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Chapter 9: Discovery

Inside Jason, a great change was emerging as the [Astral Throne] was incorporating into him. Merging with his soul, priming him for greatness.

An entity larger than comprehension, lying in the place between reality woke after noticing one of his children had perished. He would remember that.

Jason awoke in a familiar place. His home. But something was wrong. It looked condemned, like nobody had lived here in the last decade. He was now fully convinced that this was not his Earth. He teleported out to the sidewalk and walked down the street.

"Mr Asano do you realise what you just did?"

"Killed a lizard?"

"You killed a lizard that would normally be an extinction level event for any planet that did not have a diamond rank team with an affliction specialist like yourself. And you are gold rank. By yourself. Still, I do not think that finding out what happened to Erica is a good idea. You have a habit of overreacting to situations when not in a good state of mind. We also need to talk about your [Astral..."

"Shade, the one thing that kept me grounded on Earth was my family. That will not change. I just want to see if they are okay."

As Jason walked down the street he saw him and his family's faces and on a news report on the television while walking past the electronic store.

"And today marks the tenth anniversary of the Asano family tragedy. Ten years ago, famous TV chef Erica Asano killed all members of her family at a reunion. We all hold the memories of them in our hearts. She is currently serving her sentence for a private company at Alice Springs. Now for the weather report, Harvey says there will..."

No. This can't be possible Jason thought.

"Mr Asano, I did warn you. Now, please don't do anything rash before thinking. Okay? Promise to not do anything to her without asking what happened first."

Jason responded by opening a portal arch and stepping through. Shade sighed and went through as well.

He exited at the local graveyard. Looking around, he found it.

Jason Asano

1989-2023

Annoying but endearing. Beloved by all.

Jason sunk to his knees. He was looking at his own grave. He had died. He was killed by his best friend, his brother's wife. The logical part of his mind said she wouldn't do that. The other part said to hunt her down and kill her.

"Jason we should talk..."

"No."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"Find my sister and find out what happened once my portal is off cool down."

"We still need to talk about the [Astral Fragment] you got."

"Huh? I got an [Astral Throne], enough quintessence to summon Gordon, a [Perfected Miracle Potion] and a racial gift evolution."

"A perfected... Wait, what does the gift do?"

Racial Ability: [Spirit Domain]

* You have a dimensional storage space.

* You may call up a gate and physically enter your dimensional storage space. Only those you allow may enter; others cannot forcibly intrude. You may directly portal from within the storage space to another area using the location of the gate as a starting point, even if the gate is obstructed or destroyed, preventing ordinary egress.

* You may summon familiars within the storage space without the use of a ritual, although any material requirements of the ritual must still be consumed.

* You may create spirit domains that reflect your nature and power. The maximum total size of your spirit domains created through this ability is a factor of your rank and soul strength. You may not convert existing spirit domains into your own.

* You have established a permanent spirit domain. The maximum total area your spirit domains can cover is limited by your soul strength and your rank. Current amount of maximum spirit domain established: 2175%. Increase your rank to increase your maximum total spirit domain size.

* This spirit domain has a connected astral space. The astral space gains the full effects of your spirit domain but does not count against your maximum spirit domain size. The portals in the [Arrival Pagoda] connecting to various locations in the astral space are now active. Any non-hostile may use the portals by default but you may individually grant or deny access or set alternate criteria for entry.

* The magical density of your spirit domains and the interconnected astral spaces is artificially limited to gold-rank. This only effects monster manifestations as non-monster manifestations are not connected to magical rank. Increase your rank to increase the level of monster manifestations that occur within your spirit domains.

* Monster manifestations will be shifted to outside of your spirit domain or into wilderness areas of the attached astral space. Monsters that manifest into wilderness areas of the astral space are not subject to the negative effects of the astral space.

* Anyone or anything hostile to you, your domain or any non-hostiles within your domains will immediately acquire the [Blood From a Stone], [Mortality] and [Weakness of the Flesh] afflictions. They will also continually accumulate instances of the [Sin] affliction, which they will clearly sense. Those that remain for extended periods will periodically accumulate instances of the [Wages of Sin] affliction. Any hostile actions against you, your domain or anyone within your domain will immediately accumulate additional instances of [Wages of Sin]. All spirit domain effects ignore rank disparity and cannot be resisted or cleansed but end immediately on departure from the spirit domain.

