An accomplished author, worldbuilder, artist gets the Essence of the Archmage, and with it, goes to Brockton Bay. He will bring magic, mystery, and the forgotten nature of a true wandering mage to this grim world! Isekai. Kind of a self insert, MC is my (hopefully) future self.
Thaumaturgical Ascendance; Sorcerous Essence
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Chapter 1 - In the treasury
An accomplished author, worldbuilder, artist gets the Essence of the Archmage, and with it, goes to Brockton Bay. He will bring magic, mystery, and the forgotten nature of a true wandering mage to this grim world! Isekai. Kind of a self insert, MC is my (hopefully) future self.
[A/N]:
I am an avid wormfic reader, and I decided to try my hand at writing one. This chapter is introductory. Please leave comments if you have any constructive criticism, or possible suggestions, extrapolations. English is not my first language so please tell me if I have made any embarrassing mistakes
Here I stand, on a white, seemingly infinite plane of existence. Before me there is a golden, ornate door. So this is the path to Heaven? Possibly, maybe not.
I was old, nearing my 90's. The last thing I remember is peacefully dozing off to sleep in my bed, after a long day of writing and walking through the forest that surrounded my shack.
This body that I now possess is not the one I had yesterday, it feels akin to how it did sixty years ago. Maybe it's actually my soul? It's also possible that all of this is a dream, and I will wake up tomorrow. Either way, I don't really care if I actually did die, all my life goals were accomplished decades ago, if this is the end, I shall accept it.
My stance is, it doesn't matter if this is a dream or death.
Anyways, there's only one thing to do now - go through that door.
As I open the gate, the other side greets me with mountains of gold, silver windswept clouds slithering through the mountain valleys, countless chests, artifacts, statues, and other items I cannot make sense of. The sky is gold, six dark moons are visible. A melody of finality, of infinity echoes through the mountain ranges.
"I am..." a sigh, "disappointed." My voice echoes to the horizon, carried by the howling wind.
Through all my life, I have imagined numerous different scenarios of what would come after death. Would I get my own universe in which I was God? Maybe a spark of power and thousands upon thousands of years of journey to reach godhood, to act as a kind of purgatory? Or a castle, along with immortality, so that I could keep creating my world through writing until the end of time? Or nothing, a void? Hell, even a basic isekai scenario, in which I am granted power by a random omnipotent being and sent to a world I know from fiction would be better than this... this... stereotype.
Am I in hell, after all?
No, I lived a good life, there shouldn't be a reason for me to deserve being punished for eternity, I was empathetic, kind, helpful, right?
Maybe that's because of my pride? I tried to be God, to create my own world, to build a reality from my mind.
"You are not in hell, neither heaven for that matter." I heard a gravely, deep voice behind me.
Turning around, there is a large figure, twice as tall as me, wearing shining white armour - not silver; white - it covered the being completely.
"Who are you?"
"I am an old, lazy, and greedy Jumper. You may have heard of my kind."
Jumper...?
A jumpchain protagonist?
I remember doing many jumpchains in my earlier years, a large part of my life was dedicated to imagining the great adventures they would have, going through innumeralbe worlds of fiction.
He is saying that he's one of them.
"Am I a fictional character?" I asked. There isn't many concievable reasons why beings such as him would bring a seemingly random person to their, I believe, treasury.
"No, no, I brought you here for a different reason." He chuckled.
"Explain." I rest my arms on my hips.
"Every week, I snatch a recently passed soul to aid me - allowing them to take one item from this place, on the condition that in five hundred years, they will bring me a more valuable, powerful, or rarer piece. For you, it's basically an isekai adventure, and for me, it is a way to expand my treasury without having to do much myself, an investment if you will."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling. This is exciting, the chance that this kind of thing is real, was too slim to be seriously considered when I was alive. Now that it's happening, it's difficult to believe my luck.
Though...
"What happens if I fail?"
"Then I will revert time, and leave you where you started your adventure, with all the experience and abilities you had amassed through the centuries, give you another chance to get me the item. This time loop will continue until you find something."
Alright, that's not bad. Quite amazing, in fact. Much better than eternal torture, or losing my chance at becoming a god, at least.
"Could I maybe choose where I will be dropped off to begin my journey?"
"Nah, you're going to worm." He stated in the serious voice that he'd been using.
My eyes widened.
"Wait no wh-"
"Brockton Bay." He cut me off.
Alright, fuck. There's no arguing with the overpowered entity, only thing I can do to raise my chances of survival is choosing a strong item.
"Fine. May I go look around this place now?"
"Of course." He nodded.
"Could you give me an ability to see what the items are, at least? Please?"
"No."
I hid my scowl, he seemed to be enjoying this.
Seeing no other choice, I went.
-x-
As I walk, there are many swords, shields, suits of armor, that I glance at. None of them are ones I know, not taking my chances.
Getting closer to the golden mountains, I notice they're actually giant piles of coins, instead of solid material.
The first thing I recognise is a yellow fruit with swirly patterns on its body. It's the lightning devil fruit from One Piece, a logia. If it was eaten, the consumer would gain control over lightning, be able to sink entire islands with the power of electricity. In addition, no physical strike would be capable of harming them, as the user would be lightning solidified.
I really want to take it right then, but I stop myself - there may be better stuff out there, if this thing's here. Who knows.
Though it would be best to memorise its location - in case I don't find anything better, the fruit's my pick.
Going across valleys on carved marble paths, through an infinity of gold, I come across a few other things I recognise - Eye of Magnus, an atomic bomb, a few certain colorful stones, Sauron's tower, the Ring, the mythical Minotaur in a cage, a static lightning bolt.
After what felt like hours of wandering around, I stop as I notice a glimmer of glass. Looking around, I see a few flasks some dozen meters from me.
Walking towards them, I feel my excitement grow once more.
Are those...
They are.
They are the Essences.
The Essences from the Meta CYOA.
The CYOA, which I browsed countless times, and remember exactly what each flask does. Their names are written on the flasks themselves.
There's the Warlord, Scholar, Mad Doctor, Assassin, Archmage and Blank essences. Such a shame I can only take one, but it is still a miracle that even one of them can be mine.
I will take the Archmage Essence. It may not be as strong as the lightning logia at first, but has much more potential to grow. With magic there is no limits.
When I drink it, I will get the following boons:
Perfect memory with infinite storage, which means whatever I learn, will be memorised the second it is first read, and immortality won't be a problem to my mind anymore.
Beyond genius level intellect, which also boosts my learning speed massively.
Capacity to learn any type of 'magic', even unique ones, upon seeing it once, or understanding enough about it. This is the key aspect of the power that makes it so overpowered, I believe there's no need to explain what ramifications it has.
Possession of an internal reactor that can adapt to any energy and fuel spells, enchantments, powers, etc. It's a steady supply of power that will grow over time. Let's hope the Entities don't find out I have the answer to their quest. Eh, it should be fine, my power isn't enough to power even a fraction of a single shard, and it will be millions of years before I ascend to that level.
Hm, maybe I could reason with the Entities so that they'd give me room to grow more and more powerful, and in exchange, in a few billion years I'd hand them their own universe and an infinite source of energy?
But then I don't remember the details of their psyche, haven't reread Worm in a long time, trying to reason with them may be a horrible mistake.
The next perk of the Essence is manipulation of magic systems and the ability to combine them. This is also a large part of why this Essence is strong, imagine a flying, invisible rasengan imbued with the erasing power of the Destruction energy from DXD. That's the tip of the iceberg.
And lastly, can teach others magic even if they previously lacked the capacity.
"I take this item, Jumper!" I shout to the sky, assuming he can hear me.
And he could, because as soon as I uttered the last word, reality blinked to a dark and damp alley.
In one second, I was surrounded by gold, in the next, I was sitting in an alley at night. Presumably in Brockton Bay, on Earth Bet. Holding the Archmage Essence in my hand.
I can hear screams in the distance.
[A/N]:
I am an avid wormfic reader, and I decided to try my hand at writing one. This chapter is introductory. Please leave comments if you have any constructive criticism, or possible suggestions, extrapolations. English is not my first language so please tell me if I have made any embarrassing mistakes
Here I stand, on a white, seemingly infinite plane of existence. Before me there is a golden, ornate door. So this is the path to Heaven? Possibly, maybe not.
