For a brief instant, everything froze.
The battlefield plunged into silence, broken only by heavy breathing and the faint crackling of mana in the air, still dissipating after the guardian's destruction. The creature's body crumbled into mana particles that floated like tiny fragments of light, slowly vanishing into the environment. Aslam was drenched in sweat, with several cuts scattered across his body and intense bleeding that had almost completely exhausted his mana.
He breathed with difficulty, feeling the weight of the brutal combat. He had used practically all of his energy; even for someone of his level, the battle had been grueling. Before him, the defeated guardian lay fallen, and in the center of the room, a relic began to reveal itself. An intense glow took the place where the creature had collapsed.
The bluish light pulsed rhythmically, as if it were still alive with the condensed mana energy that had once fueled the guardian. With great effort, Aslam walked toward the center of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing against the cold stone floor. The relic emerged from the shadows, floating slowly in the air. A luminous orb, wrapped in a dense and powerful flow of mana, began to materialize.
The sorcerer couldn't help but feel the power of that orb even before approaching it. It was the source of all the energy that had sustained the guardian and nurtured the environment. The mana of this entire place was concentrated in that artifact, contrary to what he had previously thought. He approached, observing the orb with a mixture of fascination and caution. The relic shone with an unusual intensity, and he could feel the mana being drained from the surrounding environment.
"So… this is what the guardian was protecting," Aslam thought, cautiously raising his hand.
He brought his fingers close to the orb without touching it, simply feeling the flow of mana emanating from it.
— This relic… contains immense power, but it is also unstable.
With a precise movement, he enveloped the orb with a thin layer of his own mana, stabilizing the energy oscillations running across the artifact's surface.
— This should hold for now — he murmured, casting one last look at the orb before placing it inside his bag.
His body still ached. Despite the victory, the effects of the fight were evident. Fatigue weighed heavily upon him. Sweat ran down his face, mixing with the dried blood from the cuts he had suffered during combat. He smiled slightly, touching the side of his face where a superficial wound still stung.
"How much time has passed..." Aslam thought, a tired and almost nostalgic smile appearing on his lips.
Even amidst exhaustion and pain, there was satisfaction in facing an opponent worthy of the body he currently inhabited. That guardian had tested his limits, forcing him to evolve in the heat of battle. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure before looking at the three unconscious bodies scattered across the room.
Aslam walked slowly toward them, starting with Lyra. Kneeling by her side, he observed her irregular breathing. The young mage had exhausted all her internal mana, leaving her body on the verge of total collapse. He extended his hand, enveloping her in a small amount of refined mana, stabilizing the energy flow within her.
— You were brave — he murmured, feeling the faint response of mana beginning to circulate in her body again.
He repeated the same process with Kellen and Melina, carefully channeling his mana to restore part of their energy. It wasn't a complete cure, but it would be enough to keep them stable until they woke up. His body seemed increasingly close to collapsing, every movement becoming slower, yet there was a firm refusal to leave any of them in danger.
When he finished the process with Kellen, he tried to contain the exhaustion that had finally caught up to him.
"Even after all these years… there are still limits," he thought, feeling a pang of self-criticism.
Every cut, every impact was marked on his body, even while his mind remained as sharp as ever. Still tired, he opened his bag and took out three small potions he had found along the way. His fingers, still trembling after the fight, carefully opened the flasks. He placed one beside each adventurer.
"This should be enough to help them recover until their companions arrive," he thought, observing the wounded bodies.
He was aware that, despite their strength, they still had much to learn before venturing into places like this again. They couldn't rely solely on luck. As he headed toward the exit, a movement behind him caught his attention. The sound of irregular breathing and someone moving among the adventurers made him stop. Turning his head slightly, curious, he wondered who had regained consciousness.
It was Lyra, the mage. She struggled to push herself up, her eyes half-closed and confused. Her hand trembled as she tried to support herself.
— W-who… who are you? — Lyra's voice came out weak, almost a whisper.
He turned upon hearing her. Blood dripped slowly from his nose, warm, marking his fair skin before hitting the ground. Even so, he smiled. A light, almost tired smile that emerged without haste, as if that gesture were more natural than hiding the pain. Lyra felt her chest warm up. Her heart, which until then had been beating irregularly, found a slower rhythm. The tension in her shoulders eased, and the cold that had settled in began to recede. It was like being near a campfire after a long time in the rain.
His eyes caught her attention. She couldn't say how, but she felt that, for a moment, they had shifted from a crystalline blue, sharp as glass, to deep green—with the stillness of a hidden lake. That gaze reached her completely. It was one of the gifts of the First Sorcerer of Humanity: the ability to look at anything and still offer kindness. He surveyed the clearing with a brief nod.
— Focus on recovering. — His voice came firm, low, and steady. — The rest of your group will arrive shortly.
Lyra tried to respond. The next question formed in her mind even before finding a path to her mouth, but her body did not follow the intention.
— You were lucky — he said, almost in a casual tone.
The smile remained for a moment longer. The warmth of that presence continued even when he was already moving away. The clearing began to dissolve into patches of light and shadow. When her eyes closed again, fear no longer occupied the same space.
