Humans, in their entirety, are neither good nor bad from birth. Their experiences in life are what forms them to become either. To become dominant in Gamindustri, human evolution made them favour bad over good. Those that willingly shared, for example, rarely survived when others just took as much as they could.
It is thusly that CPUs are needed. Instincts are hard to break with, true, but it can be done. In ensuring that someone more powerful protects them and they do not need to be their worst to survive, humans can finally choose good over bad.
-Excerpt from "The Symbiosis of Mortal and Divine"
It was around noon that IF left the hospital; she had been given a checkup and was discharged with a clean bill of health. Her friends walked with her, one to each side, smiling as if Day of Creation had come early.
The brunette simply enjoyed their presence for the moment; she was happy being able to walk around again. The exhaustion had passed and her more regular problems sorted themselves out as well, at least mostly.
Which only left her being slightly put-out about being barred from exercising; the doctor told her to take it easy for the day. IF was not too happy with that little detail, but she could forget about it for the moment; she had obtained Awakening, the very most powerful tool in humanity's hands.
It may be a side effect of this new ability, but she also felt lighter ever since waking up in the morning. A wellspring of power pulsed deep within herself, somewhere on the edge between body and mind. If she focussed on it, she could feel it. If she were to pull, IF knew, it would rush out. She had not tried it yet, mostly to make sure she was in good condition and would not knock herself out again.
The last part, she knew, posed the real problem; keeping up the state of Awakening was tiresome.
"Now that this is all sorted out," Nepgear started as the three of them wandered onto a walkway and let the energy field carry them, "what do we do next?"
IF pondered the question for a moment while Compa fidgeted a little. "Well, uh, I can't stay for too long. My last exams are soon and I need to study." The reminder made the other human wince in sympathy; Compa's nursing school shared its breaks with the regular schools and exams were held during the free period. There was still more than half of April left until classes would start up again, but her friend's exams were set early.
Nonetheless, IF found something that she wanted to do and spoke up: "Do you have time to take a stroll through one of the parks?" The surprised looks that got her made the young woman a little self-concious, but she merely raised her eyebrow at the other two. "I feel like going somewhere quiet for a bit." Especially because she was not allowed to exercise in the first place.
Nepgear and Compa both agreed happily, after which they were gliding over Nicos for a little longer until the park neared.
What followed was an hour of tranquility; neither of them spoke much, they all enjoyed wandering the vast expanse of forest and taking in the fresh air. Even Nepgear, who had no need to breathe in the first place.
IF was perfectly happy with that; she felt at ease.
Meanwhile, neither Compa nor Nepgear wanted to point out how their friend had been smiling; it was a rare occurence to see Isabelle Fontaine in such a relaxed state. Not that either of them minded it, they were content with what they saw.
When the three of them finished their stroll, Compa said her goodbyes and walked off, with the other two staying behind for a little longer. IF and Nepgear kept wandering the planeptunian streets, not minding the people around them as they each contemplated the day.
The human woman felt a little weird over the prospect of being walked home, but her friend had insisted. Nepgear did not seem to mind it at all, seeing how she simply hummed a nonsensical tune. They both knew that the downtime Neptune had given her little sister was almost over; she would have to get back to her studies soon, but did not mind spending the time she had on this.
IF was usually the one to walk Compa home; being on the receiving end was a new experience for her, though not all that different in her opinion. Just a little.
Granted, walking her friend home was less of a necessity and more of a social thing; she just liked to do it. Robberies and related crimes were rare even in the largest cities.
All too soon they reached the skyscraper IF lived in; the two women bumped fists as a means to say goodbye and exchanged smiles. After a moment however, Nepgear let out a surprised "Ah", preventing the brunette from turning around just yet. "Sis wanted to see you tomorrow. You are free for that day, I can do the shift myself."
This gave IF pause, but her friend did not offer any other information. "Do you know what it's about?" Unfortunately, her pushing only made Nepgear shake her head.
Then however, the purplette smiled mischievously and leaned a little closer. "She wouldn't say when I asked, but it probably has to do with your Awakening. Don't worry too much." And it made sense to IF; she gained a new power, one that was rare and potent.
On the other hand, it was another power she would have to train, the prospect of which made her a little uncomfortable. She had never been good at picking up new combat skills in the past, having to practice each step and sequence to perfection to burn them into her muscle memory.
