Some time had passed since that day, and the seasons finally changed, with the fresh breeze of spring enrichening the cold winter air. The grass, once frozen and limp sprung back to life, accompanied by the trees whose green crowns decorated the sky. Along with the flora’s revival, the fauna, which once turned quiet, began moving anew. Insects, reptiles, birds, and other magical beasts began once again traversing the land. During the day, the sun shone with a bright, warm light, bathing the earth and its creatures with its gentle rays. However, during the night, despite the shivering cold, the moon’s rays beautifully illuminated the few places it could reach.

A soothing breeze blew through Aina’s backyard, making the thin, newly green crowns rustle, and along with them so did the grass. Soft rays of moonlight rained upon the dark soil. A few water droplets trickled through the blooming canvas, painting it with the first shower of spring.

Kai’s footsteps turned muddy as he walked outside, donning a black cloak with a similarly colored hood, blending perfectly into the night as he walked through the eerily quiet city. The sound of shattering raindrops accompanied him. He stopped, raising his head to the sky, letting the water sneak through the mask’s eye holes, and he sighed as it ran down his cheek. Advancing slowly, he stopped in front of a shop, the front of which was beautifully decorated with flowers of all colors. The soft jingle of a bell accompanied him as he stepped inside, prompting the woman at the front desk to raise her gaze.

Her tired, pearly black eyes stared at Kai, surprised by his appearance, however, she otherwise seemed unperturbed. Her short, blonde hair, accompanied by a tall stature made the young woman stand out amidst the sea of Elves in Evicario. “Welcome, how may I be of help?” She asked in a lazy, unbothered voice.

A human? Kai asked himself. It’s been a while since he’d seen one, and even longer since he interacted with one. What’s she doing here?

“I want to buy twenty-four roses.” He simply said, not questioning the woman’s identity or her purpose.

The shopkeeper’s eyes immediately beamed with life, and immediately sat straight as she prepared the flowers. “That’s going to be ten silver. Anything else?”

Kai nodded and handed her the silver, picking up the roses she handpicked for him. The same bell announced his departure as he walked through the rain, tightly holding the flowers. Their crimson color mirrored his own, and his hands shook as he pressed them against his chest. He sniffed softly, silently continuing on his way. Shortly after he arrived at the exit, the magical gate guarded by a dozen guards whose eyes threatened to close.

They all immediately stood up as he approached, greeting him with respect, but not impeding his path. Easily passing through the portal, he found himself standing before the same gates he did nine months ago, with the powerful tree pumping with life behind him this time. The guards outside didn’t bother to greet him, some even scorned him, but none stopped him as he left the FirstGate, and walked toward the forest a few kilometers away.

He walked at a leisurely pace, not caring about any monster that may be hidden within the bushes, however he held on tightly to the necklace around his neck. Its purple color immediately giving away its origin - the same piece of jewelry Ray and Elena gifted him that day, almost one year ago. It glowed with a soft light, and the sound of scurrying footsteps echoed in the night as it pulsated. Kai kept walking, looking straight ahead as his footsteps began to wave. His body became lighter as blood rushed to his brain, but he kept walking, observed only by cowardly beasts and the moon up above.

Soon, he hid under the protection of the trees, and he walked, looking randomly around. Delving deeper and deeper into the forest, his eyes lit up slightly as they fixated on a spot in a small clearing. Walking there, he found himself surrounded by two tall, yet withering trees in the middle of which stood a single sapling. He smiled softly to himself and removed the mask, placing it on a nearby trunk, alongside the roses.

He kneeled and started digging in the moist dirt, making a hole not deeper than his fist or longer than his hand. Searching through his pocket, he took out a seed, its texture, crystalline, like a diamond, yet its color shared the same one as a sprouting leaf. Placing it gently within the hole, he carefully covered it up and wiped his hands on his cloak before taking out a pill. Quickly ingesting it, the ring on his hand flashed, and a sword appeared out of thin air, falling to the ground with a muffled thud.

It looked ordinary, and it was ordinary. Its shape was perfect, without a single flaw or dent, and its shiny surface spoke wonders of the fine craftsmanship that went into creating the sword. Kai stood up and picked up the flowers, dividing them evenly on each side of the seed he just planted. He then took the sword and dug it firmly onto the ground a few centimeters above the hole.

