A body meant for fire holding the mana heart of water.
A balance that should be impossible, not even for the Dominus clan.
Even though they possess more than one element, their clan is blessed with the Chaos Body.
The Chaos Body was a physique that could accept more than one element, a gift from the gods to the Dominus clan.
A reward for their services in suppressing the outer god a thousand years ago.
Their mana hearts could accommodate two or more elements, each of the four chambers of the heart specially structured to hold an element.
Due to this, their proficiency in each element was far lesser than the average mage, especially for those who learn all four elements.
For those who learn two, their proficiency in one element is above average, yet they never reach the rank of Fifth Resonance Mage, and those who practice one could reach the rank of Supreme, though that was impossible.
As they begin to manifest two elements on their 7th birthday, none have been recorded in history since the first Dominus to use a single element.
But Alaric's body was different; he didn't possess the Chaos Body.
His body was clearly made to support the fire element, resilient and almost immune to flames, yet the said flames he should be resistant to weren't present in his mana heart.
His mana heart was filled with dense water element, so dense it pulsated with a violet hue just like his mother, a Fifth Resonance Mage.
The tier of a mage doesn't necessarily need to much the quality or quantity of mana one possessed.
The tier of a mage represents the level of comprehension and resonance with their individual element.
While the mana quality is simply the quantity and purity of mana stored up.
The tier of Poseidon granted him the violet mana heart, fifth on the spectrum of mana quality.
Silver is the least, about 10 days' worth of mana and of the thinnest quality.
And Black, the highest, two levels above the violet, the two levels a chasm, as violet is 500 days' worth of mana and of intermediate quality.
The Black is of the highest quality, close to the creator, its capacity an imposing 5000 days' worth of mana.
"Something happened on the day I was born." Alaric didn't want to divulge too much, not that he even knew what truly happened.
"Mortals shouldn't have the ability to create such unlawful harmony." The voice sounded closer, curious as the being who spoke stared at Alaric from the void, their gaze peering through the physical, uninhibited, to his spiritual form.
To the being, Alaric looked like a ball of water wrapped by flames, something that shouldn't be possible, especially for such opposing elements.
Why wasn't the large body of water extinguishing the flames?
The water was clearly dominant, yet it didn't interfere with the veil of fire surrounding him.
"Hmmm."
"... " Alaric felt uncomfortable at the sudden hmm. It felt as if he was being undressed by this unknown entity.
"So how does this tower work?" he inquired, trying to break off whatever the entity was doing.
"Weren't you told by those outside...?"
"Oh... This must be your first time here." The voice added.
Alaric tilted his head, confused.
He was unaware that the tower was such that only its name was known; for those who had never ventured into it, the nature of the tower could not be known no matter how much was said about it.
"Yes, it is," Alaric responded politely.
"I don't know how you made it here during the times of war, but you are already here. Let's begin." As the voice's words ended, a translucent screen appeared before him.
"A game status panel," he thought, recognizing the features of the panel.
On it was displayed:
---
Name: Alaric Vulcan
Race: Human
Rank: N/A
Vitality: 60/60
Mana capacity: 500/500
Completion rate: 0/30
Rewards: N/A
---
Alaric scrutinized the transparent panel, quickly understanding what each meant.
The features down to earth.
"No wonder Mom called it games, they use the same principle..." He halted in his thoughts as he noticed something move behind the translucent screen.
At will, the screen retracted, his vision clear as red flashes shot toward him at tremendous speed.
Instinctively, he sidestepped, dodging, the blurr sweeping past.
"What was..." Before he could finish that thought, two more flashes came toward him. Once again he poised to dodge, but the third, which had passed by him earlier, attacked from behind, its mandibles pressing into his sides.
He turned his gaze to it, it's features finally seen clearly.
Glossy red exoskeletons, their lower backs separated to expose rapidly flapping sets of transparent wings.
Creatures he had seen so many times.
"Beetles."
The lotus beetle, about the size of an ostrich egg, closed its mandibles, tearing into a chunk of Alaric's flesh.
He winced in pain, instinctively hitting the creature with an elbow attack. Its chitinous exoskeleton caved in, yet it didn't let go.
The other two didn't let up, as they too flew in for a bite. Alaric, bleeding profusely, could only swing his hands haphazardly to block them, one of the two making one of his arms its meal.
He groaned in pain and, with a clenched fist, punched at it.
The creature slid down his arm from the momentum, its mandibles still sticking into his body.
Further tearing into his flesh, drawing a gushing gully on his arm.
"... What are these things?" he wondered, gritting his teeth in agony.
His gaze shifted to the one stuck to his side, then to the one on his arm, then finally to the last of them.
It was completely visible as it flew in place, its compound eyes reflecting his predicament.
Comically large mandibles, shining under the glare of the sourceless luminance.
"What should I do?" Alaric racked his brain.
He knew if he attacked those on his body he would further injure himself, not to mention the large amounts of blood he was losing from them sticking their mandibles into him
. The clear lake beneath him was tinted red, adding to the beauty of the red lotus.
"I can't..." The last beetle finally flashed at Alaric.
Raising his injured arm to block, the beetle that had its mandibles in that arm moved, flapping its translucent wings, pushing his arm out of the way.
"What?" Alaric's pupils dilated as the last beetle sunk its mandibles into his neck.
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A/N
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