Chapter 7

Sagil was slouched on a hard wooden chair in a back room of the ranger barracks. He groaned as pangs of pain shuddered around his body from his ripped bicep. The small blonde ranger, Selena, had pushed the bicep back in and seal the rip, but she apparently wasn't skilled enough to heal it. He could only tut and put his head in his working arm as he waited to be treated.

He peeked in-between his cracked fingers at the unconscious man lying on a desk. His face was grizzled like his scarred stomach. Attending to him was the silver-haired mage who had flooded the hall a few minutes before; the floorboards still soaked with water as the injured took a higher priority.

Sagil wanted to contemplate the recent events, as everything had happened so fast. But, wow, he just couldn't help but stare.

Her tanned boots wrapped around her leg, stopping at knee height, and her grass-green skirt fell just above her knees. Her tanned robe was folded on her knees, it's green inside showing. Her striking silver hair draped over her back, covering most of her white blouse. Hints of two ears just about pointed out of her locks. Her looks were nice and all, especially the glistening hair, but that wasn't the most striking thing to Sagil.

What magic does that? But he just couldn't help staring into her mystifying, soft, glowing hands as they motioned over the ranger's scarred stomach. That must be mana but...

Mana flowed through her hands in a steady, pulsating rhythm, illuminating her skin with a pale green as her hands twirled in the air. It was different than before. Not only is the colour different but the mana flowed much slower, as if with more care and precision, as it moved through her hand. However, the biggest thing was that it didn't course from her hand to a wand but dripped from her fingers and illuminated the newest sealed wound on the ranger's side stomach.

I haven't seen anything like that happen when I used an incantation, nor have I seen it happen to any other mage. Not even Mother. Maybe it has something to do with why I couldn't use an incantation before...

As Sagil pondered, a frown etched onto his face. To his disappointment, the light from her hands was growing fainter and fainter, until it eventually disappeared and her skin regained its pale tone. He watched as she grabbed a bandage from her robe pocket and wrapped it around the man's torso. Sagil slowly slunk back into his chair as she muttered kind words and stern warnings at her patient, forcing his attention away.

His eyes fell upon the gap the creaked open door had left between the backroom and the hall, catching Red discussing something with the others.

Damn, I wanted to see more. He moaned inside as he stroked his bicep. Wait, what am I talking about, surely, I’ll see it on me-

Just as his spirit began to rose the topic discussed beyond the door gripped his attention; its volume growing louder along with agitation in the rangers’ tones.

"Of course we should attack first!" The ranger around Sagil’s age yelled as his nostrils flared. “We can’t let that mutt attack someone who ain’t even in the war, AND wound one of us, DESPITE being outnumbered. It’s about time we raid their shit.”

“W-We can’t do that!” the ranger with glasses cried, jumping from his chair and pleading with his hands.

“Why’s that?”

“Because-”

“Cuz’ they have innocents? Cuz’ we can’t stoop to their level?” The ranger asked, creasing his face and crumpling his fist in anger before letting his temper burst. “There ain’t no damned good guys in war! We set the shattered land between us to be where we fight yet they raid our fucking village! If we hold back, we’ll never win.”

“Th-Th-That’s not it…” the timid ranger mumbled and slumped back into his chair.

“Don’t back down, Milo,” Red spoke up, placing a hand on Milo’s shoulder. He then shot a glare at the hot-headed ranger, forcing his anger down. “And calm down, Taz.”

“S-sorry,” Taz he muttered, his look still fierce as he slouched into his chair.

“Why can’t we raid their village then, Milo?” Red asked.

“Uh…I mean, it’s obviously a trap.” He stated matter-of-factly.

Red chuckled as he caught Taz barely holding his mouth back, before saying in falsetto, “Ding-ding.”

“Butitd-doesn’tm-matter!” words spilt from Taz’s lips as he burst from his chair. “We…” he trailed off as red eyes pierced his. He cleared his throat and sat back down, before barely managing to explain himself calmly. “That doesn’t matter. It ain’t the best but we have to attack. They might know we’re coming but we just can’t let them get away with it.”

“The kid has a point.”

Sagil almost got out of his chair as the older man backed Taz. He knew they were strong but did they even see how that silver beast took down the monster and man-handled him?

“We might slightly outnumber them but with their ferocity and instincts, along with their natural monster-like strength, they are-

“Don’t forget their natural battle mana usage” Red chimed in.

