"So… I am now you?" Kain''s voice was barely a whisper, each word a monumental struggle. He lay on the cold stone floor of a cavern, his mana reserves utterly depleted, his body on the verge of collapse due to exhaustion.
The air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and the faint coppery smell of blood.
Before him, shimmering like a heat mirage, flickered a translucent figure, the echo of the young man whose body he now occupied. Conveniently also named Kain. Who nodded to his question.
"Yeah… thought so," Kain said, his voice laced with confusion and a hint of awe. "I died over there, and you died over here. Are we exchanging places?"
“No. I am done.” The spirit replied. “I couldn’t take your place even if I wanted to, my mana channels would prevent me from crossing over to a manaless world. No matter how weird that world is.”
“I supposed from a magical medieval fantasy world perspective my world would sure look strange. But the same can be said about this world of yours from my point of view, alright?” Kain said.
"Medieval fantasy?" The spirit managed a weak smile, a flicker of memory crossing his fading features. "It doesn’t really matter. But your world is a strange place. I saw… flashes. Your memories, or parts of them. Flying metal contraptions, talking boxes and lights that moved on their own. Quite the strange sight for a manaless world."
"Yeah, I suppose." Kain chuckled. "So, I died and you somehow pulled my soul here, or my mind, or both, or whatever… and then this." He tried to gesture to the body that seemed to be failing him, but he didn’t manage to lift a single finger. He sighed, resigned. "What is this place, anyway?"
"The Trial Grounds," the spirit rasped, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "Everyone looking for power to accomplish their ambitions finds themselves here. To prove their worth and earn the abilities they chose… or die trying."
"And you… you failed?" Kain’s brow furrowed.
"Unfortunately," the spirit said, a flicker of defiance, a spark of the warrior spirit that had defined his life, briefly illuminating his eyes. "I chose my path. A different path. A path less traveled. But I''m now too weak… to see it through. I was too eager."
"What path?" Kain’s voice was soft, curious.
"The Conqueror''s Trial," he whispered, the name itself carrying a weight of significance. "The hardest and the most rewarding. They say those who survive might emerge touched by the very essence of the world. But it requires… strength. Strength I no longer have."
"And… you want me to…?" Kain trailed off, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
"Carry on," the spirit said, his gaze fixed on the other, a strange intensity in his eyes. "My legacy… my ambitions… my fate… you… you inherit it all. That was the whole point of using the one ability I should have never needed. But, that’s also fate, isn''t it?"
A surge of something… more than just understanding flowed through Kain. It wasn''t just memories; it felt like a lifetime of experiences, years of training, a burning ambition to restore his family''s honor, a deep, ingrained knowledge of the world… and a profound sense of disappointment.
But it was like watching a very, very long movie. He certainly couldn’t fight like the one who had this body could. He wasn’t a warrior all of a sudden. Because no matter how many movies about gladiators or ninjas he watched, that wouldn’t change.
He saw flashes of a crumbling manor perched precariously on a cliff overlooking a hostile border, a family struggling to maintain their dwindling influence, a legacy of warriors slowly fading into obscurity. He felt the weight of expectation, the pressure to live up to his name, the sting of being the one who almost made it.
"So, I don''t know if I can pull this off," Kain stammered, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information and emotion. "I''m sort of an ordinary guy. And I sold insurance, you know?"
The vanishing Kain let out a dry, rattling cough. "Strategy… is… all that matters. Here… or… there. You… you understand… strategy, yes?"
"I… I think so…" Kain replied, his mind racing, trying to reconcile the mundane reality of his previous life with the epic fantasy unfolding before him. And failing to do so.
"Good," he said, his grip on life weakening. "Then you will… understand." He closed his eyes, his breathing becoming ragged. "We… The Ledgheims… we were protectors. Of the border… of the realm. But times have… changed."
"What do you mean?" Kain asked.
"The main family in the capital… they seek influence. Power. They care nothing… for the protection of the border… for our… traditions." He coughed again, a wet, rattling sound. "They see us… as a burden. Just a reminder of a time… they wish to forget. Barbarians, that’s how they call us."
"And you think I can… change that?" Kain asked.
"You… must," he whispered. "You have the potential. I saw it in the… flashes. You understand it, the way to control it all. That’s why I chose you."
"But I don''t even know how to use magic," Kain protested, feeling a wave of panic rising within him. He remembered the brief, terrifying glimpse of the mana channels within his new body, now dormant, useless. He somehow ends up in a fantastical magic world and he still can’t use magic.
"Magic…", the spirit said, his voice fading. "Is not everything. It''s a tool. Like any other. You should look into something… more. Something… different. Another… tool."
"Like what?" Kain couldn’t help but ask.
