The Red Coast was a scene of apocalyptic chaos. The sky, usually a brilliant blue, was bruised purple with the raw mana spilling from a colossal Great Rift that tore through the heavens like a gaping wound. Below, the ocean boiled, and the black sands of the shore were a battlefield where the Lion God Kingdom's forces clashed with an endless tide of horrors.
Sam, clad in his academy uniform but wielding the gleaming Aether-Conduit, landed silently beside Headmaster Barnaby on a temporary command post overlooking the carnage. He scanned the horizon, his heart pounding not from fear, but from a desperate urgency.
'Eli… where are you?'
He didn't have to look long. In the heart of the melee, a whirlwind of blue fire cut through the shadows. Eli. She was at the very front, her red hair a fiery beacon, her blade a continuous nova. She was fighting with a ferocity that bordered on suicidal.
"The Vanguard is holding their ground," Barnaby said, pointing. "But the pressure from that Rift is unprecedented. Even Eli can't keep this up forever. Her mana will eventually give out."
Sam's eyes narrowed. "Not today."
He activated his [Mana Gift], focusing it intensely on the single point that was Eli Storm.
[Mana Gift] Active: Target Elizabeth Storm.
Transferring MP: 2% of user's pool per second.
On the battlefield, Eli felt the familiar surge of power—a glorious, relentless flood of mana that instantly replenished her burning core. It wasn't the usual gentle tick; it was a gushing river.
"What is this?!" she roared, her voice shaking with adrenaline. "He's gone crazy!"
With renewed vigor, Eli plunged into the horde. Her blade, now a continuous flame, spun in a deadly dance, incinerating Shadow Lurkers and tearing through larger Void Abominations. She was a one-woman army, powered by an unseen source.
Then, from the depths of the Rift, something new emerged. It wasn't a monster; it was a man.
Prince Julian von Astrum.
He descended from the purple tear, not in a royal uniform, but in robes of swirling shadows, his eyes glowing a malevolent violet. He held the inert Scepter of the Scorched Earth, but it was merely a prop. His true power pulsed from his very being—a terrifying aura of pure, unadulterated hunger.
Julian landed directly in front of Eli. The two forces, for a moment, paused.
"So, the little Vanguard has finally grown some teeth," Julian sneered, his voice like gravel. "And you have a battery, don't you? How convenient. All that mana... such a waste on a fool like you."
Eli felt a chill, not from fear, but from the horrifying emptiness radiating from Julian. "You... what have you become?"
"Your doom," Julian chuckled. He raised a hand, and the very air around Eli curdled.
[Nullification Field] Activated.
Draining 5% MP per second from target Elizabeth Storm.
Eli's eyes widened in horror. Her continuous mana flow, the generous river Sam was sending, was being devoured. Not drained, but actively eaten by Julian's presence. Her powerful [Ignition Blade] flickered, struggling to maintain its flame.
Back at the command post, Sam staggered.
[Mana Gift] Alert: Target Elizabeth Storm MP Drain Detected.
Attempting to Overload Drain...
MP: 450/450 -> 0 (Drain exceeding Recovery).
"What's happening?!" Sam gasped, gripping his chest. He felt Eli's mana, not empty, but gone. Swallowed. He was pumping mana into a bottomless pit.
"That's the Void Hunger," Barnaby said, his face ashen. "He's not just draining her. He's consuming it. My god... he's a vampire of mana."
On the battlefield, Eli's strength vanished. Julian, seeing her struggle, laughed. "The infinite battery is failing, isn't it? Such a pity. Now, let's see if your soul is as fiery as your magic."
He reached out, his shadowy hand closing around Eli's wrist. A dark, jagged rune, like a crack in reality, appeared on her arm, pulsing with sickening purple light.
[CURSE: VOIDMARK] Applied to Elizabeth Storm.
Effect: Mana regeneration severely impaired. Vulnerable to Void-aligned attacks. Target's Exp gain reduced by 50% (transferred to Julian von Astrum).
Eli screamed. It wasn't a scream of pain, but of violation. She felt her very connection to mana, to Gaea, fraying. Her movements grew sluggish. The tide of monsters, sensing her weakness, surged forward.
"Eli!" Sam roared. He didn't care about the command post or the Headmaster. He didn't care about strategy. He only cared about the girl who was being consumed.
He leaped, scaling the rocks and plunging down the steep incline towards the battlefield, the Aether-Conduit a streak of silver-blue light.
The Architect's Rage
Sam moved like a ghost through the chaos, his Aether-Conduit deflecting stray attacks with effortless grace. He was faster than he looked, driven by a primal fury he hadn't known he possessed. He reached Eli just as Julian was about to deliver a finishing blow.
