The same day Fabio felt the mana of the spirits, he also managed to move the mana within his soul, causing it to course through his body.

The faint glow of the stars flooded every pore of his being, forcefully reconstructing all his cells to fill them with the power of mana, engulfing him in an unprecedented calm, like a parched throat finally receiving the coolness of water.

But it was far from enough.

As he looked into the mirror, he saw his body trembling, bleeding from all his orifices as he lost a dishonorable amount of blood, though his mind whispered to him not to worry.

Instead, he focused on his own mana structure.

It was a small celestial vault whose stars radiated purple light, an almost perfect reflection of Lily's mana.

The only difference was its intensity.

Nolva looked at Fabio from the mirror. Her eyes hid unusual emotions, as if she were reliving past memories.

‘...Another artificial mage, though he’s not yet complete.’

"Congratulations!"

Sophie, who stood beside them, congratulated Fabio on his achievement, ignoring the blood covering the floor.

However, soon they fell silent.

Once the mana left his body, it couldn't maintain its form, dispersing into a mist that faintly glowed like stars.

...

From the following afternoon, Lily joined Fabio's training, carrying the same turquoise orb she had once brought out in the desert.

Lily cheerfully greeted Nolva. It seemed they got along very well.

Afterwards, Fabio lay on his bed as Lily placed a hand over his eyes.

"It will hurt a little."

Her inner firmament glowed fiercely, driving the starry mana through her hand, injecting it into Fabio’s spasmodic body.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The turquoise orb glowed, releasing healing pulses of mana periodically.

This time, the process was much smoother.

Fabio's mind went blank.

...

Upon opening his eyes again, Fabio felt the icy embrace of winter.

"Are you awake?"

"...Yes."

He was leaning against the back of a man whose face he could not remember.

In his arms were a girl and a boy of similar age, both with brown hair.

They were Sophie and Hugo.

The clothes they wore seemed of high quality.

Together they crossed the desert, facing the cold and the monsters under the darkness of the night.

"We're almost there."

The man ran without stopping, until they reached the village barrier, then walked to a two-story house.

Along the way, he received hostile looks from the villagers.

Knock, knock, knock.

Shortly after knocking on the door, a middle-aged man wrapped in a brown blanket came out.

"..."

"...Victor, long time no see."

"...What do you want?"

"I need you to take care of these children."

The man lowered Hugo and Sophie from his arms. Then he took Fabio off his back and also set him on the ground.

Little Fabio stood behind the man's legs, looking fearfully at Victor.

For as long as he was conscious, he had always been running away.

...

Fabio woke up and looked at the ceiling of his room, lost in his thoughts. He couldn't remember the content of his dream, but his eyes were somewhat teary.

'It's been a long time since I've dreamed.'

Today marked the third day he had received mana from Lily, and he felt revitalized. His internal vault had become brighter and now occupied much of his body.

Fabio got up and, like every night, had a cheerful dinner, accompanied by his lifelong friends: Sophie, Lily, and her parents.

In total, there were five people.

Amidst the unanimous joy, Fabio looked at the sky through one of the huge windows of the dining room.

For some reason, the clouds shone with an endless array of very intense multicolored lights, much more than the day he had arrived at the mansion.

The silhouette floating in the sky had also come much closer. It seemed to be a boy his age.

Perhaps, at this rate, he would soon be in front of him.

...

Derick had escaped from the mansion the day before.