CREAK
The door bursts open. A familiar face steps in, Teruki. Her long silver-blue hair cascading down her back. White robes with silver outlines drape over her. She's wearing oven mitts. A small pendant is woven into her hair. Her deep blue eyes shimmer with concern.
"They're here," she sighs.She's barely paying attention.
Before I can respond, she's already turning to leave. Rei cuts her off.
"What are you making?" Rei asks. She glances at Teruki's hands.
Teruki blinks, as if just now noticing the mitts.
"Muffins," she answers with a large smile.
A small spider descends from the ceiling. It skitters down on a thread. I instinctively grab it in my hands, ready to crush it.
"Don't kill it!" Teruki blurts out, her voice sharp with urgency.
I sigh. "Fine. What should I do with it?"
"Put it outside," she says quickly.
She hurries off before I can say a word.
Rei watches her leave, then turns to me.
"She's worried about her muffins," she says, holding in her laughter.
Sakura steps forward, her masked face revealing little, but I can tell she's smiling beneath it.
She turns to Rei.
"I'll find it, guild master," she says emotionlessly.
Before I can ask what's going on, Rei jolts up from her chair.
"Follow!" she commands.
I obey without question.
We walk toward the teleport circle in the center of the floor, surrounded by glass.
"What's Sakura looking for?"
"An artifact," Rei replies, her tone formal.
"An artifact?" I echo.
We step into the circle, and the runes flicker to life, the rune beginning to descend.
Rei's face is tense. A rare sight.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Nothing," she says. "Just nerves."
"Are you sure we can trust them?" I ask quietly.
"I'm positive," she replies firmly. "They're a reputable guild, and Viri spoke highly of their leader."
"We're putting a lot of faith in someone we barely know," I mutter.
"In truth, they're our only hope," Reyna says. "Their guild is the only one willing to ally with ours."
"Ascend," a voice whispers faintly in my mind.
"In all likelihood, we shouldn't have made that deal," She says softly.
"You're right," I admit. "We held all the cards."
"But she did," she counters. "And we can't change that now."
"Even still," Rei says, her tone steady. "If we lose... then we face it when it comes."
"Do you really think this guild can help us?" I ask. "A guild that doesn't even use magic?"
Rei sighs. "I believe so."
The door to the guild hall gleams brightly. Polished wood with intricate carvings of swords and shields woven into the design.
The spider in my hand has not moved. It's cold and still, like an empty husk.
I'd heard good things about this guild . Stories of crusaders, of honor and loyalty yet doubt gnaws at me. I've never met them before.
Except Shino. She is an odd one. It felt like she knew more about us than anyone should, like she'd been watching us for a long time.
She didn't seem like someone I'd trust. But if Rei believed in them, I would too.
This time, it isn't just a single person like before. It's an entire guild. A group of people.
The door swings open. Sunlight, pure and unfiltered, floods in for the first time in what feels like ages. I lift my empty hand to shield my eyes as they adjust. I kneel and place the spider outside. It scurries away down the steps.
PULSE
A wave of mana surges through the air, sharp and sudden. My stomach turns, and the world tilts beneath me. I stumble, falling to the ground.
When my vision clears, I see them. A hundred or so players and NPCs alike, lined up in pairs across the street. At the front stand two men, their presence commanding.
One of the two men towers over us, his presence making us seem like dwarfs in comparison. He's clad in red and white armor with their guild's logo prominently displayed on his chest plate. His face is hardened, his stance firm. A seasoned warrior.
The other is younger, no older than eighteen, with brown hair and striking golden eyes. He wears the same red and white attire, though the way he carries himself is far more casual. He is adorned in a red cape that marks him as their leader.
The pulsing sensation worsens. My stomach churns, and the overwhelming pressure of mana makes it hard to breathe.
The boy holds a ring in his other hand. Once he notices me in pain, he slips the ring back onto his finger. I notice simple metal bands on each of his fingers. Nothing flashy, just plain rings.
His fifth ring. Each one is noticeably tighter than the last.
As soon as the fifth ring is secured, the suffocating pressure vanishes.
"How much mana does this boy have?" I wonder to myself.
"No need to bow," the boy laughs, his voice lighthearted.
I straighten myself. I still feel unsteady.
"It's nice to finally meet you." He extended a hand.
I shake it firmly. My gaze shifted to the armored man and back.
"I assume you're Adrian's second-in-command?" I ask.
"No," the boy laughs again. "I'm Adrian."
"You?" My disbelief is clear in my voice. "Aren't you a little young?"
"You must not have been at the last summit," Adrian chuckles.
"No," I admit. "Teruki attended in my place."
"Regardless," Adrian continues, "it's an honor to meet the most famous person in the tower."
I blink in confusion. I'm unsure what he means. I glance at Rei.
"Come," she urges quickly, clearly eager to change the subject.
"I'm Reyna," she introduces herself as we walk. "This is Eli."
"I'm Adrian," the boy says with a smile. "And this is Tank."
"And you're Adrian's right hand?" I ask.
The armored man. He's still silent. He gives a slight nod. The only sound is the faint clinking of his armor..
"Indeed," Adrian replies, his tone shifting to something more professional.
We step onto the rune elevator. It begins to ascend, silence hangs heavy between us.
"I apologize for earlier," Adrian says at last. "It's hard to know when our mana is getting out of control."
"That's what the rings are for, then?" I ask.
"Exactly."
"Don't worry, we didn't feel anything," Reyna says calmly.
But that isn't true.
I did feel it.
That oppressive mana weighed down on me, worse than anything I'd experienced before.
I've always believed Sho's mana far exceeded mine, yet I've never felt anything like that from her. Was this the difference? Was this what it felt like when someone controlled their mana with precision. When their flow was so tightly contained that the slightest leak became suffocating?
Is this what having little mana feels like?