1

Shin Kagami paced around the spacious dome. Having waited inside the place for quite some time, he first heard the signal for the start of the operation around thirty minutes ago. He knew full well that it was all due to a series of happenings in the outside world, the part of the real world that has connections with this Fragment.

Ever since thirty minutes ago, he felt that the Nullities have begun emerging outside the room. Spawning one by one, they mostly took on the humanoid forms that the doctor had admittedly grown weary of seeing. They spawned from the floor, from the walls, and from the rock fragments that were scattered all over the area.

Staring at the walls that contained web and ruined rocks, Dr. Kagami gave a forlorn smile.

Those lesser Nullities would not be able to enter and disturb him anytime soon.

He turned to look at a stone tablet at the center of the room. Resting on top of a raised platform, the tablet glowed with green light. Along with an urn right behind it, it stood protected in the middle of a large worn-down shrine resembling those used in ancient temples.

Yellow smoke emerged out of the urn and continued traveling upwards, all the way to the supposed ceiling that cannot be seen.

In a way, it resembled the pulpit that a priest would use. Only this time, it was located dead center, being the main attraction of the ancient amphitheater.

Dr. Kagami approached the console and looked at the runic markings on the stone tablet. The mark on the back of his hand glowed in conjugation with his hovering of it over the tablet.

Knowing that his plan is almost near fruition, Dr. Kagami finally got the much-awaited peace of mind, and he started reflecting on his journey to get to this point. Looking at the room he's in, he seemed to see shadows of people.

He knew that these shadows were not in any way related to the Nullities that continued to spawn outside. These shadows represented the past, taking form of various people, appearing and disappearing from sight...

Shin Kagami has always been close to death. He was not sure when he realized that fact. Could it be five years ago, when he first entered this world beyond his own? Perhaps it was far before that.

Some could say that it might be the result of some generation-spanned curse, but young Kagami had no place for those superstitions. For the he of back then, the future was looking bright, and it had remained so as he aced his exams and moved on to Aspira, the most prestigious hospital in Shiroki City...

"Isn't this what you always wanted?" asked the shadowy form of a girl. She looked like a young adult with hair tied in a bun. Her lively form skipped ahead of a young man that followed behind her.

"I still can't believe it."

"Come on, you should have more confidence!"

The form of the girl slapped the back of her male friend.

"I believed in you, and so did everyone from class. Now that you're a step closer to what you always wanted, no way can you have cold feet. You're gonna change the world, one step at a time, right?"

The man nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will."

Dr. Kagami could still hear those lines as he saw the fleeting, translucent appearance of himself from eight years ago walking into Aspira as an intern. He still remembered that conversation he had with his then girlfriend and the scene that followed when he walked into the hospital.

With those bright eyes brimming with idealism, he had then eased his way into the ranks of the pharmacists, and the following three years had passed by like a blur.

He had the girl of his dreams, a loving father and sibling, and the dream job.

He knew that he had always wanted to influence people's lives. He never considered himself a good speaker, but he saw medicine as the path for him to influence lives of countless people.

With his resourcefulness and intellect, the young Kagami had even thought that he could help people overcome the one thing holding them back from taking the next step: death.

It did not take long for him to realize his folly.

"Damn it!"

The shadow in Kagami's vision now morphed into another version of his young self, now in a full lab coat. The figure went on to start slamming his desk and scattering some documents.

The visage did not take too long to switch to another scene.

The same person, looking very apologetic, felt the full brunt of some incomprehensible words. It was easy to read the scene from the accusing finger and the very expressive motions of the woman who proceeded to fall to her knees while cradling a third person.

Dr. Kagami pained to see this memory manifest in front of him.

One by one, the patients had come in, and as time went on, more and more left in body bags. Even with his skill in developing medicine and coming up with some of the ingenious applications of such, it was futile.

Soon, the medicines and treatment procedures he had innovated stopped working, and even the hardiest and toughest spirits fell to the force called death. In some extreme cases, some believed that it was his experimental drugs that had hastened the process.

