"Where?" Adam said.

"Outside." Lucy said, looking in the direction of the inert cryo-pods. "I can detect their foul presence. I thought I cleared them all out the day before. It seems the MOB’s lack of defenses is more of a problem than I thought."

"That another mystic thing?" Adam asked. "I can’t feel shit."

"It’s a mystic technique. [Physio-Sixth Sense]." Lucy said. "You’ll need to recover first, as well as learn [Physiokinesis] too. I’ll teach you once you recover, since that mystic is a very important one. Anyway, I’ll go and take care of the intruders."

There were lands outside the MOB, evidenced by the human scavengers Lucy slaughtered. Were these intruders new wraiths? If so, it begged the question of whose corpses they sprouted from. Lucy stood up and checked her weapons. Her arsenal consisted of a rifle strapped to her back, a handgun like his, and a sword with a foldable blade. The metal glimmered, despite the pale light, as if tiny sparkles lurked beneath the surface. The weapons she wielded in her corrupted form were gone.

"Stay here, Chosen. Do not open the door until you hear my voice. Do you understand?" Lucy said. Adam nodded.

"Thank you. I’ll be back soon. Just in case…" She pressed Adam’s handgun into his hands. "You shouldn’t need this, because I’m here."

With that, Lucy rushed out the door, slamming it shut. Her footsteps thumped through the walls and faded out of hearing. Adam inhaled, shoved the covers off him, and swung his legs over the bed. Invisible pins and needles spread up across the limb. He steadied himself with a palm on the bedrest until the sensation dulled enough for him to stand up.

Move. He told himself. It’s basic shit. You’re a survivor. You can do at least this much.

He guided himself along the wall towards the spot adjacent to his bed. A sink and a mirror lay there. The water mains were partially-bust, spewing out a brackish, muddy fluid. Lucy had used another piece of Astraean tech—tablets that coalesced the impurities into a single clump that could be picked out and thrown away. She still boiled it before usage.

He saw himself for the first time in days. Young, above-average height, his Caucasian skin tanned from exertion under two hot suns. Instructor Rackhart called him a brick-headed bastard, which he couldn’t exactly dispute. His chin was a square with a few small lumps. His nose was crooked from a few small fights; he shared that with Mary. He was neither tall nor short and about an inch shorter than Lucy.

Lucy removed the bandages on his face yesterday. They left no scars behind, for a pre-existing, small one near his upper-left eye. Orphanages were miserable places with kids who learned how to cut a child’s face from the adults. He brushed the top of his head. The hair was growing back from his buzz-cut. It had been coarse and wavy, before. Mary used to tussle it when she had been around. She told him to be proud of it.

He blinked. In the darkness, he could pretend to be back on Earth, preparing for a morning shave in the barracks. Except, he couldn’t ignore the unnatural smoothness of his jumpsuit’s collar, the sigil of Astraea glaring from behind him, or the plasma flowing beneath his physical form.

Mystics had no life, but they had a will and [Psychokinesis] tugged on his, urging to be unleashed.

Because you’re Astraea’s Chosen. The sigil at the back of the wall appeared to say.

He dragged his gaze away. Empty space. Right, Lucy wasn’t here, for once. She wouldn’t have let him pick himself up otherwise.

He took another step forward. Then another. He could walk. He could hold a gun. Maybe, he could escape. Run out the other side of the MOB, find a vehicle, leave the War Maiden behind. There were rations, ammunition and medical supplies in here. Escape into the woods, build a shelter with his mystic, hunt game with his gun and—

A muffled explosion knocked the wind out of his sails. He flopped back down on the bed and groaned. His Vitality was below 50%. His Plasma count was worse. He still wasn’t in any condition to move. Lucy would catch up to him, anyway. The girl gave him the creeps. There was a thing as being too nice.

He opened ADOSCH once more. Might as well finish the rest of his investigation.

Show me my augs.

Augmentations are taken into account when calculating Physical Attributes.

Let’s take a look at them then.

Biometric Keys Available: 2

Name

Description

Type

Rank

Hacking

Activates encryption cyber-modules in the brain, allowing the user to break or reinforce computer systems at a basic level.

Brain, Neural

1

Reinforced Physique

Improves the structure of the bones and muscles as well as hardening the skin, allowing the User to soak up more trauma.

Skin, Muscle, Bone.

1

Aim Stabilizer

Improves the user’s sense of balance and hand-to-eye coordination by bolstering the neurons and cerebellum. Allows the user to aim more precisely.

Brain, Neural, Muscle

1

There were also a couple of augmentations ready to be unlocked, all costing 1 Biometric Key.

Give me [Regeneration]. I want to get out of bed faster.

