《Fates Chains》


 The Return

    ¡°The world was different before the cards came, all those years ago. Humanity struggling to survive against the beasts, towns being ravaged and cities burned by demons. humanity clawed to fight back with sharp stones and slings.


    But one day, the cards arrived. Some say they were a gift from the gods. others, a reward from the world. but what can be truly defined from them is that they turned the tides of war. Granting their wielders magical abilities that could damage and defeat the monsters of the world, the cards led to a golden age of prosperity¡­.


    I coughed as the last bit of strength in my lungs gave out. looking around at the destruction that laid around me, ¡°heroes¡± they called us, ¡°the strongest of humanity¡±. ¡°USELESS!¡± i roared internally, we were no heroes, not before those¡­ those things. The Strange beasts that arose from the rifts 10 years ago were devastating on a level not seen since the dark ages before the cards came to us, demons that towered over mountains, dragons that spewed hellish ice and plagued flames and so many other creatures. We tried so hard to resist, humanity pushing itself to its best, sending in heroes from every nation, every city, even every little village and we all fell, one by one. I was the last of us, and i¡¯ll curse my formation card to end of my short days for that, I mentally pulled up the interface window to review it one last time:


    INTERFACE:


    FORMATION CARD: fates rejuvenation (Mythical)


    EFFECT 1: Grants the user a nigh endless regeneration ability, capable of surviving nearly any wound and recovering with no lasting effect.


    EFFECT 2: HIDDEN


    That was my formation card right there, the ¡°fates rejuvenation¡± much help it did me other than prolonging my suffering, allowing me to see my companions fall and be able to do nothing about it. I couldn¡¯t even save them, My deck had no attack cards, just more abilities to keep others safe and myself alive.


    I watched the last of my life force fade away before me as the masked figure held out his hand, coalescing it all into a little ball he absorbed right then and there. The world seemed to slow as he laughed , and i felt my body grow cold. I cursed him under my breath, not having the strength to yell obscenities at him out loud, and then everything faded away¡­


    DING!


    EFFECT UNLOCKED!


    FORMATION CARD: fates rejuvenation (Mythical)


    EFFECT 1: Grants the user a nigh endless regeneration ability, capable of surviving nearly any wound and recovering with no lasting effect.


    EFFECT 2: (NEW) sends the user to a new timeline as chosen by Fate, this card cannot be regained and they will instead gain a new formation card chosen by @&ERR#%R,


    WARNING: EXTERNAL INFLUENCE DETECTED! ¡°Higher Being Harbinger: Sanguinis¡± Has interacted with your soul, Placing a permanent debuff within your soul, Tread cautiously¡­


    The world shifted around me, plunging me into darkness, and then¡­ that familiar ding! echoed, resonating with a strange finality. I¡¯d lost everything. But somehow, here I was, caught in some twisted game of fate that refused to let me rest.


    The void around me began to warp and twist, and memories flashed past me¡ªscenes of battles, of my allies, of every horrible moment leading to my last breath. It seemed as a showing of my life, from when i received the blessing of my formation card all the way to my death. The void had a sense of expanding as if i was falling through time and space itself.


    My eyes flew open as my senses were assaulted by the smells and sounds of a bustling village, i reeled as the overload from pure nothing into vibrancy rattled my mind. My heart raced as I realized I was¡­ alive. Whole. And somehow, back in the past. My scars were gone, my body felt strong, free from the agonizing wounds that had defined my last days. But I barely had a moment to process it before a new interface window materialized in front of me.


    INTERFACE:


    FORMATION CARD: Chained by Fate (Trash, Growth)


    EFFECT 1: Allows the wielder to weakly manipulate metal chains around them.


    EFFECT 2: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    EFFECT 3: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    EFFECT 4: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    EFFECT 5: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    EFFECT 6: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    EFFECT 7: Locked¡ªRequires Growth


    Growth requirements-Unknown


    Awaken? YES/NO


    I stared at the description in disbelief. My ¡°reward¡± for everything I¡¯d endured¡­ was this? A card barely worth a scrap, limited to bending chains. A bitter laugh escaped me, a harsh reminder of fate¡¯s cruel sense of humor.


