Ahead of me, where the titan had existed was now nothing more than a hissing puddle of black goop. It expanded nearly fifty feet outward in a far-ranging circle.
As I raised my hand the light around it warped, shifting the image of my claws like heat waves. Waving my arm worsened the effect and allowed me to feel the heat that remained in the air, supercharged by the oversaturation of light-aspected mana.
Harsh sunlight. Unforgiving, shaped like a blade to burn and purge and annihilate all that stands in its way. It’s bare and blinding so that its enemies will know only its truth, it’s light, it’s heat!
I lowered my hand and tasted burnt metal on my tongue.
“Burnt metal? No. Boiling blood,” I muttered to myself.
For a moment, I thought I was alone but a gasping, wet cough drew my gaze to the furthest corner of untouched sand.
The noble laid there, unmoving except for the spasming chest flailing in its attempt to rise. For some reason, the healers haven’t gotten around to healing the human. And as I approached at a casual gate, I realized that the alarm rings to signify the end of the match hadn’t yet rung.
Interesting. Maybe the noble has the means to heal himself?
But upon stopping next to the dying man I quickly threw away that hypothesis. If he could heal himself he would have rather than he wouldn’t be bleeding out onto the arena floor.
My foot caught his side and lifted his arm. It flopped onto the sand as I pulled back. When I crouched and hovered my hand over his stomach I could sense how badly the ambient mana was affecting him. It invaded his skin and pushed deep.
Nearly placing my hand along his stomach on a patch of exposed skin I stopped. I raised my head and found the announcer floating off to the side atop a disc of light.
“Excuse me, I have a question,” I shouted.
The man looked around first as if searching for someone before looking back at me. Slowly they raised their hand and tapped their collar where an enchanted pin shined in the unnaturaly-bright sky.
“Yes?” he said, his voice barely filtering through the screaming from the audience.
Voice isn’t enhanced. Destroyed enchantment when the sword cleaved the spirit? Most likely.
“Is the match over? I’d prefer keeping this human alive. If not, he’ll bleed out within the next minute,” I explained.
The announcer’s eyes widened into saucer plates.
“O-oh! Uhhm. I think you…”
I removed my hand and stood up. “I see. If that’s the case, I won’t be eliminated on suspicion. I suggest you end the match and allow a healer to attend to his wounds.”
The announcer sputtered and returned to frantically looking around. Whoever he was searching for wasn’t visible, at least not to him.
Should retreat a practical distance. Can’t be accused of tampering with his body.
Before I could walk away, a mental knock tapped my thoughts. Curious, I opened myself up to allow it in and recoiled at the booming voice that echoed through the link.
“Ignore the announcer. Heal the noble and I’ll avoid pummeling you to mincemeat for that stunt you pulled,” Myol rumbled.
I stopped long enough to turn and face the direction where I sensed the mental energy originating from. Even without Galarion, I had enough experience and mana sense to trace the link to its source. Knowing she could probably see me, I waved with a smile and returned to crouching.
My fingers grazed the human’s skin and lightly pressed down. The shadows around my fingers reacted in a volatile snap of pressure that repelled my hand. On a whim, I pulled from Erebus to guide the shadows outward and surround the chitin. From white to black thick thread-like material covered the bone and wrist stopping just shy of my elbow.
When I pushed down once more, the mana attempted to chew through the fabric but was unable to damage it long enough before Erebus helped weave more of the material to replace what had frayed.
The human’s struggle continued underneath my palm but was slowing down. His chest rose slower and slower, with his skin turning pale. The area around his lips and the tips of his fingernails took on a shade of blue.
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Thankfully, due to the nature of Erebus’ threads, the death mana contained within was harmless with the fabric whole. It helped remove the heat and the light around the exposed skin, clearing away a hand-sized space untouched by the aggravating foreign mana pushing into his channels.
“I’m dropping the transformation. Thank you for the help, Erebus. I’ll find a satisfiable skeleton as your reward. Any preferences?”
Erebus released a low humming screech that shifted into a high-pitch warble before sending over a flashing image of a human femur. From the complex web of emotions packed with the image, I understood the gist of his desire.
“Something thick then. Understood. Enjoy the rest, Erebus.”
I deactivated Spirit Lord’s Invocation and closed my eyes. The shadows retreated and with it the cold cool shell around my limbs. Strangely enough, an itching sensation retracted from my back and I ran my hand across my shoulder blades.
Extended bumps retreated into my skin, managing to knick my thumb before it returned to smooth skin underneath the hoodie.
That’s right… Before tier one, there were little bumps.
