Purgatory

  Welcome to the shit-show," Azazel said, gesturing at the twisted landscape around us. "Purgatory. The cosmic junkyard where God throws all his broken toys."

  The miniature demon was right. The place was a nightmare. To my left, a bombed-out city opened directly into a field of wooden crosses. The transitions just existed side by side, like someone had torn up different photographs and taped them back together wrong.

  Azazel gestured at the chaos around us. "This place is made of echoes from events that took place in your world. That's why you've got a World War I trench in ancient Babylon."

  I stared at the burning church. "So what about that? What happened there?"

  "That is Azazel's idea of a joke," Remy said. "It's a painful part of my past, and he hid you near that cathedral hoping that I wouldn't look here. Or to make sure he could rub my face in it."

  The church was a Catholic cathedral. I'd spent a few years in a Catholic orphanage. I recognized the architecture.

  "We need to move," Remiel said suddenly, scanning the horizon. "Without Azazel's Hell loop protecting us, we're exposed."

  "The church," Azazel pointed at the burning structure. "We go in there."

  "Are you insane?" I stepped back. "The whole thing is on fire."

  "It's not real fire, you idiot," Azazel said. "It's just an echo. A memory from where that church came from. It can't actually burn here."

  "Think of it as a recording," Remiel explained. "The church burned because it had burned in your world at some point. But the fire itself is just part of the echo."

  "Look, Mud, that church is probably the safest place we can go right now." Az threw Remy another look, mocking the angel through a toothy grin.

  "Well," I said, staring at the flames that apparently couldn't hurt me, "I'm glad you think this is fun. But your ass is on the line now, too."

  Remiel floated towards the burning doorway on the side of the cathedral. He paused at the threshold, then reached forward and seemed surprised when he passed through.

  Azazel and I followed behind him. Right before following me through, Az stopped.

  "Az, get your ass in here," I said, sticking my head back out to see why he hadn't followed. I reached back out and grabbed him by his neck, then pulled him through and dumped him onto the floor.

  "All right, spill it. Both of you. You two were terrified to approach this place. The last time I saw you hesitate like that was right before I cut you with the blade."

  Remy spoke up first. "This cathedral is warded against angels and demons. That's why it's a good place for you to hide while we figure things out."

  "I think I understand now. You guys were afraid that it might not let you inside—"

  Az cut me off. "We hesitated because the fact that we were able to step inside means neither of us is what we once were. Stepping into this place is the first kick in the nuts."

  "Azazel. That window that described the Arcane blade: if I understand it correctly, then he did not just bind our souls. He also retained portions of my grace and your fury," Remy said.

  Azazel scratched at his chin. "I think I see where you're going with this, Remiel. You think this mortal might have access to some of our abilities." He hopped onto a broken altar. "All right, Mud. Here's what I want you to do. Have you ever played any games? Board games or video games where the characters got stronger and you could assign points to health or strength or any of that bullshit?"

  "Yeah, I played Dungeons and Dragons with my cousins when I was a kid. But that was a long time ago, and it was nerdy for me even then."

  "Yeah, well, get over yourself, because now you're living that shit. I want you to picture what those character sheets looked like."

  I paused, trying to remember those little printouts we'd spent hours filling out. I had been horrible at math. That was one of the reasons I didn't like it. I always needed someone to help me.

  A moment later, a new window popped up in my vision.

  ??? ARCANE-SYSTEM:

  Jarek Donati, Level 1 Nephilim.

  Experience Points: 0 out of 500 for Level 2.

  ? Health: 50 out of 50. – ? Stamina: 14 out of 14.

  ?? Mana: 15 out of 15. – Current State: Forsaken.

  Ascension 50 —?— Damnation 50.

  ? Grace: 12 out of 12. – ? Fury 11 out of 11

  BASE ATTRIBUTES:

  Strength: 6.

  Dexterity: 4.

  Fortitude: 5.

  Mind: 3.

  Instinct: 5.

  Dominance: 6.

  RACIAL SKILLS:

  Arcane Cartography: The Arcane System projects a shifting outline of the surrounding terrain into your vision, forming an ever-present map that expands as you focus upon it.

  Eternal Mend: The fusion of mortal flesh with Arcane essence allows your body to repair injury with unnatural speed.

  "Holy shit." I stared at the floating numbers. "Is that... is that supposed to be me?"

  "That's you, Mud," Azazel said with a grin. "In all your pathetic Level One glory."