The group advancing along the established path followed the muddy trail toward the center of the ruins of Tirath. Caront, the robust warrior leading the way, tightened his grip on his sword.
— We're close — he murmured. — Keep your guard up.
Beside him, Celine, the sharp-eyed mage, nodded.
— The magic here… someone passed through here recently.
— We'd better be prepared — Ivor, the archer, said in a low voice. — I don't want to end up like the last group that disappeared.
The group followed with calculated steps until faint sounds of voices began to echo in the distance. They stopped upon hearing groans, and Caront raised his hand, signaling for silence.
— There, ahead — the warrior indicated.
As they approached, they found Kellen, Melina, and Lyra on the ground, clearly recovering. Elira, the priestess, ran to them, kneeling beside Kellen.
— Pelos deuses… what happened to you?
Kellen looked up, still confused.
— We… the guardian… — he coughed. — We were finished. But someone appeared…
— Someone? — Celine asked, surprised. — Who?
Melina, still lying down, forced a tired smile.
— We don't know… it was a man… maybe a shadow. He faced the guardian and… saved us.
Lyra, beginning to wake up slowly, added with difficulty:
— He… took the relic. The great orb… When I woke up, he had already disappeared.
Caront looked around, furrowing his brow.
— So you're saying someone got here before us, defeated the guardian alone, and took the relic? — He let out an incredulous laugh. — I don't know who this guy thinks he is, but that relic was ours.
Celine interrupted him, shaking her head.
— Caront, if it weren't for this person, they would be dead. Whoever it was, they did more than any of us could have managed.
— But why did he just leave you here? — Ivor asked, examining the surroundings.
Elira placed her hands over Kellen and Melina, conjuring a light healing spell.
— Seja qual for o motivo, the most important thing is that they are alive. We need to get them out of here.
— Agreed — said Harra, the warrior in shimmering armor. — If that guardian was defeated, we don't know what else might be lurking here.
Torak, the barbarian, murmured in agreement.
— Let's focus on helping our friends and getting out of here — Celine concluded. — The relic was taken, but that doesn't mean the danger is over.
Caront helped Kellen up. As they prepared to leave, he cast one last look at the center of the site.
— Whoever did this… I don't want to cross paths with him.
After moving away from the ruins of Tirath, the sorcerer's senses remained sharp. After a few minutes of walking, he found a small river with crystalline waters.
— Perfect — he murmured. — I need to recover.
The river water flowed gently, and he began to channel his mana.
"Mana is the essence of the world," he thought. "It flows through everything, connecting all things."
He recalled the moment mana began to flow within him for the first time. With a nostalgic smile, he began to speak, his voice echoing like a mantra.
— When I began my journey, it all started with the Ring of Awakening. The first contact with mana is something no sorcerer should ever forget.
— For me, it was like feeling a subtle, pulsing current inside me. I couldn't control it, but I knew it was there.
He let the memories flow.
— Later, I moved on to the Ring of the Internal Forge, where I learned to strengthen my body. Each attack became more powerful, each movement more fluid.
He took a deep breath.
— Upon reaching the Ring of Expansion, my control became refined. It was no longer just about me. That was when I touched the natural elements for the first time. I remember the sensation of moving a small flame or controlling a light breeze.
His eyes shone with the memory.
— At the Ring of Harmony, I finally achieved true mastery. I remember the firestorms I conjured. The power I felt was overwhelming.
He paused.
— Upon reaching the Ring of Mastery, I realized I had transcended the need for words or gestures. Mana flowed through me as if I were a being made of pure magical energy. It was a liberating sensation.
He felt the shadow of the past approach.
— At that moment, I was almost complete. The mastery of mana was just a step toward the Ring of Creation, but there was still a path to travel. There was so much more I could have achieved, were it not for that...
The meditation deepened.
"The secret is not just to master mana, but to respect its nature," he thought. "It should not be forced, but invited to flow."
In his mind, he began to manipulate his internal mana. As he concentrated, the mana began to move around him, creating soft waves of wind. The birds, attracted by that magical aura, occasionally perched on his shoulders. He felt at one with everything.
When night fell, the light continued to shine. He surrendered to meditation until the moon reached its zenith. Slowly, he began to wake. He felt renewed.
"Evolution is a path without end," he thought, looking up at the sky.
Decided to end his rest, he leaned against the rock and closed his eyes.
— Tomorrow, I will continue — he murmured to himself, plunging into a deep sleep.
The moonlight dappled Aslam's sleeping form. A kingfisher perched nearby took flight when his bones began to crackle like damp wood in a fireplace. The transformation began in his hands—knuckles swelling, then settling into sculpted joints. The changes moved up his arms, muscles becoming denser and more compact.
Along his spine, strange geometries of light appeared—ancient runes of the Internal Forge domain materializing before merging into the muscle tissue. A raw power condensed around his heart. Three luminous rings materialized—two glowing intensely, the third flickering like a candle. With each pulse, the unstable ring became more defined until…
Snap.
The third ring locked into place. His entire body arched over the stone as final adjustments tore through him like bolts of energy. The forest plunged into silence.