I felt myself slowly coming to, the grogginess of what felt like an all-night bender weighing on me.

  “Ysmiro… this is a little much. Even for a god.”

  While I can’t quite see yet, I feel what seems to be a stone floor, caked with dust under my fingertips.

  As my vision starts to come back to me, I see myself in a dimly lit room. The only light coming from a flickering candle placed on a desk in the middle. I can’t make out all of the details with the light I have, but I can tell this place has seen better days.

  “Ken, can you hear me clearly?” Ysmiro's voice pounded in my head. “Yes, please turn down the volume. It feels like my head is going to explode.” I grasped my head in pain. Aches shooting down from the crown of my head to my neck.

  “That is to be expected. Listen, this is the last time I can use my power to speak to you in this manner. I just wanted to tell you to search the desk in the room. Hulin, my last paladin, left his diary there. It should help shed some light on what your quest entails. Also, I am giving you a system to help you understand the powers in this world. Normally, all souls here can accomplish that by feeling. However, you are going in as an adult with no abilities or training to do so. Goodbye, for now.” The end seems to taper off like an old song exiting before a new one plays on the radio. Kind of odd that it sounds like his power faded rather than just went away.

  First thing’s first. I am letting this headache go away.

  After a few minutes, the feeling I was experiencing finally subsided. I made my way to the desk and found the diary placed on the top, neatly positioned in the middle with an ornate pen to its side.

  “I guess this is it, then?”

  The book looks a little too elaborately designed to be a diary. But maybe this is normal in this world, like someone’s diary is their biography.

  Either way, I need to read this to get some kind of bearing on what I should do next. According to Ysmiro, the forest outside of here is known as the Forest of Turantia and it is teeming with dangerous creatures. Talk about living in hard mode.

  I flipped to the first page of the diary.

  “Whoever has the strength to find this book, and can open it with the guidance of Ysmiro, I pray for your luck in your journey to come. May the light of Ysmiro be with you, future paladin. -Hulin Aylur”

  Future paladin? Maybe the only ones who can reach this spot are the paladins of Ysmiro. I am still unsure of what a paladin is, but maybe this can shed some light on that. I flip the page.

  Instead of the diary I was expecting… I found a page with symbols and one line of text:

  “Paladin. Welcome to the fold.”

  The book illuminates in a blue aura, sigils floating around it. I tried to drop the book, but I couldn’t release my grip despite my overwhelming urge to back away from it. The sigils look like they are made of a rainbow of colors, churning and changing between themselves. They left the book and floated around me.

  I have a feeling this was a mistake…

  The sigils wrapped themselves around my arms, then torso, then finally my legs. “Agh, AHH!” Where the sigils rested, they began to sink into my skin along with the strong sensation of them being branded directly onto my skin. After my legs buckled I hit the floor, but I am still unable to let go of the book.

  After what feels like forever has passed, I begin to lose consciousness again. “This is ridiculous.” The dizziness causes me to lumber forward, landing face first on the ground.

  In a puddle of… something? I slowly lift myself up off of the floor. The oozing puddle neither water, nor anything else I have seen before stuck to me like I fell into a pool of that “Make At-Home Slime” you could purchase from the toy stores in my old world. As I teeter upward, I notice something different in the room… a person.

  Standing upright and tall, a man… or maybe a spirit? He was glowing in the same blue light as the book. His robes, while they didn’t contain any color, seemed ornate and elaborate. In one hand a book, a sword on his hip, and a half-helmet with the same ornate design as his robes on his head. He held up his hand as if to tell me to stop.

  “Future paladin. Or shall I say, present paladin. I welcome you to my castle. The last bastion of the great Ysmiro!” The figure's voice echoed loud enough that the walls seemed to shake at the sheer power of it. “You find yourself in my quarters, where I studied both magic and the nature of souls in Astrania. You may be asking yourself who I am, I am but the humble Hulin. Paladin and defender of Ysmiro and his works.”

  The figure bowed, in a way that seemed anything but humble. Moreso like a nobleman would after flaunting his reputation or status. He's awfully full of himself…

  “I don’t believe I am, Ken the Paladin.”

