ERROR: WORLD EDITOR MODE UNAVAILABLE

ERROR: YOU DO NOT CONTROL THIS TERRITORY

I frowned at the error. “Um, Lavender. The system says I can’t edit anything.”

Lavender’s stern voice replied. “Not that kind of editing. Try editing a rock like you normally do.”

“Oh!” I gasped, realizing what she meant.

The second monster that emerged from the darkness was a giant. A tall lumbering man with a combover stomped his way toward us wielding a club that was at least as tall as he was.

The first target for editing was obvious.

Item:

Fool Smasher

Components

Wood, Essence of Grurk

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Grurk

While I could have just deleted it, I wanted to do something to confuse the already dumb-looking creature.

Item:

Very Large Rubber Snake (Edited)

Components

Rubber

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Grurk

While the edited snake came out a lot smaller than intended, it did have the desired effect. The giant paused when the rigid staff in his hand went limp on him. Seeing the snake’s head bobbing in his grubby fist made him drop it and jump back. The ground quaked around us as Grurk landed hard, nearly toppling over.

“Now!” Esha roared, rushing in with a goblin riding on her back.

A pair of shiny projectiles flew through the air toward the lumbering giant, fueled by the cries of a goblin. “Go boom stick make boom boom!”

BOOM

With a thunderous explosion, the giant toppled over backward, making the ground shudder once again. A flash of light came from behind me as swirling reds and blues orbited around one another as the attack sailed toward the downed Grurk.

“My turn!” came Eddie’s triumphant voice as a wave of smoke mixed in with the girls' attack.

Angry thunder crackled and sparked from the cloud, looking like the electrical discharge over an erupting volcano. The combined spells smashed into the downed giant, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Did we get him? Kalli sent through mate chat along with a feeling of satisfaction over her new spell combo with Shiviria.

The answer came in the form of a thrown rubber snake. It sailed through the air directly at Kalli. However, I was quick to react.

DELETE

The snake vanished, the sound of it swishing through the air dying along with it. Kalli, who had just ducked, tossed me a quick smile when she realized what I’d done. Thanks.

The sound of Esha clashing with the giant drew our attention back to the battle. The troll was barely half the size of the giant and was getting pushed back. On closer inspection, I noticed that Boombrix was missing.

Kalli, can you guys attack again? Esha is going to be in trouble at this rate.

Kalli grunted in response. We’re working on it. That attack took a lot of mana. Remember Eddie and Shiv are still little.

Heaving a sigh, I materialized my mana blade and started to move forward. Lavender stopped me with a shout. “Remember the rules, Melvin. Healing and editing only. Your role is support.”

I groaned, trying to think of another plan. At the rate we were going, the giant was going to win. Next to me, Sylvia was blowing a steady stream of kisses at Esha with remarkable accuracy.

I needed to edit something. Anything. Other than throwing a rock at the giant and changing it into a boulder, I was drawing a blank. Then I noticed what Esha was holding.

Item:

Short Sword

Components

Bronze

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Esha

I didn’t think about equipping people properly. Boombrix had her bombs but Esha was practically naked. The least I could do was edit her weapon.

Item:

Imitation Excalibur (Edited)

Components

Dragon-Forged Steel

Item Rank:

B

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Esha

The edit didn’t go exactly as planned. I meant to name the weapon Excalibur but it ended up being an imitation, and a B ranked one at that. Esha, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She roared triumphantly when the sword grew in her hands and swung it wildly at the giant.

Another thing that I noticed was that the troll wasn’t a very proficient fighter. Her class, Empress of Wrotor, didn’t lend itself to any proficiency in combat. About the only skill I knew the troll to have was her stench.

However, that was a problem for another day. I needed to focus on the present. Esha was doing her best to take on the giant by herself with only Sylvia healing her.

I tried targeting the ground behind Grurk.

DELETE

Unfortunately, I didn’t have much control over my skill. The ground beneath both Esha and Grurk vanished, causing them to both cry out in shock as they fell into the crater I created.

“Esha!” I screamed as I ran toward the pit.

“Melvin, wait!” Lavender commanded, causing me to stop in my tracks once again. “Hold your position. You aren’t allowed to rush in. Remember, nobody is going to die here. Use this to learn and better yourself from your failures.”

After waiting helplessly for any signs of life, I heaved a sigh of relief when Esha crawled over the lip of the crater. I immediately hit her with a healing beam, shining a strobe light of mana on the troll.

From the distance, I couldn’t feel its impact but I had the benefit of watching her health increase as I focused my mana on her.

40%

60%

80%

Then the giant’s head popped up. Esha just managed to roll out of the way as a tiny green goblin tossed something into the pit. A series of explosions made me stagger.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Grurk faltered and struggled to climb from the pit. A dark storm cloud grew above him with the dark lightning I saw Eddie produce earlier. Then, just as the lightning hit, a bolt of fire and ice struck the giant in its head, causing it to fall over backward.

