The evening air shimmered faintly with residual mana, casting a soft glow over the cracked stone path that led to the mission board outside the Caelum Holt Awakeners Association. Auther leaned against the stone railing beside the wide platform, his eyes scanning the newly posted assignments as Veira stood beside him, arms crossed.
"These are all too low-tier," she muttered. "F-rank clearance for escorting supply carts and pest extermination? You're E-rank now."
Auther's gaze settled on a small parchment with silver edging—unassuming, but marked with the seal of the Inner Association. He plucked it free.
"'Mana Fluctuation Investigation—Abandoned Village Sector B-19,'" he read aloud. "Unknown cause. Minimal risk reported. Investigators previously sent haven't returned."
Veira smirked, showing a hint of her sharpened canines. "Now that sounds more like it."
Auther nodded, but his expression remained unreadable. "Let's take it. But first—there's something we need to check."
---
The sun was setting as Auther and Veira made their way through the winding outer quarters of Caelum Holt. Dilapidated buildings and mana-stained cobblestone told of areas long since fallen out of favor. Finally, they reached the old, ivy-covered safehouse they'd used before the recent move into their new quarters near the association's dorms.
The door creaked open. Dust motes danced in the low light.
"Elira? Lyra?" Auther called gently.
There was a pause—then from the shadowed stairwell, two figures emerged.
Elira stepped out first, her long silver-blonde hair cascading like moonlight. Her violet eyes glimmered faintly with mana, sharper than when he'd last seen her. Behind her, Lyra followed with her usual quiet poise, a soft aura of wind magic trailing behind her bare feet.
"You came back," Elira said softly, a conflicted smile on her lips.
"I'm sorry," Auther said. "I should've come sooner."
Lyra waved a hand in dismissal. "We needed time too. You were growing faster than we could follow. And we… had something to understand."
Auther tilted his head. "Understand what?"
Elira stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "Something inside me… has been stirring. Old dreams, a language I don't recognize but somehow understand. My body—it's changing."
"Her bloodline," Lyra said. "It's awakening."
Auther frowned. "You have a hidden bloodline?"
"I didn't know. My parents never told me. But… it's strong. Ancient. Sometimes, I feel like I'm remembering things that never happened. Like my bones remember what my mind has forgotten."
Auther's gaze narrowed. This wasn't just a power awakening—this was something deeper. A history returning to the flesh.
"You should've told me."
"I didn't want to be a burden," Elira whispered. "Not when you were already carrying so much."
Auther stepped forward, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "You're not a burden. You're part of this team. You, Lyra, Veira—this isn't just my path anymore."
Veira grunted from the doorway. "Hmph. Took him long enough to say it."
---
They returned together to their quarters that night, the four of them—Auther, Veira, Elira, and Lyra—finally reunited. As they settled in, Auther sat by the quiet fire, notebook in hand. The SP display on his system hovered in the corner of his vision.
[Skill Points: 186]
With careful strokes, he began sketching out a new idea. A passive skill to boost his mana control further. Something that wouldn't just increase his capacity, but let him mold mana more smoothly during combat. But the costs stacked up quickly.
Mana Sculpting – Rank E Allows the user to mold ambient mana into desired shapes and flows, increasing precision in energy-based attacks and techniques. Also improves absorption rate from surrounding sources.
→ Base Cost: 50 SP
→ Additional Complexity (Adaptive Shaping, Passive Flow): +25 SP
→ Final Cost: 75 SP
He exhaled. That was manageable. But not now. He'd save it. For now, his priority was the mission—and getting Elira and Lyra reintegrated.
---
The next morning, the group set out toward Sector B-19, a few leagues beyond the city. The land grew quieter with each step away from the walls, until even the birdsong faded into eerie silence.
Elira walked beside him, fingers occasionally brushing against her bowstring. "This place… it feels wrong."
Lyra stopped, her wind magic brushing against the nearby trees like fingers probing for danger. "There's mana in the air. But it's… inverted. Like it's rejecting the flow of the world."
"Be on your guard," Auther said.
As they approached the village ruins, they saw what had become of it.
Charred walls. Blackened earth. And in the center—floating mana crystals, flickering in and out of reality.
Veira's hand hovered over the hilt of her blade. "This wasn't monster work. It's too clean."
"No corpses either," Elira added.
Auther stepped forward, activating his Perception Thread skill, which allowed him to feel ambient energy currents like a sixth sense.
A cold spike of awareness stabbed into his mind. Something had noticed them.
And it was still here.
---
The first creature emerged from the ground, not with a roar, but silence. It had no mouth—only glowing veins of mana across its chitinous frame, like living crystal armor. Mana Mutants.
"Spread out!" Auther barked.
Elira was first to act. Her arrows whistled through the air, tipped with wind-enhanced mana. Each shot pierced chinks in the mutant's armor.
Lyra raised a protective wind barrier just in time to shield Veira as another mutant burst from the left. Veira didn't hesitate—she leapt forward, her blade flashing in elegant arcs as she cleaved the creature in half.
Auther dodged one's lunge, the ground shattering under its weight. He focused his mana and activated Mana Edge, slashing into its back, but the creature resisted more than expected.
"Too dense," he muttered. "I need more force."
He created a temporary skill on the spot.
Mana Overload Slash – Rank F
Temporarily boosts next mana-infused melee strike by concentrating energy into the weapon's edge. Drains stamina.
→ Cost: 18 SP
He swung.
The enhanced edge tore through the creature's back, slicing into its core. It crumpled with a hiss.
[You have slain a creature of equal rank. +5 SP gained.]
"Three more incoming!" Lyra shouted.
Auther turned sharply. "Veira—defend Elira. Lyra, keep pressure up with your wind. I'll handle the flanker."
They moved with precision. This was the first time all four fought together, but it felt almost natural.
A team.
---
By the time the last mutant fell, the sun had passed its peak. The ruins still pulsed with strange ambient mana, but whatever anomaly had spawned the mutants seemed to have died with them.
Auther stood in the center of the battlefield, catching his breath.
[Total SP gained: +20]
He glanced at his team. Veira's armor was chipped. Elira's breathing was labored. Lyra was pale, her mana nearly spent.
And yet—they stood victorious.
He smiled faintly.
Not alone anymore.