in front of her pulsed with power. It was stronger now, and she had more control over it. She just couldn’t move herself at all.

“As you can see, [Personal Restraint] changes your [Restraint] aspect, adding compulsory Self Targeting on top of its innate Environmental targeting. When active, it will double the power of all of your aspects without requiring any additional mana usage.”

“What’s mana usage?”

“The amount of magical energy you must expend to use your aspect. I would recommend releasing your aspect now to conserve mana.”

Elaina did so, letting go of the concentration on [Restraint] and watching the rope dematerialize. There was a source, a pool of energy that had been drained when she was using the aspect, and she could feel it starting to refill, slowly, now that she had stopped using it.

“Excellent,” the System said. “When active, [Personal Restraint] will target yourself instead of just the environment, freezing your movement. Your limb functions will always be held, but you may freeze other parts of yourself if you wish.”

“Why would I want to freeze the rest of me? That’s just dumb.”

“You asked me to explain how the skill works. Please do not chastise me for correctly answering your questions. May I continue?”

Elaina blushed, looking down. “Uhm, yes, sorry.”

“In exchange for the mandatory personal effect, all your aspects will have their power doubled for the duration. This will temporarily extend their range and capabilities while the skill is active, without the need for additional training or level ups.”

The System had said it again: aspects, plural. Elaina had noticed that when looking over her class as well. “You keep saying ‘aspects,’ but I only have one aspect. Everyone only has one aspect, if they have on at all.”

“Incorrect. Additional aspects can be obtained by progressing in levels, and current ones may be altered as well.”

No. Elaina had to be dreaming. That had to be wrong. “Everyone’s been able to have multiple aspects this entire time?”

“Incorrect. Only those with sufficiently defined fates assigned by the stars may possess a class, and therefore only those individuals may possess multiple aspects. When located, these individuals are selected to be System Users and brought to the System for class assignment, pending approval by Academy administration.”

That phrase again. “What is a System User?”

“Admin Information Request: Partially Granted. A System User is one who possesses innate potential to hold a class, is at least twenty years of age, and has been bestowed a class by the System.”

“Oh, right, didn’t you say I’m exactly twenty?”

“Correct. You are exactly twenty celestial years of age. Happy birthday. Again.”

“But my birthday was yesterday?”

“Incorrect. You are exactly twenty celestial years of age. Are you trying to get me to say ‘happy birthday’ again? I will not do it a third time.”

Elaina blinked at the frankness. “Wait, the bell!” It was technically her birthday now, or her celestial one at least, right? She still wasn’t entirely sure how that all worked.

And it was also curfew.

“Fuck, I have to go.”

“Understood. This System will analyze the current state of local and international affairs in preparation for your training and your directives as System Administrator. Please proceed to your instructors, if there are any alive, at the Equal Nations Friendship Academy for tutelage in your class, then return here for further progression.”

The what academy?