    But this card was¡­ strange. ¡°Growth¡± implied potential, something that could be nurtured, unlocked. It was a rare modifier only found on the rarest of beast drops, but i¡¯ve never heard of it being in a formation card. It wasn¡¯t powerful now, but maybe it could become something greater. Maybe, by proving myself, I could evolve this weak formation into something that could stand against the rift-beasts that had brought humanity to its knees.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Clenching my fists, I gazed around the square, determined. This time, I wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes. I would train, I would grow, and I would unlock whatever hidden power lay within this card.


    The future wasn¡¯t set. Not anymore. The chains of fate might bind me, but now, I¡¯d find a way to turn those chains into something that could change everything.


    ¡°Theo?!¡± I heard a familiar but long forgotten voice from my childhood yell out across the town square, ¡°Theo, where are you?¡± Tears welled up in my eyes as memories of her funeral and the realization that my mother was still alive in this timeline. I walked to the voice, barely fighting tears when I saw a sight I thought had been lost forever. Dark auburn hair flowing down her shoulders, a strong look in her eye as she looked fiercely for her child, for me. I froze when we made eye contact, tears threatening to fall down my face.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± i whispered, barely audible amongst the sounds of the square. She seemed to react immediately, as if she could hear the faintest sounds. She rushed over to me and wrapped me in her arms, as warm as i remembered. ¡°Theo! Why is it taking so long to get your card and come back? Everyone¡¯s worried sick!.¡± she said in that tone only a concerned mother could produce.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok¡­¡± my face fighting to break composure as I struggled to think of a good excuse why i didn¡¯t run immediately back. i couldn¡¯t tell them i was from the future and returned to my old body. They would call me crazy or worse, they wouldn¡¯t heed the warning. I need to find a way to garner more influence before revealing the threat of the oncoming rift beasts.


    ¡°I just got distracted looking at my formation card, my apologies i didn¡¯t mean to stay away long.¡± I lied through my teeth to throw her off the trail. Her eyes narrowed in on me as if she could tell something was wrong. ¡°Theo¡± she said with a pause, ¡°is everything ok? you never used to talk so¡­ formally.¡± I panicked but worked to hide my nervousness as i felt an ache in my heart, ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s ok, Mom. Just a little nervous to come back to the party.¡± i told her, my thoughts reeling as i tried to remember my 16th birthday from the original timeline. She scrutinized my face, eyes hunting for any hints of a lie. However after a few moments she seemed to relax and pushed me along the way to our house, ¡°Come on Theo, we need to get you to the party! Your whole family is there, waiting to hear about your formation card.¡± She said as we walked alongside the market street.


    The view of merchants crossway was an assault on my memory. The familiar smells, sights and clamor of merchants selling wares and haggling were exactly as i remembered them, all the way down to the way the butcher cleaved through meat and summoned the power of his ember-weave card to surrounded them in a web of flames. We continued walking down the street and waving to the shopkeepers. ¡°it¡¯s all just as it was, i really must have returned¡± i muttered as quietly as i could, still astounded i was actually alive. It made no sense, the tragedies caused by the rifts still hadn¡¯t happened, the horrors from the timeline i remembered still yet to occur. I looked off to the horizon, a memory surfacing as if the world was disappearing around me.


    ¡°Theo Run!¡± heard my fathers voice, this memory was one i had long buried, the day the first rift appeared. And the day my parents disappeared in the fight against it. The deep crimson red mist that suffused my worst nightmares surrounded me once more, showing that the rift was seeping into our world for that first time as beasts emerged. The first rift, appeared with a shatter that resounded across the plains, as if someone had smashed in the veil surrounding our reality. The dark tear slowly released the Harbingers, some of the few sentient rift beasts and the strongest among them. They walked forward, their twisted visage appearing as a mockery to the natural world, they released a bestial call and that was when my world shattered. The scene shifted as if time wound forward, my memories avoiding the agonizing portion that followed the beast horde destroying my village and my parents giving their lives to make sure the next generation could make it far enough for the reinforcements of the Sigilhaven kingdom.


