The light of the early morning sun streams in through the window in our barracks, landing on my eyes and giving
firm notice. Daylight is burning and I need to make the most of the opportunity I’m given.
The problem— though I hesitate to call it one— is that Chloe is still lying down on top of , holding onto , and still fast asleep with the most contented look on her face. I dare not wake her up, much as I loathe the idea of letting this final day of preparations go to waste. Instead, I close my eyes once more, continuing the [Interdiate Ether Manipulation] training that I’ve been neglecting to this point.
Pull the [Ether] out of my core. Guide it to my legs. Imagine it like a pair of springs, bouncing
forward with each step I take. Pull it back into my core. A bit of it is lost, but what is lost is swiftly restored as my body absorbs more from the outside world. Then I move it to my eyes, sharpening my already prodigious vision yet further. It’s not quite sharp enough to make out individual bacteria— to my great relief. But it’s not that far off, either.
I release the [Ether] flow from my eyes, returning my vision to sothing resembling normal. Next, I move it to my arms, feeling my muscles crackle with newfound strength. Then I try to guide it across my entire body, coalescing it in a thin, subdermal layer. I don’t know if this can be fashioned into a sort of exoskeletal armor around my body, but the idea of doing so intrigues . If nothing else, it’s one of the cybernetics I need to strongly consider to augnt the equipnt I can wear.
This does seem to be the first true exploit I’ve found in the System, should it work the way I’d like it to. At least, it’s the potential for one, which warrants further exploration at the very least. My wings are considered an accessory, and my left arm is considered a weapon within the annals of System-registration. But could I modify my body further and also wear other equipnt as armor? Maybe?
Or would an exoskeletal shell— which I guess isn’t technically an exoskeleton if it’s subdermal— be considered my body armor? How much can I modify my body without it occupying a gear slot? I doubt a person’s pacemaker or artificial knee implant occupies an entire gear slot. There must be so opportunity to experint, at least along the periphery.
I focus on holding the [Ether] in place, not letting it move about as it wants to. Solidifying it, controlling it, compressing it, strengthening it. It resists . I push back, demanding my [Ether] obey my will and mine alone. That is what [Ether] is. A manifestation of my will, the ability to exert my aims on reality itself, bending it to my will, invoking the power the System grants . And Skills are sothing akin to muscle mory, I suppose. A technique that we are either taught, or learn through repetition, and have learned it to such an extent that we can employ it through will alone, without needing to go through the minutiae.
I get another idea, though it’s probably one that Chloe will protest most vigorously, given the potential danger involved. In truth, I have no idea if it’s dangerous or not, but the potential is there, and I know she doesn’t like when I take risks. But I think it could be the key to unlocking more of my past life’s mories. mories I desperately need to recall to maximize our chances of success tomorrow.
By concentrating [Ether] into my core, and then toward my brain, I hope to trigger so sort of chain reaction that loosens sothing. Because it does feel like I should have access to these mories. Just that they’re damd up and inaccessible. I don’t know if the reason for that is because my past self didn’t want
to know just yet, or the System is trying to hide this information from . But I’d like to know at least a little more about who I am, what I was brought here to do, and what, exactly, is the best way to move forward from here.
I focus on that laboratory in that distant universe. Of the mories I’ve reclaid to this point. Of what I want to know. I close my eyes, focus my will inward, channeling that tiny sliver of the power of 「The Anomaly」that I can currently tap into. Chloe’s here with , protecting
as my healer, and I trust that she will look after
as the outside world grows murky and distant. Another mory is availing itself to , and I need to make full use of the knowledge it contains.
Planet XSQ-1827, Substation 33, Year 16,369 A.I. (7 Weeks After Seraphina’s Awakening)
Madison and I are standing in the training room once again. After two weeks of intensive training under her tutelage, my Skills have begun to rank up and my battle senses have grown more refined. I am better able to anticipate her attacks, her counters to my attacks, how she moves, and how best to move to counter.
In so regards, combat is a lot like chess. Although I’m no good at chess, I at least understand the principles. Attacking versus defending, one player makes a move, the other responds, or perhaps they counterattack, reasoning that the attack is weak. There is jockeying for position on the battlefield or chess board, moving around until the perfect mont to attack. Sacrifices are made, powerful Skills are employed. Sotis, the attack is overwhelming and overcos the enemy. Sotis the attack fizzles, is deflected, or otherwise is negated, leaving one vulnerable to a quick defeat thereafter. And sotis, when the positions and battle strengths are just so, players deadlock into a stalemate, neither side able to make a move.
Unfortunately for , Madison’s tactical acun is far superior to my own. I am able to push her back with repeated applications of my [Swift Foot] and my new [Ether Strike] skill, but she manages to heal up any damage I inflict upon her. anwhile, her attacks are not particularly powerful, but she manages to continually inflict small wounds upon
which compound over the course of the minute or so our skirmishes last.
