Chapter 5 – Tutorial

[Mai…] Selene finally said after a minute. [It would be best if we get somewhere secure to make further plans.]

The glowing shield over the solid metal doors hummed at me. It didn’t make sense. There was no sign of damage, that Anathema had tried to enter the shelter. So why? Why was it active?

“They activated the emergency shield,” I thought to her numbly. “Why would they do that?”

[It is not unheard of for people to panic and override the automated systems to engage it,] Selene answered somberly. [The shield is very powerful, something that only incredibly strong Anathema could breach. Knowing this, they think it is better to be overly cautious and turn the shield on, even if it does condemn any potential survivors outside the shelter.]

She… wasn’t wrong. I mean, every drill we’d done at school, they made a point of saying the emergency shield was impenetrable, and that it would only come down with the deactivation code. Which was why nobody was supposed to turn the shield on manually, especially when the shelters were specifically designed to be capable of letting stragglers in without endangering anyone. The entrances were built like airlocks, two sets of reinforced doors with a room between them. That way, if people arrived after the Usurpation began, the outer doors could be opened, letting people into the airlock room. Once inside, the outer doors would close, and then the interior ones would open. People could safely enter or even leave the shelter without ever offering a direct access route to the Anathema.

But now that the shield was enabled, nobody would be getting in or out.

“There’s nothing I can do as a Magical Girl?” I asked, a dull buzz in my head.

[No, not without the codes. They are automatically generated and sent to Guardian Command when a shield is activated. It stops Magical Guardians from arbitrarily attempting to rescue groups of survivors without authorization or a plan to properly evacuate the people inside.]

“I see…” I stared at the doors in silence.

[Mai, I know this is difficult, but we should move,] Selene said, her voice soft. [Brian is getting scared.]

I stiffened, looking behind me. Brian was a few steps behind where I’d collapsed in front of the door. His eyes were wide and confused as he clutched his action figure to his chest. He was shaking as he stared at me. I cursed at myself silently, standing up and wiping the wetness from my cheeks.

“Hey, come here,” I said, gesturing. He ran up, throwing his arms around me in a tight hug.

“Why aren’t they opening the door?” he asked me. “What’s that glowy thing?”

“They… must have had an emergency,” I told him, hugging him back tightly. “It means they’re safe, but we’re going to need to find somewhere else to hide.”

“But I don’t want to be out here anymore!” he cried, pulling away to look at me. “I want Mommy and Daddy!”

I felt myself start choking up, and so I cleared my throat before I continued.

“I know. But don’t worry. I protected you from one of those things already, right? I’ll definitely do it again. Besides, we have your lucky charm with us now, don’t we?”

He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he still managed a hesitant nod. I gave a weak smile, standing and pulling him along as I left, stopping only to pick up my ice axe from where I’d dropped it on the ground. We started back down the hallway with the stairwell and room with the security-only sign. Selene was standing in front of it, staring at us. I almost tried to cover Brian’s eyes to hide her until I remembered that even when manifested, she was invisible to anyone she didn’t want to see her.

[This room is unlocked and empty,] Selene said. [It would make a good spot to hide while I give you the introductory tutorial to your new powers. I do not believe we will be able to make it much longer without encountering more Anathema, and so you must be prepared.]

I swallowed, the thought sending a shiver through my body. I gave Selene a nod and made my way to the room.

The door opened, leading into what looked like a break room of some sort, illuminated in the red emergency lights like the rest of the mall. There were vending machines, a couch, and a small coffee table with chairs around it. There was another doorway leading into a room filled with monitors and a third leading to what looked like a small bathroom.

I closed the door behind us as we entered, and Brian let go of my hand to run over to the couch. The door had a lock on it that I turned, but I decided to move the coffee table in front of it, too, just in case. With that done, I let out a sigh. It wasn’t much, but somehow the lock and barricade made me feel better.

[Serviceable,] Selene said, and I turned to see her sitting on the chair in the monitor room, looking at me. [We should have plenty of time to go through the tutorial here, which we will need because we’ve reached the limit of instant telepathy. From now on, my words will be coming to you in real time, as if we are speaking normally. If you would get settled, we can begin immediately.]

“Selene…” I trailed off, struggling to arrange my thoughts. “I just risked my life and almost died just to get to my only hope of safety and find it sealed off. I’m tired, angry, and I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do next. My only plan was to get to the shelter, and now I’ve got nothing.”

[I understand,] she replied in a soothing tone. [Things are not ideal, but there is another option: We head to one of the other shelters in the building. This mall was designed knowing there would be many people on every level, which means each floor has a shelter. I would suggest we attempt for one of those after you have outfitted yourself.]

I sighed. She was right, but the feeling of having my hope crushed still lingered in my chest. Still… it wasn’t over yet. Brian was relying on me, and if I did nothing, both of us would die. There was no other option but to keep moving forward.

I took a deep breath, nodding to myself as I turned to Brian. He was curled up on the couch, playing with his action figure.

