That was... intense, and unexpected.
I surrendered as Sara rested on my chest, deep asleep, her grip as tight as our bond... maybe tighter. Her breathing and heartbeat had finally synced with peace.
We were back at her place—almost within ten minutes after I bolted out of that ghost-freak of a house.
Yeah, I ran. Like the Grim Reaper himself was chasing me, scythe drawn, ready to slice our souls down.
Speaking of Grim Reapers—the Wraiths.
They're back.
At least their mentions are. Whispers. Murmurs.
And that alone was already alarming.
I don't understand. I thought they were rumours, fake circulations meant to discourage hunters and adventurers.
That's what Forza had said. Or theorised, maybe?
One of them has to be lying—or at the very least, misleading.
Did that abandoned bitch lie to me? Just to lure me alongside her into the Rims?
My heart thumped as that thought crossed my mind. There's a possibility...
Though personally, I don't think she would lie about something like this.
Or would she?
I questioned my own half-assed conclusion.
What about Aurora and Ahana?
They could've lied as well.
I recalled our conversation, though I couldn't remember it entirely. My focus had been split between the two strange-acting mother-daughter duo and Sara, who was on the brink of a full-blown panic attack.
If I'd waited even a second longer for more questioning or investigation, she would've collapsed right there.
Without much understanding, I looked upward. My neck and back ached. That sprint...
Even my core was sore. The sudden acceleration had caused after-effects I should've been able to avoid.
I was tired. Hungry. I wanted to rest.
But Sara's bed was small compared to mine, at least. Just enough for two people if they were willing to compromise on comfort.
And since I was being held in an unconscious, Ironfist-like grip, I had no choice but to stay still.
Sara.
I knew her fears well. Darkness. Ghosts.
Even the mention of them could haunt her dreams—slip into her sleep like a leech burrowing into the brain.
I always thought her fears were rational, like most people.
We all fear something.
Lav hates swamps. Apparently, it's a fear of drowning—even though rivers and lakes don't bother him.
That's what fear is—sometimes rational, sometimes not.
But Sara?
She was doing okay, even when we heard the first mentions of shadows. She didn't react. She didn't flinch.
She was doing fine... until something snapped.
Something felt wrong.
To her.
I could tell.
I know her.
She's been my girlfriend for years now—I can practically read her mind, complete her sentences, share her thoughts without even exchanging a word.
But I felt nothing.
Even when I'd enhanced my senses to their absolute limits.
That's something I'll only understand when she wakes up.
Until then, there's no point overthinking.
No point trying to solve the haunts we experienced in that cursed house.
My mana senses. My normal senses.
They communicated nothing. Literally nothing.
They were as laid back as I was when we first entered that house.
But my instincts? My gut?
They screamed.
Warned me to leave.
Something I ignored at the start—and by the time I chose to listen, it was already too late.
My delay had traumatised someone.
Still, one thing I agreed with my instincts on: Ahana and Aurora weren't lying.
Ahana—when she saw me standing at her doorstep, she wasn't scared. Not like the first time we met.
Her eyes held confidence.
Her posture wasn't tense—it was upright. Solid.
Like someone who knew something would protect her and her child if things went south.
She looked me in the eye. Spoke directly, without hesitation.
And her demand? That we never return once we get the information?
That kind of request requires courage and leverage.
These were the little details I was only noticing now.
At first, I thought her confidence came from Sara's calm, respectful demeanour.
But I was wrong.
Nmanas would never converse with us mages like that.
Not unless we were friends—or at least familiar.
And given the way we met? The way the conversation unfolded?
Hell no, no chance.
The darkness inside the room, the silence around us, and Sara's comfort around my arm—all of it made me dizzy. More than I cared to admit.
It became harder and harder to resist sleep, but somehow, I held my eyes open, forced my brain to think.
I can rest later.
Right now, I needed to do something—something productive.
Time was limited. Less than three days left until the mission. And there was no way I could join Forza with just an A-ranked mana core.
