《Corruption》
Chapter 1: "A Typical Day"
July 12, 2065
Faalzar residence, Soneria
It was a typical day in the typical cold of the Sonerian summer. I sat in my room in a somewhat typical house, contemplating the sheer boredom of my life. I slowly got to my feet and looked into the mirror. There was nothing special. I was a typical person: around five and a half feet tall, short red hair, a lanky build, and slightly pointed ears from my mixed ancestry. I had just turned 15 and there was nothing at all even remotely special about me. I looked at the clock, 0845, I decided to get a move on and walked out of my room and down a long set of stairs to my family¡¯s kitchen. Sitting at the table was my father, Ganashi Faalzar, doing maintenance on his prosthetic arm, something he got in a war long ago. He looked up at me, smiling as he reattached his arm.
¡°Happy birthday Patrick.¡± He said, patting me on the shoulder.
¡°Thanks. Where¡¯s mom?¡± I asked, curious.
¡°I have no clue. Knowing Karen, she¡¯s probably at work.¡± My father replied with an exasperated sigh. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±
¡°Uh, fine... I guess.¡± I reply, placing a slice of bread in the toaster. ¡°Do you have anything planned today?¡±
¡°Beyond the party? Uh, nothing off the top of my head, why?¡±
¡°Just curious.¡± I grab a mug full of coffee and take a sip. The incredible bitterness makes me recoil a bit. ¡°Mom brewed the coffee this morning didn¡¯t she?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a little strong, isn¡¯t it?¡± My father replies, taking a massive sip of his own coffee.
¡°This stuff could peel paint.¡± I reply in a deadpan tone. With that the conversation falls silent, my father and I sipping our coffee in silence. The silence is interrupted by the toaster spitting out the toast much faster than normal, sending it flying into the air. I scramble to catch it, but it stops short about two inches off of the floor, hovering in midair.
¡°Hah. Safe.¡± My father said, his arm outstretched and glowing a radiant yellow. That¡¯s right, in addition to being a war veteran, he is also a magus, a person who can harness the power of Affinity and bend it to his will.
¡°Thanks.¡± I grab the toast and quietly eat it. Finishing the toast, I begin to walk to my room when my father calls out to me.
¡°Hey, we¡¯re going to have guests over soon, so don¡¯t be up there for too long.¡±
¡°Oh? Is Alexia coming?¡± I reply
¡°Yeah, and her parents.¡± I groan internally as I climb the stairs and return to my room. An hour passes as I watch some old terran anime. Right around the time I got up to stretch, the doorbell rings. I look in the mirror and take a deep breath. Carefully closing my door, I tiptoe down the stairs and look into the living room. Standing in the Living room there were two people, both with blue-tinged skin, the dead ringer for a Sonerian. The one that stood at seven feet was definitely Krith, and the girl who was around my height was Alexia. She was wearing a stunning blue and green dress, something I would have never imagined that the tomboy incarnate woud ever wear. She turned around and saw me.
¡°Hey Patrick.¡±
¡°Hey Alexia. Hello Primarch Teran¡± I wave to them. Krith walks over to me and places a firm hand on my shoulder, pushing me down.
¡°Please. Just call me Krith. I¡¯m not anybody special here.¡± He says, before walking off to the kitchen.
¡°Where¡¯s Marzi? I thought she was coming.¡± My father says, following Krith.
¡°Ugh, she still isn¡¯t getting along with Alexia. Arguments between them tend to destroy property now.¡± I hear Krith say as he walks with my father. I feel somebody tap on my shoulder.
¡°Hey. I¡¯m right here, you know?¡± Alexia says, staring at me, her face uncomfortably close to mine.
¡°Y-yeah, sorry. Well, thanks for coming to my birthday, you look good.¡± I respond, gratefully.
¡°W-well, it was either this or deal with my mother.¡± She responds, blushing a bit. ¡°You still doing swordplay?¡±
¡°Yeah, a bit. My mother refuses to let me drop it though. She is dead set on me joining the military.¡±
¡°You wanna have a bout?¡± She asks, straight to the point.
¡°Uh, sure. I¡¯ll go get the shinais.¡±
¡°Eh. We can use the real thing, so long as we¡¯re careful.¡± She says, patting the sword on her hip.
¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s such a good idea.¡±
¡°Come on you wimp, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± She says, showing absolutely no signs of backing down.
¡°Ok fine. Let me ask my dad though.¡± I say walking towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, I see Krith and my father each having a glass of whisky in hand. They toast, and down their glasses. ¡°Hey, Alexia wanted to have a bout with real blades. Is that alright?¡± My father and Krith grin at each other.
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¡°Sure. Just don¡¯t get too hurt.¡± My father replied. ¡°By the way, you can use my sword.¡± He says, motioning to the umbrella holder that had been converted to an impromptu sword rack. I see my father¡¯s sword and pick it up. It has a moderate weight in my hands, a little heavier than my preference, but beyond that, nothing too bad. I unsheathed it, the blade was more like a big knife, at around eight inches long, and four inches wide. Re-sheathing the blade, I saw Alexia, walking outside and motioning to me. It seemed that my backyard would be the location of our bout. I walked outside, faced Alexia at a distance of roughly twenty paces, and readied my sword. I shivered in the bitter cold. I look at Alexia, standing directly across from me. She had her sword drawn, a magnificent gold and blue blade, and was still in her dress.
¡°Alright, so for rules, anything goes?¡± She asked.
¡°Sounds good. We go to first blood?¡± I reply.
¡°No. We stop just short of causing a major injury.¡±
¡°You going to be wearing that dress for this? That can¡¯t be easy to move in.¡±
¡°Think of it as a handicap. You¡¯ll probably need it.¡± She said, giving me the cockiest smile possible. I take a deep breath.
¡°You asked for this. On three.¡± I get into a stance. ¡°One......Two......Three!¡± I dash at Alexia. She readies her sword. Ducking low, I swing at her torso, and she deflects my blow with her sword. I swing again and she dodges it, contorting her body to avoid my blade, and swings her blade at me. I drop to the ground, rolling to the side, and kick off of the ground, swinging at her blade with all of my might. I managed to disarm her, nicking her wrist by accident. I right myself, readying my blade when I feel something sharp at my throat. A long blood red blade was coming out of her wrist injury and its tip was resting on my throat.
¡°My victory.¡± Alexia said, her entire body giving off a blood red glow. The blade melted into blood and fell to the ground. She pulled a bandage out of her pocket and slapped it onto her wrist, stopping the bleeding.
¡°So you¡¯re a magus too? That is very different from what I¡¯ve seen my parents do.¡±
¡°Yeah, the eggheads said that I have an ¡®Irregular Affinity¡¯ or whatever the hell that means. Something got screwy with my genetics and my blood is used to power my magic.¡±
¡°Wow. That¡¯s cool.¡± I shivered. ¡°Let¡¯s go back inside.¡± I started for the door and Alexia followed close behind me.
After a few hours of relaxing around my house I ended up playing video games with Alexia, when I heard my door open. I peeked towards the door and saw a young girl with long black hair and looked to be roughly a year younger than me. That is my older sister, Heather. Despite how she looks, she is thirty. Her young age is due to the fact that her Affinity awoke at the age of twelve.
¡°Happy birthday Patrick. It¡¯s been a while.¡± She said, handing me a card, likely containing money. She looks at Alexia.
¡°Hey Alexia.¡±
¡°Hi Heather.¡± We reply simultaneously. I hear somebody else walking over. My father taps Heather on the shoulder.
¡°You hear anything from Karen?¡± Ganashi said.
