Val walked towards the stranger. Her footsteps crunched over white and gray seashells, which were soft enough under her bare feet. Nothing and no one else was in sight, except this one person, a woman. This stranger had androgynous white features, including a blond braid poking from under the hood of a black cloak.

  “Welcome, welcome. Let’s get you settled in before I send you off to Cascadance. Come sit, come sit, darling.” The lounging woman waved at Val to sit down on the silvery blanket. Her hand, with long sparkling fingernails, glowed in the dim light of the foam.

  Val sat on the blanket. She picked up a silvery scallop shell, which was smooth under her thumb.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is my favorite primordial aether ocean with a beach of spacetime shards. Zodiac magic can get so messy, but it can be a beautiful mess. Picturesque, even. I thought you might find it relaxing like me. Plus, it’s easy to bring you here from Earth.” The woman whispered the last word.

  Val instinctively looked around. No mirror or portal was in sight.

  “Can I leave if I want to?”

  “Did you come in on accident? I’m happy to send you back right now,” the woman sat up and lifted her hand from her lap.

  “No, no! Not at all. Just thought I’d see a mirror on this side.” Val scrutinized the woman. “Who are you?”

  “Airaba, darling. I’m the Guardian of everything the other Guardians don’t like to deal with, such as our connection to your reality. Pleasure. You’re Val, I know.” Airaba held her hand out for a handshake.

  Val held the smooth, long-fingered hand, which had warmth and texture, just like a proper hand. Airaba didn’t let go, and focused on Val with a gray-eyed stare. Her look suggested Airaba was learning everything about her. Well, only a powerful game could create everything Val was experiencing.

  “You aren’t perfect for what I need, but I think this will go well,” Airaba said, letting go of Val’s hand. “Niqs will be happy. You aren’t leaving any loved ones behind on Earth, which means you’ll unbalance things in Cascadance, but they need it. I’ll keep you. Just to reassure you, you can stay in Cascadance for as long as you want. Years, preferrably.”

  The line about not leaving loved ones behind made Val’s heart clench. It was accurate enough, though. A reprieve from her grief could keep Val in this game for a long time.

  As Airaba spoke, her belt moved around her waist. Val gave it a closer look. It was an ouroboros, made of niobium, a metal with a rainbow-like sheen.

  “Nice belt,” Val said, gesturing to the snake, which let go of its tail and slithered up to Airaba’s neck.

  “Thank you,” Airaba said, running her fingers along the length of her pet. “Valentina, darling, this will be hard, but please try to remember that snakes aren’t your enemy. They are a symbol of rebirth and honored for their ability to bring harmony, which is part of my job! And yours too, come to think of it.”

  “My job?” Val asked. “I have zero information about what’s going on. Elissa gave me the mirror literally two minutes before I stepped through. Before that, I didn’t think Guardian mirrors were real.”

  “There’s only the one, darling, as far as I know. I need you to repair the shrines and temples in Cascadance. You’re going to do great. I can feel it.”

  “What kind of game is this? What’s the genre? Role-playing and goal oriented?”

  “A game? Game?” Airaba was horrified. “It’s not!”

  “My apologies.” Val straightened up. If the characters, even this introductory character, weren’t programmed to recognize this as a game, it was not her place to push it. She didn’t want to get dumped back into her apartment for not playing the rules right.

  “Don’t treat this as a game! I’m sure that’s one of many things Minerva did wrong,” Airaba said, flinging a hand in the air with exasperation. “Whatever. Once you get to Cascadance, you’ll know it’s not a game. Minerva is the worst. What did she tell you? Is she a holy terror back on Earth? I’m so glad she’s gone.”

  “If you’re talking about Elissa’s grammy who used to be here, I never met her and Elissa told me nothing. Minerva is dead.”

