Liz’s eyes explored the interior of the hut she was in. She saw a couple of wooden wardrobes and a table. Some dirty old clothes were piled up in a corner, covered in dust. The ceiling was pierced with several holes, letting in some light from outside.

She inspected her body next, but she couldn't see even the slightest change. Once she calmed down, she tried to sort her thoughts out.

She had seen the inside of her soul, in a way she couldn't even imagine. She saw her mana pool, she saw her skills… She remembered the chains that bind [Eternal will] and there was something else.

She remembered the words that “Rouge” told her: “You shouldn’t go further in…”, “I won't be able to protect you.” Protect me from what? She wanted to say, but she knew “Rouge” couldn't tell her.

It was strange, she felt like they had a connection, that she could feel her feelings, and what she felt was fear… She wasn’t the real Rouge, she was just a protector created by eternal will, she knew that much. But she also knew that whatever was hidden inside the cave would kill her if she ventured in.

Then there was the lake of tar, the giant monster, and Kai. He was exactly as the real one, exhaling an aura of omnipotence. As if he could destroy the world if he wanted to. But unlike with “Rouge.” she couldn't feel that connection.

She didn't know if Kai was real, if he was just another manikin created by her skill, or if it was all just a nightmare and she would wake up at any moment.

“The little spirit has finally woken up.” Kancor said as he entered the hut.

“Good morning I suppose, where are we?” Liz asked.

"You could call this my hideout I suppose." Kancor answered. "But the official name is Hell's paradise. The only place of all the deadlands that isn't decaying."

"How!?" Liz almost jumped to Karcor demanding for an answer.

"It's surrounded by different layers of barriers and poison, only I can cross them." Kancor said. "But I think the one who should ask is me. What did you see?"

Kancor stared at her for a few seconds while she sorteos her thoughts. What was important? What was dangerous? What would expose her reincarnation?…

"I saw the interior of my soul…" she started.

For several minutes Liz explained what happened inside. The cave, the chains, the lake of tar… She also mentioned that she acquired a new skill, but omitted everything surrounding her “glitched” skill.

“...” Kancor blinked, processing everything she said. “Wow”

“That's all you have to say?” Liz asked. “Best master ever I guess…”

“What do you want me to say!?” He retaliated. “The people who can see inside their souls can be counted with the fingers of a hand, and certainly none are level 4”

“As I said, best master ever…”

“Anyways, I think it's obvious that there is something extremely wrong inside your soul. Having restricted skills and visions of an endless void isn’t something the average mage has to face.” Karcor said. “However I have no idea on how to fix it.”

“Lovely” she interrupted him.

“Instead I think the best we could do is to have you finally learn some magic.” He ignored her comment.

“...” Liz froze for a moment, realising she completely forgot about magic. “I guess this master is not that bad after all…”

“Maybe this master would be better if you treated him better…” He mumbled while he sat down with his legs crossed. “As much as I would like to help you, I’m not a mage myself, so I can’t teach you advanced magic. Instead I’ll teach you mana-construction.”

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“And that is?” She asked as she sat down like him.

Kancor’s mana circuit glowed red as he started creating a little red chain that connected his two hands. “As the name implies, it's basically creating objects with mana. Apart from training, it's not very useful.”

Liz couldn’t care less about its uses, she only needed a way to attune herself to this world's magic, after that she was confident in her capacities “Ok, how do I do it?”

“I want you to look inside your soul again, without passing out this time please, feel the mana stored inside of it and slowly, let it flow out of your soul and fill your body.” He started.

“Feel it flowing out from your heart, travelling through the mana circuit. Slowly collect it in your palms.”

Lis closed her eyes as her consciousness entered her soul, she saw the giant walls of her mana pool, her eyes tried to look for the cave again, mainly out of curiosity, but what once was a great cave now was just a little crack.

Her focus went back to her mana, her memories of the first time she tried to properly conquer this power replayed in her mind.

“Mana is both the limitless power and the powerless slave. You must learn not only to use it, but to dominate it. You are the mage, a god among mortals. Don’t let your powers overwhelm you.” Bel’s voice echoed in her mind.

She felt her hands touching the “liquid” mana, and she slowly visualised it flowing out of her soul. She forced it to flow only to her hands, preventing it from spreading to the rest of her body.

Slowly, the mana particles gathered in her palms. She felt the strain, mana itself resisting to her control.

“Let mana guide you, feel it filling your body and borrow its power…” Kancor’s words felt distant, as if he was miles away from her.

“Make it submit to your will, force it to follow your every command” Bel’s voice echoed in her head. She felt her hands holding hers, helping her.

The mana circuits on her arms glowed blue as the flow of mana intensified. A dim light started to form in her palms as more and more mana gathered there.

The strain got stronger second after second, a little blob of blue blood leaked from her nose. But she couldn't feel it, now the whole world was missing, only her will and the mana remained.

She imagined a little string connecting both of her palms, visualising the mana particles moving to form it… But nothing happened. Mana was resisting, like a wild horse that wanted to run free. Like a mighty river that can’t be controlled.

She continued trying, forcing her will on the mana that flowed from her soul. It was a relentless battle, once she made any kind of advancement some mana tried to leak to the rest of her body, and she had to restart all over.

“Don’t fight, don’t act like it has a choice. You are the one in charge, it is your will what it will follow, your commands what will be completed.” Bel’s voice guided her. “You are the mage, it is nothing but energy for you”

“...Please, stop!!!” A cry for mercy filled her mind.

For a moment Liz froze, what was calling for her. Then the realisation sinked in, it was mana.

“...Please, just let us be free… We will lend you our power” This time, it was as if 7 voices spoke at the same time. “...You will have the power to achieve anything… just let us be freeee…” the voices continued speaking with their broken voice.

But Liz’s control only grew. She wasn’t having it. Mana wasn’t conscious, it couldn’t think, yet its will was real. But she couldn't care less about that. Since when do I have to ask for permission to use my power?

The mana started to form a string from each one of her hands, they were short and thin, and weren’t even connected to each other, but they were growing.

“...Stop…Please…Spare…us…” More than 40 voices screamed in her head.

She continued forcing the mana, now it only flowed in little streams directly from her heart to her hands, only one of the lines that covered each of her arms lighted up.

“PLEASSSSSEEE!!!” The voices continued her desperate cry, almost as if they were suffering. “We beg you… Spare us…”

Blue blood flowed from her nose in a constant stream, she even leaked a couple of tears of blood from all the strain she was unknowingly putting her body under.

“Liz! Liz! Please stop! You are hurting yourself!” Kancor tried to talk to her, but for her, nothing but mana existed. Everything except for it was meaningless, only a distraction in her training.

“...MERCYYY…” The voices pledge once again, now sounding like thousands of desperate cries for help, but she once again ignored them.

Finally, the two strings connected and everything went quiet. The voices were silent, as if they were all killed in an instant. It was an unsettling feeling…

“WE TOLD YOU TO STOP!!!” Then the voices screamed at her, not suffering, not in pain, not asking for help. The voice was angry, it was only one, it was all.

She saw a black wave of mana residue flowing from her hands, flowing towards her, as if it was going to eat her.

But the wave stopped almost as suddenly as it had formed. Why would I care about what you want? You are nothing but a power binded by my will. There was no anger in her words, it wasn't even a real question, it was nothing but a statement. She was an omnipotent god, and they were nothing but fuel to her.

Notice: You have levelled up to level 5.

Notice: You have levelled up to level 6.

Notice: Advanced mana affinity has levelled up to level 2.

Notice: You have subjugated your mana to your will.

Notice: Now mana won't be able to communicate with you without your approval.