Kael took one step.
His legs buckled.
The ground rushed up and he hit it shoulder-first with a muffled thump that sent pain lancing through his already broken ribs. The realm had cost much more than he'd calculated. Opening a bounded space without the cultivation to sustain it was like trying to lift a mountain with broken arms.
Possible, maybe, for a few seconds. But the aftermath was absolute.
"You idiot," Sage hissed.
Her hands found his shoulders. Hauled him upright. His vision swam—gray at the edges, dark at the center, the two moons of Athelas spinning overhead like drunk fireflies.
"Open your mouth."
"What—"
She shoved something past his lips. Small. Bitter. A pill dissolving on his tongue.
Shadow Shop — Mana Restoration Pill (Earth Grade) — 100 SP — Purchased x2
Warmth flooded through him.
"Another one," she muttered.
"Already did. While you were busy faceplanting."
His mana reserves climbed. Twenty percent. Thirty. Forty.
