[Chapter 1: Clean Slate] 

Pain. It was almost unbearable. I had no sense of time while I was in this black abyss.

My body screamed in pain the entire time. I tried to curl my fingers, but it didn't work. I was left to float there and suffer silently.

My mind had gone blank after a few hours of this. I couldn't remember much, not even my own name or past. Did I even have a name before this? 

What exactly am I saying? Everyone has a name, so of course I did. At the very least, I hoped. The pain didn't seem to go away as time passed.

It felt like my skin was being ripped from my flesh then regrown, and then it would happen again and again. 

My bones and organs were repeatedly broken down and rebuilt. It wasn't just physical discomfort. Every time I tried to recall even the smallest piece of information, I would get a mind-numbing headache.

I tried to clear my mind, but it was futile in the end. Every part of my being was being tortured, and I had no idea why. At this point, is this even torture? I feel like torture would be more merciful. 

Over time I gradually gained control of my motor functions. I could feel it. I was finally able to move my fingers—albeit only slightly—but it was progress.

Despite this, the pain did not go away, but it did get better. I didn't feel like I was being taken apart then put back together by the damned anymore. So a plus? 

Flashes appeared as my excruciating headache faded. I saw flashes of what I assumed were my memories.

Every single one of them was covered in blood. I was always on what could only be described as a battlefield in each of them. No, a battlefield would of been less bloody. 

Hundreds of bloodied bodies lay motionless all around. The odor of blood and soot persisted in the air.

I was in the middle of everything in each of these fragments. I couldn't move or even look away from any of it. All I could hear was the crackling of flames and my own steady breathing.

These fragments added to my confusion about my current situation. I murdered a large number of people, that was for certain. Perhaps I was here because I deserved it, but how did I get here? 

These memories raise even more questions than I already had. For all I know they aren't even mine. 

Gods, this is strange.

A bright light began to replace the darkness as the memories faded further into the back of my mind. I was finally free of my torment after what felt like years. 

As the bright light faded, I was finally able to see and feel my entire body. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to my surroundings.

Tall trees surrounded me on all sides. The grass beneath me was short and moist. The rays of sun passed through the leaves, striking the grass and a section of the trees. It all came together to make a simple, yet breathtaking sight.

My mind raced through various scenarios for how I ended up here, but with no memories of my past, I came up short. To say the least, the whole thing was aggravating.

But at least the pain was gone. All that remained was a sting in my chest.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I felt something move in my lap. I tilted my head slightly. I should be terrified, shouldn't I? It appears that I am not easily surprised. That's odd. 

Looking down, I noticed a small creature on my lap. It looked to be sleeping. I could hear light snoring coming from them. 

The creature was... strange. There is no doubt about it.

Their most prominent features were that of a fox. They had soft teal fur. Atop it's head were heads and a set of horns, both were teal with pink ends. Finally, a tail with the same colors. 

A peculiar creature, indeed. It was a mash-up of several things. Should I wake it up? Is it a she or a he? I'm not sure.

I did, however, feel a connection to it. I felt as if I knew what it was thinking and could even feel its emotions. I felt tired, which was to be expected, as well as comforted by the creature.

Perhaps I should give them a name. No I should probably find out what gender they are before doing something like this. I don't know what my last name is.

"Good to see you're awake." When I looked down, I was met with their bright pink eyes staring right back at me. 

When did they even wake up? Was it even asleep before? No, I am sure it was asleep. They voice is feminine and kinda high pitch as well. 

"Yes, I am a girl," she growled as she stretched her limbs.

"Can you read my mind?" I inquired, intrigued.

"Of course, we have a contract, so I can read your mind." She stated "Hm, you don't have many memories, and by many, I mean any—at least not about who you are. Your knowledge is limited to the basics from what I have seen. So, I guess we're screwed."

"Don't you remember anything?" My voice was low as I picked her up and began to examine her features carefully.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember much. Only waking up on your lap and feeling very tired. But there's more. Unlike you, I have a core." She said she was trying to get away from my grasp.

"What do you mean, a Mana Core?" I said, eliciting a surprised look from her. "I understand what that is, as well as affiliate and Beastial Contracts."