The desperate eyes of patients had struck him the most. The anguished screams and cries of family members had tortured his naïve heart little by little. After each failed operation and treatment, Kagami had found himself slamming the walls of his private quarters, drying his own tears in secret, and thinking where it went wrong.

The young Kagami then buried himself in studies, research, and experiments in desperate bids to save lives to the point where he even traded a budding relationship with the love of his life for work.

Having had enough of him and his overly driven attitude, she had left him without a fuss. The young Kagami knew that he made the right choice.

After years, he eventually conceded a point: humans are fragile. For such a developed and intelligent species, humans can be so frail, so fragile, so easily broken down. Each day, everyone walks closer and closer to death whether he wants to or not.

That is why he was not surprised to hear that there were no survivors when the only family he had were at the scene of a car accident.

Then, he had come to a decision. That much was very clear to Dr. Kagami as he looked at the shadow of his self from three years ago walk forward.

He knew that it was the scene where he attempted to end it all. With nothing left in his life, it would be a fitting end for a naïve boy who got a taste of reality.

However, it was not meant to be. Instead of falling down to his end and wrapping up an ultimately futile life, he had found himself in an unfamiliar world: an ancient city enveloped by a scarlet hue.

Little did his past self know that his life would take a completely different turn from that moment.

2

The Dr. Kagami from three years ago was not sure what to make of this scarlet world. The world seemed to crush him with a heavy weight at every turn.

He ran, like he always did.

He covered and prayed to whichever god will hear him. It was then that he figured out to himself the awful fact: there was no god in that world.

That fact was hammered home when the smell of blood and the painful sensation of getting sliced apart registered into his brain.

He tumbled backwards after sustaining a gigantic gash across his stomach. Eyeing the shadow monster in front of him, he resigned himself to his fate.

It was hopeless. 

How could things have turned out like this?

Dr. Kagami groaned before the unstoppable sensation of blood rose up his throat, resulting in a gurgling sound and a messy scene that manifested in front of his eyes.

I would have rather ended my life through the fall instead of being mauled to death by these creatures.

He surveyed the world around him as he approached his last moments. He felt nothing but despair as he looked at the archways and the pillars that surrounded him. Just like the remnants of what should have once been a glorious town square, his life would just wither away in here.

To think that he would find his end at an alien world so filled with despair and loneliness. Somehow, he felt that it was fitting. His body shook.

It was then that he realized that he did not want to die. He did not want to say goodbye to hope.

He still wanted to live.

If he could continue fighting through it all, if only he were immortal... He could have the chance to turn his whole life around. But that's just mere fantasy. A mere figment of his imagination and something that humanity can never achieve.

Hopelessness gripped him once more, and he closed his eyes and prepared for the end.

Any time now, the finishing blow would hit, and he would suffer unimaginable pain before his body gives way.

Then, the sound of blood being spilled registered in his ears. However, he did not feel any further pain. He had not been struck, and the screeching of the creature told him part of the story.

Something else had killed his would-be murderer.

Dr. Kagami cannot comprehend the full sequence of events, but as he opened his eyes, he was looking at a figure with his back turned.

He made out the figure to be a slender man wearing a white and intricate long coat. The coat majestically flowed in the air along with his long, waist-length silver hair that was tied in a ponytail.

On one hand, he held a rapier that he had used to stab through the monster, and on the other...

"Do you want to change the world?"

Holding the dismembered head of the Nullity with an outstretched left hand, the man with long, silver hair looked over his shoulder and smirked at the young doctor. 

The Nullity's head dissipated into the air.

"Do you want the power to overcome fate?" he asked once again, this time with a look that reassured Kagami.

There was power in his eyes, and he exuded a charisma that the young doctor had not felt in his life. Confidence seemed to overflow from this hero, and he seemed to be the one to know what was going on, what kind of world this is, and what those monsters are.

Left without words, the stunned doctor could give no other reply besides soft nods.

"You may look like an emotional wreck right now, but I had sensed immense agency from you. Your will, your desire to defy the hand you're dealt with... I feel it."

"Is that so?" asked the doctor.

