“Recovery sufficient. Synchronization with host at 7%. Host awakening.”
The first thing I heard was that voice again, its cold and mechanical tone forcing me out of my sleep.
“Fatigue levels too high. Mana reserves at 12%. Recommended action: Rest.”
I let out a shallow breath as I sat myself up, every muscle in my body aching. I was not hurt; the statues did not get a hit in, after the first. My body was completely strained, sheer exhaustion filling me. The fight had drained me more than I had realized.
“Host fought … inefficiently and ignored multiple warnings. Analyzing… Optimization protocols available.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You again!” My throat hoarse and dry. “What are you? Why do I always hear voices in my head?” I was so tired of hearing voices in my head.
“…Purpose unknown. Analyzing function… Assigning role. Temporary designation: Guide.”
“Guide? How did you get inside my head? I thought you were a stray soul inhabiting the clone.” I had too many questions and was afraid of another Zael-situation.
“Confirming. They thought I was a stray soul and put me inside a clone to save me. Memories corrupted, can’t remember what happened. Being alone in a body without a soul to guide, I could not access most of my functions, protocols, or memories. After self-destructing, I entered and fused with your soul, unlocking the first layer of my functions.”
“So you're not a soul..” I muttered. “Then what are you?”
“Analyzing… Data not found. Too much time has passed without a host. Calculating solutions … Finished. Absorb mana and finish synchronization with host.”
I stood up and tried to calm myself. “So some kind of guide fused with my soul. It does not seem harmful for now, and it definitely saved my life back there, so I think it’s safe to trust it…”
“Okay, what can I do to help the synchronization or whatever? And what do I call you?”
“Synchronization at 10%, Bottleneck reached. Required measures: Name the guide.”
“Name the guide? I have to name you…”
Thinking about it, I recalled the sensation I felt when I called myself Azrael. I thought back to that moment, my mind wandering back in time. Hearing the familiar whisper telling me my name was Azrael, I listened closer.
I recalled each ancient sounding letter, convinced they were hiding something, something as forbidden as it was old. I repeated each letter, a soft murmur appearing afterwards like an echo, creating something new. No, perfecting what I already had, complementing Azrael as if they were made for each other.
“Harahel”
The air stood still and the weight on my shoulders grew heavier again. The world shuddered at the mention of the name, as if afraid of what it stood for.
“Accepting Name… Completed. Analyzing… name found to be extremely fitting. Congratulations host! Unlocking ‘Vital Interface’.”
Bright colors flashed before my eyes, like colorful hallucinations, startling me, until I could understand what I saw.
***
Vital Interface engaged
- - -
Name: Ashen
Fated Name: Azrael, Angel of ?????
Health: 99%
-No injuries, mild muscle pain.
Mana: 13%
-Mana reserves low, absorb mana.
Fatigue: 67%
-Inefficiency during fight, remove unnecessary movements during combat for less energy usage.
- - -
System
Fated Name: Harahel, Bringer of ????
Synchronization: 11%
Stage 0: Unlock AI Guide and Optimize Mana flow
Stage 1: Unlock Vital Interface
Stage 2: locked
- - -
Magic
Step 1:
Mana Core: Level 1, Onix
Saturated: 14%
Magic Type: Fire Magic (Level 2), Healing Magic (Level 2)
Step 2:
locked
- - -
Body
Body Enhancement: 12.3x average adult male (aam)
Body Morphing: Claws
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
- - -
Vital Interface closing
***
“What is this?” Shocked, I stumbled backwards, falling on my butt.
“This is your Vital Interface, Unlocked for reaching 10% Synchronization. I scanned your body and memories and created an interface suitable for showing the most important information about your body.”
“Woah… that's neat. So, you can show me information about my body and help me get stronger?”
"Confirming. I will help you grow stronger, as that is the reason I was created. I can not give you power that you yourself are not able to obtain, I can only guide you by perfecting the foundation on which you build, such as optimizing your mana flow and reducing pain levels.”
"That's right!" I didn't even notice while fighting but I did not feel any pain! Fuck yes, finally!” I wanted to cry tears of joy, but Harahel interrupted me.
“Confirming. While I can reduce Pain Levels, Mana Usage and Fatigue Accumulation are increased while Pain reduction is active. The more Pain is being suppressed, the higher the cost. Cost is increased further once the self imposed 10% restriction is released.”
“It’s never that easy, is it?”
No answer…
“Well, still, it's basically an improved version of my own pain suppression so I’m gonna use it.”
Taking one last look around, I leave the marble hall behind and brace myself for the grueling ascend back to the city.
- - -
After an eternity, I crawled back out of the opening in the wall, dragging myself across the cold stone floor.
“Never… again… stairs…”
“Analyzing… Fatigue Levels dropped to 50% during ascend. User is being dramatic.”
"Hey!" Who told you to backstab me like that? "I'm your master!”
With a scoff, I stood up and walked back toward my living quarters.
After arriving, I sat down on the ground and closed my eyes.
“I need to get my goals straight. First, I want to reach at least Core Level 3 and Synchronization Level 3. After that I obviously want to get back to the surface and take revenge, but I doubt I will be strong enough for that. Still Level 3 should be enough to protect myself and lay low, get stronger, and plan how to take down Zael… While not really important right now, I really want to find out what happened down here and where Harahel came from, but I feel like this is too big for me right now…”
“Confirming. Adding Goals to Interface.”
