Outer World Library

"Welcome Trainees to the 200th Round of Origin Inter-Realm Training!"

The woman offered them a sweeping bow. 

"I am Agent Mel, your guide for this exciting process. I'll keep this plain and simple so as not to keep the lot of you waiting. First, I want to draw everyone's attention to the Celestial Receiver on your wrist. While journeying through the Outer Worlds, this nifty little device will always accompany you and act as a point of contact between you, the Trainee, and us, myself and the other Agents at Mission Central, who will be keeping a close eye on your progress in these worlds. Disclaimer, the communication aspect is, unfortunately, one way. So Mission Central will post regular updates and important information on the Interface to keep you in the loop. However, no Comms will be able to come through from your end. When you access the Interface, you will notice that it is currently open to the Outer World Library tab. This special tab can only be accessed in the Outer World Library and contains information on all the worlds currently available for entrance. Once you have had a browse and decided on the world you will enter, simply head toward the portal with the matching name displayed over it and enter when you're ready. Hm... Was there anything else I needed to say? I feel like I missed something."

The holographic image looked to the side and was silent for a moment, then she gasped, "Oh, yes, that's what I forgot to mention, thank you Sef!"

Mel's holographic image faced them once more with a wide grin. "Well, as all of you probably already know, after entering these worlds, you will be taking on the identity of natives, and this immersion shouldn't be broken, so a magically placed Ban will ensure that nothing related to the Origin, whether it is about of your life in the Origin, the things in the Origin or the people in the Origin, will be uttered while you are in these worlds. It's only a small inconvenience, really. I doubt any of you will even notice it with how immersed you will be in your lives out there. Anyways, that's all from me. Good luck, Trainees, and may the Celestials shine upon you." 

The holographic disappeared abruptly with a flicker and the hall grew cacophonous with the voices of countless people speaking at once. Valeryon frowned as she tried to tune everything out and got to work on the next step as instructed. 

She intuitively tapped on the Celestial Receiver and accessed the Interface, a holographic screen which, as mentioned, had the Outer Worlds Library tab open. The worlds were listed as titles in a column, and each title was followed by a row of eye-catching symbols, which varied from title to title.

Valeryon looked at the extensive list, and her frown deepened. She scanned down the window to the legend at the bottom to determine the meaning of the symbols.

A red teardrop symbolic of blood indicated that other people with the same ancestry as herself had entered this world previously and influenced its course. A golden sword was used to show that the primary mission of the world involved combat. A golden pentacle was used to indicate that the primary mission of the world involved magic. A golden skull was used to indicate a death-related primary mission. A sparkling green tick suggested that the world was compatible with pre-existing abilities.

Valeryon immediately selected the blood drop symbol, filtering the results to only include the worlds her clan members had previously entered. That narrowed her choices down to...

One world. 

Valeryon's frown deepened. Truly? Every one of her predecessors had elected to enter the same world despite all the other options available to them?

'A Sorcerer's Legacy' was the world's title. Following the blood drop symbol beside it were a pentacle and a skull, indicating that there would be two missions for this world. A magic-related one and a death-related one. The green tick following that revealed that her abilities were also compatible with the world.

Valeryon slowly reached out to select the title and accessed a page which provided more detailed information on the world. 

The page included details on the main missions Trainees were expected to complete and a narrative based on the life story of a native resident of the world. Valeryon supposed this was the format Mission Central decided on to provide them with more extensive information on the type of world they were entering. Valeryon roughly scrolled and frowned at the length of the narrative. She sighed. Did she really need to read all of this?

"Which world are you thinking of entering?"

Valeryon blinked and slowly turned her head in the direction of the masculine voice coming from right beside her. She slowly looked up when she saw the familiar white tank top draped over a golden-hued, defined body. She sucked in a sharp breath, seeing bright purple eyes and a smiling face again. Her stomach did a strange fluttery thing she could only attribute to anxiety.

It was the man from before. 

Valeryon probably should not be surprised to see him right beside her, considering that she had been the one to follow him on his suggestion. Still, she had not prepared for him or anyone to direct any more attempts of conversation at her.

Her heart raced and her palms felt clammy. 

Valeryon's mouth opened and closed; her mind was a mess, and she struggled to find her previous confidence in stringing a sentence together.

"I apologise. Is that something you wish to keep private? That's fine. I was just struggling to decide which world to select and thought it wouldn't hurt to ask." He sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his slightly crooked nose. "There's just too many worlds to pick from."

Valeryon pursed her lips and inhaled deeply through her nose and slightly parted lips to slowly exhale. Feeling more like she had control of herself, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Have you attempted filtering your options to narrow down your options?" 

The other's smile widened, causing the dimples on his cheeks to deepen, and he shook his head. "I'm unfortunately a bit tech-illiterate when it comes to these things. If it won't be too inconvenient for you, please tell me how I can filter my options.

"It would not be an inconvenience at all. The process is quite straightforward."

Feeling significantly more at ease now that she had managed to get a few words out, she proceeded to direct the man to the legend on the bottom right corner of the screen, where selecting the icons would narrow the options down to worlds which shared the corresponding icon.

"That's an incredibly useful function. Thank you very much for your assistance." 

Valeryon nodded to him and was about to redirect her attention to her Interface when the other man requested her again.

"So, what did you filter your selections by?" 

"Ancestry." 

"Ancestry, I see... I think I would prefer to avoid worlds with that if possible." 