I still had the mana cores Arcane had handed me, entrusting me to utilise them wisely.
Plus, I had the core of that Guardian Alpha beast stored in my ring.
The ones Arcane gave me were all S- and SS-ranked.
Only the one I extracted myself was A-rank, which I summoned from my storage ring just now.
Storage rings—a finite space that can store anything and everything, as long as it fits within the boundary.
Their origins are unknown. Mass-produced in the southern regions, mostly.
Strangely, for some unexplained reason, they can't store human corpses—even after death.
Another mystery. Though unrelated. And unimportant.
My first earnings from the Beast Rims—given to Sia—earned me this ring.
She returned the favour by gifting me one with the eons I handed over.
This ring always reminds me of her.
It was simple, sleek red and silver, resting on the ring finger of my right hand.
I always admired its minimalistic design.
I infused it with my mana, summoning the Guardian Alpha's core.
This core wasn't compatible with me. It contained a vast reserve of Water Mana, which I had no use for.
But someone else did.
I recalled Mercy's words—how close he was to taking the final step.
To become a Saint.
If both Mercy and Edward reached Saint rank...
That would further discourage Goodman from acting beyond his leash—or whatever was holding him back.
Though between the two, Edward still lagged behind. A few steps short.
Edward.
My emotionless, hyper-logical mentor.
The man who shaped how I think, how I act, and who I became.
He was definitely talented. His wind affinity was unlike anything I'd ever witnessed—even Sara's or Ms. Forza's couldn't compare.
To give an idea: Edward could fly even before reaching S-rank.
That required a deep, personal connection with both the raging winds and his mana.
Among the two, Edward was easily more talented—more favoured by mana.
But Mercy...
His ability to deal with conflict—verbal or physical—his presence, his instincts... gave him an edge.
Edward rarely fought.
Mercy had lived in battle.
Anyways, back onto the current topic, I reminded my brain with a yawn.
The A-ranked core now rested on my palm.
Slightly larger than my hand, its bluish glow cast a soft light.
Beautiful, almost mesmerising.
Normally, to absorb a mana core, a mage must place it at a distance, never too close.
A sudden mana lash can surprise even a veteran, disrupting one's internal flow.
Though usually temporary, it can cripple a mage.
But I didn't have to worry about that.
I wasn't here to absorb the Water Mana.
Just the raw mana—the diluted, unstable remnants.
A few times weaker, but still usable.
So I tightened my grip on the core.
Let my mana reach in. Invade. Connect.
The moment the link formed, the water mana surged toward me, like a flood with no dam.
Eager to be absorbed.
I couldn't let that happen.
This mana was for Mercy.
I only needed the raw mana.
I used my own mana and telekinesis—blocking the surge, holding it in place.
I separated the layers: water mana held back by force, raw mana pulled free through a narrow bridge—my mana acting as the connection, my telekinesis as the anchor.
Unsurprisingly, it worked.
This absorption was far smoother than what I experienced with the Valgura core.
That one took months to tame.
It was stronger than me in every way.
S-ranked. Dense. Violent.
It resisted at every step.
But this?
This core yielded. Obedient. Cooperative.
I adjusted my posture slightly, shielding Sara from the glow.
She slept like a toddler—peaceful, unburdened.
Good. Stay that way.
As long as she rested, I could continue purifying my core in peace.
And while I worked... I felt something.
A strange warmth. Comfort.
An emotion I'd never experienced while meditating.
Never during absorption.
Not even during sleep sometimes.
"Maybe it's her," I whispered to myself.
"Her presence itself... calms me down."
In the middle of this cold, mechanical task, one that drains me mentally... warmth seeped in, an unexpected, but wholeheartedly welcomed one...
I brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face.
Planted a soft kiss on her head.
Then, I accelerated my core, boosting its rhythm, maximising absorption.
Tomorrow—
A new me will rise alongside-
No. I corrected myself as my jaw clenched and my eyes sharpened.
A new me will rise, before the sun.