----Page 3----
The forest was silent again, but it wasn't peaceful. It felt like something was waiting.
The dungeon behind us still breathed faintly, a wound in the earth that refused to close.
The Chronicle was at my side, its cover warm and surprisingly calm. I still felt the echo of Arin's memories from the previous night his pain and guilt were etched in my mind.
Lysera stood a few paces away, her silver hair reflecting the fire's light.
"You felt it, didn't you, Master?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah… it's like my strength was being sucked right out of me," I admitted, shivering slightly.
"That was mana exhaustion," she said.
"It seems like your body wasn't yet fully in synch with the Chronicle. Unfortunately, if you continue using it's power without knowing how to use it. It might end killing you, Master."
"Yeah you're probably right about that"
"However..."
I clenched my fists.
"Then teach me."
Her eyes softened briefly, then she pointed toward the clearing.
"Then we begin."
Lysera drew a circle in the dirt with symbols I didn't recognize.
"Sit here. Focus on your breathing. Feel the energy inside you not from the Chronicle, but your own."
I sat cross-legged, eyes closed. The air around me hummed faintly. I could feel warmth somewhere deep, pulsing with my heartbeat.
"That's mana," Lysera said.
"The soul made motion. It answers emotion, thought, and will. Fire, water, shadow all start here."
"Feels like fire," I said.
"Then learn to control it before it burns you," Lysera said.
I tried. Again. And again. Every time I reached for the warmth, it surged too strongly.
It threw me backward or scorched my skin. My chest ached, and sweat ran down my face.
Lysera's voice remained steady, but her presence was intense.
"Control, not strength. The Chronicle can't serve someone who can't master himself."
By the fifth try, I could make the mana flow through my arms without losing control. A faint glow appeared around my hand. It wasn't much, but it was mine.
Arin watched from the edge of the clearing, sketching symbols onto parchment.
"You look like you're wrestling the air," he said with a grin.
I sighed.
"Feels like it."
He crouched beside me, studying the ground.
"This place is strange. The mana lines are thick here. I marked them on the map."
"You're mapping again?"
He shrugged.
"Someone has to make sure we don't walk into death next time."
Lysera nodded to him.
"You have the instincts of a scout. Keep sharpening them. Survival starts with awareness."
By afternoon, we moved deeper into the forest. The trees grew darker, and the air colder. Fog clung to the roots.
"Something's wrong," Arin whispered, crouching. His eyes moved between the trees.
"There's movement. Four no, five of them."
Lysera didn't move.
"Forest wights. Drawn to mana. This will be your trial."
I swallowed. "You're not helping?"
"I will not rob you of growth."
The first wight lunged a twisted creature of bark and sinew. Its glowing green eyes locked onto us, sap dripping from its mouth.
I raised my hand and formed a barrier. The creature slammed into it, and the shield cracked but held. My arms shook.
"Now!" I shouted.
Arin darted to the side. He kicked dust into the air a pouch of shimmering powder he'd collected. The wight's eyes dimmed, and its movements slowed.
"Kinon! Hit its core!"
I focused everything into one strike. Mana surged through my blade, cutting through the wight's chest. It screeched and collapsed into ash.
Two more came from behind. Arin whistled, drawing their attention, then dove behind a rock. One wight followed him, stepping into a pit he'd set lined with jagged roots. It fell, impaled and thrashing.
The last one lunged at me. I turned too slow until Lysera's voice cut through the chaos. "Focus. Flow, don't force."
I exhaled and let the mana move naturally. My blade gleamed blue, slicing through the creature's neck. It turned to dust before hitting the ground.
When silence returned, we were both panting, covered in dirt and sweat.
Lysera approached.
"Crude, but effective. Coordination compensates for lack of strength. Remember that."
Arin grinned.
"You hear that, Kinon? She said we were effective."
"Yeah," I said, leaning on my sword.
"After almost dying three times."
Over the next few days, we fought more of those things. Sometimes one. Sometimes packs. Each time, we grew faster and smoother.
Arin scouted ahead, marking danger zones, laying traps, or mapping paths. His senses sharpened. He noticed things I couldn't the smell of mana corruption, the shift in air pressure.
He started calling out warnings just before monsters appeared.
It saved my life more than once.
Sometimes I'd shield him. Sometimes he'd drag me out of danger.
Little by little, our rhythm became seamless.
Lysera always watched.
"Instinct forged in blood," she said once.
