Stuck. Stuck. Stuck.
Ethan knocked on the wooden door of an old house on the outskirts of town. The old note was clenched in his hand.
He became a mage, but his fate was no better than that of commoners. Like a Broken Mage, he was forever stuck at the lowest level, and he was not happy about it.
Soon, the door opened, revealing an old man with a patch over his left eye and a stone right arm — a magic prosthesis.
"Agh? Who are you? If you're from the government, fuck off. I've already told them a hundred times that I'm not going to become an instructor in their shitty army!"
Ethan handed him a note.
"Mr. Roger Lorvel, you need to read this. I was told to come to you if I needed to."
The old man snatched the note from his hands.
"Hah, so you're Edgar's grandson? Hah, he's been gone for five years, but he's still bothering me from the other side. What do you want?" He spat out.
Ethan gulped. "The old man told me to come to you if I needed help. He also said you are the Broken Mage. I need advice! I want to know how to repair my Circle! I know it's possible!"
Without saying a word, Roger folded the note and turned away.
"Go away. I promised Edgar I would help his grandson, not send him to a certain death. Come back another day with another request."
"Wait! You can't just leave! The old man said you owed him a favor, so do it!" Ethan waved his hand.
Roger turned over his shoulder. "And? You decided to come only now?"
"It was hard for me, but I always found ways to solve my problems, but not now."
Watching him walk away, Ethan clenched his fists and lunged forward.
"I can't stay a Broken Mage! It's a dead end! Shouldn't you know that better than anyone?!"
Roger spun around sharply as the gears rotated deep in his eye.
Tap.
His palm caused a blue splash, throwing Ethan into the wall with a crash.
Roger raised an eyebrow, watching Ethan, who got up despite his trembling legs and a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Proud, determined, and arrogant? Tsk. You're even worse than your old man."
He waved his hand.
"Come in. I'll tell you everything I know, but don't think it'll be easy."
The teapot was on the table between them as Roger picked up a cup of green tea.
"So, the ceremony is over, you've become a mage, but you're still unhappy?"
"A Broken Mage," Ethan hissed, clenching the fabric of his pants. "I saw it! I saw the Full Circle, then everything fell apart! It's all because of the crystal."
"Maybe, maybe not. The fact that you became a Broken Mage only means that your Construct was unable to create your Circle completely, which is why it's Broken. Something went wrong. Lack of talent, lack of time due to the crystal, or your body not using energy properly."
"Agh? Incorrect energy flow? Aren't Broken Mages still mages?"
Roger nodded. "I used a catalyst just now. However, for me, as for any Broken Mage, there is no possibility of using External Catalysts, only Internal Ones. Full Mages have no problem with this. All types of spells are available to them. They just need to create Patterns."
"I know all that. I didn't come to you for a lecture. How do I fix this? My grandfather said you tried but failed. I need a way!" Ethan declared.
"Kha, I hoped you would forget. How old are you? More precisely, when will you turn 18?"
"I'm 17, I'll be 18 in three months."
Roger scratched his beard.
"So there's not much time. Your energy will only be at its peak for another three months, so it's best to do everything quickly, within two months. Once that time has passed, there will be no chance to change your Circle." His voice grew darker. "I know this because I only learned about the method when I was 30. It was too late for me."
"I'm ready. Anything. Well..." Ethan faltered. "Except money. I've spent almost everything I had."
"Hah, if it were a question of money, the rich wouldn't remain Broken Mages. The thing is, Ethan."
Roger leaned forward.
"If you want to restore your circle, you have to find the missing piece. Take the circle from the one who is perfect for you, the one who will become your donor, whether human or monster and with it, their life."
Ethan's eyes darkened.
"I don't see a problem with that."
As long as there was a chance, he would fight for it.
---
The first thing every mage had to do was establish contact with their Construct — to obtain their first spell.
Even for Broken Mages, this was the case. They couldn't progress, but they had a Construct.
Tap.
Ethan touched the core in his space, causing the gears inside to start moving. Sparks ran across his Broken Circle floating in the void.
Then, the mechanical voice rang out in his mind.
[Triumvirate Path (First Circle Catalyst)
Pattern #1: Fully Assembled
Pattern #2: 23%/100%
Pattern #3: Impossible without a complete circle.
A heavy path that took the form of power from a broken source, with gears moving with difficulty, but a determined heart that grew dark too quickly for its age.]
With the next grinding of the gears, Ethan waved his hand as a stream of darkness ran along it, forming a line from his elbow to the tips of his fingers. The clot found its only place, becoming a vertical line on his hand.
Roger, sitting on a rusty barrel, grinned.
"Not bad, not bad at all. You managed to make the gears move in just a week. You may not have talent, but your head definitely works! Hahaha!"
An echoing rumble came from a train passing over the bridge, blocking out the sun and casting a shadow over the two Broken Mages standing amid the junkyard.
Step.
Ethan stepped forward as an impulse ran through the dark cross. His fist slammed into the iron beam.
The corrosive effect of the darkness made a hole in the beam, and the top part fell to Ethan's feet.
Ethan glanced at Roger over his shoulder.
"What do you think?"
Roger leaned on his prosthesis.
"Well, you're almost ready. Go ahead, kid, time is running out."