Chapter Twenty-Four: Mana and Magic

Gilly felt a warmth coursing through her, tinged with an electrical current. It flowed slowly into her body. She followed the sensation with cautious focus, but before long, she drifted into her subconscious—unaware of the voices calling her name.

She appeared in that familiar white space. This time, however, it wasn't blank. Colors flowed through it, shifting like liquid light before gradually separating into distinct spheres. There were at least seven of them: blue, red, gold, black, green, orange, and white.

Once the spheres had fully separated, the room returned to a dazzling white. Gilly approached the floating colors, but as soon as she drew near, they scattered—zipping off in random directions as if trying to avoid her.

She chased after them, her movements fluid but futile. Each time she got close, they slipped away. Frustrated, she stopped and simply observed. Curiously, whenever she chased one color, a few others tended to group together nearby.

Her gaze fixed on the golden orb—it was the only one that didn’t seem to pair with any others. She smirked. Abandoning the rest, she pursued it relentlessly. It flew straight ahead without deviation. The other colors, as if offended by her choice, began to swarm her, bumping into her sides and back. She occasionally tried to grab them, but they remained elusive.

Still, she never wavered. Her focus stayed locked on the golden orb, even as it accelerated further into the distance.

Outside, something was wrong.

Sin, who had entered the chamber to check on her progress, immediately noticed the change. Gilly had slipped deep into her subconscious—a dangerous situation, especially for someone newly awakened to mana. This level of detachment could be fatal.

She had only been meant to trace the flow of mana through her body to begin understanding how it moved. No one expected her to fall completely inward.

Ephini looked stricken. She had experienced something similar when training under her mother. It had taken both Seras and her mother almost a week of trial and error to pull her out.

Zin placed a reassuring hand on his sister’s shoulder. He, too, had struggled the first time he tried entering his subconscious. The pressure had nearly made him pass out. But something about Gilly’s situation felt... different. Like it would resolve itself.

So they waited—hoping.

Days passed. News of Gilly’s condition spread quickly. Many were surprised. Some were worried. No one knew what would happen next.

She was moved back to her room, watched constantly by Ephini, who refused to leave her side. Not until her husband, Siel, took over for a day did she finally allow herself to rest.

Even Siel was disturbed. He had seen Gilly’s potential during their spar. He had genuinely looked forward to crossing swords with her again someday.

Two weeks passed. Gilly had grown visibly thinner.

Then something changed.

A strange aura began to form around her—it constantly shifted colors, cycling through all known aura signatures. Zin, Pom, Penre, Valmor, Asrck, and Siel had all gathered by then, each throwing out suggestions or speculations.

When Ephini arrived, breathless, she saw the aura and gasped a single word:

“Regalia.”

Everyone turned to her in shock. This was something advanced—something only the Predator class could perform.

She steadied herself, then spoke. “When someone develops the ability to change their aura—something usually tied to elemental alignment—they’ve reached the stage we call Regalia. This is only possible if they’ve attained some form of enlightenment.”

Suddenly, Gilly's body changed. The Regalia extended, filling the room. With each shift in color, the elemental presence tied to it could be physically felt.

Everyone stood speechless. And yet, despite the awe, a deep, unspoken fear lingered in the air. If she didn’t wake up soon... she might not wake at all.

Meanwhile, Gilly had long since lost track of time chasing the golden sphere. The others had been unpredictable and aggressive, but this one felt different. She pressed on. Gradually, the distance closed, and eventually—the golden orb stopped.

She grabbed it.

Suddenly, she collided with something unseen. Pain shot through her body. She screamed, her consciousness flickering.

When she turned, she saw a massive cluster of colors—every shade but gold. She reached out to touch them, only to be met with searing, unbearable pain each time.

She noticed then: the other orbs she had originally seen were now part of this cluster. All except the golden one, which still hovered ahead of her.

She turned again. The cluster seemed to call to her.

Tentatively, she reached for it—this time holding onto the golden sphere in her hand.

No pain.

Her eyes widened.

That was it—the cause of the pain had been incompatibility. Whenever she tried to touch the rest without the golden orb, her energy conflicted with theirs.

Over time, she learned which colors harmonized with each other—pairings and oppositions. It was a puzzle. One that, once solved, caused the golden orb to pull her toward something else.

Back outside, Gilly’s aura turned golden.

