Chapter 4 Mana

As the sun descended and the moon rose, the decreasing temperature seemed to be a constant reminder of the day's end drawing near. Reviewing the events of the day and pondering the future that was in store for him, Elric had a wide grin on his face as his favourite thing even back on the blue star was to explore the unknown.

"I really should get some sleep" Elric yawned, thankfully his animal robes were thick enough to protect him from the cold. Positioning his body he lay down to sleep. However, it seemed the night had other plans in store for him.

Strange darkness covered his view making the already dark cave a few shades darker. His body was suddenly enveloped by a huge shadow coupled with the sudden sound of footsteps that produced a rhythmic thump that echoed through the cave; it almost felt like he had transmigrated to a horror film.

Forcefully calming down his nerves he held the book to his chest ready to use it as a projectile if needed. After all, all the knowledge is stored already, rendering it useless.

Turning his head he saw a monster that could be said to be a biological miracle back on the blue star. A winged horse with sleek black fur, white wings, and golden eyes pitifully looked at the corpse in which the crystal grew.

As if sensing Elrics' undisguised gaze, it snorted coldly before turning into a cloud of black smoke disappearing from Elric's view.

Taking a deep breath confirming that the strange beast had gone he silently said to himself  "A.I. Chip what was that?"

[Beep! Searching database.]

[Discovered two results!]

[God beast Tantibus: Tantibus is a creature known for its seldom appearances rumoured to bring bad luck and disaster wherever it goes. It is said to fly in the air and run on land. while being impervious to physical attacks. Possessing immense physical strength and are usually seen in groups of two]

[God beast Tantibus: Tantibus the messenger of the God of dreams and night, is said to visit the dreams of the unbelievers taking their souls to the river Styx to suffer for eternity .]

"sigh.. any which way it doesn't seem like something the current me can deal with. A.I. Chip what is the current possibility of me escaping if I were attacked"

[Based on the host's current stats, the chances of escaping are 0%]

"Sure enough it seems too early to think about the future. I have to solve the current predicament of this weak body. It seems body strengthening should be put on the agenda. A.I. Chip create a task file named body strengthening plan"

[File created -body strengthening plan ]

"Too many things keep happening today, it doesn't seem like I'm getting sleep anytime soon" Elric sighed thinking of the sudden appearance of the Tantibus

[Host additional discoveries have been made ]

"What is it?" he said impatiently, the Tantibus incident left an uncomfortable taste in his mouth. He especially recalled the Tantibus disdain for him whilst glancing at him.

[The creature Tantibus seemed to have to be radiating the same energy as the unknown crystal while also absorbing unknown energies from the atmosphere]

"What!? A.I. chip do you have a detailed route of how this energy was run through its body? And why was it entering its body?" Elric's breathing quickened as he seemed to have thought of something.

[ Report to the host! The creature seemed to be breathing in a certain pattern which in turn caused those unknown energies to strengthen its body also leading to a gradual increase in its radiation]

"If it was what I think it is then I think I can save not only me but also the human race." With a smile on his face, he thought "I can't just keep calling them unknown energies. A.I. call the unknown energy mana and change the name of the beast core to mana core"

[Changes made!]

"Simulate what would happen if I followed that breathing pattern"

[Simulation in progress!]

[Simulation complete! the result, the host took in 0.5% more air than usual when breathing]

The corner of his lips twitched, not expecting this answer "It seems like I'm omitting something. What could it be? Could it be that I left something out?" Scratching his head nothing came to mind "A.I. chip scan the mana crystal again"

[Mana radiation affecting scanning advice the host to move closer]

"It seemed like last time I was too far away. I need to be more careful not to rely on the A.I. too much with the A.I. as It's not alive so it can't give its opinion unless related to tasks I set." Moving closer he made up his mind to always cross-check to avoid missing anything like he had today.

[Scanning successful! Detecting unknown inscriptions on the surface of the crystal]

"Hmm… So if the reason for the mana absorption was not just this breathing, then I wonder if these inscriptions are likely to be the main key. Now how do I go about using these inscriptions?" He began to weigh his options, "should I carve it on my skin? no that shouldn't work and I'm not a masochist.  Didn't the Ai chip cross with me? since it didn't come physically it must have come through my soul."

"A.I. chip can you create those inscriptions on my soul?"

[Yes but the results are unknown]

Gritting his teeth he still spat out the words from his mouth "proceed."

[Commencing soul inscription!]

[Host prepare for pain]

"What!?" Before he could continue speaking a storm of pain swept through his body causing him to faint. at this time, a light shot out from the void descending through the cave onto Elric's defenceless body giving him no time to resist.

[Error...Error. Soul inscription interrupted]

Unfortunately, Elric was unable to respond to the A.I. which continued to ring in his mind to no avail. Meanwhile, unknown to Elric, his soul inscription had led to an unprecedented storm.

Kingdom of Light, Mainland,

"His royal highness! his royal highness!" A tall man ran into a luxurious palace, disregarding the angry eyes of the guards and those present.

"Calm down Richard, and haven't I told you to call me to be brother or Charles? We are also brothers after all." A blond youth replied in the centre of the crowd, he had sky blue eyes carrying an air of nobility wherever he went.

After calming down and getting the affirmation of his brother he continued "Brother it's not good I heard the chief priest telling father there seems to be an emergency in the realm of Gods. The ancient Gods seemed to have summoned all the Gods back to the temple of Gods!"

"What!?" The whole crowd, including the prince and the guards, gasped. That night the whole kingdom seemed to fall into silence.

Despite the sun rising to mark the start of a new day for the various kingdoms and organisations on the mainland, the sun did not symbolise a new day but rather the start of a new era!