¡°She isn¡¯t going to be able to make it. Between the Sol Federation, the Seycron Empire, and the sightings of Meredith on Umbra, she has barely slept. To be honest, it won''t be much longer before you get called back in too.¡± Heather replied, quietly. I continue to play with Alexia, pretending I can¡¯t hear them. However, at the mention of Meredith, my father¡¯s face becomes complicated.
¡°Alright everybody! How about some cake?¡± My father said, gathering up the dozen or so people I barely knew in the house. I walk over to the head of the table, and take a seat. After pleasantries and happy birthday greetings are dispensed with, the time came to cut the cake. I reached for the knife when an incredible burning pain shot up my arm. I winced in pain.
¡°Hey, you alright?¡± A few people asked me.
¡°Yeah, my arm is hurting though. I must have done something to it in that bout earlier.¡± I glance to my left at Alexia who is sitting next to me. At the mention of my arm hurting my father gets a concerned look on his face.
¡°Is it a burning pain?¡± He asked, obviously concerned.
¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I grab the knife and slowly begin to cut into the cake. Suddenly, my arm lit up, and my knife went flying through the table, resting on the ground. The cake, on the other hand, exploded. The sudden force from my arm sent my flying backwards from my chair. The last thing I remember before I passed out was the sight of my mother bursting in the door and carrying me out of the house.
Chapter 2:"Your New Life"
July 15, 2065
Jefferson Memorial Hospital, Soneria
I awoke to the harsh light of a hospital room. I rubbed my head and noticed that my hands were covered in burn marks that traveled up my arms. Shaking my head, I heard a fairly animated argument coming from the hallway just outside my door.
¡°You¡¯re going to send him to MDC? You know as well as I do that he won''t be able to take it. For fuck¡¯s sake, his affinity just awoke Karen. He won¡¯t be able to keep up, hell, he might even die from a backfire.¡± I hear my father say, in a pleading voice.
¡°Ganashi, we don¡¯t have much of a choice. The PARAGON system has rejected you, he is the only person with a viable activation factor in his genome right now. Besides, with Meredith lurking about, and both Sol and Nesterssia trying to secede from the Council, we need every Magus we can get out hands on right now. That¡¯s how it is. I¡¯m not eager to send our son off so quickly either but there is no other option right now.¡± A stern voice replies, 100% my mother. I stagger out of bed, walking to the door.
¡°Alright, I see what you are saying. I¡¯ll try and catch Patrick up in this month we have until the term starts. Are you going to be posting guards at our house?¡±
¡°No. I took a temporary leave of absence to personally make sure nothing happens concerning Meredith.¡± My mother replies. ¡°Besides, Zigrus was bitching about being bored.¡± I open the door, and see my father, wearing a uniform I didn¡¯t recognize, and my mother, standing at around six feet tall with red hair and distinctly pointed ears, wearing some kind of combat armor with two large vents on the back. My mother turns to me.
¡°Good afternoon Patrick. How are you feeling?¡± She asks, trying her absolute hardest to appear motherly.
¡°Like somebody sucked the life out of me. What were you guys arguing about?¡± I reply. Her face turns from a faux-motherly smile to being dead serious.
¡°Your new school. Here, have a look at this. It¡¯ll outline what your new life is to be.¡± She said, handing me a folder. I take the folder from her, looking inside it. The folder is filled with pictures of a gorgeous school, likely isolated from civilization, and a program for talented young magi to prepare them for military service.
¡°You realize that I have no intentions of serving in the military, right?¡± I say, returning the folder.
¡°You realize that you don¡¯t have a choice, right? Under Galactic Council ruling #231, all Magi are required to provide a minimum of 35 years of honorable military service. The penalty of disobedience is removal of a magi¡¯s Affinity circuits, a process that few survive and those that do are left crippled for life.¡± She says, giving me a glare for resisting her wishes to join the military yet again.
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± I take the folder. As I do, My father motions back into the room. I return to the room, and my father follows me in, waving off my mother and closes the door.
¡°Patrick, I¡¯m going to be completely honest with you.¡± He says, giving me a stern look. ¡°If it were any other time, I¡¯d be completely against this. Unfortunately, we need every magus we can get right now. The school you are being sent to is called the Magus Development Center, or MDC for short. It¡¯s a military compound that helps Magi come into their own. However, it is expected that they have at least some prior knowledge before they enter the school. Unfortunately, we have a month before the term starts and your mother pulled strings to get you in the class of 2068.¡±
¡°So what, you are going to dump all of this on me at once?¡± I reply, groaning.
¡°A little bit. Once you get out of the hospital, we¡¯ll do the bare necessities like determining your attunement and type of Affinity.¡±
¡°Well, let¡¯s get on with it.¡± I say, bracing myself for the oncoming infodump.
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¡°So, we actually know next to nothing about Affinity. We have no clue how it works. In fact, we define Affinity as the power to defy the laws of the Universe. What we do know it that there are three different general attunements for Affinity, and four different types of Magi that we know of. The three Attunements are the following: Spark Affinity, which draws power originating from a trans-dimensional artifact known as the Spark. Void Affinity, which draws power from the Spark¡¯s polar opposite, the Dark Diamond, more commonly known as the planet Umbra. The third type of attunement contains everything else, the only one observed so far is Blood Affinity.¡± I yawn. ¡°Myself and your mother are both attuned to the Spark. Continuing on, There are four known types of Magi: Latents, who have an affinity that either hasn¡¯t awakened yet or is too weak to register. Naturals, who are considered the rough norm for Magi. Overdrives, who are near identical to Naturals on the surface, but can undergo a temporary boost in power under the right conditions. Your Mother and I are both in this class. The last, and certainly NOT least type of Magi is are the Ascendants, who are indescribably stronger than the other classes, at the cost of incredible mental stress, and are always walking the boundaries of madness.¡± My father takes a deep breath. ¡°You get all of that?¡±
¡°More or less. I get the feeling that it will make a bit more sense once I see it for myself. So, considering the pictures of MDC, I guess that it is nowhere near here?¡± I say, shifting the topic of conversation.
¡°It¡¯s located near the Military base, but it¡¯s a boarding school, so distance is irrelevant.¡± My father replies. ¡°Once you go there, your mother is undoubtedly going to make me return to active service.¡±
¡°I thought you retired after the end of the Void war, thirty years ago.¡± I say, confused. My father chuckles.
¡°Patrick, I¡¯m a Magus, and a rather powerful one at that. While I did earn a medal for my service at that final assault, there is no way in hell I am ever going to be able to retire. Even losing an arm wasn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ve been on reserve service for the past thirty years.¡± My vision starts to blur and my head starts spinning again.
¡°Why do I feel so shitty today? Does my Affinity awakening have something to do with it?¡± I ask, taking a seat on my bed. My father gives me a smile.
¡°Yeah, you are one tenacious kid. People react differently to their affinities awakening. most of the time, they don''t react well. When my Affinity awakened, I was in a coma for two weeks.¡±
¡°Two weeks? What, did Mom take care of you or something?¡± I ask. My father gives me a familiar face, the one he would give me whenever I asked about when he was my age, it looks like a combination of being withdrawn and sad.
¡°No, but things would have worked out much better if it was her.¡± he said, quietly.
¡°What, did your not having met Mom yet get somebody killed or something?¡± I ask, trying to crack a joke. My father falls silent.
¡°Yes.¡± An extremely awkward silence envelops the room. ¡°Well, I better get going. I¡¯ll drop by tomorrow. See ya Patrick.¡± My father says, putting on a false face.
¡°Yeah, see ya.
Hello Friendly readers!
I''m posting this to basically announce that I am going to try and upload somewhere between one and three chapters of this story a week, depending on any number of variables. (Length of chapter, difficulty of college, amount of shit hitting the fan in story, etc.)
