Chapter 8 – The Awakening of the Broken Self
The void cracked open.
No light.
No body.
No breath.
Only a consciousness drifting in a frozen, endless darkness.
Raphaël tried to move.
Nothing.
He tried to speak.
Silence.
He tried to scream.
The void swallowed everything.
Then, like a distant heartbeat, something vibrated.
A presence.
A warmth.
A mind that wasn't his.
And suddenly—
He saw.
Not with eyes.
With a diffuse perception, as if his spirit had latched onto a living being.
A cell.
Stone walls.
The smell of metal, sweat, dried blood.
Chains on the floor.
A reinforced door.
And in the center…
A child.
Sitting upright, eyes locked on the door.
Not trembling.
Not broken.
Not submissive.
No.
A predator in a cage.
His blue eyes glinted with cold, animal intelligence.
His muscles were tense, ready to strike.
He breathed slowly, methodically.
Raphaël observed in silence.
Calm.
Analytical.
But beneath that icy surface…
A quiet anger simmered.
Who would lock up a child like this?
Who would treat a kid like an object?
A translucent window appeared in Raphaël's mind:
`
{Status}
Name: Raphaël Arven
Species: Living Skill
Age: ???
Talent: ???
Innate Skills:
- Universal Polyglot
- Mental Overdrive
Global Skills: None
Elements: Lightning (weak), Ice (weak)
`
Raphaël remained still.
He was… a skill.
Not a spirit.
Not a ghost.
Not a human.
A living skill.
And Rex… was his host.
He tried to communicate.
To vibrate.
To manifest.
Nothing.
He wasn't "activated" yet.
Then, without warning, a wave of images crashed into him.
Memories.
Memories that weren't his.
A baby in a poor home.
A mother disappearing too soon.
An absent father.
Years surviving in the streets.
Fights.
Thefts.
Freezing nights.
Wounds.
Victories.
Then—
Masked figures.
A bag over the head.
A blow to the neck.
Darkness.
Raphaël didn't panic.
He observed.
He understood.
He had lived all of this like a silent twin, an invisible brother.
And despite himself, he felt something familiar.
Affection.
Protection.
And a cold, focused anger toward those who did this.
Another window appeared:
`
Time since reincarnation: 7 years
Awakening condition: Host activation
Status: Partial Awakening
`
Raphaël stayed calm.
Seven years.
He had been here for seven years.
Unconscious.
Dormant.
Waiting.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Slow.
Heavy.
Rhythmic.
Rex stood up instantly, muscles tense, gaze sharp.
No fear.
No panic.
Just silent anger.
The door burst open.
Two masked men entered, holding metal batons.
Raphaël felt his anger rise.
Not explosive.
Not loud.
A cold anger.
Precise.
Sharp.
You'll pay for this.
Not now.
But one day.
"Subject 17, stand up. Check your status. And tell us if you have an innate skill."
Rex stared at them, expression unreadable.
"… No."
The men nodded.
"Normal. It's rare. Most don't have one."
Raphaël felt Rex react internally.
Rare?
Rex raised his hand.
A blue interface appeared.
Raphaël watched, calm but burning inside.
Rex read:
`
{Status}
Name: Rex Arven
Species: Human
Age: 7
Talent: SS+
Innate Skills:
- Split (unknown level)
- Stop Motion (level 1)
Global Skills: None
Elements: Wind (weak), Earth (weak)
Attributes:
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 7
Mana: 12
`
Rex froze.
His eyes narrowed.
"… Two?"
He had never heard of anyone with two innate skills.
He opened the first.
[Split]
Description: Unknown. Mental anomaly detected.
Raphaël felt a vibration.
A reaction.
Recognition.
Then Rex opened the second.
[Stop Motion]
*Allows the user to slow their perception of time for 30 seconds.
Limited effect. High mental cost.*
Rex inhaled slowly.
"… What the hell is this?"
Raphaël remained perfectly calm.
But his anger toward the kidnappers sharpened.
They caused this.
They triggered Split.
They tampered with a child's mind.
The masked men noticed nothing.
"Move. Mental tests resume."
Rex walked forward, but his gaze had changed.
Colder.
Sharper.
More… adult.
Raphaël felt a pulse inside his essence.
As if something within him wanted to break free.
To manifest.
To exist.
`
Activation condition approaching.
The skill Split reacts to hostility.
`
Raphaël didn't panic.
He thought.
He analyzed.
He watched Rex.
This kid…
This little brother…
He would protect him.
And he would destroy the ones who did this.
A crack of light split through his essence.
A tear.
A fracture.
Rex blinked.
His breath hitched for a moment.
As if… something inside him had moved.
The men didn't notice.
"Take him."
Rex followed, but Raphaël finally understood:
He wasn't just a skill.
He was a half.
A fragment.
A Broken Self.
And for the first time in seven years…
He was alive.
And furious.