An introduction

As soon as the blinding light had faded, he could see his surroundings. In front of John was now sitting a woman who he was sure was only slightly older than Ember was, but her entire stance radiated authority beyond any he had seen.

If one person he had met had the qualities of a true leader, he soon knew she was that person. Apart from being a young woman, she was also utterly beautiful. She wore a blue dress of some type that both helped radiate her authority and also added a certain nobility to her looks. Her white hair and striking figure did much the same. Somehow, all these elements that John had never guessed could work to radiate that authority did so regardless.

John was standing in a large round room that was decorated in what seemed like victorian era furnishings, the woman who was standing before him was heading up a round table of sorts, around which many other men and women sat. The entire room was lit only by a fireplace that was positioned behind her, and the only sound that could be heard upon his appearance was the crackling of it. Confused, the young man preempted any other reaction to his arrival.

“Where am I?” he asked, more curiosity to his tone than anger or bewilderment. Whispering soon began among the many people at the table. The woman, seemingly holding sway over the rest, soon made them quiet down simply by speaking, however.

“The Council of Exploration’s headquarters. We have heard much about you, John Newman, and we have seen much more. I’m sure we’ll be able to answer any question you ask, as you have earned your place among us and no more objections can be made,” she said, her tone drifting from authoritative to annoyed and her gaze snapping on to the visage of a few of the men and women sitting at the table. “but for now, sit down.” And he did, almost falling into the chair that he now noticed was set behind him.

“The ceremony will begin as soon as the preparations are over,” the woman began anew, before swiftly being interrupted by a bulbous man that proceeded to stand up.

“No objections, you say?” he said, his voice filled with spite. “I refuse to accept this child that didn’t even pass the first part of the test into the ranks. No matter what sort of attitude you have towards his potential, Lady Ingrid. He is unworthy. We should let him crawl back to whatever hole he came from,” he continued, his tone dipping even further into utter contempt for the woman John now knew was named Ingrid.

“Is it not you that requested I conduct the first part of the test personally? I see his potential, that is all that is required. Or, perhaps, do you claim to know better than me as to the young man having any chance of surviving out there?” she retorted in the most authoritative tone John had ever heard.

“Now, I’d request you all stay sitting until then. In the meanwhile, Mister Newman, please come with me,” she continued, walking out of the room swiftly and confidently while doing so. John soon followed her through the door that he now realized was placed behind him. As he went to exit the room, he noticed the whispering around the table increase once again.

The next room was a hallway. A hallway that was once again decorated with victorian furnishings. Strangely for the period, it was dominated by blue and purple colors, not the gold, white, and red that were more common. It was fairly long and had many rooms branch off of it, but the most important one to John at the moment was the one they soon entered.

It was a large office that mainly contained a sizable wooden desk, which was overflowing with different carvings of various fantastic creatures and scenarios, and three chairs, all with the same wooden carved style, two of which were designed for those visiting the office, and one for the host. Apart from being on the opposite side of the table from the two other chairs, it was also obvious that it was the chair of the owner of the office because of its much more intricate carvings, seemingly depicting distinct battles and events instead of general pictures and because of some initials which were obviously designed into the head of the chair. As John assumed those were her initials, he was reminded to use Observe, and so he did. Somewhat surprisingly, a popup immediately told him of the spell’s failure.

“Don’t attempt that sort of cheap trickery with me, Mister Newman. I’m not a grunt or someone caught by surprise. Regardless, I will give you the answers you seek, as it is in both our interests,” she said, not as sternly as she spoke before, but still enough for John to feel like he had acted improperly. Ingrid began waiting in silence, though John did not know what for.

“I assume you have no questions then?” she said, breaking the silence and making John realize what Ingrid had been waiting for.

“No, I’m just not used to all this yet,” he responded, unsure of what he should ask. He began soon after with the most important of questions.

“Where’s Ember?”

“She’s safe. You did quite a job at rescuing her, really. It was the only reason you passed. Though I'm glad for it.” Her tone conveyed far more disappointment than John would have hoped.

“That’s good… Wait, passed what? You still haven’t told me what the hell that means.”

“Since Ember came back with the reports of your appearance, I was eager to recruit you. A young late bloomer who could both scry and enter the mind of one of our best spies is not a person that can be taken lightly. And I, regardless of those old fools...” she paused for a moment and looked in the direction of the room they had come from “believed in your potential. To prove to them that you did indeed have potential, I decided to test you. It was a much better fate than leaving you to the horrors of the Abyss, or so I believe. That is what you experienced these last few days.”

“Last few days? So you were manipulating my actions in the real world as well?” John asked, drifting between annoyance and anger.

