Chapter 6
"Grey! Wake up!"
A voice echoed in his mind, pulling him from unconsciousness. Slowly, Grey's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself in his familiar room, lying in the same position he had been when he attempted to create his mana core.
"Ugh… My head… and chest…" He groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead as a dull ache pulsed through his body. Blinking, he looked around, confused.
'Strange… I could have sworn someone was calling me.'
A sudden splash beneath him drew his attention. A pungent, foul odor filled his nostrils, making him gag. Hesitantly, he glanced down.
His eyes widened.
A black, toxic substance surrounded him, soaking his clothes. Even his skin was drenched in the thick, oily liquid. His mouth tasted foul, as if the poison had seeped inside him. Sweat mixed with the strange substance, forming a disgusting layer over his body.
"Is this… what I think it is?" he whispered, his heart pounding.
Excitement surged through him as his hand shot to his chest. Without hesitation, he crossed his legs and slipped into a meditative position, closing his eyes. He inhaled deeply, focusing.
And then—he felt it.
Mana.
The energy flowed around him, drawn to his core with every breath he took. It moved naturally, responding to his presence.
'I… I did it! I successfully created my mana core!' Grey's eyes snapped open as exhilaration coursed through his veins.
He leaped to his feet, barely able to contain his joy. "I did it! I actually did it!" he cheered, but then quickly forced himself to calm down. "No, this is just the first step. The next goal is unlocking one of my affinities… and for that, I need guidance."
A strong wave of the putrid stench hit him again, making him recoil.
"Right. First things first—cleaning up."
Without wasting another second, Grey sneaked out of his room to go get cleaning tools and in a few minutes, he came back and began scrubbing his room thoroughly.
Afterward, he took a long, much-needed bath, washing away the remnants of the purification process. He disposed of his clothes entirely because there was no saving them. The stench was too overpowering, impossible to remove, even with the most rigorous washing.
Once he finished, he moved to leave his room but paused at the window. Darkness had settled outside.
"Huh? Was I unconscious for that long?" His brows furrowed. "There's no way Mom will let me go out now."
Sighing, he sat back on his bed, deep in thought. "I wish Dad had been able to unlock his affinities in time…" The moment of sorrow gripped him, but then...
A sensation.
Even as he sat still, he could feel the mana flowing toward his core, as if it were naturally drawn to him. His eyes widened. 'Even without meditating, it's still circulating?'
His excitement reignited. "What if I meditate more? What if I try moving the mana around to get used to controlling it?"
Without hesitation, he slipped back into a meditative stance. His breathing steadied, and he focused inward, allowing himself to sense the mana in the air.
It looks like tiny particles floating around me… He concentrated, drawing them into his body, careful not to overdo it.
As his core reached its limit, he shifted his focus to something new—circulating the mana throughout his body.
First, he moved it around his core, slowly and steadily. Then, he extended its flow, sending it through his limbs, his chest, his fingertips, and back again. The process was exhilarating. He was learning, adapting, growing stronger.
Unbeknownst to him, time slipped by.
The first rays of sunlight peeked through his window, illuminating his face. The warmth stirred him, and his eyes snapped open, brimming with energy.
"It's morning already?" he muttered, confused. As he stood and stretched, he felt more refreshed than ever.
"I should freshen up and head to the library. There has to be something there that can help me understand more about affinities." With that, he hurried out of the room.
—
The moment Grey left, a faint crackling sound filled the air. A white, blinding light engulfed the room before dimming, revealing two men standing in the very space Grey had just occupied.
The first man, with brown hair and piercing blue eyes, observed the room with interest. "He's talented and quick to learn."
The second man, an older figure with flowing white hair and a long beard, nodded. "Indeed. Without any guidance, he not only created his mana core but also instinctively began circulating his mana properly. His focus was so intense that he didn't even realize morning had come."
"But I'm confused." The brown haired man muttered, his brows furrowed as he stared ahead.
"About?"
"I'm sure he must have tried forming his mana core several times before, this isn't his first attempt and he was unsuccessful, so how did he succeed this time around? It's puzzling." The brown haired man mumbled.
"That's because I had a hand in it." The old man replied as a small frown settled on his face.
"How so?"
"I don't know how and why but it looked like someone had sealed his core. Sealing it tight so he won't ever be able to use magic and making it seem like he was a cripple. I had to unlock the seal for him to be able to do this after I found out about his potential." The white haired man replied as he stroke his full white beard.
"But why? Why would someone do something like that? And who?" The brown haired man asked.
"No idea. But whoever did that, definitely doesn't have good intentions."
Then the brown-haired man crossed his arms. "Now I wonder which affinity he will unlock first."
The older man's eyes darkened slightly. "Whatever it is, it won't be long before he draws attention. Multi-elementalists like us don't unlock all our affinities at once—they come one at a time, at different intervals. But judging by how fast he formed his mana core, I doubt we would wait for long."
"At first, people will assume he's a single-element mage. Then, when he unlocks a second affinity, he'll be considered a dual-elementalist—rare and respectable. But the moment he unlocks his third, he'll become a major target." The older man's voice was grave.
The brown-haired man sighed. "Yeah… Even with all your strength, you couldn't completely defeat them, could you?"
The old man's gaze hardened. "That's why I'm placing my hopes on Grey. I had four affinities—he has five. An extremely rare phenomenon."
A silence stretched between them before the brown-haired man asked, "How many affinities does the Emperor have?"
"Four, as far as I know," the older man replied. "But rest assured—he possesses no special affinities."
"Still, the more affinities Grey unlocks, the greater the danger he'll be in. He'll need to be prepared for the inevitable battles ahead."
The older man nodded. "I will do my best to protect him from the shadows."
With that, the two figures disappeared in another flash of blinding light, leaving no trace of their presence behind.