Forging a Path: The Birth of a Mana Core

Chapter 26: Forging a Path: The Birth of a Mana Core

As Sharla and Arc moved away from the ruined room, the air around them hung heavy with dust and the lingering energy from Arc's Fight with the Goblin. The corridor stretched ahead, dimly lit by the flickering remains of magical torches, their glow uneven against the cracked and charred walls. Despite his exhaustion, Arc couldn't help but notice how his body felt—his limbs heavy, his chest tight with an unfamiliar sensation that made breathing a conscious effort. He knew what was happening. The cursed ability inside him was spreading. It felt like needles prickling every inch of his body. 

Regardless of the current situation, Arc & Sharla began exchanging questions about their current predicament.

Sharla, walking a step ahead. She glanced over her shoulder before pointing toward another chamber at the far end of the corridor. "That room should be far enough," she said, her tone laced with urgency.

Arc followed her gaze, noting the room's relatively intact state compared to the devastation behind them. "Yeah, it looks better than the disaster zone we just left," he muttered. "But why are we moving there? Shouldn't we be heading to the infirmary or something?"

Sharla didn't slow her pace as she replied. "The infirmary is too far, and at the rate you're deteriorating, you wouldn't make it in time." Her eyes flickered to his body, scanning the dark but faint tendrils creeping beneath his skin, spreading like cracks through porcelain. "That cursed 'Bloodline Trait' of yours is accelerating. We don't have much time."

Arc scoffed weakly. "All the more reason to head straight to the infirmary," he countered. Then, narrowing his eyes, he added, "And you called my ability a 'Bloodline Trait'. You seem to know more about this than you're letting on."

"Hush, boy. We're here." Sharla didn't bother answering. Arc slumped against the doorframe, his breath uneven. He watched as Sharla stepped forward, her fingers tracing intricate patterns in the air as she began to chant. Arc's brows furrowed. He had seen spellcasting before, but something about this felt different. "Shouldn't we be going inside? And what exactly are you chanting?"

Sharla abruptly stopped mid-chant and glared at him. "Don't interrupt me again."

She exhaled sharply before continuing. "We moved here because the mana concentration from your fight earlier has increased drastically in that ruined room. If you recall, I had raised a barrier in that room using magic items—which I don't have with me right now." Sharla continued "If I try to erect the same barrier from scratch, without any external aid, it'll take a toll on me. It's a very intricate spell I must add. That's why I need complete silence and focus. If I mess this up, I'll drain myself dry before we even have a plan to fix you. So, unless you want me passing out before I finish, I need complete silence."

Arc exhaled, letting her words settle. He gave a small, conceding nod, remembering how oddly the room was organized right before his fight with the goblin. "So, the isolation barrier in the room was her doing. She looks skilled at this. I didn't know Sharla was this skilled in magic application. I always thought she was an average researcher working for the Crafters." He thought as he watched Sharla resume her chant.

Minutes passed, thick with the hum of magic weaving through the air. The room vibrated slightly as the barrier took form, a shimmering veil encasing Arc in a protective dome. Sharla finally exhaled, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow.

"So," Arc said, flexing his fingers experimentally. "Can I speak now?"

Sharla rolled her eyes before settling down across from him. "I suppose."

Arc wasted no time. "Back there, you said 'Bloodline Trait'. Care to elaborate?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, Sharla finally turned to him. "Bloodline Trait or Ability as you like to call differs from mana. Their applications might look similar, but their function is entirely different."

Sharla crossed her arms. "Abilities and magic are fundamentally different, but their effects can sometimes look identical. To an untrained eye, someone with the 'Bloodline Trait' to control fire might seem no different from a mage casting a fire spell. The key difference is in their origin. Magic is external—it draws on the world's ambient mana and channels it through a structured process. Abilities, on the other hand, are innate. They exist within a person's very being, embedded in their bloodline. They aren't learned or studied—they're inherited."

Arc's eyes narrowed. "Inherited?"

Sharla nodded. "Abilities pass from parent to children but they don't always manifest. Sometimes, they remain dormant for generations. Other times, they mutate into something entirely different. We don't fully understand why—there isn't enough research on abilities to form a solid conclusion. Most of what we know about them is scarce. Most information comes from firsthand accounts written by people who had possessed or encountered ability users. Abilities are rare, after all." 

Arc listened attentively as she explained, using an example. If someone with the ability launched a fireball, and a mage cast the same spell, an untrained observer would not be able to discern. The key is that abilities are inherited genetically, and passed from parent to offspring. However, there is no guaranteed manifestation and on rare occasions, they may mutate into entirely different forms.

She paused, studying Arc's reaction. She then levelled her gaze at Arc. "Your ability is even rarer. In my years of research, I have not encountered any references to such ability, nothing remotely similar, nor even anecdotal accounts. In your case, your ability suppresses mana. Imagine mana as tiny particles, like grains of sand. Your ability follows a similar principle; however, the grains are significantly smaller. Your ability acts like an invisible net, that surrounds and suffocates mana particles, preventing it from flowing or interacting with anything. This causes blood clots in every part of your body where mana flows if left unchecked it can prove fatal."

Arc frowned, absorbing the information. "That… explains a lot."

"There's more," Sharla admitted. "I wasn't guessing when I said that. I know it for a fact." She hesitated before continuing. "Years ago, Michael gave me a sample of your blood. I was hired for my very expertise and conducting a study on your blood sample was my hiring test. Of course, I did not know it was your blood sample I was studying at that time. After seeing my capabilities I was Hired permanently to study your ability and report any findings to Master Michael directly."

