17# The Violet Mantra
The freezing water swallowed him like a merciless beast. The very moment his feet touched the current, it dragged him like a feather caught in a storm.
His entire body screamed. The crushing pressure squeezed his chest, and every bone felt like it would snap.
His lungs emptied in an instant.
"Is this how I die...?"
His eyes trembled as his arms flailed helplessly against the raging water.
But then... something ignited.
A spark. A flame deep within his soul roared awake.
His body burned. No… it was boiling.
The Mantra that had always been a faint transparent shimmer... erupted.
Tiny violet sparks cracked around him, even underwater.
"I... I WON'T... I WON'T DIE HERE!!!"
Clenching his teeth until his gums bled, his arms surged with a strength he never knew he had.
The current felt weaker. Or... was it him becoming stronger?
— AAAAHHHH!! I WON'T DIE HERE!!! — he roared, even though the water muffled every sound.
Each stroke of his arms triggered small explosions of violet energy that split the water around him. The world itself felt like it was bending to his will.
And then...
Darkness.
His body, overheated and pushed beyond its limit, simply shut down.
---
— What...?! — Darius's eyes widened.
That scene...No.
No... This is impossible.
That kid...
He manifested a color in his Mantra.
And not just any color.
Violet.
In a blink, Darius vanished from the riverside.
He appeared on the opposite bank like a ghost. Clint's body lay on the grass, steam rising from his arms, back, and legs. His heart pounded like a war drum, and his skin burned red as if scorched.
Darius grabbed him, lifting the boy over his shoulder.
— By the gods... — he clenched his teeth. — You little monster...
Then... he ran.
His legs crushed the earth, shattering tree roots, kicking up stones, breaking the ground beneath him.
For over three hours, he sprinted across forests, mountains, and open roads, moving so fast he was invisible to the eyes of ordinary people.
When the Ravenhart mansion's gates came into view, he bellowed:
— OPEN THIS DAMN GATE!!
The roar echoed like thunder, sending the guards scrambling. The gate barely cracked open before he was inside.
He stormed toward the medical wing, kicking the door open.
— A HEALER! NOW! HE NEEDS A HEALER IMMEDIATELY!! — his voice shattered the silence.
The Duke, who was in his office, came rushing down the hallway, his heavy boots echoing until he reached the scene.
His eyes widened as he saw Darius carrying Clint, the boy's body trembling, steam still rising from him.
— What happened? — the Duke's voice was steady but tinged with disbelief.
Darius laid Clint down on the bed, his expression sharp, intense.
— Leonard... this boy... this boy is a monster.
The Duke's brow furrowed.
— Explain.
Darius exhaled deeply.
— He broke through the Third Stage... and not just that. — His fists clenched. — He manifested a Mantra color. Violet.
Silence. Heavy. Crushing.
The Duke's eyes filled with something he rarely showed — shock.
— That... that's impossible. No one manifests color before the Sixth Stage. That's... impossible.
Darius paced toward the window, hands behind his back, breathing heavily.
— It happened. I saw it with my own eyes. And it wasn't just any color. It was violet.
The suffocating silence returned.
The Duke gritted his teeth, glaring at Clint's unconscious body.
— It can't be... no... they were exterminated... this makes no sense.
Darius turned his gaze to him.
— The Maltherion bloodline... — he whispered.
— No... — the Duke repeated, his voice shaken. — Even if... even if that were true... how did he develop color at Stage Four? That's unheard of. It should be impossible.
Darius folded his arms, staring at the boy lying unconscious on the bed.
— Impossible... but real.
A silence filled with heavy meaning settled between them.
And deep in Darius's mind, a single thought echoed louder than anything else:
"What kind of demon... are you, Clint?"