The silver-haired man smirked. He pointed his rapier at the doctor's chest, then to the place where his wounds continued bleeding out. Light flowed from his glowing weapon, and Dr. Kagami felt his wounds recovering.

It was a magical sight, and he cannot take his eyes off the process. He watched as his wounds slowly closed up by just receiving power from the rapier.

"A man of potential, I see. You're almost there, but let me help you take the next step. After today, consider yourself an Awakener: a new being created from the power of Mu – one granted the very power to alter the wheels of fate."

The glow from the man's rapier intensified, and a wave of magical energy just shook Dr. Kagami head on.

He held back a scream as his world became enveloped by light.

At the present, Dr. Shin Kagami put his hand over where his wounds used to be. It was a truly life-changing experience meeting that man. 

Not only did that encounter save him, it turned the wheels to get his life back on track again.

After his venture to the world beyond, things changed. Dr. Kagami did not know what prompted the change, but he had become a lot more perceptive, a lot more alert and precise with his actions.

The following years went by in a flash.

First, he got promoted.

Next, received more positions thanks to his skill and a complete redemption.

Then, he helped pioneer some of the biggest developments in the medical world.

Lastly, he finally made peace with his past. Those white roses on the grave were the last of his connections with his deceased family.

However, he never entered that world again.

At the present, he wondered to himself if the change to his physical and mental abilities was the effect of the visor that he can form over his eyes after meeting that man. It could also be the mark on the back of his hand that he was granted by the same man.

Nonetheless, one thing is clear. He now had the power. 

Weeks ago, the gates to this world, those portals, began opening at his beck and call. With them came the newfound chance to hone his abilities and make full use of the denizens of this world.

He still found it hard to believe in fate, but what else was he given the power for? That man whom he never saw again had invited him to change the world.

Dr. Kagami will make sure to change the world with what he was about to do. His only regret was not getting in touch with that person. Had he not hesitated, perhaps his current plan would have gone a lot differently.

A new sound registered in his ears. With his thoughts distracted the sound, he stood up. It was the sound of screeching Nullities.

They were being attacked. 

The sounds grew louder and louder, and Dr. Kagami clearly knew that the tiny humanoid Nullities were being destroyed en masse.

Gently placing his finger over his temple, Dr. Kagami manifested magical energy on his hand.

With a whirling sound, a machine appeared, wrapping itself around his head at eye level.

It was the visor that he had gotten during his first trip to Mu – his Armament.

He once thought that having an Armament like a visor is utterly useless. It did not help him in combat in any way.

Once again, he was proven wrong, this time by the experiences these past few weeks.

"Pandora's Box!" he called out. The specialized vision from his visor activated on cue.

All of a sudden, he began seeing the world in a different perspectives. At his command, he started seeing the chemical reactions circulating and manifesting within all structures around him.

He had first thought that it was an ability to get an in-depth look at the constant decay happening around him as well as a way to break down things into the most basic molecular structures. However, recent events proved that the ability extended all the way to human bodies and how their bodies adjust to elements from Mu's harsh surroundings.

Pandora's Box also gave his Armament a nifty ability: it started registering the stimuli from the Nullities all over the place.

Seeing the darkness from the Nullities continued to assault his senses, but it was thanks to this that he had survived in this world for so long. Not only that, he had managed to telepathically manipulate such stimuli in order to shape and give birth to Nullities loyal to his beck and call.

He still had no ability to issue direct orders, but with a little toying around with triggers that those monsters respond to...

"This farce ends here, Dr. Shin Kagami!"

3

Turning his head in response to the voice, he looked straight into the form of a girl in her adolescent years. Long black hair, fair skin, and a captivating aura. He had seen this girl before.

He remembered her from the hospital. She was the one who brought Kazuki Arata in. It all lined up perfectly now. She was indeed the one who foiled his plans that day.

Dr. Kagami found himself staring at the tip of the sword pointed straight at him.

From his visor's vision, Dr. Kagami also noticed Mu's particles and energy sources fluctuating around the girl's body in the form of an aura.

Few exuded this amount of power in their aura, and as if the sword was not enough indication, this reading confirmed the power level of this Awakener. In response, he shut his eyes and focused.

