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2024-10-29 19:42:56Huh...? What's going on? Everything's dark, and I...I feel so drained and worn out. I can't even open my eyes...
Wait, who...who am I? I...I can't remember.I can't remember anything. My head, it...it feels so foggy and cloudy......."...-42 and subject 43. You're up next."Huh? Whose voice is that? A memory? But it's unclear, I can't see anything-........Huh? Is this a different memory now? It's unclear again, everything's so blurry...but I can just about, vaguely, hear what's being said to me in the memory..."You defiant little-...! Cooperate or die, we can make good use of your corpses if you prefer!"I...I don't remember this, but it...it feels familiar, the emotions welling up and taking over my senses, they feel so...so painfully familiar. I can feel a sense of immense fear and blinding rage surging inside me........"It's no use, the result is a failure after all...how frustrating, we were so close too!"Another different memory. I-I can feel pain this time...devastating, unbearable pain..."Yes, a shame...however, we aren't out of options. This is rather experimental, but then, that's exactly what test subjects are for. Run the experiment again."N-no, stop...wh-what is this? I-I don't understand what's happening, but...th-this anguish I'm feeling, i-it's unbearable...! Please, I-I'm begging...m-make it stop...!....."N-no way...it actually worked! You actually did it, sir! This is...this is revolutionary!""I must say, even I expected this to fail...but it really worked! I'm not one to usually pat myself on the back, but I've outdone myself! With this, we've done it...all the Keys have been created!"S-something feels different about this memory, something disconcerting and unsettling...something's changed in me, something important.But, what? I...I don't know...for the life of me, I can't figure out what's changed...This feels so...so agonizing. Why...why does it feel like my head is being torn in half...? My mind, i-it feels so...so fractured. It...it hurts, I can't bear it, I l-I can't take it anymore...m-make it stop...!...."...-my ultimate masterpiece!"....."...-won't you, brother?""Yeah, of course. I-..."W-wait...what's happening? Broken fragments of blurry memories are flashing through my head in rapid succession, too fast to keep up with........"N-no, we can't go against Father!""But if we don't, we'll be-..."....."...-undermining my authority, how dare you? If you weren't such a valuable subject, I would-..."....."I told you, didn't I? It's useless...we'll never be free, we might as well accept-..."....."How did they find us!?""Kill them! Don't let them anywhere near the Keys!""D-damn it, they're too powerful!"....."...-you okay? Hey, can you hear me, kid? Tell me, what's your name?""Ir-...*????*...-dia."Huh? The memories are getting more and more unclear, I can barely hear anything anymore........"...-safe now. It's-...*????*...-be ok-..."....."Go-...*????*...-orning, kiddo, I see you're-...*????*..."....."Come on, you-...*????*...-to study, or-...*????*..."....."H-hey, stop messing with my hair, it's annoying...""Hahaha, I-...*????*...-help it, you're j-...*????*...-cute!"....."...-really am sorry about this-...*????*...-wish it didn't have to be this w-...*????*...-oing to miss you so m-...*????*...-care of yourself."H-huh? Why...why do I feel so much sorrow? I-it feels like my heart is breaking apart........"Goodbye."No, wait...n-no, please don't go. Hold on, come back...please, don't leave me...!.....Huh? Wait...what was I just thinking about? I...I don't remember. My mind feels so clear, but...it also feels empty, devoid of any memories. Who...who am I?Hm...? What's the sound? I...I think I hear voices..."...-sorry to put this on you. But you're the only one I can trust enough to turn to with this..."Whose voice is that? It sounds strangely familiar, but I...I don't recognize it..."Of course, you can count on me, I'll protect him. But are you really sure about this?"An unfamiliar voice, this time...but while I can hear them, I barely have the strength to listen. I...I feel so...so sleepy..."Yes, I am, given the situation, there's no choice. It's too dangerous to keep him with me.""That's not what I meant. His memories are-...""I know...but it's for the best. With everything he's been through, I-I...I decided the best thing for him now is to start over with a blank slate."I-I feel like something important is being said, but everything's starting to go dark and I can't focus, I think I'm losing consciousness..."That's your decision, then?""It is. Oh, I almost forgot...his name is...," The familiar voice floated out, before fading away as everything went