《Fractured》


 Chapter 1

    You''ll never meet a woman looking like a bum, his grandfather had always told him. Tommy could practically hear the old man''s voice as if he was standing behind him, his lessons having been drilled into him from a young age. Trust me when I say, you will always feel underdressed when you meet the one. So best to look sharp. It was a good rule to follow in life, even if only half-heartedly.  Taking in his own appearance and making an assessment, he couldn''t help be feel slightly bedraggled. His khakis had a slight wrinkle to them, and his belt was starting to fray where the loop met the leather. At least my polo is fresh, Tommy thought to himself, sniffing his freshly dried shirt. Having run a quick comb through his shaggy black hair, he couldn''t help be feel at a loss with his wild hair. It had a tendency to dry wavy and a bit unkempt, and brushing it out only served to make it poofy.


    Character and personality outshine wardrobe flaws anyways, he thought to himself. Running another hand through his hair, he rushed to the door, grabbing his sweatshirt on the way out. Being fall, it wasn''t especially warm anymore; but, the weather wasn''t demanding enough yet for a heavier jacket either. Making his way down the block to the nearest subway, he clambered his way through the terminal and onto the train, finding standing room near the corner of the car.


    Subway, check. Breakfast? Tommy glanced at his watch, seeing he had an hour before his shift started, he smiled. Shouldn''t be an issue. Throwing in his earbuds, he closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the car, letting his beats and the swaying of the car rock him into a light snooze. A short thirty minutes and three stops later, Tommy found himself emerging from the underground a short block and a half away from his office. Breaking into a quick walk, he made his way around the corner to the closest donut and coffee shop, delighting in the sweet smell of the baked goods sitting behind the counter as it wafted out the door and down the street. After a brief wait, Tommy found himself making his way to his office building with a hot coffee in hand, and the leftovers of his double chocolate, glazed pastry stuck to his fingers. Doing his best to lick them clean, a less than satisfactory way to clean them but what else could he do for the moment, he found himself walking into the main level of the worst place on planet Earth, ChippiCenter. One of the worlds leading software companies.


    best. But, it did pay the bills, with a little left over for extracurriculars. And for that, Tommy was happy.


    Always look for the silver lining, Thomas, his grandfather''s voice chimed out from the back of his mind, breaking him out of his already slightly zombie like state of mind. This job, while not simple, wasn''t overly complex either. Once you work a place long enough, any procedure just becomes rote.


    <hr>


    Titan¡¯s Rising: Rebirth, the latest role-playing game in his all time favorite series. As he expected, there was a day one patch that he needed to install first. Kicking it off, he decided on grabbing some food before losing the rest of his night to cutting down the Gods in a virtual, bloody battlefield.


    Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Tommy held his breath as a new sound joined his frozen world. Slowly, a slashed and severely mangled arm made its way out from behind the counter, slowly dragging its host behind it. Whoever it was, Tommy could only assume it was the poor night shifter who had been managing this shop tonight, made it no more than three feet before the monster hacked down, finishing off it''s gruesome act with a sickening crunch.

 Chapter 2

    Another Adroit? Fleya could feel a pressure behind the harpoons, one that wouldn''t be there if only time and momentum were pushing the missiles onwards. Drawing on her Knight level madra reserve, Fleya fed her technique direct from her own pool of power. The harpoons slowed to a crawl in the air above the battlefield, drawing eyes from across the battlefield. Then, suddenly, the missiles jerked forward through the air, coming to a halt moments later, mere feet from impaling their quarry. They must be feeding their madra into their technique, Fleya thought to herself, all of her attention directed towards the harpoons now.


    heaved against the mental block. Slowly at first, but then all at once, Fleya could feel the other Adroit caving under her willpower. Moments later, the pressure against her disappeared. Completely in control of the harpoons now, she forced madra into the weapons. The archers looked up to take aim and noticed the rapidly aging wall of death inbound to their location. Not having enough time to react, they stood there as the missiles hit - and felt dust as they disintegrated with the wind. Fleya staggered back for a minute, clutching at her head. Splitting her focus wasn''t an easy thing to do when manipulating more than a few threads of time.


    was moving. This Adroit was strong, and she had no idea as to how he had managed to evade her perception for the duration of the battle.


