Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter. I've been busy with a move and other things. If anyone spots problems, let me know. And once again, thanks for reading.

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Chapter 5

Magic poured through Ashley’s body, causing every nerve to come alive. According to Shia, magic would normally pool at the center of the body, but it wasn’t connected directly to the body itself. Shia called it a mana field, since though it started at the center of an enchantress’s being, it would quickly expand. Mana would usually pour in from the environment when a spell was being prepared, becoming denser as over time, the connection between the enchantress and the magics of the world around her growing. It was why magic users could normally feel the strength of one another.

With Ashley it was different. The mana was filtering through her ki channels, passing through her acupuncture points, and being refined with each churning pass. The mana was growing denser by the minute. The cultivation methods that the Circle used was bent on heightening sensitivity and fine manipulation of the external environment; In this way they were able to form the structure of their spells. Ki manipulation, what was taught to the men of the military, was different. Ki cultivating was based on a long, arduous process of internal manipulation, refinement, and body restructuring. Ki channels were strengthened over time, expanded, rewoven, and expanded again. This continued until a core was formed though Ashley knew little about that. The process of forming a core was done by few, and was supposed to take decades, since altering ones own ki pathways was ultimately a violent and strenuous process.

The mana didn’t seem to care for what ‘should’ be. Since the first moment mana had flooded her body, it began pouring through her ki channels continuously. Something about the changes the goddess had done to her when she was remade, caused mana to have a healing effect on her. The ki channels were rewoven almost as soon as they were expanded. The same was true for the acupuncture points. As soon as the mana flooding them burst them, they were rewoven, and began filtering and refining them again. Ashley could feel the difference, from the slow trickle of ki her body naturally generated, which was simply a portion of her life force being refined, and the magic that permeated the natural world.

“I’m not sure why this isn’t working...” Shia said with a frown, concerned. She had been watching the effect of Ashley pulling mana from the environment, but it never seemed to fill her mana field. It was almost like her body was a giant mana sink. “The mana pressure should only get so high before the field expands...” she said for the third time in the last hour.

Ashley just trembled and concentrated as the purified mana threatened to break her apart from the inside. She had stopped responding twenty minutes ago, as at this point she didn’t believe she could stop what was happening if she wanted to...and she really didn’t want to. It felt too good. The mana around her had been pleasant stimulation to begin with...now it was like a refined drug. Moans escaped from her as the ecstasy built, her body shivering with mind-shattering pleasure. She needed this, and she needed it bad. She was so lost in the pure ecstasy she barely noticed as a core began to form within her.

Ashley’s body twisted on the ground, her consciousness reeling as power exploded from her center. It traveled outward in waves of orgasmic pleasure, her body jerking uncontrollably. The drug became more powerful as the core formed, and dense enough to achieve a ‘critical mass’. The core began to burn, pushing out power like a burning sun.

Shia simply watched confused at Ashley’s reaction, and then dropped to the ground as the swirling waves of mana pouring out of Ashley overran her senses.

*******

Abigail jerked her head up immediately as she could feeling power building on the horizon, almost like a great working was being done. The sense of distant pressure was strange, and...tinged with something. “Evelyn!” the elderly matron called, causing Evelyn to run into the room. “Did you..” Abigail began.

“Yes...I can feel it. Is the circle under attack? I’ll begin throwing up wards...” Evelyn said with a note of panic displacing the sense of depression she’d been living with for the last several days.

“I...The distance, and direction...Ashley.” Abigail said confused, “What in the world I she doing...even from one with the mantle, I’ve never felt...” she said, falling into her chair, her knees weak.

“She...she did receive the whole spirit of Gaea...not just her mantle...” Evelyn said, moving to look out from Matron Abigail’s terrace, onto the horizon.

“But...even then...the mantle was supposed to carry the bulk of the goddesses power.” Abigail said with a frown. “That’s what the mantle bearers were told by when they received it.” she said.

“The goddess did maintain the seal on the darkness...a portion of her power no longer held in reserve.” Evelyn said, moving to stand beside Abigail.

“Even so...” Abigail said, pausing to gaze toward the center of the mana storm.

“Gaea is a wellspring of life energy. She feeds the world with it, and heavenly mana gathers in her wake...” Evelyn said, more confused by the moment.

“Yes...Shia...she...she must have been teaching the girl. But...what spell could require this much mana? Has her wrath grown such, that should would burn away the city?” Abigail said, trembling as the power grew. “We...We must investigate, now...Can you?” Abigail asked looking up at Evelyn’s pained expression.

“I...I can not.” Evelyn said, tears building in her eyes. “Goddess, I’m sorry. I can’t...It...” she said, swallowing.

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Abigail glared at Evelyn, and then sighed, “You need to face these demons, child. Very well...I shall go. I don’t know for what purpose your daughter has gathered these forces, but should she unleash them...” the elderly matron said, feeling ever day of her many years of life. “I shall gather my protective charms...I will return soon.” she said, grasping at a purple cloak she had left on a table. Whipping it around her, she bolted from the room.