[Regeneration]: Activates regeneration biotechnology in the bloodstream. Self-healing abilities are greatly increased. Only activates up to 50% of Vitality. Category: Skin, Blood

Installing the [Regeneration] augmentation…

Heat blossomed across his entire body, followed by itches. He distracted himself by switching modules once more.

Show me my mystics.

Mystic Attribute

Description

Rank

CAPACITY

Determines available plasma.

1

MIGHT

Determines potency of mystics.

1

PRECISION

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Determines control and accuracy of mystic usage..

1

RESISTANCE

Determines ability to withstand mystic usage.

1

Mystic Name

Description

Rank

Psychokinesis

Influence physical objects via mental effort alone. Push, pull, lift and throw.

1

War Maidens’ Bond

Synchronize with allied War Maidens. Effects are variable. Deepen bond with War Maidens to increase potency.

1

IDENTITY_REDACTED

N/A

N/A

Mystic Technique

Description

Type

Cost

Psycho-Push

Displace objects away.

Psychokinesis

Low

Psycho-Pull

Displace objects towards.

Psychokinesis

Low

This time, he couldn’t complain about the stats, as he’d only discovered magic—sorry, mystics two whole days ago. Christ, I fought Lucy for only that long?

There were two new mystics. He focused on the [IDENTITY_REDACTED].

That couldn’t be a proper name. This mystic had activated of its own volition the instant he beat Lucy down. It hadn’t existed during the Mystic Core’s initialization, either. The term ‘computer virus’ came to mind.

When did I get this mystic? He asked.

Information about [IDENTITY_REDACTED] cannot be provided without Level 5 credentials. For reference, Level 5 credentials are the highest security criteria in the ADO.

You gotta be kidding me. It’s Her, isn’t it?

Either that or someone acting in her guise…so fundamentally the same thing. The MOB was a mess from top to bottom, so it was unlikely he’d ever be solving this riddle anytime soon.

At least tell me what this mystic does.

The description for [IDENTITY_REDACTED] has not been provided. From collected data, it can be surmised that [IDENTITY_REDACTED] is capable of removing the UNKNOWN corruption from its targets. Activation condition: UNKNOWN. Plasma cost: UNKNOWN.

Final question. When was this installed?

The Mystic Imprint of [IDENTITY_REDACTED] was installed approximately 15.0158 years ago (Standard Astraean Temporal Measurements).

That was a hell long time ago. He and Mary just entered the state system back then, after a family dispute led to the ruin of their father and mother. Not that he cared for those alcoholic wastes of space. It confirmed the mysterious mystic was part of ADOSCH, instead of him. There was no way the Goddess of Astraea had laid her ethereal hands on him that long ago.

Why had it resonated with Mary’s pendant, though? He put the thought away. He wouldn’t get any answers until he got his hands on those credentials first.

Experience (Reasoning) acknowledged +5%.

Well, no point in holding back. What’s the War Maiden’s Bond?

Humanity was not born alone in the universe. Even a War Maiden will falter if forced to fight by themselves. Thus, let the ordinary human synchronize with those devoted sentinels of Astraea for the desired harmony.

[War Maidens’ Bond] is ready for activation. Will User Adam Westfield like to synchronize with War Maiden Lucy Klavdia? Type: [Photokinesis].

And what exactly does that do?

[War Maidens’ Bond] allows the combination of the User’s and the target’s mystics. The type, potency, cost, and force behind this are dependent on the User and the target’s relationship.

Searching for Synchronization Definition…ERROR! Definition not found for War Maiden Lucy Klavdia! A definition will be created after the first activation.

So I’m just expected to take the plunge? Adam asked. It checked out. Does this require any magic—I mean, plasma?

Plasma levels are sufficient for 12.5 seconds of synchronization. Emergency ejection protocols are in place (navigate to Settings to turn this off). Synchronization is harmful to neither the User nor the target.

Get this over with.

Activating synchronization…

There was a light attached to his mystic core. Like before, it was neither seen nor felt, merely an understanding of its new, profound existence. He followed the trail through a fissure in space-time. Two threads tied together in a knot and suddenly his vision was bifurcated. He saw the interior of the Medbay, yet he also comprehended Lucy standing in the MOB grounds.

She was covered in wraith blood. It ran through her hair, down across her jacket, and seeped into her gloves. Adam scrunched up his nose, despite the lack of smell. The view reminded him of a camera feed. The monsters’ corpses lay in smoking wrecks around her feet. Another group advanced from a gap in the defensive walls, their mouths flapping and gurgling.

"More of you?" Lucy said. All the warmth and care from her medical checkup had vanished, replaced with a cold, unquestioning fury. "If there is a brain inside that rotten flesh, I implore you to listen."