    CRACK!

 Chapter 3

    That was...odd, Tommy thought to himself as he recalled it. With a weird, tingly shiver that ran through his whole body, he could still feel the overwhelming sense of power he had felt. I''m going crazy, he thought to himself. It just seemed so...real.


    Amazing, Tommy noted as he glanced at the glass. He could already see beads of perspiration forming on the side. "How did you do that?" he asked, completely astonished.


    ¡°A¡± over the heart. He also took note of the many empty slots for what appeared to be knives or other utilities, scattered throughout the outfit.


    It''s all good, just remember what you were taught. Only one way out now, and that''s forward, Thomas thought to himself, trying to keep in mind all the lessons his grandfather had instilled in him throughout the years. I hope you gave me enough idioms, pops.


    Maybe Terrowin will know more, Fleya thought to herself, thinking of her oldest friend. Noticing the door open, she pushed off the wall and took in the figure standing before her.


    he was capable of performing magic was enough to convince him. Childhood myth or not, anything is possible.

 Chapter 4

    He might not be cut out for this, Fleya was thinking to herself, waiting for him to calm down enough to continue.


    This is insane, that place is called the nightmare room, I can¡¯t go in there, Tommy thought to himself, turning to pace back in forth in front of the room. Just days ago, he was living a comfortable life, carefree as usual back on Earth. It was not the best life, but he had been comfortable. And happy, for the most part. But now, he was struggling with the idea of getting through a week here, let alone this Nightmare Room.


    PATHETIC


    At this rate, he won¡¯t survive a week, she thought to herself.


    At least he hasn¡¯t run away yet, she thought and then continued. ¡°You¡¯re ready for this?¡±


    <hr>

 Chapter 5

    should be sitting in a lounge back at his father¡¯s estate, but because he¡¯d been born Adroit, he was expected to lead, and help those less fortunate.


    That shouldn''t be possible, I''m pulling directly from my core! Rezmir cried out to himself as he staggered to the ground once more. It was undeniable though, he felt as the world around him surged with power, pulling on his core and from all living things in his surrounding area, draining it of life and madra both. The feeling was surreal as his core was bled dry and he was left like a shriveled husk on the ground.

 Chapter 6

    I thought this was some sort of test¡­what¡¯s going on? Tommy questioned. Mentally exhausted and physically drained, every step he took seemed to lead him further from any sense of clarity. His sense of confusion and frustration from the past few days was slowly turning into resignation. Maybe I really am just going insane, he thought, wandering aimlessly through the forest, the feeling of being watched ever present.


    SNAP


    anything except for those eyes.


    WEAK

 Chapter 7

    Why is everything so, small? He couldn¡¯t help but think to himself, noticing everything throughout the cabin was almost certainly smaller than it should be. The bookshelves looked as if they would only come up to his chest. The table and chairs sat slightly lower to the floor, and the windows had been set lower in the walls than what he was normally used to.


    So, this is really all part of the testing? The situation was growing more disorienting by the minute.


    you need to be ready for them. Sit, please. And we can talk.¡±


    The stew did all of this?


    felt his body for the first time. It felt as if his body flowed like water, responding to his actions like a hound eager to please its master.


    Cultivation? Tommy thought to himself. He actually was familiar with the term. Stories of humans that could cultivate their bodies into immortal beings...in other words, myths and legends. Tommy actually rather enjoyed reading such novels, but being sucked into a world where it was real? I guess it¡¯s not the craziest thing I¡¯ve heard so far, he thought to himself.


    Fleya must be getting irritated by now, he thought to himself. The thought didn¡¯t bring him any comfort.


    Unless, he took this seriously and got stronger.

 Chapter 8

    Any minute now, she thought to herself, calling up a spell to check the time again.


    One, two...four....six... Fleya was in shock as she watched the tenth and final stone light up.


    So much for trying to blend in, he thought to himself, straightening up again as he noticed a few passersby giving him an odd look.