The moonlight shone perfectly on the blade, which then scattered it like a prism, creating a small, yet temporary rainbow. A spectacle of colors that was bound to simply fade away after a few seconds. Kai stared at the scene he had created, tears dripping down his cheeks as his shoulders shook. His lips parted, and his voice trembled as he whispered in a grieving tone.

“Happy Birthday to me… Mom, Dad.”

…

The next day arrived, washing away the sorrow from the previous night as Kai stood up, waking up Onyx as well, which he used as a pillow. The Obborik yawned as he blinked, still half-asleep and muddle-headed. Kai quickly changed from pajamas to a set of casual clothes and walked out of the room followed by his companion. With the sun still up, Kai didn’t dare set foot outside. However, he walked to the library and sat down at the table, whilst Onyx sat a distance away, resting his head on his paws as he watched. It didn’t take long before he fell asleep, however, as Kai only wrote and read, but he appreciated the company.

Kai quickly read through the books he picked out from the library, most of which were written in Elvish, but some of them were written in the universal language. They shared a common subject - Mana Cores and Body Cores. The notebook given to him by his grandpa was now filled with drawings, theories, and overall writings of what could be considered a madman.

This is it! He yelled inwardly as he flipped to the last page, where a step-by-step, comprehensive guide was written, accompanied by images and instruction. This is the way to merge my broken mana core and body core! It’s so simple, yet so complicated! Exhaling softly, he leaned back on the chair and put the pen down, staring up at the chandelier with a hopeful light shining in his eyes.

<>

<< For the two to merge, I have theorized that they must coexist. Just like the energies within a pill, they must form a perfect balance. The simplest way would be to encapsulate the Mana Core within the Body Core, using it as a shield. From then, used mana and life energy to attempt the repair of the Mana Core using the technique imparted by my parents.

The result should hopefully be a sturdy Body Core protecting the Mana Core. The Body core will be used as support when filtering mana, while the Mana core will be used as storage.

The reason for this is that I have concluded that completely reforming the Mana Core is impossible, however by merging them and using one to fill the other’s weakness, I should be able to use the same amount of mana as a Mage while having the body and endurance of a Body Mage. It has never been heard of, and perhaps never will be heard of if I fail… Let’s just hope it just doesn’t come to it.>>

“Haha…” Kai chuckled to himself as he re-read his findings, and he couldn’t help but think that he was insane. After promising the three that I wouldn’t do anything suicidal anymore… However, losing this Mana Core would be… a shame.

He wasn’t quite sure about what he did to his Mana Core when he tampered with the technique, but he wasn’t quite ready to give it up. Staring at a clock nearby, he watched as time trickled down, the sound of the tik and tok echoing in his ears like a countdown.

…

The moon finally rose, and Kai put down the book he was reading and sat up from the study. Inhaling deeply, he walked toward the backyard, where Onyx, Elizabeth, Aina, and Euphirida, as well as Sverik and Zarman, waited for him. Seeing the small crowd of people turn toward him at the same time sent a shiver down his spine, and an empty feeling began forming in his stomach as he approached them. A large pillow, accompanied by a few candles and flowers were placed in the middle of the training field, seemingly waiting for him to arrive.

Passing by Aina, they gave each other an understanding nod as he sat down, crossing his legs and gathering himself. Elizabeth and Euphirida both looked at him with complex expressions - a mix of fear, nervousness, anxiety, and pride shining within their pupils. Sverik smiled softly at Kai, trusting that he would succeed without a doubt. Zarman, however, didn’t show any emotion, at least not on the surface.

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Deep inside, a battle took place within his heart. On one hand, Kai belonged to the race that enslaved his people, forced him and his entire bloodline to war, and put him through so much suffering it would be impossible to forgive. On the other hand, Kai was the son of Ray and Elena… and their last living relative. He didn’t even want to come watch, but Aina begged him to, so in the end, he gave in. Although his eyes held a bit of curiosity, he wanted to see what the offspring of two legendary figures could do.

Kai sat down crosslegged in the middle and took a deep breath, the burning scent of the candles inundating his lungs. He took one last look at everyone before closing his eyes and began chanting the technique his parents gave him in his mind. At the same time, just like he practiced, he chanted Aina’s Body Core technique under his breath. The mana gathered around him, entering his veins and rapidly circulating in his system.