"Yeah, you're probably right." IF nodded, more to herself than to her friend. "I think I'll go and read up on this just in case. Take care." She offered Nepgear a wave, who returned it and then quickly vanished in the crowd.
The human woman quickly made her way up the stairs and into her own home; she met nobody else on the way, though she would not have minded it either way; the neighbours were quite a few fellow agents and some older folks, all of which were pleasant to be around.
Her first action upon entering her flat was to open all the windows; the air had gone somewhat stale after she left the place alone for a full twenty-four hours.
On the way through, she passed by her new old couch, black as it was; the preservatives used to keep it intact had worked wonders and she had splurged a little to buy a larger TV to go with it.
IF's weapon cabinet now had a few framed pictures on top of it as well, most of them of her parents; some also had a little Isabelle in them.
It was a little sad that she found no use for most of the furniture, but she at least also brought the old wooden table with her and into the kitchen; even if she rarely ate there, it made the place feel more like an actual home.
Once she was done with the windows, IF absent-mindedly brought out her dumbbells. Then her mind kicked back in and she blinked at them before shaking her head; her tools were quickly stored again, followed by the brunette wondering how to fill her evening.
First of all, she threw off her clothes and took a shower. After that, once her hair was dry, IF slipped bare feet into her slippers and went to close the windows. Following that, she wandered into her bedroom to boot up her computer.
She had actually bought one of the new models recently, when the old laptop Mari let her keep decided to break down. It quickly booted, much in difference to the slow machine she used to have. The larger screen was a nice bonus.
IF was already on her way out of the room when it finished booting up, her old habit to do something else in the meantime not yet broken.
Much to her surprise, opening the fridge revealed an assortment of puddings that she knew she had not bought. A brand she did not eat normally, chocolate with custard; IF preferred the fruity puddings, if she ate any.
With those surprising treats came a note, though; it was from Neptune, as expected. The CPU wished her a good recovery and to enjoy the pudding.
Despite the fact her friend basically broke into her home, this brought a fond smile to IF's lips. She decided to ignore the matter, knowing that Neptune did not have bad intentions. The puddings remained in their cold abode for the time being, as she started up her synthesizer for a filling dinner.
With that set, interrupted only by the meal's completion, IF began to research.
An hour later, she sat on her couch with a pudding in hand, slowly bringing the first spoonful to her mouth; it was cool and soothing, the sweetness just right after she ate something hot.
In front of her sat a half-filled sheet of paper, the result of her work; little concrete information about Awakening had been available.
She already knew that one in a million people had the capability, statistically. She also knew it manifested between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, being believed to be arbitrary in its exact timing.
What was new to her was that, in difference to magical aptitude, people had yet to find a genetic sequence connected to Awakening so far. Offspring of an awakened person appeared to have a somewhat higher chance, but research on this was slow due to how rare the power was.
She had already experienced how tiring it was on the body, though her one experience could not be called indicative. IF saw some notes from prior Makers, saying that it was best used in short bursts, though that took practice to do properly.
It vastly enhanced strength, durability, and speed, allowing humans to go against even stronger opponents than they normally could.
Those qualities were why this power was the last requirement to become a Maker. The only one of their number ever recorded without Awakening was Steamax, who was an android and unable to produce the effect. He had other qualities in exchange.
Her last find had been surprising as well; IF never met anyone who awakened before, so she had no idea. Apparently, active Awakening had calming effects similar to a CPU's aura, though it was not nearly as strong.
Unfortunately, IF found little else of interest; she could only sigh as she went over her notes, then got up and threw the empty cup away. As she began to wash the dishes, the young woman could already guess that the following day would be interesting.
. .
. .
Monday followed soon, with IF being on her way to Planeptower. The message she got from Neptune in the morning said to finish her own exercises first, and not to shower because she would be sweating a lot.
The young woman had rolled her eyes when she first read that. She initially considered driving there, but decided against it in the end; she was obviously going to practice with her Awakening, which she knew to be exhausting. Having to drive home afterward did not sound like a good idea.
Aside from her usual things, IF had a duffle bag with her. She knew she would be working out and thus brought her old gym clothes, a white pair of shorts and a cream-coloured shirt. She decided not to risk damaging her regular clothes with whatever might happen.
As she went however, she realised that gym class felt almost nostalgic to her at this point; a full year had already passed since her graduation. Time had gone by faster than she thought it would.
