Cami and Reva stood in front of the battered and decimated remains of the southern guardian for the Mecha Lord's army. They were just a two member party of the five groups that had been assembled to take down the four guardians and ultimately defeat the leader of them all - the powerful Mecha Lord. Assigned with handling the supposedly weakest of the five guardians, their group was not expected to make much of an impact. But as they surveyed the destruction before them, it was clear that even though this guardian may have been considered weak, it was still the fifth strongest force on the opposing side. The damage it had inflicted was a testament to its power and ferocity, making Cami and Reva's task seem all the more daunting looking back on it now even more so that it was just the two of them that had come to handle this guardian.
The decision to go after the southern guardian or any guardian for that matter was a risky one, but Reva knew it was their best chance at victory. To defeat the Mecha Lord the other four guardians had to be kept occupied so they could rush to their lord to provide backup for them or any of the other guardians. Reva never imagined that his comrade would have grown so strong as to be able to take make so that the two of them alone could take the Southern Guardian down in a was still highly difficult fight.
But as they stood victorious over the fallen guardian, Reva's words took caused things to take a dark turn.
"Now you have two choices," he said with a sly smile towards Cami.
"Join me and become a part of the new Southern Guardian's group willingly, or face your inevitable defeat as my enemy then be forced to join me."
Cami was taken aback as Reva always seemed to have an uncaring viewpoint on things but even with his strange plans and even more strange things he said. However, they were always instrumental in carrying out the mission to defeat the Southern Guardian that their two person team was placed in charge of handling.
"What are you talking about?" she exclaimed. "Why would you become the Southern Guardian? Moreover, why do you seem to think that I only have two options"
Reva's smirk only grew wider. "That's just how things work around here," he replied coolly. "So which will it be?"
Cami thought for a moment before speaking up once again. "How about I choose option three - fighting against you and leaving to inform the other."
Reva simply laughed at her defiance. "Losing instantly is not an option," he sneered. "It's just an extension of the second one I presented to you."
Before Cami could make another move, Reva was suddenly standing behind her, his power overwhelming and undeniable. In an instant, he took her down, leaving no room for dodging or resistance. Cami knew her skills were no match for Reva's strength but how she was not even able to dodge the first attack let alone try to stall for time escape. The fight was over before it even truly began as Cami was lying there on the floor defeated
"You're lucky I still need you for my plans now more than ever before," Reva said as he looked down at his defeated party member.
Cami was jolted awake by a sudden shift in her surroundings. She was aroused from her unconscious state as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light as she realized she was floating in a clear tube filled with some sort of liquid.
'Why I am naked' Cami thought
Opening her mouth and causing the liquid that she was currently submerged in to flow down her throat. Panic immediately set in as she was worried about drowning while within this tube filled with liquid. After all, she should be unable to breathe without there being in the air inside of this tube. She did not even know what this liquid was as it clearly was not water with the greyish tone to it as the only thing she could call it at the moment was merely liquid. Though she tried to remember how she got there and why. Whatever this liquid was it was not hampering her need to breathe as she was and had been the entire time she was unconscious doing that just fine apparently.
Cami was in for another shock as in front of her, she could see a metallic version of herself with vacant, lifeless eyes staring back at her as sat on a nearby table with a mask connected to a tube placed over its mouth. Following the tube she noticed that it connected to the tube she was floating in.
She wondered how this was even possible as to create a metallic doppelganger of herself and even how she was breathing despite being fully submerged in liquid. Magic normally didn't work on her. She was the party's magic tank, able to withstand any spells thrown at her while protecting Reva.
"You've woken up early," Reva's voice echoed through the room. Cami demanded to know what was going on, but Reva simply informed them that she refused his offer and was now being forced to accept it.
"But how am I breathing like I am currently if magic doesn't work on me," Cami protested, still disoriented from her sudden awakening. She couldn't understand how she was able to breathe if magic didn't affect her.
Not even healing or support magic could help Cami; she was an anomaly in a world where most people possessed some form of magical ability. Some lacked the talent for it, while others lacked the resources or willingness to sacrifice for it. But Cami was different; she couldn't be affected by magic at all.
There were various methods and paths one could take to overcome these hurdles and learn magic. Some were born with an overabundance of talent, while others relied on luck or wealth. And then there was the option of joining the Hero's party: five groups consisting of one Hero and four others who worked directly under them. Joining this elite group meant access to unparalleled knowledge and training, but also danger and risk as their purpose was to fight against the Mecha Lord and their four Guardians.
However, not many truly chose this path, as tryouts were held and only a select few were chosen. For those who didn't make the cut, there was a fine to pay, though it wasn't too much for even those who weren't wealthy.
Cami was a unique case; she couldn't use magic because she was said to be loathed by it. Anti-magic was her supposed ability, rendering her immune to its effects but also unable to use it herself.
"It's true that you are loathed by magic, but do you know why?" Reva asked.
Cami looked confused; she had never known why she was this way, it was just how it had always been for her.
"It's because of mana's relationship with you," Reva informed her.
Cami countered, "Why do you say it like that? Shouldn't it be my relationship with mana?"
"No," Reva replied, "you are not loved or loathed by mana at all. You are something far worse."
Cami's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes pleading for some kind of explanation. "How can it be worse if mana is indifferent to me?" she asked. But before anyone could answer, Reva stepped in to clarify.