I was old, nearing my 90's. The last thing I remember is peacefully dozing off to sleep in my bed, after a long day of writing and walking through the forest that surrounded my shack.
This body that I now possess is not the one I had yesterday, it feels akin to how it did sixty years ago. Maybe it's actually my soul? It's also possible that all of this is a dream, and I will wake up tomorrow. Either way, I don't really care if I actually did die, all my life goals were accomplished decades ago, if this is the end, I shall accept it.
My stance is, it doesn't matter if this is a dream or death.
Anyways, there's only one thing to do now - go through that door.
As I open the gate, the other side greets me with mountains of gold, silver windswept clouds slithering through the mountain valleys, countless chests, artifacts, statues, and other items I cannot make sense of. The sky is gold, six dark moons are visible. A melody of finality, of infinity echoes through the mountain ranges.
"I am..." a sigh, "disappointed." My voice echoes to the horizon, carried by the howling wind.
Through all my life, I have imagined numerous different scenarios of what would come after death. Would I get my own universe in which I was God? Maybe a spark of power and thousands upon thousands of years of journey to reach godhood, to act as a kind of purgatory? Or a castle, along with immortality, so that I could keep creating my world through writing until the end of time? Or nothing, a void? Hell, even a basic isekai scenario, in which I am granted power by a random omnipotent being and sent to a world I know from fiction would be better than this... this... stereotype.
Am I in hell, after all?
No, I lived a good life, there shouldn't be a reason for me to deserve being punished for eternity, I was empathetic, kind, helpful, right?
Maybe that's because of my pride? I tried to be God, to create my own world, to build a reality from my mind.
"You are not in hell, neither heaven for that matter." I heard a gravely, deep voice behind me.
Turning around, there is a large figure, twice as tall as me, wearing shining white armour - not silver; white - it covered the being completely.
"Who are you?"
"I am an old, lazy, and greedy Jumper. You may have heard of my kind."
Jumper...?
A jumpchain protagonist?
I remember doing many jumpchains in my earlier years, a large part of my life was dedicated to imagining the great adventures they would have, going through innumeralbe worlds of fiction.
He is saying that he's one of them.
"Am I a fictional character?" I asked. There isn't many concievable reasons why beings such as him would bring a seemingly random person to their, I believe, treasury.
"No, no, I brought you here for a different reason." He chuckled.
"Explain." I rest my arms on my hips.
"Every week, I snatch a recently passed soul to aid me - allowing them to take one item from this place, on the condition that in five hundred years, they will bring me a more valuable, powerful, or rarer piece. For you, it's basically an isekai adventure, and for me, it is a way to expand my treasury without having to do much myself, an investment if you will."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling. This is exciting, the chance that this kind of thing is real, was too slim to be seriously considered when I was alive. Now that it's happening, it's difficult to believe my luck.
Though...
"What happens if I fail?"
"Then I will revert time, and leave you where you started your adventure, with all the experience and abilities you had amassed through the centuries, give you another chance to get me the item. This time loop will continue until you find something."
Alright, that's not bad. Quite amazing, in fact. Much better than eternal torture, or losing my chance at becoming a god, at least.
"Could I maybe choose where I will be dropped off to begin my journey?"
"Nah, you're going to worm." He stated in the serious voice that he'd been using.
My eyes widened.
"Wait no wh-"
"Brockton Bay." He cut me off.
Alright, fuck. There's no arguing with the overpowered entity, only thing I can do to raise my chances of survival is choosing a strong item.
"Fine. May I go look around this place now?"
"Of course." He nodded.
"Could you give me an ability to see what the items are, at least? Please?"
"No."
I hid my scowl, he seemed to be enjoying this.
Seeing no other choice, I went.
-x-
As I walk, there are many swords, shields, suits of armor, that I glance at. None of them are ones I know, not taking my chances.
Getting closer to the golden mountains, I notice they're actually giant piles of coins, instead of solid material.
The first thing I recognise is a yellow fruit with swirly patterns on its body. It's the lightning devil fruit from One Piece, a logia. If it was eaten, the consumer would gain control over lightning, be able to sink entire islands with the power of electricity. In addition, no physical strike would be capable of harming them, as the user would be lightning solidified.
I really want to take it right then, but I stop myself - there may be better stuff out there, if this thing's here. Who knows.
Though it would be best to memorise its location - in case I don't find anything better, the fruit's my pick.
Going across valleys on carved marble paths, through an infinity of gold, I come across a few other things I recognise - Eye of Magnus, an atomic bomb, a few certain colorful stones, Sauron's tower, the Ring, the mythical Minotaur in a cage, a static lightning bolt.
After what felt like hours of wandering around, I stop as I notice a glimmer of glass. Looking around, I see a few flasks some dozen meters from me.
Walking towards them, I feel my excitement grow once more.
Are those...
They are.
They are the Essences.
The Essences from the Meta CYOA.
The CYOA, which I browsed countless times, and remember exactly what each flask does. Their names are written on the flasks themselves.
There's the Warlord, Scholar, Mad Doctor, Assassin, Archmage and Blank essences. Such a shame I can only take one, but it is still a miracle that even one of them can be mine.
I will take the Archmage Essence. It may not be as strong as the lightning logia at first, but has much more potential to grow. With magic there is no limits.
When I drink it, I will get the following boons:
Perfect memory with infinite storage, which means whatever I learn, will be memorised the second it is first read, and immortality won't be a problem to my mind anymore.
Beyond genius level intellect, which also boosts my learning speed massively.
Capacity to learn any type of 'magic', even unique ones, upon seeing it once, or understanding enough about it. This is the key aspect of the power that makes it so overpowered, I believe there's no need to explain what ramifications it has.
Possession of an internal reactor that can adapt to any energy and fuel spells, enchantments, powers, etc. It's a steady supply of power that will grow over time. Let's hope the Entities don't find out I have the answer to their quest. Eh, it should be fine, my power isn't enough to power even a fraction of a single shard, and it will be millions of years before I ascend to that level.
Hm, maybe I could reason with the Entities so that they'd give me room to grow more and more powerful, and in exchange, in a few billion years I'd hand them their own universe and an infinite source of energy?
But then I don't remember the details of their psyche, haven't reread Worm in a long time, trying to reason with them may be a horrible mistake.
The next perk of the Essence is manipulation of magic systems and the ability to combine them. This is also a large part of why this Essence is strong, imagine a flying, invisible rasengan imbued with the erasing power of the Destruction energy from DXD. That's the tip of the iceberg.
And lastly, can teach others magic even if they previously lacked the capacity.
"I take this item, Jumper!" I shout to the sky, assuming he can hear me.
And he could, because as soon as I uttered the last word, reality blinked to a dark and damp alley.
In one second, I was surrounded by gold, in the next, I was sitting in an alley at night. Presumably in Brockton Bay, on Earth Bet. Holding the Archmage Essence in my hand.
I can hear screams in the distance.
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Chapter 2 - First hours in Brockton
The first thing I do upon coming here, is of course drink the Essence, I gulp it all down, to the last drop. Tastes like salty lemonade made from sparkling water.
As the liquid goes down my throat, something awakens within me, a force deep down, shining akin to magma in a cave, miles underground. As I drink, the feeling becomes stronger and stronger.
The bottle emptied, I feel a force coursing through my body, as if I were burning from inside, but in a pleasant way. The energy is leaking through my hands, it feels as if I was holding something. An uneven weight, but somehow focused, like water dripping off a damp cloth. Don't really know how to describe the feeling.
I try forcing the energy down, sucking it out from the outer layers of my body, and it works. A flame of strength still remains, waiting to be called on, eagerly burning in my center.
I know how to control this power due to my experience in Chi circulation from back on the old Earth, the energy wasn't capable of doing much except for the manipulation of a candle's flame, but now with this much of it, I would bet to be capable of feats rivalling those of Avatar's firebenders, if I had access to any kind of fire.
Also, it seems that the Jumper has given me a dark hoodie and sweatpants, that's one possible problem resolved before it could become one. Thanks, you're not a complete jerk after all, benefactor.
Now, with the empty Essence bottle in hand, I walk in the opposite direction of where the screams came from. Sorry, but I don't want to die on the first day of my journey.