    Blending in? Boy, you stick out like a sore thumb.


    Of course not. It¡¯s been all of ten minutes and you¡¯ve already forgotten me? the voice said, seemingly coming from nowhere.


    That spell linked us together, forever. However unfortunate that may be, we need to work together to get you up to speed as quickly as possible. Noru said, coming to a halt a few steps away from Tommy.


    You¡¯re about as quick as a snail, eh? That spell I cast chose you to be my successor. That means you get me, in my full glory. Noru said, the last bit rolling off with more than a hint of sarcasm. I can explain more later on, we have more important matters at hand presently. So, first things first. Do not tell anyone about me, or what I¡¯ve told you so far. From what I gather, you have limited support here. There¡¯s no reason to add more confusing elements to the equation until you have a firmer grasp on your situation.


    Understood?


    It¡¯s really not that bleak. If anything, think of me as another pillar of support. Except, this pillar is more imaginary, and can only offer a little wisdom and guidance. Still, that¡¯s more than nothing. Tommy had a gut feeling this might be a bit of an understatement.


    I¡¯m sure we will both come to terms. Noru said dryly. Let¡¯s move along though, he said, eyes shifting from Tommy¡¯s in a show of embarrassment he didn¡¯t quite understand. You should know, you don¡¯t have to speak aloud for me to hear you. I can hear it if you think it. This can be a bit invasive, he said, hand rubbing the back of his neck, but I promise to give as much privacy as I can afford to give.


    I must be the perfect picture of a world saving hero, huh? he laughed at himself.


    Herculean.. Noru responded dryly, making a motion as if to pat Tommy''s back. Training will fix everything. I just hope we have the time. Tommy went to respond, however the door behind Noru started to open, and the old man faded away before his eyes. Terrowin met Tommy at the door, hand extended with a smile on his face.


    You shouldn¡¯t say anything at all, to anyone, until you¡¯re positive they mean you no ill will, Noru¡¯s voice sounded out in his head. Tommy was getting more than a fair share of old hermit vibes from Noru, the man looked like he quarantined for years before the Fracturing. There was a strong sense of irritation from wherever Noru was mentally located inside of his brain. Tommy smile, the man reminding him of his grandfather back on Earth.


    Would you pay attention? Noru snapped at him, appearing in front of Tommy abruptly. Gathering his senses and focusing back onto the room, Tommy saw Fleya as she gestured him further into the small apartment. Though, apartment was far from what Tommy would call it. The room was very cramped, consisting of a small entryway room for greeting guests, and a main circular room that made up the rest of the residence.


    very rare.¡± Seeing the blank look on Tommy¡¯s face, he simplified his explanation. ¡°You have the potential to be one of the very best. There¡¯s only two other people at the Academy right now that can match your potential, and both of those people were given the best treatment since they were brought here to the Academy.¡±

 Chapter 9

    something, covering a large portion of the floor and wall next to his door. Fleya approached the door and raised her arms, making a gesture and acting as if the stain wasn''t pulsating the closer she stood to it. Tommy felt a shift in the air around him, like someone had opened a window in the room and the air was rushing towards it. It was only briefly though, then he watched as faint lines formed in the shapes of intertwining symbols around Fleya¡¯s raised wrist and hand.


    pushed them onto the world with his intent.


    Link me to the room, the room and I are one, he thought, feeling a bit silly.


    feel the room beyond the door like it was an extension of himself.


    Boy, quit dawdling. Any questions you have for her can be directed to me. Get her out of here and let''s be done with this. Tommy rolled his eyes a bit at the impatience of his statement, but at the end of the day Noru was right. As crazy as this all was, he at least had an expert living inside of his brain, full time. If anything serious popped up he could just ask Noru.


    You¡¯re not actually building the spell or taking it over like you were earlier. The spell has already been built and cast, linking you to the room until you actively dismiss it. Because of this, you can simply reach out to interact with it. A moment passed in silence before Noru spoke up again. Although, maybe we should have you dismiss and recast the spell each time. To get you up to speed that is.


    Sleep well Tommy. Tomorrow the work begins.