It was dark. My head lurched back suddenly feeling a blunt impact along my neck and my jawline and I stumbled a step to the side.

I quickly stabilized myself and held my face.

A new voice suddenly echoed like thunder and my eyes finaly jolted open. "HALT!!! The man is awake, so there's no need to continue that..... Take him to the assessment chamber! We need to know what to assign him to before we summon the next."

The man commanding the order was in robes of a sort I did not recognize. As my eyesight sharpened and upon deeper inspection, I witheld a finely designed robe of a style I also did not recognize.

His attire exuded a presence and itself was ornate in colored patterns weaved in a peculiar pathing. Tied closely to his body by a sash that glinted with various colored runes and having trinkets attached, meant his movements were very intentional. I assume he held some various forms of status to match that haughty inflection in his orders.

Something about the texture of his skin and the structure of his body was foreign to me. His teeth and skeletal structure seems sturdier and a bit sharper in muscular angles than I'm used to seeing. He looked healthy albeit the ominous atmosphere that lingered around him. No matter, seems like this is important.

So he began walking through a nearby archway to a side room that extended from this temple like complex.

I realized I was still holding my face from that kick, but the shackles were still on.

'No. Wait. These are different. This place..... is different. This smell, is different.

I spoke without realizing at first that the ropes binding my jaw shut, were also gone. "Where am I?!... wait..... They said 'summon the next'.... Was I called to be here?"

I was standing in the center of a radiant circle etched into the stone work underneath my feet.

Within the etchings I could see, glowing motes of light poured upward in bubble like strands that eventually broke into individual pathways.

Likening these motes to living lightning, as a misty collection of light particles that would concentrate and move about and radiate at it's own free will, would be the closest thing I can immediately comprehend to relate this wonderous experience to.

These motes coalesce my body line and i feel traces and tickles of various textures alight new senses within my feet and up to my scalp and beyond. These beings floated all around me too even within my normal vision.

I suddenly sensed a fierce presence piercing at me from the direction I was struck. Shifting my attention towards a woman in loose silky clothes of some sort, she stood still standing on one leg with the other, chambered and ready to strike at me again.

'The bottom of her foot was what struck the side of my jawline and neck..... what kind of body control was this?'

Pankratium was popular among the Olympians but this form is different.

It doesn't look anything like the old Spartan imitators either.

Seeing the complex look in my eyes but not feeling a threat from me, she sized me up one more time then loosened her stance and set her foot down. She held her arm and hand out towards the certain archway that the other man previously walked through.

"Please come this way and follow that man. Your next step awaits".

She did her best to keep her guard up, as to not let me interpret any kind of connection with her. 'I can respect that. She knows more about this all, than I.'

"... go where you are taken tomorrow...." echoed again in my mind and my second sight kicked in again. The perception here was much more refined and.... available....... yeah that is the most appropriate word. The resistance in this atmosphere is far less compared to before..... maybe I am actually 'somewhere' else.

There were flowing lights of a pure nature siphoning and melding in with the contours of the sigil etched on the ground. It enhanced the already visible luminosity and it was quite wonderous to know that this was not demonic as I had felt from those guards and the citizens of the Colosseum from before.

'Wait.... Not now... These shackles are still on and I can't keep them waiting'. As I stepped forward, my foot landed on the flowing pathway of the luminous etchings and something exceedingly peculiar happened in my second sight....

I saw a numeral icon spring forth from near my foot. This inscription curiously followed my body movements. Similar to how the motes flowed through the air & like it somehow became attracted to me, it lurched towards me. Rapidly it reached my leg, clung tightly and grafted itself into me as a manamote.

[+1 Luck]

I did not know how this inscription appeared, nor how it levitated, nor even how it took on life- but as if i just applied a salve to my thigh, this icon definitely absorbed into and became a part of me. I distinctly sensed an alteration within my life essence......

This is the first good thing I have encountered here... I hope this becomes a repeating tendency....

I entered into the doorway and saw the man sitting at a table. There was a stone at its center that the man was sitting in front of. Upon seeing me come forth, he motioned for me to take a seat with some urgency in his gestures.

