I started writing Mana Eater because I wanted to know what happens to a kid after the rescue — after the fire's out, after the adoption papers are signed, after everyone around him says he's safe now. Safety isn't the same thing as healing, and I don't think it ever really is.
Dinga's story borrows the shape of progression fantasy — levels, stats, dungeons, the whole architecture of getting stronger — but underneath the System notifications, this is a book about inheritance. What we carry forward from the people who raised us, whether by blood or by choice, and how long it takes to figure out which parts of that inheritance are actually ours to keep.
Kpara started as a joke to everyone standing in that arena. He didn't stay one. I hope that's true of more than just him by the time you're done.
Thank you for reading this far. There's a lot more raid left to run.
— AOI Studios