TheCryptics

Chapter 1

Hello from 700 years ahead

The Cryptics live on Earth about 700 years from now. They're part of the sixth hybrid race, what humans and hybrids become together. We're their "downline", their past.

Chapter 2

Only 33 in the world

Only 33 Cryptics exist. They're experts in parallel realities, other versions of our world right next door. They live in many of them at once.

“"You would see versions of me shifting before your eyes."”

Chapter 3

Willa Two-Hearts

We know Willa best. She's slender and elfish, with hair like fox fur. Her heart has two halves, like a brain. When she loves you, she really loves you.

Chapter 4

Looking like a raven, not becoming one

Shapeshifting changes what others see, not who they are. Willa's mentor, Holly Cotton, can appear as a white raven. Sage Primrose, near Sedona, blends into the red rocks.

“"We are very fluent in that language. You are just learning the alphabet."”

Chapter 5

Five steps to mastery

Their path has five levels: cryptic, nocturnal, shapeshifter, sage and wraith. It starts with deep roots in nature, so exploring other realities never pulls them away from Earth.

Chapter 6

Willa's Earth

In Willa's time, the hybrids landed centuries ago. Seas have risen, and many coastal cities are now ports. Most people are mixed, so they say "Earth being", not "Earth human".