14. Hall of Lanterns (3)

A sensation that started as a sting on his body turned into one that burned albeit mildly as Drax felt the insatiable need to scratch his body.

Something was happening inside of him and it was starting where his navel was located.

Drax tried to raise his head to look down there but he didn't notice any physical change.

Whatever was going on was not happening externally. Not yet, at least.

Freya observed him carefully and seeing how uncomfortable Drax was getting, she knew it had started.

'His Spirit Node is forming,' the Elf Queen thought.

The Elf Queen placed her palm gently over Drax's umbilicus. A gesture which she had carried out for two reasons.

The first was so she could feel for herself and confirm that Drax's Spirit Node was indeed forming.

The second reason was so she could apply her healing expertise to make Drax a bit more comfortable.

The temperature of Drax's body started to cool as he felt the burning sensation less and less after Freya put her palm over his burning navel.

Freya confirmed what was going on and expressed a half smile.

Feeling the concentration of mana that was gathered within his navel, she knew it was the Spirit Node.

"It will be over soon, my dear," she reassured him. "Your Spirit Node is forming."

'Spirit Node?' Drax thought as he stared blankly at this woman.

The half-elf couldn't understand what that was. However, he could guess since he knew the meaning of the two words that made up this concept.

'Are they like mana cores in those stories?' he contemplated, likening the Spirit Node to something he was more familiar with.

The process did not take long to occur and as soon as the Spirit Node was fully formed, Drax felt something like a slight electric shock travel through his entire body and a few seconds after that, he became enshrouded in the natural energy of Nethria — mana.

Mana cloaked him even as he lay silent in Freya's arms.

He was not afraid since this energy did not do anything to him other than simply exist, and also because Freya was present in case anything happened.

The mana he expressed externally stayed for a few minutes before channelling itself back into his umbilicus.

That marked the completion of the process and Freya lifted him and threw him into the air twice.

"That's my strong boy," she cheered, causing Drax to giggle sheepishly.

"Your Spirit Node is really strong, darling."

Hearing this, Drax couldn't help but smile.

If what Freya said was true, then it was a good thing to hear.

After Freya was done playing with him, she carried him and turned around to leave.

"What is a Spirit Node, Mother?" Drax asked, bringing the Elf Queen to a halt.

"Hmm?" Freya did not expect him to ask, although she did not find it strange that Drax did anyway.

After all, he was a smart kid.

Freya bounced him in her hold as she began to explain in the simplest way possible for Drax to understand her.

"Spirit Node is like a container that forms inside our bodies. Just right here…" she said as she smiled and poked Drax's navel, causing the latter to giggle.

"Around the belly button. Every living being that can manipulate mana in our world has a Spirit Node, although the process of getting one varies with race. For us elves, we form ours when we take a name because the naming ceremony is like a magic ritual."

'I see. So it's linked to this parchment and Lanterns of Life thingy,' Drax contemplated as he bobbed his head to his mother, showing her that he followed her explanation.

Freya lifted a finger, further sparking Drax's curiosity as she continued.

"The Spirit Node is a very important organ to sorcerers. Without it, the ability to use magic is nonexistent. If you are unable to form a Spirit Node or by some bad luck, you get yours destroyed… you will be unable to access mana. Depending on the extent of damage, you may permanently lose that access to mana.

"A Spirit Node is like a container inside our bodies whose job is to hold mana, stabilize it and release it through the Spirit Veins or Pathways whenever we want to cast a spell."

Drax was fascinated with the Elf Queen's explanation and it got him all excited.

'It is indeed like a mana core. That means that I can finally see it,' he thought.

'I can finally see my status!'

Drax was overly excited about this, even more than Freya expected, and this made the latter wonder why it was so.

However, Freya brushed it off as him being an inquisitive child who was captivated by the new knowledge he had just acquired.

Meanwhile, Drax has been waiting patiently for two years to gain something like this.

Without a Spirit Node, he couldn't put an exact count on the mana he had.

Even during Alucard's appraisal, the Dragon Queen could only speculate what level of mana Drax possessed without an exactitude to it.

Because of this, Drax has also been unable to view his status window.

He could see the rewards he had from performing tasks or skills he awakened but never his profiling from the system he possessed.

With his Spirit Node now fully formed, he was going to do this and see for himself just how far he had come in Nethria.

Freya brushed his hair with her fingers. "The stronger you grow, the bigger your Spirit Node gets because it has to accommodate the mana you possess."

"Yours will be very big then," Drax replied while spreading his hands to signify magnitude, "...right, Mother?"

Freya laughed and then bobbed her head in agreement.

"That is correct."

'I see…'

With his name etched upon a magical lantern and his Spirit Node and Veins forming, Drax's preparation was pretty much complete.

There were no better birthday gifts than what he had received in the Hall of Lanterns today.

He didn't mind if there was not going to be any party.

Drax didn't care about that anymore.

Right now, he just wanted to see his status window.

'Status…'