<????, ????, ????> [Julia] Julia was in a cozy room. She looked around, and her heart ached as she recognized the room. It was the living room in her father's home. She had always loved this room; it was a safe place for her no matter what. She smiled as a rush of memories flooded her mind. She turned to look at the big recliner where her father would sit and froze.

"Hey, Jules." A man said. It was clearly her father. It looked like her father, sounded like her father. Hell, it smelled like her father with tinges of pipe tobacco in the air.

Julia knew that her father was dead, but her heart ached for the comfort and love that she associated with him. She took a breath, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Jules!" The not-her-dad father said.

Julia cut him off as he took a breath to continue talking. "No. My father died before the System came to Earth. You are not him."

The not-her-dad stopped, looking at her for a moment. Then nodded. "You are right. I am not your father. I am your test. You have choices to make."

Julia looked around and really saw the room for the first time. On the walls were many, many photos that she did not recognize. Each of them was of Julia; some were as she was now. Others were of her crying, and others were of her wading through fields of the dead. It seemed that any time she stopped focusing on the photos, the picture would change.

One of them glowed slightly. Julia picked the picture frame up off the shelf that held it. In the image, Julia was old and surrounded by young people, and her hand held a small image of Theo.

"That's a good choice. And you would have an easier time with that one." not-her-dad said.

"What do you mean? And how are you a test?" Julia asked.

"I am not your father." Not-her-dad said, "But I am as perfect an approximation as the System could create. The test is to leave. You may choose to leave at any point and take one photo with you. Each one represents a path forward for you. But you have to leave. Or you can choose to stay and live here in my home with me forever."

Julia's breath caught in her chest as her heart cried out at her to stay and bask in the love that her father represented. "What about Theo."

Not-her-dad let out a long chuckle, "You found a good one. I know that you know I am not your father, but I can assure you he would have approved of Theo. I would have approved of Theo. And I do. But that is not for me to tell you."

"So then, what is this place. Why am I being tested?" Julia asked.

"This is what happens when you evolve some aspect of your being. You are tested to see if you are worth it. This is a Class evolution." Not-her-dad said. "You have a Divergence Token that you can use if you would like."

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Suddenly, the Token was in Julia's hand. She looked at it. As she looked at it, it took the form of a blank canvas. "What does it do?"

"For some, it provides guidance; for others, it does very little," Not-her-dad said. "It will open some paths, and other paths will be closed to you. Hard things will be easy, and easy things will be hard. For you, it will be as you see. A Blank canvas for what you might want."

"What does that mean?" Julia asked.

Not-her-dad chuckled, "What do you want, Jules? Will you stay here? Will you leave after picking a photo? Or will you choose something else?"

Julia looked around; she spent an indeterminant amount of time looking from one picture to another. The conclusion that she came to is that none of it felt quite right. She looked back at Not-her-dad. "You said you are my test. But you will answer my questions?"

"I have things I can't say, but, for the most part, I will do my best to answer your questions," Not-her-dad said.

Julia nodded. "So, where is Theo in all this? I bound him to me. And I enjoy his company deeply. And the more time I spend with him, the more I want to spend with him. So where is he?"

"For how long?" Not-her-dad asked, rising from his chair and even emulating the slight limp that Julia's father had had.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked.

"For how long, Jules," Not-her-dad said, locking eyes with her. "For how long do you wish to be with him? Is this a passing fancy that you will grow tired of? Or is this a commitment?"

Julia thought for a moment and looked up from where her eyes had fallen to her feet. "I know you're not my dad, but hear me out here."

Not-her-dad took a breath, and Julia suspended her disbelief of him for one moment, letting the familiarity and warmth she felt at the sight of him fill her. "I really like Theo, Dad. I think I love him. I don't know what the future holds, but I am sure that he will be there. We are working on our relationship, and there is definitely an attraction. God, is there attraction."

They shared a chuckle at that, and then Julia continued. "I think that I need to be with him, at least as long as he will let me. So, to answer your question, I think this is a commitment."

Not-her-dad snapped his fingers, breaking the illusion that Julia had been indulging in for a moment. The door to the front of the house opened to a pitch-black void. He stood up and walked to the door. Then, at the threshold, he stopped. "You have to choose Jules. Stay with me or..."

He trailed off, closing her hands around the blank canvas that she still held. Julia looked at him once more, knowing that she would never see this face again. Julia smiled. A tear rolled down her cheek as she hugged Not-her-dad once more. Then she clutched the canvas to her chest and rushed out into the dark, letting her Bond skill guide her back to Theo.

For what felt like days, she trudged forward. Her Bond skill pulled her forward. Finally when she began to worry about being able to keep going. She saw a light in the distance and continued pushing onwards. As she approached the light, she saw a hole in reality.

She heard the chop-chop-chop of a dull blade hitting wood, along with heavy breathing, as someone worked to cut the wood. Julia stepped up to the back side of a wall of incredibly densely grown trees. "Hello?"

"Julia?" Theo called out.

"Theo!" Julia said, happiness flooding her mind.

"Hold on!" Theo said, and she heard the renewed vigor in the swings, and soon, a chipped and dulled machete slammed into the line of wood blocking the hole, sending wood chips flying. Several more minutes passed, and a panting Theo stood there, drenched in sweat; he smiled at her. "Hello, beautiful!"

She reached forward, and they grabbed each other's hands, and suddenly, they were back on the Overlook, Primordial flight raging around them.

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