I complied and gently sat onto the chair. I was next told to place my hands on the stone. I cupped both of my palms at the top of the stone and suddenly another wonder took place!

This stone did not radiate any heat but in my second sight, I watched it turn to an opaque translucent white. The color began resonating to my touch and began transforming.

Now flaring out a myriad of colors one after another, I beheld a clarity difference and as if i was now falling into the sky, I rapidly advanced beyond a vast space where rainbows flashed like droplets causing ripples upon water.

As if entering a bright light, on the other side my awareness snapped into a visage of the vast void of a starry night. Except there was now no ground beneath me and my body relaxed weightlessly. The depths all around me began to alight with new radiance as if to celebrate, as my body correspondingly began to glow bright hot. My form shifted translucently to appear as a crystalline light that began to glow dimly among the surrounding galaxy. I find myself immersed within a cluster of many stars twinkling within the depths, that I can't seem to find the end of.

I silently marveled at the starry lights deep within this space and almost get lost trying to comprehend the vastness and range in the quality of life essence and spirit that I had felt here!

I knew I was not alone among these stars and yet I was still surprised to suddenly hear a gentle voice speaking to me in my mind; "You are not to tell him of these 'stars' you behold, yet have been permitted to speak up to the place of radiant rainbows. Next time you come here I will be free to speak of more. I look forward to this time, as should you."

Recognizing the voice of the messenger who previously spoke to me in the catacombs the night before, I knew to trust this guidance. I keep quiet a moment longer, and inside of this weightless freedom and surrounding celebration of lights, I felt deeply as if I am finaly Home.

I closed my eyes and sank my senses inflecting deeper within this feeling as if to remember, and the light I was composed of burst brightly into the depths.

Outside of my current vision the man developed a coy smile, and his voice suddenly invaded this precious and divine fire that I was stoking, and just like that the vision was gone.

Jet black orbs appeared within the light, the two of which seemed to hunger and thirst to consume directly from my soul. The severity of this threat distinctly earned the fullness of my attention. Transfixed on these orbs, I composed my awareness as I got peeled away from the blurry fading lights.

Irises, veiny white eyes, a weathered set of brows and leathery facial features swiftly formed around these dark orbs and I kept glaring as I fully returned without blinking, staring directly into the man's eyes.

"Good you had a response, I can tell. All of those who inherit value from the mana in this world do. That means you'll fit right in....."

He finished this sentence and grinned with a look that reminded me of the tax collectors acquiring a large bag of denarii.

This did not sit well with me, but I straightened my posture and asked "What is next?"

I was told I would later be visiting the fields to experience 'collecting the mana-stones of a slightly different nature than this one'.

Then I would be meeting a special recruiter named Blanchard afterwards. But before all that, first I needed to 'undergo a separate final test to acclimate to the environment of this world.'

That 'home' feeling I was convinced that I held deep flowing ancient roots to, was suddenly a somehow distant memory when I heard him say '...this world'.

The way he used those words reminded me of that dear elder I once knew in my childhood. Once, he spoke to me of a place where his spirit visited, and witnessed things he was warned not to speak about either..... With the dangerous attitudes among certain people in authority, I can understand why he kept silent about such things now.....

I was lead to another section of the room, and shown a large rock. This one was also one of those manastones and with second sight I even saw a mote of light resting inside of it.

It was beautiful to me to see such a splendid quality gemstone. In my life I considered myself lucky to have family that lived near the pyramids and I loved the pilgrimages to visit them. I also got to see the precious stones of the royals' temple compounds beyond the southern sands of the deltas.

I witnessed many artisans at work and jewelers' fashion fine crafts from scraps. I'm familiar with the hammer and chisel and tinkered with makers of icons and idols for skill discussions and helping around where I could. Never before have I laid my hands on such a high quality material in my life. And it's huge!

He saw my interest and laughed.

"This is what we call a strengthening stone. We have combat forces that train their aptitude for increasing strength by training with such manastones. Although finding one sized as this is rare among the citizens, vendors are available in town that sell and purchase the manastones that are independently traded within the markets. It has been known that chance encounters with manastones higher in quality and size than this one is something that happens, however there is great demand for these artifacts."