    ¡°Theo, are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡± My Mother said as we neared the house, seeing the haunted look i wore as i shook myself free of the memories. ¡°Yes i¡¯m¡­¡± i paused, trying to collect myself, ¡°I¡¯m doing good, Mother. Just anxious for the others to see my formation card¡± I said as I let out a small sigh of relief. They weren¡¯t dead in this timeline, my friends and family are all still alive and i would do everything to make sure they stayed that way this time.


    We continued walking down the street and approached my childhood home, it had been years since I¡¯d seen it as anything other than a ghost of my past. But seeing it now, so full of life and vibrancy as excited chatter and light music played from inside. The house wasn¡¯t a grand affair, being on the outskirts near the forest, but it was home. The clay walls and wooden support beams spoke to the years of use, the slight peel of the paint and the chipping in the wood we used to measure heights with. I felt the smile form on my face as the realization that those memories could be continued, even if only for a little bit. The door creaked as we walked in, my expression shifting into a mask of joy, hiding my concern about failing to behave as i once did.


    ¡°THEO!¡± My little brother called as he rammed into my legs, pushing me back a bit as i tried to embrace his small form. ¡°What¡¯s got you so riled up Kiki? Excited to know your big brother has magic?¡± I said as my tear ducts fought against me to release tears of seeing little Kael once again. He¡¯d grown so much in the original timeline, but he was never the same after he formed his formation card-No, i won¡¯t let that happen this time. ¡°You have magic?¡± His eyes grew like saucers as he connected the dots of why i left and returned on my 16th birthday. ¡°What¡¯s it do, What¡¯s it do!¡± He bounced up and down, barely holding back his excitement, ¡°Have you formed a deck box yet?¡± He chattered away with questions, always a curious child when it came to the cards. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta show me, Theo! Is it strong? What¡¯s it do?¡± He was practically climbing up me to ask these questions right in my ear when my father picked him up. I froze for a heartbeat, but it felt like days as i took him in. Strong, steady, with his brown beard and warm smile as he picked up my little brother. I¡¯d forgotten how much i missed his smile, it lights up a room and makes it truly hard to not share a smile with him. ¡°Now, now, Kael. Give your brother some room.¡± He said with a light chuckle while trying to wrangle the young bundle of energy. ¡°Making a formation card and unlocking magic is a tiring thing, we don¡¯t want to make your brother too tired before the celebration, right?¡± He eyed me knowingly, A glint of understanding in his eyes as he winked and took my brother to the other room.


    My head was reeling as I tried to collect myself. Seeing my family alive after all these years was like a shock to the system. It was harder and harder to keep up the act of a carefree 16-year-old who hadn¡¯t seen the horrors of war. But one thing was certain¡ªthis smile wasn¡¯t a facade anymore.


    My fists tightened as I prepared myself for the most difficult part of any teenager¡¯s 16th birthday, whether they were current or time-traveled: the formation card reveal. A celebration amongst families when someone forms a formation card on their 16th birthday, acquiring mana and a unique formation card based on personality, actions, and latent potential. In my previous life, revealing my mythical rarity card was a time of great celebration, being one of the few in village history to ever have our soul form such a powerful card. My mind tried to draw me back to when that Emerald colored card appeared for the first time, surrounding my body in the vibrant green mana of my soul, the cheers of my family echoing in my mind. This time would be different, i had no mythical card, and my mana certainly wouldn¡¯t be that verdant shade of emerald this time. I wouldn¡¯t even know the color of my mana until i revealed my card to the family as was customary of every coming of age card mage.


