Shards of Old

-Focus. Don’t try absorbing, first control the mana.

It was Il. She was trying to coach me?

Well, she was able to rebuild her own body… hell, not only that, craft a new one. Multiple times. I guess she should know what she was doing…

More than me, that’s for sure.

I listened to her words.

It wasn’t really hard, I mean, controlling mana was literally the first step of any spell that I used, ever. I wasn’t sure how that was going to help, though.

-Now picture your body. Try forming an image of you, the one you want, and form it from the mana you got.

So far so good.

And honestly, it didn’t sound like something that’d help me… it was just a bunch of general instructions on creating stuff.

“Imagine whatever you need formed with mana”.

But, the next step was different.

-Now place the formed mana on top of yourself. Don’t bother with the overflow, just do it.

Okay…?

It sounded dangerous. At least for a human,

Ignoring the “overflow” so to speak would’ve been problematic for a regular person: you’d essentially be bombarding yourself with unattuned mana, which basically meant a direct attack on yourself. And, since it was just pure mana, it could be doubly dangerous. Unattuned mana is always unpredictable.

Not for me, though.

Having a body that could absorb any magic had its upsides.

-That’s it. Keep going.

Really? It was that simple?

Why wasn’t I able to do it by myself then?

But, whatever I thought about the process, it seemed like she was right.

I could tell that my newly acquired stump started getting warmer and warmer, as the magic was pooling right at the tip of it, forming a bubble.

The bubble, changing shape, slowly started resembling a very small hand that was steadily growing. And glowing.

And just like it, it was done.

Honestly, after those instructions, I felt that I should be able to do it by myself. Why didn’t it work when I just tried doing it before…? It’s not like my technique was vastly different or anything like that. If anything, it was almost the same thing that I thought of on the spot as I got wounded.

Strange.

-That was easy… - I mumbled to myself.

-Same.

-Huh?

Her reply was strange, but that was the furthest from what I was worried about now.

I was feeling a tug.

Something was trying to contact me? Right at that moment?

It felt familiar, strangely…

Wait, it was my spell. Or, more like technique.

It was the magic I absorbed.

I thought it was already gone, turned into my hand, but I still was feeling it very clearly.

I looked down, not sure what to think of it, but…

My hand was different.

Where I expected to see a crystal piece of stone in the shape of my fingers, I instead saw real flesh. And on top of that it was bubbling like it was boiling… and spreading further…?

-What the hell…? Why?! - I yelped, unsettled by the sight.

-Told you, nothing beats a real body.

-I guess…

-Come on, it’s not that big of a deal…

-I mean… I am not opposed. I assume you’re going to teach me how to… modify this, right? - I asked.

-It’s not really that hard.

-I guess that's a yes.

As we were talking, the process did not stop. The bubbling… well, meat, was covering more and more of my crystal body.

Besides it being disgusting, it was pretty mesmerizing. I kind of wished I had a mirror to look closer at my new form.

-And besides, it’s a lot weaker.

-What?

I didn’t even have time to process what she just said before I got stabbed in the gut.

Once more.

Fucking really?

Stabbed again?

Did she lose?!

-I thought you said we got time! - I yelped, grabbing the spike that was already piercing through my body, sticking out from my back.

Speaking of.

This time, it wasn’t just her hand that was transformed.

Not “her”.

In front of me there wasn't a young woman anymore. It was a muscular guy, with his arms turned into crystal spikes.

From waist down his flesh was also turned into a very familiar crystal, the same one that I just moments ago had as my whole body.

And face…

-Hello, Mike.

Yeah, he managed to take over.

And not only that, he transformed! When did he even manage to do that?

Wait…

He was transforming when I was regenerating…?

Possible.

-You never give up, do you? - he asked, raising me off the ground using his spiky hand.

-Same to you. Fotoho.

Holding the spike, I wanted to crack it.

I didn’t expect it to work, since I didn’t put much mana into it. And, on top of that, I was dealing with Origin Crystal. That thing is sturdy.

But, I got a reaction.

It wasn’t splitting in half, like I wanted it to, but it did crack. Which not only surprised me, but him as well.

Too bad he regenerated it almost instantly.

-Still flailing. You are something else. But be quiet.