"This one is used by our elite forces to train with on a special basis so we keep it here when our teams are on duty...... Go on, try to pick it up, and you'll see what I mean"

My eyes lit up while admiring it, more so after the man gave permission for me to touch. I smiled when he even told me to try to lift it.

Given the circumstance of being shackled to cufflinks and chains now, I figured I could use the material of the shackles to lock underneath the bottom back corner of the manastone and somehow apply an extra pulling point for lift to better leverage the stone up. Hemp strapping of some form can be an easy makeshift carrying harness, but these shackles will have to do.

Getting my arms over and around the manastone with the slightly extra chain length wasn't too difficult and I swiftly figured out a good grip and foot placement to lift with. I took a deep breath and focused power to hug, pull, and lift smoothly and confidently. When I tried to lift, I noticed a distinct resistance take place within my spirit instead of just with my body.

The old man found this method rather peculiar and smirked to himself expecting a flustering failure and easy surrender out of me. He was used to the newcomers to look the fool for only a moment and request their shackles be released to try again. He usually fed off of making them feel flustered first, and answering to their excuses with a haughty attitude and thus he relished in the power it gave him to lord over these new comers.

Resigning myself to that Lion before that demonic crowd was one thing...... Giving up so quickly over a test of ability was not in my nature however.

Originaly as I approached and hugged onto the stone, I felt a connection somehow. At that point the mote of light within spun abruptly as if awakened!

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It paused in place to assess its' surroundings and noticed only the man at first. Then it felt me and then directly shifted to be in front on my side of the stone. I caught myself looking back at it too, with marvel and challenge outflowing from my eyes.

It was faint but first I could sense a displeasure given off by this manamote at sensing the old man. Yet the instant it acknowledged me, it squeeked? Poof! Out, bursts a mist of excitement from the manamote as it too lurched forward to me like a cat catching an object of affection. The moment I touched the stone to lift up, the little guy pressed strengthening mana into me abruptly.

I related this feeling to that other icon which absorbed into my being, except this mote felt like it was instead pumping a strengthening essense into me while retaining its own strength in it's manastone home environment, instead of just becoming absorbed by me. I was happy to know I wasn't hurting it for some reason.

This gave me another idea that I'd have to revisit later. In this moment however with each concentration of effort given as i tried to lift over and over again, more and more strength seemed to be added to me from the moment I began pulling upwards.

[+1 str]........ [+2 str]...... [+1 str]..... [+5 str]

In but a few moments of struggling there was a marked improvement in the power that coursed through my veins and sinews. It is clear to me that I am an entirely different man now than the mere seconds beforehand!

The old mans' snicker started to subside as I kept silent and continued to struggle lifting in earnest.

[+2.....+4.... +1..... +1...... +3..... +2]

The numerals kept popping up in second sight, and I felt this incredible surge of development taking place within my body.

I forged on continuing to lift, and as if time had been standing still I had suddenly accumulated up to 700 of this strength.

I was not certain if this was a lot of strength or not because I had nothing else to compared this too yet. But at the next moment, suddenly I felt a textural difference warp inward like a small collapse took place within the shackles binding my wrists. As if the material became more pliable, the metal warped under duress.

[+1 metal craft]

I became distracted between the metal, the weight, and balance all shifting, so when the metal craft information sprung forth like a knowing or inspiration of some sort for a moment, everything slipped and I lost my concentration. The manamote broke away from me as the whole manastone suddenly shifted from it's place.

It shifted to rebalance itself, my body slid downwards dragging my chin on the stone and the metal shackles twisted across and under the rim of the base. Like an unstable obelisk the stone tilted side to side a few times, catching down on the shackles and snapping them off my wrists. The large stone tilted again away from my wrist and this time the shackles by my ankles got crushed and shattered apart as well.

I was.... free? I blinked at the manamote hovering and staring directly in front of my face as I peeled my chin away from the finaly settled strengthening stone. I slid back a bit and started to rub my ankles, wrist and jawline before standing up.

The countenance the man had maintained by sneering at the thought of making me look stupid, began waning the longer he stood waiting for me to burst a vein.

