The process drew his focus inward as soon as his consciousness reached for the skill. Like a healing salve on a wound, his discomfort faded and his breathing steadied. An outline of his body appeared in his mind’s eye. The spot above his navel where the discomfort originated had a cloud of yellow vapors swirling in a spiral pattern. He recognized the color as the same as the glow from the crystals.

Following the feel of the skill, he willed the gas to spread outward from its location. There was mild resistance before the first wisps of unrefined Eidos complied. Three more wisps left the spiral— four in total, one for each of the cardinal directions. His next exhalation came as a hiss when a burning pain spread from his above his navel. It felt as though the wisps were burning a path through his body as they spread out from the spiral.

He watched in his mind’s eye as the wisps left narrow pathways in their wake. He wondered what these pathways were for, but his thoughts came to a halt when the northbound wisp reached his chest.

Jack felt his chest vibrate and a new feature joined the outline of his body. Near his heart, a blue orb formed representing his Logos Core. Before he could wonder what was happening, the core released a soft whirring noise and the wisp was drawn into it. A moment later, a blue wisp emerged from the Logos Core and joined the yellow spiral. When blue met yellow, the yellow vapors flickered and seemed to deepen in color drawing closer to gold.

For the next hour, the process repeated. Its efficiency wasn’t perfect. Jack noticed several of the wisps dissipate before completing their route making him aware that some of the Eidos was lost during the cycle. By the end of it, the wisps had burrowed narrow pathways through his entire body and the spiral above his navel had disappeared leaving an empty spherical space in its place which acted as an origin for the pathways.

Jack released a long breath when the skill finished. A set of notifications came a moment later.

Grade: E

This skill allows the Logos Cultivator to refine Eidos within his body before infusing it into his designation. Thanks to the assistance of his Logos Core, the process gains increased efficiency and grants a higher rate of synchronization with the Logos. Once he levels up, the Logos Cultivator gains +5 to one attribute of their choice in addition to the Core Attribute bonuses. If the Logos Cultivator dilutes the level with unrefined Eidos, this skill’s effects are wasted and cannot be gained until the process begins again at the next level.

-Gain +1 Resonance per level

Refinement speed moderately increased by Resonance and slightly increased by Vitality.

Ding!

“So, I can upgrade skills under specific circumstances? Or was it triggered by my level increasing?” Jack mumbled to himself as he shakily pulled himself to his feet with the assistance of the wall. He ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the Logos Core. “Maybe it was both?”

There was so much he didn’t know about the system of power within Fracture. At the very least, he knew that his Logos Core was no longer dormant which meant that he might learn more about it. Once more, he turned his mind to the origin of the blue glow emanating from his chest.

As World Cores birthed from The Logos itself, each Logos Core is spawned with a purpose. This Logos Core’s purpose has yet to be discovered, but it has taken the first step toward realizing its potential. A Phase 0 Logos Core is only partially awakened and grants limited access to the basic level of special functions to its Bearer.

To gain full access to the basic level of special functions, the Bearer must touch an Obelisk or see an administrator to complete the Logos Core’s awakening.

Frowning, he closed the description. He began to think that he wouldn’t get any real answers on some of these things until he found an Obelisk or administrator. He just hoped that would be sooner rather than later. Shaking his head, he banished the thoughts of plans and unanswered questions.

He surveyed the carnage in the hallway and the open space beyond. Trails of bluish-gray blood ran across the ruddy floor staining his feet. The smell hit him then. An acrid, fetid mingled with the stale air making his stomach turn in an entirely new way. He quickly moved out of the archway. It had been the highest form of idiocy to use Refine Eidos without securing his location. He’d been lucky that no other whipshade stalkers appeared while his focus was on the skill. He released a pent-up breath once he was out in the open.

To distract himself from the small, he summoned his Status. He still had to allocate the five-point bonus after all.

Name: Jack

Designation: Logos Cultivator 1/5 (Advanced, Utility)

Designation: #?#?#? [SEALED]

Ethos: 440

Logos: 340

[Attributes]

Might: 15 [+]

Agility: 10 [+]

Vitality: 25 (27) [+]

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Focus: 8 [+]

Intellect: 10 [+]

Willpower: 27 [+]

Resonance: 31 (34) [+]

[Talents]

Scion of the Logos (Advanced), Logos Core Bearer

[Skills]

Origin Wielder (S), Core-Assisted Eidos Refinement (E), Logos Manipulation (F)

Without too much thought, Jack assigned the five-point bonus to Might bringing the number up to twenty. He briefly considered Agility, but his movement and flexibility were satisfactory according to the early test that he did and he had been fast enough to keep pace with the whipshade stalkers. He also almost put the bonus into Vitality, but he needed to boost his attack power as well as his survivability. Might harmonized naturally with Vitality after all.

If Jack understood the Attributes correctly, Vitality allowed someone to sustain and survive higher levels of damage while Might made the individual harder to damage in the first place. Still, he eventually would need to increase his Agility in one way or another since having all the durability in the world wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t even react fast enough to mount a proper defense.

On the matter of self-defense, he walked over to the hilt buried in the rubble. Most of the grip and cross-guard was firmly wedged under a large block of stone. This was why Jack didn’t go for the weapon when the whipshade stalkers attacked. However, he easily managed with his increased Might despite the size and amount of rubble present. He moved the larger pieces of stone and pulled the blade free of the pile of debris that it rested under.

