Whispers of Metal: The Forge of the One Mage

Chapter 1: Prologue: Make a Wish



In the infinite void, a solitary human soul floated, suspended in what seemed like an eternal nothingness. Before it, a shining golden screen flickered, with platinum letters describing its current situation.

"What is this?" I wondered as the memories of the last days of my life slowly began to return. If I could sum it up in a single phrase, it would be: I've died. I died in a school shooting, in a volley of bullets.

"Mom was right, I shouldn't have accepted that scholarship," I muttered with a mix of resignation and weariness. But in the end, it no longer mattered; crying or getting depressed wouldn't change anything.

Surprisingly, it was easy to understand why I wasn't panicking: the screen in front of me stated that my emotions and feelings were being repressed so I could make decisions logically and objectively. At least I wouldn't be acting impulsively.

The screen explained that I was being given a second chance to live, retaining most of my memories intact. However, the place and time I would be reborn were entirely random. In exchange, I would be granted one wish.

After reading what seemed like some sort of introduction, a new floating screen appeared. This time, not as elegant as the previous one but equally important.

The screen displayed two main options. The first, the location: "Steven Universe AU." Upon reading this, a slight sense of unease ran through me. Since it was an alternate universe, I didn't know exactly what to expect. The second option showed the date of my arrival: "January 1, 2010." I didn't know the series' timeline exactly, but I assumed it was either during the original series or perhaps at the start of Steven Universe Future. At least it didn't sound too bad.

Finally, a third screen appeared, the most important one: the wish screen. It was filled with rules and limitations, with thousands of lines of text outlining forbidden wishes and restrictions. Luckily, I had all the time in the universe to read them.

After carefully reviewing the rules, I noticed a section stating that certain wishes would be detailed to ensure that the user fully understood what was being granted. Considering all the possibilities, I decided to choose a power from another franchise and adapt it to my needs:

Warhammer 40k Psychic Power (Modified):

The user's psychic power is based on drawing energy directly from their own soul. This power is not connected to any warp nor any external higher dimension. It includes the standard psychic powers from the Warhammer 40k universe, but its potential is limited by the quality and quantity of the user's soul. As it is used, psychic power strengthens the soul, pushing it to its natural limit. This limit can be broken, but not by conventional means.

Ability Details:

The natural limit of psychic power cannot be increased through training. It can only be increased through external or rare means.The efficiency of how the power is used can be improved.Compared to other humans, the user's soul is between 300 and 500 times more potent and of higher quality when the power is granted.The quality of the soul influences learning and understanding, while potency affects willpower and the amount of raw power that can be unleashed in a single moment. Quantity affects the physical or material body of the user, passively enhancing strength slightly.

Current Power: 320 times the potency of an average human.

Current Limit: 500 times the potency of an average human.

With the wish fulfilled, everything turned to darkness, and my mind fogged as my soul was reforged.


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