Draining Touch.

Had someone told me in the past that there would come a time when I’d scream in horror at the mere thought of two words, I would’ve laughed in ignorance. Now they became a symbol of torture, forcing humiliating cries out of me that echoed throughout the forest. I’m not sure which I dreaded more, the pain he inflicted, or the potions that allowed him to keep going.

The poison coursing through my veins never disappeared despite the countless healing elixirs shoved down my throat. All they did was temporarily ease the pain while Fane mercilessly ravaged my body with his spells. In the end, I was left with a broken spirit after hovering between life and death for so long.

“Draining Touch!” Fane yelled out maniacally, choking the life out of me. Whenever the spell ended he stepped away, giving me a moment to breathe so that I wouldn’t die. “It seems I’m out of potions,” he let out a sigh, complaining for the first time. It brought a smile to my face as I anticipated the end of my suffering, but his grin crushed what little hope I had left. “It’s good that my allies were kind enough to bring their own.”

It was foolish of me to believe it would be over so quickly after all his taunts, my smile broke out into hysterical laughter that tapered off into a wail that only seemed to excite the joyous bastard; even though I couldn’t see him, I could still vividly imagine the exhilarated look on his face as he exacted revenge.

“Draining touch,” he whispered into my ear, making me scream foolishly in anticipation. “Why are you screaming? I haven’t even cast the spell yet.”

Fane burst into laughter after teasing me with a fake casting that instilled fear into me, making me imagine the pain myself despite there being none. My cries only served as an inspiration to continue with the torture that caused me to lose consciousness after an hour had passed.

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An odd sense of weightlessness had settled over me as the pain that had previously been inflicted upon me remained a mere echo throughout my consciousness. I desperately tried to move, to speak, to breathe yet found myself unable to even panic as I sunk deeper into the void. A voice echoed out, twisting and lilting throughout my very being. “How did you allow this to happen, Alexander?” The voice felt oddly familiar yet I struggled to place it as if grasping at a half-forgotten dream. “Have you always been this way? Deep down? Was your bravado for naught!?” My anger caused my blood to boil to the surface as I kept trying to open my mouth in retort yet my body wouldn’t obey me and the words refused to come out. “How long are you going to wait before you do something? Such wasted potential. What would your sisters say? Your mother? Your. . . Father?” I could practically taste the disappointment within this individual’s voice which oddly seemed to take root within me with ease; allowing me to sink deeper into the void. “Perhaps it’s best. . . that you just accept your fate.” I knew that none of this could be real yet it felt as if the voice had stepped around me, whispering directly into my ear. Honestly, I began thinking he was right; hoping, wishing, and praying that perhaps this torture was but a nightmare. “Yes, that’s right. You could just stay here, Alexander. Allow the darkness to take you into its arms.” I began to lose myself in the bitter cold dark, yet strangely I found myself feeling comforted knowing it was the end. “There’s no need for more suffering. You won’t feel any more pain or be forced to cry. You’ll only get to enjoy what you desperately wished for.” I would be lying if I said that the voice which sweetly whispered into my ears wasn’t tempting. Was there even a better fate for someone tied to a tree and tortured by a man seeking revenge? “You could even see the ones you love.”

“The ones I love?” I thought to myself.

“Yes.” I felt a soft hand push my hair past my eyes. “They’re waiting for you.”

“So you can read my mind?”

“Within the Dream World, everything is possible. This realm is one filled with nothingness yet existence.”

“Is any of this real?”

“What is real?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“Yeah and seeing as how you called this the Dream World then it-?”

“No, you called this the Dream World.” The voice interrupted me.

“Wait, what?”

“The void you’ve visited many times, you called it the Dream World so that’s what it became. This is a realm of nothingness and-”

“Existence. Yeah, I know.” I sighed, desperately trying to figure out to whom the voice belonged.

“Exactly.”

“So what now?”

“You’re the one in control. Why ask me?”

“Who are you?”

“I am. . . You.”

“Me?” I was left perplexed, but it all made sense. “Is that why I can’t see you.”

“You can’t see me because you never tried to do so.”

“Show yourself.”

A sudden burning sensation in my chest caused sudden yet pleasant warmth to pass through me as if the mana core around my heart was acting up. My breathing became heavy and to calm myself I shut my eyes and exhaled slowly. It took a bit of time to get used to it but once I opened my eyes again I was left gazing in awe. Everything became visible again, outlined by a cluster of energy which I quickly recognized as mana. The sight previously lost to me was replaced by a new sense that allowed me to perceive raw mana which was typically invisible to the human eye. However, it wasn’t perfect as I was incapable of seeing colors.

My attention quickly shifted to the voice which belonged to the one no longer obscured by darkness. His appearance matched mine perfectly, including the tiny mole below my left eye. It was weird watching myself.

“Now you see us.” He talked without opening his mouth.

“Why am I here?”

“Because you wanted to be.”

“No, I didn’t.” He confused me.

