The land of Gresth was once a beautiful kingdom, in the peak of magic societies that had ever existed in such world. Natural and powerful beasts were tamed, glory-filled heroes walked the streets and magic made society bloom.
However, there were beasts that could not be tamed, nor could they understand the nature of such mystical beings. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, driven by a frenzied necessity to destroy and consume all it touched. Such beasts came in many forms, in groups, alone, some being only as strong as person, or a society-collapsing calamity. Nevertheless, they gought them for millenia, and could understand some things, like the fact they had in them Crystal Cores, filled with magic, and could be use as resources, such as powering magical devices.
Researchers of the the magic phenomena were always compensated and sought for, as the natural talent for such was deemed high in such Magic-driven society. Alas, all those with low capabilities were not worthy of high placing, and lived frugal lives, with jobs that the talented would never take. For example, simple jobs as taking care of small businesses, as the powerful Mages would always receive funding, or guarding the low-income areas of the Kingdom.
Arthur, born in a simple but not poor family, was unlucky. Since a young age, it was known that his Mana Core was insufficient, as he could barely manipulate the basic magic spells. Even so, Arthur was amazed by the potential of magic, the ways it manifested, and what mana was capable to do. So he gave his life to study magic, the components of magical circles, how the equations were written, how hand movements casted spells.
It was all he wanted to know, the interpretation and manifestation of mana. But, as he studied and searched after knowledge, more gaps seemed to appear, paradoxes, inconsistencies, as it was incomplete. Magic lost, well... Its magic for him. He did not have the potential to test it, he received just enough to live, but it slowly stopped giving him joy.
Then, as he walked the markets of his city, he found a Crystal Core for sale, as he spirits were in an all-time low. He looked at the markings it had, and remembered other few he had seen. Maybe they had a pattern? A logic? Some kind of chaotic manifestation that maybe he could trace down and understand once he got the a point where it was traced down to one symbol?
After his insight, he was filled with an inspiration derived from an epiphany. Arthur started to spend his resources to buy Crystal in all shapes and sizes, and started to study them. He looked at every single nuance, every single manifestation of the kind of magic inside and wrote it down. All his tests, experiments and discoveries. Arthur was a pioneer, but none wanted to help. The beasts that roamed Gresth were unworthy of studies, they should be slain.
As time passed, he received fewer and fewer help, but he couldn't care. Arthur was obsessed, driven to discovery such thing, as Magic no longer seemed whole, this chaotic energy would make sense, an equation would be made whole and understood by him, it all made sense!
Unfortunately, Arthur didn't know his works would never find someone to read and understand. Nor did the rest. The beasts became stronger, and slowly, Gresth was took by such chaotic energy, consuming the potential energy that existed around them. Yet, Arthur did not mind, he followed the survivor and brought his works. The people around only gave him angried looks as he studied the disgraced monsters that were destroying their land.
Then, the last day came. "You disgraced mad scientist! You doomed us! If only you used your time to teach us how to stop these beasts!" A man, who wore a once mighty magical vest that was now dirty and ragged, wielded a sword, imbued by Magic, and fought Great Beasts, engolfed in a black, with brownish remarks, energy, as they struck him down. Arthur was the target of such discourse. He was sitting down, writing, inside a now roofless house, destroyed by war.
He didn't mind the fight, his focus was a paper in front of him, a circle written, that seemed almost complete, with many runes with understanding unkown to all men but one. Inside of it, many small circles, connected in a chaotic yet not senseless geometry. "It's.. It's almost complete. The logic. The frenzy. The consumption and destruction. Such beauty for me to behold... Many years despised, unworthy of recognition, yet here I remain..."
The man with the sword defeated one of the beats, but was suddenly struck, in direction of Arthur. His end was near, filled with rage, alone with a madman who said to be able to understand the mad-driven beasts. "Damn you!" He was badly injured, nonetheless he stood up, as if to strike down the beast and defend Arthur from the monster behind him.
