125 Origin (1/2)
But just like everyone else, she would learn soon enough. If I had anything to say about it, my mana generation would be the talk of legends. Amara gestured towards me with a palm,
“You may begin the test.”
I grinned, siphoning out about 100,000 health regen from the cipher on my arm. The mana radiated from my skin like a far off earthquake. Amara’s eyes widened,
“I’m impressed. You’ve already exceeded what I expected from you. It isn’t enough, however.”
An aura of calm emanated from her skin, a gentle blue overwhelming the chaos of my red mana. Her grin grew, “It seems as though you’ve been overwhelmed.”
I matched her mana, my mana canceling out hers. I pretended like I was straining to add unnecessary drama. Sometimes it’s fun to play jokes on people after all, so I grunted out,
“Not quite. I haven’t given it all I’ve got.”
Yawm covered his mouth, holding his laugh in. I quashed my own smile so it wouldn’t give me away. Amara clapped her hands as she giggled,
“Hehehe, it seems as though you have quite the energy in you. How about this then?”
She doubled her output, her aura overwhelming mine with ease. She reached out a hand, her eye facing mine. I noticed the iris was a sky blue, making the eye pop on her pale skin. That eye strained as she maintained 400,000 mana regeneration.
It was near her limit. I grit my teeth and clenched my fists, increasing my mana generation at a steady pace. I began humming out as the energy increased. Amara stared at me in disbelief as my mana generation eclipsed hers, though barely.
I struggled out my words with an immense yet false effort,
“I...I won’t be eaten...I won’t.”
She raised both her hands, her breathing relaxing. As she calmed down, her mana output increased. As if she were meditating, she reached the apex of her mana generation. She spoke with a serene calm,
“And you’ve been outdone again.”
I laughed, “Really now?”
In an instant, I doubled my mana generation. Carmine colored lightning arced across the room, singing spots of the walls. The aura was like evaporated violence, giving the air an electric vibrance. The relaxing immanence of Amara was quelled into oblivion.
She gasped, “I...I can’t believe it.”
I laughed as I reached out with Event Horizon. I poured the aura over the creatures above us. As I did, I gained even more mana generation than I could make. Yet again I doubled my mana generation, reaching 1.6 million mana a minute.
I felt like a damn super saiyan as my mana coursed through me. My aura warped the gravity and space near me, making the air around us thick and heavy, like lead. The energy rippled out in waves, pulsing outwards with physical force. The aura was bright, like a crimson flare. It was a sight to behold.
Yawm clapped his hands a few times, “Impressive. This display out does the one you showed when we first met. I’m in awe.”
I raised a finger with a sly grin, “I want to see how high I can go with it.”
I reached out, covering dozens of creatures floating above us. Their natural resilience turned into even more mana generation for me. Higher and higher I pushed it. I even dipped into my health some, letting me reach two million health regen. As I achieved that feat, Amara stumbled backwards, her mouth gaping in shock.
She pointed a shaking hand up at me, “How is that even possible? You’re only level 3,000.”
I shrugged before raising my fists,
“I’m called the Harbinger for a reason.”
I stood up, soaking in the excessive amount of energy. I’m not gonna lie, I felt like a god for a few seconds.
I didn’t want to get too cocky though, so I pulled in Event Horizon and simmered down. Without delay, the energy ceased like a boulder falling on a fountain. A few seconds later, and my health was backup to full. I siphoned my mana back into my cipher, powering the runic inscription.
I walked up to Amara, offering her a hand,
“Come on, you have a lot to show us.”
It took her a few seconds before she reached up with her hand. Instead of grabbing it, I grabbed her wrist and pulled. After she stood, she rubbed her wrist,
“Thank you for not clenching my eye.”
I gave her a thumbs up, “No problem.”
Yawm placed a hand on my shoulder, “You’re only level 3,000 then?”
I shrugged, “You of all people know how little that number matters.” I met Yawm’s eye,
“I’m ready and waiting if you want a real fight though.”