Coming out onto a cracked sidewalk littered with trash, I look around. The buildings have clearly left their prime a long time ago, enduring stagnation for decades. None of the windows show any light within, so this district may be abandoned. Or it's very late at night. Either way, this seems to be one of the bad parts of the city, even ignoring the state of architecture - the screams I heard earlier are a sign better than any to leave this place as soon as possible, preferably without drawing attention to myself.
And so I turn to the right and start walking through the street, hands tucked into my pockets. While doing so, I internally play with my energy; expand it outside my body, guide it into different bodyparts, concentrate it into a single point, release.
This exercise doesn't have a point, except for being something to do as I stride under the moonlight.
So here I am, on Earth Bet, in Brockton Bay, without any particular goal, excluding getting stronger. What should I do now? Maybe go to the PRT? I have a power after all, they could act as protection until I became powerful enough to be on my own.
Going solo is out, as my Essence's strength advancement curve is similar to that of Tinkers - I am too vulnerable not to be in serious danger due to the possibility of forced recruitment into gangs. It will be some time until I become sure of my power's capability to protect me from any threat the gangs of the Bay could pose.
If I were to apply to become a PRT hero, should I then go for being a Ward, or a Protectorate member? I don't really know how old I am, only that my youth has been restored.
This body certainly isn't one of a child. Hm, I do have a short beard, but then there aren't any visible signs of aging, haven't noticed any pains either. And I seem to have long hair now, as I did in early adulthood.
Alright, my bet is that I'm in my early twenties.
Being a Ward is out, then. Most likely. Probably.
It would be good to at least attempt at convincing the PRT higher-ups not to throw me into the battlefield too early, to let me grow in power, until I am ready. Get the Tinker treatment.
But then, the negative of being associated with the PRT as a Tinker, and possibly with my kind of power as well, would be a wall of red tape - they could require of me to test any and all new spells, enchantments and other uses of magic I may come up with, and then disallow me from using some, due to any number of master, safety, coordination, or whatever concerns.
Though, they are quite desperate for parahumans on their side, I remember the 'good guys' were always outnumbered on Bet, due to the way powers are awakened here. Traumatic events leading to gaining supernatural strengths associated with them in theme, isn't the optimal circumstances to become a hero, and in Brockton the situation is worse than in many of the other US cities, almost critical, with a shaky balance the gangs and law were able to establish.
With that in mind, could I maybe place conditions on my recruitment? Allow to be taken in as a Protectorate Cape, but on the condition that my power not be restricted in any way?
That may be the correct path to take. It would possibly be easier to convince them if I showed my full potential to grow, that I would someday reach the level of the Triumvirate, and beyond, unless someone ended me in the early days.
I stopped, as a hunched over man walked out in front of me, out of a nearby alley, carrying a knife.
He smirked, waving his weapon in front of him.
"Okay buddy, you have two options, either you hand over all your money or I stab ya." he said, slurred.
I did not expect to be met with a lowlife so soon after coming here. Eh, this is a wrong part of the city, and it's night, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that this would happen sooner or later.
I extended my hand and started concentrating on the energy in my body.
He seemed to be a bit distraught for a second there, having stopped his movements, eyeing my hand, but regained his composure a moment later.
"Ya ain't the first person to bluff bein' a cape, it isn't gonna work sonny, last chance, empty yer pockets."
As I brought more and more energy into a point before my hand, a faing glimmer of light emerged.
It grew and grew, it's as if there was a lightbulb in front of me, except there was nothing like that - a translucent white orb, a gathering of life energy, chi, of such high potency that no master of the art on my old world could do anything close to this level. It still is nothing compared to the feats of fictional magic, but...
"Wait! Woah, chill man, I wasn't gunna do nothin'... Just, jus'..." His voice was trembling, his widened eyes didn't leave the energy ball in my hand. He dropped the knife, it hit the asphalt with a cling.
As the orb got brighter, more intense, I saw his resolve shatter.
"Fuck this, I ain't dying to some bullshit power, let Lung deal with this shit" he muttered sharply under his breath, running away to where he came from. Intimidation successful.
I had no idea if this would work, or what would even happen, just figured that concentrating a high enough amount of energy would accomplish something. Absorbing the orb back into my body was faster than creating it, taking only a few seconds.
It seems I am in ABB territory then, with what he said. That narrows down what parts of the city I could be in, not by a lot, but it does.
...Or at least it would, if I remembered what gangs occupied which regions.
One way or the other, I will get to some place if I keep walking in a direction. The city isn't that large, is it? It should be possible to reach a PRT office in a few hours, if I just wander around and maybe ask some people for directions, once the sun rises.
I take the robber's knife, as it could be of use to me, hiding it in my pocket, and keep walking.
Isn't it poetic, that my first act of arcane was to create light? I could interpret this as a new beginning, a light of hope. Or, "יְהִי אוֹר" - "let there be light", as the Creator said. I will harness the power of this Essence to become a Creator myself, in a meaning more literal than the art of creation I practiced as a builder of worlds, artist. Become God.
Although, is it really more literal...?
I must tread carefully, not let my pride consume me, that way lies failure, as a human, and an individual. I have seen great people subsumed by their own image of greatness, seen them succumb to self gratification, stagnation of all progress, being convinced they were always right and that their work is all masterpieces. It is a horrible fate I hope to avoid.
-x-
And so as I walked, the night gave way to day; the first orange hue painted the urban horizon, signifying the coming of the sun.
The unwelcoming district ended as I came to the center of town, there are cafes, shops, there isn't as much trash, and the buildings are in much better condition here.
I even came across an early morning runner - and asked her for directions to the PRT headquarters. She was helpful, and guided me to the front doors of the HQ, bless her, hope she'll have a good life.
So I stand before a glass door, above which the P.R.T logo is situated, proudly standing; an emblem of protection, and of hope for the citizens of this city. How true the message they're trying to convey is, is debatable. Though it's good that they're trying, at least.
Now then, here goes nothing.
I enter.
As the liquid goes down my throat, something awakens within me, a force deep down, shining akin to magma in a cave, miles underground. As I drink, the feeling becomes stronger and stronger.
The bottle emptied, I feel a force coursing through my body, as if I were burning from inside, but in a pleasant way. The energy is leaking through my hands, it feels as if I was holding something. An uneven weight, but somehow focused, like water dripping off a damp cloth. Don't really know how to describe the feeling.
I try forcing the energy down, sucking it out from the outer layers of my body, and it works. A flame of strength still remains, waiting to be called on, eagerly burning in my center.
I know how to control this power due to my experience in Chi circulation from back on the old Earth, the energy wasn't capable of doing much except for the manipulation of a candle's flame, but now with this much of it, I would bet to be capable of feats rivalling those of Avatar's firebenders, if I had access to any kind of fire.
Also, it seems that the Jumper has given me a dark hoodie and sweatpants, that's one possible problem resolved before it could become one. Thanks, you're not a complete jerk after all, benefactor.
Now, with the empty Essence bottle in hand, I walk in the opposite direction of where the screams came from. Sorry, but I don't want to die on the first day of my journey.
Coming out onto a cracked sidewalk littered with trash, I look around. The buildings have clearly left their prime a long time ago, enduring stagnation for decades. None of the windows show any light within, so this district may be abandoned. Or it's very late at night. Either way, this seems to be one of the bad parts of the city, even ignoring the state of architecture - the screams I heard earlier are a sign better than any to leave this place as soon as possible, preferably without drawing attention to myself.
And so I turn to the right and start walking through the street, hands tucked into my pockets. While doing so, I internally play with my energy; expand it outside my body, guide it into different bodyparts, concentrate it into a single point, release.
This exercise doesn't have a point, except for being something to do as I stride under the moonlight.
So here I am, on Earth Bet, in Brockton Bay, without any particular goal, excluding getting stronger. What should I do now? Maybe go to the PRT? I have a power after all, they could act as protection until I became powerful enough to be on my own.
Going solo is out, as my Essence's strength advancement curve is similar to that of Tinkers - I am too vulnerable not to be in serious danger due to the possibility of forced recruitment into gangs. It will be some time until I become sure of my power's capability to protect me from any threat the gangs of the Bay could pose.
If I were to apply to become a PRT hero, should I then go for being a Ward, or a Protectorate member? I don't really know how old I am, only that my youth has been restored.
