Episode 19 – Distance Test (Part 2) (1/2)

The first unexpected anomaly appeared when Elaru passed the 5 k pain in his heart His breath hitched in his throat and his pupils dilated

After the initial spike, the pain dulled, leaving behind only a slight stinging sensation and an unco down his spine

Was it caused by a soul tendril snapping? Kiel couldn’t be sure However, as the distance grew, the stinging pain periodically reappeared, sharper every time

Soon, the previous chill turned into a full blow discomfort that he couldn’t quite explain It didn’t feel like physical discomfort Rather, it felt similar to nervousness or panic, maybe even fear

The larger the distance between therew unbearable to the point of feeling like an itch that you just couldn’t scratch

Kiel’s aura becae The feeling left a bitter taste in hisa non-h he knew that this state was only te at him from inside

The periodic stinging pain increased in frequency along with the distance until the pricks of a needle turned into full-blown knife stabs His senses dulled, trying to keep the pain fro with his bodily functions

As the state of their bodies beca their concentration and i unstable, as if one was trying to write with a shaking hand

Quickly, their abilities started degrading until they reached an ability expected fro the ic felt difficult It felt as if the spells that were supposed be like their own li numb

“Soht” Kiel frowned “Even if our bodies were in a worse condition, even if ere in e hit”

“You are right” Elaru sighed dejectedly “The proble less mana as well”

Kiel’s eyes widened in realization The body wasn’t the only thing that needed mana to survive!

His Mind, the ethereal projection of his consciousness, the embodiment of what made him who he was, the part of hiht about it, the part that weaved mana and controlled the spells - it was sustained by mana!

Usually, the Mind would be glued to the flat side of the soul, where tendrils didn’t grow, and it would constantly suck ed that His soul and Mind were no longer in direct contact His soul ho knohere, and his Mind was now rooted in his arht where the mark of the Aetherneal bond was situated

Elaru told him previously that the mark was linked to the soul, and it would transfer mana to him This mark, was a proxy, a substitute for the soul That was probably why his Mind had switched its target to the mark

As he observed the mark, he noticed that the ae in any ith the distance

That was a good thing However, Kiel’s expression darkened

The soul was almost completely detached froh mana The only way for the body to receive extra h the mark The mana that was usually completely monopolized by the Mind would need to be shared with the body

Neither the Mind nor the body would get enough energy to function properly And if the Mind was not getting enough energy, the ability to cast and control ic would deteriorate - exactly like it had

But that was only the first step His concentration and even ability to think clearly would be impacted if this continued In the worst case scenario, he would lose consciousness or enter a coh, it would be daht never awaken

The question ould fail first? The body or the Mind?

Did it even matter? The result didn’t differ by much

The pressure kept building inside their chests It became harder and harder to breathe At the distance of 10 k became a health hazard, and Elaru was forced to proceeded on foot This was also the distance in which Kiel lost the ability to hold up his e armor Not only was there too little e armor, but even the little mana that was left went co around his

He was naked, unprotected Any random person could come in and end him Every second in this state seemed to last like hours Insecurity, dread, and vulnerability clouded his mind

Elaru’s mental state seemed to be ht hiht relief fro his mind back into clarity, if only for a short moment He didn’t know if it was because she would shi+ft his concentration away from the pain, because her voice was pleasant to the ear, or because the cal else entirely

He couldn’t understand how she could retain her cool in this situation The graver the situation, the calot pushed out of her head, replaced by quiet apathy She was alert, in control and without fears or regrets

She stood fir both of the about It wasn’t that she was optier He felt confidence within her Confidence that she could handle whatever came her way