    The laughter i heard coming from the other room snapped me from my memories. This time would be different, it had no choice, my soul had changed from fates intervention and with it, my formation card. ¡°Chained By Fate¡±, my ability to manipulate metal chains weakly, would be revealed


    I walked through the door as the room went silent except for my little brother. I chuckled as the other little ones tried to tamp down Kaels endless enthusiasm, a small reprieve from the struggles of my mind. ¡°So? Care to share Theo?¡± my father teased lightly, looking at me expectantly. ¡°Yes, Father. One moment¡± My voice steady, even as my hands trembled at the thought of awakening a second time. I called my interface to appear, being met with the most important question someone would ever receive.


    AWAKEN: YES/NO?


    ¡°Yes¡±

 Awakening

    The world exploded into brilliant fragments of light as my mana awakened for the first time in this life. Not the verdant emerald of my past life, But a radiant¡­ Gold? ¡°What the?¡± i muttered as the interface revealed itself in its entirety


    AWAKENED: Theo


    FORMATION CARD: Chained by Fate


    MANA: Gold


    AFFINITY: ????????


    RACE: Human


    TITLES: The One Bound By Fate. Returner of time. (Reward Pending)


    TUTORIAL: YES/NO


    #ER#^#% S@_L C#RS%D


    The world shattered as my body was seized with pain, The feeling of my soul being torn apart and put back together over and over by the Harbinger as time meant everything and nothing. Only feeling the soul twisting pain of the ¡°Curse of Sanguinis¡± caused nothing but pain to fill my soul and mind and body. My hands shook as i reached out to anyone, anything to help ease the pain and put me to a neutral state.


    The golden interface pulsed faintly in my vision, a hovering command floating within reach:


    AWAKENED: TUTORIAL


    YES / NO


    My mind struggled to focus on the letters, the light of the prompt piercing through the haze of torment. No voice beckoned me. No guiding hand reached out. Just the glyphs, waiting for a decision.


    Each second stretched endlessly. My body screamed at me to shut down, to give in to the nothingness. But something deeper¡ªinstinct, desperation, or perhaps the faintest ember of defiance¡ªforced my gaze to steady.


    Yes.


    I didn¡¯t think. My trembling hand moved on its own, a single, deliberate motion. My fingertip brushed the menu, and the choice was made.


    The pain vanished as suddenly as it had arrived, a stark, jarring shift that left me breathless. My body went limp, my eyes fluttering open to the warmth of my family¡¯s presence. But I couldn¡¯t see anything. Darkness pressed against my vision, an all-encompassing void. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± I mumbled, my voice hollow and trembling. The pain that reached deep into my soul seemed to echo in my words, a lingering ache that refused to fade.


    DING!


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I screamed mentally, gritting my teeth as I forced my eyes shut again. The persistent, staccato sound of the notification window shattered the silence, a piercing reminder that the nightmare wasn¡¯t over. I felt a strange, suffocating weight pressing against my soul, a pressure that coalesced into something I couldn¡¯t name. When I finally dared to open my eyes once more, all I could see was my soul space¡ªan infinite expanse of golden mist, swirling in a hypnotic dance that seemed to pull me into its depths. The air, if it could be called that, was thick with the sound of an invisible wind that whispered past me, caressing but not touching. It carried an almost metallic scent, sharp and electric, that made my skin crawl. Chains, ornate and golden, crisscrossed the endless expanse, glistening with runes that seemed alive, their lines shifting as if they were breathing. They called to me, beckoning with an irresistible force, each link whispering my name.


    I stumbled forward, my footing uncertain, as the ground beneath me shivered with the weight of unseen forces. The chains stretched out, swirling in the distance, a radiant network that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. My fingers twitched with hesitation, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from reaching out. As my fingertips brushed against one of the links, a jolt of raw energy coursed through me, sending a shockwave of visions crashing into my mind. Battle after battle, the scene of my last stand before I was sent back¡ªcrimson skies ablaze with smoke, anguished screams filling the air, and the harrowing, soulless eyes of the High Harbinger. Memories, raw and jagged, flickered in quick succession, each one leaving an indelible mark on my mind.