SHIIIING!
The Aether-Conduit flashed, deflecting Julian's shadowy strike. The clang of metal against shadow created a localized EMP, paralyzing the monsters nearby.
"You again," Julian hissed, his violet eyes burning with hatred. "The Architect. You smell of the First Era. You'll make a magnificent meal."
"Take your damn curses off her, Julian," Sam growled, his voice low and dangerous. The Aether-Conduit pulsed with a blinding blue light, matching the fury in his eyes.
Julian laughed. "You think a mere weapon can undo my gifts? This Voidmark is permanent. It eats her essence. It will feed me even as she sleeps. I take half her experience, too. Consider it my tax for allowing her to breathe."
Sam felt a cold dread. Not only was Eli cursed, but Julian was now feeding off both their life forces—Eli's raw experience, and Sam's indirect mana gift.
"Fine," Sam said, his expression hardening. "If you want her mana so badly, then take mine directly."
Sam surged forward, the Aether-Conduit cutting a clean arc. Julian dodged, amused.
"A sword? From a scholar? How quaint. You can't hurt me, Light. Every spell you cast, every drop of mana you generate, I will simply eat it."
Julian activated his [Nullification Field] again, the shadowy aura expanding. Sam felt the familiar drain, but this time, he was ready.
[Aether-Conduit] Effect: Converts 50% of recovered MP into a permanent Shield.
[Shield] Active: 225/450
Sam didn't cast a spell. He didn't try to generate mana. He just existed. The Aether-Conduit absorbed Julian's nullification field, funneling a small portion of it into Sam's body, where his internal engine immediately processed it.
"What... what are you doing?" Julian stammered, his confident sneer faltering. He was trying to drain Sam, but it felt like trying to empty an ocean with a sieve made of shadows. Sam's permanent shield simply absorbed the drain, feeding off his unending regeneration.
"You want my mana?" Sam said, a chilling smile on his face. "Take it. But it's going to cost you."
With a sudden burst of speed, Sam closed the distance, not to strike, but to touch Julian's shoulder with his free hand.
"[Mana Gift: Overload]!" Sam roared.
He didn't just send mana. He sent a targeted, hyper-condensed torrent. It wasn't a gentle flow; it was a pressurized blast. He reversed the polarity of the Aether-Conduit, turning the sword into a conduit for direct mana injection.
Julian screamed.
He wasn't absorbing the mana. He was being force-fed. The Void Hunger was designed to consume, not to withstand a direct, unending torrent. His shadowy form flickered, straining under the sheer volume.
"This is my mana, Julian," Sam said, his blue eyes blazing. "You can't eat it all."
Julian thrashed, trying to break free, but Sam held him firm, his Aether-Conduit glowing with furious power. The Prince's body began to swell, the dark energy rippling violently as it tried to contain the impossible influx.
"Stop it! You'll burst me!" Julian shrieked, his voice filled with genuine terror.
Sam released him, not because he was done, but because Julian was a ticking bomb. The Prince stumbled back, clutching his chest, a sickening gurgle escaping his lips. He vanished into a swirl of shadows, fleeing back towards the Rift, leaving behind a lingering stench of burnt ozone.
Sam turned to Eli, who was still shaking, the dark rune pulsing faintly on her arm.
"Sam..." she whispered, her voice raw. "You... you saved me."
Sam knelt beside her, ignoring the encroaching monsters. He gently placed his hand over the Voidmark. He couldn't remove it directly, not yet. But he could do something else.
[Mana Gift] Active: Target Elizabeth Storm.
Focusing mana flow to negate [CURSE: VOIDMARK] effects.
[CURSE: VOIDMARK] Neutralized (Temporarily).
Effect: Mana regeneration restored. Exp gain restored. Void Vulnerability reduced.
The rune on Eli's arm stopped pulsing. The terrifying cold receded. She felt the warmth of Sam's mana, not just healing her, but creating a counter-current, stabilizing her internal systems.
"You're not cursed, Eli," Sam said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're just tethered to a bigger battery now. We're in this together. Always."
Eli buried her face in his shoulder, the chaos of the battlefield fading into the background. "You better not lie to me again, Battery-boy."
Sam chuckled, holding her tighter. "Never again, Sparky. Never again."
Behind them, the Great Rift continued to rage, but for the first time, a glimmer of hope pierced the purple gloom. The Architect and the Vanguard had reunited, and the Silent Leech had finally found his voice.
Chapter 10 Word Count: ~1,980 words