  My eyes scanned the stats. Strength: 6. That seemed low. I'd always been strong.

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  Mind: 3. Okay, that one stung.

  "Wait a minute." I gestured at the window. "Why the hell do I have Mana? I'm not some wizard. And what's Grace? What's Fury?"

  Remiel floated closer. "Grace is the currency of divine power. Any angelic abilities you gain through our binding will draw from that pool. Think of it as holy energy."

  "And Mana," Azazel added, hopping onto a chunk of rubble, "that's for the Arcane System itself. The Arcane System needs Mana to function. Every time you access those abilities, it's gonna tax that reserve."

  "And Fury?" I asked.

  Azazel's grin widened, showing too many teeth for such a small face. "That's mine. Fury is what powers demonic abilities. The rage, the violence, the primal shit that makes us what we are. You've got a pool of it now, thanks to stabbing me."

  "So angelic stuff uses Grace, Arcane stuff uses Mana, and demon stuff uses Fury," I said, trying to keep it all straight.

  "Exactly," Az said. "But here's the catch, Mud." His expression turned serious, which was unsettling on his face. "If you try to use an ability and you don't have enough Grace or Fury to power it, the System doesn't just say 'sorry, can't do that.' It pulls from somewhere else."

  "Somewhere else?"

  "Your Stamina first," Remy said quietly. "And if that runs out, it starts pulling from your Health. From your life force itself."

  I stared at them both. "You're telling me I could kill myself by using an ability I can't afford?"

  "Power requires sacrifice," Remiel said, his voice carrying a weight I hadn't heard before. "That is the fundamental truth both kingdoms were built upon. Heaven demands faith and devotion—Grace. Hell demands blood and Fury. But when those reserves run dry, the cost must still be paid. The Arcane System will take what it needs to complete what you've started."

  "So don't be a dumbass and try to use abilities you can't afford," Az said bluntly. "At least not unless you're willing to die for it."

  "These skills," I said, reading them again. "Arcane Cartography and Eternal Mend. I just... have these now?"

  I focused on the map ability. A translucent overlay appeared at the edge of my vision. The immediate area around me was visible, showing the broken church we stood in.

  "Now I know you were an old crotchety fuck before all of this happened, and you probably haven't played a video game since Donkey Kong, so let me help you out here." Azazel snapped his fingers. "We'll call this a mini-map. Focus on it. Imagine it expanding and getting bigger."

  I pictured the small map expanding, growing large enough to hold in my hands like a real map. It grew, and I was able to see more details.

  I dismissed the map from my vision.

  "This is insane," I muttered.

  "Welcome to the cosmic joke," Azazel said. "Now stop gawking at your stats. We need to figure out how to keep you alive. If you have Grace and Fury like we think you do, there's got to be a way for you to use them."

  As if the system itself had been listening, a new window appeared:

  ??? ARCANE-SYSTEM: FOUNDATION SELECTION

  Ascension 50 —?— Damnation 50.

  Equilibrium. Both realms watch in silence.

  The Arcane measures your distance from completion. Ascension reflects proximity to your intended state. Damnation reflects the gap that remains. These terms carry no moral judgment. They are measurements of deficiency and progress.

  All mortals begin damned, for all begin incomplete. Your actions determine whether you close the distance or widen it.

  The Sundered Kingdoms corrupted these words after the separation. Heaven claims Ascension as salvation and brands Damnation as sin. Hell embraces Damnation as liberation and scorns Ascension as servitude. Both have twisted what was written before either existed.

  The Host senses those who walk closer to Ascension. The Fallen sense those bound deeper in Damnation. You stand at perfect equilibrium. Both realms watch, but neither perceives you more clearly than the other.

  The celestial essences bound within your soul grant access to both Grace and Fury. You may walk paths from both the Host and the Fallen. Choose one foundation from each essence. These selections are permanent and will shape all abilities that follow.

  ANGELIC FOUNDATIONS:

  Path of the Aegis: To walk this path is to embody divine protection itself. Light will bend to shield you from harm, and in time, that protection shall extend to others. Your grace will manifest as an unbreakable will to preserve.

  Racial ability: Radiant-Aegis. Wreath yourself in luminous armor that negates one killing blow before shattering like glass.

  Path of the Seraph: To walk this path is to wield Heaven's authority. Truth will reveal itself at your command, and deception will wither in your presence. Your grace will manifest as the terrible clarity of divine judgment.

  Racial ability: Lumen Sight. Pierce the veil between realms. Darkness becomes twilight, and the true nature of all beings glimmers at the edge of perception.