When the stone shifted and the shackles snapped to pieces, his face contorted into a deeply offended scowl and he called for the guards immediately with vicious urgency.

"GET THIS BREAKER OUT OF MY SIGHT!!! REMOVE HIM TO THE FIELDS IMMEDIATELY!!!"

Suddenly the woman was already standing next to me and I sensed her about to deliver a kick to my chin again, but I raised my hand and caught her ankle gently in place and held on.

Without missing a beat she had used the momentum jam of my grip to pull the rest of her body horizontally, reached out to take hold of the strengthening stone and swiftly braced herself to stomp her free heel against my chest.

THMBP!

I felt a tremendous impact contort the shape of my ribcage inward but like an unloading spring, it rebounded back into shape thus launching me in the opposite direction of her foot. I caught a slight glimpse of panic in her eyes, as if she was reacting to a monster that latched on to her ankle.

I let go of her ankle as I felt my rib cage begin to recoil my body into the main Temple area. I suddenly experienced another falling sensation but was traveling horizontally in reverse this time.

The luminous sigil on the floor appeared beneath me brightly, though kept distancing itself from me rapidly.

This was all happening so fast. I was soon at the other end of the long hall shortly after being ejected from that particular room. Out of survival instinct like the times I've been knocked out of trees, I turned my neck to see what I could, and reached out to catch hold of an about-to-be-passing-me-by-pillar!

With my palm and forearm, I was lucky enough to dig my fingertips along the grooves of the pillar to catch my momentum as I coiled around the pillar a few times.

A meaty slap was heard, but I composed myself cleanly from the whiplash effect. Once I started to drop, my hand slipped away from the pillar diagonally and I flailed out my arms and legs like a cat being dropped from a child's grip.

I didn't recognize it by this point but when I reached for the floor, it felt like I gently 'caught' the ground with my hands. As if just easily catching the wall after a light stumble, I simply just smoothly pushed off the floor to float a bit further repositioning upright.

Like the impromptu flight lessons were a lie, I near silently had gently landed again finaly setting my feet down safely and stopped. It was quick but I hoped it would work, and it did! I landed back on the glowing summoning sigil!

So many rapid choices had been made in this last 2 seconds. The idea I had during the strength test less than a minute ago involved seeing if that summoning sigil would also help me accumulate more luck, if I could just get back to it. My eyes twinkled when I saw the sigil fly beneath me, and I guess I reacted according to the opportunity and secured my footing right where I really wanted.

It wasn't until after I did a safety check, that I unmistakably realized how easy all of that felt.

I stayed quiet as I looked back up to where I caught myself and took a quick measure of how far and fast I had traveled, even to be thrown this far back to the pillar, let alone even further falling back to here based from the recoil save I just pulled off.

The column I snagged had smoothed out like buttery polish underneath my hand print which caused me to wrap around and slip release me back to the direction of the summoning sigil the way I did.

When I landed, I had aimed to set my feet on the glow patterns and [+1 luck]'s started accumulating. I chose to kneel forward and also reach down and touch the glyph with my hands and knees. The multiple connections must have influenced the connection because the manamotes within this sigil started playing around my wrists and ankles and now [+2 luck]'s began accumulating.

These wanted to play with me as well and all sorts of fun ideas started to pop into my mind as I looked at the lights with a smile on my face. Compared to how I fell off that mule earlier today, I am much more pleased with this soft landing.

Soft! Everything I touched felt exceedingly soft now! Even the polished stone material beneath my hands and knees now felt soft as hot clay in warm water! Just what strength DID I gain with that stone?!

I watched these [+2]'s keep accumulating in awe of the thoughts I was processing. "Just what is going on with this...... mana......"

Interrupted by the new howls of the old man barking orders, I then looked back at the woman that had kicked me with all of her might. I held my hand up to the boot print etched into my tunic. I wasn't sure if she would hear me or not from way back here, but I felt her lock eyes with me and I gently said "I'm sorry."

Recognizing what the man had barked as orders, I was already kneeling down and waited like that to symbolize my acquiescence to surrender, in order to make this procedure easier for them.

I did this to maintain the illusion for them to feel as if they maintained the power of initiative over me.