With the afterglow of the energy surge, my confidence was sky high. So high in fact that Yawm starred in surprise for a few seconds. After a moment passed, he let out a deep chuckle. He pat my back with force, the sound echoing through his viewing room,
“Of course I want to fight a worthy warrior, but that will have to wait. As you’ve said before, fighting accomplishes nothing.” He opened a hand towards Amara, “We have a guide who can open a new world to us. Let’s focus on opening that chapter instead.”
There wasn’t fear in his voice, but there was a begrudging respect. He took a step towards the exit of the room,
“Come. If we are to hear her out, then my study is the natural place for it.”
We walked down the spiral staircase, the wonders of the deep wondering around us. Every creature shifted and swam with extreme activity. It was because of Event Horizon. Yawm glanced around, noticing the shift,
“Hmmm...They must have sensed the surge of mana as well.”
While we walked, Yawm pondered for a while. I had a solid guess about what he was wondering about. Amara let it slip that I was around level 3,000. No matter what my mana looked like from the outside, Yawm would be curious now. It looked like she sparked his suspicion.
It wouldn’t be long now. If I was lucky, he might only tear my flesh off and use me as a mana battery for other experiments. If I wasn’t so lucky, then he might try to take my armor off and wear it as his own...
I silenced my anxiety, letting myself relax. There was nothing more I could do right now. Learning the cipher from a pro was about as good as it gets for self improvement. Especially considering I could encode it into my armor. With her help, I’d be able to amp up my rune’s efficiency.
Either that or I would need to get a bit more risky with my own formulas. Regardless, I turned around towards Amara. She was wheezing, each breath pained. I thought about it for a bit. She just escaped a prison she’d been in for god knows how long. She needed sleep for a while, so I tapped Yawm’s shoulder.
He turned his head towards me, “What is it?”
I pointed at Amara, “I think she needs some sleep, or at least to lay down. She has been imprisoned then transported across dimensions all over the course of an hour.”
Yawm stopped walking. He turned towards her, smacking his forehead,
“Of course she needs rest. What am I even thinking. I’m so lost in thought that I didn’t even see what was right in front of me.”
Yawm snapped his fingers. A few seconds later, Keeja walked out from a hallway nearby. With his blank stare and monotone movements, he floated along like a spectre. Once he reached Amara, they seemed like a natural couple as he bowed to her,
“Hello miss Amara, I will show you to your new room so that you may rest.”
Amara glanced at us with her hands, then back towards Keeja. She followed him, her knees shaking a bit. Yawm opened the door of his study then turned towards me.
“Do you have some time to talk?”
I nodded, “Of course.”
We walked into his study. The tombs lined the bookshelves of the room. Yawm reached near his desk, right where lights of the room where brightest. From all sides, the phosphorescent lights bled inside. Yawm took a chair and set it down in front of him. After that, he walked over and set down a chair for him to sit down.
My nerves were already getting to me. He gestured towards the chair,
“Sit, if you would.”
I walked up and sat on the chair. He walked towards a window, letting his gaze wonder outside. Yawm waved his hand and Keeja walked into the building from inside, carrying his favorite kind of tea. Yawm sat into a chair in front of me, Keeja walking by and handing us our beverages.
Yawm sipped on it, the warm aroma of coffee and vanilla floating in the air,
“Is there something you wish to tell me?”
I sipped my tea, but my heart seized in chest. I ignored that sensation, crushing it with my mind as I spoke with a casual ease,
“Do I seem worried or something?”
Yawm tapped the edge of his teacup for a second before speaking.
“I’ve noticed that you seem stressed, if not outright mortified at times. I’ve been alive for a long time. Sensing something like an increase in someone’s heartbeat or seeing some discomfort isn’t too difficult for me, as you may imagine.”
Yawm pointed towards me, “That is what makes me wonder about you. That, among other signs.”