    DING!


    ¡°Ugh.¡± The sound of the notification was an unrelenting irritant, pulling me back into the here and now. The interface appeared before me once more, its glitching message mocking my disorientation. The error message still loomed large, flashing between hues of green and gold, a cascade of unsettling colors that seemed to burn into my eyes, refusing to be ignored.


    TUTORIAL: YES/NO


    THE INTERFACE WILL BE FULLY UNLOCKED UPON YOUR DECISION, CHOOSE NOW!


    The chains, which I had only just begun to understand, tightened their hold around me. They coiled and pulled, threatening to rip through my very being and unravel my soul. The pain was still there, lurking, promising a return if I hesitated. My breath quickened, my chest heaving as the weight of the decision pressed down on me. I reached for the ¡°YES¡± option, my fingers shaking as they hovered over it. The gold of the interface shimmered with an almost mocking glow, but it was my only chance to escape this torment. I pressed down, surrendering to the unknown with a whispered, desperate ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The golden mist faded away into a blank space, the whiteness of the tutorial room a startling contrast to the golden area of my soul space.


    DING!


    WELCOME TO THE TUTORIAL!


    The robotic voice of the interface greeted me with its blank tone.


    YOU ARE THE FIRST WIELDER WITH THE TITLES: ¡°The One Bound By Fate¡± AND ¡°Returner Of Time¡±


    CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE SURVIVED A HIGHER BEING ABSORBING YOUR SOUL!


    TUTORIAL ENHANCED! FATE HAS BOUND YOU! TUTORIAL ENHANCED! REWARD ENHANCED!


    ¡°Oh great, they¡¯re gonna get harder aren¡¯t they?¡± I knew how the interface worked, any time something was ¡°enhanced¡± it just means they get harder exponentially. But to put this simply.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°I¡¯m Fucked¡±


    TUTORIAL 1: FORMATION CARDS!


    This tutorial is based around utilizing and explaining Formation Cards.


    I internally groaned as the tutorial began the lecture.


    Formation Cards are the foundation of a wielders mana and the basis of their soul space. These mystical cards are formed from the wielders personality, goals, aspirations, and latent potential. These mystical cards are the key to any wielders deck and are the truest representation of the wielders core abilities.


    The world shifted to a beautiful forest. I heard the singing of birds as they chirped in the sky, the rustling of leaves in the wind. it was a picture of beauty if there wasn¡¯t that one single outlier. The dull iron chain that seemed to be taunting me next to the training dummy.


    CONTROL THE CHAIN TO STRIKE THE TARGET, FOCUS YOUR MANA!


    Taking steps forward, the serenity of the forest seemed to amplify the stillness between me and the dummy with its unassuming figure. I could see little drawn on angry eyes, showing the target to be a hostile. I chuckled a bit at the whimsy my soul decided to use for the tutorial.


    The words of the tutorial snapped me out of my daze, another reminder to complete the tutorial. My eyes fixed on the chain that would seemingly be my weapon for the tutorial. Every link in the chain glinting in the light of the tutorial, seeming to call out to me with whatever connection i had to it through my formation card.


    Well nothing to it but to do it right? I thought internally while trying to focus on my connection to the card. It was a completely sensation to my old Formation Card and Affinity, not the ongoing effect of eternal healing but an active effect? ¡°Yikes¡± I pondered aloud. My brow furrowed as i tried to connect with the chain. This is simple¡­ at least it should be¡­ in theory.


    A cold bead of sweat fell down my face as i tried to push my mana out of my body and into the chain. A vast discomfort filled my soul as mana left it for the first time in decades, even in the previous life i always had reinforcement or defensive cards and abilities, never sending mana out of myself. I could see it¡­ The golden mana trickling out and slowly making its way to the chain and slowly entering it.


    SNAP!