dark........Hm...? I slowly opened my eyes with a grimace as light hit my eyelids, letting out a slight groan as I sat up groggily, rubbing my head. My left eye feels misty...is that a tear? Am I...crying? Why?Where am I? Wait, who am-...?"Why does this feel...familiar? Have I...asked myself these questions before...?" I muttered, getting a strange sense of deja vu as I posed those questions to myself."Oh, you're finally awake. Good morning," Came an unfamiliar voice from my left, startling me.I warily turned my head that way, to see a man seated on a chair beside the bed I was on, smiling at me. Well, this isn't creepy at all..."Uh...who are you? More importantly...were you watching me sleep?" I frowned, backing away slightly."Hey, relax, there's no need to be on guard," He responded assuringly."You didn't answer my questions...""My name is Ifeus Lero, it's nice to meet you. And I suppose, yes, you could technically say that I was watching you sleep...but I think it's more accurate to say that I was waiting for you to wake up," He replied with a wry smile.He looks like he's in his mid-thirties or so, with a slightly dark complexion, long, straight shoulder-length snow white hair, purple eyes and a mustache and small chin beard. He had a small mole below his left eye, and had silver piercings studded into both his ears."Tell me...why can't I remember anything? Who am I? What is this place?" I inquired warily."Oh, you have amnesia? How tragic...I just found you passed out in an alley, so I brought you here," He answered, briefly averting his gaze slightly.He's lying, and not very convincingly, at that. And besides, he isn't treating me like some random stranger he happened to save, a normal person wouldn't let a complete stranger into their house like this and treat them without any suspicious or wariness.He knows something. In fact, I bet he knows who I am, and why I don't remember anything. Well, I'm not gonna play along with his crappy act. I've got nothing but questions, so I want answers..."Wow, how kind of you, you have my gratitude, good sir. Now, let's cut the crap, old man...what's the real answer?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously."Wha-...old!? I'm not that old, you little-...ahem. Let's, uh...let's get back on track, shall we? Alright, guess there's no point in keeping up the facade...I suppose that I should've taken the time to come up with a more convincing story. Let me assure you, it's not my intention to deceive you, but all I can say is that I can't tell you anything about your past. It's better if you don't think about it. Trust me...it's for your own good," He remarked after a pause.Somehow, that's a worse answer than just making up a lie."Seriously? If it's my past, I think I have a right to know about it," I frowned indignantly."Sorry, but I really can't say. Well, literally speaking, I technically can, but I won't. Oh, but I can tell you thing...your name," He offered sheepishly."...feel like my memories are more important than that, but fine, whatever. Well? What's my name?" I relented with a sigh."Your name is...Topaz Oriole."
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The Fractured Mage Chapter 2 - Topaz Oriole
"That...that sounds like a fake name. Is that a fake name? It's a fake name, isn't it? Yeah, it's definitely a fake name. What's my real name?" I frowned suspiciously. "What? No, that's your name, I swear," He responded with a shake of his head, firmly meeting my gaze with an earnest look in his eyes.Hm, I don't think he's lying this time...I mean, if he was capable of lying this effectively, I wouldn't have caught on to his initial lies to begin with. And since he's refused to tell me about my past, there's no reason for him to lie about my name, he could've just refused to tell me if he didn't want me to know what it is. But, seriously? That's my name? Topaz Oriole...it sounds kinda, I don't know, pretentious? Like, overly unusual or rare names feel sort of...gauche. "So, I take it you aren't going to explain anything to me?" I inquired, as I glanced at the man warily...he said his name was Ifeus, right? "Oh, not at all, I'll answer any questions you may have. Well, besides any
The Fractured Mage Chapter 3 - Magic System(Part 1)
