[ATC]: 2 - Rules of the Crossroads

Alex sat on the wooden stool, his legs tucked underneath him. He held the white card in his hand, turning it over and over as he watched in fascination, the text changing form with every turn. He blinked his eyes and swept an unenthusiastic glance around the bar—sighing.

An hour or so had passed since he had regained consciousness—as no clock existed to disprove his conjecture—and he had since managed to determine certain facts regarding the strange place he had woken up in.

First, there was no exit that led outside—not even a hole or a ventilation duct. Given the decrepit state of his surroundings, with the ancient air and crumbling planks, he doubted an air duct would exist in the first place.

Another thing he noted was the oddness of the white card. Black cards, though plenty, seemed inert for some reason—whether it was due to a lack of functionality or something else, he remained oblivious. In comparison, the white card appeared expeditiously active.

Words flashed in golden color, emerging atop the surface. It was unlike anything Alex had seen in his life. It didn't appear to be a modern creation; nothing this small and sleek seemed capable of holding circuitry, a screen, and a power supply all at once.

He rubbed the card between his index finger and thumb, looking thoughtful.

For some reason, he was inside an old bar that seemed to be an odd mixture of concrete and wood. Since he had failed to find any exit, he couldn't leave either. All he had were these cards—seemingly wondrous but effectively useless when it came to answering his questions. Alex sighed.

He turned the card once more and was greeted with the same words he had read more than five times by now.

[Core Details]

Reality Anchor: Inactive

Current Reality Tier: None

Tavern Points (TP): 0

The information displayed made no sense to Alex. He had no idea what Reality Anchor was supposed to mean, nor did he know why it was being displayed as Inactive. The next two points were similar, so he dropped his gaze to the bottom.

Initiate Anchoring?

Tier Selected: 1 (Default)

Cost: N/A

Y/N

It was astounding how much information a card could display despite holding such a small surface area and with such clarity. That, however, didn't mean that Alex understood the bit near the bottom. Much like everything else, this had also left him perplexed.

Despite that, he knew, for some reason, that he could accept the request it seemed to be asking of him. He sighed one final time before tapping it with his index finger.

The card glowed with an intense golden light, making the spots of darkness disappear all across the run-down bar. A surprised yelp left Alex's mouth, and he jumped to his feet, stumbling back a little. The card had left his grasp and now hovered magically in midair—a sight that left him enraptured.

Suddenly, the glow dimmed, and the card shot toward him with startling speed. He barely had enough time to react, raising his right arm just in time. When he did, the card touched the back of his hand and sank inside.

What? Alex stared at his hand in shock, finding a glowing engraving etched into his skin. Just as he was about to recover, an intense tremor ran through the bar, rattling the counter and nearly knocking him off his feet. He turned toward the window in shock.

Outside, the pitch-black inkiness had transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors—swirling around the bar like stormy winds concealing a small boat. The tattoo on the back of his hand glowed softly, projecting an image of the card.

Anchoring Initiated...

Parameters Adjusted...

Nexus Core Deployment Initiated...

Reality Found...

Anchoring...

For a brief period, silence shrouded the bar. Alex breathed heavily, taking deep breaths to calm himself. His gaze remained fixed on the window and the colorful spectacle unfolding beyond. And then, it was over.

The swirling portal of colors vanished as if it had never existed in the first place. The bar shook no more, and the words displayed on his magical card had changed. But his attention was stolen by the scene now visible through the window glass.

Gone was the darkness; instead, a rainy curtain shrouded the way beyond. Liquid droplets gathered on the windowpane, and Alex found himself drawn toward it. He stumbled closer, breath caught in his throat as he beheld the scene awaiting him.

Even through the torrential downpour, he could make out cracked pavement enduring the torment of the heavens. He blinked, his breath returning as a smile stretched across his lips.

His gaze was soon drawn toward the changed words.

[Core Details]

Reality Anchor: Active

Current Reality Tier: 1

Tavern Points (TP): 0

He looked around, hoping to find something that had changed. A wave of immense relief washed over him when he saw that the metal door had vanished, replaced by a worn-out wooden door with chipped paint—matching the theme of his run-down bar.

Alex moved closer, examining the door from top to bottom. He saw the knob and placed his hand on it. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his resolve and turned the knob. The door swung inward, allowing light from beyond to illuminate the dim interior.

Outside, a cascade of rain washed over the street with relentless intensity. Across the road, a small park with trees lining its perimeter stood empty. Yet, Alex could hear the muffled noise of a horn, the splash of tires cutting through puddles. He even spotted distant taillights—glowing dim red, growing fainter with every passing moment. He took a few deep breaths, finding the air crisp and fresh.

"I'm back," he whispered into the cold breeze, then paused, frowning. "Where am I?"

Alex didn’t recognize the street, though that could have been due to the heavy rain. Still, it didn’t change the fact that he had undergone a life-changing series of events in the past few hours. Even if he could attribute waking up in the bar to someone’s machinations, the events that followed were undeniable.

Magic. Or perhaps a science so advanced that it was indistinguishable from magic. Either way, something had happened, and he had been at the center of it.

Alex felt his heartbeat quicken, thumping against his ribs. Even against the relentless downpour drowning out all other sounds, he could feel its forceful rhythm as he pressed a hand to his chest. He closed his eyes—and smiled.

For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of palpable excitement.



Whether in his own world or somewhere else—whether it was all an illusion, a figment of his imagination, or reality—the truth remained: he had encountered something divine. And that was bound to change him.

Alex could already feel the change—one he had never felt before, one he had longed for as far back as he could remember. It excited him, both promising and soothing, leaving him to wonder: was this what he had been seeking his whole life?

The sound of rain was muffled inside the tavern. Alex had reclaimed his seat atop the stool, closely examining the magical display glowing in front of his eyes.

It showed Reality Anchor as active and even displayed the Reality Tier as 1. The only noticeable change he had experienced in the past few moments—and the only one he could link to the display—was the appearance of a door leading into the real world.

Did Reality refer to the world itself? Alex mused, tapping his chin.

But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. He could feel his connection to the display, instinctively understanding how to open and close it and how to access its other features—because, apparently, there was more.

He read through the section on rules.

Rules of the Tavern’s Owner

• The tavern cannot shift to another reality if an active quest is in progress.
  
• Each shift requires Tavern Points, which can only be exchanged for items, memories, traits, and other assets the owner rightfully possesses.
  
• A quest accepted by a patron must be fulfilled. Failure will result in a punishment proportional to the quest’s difficulty.
  
• The owner cannot harm patrons within the tavern, nor can patrons harm the owner. However, the owner has the right to cast out any patron.
  
• The owner may demand any price for a quest, but if the quest fails, the failure penalty will be twice the agreed price.
  
• Any item, trait, or ability that has fully integrated into the owner cannot be sold back to the tavern.
  
• Within the tavern, the owner is effectively immortal. Outside, they are ageless but can still be permanently killed.
  
• A permanent anchor can only be established in a world where the owner has successfully completed at least one quest.
  

After reading through the rules, Alex was still confused—but only moderately so. Some of his questions had been answered, such as why the card had addressed him as the proprietor. Clearly, the tavern now belonged to him.

Yet, some things still puzzled him—like what exactly a quest was supposed to entail.

He was about to shift to another section when the bell rang. Startled, he looked up toward the door, where he found a girl drenched in rain, staring right back at him.

Suddenly, he wasn’t alone anymore.