Immediately following my confrontation at the campfire with Joshua, I walked to my tent. I had run this experiment countless times in my mind, and now, standing at the precipice of annihilation, the deaths that would happen in my absence weighed heavy on my soul.

  “Spider’s Calm,” I whispered, activating the skill for what might be the last time. The familiar cooling sensation washed over me, dulling the storm of emotions that threatened to break my concentration. With that clarity, I began Humanity’s final Hail Mary for survival.

  Every ounce of planning, every scheme, every sacrifice had led me to this decision. I checked off the mental checklist of Contracts I’d set in place. My mana psychically rigged to supply whoever needed help during the next two hours of chaos, regardless of the damage to me. I’d allocated 50% of my mana pool to be distributed over the next two hours if any thread needed attention. All primary sources of sacrifice and damage would be redirected to me, within a specific threshold.

  I sat in a meditative pose and entered the place I first met The Great Lady. The obsidian pillars that seemed to move in that dark space with the tiled floor appeared within my mind. This was no mere visualization, it was a separate location created within my psyche, an echo of the first time I’d stood before Her.

  In the middle sat a throne of constellations that moved in varying fractal patterns. As I studied them, revelation dawned on me what it represented; they formed The Flower of Life, commonly known as The Golden Ratio. The symbol that permeated our history, hidden and burned with microscopic precision across the planet... it was Mana!

  I recreated it all from memory, that special place that I witnessed during my job advancement. This was a mental representation of the greatest power I’d ever witnessed. I sat upon the throne in my mind and initiated my desperate plan.

  “System!” I declared, projecting my thoughts outward to whatever force governed the rules of our new reality. “As the Archon of a Great Being, I’d like to propose a contract!”

  A shimmering text appeared before me:

  State proposed contract.

  “Do you accept vocal and visual input?” I asked, testing the parameters.

  Vocal and Visual input accepted.

  I took a deep breath, gathering my resolve. The fate of our species hung on the words I would speak next. The speech I spent months forming would either save humanity, or doom it completely.

  “I don’t claim omniscience, but I have gathered what I can from the fragments of our history,” I began, choosing each word with deliberate care. “Having contracted with a great individual who requires cunning and forethought, I surmise that if one such entity exists, there must be more.”

  I let the words hang, feeling the strange weight of attention beyond mortal comprehension.

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (3)

  My heart skipped a beat. It was working. I pressed on with renewed conviction.

  “I take the chance that this is a game between contractors, a competition played out across the cosmos. If my earthly history holds any truth, we aren’t worthy of your attention at our current rate of development.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (17)

  My voice grew stronger, imbued with absolute conviction.

  “Therefore, I would like to make a deal with as many of you as would hear my proposal. If you sponsor me with enough points to win, I wish to restart Humanity’s clock. I ask you: What if we had time to prepare? You could increase the difficulty for a better show.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (58)

  The darkness seemed to pulse around me, as if something vast was leaning closer to listen.

  “We’ve been a waste of your time thus far, so I offer another way—entertainment. What have you got to lose except for a few moments of boredom? And what might you gain? Excitement, novelty... perhaps even a chance to change your fates.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (207)

  I bowed deeply, aware that theatrics often appealed to the gods of old. Their tricks and games were born of boredom, after all.

  “I don’t know if anyone has ever attempted this, but if you are willing to raise the stakes, I guarantee we’ll give you a show worthy of your attention,” I promised. “We will win this tutorial. Allow me to tell you how it will unfold before it happens.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (689)

  I straightened, confidence radiating from every fiber of my being.

  “Joshua will rampage; exactly as I’ve trained him to do. After ascending to Advisor, I planted small pockets of emotion in his mind to trigger his already explosive temper in front of everyone. Before he was just an angry man; I needed him more unhinged and unpredictable.”

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  Bile threatened to rise in my throat at the admission, but I pushed it down. The stakes were too high for morality.

  “I will make him a leader worthy of whoever his Contract host is. I’ll make him stronger, wiser and then I’ll release him. For a grace period of two years I will not attack him; though I know you all are aware I have every reason to. Whoever you are, you know he will keep coming for me and my family, so I must add this addendum to protect myself.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (1,452)

  I began predicting the upcoming fight, laying out the tragedy that would unfold like a master strategist explaining his battle plan.

  “Richard will likely be one of the first to die. He’ll jump in front of anything to protect someone else. He unwittingly set me upon this path, and I have a reason for this to succeed despite the death it will bring. That’s how much I believe in this plan.”

  The words tasted bitter, but necessary.