"Go on, introduce yourselves," Ifeus prompted the two girls, as they entered the room, staring at me with looks of intrigue and curiosity in their eyes. "Hello, it's nice to meet you...my name is Iris Lero," One of them introduced herself politely. She had snow while hair tied up in a ponytail, a slightly dark complexion, and bright, dark green eyes. Ifeus said that I'm fourteen, right? She looks a bit older, maybe somewhere around sixteen years old or so. "Hi, there! I'm Lilac Lero, my name's a bit of a tongue twister...try saying it over and over!" Grinned the other girl as she introduced herself in a cheerful, friendly tone. Yeah, I'd rather not. She's a bit excessively upbeat, huh? She looked like she was a bit younger than Iris, with a similar complexion, dark purple hair tied up in twintails, gleaming red eyes and-...wait, what's that? Something's moving in her chest. Huh? Is...is that a snake? "Uh...," I muttered in bewilderment, as a green snake poked its head out of her t
The Fractured Mage Chapter 4 - Magic System(Part 2)
I wonder what it could be? Well, only one way to find out. I then locked my gaze onto the display, focusing on it...I should be able to control it with my mind. It should display my Class, which Tiers I've currently unlocked, and the Arts and Traits that I possess, as well as any Arts or Traits that I haven't yet learned but am eligible for. And it should also display my Ether Capacity, Maximum Ether Output and Power Level, along with numerical values for my various physical abilities. The active abilities that Mages use are called Magical Arts, or just Arts for short. There are also passive abilities that can be unlocked by specific Classes, abilities that are constantly active, called Magical Traits, or Traits for short. As for Power Level, it's a value derived from a person's Ether Capacity, Maximum Ether Output, Casting Distance and their various physical attributes. I'm not sure what the exact formula is, though. Okay, let's see here...show me my Class! The display then open
The Fractured Mage Chapter 5 - Magic System(Part 3)
Oh, wow. Ignoring and setting aside the questions marks, the rest of my stats aren't bad at all...my Maximum Ether Output is well above the human average of 10. And the average for all four physical stats are about 15, so I'm well above average with those too. My durability is especially high, interesting. Gotta say, wouldn't have guessed that's the case since my body is kinda scrawny and slender, guess I'm more sturdily built than I thought. It does make sense that my numbers are above average though, since my Ascended Tier is unlocked. That said, my Agility and Speed stats are a bit low for an Ascended Mage, while my Strength stat is just about a fraction below average. It also makes sense that my Power Level isn't showing up and displays '???' instead, just like with my Ether Capacity stat. After all, since Ether Capacity is the main factor in calculating Power Level, and my Ether Capacity isn't showing up, it's only natural that my Power Level can't be calculated. I should also
The Fractured Mage Chapter 6 - Present and History
My name is Topaz Oriole, and I have amnesia. I'm apparently fourteen years old, born on the 20th of April, in the year 490 PA. The current year is 504 PA, and PA stands for Post-Apocalypse. I'll get to that later. The first memory I have is waking up in an unfamiliar room, before being greeted by an unfamiliar man who claimed to be my guardian, and who turned out to be a bit of a pain in the ass with all his secrecy. It's been a month since then, and I have to say, this place is pretty comfortable. It's a two-story house with a big garden out front and a backyard, with four rooms on the upper floor. Since Ifeus is a Guildmaster, he's seriously loaded. Possibly most importantly, the meals are great too. The bathroom here is massive, it even has a sauna and a jacuzzi, which I don't think I've experienced before...with trying certain things, I sometimes get a sense of familiarity and deja vu, which likely means I've experienced them before. Like with eating certain foods, and also my
The Fractured Mage Chapter 7 - History, Continued
After gaining an understanding and comprehension over Ether, the Seven Gods pooled their newfound knowledge and intelligence to establish the Magic System that exists together, giving the people the ability to stably harness their powers and halting the widespread, rampant mutations. Apparently, the way the Magic System works is based on technology that existed before the disaster, the display that a Mage sees when they enter their subconscious was apparently created with the lost technology as a basis for its layout and functionality. However, simply establishing the Magic System wasn't enough to bring an end to the chaos and mayhem in the new, post-apocalyptic world...the Seven Gods soon realized that the core of the issue was that the people who had undergone physical changes were discriminating against those who looked different to them. That's when they decided to take on the role of Gods, appearing before the people with overwhelming displays of power to get their attention.
