Pride

"Luther.....Luther.....LUTHER!!" A voice called out, though it felt far away.

His eyes slowly opened, the room spinning around him. His body felt like it had been broken and put back together wrong. His mouth was dry, and his head pounded with each heartbeat.

"Luther! Wake up!" The voice was clearer now. Luna stood over him, her face filled with worry. Her eyes widened as they met his. "What happened to you? There's blood everywhere!"

He tried to speak, but his throat felt like sandpaper. After a few attempts, he managed to croak out, "Water."

Vess appeared with a cup, helping lift his head enough to drink. The cool liquid brought him back to full awareness, which unfortunately meant feeling every bit of pain in his damaged body.

"What did you do?" Vess asked, her voice stern but concerned. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the faint yellow glow still visible beneath his skin. "You tried to access mana without guidance, didn't you?"

He managed a weak smile. "It worked."

"It nearly killed you," Luna snapped, checking his pulse. "Your heartbeat is all wrong. You're lucky to be alive."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," he said, attempting to sit up. Pain shot through his chest, and he fell back with a gasp. "Just... determination."

Vess shook her head. "You need proper training now. Those pathways you've created are crude and unstable. Without guidance—"

"No," his cut her off, his voice firmer despite the pain. "I got this far on my own. I'll figure out the rest."

Luna stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? Look at yourself! You almost died!"

"Almost," he repeated with a grim smile. "But I didn't."

"Let me at least show you the basics," Vess pressed. "What you've done is dangerous without—"

"I said no," he interrupted again, his eyes hardening. "I don't need anyone teaching me. I learn best on my own terms."

Luna threw up her hands. "Stubborn fool! This isn't like learning to swing a sword. Mana can destroy you from the inside if handled wrong."

"Then I'll be careful," he said, pushing himself up despite the pain. His legs wobbled as he stood, but he refused Luna's offered hand. "I did the hard part already. The rest is just... practice."

Vess studied him for a long moment, her expression shifting from concern to resignation. "I can see there's no changing your mind. But at least take this." She moved to a shelf and retrieved a small, worn book. "Basic exercises. When you're ready to stop being so prideful, there are notes in the margins that might help."

He hesitated, then took the book with a nod. He wouldn't admit it, but having some reference might speed things along. "Thanks."

"And this doesn't change our plan," Luna added firmly. "Having mana doesn't mean you start hunting heroes."

He nodded, hiding his true thoughts. 'We'll see about that,' he thought. With power growing inside him, weak though it was, the future suddenly held new possibilities.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes now had a faint yellow ring around the pupils - a visible sign of the mana flowing through his crude pathways. He looked different.

Dangerous.

For the first time since arriving in this world, he smiled genuinely. He did what others said was impossible without help. And now, no one could tell him what to do with this power. Things were about to change.

'Yellow mana? That's new, its not divine power so why is it like that? He is full of surprises.' Luna thought, watching him with a proud smile. 

---

Later that morning when they left him to rest, he sat on his bed, the small book from Vess in his hands. He turned it over, frowning.

'I don't need their help,' he thought, but he opened it anyway. The pages were worn, with neat handwriting in the margins. 'Just another tool, nothing more.'

His body still hurt everywhere. The crude mana pathways burned inside him like hot wires under his skin. But the pain felt good now. It reminded him that he won.

Luna knocked and entered without waiting. "You need to eat something."

She carried a tray with soup and bread. The smell made his stomach growl, but he didn't thank her.

"I can feed myself," he said, reaching for the tray.

"Obviously," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Your hands work fine. It's your brain I worry about."

He took a spoonful of soup. It tasted better than he expected.

"The yellow in your eyes," she said, sitting across from him. "It's strange. Most mana users have blue or green marks. Yellow is rare."

He shrugged. "Good. I like being different."

"Different means unpredictable. Unpredictable means dangerous."

"To my enemies, yes."

She sighed. "About our plan—"

"Your plan, not mine."

"Fine. My plan. We need to move you somewhere safer while we learn more about these heroes."

He set down his spoon. "I'm not hiding."

"It's not hiding. It's being smart."

"Sounds like hiding to me."

She stood up, frustrated. "Why do you make everything so hard? We're trying to help you!"

"I never asked for help," he said coldly. "I never needed it."

"Everyone needs help sometimes."

"Not me." He flexed his hand, watching the faint yellow glow pulse beneath his skin. "I got this power on my own. I'll handle the heroes on my own too."

She crossed her arms. "And how exactly will you do that? They have years of training. You have, what, a day of nearly killing yourself?"

He smiled, the yellow rings around his pupils glowing brighter. "I learn fast."

"Not fast enough. These heroes won't wait for you to catch up."

"Let them come, I'll be ready."

Luna threw up her hands. "This isn't a game! If you go against them now, you'll die."

"Maybe," he admitted. "Or maybe they'll be the ones surprised."

He closed his eyes, focusing on the mana flowing through him. It responded better now, moving where he directed it. He opened his palm and a small yellow spark appeared, dancing above his skin.

Luna's eyes widened. "You shouldn't be able to do that yet."

"Like I said," he grinned. "I learn fast."

The spark grew, forming a small ball of yellow light. It wasn't stable—it flickered and wavered—but it existed.

"Stop that," she warned. "You're pushing too hard. Your pathways need time to stabilize."

He ignored her. The ball of light grew larger, pulsing with his heartbeat. Sweat beaded on his forehead as pain shot through his arm.

"Luther!" She reached for his hand.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped. The ball of light exploded outward in a flash, knocking over the soup bowl and sending Luna stumbling back.

He gasped, clutching his chest. Blood trickled from his nose again.

"See?" She said, steadying herself. "This is exactly what I meant. You're not ready."

He wiped the blood away. "Just need more practice."

"What you need is patience," she countered. "And maybe some common sense."

"What I need," he said, his voice hard, "is for everyone to stop telling me what I need."

Luna stared at him for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly. "Fine. Learn it the hard way. But don't expect me to clean up the mess when you break yourself beyond repair."

She turned to leave but stopped at the door. "Vess and I are meeting some contacts tonight. People who might know something about these heroes. You're welcome to join us—if you can put aside your pride long enough."

After she left, he picked up Vess's book again. He hated admitting it, but there might be useful information inside. Not that he needed it, but why waste time figuring out what others already knew?

He flipped through the pages, studying the diagrams of mana pathways. According to the book, it should take months to develop even basic control.

He snorted.

'I'll do it in days,' he thought.

He focused again, drawing mana into his hand. The yellow light returned, smaller this time but more stable.

'This world thinks heroes need goddesses and years of training,' he thought with satisfaction. 'I'll show them what a real hero looks like.'

Blood dripped onto the page. He ignored it and kept practicing.