Chapter 63 - 63. One Hour Left (1/2)

'Arcane, How is the progression?'

[Marrow cells completely replaced. I estimate 60 minutes until the entire body cells are completely replaced]

'Keep me informed at each 10 minutes'

[As you wish]

But Mack could already feel in his bones that a change was occurring in his body, literally.

His healing was improving as new cells replaced the old ones.

The most crucial part was for his body to evolve the marrow cells. The rest of his body cells would be replaced eventually, if given time.

But Mack also knew that if he waited for this to happen outside the runic circle, it could take days or years for that to happen.

Because of this, Mack needed to stay every single minute possible inside the runic circle..

It was not like he had an option either. His bones were still broken, and he was so weak that he could barely lift a finger.

His body had yet to adapt to this new Essence density.

Mack started to chant the mantra again in his mind.

And just like that, time flowed.

[50 minutes remaining]

Mack stopped chanting and tried to firm a hand on the ground. He was trying to sit.

~crack~

His right arm bone broke even more, and a tip came outside of his skin, and blood poured out of it.

Mack could not care less. It was old blood. If he could he would bleed himself out to make things faster, but he barely could sit, he didn't have any strength left on him for anything else.

Mack entered the position of the nameless breathing technique.

But his broken arms and rib cage didn't help.

He would need to improvise today, only mimicking the breathing, without the correct hand positions.

Mack even suspected that the hand positions were only there as a guide for newbies, as what mattered was the breathing pattern and muscle contractions on the solar plexus.

Mack finally could sit.

But the scene looked anything like a movie.

Broken bones, blood pouring out of wounds and around him a runic circle that if looked from afar, looked like someone was inside water or a very dense air atmosphere.

His arms hanging at the side of his body like a doll used by a puppeteer.

But if one looked at mack eyes, they would see how wrong they were.

This man had not eyes of someone that was suffering countless tortures at the same time.

He was furious.

Because in front of him, Raz was fighting alone, dozens and dozens of mages that keep coming in an unending tide.

Raz had not a single rest until now. He was fighting for hours without stopping.

Mack knew that eventually Raz would run out of stamina. He could only hope that he could hang in there for 50 minutes.

As Mack himself could do nothing now unless try to use the mantra and the breathing to speed up the process.

[40 minutes]

Said the Arcane in Mack's mind.

'Will the Essence crystals run out before?'

[Hard to estimate. Right now, both are ending at the same minute in my calculations]

'I'm counting on you. Inform me of any change.'

Said Mack in his mind before refocusing on his mantra and breathing.

[As always, master]

But Mack heard something odd this time.

The word master.

It was the first time the Arcane Legacy used it.

But Mack had no time to lose thinking about this.

He had to focus on healing faster.

And right now the only thing he could do was to use those meditations techniques from the book.

After a few minutes of using both, the breathing and the mantra, the odd feeling of using them at the same time came again, like in previous times. As if both were part of something major but were missing a piece.

Mack stopped.

He looked at Raz fighting and how beautiful his movements were, even being simple and direct. It was like a dance.