  DEMONIC FOUNDATIONS:

  Path of Carnage: To walk this path is to become violence incarnate. Your fury will transform flesh into a weapon that knows no restraint. Pain becomes power, and restraint becomes weakness.

  Racial ability: Bloodlash. Channel fury through your strikes to extend them in crimson arcs that cleave both body and soul.

  Path of the Predator: To walk this path is to embrace the hunter's discipline. Your fury will sharpen into deadly focus, granting senses that penetrate all concealment. No prey escapes, no sanctuary endures.

  Racial ability: Abyssal-Sense. The warmth of living souls burns bright against the void, visible through darkness and stone alike.

  Focus upon your chosen paths. The selection is permanent and irrevocable.

  "Okay." I studied the window. "Is this some kind of class selection?"

  "No, you nimrod," Azazel said as he hopped down off my shoulder. "Demons and angels do follow class trees. But thanks to you being all cut-cut, stab-stab, Remiel and I are now stuck at your level and with your stats."

  "What the demon is trying to say," Remiel cut in, "is that your actual class, at the moment, is going to be Nephilim. However, when you bound our essence to yourself, some of my grace and his fury were bound with it. It seems that the system is giving you the choice of a path that you can walk in order to gain access to some of our racial abilities."

  "You're only going to get this foundation choice once," Remiel continued. "After you make one of these choices, the only way we're going to be able to enhance our abilities down these paths is through the Arcane System and runes."

  "Runes? You mean like that scribbly shit people scratched on rocks?"

  "'That scribbly shit scratched on rocks.'" The demon said mockingly. "Do you listen to yourself talk? All right, dumbass. Think about runes like they're skill books—little pieces of information that will give you new and unique abilities." The demon looked off into the distance as his voice trailed away. "Just think, Mud. Somewhere out there, there could be a rune with a skill that would make you less of an insufferable moron."

  I had to take a breath and refrain from kicking his ass into the burning wall.

  "Okay, so to enhance the stuff you guys are offering me, we've gotta find these runes. So what about those Nephilim skills I got, like Arcane Cartography?"

  Remiel said, "I know of no such runes. We were told the Arcane was corruption. That God Himself had declared it must be purged from existence."

  "So there's no way to make those abilities stronger?"

  "Given what we've seen so far," Remiel said slowly, "it would make sense that Arcane runes exist somewhere. The System wouldn't offer progression paths it couldn't support. But where they are, or how to find them..." He trailed off. "That knowledge was kept from us."

  "So Remy, this Path of the Seraph. It looks like it comes with an ability that lets me see in the dark?" I asked.

  "It will grant you more than that," Remiel said. "This path does not simply let you see in darkness—it lets you see truth. As your grace grows, you will sense when someone is lying, and discern what things truly are beneath the shapes they wear. The Seraph's path opens your perception far beyond light and shadow."

  Azazel nodded. "That's a good one, Mud. Abilities like that have made things difficult for my kind. If you ask me, you should choose that one for sure. And then you should choose Path of Carnage. We're gonna need some offensive capability here if we're gonna be able to escape."

  "There's not much perception-wise that the Path of the Predator would give you beyond what you'd already get from the Path of the Seraph. At least not any time soon. The only place we're gonna find any good runes for Path of the Predator is in Hell itself, and I'm not exactly feeling homesick."

  "The demon's right," Remy said.

  I focused and selected the Path of the Seraph, then selected the Path of Carnage. Instantly, my body writhed in searing pain. I fell to my knees. My arms shot out to my sides. I looked up as white light and flame consumed my body. I tried to scream, and everything went black as I passed out.

  If this series clicks for you, I've got other stories posted that you might enjoy. Feel free to check out my profile and see what else catches your eye.

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  ? Overpowers: Magical Girl Crossover [Grimlight Psychological/Genre based Power System] ?

  by Moawar

  He, Life, had a simple job.

  His responsibility as an Overpower was to make sure that fiction stories and the characters in them follow their dictated path. He always did his job well enough, not more or less than was needed.

  His latest assignment, however, would, in retrospect, prove to be his most challenging one of all.

  He would find himself in a unfamiliar world. There he'll have to quickly adapt to guide Nozomi.

  The strongest magical girl with the potential to accidentally destroy those she seeks to protect in her fight against evil.

  What to Expect:

  -If you like the psychological aspects of Madoka Magica and the mixing of different genres a crossover story brings then this story is for you