"That is how warriors are made."
That night, after defeating another wight pack, the Chronicle stirred. Its pages glowed, words forming across the surface.
[System Resonance Detected]
[Trial Complete Synchronization Achieved]
The light split into two threads one touching me, one reaching Arin.
[Ability Gained Kinon: Mana Channeling I]
Allows natural flow of mana through the body. Enables basic elemental shaping and barrier formation.
[Ability Gained Arin: Seeker Instinct I]
Heightens perception. Detects mana signatures, traps, or hidden lifeforms within short range. Reaction speed increased slightly when danger is near.
Arin's eyes widened as the mark on his hand pulsed.
"I can sense things. Like the forest is breathing."
The Chronicle glowed brighter, opening to a new blank page. Then, writing filled it.
[New Section: Monster Codex Created]
Each defeated creature adds its essence to the Chronicle. If the bearer absorbs a skill, the monster's record becomes permanent.
An illustration of the Forest Wight appeared.
My breath caught.
"It's recording them?"
Lysera nodded. "Not recording evolving. Every victory adds to its story. Every skill you take strengthens its pages."
"Wait," I said. "You mean I can learn their abilities?"
"If you manage to defeat them personally," she replied.
"The Chronicle allows you to learn their skills." Lysera added.
The image shimmered, and new words appeared beneath it:
The air in the chamber grew colder the deeper we stepped inside. My chest tightened, and a dark hum thrummed through the stone floor.
Then I saw it.
A humanoid figure emerged from the shadows. Its skin was pale gray, almost translucent. Empty eye sockets glowed with faint green light. Its movements were slow, but deliberate, and I could feel its hunger pressing against me.
"A Wight," Lysera whispered. "Stay sharp."
Before I could react, it lunged. I swung my arms, summoning the Chronicle, but the energy surged too violently and knocked me back. Pain burned my hands and arms.
The Wight moved faster than I expected, its cold aura stealing strength with every touch. My legs wobbled. My chest felt like it was being squeezed.
"Focus, Master Kinon!"
Lysera shouted.
"You must control it, or it will control you instead!"
I gritted my teeth and reached into the warmth of the Chronicle again.
This time, I regain my focus once more. I felt the energy responding to me, shaping into a defensive pulse that shoved the Wight back.
It screeched, a hollow, rasping sound, then retreated into the shadows. Silence returned.
I collapsed to my knees, sweat dripping from my forehead.
[Skill Gained Kinon: Wight's Resilience]
Hardens skin into bark-like armor. Duration scales with mana control.
I felt a pulse inside me.
I could feel it now, a lingering warmth in my body, like my muscles and mana had been reinforced. Surviving that… had made me stronger.
Arin stared at me.
"Th-That thing… it felt like it was sucking the life right out of you."
I nodded, still catching my breath.
"Yeah… but I survived. And now, I feel… different."
Lysera stepped closer.
"The Chronicle grows with you. Each victory writes you deeper into its history."
That night, the fire burned low. Arin sat across from me, cleaning his blade.
"You think this is what strength feels like?" he asked.
I looked at my hands, mana light flickering between my fingers.
"Not yet. But it's a start."
He smiled.
"Guess I'll keep scouting ahead then. Someone has to make sure you don't trip into another monster nest."
I chuckled.
"And I'll make sure you come back from one."
Lysera just watches over us, her hand resting on her sword.
The air grew thicker. The tunnels pulsed with violet light, crystals webbing through the stone. The deeper we went, the heavier the pressure became. It was mana, raw and alive.
Our footsteps echoed. Arin walked ahead, scouting. He'd crouch, feel the ground, and whisper, "Safe."
When the tunnel widened, the sight before us was breathtaking.
A cavern stretched open. Thousands of purple crystals jutted from the walls, casting light across the stone floor. Mana mist drifted through the air.
"It's beautiful," Arin said.
Lysera's gaze was fixed ahead.
"Beauty often hides hunger. This place feeds on what lies beneath."
I frowned. "Feeds?"
She nodded.
"This cavern was not made by nature. It was carved out by a creature that devours mana. The crystals are its waste mana that overflowed and hardened."
A tremor rolled through the ground.
I tightened my grip on my blade. "What kind of creature are we talking about?"
Lysera turned to me.
"The Orrynth. The Devourer of Veins."
The sound of its name felt heavy.
"It burrows through ley lines, drinks the planet's veins dry, and leaves only emptiness behind," she said.
