Resonance? Boons? Flaws?

Caelen casually took a bite of food, savoring the warmth as he glanced over at Malphas, who seemed more focused on the conversation than his meal. His curiosity was almost palpable, his wide eyes glued to Caelen's every word.

"So, Malphas," Caelen started, wiping his mouth with a napkin before leaning back in his chair, "Do you know anything about resonance?"

Malphas paused for a moment, looking confused. "Resonance, hmm…" he muttered, clearly trying to recall any useful information. "To be perfectly honest, I only know it's some cool stuff people can do."

Caelen chuckled softly, clearly expecting this. "Figured as much. Resonance is the ability you get when you're chosen by a deity. It's what allows you to do cool things—like control elements or enhance your body in different ways—but the extent of your powers depends on your boon and flaw."

"What do those do?" Malphas asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well," Caelen said, taking another bite, "the deities give us flaws to keep us in check. If they didn't, people could abuse their powers, so the flaw becomes a restriction on your resonance. The stronger your resonance, the more intense your flaw becomes."

"So... the stronger your abilities, the stronger your flaw?" Malphas asked, his brows furrowed as he processed the new information.

"Exactly," Caelen confirmed, nodding. "But it's not just that. Those with weaker resonance have weaker flaws, and their boons often boost their abilities. It's all about balancing things out."

Malphas thought for a moment, then his expression shifted as he remembered something. "Wait… I have a question. What exactly is a boon?"

Caelen nearly choked on his food at the question, looking surprised. After a quick cough to clear his throat, he explained, "Oh, right. A boon is like a buff—it's something that helps you out. It's the opposite of a flaw. It can boost your abilities, or it can enhance your natural traits. A lot of things affect what kind of boon you get—your personality, your strengths, even your weaknesses."

Malphas tried to absorb everything, his mind racing. "So, how do you figure out what your boon and flaw are?"

Caelen leaned forward, his expression softening a little as he shared the next piece of information. "When you open your system window, you can tap on whatever you want to know more about, and it'll show you. The more powerful you get, the more detailed your system becomes. It's how you learn about your resonance."

Malphas's eyes brightened with curiosity. "So, I just… tap on it?"

Caelen chuckled a warm sound. "Yeah. It's that simple. So, what's your boon and flaw?"

Malphas hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to share. "Uh, I remember my boon being… 'Observer.'"

Caelen's expression immediately shifted to recognition. "Ah, that makes sense now. Observer is a rare boon. Not many people have it."

Malphas blinked, unsure of the significance. "Is that… good?"

Caelen smiled, giving a slight nod. "It's pretty special. You're probably going to learn a lot just by observing and seeing things others can't. But, depending on your flaw, you'll have to be careful."

Malphas's brow furrowed. "You said flaw... What's that about?"

"Well," Caelen began, "a flaw is a kind of limitation, something that restricts your resonance. Some flaws are simple, and others are dangerous. The stronger your resonance, the more severe the flaw can be."

Malphas couldn't shake the unease rising within him. "What about my flaw?"

Caelen looked him up and down, wondering what might be next. "What is your flaw?"

Malphas's voice was small as he spoke the word, "Forgotten."

Caelen froze mid-bite, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Forgotten?" he repeated. "I've never heard of that before. Looks like you've got a new kind of flaw."

Malphas shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes avoiding Caelen's. "I… I don't know what it does."

Caelen leaned forward, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Well, let's find out."

Malphas opened his system window and tapped on the [Forgotten] option. The screen shifted, and the description appeared, stark and ominous:

[Forgotten]: 

[Description: You feel as if your presence is being suppressed, slowly fading into nothingness as you use more of your power.] 

[Effect: If the resonance 'X-factor' is used beyond 15%, memories of your existence will be erased and can never be recovered. It also suppresses your presence significantly.]

Malphas swallowed hard, his throat dry. 'How is that even fair?' he thought, feeling his stomach twist with dread. 'I don't even understand how this "X-factor" works, and now I'm not allowed to test it properly without risking everything disappearing.' The thought of being forgotten, erased completely, felt suffocating.

Caelen studied Malphas, waiting for his reaction. "So, what did it say?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Malphas stared at the system screen, his heart racing. Finally, he spoke, his voice trembling. "It says… I can't use my resonance too much or I'll be erased. My existence will fade."