The mana reached the dried-up core, however, it didn’t get absorbed, and instead gathered a few inches away from it, rapidly compressing itself as it turned to liquid, and then to solid. A sphere-shaped ball of compressed energy formed at an alarming pace. It grew from the size of a grain of rice to a bean, then to an acorn…

“Things are going smooth,” Aina remarked from her place, watching everything carefully. “Maybe a bit too smooth, knowing him.”

“We should… we should just trust him,” Elizabeth said, albeit reluctantly. “He’s been behaving… recently.”

“Yeah that’s what worries me, he’s been too quiet this past month.” She said with a chuckle, “That means he’s scheming something…”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything but instead began watching Kai with more consideration. She knew what her mother said was right, the boy didn’t know when to stop courting death.

Sverik listened in on the conversation, and his faith in Kai suddenly decreased slightly, however, he didn’t stop believing that he’d succeed just because of that. He crossed his fingers, and leaned against a tree, watching carefully and ready to intervene if something were to happen, not that his help would be needed. Zarman stood next to him, not uttering a word, still showing his deadpan expression.

Inside Kai’s body, however, drastic changes took place. The Body Core slowed down its growth, giving Kai some room to breathe. He breathed in deeply, and focused on utilizing the theory he had come up with. First, he fed a minuscule amount of mana to his Mana Core, just enough to energize it but not cause it to crumble. Then using the rest of the mana, he focused on hollowing the interior of the Body Core. However, he expected the process to be a simple and fast one. Contrary to his expectations, creating a hollow zone inside it was like swimming against a current.

Each time he hollowed out a small area, the mana would forcefully fill it back up, nullifying his progress. Damn it… He clicked his tongue, and his heart began to race as he struggled to come up with a solution on the spot. Despite that, he still kept a cool head and kept digging fruitlessly at the core until he figured it out.

There must be a way to hollow it out. If my original plan didn’t work then… I can only improvise! He grits his teeth and used a little mana to guide the Body Core toward the Mana Core. I didn’t want it to come to this but I’m left with no choice.

Truthfully, he had expected something to go wrong, so he came up with a last-minute, drastic and brutal solution. And that was to create the Body Core around the Mana Core. It’s so…stupid. Kai sighed inwardly, however at this point he knew that he had no other choice. He didn’t know what result to expect, but he knew the process would be painful at the very least. After a moment of consideration, he pushed the two cores closer together, carefully placing one over the other. He waited.

Waited for the Body Core to grow large enough to engulf the shriveled-up Mana Core, and after a few dozen counts, he deduced that it was time. Compressing the Mana Core, he did his best to shrink it as much as possible, then forcefully shoved it inside the other core. His heart thumped against his chest, beating strongly as air escaped his lungs and he felt like he was drowning on dry land. However, he pressed through, forcefully pushing the mana aside, making way for the core.

Hyperventilating, he endured the seething pain coursing through his body. As he pushed the Mana Core deeper and deeper inside the Body Core, he felt a surge of energy blasting through his body. Mana escaped the confines of his control, and slowly fused with his flesh and blood, poisoning him. However, he grit his teeth and endured, ignoring his body’s cry to end this hellish experiment. The mana outside gathered around him at a faster pace than usual, causing Aina’s heart to skip a beat, and a drop of sweat dripped down her face.

She stood still, however, fully trusting Kai that he wouldn’t sabotage himself again, not after what happened last time.

After another fifteen counts passed, the Body Core, forced by the Mana’s Core pressure, finally fully hollowed out. The only thing left of it was the outer casing, within which the Mana core settled. Just as the Body Core completely encased the Mana Core, Kai felt the mana within his body change in behavior. After sealing the hollowed core shut, the mana re-routed itself and began feeding into the shriveled and cracked Mana Core, which in theory should not have been able to accept such big amounts of mana.

Kai inhaled deeply, knowing full well that the true fight had only just begun, because the Body Core now served as a filter for the Mana Core, slowing down and refining the wild mana that wanted to enter it. However, the process right now was less than ideal, as the two were still separated, and any mana that entered the casing served to advance the fusion project.

Combining two cores, let alone two different cores, was something that no one had ever heard about, whether it be due to failure or incapability. Kai knew, however, that this was the most difficult part. His heart skipped a beat as the cores shook, and he along with them. Taking a closer look, he saw the two cores fight for supremacy, with one attempting to devour the other. He gulped, afraid of what might happen if either of them won. His current mana veins were still far too weak to deal with a Mana Core, let alone a mutated one. Besides that, what would happen after was everybody’s guess, but he didn’t want to use his body to find out.