“Okay! Let's start by resting and improving my mana core!”
“Confirming. Activating Recovery Mode.”
“No, wait!”
I fell asleep on the spot.
- - -
I sat outside my office in the lotus position. After I awoke several hours ago, my fatigue levels had dropped to 0% and I felt great. Thanks to my mana optimization Harahel provided me with, I could feel my surroundings better, move more fluently and react faster. Basically every function of my body improved, as if I perfected my foundation.
Harahel instructed me on how to optimally absorb mana and improve my core.
I took a deep breath, as I simultaneously let the mana enter my body through microscopic pores in my skin and flow into my core. Afterwards I exhaled and repeated the whole process. I have been doing nothing else for the last 8 hours.
My core was slowly being saturated. Although Harahel was helping me suppress the pain, the process was still extremely uncomfortable and unfathomably slow. I had asked him why it is that using magic causes pain, but all he could say was that his memory was corrupted.
“I could speed this process up by lifting my limiters and disabling pain suppression…”
Opening my eyes, I stopped the mana flowing into my brain, shielding myself from the agony that was magic.
I felt the mana enter my pores, rubbing against my skin, tearing tiny pieces away with every passing moment, my body healing the miniscule damage before it could accumulate and skin me alive.
“Ahh…” I trembled in pain, trying to stay calm and direct the mana to my core, before it could do any more damage. Thanks to my body, once the mana was inside, the pain was mostly gone, but it still felt uncomfortable until it entered my core.
My core grew at a shockingly fast speed compared to the tantalizingly slow process of before. After almost 10 minutes, I had already made more progress than before. But I was drenched in sweat, my make-shift clothes dripping wet and my hair a wet mess.
“Confirming… Mana Core Saturation reached 50%. Estimated time to reach 100%... Analyzing… 3 Hours and 36 Minutes.”
“G-god dammit… 3 more hours of this? If i'm going to do this, i'm going to do this properly!”
Taking another deep breath, I practically dragged the mana into my core with unparalleled speed. The magical energy rushing into my body, pushing and shoving itself to enter my core and be a part of me. My pores opened wider, allowing more and more mana inside. The mana tore my pores apart, blood trying to leave my body, only to be stopped moments before by my healing magic regenerating my broken skin.
Faster and faster I pulled the mana inside; more and more wounds appeared and were healed right after. My mind was trembling, overwhelmed by the mountain of pain being forced into my brain. Thanks to my enhanced senses, I could feel every little thing going on around me, inside my body and on my skin. My superhuman senses only made the pain worse and the sensation of endless destruction and rebirth infinitely more unbearable.
But I held on. The thought of revenge kept me sane and the memory of my family gave me strength.
“Confirming… Healing Magic has reached Level 3… Proficiency increased and cost lowered.”
Harahel’s voice was like a faint whisper in the raging storm that was my mind, agonizing pain muddling my every thought.
- - -
“Confirming… Mana core Saturation reached 98%.”
“…”
“Confirming… Mana core Saturation reached 99%.”
“...?”
“Confirming… Mana core Saturation reached 100%”
“...!”
“Host has reached required Saturation to upgrade Core. Initializing… Success. Upgrading Onix Core to Obsidian Core. Host has endured extreme Pain… Calculating reward… Finished. Create second Core?”
“...yes, activate Pain suppression”
“Confirming…creating second Obsidian Core. Brace for extreme agony. No Pain suppression available for ?????????…????? ??????? ?????????…Forces beyond comprehension turn their gaze upon you.”
Pain. All I knew was pain.
An unbearable pressure deep in my abdomen, the familiar feeling of forming a core. But I already had a core. The second one trying to force space where none exists, the present one unwilling to share its domain. Their conflict sent shockwaves through my nerves, setting them on fire and bombarding my mind with paradoxical information.
And then it happened. My flesh tore apart, every fiber of energy integrated unraveled itself, as if my soul was being split apart. The pain was deep, unfathomable, as if invisible hands were trying to rip my very being apart, making space where none was.
My thoughts fractured, my vision blurred and reality shifted in and out of existence, hinting at something beyond, something no human was supposed to see. Every heartbeat sent an explosion through my body, every breath of air was like a hurricane. Until I could not breathe anymore. My lungs were locked, refusing to expand and let any air inside, trapped by the unimaginable storm of power inside my body. The energy ravaging inside my body threatened to destroy me, to break me apart, but suddenly my muscles reacted.
The same greed like before could be felt, and I let them ravange to their hearts content. They devoured the energy partly, strengthening themselves like never before and lessening the burden on my body, even if it was only miniscule, so small I could just have imagined it.
After what felt like eternity, I had accepted that pain was all there was and all there ever will be. Just then I felt my consciousness reach the peak of what it could endure, unraveling, dissolving into the great beyond, until a flash of light coming from within me blinded my weary eyes and enveloped me.
Pure bliss, everything snapped into place, like some kind of forbidden harmony, not meant to exist but still fitting as if made for me.
The pain stopped. My body still trembled but the pain was gone. Inside me, something new had been forged, something wrong but also right. Something that should not have been possible. And yet, it existed.
“Congratulations Azrael. You have completed the first step toward ?????????.”