“-and their natural battle man usage – they are winning this war. But, if we did the same as them, and are proactive, we can-”

“Ahem!”

Sagil flinched and span his head around.

“Ah, sorry. It’s just that I’m finished with Barry, so, I can tend to you now”

The beautiful mage stood before him with a tilted head and bright smile. Her beautiful grey eyes locked with Sagil’s dark red eyes from inches away.

His face tinged red as he pushed his chair back and muttered, “S-sorry, was just listening to them whilst I waited.”

“Heh, no problem.” Her lips wavered and eyes dulled as she gave a giggle; pushing her skirt to the back of her thighs as she sat down right in front of Sagil. “Well…uh, may I take your arm?”

“Um, uh…” Sagil stumbled over his words but before he could answer his left wrist was grabbed by soft, small hands. The girl pulled him forward so she could touch and feel his bicep. Sagil turned even redder as her breath tickled his cheek. Hey yanked his arm back, “W-Wrong arm!”

The girl’s pale skin turned as red as his as she covered her face in embarrassment. “Ah, S-sorry!”

“Um, it’s alright…”

“Always making mistakes just like they always said…” she muttered under her breath as she tried straightening back up.

“Uh…” Sagil paused for a moment, wondering whether to question what she meant before deciding it wasn’t for him. “I’ve kept it resting on the table because it’s still killing me.”

“Ah, good, good! I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that myself,” she giggled with wavering lips and scooted her chair closer to him, pressing a finger onto his bicep that poked from a rip in his red tunic.

“Mmph!”

“Ah, sorry!” she cried and pulled her finger back as Sagil grunted. “I was just checking the injury. Making sure I know what Selena did before I start.”

“I... I see.”

“Just one moment,” the girl smiled as she pulled a small but thick notebook from inside her robe she had rested on her lap. “I’m not actually that versed in medical magic, you see.”

“I see…” Sagil nodded slowly before realising what she was saying, wait… do I?

“I’m more of a watery kind of mage.”

Are you sure you should be operating on me then!?

“Healing is just a bit of a necessity but it’s soooo boring to learn,” she continued her idle chatter as she flicked through her notebook before her eyes finally lit up. Her finger pressed over the scribbled symbols and runes as she let out an, “ah,” before she closed the book and pushed it back into her robe.

She hovered her hand back over her bicep for a few seconds. She glanced between the bicep and Sagil’s eyes, poking for consent.

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“j-Just be careful.”

“Will do! I’m sorry but there’s just something strange about the sealing.”

“S-strange…? S-sealing…?” Sagil mumbled, tensing his body as it shuddered with pain from the light touch of her finger tracing over where the skin had been torn.

“Y-yeah…” she mumbled in confusion. The skin that had been torn looked like it was back to normal at first glance, but the edges of the skin that was ripped were still bobbly before smoothing out again. She put a hand to her chin, searching her mind for possibilities before saying, “I think Selena basically filled the wound in with mana-synthesised skin.”

“W-what?”

“Yeah, I’m a tad confused though. I know she has a natural affinity for creating things but she should be able to heal cut skin, at the very least.”

She stared blankly in confusion. He stared blankly in confusion.

“Well, either way, I have to heal your ripped muscle so I’ll just have to heal the skin as well.

Sagil gulped in fear.

The girl’s expression stiffened as she hovered her two hands over his bicep and focused. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to chant.

“Eh?”

She let out in confusion instead.

“W-What?”

“N-Nothing…” she shook her head and began to chant. “Blessed Gods, let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment along with what I ask you to retake, fixing the mistake and giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again.”

Her skin began to glow a light green as mana flowed from her body and into her hands. It pulsated into the air, shining a timid glow atop the pale bicep.

The girl tutted, the green glow dispersing and the mana falling back into her body.

Um, it’s still messed up?

The girl sighed and shook her head. She waited a few seconds before taking another deep breath.

“Oh merciful creator, mother and father of Gods, please heal this one’s wounds, along with what I ask you to retake, and let him recover with a healthy body!”

She shouted quietly and mana began to flow again. It glowed brighter and flowed faster as it pumped out of her pores and clouded over Sagil’s bicep.

“Ehhhh?”

She let out again as the glow dispersed once more, along with the mana flowing from her body.

“I’m guessing it ain’t working by that reaction,” Sagil mumbled, his black katana making a chink as he fiddled his legs. “And by the fact it still fucking hurts.”

He said the last part under his breath.