"Rifts…" he whispered, his eyes fluttering open one last time. "Use them wisely… They can be your eyes… your ears… perhaps even your… weapons… you can do it… I saw it… You, looking at the world from above… You… in control of it all…"
His eyes closed, his breathing ceased, and the flickering light in his eyes extinguished, then he turned into motes of light and vanished for good, leaving Kain alone in the echoing chamber with the weight of a dying man''s legacy resting on his shoulders. And a rather weakened, although somewhat in shape, body.
“Was he talking about strategy games?” Kain murmured while panicking a little.
Kain took a deep breath, trying to process everything he had just learned. His name is now Kain Ledgheim, inheritor of a decaying legacy, tasked with… what, exactly? He knew nothing about this world, nothing about magic, nothing about the trials… except what he had just gleaned from the dying man''s fragmented memories.
The Conqueror''s Trial… the rift… He focused his mind, trying to access the memories, to understand the abilities that had been passed on to him. He felt a faint… connection… somewhere deep within him. It was like a whisper, a promise of power waiting to be unleashed.
But it felt empty… or maybe… mismatched. Either way, it felt wrong.
And then, he remembered one thing. Everyone got an awakening. It was a requirement to be here, on the trial grounds. To choose the powers that will accompany them. To prove themselves worthy of said powers. And this means… "Do I also get to choose my power? Do I get an… Awakening?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
And as soon as he thought of that, his eyes seemed to close on their own, but light greeted him instead of darkness. His own voice echoed within his mind, but he wasn’t the one saying,
“That’s a good start. Just, remember… keep grafter… 2… 5… rift… rift… rift… graft…”
And Kain realized that it might have been the former Kain, the rightful owner of the body he now inhabits, already gone. And it sounded like he was smiling.
The feeling of wrongness faded, but emptiness remained.
But Kain was quite sure that this would be fixed real soon.
Because there was a big ass message window occupying most of his view. “Hello, system?”
[Warning. Anomaly Detected.]
[You, a previously awakened individual that was granted access to the trials still has abilities that failed to attune to a mana core on your records.]
[These are the current state of your abilities.]
[1. Mana manipulation: unattuned to a mana core. Warning: no viable mana core found. This ability should be replaced.]
[2. Spellblade: unattuned to a mana core. Warning: no viable mana core found. This ability should be replaced.]
[3. Grafter: currently in use. Warning: losing or deactivating this ability will result in a series of errors that will inevitably result in your death. This ability should not be replaced.]
[4. Dying Magic Wish: inactive. Spent. Cost paid in full (your mana core is no more). Unattuned to a mana core. Warning: no viable mana core found. This ability should be replaced.]
Kain realized in full what ''dying wish'' meant now. And why it was called ‘dying magic’, the magic was the one who died for the wish to be fulfilled. No more mana core, whatever that meant, besides the most obvious fact that he ended up in a magical fantastical world and there will be no magic for him.
[Warning. The current configuration is not acceptable. Choose your fate.]
[1. Be immediately expelled from the trial grounds. If successful, you will no longer be granted entry to the trial grounds and will be stripped of any and all abilities on your records.]
[2. Be allowed to try reattuning to your abilities or pick new ones and restart your challenge. In case of failure you will be bestowed the option below as your fate.]
[3. Be assimilated by the trial grounds to provide better opportunities to your peers by becoming the energy that powers their fate. A most noble sacrifice.]
“2”, Kain whispered. Unsure if he actually needed to say it out loud, but he felt like it.
That was sort of an easy choice. Option one means you become an ordinary human and fail to live up to the expectations of the guy who granted you a second chance in life. And three is suicide.
[You chose: 2, reattune or replace.]
[Select your abilities. The abilities are sorted in categories to make them easier to browse.]
[1. Martial Abilities. Mostly focused on direct combat and physical prowess. They usually consume stamina to be activated.]
[2. Magical Abilities. Mostly focused on mana manipulation and magical affinities. They usually need mana to be activated.]
[3. Mystical Abilities. Mostly a combination or an exception of the previous two categories. There’s no set cost for their acquisition or activation.]
[4. Innate Abilities. Particular powers that are an intrinsic part of you. Unlike regular abilities, these ones might have completely different costs, or no cost at all, for both acquisition and activation.]
[5. Weird Innate Abilities. The ones that were not meant for you kind, but still attainable as long as you have the blessing of their original holders. Might have extra conditions or costs to activate, ones that you might not be able to fulfill.]
[Warning. If you don’t fulfill the acquisition conditions from an ability by the end of your trial period, said ability will be erased from your records.]
Kain focused on his choice, without speaking this time. “5”
Kain didn’t even bother reading everything, he would give his ‘partner in crime’ a chance and follow his dying instructions. He could always pick something else that fitted him better if needed be.
[You are browsing: 5, weird innate abilities. Proceed with extra care.]
There were a dozen pages of abilities. And after a quick browse Kain came up with four options that fitted the ‘tip’ he got from his now deceased benefactor. “Rift… Rift… Rift…”
[Abjuration Rift: you might breach magical defenses as if they weren’t there. Martial. Passive. The chance of breaching magical defenses increases with proficiency. Reserves one fifth of stamina. You will need the blessing of a ‘troll thrasher’ to keep this ability.]