The Fractured Mage Chapter 8 - Morning Person
"Ugh, so bright...," I muttered to myself as I yawned, dragging my my feet avorss my room and opening up the light box, squinting my eyes as a bright glow shone out of it. Oh, right, I mentioned before that all technology that existed before the Ether Apocalypse five hundred years ago no longer exists, let me explain what technology is like in the current era. Most things are powered using various forms of crystallized Ether, which are known as Vitrea. They're crystals with special properties that form under certain conditions, used for a variety of things, like lighting, heating, cooling, cooking and so on. For lighting, we use what's known as Light Vitrea, crystals that form in areas exposed to heavy sunlight, like deserts. They produce light indefinitely by continually absorbing Ether from the surrounding air. The only way to switch them off is to enclose them in lead, which blocks the flow of Ether. So Light Vitrea usually come in lead boxes that can be mounted on walls or ceil
The Fractured Mage Chapter 9 - Traits
"Ow...that really hurt, I think it's broken...," I groaned, rubbing my nose gingerly as I got back up, rubbing the area above my upper lip as blood trickled out of my nostrils. "You have a bad habit of freezing up every time I go on the offensive, at least try to react in some way, anything would be better than not moving at all. You'd be dead if this wasn't a wooden sword," Responded Iris, pointing the blunt blade at me as I stood up. "Maybe go a little easier, sis, don't you think you're kinda overdoing it?" Called out Lilac from the stairs, watching us as she sipped on a glass of apple juice while her snake slithered across her left arm. "The harder I am on him, the faster he'll improve.""Yikes, sure glad you aren't training me, you overpowered gorilla...," Muttered Lilac wryly. "Hm? What was that? You say something?""Nothing! Didn't say a word!"A couple more weeks have passed, and before this, I'd been spending a couple of hours each day training by myself. One hour in hand
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- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 96 - Monster Army(Part 3)
Point-of-View: Iris Lero———————————————————————————I began to point my blade at the Dragon as it raised its arm up, before I lowered my weapon in surprise, as the Dragon... "No, wait-...!" Began Lilac, before abruptly trailing off as the Dragon plunged its claws into its own throat, killing itself.Blood gushed out of its neck as its body went limp and collapsed onto the ground, sending tremors across the area as blood poured out of the deep gash in its neck, pooling around its head."Wow, uh...that was hardcore. Wasn't expecting that from you, Lilac," Remarked Rex in surprise."N-no, I...that wasn't me. I linked with the Dragon using Thought Communication and managed to free it from the control it was under, I was going to set it free after that. It was in a frenzy and immensely enraged, even though I managed to establish a telepathic link with it, I couldn't get it to listen to me. I think it thought that I was going to take control of it instead of letting it go, and it chose t
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 95 - Monster Army(Part 2)
Point-of-View: Iris Lero———————————————————————————"Damn it, there's just no end to them!" I snapped, as I slashed off a Monster's head with my sword, before rapidly extending the blade towards a Monster barreling in towards me from the right, piercing through the top of its head and splitting its skull open as I swung my blade up while continuing to extend it out.I then whipped my arm across, the blade slicing across several flying Monsters and bringing them down, before I began to spin around as I sensed a Monster springing up behind me.As I turned around, a massive blast of flames came shooting towards the Monster from its left, eliciting a deafening roar of pain from it as the flames enveloped it and set it ablaze, its agonized roars soon fading as it got burnt to a crisp."I know you probably had that under control, but you're welcome regardless," Grinned Rex, beads of sweat running down the sides of his face, before firing out a scorching wave of flames from his mouth at a g
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 94 - Monster Army(Part 1)
Point-of-View: Lilac Lero ———————————————————————————"Thank you for coming, we really appreciate the assistance," Smiled the Guildmaster of the Praepotentia Guild, a grateful look on his face."Don't mention it, we're all on the same side here, so it's only natural that we help each other out when necessary," Replied Iris politely. "Yes, of course, I completely agree."Hah, yeah right. Pretty sure this guy used to mock our Guild in the not so distant past, guess him showing genuine gratitude like this despite his previous attitude towards us means that the situation here must be pretty dire.After Sapphire wiped out all the Monsters around the capital in the direction we'd come from, we entered the city and made our way to the Praepotentia Guild. We came across a Goblin on the way in, I used Forced Tame on it to confirm that these Monsters are being controlled by someone with the same Class as me. We then arrived at the Guild shortly after, and there were a lot of people here, wit
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 93 - Perpetually Exhausted