I was not here to break the status quo as far as I know so far, and there is still so much more for me to learn about here in this land.

He called me Breaker. Was that because of the shackles?

I will try to be more careful with the next set.

Speaking of which, the two guards rushed from the doorway and pulled my hands from the ground to put a new set on me.

Back to the [+1 Luck]'s ..... I see it's already taking effect. These two are playing nice with me.

Seeming that I was a bit distracted with a sense of satisfaction and somehow not responding with fear from that vicious assault unleashed on me, this further incensed the old man with rage!

"YOU, WHELP!"

He himself immediately appeared before me and maliciously slapped my face and his wirey knuckles and rings grabbed my cheeks to turn me to face him.

He was livid as he struggled to compose his words to save face for losing his cool before the guards at my side. Striking a willfully surrendered and shackled civilian was heavily frowned upon and is normally justly recompensed, however the title Breaker had been spoken by the same man earlier, and they were at a loss because the old man clearly only just started.

I could smell blood. His jewelery smelled of blood. His clothing stank of the dank musk of stagnant blood.

He leaned even closer to intimidate me and even his breath stank of blood. I am NOT impressed. The old mans eyes flickered for a split second and as if he caught himself, he forcefully bellowed out!

"LISTEN HERE- You have NO IDEA of the amount of pain you are about to endure for making this more difficult than your life is worth."

As if possessed by desire to curse my soul, he promptly reached into his inner robes. Retrieving a crystalline tablet of some sort from a pocket, deep purple mana radiated out from the ends of the stamp etechings on it's bottom back end.

The two guards couldn't help but lightly gasp, and the lady finaly arrived. She slowed to a stop upon seeing the purple glow though and stiffened up before hiding her recomposure. She side stepped out of the way and pulled her two guards aside with her before they got caught up in this.

Swiftly with corresponding mania sounds, the old man stepped on my shackles to squish and flatten my hands out to the floor.

Pulling a rag from his pocket I noticed 2 specific symbols before he tied them out of my view, fastening the tablet and stamp to the back of my right hand.

Putrid, foul, accrid darkness gushed forth from the mana of the old man and concentrating it he released an angry growl.

Directing the contamination into the tablet, thickly dark purple mana oozed out from the stamp side and a searing sound emits from the back my hand and what felt like my spirit being tainted with an implant as he held it there.

"I, Baka'ru Balshaden, mark you with debt, strip you of lordship rights until absolved of this decree, and afford you this curse as a battleslave to the Colosseum of Indossus, where you will work and fight to 'someday earn your freedom' ".

The way he said that was vile to the senses, and felt as if he had no intent to see me be well anytime in the any future.

The amount of time he spent compresseing his dark mana into the tablet, while profanely invading my personal space & life essense, felt many ways of violating. He spoke of some kind of sleazy blood debt and I could see a new deep purple influx of mana settling and concentrating as glyphs and symbols into the inner center of the tablet & flesh on the back of my hand.

The imprint at first didn't feel toxic per se, but it didn't feel friendly either. Someone else was connected to this and knows about me now.

Whatever Power dominated over this mark, it was serious about finding its property. Especially now that it knows it just gained a worthy new toy. I feel like my life just got a lot more busier.

That's me. I'm the new toy again. It's like- nothing has actually changed for me at all.

K.

The woman stepped out from behind the shadows and reached out to place her hand on the mans shoulder. I could see parts of a similar mark on her wrist but of a differing color.

Approaching us, she carefully spoke her words as not to gain any of the mans ire.

"Excuse me sir.... but we need to know what he saw when he was subject to the first test. We still need this witnessed, before we can conclude with the assignment, and send him away".

She didn't dare step any closer nor touch him and so withdrew her hand, having gotten his focus back to business. She took a step back and looked at me cautiously still seeing the boot print on my chest. However seeing the colors of the tablet finally settling down, that pretense dropped. She audibly choked.

Those blackened orbs glared at me again and his tone spoke rudely, "Well, what say you? You heard the woman, did you not? Out with it, Breaker!" Emphasis on the superiority complex.