    My body and soul reeled as I felt a connection to the chain, I knew the chain in every way, from the metals within, the strength and mobility, and how to control it. ¡°Freaky, mana manipulation was hard as heck in my past life, even internal manipulation took forever to get a handle on.¡± I was flabbergasted by the rapid improvement. Mana manipulation, the advanced technique of moving one¡¯s own mana outside of cards, was seen as a trivial and excessively difficult method of training and combat. Nearly impossible to use or train for any wielder.


    Why is it so easy to not only manipulate my mana, but also move it around outside of my body?


    Something was going on, but I had no time to ponder on it more as the Dummy started to move. It seems the tutorial is done with me taking my time to learn. I willed the chain to snake towards me and wrap around my forearm, leaving a few feet off of me for combat.


    The Tutorials Voice came once again, seeming both proud and urgent in its monotone voice.


    CONGRATULATIONS ON LEARNING YOUR FORMATION CARD! ¡°CHAINED BY FATE¡± IS A GROWTH CARD, AT THE END OF THIS TRIAL YOU WILL GAIN AN INCREASE IN ITS RANK AND A WEAPON REWARD! DEFEAT THE DUMMY TO ADVANCE.


    The Training Dummy lurched towards me with an unnatural Creak! Closing the distance rapidly as my eyes darted to chain on my arm and especially the part hanging off my arm. ¡°Ooh that could work. Let¡¯s see what this can do¡± I said before dashing at the dummy, punching forward while willing the chain to lash forward. CRACK! The chain thwacked the dummy right in the chest and it stumbled backwards.


    Taking the opportunity, I sent more mana into my chain. A light, golden aura seemed to materialize around the chain as i wrapped it around the dummy and pulled with all my strength to yank it towards me.


    SNAP!


    An explosion of wood and the scream of warping metal sounded out across the forest of the tutorial


    DING!


    TUTORIAL ONE COMPLETED! YOUR FORMATION CARD HAS GONE FROM ¡°TRASH¡± TO ¡°COMMON¡± YOU CAN NOW CONTROL METAL CHAINS WITH FULL CONTROL! CREATING REWARD!


    The world dissolved back into the blank tutorial space, the forest fading away alongside the splinters and ruined remains of the testing dummy, and also¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s my chain?!¡± I yelled out.


    The tutorial weapon is supposed to stay with the trial taker so where the heck did mine go? Am i just screwed for the combat trials or what?


    Then I remembered what the interface had just said, ¡°Creating Reward¡±. Commonly the tutorial was jsut a way for wielders to learn how cards worked and their mana affinity, maybe some figuring out their combat style even. But they certainly never give rewards, even in my past life my tutorial jsut focused on learning how to focus my regeneration and distract enemies with cards.


    My focus was split as i saw a golden glow start to appear around my right arm, a familiar weight falling upon it.


    DING!


    REWARD GENERATED: MANA BLADE CHAIN (BRONZE RANK)


    The Interface screen appeared before me as the chain materialized around my arm, the gleam of the silver contrasting with the golden runes etched along the links.


    [Weapon Information]


    Name: Mana Chain Blade


    Rank: Bronze (Upgradeable)


    Type: Hybrid Weapon (Blunt/Bladed)


    Description:


    A unique, soul-bound weapon forged for the mana of its wielder. The Mana Chain Blade is versatile, functioning as both a blunt and bladed weapon. Its adaptability in combat is limited only by the wielder¡¯s skill and imagination.


    Specifications:


    ?Blade Length: 0.5 meters (fully materialized)


    ?Chain Length: 2 meters (extends to 2.5 meters with mana infusion)


    ?Material: Mana-infused alloy, unbreakable by standard means


    Special Properties:


    1. Blade Manifestation: The Chain is built to channel mana and forge a mana blade on the end of it, this blade can be manifested by directing and controlling mana throughout the chain and focusing it into a. blade shape.


    2.Soul Bond: This item will bind itself to Wielder (Theo Hollowstep) Forming a soul rune upon channeling mana through it. The weapon will grow and evolve as you do and may unlock new capabilities based upon mana control.


