[this may contain minor spoilers]
The meteor crashed near Tokyo, creating an impact zone now known as The Scar. The explosion killed nearly everyone in the immediate area. Rift energy from the meteor still lingers there, invisible and unmeasurable by standard instruments. It does not burn, infect, or radiate, but instead alters.
Exposure to Rift energy is necessary to become Fractured, but it is a rare outcome. Most who were exposed either died instantly or suffered no transformation. Fracturing occurs only when exposure combines with severe trauma and a breakdown of mental stability, such as a near-death experience. By the time the transformation begins, the individual's memories and identity are already lost due to trauma. The transformation alters the body and brain but does not remove memories—they are already gone. The person remains human but fundamentally changed. Fractured individuals have no personal history or memory. Only basic instincts and reflexes remain. Fracturing is not contagious and does not happen to everyone exposed to Rift energy. Many survive exposure without fracturing. Some fracture unexpectedly after additional trauma.
After the disaster, an organization known as the Collectors emerged. Their role became critical in handling the aftermath of the Rift event. They are responsible for recovering viable bodies from Rift Zones, managing Rift technology, and overseeing the process of Fracture revival. Using specialized stabilizing equipment and knowledge of Rift energy, the Collectors extract Rift Cores from rift creatures remains and implant them into selected corpses. This process, called Rift Core Implantation, is the primary method by which most Fractured are created. The selected bodies must be biologically compatible, with age, decay, and cellular stability being crucial. Once the core is implanted, it integrates with the host, reviving them into a Fractured state.
This revival carries a price. The revived lose all memories of their previous lives. Their bodies alter slightly, adopting physical traits influenced by the core's nature—sometimes taking on characteristics such as burning patterns, mist-like forms, metallic growths, or insectoid features. The abilities gained are tied to the nature of the Rift Core from the rift creature but remain unpredictable, often mutating further as time passes. The Collectors maintain strict control over this process, monitoring revived Fractured closely and intervening if instability occurs.
There are three outcomes after fracturing. Unawakened Fractured exist with no memory but otherwise live ordinary lives, lacking any Rift abilities unless they awaken. Awakened Fractured are those who, after facing a new near-death experience combined with strong will or intense emotional triggers such as rage, grief, or desperation, unlock the ability to control Rift energy. The abilities are deeply personal and unique, shaped by the individual's emotional state and Rift energy signature. If control is lost during awakening, the result is Unstable Fractured—mutated, mentally broken, and often dangerous enough to warrant immediate containment or elimination.
In extremely rare cases, a separate phenomenon occurs: Aberrant Fractured. These individuals survive direct exposure inside Rift Zones without the intervention of the Collectors or the use of Rift Cores. Aberrants retain all of their memories, unlike standard Fractured. The raw, uncontrolled Rift energy mutates them far more violently, creating unstable, unpredictable powers that do not follow the established Rift Core system. Their abilities are often chaotic, impossible to classify, and sometimes catastrophic. Most humans who suffer this uncontrolled exposure die during transformation. Those who survive become anomalies feared even by the Collectors themselves.
All Fractured, including Aberrants, remain human, though permanently altered. Fracturing is irreversible. Awakening grants Rift control but at constant risk. The Rift replaces what it takes.