Not much later, IF reached her destination and took the elevator underground, meeting a cheerful purplette deep below the Basilicom. The two high-fived in greeting before Neptune wrapped her in a hug. "There's my favourite Isa, congrats on your Awakening!"
She turned faintly pink over the greeting, though it quickly faded again. Her and Neptune had become quite close over the last few months, though the slight bit of alienation had never faded entirely; IF knew by heart that her friend could be mature, outright motherly, if she so wanted. But then she was also hyper like an enthusiastic child.
She was merely glad Neptune did not switch rapidly between her different behaviours.
"Alright, we'll be busy today!" She was given a bright smile over that, then the purplette took her hand and began to lead her down the corridor. "Histy marked the whole week as your vacation, by the way. We've got to get you started properly."
This came as a surprise, though only for a moment. IF did not take long to realise this had not been the Tome's own decision, but Neptune's. The CPU cheerfully continued without turning her head, as if she had read IF's mind: "We know you don't like to miss work and your vacation's starting to pile up, so all of us can be happy this way. But I've gotta say, Noire would love you as one of hers with your discipline."
The young woman hid her face from the praise, but did not think to protest; Neptune was not wrong in her assessment after all, even IF knew that.
They quickly made their way through the corridors, long since below any place that the public had access to. Not that IF had to wonder where they were going; she had seen these hallways many times in the past, during the time she joined Nepgear's practice sessions. Neptune's personal training chamber was located this far down, vast and coated in a thick layer of Sharicite to prevent damage to the outside.
Though the fact this was their destination gave IF a certain amount of worry. "Can Awakening really get that devastating?" She had read that it was strong and that accidents were common for the first attempts, but she had not expected it to be this serious.
However, Neptune shook her head with a smile. "Nope, not really. It's more that I don't want anyone to see for now, and that it is a good place to practice, and that I was thinking to try getting some magic training into you as well. Don't gimme that look," she added over IF's stink eye, "I know you're not going to get good at it, but there is being inefficient with the firestorm and there is cooking your own hand."
Neptune had a point, as much as IF disliked the idea; she had never been too bothered by the fact her magic was basically unusable for anything big, but this would be embarassing.
She would have to present her powers to the ruler of Planeptune, who was a mage many times more powerful than her on the side. Though, now that she considered this, she started to wonder where a certain other purplette was. So she offered a noncommital "I guess?" before bringing it up: "By the way, where is Nepgear?"
Her question brought a shrug out of Neptune, who pointed upward. "In her room, finishing some books about quantum physics. That degree doesn't earn itself, y'know?" IF was mildly surprised, but figured that it made sense; the CPUs apparently never stopped learning.
They soon reached the hall itself, passing through the observatory in front of it without much thought. This place even had seating arrangements and anything else that might be needed to observe the inside.
"It's a little like with humans," Neptune elaborated while the doors closed behind them. She winked at IF, who raised an eyebrow in response. "I told her early on that I'm not going to do her work; she's got to do it herself. Same as with my nation, and look how that turned out where the gals kept coddling their followers."
IF blinked down at the purplette, who wore what could have been a smug grin. "...is that why you have the least followers?" And there went the grin. Neptune huffed in mock-annoyance, waving a hand.
"That's a part of it. Who do you like more, the mom who tells you to do your own work and gives you a pat afterward, or the one who gives you pointers when you're stuck and keeps telling you parts of the solution?" She had a bit of a point, IF noticed; in retrospect, Noire had been exactly like that when it was about helping Uni. Which might have been a special case, but she could imagine it.
Neptune chuckled as she finally let go of IF's hand. "That's what my creed is about and theirs isn't. Purple stands for working your hardest. Black is working your hardest. White is working your hardest. And Green decided to flip us off on that symbolism and went 'work your hardest, but don't forget to have fun'."
She had a little trouble following the differences, though her friend made it a little easier by dropping into Purple Heart's tone of voice for the emphasized terms. She also had to giggle over the joke at the end.
Then the actual words were processed and IF had raise an eyebrow. "I thought having fun is your thing?"
Her question got Neptune to frown, much to IF's surprise; the purplette considered it for a few moments before she responded. "You're not wrong, but it's more a 'work hard, play hard' kind of deal here, while Vert is more about taking enough time to relax and have fun every day. There's some overlap, but it's not exactly the same." It was a matter of nuance again, IF noted for herself.