But there had only been two before, one on each side of my spine. This time I felt four, two sets vertically aligned below my shoulder blades. It was something to have Celenae look at later, for now, I called áine and reactivated my skill. Her body broke down and my hands turned slightly gold in color as the root tattoos spread upward and toward my chest. The effects were glaringly different, and even with áine’s transformation in place, the residual shadows around my body continued to act differently.
Now that I paid attention, I watched my shadow move a fraction of a second slower before it wobbled and snapped into place. Using a single thread, I activated the healing skill and sent mana throughout my chest, searching for injuries. Beyond some sun damage along my tail, I was surprisingly fine.
But fine didn’t mean I had a clean bill of health. I was right, the shadows were pooled beneath me and disjointed. Upon closer inspection, miniature thread helped attach fabric-like tendrils beneath my feet. They dipped below the ground and through the sand into the shadowplane.
That’s… Not right. I’ll have to ask Isaac for some help.
“What are you waiting for? Heal him,” Myol commanded, jarring me from my thoughts.
Gently, I tore open his shirt underneath the leather vest and placed my palm against his sternum. Healing energy expanded outward and into his chest, rooting throughout his channels. A dozen seconds passed and I stopped, adjusting my hand to slide upward and rest atop his right hip.
The initial diagnosis wasn’t good. While the light mana had failed to penetrate too deeply into my body, the same couldn’t be said for the noble. Isaac Ajestella’s mana channels were a mess. The pitiful amount of mana running through his body actively fought against the light mana seeping in. Fighting and failing to push it out.
A fleeting section of mana’s ‘flavor’ came to mind.
“Harsh. Unforgiving and to purge. Light and heat. You’re a scary woman Myol.”
She barked a grunt in response. “Flattery gets you nothing. Can you heal him?”
“Already am. Was adjusting the access point to target the worst of the mana poisoning. And while I do this, can you tell me why the official healers aren’t stepping in? Especially that one guy I met before.”
Green light with gold swirls rushed across the noble’s skin and began the repairs. When it encountered the mana it fought back, cutting at áine’s skill. But it wasn’t active nor sentient. It didn’t have a wielder to wield the blade, merely the echoes of a will imprinted into its design. And while áine struggled with fire-aspected mana, heat didn’t react the same way.
The more I healed using áine’s transformation and sifting through her memories when she activated her skill the more I realized that nature was far too complex of an element. Unlike basic elemental skills–it took the primordial element type and mixed it with earth, water, and light. It blended the ratios so finely and wove them into an element that embodied the growth of earth bolstered by life. Tempering it with water to prevent its stasis and then adding light to the mix to aid in the speed and ephemeral nature only further complicated the mix.
On the surface, I use mana and mana heals with the aftertaste of berries and flowers. But deep down, I could only shrug my head.
At least for now, I didn’t need the full understanding to manipulate the healing energy and conquer the light mana. It blunted its edges, chipping away the heat and wresting control of the light to further soothe Isaac’s injuries. Alone and isolated, I beat the remnants and fixed him whole.
Pale skin turned healthy pink, and his chest rose once more. His eyes stayed shut but he groaned and rotated his head.
“Mmmmnnng. It feels so good Maria…” Isaac murmured.
I removed my hand and lightly slapped his knee. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Standing up, I stretched and headed for my spear. At some point, it had slipped from my grasp and remained standing in the sand. With a quick flick from my tail, I pried it from the earth and caught it before resting it against my shoulder.
“I take it you want to talk about what happened?” I waited but there was no response. “Or not? You never answered my question about the healers either.”
Another grunt, sharper and more gravelly echoed in my head. “You’re lucky. I have something to deal with first.”
“This mean I’m off the hook? If so, I'm returning to my booth.”
“It means I will find you later! Now get out of my arena before I slap you silly, you cocky idiot!”
Taking the miracle for what it was, I skedaddled and rushed through the tunnels. Hesitating only slightly, I peered around the corner to see if Myol would be there glaring at me, but surprisingly she was absent. I did note however that the enchantments along the walls were going haywire.
A couple of breaks throughout the runic lines saw the mana flash and push into the stone with no effect.
“Yeah, not good. Better get to the booth.”
Easier said than done, I forced my way through the standing crowd. People were calm but pockets gathered, creating living walls that required muscling through. While making my way to the booth I noted more of the failing enchantments with a wince.
Whatever the shadow spirit had done when it breached into our realm, its effects were widespread.
After prying through two burly beastkins I squeezed through the last gap and came to a stop. Sighing in relief, I pushed through the enchanted door of the booth to find my arms grabbed by cold tendrils that snaked up to my shoulders. It pulled me inside and the door shut with a loud bang!
I waved innocently at the faces turned my way.
“Did you enjoy the fight?”