Shaking the dust off of the weapon, Jack held it up to eye level so he could get a good look. The sword was, as he expected, broken, snapped across the width of the blade by the looks of it. While the hilt seemed undamaged, the blade extended about half a meter before ending in a jagged edge that ran diagonally along the length for about ten more centimeters. Since the grip could comfortably accommodate both his hands and then some, he guessed the double-edged sword had been intended for use as a two-handed weapon.

“This metal…,” he mumbled running his thumb along the flat sword. The metal appeared as black as a midnight sky with veins of gold that crisscrossed over the blade in a lattice pattern. Each intersection centered on the fulcrum informing Jack that the arrangement of these gold veins was likely a result of the weapon’s creation rather than a natural trait of the metal. It was too uniform for the truth to be anything else.

As his focus narrowed, something surprising, yet wonderful occurred.

Allows the Bearer to ascertain basic characteristics of an individual or object as defined by The Logos. This function can currently determine the rank, level, and identity or equivalent values of the target; however, this effect is limited by the Bearer’s rank and level. If used on a Relic, this function will reveal all unsealed information about the Relic.

As the Logos Core advances, more characteristics will be unlocked.

The information was immediately followed by another larger message detailing the weapon in Jack’s hands. He liked what he saw.

Grade: F

This Shadowsteel Blade was once a mighty weapon wielded by members of the Shadowtitan Knights. They were enchanted to be reinforced, to remain sharp without maintenance, and to enable their wielder to channel supernatural energy into the blade to enhance their strikes.

However, like everything else, it did not survive the fall of its world intact. Now broken, the refined solarite channels woven into its blade have been disrupted. These channels still function, but their efficiency has suffered greatly making energy imbuement far more expensive than when it was whole.

Effects: Reinforced, Ever-sharp, Ruined Energy Conduit

Shadowtitan Knights? Fall of its world? Of all the things in the description, these words stuck in Jack’s mind the most. The words represented danger, a type that he doubted he could face. The whipshade stalkers were one thing: they were just weak creatures who likely preferred striking from the shadows at an enemy’s vital points for a quick and easy kill. Skipping past the bit about the end of a world, knights were an entirely different matter.

Images of various humanoid creatures equipped with weapons and armor flashed through his mind These creatures had unshakable resolve in their eyes and purpose in their steps. They swung their weapons without hesitation and the blows were heavy with the weight of their responsibility. If he faced such an opponent, he wasn’t sure that he could rise to the challenge as he was, especially if he faced more than one of them.

He glanced at the weapon in his hand, then his gaze swept over his surroundings once more looking for any signs of trouble. Nothing. He exhaled a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding.

With no danger at his heels, Jack gave the sword a few test swings with one hand. It was light and well-made, but the balance felt off. Taking the obvious solution, he gripped the sword in both hands and stepped into a slash. Once again, the movements flowed from his subconscious like intimate memories swimming beneath the surface of his mind. A hidden part of his consciousness stirred as he moved, but no matter how much he concentrated on the feeling, nothing happened. He finally stopped and took a deep breath despite the lingering stench and stale air.

I’m missing something…, he thought, frustrated at his failure to pull forth whatever lingering memory was responsible for the martial grace that he had just exhibited. It happened when I did the stretches earlier too, but just now… I’m sure of it. The feeling was much more real like I had done those stances and strikes were something I’ve done a thousand times.

“Reincarnate the Origin, bring back the Eternal Soldier.” Jarkal’s words slipped through his thoughts as he puzzled over the issue. He frowned at the memory, a bit of embarrassment worming its way to the surface.

Right, he had been the Eternal Soldier in his first life. He ran a hand through his silver hair exhaling in exasperation. Jarkal said that he wasn’t the Eternal Soldier anymore or, more accurately, that wasn’t all that he was anymore. He had to become something else while in Fracture. Whatever that meant, he knew instinctually that it went deeper than gaining more power. The matter of the transformation brought to mind a good question.

Should I pursue whatever this feeling is beneath the surface or should I bury it? Jarkal said to avoid the lingering memory of my first life. What if that is what this is? Jack agonized over this thought, his desire to know fighting with his trust in Jarkal. After all, it was Jarkal and his mysterious companion who were responsible for freeing him from the gray void. Eventually, he came to a decision. Alright, I’m going to try to figure this out. If I hear chimes, I’ll stop, and if I don’t, then this probably isn’t what he was warning me about.

With his mind made up and a weapon in his hand, Jack felt much better. The matter was settled until he learned more or something happened. For the time being, he needed to find out how to proceed. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to backtrack.

One quick patrol around the courtyard revealed the path forward. He stood in front of the broken archway opposite the hallway. Beyond the archway, he saw a sheer drop of several hundred meters before ending in a steep slope that led into a valley. Farther into the valley, there was a squat stone building which like the place area around him, had fallen into ruin although it still had most of its roof.

As he stared through the opening, he sensed something strange in its center. He narrowed his eyes. He almost couldn’t see it, but the air at his chest level rippled every few seconds causing a subtle distortion of the scenery. If this place had a sun, Jack might’ve mistaken it for a simple mirage brought about by straining his eyes; however, the absence of any celestial body and the tingling sensation in the back of his mind dissuaded him of said conclusion.

He reached for the anomaly and as soon as he touched it, there was a flash and the view of the valley disappeared. Blue light framed the boundaries of the opening extending up into the past the broken stone as though the archway were whole.

Jack stared at the scene in front of him which had changed to another stone hall tinged with orange light.

The Bearer may open, close, or pass through any unsealed rift within Fracture or any of its adjoining Remnants.