Forge

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The most surprising thing I’d learned from all that chaos last week was the historic event Emma had mentioned, 'Aether Fall.’ What she’d described was exactly what I’d seen before the fall of my old world, so assuming time passed the same way here then that means it's been well over a century since then. As much as I’d wanted to forget, every once in a while, the memories of all those stagnant years spent in that semi-conscious state would always come rushing back to the forefront of my mind. If I was to be completely honest, these last four years had felt like they’d gone by in a flash.

Still, the fact that such a prolific event had still managed to elude me even after all the time I’d spent reading was honestly shocking, but that just went to show how much I still had to learn about this place. Apparently, the deities here had simply referred to that fateful day as being ‘the advent of their descent’. It didn’t seem to matter too much though, seeing as these ‘deities’ were being revered on a continental scale and the commonfolk here had already grown used to all the strange and otherwise supernatural forces colluding in the erratic world they inhabited. Compared to the things that often happened here on a daily basis, magical runes raining down from some far-off world didn't seem too far from the norm for them.

Aether Fall had occurred so long ago that it was now becoming something akin to an urban legend, something this world had no shortage of, but I suppose even a far-fetched fantasy land like this had its limits. The average person simply opted to regard the deities as being a normal part of their world without further questioning.

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Today was different from the usual monotone rhythm I’d been stuck adhering to for the past four years, the bright rays of the sun were still raining down on the town of Zale and Julia was once again hunting the scaly creatures in the small pond just across from the house with a childlike grin on her face. Everything had seemed ‘normal’, and the standout factor this time wasn’t because of another great crisis spawning out of nowhere like what had happened with Emma the other day, although I couldn’t completely let my guard down after that.

The truly interesting part was actually happening inside my body as I sat cross legged atop the ‘patio’, my eyes were closed, and my back was facing Julia’s direction. It was actually much easier for me to meditate at times like these since she would often question me about my strange posture whenever I sat like this, so the best times to refine my mana core was usually after hours or when both my ‘parents’ were distracted.

After meditating like this for a few years, Luelle’s advice had once again come in handy. Magic really was all about ‘visualization’. I’d found out over time that visualizing the mana core in my mind actually sped up the entire refinement process quite a bit. As soon as I started to liken the entire thing to a forging process, the cultivation of my mana core was starting to become a lot easier and a lot more practical, given that I could now actively feel the changes taking place inside my body.

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First, I imagined my mana core itself as a large metal sphere that was similar to a furnace and contained flickering embers in the form of small sparks that served to represent my soul being housed inside the core. The goal was to get these embers hot enough to the point where they would transform into a raging blaze and eventually heat up the silver sphere to the point where its radiant heat would be distributed throughout my entire body, and thus activate my mana channels. But to do this, the embers in the furnace needed fuel, and that was where mana came in. I imagined mana itself as the small particles of light I needed to guide into the furnace using nothing but my mind. The more mana I put inside the furnace, the brighter the flames would burn, or at least that was the idea behind it anyway. Ever since I’d started meditating like this, my mind was constantly envisioning a constant stream of glowing particles feeding the inferno that was being conjured by my very soul.

Three hours a day was the quota I needed to fill in order to make any significant progress, but it was well worth it because today was the day it would all pay off. I could feel it, the flames raging inside my mana core had gotten so hot it felt like the core itself was out to burst into flames.

With each bit of mana I gathered, I could feel the pressure inside my core approaching critical mass. For the first time ever, my ‘heart’ began racing inside my chest, the rhythmic thumping was certainly something I’d have to get used to, but I didn’t dislike it, in fact it actually felt oddly suited to the occasion. The beads of sweat now gliding down my forehead did nothing to cool the heat now being emanated from my body, each passing second only served to intensify this odd sense of anticipation, but it wouldn’t last long. Once the inferno raging on inside my core had reached its zenith, the fruits of my labor would finally reveal itself in a theatric display for all to see.

‘Something’ cracked.

It wasn’t a physical object, but rather, it was the core inside me. I could feel the miniature fractures spreading all over the small sphere housing my soul and soon enough the pressure being smoldered within burst forth in a brilliant flash. My body was immediately enveloped in a veil of the shimmering blue light, causing my limbs to twitch in a sort of euphoric glee as the surge of nature’s magical essence began coursing through my veins, it felt as if I’d finally awakened to some sort of sixth sense. The ground beneath me shook violently and I could hear a strange clattering sound, it had no doubt come from the pieces of the small wooden house that had been blown away by the abrupt shockwave I’d unintentionally released just now.

The energy emanating from my body formed a condensed sphere of light that began dissipating its radiance in mere seconds. The sudden pressure given off by my abrupt awakening had immediately dispersed the winds in the surrounding area, sending the rather tranquil pond nestling nearby into a frenzy. Still despite everything that was now happening, the one thing that managed to capture my attention above all else was Julia, without even a hint of hesitation, she was already charging towards the veil of light now enveloping my body.