World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 40: What Is Mana

Chapter 40: What Is Mana

Mana existed as a fundamental force, an ambient energy that permeated the world like an unseen gas. It was neutral, inert, until it found a vessel. When it entered a living being or even an inanimate object, it stimulated the very atoms within, seeking to bond. This integration was the source of all power.

For some, the bond manifested as an affinity for an element, shaping the mana into fire or ice. For others, it was more esoteric, altering physical laws or granting insight. These countless variations were the special powers each person awakened, a unique expression of how their very essence reacted to the touch of mana.

This raw, untamed energy was what now raged inside Nox.

"You wanted a fight, mercenary?" he said, his voice a low growl that didn’t quite sound like his own. "Looks like you’re about to get one."

Lola’s own smirk tightened at the edges. She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, her daggers held loosely. ’This kid’s not normal.’

"Stay out of this, princess," he repeated, his voice low. He didn’t wait for a reply. He lunged again, the Blade cutting a horizontal line through the air.

She ducked under it without effort, her red hair fanning out for a second. Her elbow came up, connecting with his ribs with a solid thud. The blow sent him stumbling sideways, but he didn’t fall. He caught his balance, his feet scraping on the broken ground, and spun back towards her, his blade arcing downwards.

Lola parried the clumsy strike with her left dagger. She used his momentum against him, shoving his blade aside and driving the pommel of her right dagger into his jaw. His head snapped back, and the world went a little gray at the edges, but he stayed on his feet.

’He took that hit,’ she thought, genuine surprise crossing her face. ’He should be on the ground.’

He tasted blood again. The mana was a fire in his veins now, hot and wild. He didn’t feel like he was controlling it; it was controlling him, moving his limbs with an instinct he didn’t know he possessed. He was faster. Each step felt more certain, each swing of the Blade a little more precise. He was still sloppy, still reckless, but he was learning with every exchange.

He came at her again, a relentless, desperate assault. He swung high, she blocked. He swung low, she dodged. He feinted, and for a second, he thought he had an opening, but she was already moving, her dagger slicing a shallow cut across his arm. He barely registered the sting. He just kept coming.

"You’re a stubborn one," she said, her voice tight. She was no longer smiling. She back-pedaled, putting some distance between them, her eyes narrowed in assessment. "You’d need another hundred years to land a single hit on me, kid."

She was saying the words, her tone full of her usual cocky bravado, but deep down, a cold knot of worry was forming in her stomach. ’This isn’t working. He’s adapting. He’s getting stronger with every second he’s still breathing. I have to end this now.’

Serian watched, her own sword still in her hand, her face pale. She didn’t know what to do. She had tried to intervene, but Nox had been clear. And now, watching him fight, she saw the change Lola did. The energy pouring off him was visible to her elven eyes as a faint, dark shimmer around his body.

He was a cornered animal, but one that was growing claws and fangs right before her eyes.

Lola made her decision. She stopped back-pedaling and planted her feet, lowering her center of gravity. Her daggers, which she had held in a defensive posture, were now held low, parallel to the ground.

She exploded forward, closing distance between them in an instant. Her daggers weren’t aimed to block or parry; they moved together, one high, one low, like a pair of shears intent on cutting through whatever stood in their path.

Nox tried to react. He saw the blur of her movement and brought his Blade up, an instinctual attempt to block but it was too slow.

A searing line of fire tore across his chest. He looked down and saw a dark, diagonal gash open on his shirt, from his right shoulder down to his left hip. Blood welled up instantly, a shocking splash of blood against his skin. The wild energy that had been coursing through him sputtered and died, leaving behind only an all-consuming agony.

The strength left his legs. The Blade slipped from his numb fingers and clattered onto the concrete. The ground came up to meet him, and the world tilted, darkness closing in at the edges of his vision.

He hit the ground with a heavy thud and didn’t move.

Serian let out a small, choked sound, her hand flying to her mouth. Lola stood over his still form, her chest heaving slightly. The daggers in her hands were dripping.

"A shame," she said, her voice quiet, all the earlier mockery gone. "You had potential, kid. Really, you did."

She turned away, glancing at Serian. "Now, princess. About that contract..."

Nox’s world was a distant hum. The pain was a separate entity, something that existed next to him but was no longer part of him. A single thought cut through the fog.

’I want her life.’

A grin stretched the muscles of his face. His eyes were closed, but he could see the system windows flickering against the blackness.

[Error Detected.]

[System Anomaly: User Will is attempting to override core protocols.]

[Attempting to neutralize... FAILED.]

[Attempting to isolate... FAILED.]

[Attempting to override... FAILED.]

The god chat in his vision exploded.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] WHAT IS HAPPENING?! The system is malfunctioning! Nox, no, what are you doing?! 😭

[Lord of Carnage] Override? What the hell is he overriding? He’s bleeding out on the damn ground!

[Lady Veritas] This is it. The corruption I warned of. He has broken something fundamental. This is an abomination.

[Baron Von Cynic] Well, this is a new development. He’s dying, yet somehow he’s giving the system a migraine. Almost impressive.

The notifications in his vision continued their relentless, failing scroll. Another appeared, stark and final.

[User has activated a skill not gifted by the system.]

Then the images came. They were not memories; they were present, immediate. The cold shock of toilet water on his scalp. The sneer on Mark’s face. The sight of his classmates’ backs as they walked away. Ms. Joy’s laugh, a sharp, ugly sound in a quiet hallway. Ava’s voice, clear as a bell: ’pathetic loser.’ Lola’s smirk just before her foot connected with his chest.

A thick, hot hatred rose in him, an emotion he had always tried to push down, to bury under a layer of detachment. He had believed it was a weakness, a flaw.

’I tried to push it away,’ he thought, the images continuing to flash. ’That was a mistake.’

He stopped fighting them. He let the hatred fill him, let it pour into the empty spaces left by the pain. It was not a fire; it was a cold, solid weight in his core.

[Force Awakening Underway.]

The blood flowing from the gash on his chest slowed. The edges of the wound seemed to darken, the flesh knitting together with an unnatural speed, leaving a dark scar.

[Unknown Power has been registered.]

Mana is the ambient energy of reality. Its potential is limited only by the vessel that contains it. The soul is the mold; the will is the flame that forges. A will of sufficient strength can shape mana beyond the predefined constraints of elemental affinity, creating unique phenomena. Such power is not given. It is taken.

[Skill Tree Forcefully Created.]

Lola was making her way towards Serian, her daggers held low.

"Don’t make this difficult, princess," she said.

A low sound made her stop. A dry chuckle, scraping from the ground behind her. She turned, her eyes widening.

Nox was pushing himself up. He was slow, his movements stiff, but he was getting to his feet. The massive, bleeding wound on his chest was now a dark, sealed scar that pulsed with a faint, black light. He bent down and picked up his Blade, his grip steady.

He lifted his head, and his eyes met hers. They were not the eyes of the stubborn, reckless boy she had cut down. They were cold, empty, and focused entirely on her with an unnerving stillness.

The system chat was silent. The gods were watching.

Before Lola could do or say anything, she felt a powerful attack that she could not see heading her way.

’shit.’

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