This is my first time writing something like this, and this is a story I have been positively itching to write for a while.
Thank you so much for your interest,
REckbold
Chapter 3: Sins of the father (first half)
August 1, 2065
Faalzar Residence, Soneria
I awoke to the sound of a blaring alarm. I looked at my clock from under the warm comfort of my bed, it read 0400. Groaning, I slowly climb out of bed. The last two weeks have been filled with near-nonstop training of both my body and my powers. Today was the day I figure out just what the extent of my powers are. I roll out of bed and get dressed. Walking down the steps from my room and into the kitchen where I see a rare sight: My father was actually cooking breakfast, not heating something up from the freezer or just having toast.
¡°Ah, Good morning Patrick. Take a seat.¡± He motioned to the breakfast table, set for three. I took my usual seat. ¡°Breakfast will be done in a sec,¡± As I take my seat, I see a figure shuffling into the kitchen, a mass of disheveled crimson hair atop a body wearing a T-shirt and short shorts. I wave to her. ¡°Morning Karen.¡± My father says, in a rudely cheery mood.
¡°Morning.¡± My mother says, staggering for the coffee pot. She takes a massive swig from the pot, chugging half the pot. She puts the pot back and takes a seat across from me. after a few seconds of awkward silence, a plate appears in front of me, and another in front of my mother. On the plate was a burrito, covered in salsa. At the sight of the burrito, my mother¡¯s face immediately perked up. ¡°Ganashi, you didn''t have to go this far. I would have been fine with toast, you know.¡± She protested, devouring the burrito.
¡°That¡¯s because this wasn¡¯t for you. I made this for Patrick, he is going to need every bit of stamina he has today.¡± my father replied, sitting down at the table with his own burrito.
¡°Oh really? Why¡¯s that?¡± My mother replied, in between mouthfuls.
¡°We¡¯re doing backfire testing.¡± My father replied, before digging in.
¡°You want me to get an ambulance on standby?¡±
¡°I think I¡¯ll be able to stop him before it gets that bad.¡± At the last two sentences, I decide I should probably find out what they have planned for me.
¡°Uh, what exactly do you guys have planned for me today?¡± I say, sounding wary.
¡°Well Patrick, I¡¯m going to have you cast spells until it isn¡¯t safe for you to cast any more.¡± My father replies. ¡°Basically, I¡¯m forcing you to almost suffer a backfire.¡±
¡°A backfire? I didn¡¯t read anything about that.¡±
¡°A backfire is what happens when you try to cast a spell when exhausted. You write a check that your body isn¡¯t good for, and the spell has catastrophic effects on the body. Nine times out of ten, you die from backfires." My father raises his prosthetic arm. ¡°I got lucky.¡±
¡°Oh great. So, my body will just start shutting down at random?¡± I reply.
¡°That isn¡¯t how it works. You¡¯ll know when you are on the verge of backfiring. It does not feel good.¡±
¡°If I¡¯ll know when I¡¯m on the verge of backfiring, why decide to put me at risk and have me do this?¡± My father¡¯s face turns serious.
¡°This is no laughing matter. If you are in the thick of battle, adrenaline can dull the feeling. Because of this, you need to recognize this and realize when you are spent. Additionally, this will also tell me what type of Magus you are.¡± He replied. ¡°If you go some absurd amount of time without it wearing on you, that¡¯ll tell me if you are an ascendant.¡±
I finish my breakfast and return to my room, ready to do my daily routine. In the weeks after leaving the hospital, I have been doing exercises to facilitate the growth of my Affinity. An hour later, after a multitude of stretches and flowing affinity throughout my body, I return downstairs and meet my father out in the backyard.
¡°Alright, what do you want me to do?¡± I say, cracking my neck.
¡°Just fire concussive blasts at the target while wearing this.¡± He hands me a device that straps onto my right wrist. ¡°It¡¯s a biocomputer. It¡¯ll monitor your condition and warn me when you are about to backfire.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯d know when I get to that state?¡±
¡°Do you want to run the risk of losing an arm or worse?¡± I shake my head, indicating no. Strapping the device on, I raise my arm at the target, recalling the sensation from my birthday. I twitch an imaginary muscle in my arm, and a bolt of concussive energy erupts from my hand, colliding with the target with a loud bang. I fire continuously.
¡°Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.¡± My arm starts to feel odd, almost like it is hollow. I switch arms. ¡°Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.¡± I get lost in the rythmn of the shots.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.¡°_____ck! ____p!¡± I hear something odd from my father, I continue.
¡°Twenty one. Twenty two. Twen-¡± A feeling not unlike getting beaned by a baseball bat assaults me from the side. I fall to the ground. getting to my feet, I notice that the usual yellow glow that emanated from my arms when casting spells had almost completely faded away. I also notice that the feeling in my arms has gone almost completely dead, and that I have a ringing headache.
¡°Patrick! Are you alright? You completely zoned out there, and I had to stop you by any means necessary.¡± My father said, running over to me. I stand up, and stagger towards the door.
¡°I¡¯m fine, I just think that I need to rest a bit, that¡¯s all. I say, staggering back inside and i lay down on the couch in my living room. Within 5 minutes, I pass out.
I awaken to the sound of cursing coming from the kitchen.
¡°Now where the fuck did all the eggs go? Damn, guess I¡¯ll need to go get some more.¡± I hear my father say from the kitchen. I get up and walk out to the kitchen.
¡°Hey. What time is it?¡± I say, my eyes adjusting to the harsh light of the kitchen. My father turns and looks at me.
¡°It¡¯s like four. Hey, are you feeling up to making a run over to the market for me? Your mom got called out and I need eggs to finish making dinner.¡±
¡°Yeah, sure. I should be back soon. I¡¯ll call you if anything comes up.¡± I walk towards the door, grabbing my coat on the way out. As I walk down the path I notice a woman, looking to be in her mid-thirties meandering about as if she was lost. As I approach her, I notice two things immediately. First, she had vivid pink hair, the sort of thing that is only possible with ungodly amounts of hair dye. Second, she had horrific scarring on her otherwise attractive face, in the shape of a hand.
¡°Excuse me Miss. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you looked lost. Do you need help finding your way somewhere.¡± I say, slowly approaching her. She gives me a peculiar look.
¡°Uh yeah, do you happen to know where Ganashi Faalzar lives?¡± I now return her strange look.
¡°Yes I do. What business do you have with my father.¡±
¡°I¡¯m an old war buddy of his, and since I was on Soneria, I figured I¡¯d drop by and say hello.¡± She replied. I look at her a bit more closely. She was wearing a heavy trench coat and looked sincere. I relay the direction to my house to her. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±
¡°Yeah, anything for a friend of my father¡¯s.¡± I say, continuing on my walk.
¡°Again, thank you so much. Bye.¡± She calls out from behind me. As i continue on, i ull out my phone and dial my father.
¡°Hello?¡± I hear him answer.
¡°Hey dad. I just had a run-in with an old war buddy of yours. She is planning on stopping by, so I figured I should let you know.¡±
¡°Wait. She?¡± My father replies, confused. ¡°Was it Marzi or Tys¡¯Ral?¡±
¡°Nope. She had pink hair and a scar on her face.¡± I hear the sound of my father¡¯s phone falling to the floor. After a beat, he picks the phone back up.
¡°Get out of there. Go to the military base, and tell your mother what you just told me. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡± My father replied, his voice betraying that the man was terrified.
¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± I reply, worried.
¡°Yes. You did something very, very wrong. However, I am completely at fault here.¡±
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you there, right?¡±
¡°Hopefully.¡± He goes silent for a beat. ¡°Oh shit. I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡± The line goes dead. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I set off for the military base.
