Here we go again, strapped to the wooden table, Silas and his manic grin hovering over me. The mages were already present, but Velexa was strangely absent.

Unlike before, the mages immediately moved on to spells meant to peer into me. To figure out some points of information. Just what were they looking for exactly?

Silas was cackling to himself in delight, acting like his knife wasn’t going into my body right now. Once I escaped, I vowed to track down this madman. There was no one in this world I despised more than him at this moment.

They had mentioned from time to time that most of this was to break me somehow. Then what would be revealed if I did that?

This hood was messing with my way of gathering information as well. Using the touch domain through my feet and legs may be possible as soon as tomorrow. But today? Well, not just yet. Then, some murmurs came from the mages, followed by soft gasps from some of them.

“We’ve found it. A seal on this man was unknowingly obscuring the oracle's mark. He is indeed the one the oracle praised. Praise the portals.”

Some sort of seal is in the way? That’s what was stopping them? Another mage chimed in almost immediately.

“Yes, there it is. The oracle's black rhombus. Undoubtedly, he’s the one the aura scums were anticipating.”

“That must mean, as suspected, he is also the Moth's bearer."

“It’s simple then. Just kill him and be done with it, " a mage said tensely.

"Kill him? And deprive me of my newest plaything? How dare you!" Silas snapped back, his tone oddly furious.

"This 'plaything' of yours represents the greatest threat to the Mage Order in the entire continent. He has too much potential; he cannot be permitted to live.” The mage who initially found the mark countered, his voice cold.

My body froze at those words; I knew I would get out of here. My willpower was going to make sure of it. Regardless of will, however, time was still needed.

Suddenly overwhelmed by pain and fear, I panicked and fought against my restraints. Mundara abruptly pulled me back into the relative safety of the mindscape.

“Falond, you need to understand," she said. "You’ve been marked by the oracle with a black rhombus. It's a tracker of sorts. It can't cross portals, but it will alert all the mages in your vicinity when it's released."

I tried to process this. The mark... was that what they'd found? Some seal was holding it back? Had I been carrying it all along without realizing it? And who was this oracle they were talking about?

“Falond," Mundara continued, her tone urgent. “Surely those at your little citadel are looking for you. We’re running out of time. Focus on the aura strands and imagine each as a vortex. Position them around your torso and legs. This will allow you to direct the aura you absorb, bypassing the sealing ropes on your wrists and the hood over your neck. I can't forcibly keep you here too long; it could harm your mind. Be calm when you return.”

Her words echoed in my mind as I was thrust back into the physical world. I knew I had to stay focused and calm. My survival depended on it. And just maybe, with Mundara's guidance, I'd be able to navigate this nightmare.

“That's odd; he seems to have calmed down. Guess there’s no need to vaporize him for now. Send for Grand Mage Velexa. Let her decide what to do.”

Calm down. There had to be a way out of this. It was no use panicking. It wasn't going to help me get out of this.

Right, let’s get the aura strands out. Taking just one and guiding it to my left foot failed a few times. As I was adjusting under the pressure, Velexa came into the room. Her footsteps were too distinct to miss, even with the muffled sounds. I could envision the whisps of mana left by her footsteps. My instincts warned of a ferocious predator, one you could only run from, not fight. This is the feeling Velexa caused me.

“This little aura runt is the one the oracle foresaw? How disappointing. And how inconvenient, too. Notify Esmerelda Conmor. Once she gives her approval, execute him. Even if she doesn’t, do it regardless.”

“Grand mage Velexa, surely we should just….” One of the mages started to protest.

“Silence, Mage Penn. Even with the aura bug's precautions, it will only take a few hours to deliver the message. Prepare the execution pit and return him to his cell. I'll take my leave now."

Without ceremony, I was roughly flung back into the dank confines of my cell. Numbness consumed me, my pounding heart barely registering in the shock of the situation. Instantly, almost as a reflex, I retreated into the mindscape.

“Mundara, what can I do? How can I get out of this?”