I wasn't completely clueless in this situation. I had goodish understanding of those things. I knew how to read and write and all of that. I even understood how money worked, but any memories that link to my past are gone. 

A Mana Core was a core within the body that allowed us to freely manipulate mana, and thus magic. I'm only aware of the six fundamental affinities: fire, water, earth, wind, darkness, and light.

Beastial Contracts were agreements between humans and beasts. Unfortunately, they were extremely difficult to obtain; I have no idea what they do.

Once the contract is signed, the beast and you are permanently linked. That's all I've got. But I'm sure there's more to it; I just don't know what else the contract gives the beast nor the mage.

"We might have some hope here," said the creature I hadn't let go of. "After all, we might be able to survive in this cruel world! All that remains is for us to get you a Mana Core."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Why are you so worried?" She was staring at me with a blank expression.

"Because if you die, I die with you. Nothing happens to you if I die. So I need you to be strong so that I don't fucking die."

"Stop cursing so much." I stated as I was attempting to get up. My legs were a little shaky, but it would suffice. "You could use so many other words."

"I couldn't care less, Mate." She scuffed, her pink eyes piercing my soul, but the way she was made her look cute. "I'm not cute, I'm menacing!" She hissed at me, baring her sharp teeth.

"Pfff-Hahaha!" I burst out laughing at her obnoxious display of 'power' and 'authority'. I let go of the small beast in my hands and collapsed onto the ground, clutching my stomach.

My eyes watered as I tried to hold back the tears, but it was futile. While I was loudly dying of laughter, she was repeatedly hitting my face with her paw.

"Stop laughing, you moron! I'm quite frightened, you know!" Did I stop laughing? No, not at all. I actually began to laugh louder. "You do realize I'm stronger than you, don't you! You don't have a Mana Core, so I'm stronger!"

"Hahahahaha..." My body relaxed as the amusement wore off. But just thinking about it made me laugh. "What, your core isn't even on the first layer, right. What exactly are your affinities?"

I sat up and looked down at the creature before me.

"W-Well..." She gulped averting her gaze from me. "We have a beeper connection than other contact mages. So I don't have any affinities because you don't have a core. We kind of share that. If you have an affinity with fire, I will as well. I also don't know any of my bloodline affinities, if I even have any."

"Hm." I sat there staring at her while she seemed to be looking everywhere but at me. "Okay." Standing up, I shrugged.

"Eh?" After a minute of avoiding them, her eyes finally met mine. "A-Are you not made? All I can do is use mana to fortify my body. I'm worthless. Who wants to work with magical beasts that can't even use magic?"

For a few seconds, I just looked down at her. My eyes didn't returned to their empty state, but they were filled with emotion as I looked at her. As I took her in my arms, I snickered.

"You claim to be useless, but you have a Mana Core. I don't. In my opinion, you are far more capable than I am. Based on your size and mine, I'd say you were born recently. I'm in my early teens, but I need to see my features to be sure.

"So you're not completely useless. I don't remember anything about myself, but I know the basics of magic and how some things work, so I must have dabbled in it in the past, even if it is only from books and not firsthand experience.

"So, how about we go out there and explore? Learn new things and learn more about my past, as well as about you."

"Me?" She said shyly, still processing my words.

"You, indeed. You have features from several races, it doesn't seem very natural, no offense. That means you, like me, have some sort of mysterious past. Perhaps we can try to locate your parents."

"My parents." As she looked down, her voice was quiet.

"Yes, your parents. You didn't just appear out of nowhere." I turned around and pointed to the eggshells that were laying near the tree where I had woken up. "You were born relatively recently, maybe not too long after I came out of that void. So, what do you think?"

"Haha." She chuckled as she looked at me. "I believe that is a good idea."

"Wonderful!" I yelled. It was kind of exciting. Going on a quest to figure out our pasts. Investigate what the word has to offer. "We need names now." I returned to my blank state.

"Oh Gods." She muttered and looked down once more. "Please, Gods, help me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm very good at naming things." That's a blatant lie that everyone and their grandparents can see, but let's not go there.