It took about a week for my body to recover back to normal, with an unexpected benefit being that the sluggish nature of my mana flow allowed me to finetune my control of it. This resulted in a more efficient utilization and flow of the mana in my channels. I would compare it to instead of my usual method enhancing the defense of my channels, this one enhances the agility of the mana inside of them instead.
Wearing the black leathers that Selene gifted to me, we headed into a large room that was covered from top to bottom in a glowing blue crystal. There was a platform in the middle, set up with a magic circle on the ground. I looked to the circle, and then to Selene with an inquisitive look.
“The crystals in this room are the perfect magical insulators. Not even the ambient can leak through them. It’s a rare material called Magicite, and a room like this would not be built without the utmost importance to do so. The Fae use this to conduct rituals that they absolutely do not wish for the other races to detect being cast, or spied upon” Selene responded to my look with.
“This room must have cost a fortune then. I never heard of this material even living in a port city that handles shipments of all types. What about the magic circle on the ground then, that doesn’t seem like something the Fae would use?” I asked again, while pointing towards the magic circle.
“Normally the room would be sealed with a Magicite door, but due to recent events, we had to compromise and create this magical circle to act as the barrier against the opening of the room due to the lack of the sealed door. After recent events, I did not trust whoever tried to assassinate you to have you in a magically sealed room. If it wasn’t for the dangers of forming the Equals Contract being detected, I would avoid this room entirely”.
If Selene and I were to be locked in a room that is perfectly insulated against mana, the chances are that not even Selene’s magic would work since I imagine it requires the ambient in some manner.
Selene guided me to sit in the circle across from her, and she explained, “The Equals Contract is formed by using our manas to inscribe a magical circle on each other’s hearts. I will inscribe the circle on yours first, and you will copy the design to inscribe your mana onto mine. The design is not universal, and it can be said to function similarly to the Fae’s True Names symbology. This design is an inscription of the essence of my being, so you must not show anyone else the design or write it down” Selene said seriously.
“I understand, Selene. Do not speak or write about the magic circle design”.
“The first time I was going to form the bond with you, I was hasty because of your situation, and was going to force the bond. That caused you a lot of pain, and for that I am sorry, Lucian. The traditional process of it is simply the process of inscribing the magic circles on our hearts, and the bond will connect our souls and have the benefits of a mind link among other benefits. A lot of these will be limited for now, since you are not even a Tier 1 mage technically speaking. The path will open more and more as you grow stronger. That said, let us begin”.
Selene put her paw out, and I followed suit with my hand, and we put our palms together. She nodded to me, and I felt her mana start to flood into my body once again. It was less intense and overwhelming than last time, but it still felt like I was like a water jug overflowing with mana. Even my purer than average mana doesn’t compare to the strength of Selene’s, not by a long shot.
I maintained focus to not cause any conflict with her mana flowing to my heart. When Selene’s mana reached where the abyssal power was, Eclipse did not let it absorb any of the mana, and it flowed past the reservoir towards my heart.
“This is the crucial part, Lucian. It will likely cause a lot of pain inscribing the circle onto your heart, but please bear with it, and I will do my best to be quick” Selene warned me, and I nodded, sweat starting to drip down my forehead.
I could feel Selene’s mana turn into what I could only describe as a stick of chalk made out of mana. Bracing for the pain, the mana chalk touched upon my heart, and my body instantly constricted. Like the hand of the Grim Reaper grasped my heart in its hand. An icy cold that penetrated to the depth of my being. The pain and icy feeling only continued as she started drawing the circle, multiple circular shapes, with the inside of a pentagram that formed the shape of Selene’s transformed state, reminding me of a photo of a Manticore from my old world.
Once the circle was done being formed, Selene released the flow of her mana into my body, and my body stopped constricting and I was breathing heavily like I had not taken a breath in a long time.
Selene looked at me with worry in her eyes, and I said, “It’s okay, I’m okay. I just… I just need a minute. There was no real way to prepare for something like that” and gave a dry laugh which made me cough a few times.
After a few minutes of rest, I was mostly recovered, and I turned my attention to the magic circle now inscribed on my heart. It felt foreign at the moment, and incomplete. Like it was missing a crucial part of itself to feel whole, assumedly the corresponding circle needing to be placed on Selene’s heart.
“Look, Selene! My heart is missing its other half, namely the circle on your heart!” I laughed and Selene was thrown off guard, and then I just heard a.. Laughing meow from Selene? Was this the first time I heard Selene meow?
Stolen novel; please report.
“Stop messing around, you future playboy, and let’s begin. Focus and flow your mana into my body without diverting from the natural channel path. When you reach my heart, imagine your mana converging into the shape of the mana chalk I used on yours, and follow the exact same pathway I did for it. Once the process starts, you can not hesitate or quit midway” Selene made sure I was clear on the instructions, and we both nodded and got back into positions of palms against each other.
I followed her instructions, and when my mana flowed into her body, I realized the disparity in our magical abilities first hand. If my mana channels were like the size of a standard pen, hers were the size of a strong tree trunk. I was unsure how this physically was possible, but I pushed the questions aside for later, and followed her mana channels to her heart.