"But enough of that," the smaller woman declared cheerfully. "Time to work, so let's get started on the basics."
"Already looked them up," IF countered immediately, giving Neptune pause for an instant. Then her friend grinned and motioned with a delicate hand. "I see, my Isa came prepared. Go ahead then. I don't mind if you try punching me to get a feel for the difference."
IF nodded wordlessly, although they both knew she would not actually punch her friend. Then she took a few steps aside and focussed on the power sitting in the depths of her very self. It was similar to magic, yet different.
Magic flowed almost constantly, going this way and that. Almost like a separate flow next to her bloodstream. The Awakening sat still, so deep inside that she could hardly conciously feel it. Yet it was there, a well of power that acted the moment she pulled on it in the same manner she would pull on her magic.
Her vision became tinted blue as time appeared to slow down, a soothing cold enveloping her very being. It drew from within IF, running through every fibre of her body and enhancing it beyond what a human normally could achieve. She could feel her thundering heartbeat even while focussing on what was around her.
The place had not changed, aside from being coloured a little differently. Neptune stood in front of her, a hand on her chin as she took in IF curiously. The brunette looked down from there, at her own hands, and found them coated in a deep blue mist. She felt bigger than she was, her perception aligning with the way the mist rolled around her form.
She felt as if she could take the world.
However, the cautious part of her mind kept a grip of IF once she spent some time examining herself; she gently pulled on the power that was now outside of her. It responded instantly once again, returning into the depths it had originated from.
Only her increased hearbeat and racing pulse remained, startling the brunette for a moment. She gasped for air, sweat pouring from her pores as if she had just sprinted through the room.
Slowly, the young woman made to sit on the ground and take deep breaths until her heart calmed down; Neptune came to sit by her side and rubbed her back. "Twenty seconds, nice. You'll get used to it soon enough."
"Now," IF coughed out between breaths, "I get, why it said, to, to only use, short, bursts." Her response made Neptune giggle.
"Hehe, yeah. But it also feels great, doesn't it? You don't really notice how tiring it is before it wears off, either." The brunette nodded, then received a surprising bit of information: "HDD is similar, but I have the faith of almost a billion people to sustain me; I could feel your shroud, too. Anyway, want some numbers while you recuperate?"
Upon her nod, Neptune created herself a black pair of glasses and raised one finger in a teacher-like manner, much to IF's amusement.
"Ahem. Awakening puts an additional strain on your body. Keeping up the full-body shroud is about the strain of sprinting ten metres, every second. So if you keep it up for ten seconds, it strains you as much as sprinting a hundred metres. A minute feels like having sprinted six hundred metres, you get it?"
She nodded again; it felt weird to attribute actual numbers to her Awakening, but this was likely an approximation. Not to mention that she did feel as if she had sprinted for a while. Neptune smiled and continued:
"And here comes the neat part: if you practice properly, you can activate it selectively. Instead of all over your body, it can only cover an arm, or a leg, or maybe even just a small patch to catch some Monster's attack. Doing it like this cuts down on the strain a lot, based on what percentage of your body you cover. Like, if you only cover your front and nothing on your back, that's half of your body and half of the strain per second."
The purplette considered for a moment, then added: "Approximately. Don't ask me for exact measures, but these are the kind of tricks you need to make it last. And if you were just thinking this is awfully complicated for a power enhancer, you're right. You're also wrong because Awakening is much more."
As if for emphasis, Neptune created some swirling mist between her hands, then turned it blue before making it tap IF's forehead in what appeared like a limb. "In short, if you practice it properly, you can control the power like an extension of your body. It can grab, it can punch, it can pull, it can do so many things, even carry your magic."
That was news to her; IF faintly recalled reading a few snippets about its versatility, but never really saw any details that did not appear like weird speculations.
"I see you understand." The purplette smiled and removed the mist she created. "Today won't be anything fancy, though; just some practice so you can get a feel for it. Yeah, it will take time until you get the hang of it," at which point IF once again realised how uncanny Neptune's ability to predict her responses was, "but you definitely will. You're a hard worker after all."
This brought a smile out of her and Neptune smiled right back. Then the CPU got up to her feet and pulled IF along. "Anyway, want to try again?"
And so her afternoon would go, the evenly paced instances of Awakening interspersed with magic practice. The day turned out quite productive for young Isabelle, though she knew well enough that it would take many more to produce proper results.