  “Hallelujah, sacrifices to all my gods and yours. Here, to celebrate. Have some boson wine.” Airaba picked up a decanter of shining wine shaped like a klein bottle. “Bosons are good to keep your magic strong. This is a rare vintage. No Wyrd mage can make this.”

  “No thanks. I don’t drink,” Val wrinkled her nose and held her hand up to refuse the glass pulled from thin air. The smell of the wine mixed with the ever-present ozone smell was unpleasant.

  Airaba sighed but didn’t insist, and offered nothing else in her picnic spread. Val had woken up hungry, but her stomach wasn’t rumbling anymore.

  “I wish,” Airaba said after taking a sip, showing her elegant throat, “that I could choose what Earthly null human would come for once. The situation in Cascadance is getting worse. We’ve got one year left, maybe two, before Ophiuchus unbalances things too far. Anyway, boson wine would be wasted on you since you don’t have magic.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Val rubbed the scallop shell, letting the touch ground her. “One more question.” Val wanted to know if it was a multi-player game. How could she phrase it? “How many other Earth humans are in your reality?”

  “No one near you. Don’t worry about that. Onward to processing,” Airaba said, setting the wine glass aside. “You can’t wear those clothes in Cascadance. I forbid it. And we may as well wash and change your hair. What style would suit you?” Airaba gazed into the distance, then apologized. With a wave of a finger, an interface appeared in front of them, a see-through screen hovering in mid-air. “I need you to pick a better hair style. What about twelve braids? All different colors for the zodiac signs.”

  Val clutched her head in horror. “Not that! That’s a style a child would get at a fair booth. Isn’t brown and straight good enough? You can just clean it.”

  “Oh, ew. Don’t you want to be beautiful? Just trust me.”

  After what seemed an extraordinarily unnecessary amount of time, they agreed on a pale lavender ponytail.

  “So boring,” Airaba said, twirling a finger.

  There was a rush of wind over Val’s head, and bangs fell onto her forehead. Touching her hair and looking at her ponytail confirmed the changes. At least it was clean.

  “Now for makeup,” Airaba said.

  “No. I’ll just wash it off the first chance I get.”

  “I don’t think you’ll want to. And anyway, I’ll renew it every night when I refresh you.”

  “Refresh me?”

  “I want you to focus on your mission. I’ll put much of your body in stasis. Don’t worry about cooking or cleaning. You won’t need to eat, your energy won’t drain in the same way—”

  “Wait, will I still feel pain? Will I be immortal?”

  “I don’t want you to die! Maybe you can, though? Humans are just so needy! But I can’t break all the laws of physics. Even with my little bits of help, you’re starting at zero. Work hard, darling! Now for clothes. I’m not giving you a choice. You’re such a headache.” Airaba flicked her fingers again.

  Val was getting exasperated that the game wasn’t letting her make choices. The swirling iridescent ocean seemed to glow in sympathy.

  With another rush of wind, Val’s pajamas changed to denim overalls with a white cotton shirt and sturdy brown boots. Val tasted sweet gloss on her lips. Her overalls had pockets, which she stuck her hands into, dropping the scallop shell back onto the beach first. The pockets were deep.

  “This is not the outfit I expected. It’s a bit off considering we’re on a beach.” Val wouldn’t have minded a fancy cloak like Airaba’s.

  “You’re class is Farmer, of course, darling. Like I said, this beach is just a quick stop to get you processed before I send you to Cascadance.”

  “A farmer? What kind of—?” Val almost said game but stopped herself, coughing instead. “Sorry. This is my only impression of your reality,” Val said, gesturing to the iridescent ocean. “I’m surprised to hear I’m going to a farm. A farmer is the best way to rebuild shrines? I’ve got a master’s degree in applied math, so I’d fit better in a different role.”

  “You’re a Farmer and you’re going to own a farm,” Airaba said serenely. “You’re inheriting from Minerva. You are more than just your degree. Here’s the list of skills for you to develop. See how well you fit them? You’re starting at zero in our system, but your Earthly accomplishments will make you an excellent farmer.”