Esha, back at one hundred percent health, jumped into the crater with her newly minted Excalibur Replica pointed at the giant’s throat. Moments later, the battle was over.

Lavender clapped from behind us and said, “Good job. That will be all for today.”

Lavender pulled me aside once we returned to her house. “Melvin, do you understand why I am doing this?”

Admittedly, I was feeling a little singled out. “I don’t know. Why won’t you let me help Esha out when she gets in trouble? We both know the armor will protect me.”

Lavender sighed, sitting on a red velvet couch and patting the spot next to her. I sat as she began to speak. “As I am sure you have already deduced, I can see many of the things that you do in the world. What you don’t know is that I can also see things in the distant past as well as the future. Your storybooks refer to people with my gift as an oracle or a fate.”

I got excited as I thought of all the possibilities of knowing my future. When I reached out to touch her, she stopped me. “Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want this. I know you have the ability to absorb bloodlines through touch but what you would find inside of me is very different. Certain things exist outside of the system.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding how anything could escape the system.

Lavender took a deep breath, giving me the impression she was about to spill some great secret. “Many of the things that you understand are spelled out for you by the system. You can see traits and abilities and see value in them. You also know that when you cast certain spells, you can do magic. Think about it like this. When you use your mana to cast a spell without saying the word, don’t you have more control? This is working outside of the system.”

I absentmindedly tossed an invisible blob of mana from one hand to the other as I contemplated her words. “That makes sense. It still doesn’t explain why you don’t want me to absorb your skill. It sounds so cool and useful.”

The Enchanter threw her head back and laughed. It wasn’t a humorous laugh. “If you only knew the curse that comes with knowing your future. To see your demise and stand helpless to do anything except slowly march toward it is a difficult way to live. I wish to spare you that more than anything. Especially with who you are.”

“Who am I?” I asked, frustrated that multiple people knew a lot more about me than I did. “Why won’t anybody tell me? Does this have something to do with my father?”

Lavender was silent for a while, appraising me as we sat together on that comfy red couch. “I cannot tell you everything, Melvin. I can’t even tell you why. What I can tell you is that your father has been around for a very long time. He is among a handful of mortals that were alive before the system. Your father had a hand in the system’s creation. That is all I can say.”

I glared at Lavender. While I knew it wasn't something that always existed, the fact that my father had something to do with it was mind-blowing. “Can you tell me where he is?”

She shook her head so I continued to question. “Can you tell me where my mother is?”

Again, she shook her head. I sighed. “Can you tell me why she left?”

Lavender refused to make eye contact with me when she replied. “She likely went to see your father. I came to that conclusion because I cannot see where she is. Your father emits an aura that makes him invisible to my ability.”

Rubbing my chin, I asked, “Do you know where he is?”

She stiffened as she answered. “Yes.”

My eyes widened. “Then tell me!”

Lavender shook her head. “No! What would you do if I gave you that information? You’d seek him out. That’s what you’d do. That would be suicide as you currently are. This is why you need to grow.”

“Are you saying that I need to fight my dad?” I stammered, the dream of my dad wanting to meet me dying just as it began.

Lavender placed a hand on my shoulder but I pulled away from her. She spoke softly, trying to soothe me. “Melvin, I doubt you will have to fight your father. I don’t think he is that kind of a person. The truth is that you’re more likely to end up doing battle with your siblings than you are with him.”

“Siblings?” I asked, thinking about Maya and Kiki. “Why would I want to fight them? I love my sister.”

Lavender hesitated again. “I don’t know how to put this gently. There are hundreds of people with the M bloodline out there right now. Your father has recently begun fathering children in multiple dimensions. To this day, I do not understand his intentions. I do know that you’re…”

“I’m what?” I balked as she trailed off. “What am I? Don’t you dare say special. Give me some details.”

She sighed again. “You’re the key. I am not going to do something so uncouth as to spout a riddle or a prophecy but I will tell you that you are the one that is going to unravel the mystery of your father. As a matter of fact, my fate is tied to you directly.”

“Perhaps it will make better sense to me if you just show me.” I began. “What could it hurt if I had the ability to see what happens before it happens?”

Lavender scooted away from me again as I reached out to touch her. “You aren’t thinking this through. First off, having the ability to see the future and be powerless to change it is not an advantage. This is the first lesson that every seer learns. You also share a bond with Kalli. Would you truly wish such a fate on her?”

For the first time since the conversation began, I hesitated. While it seemed like a good idea, I wouldn’t want to subject Kalli to any of the side-effects. I didn’t want to know the future that badly.

Possibly having seen the future or just sensing that I had come to a conclusion, Lavender stood up. “I suppose that will be all for now. You can come to me should you have more questions but I am afraid there are certain things I cannot tell you. Knowledge comes with a price, after all.”