Lines

The carriage bumped against the rocks on the ground, reminding me of the world I was in. I looked at the sleeping Roman in front of me. Then, I looked at Eden, who was sitting beside me and reading a book.

We were heading east, toward the desolate coast of the Frozen Sea, where the cathedral awaited.

I looked at my hand, then slowly got the courage to take my glove off. Revealing a big scar that I had.

And on my finger was the black ring, with purple runes drawn on it. I stared intently at the ring.

Eden glanced over and noticed the ring. Moving closer, she asked, "Can I take a closer look?"

I nodded, then tried to take the ring off, but remembered I couldn't. So I gave her my hand.

Her pale hand held mine for a bit, then she started talking. "This was a training tool that Conall and I used as children. It was designed not to create magic but to help the wearer feel mana. So it's not a source of power, just a tool to enhance your senses. Did Conall give you this?"

"Yes, when I was training with him," I replied.

Eden went silent for a bit. "You should use it as much as you can; it will help you grow faster. Toro."

When Eden said that, her face went red, and she put both of her hands on her mouth, which made her drop her book.

"Toro?" I repeated.

She looked at me and coughed. "Have you never fumbled a word in your life? It's normal. And an accident, you hear me? It's nothing big to think about."

I smiled. "Yeah, but Taro is really a simple name to get wrong, don't you think?"

"Well, you think so. But I don't think there are a hundred people in the kingdom with that name, so don't blame me." Her talking speed was getting faster, which made it a bit funny to me.

Eden realized that I was laughing, so she picked up her book and went back to reading; however, her mind was still on the accident.

Smiling, I straightened up and looked down at the ring again, a new thought in my mind.

Feeling mana.

I did start to do that; when I use magic, I feel like I am pulling back a force that is unstoppable in nature. And forming it into my own.

I closed my eyes, nothingness all around me. I started to focus on the ring. Taking deep breaths, I tried to use it.

Focus on 'Mana.'

Mana, in itself, is a source of energy. It exists everywhere, yet also nowhere at the same time. A mysterious force that is invisible and doesn't interact with anything unless you use it.

It took a while, but I felt like I was about to sleep. I felt a small movement around me, like being in the middle of a calm sea.

This, I realized, was the "sea" of energy a mage drew from to cast a spell. But I didn't try to shape it. I simply let myself float in it, focusing on the connection between the ring and the mana around me.

Huh? For a moment, I felt pain. Not from my head, but from my lungs.

Even with my eyes closed, a new kind of sight opened to me. I could perceive the ring's exact outline, not as a physical object, but as a point of focus.

And from that point, shimmering 'lines' began to radiate outward. The lines merged with the sea of tides that were mana.

What's going on? Is the ring doing this? Did nobody know the ring's true nature until now?

While the flow felt like 'mana,' the lines were more of 'magic' itself. It was the power that moved everything.

I "looked" toward Eden and saw a faint red line originating from her chest and connecting to her eyes. I felt like it was the spell that she used to cover her crimson eyes.

The carriage suddenly stopped. Which made me open my eyes in surprise, losing whatever state I was in before. I looked around frantically.

"Did that wake you up?" Roman, who was awake, laughed at me.

"Huh? Weren't you asleep just a while ago?" I asked.

Roman had a puzzled look on his face. "You were the one asleep. I woke up about an hour ago. Anyway, we're here; let's get out."

Eden and Roman walked out of the carriage, and I did as well. However, I was still confused. Was I asleep at the time? But I did feel the movements of Eden; maybe because I was too focused on her, I didn't feel Roman. Or perhaps when you're seeing those lines, time flows differently.

What I noticed was that I was tired, like I used a huge amount of mana.

I looked around at the desolate coast of the frozen sea. Then, at the consistent grey sky, which showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

The carriage that brought us here started moving far away, leaving us three alone.

Eden held the talisman she had made in her hand, and then both Roman and I did the same. Then, using mana, all of us burned the one in our hands.

The ash and jasmine smell felt like it was surrounding me. I heard whispers but tried to ignore them. I took a few steps back, grunting.

They were painful, disorienting, and continuous. For a while, I felt like they were never going to stop. But thankfully, they did. Sweat ran down my forehead. I looked at the other two who had already finished using it.

Then I smelled closely, noticing that Roman gave off a jasmine smell.

"Congrats, you two. You are now vampires." Eden said jokingly, looking at the sea.

In looks, she was right; both my eyes and Roman's turned red. But this was all just accessories; our nature and soul were still whatever we were. I felt like a hollow soul was latched onto me, but I tried to ignore it.

Eden then continued explaining. "It will last 2 days. So make sure that nobody does anything stupid."

Roman smiled. "Of course not."

I nodded.

Eden's wings came out. They were larger than normal. "I will fly you both with me, so be ready."

"Wait," I said without realizing.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Eden turned back, her wings gone.

In the air, there were lines that seemed to be magic. The lines were from further back, which means that someone is coming this way.

"Someone is here! We have to hide fast." I said, looking at Roman and Eden.

The moment Roman heard that, his expression got serious. "Gather near me."

We walked closer to Roman, and then I saw a flash of light. before coming back to my senses. "Huh. What did you do?" I looked at Roman.

He gestured with his hand to not speak. Then, from the road leading to the coast, there were multiple carriages.

My heart sank as I felt the pressure from each one. I saw at least 3 different emblems and family symbols.

However, my mind was focused on one. A boy with pure white hair and red eyes came from it. He was wearing clean and noble attire that seemed to fit him perfectly.

Conall, and by his side was Lilith. Whose eyes didn't change since last time?

Conall and the other two lords started talking; they laughed for a bit before looking at the sea. And each one unleashed their wings. Lilith stayed behind him, silent.

As the vampires took to the sky, Lilith remained on the ground, motionless. The spirit guards following the other lords dissolved into smoke, but she stayed.

Her gaze swept across the chore; she looked at us for a second but ignored us as if we were not there. She showed no reaction before disappearing and melting to the ground like the others.

For some unknown reason, I felt like she saw me. Not Roman or Eden, but me directly. However, I was too focused on not making a sound that I didn't try to think about it much.

When all the magic lines in the area were gone, I let out a deep breath. "We are fine now."

Then, a flash of light appeared again. Roman fell to the sand. "I am never using an illusion like this again."

I walked up to him and extended my hand. "Thankfully, they were not too close to us. Let's wait a bit before flying to the Cathedral as well."

As Roman got up, I looked at Eden; her eyes were still low. It seems like she also only focused on Conall.