It all started with a package. I arrived home from another wonderful day at school, where this time the flavor of the day was "let's coat Taylor's history chair with glue", to find a package on the dinner table. It was wrapped in brown plastic, and had my name typed on the top. I looked at it for a few minutes before I shrugged and opened it. Inside were two sheets of plastic, and a box made from metal, with a bronze gear symbol indented on the top. The first sheet was a short letter that read:

Taylor Hebert. After observing your manifold versions, I know you will use this gift well.

It was then signed with several hieroglyphs that, while they looked Aztec, I some how knew were much older. The second sheet had more of the hieroglyphs. Shrugging again, I opened the box. Inside was a clear crystal the size of my thumb nestled in velvet. I picked it up, intending to look at it. However, as soon as I touched it my mind blanked and an impulse made me press the gem - soulstone - to the center of my forehead. As soon as I did, I remembered.

I took up my father's rifle, that he had brought home from fighting in the Great War. While I did end up dying, I managed to delay the Nazis long enough for the children to escape.

The Chief had died during the night. No one else stepped up, so I led the tribe down the Trail of Tears to our new lands.

The Voivod successfully led us to victory over the Turks. We both knew who's plan won us the day, but I never did expect recognition.

Hundreds of memories played, through all eras of history, many of them with me doing what needed to be done, no matter the cost. And then they stopped, and I found myself in a dark room. At the edge of my sight were pipes, and I could hear the hum of (centrifugal pumps), the clattering of (positive displacement pumps), the roar of (steam turbines), and hiss of (pneumatic valves). It was... comforting. In front of me floated three menus. The left and center menus (labeled "Installed Charms" and "Charm Library", respectively) were empty, while the right menu ("Available Charms") had a long list. Touching the edge of the menu allowed me to scroll down, while selecting a charm gave me a description. Some of the charms were weirdly specific ("Tunnel Fighting Omnibus"? Where would fighting in tunnels be so common that it would need a specific power?), others were brutal ("Memory Reweaving Spike"? Really?), and some just plain weird. However, most of the rest seemed more useful. I must have spent an hour or so just reading through the description before choosing. The first ten charms I chose moved across into both of the other menus, while the next two only went into my Library. As I chose my 12th charm, I instinctively knew that I couldn't handle any more right now and that I could swap any of the charms in my Library. Satisfied with my choices, I returned to the real world only to find my father looking at me with concern.

"Taylor," he said. "What happened to you?"