About an hour later, I found myself walking through the gates of the Teran military base, accompanied by my mother. She had a look of sheer confusion on her face.
¡°Patrick, why are you here? Did something happen?¡± She asked, her voice clearly on edge.
¡°Dad told me to come here. I may have done something dumb.¡± I replied, feeling guilty.
¡°What did you do?¡± I relayed the story of an hour ago to my mother. The look of irritation on her face was indescribable.
¡°Dad said that I did something wrong but that the blame laid with him.¡±
¡°Oh yeah, that is entirely his fucking fault. Patrick, the sins of the father can be a bitch, keep that in mind.¡± She said. Her anger was radiating in intense heat.
¡°So, how long will it be before I can go home?¡± I ask. My mother lets out a chuckle.
¡°You can¡¯t go home now. You¡¯ll stay here with me until you are to go to MDC.¡±
Chapter 4: Welcome to MDC
Welcome to MDC
August 10, 2065
Magus Development Center, Soneria
I sat in the small room allotted to me in the aftermath of the other day. I had decided to spend the last few hours of my normal life playing video games, when I realized that all the stuff for doing that was left in my old house. I heard a knock at my door.
¡°It¡¯s open.¡± I say, not wanting to get up. The door opens and my father walks in.
¡°Patrick, could you come with me? I got you a going-away gift, something that will be useful to you in the future.¡± He said, his voice in what has now become his typical monotone.
¡°Uh, sure.¡± I say getting up. ¡°Uh, where have you been these past few days? I havent seen you anywhere.¡± I ask, trying to make conversation as we walk towards wherever he is leading me.
¡°Getting your gift ready. I had to go off-planet to retrieve it.¡±
¡°Ok.¡± After a few minutes of silent walking i decide to get something off of my chest. ¡°Dad, just who was that lady?¡± He stops.
¡°That was Meredith Jonston, my biggest mistake.¡± He keeps walking, ending the exchange. After even more awkward silence, we come up to a massive vault. My father walk up to it, puts in a code, and opens the vault. Sitting inside, there was a device about the length of my forearm, and a sheathed katana just below it.
¡°What exactly are these?¡± I say, walking closer.
¡°The armguard is an extremely powerful artifact, it has different effects from person to person.¡± I walk over to the katana and partially unsheath it, revealing a blood red blade.
¡°I¡¯m guessing this blade has a story?¡± I say, resheathing the blade.
¡°Yes. That was the blade used by Mark Jefferson, one of my best friends, who died at the battle of Citadel, thirty years ago.¡± He replied, in a somber tone. ¡°It reacts differently to each wielder, but you¡¯ll find that you can run Affinity through it.¡±
¡°Thank you so much.¡± I say, carefully taking both of the gifts. Behind me, I hear somebody else enter the vault.
¡°Patrick. It¡¯s time.¡± I hear my mother from behind me. I turn and walk to her, my father following close behind. As I walk next to my mother, I notice that she is completely geared up for combat.
¡°Is something dangerous happening right now?¡± I ask her.
¡°Well, I¡¯ve got an extremely dangerous fugitive with it out for you, me, and Ganashi; along with transporting a magus who is not under military supervision. You could say that things are dangerous right now.¡± She replies, coldly. I take that as my cue to shut up. We continue down the hallway, in complete silence. As we near the end of the hallway, I see a car by the exit of the base, with a striking Keredith woman standing by the door, looking uncomfortable. She was around my height, looked to be in her fifties, and was wearing the traditional outfit of a Void Lich: a long purple and white robe, likely concealing some form of combat armor. My mother approached her.
¡°Tys¡¯Ral, I am placing a Magus in your care. Please take him to MDC for me.¡± She said, before walking away.
¡°Good morning Tys¡¯Ral.¡± I say, stepping into the car. She climbs in beside me, motioning to the driver. Tys¡¯Ral immediately relaxes after we leave the military base.
¡°Holy shit Patrick, I am sorry you had her as a mother.¡± She says. ¡°She didn¡¯t even say goodbye! What a bitch.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not like you were much better.¡± I hear come from the front seat. I look over at the front seat and see the leader of the Ascended Guard, Marzi Teran. She looks at me. ¡°Good morning Patrick.¡± I look to my side and see a look of irritation on Tys¡¯Ral¡¯s face.
¡°I had extenuating circumstances. Managing a country while subverting the Sentinals wasn¡¯t exactly an easy task.¡±
¡°And she is stuck with trying to keep the peace, and has to deal with Meredith. I do not envy her one bit.¡± Tys¡¯Ral shakes her head.
¡°Ugh, whatever.¡± She looks at me. ¡°So, Patrick, I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like first?¡±
¡°Uh, the good, I guess.¡±
¡°Your abilities got you placed in the A class, the top class at MDC. You are going to be in a class of 9 others.¡±
¡°And the bad?¡± I notice that Marzi is suddenly looking very uncomfortable.
¡°Well, since your mother made us jump through our collective asses to fit you in the class of ¡®68, you ended up betting placed in a dorm room with a girl.¡± The car goes silent for a second.
¡°Are you serious?¡± I ask, confused.
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¡°Dead serious.¡± Tys¡¯Ral replies.
¡°Well, who is it?¡± I notice Marzi looks even more uncomfortable.
¡°I¡¯m not too sure. Somebody refused to give me the class roster. Tys¡¯Ral said, taking a jab at Marzi.
¡°Marzi, do you know?¡± I ask, curious.
¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± She replied. We sat in silence as the car approached a massive walled off complex. Tys¡¯Ral stretched her arms, as she got out of the car.
¡°Well, We¡¯re here.¡± I got out of the car, and took a look at the entrance to MDC. The entrance was built from stone and had a somber look to it, with three insignias towering above the entrance.
¡°This looks kinda depressing.¡± I say, stepping out of the car.
¡°Just wait. You¡¯ll find that it¡¯s better on the inside.¡± Marzi says, leaving the car. I notice that despite the fact that she is just barely five feet tall, she looks impressive in her uniform. Marzi motions toward the door. As we enter the compound, I am faced with a brightly lit lobby, and I see a peculiar sight at the receptionist desk. Standing at the desk, completing some form of paperwork was a woman wearing a sleeveless purple-and-white dress. She had extremely pale skin, shockingly natural-looking purple hair, and looked to be around my height. I walk up to the receptionist desk, and she looks at me over her shoulder, giving me a cold look.
¡°Hello. I¡¯m Patrick. What¡¯s your name?¡± I ask, extending my hand. She ignores me. I look around the lobby and see a restroom off to my left, a security desk to my right, and another doorway just past the security desk. I hear a door opening from where the restrooms were.
¡°Oh! Hello Patrick.¡± I look to my left and see a man leaving the men¡¯s room, wearing a bright crimson coat, and looked to be in his mid thirties. He also happened to be my godfather.
¡°Hey Medlith.¡± I reply, waving. He walks over and fist bumps Marzi.
¡°Any word on Zigrus?¡± He asks, joining us.
¡°I heard that he is escorting the last member of class A along with Cruzat.¡± Marzi replies. At the mention of Cruzat, the girl in front of me turned and faced us.
¡°You know where papa is?¡± The girl asks, suddenly interested.
¡°Ah, the social butterfly is still here.¡± Medlith snarks in response. She gives him an evil look.
¡°I have a name, you know.¡± She replies, offended.
¡°Oh? You do? You wanna share?¡± Medlith snarks back.
.
¡°It¡¯s Isendal.¡± She gets tapped on the shoulder by the receptionist. Isendal retrieves her paperwork and heads for the security desk.