That’s one thing Madison has taught
about combat. Always make full use of every Skill at your disposal. While the [Ether] costs on skills look substantial, dozens or even hundreds of points per second, that’s only by the standards of low-level combatants. Fights between people of levels over 100 rarely last longer than a minute or two. Or an effective level that high in my case, since I don’t possess such a level at this ti.
We simply move too quickly, we process information too fast, and our spells fire with too much force. For those mythical beings with levels pushing past two hundred, they can have an entire battle take place in the span of a single breath.
She walks over to
and places a hand on my shoulder, infusing
with her healing light. It’s warm and comforting, and during these monts where she’s patching
up instead of tearing
apart, it’s like I’m seeing a different side of her. Not the cold, clinical, detached researcher, and not the cruel, unrelenting [Sword Saintess] tasked with preparing
for combat. Instead, she’s kind and considerate and gentle and cute. Cute? Should I be thinking about such a thing? Why am I thinking such things? I need to not be distracted by her!
I steady myself and channel my [Energy Sword] into the shape of a spear. It’s the weapon I’m most comfortable with. Greater range than a sword, with imnse flexibility in terms of keeping my distance from Madison. At the very least, I’m able to force her to take the initiative and try to close the gap. She always can— to my dismay and displeasure. But I am able to hold out for longer. Close to a minute now, even when she’s being what she calls ‘serious’. I doubt it’s her coming at
with true killing intent, but I don’t think it’s that far off either.
She attacks. I parry her first blow, swatting her simple thrust aside and to the left. She spins her blade around and out of our weapon lock, aiming for an attack on my weaker right side. I expected as much; she knows my slight bias toward my left side. I force myself backward, letting my [Swift Foot] propel
out of the slicing attack.
Madison doesn’t relent, even as I unleash my new [Ether Strike]. A beam of pure white energy launches from my right hand, aid directly at her face. A small part of
wants to hold back lest I hurt her inadvertently. But the far larger part of
wants to demonstrate exactly what I’m capable of. She thinks I’m too weak! She looks down upon ! And I can’t stand it!
At the sa ti, I can’t help but feel that she has a point. How can I hope to do anything that they want
to do? How can I be entrusted with the freedom to leave this place and venture forth on my own, if I lack the power to protect myself? I hate it! Hate! Hate! Hate!
Madison sees the montary lapse in my judgent, and makes sure I pay with pain, her sword nicking my right thigh, just below the hip. Another blow follows at my left knee. Damn her! I’m not going to be able to dodge with my mobility crippled like that. And I can’t regenerate it due to my lack of healing magic.
No, that’s not right. It should be possible, unless Madison is lying to . Being 「The Anomaly」 ans I should have the power to do so, even without spells. Is that what Madison has been trying to teach
this whole ti?
I Manifest my will into my body, moving [Ether] around my body with the purpose of finding every wound and ailnt that still lingers within my body, and then purging these impurities, these injuries.
Madison does not relent from her overwhelming barrage, but between my [Stone Skin] and channeling my [Ether] like a barrier, I’m able to avoid taking any major damage. My [Ether] is falling fast, each of her strikes draining close to a hundred points, but my attempt at healing myself is working. Pain leaves my body as the biochanical processes within
work at a greatly accelerated rate. My blood vessels stitch themselves up, my muscles repair themselves, and I’m again able to move as normal.
[You have gained the General Skill [Etheric Repair]. Would you like to learn this Skill? (General Skill Slots remaining: 4/6)]
[「The Anomaly」 effect activates. Would you like to accept this as a Class Skill instead? (Class Skill Slots remaining: 6/8)]
[[Etheric Self-Repair]: A biochanical lifeform has the potential to manipulate and modify her body’s processing and functioning down to the smallest transistor and organelle. As long as her [Ether] core remains intact, she can expend [Ether] to accelerate her autonomous self-repairing function. Effect can be activated or deactivated at will. When activated, she regains up to 2,000 [Health] per second, at the cost of 300 [Ether] per second. Effect will go into standby when her [Health] is at maximum to prevent wasted [Ether] consumption.]
I accept the Skill in one of my remaining Class Slots, right next to my trusty [Ether Strike] attack. With my body now repaired, I lunge forward, catching Madison off-guard and knocking her to the ground with a single swing of my [Energy Lance].
I expect anger from her. But she deactivates her weapon and smiles, healing her own wounds before sitting back upright.
“I can use healing magic!” I say. “So don’t try to tell
that I can’t!” No, it’s not quite healing and not quite magic, but the difference isn’t relevant as long as I need only to heal myself.
“You’ve made a valuable insight into your abilities this afternoon,” Madison says. “Your power as 「The Anomaly」 frees you from the limits that encumber other people and classes. As long as you have the will and the [Ether], there should be nothing you are unable to accomplish in your own way and ti. Now that you have actualized and internalized this information, we can proceed with the next steps in preparing you for the fights that remain.
“Does that an I will finally get to leave this facility?”
“You will, Seraphina.”
I pump my fist in excitent. A brand new world, an entire cosmos waiting to be seen and explored! I’m going to see and experience it all!
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