ALL NOVEL Darkness
Across the Evolver Multiverse:
The Blackout.
That’s what this moment would come to be known as. For the first time in the history of the Evolver multiverse, their overlays shut off and stopped functioning.
It was a moment of sheer terror for many. The citizens of the multiverse, born and raised with their overlays, had never fathomed a life devoid of the familiar blue screen in their peripheral vision. Its sudden absence was akin to losing a limb, a part of their very being.
Accidents happened in the more technologically advanced worlds, while Deaths occurred in the more savage ones.
But still, they returned. And when they came back, things were forever changed.
Sky
Amidst the chaos, screams of fright and rising thuggery, a hungry child, who had known fear all their life, adapted swiftly. They ran through the market, the cries of the fearful blending with the silence of the overlays. But these people were soft, and they weren’t.
Experience was the most powerful mentor of all.
As the child moved through the market, only some of the vendors had enough clarity to keep an eye on their wares. The child, knowing this may not last, took advantage while they could. Performing the act quickly, small pieces of fruit found their way into a many-pocketed shirt. Money purses as well. The child went on a spree of stealing the likes of which they had never before known, understanding that these precious moments were rare and must be taken advantage of.
When the overlays started back up, and the fear began to fall, the vendors and citizens of the market noticed their losses. They screamed out, calling for security to come and help them. That a thief was in the vicinity. They searched the crowded alleys and streets, attempting to find the one who was so brazen as to take from them. The child knew their time was up, but they held so many precious objects on their body, many more than they thought they could take in such a short time frame. So, they panicked, and they ran.
Slipping under a table and elusively dodging the hands of a nearby jeweler with a known proclivity for shady dealings, they made a mistake. In their haste, they’d stepped into the darkened hallway of a building under construction, forgetting that the back area was sealed.
Looking around for a way out, they lost their remaining precious time for a fool's errand, as each way forward was thoroughly blocked in an attempt to keep the citizens safe. Hearing the heavy trodden footsteps of steel boots approaching from behind, the child understood that their chance for escape was gone.
That’s when they noticed a flashing icon in their overlay.
Congratulations!
The System Administrator has chosen to gift your interface with multiple upgrades!
Please input your identity before selecting other options…
A list appeared before the child as she heard the men behind her speak, their footsteps gradually growing closer.
“You don’t think it’s weird that the overlays turned off?”
“I know it is, but we have a job to do, Carl. Focus up. That kid could have a knife, for all you know. It’s probably squirreled away somewhere in that big shirt.”
They stomped through the doorway, getting a better look at the child in front of them. Carl looked at them for a long moment.
“What big shirt? It looks normal to me?”
The other man looked at him, then looked back at the kid. He was right; the shirt wasn’t that big after all. The overlay thing must be affecting him more than he thought.
Shrugging, he stepped over and put a hand on the child’s shoulder, “Alright, kid, hands up. There’s a thief around here, and you were spotted running through the market with valuables on you.”
The child put their hands up and slowly turned around. The two men stepped forward, searching through her shirt and pants, but found nothing. They even went so far as to check her shoes.
Carl groaned, “Stupid merchants. Sorry, kid, our mistake. Please go about your day.”
They turned around to leave, still talking about the weird thing with the overlays. Behind them, the child’s face cracked into a smile. She looked at her overlay again.
Current items in your inventory:
Ten small fruit
Five large fruit
Twenty small pieces of jewelry
Three money purses
Assorted coinage
She looked over at the identity she’d chosen. Sky. She’d never had a name before, so why not pick the one thing she most wished she could see?
It was only a matter of time before the guards understood what could now be done with their overlays, so she quickly scampered off to a different part of town. The constant fog of the area was an old ally she never needed to call upon. As she moved, she felt something different in the air.
Change. Finally, something would change.
Now, she just needed to figure out what a System Administrator was.
Lex
Congratulations!
The System Administrator has chosen to gift your interface with multiple upgrades!
Previously, your personal interface was significantly reduced as a part of the:
Omega Protocol
With these changes, you can now access the same options as other members of the designated Evolver multiverse.
Please input your identity before selecting other options…
“The fuck?” Lex said after looking at it. It was still nighttime, and he was busy near his fire, doing his part to keep The Last Refuge safe.
Recently, a greater amount of shadows had been coming, causing him to stay later than he liked deep within enemy territory. But now, this popped up, and he didn’t know what to think about it. He clicked on the flashing Identity button.
Identity system found
Current identity: Champion5
Would you like to change your identity?
Yes/No
Lex clicked yes.
Change identity by Champion5 confirmed
Please use the provided tool to change your identity permanently
Warning: Cannot be changed after confirmation of new identity
Snorting at the weird keyboard that popped up, he typed in the name he’d gone by since he was a kid.
Identity change confirmed
Champion5 will now be known as Lex
Change cannot be modified in the future
Hello Lex
A huge group of options popped up, but it would have to wait a moment as he could hear a visitor approaching.
“Just another nightly guest on the pain train to oblivion,” He said out loud, causing the creature to move faster at the sound of his voice, “Do you have a ticket to ride, sir?” He asked the shadow as he covered his club with that weird feeling in his chest. A quick swing and the shadow dispersed to the air.
“Free rides, no refunds.”
Lex sat back down, looking at the options again. Taking a piece of partially dead grass and sticking it in the corner of his mouth, he looked at the customization options first.
“Huh, purple’s cute.”
Nobody
Nobody looked at the notification in his overlay.
Congratulations!
The System Administrator has chosen to gift your interface with multiple upgrades!
You now have the option to change your identity with this upgrade…
“He’s starting…”
The Alpha Protocol Council Chambers
One moment, their work continued as usual.
The next, pure blackout.
Councilmember Five had a look to his face that none of the panicking assistants had ever seen before. Confusion.
Every system in the tower was turned off, and had been for hours. Any attempts at communicating with the other councils didn’t work. They’d resorted to portalling to each other’s locations to have simple conversations that, before, only took seconds.
Whatever had happened, it wasn’t a good thing for the Faction.
One of the assistants turned around again, fully giving up on accessing their station. They caught a look in Councilmember Five’s face, one that changed before their very eyes. Why was he happy?
The Slicer
Congratulations!
The System Administrator has chosen to gift your interface with multiple upgrades!
You now have the option to change your identity with this upgrade…
The Slicer spit out the bone of the creature he’d been gnawing on. The large bull-like creature groaned before him.
“Fuck you!” he screamed at the system page.
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And so, just as Mr. Harrison, with one action, began changing Walker’s home world many months ago, so too did one of Walker’s begin to change the Multiverse.