[Arcane Rift: you might reduce the mana cost of abilities. Magical. Passive. The chance of reducing the mana cost and the amount reduced increases with proficiency. Reserves one tenth of mana. You will need the ‘blessing’ of an ‘ogre shaman’ to keep this ability.]
[Astral Rift: you might step into the astral realm without a need to focus or meditate. Mystical (astral). Active. You will be afflicted by a great spiritual burden that requires you to meditate for two hours in order to recover before returning to the trial grounds. You will need the ‘blessing’ of a ‘phasing gecko’ to keep this ability.]
[Bogey Rift: you might be there, even if you are not there. Mystical (psionic). Utility. Set effect. No cost for activation. You will need the ‘blessing’ of an ‘elder bogey’ to keep this ability.]
Ok, the third one was immediately discarded. “Can a gecko even give you his ‘blessing’ to let you keep it? Does the lizard talk?”
The first two seem interesting, but Kain would be dead before even having the chance to talk with the guys who could grant him the blessing. He knew from his newfound memories that both ogres and trolls were found in dangerous zones of the trial grounds. Places he wasn’t supposed to go.
“Alright, that leaves me with only one option. A weird one… weird innate ability indeed.” Kain said while staring at the four options before focusing on the fourth to get as much information he could about this particular ability.
[Bogey Rift: by no longer being able to concentrate on any other abilities to develop a deep connection to your rifts, you control them exquisitely. With one rift always within one meter of you and the other at most ten meters from the first, you grasp for that which should not be in your reach. And you succeed. All it takes is a frame for you to project your rift into, be it a ring, a window, a door or even a frame you make using your body parts. It’s all good as long as they aren’t over one and a half meters wide in any direction. Warning: bogeys are naturally attuned to spatial magic. Humans aren’t. This ability will become much weaker if you decide to choose it, this means the frames will be much smaller. At most fifteen centimeters wide. And the distance it can cover is also reduced to five meters.]
Kain read it. Over and over. It does sound good. But fifteen centimeters would be just enough for him to stick his hand through the rift. Bogeys can jump through them and be gone, ending up ten meters away whenever they see fit. Which means his rift wouldn’t be even close to being that awesome.
Then, Kain murmured. “Rift…”, and keep going “Rift… Rift… Rift… Graft?”, and his eyes widened with a sudden realization. One that could be awesome, but somewhat risky.
To see if he was really onto something he inspected ‘grafter’.
[Grafter: Mystical (exotic). You create a symbiotic merger between innate traits you possess as long as they are compatible. You have to permanently sacrifice stats to nurture the graft and allow it to succeed. Beware of biting more than you can chew.]
Kain frowned. That didn’t just sound good…. It sounded awesome. But also dangerous. And that brought him back to one very important aspect. “Status?”
[]
[Kain Ledgheim]
[Human 6, Spellblade 2]
[Health: 16/180]
[Stamina: 6/90]
[Mana: N/A]
[]
[Strength: 7]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Nimbleness: 8]
[Resilience: 6]
[Vitality: 6]
[Endurance: 6]
[Focus : 4]
[Intellect: 8]
[Wisdom: 4]
[Magic: 0]
[]
“Yeah, it makes sense.” The former Kain clearly sacrificed their mana core to bring Kain’s soul over and then sacrificed their magic to graft Kain’s soul into his former body. No need for magic when you don’t have a mana core, Kain assumed. Also, Kain is kind of screwed. Too low health and stamina. All tired and wounded. No wonder he felt like shit.
“Does that guy really consider this as a fitting option for me?” Kain was amused. It sort of made sense. That ‘bogey rift’ could really shake things up. But, why didn''t he pick that option for himself? It should have been awesome for him.
A brief message of the system answered his question.
[Warning. Some innate abilities available in the trial grounds, especially ‘weird’ ones, are not found or even compatible with the outside world. Be extra careful if you are considering picking one of those.]
“I see. He couldn’t. He picked his ability in the awakening chamber, not the trial grounds, no ‘bogey rift’ over there.” Kain murmured. He remembered the third ‘rift’ ability, the astral gecko thing. It does say that you return to the trial grounds, but what happens if you finish your trials? Kain shivered a little. It does sound rather risky. Deathly risky.
Thankfully, his rift, ‘bogey rift’, had no such problem. As far as he can tell, that is. Only one way to be sure. And to test if the spellblade wannabe Kain was right.
Kain focused and mentally called for it. “Bogey rift”.
[Warning. Bogey Rift is a ‘weird innate ability’ and that means that it might be incompatible with activation outside the trial grounds. Repercussions of trying to do so might be severe. Are you sure you want to proceed?]
Kain smiled and couldn’t help but think “Dude, I am triple sure.”
“Yes.”