“Didn’t you wish for the pain to stop? Here nothing can hurt you as long as you surrender yourself.”

“But it’s not real.”

“I ask you again, what is real?”

“I. . . I don’t know.”

“Then why not surrender yourself to it.”

“Because. . .”

“Because what?”

“I want to see them again.”

“You can, as long as you wish it.”

“But then they’d be nothing more than my imagination.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I can make anything happen here, right? If I wanted to, I could create my own world?”

“That’s right.”

“I see. . .” I began to laugh.

“It seems you finally understand.”

“I do. Thanks.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For making me realize why I enjoyed living in the first place. This. . . All of it sure is tempting, but it wouldn’t bring me the joy that I seek.”

“And that is?”

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“What made me truly happy wasn’t just the good, but also the bad. Might sound silly, but overcoming hardships allowed me to feel proud, and moments like when Ellie smiled when I gave her a gift would never be as rewarding had I been the one to imagine it.”

“That’s not all, is it?” he asked, but I refrained from answering. “You and I are the same so there’s no reason to hide the truth. Tell me, what is it that you want the most right now?”

“To. . .”

“Yes?” he asked with a demonic grin, mimicking my own.

“To destroy the one causing me pain!” I yelled out angrily, remembering Fane’s face.

“You could do that here.”

“It wouldn’t be enough!”

“But you will suffer if you leave.”

“So what!?”

“Is it worth it?”

“It will be.” I was unable to hold back my chuckle which could finally be heard within the void.

“It seems you’ve made up your mind. Good.”

“Huh? I thought you wanted me to stay.”

“I want what you want.”

“Right. . . So I’m insane now?”

“Do you believe you are?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“Then neither am I.”

“Can you help me?”

“Help you with what?”

“Escape.”

“Only you can do that.”

“How?”

“Learn.”

“Learn what?”

“Learn that which you fear.”

“You mean his spell? But how would I do that?”

“The same way you learn anything else; listen, observe, and try.”

“But I can’t see.”

“Then how do you explain seeing me?”

“Well, it’s the Dream World.”

“Haven’t you been able to see mana before?”

“I have, but-”

“So this is nothing new.”

“But here I can see mana in the air.”

“Isn’t the mana inside him the same as the one in the air? Raw.” He pointed out. “Penelope told us that mana becomes visible to humans only when they cast a spell, yet you could see it within him.”

“So you’re saying I could always do this?”

“If you didn’t believe so, I wouldn’t be saying it. Why are you arguing with yourself? You already know the answer.”

“But what if I’m wrong.”

“Then you’re wrong.”

“So what you’re saying is that I’d just never tried seeing mana that surrounded me.”

“Correct. Even though Amon told you to feel the mana residue while forming a frozen core, you could actually see it too. It probably means that we have a unique ability that Fane doesn’t have, otherwise he would’ve known we had a core back in Tartarus. Let’s call it Mana Sense.”

“That’s great and all but how do I mimic his spell?”

“Do you know the incantations?”

“I do,” I mumbled infuriated, gritting my teeth.

“So all that’s left is to learn how to manipulate mana.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Stop asking me questions you can answer yourself.”

“It helps me think though. . .”

“True.”

“So that’s it? Observe and wait for an opportunity?”

“What else can we do? We must use the mana within to break away from our restraints. It’s just a simple rope, isn’t it? If a wall cracked when we slammed someone into it meaning that rope has no chance of holding us back.”

“I could just-” I was interrupted by sudden pain that surged through me. “What’s going on?”

“Seeing as you’ve decided not to surrender, it’s likely that you’re being forced awake. Now, remember. . . Focus. Listen. Learn. Survive.”

“Can I do this?”

“You must.”

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“Don’t you dare die on me. We’re not done yet!” I heard Fane’s voice while gasping for air. It was as if I hadn’t been breathing for a while. Opening my eyes, the cluster of energy surrounding me pulsed, outlining everything around me which included Fane who devilishly smirked after seeing I was alive. “For a second there I thought you escaped me. Don’t rush to your death when I have so many potions left.”

“Fane,” I whispered with a croaky voice before chuckling, thrilled to be alive. “You’ll regret not killing me when you had the chance.”

I’ll never forget the confused look on his face as he listened to me intently. It must’ve been shocking to be stared dead in the eye despite believing that the other person is blind.

“You’ve gone insane.” He laughed along with me before I began to cough up blood. “It seems I haven’t tortured you enough. Draining Touch.”

Fane desperately tried to hide his discomfort caused by my sinister gaze after his attack which previously had me screaming at the top of my lungs hardly managed to make me groan.

“Is that all you got?” I asked, unable to resist chortling after witnessing his baffled expression.

“You fucking cunt! Stop staring at me with those dead eyes of yours.” He grabbed me by the hair and slammed me against the tree, resorting to a method that seemed uncharacteristic. It was proof that Fane was agitated by my newly found spite which caused him to lose control. “I’ll crush whatever hope you’ve mustered! Draining Touch.”

