Veil of Corruption

A small kid laying on his back in the center of the white room when the door suddenly opened, and a man in a black suit walked in. The man was tall and lean. This time, he didn't survey the room but directly addressed the kid.

"Long time no see, kid" Seth greeted Malo with a smile.

Malo froze in fear as he saw Seth, terror flooding his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Malo asked, inching toward the wall, slowly backing away.

"Wait, wait. I'm not here for a lesson, kid. It's just theory class today," Seth said, trying to calm him.

"Please don't hurt me," Malo pleaded, still trembling and retreating from his former tormentor.

"I would never do that, kid. That was just to test you and help you get used to fracture power. You know how dangerous it is. I only pushed you as much as needed to make you stronger, and you handled it so bravely. It was impressive, kid."

"By the way, your name is a bit unusual. How about we find a nice new name for you?"

Seth rambled on, spouting whatever he could to distract Malo and weave his lies. Only a devil would manipulate such an innocent soul, and Seth was nothing less than a devil. Yet perhaps it wasn't entirely bad if Malo could trust and bond with someone, even if it was a devil. Without that connection, Malo would be utterly miserable on his own. 

Or maybe Seth wasn't such a bad guy. Malo, stuck in his white prison, had only one person to talk to—Seth. Eventually, Malo would come to understand that Seth was his only way out, and he'd have to work with him. All Seth had to do was wait it out, and the rest would take care of itself. Still, Seth attempted to win Malo's affection, even if it meant resorting to deception. Only he knows what drove him to rush and teach Malo.

"What about Miles? It's not too far off from your original name."

Malo was still trying to grasp what Seth was talking about.

After a few moments of silence, Malo responded to Seth.

"What did you do to me last time?"

Seth spoke as if he was worried, recalling what happened last time.

"I circulated Aether for you; it was to help your body recall the sensation of power that the Fracture had awakened in you."

"You've got heart, kid. Anyone else might have given in to their primal instincts, but you resisted and overcame it. However, that's not enough—you need to understand it more deeply. That's why today's theory class will focus on that."

Malo hesitated before nodding, his fear of Seth evident. Yet, Seth appeared unusually caring today—a sharp contrast to their first encounter and a clear sign of his manipulative nature. Malo, desperate for kindness and weighed down by loneliness, couldn't or wouldn't let such a dark thought rise to the surface of his mind.

Seth feigned a relieved sigh, as though he had been concerned for Malo. He then settled on the floor by the door and started to explain.

"Chaos, that's what powers us and the Fracture. The Fracture leaks chaos energy into our world, and with it comes a myriad of abominations we call Chaos Creatures. The earliest fractures didn't bring creatures, though; they mainly leaked chaos energy. But that has changed now. Any ordinary human near a fracture risks being distorted—either turning into a monster or becoming like us, retaining their sanity. It's unclear why some become monsters and others do not. Some speculate it depends on mental fortitude, but this hasn't been proven."

Seth glanced at Malo, who was still hesitant to meet Seth's eyes. Seth turned his gaze back to the wall.

"Ten years ago, there were many early fractures. They devastated cities and gave birth to both monsters and people like us. Both we and the monsters were captured for experimentation. They wanted to study us, but their plan soon failed. The largest experimental facility in Heidelberg, Germany, couldn't contain its subjects. Some experiments ran wild, destroying the facility and killing all the staff. Those who escaped turned on the very people they had once been part of. A bloody war raged, costing many lives. Soon after, the fractures began to release monsters as well. Their numbers grew, desolating and ruining countless cities. Massive, colossal creatures emerged, capable of wiping humanity from the face of the Earth. Finally, we ended our infighting and united against the common enemy. The Kaedarnad Accord was signed by both sides to maintain peace among us."

Seth lowered his gaze, staring at the base of the wall.

"There's a tier system in place to mark our levels."

"They are defined by the number of cores we possess. These cores reside in your heart, and to see them, you need to circulate Aether through it. I have around four cores, while the highest known is twelve. As you can tell, I'm on the lower side, but don't let that deceive you. Cores only determine raw power; the most important aspect is the ability granted to you by chaos energy. Mine is mimicry, which allows me to copy other abilities. Its only limitation is that I can use just one at a time, requiring me to remove the previous ability to adopt a new one. Based on my observation, yours might be..."

Malo's face twisted in a grimace as he recalled the excruciating pain of his transformation.

Seth noticed Malo's pained expression and spoke warmly.

"It's inversion. You can distort objects. I don't know if it's only limited to the physical, but we'll figure it out together."

Malo composed himself and, looking at Seth, gestured for him to continue.

Seth obliged his pupil's request.

"Each sundered typically has one ability—though some possess more. Core numbers can be increased by defeating enough monsters or another sundered, but laws prohibit sundered from killing each other. There are alternative methods, though riskier and less rewarding. For example, shattering a relic containing unique power and absorbing it would add only a small amount toward forming a core. To break a relic, you must overwhelm it with Aether from your reserves, which takes a substantial amount. Excessive Aether use can even be fatal for a sundered. Additionally, some relics retaliate when forcefully destroyed, harming their owner in unique ways. This could cost you a valuable ability item and leave you drained in the process."

"Relics are physical manifestations of chaos energy that hold immense power, taking the form of armor, weapons, or other utility items. They are remnants left behind by chaos creatures. These creatures are ranked from the strongest S-rank to the weakest F-rank, categorized by their rank and core number. For instance, the colossal chaos creature that almost drove humanity to extinction was an S-400, indicating it was S-rank with 400 cores at its disposal."

"There are abilities that can perceive other cores, but you can also estimate them by their discharge of Chaos energy."

Malo finally spoke after remaining silent throughout the conversation.

"How do I circulate Aether? I got a sense of my ability—when I was becoming a monster, I could only see in red, so I tried to recall what I normally see, and that helped me turn human again."

Seth felt relieved and slightly pleased that Malo was taking the initiative to ask, though he kept a stern expression as he replied.

"Today is the theory class. For now, rest. The time for that will come."

Malo remembered that and nodded.

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