Invitation

Autumn broke the wax seal and pulled out a strange metal sheet. She turned the sheet around in her hand, found a small red switch, and flicked it. A projection of a strange woman came out of the top of the sheet, which was currently pointing above her shoulder. She repositioned the sheet so the projection was facing straight up.

The woman was wearing black pants and a brown topcoat over a black shirt, with brown boots and black gloves. She had long black hair and strange, catlike yellow eyes. The observers suddenly realized they were looking at a hologram.

A hologram that could be played with no more than a small sheet's worth of circuitry.

Tom let out an awed whistle, no doubt processing the implications. In the Solynus galaxy, holograms required large boxes the length and width of coffee tables, and twice as high. For a hologram to fit in such a small space, the organization was from must have been extraordinarily advanced.

The woman glanced at the six men and women in the room before her eyes stopped on Autumn. She started speaking. Her voice was smooth and soothing to listen to.

"Hello, members of Styx; Fate, Autumn, Nikolas, Tom, Maya. And hello to you, Cait." She looked at each person as she said their names. Fate realized he had never asked the Prodigy her name before.

The woman continued. "I am Vangloria with the Embodiment Protection Force. Our scans have found that you six possess the seeds of Manifestations. These are dangerous things to those unaware of what they are, so the EPF has decided to introduce you to the wider reaches of reality.

"In ten seconds, you will be transported to the artificial planet Karsire, where we may talk in person. Don't worry about Cait's letter, this one is capable of transporting the six of you just fine. The content would be much the same anyway."

"Teleportation shouldn't be possible yet," said Fate.

Vangloria snorted in amusement. "Tell that to me in three seconds."

Then everything lurched and blurred.

They found themselves in a large office, all six of them sitting in leather chairs facing Vangloria, who was reclining in an office chair behind a wide desk with several electronic tablets scattered on top and an orb resting on a stand in the center. They took a few minutes to adjust to their surroundings, fighting off the horrible nausea that had afflicted them.

Vangloria watched them in silence. When she saw they had recovered, she said "teleportation always hits the first-timers hard, but don't worry. You'll get used to it. If any of you feel the need to throw up your dinner, there's a bucket to your right." She paused, waiting for someone to take her offer. When no one did, she nodded.

"Before you start asking any questions, take these pamphlets and read them front to back," she told them, handing them the pamphlets.

Fate read the front of his. It was titled "So, You Have a Manifestation." Underneath the large, blocky words was a picture of the celestial star ringed by a loop of fire, with a shield and planet in the corner. The same crest he had seen on the envelope.

Opening it revealed a detailed explanation about the 'multiverse' he was now a part of. It explained that Manifestations were 'seeds of creation' that one is born with, and that Prodigy powers are simply an infinitely small part of this power. One was able to ascend the 'Levels' of their Manifestation by learning about it and embracing it.

It listed several categories of Manifestations, each one having multiple types or branches within them, with two exceptions. Anyone who had a Manifestation was called an 'Embodiment.' It had a handful of 'planets of interest,' the Levels of a Manifestation, the categories of an Embodiment, the major factions of this new place, and even explained how Telekinesis worked, which these people called 'Divine Reach,' with the TK Rating becoming different stages.

It was a lot to process, and Fate had to read it three times to get a decent grasp on the enormous amount of information and worldview-shattering bombshells he just received, but he finally wrapped his head around it. He waited for the other three to finish. Tom and Cait had finished reading before him.

When they were all done reading, Vangloria asked "Did you understand everything in the pamphlets?"

The six nodded. They were fast learners.

Vangloria nodded in return, pushing the glass orb on her desk to the edge. "Place your hands on this, and we'll see what Level and Type your Manifestations are. I'll know what you learn." She kept her hand on the back of the orb.

Tom went first. He placed his hand on the orb, looking into the swirling nebula that formed inside. "Atom, Exemplar Level," Vangloria announced. Fate knew from the pamphlets that an Exemplar was just a step above a Prodigy, but could be considered the true start of one's journey.

Autumn went next. "Destruction, Exemplar Level." After that was Nikolas, who had Perception; Maya, who had Sadness; Cait, who had Lust – her entire face turned beat-red at Vangloria's announcement; and finally, Fate.

He leaned forward and rested his hand on the orb. Information entered his mind. Like the others, he was at the lowly Exemplar Level, but he could feel that his Manifestation was different, stronger. He had the –

"Negativity Manifestation," Vangloria whispered, fear and awe in her voice. She snatched her hand from the orb, looking at Fate like he was a sandworm about to devour her. She gulped, then visibly calmed, becoming the picture of business once more.

"I hope, for your sake and ours, that you know self-restraint, young man. If you show the slightest hint of madness, the Embodiment Protection Force will put you down in an instant."

"That's a bit of bullshit, isn't it? What's so wrong with this Negativity Manifestation?' Autumn asked angrily.

Vangloria replied, but her eyes never left Fate. "The last recorded Embodiment with the Negativity Manifestation wiped out half of the multiverse in a fit of rage. So, we'll be watching you closely, Fate."

She cleared her throat. "Alright, now that that's out of the way, you six need to pick your Divine Titles."