“Hehehe,” she let out and ruffled her hair, her lips pulling back as if to say sorry. “Uh, it’s just that I can’t connect with your mana in your body. I know why Selena synthesised some skin now.”

“Oh? Is that how healing magic works? My mother always said it was tricky because it pulled on someone’s own blood mana instead of the mana in the atmosphere.”

“B-blood mana?” she stammered as she stared at Sagil in confusion.

“Uh, yeah… the mana in our blood...?” he slowly explained, before gulping as he realised something. Don’t tell me this world is actually different? I… I know it’s possible but what’s going to happen if people find out?! Wait, magic could be completely different here and she could already know! He broke out into a sweat as the last few years flashed through his mind. “I-”

“Ahh, I guess you could say we have mana in our blood.” She stated plainly, her confusion gone. “Although, despite all the research we just know mana is in our body. Just like it’s in every living thing.

“R-really?”

“Yeah… I’m not sure why but something must be blocking mana around your body. I gathered it from around us and manipulated it with mine but…” she dropped her head and tapped the floor with her tanned boot. “It just can’t heal it.”

Shit, he cried inside, gripping his katana handle to try and steady his nerves. It’s probably because I’m different. Again…

“Oh?!” Her sudden movement jerked Sagil upwards, sending shudders of pain through his body. “Ah, sorry, sorry, but is that a cursed sword!?”

Her eyes flashed towards his black katana and Sagil froze. I thought this was a different world…what is going on…?

“Maybe that’s why? Of all the swords crafted back then a couple definitely blocked mana of some sort.” She glowed with joy as she bounced up and down. “I’m not sure how you have one but-”

“It’s no cursed sword.” He stated sternly, gripping the hilt tight.

“Ah… I see,” her bright expression dulled as she stammered about trying to save it. “B-but maybe it is. There’s a fair number of lost cursed swords so maybe this is one and you never knew.

Sagil sighed but said nothing. The girl pleaded at him with her eyes but he averted his gaze and sat for nearly a minute before the girl caved.

“Fine,” she huffed and folded her arms as she closed her eyes. “I guess you don’t want your arm healed then.”

“…”

“Um…” she peaked an eye open. He was still staring in another direction.” Haha… I guess you don’t want me to teach you some magic then.” She caught his eyes twitching, and she grew a slight smile. “I saw you staring at it before. And I saw you in wonder when I flooded-uh, wet the hall. You look like you don’t know anything about it, except the sword. You’ll become a better fighter if you learn a thing or two about magic.”

Schwing.

He pulled the sword from its sheathe, its sharp edge slicing the air away.

“Oooh,” the girl’s mouth was agape. She reached out her hand and, when it was placed on the wooden table, traced over the sword. “...”

Her look of awe quickly fell into focus. She traced along the blade, lighting the black slightly white as a hint of mana flowed from her fingers. her eyes widening as new thoughts poked at her. She gripped the blunt side, feeling the heavy metal with her soft fingers. She traced around and hovered over the razor-sharp edge. She then traced along that as well, her cuticles ripping even when she barely touched it.

After a few seconds, she finally pulled her hand back and let out, “Huh.”

“W-What?”

“Uh, one second please.” She muttered and pulled her notebook from back in her robe. She flipped through the pages as she muttered under her breath, stopping every now and again to read some of the scribbles inked into the parchment. “Um… I guess… how do I say? Uh…” she mumbled as she sorted her thoughts out. “Okay. Basically, it looks like this sword was made to hold raw mana. Well, I say raw mana but maybe something like a summon. I’m not too sure myself because not even the top scholars of the capital’s Royal Academy know much about this, plus most of the research hasn’t been disclosed. I guess the best way to put it is that… this sword was made hollow in the metaphorical sense. It was made to tether something to it. Maybe that’s how cursed swords all work? I’m not sure but no other sword is like this so it must be one.”

“I-I see…” Sagil could only listen with a blank expression, unable to process the spew of words.

“In fact, it’s surprisingly similar to a communication enchantment. It’s as if someone was using this sword to talk to someone.”

“Ehh?” Sagil let out as he scratched his face in confusion. “One minute it sounds super complex and rare, the next super simple and common/

“Ehh?” The girl let out a similar noise to Sagil. “Only the Knowledge God can perform communication enchantments.”