This body certainly isn't one of a child. Hm, I do have a short beard, but then there aren't any visible signs of aging, haven't noticed any pains either. And I seem to have long hair now, as I did in early adulthood.
Alright, my bet is that I'm in my early twenties.
Being a Ward is out, then. Most likely. Probably.
It would be good to at least attempt at convincing the PRT higher-ups not to throw me into the battlefield too early, to let me grow in power, until I am ready. Get the Tinker treatment.
But then, the negative of being associated with the PRT as a Tinker, and possibly with my kind of power as well, would be a wall of red tape - they could require of me to test any and all new spells, enchantments and other uses of magic I may come up with, and then disallow me from using some, due to any number of master, safety, coordination, or whatever concerns.
Though, they are quite desperate for parahumans on their side, I remember the 'good guys' were always outnumbered on Bet, due to the way powers are awakened here. Traumatic events leading to gaining supernatural strengths associated with them in theme, isn't the optimal circumstances to become a hero, and in Brockton the situation is worse than in many of the other US cities, almost critical, with a shaky balance the gangs and law were able to establish.
With that in mind, could I maybe place conditions on my recruitment? Allow to be taken in as a Protectorate Cape, but on the condition that my power not be restricted in any way?
That may be the correct path to take. It would possibly be easier to convince them if I showed my full potential to grow, that I would someday reach the level of the Triumvirate, and beyond, unless someone ended me in the early days.
I stopped, as a hunched over man walked out in front of me, out of a nearby alley, carrying a knife.
He smirked, waving his weapon in front of him.
"Okay buddy, you have two options, either you hand over all your money or I stab ya." he said, slurred.
I did not expect to be met with a lowlife so soon after coming here. Eh, this is a wrong part of the city, and it's night, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that this would happen sooner or later.
I extended my hand and started concentrating on the energy in my body.
He seemed to be a bit distraught for a second there, having stopped his movements, eyeing my hand, but regained his composure a moment later.
"Ya ain't the first person to bluff bein' a cape, it isn't gonna work sonny, last chance, empty yer pockets."
As I brought more and more energy into a point before my hand, a faing glimmer of light emerged.
It grew and grew, it's as if there was a lightbulb in front of me, except there was nothing like that - a translucent white orb, a gathering of life energy, chi, of such high potency that no master of the art on my old world could do anything close to this level. It still is nothing compared to the feats of fictional magic, but...
"Wait! Woah, chill man, I wasn't gunna do nothin'... Just, jus'..." His voice was trembling, his widened eyes didn't leave the energy ball in my hand. He dropped the knife, it hit the asphalt with a cling.
As the orb got brighter, more intense, I saw his resolve shatter.
"Fuck this, I ain't dying to some bullshit power, let Lung deal with this shit" he muttered sharply under his breath, running away to where he came from. Intimidation successful.
I had no idea if this would work, or what would even happen, just figured that concentrating a high enough amount of energy would accomplish something. Absorbing the orb back into my body was faster than creating it, taking only a few seconds.
It seems I am in ABB territory then, with what he said. That narrows down what parts of the city I could be in, not by a lot, but it does.
...Or at least it would, if I remembered what gangs occupied which regions.
One way or the other, I will get to some place if I keep walking in a direction. The city isn't that large, is it? It should be possible to reach a PRT office in a few hours, if I just wander around and maybe ask some people for directions, once the sun rises.
I take the robber's knife, as it could be of use to me, hiding it in my pocket, and keep walking.
Isn't it poetic, that my first act of arcane was to create light? I could interpret this as a new beginning, a light of hope. Or, "יְהִי אוֹר" - "let there be light", as the Creator said. I will harness the power of this Essence to become a Creator myself, in a meaning more literal than the art of creation I practiced as a builder of worlds, artist. Become God.
Although, is it really more literal...?
I must tread carefully, not let my pride consume me, that way lies failure, as a human, and an individual. I have seen great people subsumed by their own image of greatness, seen them succumb to self gratification, stagnation of all progress, being convinced they were always right and that their work is all masterpieces. It is a horrible fate I hope to avoid.
-x-
And so as I walked, the night gave way to day; the first orange hue painted the urban horizon, signifying the coming of the sun.
The unwelcoming district ended as I came to the center of town, there are cafes, shops, there isn't as much trash, and the buildings are in much better condition here.
I even came across an early morning runner - and asked her for directions to the PRT headquarters. She was helpful, and guided me to the front doors of the HQ, bless her, hope she'll have a good life.
So I stand before a glass door, above which the P.R.T logo is situated, proudly standing; an emblem of protection, and of hope for the citizens of this city. How true the message they're trying to convey is, is debatable. Though it's good that they're trying, at least.
Now then, here goes nothing.
I enter.
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if you have criticism, please specify what is wrong with my fanfic.
If you, by personal opinion, dislike what I am writing, or the direction I take my fanfic - and don't have any constructive feedback, or a positive comment, then by all means, I am not holding you hostage in this thread - you may go, there's no need to be rude.
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keep it going man! PRT or not, they're just a steppingstone for greater power... or maybe, power is all the friends we made along the way!?
- Pronouns
- He
These are just my worries/interests in this story now: Does he have any kind of protection against Thinkers like Contessa? Simurgh? Dinah? Accord? Coil? Thinkers like Alexandria or Tattletale? Because he doesn't have Blank, only that he is outside-of-context problem. But if the Shards scan him properly could they know he has what basically amounts to negentropy? I really wonder how the MC will escalate... Alse it seems the MC did not think things trough; he has to know that PRT and Protectorate are rotten to the core, infiltrated and corrupted especially in BB...
P.S.: PRT stories are not much popular because they tend to suck and are abandoned pretty fast because the authors are forced to make big changes that doesn't make often sense in the setting. Plus PRT make an amazing bashing villains in stories.
There is only handful of them well-written and only few completed. But this seem to be pretty well written, atleast when it comes to grammar, syntax... Cannot say much about the story, as it's barely in start, but I like the lazy jumper. Definitely what would I do...
P.S.: PRT stories are not much popular because they tend to suck and are abandoned pretty fast because the authors are forced to make big changes that doesn't make often sense in the setting. Plus PRT make an amazing bashing villains in stories.
There is only handful of them well-written and only few completed. But this seem to be pretty well written, atleast when it comes to grammar, syntax... Cannot say much about the story, as it's barely in start, but I like the lazy jumper. Definitely what would I do...
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Chapter 3 - The interview
I am greeted with a modernist hall, a reception desk can be seen on the other side. I approach the woman sitting there.
"Good morning." As I say that, she looks up, a cup of coffee in her hand, eyes tired. "I would like to register as a Protectorate hero." Her eyes barely widen at that, there's no other reaction. Seems she hasn't woken up yet.
I have decided not to fabricate a secret identity, as I don't have, won't have a life outside of being a mage. If this kind of existence stops being fulfilling, I'll simply open a portal to a different world and make a new, different life for myself there. Me joining the Protectorate is only a small stepping stone in the grand scheme of things, they are but a tool I will use to be safer in my early days.
The receptionist writes something on her computer.
"Tell me your cape name." she said in a monotone voice.
Through the hours of wandering around the city, I have had time to think of many topics - this was one of them.
"Call me Aeternus Lux, Aether for short." Aeternus Lux means Eternal Light in Latin, and that in turn I interpret as staying true to my values as a creator and a human. The fact that there's a different meaning (A beacon of hope) that can be understood much easier is only circumstantial.
The shortened version references the sky, the Aether, the realm above - the place where all magic comes from - a term commonly used in medieval alchemy, the precursor to the modern perception of sorcery.
She adds something to what she was writing, and hands me a sheet of paper, and a pen.
"Fill out this form, then return it to me."
I nod, and get to work. Reading the first few questions, it seems to be a general physical as well as mental health check.
Sitting at the table, I write what I know, and give it back to her.
"Alright, in about twenty minutes you will be called for an interview. Take a seat if you want."
-x-
Time went by fast, as I was focused on manipulating my internal energy, the excercise has proven to be surprisingly fun with the overwhelming amount of power I possess. Maybe one day I will be capable of describing it.
I hadn't noticed that almost an hour had passed when they called my parahuman name - for me to come in.