She grunted in pain. Her veins bulged. A heartbeat—faint but undeniable—resonated through the room.

It wasn’t heard. It was felt.

The pressure was immense. Many were forced to leave. In the end, only Ephini, Zin, Asrck, and Pom remained. Even Valmor couldn't bear it.

Zin whispered, “This again...”

It was the second time Gilly had done this.

The beat wasn’t constant. It changed its rhythm and weight. They’d all read of the phenomenon in ancient texts: “Creation’s Heartbeat.”

But reading about it and experiencing it were vastly different things.

They said nothing more. They simply watched.

Eventually, the pressure lifted. The heartbeat faded. But the golden aura persisted.

Inside her mind, Gilly encountered more clusters—each larger than the last. She passed the first... then the second... the third... fourth... until she reached the fifth.

It was enormous.

She hadn’t seen any golden color in a while, but now, in front of her—there were three.

One was about six feet across. Another, thirteen feet. The third was the one she held.

She froze. Something felt... significant.

Then she heard two voices—familiar and familial.

She turned.

The two large golden spheres had eyes. Strangely familiar eyes—similar to Seras’s.

“I guess she’s quick to grasp things,” said the larger one.

“Hmm... strange. Wasn’t there one more?” said the smaller, floating closer. In her hand was a small golden orb—the same size as the one Gilly held.

It floated in front of Gilly, opened its eyes—and she gasped.

They were the same eyes she had seen watching her before.

She looked up again.

There were now ten times more eyes than before, watching from the white void. The pressure of their gaze weighed heavily on her.

Ignoring the discussion between the larger golden spheres, Gilly scanned the sea of eyes, searching.

Finally—she found them.

A pair in the corner.

They widened when they realized she saw them.

And winked.

Then, a voice:

“We have understood #+&&#$( #//@)# !$-:$¿ ;# ?)#/@ )#!#;&_# !#? L#?#? MUMBI WANYORA”

Gilly turned sharply. The other golden spheres didn’t react—it seemed only she could hear the voice.

The name alone sent terror through her heart. And when she looked back at the small golden orb, it winked again—just like the eyes above.

She was mesmerized.

It was too uncanny. Too surreal. Why did this orb have the same eyes as the one in the ceiling?

The two large golden spheres now addressed her in unison.

“Congratulations, me. You have finally understood the concept of mana. This will help you in the future.”

Gilly frowned. “Mana...?”

Then everything clicked—the chasing, the pairing of colors, the conflict, the pain, the flow.

But still... what did the golden sphere mean?

Another message followed:

“User has finally understood the concepts of mana circulation, breathing techniques, #&$-$+@, and elemental principles.”

Another voice echoed:

“User’s Hero’s Blood has been partially awakened. User will now be able to use mana instinctively—with our help.”

Finally, all three golden orbs spoke together:

“You are a step closer to becoming us. We hope one day, we become one and the same.”

The words struck like thunder. Heavy. Final. Draining.

Her eyes fluttered.

Before losing consciousness again, she looked at the small golden orb.

It smiled.

Then winked.

She awoke slowly.

Everything felt... distant. She couldn’t remember much—only fragments.

There had been an announcement: something about Hero’s Blood. Mana circulation. Elemental understanding.

But something tugged at her thoughts. A feeling like she'd forgotten something important.

She turned—and saw everyone staring at her.

She felt weak. Her body was thin. Gaunt.

She raised a trembling hand. “What... what happened?”

Asrck answered gently. “You’ve been out for a month.”

“Ehhhhhhbhbhn!” she exclaimed, voice cracking.

Elsewhere, in a dark and silent space...

A box lay dormant. Black and lifeless.

Suddenly, runes etched across its surface began to glow. A faint heartbeat echoed from within.

All nearby creatures fled.

A man approached, wearing a mask marked with a question mark.

He was heavily wounded—but when he saw the glowing box, he began to laugh.

“I guess... it was all worth it,” he said, chuckling maniacally.

Authors Note

Hi there, it’s Artifact!

This novel has been gaining a tiny bit of traction lately, so I’m excited to announce that I’ll be starting the second series soon!

The Prologue and first chapter of the new series will drop this Saturday and Sunday, and as a thank-you for your support, I’ll also be releasing a bonus chapter for this current series on Saturday.

If you’re enjoying the story, don’t forget to leave a comment and recommend it to others—it really helps!

See you in the next one!