¡°No goodbye?¡± Medlith asks. Isendal keeps walking. I walk up to the desk and find that my paperwork was prepared for me in advance. I take my paperwork, say goodbye to Marzi, Tys¡¯Ral, and Medlith; and walk through the entrance to MDC. I am met with a view of a massive, enclosed estate, with buildings spotting the landscape. I walk up to an information terminal located near the entrance and swipe the access card that came with my paperwork. I end up getting directed to the A class housing. As I arrive, I see five townhouses, all in a row. I walk up to dorm A-04, and open the door. By the door, I see my bags stacked up by the closet. I carefully walk into the living room when I see a figure facing away from me, putting on a sport bra.
¡°Oh hi there roomie! I¡¯m Ale-¡± Alexia says, as she turns and sees me. Her blue-tinged cheeks turn a vibrant pink. ¡°Patrick. What are you doing here?¡± She says, giving me an angry look.
¡°Well, since my mother apparently forced everybody to bend over backwards to get me in here, they had nowhere else to put me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll confine myself to my room and give you plenty of space.¡± I say, trying to avoid one of her fits.
¡°D-don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m not that upset about it. At least I know that you won''t do anything perverted.¡± She replies, quickly putting a shirt on. ¡°Do you know anything about the A class?¡±
¡°Nope. You?¡±
¡°Me neither. I guess we¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡± I take a seat and relax for a bit when i hear a loud beeping.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I ask, looking around. Alexia walks over to a computer mounted on the wall. She wakes it up and stands there for a second, silent.
¡°Patrick, come over here please.¡± She said, quietly. I get up and walk over to her, looking at the screen over her shoulder. I look at the message at the center of the screen.
¡°Oh, that is interesting.¡±
Chapter 5: Class A
August 11, 2065
Magus Development Center, Soneria
I awoke to the sound of my alarm beeping. I silenced the alarm by blasting the clock across the room. I climbed out of bed, grabbed some clothes and walked towards the shower, located in the middle of the townhouse.
¡°Whoever thought that having a communal shower was a good idea was an idiot.¡± I grumbled under my breath. I pushed open the door and got an eyeful of a shapely blue-tinged body. Realizing that I just pulled the most obvious mistake possible, I close the door and wait for the retaliation. The door opens, and Alexia walks out, a towel covering her up. She walks past me, like nothing happened.
¡°That was an accident, right?¡± She says, heading for her room.
¡°Yeah.¡± I said, glad that my morning didn¡¯t play out like some cheesy harem anime. Two hours later, I was finally ready for classes. And it seems that at MDC, ¡°ready for classes¡± meant loaded out with full combat gear. I walked out of my room, dressed in my uniform: A long- sleeved collared shirt with pants, the armguard my father gave me, the katana my father gave me, and a handgun strapped to my leg. I walked out of my room and saw Alexia, wearing an armor-plated dress that was blood red and lacked sleeves, and she had a rather flashy blue and gold sword with runes running along the middle of the blade strapped to her waist.
¡°Nice outfit.¡± She says, walking towards the door.
¡°Yeah, you look pretty good too.¡± I say, walking out the door. ¡°Uh, do you know where the classroom is?¡± I say, turning back to her. She scoffs.
¡°Of course you didn¡¯t look that up. Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. Follow me.¡± She turns around and starts off towards the classroom.
I arrive at the ¡°Classroom¡± about five minutes before the class is due to start. As I look around the room, I notice that the room is massive, easily two to three times the size of a university lecture hall. I see ten desks sitting off to one side of the room, with a large whiteboard sitting in front of it. Directly across the room from the desks is what looks to be a simulated combat field. Even more curious is the fact that the room has its own restrooms and even a mini cafeteria on the far end. I look over towards the desks and see that Isendal is sitting at a desk, with a crystalline lance leaning against her chair, and a massive book on top of the desk. Also sitting at the desks are two strangers, a Keredith woman with two gunblades on her back and a Human guy with a rune-inscribed rifle on his back. I take a seat in between Alexia and Isendal and wait for the instructor to arrive. As I waited, a trio of Seycron men walked in, quickly followed by a girl, and took up various chairs. After a few minutes passed, the instructor walked in. Much to my surprise, it was a familiar face. The instructor was a Six-foot tall Seycron, with blonde hair and was wearing a rather ostentatious uniform with tons of gold embroidery and a ridiculous red cape. Our instructor was my father¡¯s eternal rival, and my mother¡¯s ex, Zigrus. He faced us nine.
¡°Hello class A. Your last class member ran into transportation trouble in getting here from Umbra, so he¡¯ll be arriving later. For today I¡¯m going to help all of you learn to use your given artifacts. But first, let¡¯s do introductions. I¡¯m High-commander Zigrus, and I got stuck with being your instructor thanks to my ex.¡± The class laughs. ¡°Alright, how about you first, Patrick?¡± He says, looking at what is likely a class roster. I nod and walk up in front of the class.
¡°Hello. I¡¯m Patrick Faalzar. I¡¯m not that interesting.¡± I say, before walking back to my seat.
¡°Ok, next, Alexia?¡± Zigrus says. Alexia stands up and walks in front of the class.
¡°Hello, I am Alexia Teran. I¡¯m a blood mage.¡± Alexia sat down. Zigrus motioned to the Keredith girl.
¡°Hello, I am Miri. I¡¯m immortal.¡± She said. The Human guy stood up.
¡°Hello, I am Edward Lemnar. I¡¯m an Ascendant.¡± He sat back down. Zigrus ran down the line until he came to Isendal.
¡°I¡¯m Isendal.¡± She said, coldly, before sitting back down.
¡°Well...... That was interesting. So, I¡¯m going to help each of you guys in private with your artifacts. If I¡¯m not helping you at the moment, feel free to use the arena for sparring matches¡± I raise my hand.
¡°So, are you assuming that we all have combat training? I mean, I¡¯m proficient enough but are we all?¡± I say. Zigrus chuckles.
¡°Patrick. Combat training is part of how you place into A class. Why else would we send a reminder to all of the students in the class to come in full combat gear?¡±
¡°I see your point. Sorry for holding us up with a stupid question.¡±
¡°Alright. Well, I guess I¡¯ll help you first Patrick.¡± Zigrus replied, waving off the rest of the class. I walk over to him.
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¡°Uh, is there any reason you picked me first?¡± I ask.
¡°Well, it was either going to be you or Alexia because I know what you guys have without needing to consult a database.¡±
¡°So, what exactly do I have?¡± I ask, raising my arm.
¡°The PARAGON system. It¡¯s the predecessor to all biocomputers and Affinity-assisted equipment. What it exactly does varies from person to person. However, at least according to both previous wielders, you can summon a set of armor from it by channeling affinity into it. Go ahead, give it a try.¡± He explains, pointing to the armguard. I place my sword on the table, close my eyes and focus, moving an imaginary mass into my forearm. I open my eyes and see that my head is inside of a helmet, a visor reading:
¡°Wow. That is an interesting look.¡± Zigrus says, before dragging over a massive mirror so I can see myself. I see myself in a set of light yellow armor, with armor plating covering all of my vitals. On my back, I see two massive binders sticking over my shoulders. Another interesting thing is that my armguard now has three switches on them, labeled: Ascension, Overdrive, and Rebound. I go to flip the first switch when Zigrus stops me.
¡°What?¡± I say, irritated.
¡°One of those is probably going to activate those verniers. Trust me, you don¡¯t want that to happen in here.¡±
¡°Verniers? You mean that this thing will let me fly?¡± I reply, now very interested.
¡°That is what it did for both Ganashi and Karen.¡±
¡°Were my parents the previous users of this thing?¡± I ask.