I climbed stairs and crossed a hall to enter a medium sized office, with a window looking out to the street. There's a man in a suit, with a neatly trimmed beard and greying hair, before him a desk with some paper and a laptop.
"Welcome, take a seat. I am agent Joseph Thorns, here to conduct an interview with Aeternus Lux - that is your parahuman identity's name, correct?"
I respond affirmatively.
"Please, have a seat." He gestures to a chair in front of his desk.
I sit there, thinking of what to say first.
"I am here to discuss the possibility of my recruitment into the Protectorate, as a licensed parahuman hero."
He nods.
"There are no records of a hero going by that name - you are recently triggered, right? How would you describe your power?" says Thorns.
The other, more sinister possibility that I am someone who abandoned their past identity, goes unnoticed. Or maybe it didn't, and secret procedures are being implemented. Maybe Dragon is looking into my 'past' here on Bet as we speak, I don't know.
"I have an ever-growing well of energy, which can be used to generate light."
He nods.
"I can feel that it has potential to develop. In time the light will be brighter, I may be able to direct it; shoot lasers, create heat. Hard-light shields are a possibility as well." I added. The reason why I wasn't telling him the whole truth of my power, is because if Coil found out my true potential too soon for me to be able to protect myself against him, he would try to 'capture' me for himself, or eliminate a possible threat. It's still better being in an infiltrated PRT than going solo, as the partial protection the organisation would provide may prove essential to my survival. Compare that to being alone - the chance of being abducted by Coil is the same, while danger from other gangs skyrockets.
"What are your goals as a hero?" Ah, the next question's a formality.
However, what are my goals, actually?
Well, obviously to get more and more powerful, and to find some item that has more potential to empower a user than the Essence I have drunk - repay my benefactor.
They seem somewhat shallow.
In my last life I had a dream. Creating a world, my absolute Magnum Opus. Now, with a brand new existence, I have no idea what to do. There is no meaning to my being.
One may say, it would be easy to go back to doing what I used to, continue the making of my old life's work. It isn't so simple - all books I have written, all songs I've composed, all thoughts I have brought to life; it is all gone. Only the idea of my world, of Siliarin, remains, only the feeling within my soul still burns. Everything else was lost when I died.
I died.
It happened, my legacy ended along with the last breath I took.
This is a new me.
...Or is it?
I do not know.
I must find meaning - this is my ultimate goal, from this point onwards.
And the PRT agent is still looking at me, expectantly. What was it, my goals as a hero?
"I..." Seek protection from the 'early game' dangers of this world.
"...desire to help in any way I can, and applying to be a hero is the best way to do that; the PRT coordinates heroism in a way that, while not perfect, is much more efficient at culling villainy than going independent." I will fully admit to having no idea if any of what I just said is true.
"Alright." He noted something down, "can I see your ID?"
"I don't have it, nor any other documentation for that matter. I did not exist in this reality until a few hours ago."
The agent furrowed his brows for a second, and then smiled.
"You must be from an alternate Earth, then." Yay, I correctly remembered - the PRT has special procedures for dealing with people coming from different dimensions.
"You are quite the special case - there have been several unpowered individuals crossing worlds, and there have been many powered, but mutated people. You seem to be a perfectly regular human, yet you come from outside Bet, with a power. Be prepared for a series of medical procedures to determine if you really as normal as you seem, because either you are an incredibly lucky Case 53, or a terrifyingly rare Case 49-b, a parahuman world traveller. You don't remember your past from before coming to this world, right?"
"I do. My Earth was just like this place, except there were no powers."
He makes a note of something, then closes his notebook.
"This is all, be before the building in two hours and you will be taken by a PRT van to the PHQ." He looks at his computer. "That is, at 9:20 AM."
"If you desire to acquire a civilian identity separate from your cape life, talk to officials there." He adds.
"Goodbye, have a good day." I say, as I sit up from my chair, and go out of the door, and then outside the building.
Standing on a street, I think to myself, what now?
I have two hours to spare.
-Contessa Mini-interlude-
[A/N]: This interlude only exists to explain how Aether's power interacts with precogs and shards. Some may consider that a spoiler, so you are free to skip.
A few hours ago, everything changed.
The Path has shifted, completely.
Every single step is different than it was beforehand.
And every single step is broken, intelligible, impossible to understand and bring to reality, for each of them includes the Simurgh. Keeping it away from somewhere.
But the path to find out who changed it all was simple.
Aeternus Lux, a walking contradiction.
When I Path him, I see him becoming something more - he clearly has a power, one that will triumph even against the Entities, given enough time.
But then, for some reason, my power never seems to categorize him as a parahuman, and everything he does only happens due to quantum circumstance.
It must be him that the Simurgh be kept away from.
"Good morning." As I say that, she looks up, a cup of coffee in her hand, eyes tired. "I would like to register as a Protectorate hero." Her eyes barely widen at that, there's no other reaction. Seems she hasn't woken up yet.
I have decided not to fabricate a secret identity, as I don't have, won't have a life outside of being a mage. If this kind of existence stops being fulfilling, I'll simply open a portal to a different world and make a new, different life for myself there. Me joining the Protectorate is only a small stepping stone in the grand scheme of things, they are but a tool I will use to be safer in my early days.
The receptionist writes something on her computer.
"Tell me your cape name." she said in a monotone voice.
Through the hours of wandering around the city, I have had time to think of many topics - this was one of them.
"Call me Aeternus Lux, Aether for short." Aeternus Lux means Eternal Light in Latin, and that in turn I interpret as staying true to my values as a creator and a human. The fact that there's a different meaning (A beacon of hope) that can be understood much easier is only circumstantial.
The shortened version references the sky, the Aether, the realm above - the place where all magic comes from - a term commonly used in medieval alchemy, the precursor to the modern perception of sorcery.
She adds something to what she was writing, and hands me a sheet of paper, and a pen.
"Fill out this form, then return it to me."
I nod, and get to work. Reading the first few questions, it seems to be a general physical as well as mental health check.
Sitting at the table, I write what I know, and give it back to her.
"Alright, in about twenty minutes you will be called for an interview. Take a seat if you want."
-x-
Time went by fast, as I was focused on manipulating my internal energy, the excercise has proven to be surprisingly fun with the overwhelming amount of power I possess. Maybe one day I will be capable of describing it.
I hadn't noticed that almost an hour had passed when they called my parahuman name - for me to come in.
I climbed stairs and crossed a hall to enter a medium sized office, with a window looking out to the street. There's a man in a suit, with a neatly trimmed beard and greying hair, before him a desk with some paper and a laptop.
"Welcome, take a seat. I am agent Joseph Thorns, here to conduct an interview with Aeternus Lux - that is your parahuman identity's name, correct?"
I respond affirmatively.
"Please, have a seat." He gestures to a chair in front of his desk.
I sit there, thinking of what to say first.
"I am here to discuss the possibility of my recruitment into the Protectorate, as a licensed parahuman hero."
He nods.
"There are no records of a hero going by that name - you are recently triggered, right? How would you describe your power?" says Thorns.
The other, more sinister possibility that I am someone who abandoned their past identity, goes unnoticed. Or maybe it didn't, and secret procedures are being implemented. Maybe Dragon is looking into my 'past' here on Bet as we speak, I don't know.
"I have an ever-growing well of energy, which can be used to generate light."
He nods.
"I can feel that it has potential to develop. In time the light will be brighter, I may be able to direct it; shoot lasers, create heat. Hard-light shields are a possibility as well." I added. The reason why I wasn't telling him the whole truth of my power, is because if Coil found out my true potential too soon for me to be able to protect myself against him, he would try to 'capture' me for himself, or eliminate a possible threat. It's still better being in an infiltrated PRT than going solo, as the partial protection the organisation would provide may prove essential to my survival. Compare that to being alone - the chance of being abducted by Coil is the same, while danger from other gangs skyrockets.
"What are your goals as a hero?" Ah, the next question's a formality.
However, what are my goals, actually?
Well, obviously to get more and more powerful, and to find some item that has more potential to empower a user than the Essence I have drunk - repay my benefactor.
They seem somewhat shallow.
In my last life I had a dream. Creating a world, my absolute Magnum Opus. Now, with a brand new existence, I have no idea what to do. There is no meaning to my being.