    Growth Path:


    ?Next Rank (Iron): Unlocks additional length, enhanced durability, and improved mana efficiency.


    Current Progression: 0% to Iron Rank


    As I inspected the window and the chain, I felt a tug on my soul from the weapon. A pinprick as it tried to siphon mana itself without my input.


    Greedy little bugger aren¡¯t you? Already trying to sample the mana without being offered.


    FORM SOUL RUNE? YES/NO


    Why is the tutorial being so weird this time? I wondered to the blank space of the tutorial waiting room. My hand slowly reaching out to hit YES, i made the selection. As my fingers lightly brushed the Interface window, my vision exploded into a radiant gold hue.


    A sharp, searing pain radiated from the back of my hand, spreading like divine fire coursing through my veins. I gritted my teeth, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I watched the golden glow race along my arm, spiraling down to the chain coiled around it. The runes etched into the links flared to life, glowing fiercely as if feeding on the pain.


    Then the Rune Etching began, Intricate symbols and shapes began to emerge on my skin, burning themselves into me like a hot brand on cattle skin. The symbol forming a circle of chains circling an odd rune i had never heard of in my years of training and combat. The chains links seemed to be burying themselves tighter into my arm as the connection flared, the pain intensifying as an aura of golden mana enveloped both me and the chain.


    DING!


    SOUL RUNE COMPLETE! You are now bonded to the ¡°MANA BLADE CHAIN¡±!


    The pain subsided instantly, a wave of relief washing over me as the chain collapsed duly onto my arm.


    Man, that was almost as painful as the soul flux. The ¡°Enhancement¡± must be making the trials harder, especially if the first one is giving a soul bound item.


    DING!


    ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SOUL SKETCHER


    You have formed a Soul Rune! Congratulations you have used your soul as a sketch pad! Sure hope you didn¡¯t muck it up forever right?


    SKILL GRANTED: [Rune Etch, Rank: Bronze 1]


    ¡°By the Hunt¡­¡± I stared, flabbergasted, at the interface window. Achievements, Skills? This was a completely different system to my old time.


    Cards were key back then, your strength relied on your cards. Your survival relied on your cards. If you couldn¡¯t overcome an obstacle you either found the right cards or died trying to find the right cards. There was no ¡°Achievements¡± and certainly no ¡°Skills¡± Everything was cards. The world was structured for them and the interface as the messenger of their effects, no more and no less. A cold but accurate interface, purely for information. Now it seemed¡­ Alive, Like something or someone was a direct influence on it either currently or millennia ago, also¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s with the snark?¡± I chuckled as i pulled up my, seemingly new and improved, interface window to review my ¡°skill list¡± as it seemed to be called in the interface window.


    SKILL LIST


    [Rune Etch, Rank: Bronze 1]: Allows the wielder to carve and activate runes into surfaces, success rate: Varies, mana cost: Varies.


    It wasn¡¯t anything too fancy, just allowing me to carve runes, but it was still leaps and bounds away from the interface I knew. It seemed to have an intelligence never seen int eh previous world, A sort of¡­ sentience.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s not dwell on that horrific thought for a moment that the all knowing system of the world can think¡± I tried to dodge the mental thought stream forming. Walking around the blank tutorial room and wondering when the next trial would begin, I began idly pacing back-and-forth, pondering the implications for he new interface when suddenly the system alerted me to the new trial.


    DING!


    TRIAL 2: [PHYSICAL CARDS]


    DEFEAT THE BEASTS USING TEMPORARY [PHYSICAL] CARDS


    COMPLETION: DEFEAT THE WAVES


    FAILURE: RESET OF TRIAL


    BEGIN? YES/NO


    Making sure the Mana Blade Chain was secure on my forearm, I selected yes.


    The tutorial space shifted into a large colosseum, rivaling the likes of the sigilhaven capital dueling arena. Large walls, gates of enormous proportions, and the grinding of the sand upon my boots greeted me to the second trial. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do¡± I called to the arena, as the first goblin spawned and snarled at me with its dagger held ready