Veil of Corruption

The monitor near Emily's bed flickered, its glow casting pale light across the sterile walls.

"Sundered Rank 112: Coraline Ferdous has conquered and saved the people of Kamari. She valiantly fought wave after wave of monsters."

The broadcast crackled as medals shone, cheers erupted, and another name was etched into public memory.

Emily sat hunched at the edge of the cot, eyes dull, a silent tremor in her jaw.

Her voice came low, barely a whisper against the static.

"We bleed too... but no one puts our names on screens."

She didn't look away as the screen played on—bright, triumphant, and far, far removed from where she sat.

.....

In the white room, Seth sat beside Malo, chatting with him.

"About the name Miles—do you want to keep it?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about it too. Malo sounds malicious and bad. Miles sounds good."

"That's what I was thinking. Why did they name you Malo?"

"I never asked my mother, but I still like it. Though, I'd prefer to be called Miles if possible. Malo feels too ominous."

"Ominous it is, kid."

"Seth is basic too. It really shows no effort."

Seth chuckled at Malo's comment.

"Alright, alright, I won't poke fun anymore."

"Back to the topic. Outside Greywell, there are the Sundered, and they're ranked based on their contributions. Though it's said the rank signifies their power level, that's not really true. With the variability of Sundered abilities, there's no way to properly gauge someone's power. Anybody can kill anybody."

Seth paused before speaking again.

"For example, take my ability. I can keep changing it, which makes me unpredictable. I can fight in more ways than someone with the same core as mine. I'd say I'm comparable to high-level Sundered in terms of killing potential."

Malo, listening intently, asked, "You once mentioned there are people with more than one ability. How many are there?"

Seth smiled. "Not many. There's only one I know personally. There was a guy named Alwin Doyle. He had two abilities—his first made him invisible, and his second allowed him to make an object, about the size of a small rock, invisible as well."

"The guy could stab you without you ever knowing. Dude had a truly terrifying ability."

Malo asked curiously, "What is the best ability out there?"

Seth replied with the same enthusiasm, "Personally, abilities related to defense are great. They really boost survivability. Speaking of that, I know a guy whose ability literally made him immortal. He didn't age a single day after gaining his power. That dude was insanely lucky—no need for food or water."

Malo, curious, asked, "So no one can kill him?"

"Technically, no. As I said, abilities are truly unique—there are abilities that can kill immortals too. And to guess your next question, I can't really mimic his immortality."

Malo pressed, "Why?"

"When he was affected by the fracture, not only did he gain that ability, but his body also transformed slightly—he's now somewhere between a monster and a human. So even if I mimic his ability, it will only provide me with an immunity boost."

"That's fascinating! Are there others who have also morphed into a half-monster, half-human state?"

"Hmm, I've heard of one more. This man has the ability to shapeshift. He could be considered similar, and a rise in core power can make someone less human than others. At higher core levels, they become almost non-human, merely wearing a human disguise. Believe me, I know."

"William Johnson?!"

"Yeah, that was his name, I think. How did you know?"

"Lieutenant Jaden mentioned him. He said his ability shifts his reality, turning him into an animal, a man, or anything in between."

"That's right. His ability gave him the freedom to be anything. But do you know what the strongest ability is?"

"What is the strongest ability?"

"It's the ability reversion. It's the most powerful."

"Why? What does it do?" Malo asked, intrigued.

"It can reverse time, space, and reality. Earlier, I said the rankings are useless, but rank number one, Sundered Martin Herman, is truly the strongest Sundered."

"What can he do by reversing time, space, and reality?" Malo asked, with a clueless expression.

Seth found it amusing but didn't let it show on his face.

"Well, for one, he can travel back and change events. Who knows how many times he has saved humanity from destruction? He can also glimpse future events for a short period. But that part is quite sketchy, to be honest. Fractures distort everything around them, so it's nearly impossible for anyone to see the future without interference from the fracture."

Seth looked at Malo.

"Inversion is a really strong ability. If we can learn more about it, it might become one of the strongest."

Malo glanced back at Seth.

"How so? All I can do is change my form with it, and honestly, the form doesn't last very long."

Seth nodded thoughtfully.

"It's true that needing physical contact for your ability is a bit limiting, and only being able to target yourself is pretty unfortunate. However, some abilities grow and evolve with time and practice. Maybe in the future, you'll gain the ability to target others instead of just yourself."

Malo was lost in thought after hearing that.

"How can I grow my power then?" he asked.

Seth replied to his curious pupil, "As you know, cores not only increase Aether capacity but also enhance other aspects. Both you and your abilities grow stronger as your core number increases."

The files on Malo had already revealed the number of cores he possessed, and it exceeded Seth's. That left a bitter taste in Seth's mouth, but then again, Malo was a special grade, so it was only natural. Rather than feeling jealous of the kid, he should feel proud to be teaching such a capable disciple.

During his evaluation, Malo had six cores—two more than Seth. He was already a mid-level sundered right after awakening, which was extraordinary even among the special grades. Usually, the highest one can achieve just after awakening is three, even for the exceptional ones. When Seth claimed Malo could be the strongest sundered, he wasn't exaggerating—Malo truly has the potential to become the strongest.