******

The mana reactor was still growing, and Ashley was fighting through the overwhelming pleasure to clear her senses. Life energy was charging the world around her, and mana was bubbling up from the ground, from the plants, and trees. It was like a cycle feeding upon itself. The gardens they had chosen to practice in were expanding, pushing through the old stone walls, and taking root into the streets. The roots were in turn carrying more power with them. In twenty minutes the trees in the garden had grown from twenty feet or so, to several hundred. The strongest were pushing out, or absorbing the weakest, and a forest the likes of which had been unseen in human history, was spreading. People screamed as their homes were carried off upon the branches of new trees. Streets cracked, and flowers bloomed out of season. The trees were...changing, adapting to the mana flow, and mimicking their patron as the roots filtered and purified.

Ashley’s was dizzy, but when she focused on something it snapped into perfect clarity with a suddenness that startled her. She tried to stem the flow of mana inward slowly, but that didn’t stop the mana core within her from blowing out an endless stream of power. When she tried to contain the power, the mana around her poured in, starting the cycle again. “Help...me...” she cried, looking over to see her sister unconscious, passed out in a field of glowing flowers.

Space twisted as Ashley gazed up, her mind slipping into ecstasy once more. As she watched, an elderly woman with silver hair walked through the crack hole in space. The woman looked around her in confusion and fear, but then set her gaze upon Ashley. Ashley had only a few moments to notice the woman’s approach, before pleasure rocked her body once more, and her mind collapsed under the weight. Fire burned at her center, hungering madly. The world went black.

*******

Abigail struggled under the waves of mana, but she quickly suppressed the invasive power. Gathering the abundance of unfettered power into her mana field, she began to weave a seal around Ashley’s unconscious form. She had never seen anything like this. The power here seemed to warp reality around it. “Damn...” she said, leaning down over Ashley’s body, watching the girl writhe on the ground. Abigail struggled to place the seal, eventually resorting to a set of crystals to act as mana sinks. She had brought more than a dozen with her to hold the wild mana growing here, and they were capable of holding quite a lot. She magically strung them together with gold thread, forming a necklace with golden clasp. Abigail laid runes into the gold, creating mana pathways, and then laid them around Ashley’s neck.

The second the seal was place, mana poured into the crystals, lighting them up in various hues of pink and purple. With the tide of mana escaping her stemmed, she began lay a seal on her preventing mana from pouring into her mana field. Such methods were normal for holding an Enchantress powerless, since they could gather mana. For Ashley, it would stop a chain reaction...and endless loop that might destroy her. At least until she gained control over her own power. With whatever was generating power inside of her, she could still wield magic.

Sweat beaded on Abigail’s forehead as she slumped to the ground. The endless torrent of mana stopped before they filled up, and now seemed to be filling more slowly. It was still substantial, and could be safely bled off. Meanwhile Ashley continued to writhe unconscious on the ground. Shia, the girl’s sister, was slowly regaining consciousness nearby.

As Shia glanced up at Abigail, the young woman gasped. “Matron Abigail!” she said hastily. “I...What happened?” she asked.

“...Your sister has...did something unusual. She started a chain reaction. Her body is creating mana, and it was feeding into the world. Gaea’s domain is nature, and from her life force, more mana was being made around her. It was pooling in, and fueling a growing cycle. One that is momentarily under control.” Abigail said, passing her senses over Ashley’s form.

“How is that possible? Shouldn’t...” Shia said as she climbed to her feet.

“I don’t know. But she’s not staying here. The damage from this will likely spread across half the city, if it hasn’t already. What were you doing out here?” Abigail asked.

“I...I was just trying to teach Ashley magic...just how to gather...” Shia said, her voice strained. “It didn’t seem like anything was happening...I mean she just kept gathering. It went on like that for over an hour. I thought since she was joined with the goddess, she might just...I don’t know. Have large field...” she said.

“...A large field...contained within her body. Larger than her body?” Abigail asked incredulously.

“I...I mean, How could I have known...” Shia said, still overwhelmed from being awash in Ashley’s mana.

Abigail waved a hand and Ashley’s body began to rise into the air, as another portal opened.

“Matron Abigail! You can’t! Ashley...she wouldn’t want...” Shia began.

“I don’t care what she wants!” Abigail snapped. “The girl endangered the entire city. This might have cost lives. I should have retrieved her myself to begin with. “she said with a sigh, her voice weary.

“...At...at least let me stay by her side. She won’t trust anyone else...she might not even trust me.” Shia said the last painfully. She looked around at the garden, and to where their house had been torn apart by the growth of massive trees.

“Very well. Come. You can wait by her side, until she regains...control.” Abigail said, looking over at where Ashley continued to shiver and writhe.