PIN 1

When Aaron opened his eyes, it was as though it was the first time. His mind was blurry, his spirit strained, yet his body was oddly comfortable. He was seated on a plush leather chair far softer than anything he'd ever felt in his fourteen years of life.

As his mind caught up to his body, he came across an unusual sight. A cat as black as the night, sitting on a chair much like his, except far grander and more luxurious. Between them was a small table with milk and fish-shaped cookies set out, and beneath and around them was the vast night sky.

Hundreds of stars danced in the distance, and Aaron gaped in awe and bewilderment.

"Milk?" the Cat offered as it levitated a cup to its mouth and took a sip of it.

Aaron blinked, panic masked by the sheer absurdity of it all. "This is certainly the weirdest dream I've ever had."

"Oh, this is no dream," the Cat said, its deep golden eyes peering at Aaron. "I am indeed a talking cat, and you're really floating above the stars, in my domain." A biscuit floated up midair to join the tea cup and dip into the milk before disappearing down the gullet of the curious Cat.

Aaron's eyes widened at the sight. "And where is your domain exactly?"

"A small solar system of night and splendor at the edge of the Omniverse."

Aaron's face twisted in obvious confusion.

The Cat chuckled. "That means nothing to you, of course. You have no understanding of the greater universe beyond your tiny blue planet. Perhaps, this bit of information would help. Your people called our champions, travelers?"

Aaron's body tensed immediately, his chi surged, and his face twisted in a mix of anger and shock.

Memories flashed into his mind. How he'd first met Mark in Senlin and discovered he was some part of a greater tournament spanning worlds. Their story finished in a cataclysmic clash that cost his father and Uncle their lives at the hands of his own grandfather, who had tried to steal a traveler's power for himself.

If the Cat was indeed who she claimed to be, he imagined she wouldn't be very pleased about how the Phantoms treated the travelers.

"On the contrary, I appreciate the firm hand," the Cat answered, taking another sip. "I'm tired of worlds rolling over to accommodate the whims of my champions. It gets boring after the 111th time."

"You can read my mind," he asked, alarmed.

"What gave you the impression that I wouldn't be able to," the Cat said, deadpan. "After all, we are literarily floating among the stars, sharing milk and treats."

"Fair enough," Aaron muttered numbly. "For all intent and purposes, you might as well be a god."

The Cat laughed at that. It was long and sonorous. "To you maybe, but to the greater omniverse, I'm an ant."

"If you're an ant then what am I?"

"An atom maybe?" the Cat hummed thoughtfully.

"Just what kind of creature are you?" Aaron asked with some trepidation.

The Cat laughed. "You're a brave and curious one, aren't you? I'll tell you one day, but that depends entirely on you."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Your family," she started, "Do you remember them?"

"Family?" Aaron asked, outraged by the very question. "Of course I do."

He remembered every moment of his former life. The years he spent honing his skills, preparing, awaiting the return of the Avatar, only to be beset upon by the scourges that were the Champions. He remembered his Uncle's ridiculous pirate hat, his Aunt's witty tongue, and his father's stoicism.

Most vivid were the memories of his grandfather—the man who'd nurtured him all his life, only to betray their family for power.

He'd killed nearly all of his children in his rage, and Aaron wondered who among his family would survive the aftermath.

Would his cousin, Misha, and her child?

Or was it all lost?

He choked up without realizing it, and tears started to flow.

"I remember."

The cat god gave him the grace to be vulnerable, watching him mutely until he was ready to speak.

"You have to send me back."

"I can't," she simply said. "It's out of my paws. As far as the game knows you're dead. It wouldn't be wise to give them reason to think otherwise."

"Game?"

"The 'competition' between the Champions. That's what us sponsor and the wider multiverse call it. Game. Champions are summoned on strange worlds, they fight, and sponsors and the champions get to advance and climb toward the ultimate reward."

"What could possibly be worth all that bloodshed?"

"A universe," she smiled, and Aaron's jaw dropped.

"New Universes are discovered rarely, and every major player craves a new playground, and most are willing to go to war for it. The game prevents that."

Aaron gave her words some thought, struggling to wrap his head around the sheer scale of it all. "So, my home. It was just another playground for your kind?" He demanded, some of his anger burning through.

The Cat remained unphased, however, taking another sip from its cup.

"Don't look at me. Blame the collective consciousness that rules your universe. Aelah traded your home world for certain benefits from the administrators. I just showed up with my champion."

Her ambivalence left an even bitter taste in Aaron's mouth. He didn't even know how to begin to feel about this 'Aelah.' What gave her the right to sell his world, and who was this Administrator the strange cat god was hesitant to offend?

She'd hinted at them earlier.

"They run the game," she provided, reading his mind. "They're the most powerful force in the Multiverse and have had a monopoly on power for as long as anyone can remember."

'They're the ones who wanted to wipe out our world because of what my grandfather did.'

"Exactly," the cat god said.

"And you'll likely meet the same fate if they ever found out about the changes that have happened to you."

"What are you talking about?" Aaron frowned.

"Take a look," she waved, and a screen popped up in front of him.

Mind Palace Lv 200 Epic: Contains the accumulated memories you've stolen from the mind of your grandfather, Paku, the Leader of the Phantom, a Spirit and Chi bending master, and an Airbending Grandmaster. Memories can be categorized by date, relevance, and topic. Add more knowledge to the library to raise its level. Peruse and call upon its knowledge at your convenience.

