Chapter 112: Cold Star Reinforcement (1/2)
”Any tip, Higure?” Rakna asked as he silently spread his mana across his body and reinforced it to a medium level.
”{Frankly? Use your gut feeling. It is your forte, after all, and there aren't many other methods.}”
”…it's my fault for asking you.”
”{Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!}”
He ignored her and clasped his hands together. He then stared at them as if he was trying to find something that wasn't there. After several minutes, the air around his hands began to cool down.
He couldn't see it… He wondered where his mana circulated. His internal force was bristling inside his cells. His soul power sprung and left his soul organ and blanketed his entire body like a highly precise mold. But his mana… where was it?
At some point, he thought that it was the same thing as his soul because each time he called upon them, they would come from the same spot. But, after getting acclimated to it, he noticed a large difference between the two.
His soul power was… well, his soul itself. It was like he had a second, ethereal body hidden under his physical one that acted as a shell. His mana, however, seemed to originate from the soul as well but from somewhere deeper, deeper than even his soul scape.
His mana pool was definitely located somewhere inside there. And whenever he would command it to move, it would come out like a reversed waterfall. Then, he would pull it out of his body and shape it according to his will. That was how he cast his spells.
Reinforcement was different. It entailed keeping his mana inside his body, in a constant state of harmony with his anatomy. Logically, to attain Elemental Reinforcement, what he should do is shape his mana into his Cold Star element while keeping it inside his body.
Which brought the next question; where did his Cold Star affinity come from? Was it something innate to his mana? Did it come from his mind? Or was it also a product of his soul? His instincts were tilting his belief to the latter. In that case, all he needed to do was extract his mana from the usual place then picture the star in his head like he usually does and 'ignite' the mana.
He knew he could do it. In fact, he had the feeling that it would be very easy to do. But something about it irked him. It sounded and felt… ”Inefficient.”
”{Hm? Is something wrong? I can almost hear how hard you're brooding. Is it that hard?}” Higure asked a bit confused.
”Inefficient,” Rakna repeated to her, still focused on his idea. She got even more perplexed and it didn't seem like he was about to explain it to her. ”Both come from the same place but don't work together… The mana is 'bathed' in the 'cold' but the 'cold' itself is not 'inside' it.”
”{…you lost me.}”
[Rakna?] Even Alexa decided to raise her voice. She had never seen him so engrossed.
”In that case… I just have to mix them. But to follow each other, a road is needed…” Rakna muttered and closed his eyes.
The soul had no location, it was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. But, accessing it was possible and his soul organ was the key to that. It was like a gate. Thus, he began the process with it as the center. He commanded all the mana he had to go there, both inside his mana pool and out of it, and the cold air around his hands dispersed as fast as it appeared.
Then, he confined all of that energy around his soul organ. If someone were to see him now, they would notice that he wasn't releasing any mana fluctuation. It was as if he had none.
He began to sweat as it proved itself to be a considerably harder process than he expected. But he didn't stop. He was too far in. The next step was shaping the agglomerate of mana. He breathed in and the image of a cold star surfaced in his mind. The mana started turning cold, chaotic, and barely restrained.
”{H-hey, Rakna? What are you doing? Something weird is going on in your soul realm,}” Higure said with a worried tone and it was accompanied by the cries of Rexam and Fenriu.
”Keep quiet,” Rakna finally responded to her and she became silent in shock.
At that point, he was barely able to not lose control. He wasn't in pain or anything but something told him that if he let go now, it wouldn't be pretty.
From the outside, something happened to his body. In the center of his chest, a glaring blue light was flickering whilst producing some mist. His tails and ears were also being affected, gradually becoming entirely white with a faint icy hue, just like when he used the Cold Star Manifestation.
The final step Rakna had envisioned involved his soul power. After confining all of his mana and converting it into a nearly uncontrollable cold energy, he pumped his Soul Core like never before and encased it with soul power.
What happened afterward was completely out of his control. His soul power burst like a balloon being popped. It undulated all around his body before abruptly settling down. Right after, it began to form systematic and orderly pathways from his soul organ to everywhere else.
They reached the tips of his fingers, his hair, his ears, and even his tails. This progression took less than a second and the soul power was cemented in place.
Then, on cue, the cold mana burst out of its confinement. But, unlike before, it didn't randomly spread across his body but filled the soul pathways like water flowing through canals. That's when Rakna opened his eyes with a gasp and saw the visible skin of his hands covered in azure lines.
They were sometimes geometrical, sometimes curved, sometimes linear, but jointly, they formed an organized and solid network. At the same time, Rakna saw that his hair, tails, and ears were not only completely white but were also releasing a cold mist.
He lifted his hand to look at the strange pulsing lines and clenched his fist, reveling in the strange sense of 'completion' he was experiencing. Then, after a few seconds, he decided to power down his mana, and the lines faded away.
At the same time, his hair and fur reverted to black as if the white had left along with the dispersing mist. Intriguingly, the tips were now black again; in a state preceding the awakening of his magic.
”{Did you just… make…?}” Higure sounded dumbfounded, struggling with her words. Rakna was about to say something when the System finally reacted to what he had done.
⠀
❮ ◈ ❯
⠀
Magic Theory has leveled up!
Mana Sense has leveled up!
Mana Control has leveled up!
Mana Control has entered Exceled State!
Soul Sense has leveled up!
Soul Breath has leveled up!
Eyes of the Soul has entered Exceled State!
Soul Core has entered Exceled State!
⠀
---
⠀
You have reached an epiphany.
Soul is Mana. Mana is Soul.
The World Generates and Creates.
You have successfully carved your Magic Circuits.
⠀
---
⠀
Internalized Magic Circuits
⠀
Magic Circuits are the source of the Worldly Energies. They channel them into Existence since the dawn of time. They are everywhere, in everything. Their role has always been to provide mortals the gift of strength.
Mana, Ether, Chakra, Qi… All of them are given by the Magic Circuits to the souls of mortals seeking them. They are said to take root in the essence of Death and Life and are intrinsically connected to every living soul.