There was nothing he could do. It was still happening. His mana node was still being eroded slowly by the virus. He had tried everything he could think of without actually touching the shard. The sense of foreboding he felt whenever he neared the fragment, his mana node, could not just be disregarded. So all he could do right now was watch. He had no tool or means to do anything else.
"Fuck! Am I going to watch as I slowly die?!" He was sure death was the only end for him if the virus fully eroded his mana node. That was if he wasn't even already dead and this was actually an afterlife of some sort.
Logically, his body should have been mauled by that Alpha Skarnid by now, so the idea that he was dead didn't seem far-fetched.
"Wait, what am I even thinking?! Aegis mentioned something about my brain..."
"Aegis!" He sent a thought.
"Yes, host."
"What's the state of my body right now?! I'm not dead yet, am I?!"
"Host's body has suffered severe damage, but enhanced healing capabilities have taken you out of the critical zone, but only just that. Further healing would require more energy, which isn't available at the moment."
"Whew!" He breathed out a sigh of relief. "So I'm not dead... yet." He refocused his attention on the present situation.
"Aegis," he said again, this time with more urgency. "Do you know anything about containing a virus... anything that can stop it from spreading?"
"Please clarify the nature of the virus."
Zephyr scrunched his brows. "All I can tell is that it's a mana-based virus— that chill that snuffed out my consciousness... Yeah, I'm inside my mana core right now, and I can physically see it. It's corrupting my mana node and I can't touch it. I don't have anything physical here. I can only—" he cut himself off, frustration bubbling under his skin. "I can only watch it spread and I can't do a damn thing."
"..."
"Without access to tools or direct interaction with the node, containment options are limited. However, theoretical approaches include isolating the infected strands, creating a buffer zone, or reinforcing uncorrupted pathways to slow the spread."
"And how would I do any of that?" Zephyr sighed in exasperation.
"Have you tried casting a spell?"
"What? A spell... here?!" Zephyr was taken aback. He actually hadn't tried it yet. Immediately, he brought up the model for a simple mana barrier spell, going through the motions he usually would with his real body.
Nothing. There was absolutely no response from his mana node. He just looked like a fool waving his hands about. He had no access to his physical body, his mana channels, or anything required to cast a spell aside from his mana node, so the failure wasn't a surprise. He even expected it. But still, he tried again. Time was running out, so he would grasp onto any straw available.
The more he tried, the more he felt frustrated. He knew he couldn't cast a spell in here, but he felt there should at least be a reaction of some kind. Some sort of feedback. He looked at the spreading virus. "It's blocking my connection..."
He needed to do something different. He needed a direct connection.
Not every part of the floating node had been corrupted. The virus had only spread nearly halfway, so he still had some part to touch directly, only that everything in him screamed against doing so.
He clenched his fist and took purposeful strides right to the floating shard, fighting against the urge to turn back. It became harder and harder to step forward the closer he got. With clenched jaws, he stretched forth his hands, struggling against the dominating feeling of wrongness. Just like the first time, it felt like he was encroaching on something sacred, something beyond him, something he was unqualified for, but this time, instead of the pleasant feeling he got from above— from Origin— in its place was an intense feeling of reproach... of disdain... even a tinge of a desire to annihilate.
He fought against it with every drop of will he could muster... and with a tap of his outstretched hands, his finger brushed against the surface, a tiny spark connecting him to his mana node like a thread.
His mind went blank.
Chaos. A chaotic mishmash of information he couldn't begin to decipher flooded his mind instantly. He felt his consciousness expand with the amount of information the connection opened up to him. He immediately felt full... like his head was about to explode. He needed an outlet, but he couldn't even think, just locked in motion with his arms outstretched like a Victorian painting, glassy-eyed, gazing at nothing.
Aegis said something. He didn't hear a thing. His mind was nearing total erosion, too weak, too feeble to even grasp anything.
Suddenly, he felt again. He thought again. Life returned to his eyes slowly as something began to filter the information passing by his entrance to the node— his connection, the link between his consciousness and the unending stream— till he slowly came to, remembering what his goal was. He felt no pain. Just a sense of being part of something larger... like a drop of water joining an unending stream. He sent his intention blankly, feeling it get passed on by the stream till he got a feedback. He understood everything clearly. Even better than he did with Aegis, who communicated directly with his thoughts.
The invader— the virus— was also Origin. A tainted Origin. Dead. Inferior. Supremely inferior, such that even Zephyr felt a distaste for it. It felt beneath him, yet it was reaching out for something greater... The audacity. He felt an intense anger surge within him. This was all because of him. He was the medium that allowed this since he was weak. The only saving grace was that there seemed to be no recipient of this Origin. It was mindless, just moving on instinct. But regardless, he needed to rectify his lapse... his failure. So with everything he had in him, he pushed along with his mana node, sending his intention to defend down the stream.
But it wasn't needed.
All of a sudden, the virus gave, receding like a tide. Zephyr's mana core reacted on instinct, purging the now weak virus from every glyph network it had eroded. The glyphs returned to their normal vibrant blue glow as Zephyr slowly disengaged from his mana node, overcome by a disorienting sense of sluggishness. It had felt really good, being a part of that network of information... although it had nearly wiped his mind clean.
He turned his gaze to the ground, watching as the virus retreated speedily.
It was being used up by someone. He felt that while his consciousness was still in the stream. That was his saving grace.
"Well, whoever it is has my thanks." He sighed in relief as he watched the last of the invading virus get pushed out in the fading distance. He guessed that was the border of this place.
He was just about to take a step forward to get a closer look when he felt a gaze lock onto him from a very distant place above, and his vision shifted.
Woods. Smoke. Fire. A figure.
He was back in the real world.