I found myself floating once again in a vast nothingness. No matter which way I turned, the inky blackness was just as oppressive.

  "Hello?" I called out.

  "Hello again, child. It seems that we have some unfinished business."

  Although it lacked the forcefulness of our first encounter, the voice that responded was the one that aided my Metamorphosis.

  "Is this going to be a common occurrence?" I joked. "If so, you can just stay in one of the guest rooms."

  "I do not think so, little one. Your connection to the physical world will solidify as your power waxes."

  "Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "I want to get stronger."

  "Not at all. It would not be prudent for you to neglect your advancement. Now, let me examine you...yes, I see. You have been rather busy since we first met. A Soulbond, a Spiritbond, and a Spirit Oath. A few insights, nothing too out of the ordinary. And I see you made good use of your Metagift. I apologize we did not have time to discuss it, but we were pressed for time in the end there, weren't we?"

  "Yes, I was surprised when it showed up. I am guessing it had to be chosen during the Metamorphosis?"

  "That's right, my child."

  "But I still have time to pick a 'path', right?"

  "Yes. Paths are more flexible and, unlike Metagifts, you can have more than one."

  "So what path is the most useful?" I asked shamelessly.

  My mysterious friend didn't seem to mind.

  "Your first path will help determine your preferred method of acquiring knowledge and power. Most paths will make it easier to advance in one of the basic areas of wielding magic: whether that's augmenting their physical forms, endowing items with magical effects, casting rituals, altering natural laws, or directly affecting other beings. So, to answer your question more fully, you should pick one that seems interesting to you. You'll do better learning something you like over something that is 'powerful'."

  I thought about that answer for a moment. I didn't like it, but the voice had a point.

  "Okay, fine. So what path should I choose if I really, really loved seeing the inside of a gemstone and adding mana to it?"

  "Well, there are several that you could choose from. An Artificer specializes in endowing inanimate objects with magic. A Spiritbinder forges a strong connection to one or more magic items and draws additional power from the link. Finally, a Sensate can more easily connect with the innate mana in the world around them, which helps them better comprehend the nature of pretty much everything."

  "I really like that last one! Will I have super senses?"

  "It's hard to explain, but each of these paths will affect your senses in different ways. Question: when you interacted with the gemstone, did you touch it first?"

  "Yes, I actually couldn't sense the opal at all until I touched it."

  "Then I would recommend the Sensate path for you, child. Your Metagift is quite powerful but it does have a drawback: objects you have never touched are harder to interact with. When you touched the gem, not only did that erase the penalty, you also gained additional insight into its nature."

  "That's really cool! The other two sound neat but I like the Sensate option the most. So, uh, how do I make my selection official?"

  "If you are sure of your choice, you'll need to reach down deep within yourself to find the correct path. You'll know what to do when you find it."

  That did not sound very reassuring, but the voice had never yet led me astray. I focused my senses inward...past the crude matter that composed my body, past the vat of thoughts and hormones that composed my mind, all the way down to the innermost part of my spirit. All of a sudden my senses spun as I was pulled in upon myself. It was not a pleasant feeling.

  "Help me!" I cried as the collapse accelerated, but there was no answer from within the void. The spinning sensation increased until I could take it no longer and the merciful blackness took me.

  I found myself standing before an enormous castle. It was too dark to much of my surroundings but a few of the castle's windows were glowing brightly, giving off enough illumination for me to discern the structure's overall design. Looking at the castle stirred something up inside of me, but I wasn't sure exactly what. When I tried to take a step forward to get a better view, my feet refused to leave the ground. As I looked down to see why I was stuck, I noticed dozens of cables that snaked around my feet and wound their way toward the castle until they were lost in the gloom.

  The strands didn't seem dangerous, so I reached down and pick up one.

  "LoreKeeper"

  That wasn't what I was looking for, so I dropped it and picked up another that seemed to glow dimly in the murk.

  "Artificer"

  That was closer to what I wanted, but not quite right. I examined the ground carefully until I saw a pinprick of bright light poke out from underneath a pile of other cables. I carefully dug through the stack of strands until I had the one I wanted.