[Blood From Stone] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to blood and poison effects. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Entities without blood can bleed while under this effect. Cannot be cleansed while any blood or poison affliction is in effect.

[Mortality] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to curses. This includes intrinsic immunities such as from not having a soul or not being alive. Cannot be cleansed while any curse affliction is in effect.

[Weakness of the Flesh] (affliction, magic): Negates immunities to disease and necrotic damage. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Cannot be cleansed while any disease affliction is in effect.

[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.

[Wages of Sin] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Suffer necrotic damage over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.

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* Anyone who dies from the effects of the spirit domain will be consumed by transcendent damage. They will be looted and their possessions will be sent to the vault in the [Arrival Pagoda] of that domain space.

* Hostility is determined by the true intent of those entering your spirit domain. Their true intent cannot be hidden by any means, including self-deception. You may individually designate anyone within your spirit domain as hostile or non-hostile at any time.

* Those who truly venerate you while within your spirit domain will have instances of curse, disease, poison, holy and unholy afflictions periodically converted to instances of [Integrity].

[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy, stacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina, and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.

* You can sense the location and aura of anyone within any of your spirit domains at any time, over any distance. There are no means to avoid this effect, regardless of rank or nature of the ability. At your current rank, this effect can cross the localised dimensional boundary of an astral space but not between universes. Increase your rank to sense your spirit domains in alternate realities.

* Hostile individuals that enter, leave and re-enter your spirit domain immediately regain all previous negative effects inflicted by the spirit domain. Leaving the domain again will still remove all effects

* You may remotely view any location within your spirit domain. This vision cannot be foiled or avoided by any effect. At your current rank (Gold), this ability cannot be used across dimensional barriers.

* You may exacerbate the effects of your spirit domain on any individual you can see within it, either in person or via remote viewing.

"Ah, okay. That is a lot. This will be harder than before. I was going to help you use the residual power to open a gate between dimensions. But you got the full thing and the tools to use it. You'll need an [Astral Gate] and a sufficiently weak dimensional space to get home now."

"Well, we can do that later because the portal is ready. Let's go."

Office in Site [REDACTED]

"Sir, Broken Glass has reported back. They retreated, assuming that SCP 427 would die to SCP 682. But the opposite happened. We have confirmation that the hard-to-kill reptile, SCP 682, the most indestructible thing we have had in our possession, has been killed."

Colonel Melandez choked on his coffee.

"What the ever-loving FUCK Standish? That thing is dead for good? Even the diamond rank leader couldn't break through the regeneration."

"Yes, sir. It seems that way. His necrosis seems to have escalated to a point that it overwhelmed the lizard. Then, he replaced them with something that Broken Glass call 'holy' damage. Only one member has an ability that uses it, and it is effective against anything we have used it on."

Melandez pushed a button on the desk.

"Attention all non-essential staff and D-class personnel. SCP 682 is dead. Everyone gets the day off! You heard right. That bastard is finally dead!"

"The thing is sir; we need to deal with the SCP that actually killed it. We have an emergency call from Site 282 in Alice Springs, Australia. They have a leech infestation as well. They reported it seems to be checking each D-class before killing them."

"That's it! Standish, search the name Jason Asano on our civilian records and his history."

"Okay sir. Ummmm. Jason Asano born 1989, died 2023. He worked at an office supply store in Castletown Beach, New South Wales, Australia, and was killed after his celebrity sister went berserk is the official story. There was an anomalous event at their family reunion and she was the only survivor of the incident. We charged her for all the deaths and took her as D-class personnel who was sent to our desert facility in Alice Springs. He must have found out where she is."

The phone in Clive's pocket buzzed.

"Yes? Okay. Hmmmm. Order a full retreat. We're going to send the big guns in."

He hung up.

"Sir permission to send Project Broken Glass in?"

"Granted."

Clive called another number.

"Tassie, sending coordinates. You haven't been there before so careful. Good luck."

Jason cut his arm and let Colin out.

"Colin, do you remember my sister? Erica?"

The mass shook left to right.

"She was the one who made you the massive lunch. That you ate in seconds."

Colin emanated a feeling of hunger and happiness.

"Good. Kill everyone in there but her... Wait, what?"

Jason sensed the presence of the Builder rapidly approaching.

"DEFIER."

He was thrown into a wall by a powerful diamond ranker.

"You DARE defy the Builder? AND think you win?

Jason saw a fist break through his ribcage and tear out some of his ribs before losing consciousness as another fist smashed his head.