¡°They were. This device is ridiculously powerful.¡± Zigrus replies. ¡°That¡¯s about all I can tell you about that. Your sword on the other hand...¡± He points to my sword. ¡°I¡¯m amazed Ganashi was willing to part with that.¡±
¡°He said it belonged to an old friend of his.¡± Zigrus nods.
¡°While it is a bit more complicated than that, that blade is all we found of Mark Jefferson after the battle of Citadel thirty years ago.¡±
¡°You mean that Mark, the Hero of Citadel?¡±
¡°Yep.¡±
¡°So, what does this blade do, exactly.¡±
¡°Well, the whole thing is laced with Void Essence, it is basically one big, sharp affinity focus. Mark used it to create temporary rips in time-space and basically teleport.¡±
¡°Could I do that?¡± I say, looking at my sword.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. the intermediary that Mark used isn¡¯t exactly around anymore.¡± Zigrus replied. ¡°Alright, go and rejoin the others, I¡¯ve told you what I can.¡± I leave Zigrus, and walk over to the sparring arena, where I see Miri and Edward having a duel. The duel was a fight to be seen. Miri¡¯s fighting style was like a ballet of gunfire and slashed from her gunblade, and Edward was launching an unrelenting barrage of spells while firing wildly with his rifle. The walls around the arena were nominally clear, so people could see into the arena, but my view was severely obscured due to the fact that they had their weapons loaded with paint rounds, and the glass looked like an abstract art piece. After another five minutes of furious gunfire, they agreed to a draw, and they both left the arena, completely clean. I spot Isendal by herself, reading her book. I carefully approach her.
¡°So, what are you reading?¡± I ask, standing next to her. She ignores me. I try to look at the pages when I feel something sharp against my throat.
¡°I¡¯d advise against looking at my book, unless you want to breathe a bit easier.¡± She says, not looking up from her book.
¡°You seem pretty confident. You wanna have a match?¡± I ask.
¡°As if I¡¯d be dumb enough to have a match against the wielder of the PARAGON system.¡±
¡°You know about this thing?¡± I ask, now, pretty curious.
¡°Enough to know that you probably match me in terms of raw power in it.¡± I suddenly feel a slap on the shoulder.
¡°Getting all buddy buddy with the ice queen, eh?¡± Alexia says, standing next to me.
¡°I take offense to that.¡± Isendal says, still not looking up from her book.
¡°You going to do something about it?¡± Alexia says, itching for a fight. Isendal looks at her,
¡°You interest me. Sure. How about we have a duel?¡± Isendal replies, closing her book. Isendal walks up to Alexia and looks her over. ¡°You¡¯ll be an interesting opponent. You have a legacy much like your friend, Patrick, I¡¯m curious to see how that manifests in battle.¡±
¡°Well then, If you are done being cryptic, let¡¯s go.¡± Alexia says, walking towards the arena.
Chapter 6: The Prodigy
August 11, 2065
MDC Class A, Soneria
Alexia and Isendal took up opposite sides of the combat arena, both of them readying themselves for a match. Isendal had arranged all sorts of bottles around her waist, and had a pack of what looked like cards strapped to both arms. Alexia had a First-Aid kit placed in the corner, pilfered of bandages, gauze, and disinfectant. I stood in the middle of them, my arm raised. I looked at both of them.
¡°You two ready?¡± I asked, wary of how this might turn out.
¡°Almost. Isendal, how about we make this purely a battle of magic?¡± Alexia said, tossing her sword aside.
¡°Sure. This lance is to help me cast spells anyway.¡± Isendal replies, a smile cracking across her face.
¡°Heh, same here.¡± Alexia said, pulling out a small push knife. ¡°Patrick, I think we¡¯re ready.¡±
¡°Agreed.¡± Isendal adds. I drop my arm and run out of the Arena. The instant I leave, Alexia starts the fight by slashing both of her wrists with her knife and throwing it away. Isendal raises her Lance and mutters an incantation, firing a blast of concussive energy at Alexia. Alexia rolls away and charges Isendal, revealing that she had created two blades of blood, both roughly a foot long and protruding out of her wrist. Alexia swung at Isendal, only to have the blade shattered by a transparent shield that Isendal had summoned. Isendal leaps backwards, throwing a bottle at Alexia. The bottle detonates, causing the barriers to reverberate violently, and slams Alexia against the back wall. Alexia falls to the ground, coughing up blood, her blades dissolved. Isendal approaches her, hand raised.
¡°I believe that this is my win.¡± She says, confidently. Alexia laughs.
¡°Not yet bitch.¡± She says, as her blood that had pooled up on the ground suddenly shoots up and impales Isendal through the arm. Alexia kicks Isendal flying, staggering to her feet. Isendal catches herself and stands up.
¡°Hah. Well played.¡± Isendal says, holding her arm. Her expression turns serious. ¡°I gotta admit...¡± She sticks the point of her lance into her arm, covering it with her own blood. ¡°I¡¯m having fun.¡± She takes her spear and deftly draws a sigil in the air, her blood floating into the air. Isendal flicks the covers on the card holders open, she was giving off a blinding purple glow. Alexia summons two more blood blades and charges her. As the two are about to likely level the building, a figure steps in. Alexia and Isendal both stop, a pistol aimed at Alexia¡¯s forehead, a rapier at Isendal¡¯s throat. Zigrus stood in between them, glowing a radiant yellow.
¡°Alright, you two, no need to level the classroom on the first day.¡± He says, lowering his weapons. Alexia immediately runs to where she had stashed the gauze and tape, and immediately wrapped up her wrists. Isendal slinks to the floor, breathing heavily. I run over to her, seeing that she is bleeding pretty badly from her arm.
¡°Are you OK?¡± I ask, grabbing a First Aid Kit.
¡°I¡¯ll live. I think.¡± She replies. ¡°Why did you run over to me and not your friend?¡±
¡°You were hurt more, Alexia overdoes things quite frequently.¡± I say, wrapping a bandage around her arm. ¡°This is pretty bad. Come on, I¡¯ll walk you to the nurse¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± A voice says from behind me. I see Miri walk over to Isendal and place her hands on the wound. ¡°You might want to bite on something, this¡¯ll hurt a ton.¡± Isendal places her spear between her teeth and bites down. Miri focuses and her arms start glowing a brilliant yellow. Isendal¡¯s eyes widen in pain, tears in her eyes.
¡°What are you doing to her?¡± I ask, worried. Miri gives me a nastly look.
¡°I¡¯m healing her. Now shut up or I might fuck up, and that won¡¯t be pretty.¡± She focuses on Isendal. After about a minute, Miri takes her hands off of Isendal, and removes the bandage, the hole in Isendal¡¯s arm was gone, fresh skin replacing it. Isendal stands up, moving her arm.
¡°Thank you.¡± She says, giving a rare smile.
¡°So, what exactly did you do back there? Last I heard, I was the only blood mage in existence.¡± Alexia says, walking over to Isendal.
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¡°Blood Affinity¡± Isendal corrects. ¡°I managed to catch a glimpse of how your Affinity works and modified it. I basically treat my blood as a focus, and use that to amplify my power almost tenfold.¡±
¡°Well regardless, that was cool, that was a great match.¡± Alexia says, extending her hand. Isendal turns to Zigrus.
¡°May I go home early? I am really worn out from that.¡± She asks.
¡°Sure, just make sure you do the homework.¡± Zigrus replies. Isendal leaves the classroom.
¡°Well, that was fucking rude.¡± Alexia says, taking a seat. Zigrus signals us all to take a seat as class was about to continue. I look at the clock, it was around 11:30.