She raised her sword again. Golden light wrapped around the blade. She swung it down in an arc and fired a beam that struck the middle wraith and tore a hole in its torso.

"You will not take one step closer towards Her Chosen as long as I stand!" She kicked off the ground and vanished. The ‘camera’ shunted forward, switching angle and position to give Adam a nice view of Lucy slicing off a wraith’s head. The ensuing battle was a familiar sight, and not in a good way.

Lucy didn’t fight like the abomination he faced yesterday. She was better. She started by picking off the first wave with her rifle, then attacked with her blade and mystic when the rest got close.

Where her corrupted form fired her mystic wildly, Lucy attacked with precision. Her feet danced around the wraiths’ clumsy swings. Her light mystic picked off stragglers with the accuracy of a sniper rifle. She slashed a wraith down the middle in one moment, then drew her handgun and shot the one beside in the next. The horde splattered across the dirt in what seemed like seconds.

New Mystic Technique observed: [Photon-Blast]

New Mystic Technique observed: [Photon-Slash]

One of the last wraiths tried to grab her from behind. Lucy locked her grip and threw it over her shoulders. She lifted her boot, unsmiling, and stamped it straight down. The monster’s head burst like a watermelon. Lucy lifted her head up towards the sky and brushed the mess off her face.

Synchronization end.

Adam jolted on the bed, panting. His vision wavered, then returned to normal.

Plasma: 33%.

Definition created for synchronization of User Adam Westfield and War Maiden Lucy Klavdia. Formula: [Psychokinesis] + [Photokinesis]. The synchronized combination allows User Adam Westfield to envision War Maiden Lucy Klavdia’s circumstances for a period of time. Currently, only sight is available. Cost: Low. Does not appear to harm.

Technique has been designated: [Photo/Psycho-Synchronization]

Experience (First synchronization) acknowledged: +5%.

The door slid open. Lucy barged in. "Chosen!" She announced. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah." Adam said. So much for knocking. "You’re covered in crap, by the way. Man, you smell."

"Pardon? Oh no!" Lucy exclaimed. She held up a finger slick with wraith sludge and gasped. "I’m so sorry! Let me find a towel."

As Lucy bustled around the room for water, Adam asked ADOSCH one final question.

What do War Maidens rank on the scale for Physical Attributes?

The Physical Attributes of each War Maiden varies, as some are not deployed in physically-active roles. However, the ADO standard for a War Maiden’s Attributes exceeds that of a regular soldier; 2 is the smallest value accepted and most War Maidens possess at least 3 in each Attribute.

He read the paragraph again and matched it with what he just saw via the Synchronization. He tore up the idea of escape into tiny little pieces and threw it the garbage dump at the back of his mind.

Then, he thought some more.

"Lucy." He said, after a while.

"Yes, Chosen?" Lucy paused midway through rinsing her jacket in a bowl of hot water.

"I want to go outside tomorrow." Adam said. "Let’s go and check out the base."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked, concerned. "You don’t look too good."

"I installed a regen aug." Adam said. "Give me one of those regen syringes and I’ll be fine. I’ve been lying on my ass long enough."

He tried not to cringe for the next line. "I gotta work as a Chosen, right? This place might be a dump, but it’s gonna be our home in the the near future, so let’s check it out."

Lucy sat up straight. She beamed at him. "Yes. Yes, that’s right! I’m glad you understand, Chosen."

"Yeah, well…" Adam rubbed the back of his neck. He averted his gaze. "You don’t work, you don’t eat. My bad for acting like a raging tard a few days, too."

"No, no, it’s fine!" Lucy said. "It must’ve been terrifying, being thrust into a situation so suddenly…"

He tuned her out. He went over the facts in his head.

One: he couldn’t escape from Lucy. She was too fast, too strong and could detect him from an unknown distance.

Two: she believed he was the Chosen of Astraea. There was no way he could convince her otherwise. Even if he did, how would she react?

Three, he had no other allies besides this dogmatic War Maiden.

Long ago, an older fellow from the streets had taken him aside after he got beaten up by a ganger. That man told him it wasn’t shameful to be weak. It was bad, however, if he stayed weak.

If he wasn’t strong enough to beat Astraea, he’d join them. He’d play the role of a Chosen, acting as the loyal Astraean citizen in front of Lucy and anyone else, while consuming all the skills, technology, and mystics its journey offered. One day, he’d grow strong enough to defeat the War Maidens one on one.

Then, only then, he might have the chance to seize his fate back from that damn Goddess’s hands.

He watched Lucy return to washing, this time with more energy, and gritted his teeth. You shouldn’t have given me all this tech, Goddess.