  You’re kidding me… It just dawned on me that he can read my mind the same way Ysmiro could. Maybe it’s because he isn’t human anymore.

  “This is my soul, integrated into the diary. The only one who could summon me would be the next paladin of Ysmiro. That is the magic I had cast on the book prior to dying. I will be brief. I am going to give you my soul and the powers therein. You won’t be able to use my powers outright, like anything you have to put the work in to be able to master any craft. This includes the powers I gift to you. Understand, this world is full of evil. You need to be on guard at all times.”

  The figure stood there, as if patiently waiting for me to say something.

  “Look, I don’t know how I can be a paladin. After coming here, I see how important that role must be. I want to share the name of Ysmiro for assisting me, but this castle and all really put it into perspective that I didn’t know what I signed up for.” I said, trying not to make eye contact with the projection of Hulin.

  “Haha, ahh. I remember when I first started my journey as well.” Hulin looked away, as if reminiscing on old memories. “Becoming a paladin and being a paladin, these are two different things entirely. Do you know what it means to be a paladin, young Ken?”

  “Fighting evil, things of that nature?” I tried to sound as serious as I could, given it was absurd coming out of my mouth.

  “In all things, there is good and evil. Protecting those you love, while giving thanks to Ysmiro for what you have. That is what it means to be a paladin. That can be your family, or the entire world. Doing what you can to protect what is dear to you in the name of your god. If you can do that, you can be a paladin.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “I am not sure I can do that, I don’t even understand what I am supposed to do right now.”

  “Don’t worry, all will become clear soon enough. For now, I am integrating with your soul. This will give you the system Ysmiro told you about as well. Don’t worry, he contacted me not long before you came to this world and helped me adjust my soul so that it would be more useful for you. This isn’t goodbye, moreso, this is welcome to the fold my new friend.”

  “I never agreed–” Before I could finish the sentence, Hulin vaporized into motes of light and drifted into me. Even though I don’t understand what’s happening, the sensation is warm. It’s as though his soul was pure and loving, and by integrating with mine he shared his feelings.

  I guess I don’t really have a say here.

  Without realizing it, the pangs of hunger started to hit me. I don’t know how long I have been here… but I am absolutely starving. As I turned to reach for the candle to help me find my way out, a translucent square appeared in my view.

  Ken Tigressi

  Human (Age: 17)

  Level: 1

  HP: 23 Mana: 11

  Jobs: Apprentice Paladin

  Titles: None

  Skills: [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] Swords (1) Bows (1) Shields (1) Wands (1) Staffs (1)

  Magic: [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Wind Cutter (1)]

  Well damn. That looks… pretty much like what is included in games in my old world. Kind of cliche… I mean, Ysmiro said it would make things more familiar for me since I can’t feel what the people here feel when they think of skills and stuff.

  Job? “APPRENTICE PALADIN?!”

  The truth is, once I told Ysmiro I would do it I guess I lost all choice in the matter. Skills and magic, most of everything is locked. I can currently use swords, bows, wands, and staffs. Too bad I don’t have one right now. Wind Cutter, huh? This world has magic… and I can use magic… “Hehe… maybe this won’t be so bad.” I mean… who doesn’t dream of using magic.

  *grrrrr* Obviously I need to get a bite to eat. Before my stomach eats itself. I lift the candle up, carefully at first. Then I noticed that there is no wax anywhere on the pan. Is the candle magic, too?! With everything that has been going on, I honestly should know better than to be surprised anymore.

  I make my way out of the room and into the corridor. After a few turns through the maze-like hallways, I find myself basking in the sunlight. The windows, or holes shaped like windows, let in the crisp clear sun. I could see that the castle is completely overrun by the forest, the trees are making their way up the sides and into the courtyard. Small animals are scurrying around, but I am not positive on what they are.

  There is no way that any food from Hulin would still be good to eat… guess I am going to go hunting. Plus, I have been dying to try out this magic I have now! As I narrowed my eyes on what looked like a squirrel from my old world, minus the horn on its head, a window popped up into my view.

  Skill Prerequisite Met.

  New Skill: Appraise Unlocked.

