CHAPTER 20

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The night was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional crackle of the dying fire and the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind. I sat alone in the clearing, staring at my hands, deep in thought. Alric had gone to sleep hours ago, but I couldn’t rest. My mind was buzzing with ideas—new ways to push my abilities, new ways to experiment with the Flow.

The fight earlier that day, where Alric had forced me to fight without using the Flow, had opened my eyes to something important. I had been leaning too heavily on my powers, relying on Analyze, Slip, and Auto-Dodge as if they were crutches. I knew that Alric was right—I needed to be more adaptable. But the fight had also sparked a new line of thought, one I couldn’t ignore.

I had unlimited mana. No matter how much energy I used, it always replenished. And while I had been focusing on using it to enhance my offensive and defensive capabilities, there was something else I had been overlooking. Something just as important.

Healing.

I had learned basic healing spells during my training with Alric, but they were just that—basic. They required concentration, time, and focus. During a fight, especially in the heat of battle, I couldn’t afford to stop and focus on healing myself. That kind of vulnerability could cost me my life.

But what if I didn’t need to stop? What if I could make healing automatic? An auto-heal system that would activate the moment I took damage, instantly repairing any wounds without me having to think about it.

The idea was simple in theory, but I knew it would require precise control over the Flow. Healing magic wasn’t like offensive spells—it was delicate, requiring a steady stream of mana to flow through the body, mending tissue, repairing cells, closing wounds. I needed to find a way to automate that process, to tie it directly to my body's reaction to damage.

The thought excited me. This was something new, something that could give me an edge in future battles. With Auto-Heal, I wouldn’t need to worry about minor injuries slowing me down. I could fight continuously, confident that my body would heal itself without any effort on my part.

I stood up, stretching my limbs as I prepared for the experiment. The night air was cool against my skin, but I barely noticed. My mind was focused entirely on the task at hand.

I closed my eyes, reaching out with my senses, feeling the familiar pulse of the Aetheric Flow around me. It was always there, always waiting. I had grown so accustomed to it over the months that it now felt like an extension of my own body, something I could manipulate with ease. But this time, I needed to approach it differently.

Healing magic required precision. It wasn’t about raw power or speed—it was about control, about channeling mana through the body in a way that repaired and restored. I needed to take what I knew and adapt it, make it so that the healing would activate on its own, triggered by any damage I sustained.

I focused on the flow of mana within my body, feeling it circulate through my veins like a gentle current. I had used healing spells before, but always with conscious effort, directing the mana to specific areas. Now, I needed to automate that process—to make it instinctual, like breathing.

I began by casting a basic healing spell, directing the mana to my hand. The skin tingled slightly as the mana flowed through, knitting together small cuts and bruises. This was familiar, easy. But it wasn’t enough. I needed the spell to trigger without my direct input.

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I took a deep breath, calming my mind, and started to visualize the process in detail. My body as a system—wounds opening, cells damaged, blood flowing—and mana reacting immediately, like an automatic defense mechanism. The moment a wound appeared, the healing process would begin, without me needing to consciously cast the spell.

To do that, I needed to program the healing spell into my body’s natural responses. The idea was to tie it directly to the sensation of pain or damage, so that the mana would activate as soon as I was injured, flowing to the wound and repairing it instantly.

I sat down again, crossing my legs and resting my hands on my knees. This was going to take focus. I reached out with my mind, directing my mana inward, feeling it circulate through my body. I imagined the mana as tiny threads, weaving through every muscle, every vein, every cell. It needed to be everywhere, ready to act the moment my body sensed damage.

Slowly, I began to weave the spell, layering it into the natural flow of my mana. It was like setting a trap, but instead of catching an enemy, it would catch any damage I took. I had to make sure the spell wasn’t too strong—I didn’t want to waste mana on healing small scrapes or bruises—but it had to be fast enough to react to more serious injuries. Balanced precision.

The first attempt was rough. I felt the mana surge through me, but it was too unfocused, too sporadic. I could sense it reacting to the wrong signals—shifts in temperature, the pressure of my breathing. I stopped, took a deep breath, and tried again.

This time, I focused on my pain receptors. Pain was the key. The moment my body registered pain, the spell would trigger, sending mana to the damaged area and healing it before it could worsen. I imagined the pain as a spark, and the mana as water, rushing in to extinguish the flames before they spread.

I wove the spell again, carefully, meticulously, tying it directly to the sensation of pain. The moment I felt any discomfort, the healing spell would activate, drawing on the Flow to repair the damage automatically.

Once I was satisfied with the weave, I stood and tested it.

I raised my arm, hesitating for a moment before using the edge of a small knife to make a shallow cut along my forearm. The pain was immediate, sharp, but just as quickly, I felt the mana react. The familiar warmth of healing spread through my arm, knitting the wound together almost instantly. The pain faded, and when I looked down, the cut was gone.

It had worked.

I stared at my arm, a surge of satisfaction swelling in my chest. The spell had activated the moment I felt pain, healing the wound without any conscious effort on my part. It was as if my body had done it instinctively, like a reflex.

But I wasn’t finished. That was just a minor injury. I needed to test it further.

I made another cut, deeper this time. Again, the pain was sharp, but before I could even register it fully, the mana had already begun healing the wound. The cut closed in seconds, leaving nothing but a faint line of pink where the skin had been broken.

I couldn’t help but smile. This was it. Auto-Heal—an automatic healing system that would allow me to fight without worrying about minor injuries. It wasn’t perfect yet. Larger wounds would still take longer to heal, and I’d need to refine the process to make it more efficient. But the potential was clear.

I stood there in the clearing for a long moment, the satisfaction of my success washing over me. I had done it. I had created something new—something that would give me an edge in battle.

With Auto-Heal, I could fight longer, harder, without worrying about the toll it took on my body. My mana was unlimited, so I didn’t need to worry about running out of energy. As long as I could keep fighting, my body would keep healing.

And this was just the beginning. There were more ways I could push my abilities, more ways to refine and enhance them. The possibilities were endless.

But for now, I was content. I had made progress—real, tangible progress.

I turned back toward the tent, the mask still in my hand. Tomorrow, I would tell Alric about the spell. But tonight, I would let the victory settle over me.

I had taken another step forward on my path. Another step toward control, toward becoming the fighter I needed to be.

And I wasn’t done yet.