¡°Well, it¡¯s time for lunch. You guys go eat and your academic studies teacher will take it from here. See you all bright and early tomorrow.¡± Zigrus said, exiting the room. I walk up to the cafeteria and look at the options for the day. As I look at the menu something jumps out at me. They offer alcohol. I notice Alexia walk up beside me.
¡°Look at that.¡± I say, pointing at the menu.
¡°Not all that surprising. The drinking age does not apply to magi.¡±
¡°What? Why?¡±
¡°Probably because the government doesn''t see us as people. We are relegated to the military because we are both dangerous and extremely convenient tools. That combined with the fact that the average life expectancy for a magi is roughly 28, we get plenty of personal freedoms so long as we stay in line.¡± Alexia says, while ordering a Cheeseburger meal. I do the same.
¡°That low?¡±
¡°Oh yeah. We do the bulk of the fighting so most people can live out their peaceful lives. We are living sacrifices for the order of society.¡± Alexia takes a seat. I sit across from her. ¡°Well, that got deep. So, what does your artifact do?¡± She asks, completely changing the subject. I give her the rundown.
¡°And you?¡± I ask.
¡°I have an old terran artifact called Excalibur. For whatever reason, I can run affinity through it. If I put enough in, the thing awakens. Zigrus wouldn¡¯t let me try it out, he just told me that it is really, really destructive.¡±
¡°Wow. That is awesome. Yep, it looks like I¡¯m still boring compared to the rest of you. I mean, I have all this potential, and just a normal Spark Affinity. Oh well, I¡¯ve always been in a shadow.¡±
¡°Patrick, would it kill you to get some self-confidence? Like, holy crap, it¡¯s kinda depressing.¡± Alexia says, wolfing down her burger.
¡°Sorry.¡± I quietly eat my burger. I see Miri and Edward walk over to us.
¡°So, what are you two up to?¡± Alexia asks, motioning at some empty chairs. Miri and Edward sit down. Miri opens up a box full of sushi and starts eating.
¡°Same as you two.¡± Edward says. He pulls a pill case out of his pocket and opens a compartment. Twelve different pills drop out of the case. Edward takes a can of Lemonade, shoves all twelve pills in his mouth, and gulps them down, chasing it with the whole can of Lemonade.
¡°You sure you are fit for military service with that many medications?¡± I ask. Miri and Alexia shoot me massive looks of disapproval.
¡°Not one for tact, are you?¡± Miri says. ¡°Ser-¡± Edward waves her off.
¡°It¡¯s fine. It isn¡¯t like I''m hiding it or anything. Patrick, what you just saw was a cocktail of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and ADHD medications. Being an ascendant fucks with your mental state something awful. This is pretty normal for an ascendant of my level.¡± He says, like it was nothing.
¡°And what happens if you forget or don''t take your meds?¡± I ask, worried.
¡°Our Affinity slowly drives us insane, causing us to lose control of our powers, and we turn into Fallen Ones: deadly monsters that feed on the Affinities of others.¡± My eyes widen in horror.
¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s the hand I was dealt, might as well make the best of it.¡± He says, digging into a grilled cheese.
¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t do that¡± I mutter under my breath. The bell rings for Academic studies, and I slink back to my chair, buttoning down for a long three years.
Interlude: Corruption seed
Heather Faalzar
August 14 2065
Soneria
I faced it down. My target was a Fallen One. A hideous, vaguely- humanoid, writhing mass of corrupted flesh and anger. It towered over my small frame at well over eight feet tall. I gave off an irritated sigh, putting my weapons of choice, a pair of large claws that manipulated time-space to make them able to cut basically anything, on my small hands. The creature raised an arm and swung at me, I flipped backwards, dodging the physical blow, but getting hit by a shockwave of concussive energy right in the back. I fell flat on my face and skid for a few feet. Getting to my feet, I get serious. I remove an imaginary block in my head, and I feel power start to surge through me, my body starts to glow an intense purple. I crack my neck, extending my arms, inviting it to hit me.. The Fallen One hurls a massive bolt of fire at me. I channel all of my power into my feet and dash at it, rolling under the bolt of fire.
¡°Gotcha.¡± I say, springing out of my roll and delivering a brutal swing at the creature. It comes apart like a hot knife cutting a stick of butter, blood spraying every which way as it collapses into a lump of gore on the ground. I wipe my face clean of blood and take a bottle out of my pocket, popping two pills from it. I feel the power in my body receding, the mental block replaced. Walking over to the corpse, I confirm that it is dead. As I inspect the body, I get a tingling in my back. I leap backwards, a rifle round obliterating the corpse. I look up and see a figure in the distance. It has long, pink hair billowing in the howling wind of the Sonerian wastes, and is carrying a rifle of improbable size. As she approaches me, I call out to her.
¡°Stop. In the name of the Ascended Guard, I command you to halt and Identify yourself at once.¡± The figure stops. I approach her and see that her face is horrifically scarred, likely from a burn. She gives me an odd smile.
¡°The name¡¯s Meredith Jonston, Heather.¡± She calls out. A chill runs up my spine. Being an officer, I¡¯d heard of her before but seeing her in person was somewhat disconcerting.
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¡°Drop your rifle this instant.¡± I say, readying myself for a fight. To my surprise, she complies, her rifle falling to the ground. I approach her.
¡°Did your mother never tell you to give your own name if somebody else does?¡± Meredith asks, her voice having a terrifying calmness to it.
¡°I¡¯m Captain Heather Faalzar of the Ascended Guard.¡±
¡°Faalzar huh? No wonder you have shit manners then.¡± I get defensive.
¡°My mother has nothing to do with this. I have to take you in, there is a kill/capture order on you, you know.¡±
¡°Your mother has everything to do with this actually. And you can try and take me in. I guarantee you will fail.¡± Meredith says, revealing two knives each with a blade roughly eight inches long. I charge her. Suddenly, I am flipped onto the ground, Meredith on top of me with a blade to my throat.
¡°H-how?¡± I ask, dumbfounded.
¡°You are WAY too early to face me. Even Karen would have been able to dodge that.¡± That comment sets me off. I kick her off and start swinging wildly, getting blocked blow for blow by her knives.
¡°You...¡± I begin to release the mental blocks on my Affinity when she points a finger at my head. A blast of purple light emits from her finger, hitting me in the head. I get shoved backwards, but I maintain my balance. Meredith begins to be enveloped in an extremely malevolent-looking glow.
¡°I hope you appreciate my gift. Bye.¡± She says, disappearing. A crippling headache erupts through my head and i fall to the ground.
¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough. She got away. I¡¯m still in their shadow.¡± I say, defeated.
¡°Then maybe you should get rid of them.¡± A voice says. I look around, confused.
Nobody was there.
Chapter 7: Transfers and Duels
August 25, 2065
MDC, Soneria
Two weeks. Two weeks of the same tedious routine: Wake up, combat training, actual school, twelve metric tons of homework, sleep. I climb out of bed, and do my daily routine, getting to the classroom almost half an hour early. I take a seat when I notice an unfamiliar face. Off to the side stood a person in a jet black cloak and an impractical-looking purple scythe. I approach him, carefully.
¡°Uh, hello. Who are you?¡± I ask, carefully. He removes the hood on his cloak, revealing a pale face, and short blonde hair.
¡°I¡¯m a transfer student.¡± He says, giving me a peculiar look.
¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯m Patrick, Patrick Faalzar, nice to meet you.¡± I say, extending my hand. He shakes it.
¡°Faalzar, huh. Well I¡¯d normally give you my name, but my circumstances are rather complicated. I¡¯m going to wait until class, if that¡¯s alright.¡± He replies, sounding a bit nervous.
¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, I guess. You wanna take a seat?¡±
¡°I¡¯m alright, thanks.¡± I pull out a calculus textbook and study to pass the time. After what seemed like a while, I notice Isendal walking into the room, yawning and looking somewhat disheveled. I wave to her. ¡°Spend too much time studying last night?¡±
¡°I wish. Ritual magic is so damn time consuming derewrwer
¡°You have something special for today?¡± I ask, interested.
¡°Well, I wanted to-¡± She stops, noticing the transfer student in the back. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She said, her entire persona changing. The transfer student looks at her.
¡°Isendal. I would say that I¡¯m surprised to see you here but I kinda expected you¡¯d also be placed into my class. After all it would only make sense for the two prodigies of Umbra to be in the A class.¡± He said, sounding incredibly full of himself. As Isendal was about to respond, Alexia, Miri, and Edward walk in, laughing about something. The room ends up being completely silent as the rest of the class files in, with Zigrus following. Zigrus has a look on his face that is somewhere between pissed off and terrified.
¡°Well class, We have a transfer student today. I think I¡¯ll let him introduce himself and explain his circumstances.¡± He says, giving off the most conflicted body language I have ever seen in my life. The transfer student walks in front of the class. I look over at Isendal who, much like Zigrus, has a very conflicted look on her face.
¡°Hello everybody. My name¡¯s Daelth¡± A beat passes as everybody is taken back. ¡°Yes, Daelth as in the commander of the Void forces from the Void war of 2034.¡±
¡°Do you want to explain the rest, Daelth?¡± Zigrus said, the irritation in his voice showing as clear as day.
¡°Oh, that would help, wouldn¡¯t it? I, along with my adopted sister Isendal, are what have been called the ¡®Voidborn¡¯. We are the children of extremely powerful Void Affinity users, and due to how Void affinity affects the body, we are basically reincarnations of past Void Affinity users.¡±
¡°Everybody, please try and treat Daelth here kindly. Moving on, we have a pretty good practice match for today. Isendal and Patrick, please stand up.¡± We both stand up. ¡°Since I¡¯d rather not have to explain any fatalities, or collateral damage for that matter, we are going to have this match outside. I hear the B and C classes are coming to watch as well. You two head out and prepare, we¡¯ll be out in a bit.¡± I start for the door, and Isendal follows me. I walk down the narrow hallways that lead to the hastily-assembled outdoor training arena, thrown up roughly a week ago when we found that basically every sparring match involving Alexia, Edward, Miri, or Isendal led to the matches being stopped halfway due to the building nearly being leveled. I walked into the prep area and took a seat. Isendal sat next to me.
¡°You ready for this? I¡¯m not going to hold back.¡± Isendal says, checking her various implements and other magic-related stuff.
¡°I¡¯m ready. Hopefully, I¡¯ll be able to push this thing for once.¡± I say, tapping the PARAGON system.
¡°Well, that¡¯s encouraging. Just make sure you go into this seriously. Otherwise, you might die.¡± Isendal says, walking outside. I check my blade, the crimson blade seems to be extremely durable, as in two weeks of near daily use, I haven¡¯t needed to sharpen or repair it once. I walk outside and see bleachers lined up across the massive courtyard, filled to the brim with students wearing the colors of their respective classes: Blue for B class, and Green for C class. I walked over to my side of the field and looked out. The field was roughly the length of a football field, with massive transparent barriers erected around the sides, protecting the spectators. Amidst the sea of green and blue, I pinpointed a bleacher that stood out, which was currently being filled with people from my class, where we usually ended up wearing our armor over our uniforms. As the arena filled with people, I looked at Isendal, who was facing me on the other side of the field. I heard the announcer rattle off a bunch of useless crap for what felt like forever. I prepare myself, placing my hand on the grip of my sword. The announcer gives the ready signal, I dash towards Isendal, crossing the field at an alarming speed. I draw my blade and slash at her in one smooth motion. She dodges backwards, ¡°conveniently¡± getting nicked on the wrist. She drips blood on her lance and etches a sigil in the air, the blood staying in the air while following the movements of her lance. She holds out her hand, running affinity through the sigil, causing it to detonate outwards in a brilliant flash. I extend my blade and run affinity through it, focusing at the tip. The blast hit my blade, and it split at the tip, splitting and passing me on either side. I concentrate, summoning my armor. I press the first switch on my wrist and feel the weight on my back spread out, a sign that the verniers on the back of my armor have opened. I focus some of my power on my back, very lightly pulling imaginary muscles connected to the verniers. They light up in a brilliant glow, and I lift off of the ground, hovering in the air. I raise my blade, and pull on the verniers as hard as I possibly can, flying backwards from Isendal. She gives me a strange look. She pulls something out of her back pocket, throwing what looks to be a deck of index cards into the air. I charge at her, my blade still raised. She extends an arm, releasing what seems to be an incredible amount of Affinity.
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¡°Fire.¡± She says. As she finishes the command, the cards all stop in midair, and all simultaneously unleash a barrage of purple bolts at me. I dodge the hailstorm of void bullets, responding by hurling a massive concussive blast at Isendal. I see that the second switch on my armor is blinking. I press it and immediately feel a massive amount of energy building in my left arm. I look at it and it is glowing an even-more-blinding-than-usual yellow. I fire a blast, and a massive sigil appears before the blast, amplifying it by at least a thousand times over. The blast impacts with the ground, exploding strongly enough to topple the barriers, kicking dirt into the air. I get a terrible feeling in my stomach and descend to the ground. As the cloud of dust clears, I see a massive crater, with a purple shell in the center. The shell disintegrates, revealing Isendal to be unharmed. She gives me a peculiar look.
¡°Wow. That could have killed me, you know?¡± She yells, clearly buying time.
¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think that it would be quite that powerful either.¡± I reply, looking for what she¡¯s buying time for.
¡°Well, I guess that means I can turn up the heat a bit.¡± She says, throwing her lance into the ground. She flips the covers off of the card cases on her arms, creating a massive array of well over a thousand cards behind her. She takes a blood red vial off of her belt and crushes it in her hand, etching a sigil in the air. She turns completely purple, throwing her hands into the air. ¡°Hit him¡± she says, giving a command. The cards line up into a massive stack, and take aim at me. I saw a massive glow begin to envelop the cards as they incrementally burn up. I estimate I have roughly three seconds to do something.
Attack Isendal? I think, trying to find a way out of the situation.
No, she¡¯d expect that. Can I block it with my sword? I look at my blade, and I doubt that It can cut the blast. Two seconds
I need to find something.
Something. I wrack my brain for answers. One second
Something. I see the blast fire. I raise my blade, and my other hand, unleashing a torrent of Affinity in desperation. The blast collides with me and everything turns to white.
The smoke clears, and I am somehow still standing, the area behind me completely desolate. In my hands, I have my usual blade in my right hand, and an ethereal copy in my left, somehow deflecting the blast, and keeping me alive. The blade dissipates, and I fall to the ground, exhausted. The last thing I see before I pass out is Isendal, also unconscious, on the ground.
I come to in my dorm room. I bolt upright, ascertaining my surroundings, and am greeted with a shriek. I look off the side of my bed, and see Alexia on the floor, looking as if she fell off my bed.
¡°You jackass.¡± She says, looking rather happy. ¡°You alright? We were worried when you fainted after the match and didn¡¯t wake up right away.¡± I get a bad feeling.
¡°How long was I out?¡±
¡°About a day. We were all really worried.¡±
¡°Did i miss anything?¡± Alexia¡¯s face immediately turns sour.
¡°Yeah, there was a murder on campus. Even worse, the culprit was likely a student.¡±