One may say, it would be easy to go back to doing what I used to, continue the making of my old life's work. It isn't so simple - all books I have written, all songs I've composed, all thoughts I have brought to life; it is all gone. Only the idea of my world, of Siliarin, remains, only the feeling within my soul still burns. Everything else was lost when I died.
I died.
It happened, my legacy ended along with the last breath I took.
This is a new me.
...Or is it?
I do not know.
I must find meaning - this is my ultimate goal, from this point onwards.
And the PRT agent is still looking at me, expectantly. What was it, my goals as a hero?
"I..." Seek protection from the 'early game' dangers of this world.
"...desire to help in any way I can, and applying to be a hero is the best way to do that; the PRT coordinates heroism in a way that, while not perfect, is much more efficient at culling villainy than going independent." I will fully admit to having no idea if any of what I just said is true.
"Alright." He noted something down, "can I see your ID?"
"I don't have it, nor any other documentation for that matter. I did not exist in this reality until a few hours ago."
The agent furrowed his brows for a second, and then smiled.
"You must be from an alternate Earth, then." Yay, I correctly remembered - the PRT has special procedures for dealing with people coming from different dimensions.
"You are quite the special case - there have been several unpowered individuals crossing worlds, and there have been many powered, but mutated people. You seem to be a perfectly regular human, yet you come from outside Bet, with a power. Be prepared for a series of medical procedures to determine if you really as normal as you seem, because either you are an incredibly lucky Case 53, or a terrifyingly rare Case 49-b, a parahuman world traveller. You don't remember your past from before coming to this world, right?"
"I do. My Earth was just like this place, except there were no powers."
He makes a note of something, then closes his notebook.
"This is all, be before the building in two hours and you will be taken by a PRT van to the PHQ." He looks at his computer. "That is, at 9:20 AM."
"If you desire to acquire a civilian identity separate from your cape life, talk to officials there." He adds.
"Goodbye, have a good day." I say, as I sit up from my chair, and go out of the door, and then outside the building.
Standing on a street, I think to myself, what now?
I have two hours to spare.
-Contessa Mini-interlude-
[A/N]: This interlude only exists to explain how Aether's power interacts with precogs and shards. Some may consider that a spoiler, so you are free to skip.
A few hours ago, everything changed.
The Path has shifted, completely.
Every single step is different than it was beforehand.
And every single step is broken, intelligible, impossible to understand and bring to reality, for each of them includes the Simurgh. Keeping it away from somewhere.
But the path to find out who changed it all was simple.
Aeternus Lux, a walking contradiction.
When I Path him, I see him becoming something more - he clearly has a power, one that will triumph even against the Entities, given enough time.
But then, for some reason, my power never seems to categorize him as a parahuman, and everything he does only happens due to quantum circumstance.
It must be him that the Simurgh be kept away from.
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First: Anti-precog measure.
Second: Anti-master measure.
Third: Resurrection measure, just in case.
Fourth: Escape methods. Lots of escape methods.
Second: Anti-master measure.
Third: Resurrection measure, just in case.
Fourth: Escape methods. Lots of escape methods.
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Since he is pretending to have just light manipulation powers then I hope that these links that I send will help give you some ideas, Sacred Light Manipulation , Pure Light Manipulation , Light Manipulation , White Arts , Inner Light Externalization , Inner Light
Watched. Eager to see where you go with this. The premise is very interesting so far. I also like how Contessa seems to want to aid the protagonist. Normally, people make her an enemy of the protagonist. Even if they have power to destroy entities she still gets in their way for reasons that don't make much sense. It seems like you're going in a unique direction with Contessa, so keep it up
yea they will be able to progressively simulate him better as time goes on and he reveals more of his powers but for now they are probably just gonna continue their sims normally and progressively notice they are getting more and more innacurate the closer they get to Mr Eternal Light(the chuuni is strong in this one)
Wouldn t be surprised if Coil and Simurgh were to be the first to notice with Coil autopilot suddenly crashing when the simulated timeline doesn t go as expected because of Aether s interference and the Simurgh being a super computer will probably notice sooner or later
Wonder if the Shards successfully simulated his personnality though and if one of them is interested in him (not the ones already attached to Contessa or any parahuman obviously)
I am glad we finally get a PRT fic just be careful of fanon please, it s annoying as hell(I can t think of any other PRT fic actually)
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The reason Contessa can see his power is because the Entities have a primal understanding of thaumic forces, the same as every single living being, they just cannot consciously connect what's happening around him to the person, they don't have the ability to harness it.
They lack creativity, which is essential to harnessing the Arcane, they focus purely on the physical realm.
For Shards/Entities seeing magic has the same principle as you seeing a color that's impossible to exist in your mind - you forget what it is, but you can still see it, in a way, if it's in front of you.
I hope this explanation is satisfactory, and I doubt it's a spoiler.
Please point out any other shortcomings in my fanfic, I know I don't give enough thought to things I write most of the time...
And Eternal Light is not chuuni
It's a reference to the world I'm creating, it means a lot to me..
If you have any cape name ideas please let me know, I don't want to be cringe
Notice: I will post every second or third day from now on, I don't want to rush this and get burned out quickly
Sorry if this reply is in any way inconvenient or unwelcome, I am new to writing fanfiction in general
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It s okay I am just joking you don t have to take it so seriously and you can name him anything you want it s your fic and you can t please everyone although my advice would be to keep the "public" name to Aether and keep the inspiration/actual name to yourself as Aeternus Lux is pretty long and hard to pronounceThe reason Contessa can see his power is because the Entities have a primal understanding of thaumic forces, the same as every single living being, they just cannot consciously connect what's happening around him to the person, they don't have the ability to harness it.
They lack creativity, which is essential to harnessing the Arcane, they focus purely on the physical realm.
For Shards/Entities seeing magic has the same principle as you seeing a color that's impossible to exist in your mind - you forget what it is, but you can still see it, in a way, if it's in front of you.
I hope this explanation is satisfactory, and I doubt it's a spoiler.
Please point out any other shortcomings in my fanfic, I know I don't give enough thought to things I write most of the time...
And Eternal Light is not chuuni
It's a reference to the world I'm creating, it means a lot to me..
If you have any cape name ideas please let me know, I don't want to be cringe
Notice: I will post every second or third day from now on, I don't want to rush this and get burned out quickly
Sorry if this reply is in any way inconvenient or unwelcome, I am new to writing fanfiction in general
Also what s wrong with chuuni characters anyway they are pretty fun and it s better than being overly serious although I feel like you are going for some kind of Superman kind of superhero
The mini interlude was kinda weird in general I think it s better to keep interludes to when you want to show a lot of what s happening on the background tease things the mc has no idea are coming his way you know things like that, interludes that are just here to show how special or strong mc is just feel forced
MaimakteriAnn
(Verified Sleepy)
- Location
- Enormous And Round Terran Homeworld
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Dr
Lux aeterna, i suspect.
Maybe switch out identification here for documentation. ID already means identification.
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Thanks, corrected.
And I am not referencing that Metallica song
Worm is not a setting known for its great and powerful treasures, the logical choice would have been a cheap and weak item. I think the MC will spend several 500 year loops learning enough about artifact creation, to produce an item with enough worth to pay his debts.