"Too slow. Come on, I know that you can do a lot better than that," Remarked Ifeus, before firing a telekinetic blast at me.I quickly countered with an Ether-negating wave, before firing a barrage of swirling Ether spheres at him. As my projectiles closed in on him, he vanished from sight, before I stiffened as I sensed him reappearing behind me.I began to fire out a shockwave of Ether from my body, before I found myself falling as he swept at my legs with his right foot, tripping me over. My left shoulder hit the ground with a painful thud, as I let out a weary groan..."Come on, man, give me a break...I haven't eaten anything in almost two full days now, and you only let me sleep for like two hours last night. I can't fight like this, I'm completely drained," I complained as I tried to catch my breath, my stomach rumbling and my vision blurring."Oh, don't worry...I'll let you have some food and a bit more sleep tonight. But there's still a few hours before night time, so we're no
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 92 - Request
Point-of-View: Lilac Lero———————————————————————————"Damn it, I miss To," I sighed irritably, feeling restless and impatient."Yes, I know, you've been saying that every single day, multiple times a day, for the last month. I'm sure he'll be back soon, try thinking about something else in the meantime," Responded Iris as she gave me a pat on the head."Don't patronize me, you stupid gorilla...""...just this once, I'll let that slide. But only once, got it?"Yeah, whatever. Today's the 15th of August, 505 PA, and we were currently on our way to the capital, Rosnoir City. There had been an immense spike in the number of Monsters around the capital, attacking around the outskirts of the city. Which is very unusual behavior for Monsters, they tend to dislike hunting in unfamiliar territory. Though, from what we've heard, they're not hunting, they're just attacking and killing without really eating the people they kill. Which is even more unusual and unnatural for Monsters. Even smal
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 91 - Ambushed(Part 2)
I quickly set up an Ether-negating barrier over the alley, ducking as one of the people surrounding me flung a dagger at me, narrowly avoiding it. It's likely that all their weapons have been coated in poison, a single hit might be all it takes to kill me. This is bad...including the woman who'd tricked me, there's eight of them surrounding me right now. The odds are heavily stacked against me, I have absolutely no margin of error here..."How troublesome, it would seem as though we can't use our Magic," Remarked one of them, as they circled around me."It's not a problem. This is just a minor inconvenience, it's no great obstacle.""You know, I'm starting to feel kinda insulted!" I snapped, forming a ring of Ether around me before rapidly expanding it outwards towards them while narrowing and sharpening the edges of the ring.Some of them managed to duck under it, while the rest sprang above it to dodge the attack, several knives coming flying in towards me from multiple directions
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 90 - Ambushed(Part 1)
Well, this was a massive waste of time. What gives? The hell is going on here, anyway? I mean, seriously, who sent me that letter? Somehow, I don't think this was just some dumb prank... On the bright side, I get to go home now, and since Ifeus is here, I just need to meet back up with him and he can teleport me right back to Skyrouge City.So, at least I don't have to worry about taking the long journey back by carriage. Still though, I'm kinda pissed, I don't like that I just wasted a whole lot of time on nothing.As I walked down the street, muttering to myself irritably, I was snapped out of it as someone came jogging this way, trying to swerve out of the way as they closed in on me, but in their rush, failed to fully get out the way and ended up bumping into me, getting knocked down with an alarmed cry as I stumbled back a bit before regaining my balance."Uh, sorry about that, are you okay?" I inquired, offering my hand to help them up. It was a young woman, she was carrying a
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 89 - Letter
"Uh...I don't know, this sounds really fishy," I frowned apprehensively."I understand your concerns, but I can assure you, this client is a trustworthy sort. The letter appears to be authentic, this is definitely his seal...so, I don't think there's anything to worry about," Replied Ifeus, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder."Still...given what happened on the last Quest you sent me out on, I figured I'd have to stay cooped up at home for the foreseeable future," I sighed wistfully."Yes, you seem to be quite disappointed that that's not the case. The thought did cross my mind, of course, but no, I won't be doing that...it may be the safer option, but if you just stay at home indefinitely, you're not going to get very much stronger, Topaz. And with the way things have been going lately, you need to get as strong as possible, as fast as possible. And the best way to do that is to keep building your experience level," He surmised, a slightly conflicted look on his face.I mean, I
- The Fractured Mage
Chapter 88 - Failed
"I see, that sounds like it must have been a pretty harrowing experience. I'm glad the both of you are okay, at least," Remarked Iris, as she slumped back in the couch and munched on a chip."Yeah, that could've ended up a lot worse than it did. It really helped that that girl, Luxuria, just kept talking. I probably wouldn't have broken free from her control otherwise," I replied with a grimace, before adding, "Anyway, based on what you said about your Quest, it sounds like things didn't go too much better for you."It was the next day, around 5 PM in the evening. Iris's group got back from their failed Quest early this morning, and she'd just woken up about half an hour ago. She had a bite to eat, and then joined Lilac and I in playing some board games. Before we long, we got to talking about our Quests yesterday... "It was a disaster...we failed to protect our client, and while I'm not too torn up about his death, he was a real asshole, the fact that I was so completely helpless to