Grinding my teeth, I endured and patiently observed the changes in mana that passed through his hand and into me. Unlike the spell Penelope had me cast where it flowed like a guided stream, Fane’s Draining Touch was chaotic and unruly, almost as if he was unleashing all of it at once. I was certain that he too took damage every time the spell was cast, but it healed fast enough to go unnoticed. It made me wonder if it was his lack of proficiency or if it was an inherent risk behind using such dark magic.

Despite there being no physical changes to my body, my mind managed to nullify the pain after a while even though it was still taking heavy damage from his wrathful torture. Fane’s plan to break my spirit had failed as he found himself exhausted on mana within the next ten or so minutes, forcing him to rest and replenish. I made sure not to look at him as I needed him to believe I was still blind.

There was a lot to learn from simply watching. Magic proved to be a lot more complex than I initially imagined. Each spell was inherently different with its own set of requirements to cast. However, it could easily be narrowed down to three primary components; vocal, somatic, and material.

Vocal would be the incantations that helped alter the mana within our cores which we absorbed from the atmosphere. Mana was comprised of every natural element and with the right incantations could be changed into anything. For example, Fane’s spell broke down every particle to create necrotic energy while I assumed Penelope’s ice spell isolated the water element.

The somatic component was used to control the flow, allowing one to guide it toward a target. In Fane’s case that was simply touching the enemy while drawing the mana out of his core. It finally made me understand why the dantian core was flawed when it came to casting spells. Not only did it possess a lower quantity of mana, but it also had longer pathways before reaching the hands which were the common endpoint of most somatic spells.

Draining Touch seemingly required no material components, but I’ve seen Penelope utilizing crystals, wands, and other sources to successfully cast magic. It made me theorize if the reason behind Fane taking damage was the lack of such resources and if so, then could other spells be cast without those components as well despite needing them?

Thanks to Penelope’s gift which allowed me to cast a spell in her stead, I had a general feel for how mana should be manipulated through the body but it was a different story when it came to pulling it out of the core. However, thanks to Fane running out of mana I was able to figure it out relatively easily. It appeared that mana within a core wasn’t replenished over time and instead required the user to draw on it from the atmosphere. I assumed that sitting still was the easiest method seeing as how he hadn’t moved in a while. The reverse logic applied when it came to drawing from one’s core as one had to exude mana before controlling it.

Possessing a core already enhanced my body by allowing mana to flow through it, making me believe that there was a way to push past that limit by simply drawing on more. The strength I’d gain would be greater but would come at a cost of depleting mana which I had little of. It also wouldn’t be as effective as casting a specialized spell that achieved the same. Fane’s frenzy was a good example. However, it would serve me well in breaking away from my bindings and taking him by surprise.

“You know, I’ve never met a cunt like you,” Fane chuckled, munching on the food he had packed. “Guess that’s why it’s so satisfying to put you in your place.”

He kept taunting me but I stopped listening at one point, focusing only on learning how to emit mana from my core. My focus only shifted when Fane stopped talking and foolishly tried sneaking up on me despite me seeing him. His footsteps were impressively silent. Had I not been able to see him, he would’ve surely taken me by surprise. Now, it was the perfect opportunity for me to strike.

Right as he was about to reach for my throat, I released the mana within my core which quickly proved to be too chaotic to control without any prior training, causing pain to surge through me. However, compared to the torture I had to endure it was laughable. My cold gaze met his as I used every ounce of strength that I had in me to snap the rope that bound my hands. He didn’t have enough time to react as I grabbed his wrist and tunic, slamming his nose with my forehead which made him tumble backward.

Knowing that I was at a disadvantage if he regained his composure, I quickly mounted him and pinned his arm to the ground while my other hand wrapped around his throat. Squeezing down, I watched him twitch under me as I malignantly smiled knowing it was finally coming to an end.

“Draining Touch,” I whispered coldly as I allowed mana to flow through my arm that held his wrist. Every particle broke down into uncontrollable energy that felt like being repeatedly stung by wasps, but the pain subsided within seconds as his life force coursed through me. It felt reinvigorating, almost like taking a handful of the berries Anna gave me, making my body spasm from excess energy. It was addictive, making me understand why it brought a smile to Fane’s face every time he did it. “Draining Touch!”

Listening to Fane’s screams made me feel exhilarated. However, unlike him, I wasn’t foolishly going to drag things out as I already felt a freezing cold pass through me. I was painfully made aware of the detrimental aspects of being low on mana. Two or three spells were my limit for now and I wasn’t going to try pushing my luck just yet. Tilting my head to the side, I grinningly watched as Fane’s face turned darker and his eyes rolled back. Pouring a bit more mana into my grip, I managed to snap his neck, ending his miserable life in an instant.

The delight I felt was indescribable as I burst into a hearty laugh.

I was finally free.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.

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