The room remained completely silent.
Only the faint hum of the palace's restored mana conduits could be heard in the background, accompanied by the distant movement of construction crews somewhere beyond the walls.
Albedo sat motionless in the center of the room.
His legs were crossed beneath him, his back perfectly straight and his hands resting loosely upon his knees.
Several high-grade Mana Crystals had already been consumed.
Their once-pristine forms had faded into translucent fragments scattered around him, the immense reserves of refined energy they had contained completely absorbed into his body.
Yet Albedo hadn't moved. His eyes remained closed. His breathing was slow and steady.
Mana continued flowing through his body in enormous quantities.
The energy entered his pathways, circulated through his core, passed through his soul and then returned again.