"If you can defeat it, you'll inherit what it could not contain. Power enough to reshape your mana flow."
Arin swallowed.
"And if we can't?"
Lysera's gaze was steady.
"Then you will become part of the crystal walls."
The ground cracked. A deep hum vibrated through the chamber, followed by a blast of air. Crystals shattered.
Then the floor exploded.
A massive creature burst upward, its body covered in crystal plates. Its mouth split open into rows of teeth, dripping mana. Dozens of violet eyes blinked along its sides.
The Orrynth.
Its roar shook the cavern. The mana in the air rippled.
Lysera stepped back.
"Your trial begins. Show me what you've learned."
The Orrynth lunged, slamming its claw down. I barely rolled aside, the impact shattering the floor. Shards of crystal cut into my arm.
"Arin, now!" I shouted.
Arin darted across the battlefield.
"There's a pulse of mana building in its belly!" he called.
"That's the core it's preparing to fire!"
I raised my sword. The Chronicle glowed faintly. A line appeared.
[Mana Pulse Imminent].
I thrust my hand forward. "Mana Barrier!" The shield formed just as the Orrynth unleashed a beam of light. It slammed into my defense, cracking it. I braced myself.
"Kinon, down!" Arin shouted.
I dropped to one knee just as Arin leapt from a rock, landing on the Orrynth's back. He drove a crystal-tipped dagger between its plates. The creature shrieked, throwing him off. He rolled across the floor.
Lysera's voice cut through the noise.
"Good coordination. But you're relying too much on reaction. Feel its rhythm."
I gritted my teeth. "Rhythm?"
"The flow of mana. Every living thing has one. Listen to it!"
I closed my eyes, feeling the pulse of energy. The Orrynth's body thrummed. The next time its chest swelled, I moved first.
I dashed forward, slashing across the joint between its plates. A hiss of vapor burst out. The creature staggered. I jumped aside, striking again, cutting deeper.
"Kinon! The core's exposed!" Arin shouted, pointing to the wound.
"Go!" I yelled.
Arin sprinted, planting a crystal charge beneath the wound. He rolled back just as it detonated, shattering part of the Orrynth's shell. Light poured from within.
I gathered mana, focusing it through my sword.
"Now or never!"
The Orrynth roared, raising both claws. It slammed them down too late. My blade pierced through the cracked core.
The light swallowed everything.
A sound like shattering glass filled the air. The creature convulsed, its form breaking apart. When it collapsed, the cavern fell silent except for the hum of fading mana.
I fell to my knees, panting. The Chronicle floated before me, glowing.
[Orrynth, Devourer of Veins Defeated]
[Skill Acquired: Mana Regeneration I]
Your mana recovers slowly over time. Adaptation rate increases with mental focus.
I exhaled.
Lysera approached.
"Well done. You've proven worthy of the Chronicle's recognition."
Arin walked closer, holding up a shard.
"These crystals are still warm. We can use them mana conductors, maybe."
"Take them," I said.
"We'll need every edge we can get."
Lysera rested her hand on my shoulder.
"This was not only a victory. It was a lesson. You fought as one instinct and trust. Remember that."
Arin smiled.
"Didn't think we'd survive that."
I grinned.
"You did great. I'd be dead without your scouting."
He shrugged.
"Then I'll keep doing it. Can't let the 'Founder King' die before he builds his empire, right?"
I laughed weakly. "Don't call me that."
He just smirked and walked ahead.
As the laughter faded, Lysera's voice softened.
"Master, one thing you must understand. The Chronicle's pages are limitless. The stronger you become, the more it will reveal. Every bond you forge, every victory you earn—it will all be written."
I looked down at the book. Its pages shimmered faintly, and new words appeared. Arin's image was there, drawn in golden ink. His name, his memories, his courage.
I saw flashes—his capture, his guilt for not warning the others, his fear when Rynn betrayed us. His quiet wish to be forgiven.
The vision faded. I looked at him differently then. Not as a follower. As someone whose story had now become part of mine.
The ground rumbled faintly. A low hum echoed through the walls again. Lysera's gaze sharpened.
"This place still lives," she said.
"The Orrynth was not the only one feeding here."
The Chronicle's last page turned on its own, glowing with a single line.
[Unknown Entity Detected — Mana Signature: Incomplete]
I rose to my feet, gripping my sword tighter. My breath steadied. My heart burned with something new resolve.
"Then let's finish what we started."