A soft cry escaped his lips, alarming everyone watching over him, including Zarman, whose stoic expression quickly changed to one of concern as he rushed next to Kai. Aina quickly kneeled in front of him, his face lacking any color, though it wasn’t much different from his usual tint. Her eyes glowed with a faint light, and she let out a soft gasp as she observed the happenings within his body.

“This stupid boy!” She exclaimed, feeling a wave of weakness wash over her. Elizabeth quickly caught her mother, and similarly gasped as she looked at Kai. Zarman judged that, by their expressions, Kai must have done something, he just didn’t know what. Unlike the two, he didn’t possess any spells to enhance his vision, neither did he have the eyes of the man from the Magic Academy. He didn’t dare ask what happened, as he felt he shouldn’t know, and his pupil seemed to share the same sentiment as he observed quietly.

“Lady Aina, what’s wrong with Kai?” Euphridia asked, placing one hand over Kai’s forehead.

“He’s gone and done it…” Elizabeth replied in her mother’s place. “He’s trying to fuse two cores.”

“What?!” Both Sverik and Zarman exclaimed at the same time, shocked and horrified by the implications. Euphy’s pupils widened, and her face seemed to have gotten paler as she fell to the ground.

“Why would he do something like that?!”

The women shook their heads, and Aina’s lips trembled as they parted. “He’s like a stubborn mule, no matter how many times he gets hit he still does what he wants.” She sighed and sat down on the floor, supporting herself against a pillar. “He doesn’t want to be a Body Cultivator his whole life.”

Silence descended, none of them daring to utter a sound as they watched Kai struggle to fight, unable to do anything but pray to Lumiera that he would be right. However, Lumiera didn’t even know that Kai was doing something unheard of in her world, and neither did she care, as her job of taking care of him had passed.

Pressure build up inside his body from the fight, accompanied by the large amounts of mana poisoning his body. As the fight grew fierce, he grew weaker, and he knew that he had to do something. Struggling to take control of the mana, he persevered through the pain and reduced the amount entering the mana core, using it instead as a buffer between the two, which he then evenly fused. That was the plan at least, however, the difficulty proved way more than what he had anticipated. The Mana Core kept pushing against his advancement, however at the same, it also became weaker, so all Kai had to do was persist until he could do what he wanted.

And that’s what he did.

For hours that felt like an eternity, Kai battled with the core, battled against his own body that had been poisoned. However, as time went on, he gained more and more control of the energy swirling within him, eventually limiting the mana poisoning before finally getting rid of it altogether.

Outside, his body turned into a sweaty mess, his clothes sticking to it as the moon’s scattered rays reflected off of the beads of sweat dripping down his face. He wore a pained, almost agonized expression, and his nails slowly dug into his flesh. However, the weakness he felt hours ago completely faded away as he expelled the mana from his blood, leaving only trace amounts that would fade away with time. However, the battle has yet to reach its peak.

Inside him, the Mana Core kept fighting against his will, however, the Body Core tried to help Kai as much as possible, despite how weak it was in comparison. And truthfully, it seemed like the Mana Core would win the battle, as Kai’s energy reserves ran lower and lower. Damn it! Listen to me, now! He yelled inwardly, circulating the modified technique within his mind. As he did that, the few bits of orange that still creased the Mana Core’s red surface glow with a faint light and spread slowly as the core’s control began weakening.

The gap between the Mana Core and the Body Core was almost closed, with the two being on the brink of fusing as one. Now, in the last moments, the battle had almost ceased.

And then, it finally happened… as he sealed the last, microscopic gap, the two combined into one, causing Kai’s body to shake and tremble as he sat cross-legged. His face turned red, his arms shook, and the mana veins instinctually expanded toward the core, creating a direct channel between the mana and his limbs.

The chaotic energy within calmed down, like the ocean after a storm, it settled down and filled Kai with a homogenous power.

His eyes snapped open, a strong light emanating from his crimson pupils, shocking everyone present. A strong shockwave shot from his body at the same time, and he stretched while getting up, his bones creaking and snapping. Inhaling deeply, he accustomed himself to the newfound power, to the one thing unique to him and something that nobody has ever managed to achieve… a Fusioned Core.