"I never said that the reason was because mana was indifferent to you," she began in a calm tone. "It's quite the opposite. Mana is obsessed with you. It desires to be one with you, and so it constantly tries to absorb into your being, making you the ultimate source of mana."
Reva went on to explain that Cami's strong connection to mana made her anti-magic - not in a negative sense, but because magic itself couldn't exist around her without being absorbed into her being first. Magic relies on mana as its source, but when mana is constantly being absorbed by Cami, it can never fully manifest into magic.
"The fact that you were able to survive without drowning in that tube is proof of this," Reva continued. "Your body was passively absorbing the mana within the liquid, keeping you alive."
Cami's mind was reeling with this new information. "So that's why I was so good at downing robots during our battles," she murmured.
"Exactly," Reva confirmed. "Unlike humans who don't require mana to function, robots rely on it as their main power source. So when you touch them or come into contact with them, their power supply gets drained instantly. Even the strongest robots are no match for your draining abilities."
Cami let out a shocked gasp. "Wait, then does that mean I could turn myself into the worst robot ever? One touch from me and I would drain myself of all my power!"
Reva chuckled at this thought. "Yes, that may be true," she said. "But that's also why I always had you wearing specialized gear during our missions. I would constantly upgrade your equipment to keep up with the latest and strongest magical gear. Anything you touch that relies on mana instantly becomes useless in your hands, as you absorb all of its power into yourself."
Cami looked down at herself, realizing the implications of this new information. "So what is the deal with my metallic double sitting on the table over there?" she asked, gesturing towards a large metal figure.
Reva nodded. "That was created using all the gear I had given you previously. Normal metal wouldn't be able to function in a robot powered by your unique mana, so I made sure to use only materials that had been rendered inert by your touch first. A robot made of such metal should be able to be powered by your mana"
Cami couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions - awe, fear, and confusion all swirling within her. "But why are you trying to turn me into a robot in the first place? We already defeated the Southern Guardian," she said before being interrupted.
"The Hero and his personal group will go down with the current Mecha Lord," Reva stated matter-of-factly. "I've planned it so that only our group would survive the battle if we could even call it that. It's a risky move, but I've had learned how to pull it off though seeing it happened before. Thus I was able to replicate the scenario to happen purposefully this time around"
Curiosity tinged with fear laced her voice as she spoke. "How do you know all of this? And why are you following it?"
Reva's eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. "Awaken something I was not supposed to, apparently. All 'heroes' are kept in a certain state, unaware of their true purpose even after they are made to switch roles. The losing side is typically annihilated by the winning side in each cycle of conflict. That is why there are no stories of the surviving side after the current battle."
Cami's heart skipped a beat as realization dawned on her. "We just defeated one of the leaders of the enemy's army...as planned. And now..." She trailed off, understanding what was happening.
"Congratulations," Reva said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You will now be a part of the enemy forces in the next cycle. The choice of whether to serve me willingly or be forced into submission. Normally, that choice is not given, as the moment an older guardian or a member of the hero's party is defeated, remaining living party members of any Heroes' party are immediately 'recruited' for the force of the next cycle's guardians and Mecha Lord."
"Do something to change it for the better," Cami whispered desperately as she pressed her hands against the glass tube.
"Don't want," Reva replied coldly. "I chose to become a Southern Guardian because they were the weakest and had the others go fight against each other. They will kill each other off because they each counter one another to varying degrees. So there won't be any new Guardians or Mecha Lords for even longer than normal."
"But doesn't that mean that as the only one left alive, the Southern Guardian will become the new Mecha Lord?" Cami questioned, hoping for some glimmer of hope in this bleak situation.
Reva chuckled darkly. "Nope, I've seen this happen before. A Guardian is always a Guardian, and it has happened multiple times where a previous cycle's guardian remains in the next one. I plan to keep to myself as the Southern Guardian. Having the new Mecha Lord of the new cycle, starting from scratch. Normally, any surviving guardians from a previous cycle would help the new Mecha Lord when they arise, as that is just how they are programmed…normally. Because I am different I can pretty much leave them to their own devices and thus never get caught up with them"
Cami's mind reeled at this revelation. "But aren't Heroes summoned defeat the Mecha Lord and their guardians?"
Reva's expression turned sly. "More like produced by a system created by the overseers of this world to prevent real heroes from ever arising again. The so-called 'heroes' are actually just robots, cleverly disguised to appear as to appear as overpowered humans, sent into human lands to gather up those who may have the potential to be actual heroes or those who give birth to one further down their bloodline in the future. Thus, whether the hero wins or loses, their parties are roboticized and left to become part of the cycle themselves."
A sense of dread settled over Cami as she processed all of this information.
"The Southern Guardian of this cycle being the weakest made so that I would have enough time to pull this off while all the other sides are busy wiping each other out, " Reva said
A look of shock crossed Cami's face before she seemed to dissolve into nothingness, merging completely with the liquid she was submerged in.
"It took longer than expected," Reva explained calmly, "as this liquid is filled with your own mana. Being submerged in it for long enough caused your mana to merge with that outside of your body, resulting in you becoming pure mana itself."
Once the faint outline that was all that remained of Cami's form fully vanished leaving the tube liquid behind that when the process went to the next step and the pump started causing the liquid to flow. Flow through the hose connected to the tube and to the end that was connected to the mask around her robotic double's mouth. Following into what would hopefully become the new vessel for Cami's mana and with it all of its abilities as well.