  This window appeared and was met with a disembodied voice that read it to me. Honestly, it was very nice to not feel like I am so alone. I focus on the Appraise skill in my status screen.

  Appraise (1)

  A skill that allows the caster to understand basic information regarding a target. Can not be blocked by magic below the level threshold of the user. Can not be used on targets with the Passive Counter skill.

  So, from what I can tell my Appraise is level 1, so anything that can counter it has to be lower than level 1. “That doesn’t seem very helpful right now…”

  I focus back on the squirrel-thing and activate Appraise.

  Horned Forest Rodent (Level 2)

  HP: 9 Mana: 1

  The Appraise skill seemed to come in handy here. The horned forest rodent is a level above me. However, I think I can win if I use a surprise attack. I hold out my hand, honestly because it just feels natural to do it this way, and… “Wind Cutter!”.

  Nothing happened… “I guess I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.” I hang my head, I can still figure out something else, but I really wanted to try out magic.

  “Maybe I am doing it wrong. How can I use magic?”

  A screen appeared.

  Magic

  A phenomenon utilizing a host’s mana. Mana is channeled into the form the host interprets, then activates by releasing said mana.

  I love Appraise. I hold out my hand again, trying to feel the mana. I can feel something that wasn’t there before, like a warm flowing throughout my body. I try to focus it in the palm of my hand. “Wind cutter. A blade? A blade of air pressure.” The mana took shape and formed a razor sharp crescent in the palm of my hand. “Now, I need to release it.” I focus on the horned forest rodent, and cut the connection to the mana off toward it. The blade took flight at lightning speed, and cut the creature in half.

  “My aim was off but I did it! Can I eat this? I’m going to try.” I jumped off the ledge into the overgrown courtyard and picked up the horned squirrel.

  I guess it would be too much to ask for a loot function…

  I picked up a sharp stone from the ground and started to cut away at the creature’s fur. What pieces I didn’t destroy, I put away in the satchel that I found on the way out of Hulin’s office. It isn’t magical, but it is a bag. Once I finished butchering the animal, I grabbed the candle from the ledge and went down into the courtyard once more.

  “Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter!” I know I didn’t need to say it, but it felt like the right thing to do. I mean, it’s magic, right? I used the spells to cut limbs into sections and built a base for a fire. Using the candle, I lit the fire and began cooking the meat on a smaller, sturdy stick.

  The ambiance of the campfire, with the smell of the burning meat really gave me a sense of peace. I wonder if I could have done this with anyone in my old world. I guess it wouldn’t matter since I never made the attempt to be around anyone. I really would have loved to start a family. Maybe I can do that here? What a thought.

  I open my status to see a new notification.

  Congratulations. You have reached level 2.

  Wind Cutter has progressed 1 > 2

  Appraise has progressed 1 > 2

  You have learned the spell Flicker.

  “Flicker?”

  Flicker

  Concentrating mana into your limbs allows you to create a small flame. While small in size, the flame is extremely hot. Useful for survival situations.

  It’s not like I am not happy to have it, but how did I learn that? It could have been the candle, but maybe it is some sort of self-actualization this world gives its inhabitants. I won’t figure anything else out just guessing like this. For now, let’s just move forward.

  The sun started to set and I made my way back up into the castle from the ledge I came down. The first room I found looked like it may have been a bedroom. Taking some wood from the trees in the courtyard with Wind Cutter, and extinguishing my campfire, I boarded myself in the room and built a fire in the fireplace. “Flicker”, the fire slowly grew across the logs. The floor definitely doesn't feel as bad as it did when I first got here.

  So let’s see how I ended today…

  Ken Tigressi

  Human (Age: 17)

  Level: 2

  HP: 29 Mana: 17

  Jobs: Apprentice Paladin

  Titles: None

  Skills: [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Swords (1)] [Bows (1)] [Shields (1)] [Wands(1)] [Staffs (1)]

  Magic: [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] [Wind Cutter (2)] [Flicker(1)]

  Not bad I guess. Maybe tomorrow I can work on getting a little bit stronger and learn some new skills. First up, I should probably find some weapons.

  After the warm meal, and in front of the roaring fire. I finally drifted into the deepest sleep I think I have ever had.