  Airaba tapped on the hovering interface. A list popped up:

  Farming: Level 0

  Crafting: Level 0

  Construction: Level 0

  Foraging: Level 0

  Charm/Combat: Level 0

  Mining: Level 0

  Fishing: Level 0

  “Really?” Val asked with a raised eyebrow. “What is really going on? How am I supposed to fix shrines while farming?”

  Airaba sighed and absently ran her fingers through the beach seashells as she thought for a moment. “There are just a lot of little things and big things that are unbalanced or broken in Cascadance. The farm going to ruin made things worse. I need someone to fix things, both the forum and the farm.”

  “Things,” Val said drily.

  “Hush,” Airaba held up a finger. “And you’ll need the farm to fix the shrines, I promise you. The ley lines are all tangled up and your work will fix them. For now, the farm is meant for Earth humans; if any Cascadance resident tried to fix things, they’d imbue everything with their own magic. I mean, can you imagine someone with Scorpio magic trying to grow Leo crops?” Airaba laughed. “Absolutely impossible.”

  “I suppose I’m getting the idea about ‘things.’ It’s not like I want to leave this place any time soon. What’s next?”

  “Of course, of course, darling. I’m sure you’re excited about getting to your farm. You’ll need to grow plenty of ignisbulbs for the Aries shrine! One last thing, easy-peasy.” Airaba tapped on the screen. “The character stats you’re coming to us with.”

  The screen scrolled and a new section appeared:

  Character Stats:

  Strength: 3

  Coordination: 5

  Intelligence: 9

  Stamina: 8

  Charisma: 5

  Luck: 0

  “This is such a game mechanic,” Val mumbled under her breath, but swallowed the rest of her words. As lifelike as the game seemed, it was only a game.

  “I heard that, but I’ll ignore it. Let’s redistribute. These stats are Guardian system multipliers to who you naturally are. We give you a boost to help you meet your goals. Everything is low, of course, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.”

  “I suppose this is my personality the way it is right now,” Val mused. “Or these parts of who I am.”

  “Anyway, for fun, let’s put all thirty points into luck! Drama!” Airaba tapped at the screen, which turned luck to 30 while the other stats changed to 0. Airaba scrolled down.

  “Absolutely not.” Val scrolled back up. “If I’m supposed to be a farmer, I need to be like an ox!” She tapped at the stats to rearrange the points. “I don’t want to play the game in a meta way. I want things to unfold naturally.”

  “It’s not a game! Open your mind a tiny crack. There’s magic where you’re going. I mean, hello, look where you’re at!” Airaba threw up an exasperated arm to encompass the aether foam ocean and seashell beach. “You’re important because you aren’t magical. Among other things, Ophiuchus will have a hard time finding you, which will keep you safe. But I see your point. Okay, talk me through your choices.” Airaba leaned back.

  “Being intelligent hasn’t gotten me anywhere, so let’s keep that low. I don’t care about charisma, so we’ll turn that to one.”

  Airaba didn’t override any of Val’s choices, just fussed a bit more. “You need to make friends, you know. It’d be easier— well, I’m done arguing with you. I’ll just say ten points in luck will only help you with the little things. Your luck is so naturally low.”

  “That’s fine. If this mysterious farm and Cascadance are full of little moments, I’ll be happy.”

  In the end, Val ended up with:

  Character Stats:

  Strength: 6

  Coordination: 2

  Intelligence: 3

  Stamina: 8

  Charisma: 1

  Luck: 10

  “I would wish you luck, but I don’t think you want it,” Airaba grumbled. “Here are seeds. Here’s money.”

  Airaba made a motion in the air. Seed packets and coins appeared, which Airaba shoved into Val’s hands. Val fumbled as she put them into her pockets.

  “Welcome to Cascadance.”

  Airaba touched something on the interface. Everything went black.