"Nearly done... This is.. Ugh..." As Arthur was about to finish, a sharp pain filled his back, all the way to his chest, and blood flowed. Looking down, a blade went through him. His eyes were scared, and he looked back. The man who was fighting, looking at him driven by madness just like the beasts. "Disgraced cowa-" As he spoke, the monster bit him in half. It was big, as if made of rocks, and consumed the body of the once mighty warrior.
Scared, with his mouth filled with the iron taste of blade, he looked at his research. Arthur was still holding his feather with ink, and completed the research. It was all he had, until the end. Alone, as it all began, it would finish.
The beast then bit him, just like the warrior, and his blood splattered over his finished ritual. It seemed like the end, but the ritual started to shine in red, and move. The small circles started to juin each other until reaching the most outer ring, and an eye-like drawing was seen, suddenly blinking.
Arthur was covered in pain, his half being separated by the other, with a constant pain through his back and torso. He understood his end. A researcher with knowledge that shall ever know again, a world no longer capable of life, such was his sad ending.
Suddenly, it all felt numb. His eyes were closed accepting his fate, but everything felt strange. Slowly, Arthur opened his eyes, where they met a unending abyss, dark to its core, with flying totally red eye-like structures, that gazed upon him.
Soon, it spoke. "Human. You have understood the nature of what many have once called 'Anti-Magic'." Arthur looked around. He was feeling numb, as if he floated. Beneath him, nothing that his human consciousness could comprehend, time and space didn't seem to follow conventional rules, to him, at least.
It looked like floating pictures merged in an starless sky. "You are the second within my existence to do as such. I am here to offer you what you never had." The voice manifested once more. This time, Arthur gazed at him. His body didn't seem material anymore. The voice didn't speak a language he knew, yet, he understood it. "And what would that be?" Arthur said for the first time.
"Power. You never had the talent for magic. Low potential, with a Mana Core as good as a shattered one. You could never grow like the others. But I can give you an Anti-Mana Core. Shatter whatever remained of yours, and replace it." The voice said from beyond the void. "What good would that be? I am dead. And how can I know my potential wouldn't also this Anti-Magic?" Arthur was not afraid. Not anymore, at least. He hungered for knowledge, and if he couldn't have more of it, perhaps he didn't wish to continue around.
"Anti-Magic does not need potential. It needs what you sought the most through your existence, knowledge. Magic is empty because humans that bear it interpret mana as they wish, and create new combinations, new systems to manifest it, new ways of using it. We do not. We cannot. Our existence is slowly falling into nothingness. We hunger for entropy so we can move. Our realm does not change, so we steal energy from others, avoiding to reach null potential." The voice explained to Arthur. Many thoughts ran through his mind, many questions he pondered were quickly answered.
"You wish for me to become one of those things? Driven by the Frenzy?" Arthur questioned once more. He was curious and liked to confront others, full of audacity. "No. I guarantee you rebirth. Another realm, as you are coated like a normal human with a mana core. There, you will rise and research within and without you for knowledge to your power." The eyes gazed upon the spectral structure of Arthur.
As if stared more to the abyss, he was stubborn and audacious to ask once more. "And what good would that do to you? I am thinking you are no benefactor." The abyss stared at him in silence for quite some time. Or perhaps not so much. But an answer came. "Your knowledge on magic will feed my world with potential energy. Add variables to my existence so it doesn't fall in linearity. The more you learn about both worlds, the more you thread as belonging to both existences, the longer I live. The longer all of us live, and you will still be able to feed upon knowledge. It is a trade, if you will."
Arthur pondered about the offer, and nodded. "Do it, then." Suddenly enough, he felt something inside shatter and he filled with an incomprehensible amount of pain, that was almost instantly eased by something new. "You are to remain your memories and knowledge." This phrase was the last thing he heard before seeing a sudden light, as he cried because of his instincts.