Duchess drags me around the perimeter of the buildings at my behest. I don't notice anything differentiating the numerous doorways. It's just an estimation but over a thousand line the walls. Only eight break the mold. They are larger than the other doors by a factor.

I discover a 'pathway' from these gates to the center fountain. These pathways are signs of traffic scarred on the stonework. I muster enough strength in my legs to limp to the center without anyone's help, but that doesn't stop my beasts from treating me like a ragdoll. By beasts, I mean Duchess.

"Put me down, please."

[...]

"Okay. Then take me to the fountain."

I wanted to experience walking the path many beings walked before me in this new strange place. Maybe I could understand this place deeper if I did so. I guess I'll have to settle for my feet being limply dragged across the floor instead.

The fountain is massive. It's over fifty feet tall and bone dry. Besides the globules of light, this is the only thing breaking the monotony of doors and stone bricks. It's marble or at least something that looks like marble.

Even with my abysmal talent in magic, I could feel that this was - or is - a powerful magic relic. I haven't got this feeling with any of the A-rank items I've managed to get my hands on or even in the vault of the Auroran Institute. 'What do you think, Duchess?'

[Thisss one doesn't feel anything.]

I spend a minute looking over the base of the thing. I spend another touching the smooth cold exterior of the fountain. If there were any residue left, I would've taste-tested it. [Scientific Insight+] still refused to give anything besides a mundane description.

But I know something is wrong.

I'm getting that feeling again. The same feeling where I need something. That I need something to be mine, it's not envy or jealousy but something different, greed perhaps? This is the same feeling that made me want to snatch Duchess from her cage.

"Drop me at the top."

That feeling gets amplified as I reach the apex of the fountain. The top has enough room for me to stretch out and relax, but that's not what I'm here for.

I close my eyes and try to pinpoint the source of that feeling. I inadvertently fall into quiet meditation. As I'm focusing, I can see in my mind's eye the various colored orbs that are my attuned energies. They are all still stirring and haven't fully woken up yet. Maybe I can use my attunement stats to see this place with new eyes.

Outside my body, even with my eyes closed, I can see or, more accurately, feel other energies in this structure. It didn't take me long to determine that they came from my beasts, and there are a few that I can't identify, but there is one not from me or my tamed beasts.

It's tiny and almost unnoticeable. It's faint and an energy type I haven't seen before. I try to touch it, but it seems like I'm blindly groping around in the dark for something that isn't there. It's close enough to where I don't have to move off the fountain, but it's still evading my grasp.

"Get over here."

I don't know if my [Royal Decree] skill (the upgrade to [Master's Hand]) would do anything but to my pleasant surprise, the dim source of energy becomes more tangible. I'm unsure if this is the source of my feeling, but since it's there, I might as well take it for myself.

It's small enough that if I clenched my hand around it, I could still not feel it. I don't know if this work, and I don't have much mana left, but I decided to use [Heal Anything].

It took a single point of mana.

[The User has gained property!]

[The property is reacting to Master's Magnificent Mansion.]

[A new door has opened in the Mansion! Congratulations on owning a]

"A? A what?"

I notice a new section to my status as I check my mansion skill for any changes. It's labeled [Properties]. There is only one thing listed.

[

Doorways Open: 0

Doorways Available: 1000

Forgotten locations. The Main Gates lead nowhere. The world has shattered.]

This must have been someplace significant on the other planet. If I can talk to a planetary refugee who knows something about this place, I can start solving some mysteries. Let me list what I know about this place and start connecting some dots.

Conflicting information about what the fracture is.

FIB hypothesized that going in alone without going into too many fractures beforehand is crucial to clearing this fracture.

Ending up here after trying to enter my manor grounds.

Since no one previously mentioned recognizing anything, like reappearing in a fracture they visited before... I can conclude that the FIB agents have terrible memories or their hypothesis has something to it.

I entered with nine fractures under my belt. A squad of heavily trained fracture delvers might cause that number to jump twenty times if we add up all the fractures they've entered. Cycling through that many fractures would be devastating. I wonder if they never experienced their fractures but their teammates instead since teams get split up.

That thought process implies that fractures leave their mark on you when you enter them.

Maybe I caused a stack error and got kicked to the actual fracture. Finding a fracture that breaks all established rules that humanity has uncovered about fractures is less likely than this 'hub' thing causing this Deja Vu slideshow.

I'm going to name this the place [Crossroads]. Now, how the fuck do I get out of this place...

I tumble off the fountain and walk to one of the doors. Should I do one of the big ones or not? Nah, any will do. I touch the doorway and activate my skill.

[Registered: Master's Magnificant Mansion]

[Crossroads

Doorways Open: 1

Doorways Available: 999]

The empty door frame grows an ornate mahogany door with a golden knob and a prominent knocker. I used the knocker to see what would happen and got a notification.

[There is a knock at the door. Allow entry into the Mansion? Y/N]

I ignore it until it goes away, then inspect the door. The door is unlocked, and when I open it, I can see the sheen of light I'm used to. I closed the door and turned to my tamed beasts.