This link should have a lot information on a lot of different types of Magic hopefully this is of help towards you @MountainMorus, Magic ,
- Absorption Magic
- Acid Magic
- Alchemy
- Ancestral Magic
- Animal Magic
- Animancy
- Antimatter Magic
- Apocalyptic Magic
- Apotropaic Magic
- Archetype Magic
- Armament Magic
- Art Magic
- Artificial Element Magic
- Artificial Magic
- Artisan Magic
- Astral Magic
- Astrology
- Aura Magic
- Aurora Magic
- Balance Magic
- Banishment Magic
- Binding Magic
- Blessing Magic
- Blood Magic
- Bloodline Magic
- Bone Magic
- Buddhist Mysticism
- Building Magic
- Candy Magic
- Card Magic
- Chaos Magic
- Chain Magic
- Chemical Magic
- Chi Magic
- Christian Mysticism
- Clay Magic
- Cleanliness Magic
- Clown Magic
- Combat Magic
- Concealment Magic
- Conceptual Magic
- Conjuration
- Corruption Magic
- Cosmic Magic
- Craftsmanship Magic
- Creation Magic
- Curse Magic
- Dark Arts
- Dark Matter Magic
- Death Magic
- Destiny Magic
- Destruction Magic
- Digital Magic
- Dimension Magic
- Disaster Magic
- Divination
- Divine-Demonic Magic
- Divine Magic
- Dowsing
- Dream Magic
- Druidic Magic
- Ectoplasm Magic
- Egyptian Mysticism
- Eldritch Magic
- Electromagnetism Magic
- Elemental Magic
- Emblem Magic
- Embodiment Magic
- Emotion Magic
- Empathic Casting
- Energy Magic
- Enchantment
- Entity Magic
- Entropy Magic
- Environmental Magic
- Exorcism Magic
- Explosion Magic
- Evolutionary Magic
- Extra-Dimensional Magic
- Ethereal Magic
- Eye Magic
- Faith Magic
- Famine Magic
- Fictional Magic
- Fire Magic
- Force Magic
- Friction Magic
- Game Magic
- Gender Magic
- Golem Magic
- Gas Magic
- Gravity Magic
- Guardian Magic
- Herbalism
- Holiday Magic
- Human Magic
- Hypnotic Magic
- Illusionary Magic
- Imagination Magic
- Incantation
- Inertia Magic
- Inner Beast Magic
- Inorganic Magic
- Inscription Casting
- Intangibility Magic
- Intelligence Magic
- Islamic Mysticism
- Jewish Mysticism
- Key Magic
- Ley Line Magic
- Life and Death Magic
- Life Magic
- Liquid Magic
- Luck Magic
- Lunar Magic
- Madness Magic
- Magnetic Magic
- Matter Magic
- Medical Magic
- Memory Magic
- Mental Casting
- Merfolk Magic
- Miracle Magic
- Mirror Magic
- Mobility Magic
- Mode Magic
- Momentum Magic
- Monolithic Magic
- Motion Magic
- Music Magic
- Mystical Material Manipulation
- Mythic Magic
- Nature Magic
- Necromancy
- Nightmare Magic
- Ninja Magic
- Numeromancy
- Object Magic
- Occultism
- Onmyōdō
- Order Magic
- Organic Magic
- Pain Magic
- Paper Charm Magic
- Peace Magic
- Perfume Magic
- Physical Force Magic
- Plasma Magic
- Pirate Magic
- Pollen Magic
- Portal Magic
- Possession Magic
- Poison Magic
- Potion Magic
- Psionic Magic
- Psychic Magic
- Purification Magic
- Pyrotechnic Magic
- Quantum Magic
- Rainbow Magic
- Reality Magic
- Replication Magic
- Restoration Magic
- Ritual Magic
- Rubber Magic
- Rune Magic
- Sacrificial Magic
- Sealing Magic
- Season Magic
- Sentient Magic
- Sex Magic
- Shamanism
- Sin Magic
- Size Magic
- Skin Magic
- Sky Magic
- Slayer Magic
- Sleep Magic
- Slime Magic
- Solar Magic
- Solid Magic
- Sorcery
- Soul Magic
- Sound Magic
- Space Magic
- Space-Time Magic
- Species Magic
- Spell Casting
- Sphere Magic
- Spin Magic
- Spirit Magic
- Stage Magic
- Strength Magic
- Symbiotic Magic
- Symbol Magic
- Symbolism Power
- Taoist Magic
- Technological Magic
- Technomagic
- Technorganic Magic
- Teleportation Magic
- Thermal Magic
- Thievery Magic
- Time Magic
- Toon Magic
- Transmutation Magic
- Twilight World Magic
- Underworld Magic
- Unobtainium Magic
- Utopian Magic
- Vector Magic
- Vibration Magic
- Void Magic
- Voodoo
- War Magic
- Warp Magic
- Weather Magic
- Werebeast Magic
- White Arts
- Wish Magic
- Witchcraft
- Yin & Yang Magic
- Zodiac Magic
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MaimakteriAnn
(Verified Sleepy)
- Location
- Enormous And Round Terran Homeworld
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Dr
Metallica song?
Chapter 4 - Walking and Pondering
There is absolutely no way I could have waited two whole hours for that pickup to the Rig, so I decided to walk around the area, get familiar with it.
As I strode, there was a small newspaper shop. I didn't have any money, but I could see the first page of one of them from the sidewalk. It seems the Undersiders recently hit a casino called Ruby Dreams. I vaguely remember that name. It may have been the reason that they were being hunted by Lung during Taylor's debut, but I'm not sure.
The current date is shown in a corner of the newspaper, it is march eleventh.
It seems I have exactly one month before the night when the story starts.
Or maybe not, it's quite possible that my existence will change canon, the longer I am here, the more unreliable my knowledge is. I must not be paranoid of derailing it all - everything I do, all my plans should be done on the basis of intel that's certain to be true, not a timeline that is sure to be faulty now that I'm here, that's just asking for a critical failure during the most inopportune moment.
It wouldn't be possible to act if I wanted to keep canon, and that timeline isn't exactly the most comfortable to be in. I resumed walking.
Hopefully months with the Archmage Essence is enough to prepare me for Leviathan, Slaughterhouse Nine, Bakuda, Echidna and threats that my existence may bring to this city. Either way, it's good that I have at least some time until it all starts to escalate.
On that topic, there are a few things I plan to do, when it comes to accessing the potential of my power.
First, figure out some sort of protection against Thinkers. The most dangerous sort of all parahumans, in my opinion. For that, I could attempt to create a Veil, the spell, or enchantment, which hides everything supernatural from the rest of the world. It's a reoccuring motif with many examples in modern fantasy media. Most of the books I have read in which a Veil is present, have it only affect humans, no other race. Maybe I could repurpose it to be applied on my person and be invisible from solely the species which Entities are a part of? It should be possible, Tolkien's Elven Enchantments come to mind.
Second, a measure against Masters. This is not as urgent as the first point, but it's important as well, mind control can be nasty when you're the victim. My first thought is that in Dragon Ball, characters are capable of fighting it due to the strength of their spirit. Also xianxia, the genre that anime is based on, the theme of strengthening one's spirit is a large part of it.
What is the exact mechanics of that, correlating to Master immunity? Maybe an overload of power, too much to control it? Akin to how a wide river can't be controlled by a spoon, but a small trickle can, to some extent? But if overloading would work against shards, I don't know. If they use magic to function, then maybe. I wouldn't count on that, they are more of super-advanced computers, instead of beings that feel. They aren't capable of creativity, either - maybe a kind of arcane counterattack is the better option? I could find a way to detect when I'm under control, and then automatically send a packet of confusing information to the shard that redirects its control onto another person, preferably its host. It would be pretty funny to see Glory Girl in awe with her own body.
Well, the anti-Master measure I thought up may not even have to be used, due to the nature of the Veil, if I manage to make it so that it makes even my physical body completely undetectable to the Entities, then arcane counterattacks could prove unnecessary.
And last - escape. This world, no, multiverse, is not my preferable holiday destination, I need a way to escape the clutches of the coming end. Though methods of running away from situations such as being in a fight I can't win, are welcome as well.
Becoming a Planeswalker is a possibility. I have no idea how to awaken a spark within me, but there's no reason for it to be impossible. I should definitly read up on them when I get long-term access to the internet, hopefully Magic the Gathering exists on either Bet or Aleph. Getting the ability to cross worlds could also be a way to find the item my benefactor desires, as there isn't many such possible artifacts in this universe.
For a general purpose escape method I'm thinking of creating a pocket dimension, to which I could shift myself to hide from more immediate dangers.
However, as I have absolutely zero ideas how to even start working on the creation of new, personal dimensions, I believe it would be best to put this off until I have more knowledge on how to magic.
That means for now the best option for getting away is regular teleportation. It should be pretty easy to incorportate such an ability into the power I'm showing to the world - a flash of light to go with disappearing. For the mechanics of the teleport, I could use a summoning to bring myself to a previously marked location.
I stop in front of a dark wooden door, having noticed a sign next to it. It's a library.
There may be computers in there, which I could use to research some light abilities to go with my power.
I enter.
-x-
Leaving the library, I will comment that what I have learned, was enlightening.
The concept of light manipulation is very common across fiction, there are innumerable examples of its usage within most media.