“…” Sagil gulped. Who’s that…? He didn’t want to risk exposing himself as an otherworlder anymore, even if it was already a lost cause. Although, he still wasn’t sure; his sword was labelled a cursed sword back when his father used it, according to him.

“But… this means I doubt it’s blocking the mana.”

She sank into deep thought again.

Sagil sighed. He didn’t want to risk anything but he needed his arm healed.

“Uh, if it helps, the person I got this sword from said it used to block mana and apparently held some sort of…uh.”

“G-Go on!” The girl said with her bright smile returned.

“Um… I can’t remember. But it could block mana.” Sagil decided on telling the half-truth. There was no way he could get away with saying some sort of parasite demon God lived in it twenty years ago.

The girl tutted in disappointment before returning to her thoughts.

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t seem like it’s blocking mana, I did manifest some, after all. But something has to be blocking yours though. I just can’t intertwine mine and the mana pulled from around with yours. I can’t even sense it.”

They sat around for a few more minutes as they both tried thinking of solutions. Then, the girl remembered something.

“Ah, the girl remembered something. “You said something about blood mana before, right?

“Right…”

“Maybe if we draw some of that blood, I can get the healing to work? It’s a shout but who knows, maybe it’s just highly concentrated in your blood because if it’s in our body then…”

“Then…?”

“Then… it doesn’t really matter. There’s literally nothing on our mana apart from how we can draw upon it and use it to manifest aura and magic. Plus, most of that comes from thousands of years ago from the first Dragon and Demon God.” She let out a sigh. “I just don’t know. You’re an anomaly to me. Then again…maybe it’s just because…” she trailed off, her eyes growing sullen and lips curling into a frown.

She wasn’t wrong, and Sagil didn’t think she was hiding anything more than some trauma. However, he also knew he was hiding something. Blood mana might not be a thing in whatever this place was, wherever that abyss threw him to, but his body wouldn’t just change. All he could do was hope that his mana and the mana in the environment and in her, weren’t completely different.

“You never know if you don’t try. How do you think people find out new things and reach new heights? Whether it’s strength or knowledge…” He picked up his katana as he thought back to the years, he spent grinding bottom rank quests. “Somethings might not work out…” he shook off the oncoming sadness and forced a smile. “But let’s hope this does.”

He took his sword and etched it into his skin, just below the synthesised skin. Blood pushed through the rip and slowly dripped down his arm.

The girl stared blankly.

“Um, are you gonna try something now?”

Her face burned red in embarrassment, “Ah, yes! Sorry, sorry!”

She slapped her face and shook off her bad feelings. She then pulled Sagil’s arm close to her chest, ignoring his grunts, and traced her hand over the blood before pressing into the small cut.

She muttered a chant like the two before and mana circulated around her body. It flowed through her hands as its steady rhythm fastened and its green hue seeped through her pores. It spilt from her fingers and cast a cloud of pale green light over Sagil’s bicep.

“W-What?!” she cried, taking a deep breath.

“What?”

Her eyes widened, reflecting the green glow that mixed with the drizzling blood, slowly ebbing it away.

“N-nothing…” she mumbled as she took more deep breaths, her body taking a toll as she continued to spell.

The blood was finally cleaned and the small cut reversed back to pale skin.

“I-It’s working?!” Sagil gasped.

“I-I think…it…is!” The girl struggled words out of her mouth, her breath growing raspy.

The green glow faded in colour but remained hovering around his bicep.

Just as the synthesised skin started to reverse back to his actual skin, the girl started spluttering.

“Are you okay!?”

“Y-yeah, it’s just…an average healing spell…”

“You look like you’re about to pass out?!”

“I’m… fine…-!”

Just her eyes closed and her body grew light, the faded green cloud burst into life. It was brighter than before and blew energy back into the girl.

“W-What the fuck?” Sagil cried as he felt a rush of blood pump around his body, its mana mixing with the air and the girl’s own mana, almost as if it was reactivated. “This hasn’t happened!”

What was crazier to him was the fact his veins were glowing green like the healing magic, except much stronger than that and the girl’s own hands. It rushed down his shoulder and around his bicep as it seeped from his pores and mixed with the healing magic.

Sagil truly couldn’t believe his eyes as he began moving his arm, his bicep stronger than ever.

The girl exhaled deep breaths as she collapsed into her chair. The green faded from above his hands as did the green flowing through her hands. The bright green glow remained, however, as it rushed around Sagil’s body.

“I don’t know what we did but we did it,” the girl muttered, too drained to celebrate.