Her calm, confident smile was a stark contrast to my desperation.

“Grow, my Electi. The answer remains the same. Your willpower is ready. Control aura strand by strand and maximize your touch domain. Your chance will come, and soon. Let’s prepare.”

We assumed our usual positions. The pool of aura had come into my focus again. This time, taking a strand out was easy. The entire time, from the moment they found out this oracle had marked me, I had repeatedly been doing this. Now, with Mundara's assistance, it was almost second nature in the tranquility of the mindscape.

"But what can I do with just one strand?" I asked, uncertainty lacing my voice.

"Simple, Falond, you'll harness the aura breath technique. Each strand of your aura will allow more aura to permeate within you. Normally, users of a path of power naturally take in their energy through breathing. Besides muffling your hearing, the hood on your head also prevents you from inhaling more aura."

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Mundara paused momentarily, likely allowing me to digest the new information she was giving. Then she continued, her tone akin to a seasoned teacher.

“The attraction technique was originally created to allow faster refilling of aura, better usage of aura, expand your capacity for aura, and as a method to train granular control. To use this technique, take a strand to a part of your torso or legs. Then, let this strand rotate in a circle, faster, faster, and yet faster still. Let this strand of aura desire more strands join it.”

Imbuing a desire to just one strand? I shrugged mentally. Well, let’s try it. Taking one strand to my upper thigh, I allowed the strand to rotate in a circle as fast as possible. Then, it was like my skin opened, becoming unclogged. The small skin patch just above the one whirling strand let in energy. But it wasn’t just any energy; it was pure aura.

For the first time since my capture, I was welcoming more aura within me. The amount was pitiful. But if I applied this technique to my entire torso and legs, in time, I'd be brimming with aura.

"Draw another strand from your pool and place it on another part of your body. Repeat this everywhere you can, ensuring it doesn't get absorbed."

And so, the process was repeating, and I was gaining speed with each iteration. The first strand took a few seconds, then the next took a second less. A few minutes later, managing multiple strands simultaneously became possible.

“You really are a blessed of Gansia. Even with my guidance, adapting this swiftly should be nigh impossible."

Looking back at it, she was correct; the amount of progress I had made in just a few days was not typical in the slightest.

Now, natural aura was flooding into me, and the fatigue that had been accumulating was virtually non-existent. I was free of the incessant headaches for the first time since I’d been in this dungeon of mages. My body was far better off now, and what excited me the most was that the amount of aura in me was more tremendous than before. Aura had mixed with nature’s essence so that most of my wounds healed rapidly. The minor cuts and burns were already a thing of the past.

"Take heed of your touch, my Electi. Let's enhance it."

"Are you sure it'll be okay? The last time I used it, I could barely handle it in my feet alone."

“You’re able to do localized energy gathering within your body. Dividing aura into a single strand and guiding a few drops to your legs, torso, and feet won't take any effort now. Once your arms are freed, you’ll be able to use them for your touch domain just as well.”

Accepting the encouragement, I directed the necessary aura drops to my legs, torso, and feet. The aura near my chest was interesting; this mixed most with the brand, pushing a natural healing force to my entire body. Despite not eating since arriving here, I was brimming with energy.

Finally, I had fully activated my touch sense. Briefly exiting the mindscape, I flooded my feet with aura. It was as if my feet were emitting sonic waves, which were further amplified by my torso and legs. The entirety of the cell became clear to me. Heck, even the neighboring cells were in my perception. The cold iron bars had some inhibiting property, as I couldn't sense anything beyond them.

That detail wasn't the most pressing, though. What mattered was that two others were imprisoned like me—one in the cell to my left, the other to my right. One appeared to be an older, seasoned auramancer. If I could break out with her, I may just live past today.

The other was a male elf, based on the touch domain feedback. Not too much detail was discernable by me. Unlike aura, my understanding of nature’s essence was beyond basic. Meaning I couldn’t tell if they were also formidable. At least they had more of a maturity to them.