  "RimeMaster"

  "SongSword"

  "Chaotician"

  "Sensate"

  As I picked up the Sensate strand it ceased glowing and began pulsating in my hand. My vision brightened just a little, allowing me to make out more details of the castle, like the dark blue pennants flying from the castle's turrets. The sound of my respiration was also easier to make out. Even the texture of the strand itself became more apparent. I noticed for the first time that it was actually made of two strands woven around each other. The churning sensation deep inside returned, stronger this time.

  Without warning, there was a violent tug on the rope. I reacted instinctively, tightening my grip and grabbing on with my free hand as my feet were ripped out of the ground. I looked up, expecting to see the castle approach as I flew through the air, but there was nothing at all to see. Both the acceleration and the cable were gone. I was back in the void.

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  "Welcome back, young Sensate," my companion gushed. "You did well."

  It took me a moment to recover from the intense experience I had just gone through.

  "Well, I'm glad one of us is happy. That was bizarre. Did you see what I saw?"

  "Where you went, I am afraid I cannot follow."

  "I was standing in front of a huge castle, and all the different paths looked like strands that ran towards it. Does that mean anything to you?"

  "Not one bit, I'm afraid."

  I was irrationally annoyed at that response.

  "Well, can you at least show me my attributes?"

  "I could."

  There was a short pause, and then nothing happened. My annoyance grew.

  "But you won't? Right?"

  "You're capable of doing it yourself now, my dear. You shouldn't rely on others to do your magic for you."

  I concentrated inward again, this time looking for the markings on my spirit that indicated the different abilities and attributes that defined my magical abilities. I was rewarded with a mental image of the same dark blue background with white text that I had experienced during the Metamorphosis.

  Arabella (Arabella Unbound)

  Insights: 0

  Epiphanies: 0 (1 available)

  Revelations: 0

  Current Path: Sensate (novice)

  Metagift: Tactile Magic

  Specials: Delayed Metamorphosis, Soulbond (stage 1), Spiritbond (stage 1), Heat Resistance (hands), Natural Telepathy, Unknown

  Physical Attributes

  Strength 21

  Reflexes 19

  Durability 29

  Mental Attributes

  Charisma 29

  Intelligence 34

  Willpower 40

  Spiritual Attributes

  Cycle 42

  Density 39

  Homogeneity 42

  Derived Attributes

  Resistance 127

  Mana Reserve 230 (theoretical maximum)

  Hourly Mana Recovery 29.4 (estimated)

  Spells Demonstrated

  Command (extrapolated)

  Imbue Magic Item (extrapolated)

  Soulbind

  Spiritbind

  Telepathy

  Inspect

  My Willpower had gone up a point, which caused it to hit another multiple of ten and raised my spiritual attributes one point each. But the big news was that I had earned an Epiphany!

  "Alright! I finished seven Insights and earned my first Epiphany!"

  "That was good work. But do not grow overconfident, young one. You've climbed the first rung to power on a ladder that stretches beyond the sky.

  Logically I knew that my benefactor was correct, but I felt so good at getting to my first epiphany on day one that I let myself get swept away by the euphoria for a moment, dreaming of what I would do when I became truly strong.

  "Okay," I said after finally coming to my senses. "So there's still a long way to go. What comes next?"

  The voice chuckled.

  "You need to speak your truth, my child."

  "What do you mean, my truth? Isn't truth absolute?"

  "Sometimes. But magic likes to play fast and loose with rules. One person's truth about magic may be contradicted by another's. All things being equal, would you say they are both right, or both wrong?"

  I ruminated on the apparent contradiction for a moment. If two people had different experiences that led them to believe different things, that didn't make their experience any less real. And if both are equal in every other way, there was no way to tell which one is right. As I latched on to my answer, the familiar stirring sensation returned.

  "All things being equal, we can't dismiss the possibility that they are both correct. Maybe they both glimpsed part of a greater truth that neither fully understands, right?"

  "That's a good answer, especially for someone who has not pondered the great mysteries of existence for aeons. So, young one, are you ready now?"

  I was ready. The meaning of the seven Insights had become clear in my mind. My voice rang through the void, booming a fundamental truth that helped shape the cosmos. I have no idea what it was that I said, but the utterance broke something inside me. Whatever it was that was inhibiting my full potential relaxed a bit, allowing my spirit to unfurl itself. A surge of power flowed through me, opening new vistas within my mind and lending additional strength to my body. My muscles, or whatever passed for muscles in the void, felt bursting with strength as I flexed my hands.

