Building a magic system on threat of destruction

Long into the night, Jack, the bore-bot trio, and Jeler gathered in the laboratory basement. The time had come to attempt the first awakening of the tri-internal type bore-bot. The body, named Abac, was nothing like Jack's own clear-cut form. Whereas the external form of Jack was like Neopolitan ice cream, clearly divided into different parts equally, Abac's own form was far more chaotic.

The soulless body lying on the table had no clear pattern that Jack could detect. There were vents placed seemingly at random from around the body, visible gears ticking away, and streaks of silvery metal that swirled around the frame. The overall aesthetic was almost patchwork, a body built by necessity instead of being built to look pretty.

Jack's own body designs were based on a central organ meant to hold a soul. It was very different in origin from what bore-bot society typically used when creating new members of their society. Simply copying his body part-for-part wouldn't have worked, even if the trio had wanted to use Deis' designs. Their experience with Jack gave them tons of ideas to work with and honestly accelerated their project by months at a minimum. Abac was still far from perfect, but they had reached the point where attempting to turn the new bore-bot on was the next logical step.

Any soul that Deis saw fit to place inside the body would be safe no matter what, but the rest of the form still had some potential issues. Only by activating the new form would the trio be able to iron out any future kinks. Improper mana flow, entire limbs misfiring, or even something as simple as eye twitching would be cataloged and fixed in the weeks to come. It would mean Abac would remain in the basement for that time, but it was necessary for the new bore-bot to be as ready as possible before revealing them to the world.

Reph, Glimm, and Dirge did their last-minute checks. They swept over every inch of the body, writing things on notepads and comparing their findings. Once all of them were satisfied, Reph stepped forward. "Thank you for being here, Jack, you too, Jeler. Your support really means a lot to us."

Jack smiled at them reassuringly. "Of course! You've all been nothing but kind to me, I'm honored to be included in this."

Glimm, smiled at him. "Being at a bore-bot awakening is a special occasion, Jack. It's not something we take lightly. This wouldn't have been possible without your help. You have our eternal gratitude."

Jack was touched at the genuine words, and Reph and Dirge quickly added their own appreciation, clapping him on the arm and giving him heartfelt smiles. Once the mood calmed down a bit, the bore-bot trio grew serious and turned to Abac.

Reph took a moment to stare down at the body on the table. His hands shook slightly as he beheld the bore-bot that would be. Glimm laid a reassuring hand on his arm while Dirge calmly grabbed his hand. Reph looked at the two of them and seemed to find some strength within himself. His expression firmed, "Let's do this."

He reached down, laying a hand on Abac's chest. Mana began to flow around him, Dirge and Glimm added their own mana to the mix and it swirled around the three of them. Jack watched with awe as mana of three distinct colors and types swirled together in the air. White steam, a copper cloud, and what looked like neon blue water all blended into a substance that resembled Abac's own body. All three types of mana swirled and formed a striped and chunky blob in the air before it funneled into Reph's body. He shuddered, and Jack could hear his body creaking with effort as he tried to contain it all. The mana almost seemed alive as it tried to break free of Reph's control. Jack could feel it writhe and twist even as it flowed through Reph. This lasted right until Reph suddenly shouted, "Awaken!"

The huge flow of mana plunged into Abac's body. The empty form seemed to swallow the overwhelming force easily, and the body began to glow softly. Steam began to gutter out of the vents, gears began ticking slowly, and the silvery metal on the body began to glow softly with a white light. Jack watched eagerly as the body began showing signs of life. Reph collapsed backwards and Dirge was quick to catch him. Glimm brought him a chair, and helped him to sit down.

"Are you okay, Reph?" Jack asked nervously.

"Yes. It's my first time using that spell, but it always takes a lot out of the caster from what I've seen. Though I suspect having three people contribute like that pushed me even harder. I'll probably need a checkup later." He glanced at Glimm who nodded in affirmation. "Well, it can wait until Abac wakes up."

"How long will it take?"

Reph shrugged. "It depends. Some bore-bots have taken as long as twenty hours to awaken, though most wake within an hour or two." He turned to Dirge and Glimm. "Why don't you begin running some tests? I'll monitor Abac in case they wake up."