Even though he wasn’t using magical language, I could feel his words hiding power and magic.

-You know that doesn’t work like that… - I said. - You need to be more creative. Qigo!

Wait.

I spoke.

I mean I knew I could cast even without talking, but I could speak normally.

Again, it also surprised him.

Same as the effect of my spell.

This time, instead of trying to destroy the spikes that were holding me, I wanted to push myself away from them, with a bit of magical boost.

Since I wasn’t actively trying to manipulate him, it worked.

I managed to dislodge myself from his grasp, and even launch myself away from him.

First step done, the main question still remained the same.

What the hell do I do next?

-There’s no escaping me, you know that! - he said, stepping forward.

What happened next was confusing.

I swear I only saw him take one singular step, yet he appeared right in front of me the next moment.

Did he teleport? No, I would’ve at least felt it. It was just like before. He was just impossibly fast.

-Ow.

Right. He wasn’t stopping.

Spike-arms still on display, again he stabbed me, but I was ready with the spell and repeated again, this time with a bit more force, to maybe get a more distance and a moment to think.

-Qigo!

But, this time, it didn’t work.

Yeah, the spell took hold and I used mana. I even felt a rather large pull, just like it was supposed to happen, but we did not get separated.

-Come on, think of something smarter. You have little time.

His countermeasure was as simple as it was effective.

He just grew more spikes, this time diagonally, essentially hooking himself onto me.

Without breaking the Crystal, there was no removing it.

-Ghhr… I still have plenty of magic, you know.

-Not for long.

Yeah… the magic was not just leaving me because of the wounds and spell usage.

He was indeed draining me.

-Just be a good guy and stop - he said, hooking even more spikes into my flesh.

-Fuck, that stings.

-The pain’s back. Good. It means it’s working.

-What’s working.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he just increased the power of his drain.

I have to say, even with that power, it was going to take him a while to fully drain me. I could still retaliate.

But I needed to have a plan. Although, I couldn’t really play for time considering the circumstances.

-Damn. For a singular shard, you are really an endless supply.

-Singular shard…?

-You know what we are. You know how many are inside us.

-Well, not really… - I said, trying to focus on my mana. - It’s not like everyone keeps walking around absorbing people.

-Oh, but they did… - he replied. - And not like you were above it.

-Sure, but I never kept going.

-Did you, now…?

I didn’t understand why was he so… spiteful?

I mean, sure, I get it, he was trying to take over me, but I still had no idea why.

I wanted to ask him, but first I had to get away.

-Fotoho! Tvupi fotoho. Douquwe tvupi fotoho!

I tried three times. Each one was slightly different, but I could not shatter the spikes.

Each spell, targeting him: useless.

I guess I lost my element of surprise, because the Crystal didn’t even shake: we were still joined together, bound in this weird position.

-Not going to work. You no longer have enough mana.

Enough mana? It’s not like I felt that weak. Even with his drain, I still had plenty.

-Not stopping me from trying.

-I guess… - he sighed. - And here I thought you’d be as cooperative with me as you were with her. Eh, what can you do?

-You’re not my type.

-Oh. Right. That’s true. She was your type.

Uh-oh. Shouldn’t have mentioned that.

But, on the other hand… if I was to anger him a bit…?

-Yeah… - I picked up. - Smart. Pretty. Witty. Too bad you aren’t. Doing this shit definitely isn’t helping your image.

-Shut up. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Yikes, speaking of easy.

It only took one mention of her and he was already angrily sneering at me.

Hell, he even slowed down the drain, losing composure.

It was as good of an opportunity as any other.

-Fotoho do voy.

-Wha…

This time, I was a bit reckless.

Instead of targeting his spikes, or his body… I targeted myself.

And it worked like a charm.

I split in half like a broken branch, right where I was being pierced, falling on the ground.

I expected a fountain of blood and a flood of pain, but I think it was either mana that was spilling out from me or the adrenaline that didn’t let me notice either.

I only know that the next moment I was out of his grasp, lying on the ground next to my detached lower half and casting another spell.

-Lupilvo nop.

Whatever he’s done to my body, the one thing didn’t change: I was still part-crystal.