Once at her heart, I cleared my mind and focused on the job at hand. There was no room for error, and neither could I go too slow, or Selene would be in pain longer. I converged the mana gathered near her heart into the mana chalk, similar to Selene’s, and began the process of carving the magic circle, using my own as a guide to reproduce it. Selene's body handled it better than I did, but I could still feel the stiffness occur inside her paw.
Gradually, and still carefully, I carved the magic circle almost identical to Selene’s version on my heart. Once it was finished, I released the mana from flowing into her body, and it felt like the process was over.
I was wrong.
When it felt done, Selene and I both coughed up a small mouthful of blood suddenly, and the blood flowed to and disappeared into the other’s chest, and I felt her blood get absorbed by the magic circle on my heart. What was once a whitish circle slowly turned crimson red until the entire circle glowed with a bloody aura.
Selene seemed to be okay, while surprised at the same time. I went to ask, “Is it done?” and then I felt my heart convulse painfully.
*Thump* Another painful convulsion.
*Thump thump* Each convulsion feels like it's strangling my insides.
*THUMP THUMP* The convulsion occurs faster and faster, while increasing in intensity until I am on the ground body shaking so much it looks like I am violently vibrating. I could feel my insides shredding themselves.. Forcefully enlarging my mana channels. It hurts so fucking much. Selene is trying to help, but nothing is helping.
This is my body trying to grow stronger, I can not let it overcome me. I have been through worse many times.
Forcefully moving my body into my meditative stance, I treat this extremely painful process like my normal training. Trying to ignore the pain, and focus on not interfering with the process as my body’s natural response at this point was to reinforce the injured area with mana.
My mind is the Temple, and my body is the Fortress. The Fortress seeks the wisdom of the Temple, and it in turn seeks the protection of the Fortress. Both exist in a harmonious relationship to each other.
Separate the pain from the mind, for the pain keeps you alive, but being overcome by it becomes a threat to that very same survival.
Using the mantras of the Templar Order, I focus away from the pain, the rebirth happening inside of my body, and take control of my body to no longer convulse painfully.
After around 15 minutes of the intense process, everything calmed down and finalized. My body was different. It was no longer quite the same, more built than the average five year old, but larger now. Going off of the extra length, muscle, and general size of my body now, I would put it about the average.. 12 years old? Selene never mentioned this happening.
“Lucian, can you hear me? The mind link should have been made, so you can just pretend you are talking to me like normal, without the use of the ambient. Same as you explained speaking with Eclipse” Selene spoke inside my mind, but it felt even closer than the mental magic did.
“Hello, Selene. I am confused about what has happened. I don’t know for sure, but am I really as big as a 12 year old now? I feel a lot larger, the bond remade my insides. My mana channels are larger, more durable, and I feel taller, stronger, and… Completely foreign in my own body”.
“I wish I had the answer for you, Lucian, but I honestly do not. It could be due to how young you are, causing a metamorphosis in your body, as children are generally not mages at your age, let alone forming the contract we did. Without our intentions to, we ended up forming a Soul Pact as well, which is the once in a lifetime for a mana beast contract. It binds our souls together, so… We share a life now, Lucian. If you die, I will, and vice versa. This should not have happened without our consents, but it is not something that is undoable. You should have had a say in it however, and I apologize for being partly responsible by forming this pact”.
“There is nothing to apologize for, Selene! You have always tried to help me, and I am honored to have formed this pact with you, just like I was forming the Equal Pacts one with you. I will work to grow strong enough to be worthy of these pacts. My.. Metamorphosis is an unexpected boon that will serve us well when forming my mana core, and protecting ourselves”.
It also means that I am no longer quite as stuck to a child’s body. It is still light and day compared to my body as Callum, but it is closer to where I can actively train and build the muscle required to grow stronger. Mana training will only enhance my training on top of that.
Selene still looked at me with guilt in her eyes, and I reached over and pet her head. “No need to be like that, Selene. I promise that it is okay. I am beyond lucky to have a partner as great as you, and I will not regret that decision regardless of what comes for us in the future”.
“What if the enemies who seek us are beyond our abilities?”
“Then we will fight and die together, Selene. We are partners now, and we will live and die together if necessary. I do not plan for either of us to die, however. So I will continue to train and grow stronger” I told her confidently.
“What do you think my odds are of forming the mana core now, Selene?” Selene looked over my new body, and scanned my mana channels for any signs of damage or abnormalities, and nodded when she seemed to find none.
“This change has indeed changed you for the better. Your body is stronger, and your mana channels are especially impressive. It would only be a detriment to hold yourself back longer just to wait to form your mana core. You should consult with Eclipse, and verify if she is ready to do so, and we can start the process of that while we are here”.
I nodded to her, and flew my mana in my new channels to the larger reservoir connected to the abyssal power, and activated the mind link with Eclipse.
“Congratulations, Lucian! This is a wonderful thing for your growth!”
“Oh, I didn’t know you already knew everything, Eclipse” I said hesitatingly.
“Don’t worry, I can only see inside your body and the surroundings just because you never blocked me from doing so. Your inner thoughts are only known to you, unless you give Selene or I the ability to do so. I will teach you how to block off my sight for privacy at a later point. I know Selene and you have a similar mind link now, but I am unable to hear your conversations. What brings you to me right now?”
“Eclipse, I want to form my mana core right now. What do you think about doing so?” I asked her.