After all, he had come prepared.

"Certainly not the person I expected to see." He spoke calmly in response to the girl's aggressive advances. "You know, I expected to see that guy and his sister, but I do not mind early guests. A doctor has to be ready for walk-in visitors, after all."

"You didn't even try to hide it, huh? Would I be correct to assume that you were also responsible for every other disappearance as well?"

"You met my beneficiary, right? No use hiding anything at this point."

To that, Dr. Kagami noticed a change in the girl's aura. The aura surrounding her grew more intense, and the particles shuffled around much more wildly.

"I can sense your anger," the doctor continued, fixing his worn-down medical coat and putting on a smug smile, "I do not expect you to understand. But the sacrifice of a few is worth a complete advancement of the human race."

"Just what are you planning?" asked the girl.

"I said it already, didn't I? The advancement of the human race! With the power of this world, humans will overcome death. You've seen it in action already, right? That boy and that woman in the hospital are living proofs that my hypothesis works."

"Trying to harness Mu's power like that is pure foolishness. No one can fully control the power of this world."

"So they say, but it is not I who would be doing the deed, not directly at least."

When he uttered those words, he saw another violent reaction from the girl's aura. Seeing this opportunity, the doctor shrugged and looked at the shrine that continued to emit yellow smoke.

"You felt it, didn't you? More portals being opened from this Fragment to South Quinn Street. Thanks to an uncharacteristically unique phenomena happening at the idol event, the barrier between the two worlds is thinning as we speak."

Another spike in the girl's readings.

"You get where I'm leading to, right? Inside the concoction I made were particles that would latch to the Nullities outside. Even a slight materialization of the Nullities in the real world... the slightest interaction with the Nullities would be enough. They would fizzle the moment they step out in that other world, but the particles latched onto them would travel through the air, infecting thousands just like a biological weapon."

"How dare you!" shouted the black-haired girl, and she broke off into a run. "Just what do you take human lives for?"

She sprinted towards him. With nothing in between them, death would come swiftly for the doctor.

However, in the face of certain death, Dr. Kagami smiled.

He knew that the blade wouldn't reach him.

All of a sudden, a huge black form crashed down the floor in front of him. The fall shook the ground several times over as the multi-legged creature descended from the top of the room.

He continued to smile as he saw the girl get back to her feet. Had she not managed to stop her run abruptly, she would have become easy prey for the doctor's ultimate creation.

He marveled at the spectacle that is his ultimate creation. Standing twice as tall as a person, the large Nullity, taking the form of a black widow spider, screeched at its opponent. Instead of the undefined shapes that the bodies of Nullities typically take, this one was covered in rocky plates all over.

Dr. Kagami specifically modeled it after the scorpion that he had recently lost.

He felt a huge sense of pride looking at the creature's majestic legs and its huge, sturdy form. It was the pinnacle of his abilities in Nullity creation, equipped with years of medical knowledge on lethal venom and just recently, internal human structures.

"Why are you so angry, girl?" taunted Dr. Kagami. "All I meant to do is for the good of the human race. Humans are such fragile creatures. By forcefully inducing them with microorganisms carrying the power of Mu, the strong's bodies will learn to adapt and overcome."

The doctor cocked his head backwards and smiled. "Aren't you familiar with the basic concept of vaccines and infections? Through trials, the human body would be forced to evolve."

He raised his voice as he resumed. "Through exposure to Mu, the strongest people will awaken their latent powers and become Awakeners!" 

"The strong?" asked the girl.

"Natural selection or whatever you want to call it. Those who overcome Mu's power will find themselves an inch closer to overcoming the limits of their weak bodies. As for the rest, consider them sacrifices for a noble cause."

"In some twisted world, you may have a point, but..." The girl hung her head in silence.

Dr. Kagami was not so sure what to make of her reaction, but as she raised her head once more, it all became clear.

Her facial expression and her voice all told one story.

"Truly unforgivable!" yelled the incensed girl. "A hundred cuts won't be enough punishment for someone like you!"