The explanation had been long, but Arc grasped the gist of it. He exhaled slowly, glancing at the barrier. "Looks like it's working," he muttered. "The pain seems to be easing up."

Despite his weakened state, he flipped through the journal he still had in his grasp, scanning the pages with growing urgency. After an eternity, his fingers halted on a particular passage. His gaze sharpened as he read through its contents, slowly piecing together a solution. It required meditation —something difficult given his condition, but not impossible. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus, pushing past the lingering pain. His breathing slowed, his mind clearing as he attempted to suppress the agony coursing through his body.

Sharla, who had been closely monitoring the barrier, noticed his strange behaviour but chose not to meddle. Instead, she focused on maintaining the barrier that required her utmost concentration. If lost, she risked channelling excessive mana, prematurely depleting her energy.

 Given their circumstances, she had no idea how long she would need to sustain the field, so conserving her strength remained her top priority.

Moments later, Arc broke the silence. "Hey, Sharla. If I could stabilize the flow of mana entering my body, do you think I'd be able to counteract my condition?"

Sharla raised an eyebrow but kept her hands in motion, adjusting the delicate weave of mana. "And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked sceptically.

Arc pointed toward the barrier, a confident glint in his eyes. "It's complicated, but I think I have an idea. Explaining it will take too long, so let's test it."

Sharla studied him for a moment. She had worked with Arc long enough to recognize that look —the glimmer of someone on the verge of an ingenious, if reckless, breakthrough. Given their lack of alternatives, she decided to play along. "Alright, I'm listening."

Without wasting another second, Arc began issuing instructions. He needed her to modify the barrier so that it concentrated mana on one side, directing it inward, while simultaneously leaving the other side completely devoid of mana. Additionally, all the accumulated mana had to remain suspended on the surface of his body, forming a thin envelope rather than seeping in. The task was challenging, but Sharla executed it flawlessly, meticulously fine-tuning the spell with focus.

The moment the adjustment took effect, Arc took a deep breath and nodded. "Now, slowly let the mana trickle into my body from the concentrated side," he instructed.

As soon as the first wave of mana seeped in, the pain returned—sharp and unforgiving. His body convulsed slightly, but he clenched his jaw, refusing to let it break his focus. Something was different this time. Though the pain persisted on the side where the mana was concentrated, the other side—where no mana flowed—remained oddly numb, untouched by the usual agony. A smirk crept onto Arc's lips. "Now we're getting somewhere."

Bit by bit, a newfound awareness dawned upon him. He couldn't sense the mana outside his body—there was none at the moment—but he could feel the traces lingering within him. He found that, like any other mage, he could move it, except for the areas overwhelmed by concentrated mana.

Time was of the essence. Even Sharla wouldn't be able to maintain this delicate setup indefinitely. If the barrier collapsed now, he would be done for. He had to act fast.

Recalling the journal's instructions, he began constructing something new—a secondary mana network. His reserves were dangerously low, but he only needed enough to create a foundation. He channelled the mana he could control, weaving it into thin, layered threads and spreading them throughout his body like a web of artificial blood vessels or nerves. The density was poor, but it was a start. With the remaining mana, he reinforced his core, a structure that had barely existed before.

Minutes passed in silence, broken only by the faint hum of Sharla's magic. Then, at last, Arc spoke. "Alright. Now, Switch the sides of the concentration and repeat the process. However, at this moment, focus the mana flow on an even smaller area."

Sharla hesitated for a brief moment but complied, carefully redirecting the flow. The process repeated itself. Arc again endured the pain, but this time, he focused on stabilizing his internal mana network before it could spiral into chaos. The smaller concentration area gave him more control, allowing him to refine his design. His body ached, and his core screamed for relief, but he pushed forward, reinforcing the pathways he had begun to forge.

Upon attaining a certain level of development, most mages naturally cultivate their mana networks over time. It is a gradual, organic process. But Arc had no choice—he was forcing them into existence from the ground up, bending the very nature of mana to his will.

As the experiment continued, Arc gradually formed a more complex mana network, reinforcing his core while layering mana over his body like a protective shell. The idea was to ensure mana only entered through designated pathways, preventing interference with his ability.

Again and again, he had Sharla repeat the cycle, gradually expanding and solidifying his new network. Each iteration strengthened his core and refined his control. At last, when the process neared completion, he wove a final, crucial layer—a thin film of mana enveloping his body like a second skin. It was a delicate structure, carefully laid to ensure that mana only entered through designated channels, preventing his ability from interfering with its flow.

Through trial and error, Arc confirmed the theory. His mana was suppressed only when the particles came into contact with him. By layering mana in a structured manner, he prevented this from happening while allowing it to flow freely. Ideally, establishing such a network would require years of training, but Arc discovered a loophole—his affliction was the key to stabilizing his.

Arc exhaled, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. He had done it.

For the first time in his life, mana flowed within him unhindered.

After explaining his findings to Sharla, he hesitated before asking, "Do you think this will hold up in the long run?"

Sharla, though still astonished by his ingenuity, crossed her arms. "Abilities grow stronger with use—just like mana. If what you've done works, then yes. But every step you take toward mastering it will come at a cost. Your path won't be easy."

Arc let out a tired chuckle. "Nothing ever is."

Sharla sighed softly, keeping her vigilant watch over the barrier while Arc, now with a stabilized core, readied himself for forthcoming challenges.

For the first time in a long while, Arc felt something other than pain --hope. He had taken the first step toward mastering the power that had once been his greatest weakness. The path ahead would be gruelling, but at least now, he had a path to walk.

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