Both were highly worn, of course. The feeling of their spirits was one that didn’t give up. Good, this is what I needed. Even if the citadel never found me, their assistance would maximize my chances. Jumping back to the mindscape, it was time to figure out a plan with Mundara and fast.

Without prompting, Mundara spat out her piece; she, too, could see the shadow of death upon me. It was now or never.

"Falond, the aura user to your right, is more potent than even the one who discovered you, Hadrian. Only your headmaster emits a stronger presence. You need to liberate her and the elf, too."

"But how?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed.

There was finally a ray of hope, but make no mistake, I still stood on the precipice of doom. Pushing out the brief wave of despair, a glimmer of determination flickered within me instead. My control was as good as it was going to get, at least for now. My willpower had practically evolved, as did my usage of aura. There had to be new ways to use aura that most didn't have access to. I needed to use them now. Even if I lacked the knowledge, Mundara, who was with me, did not. The ultimate test was here, and I wasn’t going to fail it.

“Take a deep breath, force a single strand out of your body. Normally, you would do this through your hands, but given our current circumstances, you'll have to use your feet," Mundara advised.

To my surprise, all that training had paid off; doing as Mundara asked was relatively easy. A strand of tensile strong aura rotated around me as I willed in the mindscape. The same would be just as quick in reality.

"The bars are enchanted black iron, but the walls are just reinforced stone. Try to produce as many aura strands as you can. Rotate them and make them bore into the wall. We have no time for further practice here in the mindscape, Falond. The time to fight for your life is now,” Mundara declared.

Heeding her advice, I left the mindscape once more. I took a deep breath, focused my mind, channeled my will, and reached out to the strands of aura that flooded my body. I manipulated the ethereal threads with practiced precision, intertwining them with my intent. A subtle dance of power unfolded as I wove my will into the fabric of the now-rotating strands.

First on my list was freeing the fellow auramancer. If the guards were to discover my plans before both prisoners were freed, I'd prefer to have her on my side. There was no time for debate. The strands began to bore into the stone wall. At first, worry took over me as the walls seemed to take on the strands with no issue.

Then, I did two things: I forced myself into a pounding headache again and brought out even more strands. My maximum seemed to be about thirty, even with me forcing my willpower and brain beyond their limits. Then, I added an extra intent to the aura strands, the intent of sharpness, to cut through the solid stone in the battle for freedom.

It worked; the stone was slowly shaving away. It could be because the hood dampened my hearing, but the aura was silent to me as it worked. My touch domain could only tell it worked through the dust pile growing on the dirt floor. The elderly woman must have noticed something by now. She had moved closer to the wall, hunched slightly, as though trying to see something intensely.

Soon, a small opening was made, just about the size of a pinky finger. The woman did something, and the strands of my aura were sucked into her body. There was a feeling of expectation coming from her. As if to say “more”. So that was what I did; while using the aura breath technique to gather more aura for myself, I sent more and more aura strands through the hole to the lady.

She was like a bottomless pit. In just ten minutes, I had already cycled through all the aura in my body several times. Her feeling of expectation didn’t change, so the process just continued. Soon, after about half an hour of doing this, the sense of expectation stopped; she was “full.” Then, a drop of aura came from her, shooting out of the hole and being manipulated to fly at me with extreme speed. Just as I thought she was biting the hand that fed her, I noticed the rope around the hood was blown smithereens. Her control must also be highly refined, as she didn’t harm me at all in doing so. She instantly sent two more drops, blasting the shackles around my hands.

Then I realized what was going on. She would get the restraints off me, blast open that wall, likely free the elf, and execute it all before the guards could react.

She then manipulated the remnants of the drops and overloaded the sealing wraps on my hands. They withered and then snapped apart. I was utterly free, roughly tearing the hood off my head. A tear trickled down my face as I fully reconnected with the soundscape. But in the next instant, my aura perception was practically blinded. This woman was like a blazing sun, so powerful that even looking at her was harmful.

Good, that was exactly what I hoped for.