“Ah, so you still haven’t noticed. Well, no matter. It’s been four days since you walked through that portal and entered our small world. The first plane of the place you have come to know as the Gateway. We had to let you heal for a day after the wounds you suffered in Graham’s mindscape. Regardless, you passed in the end, that is what matters.” Her tone had now become completely calm.

“Four days?! What about my parents? My school? Alice?!” John said, standing up in anger as he said so.

“Don’t worry, they are all safe. Your parents and the school have been notified and await your return. I understand your concern for your old world, but it is of less importance now. You are part of the Abyss, regardless of your opinion on that fact,” Ingrid responded, her voice remained calm, but a tinge of something else entering it.

“They are still my family!”

“And you will remain in their life, but your priority should lie elsewhere now. I know your mind, John Newman. I know this opportunity is one you have always been looking for,” she paused for a moment, letting what she said sink in.

“You have a choice in the matter, of course, but that choice is more limited than I would like to give you. Because of that, you must understand your predicament. For now, you will remain here under my tutelage, until such time as you are ready to go out and explore the dangerous planes of the Gateway. That is to be your role here, it is the one you are most qualified to fill. It is the one that will allow us to help you grow as best we can. And most important, it is one that will allow you to grow and develop without fear for your own life or your family from the rest of the Abyss,” she explained, looking John directly in the eyes as she did so.

He noticed something glinting in the corner of her eyes, which he now noticed were a striking blue. Looking at her now, he took in her form. Her looks did not match her fervor, of that he was sure. The flowing white hair that framed her face told him nothing of where it came from. Neither did the rest of her, showing him only the noble young woman she was in body. But her eyes, her eyes told a different story. One as long and as dark as would make a young woman into a leader. He realized what lie beyond them, and said, simply.

“And what happens then? Is the rest of my life going to be wasted following your orders?” he asked, his voice containing both anger and curiosity.

“I don’t think anyone can truly say. As much as it would help you if I guaranteed you anything, I don’t have that ability. It all depends on what your potential truly is.”

“So you can promise nothing. You expect me to abandon everything, for nothing.”

“For now, perhaps not forever.”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“That maybe, one day, I will be able to promise you something more than what I have. Sadly, that’s all that can be done, until you prove yourself.”

So many thoughts were passing through John’s head. He wondered if it might be better to say no, to tell Ingrid off and go back to his previous life… He knew it would only be a lie he told himself. There was one thing he wanted more than anything, he wanted a sense of purpose, and exploring the Abyss seemed like a fantasy that he still couldn’t believe was true. He didn’t know what other dangers he would find himself in. More than that, Ingrid promised to protect his family and Alice, which meant that otherwise they might be in danger too. All of that stood against his decision, and knowing that he would be taught more about the Abyss and his powers made his choice clear.

“Then promise me that one day I will get a chance.”

“That I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help you get there. To allow you to reach a level of strength where our support and protection are no longer needed for you to manage on your own in the Abyss. But I’m sure, when you have that choice, you will choose to remain here.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Now, there are details to be discussed. The ceremony I spoke of will require much of you, I’m sure. Sadly, I can not tell you much. I wish I could, but it is a highly kept secret that I did not seek to use. My hand was simply **** by the situation. It is another test of sorts. You will be given much more help than what you have before now, however. And I'm sure with that assistance you'll be able to succeed. I hope to see you back here in a few days.”

“When?”

“In a few minutes, now. Be warned, the next time you shall see me or anyone, more probably, will be after the ceremony is over. So, if you have any more questions, now is the time.”

“What was the place I was in in Graham’s mind?” John asked quickly, wanting to get an answer to at least that.

“Well, I will be able to tell you more after the ceremony, but it was probably a real place. That usually happens when one uses their own memories as a basis for protection. What you saw in his mind was a layer of defense around his mindscape, one you almost got through. The shadows, they were the defenders of that layer. That’s all I can say for now.” That gave John a lot to think about, but that would be for another time. For now, he had no more questions.

“I don’t think I have anything else I want to ask,” he said, not absolutely sure that was truly the case.

“Then we are to head back to the chamber, you will be teleported from there to the grounds of the ceremony,” she said, walking out of the room and back to the larger one. John followed close behind.

When Ingrid entered the room, she walked back to her chair at the head of table and spoke.

“Members of the Council, it has been a long time since an explorer has joined us. Many hundreds of years have passed since a house was added to our ranks. Too long, I would say. Far too long when our goal has always been to explore the Gateway’s secrets. The core houses remain, and it is our duty to carry the torch until we are dead or done. But that has not been enough for many years. Many of us have left, in despair or in seek of fame and fortune. Let’s hope today is the start of a new era. The start of a new time of discovery. When our guild is once again full of life, and discovers just as much every year as in our inception.”

She held up a small cup as she finished her speech. Some of those sitting around the table did the same, most did not.