《Fragments》
Waking After Death
A sharp pain in her temple forced her to consciousness. As her senses returned, she heard a cacophony of voices whispering in her head. It was as if a room full of people were all trying to order her body how to act. She had to struggle against the voices to lift her leaden eyelids, and when she did was greeted by a world full of static.
As she struggled to regain her senses and silence the voices, one particular voice grew stronger. While the others tried to control her, this one told her who she was. It was like a recording on repeat. ¡°You are Cerra. This is your body. You are in control.¡±
Focusing on the voice allowed her to mostly silence the others, though the murmuring remained in the background. It was then her memories started flowing back in. It was like watching an old film, tattered and worn. It felt true, but it also felt like something wasn¡¯t quite right. Even the strong voice carrying her memories was fragmented, as if before all this she lived multiple lives.
There was the life of a college coed. A girl studying both science and magic at a prestigious New England university. She knew how to control the elements, to bend them to her will. While she didn¡¯t know the finer details, she was well versed with cyberware and hacking. Of the two disciplines, she was far more versed with magic, but she had initially gone to the university to study the sciences.
Then there was our life in the shadows. How our chance encounter with a toxic spirit on the way home from school permanently twisted our aura and awakened our magic. How we lived a second life as the face for a team of runners. There was someone we belonged with, though our memories failed to reveal their face. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
We also led the team, a powerful leader who sometimes seemed to be more machine than man. We pulled strings in the shadows, we ran jobs, we tried to make a difference in our home rather than let the corporations rule. We had friends and allies. We had faced death. We were dead.
Though her mind was still a jumbled mess she reached up to try and clear the blurriness from her eyes. Rather than touching warm skin as she expected, she felt the cold touch of metal. This was expected. This was wrong. This was completely normal. We asked ourselves, ¡°how did we get here?¡±
The crash. The infection. The chaos. Something fell from the sky in a glittering shower. It destroyed a huge section of the city and we went to investigate. But we also stayed away, sheltered from the madness. Then the voices began and the rest was a blurred rush of motion and memory. We fled through the underground before they quarantined the area. We made it but we didn¡¯t make it.
Pain. Blood. Darkness.
The voices grew stronger and she started to scream.
Hurried footsteps were soon heard as a shabby looking man in a white lab coat came rushing in. Her blurry vision was not fast enough to follow him, and she heard the quiet hiss of a pneumatic injector before she could react. She welcomed the return to nothingness.
We welcomed the return to sleep.
Scars
I always believed being able to see into the astral plane was a blessing, when you can literally see into someone¡¯s soul you have a powerful tool for achieving your goals. Now though, I realize it can also be a curse.
Oh spirits, I never should have looked at her aura. Those images have haunted my sleep ever since.
There was this cute yet nondescript girl in my Theory of Magic class. She was the type who seemed quiet and mousy on the surface, but you knew that she could be a real fireball if you convinced her to set aside her innocent facade.
I¡¯d been watching her for a while, planning my approach. During that time I saw her with some - interesting - people. The type that any sane person tries to avoid. And on top of that, I''m pretty sure she was packing heat, both magically and physically.
This five-nothing coed looked completely harmless, her baggy clothing worked well at concealing her modest breasts and other features. You wouldn''t be surprised to see her discreetly carrying a taser for safety in the city sprawl. What you wouldn''t expect is for her to be openly wearing a holster with the type of pistol you''d see in an action movie.
Despite my interest, I put approaching her on hold. I kept watching her though, up until she disappeared after the incident. A lot of people disappeared that day, hardly surprising considering half the city and our local baseball team were obliterated. I''d written her off as one of the countless casualties and class felt meaningless without her there. Honestly, she was the primary reason I attended a class so far below my level.
But she came back!
Towards the end of the term I arrived in class one day to find her seated in her normal chair. She¡¯d changed her hair, but otherwise looked more or less the same. Previously she wore her shoulder length dirty blonde hair loose or in a small ponytail. Certainly not stylish, but tasteful. Now it was more wild with her bangs hiding her face. It was still attractive, but in a dazed and confused sort of way.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I immediately knew she hadn¡¯t survived unscathed. My lips curled into a smile at the thought that winning her over might require nothing more than playing the role of a knight offering aid. I immediately moved to welcome her back, but barely made it more than a couple of steps before I froze.
My smile instantly faded as I looked directly at her, behind her hair I saw the dull gleam of metal. She had gotten chromed up. It wasn''t something tasteful either, it was a blatantly obvious cyber eye. While a mage could make do with a limited amount of high quality enhancements, something like this was a huge mistake.
I couldn''t help it, I had to see the damage she''d done to her soul. I looked directly at her aura and promptly collapsed.
As soon as I opened myself to the astral plane, sweat beaded on my forehead. Flickering flames roughly formed the shape of her body, bright oranges and reds dancing before my eyes. Blinding flashes of white surged from within the inferno that was her soul, leaving dark shadows lingering behind.
Only they weren''t shadows. They were human looking figures trying to escape the fire. You could feel their pain and terror as they were devoured one by one. The figures kept appearing only to be continually dissolved by the flames.