The two immediately began scurrying about. Various instruments were withdrawn from drawers and the two bore-bots began using them on Abac. They began writing things down and comparing notes. Occasionally they would come over and update Reph on their findings, and he would spout some complicated-sounding technical terms to them. It was all way over Jack's head, and Jeler seemed just as lost.

There was nothing to do except wait. Jeler did have to go upstairs a few times to grab food or use the bathroom, but they all remained in the basement as the night went on. By the time about six hours had passed, Jack was a bit nervous. Reph reassured him that a long wait wasn't uncommon, but Jack could tell that the bore-bot was getting a bit concerned. Dirge and Glimm were still hard at work, documenting every part of the body in meticulous detail. They each checked each other's areas, any discrepancies were checked a second time by both of them.

They had found a few small issues, but nothing that would prevent the awakening. Small things like inefficient mana flow in certain areas, joints that stuck slightly, or bits of the body that needed to be tightened or loosened a bit. Eventually, they ran out of things to check while the body remained stationary like this. There was no sign of Abac waking, though the body continued to quietly make all the right noises. The quiet sound of Abac's body working was unique, and honestly quite relaxing. A quiet ticking, the small sound of flowing water, and a general hum emanated from the laying down form.

The bore-bot trio sat down together, quietly watching the form of their creation. As more time passed, they grew slightly more anxious. They had clearly done everything they could do, and now their only option was to wait. They held each other's hands, their eyes glued to Abac as they waited. Jeler had fallen asleep at some point, and Jack began to feel awkward just waiting around. He knew they wanted him here, but the tension in the room made Jack feel like an outsider in this place. He would stay until they asked him to leave.

However, they didn't ask him to leave. Hour after hour passed with no change until it had been an entire day since the trio had performed the awakening. The mood in the room had become incredibly tense, and Jeler clearly felt more uncomfortable than even Jack did. The animalus chose to find excuses to go upstairs for a time, not wanting to intrude constantly while attending to his body's needs.

Finally, Glimm spoke up. "Do you think something went wrong inside? I know we agreed not to open Abac up but..." she trailed off, her voice tight.

Dirge looked to Reph, asking silently for permission. Reph took a long moment, then stood. "Let's do it."

The trio moved quickly, opening up Abac's body and investigating it. They checked the mana flow throughout the whole body and investigated all of the internal parts of the body. When they finally checked the soul container, the organ that held a bore-bot soul, they froze.

"It's empty." Reph's voice was quiet as he stared down at the body. "Why is it empty?"

Jack peered at Abac, looking at the organ. "It's supposed to call a soul, right? Like how my body pulls my soul down to Drowl?"

Reph shook his head. "Not exactly. Bore-bots exist within the cycle of reincarnation. Deis places souls into new bodies, their memories and experiences wiped clean. Why wouldn't he put one into Abac?"

Jack felt a sudden dread wash over him. Deis was in a magical coma, there was no way he could put any souls into anything. Did that mean that no one could be born? What happened to all the souls if Deis didn't reincarnate them?

Dirge suddenly snapped their fingers excitedly. "I've got it! Deis can't see this place while Jack is here, right?" They turned to Jack. "Jack, can we shut you off for a bit? Then Deis will see we have a body waiting here."

Jack felt like a deer in headlights. But Dirge had a point. Maybe he was overthinking things. If there was a system of reincarnation, surely Deis would set it up to be automatic. Maybe Jack's presence was the problem, and if he went to the white void for a bit it would be resolved. "Yeah, let's do that."

Jack lay down on the spare work table, and Reph moved over to him. "You can check on us regularly. We will plan to bring you back in twenty-four hours unless you message us otherwise."

Jack nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He quietly panicked, his mind desperately trying to believe that this wasn't his fault. Surely, he would enter the white void and everything would be fine. Abac would wake up, and Jack wouldn't have broken the world irreparably.

Reph switched Jack off, and Jack's soul awoke in the white void. Ten people surrounded him, magic bolts poised and ready to fire at him. Ten souls, all ready to harm him at a moment's notice.

Plexion stood nearby, his face stretched into a strained smile. "Hey Jack, I can explain."