Caelen's expression softened with understanding. "That's a heavy flaw," he said quietly. "But you'll learn to control it. Just be careful with that X-factor of yours."

Malphas stared at the screen for a few more moments, his mind reeling with the implications. "I don't know if I can control it. What if I lose myself?"

"That's why you have to be careful," Caelen said, voice firm. "You can't push yourself too hard. You need to learn to harness your resonance, not let it control you."

Malphas nodded absently, his mind still processing the weight of the flaw he now carried. Caelen watched him for a moment, then gave a slight shrug. "It's a weird flaw, but if that's how it is, so be it."

With a sigh, Caelen pushed his plate aside and started to explain further. "Now, let's move on to essence types. Essence powers your resonance, and everyone has a certain amount of it. You can increase it through training."

Malphas listened intently, the words settling in as Caelen continued. "There are essence-sensitive users too—because of their flaw, essence sensitivity, they can detect essence more easily. They tend to become scouts or trackers."

"What are essence types?" Malphas asked, still keen to understand more.

Caelen grinned, clearly ready to go into detail. "There are three essence types. First is just Essence. It's the neutral type, used by most people."

"Wow, what a creative name," Malphas commented dryly.

Caelen smirked, clearly amused. "I know, right? Anyway, then there's Voidence. That's a negative essence, used by people blessed by evil deities. It's powerful, but it can corrupt you if you abuse it."

"Are Voidence users bad people?" Malphas asked, furrowing his brow.

"Not necessarily," Caelen replied. "Some of them can choose to do good. They just avoid using their resonance too much."

Malphas nodded thoughtfully, trying to grasp the nuances. "I see."

Caelen gave a casual shrug. "Well, Central Utopia is far from a utopia. We humans are the ones who stir the pot, and that's where most of the conflict comes from."

Malphas blinked, surprised. "So, there are other kinds of people, right?"

"Of course," Caelen answered with a grin. "But that's a story for another time."

"The third essence type is Divinitus," Caelen continued. "It's the direct counter to Voidence. It's more holy and good, focused on healing and purification. Some would say it's mostly for support roles."

Malphas's eyes narrowed in thought. "Can someone have more than one essence type?"

"Yep," Caelen replied. "But it's impossible to have both Voidence and Divinitus. You can, however, have Essence and another type."

"Got it," Malphas muttered, absorbing all the new information. He felt his eyelids growing heavier, a sense of fatigue settling over him as the conversation continued. Caelen noticed and stretched.

"Looks like it's getting late," Caelen said, glancing at the clock. He stood up from his chair, lifting their plates. With a quick wave of his hand, the plates floated into the air, gently drifting to the sink.

Malphas had already dozed off, his head resting on the table. Caelen smiled softly before lifting the boy effortlessly, settling him onto a couch, and tucking a blanket around him.

As Caelen stepped toward his bedroom, he paused for a moment, glancing back at Malphas. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. He had seen this all before, long ago. Shaking his head, Caelen closed the door behind him and let Malphas rest.

—

It was an apartment complex—nothing special, more bad than good. Under the stairs sat a girl. She had wine-colored hair and was in a similar academy uniform as Lucinia. It was Lillian, her face bruised, her cheeks streaked with dried tears.

Her eyes were hollow, blood trickling down her wet white uniform, marking her as part of the science department.

Blood streamed from her forehead onto the ground. Her lips were cut, and her hair, soaked through, clung to her skin.

An empty bucket sat before her, water still dripping from it. On her forehead, something was written in black marker.

"Failure."

That's what it said. Her hand twitched before she managed to drag her palm across the cold, wet concrete. Slowly, she pushed herself up and glanced at her battered back. The word "WHORE" was written there.

She remembered the moment vividly—Julia grabbing her hair, slamming her against the wall, dumping water on her. Her bag had been torn to shreds, and Julia's lackeys had kicked her without mercy. She couldn't even cry for help anymore.

She could only clutch what was left of her bag, hopelessly wishing for everything to disappear.

"Please," she wept. "Just let me disappear." She shook uncontrollably, biting her lip as no more tears would come.

"I... I just want the pain to stop."