Valeryon frowned, uncertain whether his statement was a request for assistance again or not. However, seeing the man's smile dims slightly, she decided to share her thoughts. "I have not tried it myself, but double tapping the icon should remove any worlds with that icon."

"Really, Let me see..." The smile came back as radiant as the bright sun. "Great! It absolutely does, thank you so much." 

Valeryon nodded. 

"Hm. There are still a lot of options here... Which world are you thinking of entering?"

"Sorcerer's Legacy." Valeryon's primary reason for following in the footsteps of her predecessor was because it seemed exhausting to read through all the world descriptions and decide on one all on her own. Her secondary reason was her curiosity to learn more about her clan. For so many of her predecessors to have entered this world, plenty of traces must be left behind for her to know her clan more, right?

"Sorcerer's Legacy. Let me see... Ah, here it is." Valeryon, whose attention was still on the man's face, noticed the brief widening of the man's purple eyes. "Oh. Well, this is incredibly convenient," he said, a smirk forming on his lips.

Valeryon felt herself startle slightly when the man's eyes suddenly snapped to her. He faced her with a smile that made Valeryon's face feel strangely warm.

"Would you like to form a team with me?" 

"Form a team? What do you mean?" 

"Considering that it popped up on mine, the notification must have also popped up in your Interface. Why don't you take a look and let me know."

Valeryon turned her attention back to the Interface as suggested, and a sharp exhale left her slightly parted lips.

'Increased interaction between Trainees has been noticed. Would you like to invite Trainee Laurel Vesalius to form a team?"

Laurel Vesalius. Valeryon silently mouthed the name, which sat comfortably on the tip of her tongue as she did so. She glanced at the smiling man beside her from the corner of her eyes. That must be this man's name.

She mouthed the name again. Laurel Vesalius. What a beautiful name. 

"What does forming a team mean in this situation?" 

"I'm not sure, but I thought it was an interesting option. Are you curious enough to try discovering what it means with me?"

Valeryon stared at the other with wide eyes. "Yes, but is it wise to do so with someone we have just met?"

Laurel laughed. "I don't mind, but it's up to you. What would you like to do?" 

Valeryon thought about it a moment longer. If the option to form teams existed, that would mean that there was some benefit to doing so, although the Interface did not specify what those benefits may be. Valeryon glanced again at the other, turned back to her Interface, and reached out to make her choice.

The fluttery feeling of anxiety returned when she heard the other laugh again beside her, and her face felt hot enough to fry eggs on. She found it challenging to look over at the other again.

"I look forward to working with you, Valeryon the Second." 

Seeing the other bow in her direction from the corner of her eye, she forced herself to turn towards the man beside her. She returned the bow with her open palm pressed over the left side of her chest in the motion she had diligently practiced in her etiquette lessons. "I also look forward to working with you, Laurel Vesalius."

Seeing that they had both decided, they decided to start hunting down the entrance to the portal based on the coordinates listed on the description page. It was the 30th portal from the left and the 80th from the right.

"We should probably hold hands to ensure we do not separate in the crowd. Is that something you would be comfortable doing?"

Valeryon blinked at the large palm extended towards her and looked up to the smiling face of the other. Wordlessly, she extended her palm and placed her hand in his. She could not help but briefly marvel at the difference in their hands. The difference in size and texture. How the other's palms felt like a furnace in comparison to the cooler temperature of her own hands. The other's palms engulfed hers as they gently gripped hers and tugged her along to follow him. Some contact points felt rough and raised, while others felt strangely thick. Scars and calluses. Her hands were absent of any such signs of wear due to her healing ability, so it was a novelty to be exposed to such physical flaws in another's.

Valeryon was so focused on cataloguing these differences as she followed along that she had no opportunity to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the number of people they were walking past or the volume of their chatter.

Eventually, they made it to the massive wall at the front of the hall, with all the gigantic glowing blue portals swirling on it. Starting from the farthest corner, they began making their way down until they stopped at the one with the bright glowing title 'Sorcerer's Legacy' hovering over it.

 Laurel released a long sigh, "Here it is." 

"We should enter." 

"Yes, let's go then." 

Valeryon took a deep breath and shut her eyes tightly. 

They stepped in together. 

A buzz on her wrist had her reluctantly cracking her eyes open. Taking in her surroundings, she frowned when she noticed they still seemed in the portal tunnel. The surroundings encompassing them a bright glowing blue.

She looked at Laurel, who returned her look with an expression of uncertainty.

She released his hand and felt slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten to let go of it. She suppressed the feeling and used her hand to access her vibrating Celestial Receiver.

The Interface which had previously displayed the Origin World Library tab was replaced by three choices. 

Before the Narrative. During the Narrative. After the Narrative. 

Valeryon frowned and told Laurel to access the Interface to get what he thought. 

"It seems that we need to decide a time period of the world to enter." 

"Yes." 

"Which one do you think we should enter." 

"Did you read the Narrative?" 

Laurel shook his head. "I was hoping that you might have."

"I didn't either. It was too long, and I thought it would be a waste of time since we would be learning about the world by immersing ourselves in it regardless."

Valeryon's response made Laurel burst out laughing. "You make an excellent point. So, which one should we enter?"

"Before the Narrative. We would be least affected by our lack of lack of Narrative knowledge here." 

"I agree." 

With that, they proceeded to select the first option. 

A blinding flash of light suddenly enveloped them, followed by a strangely disorienting feeling that reminded her of the lurching sensation she experienced when she missed a step on the stairs.

Then, she knew nothing.