  “I can make him stand against mountains, and by saving his wife, millions will survive.”

  I continued, methodically detailing each piece of my prediction.

  “Morgan is too flashy and will be eliminated quickly if anything with intelligence appears. She craves Joshua’s attention so desperately that she’s practically a moth to a flame.” I thought of the girl and her wasted potential.

  “I guarantee I can make her the most powerful black witch you’ve ever seen. Her potential is nearly limitless.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (4,791)

  My voice grew somber as I moved to the next piece of my grim prediction.

  “Micah, who loves his brother so much that he’s blind to his madness, will be left broken in the dirt. His fate is perhaps the most tragic, as I’ve always believed he had the makings of a real leader. His temperament and wisdom have consistently surprised me.”

  The cosmic silence around me seemed to deepen, as if whatever was listening had grown even more attentive.

  “When The Fall began, his brother chose everything for him, forcing him to become the strong man he never wanted to be.”

  I shifted topics, the pain almost physical as I spoke of my own daughter.

  “My own daughter Maeve will gravely wound, if not outright kill, anything that shows a single moment of weakness. By the time I return to my body, I will have taken significant damage and will be on the verge of death.”

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (10,367)

  I finally revealed my endgame, the true purpose behind all my machinations.

  “My ultimate goal? To make worthy Hosts for you all to Contract with. Power is a simple goal to achieve if controlled correctly.” I let that statement hang in the void between worlds.

  “I humbly beseech you, my Lords, Ladies, and …. Other, to help me protect my people or to challenge them. Either way, you win.”

  I mentally pressed the ‘Done’ button floating before me.

  Notice: Multiple presences are taking note of your proposal. (25,844)

  The underarm pinprick of anxiety began, even within my own mind, as the familiar sensation of waiting for a response to a desperate gamble set in.

  “Now we hope and wait,” I whispered to myself, the first crack of emotion breaking through my Spider’s Calm.

  Minutes stretched like hours as I floated in the darkness of my mental construct. Then suddenly, a brilliant light erupted before me, coalescing into an ornate scroll that unfurled in the air:

  UNIVERSAL MANA-BOUND CONTRACT

  BETWEEN

  THE CONSTELLATIONS OF PANDEMONIUM

  AND

  ALEXANDER EVANS OF EARTH (SYSTEM 1)

  THE CONSTELLATIONS PROVIDE:

  Temporal reset to July 15th, 2020 (3 years pre-System)

  Retention of memories, abilities and class advancement

  100,000 contribution points toward victory condition

  Tutorial completion recognition (no repeated tutorial)

  ALEXANDER EVANS PROVIDES:

  Enhanced entertainment value for The Constellations

  Creation of worthy potential Hosts for Contracting

  Strategic conflicts showcasing human potential

  Higher stakes and challenge level for viewing pleasure

  ADDITIONAL CLAUSES:

  Constellations may not directly interfere beyond agreed terms

  Alexander Evans retains full decision-making authority

  Contract nullified if either party fails core obligations

  Success measured by humanity's survival rate and Host potential

  Warning: This Contract is binding under System Law Breach will result in immediate termination of temporal experiment

  Do you consent to these terms?

  The scroll floated before me, a glowing quill materializing beside it. I read through the terms carefully, searching for hidden traps or loopholes. Finding none that I couldn’t work with, I grasped the quill.

  With a deep breath, I clicked YES and signed my name.

  ALEXANDER EVANS [ARCHON]

  The moment my signature completed, the contract flashed with blinding light, then dissolved into particles of purple mana that swirled around me before sinking into my skin. A new notification appeared:

  Universal Level Mana-Bound Contract has been signed.

  Vote Completed: 100,000 points donated to Earthling System 1 Alexander Evans.

  New Title Acquired: [Gambit Weaver]

  Gambit Weaver: One who manipulates fate itself through calculated risk. Your plans now have a 10% increased chance of success when multiple variables are involved. Cosmic entities find your schemes intriguing, granting you limited favor in their eyes.

  I felt a shock wave of cosmic power ripple through the space around me. Whatever I had just done had gathered the attention of beings beyond my comprehension. I had gambled everything on a desperate plea... and somehow, it had worked.

  Then… silence.

  I had done it! I had manipulated the gods themselves into granting me the power to save our people and my family.

  As I prepared to return to my physical form, I wondered what new horrors I had just unleashed upon us all. But that was a problem for another timeline; one where humanity would have a fighting chance.

  Had my desperation blinded me to the consequences? Only time would tell. But one thing was certain, the cosmic game had changed forever, and I had made myself the centerpiece on the board.