I remembered what I was warned about previously and spoke softly. "I saw many colors flashing... Then it was like that of droplets of rainbows flashing before my eyes...."

The dichotomy between the curse still sizzling and fusing into my essense, and the range of amazing sensations of life and power I experienced in these recent moments during that vision, all helped me appreciate my journey of growth. 'I'm closer to home'.

I smiled gazing into the memory again and said "it was truly beautiful".

The guards sucked in a deep breath this time, the woman's eyes lit wide and glossed over in thought.

Baka'ru lost his haughty attitude, stood straight up and yanked my face up to his, by his claws this time. He shook me as he lost all composure, demanding greedily with a snarl, "WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE! DID YOU SE..."

He suddenly stopped, dropped me, and looked at the tablet still bound to my hand. He stiffened up and quickly recomposed himself by unwrapping his rag and peeling the tablet away from my flesh.

Revealing a newly minted dark purple cursed mana glyph, curiously the patterns started at the stamp impressions, yet extended beyond the imprints and embedded down the back of my wrist a bit further as well.

Baka'ru looked over to the woman whom still struggled to make full sense of all this news.

With finality he states "That is enough, you heard what the man said and was witness to his account! He has been declared a battle slave..."

He slightly twitched ".. and has been deemed a Breaker!!'

The guards and the woman hesitate for a brief moment without blinking. A stern look is suddenly given to them by Baka'ru who had also began breaking out in sweat.

"All of you keep silent about what you've seen and heard this day. I will instruct you further as to how this will be managed until further notice!"

A complex look overtook all their eyes as they looked at eachother and then to me. Baka’ru snaps again from losing all semblance of control over the entire situation.

So growling, while he too turns and looks at me- Baka'ru barks out! ".... In the meantime he is a Breaker! He will be sent to Blanchard after his alloted time in the fields....... Begone!"

The woman and guards look to each other. Nodding, they carefully lift me from my knees and guide me away to the hallway for further processing to the fields.

The last [+1 luck]'s chased me down and finished accumulating.

Baka'ru waits till all footsteps are out of his listening range, before glaring at the crystalline tablet with fresh inscriptions.....

He dared not speak till he figured this one out! '2.5 billion.... How was I supposed to know what he saw?!! He didn't take any bait!! What just happened!!!!'

He looked at the inscriptions one more time and felt a headache beginning to escalate, and he audibly groaned.

Walking to the wall behind the first office desk, he sets the tablet on a cloth and folds the new covering on it. He sits with a piece of parchment and multiple empty envelopes and begins to write letters and stamp seals.

When he is finished he triggers a dark red glow on a ring, and a few minutes later a man arrives with a platter of meats and chalice of fresh blood, setting them on the table before the head chair.

No words are spoken, and Baka'ru actually hands the man a sealed envelope first before sitting down, his usual smug composure nowhere to be found.

The man opens it and reads. His hair stands on end and hands tremble slightly before looking for confirmation from the boss.

Baka'ru nods while sipping from the chalice and staring blankly at the shiney new ornamental momento left coiling around a certain Pillar in the main hall of the summoning room. Without breaking gaze, he points to the small pile of sealed envelopes and the wrapped up tablet on the counter.

The man urgently nods and retrieves the documents for distribution, and hurriedly exits the room.

The sour look on his face contorted to something fiercely bitter, as he chewed down his snack.

Taking out the rag again, he cleans himself up once finished, takes out another parchment and holds his hand over the paper. Darkened red mana oozes out from his palms and inscribed a new message, his own personal seal, and the seal he assigned to the tablet.

Folding the envelope closed with another seal, he flipped it and etched BREAKER onto the front in big bold dark purple glowing glyphs.

Once complete, as if truly exasperated, he deeply vented an exaggerated sigh turned groan. Holding the envelope between his fingers, he pointed it up in the air as if to allow someone to grab it from his current seated position.

"This is for Blanchard, see to it that he truly welcomes this new 'special case'."

A new person emerges from the shadows of another set of archway pillars, and retrieves the envelope, silently heading towards a different direction all together.

Once actually alone this time. "So much for sneaking into the hot springs tonight..... I feel like my life just got busier somehow...."