"Duchess, can you open the door for me?"

[...]

"Okay. Rob, can you open the door for me?" Rob tries to open the door, but it doesn't budge. Then he tried the knocker.

[There is a knock at the door. Allow entry into the Mansion? Y/N]

I select yes this time, and Rob has no problem opening the door. Interesting... But quite useless unless I plan to open this place to the public.

I didn't want to die in the void, so I waited for my health to be 100% before entering alone. There wasn't any pain or discomfort. If anything, the transition over was the smoothest it's ever been.

I entered my manor grounds from a different place than usual. Usually at the gate, but this time I touched ground right in front of the side gate next to the original one. I check that all my limbs and organs are there before returning to my [Crossroads].

My tamed beasts were concerned for my safety, even if they didn't express it. After reuniting my beasts with Khan, I decided now would be a good time to sleep.

~~~

I woke up in a daze, dehydrated and hungry. I ate an entire nutrient stick and bathed in a large bucket. I fell asleep in the bucket. After waking up the second time, I wrote my report for the FIB and looked around the manor grounds for anything new.

No new buildings popped up. No new doors were unlocked. The only thing new is in my trophy room. Ten small items representing the various fractures I've explored are stored inside protective glass cases. Inside the newest one is a miniature doorway.

[Endless Graveyard: 2% Complete]

[Snail Garden: 12% Complete]

[Lightning Maiden's Temple: 2% Completed]

[Dark Forest: 80% Completed]

[Snowstorm: 23% Completed]

[Vanderblitz's Mistake: 8% Completed]

[Bone Garden: 5% Completed]

[Slaughter King's Plaza 2%Completed]

[Verdant Jungle 33% Completed]

[Crossroads 100% Completed]

The first time I reached 100% completion, and what? No fanfare or notifications? I stare at the miniature doorway for a while before walking around the room, looking for any changes. I use [Scientific Insight+] on everything, but I only get this.

[Trophy Case

Displays the item inside.]

I tapped on all the glass - one by one - until something happened. The [Crossroads] trophy case shifted from my touch.

"..."

I pick up the case, and it's weightless. None of the others could move. So this is the completion reward... I blast it with [Scientific Insight+] before doing anything else.

[Fracture Figurine: Crossroads

A gateway to the named fracture. Although there can be more than one way to enter a fracture, there can only be one 'gateway' at a time.

You can use figurines to escape from their named fracture.]

I found my way out. I hide my belt under my bed before snatching the figurine and walking through the side gate.

At the [Crossroads], I get a notification saying [Do you want to register the location: Crossroads? Y/N].

...I think that would cause a paradox, so I decided not to. I inject some mana into the figurine and a fracture exit forms. A floating crack in space that should lead somewhere, most probably the FIB's containment facility.

Since the exit is right there, I don't need to take the figurine and risk getting robbed by the government. I tell Rob to take it back inside the trophy room before I hop into the exit solo.

I don't experience the slideshow of fractures or any nausea from my transition. Once I touch the ground on the other side, I cautiously confirm where I'm at. A man reading a newspaper sits at a folding table a few feet from me. He looks up at me before tossing the paper aside.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back, Mr. Vincere. Did you have a fun time? Do you need a healer or any refreshments?" It's the same agent managing the fracture.

"No, not really."

"I'm going to tell the Head that you're alive. He'd want a verbal report from you."

"...Do I have to?"

"If you want any form of payment."

"Damn."

~~~

There are two windows in the Head Mahog's office. Windows that I ignored my last time here. They both show two different parts of the city.

The mountain-sized man uses a tablet like a smartphone, answering calls and sending messages. He motions for me to sit down and wait for him to finish.

As I sit, I finally realize that I haven't fixed my magic items. Not only is my body covered in scar tissue, insinuating that I just survived being melted alive, my gear is on the verge of breaking. Shit.

I can fix them as soon as I'm out of sight.

Even though I'm only a desk away from Mahog, I can't hear his conversation. Neat privacy trick, I guess. Eventually, he hangs up and puts his focus on me. He grasps his hands together, and It creates an audible sound. His strength is overflowing.

"Tell me about the fracture."

"Shits fucked."

"Hoho. How?"

I contemplate the big question: "Whether or not to tell the government what I learned." I decided to do what I always do and lie by omission. I won't lie, but I won't spill every secret I uncovered.

"The fracture randomly jettisons you to a previous fracture you've been in. It seems to be the real, tangible location. It's a security risk."

"...hmm."

"You might find the bodies of your men in various high-level fractures the FIB has in their arsenal."

"I see... Anything else?"

"I had to create my own exit since there seemingly wasn't a different way to leave. Also, I fell into the void between fractures for a bit and almost died."

I hope that answer leads Mahog to conclude that he'd have to use an exit crystal to leave, something very costly. Plus, his thinking that I had to use the one they provided for me will keep him from asking for it back, even if he technically shouldn't.

"..."

"Here's a more cohesive report that includes some hypotheses backed by the data I was provided along with my personal discoveries. Now, payment."

"..."