I've decided to use a combination of demonic and holy power from Highschool DXD. Demonic, because devils only need to imagine what they want to accomplish, and it will happen, unless they don't have enough magic, but that's not a problem when it comes to me. And holy, to maintain the appearance of my power.
It's a decent starter set of mana systems, and will be expanded upon with time. The important thing is, it's easy to modify, due to the very nature of demonic spells.
I should probably head back, it's been nearly two hours since I left.
On the way, I remembered something - the knife I was still carrying isn't the best thing to bring to PRT headquarters. Slipping into an alley, the knife was left in a pile of trash. It didn't need to be used after all, though that's probably good.
-x-
When I get back, I notice a van with the PRT insignia in the process of parking at a spot near the front doors.
As it stops, its door opens, and out of it comes a feminine figure clad in military attire, with a scarf depicting the US flag wrapped around her mouth, Miss Militia's here.
I wave, coming closer.
"I am Aether, are you here for me?" I ask.
She seems somewhat put off by my attire, she likely wasn't expecting me to look like a regular civilian, with my face uncovered.
"Yes, I am to be your escort to the PHQ." her reply was curt.
If she had her doubts, they were purely personal, the entire parahuman force of the Brockton Bay Protectorate probably knows how Aether looks by now.
We went without much talking, into the van, and through the city.
For a moment during the trip, the road was positioned in just the right way - I could see the vast sea, cumulus clouds towering in the high heavens, akin to flying mountains, a few birds, dark spots crossing the sky. Moments like this are precious, the art of noticing them when they present themselves is one of the many keys that open happiness in life.
[A/N]: I found it strange that the same capes PRT treasures so much, are carried by vans so easily overtaken by coil. This is a trope that I noticed across many fics, so why not make my PRT a bit smarter, and make them actually give value to potential cape assets, instead of letting them get kidnapped on their way to the rig?
As I strode, there was a small newspaper shop. I didn't have any money, but I could see the first page of one of them from the sidewalk. It seems the Undersiders recently hit a casino called Ruby Dreams. I vaguely remember that name. It may have been the reason that they were being hunted by Lung during Taylor's debut, but I'm not sure.
The current date is shown in a corner of the newspaper, it is march eleventh.
It seems I have exactly one month before the night when the story starts.
Or maybe not, it's quite possible that my existence will change canon, the longer I am here, the more unreliable my knowledge is. I must not be paranoid of derailing it all - everything I do, all my plans should be done on the basis of intel that's certain to be true, not a timeline that is sure to be faulty now that I'm here, that's just asking for a critical failure during the most inopportune moment.
It wouldn't be possible to act if I wanted to keep canon, and that timeline isn't exactly the most comfortable to be in. I resumed walking.
Hopefully months with the Archmage Essence is enough to prepare me for Leviathan, Slaughterhouse Nine, Bakuda, Echidna and threats that my existence may bring to this city. Either way, it's good that I have at least some time until it all starts to escalate.
On that topic, there are a few things I plan to do, when it comes to accessing the potential of my power.
First, figure out some sort of protection against Thinkers. The most dangerous sort of all parahumans, in my opinion. For that, I could attempt to create a Veil, the spell, or enchantment, which hides everything supernatural from the rest of the world. It's a reoccuring motif with many examples in modern fantasy media. Most of the books I have read in which a Veil is present, have it only affect humans, no other race. Maybe I could repurpose it to be applied on my person and be invisible from solely the species which Entities are a part of? It should be possible, Tolkien's Elven Enchantments come to mind.
Second, a measure against Masters. This is not as urgent as the first point, but it's important as well, mind control can be nasty when you're the victim. My first thought is that in Dragon Ball, characters are capable of fighting it due to the strength of their spirit. Also xianxia, the genre that anime is based on, the theme of strengthening one's spirit is a large part of it.
What is the exact mechanics of that, correlating to Master immunity? Maybe an overload of power, too much to control it? Akin to how a wide river can't be controlled by a spoon, but a small trickle can, to some extent? But if overloading would work against shards, I don't know. If they use magic to function, then maybe. I wouldn't count on that, they are more of super-advanced computers, instead of beings that feel. They aren't capable of creativity, either - maybe a kind of arcane counterattack is the better option? I could find a way to detect when I'm under control, and then automatically send a packet of confusing information to the shard that redirects its control onto another person, preferably its host. It would be pretty funny to see Glory Girl in awe with her own body.
Well, the anti-Master measure I thought up may not even have to be used, due to the nature of the Veil, if I manage to make it so that it makes even my physical body completely undetectable to the Entities, then arcane counterattacks could prove unnecessary.
And last - escape. This world, no, multiverse, is not my preferable holiday destination, I need a way to escape the clutches of the coming end. Though methods of running away from situations such as being in a fight I can't win, are welcome as well.
Becoming a Planeswalker is a possibility. I have no idea how to awaken a spark within me, but there's no reason for it to be impossible. I should definitly read up on them when I get long-term access to the internet, hopefully Magic the Gathering exists on either Bet or Aleph. Getting the ability to cross worlds could also be a way to find the item my benefactor desires, as there isn't many such possible artifacts in this universe.
For a general purpose escape method I'm thinking of creating a pocket dimension, to which I could shift myself to hide from more immediate dangers.
However, as I have absolutely zero ideas how to even start working on the creation of new, personal dimensions, I believe it would be best to put this off until I have more knowledge on how to magic.
That means for now the best option for getting away is regular teleportation. It should be pretty easy to incorportate such an ability into the power I'm showing to the world - a flash of light to go with disappearing. For the mechanics of the teleport, I could use a summoning to bring myself to a previously marked location.
I stop in front of a dark wooden door, having noticed a sign next to it. It's a library.
There may be computers in there, which I could use to research some light abilities to go with my power.
I enter.
-x-
Leaving the library, I will comment that what I have learned, was enlightening.
The concept of light manipulation is very common across fiction, there are innumerable examples of its usage within most media.
I've decided to use a combination of demonic and holy power from Highschool DXD. Demonic, because devils only need to imagine what they want to accomplish, and it will happen, unless they don't have enough magic, but that's not a problem when it comes to me. And holy, to maintain the appearance of my power.
It's a decent starter set of mana systems, and will be expanded upon with time. The important thing is, it's easy to modify, due to the very nature of demonic spells.
I should probably head back, it's been nearly two hours since I left.
On the way, I remembered something - the knife I was still carrying isn't the best thing to bring to PRT headquarters. Slipping into an alley, the knife was left in a pile of trash. It didn't need to be used after all, though that's probably good.
-x-
When I get back, I notice a van with the PRT insignia in the process of parking at a spot near the front doors.
As it stops, its door opens, and out of it comes a feminine figure clad in military attire, with a scarf depicting the US flag wrapped around her mouth, Miss Militia's here.
I wave, coming closer.
"I am Aether, are you here for me?" I ask.
She seems somewhat put off by my attire, she likely wasn't expecting me to look like a regular civilian, with my face uncovered.
"Yes, I am to be your escort to the PHQ." her reply was curt.
If she had her doubts, they were purely personal, the entire parahuman force of the Brockton Bay Protectorate probably knows how Aether looks by now.
We went without much talking, into the van, and through the city.
For a moment during the trip, the road was positioned in just the right way - I could see the vast sea, cumulus clouds towering in the high heavens, akin to flying mountains, a few birds, dark spots crossing the sky. Moments like this are precious, the art of noticing them when they present themselves is one of the many keys that open happiness in life.
[A/N]: I found it strange that the same capes PRT treasures so much, are carried by vans so easily overtaken by coil. This is a trope that I noticed across many fics, so why not make my PRT a bit smarter, and make them actually give value to potential cape assets, instead of letting them get kidnapped on their way to the rig?
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MaimakteriAnn
(Verified Sleepy)
- Location
- Enormous And Round Terran Homeworld
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Dr
That is a weird idea. I've never heard of one that only affects humans. What books are you drawing that precedent from?
I figured a portion of veils exist because of humanity's inherent drive to destruction - to hide the rest of the world from being devoured by the result of our hubris
MaimakteriAnn
(Verified Sleepy)
- Location
- Enormous And Round Terran Homeworld
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Dr
Right. But you described it as a literary reference and made several references by name immediately on the next topic. So i was wondering where a freeform mage got an idea so limiting?
More that both DB and Xianxia draw on the same sources, Journey to the West being one of them.