His hand passes through the rectangle without resistance. He gets a new popup, though.

Available Commands
Status: Show or hide status shade. That's the big blue box with all the stuff. You'll get used to it.
Quests: Show or hide quest shade. 
Inventory: Show or hide inventory shade. 
Info [Topic]: Show or hide detailed description of [topic], if available. Valid topics include, but are not limited to: Quests, Inventory, Advancement, and specific Abilities, Arts, Characteristics, Virtues, or Flaws. 

Huh, well that's something. He reads out the new box to Jen. Then he tries it out by saying "Status," to hide the annoying box and "Quests," to start on learning more.

Conveniently, reading it aloud doesn't trigger anything. On command, the Status shade vanishes and a new one appears.

Active Quests

The First Time's Always the Hardest
Trouble is coming to Eriksmont. Will you meet it when it does?
Objective: Survive for a year and a day. Time remaining: 369 days 17 hours 20 minutes 53 seconds
Success: +5 Might XP. Unlock [???]. ???
Failure: An important lesson. Unlock [???]. ???
Bonus Objective 1: Jennifer is still alive after a year and a day. ???
Bonus Objective 2: ???

The "seconds" number is ticking down steadily.

"Faex!" He rereads the text once to be sure it says what he thought it does but can't quite bring himself to read it out and make it more real.

"What are you seeing? I can't see what you're seeing so I can't help if you don't tell me."

He takes a deep breath and reads it out. "Reading it for a third time I'm noticing that it thinks I'll survive dying somehow. And also there's something about this being the first time. Hmm, the gods are immortal so if I'm supposed to be able to play on their field maybe that means the same for me somehow. Not that I'm eager to test it."

"Or it's as you suggested and someone is just playing a cruel joke on you. You should try more of those commands."

"Yeah, it's just hard to keep that in mind or fathom why they would want to." He closes "Quests" and opens "Inventory."

Inventory (Level 1)

[Empty]

Info/Inventory

You can store objects in your Inventory shade. You may store one object per Inventory rank. At level 1, you may store a single small object (Size -8 or less). If you have a bonded object, such as a staff or talisman, it always counts as small enough to store in your Inventory. As a general rule, living creatures not already in stasis may not be placed into Inventory. 

Inventory Commands
Store: Place held object into your Inventory shade, if there is space available.
Retrieve [object]: Restore [object] from Inventory shade to corporeal form.

Additional functionality may be unlocked at higher Inventory levels. 

"I think it gave me something like a spell." He reaches over and grabs a quill Jen has on her bedroom desk and then says "Store."

The quill vanishes in a wisp of black smoke.

Inventory (Level 1)

Jen's quill

"It worked! Retrieve Jen's Quill."

There's another tendril of black smoke (?) from nowhere, and then Alex is holding the quill. It seems unchanged by the ordeal.

"Incredible."

"It is I've only heard of one sort of magic that's supposed to be anything like this and it's supposed to be out of reach of everyone but archmages."

"Well that's certainly an escalation in how seriously we need to take this all. I still can't read what you're seeing though. Read it all out for me."

Alex does. "And that makes me wonder about: Info Advancement."

Info/Advancement

You can improve your talents by earning experience points (XP), completing Quests, or acting the part of a hero or villain out of legend. 

By default, XP accrues to your Abilities and magical Arts through practice, study, and learning from books or teachers, with the amount of XP determined by the breadth, depth, and intensity of practice and by the Quality of the source(s) from which you study. In other words, you get better at what you practice, just like anyone else. 

As the Player of Games, you are unusually advantaged in your ability to learn and grow without limit, and you may occasionally discover a way to access skills and talents normally restricted by birth or circumstance. Use these secrets well.

As a prospective Named, you also have a Might score, though currently your ability to use Might is sharply limited. XP accrues to your Might as you follow in the footsteps of the mighty who came before, impose your will upon Creation, or seize power that once belonged to another. But be warned; those who entangle themselves in Fate find that the strings pull both ways. To be Named is to be a character in a story, with all that is entailed thereby. 

When Alex is done reading, another shade appears unprompted. 

There Is Always a Choice

Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial content! The important bits, anyway. 

Here's the thing: You don't have to go any farther than this. You can always reject a Name, and the power and entanglements that come with it, although doing so is not wholly without cost. 

The Game goes on, whether or not you play it. Should you refuse this power, the deeds you would do with its aid will go undone, for good or ill. The troubles of the world will remain; and although they will be less inclined to treat you, specifically, as a fulcrum on which Fate turns, nor shall you enjoy any special protection from them.

What say you, Alexandr Lustig? 

Accept / Decline

A tendril of shadow snakes around the border of the last two words. 

He gasps a little when it mentions him becoming a Named. In a sense it was implied but not even all archmages have Names. He blinks briefly when the other window appears and blows out his cheeks when he reaches the end. He reads it all out to Jen and then he says. "I'm pretty sure I have to accept. There's no guarantee that whatever is supposed to kill me at the end of the year won't still happen if I say no."

"If we grant that it's being truthful I agree with you. But the games of the Named... they're the sorts of people who might do something as elaborate as this as a deception. I don't see why they'd offer you the chance to decline though."

"That sounds like I should accept in either case, if someone is playing games with me I doubt they'll take it well if I call their bluff. And if this is real... It's a risky choice but it's also the opportunity of a lifetime."

Jen nods slowly. "I'm worried about all the implications there especially about the influences of fate and the narrative, but if I'm being honest I would do the same thing if I got that offer."

"Right then. I Accept."

By resolving to become the Player of Games in truth, and taking your first step on the road to becoming a legendary hero and/or villain, you have gained 1 Might XP! (Might 0: 1/5 to next level) 

It should go without saying that it only gets harder from here. 

It does, actually, feel faintly like something has solidified in Alex.

He feels a brief moment of doubt at it saying things will only get harder but he's committed, and a large part of him relishes the challenge. "Apparently I'm a fifth of the way to my first milestone on the path to being Named." He reads the whole message just in case there's something important he missed.