(Perk)Essence of Samsara: An incalculable amount of spirit energy has entered and exited your body during a battle of wills in which you triumphed over Paku. A greater spirit was born from that rare confluence. The seed will sprout when exposed to the right stimulants. Increases your natural Chi and Spirit generation by 100% and grants you the Perk, EVOLVE.

EVOLVE: Force your body and mind to adapt to new changes or display new phenomena by feeding the Perk a sufficient amount of Chi, Spirit, and other external ingredients.

Blue Fire (Rare): Lv 1 Mark of a prodigious Firebender with a Fierce Talent and a bountiful spirit. It burns nearly three times as hot as regular fire at its peak and is far more difficult to control and energy intensive. Chi cost, fire quality, control, and quantity improve with every level.

"What is this!" Aaron demanded. "You've stuck whatever atrocity that is in Mark's head in mine." He had seen what the champions were capable of with just a few months of training. While he was desperate for revenge, he refused to sell his soul to the very thing that destroyed his home.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'd never hand you something that powerful," The cat waved dismissively. "Those are your three highest rated skills according to the system that I personally created and use. They're a close approximation of your current abilities."

Her words threw him for a loop as he read and reread the information. It had ridiculous implications. If Mind Palace was accurate, he now had all of the knowledge his grandfather stole from the spirits, and Essence of Samsara and Evolve guaranteed that he had a body that could use that knowledge.

"Use that knowledge?" the Cat scoffed. "Try elevate it. That Essence of yours is far more powerful than your primitive mind realizes. It helped you adapt to an overload of spirit energy that should've scorched your very soul and walk away with the highest affinity for fire recorded in your world," she explained. "Imagine what you could achieve if you actually put your mind to it? Your potential is limitless and that's why the Administrators would eliminate you if they ever found out."

"I won't fight you for them," Aaron said immediately, and the Cat huffed.

"Please. Trying to kill an administrator is a fool's errand. You'd stand no chance even if you had a thousand years to train. Far more powerful evolvers than you have tried. Everyone from holders of the shard of gluttony to stellar evolvers and cultivators. The administrators' power is absolute."

Aaron frowned. "Then why—"

"Do they want you dead?" the Cat finished. "Because you could match their strength one day. It might take 10 thousand years or 50, but it could happen, and that's enough for them."

Aaron's throat went dry, but he understood the logic behind their actions. It was less a matter of fear and more a question of intentionality and meticulousness.

Why leave a potential foe alive when you could eliminate them while they were in infancy?

"Then, what do you want from me?" Aaron asked the Cat. She didn't seem particularly upset about her champion and had been brutally clear about not wanting to recruit him.

"I never said anything about that," said the Cat while she nibbled on a biscuit. "In truth, I saved you because of how you handled Samir, but now that I've had a closer look at you. I see your value."

"Wait. You're happy I killed your champion?"

"Do you know how much trouble it would've been wrestling back a champion system from the administrators after a loss? And don't even get me started on the fees. When I scooped you up, the system was laying right there, ripe for the picking. I just paid the favor forward by healing you and offering up this deal…"

Aaron's eyes narrowed at the mention of a deal, immediately suspicious. She smiled in amusement.

"I would've loved to leave you on your home planet while you recovered, but Samir was not the only horse I had in the race. He was a fascination, while Tara is my True Champion. She has the sheer might and brutality to win, even if she's a bit…unmotivated. That is where you come in. I want you to help her, but from the shadows. You are not supposed to be on the Paisho board, so let's keep it that way. You will be given a new name, face, and background, abilities, and the resources you require to travel the multiverse, all I ask in return is for you to get her to the finish line through whatever means necessary."

Aaron contemplated her offer in silence. "Why not just offer me a direct path back to my universe?"

"Aelah will know the moment a foreign entity enters her domain," she said. "I can't have her reporting me to the administrators."

"But you're fine with her finding and reporting me," Aaron said, deadpan at the Cat, who floated another biscuit to its mouth and chewed contently. "What if I say no?" He questioned.

And the Cat looked at him for a moment before speaking. "You would've lost your one and only chance to return home and see your family in your lifetime. By some miracle, even if you somehow manage to avoid the Administrators and gather enough power to leave this planet, navigating the greater multiverse and finding your universe again will be all but impossible," she said.

"So, I have no choice then," he said.

"You always have a choice," she smiled. "And what I'm offering is miles better than what most gods would in my position. So, do we have a deal?" 

Aaron ran his hand through his hair as his mind picked apart the information he'd gathered so far.

She'd revealed so much but was likely keeping far more to herself.

There was also the matter of the nature of the deal. She could betray him at any point, and he'd be helpless to stop her, yet she was right about one thing—this was the best and only option he had at the moment.

He had to try to get back to what was left of his family, even if that meant…dealing with another Champion.

Aaron groaned and massaged his brows before steadying himself and presenting his own terms.

"I'm not doing any hand-holding. And I am nobody's puppet. I will not tolerate any extra missions or tasks. I need my complete freedom or this will never work."

"Fair. I prefer it that way anyways. I look forward to working with one of the best your world had to offer," she finished with a Cheshire grin.