“Brian, I’m going into that room for a bit,” I said, pointing to the monitor room. “I’ll keep the door open, so come in if you need me. If you, uh, hear me talking to myself, ignore me. I just make plans better when I talk out loud.”

He gave me a nod, but didn’t really seem to be paying attention too much. The blank look in his eyes was shell-shocked, and I didn’t blame him. I walked into the monitor room, setting my backpack down even as Selene gave up the chair for me, jumping onto the desk in front of the blank monitor screens.

“Alright,” I whispered, making a conscious note to keep my voice down for the rest of the conversation. “Let’s go through this ‘tutorial’ then, if it means I’ll be able to take on Anathema afterwards.”

[It will most certainly help, especially considering we have skipped many aspects of being a Magical Girl that should have been dealt with already.] Selene said. [The tutorial itself is mostly a lot of information on your new capabilities, and it covers quite a few topics. Luckily, you already have a basic understanding of the special mechanics involved that will greatly assist your growth.]

“Mechanics?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

[You observed earlier that certain aspects of being a Magical Guardian were similar to things you have experienced playing video games. This is not a coincidence. As humans are an unattuned race and cannot access magic normally through willpower alone, the Zenith developed an advanced piece of Magitech to give humans access. This device is called a “Soul Gem.” During the contract ceremony, it was teleported into your brain and attached. As a side note, it is also where I now reside.]

“You teleported a piece of technology into my brain!?” I interrupted with a furious whisper, eyes bulging.

[Indeed! I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. There has yet to be a fatality from the process. At any rate, more information about the Soul Gem can wait until later. What you need to know right now is that you have access to magic through an interface specifically designed with humans in mind. This interface is designed to translate many aspects of using magic via use of a familiar medium. Without further ado, would you please think of the word “Status” while putting a measure of will into the thought?]

Status? I tried, still trying to process the whole “teleported into your brain” bit of information.

I stared at the box that appeared in my vision.

Wait.

I had a status menu now?

[I knew this would be a pleasant surprise,] Selene said smugly. [Considering your aptitude at Magical Girls’ Sunset: Rebellion and the amazing playtime you have racked up in a short period of time, I am confident you will adapt quickly to the System.]

“Wait. Just… wait,” I pressed a hand to my head. “I need a moment.”

I took a slow, deep breath, ordering my racing thoughts.

“Okay. First: What does Magical Girls’ Sunset: Rebellion have to do with anything? Isn’t it just a game?”

[Yes and no. While it is a widely popular game, it was also designed to mimic many aspects of being a Magical Guardian. Monsters in the game are based on Anathema, players use characters based on actual Guardians, and the stats that are managed directly resemble the stats Guardians possess in reality. For this reason, many attempts are made to get Guardian candidates to play the game. Do you recall the special bonus you acquired when you first logged in?]

I blinked. “Yeah, I got the option to pick a free five-star character, so I picked Blade Princess. Wait, are you telling me that bonus was because of you?”

[Indeed!] Selene bobbed her head up and down. [It was determined that giving Guardian candidates a very rare character choice not only incentivized them to continue playing but also allowed us to see what style of character you would play as. In a way, the entire game is a soft way to scout out the capabilities and mindsets of candidates without any real world risk.]

I shook my head slightly. “Okay, but what’s with this… status menu? Why do I have it?”

[As I said earlier, it is an interface designed to help you manage the capabilities provided to you by the Zenith. While not a perfect representation, it simplifies many aspects of magic in a way that allows humans to use it. As a fairly primitive race, many restrictions and mechanics had to be put into place to even allow humanity rudimentary access to magic. Thankfully, video games, especially role-playing games, provided a perfectly functional medium.]

Selene’s tails began to swish excitedly.

[Your Soul Gem offers access to two major things: the “Gate” you are already familiar with, and the “Arcane System,” or simply “System” for short. A big part of the System is it allows you to simply purchase access to various spells and abilities. Instead of it taking years to learn even the most basic of magics, the knowledge is directly sent and stored into your Soul Gem for use. Instantaneous access and control with none of the work! A good analogy is to imagine a computer: Instead of coding a program entirely from scratch, you are simply downloading a pre-existing program to use.]

My eyes widened. That was insane. Now that I thought about it, books always did seem to paint actually learning magic as a long, arduous process. What Magical Guardians were doing was practically cheating by comparison. The Zenith had decided to entirely skip the step of even trying to teach us magic and were just giving it to us. Which begged the question…

“Why?” I finally asked. “Why are the Zenith doing this for us? Why give us so much power?”

[The Anathema are an existential threat,] Selene’s eyes took on an eerie gleam. [Existential. As in, a threat to ALL existence, not just humanity’s. To let humanity fall without a fight would be to give the Anathema another foothold to use in their never-ending quest of consumption. They are predators, and reality itself is their prey.]

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I shivered, and gave a nod.