Theo and Celia settled in the grand hall, whose remnants hinted at a bygone grandeur. Moonlight seeped through the gaps in the collapsed ceiling, casting ghostly shapes on the cracked floor.
The smell of dust and debris filled the place, mixed with a faint scent of ancient mana clinging to the stone walls. After confronting the Shadow Wolves, Theo felt exhausted, but his mind was on high alert, absorbing every word from Celia.
"Now that you know how mana can be absorbed," Celia began, her voice calm but carrying an instructive tone,
"You must learn how to protect yourself. Your body is your mana vessel, and if you don't protect it, you will be vulnerable to any creature that feeds on energy. This isn't just a combat skill, it's a fundamental survival skill in this world."
Celia sat on a flat stone, and motioned for Theo to sit in front of her. "There are two main ways to protect your mana flow. The first is to create a mana shield around your body. The second is to concentrate mana at specific points to prevent its absorption. We'll start with the shield."
"Imagine that the mana flowing in your body isn't just internal energy, but a fluid, or rather a current. This current can connect to the outside, flowing from you and to you. When creatures like Shadow Wolves attack you, they try to pull this current from you. Your task is to create a barrier, a thin yet strong membrane, around this current."
Theo closed his eyes and tried to visualize what Celia had said.
He was used to feeling mana as an internal current, but the idea of extending it to form a shield around his body was new.
He focused on the mana flowing in his body, then tried to push it outwards, to form a protective layer around his skin.
He felt a slight tingling sensation, as if his skin was prickling, then a feeling of gentle warmth.
"Good," Celia said, as if she felt what he was doing. "Now, try to make this shield denser. Imagine it's a wall, or a real shield. The denser it is, the greater its ability to repel attacks.
But remember, this shield consumes mana, so you cannot maintain it for a long time if you don't have enough mana."
Theo continued to focus, trying to increase the shield's density. He felt a slight pressure on his body, as if something was surrounding him.
It required great concentration, and he felt mana flowing from him more quickly. He opened his eyes and looked at Celia, who was watching in silence.
"Now, the second method," Celia said. "Concentrating mana at specific points. When you feel a threat, or when mana-absorbing creatures attack you, you can concentrate mana in the area under attack. This will make that area more resistant to absorption. Imagine you're placing a thick layer of mana at that point, making it impenetrable."
Celia pointed to Theo's arm, where he had been injured before. "When the Shadow Wolf attacked you, you should have concentrated mana in your arm. This would have reduced the amount of mana it could absorb, and perhaps prevented it from causing any harm."
Theo tried to apply what Celia had said. He concentrated mana in his arm, and felt a gathering of energy in that area. It was like collecting water at one point, making it denser. It was harder than creating a general shield, because it required greater precision in concentration.
"These techniques require continuous training," Celia said. "Don't expect to master them overnight. But with practice, they will become instinct. You will be able to create the shield or concentrate mana without thinking, giving you an advantage in combat."
They spent the rest of the night training.
Celia guided Theo, correcting his mistakes. Theo trained hard, feeling exhausted, but determined to master these new skills. He realized his life depended on them.
As dawn broke, the hall became clearer.
The first rays of sunlight seeped through the gaps in the ceiling, illuminating the dancing dust in the air. The cold morning scent filled the place, mixed with the scattered mana's fragrance.
"Now, it's time to leave," Celia said. "We must reach the Silent Archive. But before that, we must pass through another area. An area full of mana-feeding monsters, but they are not like Shadow Wolves. They are more powerful, and more cunning."
Theo was ready. He felt confident in his new abilities, but he also realized that this world was full of surprises.
As they walked through the ruins, Celia began to talk about Elandar's history again. "We talked about the factions that destroyed Elandar. Soul Burners, Flesh Sculptors, Void Weavers. But there was another faction, less known, but no less dangerous. They were called 'Mana Hunters'."
"Mana Hunters," Celia continued, "were a group of mages who specialized in absorbing mana from living creatures. They didn't use mana to cast spells, but to increase their own power. They believed that mana was the essence of life, and that absorbing it could grant them immortality and absolute power. They hunted magical creatures, and even humans, to absorb mana from them."
"They used special techniques to absorb mana," Celia said, "techniques very similar to what you saw with the Shadow Wolves. But they were more advanced, and more brutal. They could absorb mana from a distance, and even through magical shields. They were terrifying beings, and they caused the death of thousands."
Theo listened attentively, feeling a shiver run down his body. He now realized that the Shadow Wolves were merely a primitive version of more terrifying beings.
"But Mana Hunters weren't the only ones," Celia said. "There were also the 'Mana Drainers'." Celia paused for a moment, as if remembering something painful.
"They were creatures that naturally absorbed mana, like Shadow Wolves, but they were more powerful, and more cunning. They resembled giant spiders, but they were made of pure mana. They wove webs of mana, and hunted creatures that passed through them."
"They absorbed mana slowly," Celia continued, "making the victim gradually feel weak, until they lost all their energy and died. They were terrifying creatures, and they caused the destruction of many villages. But they disappeared after the fall of Elandar. Some believe they died, and others believe they hid in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to return."
They reached a new area, which seemed to have been a market in the past. There were remnants of cracked stalls and shattered carts. The smell of death filled the air, mixed with the scent of corrupted mana.
The area was eerily quiet, as if something was lurking in the shadows.
"This area is dangerous," Celia said, her voice carrying a warning tone. "We must be careful. I feel a strong mana presence here. A presence I haven't felt before." Her eyes scanned the shadows, searching for any movement.
Suddenly, Theo felt a strong mana presence, moving quickly towards them from the darkness. It wasn't one monster, but several. They moved with incredible speed, as if melting into the darkness and reappearing from it. They attacked silently, making no sound, which made them even more terrifying.
"Mana Drainers!" Celia whispered, her voice carrying a tone of shock. "I didn't think they still existed." Her eyes stared into the darkness, as if seeing a nightmare.