Be it my heart, brain, core or whatever, but I was still able to cast spell without the issue, and this one worked quickly.

With a meaty squelch, two of my halves were pulled together into one and again I was in one piece. Even the hole that the spikes left was… well, not fully healed, but closed.

I couldn’t ask for any more at this point.

And yet, I had to, because he was relentless.

Sure, my sudden… split, caught him off guard, but that was just for a moment. He still was in great shape to fight and on top of that, his body was energized by mana, making him move with speed and power that shouldn't be possible.

Quite useful skill.

-Visu nysu, dosleyy nop!

I quickly raised a rocky wall that was supposed to protect me. At least from the initial impact, that is.

Well, it sort of did.

His first strike managed to crash into the rock and not break through, but only because of him not expecting it to be in front of me. Another swing was enough to make an opening, which I promptly closed up.

-Do not delay the inevitable - he said in between the swings.

-I do have time.

-Me too. But I’d rather it go faster than this.

His next strike went through the wall and hit me square in the chest.

-Fuck!

Good news: he didn’t pierce my body.

Bad news: he managed to give me yet another concussion.

Before, I wouldn't really care about that: my head being crystal, only magic would be able to shake me, if that even.

But… not this time. I had a fleshy body once more.

While not completely human, his spell, or whatever that was, managed to weaken me significantly.

Sure, I was still able to regenerate, so he wasn’t doing any permanent damage, but he was making me waste magic. And slowing me down to boot.

-Give up - he said, standing above me, when I was trying to gather myself from the impact of his strike.

-No can do - I replied, trying to regain my balance and standing up. - Nysu!

-Oh stop this bullshit…

I managed to start building a wall between us, just for him to slap it and crush it without even any effort.

-Make up something creative. I don’t know, use something offensive.

-Like I am that stupid. You’re going to absorb it the moment I make it.

-Hm. Maybe. Well, it’s going to make it easier for me, true…

Of course it would. He wanted my mana, my essence. I could shower him with random spells, but it would only feed him and give exactly what he wants.

If only I had some weapon to defend myself or…

I didn’t have time to think. He swiped at me with his spike-mace, aiming for my head this time.

I knew I had no time to dodge, so I only managed to reflexively put as much mana in between us as I could and give it a form. Any form would do, but what came out was…

A crystal.

Of course, I mean, as a core I was still a remnant, one that had a piece of Origin Crystal within it.

It was strange, the spell that I instinctively casted was similar to the illusion that ILMA had made to scare me.

A bit unusual, since that one was just a fake. And I managed to pull off something similar, just by sheer instinct…

I say “pull off”, but it was barely any better than a stone wall: sure it broke his momentum, but it still sent me flying with a broken bloody nose. Sure, I managed to fix it a moment later, but it was still very unpleasant.

-Huh. They do say imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

That was actually a great idea. I mean, I could just…

-You don’t know half of it.

Copy him, right?

Was that possible?

We were made out of the same thing… I mean, mostly… The question was, could I change my shape like that…?

He managed to change me into flesh… but I could try and reverse it… and then…

-Less thinking, more fighting - he interrupted me, noticing my hesitation.

Another blow, but this time I was ready. Well, more ready than before. I still wasn’t fast enough to react, but I managed to raise my arms beforehand along with focusing as much mana in front of me as possible.

My plan was to change the mana into stone first, but I lacked time and focus: his blow again struck me off my feet.

-Fuck… - i mumbled, raising from the ground again, but just for me to slip on my hand and fall face first into the bloodied floor.

Wait… It’s not that I slipped… I didn’t have any feelings in my fingers.

-Oh shit.

Last attack he made wasn’t the same as before.

He changed his hands again: he was back to using fully extended spikes… or at this point, I’d call those blades.

They cleanly sliced through my wrist, leaving me disarmed. Again.

Reflexively, I wanted to pour my mana into the stumps and stop the bleeding, but stopped myself short.

That was a great occasion.

-Let’s try, why not.

-Hmmm?

I tried to gather myself. Similarly as when he instructed me on how to regenerate myself faster, I gathered mana and poured into the missing pieces, but this time, I wasn’t just going to let them passively fill the gaps.

I wanted to steer it into the direction I wanted.

Hopefully.

-Origin.