  I was still processing the changes going on inside when the voice returned.

  "That was quite an interesting discovery you made. I look forward to hearing the next."

  "Will you always appear when it's time?"

  "No, young one. In fact, I am not sure how many more times we will get to meet. As I told you, the stronger you get the less often we will meet."

  "Then can you tell me who you are? I don't even know your name" I pleaded.

  "Oh, dear child, I'd love to, I really would. But I think it's for the best if I didn't."

  "Why?" I yelled. "I have no one but you and a Pegasus to talk to! How am I going to survive in this world without help!"

  "I didn't say I wasn't going to help you, dear one," the voice replied calmly. "I said I wasn't going to tell you who I was. As for needing help, you're a lot more capable than you think. You just need to take your eyes off the destination long enough to see where you are sometimes. Like I told you before, you're at the very start of your journey. You can't compare yourself to someone who has had a few centuries head-start, young one, or you'll go mad. Listen, why don't you distribute your new attribute points. I think it will help you feel better."

  I focused on the form that I had manifested inside the void. It was identical to my real body, which was somewhere far away laying in a comfy bed. A blue background with white text appeared, showing me my physical attributes.

  Physical Attributes

  Strength 21

  Reflexes 19

  Durability 29

  Points Remaining 6

  I assigned my points to allow my strength and reflexes to catch up a bit to my durability.

  Physical Attributes

  Strength 23

  Reflexes 22

  Durability 30

  Points Remaining 0

  Then I performed the same procedure, focusing on my mind rather than my form.

  Mental Attributes

  Charisma 29

  Intelligence 34

  Willpower 41

  Points Remaining 8

  I wasn't so keen on pumping up Charisma, at least not since I had a million books to read, so I put most of my points into intelligence and willpower.

  Mental Attributes

  Charisma 31

  Intelligence 37

  Willpower 44

  Points Remaining 0

  Finally, I concentrated on the magic core that composed what I considered to be the real "me".

  Spiritual Attributes

  Cycle 42

  Density 39

  Homogeneity 42

  Points Remaining 10

  I did my best to evenly distribute the points across all three attributes.

  Spiritual Attributes

  Cycle 45

  Density 45

  Homogeneity 45

  Points Remaining 0

  "Ok," I told the voice after I had locked in all the changes, "can we look at my Sensate abilities now?"

  She chuckled.

  "It's not like that, child. Not everything can be so easily quantified. Just be satisfied that your magical senses will be sharper as you progress further down the path."

  "Okay, I guess that makes sense," I said, even though I was still disappointed. I wanted hard numbers, not fluff. I was about to ask another question when my mysterious benefactor cut me off.

  "Our time is growing short, I fear. I hope we can meet again soon."

  Even before she had finished speaking, I became aware of a buzzing sensation throughout my body. Then my eyes sprang open and I was back in the real world.

  "Two hours have elapsed," Mia announced primly.

  "Mia, you have the worst timing, you know that, right?"

  My muscles protested as I rolled myself over and stared up at the ceiling. Even breathing was painful.

  "Clarification requested. Should further requests for awakening be ignored?"

  I could have sworn that Mia was making fun of me, but I had no way to prove that.

  "Just, never mind. What time is it?"

  "It is an hour till sunset."

  "Okay, well I probably should talk to Ronaldo again."

  I felt for the Pegasus through our bond and discovered that he was fast asleep again. It probably wouldn't be very nice to wake him up. I thought about getting up and taking a look at the magical devices in my room but the bed felt so comfortable.

  "You know what, Mia, I'm done for the day. I'm going back to sleep. Don't bother waking me, please."

  I maneuvered my aching body until I was more or less comfortable in bed. Then I remembered that I could control the shape and texture of my clothing, so I tried to recreate the comfortable pink shirt and pants that I had slept in last night. The result was not completely a failure, and I was too tired to worry about perfection at that moment.

  "Tomorrow I'll have Clemencia bring me up a sofa," I said to myself as sleep embraced me.