Tearing my eyes from the nightmare before me, led me toward her face. Her cyber eye was a colorless void, like staring into a hole in which not even light could escape. The nothingness of her eye was slowly encroaching on the flames, leaving deathly looking tendrils of emptiness surrounded by purplish scars.
The worst part of all, the part which brought me to my knees, was when my gaze found hers. When the blindingly bright silver flame that was her living eye met my own, I instantly knew she could see through me, into my very core.
The last thing I remember before darkness overtook me was that as our eyes locked the devouring flames of her soul seemed to smile.
Yorick
The cluttered alleyway was dark. Despite the bright moonlight only a single beam pierced the shadows. This ray fell upon a young woman cheerfully sitting on a battered wooden crate. Her smile seemed to glow as she steadily kicked her heels against her makeshift chair, causing a thumping sound, almost like a heartbeat, to echo throughout the otherwise peaceful night.
Stilling her legs she allowed silence to settle around her, relishing the quiet before finally speaking in a hushed, respectful voice. ¡°Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio.¡±
Falling into silence once more, she turned her focus away from the bloody mess in her hand to the massive dog who was patiently watching her. Looking at the dog, she gave her head a slight shake as she realized that her words were wrong.
¡°No. That¡¯s not right,¡± she whispered to herself as she continued observing the dog.
¡°You¡¯re...¡± Her voice trailed off as she began searching through her scattered thoughts. She knew this dog, but wasn¡¯t sure who he belonged to. Regardless of who his master was, she found his company reassuring, like he was an old friend. She gazed into his eyes, which seemed to glow a smouldering red against his coal black fur, and smiled at him.
A moment passed before she blurted out a name. ¡°Cobalt!¡± As her shout bounced off the alley walls she nodded happily at the partially surfaced memory. ¡°You¡¯re Cobalt. I don''t remember why that''s you, but it''s definitely you.¡±
One mystery solved, she turned her attention back to the head in her hand. Holding it by either side, she inspected his face. ¡°And I don¡¯t actually know you either, do I? You¡¯re certainly no Yorick!¡±
With a shrug and a simple thought the head burst into flame before she casually tossed it away, letting it bounce harmlessly into the darkness.
Focusing on her animal friend once more, she asked ¡°So Cobalt, how did we end up here anyway?¡±
As if considering the answer, the dog''s ears perked up and he tilted his head to better look at her. He let out a non-committal bark.
The girl sighed, knowing that was the best answer he could provide. Having no other options, she closed her eyes and let the voices flood her mind.
Searching the cacophony she eventually found her answer. ¡°Ahhh... That¡¯s right... It all began with The Creeper...¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Daytime in a busy university hallway. A young woman in cargo pants and a baggy hoodie walks alone. She appears to be deep in thought as she passes a bulletin board covered in flyers. One particular flyer posted by Campus Safety briefly catches her attention before she continues towards class.
The rumors were everywhere. Going to class she couldn¡¯t help but overhear them, and the flyers were impossible to miss. Over the past few weeks people kept talking about The Creeper. Though the area around the campus was traditionally safe, it had gotten so bad that Campus Safety had officially recommended that women not travel alone.
The gossip said that a man was stalking the coeds. He magically immobilized them somehow before dragging them off. They would be found the following morning wandering aimlessly. Physically, aside from some minor bumps and bruises, they appeared to be unharmed, but their minds were shattered. When questioned some of them could only scream, while others lost all sense of their identity. None of the victims could explain what had happened. Neither Campus Safety, nor the local Corporate Security had any useful leads.
She paused to observe her reflection in a nearby window as she considered the one thing which was clear to everyone. The Creeper had a type, he liked women of slight stature. Women like her.
She decided that his reign of terror had gone on long enough and that she would end it.
Dusk in a tiny dorm room, barely large enough for a bed, desk and dresser. The young woman from earlier is standing naked before a small closet containing a mix of practical and comfortable clothing. She is searching through the clothes.
Not finding any suitably sexy clothes she quietly cursed her practical wardrobe. Often mistaken for a boy, she worried that she wouldn¡¯t be tempting enough bait for The Creeper. Not owning any skirts, she settled for her normal cargo pants and quickly put those on. Eventually she decided on wearing her tactical vest as a top. When held closed just by the snap it both emphasized her chest and allowed her to conceal a weapon underneath.
Briefly examining her weapons rack, she reached for her dagger. As if caressing a lover she ran her hand along the blackened and burnt blade before sliding it into a sheath concealed by her vest.
Moving to her jewelry box, she dumped the contents on her dresser before carefully detaching its false base. The first thing she removed was a wire armband, the metal much like that of her dagger. She slowly wrapped it around her right upper arm, tight enough that it began to dig into her skin. When she finished a half smile settled onto her otherwise expressionless face as she placed her hand over the artifact. Gathering her magical energy she whispered a few words and the metal seemed to sink into her arm before disappearing.
Finally she removed a metal gear the size of a quarter from the box and pressed it against the top of her left wrist, where a person¡¯s watch would traditionally rest. Wincing slightly as the sharp edges cut into her skin, she hissed out another spell as the gear embedded itself into her arm and slowly began to turn.
Her preparations done, she left her dorm, and the rest is history...